When people come together with a common expectation, it usually leads to an uncommon experience.
I’ve seen this play out in my sphere time and time again. I’ve gone to a conference, a camp, or a special worship event, and walked away asking myself the same question each time: why can’t weekly church services be like this?
I’ve even seen this happen in the local body that I lead when we have special services like The Well or Encounter. Those times together seem electric, and yet sometimes a Sunday morning can feel generic.
The reason? Common expectation.
Everyone at that concert paid money to be at that concert and came to the concert expecting something great to happen at the concert.
Everyone at the conference paid to be at the conference and came expecting to learn something at the conference.
In my church, everyone who came to Encounter was there because they wanted to be at Encounter and expected God to meet them at Encounter.
When you get a room full of people with the same expectation, something is going to happen. That’s the key to what is happening in so many churches now; that’s a key to revival. It’s all about coming together with a common expectation that God will show up and move, and when we do that, we’ll have the kind of uncommon experience that draws people back for more.