God is Great.
Six weeks or so ago I was leaving my church, New Hope Assembly after a great service; I was concluding my goodbyes, and was just about to walk out the door when a kid my age approached me. I had seen him before and could sense that he was a good soul. For some reason I could tell he was genuine, and had a greater sense of how to move through God than a lot of even the older churchgoers did. He just had a welcoming charisma and passion that, as odd as it sounds, you have to see in order to fully comprehend. It's infectious. He approached me and introduced himself, telling me how each Thursday at his house he hosted a Bible Study, AGM as it was called; Act of God Movement. He gave me a brief description what that entailed as I eagerly listened, and invited me to come check it out. I knew I needed more involvement, I wanted to go deeper into the faith, and grow my connection with God, so I told him I would attend. But I never expected what was about to happen.
Thursday came around and just before seven o'clock when I was about to leave, I was thinking about backing out, but a voice within willed me to get in the car and go.
As I entered, I was greeted by some of his family members, as he had told me he was picking someone up and would be a little late. I was already in awe by how nice his family, and the other Christians in attendance were. His family displayed a plethora of hospitality towards me even though they had no idea who I was. I was blown away by how kind and loving everyone was to a complete stranger.
The session began with worship music, to focus everyone and allow each individual to connect with God before delving into the word itself. I sat with my head bowed, in a small circle of about nine people, praying and thanking God for this opportunity, this blessing.
After fifteen minutes or so he started reading that week’s planned scripture, and a discussion formed based around some central themes and verses, to which I just sucked the information in. I felt like I was in church. God’s presence was all around me, and I embraced it.
For me, AGM is not just a Bible Study, it's God’s work. It's God’s people. I feel connected to Him when I'm with AGM. I've built relationships with complete strangers that are already prosperous and loving. AGM has brought me to a place with God that I never thought possible, especially in such a short period of time. It was like rapid acceleration, and I look forward to it each week with as much anticipation as Sunday service; I hunger for More. The atmosphere of AGM is holy. It's something you just have to experience, and cannot be described adequately enough without just simply being a part of it.
I've been able to connect in depth with God, and to the people. God has lead me to AGM to be able to encounter some amazing Christians, people that care deeply about you, that pray for you and your prayer requests, and remember them weeks later to check on you. I feel comfortable with them, and feel loved. I've found brothers and sisters, and I've found friends.
God works in mysterious ways, and has lead me to one specific person that I see so much of myself in, and that has a similar story to mine. You see, God brought me to AGM for two reasons. The first and most prominent is to connect me to Him further. It's my time to strengthen, deepen, and accelerate my relationship with God. But the second is due to my time of need. With all the trials and hardships that are going on in my life, God has kept me strong, and lead me to a family in AGM. But He's also lead me to a friend. A friend that I may have not known for very long at all, but that I feel a deep spiritual bond with. Something inside speaks to me that we were meant to be close friends and do God’s work together. His passion and sincerity are scarcely rivaled, and his ability to lead and inspire, not just at AGM, but in church, and outside of the sanctuary walls, are outstanding. For every great ministry, church, or organization, such as AGM, there is an even greater leader. One day, I can almost guarantee it, you'll know the name Jethro Alouidor, because God does amazing things through him.
