Two or Three Gathered Together...Wonderful Possibilities!
The words of Jesus: "For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them." Matthew 18:20
These words are typically used when only a few people show up for a church service...or...when intending to show that a small group actually is the church as indicated by Jesus' promised presence.
A dream...
As I awoke early this morning, I was reflecting on a dream I'd had and wondering what it could mean. In the dream, I had just met with one or two men and we were praying about that small gathering. I was praying intensely for the Lord to be there and give us a fresh outpouring of His Holy Spirit. In thinking about that later, I realized that in such a gathering, it's not necessary to ask the Lord to be present. His words are that He is in our midst when we gather in His name. But what does it mean to gather "in His name"? At the very least, I believe it means that we are gathered with the awareness of His presence and for the purpose of sharing His word and hearing His word through one another. This opens up tremendous possibilities for us to experience God in fresh and encouraging ways.
Proper function of the Body of Christ...
In 1 Corinthians 12, Paul writes extensively about the design of the body of Christ and how it is to function. He explains that each member has an important role for the benefit of the whole body and that members which we might consider less important actually are essential to the life and health of the whole body. To help with our understanding, he uses our physical bodies as an example. This means that whenever we have the opportunity to spend time with a brother or sister in Christ, we have the opportunity of blessing one another with real spiritual blessing. In fact, in Ch. 14, Paul suggests that each one gathered might have a hymn, a teaching or a special revelation from God.
I believe it's Jesus' desire to speak to us, to encourage us, to teach us and to reveal His heart to us. It's when we gather together, even 2 or 3, that He has promised to be there and minister to us through the Holy Spirit working in each member present.
Why is church often boring?
I've been reading that many younger people are no longer attending church saying that it' "too boring". This has led to many new churches offering entertainment, the latest technology and various programs to keep the attention of the younger members.
(to be continued)
These words are typically used when only a few people show up for a church service...or...when intending to show that a small group actually is the church as indicated by Jesus' promised presence.
A dream...
As I awoke early this morning, I was reflecting on a dream I'd had and wondering what it could mean. In the dream, I had just met with one or two men and we were praying about that small gathering. I was praying intensely for the Lord to be there and give us a fresh outpouring of His Holy Spirit. In thinking about that later, I realized that in such a gathering, it's not necessary to ask the Lord to be present. His words are that He is in our midst when we gather in His name. But what does it mean to gather "in His name"? At the very least, I believe it means that we are gathered with the awareness of His presence and for the purpose of sharing His word and hearing His word through one another. This opens up tremendous possibilities for us to experience God in fresh and encouraging ways.
Proper function of the Body of Christ...
In 1 Corinthians 12, Paul writes extensively about the design of the body of Christ and how it is to function. He explains that each member has an important role for the benefit of the whole body and that members which we might consider less important actually are essential to the life and health of the whole body. To help with our understanding, he uses our physical bodies as an example. This means that whenever we have the opportunity to spend time with a brother or sister in Christ, we have the opportunity of blessing one another with real spiritual blessing. In fact, in Ch. 14, Paul suggests that each one gathered might have a hymn, a teaching or a special revelation from God.
I believe it's Jesus' desire to speak to us, to encourage us, to teach us and to reveal His heart to us. It's when we gather together, even 2 or 3, that He has promised to be there and minister to us through the Holy Spirit working in each member present.
Why is church often boring?
I've been reading that many younger people are no longer attending church saying that it' "too boring". This has led to many new churches offering entertainment, the latest technology and various programs to keep the attention of the younger members.
(to be continued)