When I was a freshman in College at Case Western Reserve University, I was absolutely changed by just one meeting I attended with the church. I’ve never had my heart affected so suddenly and so absolutely as at that one smallish gathering held in the living room of a house on Hazel drive. When I entered the meeting, I was like a tourist who was looking to view any interesting sight.  At the end I felt like I found my occupation, my purpose and the reason for my existence.

            It was my experience of “seeing” the church.

            The setting was simple. A brother was speaking to the congregation. I think many people there might have been lax in church attendance, so he was speaking something to encourage commitment. I wish I could remember his words verbatim, but here is my best shot. He said something like, “Many people don’t know why they go to the church that they attend. However, we can see from the Bible why we meet the way we meet. In Acts 14:23 Paul appoints elders in every church. In Titus 1:5, he charges Titus to appoint elders in every city. These verses demonstrate the New Testament pattern of one church in one city. Now you can tell people why you meet where you meet. According to the Bible, you meet as the church in the city.”

            After I heard these words, I felt like my heart was changed. They sunk deep like arrows. At the time, I didn’t know what “church life” was. I didn’t know what living for God really was. It might have been my 10^th meeting ever with that group of people. However, I left that gathering absolutely clear that God desired one church in one city and that I wanted to be a part of that. I didn’t know what my Christian life might look like in the future. However, I did know that whatever it was, it had to involve meeting as the church in the city, just like the books of Acts and Titus show.