| Secret Church Wrap-Up |

I absolutely loved learning more about God during the Secret Church study. I’m so excited to recap the end and refresh my mind on everything because my family is actually attending Secret Church live in a couple of weeks!

There are so many mysteries surrounding God, such as the idea of the Trinity and the topic of evil. This quote sums up the Trinity so well, “Try to explain it, and you’ll lose your mind; but try to deny it, and you’ll lose your soul.” There is never going to be a complete understanding of either of these topics because the human mind is finite. If we could totally understand God, why would we need him?

The Trinity consists of God, Christ (God’s son), and the Holy Spirit. They are three distinct beings who all are eternal, but with different functions. They are each fully God and have all been present since before the beginning of creation.

The Holy Spirit teaches, testifies, intercedes, searches all things, knows all things, is a gift-giver, speaks to us, and is grieved when we sin against God and profane his name.

I think that God as the sovereign ruler and creator, along with Christ, God in human form, are most well-known. Many people can wrap their heads around these two persons because they are most present figures within the Christian community. The Holy Spirit is more difficult to understand, because he isn’t seen as much.

Throughout Scripture, though, all three persons of God are discussed and are vital components of a relationship with God. The Holy Spirit is the one that convicts our hearts, draws us near to God, lives inside us and leads us into right living. Christ is God’s son who was sent to take on all of our sins, die for us, and rise again to his Father’s side. He is our mediator, the ONLY way we are able to have a relationship with God. We no longer need priests or sacrificial rituals to be worthy and blameless in God’s sight.

God is the ultimate provider, sustainer, personal, and intimate God who brought about this whole process, sent his only, beloved son, so that we might have a relationship with Him and be able to live in eternity, praising his name forever! God’s plan doesn’t always make sense because it is an eternal and universal plan, it is not just about this lifetime, but about forever. While we are all free agents, God wants to involve us in his purpose; if people choose to deny him, he will still accomplish his great plan and bring glory to himself.

“Our choices are completely real, but not completely free under God’s sovereignty.” This means that we cannot act contrary to God’s will. We freely make choices, but since everything in Creation is in the will of God, he knows what we think or do before we think or do anything, therefore whatever we choose to do is still in his will.

This comes nowhere close to compassing God fully, but this has helped me tremendously in understanding God, his will, the Trinity, and our part in it.

So if God is great and good, he can prevent evil or even not permit it… But though God is sovereign over evil and in control, we still make choices. Evil is not attributed to God- God allows free will so evil exists. What’s amazing though, is that God uses sinful choices and natural disasters caused by the degradation of the world to bring about his name and glory. He never causes sin, but he uses it for the good of his name and can also limit sin if he so chooses.

Romans 8:31-39

So, what do you think? With God on our side like this, how can we lose? If God didn’t hesitate to put everything on the line for us, embracing our condition and exposing himself to the worst by sending his own Son, is there anything else he wouldn’t gladly and freely do for us? And who would dare tangle with God by messing with one of God’s chosen? Who would dare even to point a finger? The One who died for us—who was raised to life for us!—is in the presence of God at this very moment sticking up for us. Do you think anyone is going to be able to drive a wedge between us and Christ’s love for us? There is no way! Not trouble, not hard times, not hatred, not hunger, not homelessness, not bullying threats, not backstabbing, not even the worst sins listed in Scripture:
They kill us in cold blood because they hate you.

We’re sitting ducks; they pick us off one by one.

None of this fazes us because Jesus loves us. I’m absolutely convinced that nothing—nothing living or dead, angelic or demonic, today or tomorrow, high or low, thinkable or unthinkable—absolutely nothing can get between us and God’s love because of the way that Jesus our Master has embraced us.

“Evil is temporary. God is ultimate.”

One day, when this world comes to an end, everything will be made clear to us.  

Revelation 21:1-8

I saw Heaven and earth new-created. Gone the first Heaven, gone the first earth, gone the sea.
I saw Holy Jerusalem, new-created, descending resplendent out of Heaven, as ready for God as a bride for her husband.
I heard a voice thunder from the Throne: “Look! Look! God has moved into the neighborhood, making his home with men and women! They’re his people, he’s their God. He’ll wipe every tear from their eyes. Death is gone for good—tears gone, crying gone, pain gone—all the first order of things gone.” The Enthroned continued, “Look! I’m making everything new. Write it all down—each word dependable and accurate.”
Then he said, “It’s happened. I’m A to Z. I’m the Beginning, I’m the Conclusion. From Water-of-Life Well I give freely to the thirsty. Conquerors inherit all this. I’ll be God to them, they’ll be sons and daughters to me. But for the rest—the feckless and faithless, degenerates and murderers, sex peddlers and sorcerers, idolaters and all liars—for them it’s Lake Fire and Brimstone. Second death!”

I cannot wait for that day.

There is so much in the Word that answers questions I have had regarding the Trinity and evil. So thankful I had the opportunity to attend this study and search through Scripture to deepen my relationship with God. Feel free to direct message me if you have questions or need Scriptures to reference anything I discussed.