Global Gathering Tuesday Morning: Rekindling Our Passion for the Truth
By Becky Fauntleroy
From the rousing pre-service rendition of “O How I Love Jesus” to the closing humorous offering challenge to give freely to provide water and outreach ministries, the Tuesday morning worship service filled the senses and challenged the soul.
Charles Myricks, Leslie Barnes, and the worship team lifted us out of our seats spontaneously as voices, instruments, and the words of the songs reached our hearts and emotions drawing us into praise and adoration.
Roger Lwo, of Taiwan, shared his experience and vision for the Global Gathering and offered heartfelt thanks to the many individuals and congregations who sponsored the delegates from sixty plus nations, enabling the Global Gathering to be the fulfillment of the vision of unity of the Church of God in the world.
The Spirit of God was felt as Bir Bahadur Waiba, of Nepal, read scripture and Roger Lwo offered prayer in Chinese.
Although the wife and two sons of speaker Norberto Obermann remained at home in Rondon, Brazil, and his parents and family in Argentina, they were watching the service via the Internet. His greeting and thanks to them for their support was a perfect lead into his discussion of the loving passion present in marriage and family that must grow and not become stagnate. Having served in pastoral ministry for twenty-two years in Puerto Rico, Argentina, and now Rondon, he gives great credit to his parents and the Church for being the foundation that brought him through his childhood and difficult teen years to this point in his life.
He emphasized that Jesus is the builder of the church; nothing will destroy it. He suggested that the passion for Jesus and the church has been diminished, almost extinguished. We cannot be a vibrant church with a superficial love but must possess a deep, faithful, intense love. “Rekindling Passion for the Truth (Christ)” begins as a personal encounter of constant communication and communion with God and continues by being the oxygen of Jesus to bless others, going to the world to share the truth about the message and the Messenger, and living with integrity so that the world can see and accept Jesus. The truth need not be defended; it must be lived. Jesus is the principal subject—not individuals, not the church.
The massive group of worshipers bowed on their knees as Norberto led in a prayer of forgiveness if we have lost our passion, asking God to rekindle our passion for him and for truth in our lives and in the church and to open doors of opportunity to live out God’s purpose wherever we live and serve.
