Meeting together in one place

 

Two years ago I had a vision straight from the Lord. When I had this dream, I saw a place filled with people studying God's word. I saw a place that was loving, accepting, and used for God's glory. I saw a meeting place where fellowship happened and where that fellowship wasn't just with other people. This meeting place would be a place where people could draw closer in fellowship with the Lord, the one who sacrificed himself that we might live in eternity. 

This week, as an answer to our deepest prayers, we saw that vision come to life. 

We cannot express the awe and joy over what has been happening at "the meeting place" since the beginning of the year. This week began with our Sunday night discipleship group and we had a wonderful study of what exactly we believe. Tuesday afternoon I met with a group from a local Women's shelter and recovery house. We talked about how "the meeting place" could help them reach out to women in their time of need. Wednesday morning Stephanie and I met with our biker family like we do each week. We shared our thoughts about God's word. After we returned home, one of my regular visitors stopped by, a young man who is just an infant in his walk with the Lord. He has such a wonderful heart and desire to grow in his faith. We set up a biweekly meeting time that I could disciple him one-on-one. After we came home from Stephanie's doctors appointment, she made dinner for our Wednesday night discipleship group. We met with these awesome young people that evening, like we have done over the past 18 months, and had an absolutely Holy Spirit filled question and answer time about God's word. Yesterday, the women's recovery house used "the meeting place" as a place to pray together and over one of their own. This place was filled with the presence of the Holy Spirit. Directly after they left "the meeting place" hosted another group from a local church plant. They needed a place to host their own life groups. This group was learning to lead worship by learning to play the guitar. We host another one of their groups tonight. Tomorrow, Stephanie heads to the CMA State Lady's luncheon and I will attend our CMA Chapter meeting. 

I write all this, not to boast, "LOOK WHAT WE ARE DOING!" I write this to give all the praise to God with my deepest humble heart. We are completely humbled that God has chosen us to be used in this way. As I was reading the story in Luke about the upper room and then about day of Pentecost in Acts, I had a strange thought:

I wonder what the man was thinking that let Jesus and his disciples use his UPPER-ROOM for the last supper. What were the thoughts of the man that was hosting the 120 followers on the day of Pentecost? As I was listening to Lisa Harper this morning, she said those two rooms very well could have been the same place. 

"Now the Festival of Unleavened Bread arrived, when the Passover lamb is sacrificed. Jesus sent Peter and John ahead and said, 'Go and prepare the Passover meal, so we can eat together.' 'Where do you want us to prepare it?' they asked him. He replied, 'As soon as you enter Jerusalem, a man carrying a pitcher of water will meet you. Follow him. At the house he enters, say to the owner, 'The Teacher asks: Where is the guest room where I can eat the Passover meal with my disciples?' He will take you upstairs to a large room that is already set up. That is where you should prepare our meal.' They went off to the city and found everything just as Jesus said, and they prepared the Passover meal there." (Luke 22:7-13)

"Then the apostles returned to Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives, a distance of half a mile. When they arrived, they went to the upstairs room of the house where they were staying." (Acts 1:12,13)

"On the day of Pentecost all the believers were meeting together in one place." (Acts 2:1)

God prepared these "places" for his followers. The owners of these rooms, these places, were used by God to further his kingdom. We have no idea the backstory about how these places came into being. We do not know the work undertaken to get them established. The owners of these "places" could have spent years preparing them for these respective occasions. That is exactly what God has done with "the meeting place." The owners of the upper room of Luke's Gospel, or the owner of the room on the day of Pentecost, played a small obscure part in spreading the Gospel. No one knows their names. No one knows their hearts except God. I am sure they were so proud and humbled to be used for the King of Kings and for the mission of God. Their role was critical. Stephanie and I are so humbled to be used and to have a front row seat in watching God move in the lives of the people in our community. PLEASE LORD, CONTINUE TO USE "THE MEETING PLACE" FOR YOUR GLORY AND IN SERVICE TO YOUR KINGDOM! ALL WE CAN DO IS PRAISE YOUR HOLY NAME!