Extraordinary Grace

Dear Doxa Church,

I hope as you read this you are abiding in Christ Jesus. There are so many things that I wish to say to you, but find it valuable and profitable to offer some exhortation and encouragement to you, especially in this season. When I say “season” I am not merely seeking to employee Biblical language, which I very much enjoy to use, for there’s no other words that supply us with everything necessary for faith and practice in the matters of salvation, but I use the term to describe “the global pandemic” that we find ourselves in. I very much look forward to when that’s a distant past. That’ll likely provoke a boisterous “AMEN,” however, it’s our current reality according to God’s providence.

Now back to the matter at hand, I’m afraid many, and likely masses of God’s people have allowed the circumstances of this moment in history to lead them into a state of apathy and slothfulness towards the means of grace known as “The Lord’s Day,” or Sunday Worship Gatherings. You might scoff at that, but that kind of mindset aligns us more with the kingdom of darkness than the kingdom of light. There’s nothing more pleasing to the Devil than a lazy Christian who thinks so little to receive God’s grace and reduce the importance of His commands about gathering with God’s people.

Doxa Church holds to a missional ecclesiology, which simply means we believe, “The Church is a chosen people of God sent by God on mission.” That theologically accessible definition is most easily and concisely described by the apostle Peter: 

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 1 Peter 2:9

In essence Peter says this: God’s chosen people exist to make Him known. The most mature Christian and seasoned church attender is familiar with this truth. However, functionally we live everyday like it isn’t true or what might be even worse…only when it’s convenient. This is played out by the masses within American Evangelicalism who simply “go to church” or “do church.” As a pastor, I want nothing more than to rescue people from believing that damning lie. I hope you share with me in that conviction. 

At this point, you might be asking the question, “What does this have to do with Sunday Gatherings at Doxa Church?” Much more than you might realize. Sunday Gatherings serve as a weekly opportunity to reorient the hearts of God’s people around the character of God, the mission of God, and the identity of God’s people. Sunday Gatherings for God’s people empower them for scattering for God’s mission in everyday life. It means our Sunday Gatherings help God’s people remember they were chosen in Christ Jesus and sent by Christ Jesus into this world to make Him known. 

I’m humbled greatly by what the Lord has entrusted to us with our Sunday Gatherings. I hope you are too. God is pleased to use rather ordinary, messy, broken sinners to make known the good news of His extraordinary grace. If that doesn’t woo your soul, I’m not sure what will. Conversely, this also means our stewardship matters in how we prepare each week for Sunday Gatherings. We must not sow sparingly our time, talents, and gifts as we prepare for the Sunday Gathering. The work and preparation that takes place during the week serves to help us help others behold the Gospel on Sundays. Let’s be humble and let’s be ready. 

Finally, I’ll conclude with a couple sentences from Martin Luther on the importance of the Lord’s Day. I find them to be both helpful and encouraging in regards to Sunday Gatherings. I trust you will too. 

“We affirm that the Holy Ghost dwells in Christendom and sanctifies it, and does so by word and sacrament, by which means He creates faith within us, as well as knowledge of Christ. The word and sacrament are His tools, so to speak, the means by which He continuously sanctifies and purifies Christendom, without rest or respite. This is the way He makes Christians holy and acceptable in the sight of God, not at all by virtue of what we do for ourselves, nor even by virtue of what we are, but simply because the Holy Ghost has been given us.”   

Soli Deo Gloria, 

Pastor Jeth