“Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.”
Philippians 2:2
Granny’s house. The place of shared adventure that housed so many of my happy childhood days. It had those slanty ceilings upstairs, the ping pong and the air hockey table in the spooky basement, the delicious smells and stuffed stockings on the window ledge at Christmas, the sound of laughter (or sometimes fighting over the Atari remote), and the best maraschino cherry Cokes ever made. We had the cat tail pond in the back yard to skate on in the winter, and the uncles used the same pond to shoot off their illegal fireworks on the 4th of July.
I loved Granny’s house.
Sadly, it was not perfect. We had the alcoholism that I was too young to understand, the various members of the family dabbling into drug use, and sometimes the marital problems that needed handling. There was the husband that died, teens who made bad choices, the fire that almost burned everything down with the whole family in it, and the year I was so mad that I ran away and scared poor Granny half to death.
But I still love Granny’s house and I wish I could go back.
Romans 8:4 compares Spirit-led believers to a family and in Mark 7:7, Jesus refers to the place of worship as His house of prayer. We are all brothers and sisters in Christ, living and worshipping in the same spiritual house and fellowshipping with God. His eternal desire for fellowship with humans has ordained the same fellowship among believers. Among His family.
We are all brothers and sisters in Christ, living and worshipping in the same spiritual house and fellowshipping with God.
Kara McCoy
The solidarity of a shared history, last name, family practice, or common language comes through the blessing of shared memories, uniform belief systems, and emotional connection. But these things also establish your spiritual house. United Pentecostals all over the world are known for our faith in the name of Jesus, and our distinctive practice of worship, dress, theology, and the Holy Ghost experience of every believer. These things make us who we are and join us together so that even when we meet someone new, we start from the same beginnings and feel like family.
As much as a physical house of worship is wood, glass, and paint choices, our families take spiritual shelter in them and create an invisible spiritual house within. Whatever you establish spiritually inside of your house- whatever you entertain in the supernatural realm- is inherently representative of your household of faith. What you can and cannot see co-exist. And in the quiet, spiritual realm, you collect demons or angels in your spiritual house, depending on what you allow your family to entertain.
In the natural, we entertain the spirit of God, or the spirits of evil, depending on our attitudes, our actions, our thoughts, and consistency of our prayer lives. And, believe it or not, as each believer comes into the church, we bring together our collective experience to invisibly either strengthen or weaken the faith of the body.
Whatever you establish spiritually inside of your house- whatever you entertain in the supernatural realm- is inherently representative of your household of faith.
Kara McCoy
Colossians 3:16 tells us that we should let the word of Christ dwell within us and to spend our time uplifting and teaching one another. The mighty faith of unity that pours out of a church that is strong in His word is a harmony that brings fire down from heaven. Powerful healings, anointed preaching, salvation experiences, and overcoming lifestyles will not just appear in the body because a preacher shouts a lot, or from a few old ladies’ prayers. It comes when the body is corporately strong. We encourage personal prayer, consecration, and holy living to help each of us fine tune our spiritual lives to be conduits of the spirit, not hinderances.
Of course, no house is perfect. In a vibrant, growing family, there will always be someone struggling or dealing with addiction, anger problems, worries, or even running away. But it’s okay. The blessing of the family is that they stand with open arms, ready to receive the broken or weary, and in the unity of Spirit, God is working to restore them through us. Piece by broken piece. And together we share the adventure.
There’s always a fresh pot of coffee or a cup of hot chocolate at Granny’s house. Come on over, the family’s waiting.
The blessing of the family is that they stand with open arms, ready to receive the broken or weary, and in the unity of Spirit, God is working to restore them through us.
Kara McCoy
Kara S. McCoy, MA, MS, Clinical Psychologist (Doctoral Candidate) is an ordained minister, counselor, author, and full-time evangelist. She and her husband Thomas reside in Kingwood, TX and attend church at the Pentecostals of Atascocita. She was elected sectional Children’s Ministry Director of Houston Metro East and has worked in children’s ministry for 20 years.
Reprinted with permission from Vision Magazine.
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