Transforming Society (4) - Alf Richard and Ernie

A group of Christians living in the same location can form the body of Christ there, and transform their local community. They can be a community where the Kingdom God is manifested. Here is how it could happen.

Alf, Richard and Ernie were friends. They had served together in a church for some time. They had been praying about starting a new Church and were seeking guidance about where they should go. The Holy Spirit led them to A Street, as shown in the diagram. Each square represents a dwelling. A Street could be the main street in a rural village, or a street in any city. People who live in city of apartments will need to imagine these squares stacked on top of each other in groups of four.

Alf found a house to rent in A Street (A) and Ernie and Richard bought houses nearby (R, E). The person living next door to Alf was called Phil (P). He was a networker, one of those people who knew everyone living in his street. In the New Testament, he is called a Man of Influence or Person of Peace.

The major blight on Phil’s life was that his daughter was crippled from birth. Everyone knew her and felt sad as she struggled down the street to catch the bus. One day when Ernie and Richard were over at Phil’s place, they got talking to Phil. One thing led to another and before the end of the day, they had prayed for Phil’s daughter and she was healed. This had a huge impact in the street. Phil gave his heart to the Lord and became a hard-out Christian. He told his friends what had happened, and with a few weeks, the people in the blue houses and all decided to follow Jesus. Alf discipled these new Christians, so they grew quickly.