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When God Weaves a Word
How do we develop mature Christians in the Church? Simply put, we release them into the ministry of the Priesthood of all believers. And how do we do that? One of the best ways I am aware of is to follow the Biblical church model given to us. Rather than raising up spectator Christians within the church, we seek to release active participants in ministry within the corporate meetings or in small group settings. All believers are allowed the freedom to participate in the church services, and they are encouraged to discover and actively use their spiritual gifts. What does a service like this look like? Read on…
How awesome and powerful it is when the Lord Himself weaves a word amongst His people! There is nothing like leaving a meeting where the worship music, the words shared during Open Church (a time for open sharing amongst the body), and the message have all formed a beautiful, seamless tapestry. We then know beyond a shadow of a doubt that God is speaking to His whole body with the message He has been preparing within His people all week long. As a group of believers our “job” is to become more and more sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit. When the Spirit begins to flow during the service we must learn spiritual attentiveness. It is of the utmost importance to share that which the Lord has placed upon your heart for the meeting. However, as a particular theme begins to become apparent, it is just as important to be a responsible participant. Does the word you have to share seem to be a part of where God is directing the meeting at this moment? Knowing when to speak and when to remain silent and await the Lord’s direction require spiritual sensitivity and training. As we better learn to sense the voice and prodding of the Lord, we will see greater manifestations and experience greater depths of the Spirit than ever before.
I often address the topic of hearing from God. It is not only possible but vital for each of us who are born-again believers to have a personal relationship with God and to hear from Him for ourselves on a regular basis. The operation of a truly Spirit led body of believers in Open Church is proof positive that God is speaking to and through each of us whose lives are fully submitted and committed to Him. Those without experience may question whether or not God could actually be speaking through them. How encouraging to come to the end of a meeting where God has spoken through multiple vessels to convey a single theme...and find that you were used to deliver a key element of His message! God is speaking through you and me! I often use the illustration of getting our spiritual Q-Tips out to clean out our spiritual ears so that we can begin to hear from God. One of the most humbling experiences a true servant of God can have is to realize that the Lord has just spoken through them for the edification of their fellow believers.
The order of church meetings as set forth in I Corinthians 14:26 is clear:”What then shall we say, brothers? When you come together, everyone has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. All of these must be done for the strengthening of the church.” What are some of the reasons God set up this order for His meetings? I believe there are several reasons, but one of the most important is to ensure that the Lord will receive the glory and not a single man or woman who might be leading the meeting. Another purpose is the enabling of His people to be built up and begin to better understand their role as ministers of the gospel. We all have a unique part to play within the body of Christ. In allowing the Lord to take His rightful position as the head of our meetings, we find ourselves becoming purposeful, vital members of His body.
Open Church is a learning process, and as a loving body of believers we will all “miss it” from time to time. However it will be more important to err on the side of speaking rather than holding back what we believe we have heard from the Lord. I have been in many meetings where we started out in one direction and the Lord suddenly took the whole service in a completely different way. During one meeting I heard about, someone who gave a word concluded with “thus says the Lord,” only to be followed by another person saying, “thus says the Lord, ‘That wasn’t Me!’” A funny illustration, however it does hold a truth nevertheless. There will always be many visitors and people coming in to join the body who may be a little less mature in the things of the Spirit. There should always be a graciousness in the body. The Lord has set in place spiritual elders who will tend to the sheep, and wolves, as need be. In other words, it is not necessary to take it upon yourself to be the “Holy Spirit” if someone isn’t flowing the way you think they should. Our job is to love one another. As a congregation matures it will become more and more sensitive to the moving of the Holy Spirit, and those things done in the flesh will become increasing apparent. This is to be welcomed and not feared. This training ground for spiritual discernment, and learning to hear the voice of the Lord will become more and more necessary as the day of our Lord draws near. Let us praise Him for the opportunity set before us, and press in to know our God more intimately than ever before.
In the meantime, stay in your Word and on your knees seeking the deeper life and the fullness that God is providing for His people. As things heat up in the natural, God will release more and more of His Spirit upon the whole body. We have a promise from the Lord that says, “If you will believe, you will see the glory of God!” That is a promise I intend to hold on to. So put your seats in their upright position and buckle up… the Lord is saying that the Last Day’s Church is in for an awesome ride in the Spirit!!
Ralph Cotterill
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