What on Earth is Going On?

Approximately 3 years ago I was awoken in the middle of the night by the audible voice of God!  The words that I heard were “I am taking my Church from Hibernation into Acceleration”.  I held those words in my spirit and thought on them many times, eventually producing a painting, which closely represented how those words felt to me.

Two years later, I had another vision of an automobile gearshift being moved from 2^nd gear to 6^th gear, and could literally feel the tremendous propulsion that kind of shift would produce!

It has only been recently that I have been able to see the two visions as part of the same framework.  Globally, things are changing so quickly that it is impossible for anyone to ‘predict’ an outcome.  We are becoming acutely aware of the frailty of our present day economic systems and find ourselves on the brink of Global economic collapse.  Devastating earthquakes, flooding, tornados and hurricanes are occurring on what seems like a daily basis placing even more strain on an already unhealthy economy.   And how often do we hear people speak about ‘time flying by?’

Ah…the natural is speaking of the supernatural.

Attendance in traditional churches appears to be waning, while the ‘house church’ movement is growing quickly.   Perhaps we have been ‘hibernating’ for too long? 

(hibernation – an inactive state resembling deep sleep in which certain animals living in cold climates pass the winter.  In hibernation, the body temperature is lowered and breathing and heart rates slow down.  Hibernation protects the animal from cold and reduces the need for food during the season when food is scarce.”)

Perhaps we have become too comfortable, too dependent, too sleepy, expecting a one hour service to teach our children, discipline our teens and feed our spirits?  Perhaps the Lord is calling us out of hibernation and into Holy Spirit directed acceleration? A common cry I am hearing is ‘we are looking for relationship that is deeper than a quick hello on Sunday, or a community who really shares and cares for one another and for the lost.  We are no longer comfortable paying for heat, light and a mortgage, but we are passionate about giving our hearts and finances generously to local and world missions, children at risk and the underpriviledged.”

So what is happening?

I have come to believe that God is accelerating His church, the shift from 2^nd to 6^th gear is quick, and believers are being compelled to move boldly outside of traditional walls and into the community, into the schools, into the political arenas, into the arts, into technology, into the slums, into the bars, both locally and in the nations, bringing the authentic Jesus into the hearts of the lost and broken.   And they are also looking for authentic communities of healing, hope, restoration and wellness - small groups where they can focus on Jesus alone, study His word, rest in His presence, grow in their gifts and worship  together.

In the west we still have the freedom to meet together and to openly share the good news, and believers are coming up with amazingly creative ways to infiltrate all areas of society with salt and light in these times.  This next season can have the potential to be one of the brightest moments for believers to bring the reality of Christ who saves and heals to thousands that would never enter the doors of a traditional church.   

Welcoming the acceleration and the shift!!!

Isaiah 42:9 “See, the former things have taken place, and the new things I declare; before they spring into being, I announce them to you.

Isaiah 43:19 “See, I am doing a new thing. Now it springs up, do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.”