Some thoughts about Church, vision and Gods will

I am currently reading Viola's book From Eternity to Here. It is amazing the connections he makes from Genesis to Revelation and the sense of truth he lays out and the confirmation in the spirit I have for it all. We have bought other books and are in the process of reading Reimagining Church, The Untold Story, Pagan Christianity. In my quest for further understanding I also have a book by Robert Banks, Paul's Idea of Community (revised) that I bought sometime around the time I was reading Wineskin years ago.

I first read "Rethinking the Wineskin" and was struck by the truth within. I think I was led to the book by random thought (the Holy Spirit) after I had been reading and re-reading Ephesians and struck by what Paul exploded there about the Church. Now, I am attempting to understand what Gods will is for me and for my wife as it relates to being part of a local Ecclesia here in La Porte and whether I have to go out and evangelize the area, following the examples set by Jesus and the early apostles.

As I responded to my wife's blog, we have been through a lot in our Christian walk. We have been through so many scenarios, and I think I'm a little shell shocked and doubtful about a lot of things, especially as it pertains to how to go about finding and or starting an Organic Church. I truly (we) want this, and I think we know what to expect. Some years ago we were in contact with "The House Church Magazine" and we were seriously thinking about visiting a church in Bradenton or Brandon Fla.(?) Yet we were warned that they were having some issues, so we didn't go there. We had left Chicago by then and lived in Michigan City, Indiana, our first house after the Chicago stay.

Right now, we are just "waiting" for something to happen. We have been in contact with a couple of people via this site but things are moving slow, so we can't force anything. That always proves to be haphazard and usually a mistake. I have been thinking about going on the offensive, that is, "street witnessing." But I have to be sure that's what God wants mo do. That would be following the 1st century model of church building. Our society is so "church oriented" yet I know there are so many who are outside of the church and un-churched.

Even at my job, (I work at a Christian based Residential Treatment facility) where a mandatory "Chapel" takes place every Wednesday, I want to speak to those youth and adolescents about Jesus and what a true relationship with Him looks like, but I have to know if that is what God wills for me.

At one point in our early Christianity we were into the "gift's" of the Holy Spirit and we sought after the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. I think we found that, but as time went on, it gradually lost impetus. I still speak in tongues through my prayer life (privately). I know there are gifts that God has bestowed on every believer and I want God to reveal more of Himself through the gifts, but.... that's a hard thing and place to find in our present situation, without a full body of believers.

So, we continue to be faithful in where God has us (me), and I truly hope and feel GFod will lead us through and to that place he has for us, by His spirit, amen.