Reflections from Pastor Bryan Guinness on the 100th Anniversary Celebrations of OGC.

May 23-24, 2015.

Over 2500 years ago God told his people through the prophet Isaiah: “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing!” (Isaiah 43:18–19)

God was telling his exiled people that their coming deliverance (“a new thing”) would overshadow anything God had done in the past. This is quite amazing because in the past God had done some incredible things for His people. He had performed ten miraculous signs, He had parted the waters of the Red Sea (Is.43:16), and He had defeated Pharaoh’s army. But now, He would do something new for Israel. He would lead them out of exile. One of the dangers for God’s people of Isaiah’s day was to “dwell on the past” in one of two ways. Either lifting up the past as the good old days when everything was better and God was really at work, or focusing on all the failures and mistakes of the past. God told them that it was time to look ahead to the future. God was doing a new thing in them and among them.

As we celebrate the 100^th anniversary of Onward Gospel Church we certainly have much in the past to thank God for. There are the stories of people who came to Christ. There are stories of missionaries sent out. There are stories of great victories, like how Onward planted another church. We ought to remember the good things God has done over the years. We can rejoice in the men and women who served God faithfully at Onward. We can rejoice in the people who once attended Onward and who have since moved on but they continue to serve God elsewhere. There are so many things to celebrate and rejoice in. But, like God’s people of old, we are not to “dwell on the past.” No matter how many victories and successes we might have had in the past as a church (or even failures along the way), it’s important to recognize that God is doing “a new thing” today. The future of Onward is bright and hopeful.

The church is bursting at the seams with people and potential. God is doing a new thing at Onward! He is drawing new people to trust in Christ. He is drawing new families to join the church. He is inspiring the launch of new ministries. He is bringing new life to old ministries. He is taking ordinary people, from all walks of life, and transforming them into something that bears eternal value. Yes it is true. God is doing a new thing at Onward. The Apostle Paul, in his day, reminded the church in Philippi to get their focus off of the past and onto the future. “One thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13–14).

We too are to make sure our focus is not on the past, but is rather on the future and the Lord who holds the future. We are to press on as a church in trust, in love, and in service for Jesus Christ.