This week has brought about several interesting encounters. One of which provided a nice segue into this entry. During lunch on Monday, I was eating my subway sandwich in Price Center and I was glossing over my notes for the midterm that was in an hour. I was a little startled when a guy and a girl who introduced themselves as Ryan and Christina came up to me and sat down at my table. They were doing “Campus EV[angelism]” and I guess I looked like a prime target. I didn’t really mind chatting with them and so we had a conversation that consisted mostly of them asking me questions about my faith and inviting me to their church/fellowship. It was a bit awkward for me because I felt like I was viewed as a rogue Christian since I didn’t attend church in a established building. I just listened as they gave me their pitch and told them it was cool that they were stepping out.. in their own way.

I never really thought I’d become involved in student church planting, simple church, or whatever you want to call it. It sounded like an interesting idea when I first heard it in high school, but I thought to myself, “This isn’t for me.” Now, I can’t imagine having church any other way. I like how simple it is and how I feel like I belong. I am not restricted to having church in one place at a designated time. Church is happening in real life in real time wherever I go. Jesus went to meet people where they are and didn’t set up his ministry in one location at a certain time. Outside of human imposed rules, I can carry Him in me to encounter people even in the most unlikely places. I’ve been learning more through rawthentic experiences in the past few months with people and God than I have in the past decade in the pews of Church. I have nothing against buildings, but when church becomes more about a building and programs rather than relationship, then we have a problem.

Yonggi Cho, the pastor of the largest church in the world, says that revival is happening everyday in his church. That is what I live for. I live in church and revival everyday.