I think of Matthew 18:20 as we begin this new chapter:
For where two or three are gathered
in my name, there am I among them.”
The reason this comes to mind is the radical change of
churches we have taken. We moved from 12 Stone which has been one of the
largest growing churches in the nation and it is something that we experienced.
The church is Bible based, solid teaching and although large fosters a great
community, as long as you plug in.
We moved and the first local church near our rental was in a
school, like the Sugarloaf campus started at 12 Stone and was growing. Our new
neighborhood church is very small and nice. Again all have been Bible based but
although with us we have upped the number of motorcyclists to over 20% that’s
not saying much since there was one other bike in the lot.
I will take some adjusting since a small community is often
tight and not open to strangers, and not many stranger than us!! At the same
time I felt welcomed instantly and enjoyed the feel. Just different from a 9
campus “mega-church”. Time will tell how we grow within this community or we
may commute back to the other church. It’s fun to see how things are changing
in our lives.
One thing I do know is this verse is solid, we don’t need a flashy
band to know God, but just another person to fellowship with. The key is to
keep in tune with God via the best ways we know how, reading the Bible and
praying about what we read. It’s really that simple, the best way I have found
is find a partner and pick a “read the Bible in a year” outline and do it. Talk
about it and learn.
The greatest thing you find out in this process is how small
books in the Old Testament point to Jesus. You learn that from the start the
Bible points to Jesus and that is the key!!
So as we start the next chapter, we are excited about
what is happening.