A “PEARL” of a Remnant Fellowship Wedding – Celebrating GOD’S Glorious Covenant

“All of the Saints will meet on those Golden Streets.  God will have His dream…His will will be complete.” – Michael Shamblin – lyrics from his song – “Golden Streets”
Golden Streets – (click to watch the music video)…the Pearl of Great Value…These themes accented what was yet another glorious Wedding Celebration in the Remnant Fellowship last weekend.  It is amazing to watch what GOD accomplishes when His people work together selflessly…in one Spirit and with one purpose.  What may look impossible in a short period of time not only becomes more than possible, but its beauty cannot adequately be described with just words.  That is how we felt as we both watched and experienced last Sabbath’s (Saturday, August 28^th 2012) Remnant Covenant Wedding Ceremony involving Shane Polivka and Margaret Langsdon.  The splendor of the sights and sounds was a series of memories that will be frozen in our minds for a long, long time!  Shane and Margaret have been a part of this Church since they were children, and so their relationship…and therefore their Wedding…was completely grounded upon GOD getting all of the glory.  And because they kept this singular focus upon the Father’s will, they, along with everyone in attendance, were rewarded with an event that will be celebrated and remembered for years to come.

These Remnant Covenant Wedding Ceremonies always are guided by GOD’S Spirit…and they are powerfully punctuated and themed by messages of TRUTH.  Gwen Shamblin provided one of those memorable messages on this glorious day, and it was rich with symbolism, Scripture, conviction, history, and a call to holiness and repentance.  The messages produce the good fruit of repentance and change, and thus, people are ABLE to work together…completely, wholeheartedly, and selflessly…to craft these remarkable galas.  She weaved the themes and concepts of the “Golden Streets” and the “Pearl of Great Value” throughout her presentation, and those ideas made a lasting impact with everyone.  What were some of Gwen’s key points that highlighted this particular message?  See them in her words.  KEEP READING…

• True religion has never been complicated…it is based on repentance – you confess or acknowledge what you have done wrong, make a choice to stop that old life – then get baptize yourself into a new lifestyle of doing everything God’s way.  You are born again – you know it by the fruit.  If you do not produce good fruit you never repented or you returned to your sins.  You need to repent today to avoid the upcoming storm that has been brewing.
• What is the common denominator of the two (Shane and Margaret)?  God is their everything.  They are children of Abraham.  Like Abraham, when God commanded asked him to give up Isaac to test whether he loved Issac above God – Abraham distinguished that he could live without  Isaac – but that he could not live without God…God’s love and favor, God’s gift of life and breath and ultimately God’s provisions, knowing that God would give it all back.  Abraham could live without Isaac but not his source of all life and love…like Christ – Christ recognized He could live without His own will being met – He could give up His life for He knew He would get it back – but He could not live without pleasing God at all times.  Both of these young adults have this fundamental and essential characteristic of Abraham…singleness of heart and mind.
  
• There are many love stories in this world – David and Bathsheba, Samson and Delilah, Cleopatra and Mark Antony, and then created characters like Romeo and Juliet, Lancelot and Guinevere, etc.   – with tremendous descriptions in the Song of Solomon… But there is another love story—today starts the Days of Awe… there is no greater love  than the love of God for His wife, his holy nation, His Holy Priesthood, His bride—Israel, the people of which He wanted an exclusive, treasured relationship……..But God has one passion – you – and He asks the same of you…to have no other gods before Him, and He will test this through earthly relationships as He did with Abraham and Isaac.  The passionate God loves His people and wants this people as His very own, so He blessed Abraham’s wholehearted offspring – of the man who did not withhold his son…his only son…from God.
• The “Days of Awe” – As the sacred recorded history reveals – the two 40-day periods (Moses twice ascending Mt. Sinai to receive the Ten Commandments) of repentance, humble penitence, reverence and awe of God gave the people a new heart.  Once God saw this new change of heart, God agreed to let Moses mediate a second proposal/marriage ceremony.  Aware of their previous unfaithfulness, God proposed once again and offered the opportunity for Israel to be His bride—His people—His very own community that worshiped Him alone.  Moses brought the stone tablets down to a very different people who said that they would fully obey.  The people celebrated on the Day of Atonement— the Feast of Harvest—which was at the end of these 40 days of Awe—delighted and now walking with God.  God blessed them with the city of Jerusalem, and the community became second-to-none in terms of splendor, majesty, and blessings—a people known to put God above all—His day the Sabbath above all—His will above all.
• Is it too late to get a new heart?  No – not if you can hear these words! How do you get married or connected to God—how do you accept this proposal that is still available for a while longer?  Walk through the 40 Days of Awe getting your life baptized into loving God like Abraham and Jesus Christ—get your heart and mind focused on God alone.  Love is fruitful and powerful only if the heart is not divided.  When it is directed to one Source—it is amazingly robust and formidable, rock solid, unwavering.  It is the light used to help those who stumble in the dark.   The prodigal son was double-minded.  You cannot have two masters.  When you finally see that God is the only Source and the best Master—the husband-defender who only gives a proposal Covenant for the good of the recipient—you are allured back in like the prodigal son to the presence of God – where nothing else matters but the will of God.
• The name Margaret means pearl.  The way a pearl is made is when an irritant or a piece of sand gets in under the oyster’s tender body, the shelled oyster produces a substance called nacre.  Year after year this nacre builds layer after layer.  The real pearls are extremely rare and very valuable, and because their irritation was planted naturally, a luster builds throughout.  Through years of accepting the suffering God gives, a deep wisdom and a solid pearl is produced, which is very strong, durable, and resilient.  There are imitation pearls…man-induced irritations made using full-sized, hollow centers placed in the oyster with only one to two layers of nacre, and it crushes easily.  The distinction between the two types can only be determined by a microscope.  Revelation 21 describes this longed-for city as having golden streets and gates carved out of large pearls.  Margaret is this rock-solid, genuine pearl and Shane is golden like the golden streets – both full of joy, for they are prideless and they love authority, for they understand it is for their own good.  Margaret and Shane found God first and then each other—and have sold it all, for like the merchant, they understand the value of a relationship with God above all.

