“The fishermen shall stand on [the banks of the Dead Sea]; from En-gedi even to En-eglaim shall be a place to spread nets; their fish shall be of very many kinds, as the fish of the Great or Mediterranean Sea.” Ezek 47:10 (Amplified)
First, it was the Toronto blessing. Years later, it was the Pensacola move of God. Both events heralded the move of God that had not be seen for years in the West and their beneficiaries will no doubt long for a return or rerun of such powerful episodes so that the Church can be refreshed and retooled for greater future productivity. Nevertheless, I have since noticed the selfish tendency of many of us to experience these move only to keep the benefits to ourselves. We shake, laugh in the Spirit, soak in His presence and do whatever we can to receive God’s powerful touch, but then do nothing to pass on the benefit to others who are also in need of God’s touch. Can this be right?
History proves that whenever God has moved in the past, the benefits can only be consolidated and preserved first by involving the larger world of unbelievers who are impacted by the power of God and then by organising the spiritual product of such moves into functioning local Churches. An implicit understanding of God’s way of doing thing shows that this precedence is not about to change. We may or may not dispute it, but the stark reality is that the Toronto blessing is no longer as powerful an influence for good as it once was on the body of Christ and the same applies to its successor the Pensacola awakening. Their positive impact on the Western Church is an incontrovertible fact, but we now need to move on to the next important item on God’s agenda, which is to consolidate the gains and funnel God’s anointing into evangelising in the most effective way – Church planting.
A cursory study of the New Testaments will show that this strategy was the primary means by which the message of the Gospel was disseminated to most parts of the world. That fact has not changed even in our contemporary times. Planting a local body of believers remains the most effective means of evangelising an area. So, why are we not doing it more often? Well, there are several reasons. Some think that it will require a lot of capital, while others just don’t think that it is even necessary since there are many empty church-buildings around. However, that line of reasoning is tantamount to not fully understanding the Church’s purpose and function. You don’t require a large capital base to start a Church. All that is required is one person or a group of persons willing to meet together in Jesus name as well as reach out to their neighbours and that should not cost much. Once God starts blessing our bold efforts, the finance part will take care of itself. All that God requires of us are burning hearts for the lost and the willingness to do something about it. Where you choose to meet for fellowship is up to you or down to other circumstances. Nevertheless, we need to understand that God gives His Spirit for one purpose only – to positively impact souls and expand His kingdom. So, if God has been particularly challenging you to move out of your comfort zone or to get together and start a Church or ministry in your area, understand that His grace is quite sufficient.
Prayer:
Lord, open my ears to hear what your Spirit is saying to the Church. Show me the part you specifically want me to play so that your kingdom can truly come and your will be done in Jesus name. Amen.