And as Peter knocked at the door of the gate, a damsel came to hearken, named Rhoda.
Not long ago, I had the opportunity to visit believers in a restricted-access nation. These believers were faithful in their worship and bold in their faith, yet careful in how that faith was practiced.
During a midweek service, we met in a home. The villa had been divided by the landlord into four living areas. Various members of the church rented those areas to provide a measure of privacy within the neighborhood. There was a courtyard surrounded by a gated wall. One large room in the house—the first as you entered through the courtyard—was set aside for midweek services. My understanding is that they alternate between that space and two others to arouse fewer questions from neighbors.
As the service began, we sang songs much as we would here at home. It was my wife who noticed that from time to time the song leader would stop us and wait. There had been a knock at the door. We stopped singing until the man watching the door opened it and received whoever had arrived. In our case, each knock was from a member coming to the service.
As far as I know, that church had never had the police knock. As far as I know.
I do know that at least one other church we visited had been stopped by the police. Generally, they are safe to worship in this way; they simply do not want to do anything that might cause neighbors to complain.
I wonder if a similar situation was unfolding the night Rhoda answered the door.
- They were in a city hostile to their worship.
- They were meeting secretly, praying earnestly for Peter.
- They were cautious whenever someone knocked at the door.
I want to thank God for those who worship despite risk and fear. I want to thank God that, in the case of those we visited, none have been caught, taken, or expelled from their country of service.
#FaithBehindClosedDoors #WhenBelieversKnock #BoldFaithQuietDoors #ActsChurchToday #WorshipAtAnyCost
The Night the Singing Stopped: Faith Behind a Closed Do
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