03/23/20 Update
Faith Family: good morning!
As I type this note, I am just reflecting with gratitude on the goodness of God! Every morning, as part of my devotional time with the Lord, I read from the Jesus Bible — a resource crafted by brothers in the faith like Louie Giglio, John Piper, Ravi Zacharias and Max Lucado. It’s a standard copy of God’s Word, filled with hundreds of articles and references designed to help the reader see Jesus in all of the Scriptures.
After reading 2 Samuel 6:1-10 and Hebrews 10:19-22 I read these words:
For Israel, the ark represented God’s awe-inspiring presence, and it unified the twelve tribes as one people. For this pilgrimage David had men set the ark on a new cart pulled by oxen. When the oxen stumbled, Uzzah reached out to stabilize it. Immediately, the anger of the Lord burned against him and he died. When sinful man encroaches upon the holiness of God, a price must be paid.
Because of Christ’s atoning death and resurrection, believers now have access to boldly approach God in prayer with confidence and a clean conscience. Jesus paid the price for encroaching upon the holiness of God. On the cross, Jesus died in our place as payment. Therefore, Jesus opened a new and living way to enter the holy sanctuary of God.
Then, as I read through Matthew 1 (part of our church-wide reading plan over the next month), I was reminded that this — the birth, life, death and resurrection of the Son — was the Father’s plan all along. His plans have never been thwarted and they never will!
No matter what the temporary circumstances of my life may be at this moment, I can remain joyful because Jesus has — through His substitutionary death and resurrection — granted me access to God the Father! As we walk through this season of uncertainty together, let’s resolve to remain joyful in Jesus so that the watching world might see the hope we have in Him!
In our ongoing efforts to keep you well-informed of all that is happening here at TGC, here are a few things you need to know:
CHURCH ONLINE
If you missed church online yesterday, let me encourage you to check it out this week. According to Facebook, 5,642 people were reached yesterday as a result of so many of you sharing the content our team is putting out. This is INCREDIBLE!
Let me encourage you to do a few things — 1) like and share EVERY post you see from TGC on Facebook. This is like free advertising and multiplies our reach many times over. 2) add a personal comment when you share, it shows people in your spheres of influence that you are personally invested in TGC. Here’s a couple of examples from this past week…
Melissa Lee added: We all need this in our life right!! Please accept my invitation to view this. I have an amazing church family!!
Casey McConnell added: We are starting a new series, Church in the Wild, today! Can’t wait!! Tune in @ 11 on Facebook Live
As simple as it might sound, these easy objectives (liking, sharing, adding your voice) are HUGE helps in spreading our message of hope in the community. Thank you to those of you who have been so intentional in this already — now, I’m asking everyone who calls TGC home to help us multiply our impact in the weeks to come. Together, we can!
ALPHA ONLINE
Speaking of Facebook Live, I want to make sure you know about the launch of our brand new initiative Alpha Online this coming Thursday night (3/26). Alpha was started in the 1970’s by a lawyer-turned-pastor who wanted to create a tool to help churches reach people who were far from God. Today, millions of people all around the world have attended an Alpha event and countless thousands have come to Christ as a result.
After seeking permission from the team at Alpha, we’ve been given the opportunity to host Alpha Online. I cannot overstate what an incredible opportunity this is! And that’s where YOU come in…
I want you to prayerfully consider making a commitment to join me, Pastor Tre and others from our team on Thursday nights at 8PM for the next 8 weeks as we experience Alpha Online together. And, perhaps most importantly, I want you to reach out to one friend or family member (even if they don’t live in our area) who doesn’t know Jesus, or has questions about the Christian faith, and invite them to join us.
I believe this could be one of the great opportunities hidden in this moment of uncertainty — let’s make the most of it, together!
FAMILY GROUPS
Be on the lookout this week for info from your FG leaders on how you can help us care well for some of the medical professionals serving on the front lines during this crisis. Our very own Rachel Wiggins, herself a RN, has helped us shape an exciting plan for ministering to those in the medical community. I can’t wait for you to hear Rachel’s heart and I hope you will join us in this outreach effort!
ONLINE GIVING
I praise God for your continued faithfulness in the way of giving! Thank you for continuing to give generously to the work of the Kingdom through TGC. Remember, electronic gifts can be made 24/7 via our Church Center App, online through our website (thegrove.tv/give) or via text (any amount to 84321).
If you prefer to give via check, you can still mail those to our office at 1605 Mars Hill Road, Acworth, Georgia 30101.
CLOSING THOUGHTS
Thank you for being the very best people in the world to pastor! You all have been so gracious to me and our team as we try to navigate this new normal. Your patience with us has been so refreshing and has made this season a sweet one, even in the midst of all of the unknowns.
Have the best week and know that you are loved deeply!
Pastor D