The Underground Church

Tonight we went to one of the underground churches. If you do not know what I am referring to; an underground church is a church that meets in secret because of persecution or the potential threat of it. Currently where we are ministering it is illegal to evangelize and heal. These areas around the world are the areas that are experiencing the most growth and the supernatural. In order to keep from being noticed by the other villagers we had to park about a quarter mile away and walk across a rice field. Once we arrived to this mud home with no electricity, we were greeted kindly and welcomed in to sit in the chairs of honor.  The flashlights left a peculiar glow that seemed like something more.

We worshipped, prayed, preached, and prophesied. God was moving in power, and everyone was so happy to be there with their fellow believers even though they were the minority in their community. I was reminded that joy does not come from comfortable chairs, a nice building, or even bathrooms. It comes from a relationship with Jesus and worshipping with fellow believers.    

The presence of God was so heavy in that mud home that you could barely stand under the weight of His glory. This is my prayer for New Hope. That we would be a church that pursues His presence. What sometimes gets in the way of this are too many programs, ministries, activities, and structures. What if simple is the answer to a greater awareness of his presence? I struggle with this a lot because I like to do things well.

I think there has to be balance. Yes, it is important that we have some planning and structure but are we willing to let God interrupt our plans? Tonight I was planning to preach something, and God changed it while I was worshipping. This happened to me before but only a couple of times in the past 5 years. Don’t get me wrong, God expects us to plan and prepare professionally. I wonder though if we are too uptight sometimes and not able to listen to God’s change of plans for us?

I am asking God to make me more aware of His presence so that I can follow where He leads even if that means changing my plans. I think this is probably a lessen we can all learn from. God doesn’t care about our activities He cares about our hearts. He wants us to receive His love and love others. That’s a pretty compelling formula for life isn’t it.

At the end of the service, we prayed for people to be healed and set free. I can’t wait to hear later about some of the things that we prayed for. I believe in faith that God healed, set free, and that miracles happened tonight.

God is at work. Praise His Name!