Your faith is growing more and more, and the love all of you have for one another is increasing. (2 Thess. 1:3)
Raul has planted a church in a rough neighborhood. He calls it Hood Church. Gradually, people have shown up. They enjoy skits specially targeted to their life experiences. The worship music is hip-hop and gospel. People who come, hear the good news preached. Since some have been baptized and experienced life change because of their faith in Jesus, they talk about it. In fact, neighbors are joining up to help each other. God found a way to create a bond within a special community. When people in the hood come to church, they sing, study the Bible, and pray together.
God is always at work to make us more like Jesus. As we follow him exclusively, our faith increases and our love for others grows. No matter where we live, we all have occasions to celebrate, and we all go through rough times. In our joys and in our troubles, we need people to walk with us. That’s how Christ’s body works—faith expressing itself through love (see Gal. 5:6).
Whether we attend church in the hood or in the suburbs, God is among us. Your church may have a long history, or it could be a young congregation like Hood Church. Either way, God is speaking through his Word and his people. That’s something for which we’re grateful and which we celebrate.
Pray for a new church and the people worshiping there.
Paula Geister lives in Michigan and writes Bible studies for her church. She enjoys reading and watching her rabbit jump around the house.
© 2019 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission.
