7/19/12

Repairing the Broken Walls


Come let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and we will no longer be in disgrace.  I told them about the gracious hand of my God upon me and what the King had said to me.  They replied, ‘let us start rebuilding’. So they began a good work. (Nehemiah 2:17, 18)

In ministry we may discover damage to the walls of a church or a ministry, not the physical walls, but the walls of the soul of a ministry.  The devil finds a way to steal, kill or destroy thus damaging the walls. Walls may be damaged by an intrusion of evil from within. Walls may be breached by an attack from outside. Walls may be falling down because of a faulty construction like bad mortar, poorly made brick, or misalignment. Irrespective of the cause of the damage, there is need for repair.

Repair may begin with the foundation. In other cases huge sections of the corporate walls have collapsed and new bricks must be put in place to rebuild. Yet in other cases a gate or small breach is all that is needed to strategically repair and bring health and security. 

Whatever repair may be needed in a church or ministry, be encouraged that you don’t have to do it by yourself!! I love what the prophet Isaiah says in Isaiah 58:12 ‘Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins and will raise up the age-old foundations; you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls, Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.’  The prophet was speaking prophetically of Jesus the ultimate rebuilder, repairer, and restorer of damaged walls.

As leaders we are led by the Spirit of God as we engage in the process of repair. He is the Repairer of Walls!! Praise God!  We cooperate with the Spirit of God, engage the people in the process, and oversee it to completion.  When repaired by the Repairer of Walls, we get something better than the original! Hallelujah! The prophet Isaiah ended his prophetic word in Isaiah 58 with the declaration that ‘I will cause you to ride on the heights of the land and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob.  The mouth of the Lord has spoken. (Is. 58:14) A fresh new outlook brings the church and ministry to new heights and new levels of prosperity.

Be encouraged if you must repair damaged walls in your ministry.   You don’t have to follow a formula. You don’t have to pray harder. You don’t have to perform to make the Father happy.  The gracious hand of God through Jesus gives favor and blessing to those that embrace the work of the Repairer.

7/10/12

Back From Uganda!

Pastor Harvey with Rick Rapp from New Mexico, receiving the first tithe from Ugandans, a huge deal!

I’m back from Uganda and excited about what the Lord is doing in that country.  A great group of mighty men and women of God ministered very powerfully to about 1000 children over 8 days. They also brought medical assistance with the help of a local doctor to over 450 people in a poor neighborhood of Kampala and the remote village of Nabusozi.  This team went two by two to minister in 5 different churches on Sunday bringing good news to the poor and freedom to prisoners.  Wow!  What a group of ministers!!   

In addition we had three pastor’s conferences where powerful ministry went forth from my good friends Rick and Gary from New Mexico and Grady from Colorado.  These mighty men of God brought words of freedom and deliverance in the financial freedom for leaders in Uganda.  About 700 leaders attended these conferences.  A big ‘thank you’ to my friend and fellow minister Emmanual Kabambi for his hard work in coordinating all that we did in three weeks.  You can see a few photos on my Facebook page for visible evidence of time well spent.

So, after 3 weeks of travel in Uganda I am home and focused on what the Holy Spirit may have us do for this next season.  2012 is a prophetically pivotal year. We each must hear voice of the Father, re-align our hearts, repair our souls, and refresh our perspective to fully live in His kingdom revealing His glory and bringing Him honor. I encourage each of you to seek the voice of the Lord more intensely these next 6 months of the year.  I believe that refreshing will not come without the re-alignment and repair as pre-requisite.  Uganda encouraged my hope for what the Lord can do with a few people, a little money, and a lot of spirit-led ministry.  Praise His name as we embrace the last half of 2012.