By Paula Childers
At church today, during worship, I saw God hovering over the church I was raised in. This church was not a grace-filled organization and some even consider it a cult. But last week I envisioned a God-presence in the places where we would gather. I grew up in an extremely religious church that was considered a cult. You were not allowed to just come to a service, and once you were in there were strict guidelines to follow. You could be kicked out and our greeters were really guards.
But then God.
When I was around 13 the founder died and a new guy took over. By the time I was 16 the whole church was going through a God-inspired transformation. You see the successor did the unimaginable and said we were not being honoring to God in our organization and a change must be made.
From the outside it was incredible and from the inside it was painful. The story of Worldwide Church of God proves that people, churches and organizations - even big powerful ones are capable of changing. It IS possible for an unbeliever to become a believer. It IS possible for a Pastor who has let committees rule the church to take a stand. And it is possible for a church that seems to know nothing at all about our Risen Lord and Savior to have the veil lifted so that the blind can see and the deaf can hear.
Gretchen Cannon is so right and it was a refreshing reminder today that there absolutely is hope - even when it seems hopeless. Change may be hard, but with God nothing is impossible. Today as we were praying over the different churches in Choctaw some may have doubted what God is capable of, but I have witnessed it and thank God for the Bible that proves just how powerful our God is. There is nothing he is not capable of.
May we be found seated, dressed and in our right mind. Mark 5:15