Are you in the house?

All week People have called and come into my office asking what is the purpose of the church, asking why do we need to go to church. My answer to these questions probably surprising to some were straight forward and simple. I answered each and every one of them saying that we Need To Be In The House! We must go to church to be with the people of God, church is where the community of God gathers; therefore it is the house of God. Simply put as Christians we need to be in the house. Our text for focus today says it better than I can let's look to ACTS 2:

Acts 2

The Coming of the Holy Spirit

2When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. ²And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. ³Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. ⁴All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.

5 Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. ⁶And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each. ⁷Amazed and astonished, they asked, ‘Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? ⁸And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language? ⁹Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, ¹⁰Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, ¹¹Cretans and Arabs—in our own languages we hear them speaking about God’s deeds of power.’ ¹²All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, ‘What does this mean?’ ¹³But others sneered and said, ‘They are filled with new wine.’

Peter Addresses the Crowd

14 But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them: ‘Men of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to what I say. ¹⁵Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o’clock in the morning. ¹⁶No, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel: ¹⁷“In the last days it will be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams. ¹⁸Even upon my slaves, both men and women, in those days I will pour out my Spirit; and they shall prophesy. ¹⁹And I will show portents in the heaven above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and smoky mist. ²⁰The sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the coming of the Lord’s great and glorious day. ²¹Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

Friends I ask you are you in the house? Being spiritual is good, being a loving Christian is great but if you never take time out to go to the house of God something is missing. As a Christian we are called to fellowship and worship with the people of God! Are you in the house?

If we are not in the house, then we might miss our blessing, at times we miss the experience of the Holy Spirit. Understand that those people outside the house won't understand whats going with you or in the house. Outsiders and on lookers might question our sobriety and intentions.

However for those in the house, something special is taking place. For those in the hose power is bestowed upon them, they are able to communicate, they are able to get along to, to fellowship and go forward in ministry.

I pray today that if you are not in the house, you come on in and if you are in the house I pray that you stay!

Until next week, Be Well

Love Pastor J.