A Sunday to remember

At the counsel of our pastor we have been having church in our home for almost a year now. At times it has just been Lynn and I, other times we have had a house full. God has been so good to us in these house meetings. Through this year God has seen fit to pour out His spirit any many of our services. Thanks be to God!

This year has been a learning process. A process we did not choose, and would not have embarked on without the counsel of our pastor. The learning curve has been steep and Lynn has had to exercise a great deal of patience with me (I Cor 13:4), for which I am very thankful. It takes a wise woman to encourage her husband without leading him, to communicate without criticizing, to embrace change with all the uncertainty that goes with it.

One of the great lessons I have learned, or should I say I am in the process of learning, is the importance of connecting. God inspired preaching is wasted if the preacher is not connecting to those to which he is trying minister. Yesterday we connected! Not because I am such a gifted orator, but because I was willing to set aside my way of doing things let God have his way.

We gathered in our living room/sanctuary a little before noon. Lynn shared something she had been reading about the Godhead. We started discussing the Holy Ghost, what it really is, and what it does. I brought up that it is what causes us to produce the fruit (Gal 5:22-23), when we will allow it to do so. Anthony read that passage in Galatians, and I began to break down each of the items listed "...love, joy, peace, long suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance...". We started with love. I ask them (Anna, Anthony, and Lynn) to turn over to I Cor 13:4-7, Which Anna read. We took each of those characteristics of charity and broke them down. I ask for 'today's English" versions of each one. I am not being critical of the King James Version, I have just found that if somone can put something in their own words it is a good indicator that they know what it means. I also ask for examples of how they had been able to exercise each quality in their lives. Almost four hours later Anthony glanced at his watch a exclaimed how quickly time had passed. We had only covered three verses regarding the first of ten items listed in Galatians 5:22. But we had connected - with each other and more importantly with the Lord! Praised God, it was good!

Every service is different. Often we begin with prayer, we sing, sometimes I preach or teach, we have testimonies. I am a creature of habit and it is easy for me to fall into a 'program". I am not saying a structure is bad, as long as it is God building the structure. Couldn't we say following the Spirit is submitting to his structure? I just want to make sure I am following His plan and not my own.

We followed the Spirit in our little house meeting, God let us feel his approval, and we came away edified. Could we ask for anything more?