do you want to look for my fullness?
do you want to make history with me?
do you want to count for my Kingdom?
do you want to see miracles and stand for justice?
do want to see reconciliation and people set free?
do you want to see nations transformed by the power of prayer?
then come, follow me,
and I will show you where to go.
it’s not to the platform and the spot-lit speaker.
it’s not the conference, the meeting, or the camp.
come with me to the darkest places
come to the hurting, the howling, hollow faces
come with me to the addicted, convicted and caught
come with your light, run with your salt,
come to the sorrow; the suicide tree
come to the stable
come follow me.[i]
i came across this poem in a book that i finished reading lately. that second stanza really hit me between the eyes. And my soul screamed out, “YES!” while conferences, meetings, and camps can serve to refresh us, what are they refreshing us for? they should serve to direct us to following where God is going. but often times, we go to conferences, meetings and camps to see what God is doing in someone else’s ministry. what God is doing in their lives and that we may wish that we too could experience that touch of God’s grace or that we may witness a miracle in our lives or the life of someone we may meet at the event.
it’s not about that. if we truly want to go for God in all His glory and to count for His kingdom; if we truly want to see reconciliation, lives set free, and nations transformed, then we need to go where He is sending us. not that we will be separated from Him, but that He wants us to join Him in that place to change the atmosphere, lives, and nations.
conferences, meetings, and camps should be a short stop on the way, not a place to continuously return for something new, cutting edge or to hear someone famous. there are some truly awesome things happening in the earth today, and God’s glory is being poured out, but God doesn’t want us to simply gather in one place to hear about it, He wants us to go and experience it. think about that. we don’t have to settle for the stories of others- He wants us to experience it in the nations! He wants the nations to experience it! He wants you to take His glory to the nations. He doesn’t want to settle within the church. He can’t settle within the church. He won’t settle within the church. And if we try to force Him to, He will go elsewhere and begin again with a people who are willing and open. He’s done it in the past; He’ll do it again today.
let’s not get left behind.
[i] Written by Ian Nicholson and quoted in the book Red Moon Rising (Lake Mary, FL: [Relevant Books], 2003) 181.
do you want to make history with me?
do you want to count for my Kingdom?
do you want to see miracles and stand for justice?
do want to see reconciliation and people set free?
do you want to see nations transformed by the power of prayer?
then come, follow me,
and I will show you where to go.
it’s not to the platform and the spot-lit speaker.
it’s not the conference, the meeting, or the camp.
come with me to the darkest places
come to the hurting, the howling, hollow faces
come with me to the addicted, convicted and caught
come with your light, run with your salt,
come to the sorrow; the suicide tree
come to the stable
come follow me.[i]
i came across this poem in a book that i finished reading lately. that second stanza really hit me between the eyes. And my soul screamed out, “YES!” while conferences, meetings, and camps can serve to refresh us, what are they refreshing us for? they should serve to direct us to following where God is going. but often times, we go to conferences, meetings and camps to see what God is doing in someone else’s ministry. what God is doing in their lives and that we may wish that we too could experience that touch of God’s grace or that we may witness a miracle in our lives or the life of someone we may meet at the event.
it’s not about that. if we truly want to go for God in all His glory and to count for His kingdom; if we truly want to see reconciliation, lives set free, and nations transformed, then we need to go where He is sending us. not that we will be separated from Him, but that He wants us to join Him in that place to change the atmosphere, lives, and nations.
conferences, meetings, and camps should be a short stop on the way, not a place to continuously return for something new, cutting edge or to hear someone famous. there are some truly awesome things happening in the earth today, and God’s glory is being poured out, but God doesn’t want us to simply gather in one place to hear about it, He wants us to go and experience it. think about that. we don’t have to settle for the stories of others- He wants us to experience it in the nations! He wants the nations to experience it! He wants you to take His glory to the nations. He doesn’t want to settle within the church. He can’t settle within the church. He won’t settle within the church. And if we try to force Him to, He will go elsewhere and begin again with a people who are willing and open. He’s done it in the past; He’ll do it again today.
let’s not get left behind.
for the world-wide renown of His sovereign glory...
[i] Written by Ian Nicholson and quoted in the book Red Moon Rising (Lake Mary, FL:
2 comments:
it does seem that the church often "returns to get refreshed" but I love what you said..."what for?" I think Christians don't realize that we don't need to wait to "be filled"...if we draw near to God and share his heart he fills us with a constant overflowing. Brent describes it as us asking for God to give us a glass of water when he just wants to turn the hose on and let it keep running. I think the title of your blog is perfect, “living outside the four walls.” I wonder when the church got the idea that we had to fit God into the box we call our church building. You’re right…He is definitely too big to fit inside our box...
"Come follow Me" . . .this phrase has rung in my ears since I was 6 year old ...WOW!!! When we really take the initiative and step out in faith & truly choose to follow the master,we will be filled & the church needs a fresh filling!!!The "church" as we know it is sleeping behind her four walls and there is a wake up call sounding out across the world & the bridegroom is waiting for His bride to answer the call that will bring her into the greatest romance that she has ever experienced, and that is partnering w/ her lover in true ministry.
It's time for us as the bride to tear away our "BOXES" and allow our Bridegroom to have full reign in our hearts!!!! As the church we are the bride of Christ but are we really tearing away our boxes and allowing His blood to purify us so that we will be dressed in white . . .pure as snow and made whole to truly be His Bride??? David, I've always loved your heart . . .when we get real within the depths of our hearts . . .there are well springs of life that flow from the river of God!!!
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