July 2012
Genesis 11:31
"Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot son of
Haran, and his daughter-in-law Sarai, the wife of his son Abram, and
together they set out from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to Canaan. But when
they came to Harran, they settled there."
This is a word of
prophecy NOT doctrine. Other people have used these verses to say other
things. This doesn't conflict in any way with that.
I believe that
God is bringing another wave of blessing in the British churches. It
may have already started, I don't know. It is a new thing even though
waves contain the water of the previous waves recycled into new forward
movement following on from the pulling back and regrouping phase. Each
new "wave" claims a bit more "land" as "the earth shall will be filled
with the glory of God as the waters cover the sea".
There are
however a number of people who have accompanied the church through
several waves already, or several stages of this journey already, to
change image back to this verse, . They are weary and are "old" (tho may
not be old in years).
I believe that God is saying that in the
same way as Terah brought Abraham out of Ur and got them as far as
Harran, but God, being gentle and merciful, he let the family break the
journey in Harran while Terah lived out the rest of his old age and
moved the rest on afterwards. I believe that God is saying that it's OK
to allow resting points, oases, for those who are full of years, who
have maybe born the brunt of previous waves. Those who stay with them
are not disobeying God. They are to care for them. It's in no way a
criticism of those people. They will still live a fulfilled Christian
life and of course still have the same commands to love God and
neighbour - I don't think that God is actually offering anyone a picnic.
They will honour God in the finishing off of their phase of what God
been doing. When some things come to the end of their run it will not be
wrong to close them down - they were good things, but have run their
course. These people have been very faithful to God, they got us out of
Ur for starters and a long way along the road to Caanan. We must honour
them. There are plenty who will run with the new things that God is
doing and in that there will be great blessing but also much work and
inconvenience. For those who need, it is not wrong to not move on this
time. However for those who need to move with the new wave into new
things the old mustn't hold them back.
I believe that God is
saying that it's OK to start new congregations and organisations and
wine-skins to do new things. Those who stay in the old resting point are
not sinning. Those who divide up into the new are not sinning. Those
who criticise the others will be sinning.
This is a time not for
rupture division, but for healthy growth division. Lots of it. Not all
will "succeed" as we see it but for the health of all concerned division
needs to happen. Replanting. Relocation. Different images, same idea.
Some of the old things will "die off" (as we see it) naturally in their
own time (no euthanasia, however irritating and demanding the old is).
That's OK, that's the natural rhythm of things. Be gentle with those in
that phase. Be courteous. Care for them as you should care for any
elderly. Allow comfortable congregations. Don't make them feel left out.
Listen to their wisdom, you don't have to re-invent the wheel. The new
things are springing out of the old as naturally as plants send out
runners to grow new plants. The runner then dies off and the two
(usually many many more) survive or not independently.
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