“…but if I am delayed, I write so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.”
1 Timothy 3:15 (NKJV)
Today I am, once again, writing a Freedom Fighter from the grounds of America’s Keswick, where God speaks to hearts and transforms lives. I also find myself, once again, serving in teen ministry during the Memorial Day weekend. I’m not sure why I keep doing this to myself, after all, I am starting to push 60 (can’t believe I just said that) but apparently when I asked Jesus Christ to save me from the mess I got myself into, said I’ll go wherever and do whatever He assigns me, this was one of those things He thought I should do…so do the folks here at A.K. I better just stop there at the risk of sounding like I’m complaining.
However, there is something that is going on upon these grounds that is a good thing to see and an even better thing to be a part of. God’s people recongregating after months of pandemic shutdown. It is good to see people, who I’ve known for quite some time, make the trek to be here. It’s like one great big church picnic, where all your favorites (and not so-favorites) show up and bring report on what God is doing in their part of the world. Whether it’s been good or bad, it gives us here, on a rainy weekend, reason to give praise for what God has done and pray for what we hope God will do. It’s almost like the Day of Pentecost (sorta) and since I brought it, let’s give it glance.
“When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting.” (Acts 2:1-2)
For a lot of us we know what this means. The arrival of The Comforter. The folks in the background thought people were under the influence when it all sounded like babble to them but it won’t take long for Peter to stand up and start preaching. I bet he spoke as if he had authority, I mean, wasn’t he there when Jesus Christ told His disciples this was gonna happen? Who else but Peter would be tasked to stand up and lift up what would be the beginning of the early church? I like what Tozer says about Peter in this moment…
“Peter testified to something beyond the human and the earthly. Some power that lay beyond the earthly scene was interested in us and was willing to enter and become known to us. That power turns out to be none other than the Spirit of God Himself.”
When I came here this weekend, my daughter asked me to burden the Men’s Prayer Fellowship with a request for a friend’s sister, who had relapsed. What she thought was one thing turned out to be another and she went into a comatose state with little hope. The one thing my daughter knew was that there was gonna a gathering of Spirit-filled people here who know exactly what to do when things like this occur. We humbly, but boldly approached the Throne of Grace and ask the Spirit of God for intersession. I’m happy to say, that at the time of this writing, things are improving.
Ya know, so many of us lost our minds when we couldn’t go into our sacred little buildings to worship El Elyon that I think we lost our focus in process. The church was never meant to be “housed”. Yeah, its nice to be in a building outta the rain, but many of us lost our understanding on the BODY of Christ. Check this out from Luke 9:57-58, “Now it happened as they journeyed on the road, that someone said to Him, “Lord, I will follow You wherever You go.” And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.”
We’re good with following Jesus until we recognize the cost. The pandemic meant we we’re gonna lose use the building but it didn’t mean to stop following Jesus. My daughter didn’t ask the building to pray, she asked the BODY of Christ to pray. And no matter how much rain has fallen here at America’s Keswick, people are here for Jesus Christ. If they weren’t, would they have ever left their homes to be here? Probably not. The command from Jesus is simple… “Follow Me.” Even if it’s to a church picnic in the rain. Amen?
Written by Chris Hughes: Chris is a husband, a father, has an education in Biblical doctrine and is a graduate of The Colony of Mercy. He has been a Freedom Fighter contributor since 2008. You can email him at cphughes515@verizon.net
Think About This: “Do you find your own heart sensitive to the Lord’s presence, or are you among those who are “samplers” and “nibblers”? God help you if you are, for the child of the King isn’t a sampler or a nibbler—he’s a sheep who loves his Shepherd, and he stays close to his Shepherd.” — A.W. Tozer
The Daily Bible Reading: Matthew 11 | You can download our 2021 Daily Bible Reading Plan by clicking here.
