You have a lot to say. You have things stirring inside of you that are valuable and need to be heard. You have a Kingdom that despereately needs to be released.
I often, on Church to Church trips, get the chance to speak into whole church groups and individuals as we serve all around the world to extend others' ministries and create relationships with other churches and often, I separate those groups into pairs at some point. Within those pairs, we break down walls that have been built, whether they look like inadequacy, fear, loneliness or anything else of the enemy. I give them an opportunity to speak, an opportunity to release that which wells inside of them.
This week, I have been on the Cherokee Indian Reservation in Cherokee, NC with Brucetown Methodist Church from Brucetown, VA. For the most part, they are shy and don't enjoy speaking infront of each other. Things change….
Throughout the week, I have given them the chance to pair up and speak into each other's lives. This has gone from, "You know, that was really nice of you to play 'war' with Jo-Jo today." to "I really see how God has placed in you such a child's heart and I saw it surface when you were praying over Julie this morning."
They have also had the chance to encourage each other (1 Thessalonians 5:11) in victories that the Lord has had in them during the week. This could have looked like, "I really hate speaking infront of people but God really broke me out of that this week." or "I have always had the hardest time trusting people, which turns into me not wanting to trust God, yet God showed me a new side of His heart this week and that He is trustworthy in that I am in His best interest, even in my darkest days."
They got to listen to stories of where they feel the Lord is bringing them as well as laying hands on each other (2 Timothy 1:6-7) and praying over each other. This is very new to many people but very scriptural as well as all of the above.
Did you know that the word "know" as in, "He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given." is 'gin�sk�' in Greek, which means an intimate knowing such as between a husband and wife? Isn't it interesting that after looking at that term, we are called the 'bride' of Christ?
There was a discovery made amongst the church tonight. They have a lot to say. Their experience between each other is the way that the Father wants to interact with us. He wants to listen and say, "That's cool!" and "You know what, it's ok, I am enough." He wants intimacy, and intmacy isn't always scary or 'mushy gushy' – it's personal.
This is a small taste as to what knowing the Father looks like and yes, it is scriptural amongst the brotherhood of believers as well (Colossians 3:16).
In those words, feelings and interactions, the Kingdom of God is being released through us as we expereince new sides of God's heart together in this purposeful and perfect model of the Gospel – community.
At the end of the night, I asked each one of them if that made them feel 'alive'. You know how many raised their hands? All of them! They are coming alive!
It is in this purposeful and driven community that we begin to not only believe that our DNA is that of Christ but we begin to ingest it fully as our own.
You have a lot to say. You have a lot stirring inside of you and you are designed to get it out! Dive into it, release it and build the Kingdom among the community that you are surrounded with as you are steadily stepping more and more into your inheritance as empowered sons and daughters.
You have been given the heart of God – now, let it surface and come alive!
Some very solid insight, my friend ! Such a blessing to hear wjat the Lord is doing in His church. Thanks for sharing!