Not Just Races and Slots

Yesterday I went to Charles Town, WV (known for horse races and slot machines, if you believe the commercials) for a service at Calvary AG, which is technically in Ranson, WV, but it's only a mile from the racetrack.

The church there was very welcoming. I met a retired pastor, now 90 years old, who is still active in church ministry and counts many other pastors, missionaries, and lay leaders in his extended generations. He was as sharp as a tack, and I really appreciated hearing his, "Amen!" while I preached.

I met some other folks who have been attending that church since the day in 1958 when the original pastor arrived and said that God had called him to build a church on that corner of the street. That kind of commitment and longevity is amazing in this day and age! I met the new pastor and his family, only there for about a year and still assimilating into the cultural environment of the MD/VA/WV panhandle.

The pastor challenged the congregation during worship, using Gen. 28:16, "Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it." He mentioned that so often God is at work in a service, in the hearts of some people during our corporate worship, but an individual's heart can be untouched. He compared it to sitting at a table laden with food, but not eating anything. Because we aren't prepared to receive from God (perhaps because of hardness in our hearts or just simple busyness and thoughts that wander), we assume that God isn't moving in that service. We don't realize that God is "in this place" whether we're aware of it or not. He challenged us to move into the place where God is working, even if it means moving physically to a place where we're not as distracted. If it is a mental move that we must make, then do that by all means, but make sure we are ready to receive from the Lord, because "surely the Lord is in this place."

I sensed a tremendous breakthrough in the worship after he shared that, and I was really impressed with his thought on that verse.