As I turned into the neighborhood, I could see the banners waving in front of the home. I was asked to preach at a new church plant that was only a year old. It had a chimney instead of a steeple. In the middle of a neighborhood, God was up to something. “Welcome to Revive Church.” A year before, a handful of people started meeting in pastor Jeremy Sargent’s home in Pelzer. He had been a pastor but went undercover as a police officer. “I just believed that more pastors needed to get out into the work force,” said Jeremy, recalling the beginnings of the church.
ClampI walked into the home, and Jeremy greeted me and said, “Help me with this couch.” I jumped in and started helping him and worship leader Johnathan Elrod transform his home into a meeting place. All the furniture was taken out of the large family room and placed on the back porch. Eighty chairs from the garage were set up. A microphone stand and small sound system was placed in front of the fireplace. Coffee was brewed and on the kitchen counter, along with baked goods that someone made fresh that morning.
The garage doubled as the nursery and children’s Bible study area as folding tables were set up. Just before the people arrived, I gathered with the leaders in the laundry room for prayer. I was fired up. God is doing something among these people.
One by one, they began to pile into his home. The atmosphere was vibrant with life, and laughter filled the air. I looked around and every square inch of the living room was taken up. There were 105 people inside his home. This past week, individuals were baptized in the largest baptismal pool in our convention. It doubles as his children’s swimming pool during the week!
Jeremy began to tell me the stories of transformation. There was a meth user among them who was now following Jesus. Families who were broken and not speaking to one another were now slowly becoming restored. There were tough policemen whose hearts were broken for the gospel. The nursery is the most secure in the area. You have to pass by seven policemen in the living room to get to it!
I thought of the story in Mark 2 when Jesus showed up at a disciple’s home and a crowd gathered to hear him. People knew he was there and would even tear open the roof to get their friends to Him. It was a reminder to me of what happens when Jesus shows up, regardless of the location, and people get excited about following him. Maybe God wants you to start a movement in your living room. What are you waiting for? Go for it!
– Clamp is evangelism group director for the South Carolina Baptist Convention. Follow Lee on twitter @leeclamp or on his blog at www.leeclamp.com.