Yesterday we had a record number of people at Village Church by a long shot – including almost 600 kids!

A couple of reflections from the day:

1. Jesus is transforming people! I got to talk to and pray with people yesterday who had all kinds of amazing stories. The Muslim couple holding their young daughter: “Pastor Mark, we came to know Jesus a couple of months ago because of Village Church and we just got baptized! Thank you!” The guy meeting his friend this week for coffee to tell him about Jesus and invite him to church. The 26 year old young man, 120 days clean of crystal meth addiction, trying to walk closely with Jesus, who stumbled Saturday night with a girl he barely knew, but was excited to get back on track, holding tightly to his new study Bible with the twelve steps pasted in the front.

2. People care about these issues. What we are talking about in this series is very real for people and not hypothetical. People really have experienced hypocrisy and judgment in and from the church, and are open to hear what we have to say about it. The fact that so many gathered gives me hope, because it means the culture has not totally given up on listening to us.

3. Our church is not ashamed. The reason so many came and experienced the love and grace and hospitality of Village Church is because our people are not ashamed of Jesus, or their church, or the Bible, etc., It is an amazing to see in post-Christian Canada – A group of people so on fire, so on mission and so willing to say “I want you to join me. I want to talk about Jesus and Christianity with you as we do life together. I am not willing to hide this stuff.”

This was Paul’s original vision and hope for the church: “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God” (Rom. 1:16). I felt that hit me yesterday while standing at our Chandos location, about to get up and preach. Our church is not ashamed. And then a second thought hit me: darkness can’t stop that.