Gathered Or Scattered!

October 1, 2020

Whether the church is gathered for worship in the building or scattered for sharing in the streets, the Spirit-anointed church is viable, vibrant, and victorious. 

An upside down economy, a global pandemic, or a nation struggling to love all people will not destroy the church.  A vicious political environment, the ridiculous cost of health care, or a troubled agricultural economy will not destroy the church.

Whether children and students are gathered for ministry in the building or scattered for serving in the streets, the Spirit-anointed ministry is viable, vibrant, and victorious.

The church and its ministry is most alive and most influential when we are both equipped and engaged to serve and share in the marketplace, the classroom, and the shelter.  The church is fulfilling its mission best when it is in the streets sharing the reason for our hope in Jesus.

If the Covid virus has done anything for the church, it has provided an environment for the Holy Spirit to reawaken and refocus the church.  Sadly, too much of the Christian church was not asking for a revival of enthusiasm or faith or impact. 

And yet, the Spirit has used (not caused!) the Covid virus to force upon the church a renewal of vital faith and life-changing ministry.  The Spirit has invited the church to shift its focus from sitting on our seats in the church building to serving with our hands in the streets.  I am grateful!

One of the ways in which First Church has responded is to serve both those who can come to the building and those who cannot.  An on-line prayer meeting, on-line small groups, and on-line worship are three ways of reaching people who can’t or won’t come to a building. 

First Church is also experimenting with providing on-line curriculum and resources for families with young children and students.  We are making it possible to disciple the family at home when gathering times at the building do not work.

We can be the church that Jesus envisioned when He told the disciples to wait for the coming of the Holy Spirit in Jerusalem.  In Acts 1:8 Jesus says; “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

Jesus told the disciples that the Holy Spirit would fill them with power and that they would leave a building-centered approach to Christian faith.  Instead, the disciples would take a Spirit-anointed worship and ministry that is viable, vibrant, and victorious to the streets of their city and then to the area around their city. 

Jesus also said that Christ-followers would take a Spirit-anointed worship and ministry to the region, to the nation, and to the world.  When Christ-followers were filled with the power of the Holy Spirit, the church would be the way God would change the world.

I wonder if the Spirit has used (not caused!) the Covid virus to force upon the church a renewal of vital faith and life-changing ministry that reaches far beyond church buildings. 

I imagine the Spirit is doing the same thing in your life; bringing a renewal of vital faith and life-changing witness.  When the Spirit does His work in you and through you, you will shift your focus from sitting in a building to serving in the streets.  When that shift happens, lives will be changed and you will take delight in the Lord.

Delight In The Lord!

Doug