What we gather: Church was not designed to be a boring place.

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We measure our services by how much God’s will is done, which we assess by the moving of his Spirit. If the Holy Ghost is moving with liberty, then we are confident that God’s will can be done. If the Holy Ghost is not moving with liberty, then we are confident that God’s will is not being done. We look to the scriptures to find things that invite the presence of God among us.

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The way God has ordained services to be is beautiful and effective, but to those unfamiliar, it can be peculiar. In either case, it is not boring. For any visitor, we are of course not expecting full participation in the service. But here’s what we will likely be doing when you come!

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Prayer

Our services begin with prayer. Psalm 3:4 says, “I cried unto the Lord with my voice…” Because of this, our prayer services are very vocal, as we call upon God. Also, James 5:16 says, “…The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” So, in demonstrating our need for God, and our faith in God, we are fervent in our prayer. There are times for meditative prayer, and personal prayer, but when we are gathered as a congregation, we bind together, as the early church was known to do (Acts 1:14). Some pray standing (Mark 11:25), some pray kneeling (Ephesians 3:14), and some pray sitting (Acts 2:2). But when the church is all focused and earnest in prayer, we can expect the Holy Ghost to move (Acts 2:1-4, Acts 4:31).

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Praise

1 Peter 2:9 teaches us that we are to shew forth God’s praises for bringing us out of darkness into his marvelous light. The word “praise” can be defined to mean to celebrate, or to make a show. And so, we strive to let God know that we acknowledge and are thankful to him for his goodness through celebratory worship, as it is called for in the scriptures. We want to make his praise glorious, as noted in Psalm 66:2. In our expression, we make a joyful noise unto the Lord (Psalm 100:1). We testify (Psalm 26:12). We sing (Psalm 96:1). We shout and clap our hands (Psalm 47:1). We play instruments loudly (Psalm 150:3-5). We leap for joy (Luke 6:23). We dance (2 Samuel 6:14). Etcetera, etcetera, etcetera. Paul and Silas did the like when they were bound in prison – how much more should we do when we have liberty! As it tells us in 2 Corinthians 3:17, where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. And the moving of God’s Spirit is expected when we praise him in the beauty of holiness (Psalm 22:3, Psalm 29:2). The early church was also known for this, for responding to God’s Spirit, manifesting his praises in an expressive manner, to the point where “visitors” of their service wondered if they were drunk (Acts 2:13)! That was neither the case with them, nor with us, but it is true that when God’s Spirit is in you, it puts a fire in your soul!

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Preaching

God’s ministry of old was ordered to lift up their voice like a trumpet when declaring the word of the Lord (Isaiah 58:1). This was carried into the New Testament, starting when Peter preached the first message preached after Christ’s ascension into heaven, lifting his voice, declaring the gospel (Acts 2:14). Our preaching is full of passion and purpose, being inspired by the anointing of the Holy Ghost. It’s the word of the Lord that was described as “a burning fire shut up in my bones” (Jeremiah 20:9). Whether the preaching is fast-paced and evangelistic, or slower and more deliberate, the delivery of the truth is in love, and with much seeking after the mind of God.

The congregation often stands in response to the word of God, often saying, “Amen,” often raising our hands, all while the preaching is going on (Nehemiah 8:6). This is our way of showing the ministry, and the Lord, that we gladly receive the word (Acts 2:41), knowing that preaching is the method God has chosen to save us (1 Corinthians 1:21).

The hope and expectation are that God’s Spirit will move in some way, both during and after the preaching. As it says in Acts 10:44, “While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word.” This often opens one last opportunity for prayer, or praise and worship, before the service closes.

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Fellowship

The early church was noted for being friendly, and we certainly would not be the true church if the same was not true for us. We want to extend a warm welcome to all upon arrival, an open invitation to join us as we follow the Lord’s Spirit in the service, and often, some way of fellowshipping after the service has ended. As it says in Acts 2:42, “And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.” We hope that all who come will feel the that the love of God is shown to them.