I had a great time this afternoon. A bunch of people from the area who are interested in house/simple church meetings got together and spent some time talking about the whole idea. I think we could have spoken for hours! It was a pretty diverse group. Some people were pretty deep into the house church movement. Some people came down from west of Chicago! A few people meet in a simple church very close to where we live, I hope to get in touch with them soon. One woman is from the Sudan and studied sharia law before Christ saved her out of Islam. I found it fascinating that she recounted how in the first years after she was saved, she was all alone. Just her and the Bible and as she read and heard people talking about the church, she was so excited and couldn't wait to gather with other believers! When she finally got to "go to church", it was something of a letdown for her. Where was the church she had been reading about all that time in the Bible? It sounds like that realization, comparing the church we know with what Scripture describes and realizing how far apart they are, was a large part of what led to her seeking a more simple form of the church, something that matched up with what she had read.
The best part is the encouragement. It is a blessing to find other people who feel like you do, who have read the Scriptures and realized something is missing. With the weight of culture and tradition, it can seem lonely sometimes but there are so many people who are looking for church that is more than Sunday morning. I am looking forward to continuing to get to know this group and keep on meeting other Christians. What can be better than spending time talking and laughing and enjoying the presence of other redeemed believers?!
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