A Second Look

There were 98 people in the meeting tonight. No room in the chapel; they were crowding in the

doorway to hear the Word.

Let me say this: when you get close to 100 people in our chapel, which could seat 75 comfortably, and when they are the kinds of people who need a free meal and a food basket, there is a smell to it, the sweat and dander of unwashed bodies. Since I got used to this smell in the houses I have visited over the past 8 years of ministry, I have wanted to smell that smell in a church, because, finally, it is the smell of God’s people, God’s lost sheep, and where else can disciples be, except ministering there?

It is an amazing thing. As we sat around after everyone was gone, I read to the volunteers from Mother Teresa. We decompressed a little and prayed. Martina prayed for us and we found that we could not have planned this or seen this, so many people, so much fellowship. And then the volunteers! 16 of them tonight. Some are from the church. But three are people who have come to the food bank. Clients are now serving. Next week it will be 5 volunteers from the ranks of clients. We have been looking for the “prophets among them.” We have tried to make sure that we make the move from doing ministry to people to doing ministry with people. And finally, doing ministry from the people.

When we started the service in the chapel, they sang a little with us on “Soon and Very Soon,” and “When We All Get To Heaven.” Then we said that we’d sing “Amazing Grace,” and a shout went up. We sang and could barely hear ourselves up front. Something about that song appeals to everyone. It says everything.

In the prayer time, a man called out that he wanted prayer for all the lost souls out there, including himself.

I preached from Ephesians 2:8, “it is by grace you have been saved.” I laid out the plain basis of grace, the gift of God to all who believe.

Two women came up to receive healing prayer.

And two men came forward to accept Christ.