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as many already know, we have resigned as lead pastor at new journey church in maryland, and have moved back to south carolina. there were multiple reasons for this move. the primary was due to the battle that my father is facing with cancer.  today, i had the opportunity to preach at a house church that is being established in our area.  to be honest, my first thought when asked to preach, was “here is a bunch of disgruntled church people who can’t get their way…”  After all, that’s our first thought when we hear about a “new group” meeting somewhere.

i was pleasantly surprised as we pulled up to the house and found not a group of mad, angry people, but a people who very much just want to be the church. there were between 20-30 people in the house. the ages ranged from 10 -65.  they were from different backgrounds and different beliefs.  most were baptist and did not mind the fact that i was a Spirit-filled believer.  i did promise i wouldn’t swing from their ceiling fan.  the service began with an opening prayer and then i was given the floor.  as i spoke, i could see the hunger, these people in whom i did not know have for the the Word of God. they did not seem to care, that the phone rang during the service. they didn’t seem to care people were getting up and going to the kitchen for more coffee. they just wanted to hear from God. nothing else mattered.

at the end of my sermon, we prayed.  There was no shouting, or dancing, or screaming….just unity. here was a pentecostal preacher speaking to a predominantly baptist group agreeing together that the mission of Jesus Christ and our daily relationship with Him was of the utmost importance in our life and the Presence of God was felt by all. i can’t help but think, that God was happy with what happened today. it was almost like living in 1st century where people gathered together and experienced God and fellowshipped with believers and then going out and making a difference.

 i have often heard people ask “if your church closed down, would your community know?” my question is this….”would people be affected if you were no longer engaged in their life?” we have been called to be engaged in the lives of those we come in contact with.  some will be minor encounters, others may last a lifetime.  the question is….did you make a difference at that time?  there is no doubt these people I met today will impact others. maybe more so that some “churches.”