There are some essential characteristics of a Trinity Gathering that we value. Not every element below will be in every gathering. But there are reasons behind each aspect of life when we gather.
We want to see each person who God brings into our lives and into a Trinity Gathering with the eyes of the Father. It's different when you go to a place and people following God have allowed Him to give them eyes to see you as He sees you. The community is different, the expectation's are different, Grace is different, and difference is noticed immediately.
Jesus told us to even love our enemies. That is a supernatural thing.
How can we do that?
The truth is, when God is running things, people aren't enemies. Anyone whom God puts into our path can be loved when we see them as The Father sees them. He knows all of us completely, and still chooses to show us love and grace. He knows what a redeemed human race looks like. If we can see one another as He sees us, we can be a community of Love.
What are the Elements of a Trinity Gathering?
Worship:
The Trinity is worthy of our worship. The Father and all of His heart, love, justice, redeeming plans. The Son, and His glory, His Lordship, His authority, His sacrifice. The Holy Spirit, and His empowering, His fruit, His work in leading us. The focus is on acknowledging who God is, that changes our worship. With our hearts focused on Him and His greatness, Worship is not a show to watch, but something to participate in with others who are worshiping. Worship can be emotional, as we encounter the truth of who God is and are opened up to His glory and greatness. But, like life in Christ, worship comes from within us out to God, and it is actually a reflection of our hearts. We will have worship that is authentic, heartfelt, and Biblically sound.
Directed Prayer:
One of the aspects of life in the Spirit is allowing ourselves to be taught how to pray. Prayer is not a formula, or an incantation. Instead it is a conversation. Most of us need to learn how to pray. We will learn together in our gatherings.
Together and individually, Adoring The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit.
Confessing our sins, humbling ourselves before God and one another. Giving thanksgiving and making our needs known to God.
Praying specifically For The Church, For One Another, For Our Government and Leaders, For Our Community, and For The World.
Looking at Scripture:
The primary way that God speaks is through His word, illuminated by the Holy Spirit. We will look at, listen to, speak together Scripture and let God speak to us through it. We will let Scripture stand on its own and let God open the eyes of our hearts to understand.
Call to Action and Testimonies of God's Work:
The Kingdom of God Challenges all of us to be ambassadors. Creating opportunities to step into the Holy Spirit to lead us in bringing the Kingdom to the world around us. Practically, we many times take for granted that the Father is always drawing His children and those who are to be His children. He does this by connecting them to an ambassador, who represents the Kingdom and brings His love and hope to their lives. We are those ambassadors. It is not so much figuring out how to put together an assembly line of outreach events, as it is learning how to see what the Father is doing and go along with that in sacrificial love. We will have testimonies of God's action through us one another as ambassadors.
Celebration of Communion and Baptism:
Communion is a sacrament that Jesus ordained for us to reconnect and remember the New Covenant. The Original Covenant between God and Man was made by God in the garden. Adam and Eve broke that covenant with God. Throughout history, God continued to make covenants with His people to demonstrate His desire to be with them, among them, and to be their God. Jesus came to be the new, second and last Adam, and to establish a new, permanent covenant by His sacrifice on the cross. By partaking of the elements of communion we remember this New Covenant, we will do this when we gather.
Baptism is an outward symbol of a spiritual activity. Jesus commanded the Disciples (soon to be Apostles) to baptize in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. When a person is baptized, they are participating in the sacramental death and resurrection of Jesus on their behalf and symbolizing their own death to their old self and resurrection into the new life that God brings. Baptism is a beginning place where one comes up out of the water of baptism as a young, just beginning believer and follower. We will treat baptism with honor and understand the sacred trust and commitment to being a part of someone's new life beginning in Christ. Each newly baptized person will be raised up into maturity through the community that Trinity Gathering is.
Celebration of Historical Connections to The Church : Historical Confessions, Creeds, Celebration and remembrances of Faithful Ones who have gone before us. By remembering the faithfulness of the saints (we are all saints, in Christ) and by remembering how earlier Christians dealt with issues in the church, we will grow in wisdom. We will get a better perspective on current cultural trends and how the earlier church addressed similar situations. It will be amazing to us to learn that many of the challenges we face as believers today and many of the cultural and religious mis-beliefs have been around throughout history. Connecting to how the early church, or the reformers or historical Christians worked through issues will teach us better discernment and solidify our own theological foundations.
Growing and Going in Practical Love:
Gatherings are not spectator events. Gatherings are an opportunity to interact, connect, see, hear, and most importantly LOVE. When we gather, we want to give opportunity and room for this love to take shape practically and supernaturally. Ministry that The Father is doing is love to the person in need. We will watch and be a part of what The Father is doing. Living out Love - Ways for us to live it out daily and on the spot in the gathering.
Walking out Love - Ways for us to build consistency in our love for others.
Leaving to Love - Realizing that as we go into the world, the love that The Father has for those He brings to us is the introduction to The Kingdom for them.
