 |
| Worship Leader, Joseph Noel at The Gathering, 2015 |
I am
reflecting on the past weekend where we gathered at The Gathering here in
Colorado. Those gathered were all those ‘whose
heart God had moved’ (Ezra 1:5). As I reflect I also recall my own
words as I closed the weekend out, "How can we describe a corporate, yet
individually personal, encounter with the Holy Spirit?". I said ‘you had to be there’. It was the
kind of encounter that leaves me short on words to adequately…no, to accurately
articulate color, flavor and tangibility to the presence of the Father. We had an apostolic and prophetic team that
met prior to each session of worship to discern and respond to what the Holy
Spirit desired to accomplish. That team brought
forth a progression of understanding for what the Lord desired as we moved
through the weekend.
The key
elements of The Gathering were worship at both higher and deeper
levels; forgiveness within and on behalf of the church in America for
leaders and followers who carried offenses and wounds, and clarity and understanding
of the remnant heart for America to intercede for a people that would rise up
and advance the Kingdom of God in these days. We prayed for every state and for
the remnant hearts to arise in America.
Worship launched us and then carried us to
intimate and powerful encounters with the Holy Spirit. Pictures, visions and
words came forth that confirmed the Lord’s presence and purpose. Forgiveness at deeper levels. First,
leaders forgiving other leaders who may have hurt or offended them in the past.
Then leaders forgiving followers for ‘sheep bites’ that hurt and wounded the
shepherds. Then followers forgiving leaders for controlling, hurting, or not
valuing people within the church. This was done both personally and in
identification with all those in the US with similar hurts. Clarity
of who the remnant is and what they are collectively called to do in America.
This clarity is found in the heart of Nehemiah, Ezra, and others who paid a personal
price and crossed the threshold into unfettered commitment and conviction to
the Kingdom of God and His son Jesus. Our worship leaders wooed us by the
Spirit from teetering on the edge of
the river, to stepping into the stream of His Spirit. Only the Father
knows the fullness of this past weekend, but we each experienced His reality
that calls unto greater levels of His Kingdom walk. But everyone identified
with the words of Ezra, we truly were ‘everyone whose heart God had moved’.
It was much bigger than the group that gathered. The Gathering was a seed sown into
the kingdom soil of America. Well...you had to be there.
No comments:
Post a Comment