Interesting, nay, exciting things going on in Wales (well, Cwmbran at least)
Love reading about where He is seriously outpouring blessings to those willing to receive them.
The regular reader will know I'm a bit of a Jeremiah, and can sense a "but" coming on.
Yes...
...but... (now you can't say I don't disappoint)
Some of the leaders around my area are going down to Cwmbran over the next week to experience and see for themselves what is going on. Must admit, if I were a leader too, I may consider it my duty to check out how a church is doing better than ours. But to "experience" what is going on? I hope not - but I feel that too many may be going with false expectations, that they will be filled to the brim with the Holy Spirit, and we'll all need shades to look at them when they come back. The very best they can hope for is a reunion of the leaders around Wales - and this, my friends, is the beginning of unity and you know how I love to bang on about that. I hope they get their socks blessed off. I hope they witness healing and deliverance in abundant measure. But is it all going to happen in Cwmbran?
Those that realise, well, actually, we can seek God's presence wherever and whenever they go then start dreaming about how revival can start in the very church they attend (or lead). Or, in fact, revival will start where they are. And this is a worrying trend. In social media, you get these "attend my church" notices, because "there are exciting things going on" - admirable, really...but what about the others? Even in Cwmbran, there's a group saying "well, actually, revival didn't start there it started here..and in fact you can trace it back as far as here..." - makes you despair.
Is it not enough that lame are walking, deaf are hearing, blind are seeing, the bound are being set free? Does it matter where revival is and do you have to go to Cwmbran to find it?
I got to thinking that a lot of people in the Bible who went off to find God, e.g. Moses, Elijah, Jesus, actually went into the wilderness - the most barren and unlikely place you can think of - and found Him. Makes you think about those that go to the wildest gatherings, because something is "happening" they have to be there, forgetting we have a personal Christ too.
Someone once said to me, that whenever revival starts, someone, somewhere tries to control it and it is taken out of God's hands. If God isn't in control, revival comes to a grinding halt.
And it definitely can't be done if the church aren't united with a single Holy, God-given purpose, regardless of location and logistics.
Showing posts with label revival. Show all posts
Showing posts with label revival. Show all posts
Monday, 22 April 2013
Sunday, 8 April 2012
Take me, mould me, use me, fill me
Worship this morning:
Christ the Lord is Risen Today
There is a Redeemer
All Heaven Declares
Abba Father
Some very old ones there, and during prayer my insides started to shake as I felt an uncontrollable urge to play another very old one:
Peace Like a River
Sorry group. I caught them on the hop, but Praise God for the PowerPoint file.
An excellent Easter message today, anointed and full of expectation...
But the above is only half the story of the weekend. Today, our triumphant Holy Day, the Day of the Resurrection of our King, my Lord Jesus has also resurrected my heart.
I have been troubled all week, an overwhelming sense of worthlessness and resentment over a number of things that have occurred within my life and the church. Despite the miracle of last week I was just getting lower and lower....
Friday I was leading worship. I was completely...competent. My heart just wasn't in it. I played. I sat down. I was thanked for it. They were the right choruses, but I was still in a troubled state...
...then towards the end of the meeting (fortunately, after Communion, else I could have been in real trouble) I learned something that got me very very angry with a senior member of the church. I fought with it, not really being very successful with hiding my resentment, and just barely keeping my mouth shut, else I would have exploded. I wrestled with it further during the evening and night.
Overnight, I made a decsion: Easter was to be my last session as WL. I had had enough. My attitude alone was wrong, along with my resentments, what place did they have in kingdom ministry? I knew that I was teetering on the wilderness. It was, as far as I was concerned, 5 seconds to midnight. Only an intervening miracle could save me....
Mark 11. Verses 23-26. Herein my miracle and also the solution. Go have it out with the person I have ought, and go tell that Goliath mountain called Resentment to shift.
I did so, and over the course of that afternoon, and evening (there was a Holy Spirit/Revival meeting in another church - I wasn't going to go, but was glad I did. Maybe more on that another time, but from another angle) I laid WL on the altar. Jesus told me to take it back, for His Blood is sufficient. I forgave the person. I told them so. We hugged, reconciled.
I woke up with a resurrected heart. I have never felt so good, so motivated, so alive. I repented of my attitude, and that I even considered giving in. Never again will I doubt His Will in my life.
Maybe it is just another round in boxing bout. But Christ has won this victory.
He is risen! Hallelujah!
