We had our largest number of people at our meeting this past Sunday. There were close to 25 of us gathered downstairs in a dorm lounge at Northwestern. First, we started off with some dinner – home made lasagna and Buffalo Joe’s (hot wings). I will have to admit that I had some trepidation about a philosopher making lasagna but at the end I was humbled… it was good 🙂
Then, we broke up into smaller groups and examined one of the foundational passages of HMCC – Acts 2:42-47. I asked them to discuss 2 questions: What are some traits you notice about the early church? Are some of these traits applicable and reproducible to our generation in the 21st century? As I was observing various groups, I could tell that there were some lively discussions, as well as some deep and honest sharing with one another. We then gathering all together again and shared some of our insights.
As people were sharing, I couldn’t help but to sense that there was a deep hunger and longing in people’s hearts to see a 1st century church in the 21st century. What would it be like to experience some of the things that the early Christians experienced as they met together as the community of faith? I love what it says in v. 43 – “everyone was filled with awe.” Other translations write – “A deep sense of awe came over them all” (NLT); “everyone was amazed” (CEV); “everyone felt that God was near” (NIRV). This is what we want to see and experience at every gathering in this new church plant. What would it be like to be amazed and filled with awe knowing that God was near?!
We then had some of the HMCC guys share about their experiences and stories of transformation. It was icing on the cake. We then pull out maps of the NU campus and laid our hands on it to pray for the university. It was a powerful night… to God be all the glory.
Here are some pictures from the gathering:
Prayer Requests: