An Unconventioal Church

God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands.  NOr is He worshiped with men's hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath,and all things.  nd He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and boundries of their dwellings.
Acts 17: 24-26 NKJV

I have a friend who, before his recent marriage, would psend a good deal of time meeting with people and in the word at the local coffee shop.  So much so, that we who knew him would refer to this as his "Starbucks ministry."  Now, others might scoff at such a notion, but he was very good at engaging people in this environment.  For my friend knows Jesus and is never afraid to share him others.  I can honestly say that there may be plenty of those who are seeking coffee each morning who our Lord has directed to him in order to hear the truth of Jesus.  Keep in mind, my friend is not a pastor, just someone who has a deep relationship with Jesus and is not shy about sharing him with others.  There are also those who would say that we need to keep such practices under wraps until Sunday morning.  For such is the job of the local pulpit pounder.  However, if sharing Jesus is indeed the job of our local church pastor, then we are failing in our pursuit of the truth.  I believe that we can disregard the formalities that church and worship have only one place, and that is in Gods house.  The issue here is that people who walk into church every Sunday already know what to expect from the weekly service.  Many still may be in their comfort zone in the church service.  To this I do not object.  But what of those who need to hear of Jesus in the marketplaces?  At our places of employment?  At the local coffee shop?  I would have to say that there may be plenty of people out there who are longing for the word of the Lord.

So Philip ran to him, and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah, and said, "Do you understand what you are reading?"  And he said, "How can I, unless someone guides me?"  And he asked Philip to come up and sit with him.  The place in the scripture which he read was this:
"He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; And as a lamb before its shearer is silent, So He opened not His mouth.  In His humiliation His justice was taken away, And who will declare His generation?  For His life is taken from the earth."
So the eunuch answered Philip and said, "I ask of you, of whom does the prophet say this, of himself or of some other man?"  Then Philip opened his mouth, and begining at this scripture, preached Jesus to him.
Acts 8: 30-35 NKJV

And so, as the Spirit directed Philip to the chariot of the traveling eunuch that he might hear of Christ Jesus, so it is with many yet today who await the word of our Lord.  For not everyone who seeks Jesus will be found, and not every sermon preached will be in a church.  I recall a time when I was apprehensive about attending church as I did not know how I would be received.  How many such as this are out there each Sunday?  Who will bring the word to them?  I must say that the pastors reach only goes so far in these matters.  The local pastor cannot be everywhere at once.  Part of that responsibility then rests with we who know the truth of Jesus.  We who know Jesus must not be afraid to speak of him, in whatever arena the Spirit leads us into.  For if not we who know Jesus, then who?

~Scott~