What kind of world do you live in? Is your world comfortable? Is it an easy world to navigate? Maybe your world is cold and lonely. Your world might be dangerous. The truth is that we all live on different planets, plains of existence, but none of them are very far apart.

Just south of Monticello is a place called Possum Valley. It’s a tiny little community just off the Saline River. There’s a small Baptist church down there. Bethel Baptist church is just about 14 minutes from UAM but it is on another planet.

I’ve been teaching at Bethel for the past two nights. This is their annual revival. Last night it stormed in the Valley. I arrived at the church about 6:45pm and the meeting was scheduled to begin at 7:00pm. There were five or six folks standing outside the door when I drove up. I noticed that the door was open but it was dark inside. The electricity was out.

Let’s think about that statement for a minute; the electricity was out. The fact is, it had just gone out. No one had any prior notice. What would happen in your world, at your church, if you had a revival scheduled and the power went out fifteen minutes before it was supposed to begin.

Bethel is no another planet. One of the ladies went inside with a flashlight and retrieved some candles and candle holders. Some of the other members went into the fellowship hall and set up some chairs around four tables that they pushed together. They opened the doors so that the breeze would flow through the room. The song leader brought in some books from the auditorium. The small congregation of about twenty-five gathered in the fellowship hall. They chose a few songs that we sang accapella. They rejoiced at how good they sounded and wanted to sing more. One of the members had thought to bring a large propane lantern and she sat it in the middle of the table. It made a great center piece; there were candles on each side of it.

When it was time, they asked me to speak. They all listened intently. They took notes. They said amen in the appropriate places. They had a great time. So did I.

“For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.” Matt. 18.20

Last night they gathered and He was with them. Fourteen minutes from here is another planet. You should visit sometime. You might want to bring some of it’s customs back to the world where you live.