Ekklesia meets to do the two — to give people hands on practice, training, and experience in living out Jesus’ two greatest commandments. This is the dance of the body of Christ — the ekklesia two-step.

Step one: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” Ekklesia (God’s family gathering) meets to worship, to listen to, and to obey the living God. Its focus and attention is glued to God, passionately longing for and pursuing intimate connection with and surrender to Him.

Ekklesia  cultivates an atmosphere where the open and free expression and demonstration of passionate love for God is welcomed and encouraged. It allows people the freedom to pour out their heart in affection and admiration for God, to bear their soul before Him, and to set their mind on serving and obeying Him daily.

Step two: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Ekklesia also meets to care for, encourage, and serve one another as prompted by God’s Spirit. We humans naturally care for and serve our own needs. We seek to heal and overcome our own hurts and weaknesses.

Ekklesia moves us beyond our care and concern for self. It creates an environment where we are free to share with and care for one another thus learning to fulfill Jesus’s second great commandment together with one another.

This command to “love your neighbor as yourself” is repeated in various ways through out the New Testament in about 60 different “one another” directives. We are told to “love one another,” “teach one another,” “build one another up,” “encourage one another,” “comfort one another,” “confess your faults to one another,” “serve one another,” “exhort one another,” and much more.  Ekklesia gives us a venue to learn how to obey those commandments in a safe and nourishing gathering.

Where can you find ekklesia? To experience the ekklesia two-step you only need to find two or three people who are willing to meet together, set aside their human agendas, and then focus on and obey the living God. You can learn more about how to do this at this link. Also, if you are even in Nashville, you can see it in action at The Salvation Army Berry Street, 225 Berry St., 37207 on Sundays at 10:45 am.