I’m really having a hard time for words. Honestly, this trip has been mind blowing, amazing, unbelievable? I don’t know what other words I can attempt to try and convey what I’m feeling in my spirit. I will do my best to explain with words when actions are so much more necessary to explain what is going on.
Many of you know I’m in Rockford Illinois, if you need a background on what has been happening the past few days check out my earlier post. ANYWAY, let me give you an update thus far.
Look, I don’t even know where to start. Perhaps I’ll just encourage you all back at home that the body of Christ is absolutely and alive and well. When I say body of Christ what I’m NOT talking about is a building, a program, a ministry, a Sunday morning service, or an event that people attend at various points during the week. No, what I am referring to is people, the actual body of Christ. They are alive, working to connect local churches together, bridging the divides that the enemy uses so crafty to keep us in our own personal bubbles. The lie that your local church is the only Church, the lie that we need to focus on our own things and not work together to usher in the Kingdom of God as one body, not a body that has cut off it’s limbs and refuses to connect. I am reminded of the words of Jesus “ “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21 that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one — 23 I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.”
Wow is this not in so many ways the opposite of what we do? Anyway, I don’t want to go on a rant about how divided we are, I want to say that there are people who are actively working to connect churches in their community to the community, breaking down these walls that we so often put up. It is happening.
We are working with a man named Gary that we met because the Lord introduced us to him. We also met a group of people our age who just want to start impacting their community, who are re-examining what is means to be a Church, what is ministry, who are asking the tough questions like are we building our own kingdom under the name of Christ or are we partnering in what God is already doing and building the Kingdom of God? Wow, talk about encouraging. We spent Sunday night with 14 people just praying, worshiping with instruments, prophesying over each other, and just spending time seeking the Lord together.
There’s a fire in my belly and I hope it never goes out. Older people in their 60’s literally praying that God rocks their local churches out of their buildings and in to their communities. Young people praying prayers like “Forgive us for building our ministry and not Your kingdom, Holy Spirit lead us step by step, remind us that we are always in your presence because you live inside of us” Um YES, YES, YES! I’m ecstatic, I’m freaking out, because this is exactly why we are here in Rockford.
I challenge you my friends to start living in the Holy Spirit minute by minute, listening to His voice, breaking down the walls that divide us in our churches from OTHER churches, from the SAME family. Breaking down walls that keep us from engaging and participating in the community and being an active part of helping them all because of the Love of Christ that fuels us. Over the next few days I’ll try to break down some of the aspects that I’m seeing unfold while we’re here.
-TW
