by Randy Tsuchiyama
Editor’s Note: The 2015 Singles Retreat audio and video are also available.
After coming out of a very busy February, I was looking for a chance to relax. When I saw that the Singles retreat was on the calendar, I was a little hesitant to go. After hearing that the theme for the retreat was “The Disciplines Of Grace”, my arrogance and pride was telling me that its going to be another retreat talking about quiet times, prayer, and the various other topics that come to mind when spiritual disciplines. I was so very wrong, and so glad that I was.
The spiritual refreshment found in the preaching of God’s Word and fellowshipping with brothers and sisters in the faith was a great encouragement for me. Every sermon was so helpful and incredibly refreshing to hear. Though this topic of “The Discipline of Grace” was not new, it is one that I need to be reminded of from time to time.
In the first sermon, “A Disciplined View”. Pastor Alton preached on Matthew 20:1-16. The way that he explained the parable of the laborers in the vineyard helped and challenged me greatly. It’s so easy to become incredibly proud of how God has grown us. Being a Christian for a long time we can put a lot of merit and self-worth in the way that we serve. We may even see it as something that gives us a sense of being better than someone who is not doing that. The sermon reminds us that the work that we do as an older Christian doesn’t make us more important or worth more than someone who is younger. We have no more inherent value because we have been serving God longer. The outcome is still the same. We all will still inherit the kingdom of God.
In the second sermon, “A Disciplined Giving”, Pastor Alton encouraged us to store our treasures in heaven. He challenged us to think through how we are using our money for the building of the kingdom. This was not necessarily a message to encourage giving to the church (though that can be a very appropriate application). We can become selfish and think the money that we earn is for ourselves without even considering how we can use this money to bless others. Too often purchases we make are incredibly self-serving and can contradict every thing else we say that we’re living for.
The third sermon was about “A Disciplined Desire”. This sermon was having a desire for the Word of God. One of the things that stuck out the most to me was the comparison of desire to read the Word and intense hunger. One who is hungry has a sole focus. They are not easily led astray and they will pursue food with a humility and desperation that is unique. This is the type of desire that we ought to have for the Word of God. Even after having studied the Word for a while, this is still a challenging thing for me. This reminder helped me see the need to view the Word of God as something that is of incredible value.
In the last sermon, “A Disciplined Pursuit”, Pastor Alton exhorted us to be more like Christ. This is one of those extremely simple commands that is difficult to follow. The biggest thing I got from that was looking at Christ-like examples in the Bible as well as those around me. The question that I must ask myself is, “Am I trying to pursue Christ more like so many men before me or am I content with following what the world says is acceptable?”
There were a lot of reminders and a lot of challenges that I received from the retreat. Even though I was a little more tired physically after the retreat than before the retreat, I was incredibly thankful for having the opportunity to hear Pastor Alton preach the Word of God.