This week our church, Grace and Truth Church Cincinnati, move into our newly renovated building. In reality, we move into our renovation in progress, but we will move with joy and excitement for what God has in store for us. As we move into our new building and new neighborhood it is a great time to think about our focus from here on in. Many things will stay the same. We will continue to exalt Christ and proclaim his name. We will continue to make much of the gospel and plead for people to know Jesus. We will continue to be a church committed to all that honors our Lord as we show his love and unity within our body. We will continue stand strong on truth without compromising grace and vice versa. We will seek to point each other to the application of God’s word in our life and the sufficiency of the Scriptures for helping the hurting. We will seek to gather together to celebrate the ordinances, and to pray, preach, and fellowship. We will protect it all through a God ordained structure of partnership through sacrificial leadership and humble submission.
We could go on with so many wonderful realities about what we hope for our church to be and continue doing when we move into our new building. Before we do that, we should just take time to acknowledge that this has all happened within the providence of a good and gracious God. Before stepping into our new building on Sunday, let’s prepare our hearts by acknowledging that God is good.
Psalm 119:68 You are good and do good; teach me your statutes.
This is such a beautiful thought as we consider gathering this Sunday. We will come again around the word of God. We hope to hear eternal truth that transforms our lives, but the reason we can so readily meet with confidence in the Scriptures is because we first have confidence in God who gave his truth to us. The Scriptures are good because God is good, and because God is good, all his works are good. What more can we say but, Teach me your statutes.
Before we move into a new building this Sunday, meditate on the goodness of God. Meditate on his works because they are good. Consider the works of God in creation and in human history. Consider the works of God with his covenant people. Consider his work of redemption ordained before the foundation of the world. Consider the work of his self-revelation through his incarnation and in the inspiration of his word. Consider his work of a new creation that we are yet to behold. Consider it all. He is good and does good. Don’t you want to learn from him?
When we come on Sunday, please come in anticipation. Let the first Sunday in our new church building be one of anticipation to worship and hear from the good God of the universe as we all come around the wonder of his word and celebrate the glory of his Son.
God is good. Anticipate his good truth. Anticipate his grace. Anticipate his goodness.