A Prophecy : Growth and division.

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.