By Len van den Berg
A New Wave, A New Move
During the Centuries God has moved in many remarkable waves. We think of the reformation of Martin Luther, the rise of the Methodists, the Baptists, Pentecostals, and lately the Charismatics. We often forget that with each move of God, new revelation was given to the church. Each new Wave brought certain restorations to the church, either in Truth or doctrines etc.
We often promised ourselves we would never repeat the mistakes each of the previous waves made, which was to believe God was finished with the revelation, and there will be no more. And then continue to persecute those flowing in the new wave of God. For years in the Charismatic movement we have been taught that a New Wave is coming. We must be ready for this Wave of revival. We are heading for revival. But what we are NOT ready for is the way in which God is going to move.
God made it very clear through the prophets of today that this wave will be very different to all the previous moves of God. God is saying more than ever - CHANGE YOUR WINESKINS because your old wineskins will NOT contain the new wine that will be poured out. Yet as humans we put God in our little mindset boxes and we think we know exactly what God is going to do, and how God is going to do this. Yes, we heard God is doing a new thing. We heard the prophecies, the sermons and the teachings. Are we about to miss the New Wave that is about to hit us? How is it possible that we who grew up in the teachings of the Charismatic movement where we heard bout these very pitfalls, are now falling into them? If we care to actually hear God today we will hear that God is saying that we need to stop listening to the voices that divide the church, tear the church apart and begin to be an instrument of healing - a source of light and salt to this world.
Our Old Wineskins
So now we begin to listen to what God is saying. And it does not fit into our little paradigms and wineskins. Immediately we call for mass action. We call for emergency prayer meetings and campaigns because the country is slipping into moral decay!!... This MUST be the work of the devil!?! We are too immature to discern and let God reveal to us what is the true state of affairs.
God is saying that He is going to blow our wineskins totally away. This means we can kiss our Pentecostal wineskin good-bye. You can add to that list anything else that came from a previous move of God! This new wave is big and very different. CHANGE YOUR WINESKIN! I declare to you prophetically by the Word of God: CHANGE YOUR WINESKIN. Open your heart to the voice of the Holy Spirit because God is doing a new thing and it is MIND BLOWING.
A Hidden People
So some prophetic writings have been posted on some prophetic websites referring to a hidden people God is raising up. They were hurt by the Church, but God is healing them and they will be a vital part of this new move of God.
I live in London, I recently moved here from South Africa after my divorce. God called me to join the local MCC church in North London. I used to be the worship leader for many years in mainstream Charismatic churches. I heard the teachings and had the training. But it was not nearly enough to prepare me for the new thing God was doing in my life.
God called me to take up my place as the Worship Leader again. God instructed me to teach the people to worship and to lead them into Gods presence. God would do the rest. From a nominal conservative church we have begin to enter a new dimension in our walk with God. People from the LGBT community are being filled with the Holy Spirit and speaking in tongues. God is speaking to our leaders and directing the way in which we did things. A new thing is happening which is beyond us. People are being healed and slain in the Spirit.
This is a wave of renewal Rick Joyner wrote about in his book on the Vision for the 21st Century Church. We are being prepared and equipped for the harvest, which will follow when the next wave hits. This will be the wave of revival.
God is doing a new thing. In which one of our old wineskins do we put this thing? God raising up gay and lesbian apostles and prophets or other parts of the 5-fold ministry? Is this possible? Do we resist and call our emergency prayer and fasting days because we cannot fathom that perhaps God is greater than our old wineskins? Or do we repeat the mistakes of all the previous moves of God and persecute those leading the next one?
Note: If you are still confused about how a gay Christian can feel they are 'right' with God I encourage you to read the section of the web site entitled "Gay and Christian? YES!"
Reposted with permission from God's Friends
Copyright © 2004 by the author
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