Gathering Summary | Fifteen Years

Happy 15th Birthday!
January 14, 2024
Walt Tanner

Psalm 118 | “Your steadfast love endures forever."
We opened the Gathering by reading all of Psalm 118 that starts and ends with that statement. We looked at Psalm 118, a Psalm of praise from David, as a picture of the 15-year story of Capstone, and our personal spiritual walks. Some of major takeaways from Psalm 118 were:

The Lord is on our side | Psalm 118:6-7
David says that in the midst of stress and the chaos of his enemies literally trying to kill him, he knew the Lord was on his side.  Even though everything wasn’t perfect and he was running for his life – he never doubted that the Lord was with him and for him.  The same goes from Capstone, not the people trying to kill us, but that when we went through both the ups and downs of starting a new church, we trusted that the Lord is on our side.  Personally, like David, we must remember that our praise isn’t based on our situation but our savior.  We praise that we know the Lord is on our side.  

The Lord is our strength | Psalm 118:14
David knew that just because the Lord was on his side, didn’t mean he could do it himself.  He says that he went to the Lord for his refuge.  The Lord would be his rock, in the midst of the storms of life.  Over the past 15 years, the Lord has been our strength.  As we tell Capstone’s story in coaching others who wish to plant new churches,  we say: "This is one of the hardest things you will ever do.  We must lean on the Lord and his strength in order to do God sized things."  If we aren’t allowing the Lord to be our strength, one of two things are probably happening: we aren’t walking with much faith or we think we are stronger than the Lord. Neither one of them is where the Lord wants us to be.  

The Lord is our salvation | Psalm 118:22-23
David’s faith was that the Lord would keep his promise to redeem and restore humanity.  He says there would be a stone the builders rejected that would be the Capstone, Jesus.  This is where Capstone’s name comes from.  A capstone is the finished work, the last piece of an arch. If you remove the Capstone, the arch can’t stand.  Jesus is what holds us up.  It keeps us together.  Jesus is what unites us no matter what our differences may be – the Good News of Salvation makes us one.  

The Lord is our success | Psalm 118:25-26
David asks for success.  The success wasn’t worldly success but Kingdom success, that the Lord would be glorified.  Over the past 15 years, there may be some who say we haven’t been “successful” because we aren’t a huge church or we haven’t done this or that.  Success for us, is reaching the lost.  Success for us, is blessing our city.  Success for us, is seeing life transformation happen. As we celebrate 15 years, we say that the Lord is good and his steadfast love endure forever.  We also celebrate what he is going to do and how we are going to be his ministers of reconciliation as we bring His kingdom on earth as it is in heaven.