     |
In the late 1960’s, the Lord stirred up a longing in the hearts of a couple in Cheneyville and two Christian sisters in Alexandria, Louisiana. Although they didn’t know each other, they all shared a deep longing for God’s heart to be satisfied in a practical expression of His church. They each began to pray earnestly and to seek to know God’s heart desire regarding His church.
In 1975, the sisters in Alexandria were brought into loving fellowship with churches in several other localities. The church in Shreveport in particular cared for them and visited them often. As the visiting brothers and sisters shared out of the abundance of grace their enjoyment of the Lord Jesus, the sisters in Alexandria came to see the vision of one church in one city. What a testimony for His glory for all believers to meet in oneness in every city, just as the New Testament describes. They realized that God desires such a testimony of Himself in their own city, that He cannot be satisfied with anything less. As this became clear to them, they began to pray daily by all means and at all times concerning this vision. As one sister later said, “We were desperate and our prayers were desperate.”
Thirty miles away, the Cheneyville couple was also praying. They had been prayerfully reading and studying a book by Watchman Nee entitled The Normal Christian Church Life. Contacting the publisher, Living Stream Ministry, in 1978, they learned of a group of people in Dallas, Texas meeting in the way Brother Watchman Nee had described in his book. Soon the brother went to have fellowship with the local church in Dallas. Seeing and experiencing the reality of the church in Dallas affirmed the couple’s longing for God to have a practical expression of the church in central Louisiana. It also brought them into contact with the church in Shreveport. Some brothers from Shreveport then arranged for them to meet the sisters in Alexandria. What rejoicing there was for these four to come together with singleness of heart, sharing in the abundance of grace what had been on each of their hearts individually for years. Their enjoyment of Christ was made full, and the overflow of grace caused them all to be built together in love.
For more than twenty years now, the Lord has faithfully added more grace as others have come to partake of His grace and share in the vision of oneness for the building up of the Body of Christ for His expression in central Louisiana. Today we still meet from house to house in one accord with all who love the Lord and call on His name. We come together to worship, praise, and enjoy our Lord. We trust in Him and in His life to bring us all to maturity to be His corporate Bride according to His marvelous eternal plan.
|
