Only a handful are getting this letter. People I think might believe the way I do on some levels. (Feel free to pass it on.)
Ever since I moved to Springfield, I have felt that God wants to overtake this community. Maybe you have similar feelings about your community. Or perhaps a region. So many people feel this way and yet there is no practical move to bring it to pass or at least not a huge one. Christianity has conformed itself to Christian ghettos, meaning we never leave the comfort of our homes. Good meetings do not a church build nor a region or a city taken.
I have studied so many books on the overtaking of a community. I have watched Transformations and believe it still has a shot. About 10 years ago, I began to watch what was happening in Elk River. I have studied it. A little about it can be found here. http://www.rickheeren.org/the-elk-river-story.htm. You can buy the book by clicking on our website here. I have been with some of the people from here. Peter Wagner, Linda Rios Brook, etc..
As you know we have been working on the business ministry. (I hope you have shared about this with your friends.) and a lot of thoughts have been jumbling around my head. This morning they started to get clearer with the idea that we could really overturn a city. (Visit the The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference) For years we have said, "people do not care how much we know, until they know how much we care." A friend of mine says it a little differently. "You will never overturn a region, a city or a country until you solve their problems." And the answer is Jesus. But probably not like most want to think. Jesus sent out people into the region to overturn the culture. And yes, there was prayer, BUT, there was a sending. If we want our inheritance, we have to "follow the rules."
What is the purpose of affluence defined as: A plentiful supply of material goods; wealth. A great quantity; an abundance. A flowing to or toward a point; Wordnet defines it as "abundant wealth." (Hmmm...I think I have heard that somewhere. John 10:10.) You and I will not change an economy without abundant wealth. But thou shalt remember the LORD thy God: for [it is] he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as [it is] this day. Deu. 8:18. And I believe that this is possible. But first I believe we must embrace a vision for a cultural change. Do I believe healing is from God? Then I must work towards seeing it manifested in my own life. Do I believe wealth is from God, then I must do what it takes to see it directed towards me. I must reach out for what God has promised and never relinquish nor give up. It has a requirement of course, my will for His.
2 Chronicles 20:15 And he said, Hearken ye, all Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, and thou king Jehoshaphat, (We must listen to what He is saying.)Thus saith the LORD unto you, Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle [is] not yours, but God's. (We must remove fear by moving ahead.)To morrow go ye down against them: behold, they come up by the cliff of Ziz; and ye shall find them at the end of the brook, before the wilderness of Jeruel. (We must face our enemy.)Ye shall not [need] to fight in this [battle]: set yourselves, stand ye [still], and see the salvation of the LORD with you, O Judah and Jerusalem: fear not, nor be dismayed; to morrow go out against them: for the LORD [will be] with you. (God is with us when we follow His instructions.) And Jehoshaphat bowed his head with [his] face to the ground: and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell before the LORD, worshipping the LORD. (worship and prayer are critical to the process.) And the Levites, of the children of the Kohathites, and of the children of the Korhites, stood up to praise the LORD God of Israel with a loud voice on high. And they rose early in the morning, and went forth into the wilderness of Tekoa: and as they went forth, Jehoshaphat stood and said, Hear me, O Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem; Believe in the LORD your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper. (The Lord never does anything without revealing it to His prophets.) For us to get what God wants for us to get, we must first get what it is He wants us to get(Hmmm...Strategy and understanding and that He is Lord.).
We can change the culture if we will get "out of bed." We must shake off the slumber, the disappointments, the misunderstandings, and lift ourselves up. While we are unraveling our lives, the Lord uses us to affect the lives of others. God will not use "ghetto dwellers" in this coming move. How can He? There is nothing in His word to assume He would. I would like to see a culture revived, a city transformed. It begins with me and you. I am going to trumpet this word at every chance I get. Our inheritance is at stake. What is it worth to you? Can you believe for and work towards an Acts 2 or 4 community? If you can, perhaps it is time to do something about it. Our worship must be violent, our prayer the same. It is time for the people of God to declare what is to be instead of accepting the status quo. It is not how much we have to do, but what we are doing...is it the Lord?
Just a little tidbit for some close people.
Lee
88 WCFR Drive
Springfield, VT 05156
802-885-2885
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