I took some time off from "building" and spent the last several weeks taking the "pulse" of the church. Unfortunately, it was feeble. The first week was so empty of energy and spirit that I could hardly even hear the statements and replies of the people there. During this short period of utter apostasy and darkness, a young man entered and I immediately noticed that he had a purpose with a determined look.

After a few moments of embarrassing, spiritless conversation, this young man (about 50 or so) got up and started accusing the people that were there (only about 12) of "playing church". He then got up and exited the church with an arrogant wave of his hand and total dismissal of those who were there. Not a single person answered his challenge.

One person got up and followed him out. I followed, of course, shortly after because this, after all, was why I was there. I hadn't been in that church for two years so it was not just "coincidence" that he was there at that particular moment.

You can be assured that church then commenced outside of the "sanctuary" and he was given a message that he could not deny had just come from the Throne. Apparently, he was a long-time "trouble maker" that had become a plague for several people who had tried to "evangelize him". He had planned to leave, but he decided to stay after having received "the Word". This was when I decided to leave, leaving him open-mouthed at what I had just done--exactly the same thing he had done to the church, himself. With my back to him, I left the church--realizing that I had already accomplished what I was sent to do.

We are in a time of "ministry" that cannot be "planned out" as in times past. There must be a moment-by-moment reliance on the powers and forces that steer us to the places and people who need us. Because of the low turnout of people, I decided to return at a later time to take inventory of what has been happening over the last two years.