That word has a different meaning depending on who you ask. Some may say that it is the massive Catholic cathedral that you see everyday while driving to work. Others may say it is that time slot between 11-12pm on Sunday before the football games and Sunday buffet. Still some say it is not the building, but the people. I tend to agree with the latter, but I’d like to define it further…
It’s not JUST a people. It’s the people with the same spirit as those in the Acts church. People who are hungry to see God move and transform lives. People who dwell in the presence of God. They share their lives with each other, they minister to one another, and they worship together. There’s no set standard of how a service looks because it’s not about a one-hour time slot on Sundays, it’s more than that. It’s about hearing and being sensitive to the voice of the Holy Spirit and where he is leading.
Since moving to Gainesville, I have felt a burden more than ever to be in and among the Hispanic community. It started about three days ago when I was doing some work at a local coffee shop. An ESL class walked in and sat right next to me. I couldn’t help myself so I decided to hop up and make an introduction. After going around in a circle stating names and where we were from, I realized that I had been to nearly each of their home countries. I felt like there was an immediate rapport established between us. I returned to my work until the class finished upon which I approached the instructor inquiring about a teaching position in their school. The very next day as I was exiting Walmart, a woman approached me speaking in Spanish. She introduced herself assuming that I spoke the language (lucky I do) and invited me to their church. I definitely intend to visit at some point in the upcoming weeks. The point is, God had already inclined my heart toward these people here…and now He’s confirming it.
Today we met in our home. Neil, Matt, Seth, and I hosted about 14 people in our home for our first house “church” service. There was no set song list. There was no specific teaching with powerpoints. No name for our “church”. It was raw. It reminded me of our Saturday nights as a community in Haiti when we opened our ears and opened the Word to see what God wanted for us and what he was doing in the area. If it’s healing, so be it. If it’s an outreach to the community, right on. If it’s prayer and ministering to each other the whole time, I’m in. If it’s nothing but sitting in awe and reverence in worship of our Father, bliss. We desire to be on his agenda and not ours. So during our time together, several others brought up the desire to reach the Hispanic population here in Gainesville. Wednesday will be our first outreach together as a “church”. We are going to be doing a barbeque in a local park in Gainesville where we will give out some free food, meet with people, and share the love and hope of Jesus Christ with them. I’m so excited about this! It’s so easy to get comfortable within the Christian bubble and forget that there is a whole world of other people out there. Our hope is to break out of that mindset. We are going to start meeting together weekly to continue to seek his face on what he desires for the people of Gainesville and how he wants us to be a part of it. That’s where he has called us and what he is doing with us. I would like to know how God is moving in your church. What’s He saying?
