Praise and Worship - alive, bright, smiles, movement, joyful, tamborines, flute, flags to honor the Lord - along with all of the normal worship team instruments...
Pastor gets up to tell of a vision: of all the sick - sitting down in their chairs - (oh no - is he going to tell them to get up and worship???) - soaking in the presence of the Lord. (Whew...) He asks the youth to get the flags and make a line in the center aisle for people to walk through. He then asks all who are sick to go to the back of the room and form a line to walk through the youth holding flags - so pretty - held still but freely flowing - gently brushing your face as you walk through the line - whispers of young people praying - with your hands held out to receive - whatever it is that God wants to give you... Pastor and his wife are at the front of line, praying for each person as they come out of the flag line. The line continues - this time walking under flags that are suspended in the air above head level - also held by youth. Very refreshing experience... Pastor extends the invitation to the entire church - and the worship continues until each and every person walks through.
Pastor interacts with different people in the congregation, asking for updates, etc. and then talks to visitors, asking where they are from - and how they came... Tells of a testimony of anointed worship time earlier in the week and then teaches a few verses - full of life - and then gives a chance to see the Word of God put into action - again... He calls a couple up to the front - leadership gathers around to pray - lady had been diagnosed with breast cancer during the week. He asks the entire church to join in prayer - believing God to heal her. After which, he asks the entire congregation to join hands and prayed over all. Then dismissed.
I looked at Darrell and said, "That was fun!" He said, "What?" I said, "CHURCH!" I looked down at my phone and could not believe that we had been there for 2 hours... Time sure does fly when you are having fun. What a blessing to wade in the river!
Now - another picture:
This time, the children are in service with the adults. Praise and Worship - as described before - and then - Pastor asks everyone to hold their hands out in receiving position while praying for us to listen and obey what the Lord tells us. Then - time to mingle - if you have a word for someone - or feel led to pray for someone - take someone along and do it. A few minutes later, pairs of children are walking through the congregation, slowly and purposefully - looking for someone to pray for. Neat. A little later, he invites the sick to come to the front - the children are going to pray! As a mom relays a miracle testimony, the children's pastor anoints each of the kids' hands and reminds the pastor that the adults will need to 'get shorter' in order for the kids to be able to reach them to anoint and pray for them. Special.
Teaching time - again, full of life - followed by congregation holding hands to pray before being dismissed.
CHURCH - Is it a place? A building? An institution? Is it religion? Rules? Laws?
WE are the CHURCH - the fullness of the Godhead lives inside of those who are born again. The same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead dwells inside of us. We are the temple of the Holy Spirit. We are the body of Christ - His hands and feet. If that is true - and it is - then, 'church' may not be what we have grown accustomed to - traditional services on Sunday mornings...with a few songs, a sermon, and a prayer.
Church - might should offer what the world can't offer. A place of refreshing, full of life, where the Word of God is put into action - demonstration of Jesus' love for us - through His body - the church - US.
I'm excited. How neat for children - who have been trained up in the Word - to have a safe place to put into action what they have learned - to be doers of the Word - in an environment where it is normal practice to do so - among adults as well as their peers. How neat for adults...
No comments:
Post a Comment