This was buzzing around in my thoughts and heart today.
Cuckoos eggs.
As I remember back, the only meetings I can really function in are meetings like The Key of David meetings here in Havant. People come from miles around to these and the next one is on Sunday 6th September at 7pm. More info about what they are here
I remember visiting my old church (Old Town baptist Church,Amersham) and prophesying something similar to what I am going to share below but 30 years ago. It was for the newly converted youth who came in on the next wave after our 1972 wave.
The reason the word was not really received...in fact it was heftily modified!!! was the fact that it cut like a knife to the core of how leaders relate with flock.
Today I received the same type of thing but using a different example.
God has been busy laying His kingdom eggs like a cuckoo all over the show in the last decades.
In Elim networks. AOG networks. Baptist churches. Methodist Churches. Pioneer Network. Terry Virgo's New Frontiers. Barney Coombs Salt and Light network. Alan Vincents' setups. and so on and so on.
But what God said today is that some of these leaders...not necessarily the ones I've mentioned per se, who are dear dear brothers...but some of the network leaders are going to be disappointed. They have been labouring hard for decades but have been unaware that these eggs or now young birds are Kingdom birds. They belong to the Lord. They will have nothing to do with the nests and networks that they grew up in. They are called to build the Kingdom. Nothing less than the Kingdom. Not a network version of the Kingdom. They will be building expressions of the Kingdom that are absolutely not recognisable to these former works. And that's OK. Because God has a world to reach.
Some of the phrases in the following 1990 word are totally applicable at this point: It begins like this and you can read it here:Prophecy - with special reference to Singers and MusiciansI have opened a new door in Heaven. The way to this door is very difficult It is difficult because of the pride of man. But in fact it is a very simpleway. A way of faith. A way of humility...
Corinthian Elders.
At this point I want to mention this book by Jack Fortenberry. Click the picture to purchase at Amazon. I read it, took it on holiday with me, and we've not seen it since. The good thing about this is I cannot give too much away. It is a small book.
Originally I thought it was going to be a book about shifting the chairs on the Titanic. A rather grumpy book about how churches need to change their structure in order for God to move. Which for me is cart about horse!!
But it turns out this book is vital to the current dialogue about changes in how we do church.
As the prophecy above shows, church is about building Christ into the believer, not about building Christians into networks. I'll say that again. Church is about building Christ into the believer and not about building Christians into networks.
One of the amazing cause and effect things Jack writes about is this, using the Corinthian example. Paul wrote a Spirit inspired sword-dividing spirit from soul Word about the way they were relating to "star leaders". Jack pinpoints the fact that if we build around "stars", we should not be surprised that we are just sowing in the soil of dissension, jealousy and disunity. From which ofcourse, we reap discord, jealousy, envy and surprise surprise disunity. This is everywhere in the church today. But who has seen the link, the simple clear link between this and one man ministry? This was just one of a whole host of impacting scriptural challenges. Those of you who are listening closely to the Spirit of God should find this book a real confirmation of some of the behavioural choices you have had to make as churches. I want to commend Havant Church and the ministries of Peter and Mariette Stott , and John and Wendy (remember Christine and I didn't know that John and Wendy were the pastors for about 9 months of going there). There's laid back and there's John and Wendy. But even saying all this, there are still some slicing points in the book for our church.
2 comments:
I'm not sure if I'm understanding correctly. The verse that came to mind is this:
"But now, all you who light fires and provide yourselves with flaming torches, go, walk in the light of your fires and of the torches you have set ablaze. This is what you shall receive from my hand: You will lie down in torment."
Isaiah 50:10-11
coo that sounds a bit permanent.
The thing is we walk by the light, authority and connection to the Melchizedek Order, the order of Jesus, the Great High Priest who like His predecessor type
appeared from nowhere and went back to nowhere. Ofcourse this is humanly expressed.Actually Jesus dwells in the only real Somewhere in the universe....everything else is a backwater!I mean His throne!
We connect to the Holy Spirit giftings in man...but we do not chain ourselves to flesh and blood.
Most churches do not understand the distinction, and use human ties instead and not the Ephesians means of
The Body builds itself up in love, fitly joined by THAT WHICH EVERY JOINT SUPPLIES. in other words...somebody stops supplying by the Spirit...and he may have tons of Harvard theology doctorates...the result is the same...Bye Bye.
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