Quote:
Originally Posted by Amanah
to be honest it seems awesome Aquila.
|
It can be. It can also be intimidating. You can't hide in a house church. And when the elders or the brethren look around the room and stare you in the face, you know they are going to know if you are struggling. We're grace based. Renis explained it once by saying "... if you're acting like nothing's wrong, I know there's a problem. We're all broken. And this is where we come to be healed by the love of God." He said that in the first meeting I went to. I was still in "UPCI mode' with my button up shirt and slacks, every hair in place, nothing wrong with me, I'm holy, I have standards, and everything is just FAN-TASTIC. He looked me in the eyes and stared. Then he looked down as though he was listening to God. He looked back up and said, "You're a mess." And he began lovingly addressing what I was going through and struggling with, as tears flowed down his cheeks. I broke down. A few other men shared what they were going through in their personal lives, their marriages, their finances, and Renis had us stand and pair up to pray for one another. The transparency was shocking to me. I had come from a church wherein if you dared admit what you were struggling with, or struggling at all, something was wrong with you. And if you were in leadership, someone was just dying to knock you down to take your position. But here, there really aren't any positions. Elders are just mentors. There are no salaries. Every elder works for a living. They do what they do out of love. It's not a business or vocation. It's... a calling.
We confess our sins to one another and pray for one another when the Spirit brings an anointing of healing and reconciliation into the room.
Threaded Mode
