Without a sermon preached, I heard deep things from God. Without a planned and programmed song service, I experienced true worship. . . I was in church tonight.
August 14, 2013
House Church. It is not a place to go where you will get lost in the crowd. Don't expect to sit back and take without also opening up to give. There will be no danger of getting bored. If you are there, expect God to move. These were the things I observed as I spent an evening with a lovely group of people who had gathered to simply enjoy being the church.
Throughout the day I had been watching to see what Robbie and Martha would do to prepare for this church that would meet that night. He didn't seem to be fretting over a sermon that needed tuned up, or a song list that should be run through. There were no signs of a powerpoint presentation or an announcement sheet to be run off. Instead, we spent the day in quiet conversation and fellowship. We shared lunch with a mentor and close friend out of Robbie's past. The afternoon was spent sharing memories from the past and catching one another up on the years between.
We started moving things around and setting up about 6 pm, and by 7:00 the house was full. It was a pizza night, and people arrived carrying boxes of pizza or huge bowls of salad to be shared by all. Conversations were warm and friendly as the group drew together and drew me in. For the next hour, the house was filled with sounds of good conversation, children playing, and real fellowship. It felt like a true New Testament agape feast, remembering the Lord's body in the breaking of bread.
At some point I began to hear music coming from another room and realized the evening was changing gears. I was quickly offered a seat in the center of things, rather than my spot on the hallway. As the group's guest, they were eager to share the evening with me. What followed was an unbroken flow of songs, prayers, words of encouragement, and edification. No earthly person there took charge, but the meeting was lead by the true Head of the Church. Before I knew what had happened, it was over! Never has time flown by so quickly!
I have been to thousands of churches, and taken part in countless services there. Most of the people are just a blur in my memory, and the sermons and lessons I heard are long forgotten. I came away from this evening, however, deeply moved. Without a sermon preached, I heard deep things from God. Without a planned and programmed song service, I experienced true worship. I have also come away with a sense of knowing and belonging to these people in just a few hours that will carry long into the days ahead.
I was in church tonight.
House Church. It is not a place to go where you will get lost in the crowd. Don't expect to sit back and take without also opening up to give. There will be no danger of getting bored. If you are there, expect God to move. These were the things I observed as I spent an evening with a lovely group of people who had gathered to simply enjoy being the church.
Throughout the day I had been watching to see what Robbie and Martha would do to prepare for this church that would meet that night. He didn't seem to be fretting over a sermon that needed tuned up, or a song list that should be run through. There were no signs of a powerpoint presentation or an announcement sheet to be run off. Instead, we spent the day in quiet conversation and fellowship. We shared lunch with a mentor and close friend out of Robbie's past. The afternoon was spent sharing memories from the past and catching one another up on the years between.
We started moving things around and setting up about 6 pm, and by 7:00 the house was full. It was a pizza night, and people arrived carrying boxes of pizza or huge bowls of salad to be shared by all. Conversations were warm and friendly as the group drew together and drew me in. For the next hour, the house was filled with sounds of good conversation, children playing, and real fellowship. It felt like a true New Testament agape feast, remembering the Lord's body in the breaking of bread.
At some point I began to hear music coming from another room and realized the evening was changing gears. I was quickly offered a seat in the center of things, rather than my spot on the hallway. As the group's guest, they were eager to share the evening with me. What followed was an unbroken flow of songs, prayers, words of encouragement, and edification. No earthly person there took charge, but the meeting was lead by the true Head of the Church. Before I knew what had happened, it was over! Never has time flown by so quickly!
I have been to thousands of churches, and taken part in countless services there. Most of the people are just a blur in my memory, and the sermons and lessons I heard are long forgotten. I came away from this evening, however, deeply moved. Without a sermon preached, I heard deep things from God. Without a planned and programmed song service, I experienced true worship. I have also come away with a sense of knowing and belonging to these people in just a few hours that will carry long into the days ahead.
I was in church tonight.
RSS Feed