This past Sunday God’s people gathered at our church to fellowship, to pray, to worship and to hear from God. After an opening song Elder Jim began our service with prayer, scripture and some announcements. The worship team led us in praise, folk looked to the Lord in prayers, and Pastor Andrew mounted the platform.
“I have no message for you this morning,” he announced. “I sought the Lord all week for a word, asking Him what He wanted me to bring to His people, but He gave me none. I can only assume He has something different in mind for this morning’s service. Perhaps one of you has a word from our Lord?”
It takes a brave believer to shun second best. To refuse to be a scratcher of “itching ears” as Paul cautioned Timothy.
“For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.” (2 Tim. 4:3).
We want none of that. We want to hear from God.
One by one folk spoke. Some had prayers… some testimonies… one had a song. We shared what we had each received from our One True Lord. We heard from each other, and we heard from God.
We read in 1 Corinthians 14 the pattern for exactly this sort of meeting together. We find it is not odd at all.
“…When you come together, each of you has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. Everything must be done so that the church may be built up… in a fitting and orderly way.” (1 Cor. 14:26, 40)
Elder Don referred us to what he regarded the most chilling passage in scripture: Exodus 33:3. Here, God Almighty is fed-up with the stubbornness of His people. “Go up to the land flowing with milk and honey.” He says, “But I will not go with you…” The people repented, Moses plead with the Lord… and the Lord reconsidered: ”My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” Moses responded, “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here.” (v.14,15). How essential it is that we hear from God, not man.
Brothers and sisters, we are the Church. Be the Church today.
More tomorrow…
thebrokenrunner 
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