Christ the Lord is Risen Today
There is a Redeemer
All Heaven Declares
Abba Father
Some very old ones there, and during prayer my insides started to shake as I felt an uncontrollable urge to play another very old one:
Peace Like a River
Sorry group. I caught them on the hop, but Praise God for the PowerPoint file.
An excellent Easter message today, anointed and full of expectation...
But the above is only half the story of the weekend. Today, our triumphant Holy Day, the Day of the Resurrection of our King, my Lord Jesus has also resurrected my heart.
I have been troubled all week, an overwhelming sense of worthlessness and resentment over a number of things that have occurred within my life and the church. Despite the miracle of last week I was just getting lower and lower....
Friday I was leading worship. I was completely...competent. My heart just wasn't in it. I played. I sat down. I was thanked for it. They were the right choruses, but I was still in a troubled state...
...then towards the end of the meeting (fortunately, after Communion, else I could have been in real trouble) I learned something that got me very very angry with a senior member of the church. I fought with it, not really being very successful with hiding my resentment, and just barely keeping my mouth shut, else I would have exploded. I wrestled with it further during the evening and night.
Overnight, I made a decsion: Easter was to be my last session as WL. I had had enough. My attitude alone was wrong, along with my resentments, what place did they have in kingdom ministry? I knew that I was teetering on the wilderness. It was, as far as I was concerned, 5 seconds to midnight. Only an intervening miracle could save me....
Mark 11. Verses 23-26. Herein my miracle and also the solution. Go have it out with the person I have ought, and go tell that Goliath mountain called Resentment to shift.
I did so, and over the course of that afternoon, and evening (there was a Holy Spirit/Revival meeting in another church - I wasn't going to go, but was glad I did. Maybe more on that another time, but from another angle) I laid WL on the altar. Jesus told me to take it back, for His Blood is sufficient. I forgave the person. I told them so. We hugged, reconciled.
I woke up with a resurrected heart. I have never felt so good, so motivated, so alive. I repented of my attitude, and that I even considered giving in. Never again will I doubt His Will in my life.
Maybe it is just another round in boxing bout. But Christ has won this victory.
He is risen! Hallelujah!
Thursday, 2 February 2012
Feel it in my spirit, feel it in my bones...
Where the worship for Sunday is preplanned, we have a special praise and worship night on Saturday and this will be more spontaneous.
Originally I thought I might be on my own for this, making it very spotaneous, but it's perhaps just as well that I'm not, and have rounded up around 16 or 17 well known hymns/choruses (plus a "surprise" for my church, which may be well known to the other churches invited to this shindig). This has made a sort of "hymn book" of likelies, and this is obviously easier on the musicians to sense the route with me. As I was pairing them up last night (key and theme) and looking at possible "routes" through, I was struck deep down in my spirit.
Just like a lot of Sundays, a theme had emerged, and this wasn't by my own effort; I "chorusstormed" to get thus far (picked choruses that I had a good feeling about). The theme? Revival.
I have always been highly cynical about the subject, oh yeah, yahdeyahdeyahda, great rivival due, lots of talk, no action. Actually, I think that a lot of Christians secretly feel the same way. They don't get angry with God over this, more exasperated with their leaders - after all, they are supposed to be "tuned in".
Something very special is about to occur, I can sense it. I don't know if it's revival, revelation or revolution. I don't know whether to say anything to anybody about this or not....
Originally I thought I might be on my own for this, making it very spotaneous, but it's perhaps just as well that I'm not, and have rounded up around 16 or 17 well known hymns/choruses (plus a "surprise" for my church, which may be well known to the other churches invited to this shindig). This has made a sort of "hymn book" of likelies, and this is obviously easier on the musicians to sense the route with me. As I was pairing them up last night (key and theme) and looking at possible "routes" through, I was struck deep down in my spirit.
Just like a lot of Sundays, a theme had emerged, and this wasn't by my own effort; I "chorusstormed" to get thus far (picked choruses that I had a good feeling about). The theme? Revival.
I have always been highly cynical about the subject, oh yeah, yahdeyahdeyahda, great rivival due, lots of talk, no action. Actually, I think that a lot of Christians secretly feel the same way. They don't get angry with God over this, more exasperated with their leaders - after all, they are supposed to be "tuned in".
Something very special is about to occur, I can sense it. I don't know if it's revival, revelation or revolution. I don't know whether to say anything to anybody about this or not....
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)