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REVIVAL NEWS |
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REVIVAL NEWS |
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I R N N E W S D I G E S T Editor: Tony Black
Email: news-items@openheaven.com | http://www.openheaven.com
PLEASE FORWARD THIS TO ENCOURAGE FRIENDS
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SPECIAL EDITION - August 2001
Build up, Build up, Prepare the Road
A follow up to "Church
on the Crest of a new wave"
Tony Black - Aug 21 2001
Thank you to the many who responded to my recent post about the Church being on the crest of a new wave. It has been very helpful in piecing together what the Lord may be saying (for surely He never speaks through just one, but through many!).
I am now fully confident that we (the Church) are hearing a clarion call from the Lord, and it is with a sense of 'peace, but also urgency', that I share this with you. The Lord is saying...
"BUILD UP, BUILD UP, PREPARE THE ROAD"And it will be said: "Build up, build up, prepare the road! Remove the obstacles out of the way of my people." For this is what the high and lofty One says-- he who lives forever, whose name is holy: "I live in a high and holy place, but also with him who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and torevive the heart of the contrite. I will not accuse forever, nor will I always be angry, for then the spirit of man would grow faint before me-- the breath of man that I have created. I was enraged by his sinful greed; I punished him, and hid my face in anger, yet he kept on in his willful ways. I have seen his ways, but I will heal him; I will guide him and restore comfort to him, creating praise on the lips of the mourners in Israel.
Peace, peace, to those far and near," says the LORD. "And I will heal them." But the wicked are like the tossing sea, which cannot rest, whose waves cast up mire and mud. "There is no peace," says my God, "for the wicked." (Isa 57:14-21 NIV)
RETURN - RESTORATION - RENEWAL - RECLAMATIONA particularly helpful reply came from Ron McGatlin. His comments summarise well what I'm hearing from many sources: "I can tell you a nutshell preview of what I am hearing and I know that some how this will fit into what God is doing with you. We have in the last 100 years of church history, experienced the RETURN of Pentecost in the early 1900s -- then the latter RAIN physical healing revival --- then the RESTORATION movement as God restored gifts -- then RENEWAL brought return to the love of God and his healing for the whole man -- and currently REFORMATION as God is reforming His church and His people to pure devotion and real commitment to Him returning honor to Him in the church -- next is coming RECLAMATION as God begins to reclaim the people and the kingdoms of this earth and all the enemy and ungodly people have taken."
What an exciting phase this will be, and oh how we have longed to see it!
BUT BE CAREFUL....Please be careful not to think that what we are hearing is yet another re-hash of a hoo-ha Victory theology. There are some very distinct differences. Firstly the process addresses our acknowledged weakness. In other words, put bluntly, the Lord is not impressed with self agrandising ministry titles, nor marketplace wealth strategies (ouch), nor our ra-ra worship, nor sweaty unctions, but rather he will be "with him who is contrite and lowly in spirit". I'm still working on that! Goodness knows I blew it in most of the aforementioned, so I'm desparate to get it right this time !! Fortunately there's grace for all of us \o/
"I will not accuse forever, nor will I always be angry, for then the spirit of man would grow faint before me" (v.16)
VERY GOOD NEWS INDEED...The process we are about to enter is very good news indeed. The Lord is about to bring healing to our (mostly self-inflicted, let's be honest) wounds and internal strifes. A divine Grace is coming to rip-out the competitive spirit within the Body (individually and corporately), and to bring comfort and peace (shalom - literally so that we are dwelling in His fullness and rest). This will engender the Psalm 133 blessing (from being in unity) which we have all been longing/speaking of for ages. In His way, not ours. Just as well too! "I have seen his ways, but I will heal him; I will guide him and restore comfort to him, creating praise on the lips of the mourners in Israel." (v.18) It's coming. Yes, yes, yes. HE is coming.
THE BAD NEWS IS.... THE MIRE AND MUDGet ready for the mud slingers. There will be those who, as has been the case with every new move (or "wave"), will not like the change and who will not accept the Grace being poured out. In my limited experience we've seen it consistently -- London, Kansas City, Toronto, Pensacola -- you name it, someone won't like it. They just won't shalom (rest) in it, they can't "rest". "Peace, peace, to those far and near," says the LORD. "And I will heal them." But the wicked are like the tossing sea, which cannot rest, whose waves cast up mire and mud. "There is no peace," says my God, "for the wicked." (v.21). That's an internal memo by the way!
PREPARE THE ROAD... PREPARE, PREPARE, PREPAREI have a feeling that some of the "big" ministries of today will be tested to the full. They have a very specific task in hand, and had best be careful not to hang onto things, or to become the criticisers of tomorrow -just like our pre-decessors. The task they have is to PREPARE THE ROAD for others - to "Remove the obstacles out of the way of my people". Serve, serve, serve, Build (others) build, build. Why? (hang on to your hats) Because we are going to need to see many new leaders, many new churches (even "denominations" in small groupings), new ministries and other new stuff -- lot's of new stuff added! (Counterfiet stuff too, so remember how to recognise the good: as "contrite and lowly in spirit".)
A NEW ROAD - A NEW HIGHWAY!Well, a new, smoother surface at least! Many of the "new" leadership (SERVANTship, if you please) will be from amongst those who have spent quite a few years in the highways and byeways - dislodged from the main body for varying reasons -- and there are plenty of them -- in fact there are perhaps more outside the Body than are inside at the moment. I've never know a time of so many disgruntled sheep! Reformation (in the sense referred to above) is not yet completed, but could be soon. Big changes are afoot. Leaders must make room, or the sheep won't return -- they'll build by themselves if necessary (and with the Lord's blessing).
To illustrate this, here is another helpful comment received from a leader who's spent some tough times in the byeways (who I'll leave as 'anon' for the timebeing):
"I've just had a meeting this morning where we determined the following: This is a time of IDENTIFYING. We believe that we are to focus on identifying those who've like hearts for a new thing God is about to do among us (and among His Bride). We believe that God is calling those of like hearts to the Cave at Adullam - the disconsolate, the debtors, the discouraged, etcetera...."
He continues: "We plan NO AGENDA... other than to facilitate the various anointings that will come together. We believe that out of the corporate gathering will come corporate direction. Some will call this thing a new denomination, a new fellowship, or whatever. We are beyond caring what names are given to us. We merely have seen the desperation and the emptiness of the conventional church and we must respond to the thousands who have been dislodged, disfellowshipped, disengaged from the conventional/ traditional mechanism of the church...." (anon)
I'm hearing almost exactly the same thing from many others. Exciting times are ahead.
So be prepared :o) \o/ \o/ \o/
Shalom and every blessing,
Tony~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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