In Richhill as it is in Heaven
In reading the first few chapters of the book of Acts, I think it’s important that the disciples found a room right in the heart of the city. A room where they all ‘joined together constantly in prayer’ (Acts 1:14).
As we take the keys to the Living Room, we do it with a desire to be in the heart of the community, to have a room where we can constantly pray.
The Living Room
Praying as we wait
For the disciples, it was being together in ‘one place’ (Acts 2:1) that they had their ‘suddenly’ moment. They were filled with the Spirit and it inevitably spilled out onto the streets of the city. Later on in Acts 4:31, again as they met together, they were filled with the Holy Spirit. Significantly, it was AFTER they prayed. So as we create an environment of praying and waiting we do it with the belief that we are positioning ourselves to receive the ‘gift the Father promised’ (Acts 1:4)
Pursuing in our worship
At GCC (15th July) Fudge reminded us that we, as followers of Jesus, are called to transform the landscape around us, and that we need help from heaven.
In our pursuit, we want all that heaven wants to give. We want to see ‘sons and daughters prophesy’ we want young men to have vision and old men to have dreams, we want to see men and women filled with the Spirit and ‘they will prophesy’ (Acts 2:17 – 18)
We believe He wants to give the Church all 5 gifts mentioned in Ephesians 4 so we can walk in the ‘whole measure of the fullness of Christ’ or as Eugene Peterson translates it in The Message, ‘fully alive like Christ’.
As we pray and as we wait, we come hungry, expectant and humbly with the reminder that Jesus said ‘Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, it’s them who will be filled’
Power in our witness
The truth is we are witnesses, for better or for worse. In the book of Acts we see there is evidence of being a people filled with the Spirit, there is something that could be seen, something could be heard. I’m asking myself ‘what is evident in my life that witnesses to the power of God?
We want to display His power, His love, His grace, His open arms of acceptance and forgiveness, as we long for ‘His Kingdom to come and His will be done in Richhill as it is heaven!’
Top photo:
The original Drop Inn youth centre in Richhill.
Photo from Ulster Architectural Heritage Society.