Matthew 18:20
For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst.
The sky looked angry..
Clouds piling up, dark, swirling around.
The building was unfinished.
Roof and four walls, but that was pretty much it.
Holes where windows should be.
Opening where a door will sit.
Seating was a hodge-podge of various chairs and couches....mostly outdoor furniture.
Wind blew through the building providing natures own air conditioning.
Folks began to come in out of the rain.
The church had come together. On the surface, if you happen to pass by, you'd think it was a collection of misfits. But isn't that what the church is really all about? People who stand out as misfits, brought together to hear the word, to worship, to simply be together? I think maybe yes. Oh, I'm not going to kid myself into thinking that every one there was a super-saint. But they were there, and when ever people come together to hear the word of God, things happen. In this case, it was an evening when God manifested His presence.
Young couple starts us off with worship.
Two voices....
One guitar....
Hearts that love God.
This unfinished building was transformed into the finest cathedral as the Spirit of God became very evident.
Something told me this was going to be a good evening....a God evening.
Oh...one other clue that let me know we were in for a good meeting...
One of the men was saved before everything got started.
I had gotten to the building early, and was sitting, waiting for everyone to arrive. He came in, we exchanged "howdy's"...and he plopped down in the chair next to me. Small talk ensued.... Where he was from. How long had he been here...found out that out of the last 25 years, he'd been in prison. He was tired and the lines in his face bore out the truth to his statement. In this tiredness from the years piling up on him, he told me that he wanted to know this God better. He didn't say, "I need to be saved." It was more of "I've got to stop this old way, and God is the only answer for me." We prayed...God came....God saved." Like I said, whenever you can see someone come to Jesus before the meeting....no telling what's going to happen once you start.
At the end of the teaching, I asked for those who wanted prayer to come forward. four men made their way to the front. As we began to pray and invite God's Holy Spirit to make Himself known, all four men began to (what I refer to) wobble back and forth. Their eyes were closed...they were receiving and the Holy Spirit was there to touch them.In times like this, I never put my hands on anyone I'm praying for, that way if something happens (like they fall down) no one can say that I pushed or caused them to act in any manner. The longer I prayed, the thicker the presence of God was.
To close out the meeting, Miss Andrea, from Covenant Christian, had set up a make shift communion table. This was cool...we were going to host the very first communion in this unfinished building. I'm sure there will be hundreds of other communion done in the building, but I got to be a part of the very first one. something special about that.
Prayer over the elements....
Worship music softly playing in the background...
People lined up to come forward.
Blessings on each one who came forward to eat at Jesus' table.
Once again, there was just this incredible awareness of the presence of God in that room.
If I could describe it with one word, I would say that the room became tender.
Oh, if you took the time to question everyone, you'd find some who'd been to prison.......some who'd lost everything ......some who were struggling with physical ailments.....some who were just bone tired and weary from the beating that life administered on a daily basis. But one by one, as each person came forward to eat at THE table, all the daily struggle seemed to melt away. For a brief moment, the room was filled with hope. Hope for tomorrow...and hope for today. It was there for the taking. All you had to do was surrender will and life over to the care of God.
Meeting over...
One last thing to do...
I asked everyone, that on the count of three we all scream out the name of Jesus at the top of our lungs....
One...
Two...
Three...JESUS!!!!!
Any darkness that was still hanging around, was sent scurrying into the darkness.
Hugs, handshakes and back slaps all around as we made our way outside.
As I pulled out from the driveway, I sat for just a moment looking back at that building.
God came to meet us there...
Some lives were changed....
I was changed...How can you not be when you come into HIS presence.
It was a good evening...
God on you..
mbb
No comments:
Post a Comment