After I had knocked on 950 doors, introducing myself and Jesus to neighbors in the hope of starting a church, 15 people came to a meeting at our home. Dick was there, a retired navy man, his throat and voice damaged from cancer. Some others were Don, a curiously intelligent real estate man; sweet-spirited, artistic Angie; gentle, hard-working Tim; Dean and Erica, a young couple with three kids; and Andy, a fun-loving chef and guitar player. These people were looking at each other with all the polite enthusiasm of strangers in a doctor's waiting room. My friend Ron was there too—and if this was like a group in a waiting room, he looked like he was scheduled for a dreaded procedure.

All of these people became Ron's new friends. They also messed up his well-ordered world. In this way Ron met with a joyfully unhinging side of sanctification: church. Christians need a church community in order to grow spiritually.

Pentecost was messy too. In one day 3,000 people came to faith in Christ, and then they got involved in each others' lives. Before long, people had expectations and made mistakes, and some wanted special attention, and critics made trouble (see Acts 5-6). Nonetheless, God was there, guiding the whole sanctified mess to enjoy new life in him.