This month is our all squad month, meaning, here in Nepal, all 44 members of H squad are living in one space, doing ministry all together. And let me tell you, 44 people under one roof is CROWDED. And five bathrooms for 44 people is a struggle. And living in a basement because there isn’t enough room for you upstairs is humbling. Headphones and earplugs create a false environment of being alone and have been of the utmost importance to the introverts on our squad. Living in a house with 43 other people is not an easy situation. It’s not a comfortable situation. But it’s also been one of the sweetest experiences of my life. Living with my entire squad this month is giving me a better understanding of what the Church is supposed to look like.
My squad coach suggested I read through Acts this month, for various reasons, and today I came across this passage: “And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.” Acts 2:42-47
These verses are about the early church, the believers who lived right after Jesus’ ascension into Heaven. These guys knew what it meant to be the body of Christ. The church in Acts is arguably one of the best examples of God’s kingdom here on earth. They understood the purpose of the Church wasn’t about religion, it wasn’t about making yourself look perfect; it wasn’t a place of passivity. The Church, the Body of Christ, is a place to live in complete unity, is a place where religion shouldn’t matter, only Christ. It should be a place where we can bring all our brokenness and know that the Lord will make it beautiful in His time. The Church is a place where we can speak boldly to one another, in love and admonition, because we want to challenge and be challenged in our relationship with the Lord. The Church is a place for believers to learn more about God and to praise Him together and to be filled so that we can out to share the Gospel.
Our little house of 44 people has been the greatest example to me of what the Body of Christ should look like. All squad month has been the closest thing I have ever experienced to the early church in Acts. You see, living in this house with my squad has been hard. There are situations we haven’t handled correctly. There are lots of things we don’t agree on. There are times we annoy the junk out of each other. But at the end of the day, there isn’t one thing I wouldn’t do for any of those 43 people and I know there isn’t anything they wouldn’t do for me. This month, we are learning what it means to be generous with one another, sharing literally everything we own, from money to toothbrushes. We are trying to be a community of boldness, to speak hard truths to one another, even when it hurts, to challenge and push each other a little farther than we are comfortable going. Though we have many different personalities and gifts on our squad, we are finding unity in those things, realizing that these differences are what make up the many parts of the Body. Each person on our squad brings a different gift, talent, or trait to the table, bringing different ways to connect to the Spirit and to reach out to the lost. This community has been a safe place for us to bring our brokenness to the Lord and to one another, creating space for accountability, growth, and freedom.
When we arrived in Nepal, my heart was discontent, selfish, and ungrateful. I was a brat about being stuck in a basement, about being crammed into a house with 43 other people, about being uncomfortable. Throughout this past week, I have been praying for God to give me a grateful heart, a generous heart, and a heart for His body of believers, not only in Nepal, but within my own house. I have seen God beginning a work, not only in my heart, but in my squad, drawing us together, with one another and closer to Him. Because at the end of the day, despite all the different opinions, different backgrounds, or different personalities, we have one thing in common, that we are all a part of the Body of Christ. The Church isn’t a building to only go to on Sunday, but is simply what happens when a group of believers are gathered together in His Name. We resemble the Body of Christ when we walk in unity with one another. And people will not see God in us if we do not resemble His Body. This month, I’ve been blessed with the incredible opportunity to live in God’s church, and together, the 44 of us, are learning what it means to love God, love each other, love unbelievers, and do everything for the glory of God, isn’t that what it means to be the Body of Christ, after all?
