We sang 'Jesus, how lovely You are' through twice and then asked the Holy Spirit to come into our midst and be a part of our conversations.
A lot of conversation this morning about the Praise Time last night - how everything was tying in although coming from different directions. Christopher's sermon in the morning had been about being ourselves and not putting a false front on, the sermon in the evening service (from a minister who had come all the way from Buckie) was 'Be Yourself' and even the word from Praise Time was do people see us as we really are?
With reference to 'soldier' Susan had been reading The Spiritual Warrior's Prayer Guide (by Quin Sherrer & Ruthanne Garlock) and she referred to p.263 how, in the old days, the soldiers were the watchmen on the walls but nowadays the equivalent spiritual 'soldier' is an intercessor.
Dorothy had had a very good word of knowledge recently. We need head knowledge but we also need heart knowledge. You need fire in your heart but you need a cool head. You cannot let the cold come too far down into the heart or the fire will fizzle out but neither can you let the fire come up too far into the head because a hothead is no use in battle. What a lovely word for a testimony (or a sermon!!)
A word for Susan had come back from Pauline in Wales: Pauline had seen cogs in a wheel. When she drew back from the close-up picture she noted that the cogs were inside a watch. However, they weren't moving! Pauline knew that it is expensive oil which is used for watches and one drop was put on whereupon the cogs started moving. She felt that the Lord was raising Susan up to be a watchman (or a watch woman!) Susan could only come back to the word she was given a while ago - STAND FIRM - STAND ALONE - STAND ANOINTED. Perhaps this oil was the anointing.
Prayer Chain was spoken about (which some of us already belong to and which is regularly passed on on a Monday evening, mainly about national issues) but CARE LINES was now to be considered as well. This isn't a regular set evening but an 'as and when'. If someone has a need then it can be passed on to each other for prayer. Some of us already do this on an informal basis if we need specific prayer and it wouldn't take too much to regularize this.
Jeremiah 31:21 - 'Set up road signs, put up guideposts, take note of
the highway, the road that you take.'
Jeremiah 6 : 17 - 'Stand at the cross-roads and look, ask for the
ancient paths, ask where the good way is and walk in it.' It goes on
to talk about watchmen and trumpets.
In response to these references about roads Mary L told us of a
personal experience she had when she had started to read the Welsh
Diary notes.
She had seen a very straight, really black road. On one side there
were beautiful shrubs, flowers etc. The other side was just green
grass but obviously very uncared for. The Lord said to her 'I am the
way, the truth and the life, this is the path I want you to take'.
Just as Helen had felt on hold over the summer, Mary (and others
of us) had felt that she was going backwards in her spiritual life a
bit because we weren't really having fellowship with each other
because of all the holidays, visitors, kids off school etc. but now
she felt that God was gently putting her back on the path. The song
which came to her mind was 'Peace is flowing like a river' and she
felt really enfolded in the love of God. It was so beautiful. PTL
(Praise the Lord) God is good!
Dorothy, Susan and Christopher had been praying in the manse the previous Sunday evening. Susan prayed that any stone/obstacles etc be swept away from his path so that the road was clear and his path was made smooth.
Susan had passed on Psalm 85 : 10-13 to David Collinson before he left for Aberdeen because she felt this was for him. '.............The Lord will indeed give what is good, and our land will yield its harvest. Righteousness goes before him and prepares the way for his steps.'
Helen told us about the story of the lifeboat. Some folk were in the lifeboat, others were totally outside it and many others were clinging on trying their hardest to get in. She felt that often she was part of the latter.
Susan was reminded of a picture she had once had - a sieve with flour going through it. This sieve was shaking away and eventually all that was left was the lumps. These were things which still had to be dealt with. Gradually God brings things to the surface and shows them to us face to face. They are shown to us so clearly that we just have to deal with them - we take these lumps to the Lord and then HE deals with them. They need to be acknowledged by us first. When there is something which is hindering us God brings it to our attention and makes us look at it because only then can He deal with it. Each 'lump' is dealt with one at a time and gradually, as each step of faith is taken, our trust in Him is built up. God is gracious, he knows how much we can take. He will never hurt us. The word she had been given when asked to speak publicly for the very first time about her experience with God (Stewardship Campaign) was Exodus 33 : 44 My presence will go with you and I will give you rest.