Wow!  The words speak for themselves.  You can see, just from reading a few paragraphs, how powerful the Truth is and how this message was for EVERYONE…not just Shane and Margaret.

The magnificence of these Weddings begins with Truth, and that carries over into the amazing sights, words, music, and celebration that continue throughout each event.  Every Team of Saints who had a hand in putting this Wedding together was highly blessed, and ALL of it came together to form a seamless display of GOD’S brilliance throughout the Church Building and Grounds.  Look at the blessings…as shared by several of the Saints who had hands-on involvement in these areas.

• The CEREMONY – “May God be praised for the incredible Truth poured out, the anointed music, the amazing vows, the heavenly decor – I know of nowhere on Earth where the Spirit of God is on magnificent display in every facet of a Wedding or assembly of Saints.  Anyone wanting to visit – Please do!” – Tedd
• The MUSIC – “I praise God for how He orchestrates the music for these Weddings and Festivals as He leads through Gwen and this Leadership!  From the songs chosen to the underscore music used – from the theme to the attentiveness to what the Saints need to hear and what is the most moving for the situation, it is always so beautiful.  Also, getting to work with such selfless musicians is amazing, this does not happen in the world and it is because of what we have learned here.  The musicians and singers are so willing to be flexible – to play or not to play is not the focus, but to make sure that God is glorified!” – Tish
• The DECORATION – “God beautifully orchestrated this Wedding…through His leading and the gifts that He has poured out through Gwen.  The decorating and designing all meshed perfectly with Margaret’s desires, and the result truly was a ROYAL Wedding!  Margaret presented a very natural look, with a color palette of late Summer shades.  She desired burlap, natural textures, white flowers, and twinkle lights.  In fact, her desire was that lots of lights would surround the areas wherever people would be; thus, twinkle lights were found in abudance!  It is such a complete honor to assist along side humble servants who are “out of themselves,” working to promote God, His Church, and a pure couple.  With young people such as these, Saints who are starting off their marriages on a firm foundation…the Rock of Jesus Christ…we have an amazing hope for the future!  My heart is still praising God over this Wedding celebration!” – Lisa
• The ATTENDANTS, ATTIRE, and COLOR THEME – “The beauty of this Wedding was such a glory to God.  The light colors worn by both the Wedding guests and the Wedding party was so perfect for the time of year and was so lovely as it was a sea of white, ivory, beige, and earthy tones.  The Wedding party was beautiful to look at, but even moreso are the relationships of these Saints, most of which have been friends since childhood.  God truly knits the hearts together, and that was evident as we saw the LOVE of the bride and groom, the friends and family, and all of the Saints gathered to worship God together at this 70th Covenant Wedding performed at the Remnant Fellowship Church.   We praise God for the message and messenger who has taught us what true love for God is and how to live it out!” – Heather
• The RECEPTION – The celebration that took place after the Ceremony concluded was so much fun!  We all enjoyed incredible food…all prepared by the awesome volunteers on our Food Committee.  From the cuisine to the fellowship to the dancing, God was glorified as we all enjoyed a party in His honor, celebrating within His generous boundaries, with Shane, Margaret, and all of the Saints!” – The Food Committee
• The OVERALL FOCUS for the EVENT – “This Wedding was a perfect way to kick off the ‘Days of Awe’…as it began at twilight of that evening.  For anyone who was visiting with us and has not been familiar with this holy time of year, it was wonderful to hear Gwen share about that, talk about its history, and for all of us to learn more about what it means.” – Kent

If you missed the August 18^th 2012 Assembly and Covenant Wedding Ceremony, please keep checking this website, along with our Weigh Down Ministries Facebook Group Page, for announcements about future opportunities to view this event.  We thank and praise GOD that He is giving us a taste of what it is to walk along His “Golden Streets,” and we look forward to a lifetime full of honoring and celebrating this opportunity to be in a COVENANT with HIM!  This was this Church’s 70^th Covenant Wedding Ceremony in just 10 years.  Praise GOD for His Covenant offering of love to us…and for our ability to wholeheartedly love and obey Him in humble response!