Fire Then.....Fire Now!

Acts 2:1
When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.

Debbie Handy spoke Saturday night at Vineyard Recovery Church on "community".
She explained the power and purpose of being connected to a group of like-minded people. That such was the place where there was safety and growth.

Being a part means more than showing up and taking up space. It means an investment on our part. To join in with. To catch the vision of the group and give yourself to it. I know that in the case of recovery, there are many reasons to go to a meeting, whether it be A.A. or Celebrate Recovery. Some go to get their court card stamped. Some go to appease family members. Some go because they enjoy it. No matter what the reason, the ultimate purpose is to help change the perception that "I don't need anyone to remain sober." Not so. We were created to fellowship. We were born with a desire to be a part of something larger than ourselves.

I love the verse from Acts 2.....they (the disciples of Jesus, along with others).....were all in one accord (in agreement) and in one place.  Put these things together and you got the making of something special. In the case of Acts 2...One accord + One place = Power of the Holy Spirit.  The group, because of the Spirit of God, becomes something greater. 

What if next Saturday night, we came together at V.R.C. and were all in one accord? What if we truly were like minded and focused on one thing, meeting with God? What do you think might happen? I'm not talking about a verbal nod to "Yes, Lord come and be with us." I'm talking about a hunger....a desperation.....a burning desire to be with God. For God to come and walk among us. Now what if we took that with us on a daily basis, staying in contact with others who were also carrying around this hunger? I think maybe we might see a move of God among addiction/recovery that the world could not handle.

One of the reasons I love our Bible studies at Rapha on Tuesdays and Thursdays is because it is voluntary. Those who attend do so because they want to. We usually have between 5 and 10 men show up, and they are hungry to meet with God. They come ready to connect and respond to God's presence. They have found the value of being with God. Not the God of the professing church, or the God of the denomination...but the God of the Bible. 

I have watched over the last 16 years as God has poured out great favor and healing on those in addiction who are hungry for Him.  I have seen Him do some pretty incredible healing to some people who were so broken that you thought they were beyond help. I have seen others squander this gift of new life given to them by God, only to return to the darkness. Such is the way of the world. But I know that I know that we stand at the edge of something that is greater than what we have previously seen. I can't explain it. I just know it to be true. I really believe that we are in the preparation stages for a visitation by the Spirit of God to those trapped in addiction. I believe that, as is says in Scripture, the fields are white for harvest. 

We are going to see God move in ways that will lay us all low to the ground. We talk about Power and we talk about the presence of God. He is coming! I wish not to clothe or couch this next move with religious jargon or trappings. This move will be for a people who have lived in darkness like no other before. That is why we need to provide places where we can gather in one accord. We need places where the need for God is greater than our need to simply play church. Sometimes this need may manifest itself in a time of silence....no message being taught...no music being played....just a collective of hearts and souls lifting a prayer to heaven, "Come, Holy Spirit." There will be no place for the organization of man, but only for the directive of the Spirit. There will be those who scoff at such meetings. There will be detractors and nay sayer's as to the validity and the character of those who are being saved and changed. But like the blind man in Scripture who was healed by Jesus, and was being questioned by the religious rulers....we too will proclaim...."All we know is we were blind but now we see."

Come, Lord Jesus, Come!
God on you...
mb