We spoke awhile on 'I cannot pray for others if I cannot pray for myself'. Sometimes we are too busy praying for others but we have prayer needs ourselves and we also need God's touch.
In response to the Welsh picture of a 'ship with a plank out over the sea' we started talking about prophecy being a leap of faith. At the Jean Darnall meeting the previous Wednesday, someone had given a public prophecy. The leader of the meeting was sensitive and informed enough to say 'We'll just wait a minute for the interpretation of that' and it had come. Steps of faith were taken all round. This was a meeting hosted by a different fellowship to the one which owned the building. The person who had prophesied was part of the Pentecostal fellowship who owned the church and it was 'normal' for them to publicly prophesy. It was not thought generally usual for the people who were sponsoring the meeting to publicly prophesy, therefore it could easily not have not been received very well. The word which was interpreted was that God said 'Look to Me, look to Me. Don't look to others but look to Me! This was thought very apt for the situation and a great witness to people present from churches not normally walking in the way of public prophecy. It was noted that a prophet has to be 100% correct (or be stoned!!) and how being a prophet is an awesome task and responsibility.
We tossed about 'Chasing the blessing rather than the Blesser'. Is this possible? God who knows what is in the heart would know that the blessing would either not be used or would not be fruitful, and would He give a blessing to someone who just wants to feel the experience and then do nothing until the next opportunity for blessing (experience)? The rain falls on the whole cornfield, on the weeds as well as the wheat. Ask and you will receive. If we ask, God gives, but we are only a channel and what comes to us from God should come out the other side as fruit, if we want to progress as Christians.
Jeremiah - God called him to be a prophet to Israel. The Lord often sent His prophets, gave them His word to give to the people but they didn't listen, they weren't obedient and disaster came. Only when they repented did God start blessing again.
Friday 9.6.96 : Jeremiah 30 : 23,24 'See the storm of the Lord will burst out in wrath'. Susan felt as if the Lord is wanting to open this up and we need to pray it through.
14.6.96 : We couldn't see what Pauline meant by 'prophetic is the KEY to the release of power and gifts'. Does 'release the prophetic' mean 'the gift of prophecy is the KEY'. We couldn't work this out in any form.
We think we have to be more disciplined and will attempt to deal with the whole of episode 2 next Monday morning..................
We finished off our morning considering the night before at O.P.C. (Old Parish Church) ((Praise Time at the Muckle Kirk)). Theme : TO BOLDLY GO (including the Star Ship EVANGELIZE and the G.S. (Good Ship) REDEEMER. (Weren't Spock's ears wonderful?) There were so many thrilling references to things we had been talking about and cherishing.
Reading from John Buchan about armour (Eph 6:18) Reading from Christopher (Matthew ...) about (......wait for it........... the 10 virgins) A song about the river, then a song about 'Sound the trumpet, strike the drum, see the King of glory come. Join the praises rising from the people of the Lord. Let your voices be heard unrestrained'. Another song - I will be YOUR God and you will be MY people. Then that wonderful sketch in the Evangelize with Captain James of the Kirk when the GS Redeemer saw off the Kling-ons.
Ken's timely word followed - talking about trumpets (!!) When God
calls the trumpet, are you prepared - the Evangelize wasn't prepared
until she teamed up with the SS St Andrews and the SS Trinity and the
SS Methodist and the SS Baptist and the SS....... and, of course, the
G.S. Redeemer (Good Ship or was it God's Ship). He spoke about UNITY
- PURE - HOLY - DO PEOPLE SEE US AS WE REALLY ARE?
WE SHOULD BOLDLY GO - BUT GO WITH GOD AND WITH EACH OTHER.
We finished off with another song about trumpets 'The trumpet sounds, the angel sings' and then 'Soon and very soon, we are going to meet the King'. ARE YOU READY?
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