Welcome to the twenty-first century. Retreating from the busyness and intensity of work life, we come home, put the garage door down, and escape. Not outside to the openness of our front porch, but inside to the TV in our living room. And if we go outside, it’s not to the porch on the front of our house, it’s to the deck on the back of our house. The harsh truth is that after a long, hard day, and perhaps a crowded commute, we don’t want to see more people. We want to get away from them! The last thing we want to do at the end of a day is to have one more conversation, be forced to make one more decision, or fulfil one more request. So we shun unplanned interactions by hiding. Our goal is to avoid people—and what they potentially want from us—at all cost! And cost us it does, because the avoidance approach comes with a price tag.

Although we drive on overcrowded freeways to catch overbooked flights and sit in jam-packed airplanes, we live in isolation. But how can that be? Most of us are mobbed with people. Lots of them. If having access to people isn’t the problem…why is loneliness? Why is it that we can feel overcrowded but yet lonely at  the same time?

The problem is not the amount of relationships…but the lack of quality! Listen to the wise counsel from scripture on this:

'Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother, To Philemon our dear friend and fellow worker— also to Apphia our sister and Archippus our fellow soldier—and to the church that meets in your home: '

Philemon 1:1-2 NIV

There is a form of church that fits in the home. Oh, how our community needs these type of churches! Those who fits and flourishes in the home. Let’s never forget to have a church that fits…in YOUR home! It was a building block for the revival in the book of Acts:

'Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.'

Acts 2:46-47 NIV

This week I want to celebrate all our Life Group leaders who attack this beast of isolation by having church in their homes. You are doing a great work! If you are not involved/hosting people in your home, why don’t you pray about joining this infantry against isolation and sign up to equipped as Life Group Leader. Please connect with Pastor Michael in this regard.

This coming Sunday service will present us with a unique opportunity, before we paint the boards across the front of the platform we are inviting you to write the first name of those whose salvation you are believing God for, those names will remain on the boards, under the paint forever, in the place we we believe with you that your family and friends will soon Kneel and surrender themselves to Jesus as their Lord and Saviour.

Be praying about the names God wants you to write down, and let’s believe for a powerful move of God’s Spirit in their lives.

We want to remind you that we have coffee available before the service, so avoid the rush to register at 9:55am at the door, and come a little early, relax in our foyer with a beautifully brewed coffee, and experience some fellowship, see you there.

Thank you for being His Presence in Every Place! 

BRAAM BOTHA

Senior Pastor