CHURCH VISIT # 5:
Church visit # 5 took place on 27 August 2006.
I have decided to take a rather liberal approach to numbering our church visits.
Church visit # 5 did not involve attendance at a regular church service at an established church building. In fact, the emphasis in this case was on "service."
Two weeks ago, dear friends called us early on Sunday morning. They were in distress because two close relatives of theirs had passed away within two hours of each other earlier that morning. We set aside our plans to attend a local church, and we got over to their house as soon as we could. We stayed with them, prayed with them, listened to them, cried with them.
I have chosen to include this as a "church visit" because I believe the action we took was certainly service. It was at that moment MUCH more important and meaningful to minister to the hearts of our loved ones than to insist on getting to a church service.
I believe too often we are enslaved to our notions of what we "should" be doing at a given time on a given day of the week.
"He whom the Son sets free is free indeed." (John 8:36)
"Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty." (2 Corinthians 3:17)
"The law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death." (Romans 8:2)
"It is for freedom that Christ has set us free." (Galatians 5:1)
1 comment:
Last Friday night, I invited several people to join me for an evening of praise and worship. I was trying to get us flowing together and to figure out how to be a more prophetic worship band, and by extension a more prophetic church. As I was praying, God told me to be sure that I was filling the House with praise and worship - not just music.
Only one other guy showed up. We sat down for prayer, and after - we just started talking. We ministered to each other; talked about how wonderful God was and didn't play a note of music.
But - that's not what was important. By ministering to each other with love; and by lifting up God's name and Spirit with our conversation - we were praising His name. Filling his House with worship and praise.
All of that was to say this: God is not bound by the order of worhsip. He's not bound by our music or our reading of His word. He is boundless.
By reaching out, and sacrificing what you wanted to be doing at that time for the better part of showing His love - you ministered the highest Religion. You ministered His love.
I'm very happy to know you. Blessings!
Andy
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