Come Together in a Sacred Assembly

[Reimagine Curator]

An excerpt from Sacred Assembly Manual. *** A Sacred Assembly is a unique gathering. Individual churches gather regularly. But those individual churches don’t usually come together corporately. In the past, we’ve seen corporate gatherings for a Christian concert, or a famous itinerant evangelist, healer, or teacher. Believers from different congregations gather for a headliner, someone from outside the community who comes with a singing, evangelizing, healing, or teaching gift. Think about large gatherings like a Billy Graham crusade, or an Amy Grant or Michael W. Smith concert. Then, in the early 2000s, leader Lou Engle had a season in his life where, for 40 days, he’d keep the Nazarite vow: he wouldn’t drink wine or eat raisins, and he wouldn’t shave. Afterwards, he’d have a 12-hour event, filling a stadium, with headliners from around the globe. And that was powerful. Another example: usually a government official or a pastor leads the National Day of Prayer events on the first Thursday of May. A few people speak, a few people teach, a few people pray. These dignitaries honor the Lord with their faithfulness. But these events, too, are not called and organized by the common people. I have a different vision. I want to mobilize the body of Christ in prayer—not just the specialists. I want to release the body of Christ to experience Sacred Assemblies without any famous people to draw us. May accountants, school teachers, football coaches, mothers, newer believers, all come together to seek God, to worship, and to pray. This is the point of Sacred Assembly: a community coming together to seek God, to worship, and to pray. Grassroots-level Christian activation, without political motivation, put on by the local community, for the local community. Normal people can put on a Sacred Assembly. No need the large-scale professional planning of a concert or a stadium event. A Sacred Assembly isn’t a way to build star power. During the event, the musicians and those who pray remain nameless. The Grant County [Washington State] program said: “In order to keep our focus on Jesus and represent Him in humility, we will not be introducing or promoting any participants, churches, or organizations in this sacred time. This event will be as nameless and faceless as we can make it.” Sacred Assembly allows voices to be heard that wouldn’t normally be heard. Not the star-studded experts from afar. But your voice and mine, in our local communities. Our voices matter. At a Sacred Assembly, some people pray from the stage. But all participants can join in worship. Both those who pray from the stage, and those who attend, find their voices. In Grant County, the worship leader said afterwards, “My worship team had no idea. If anything, they maybe thought they’d be coming to sing and play like doing worship for a conference. They had no reference point for what would happen in between the times of worship. They had no idea of the power of corporate prayer. But now they do. They got it. They experienced it. They understood it.” People come without much expectation, and leave with new language for how to change the things they don’t like. *** Thanks be to God! Lord, may your people be empowered to live for you, whether calling a Sacred Assembly, or attending one, or simply walking out their days with you. We’d love for you to host a Sacred Assembly, or for you to invite your community to do so. Get a copy of the guidebook here: https://happybooks.me/manual​ The weapons we use for the fight are not merely human; they carry a power from God that can tear down fortresses! Thank you, God! Amy Joy

Makarios / P.O. Box 28, Esmont, VA 22937