We are beginning a new series called It Feels Like Home. So I want you to turn to two

passages of scripture, turn to Genesis 28 and Exodus 25. All right? Genesis 28, open your Bibles to Genesis 28 and then put a marker at

Exodus 25. And the reason I feel that God gave me this title for the new series is because a lot of people have said to me,

even before we moved into this building, they'll say the first time I came to Gateway Church, it felt like home.

It felt like home.

And then as we begin to bring groups through this building, getting them acclimated, servants

and leaders and ushers and deacons and people like that.

People kept saying to me, pastor, it feels like home.

It just feels like home. And I believe that. I believe that it does. But what makes a house feel like a home?

I don't know if you've ever thought about this.

What makes a building feel like a church?

We could sum it up in one word, love. might say well what about God listen to me God is love that's first John first John first John says God is love so when you walk into a house and it feels like a home, you're sensing love, but you're sensing God in that home.

And in the same way, when you walk into a building that feels like church and feels like home and that we're a family

no matter how big the building is it feels like home because God's here and God's

presence is what makes it home so this first message I'm going to complete the

sentence we're a family. In other words the name of the series is it feels like home, we're

a family. Now let me complete that sentence I'm gonna do this for the next three

weeks and then I'll do a Christmas

series after that. We're a family encountering God. We're a family encountering God. Now let me give you

three ways that you can encounter God. All right, here's number one, alone.

You can be completely, totally alone. No one else there, and you can have an encounter with God.

Now look at Genesis chapter 28.

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