The Lord's Call for Gatherings in the 21st Century

Posted: 2012-01-31 06:44:45 by: David Nelson

The Lord’s Call for Gatherings in the 21^st Century       by David Nelson     1-29-12

Chapter 1   Making a Place for the Lord

Chapter 2   Looking for the Lord’s Jewels

Chapter 3   The Lord Writes His Symphonies

Introduction

There is an internal stirring in our hearts and there is a movement among God’s people here and there and everywhere. The Lord is wanting us as His people to gather by 2s and 3s (or as many as will) here and there to seek Him, to find what He wants us to do. He wants us to gather to get closer to Him and find much more of Him than ever before. We can receive a lot from the Lord being by ourselves, in our own prayer closets, but we will receive more as the Lord connects us with others, He is building His Church. The sum of the “parts” (you and I connecting with others) will be greater than us remaining separate individuals. How God will bring us together, how God will do it is not clear, but that He will do it is certain. Jesus said, “I will build My Church.”

This book is for those who have already decided and know that God is up to something and they can see some of the pieces of the puzzle coming together. Some are seeing part of His plan, others are seeing different parts of the plan. As we talk with each other more the picture of what God wants to do will become more clear. Part of His plan is to orchestrate gatherings here and there, in homes, in buildings, outside, wherever. This book is for those who are called to be forerunners of what God wants and who are willing to step out and do what He is calling us to do (or at least you want to know and hide away in your heart what God is saying for now). What I am writing about is gathering with a few (or as many as will), to seek the Lord and find out what we are to receive from Him. The main point is not how often we get together or for how long but that our main goal is to seek Him and not give up until we discover how to find Him, experience the beginnings of finding Him, and decide that we will keep going until we find His fuller purposes for getting together. The Lord said, “You will seek Me and you will find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.”

We must make a place for Him, we must learn to find His jewels, we must allow Him to write His symphonies, conduct them, and play them through us! This is what we will be talking about in the next 3 chapters. If the things in this introduction are what you have been hearing and seeing from the Lord then let’s continue the journey now. I will share with you what I have been seeing.

Chapter 1   Making a Place for the Lord

This is one of the first things we need to do. Someone has to decide to make a place for the Lord. It could be in any city or any area (out in the country). It could be in a house, in a building, or outside in a field. But there needs to be 2 or 3 (or more) who will come together in Jesus’ name to find out what He wants and to be willing to be all He has called us to be. The main point is that someone has decided to seek the Lord, to find out how we can become part of His movement for His Church to be built the way He wants it to be. If you will make a place to seek Him and pray and tell Him that you are available to hear and do as He bids you, you are knocking on His door, he has been waiting for someone to come, He is ready to show you what He wants. You know in your heart that He wants more of you and more for His Church and you are now saying yes to His call. He is calling us, He is wooing us to Himself and we are saying yes to Him.

The “place” He wants is where 2 or 3 have decided to seek Him regularly and not give up. By regularly, it could mean once a week for an hour or once a month for 4 hours (perhaps on or two days of getting together). But the important part is that we make a place where the Lord knows there are seeking people who want to hear from Him and that they have decided not to give up till they hear, and when they do they will continue with what the Lord says. It will take some seeking and some effort but in time the Lord will notice, will forge a plan for you and will reveal Himself and guide you. Because now He knows there is a place for Him to come, a place that will host His revival, where some people have sincerely and diligently decided to stand in the gap with the Lord. At times in the past the Lord has sought with His eyes throughout the earth for someone to work through powerfully or for someone to stand in the gap and He has found no one. But now He is stirring in hearts here and there and raising up a remnant who will say yes, we will make a place for the Lord to come, to speak what is in His heart to us, but we don’t want just visits from time to time, but we want to make a place for Him to dwell (stay) among His people. He will teach us how to stay and wait for Him so that He can do all He wants to do.

 Chapter 2  Looking for the Lord’s Jewels

 Now let’s assume you are willing to gather and make a place for the Lord (or are already doing so). This chapter will explain how to look for His jewels. What I mean by jewels, in other words His fire, His revelations, His light, etc. Jewels are something to look for among thousands of common rocks that are much more precious than all the other rocks. When Moses bowed at the burning bush he heard words directly from God. God was giving Moses fire from His own heart, instructions from God’s mouth, revelations, light from heaven, fresh bread from God’s throne. These are the kind of jewels we want to hear from God. In Habakkuk 2:1-3 it says, take your position on the watchtower and hear and see what the Lord will say, then write it down and make it plain so others can read it and run with it. All through the Bible it says that God spoke to people and showed them what to do or gave them instructions. See Moses, Gideon, Jeremiah, Jesus, John the Baptist, the apostle Paul. It is no different today, God wants to speak to people and show them what to do. In Acts 10:1-48 Cornelius sought the Lord by praying regularly. One day an angel was sent to him and said to him, your prayers have been heard in heaven and now the Lord will show you what He wants you to do. Go to such and such city and call for a man named Peter to come and speak to your group. At the same time God was speaking to Peter in Joppa by a dream and showing him that he must and speak to Cornelius and his people. And so when Peter came and spoke revival came to that house where they were gathered. But it took seeking and it took hearing what does the Lord want us to do?

In looking for jewels when you gather it is not necessary that you have a sermon or a teaching or a song service or anything we normally associate with church meetings (though these things may be present). What is necessary is that we seek the Lord with some prayer and that we say to ourselves at each meeting, “Did the Lord say anything to us today or tonight?” We always ask, “What (if anything) did the Lord really speak today?” If He speaks it will be fire, it will be a jewel, we will know it was from Him! If He doesn’t speak every time that is OK, because we are only interested in fire from above, jewels from His mouth, fresh bread from heaven. We have had enough of man-made things, that is why we are seeking for more. Just like in Habakkuk, if we are on the watchtower all night and we see and we hear nothing, we have done our job just as well as if we see something. What we see or hear we will report to the others, if we don’t see anything we have nothing to report. The Lord promises, “My sheep will know My voice and they will follow Me. The voice of a stranger they will not follow.” What we must learn in our day is how to know and discern the voice of the Lord better, when He is speaking and when He is not speaking. Churches today are not emphasizing how to do this or how important it is. What if the Lord spoke to you in a regular church service today, would you be free or welcome to get up and share what God spoke to you? Is there really freedom and a welcome platform to do that today? God wants the freedom to say or do whatever He wants through whomever He wants. He wants a place to do this through humble and seeking people.

Eventually as you gather to seek Him the Lord may reveal things to people when they are at home, not just at the meetings. Does it not say in Acts 2:17, 18, In the last days I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh and they will prophecy and have dreams and visions? Young and old, rich and poor shall hear. Maybe you will sit up in your bed in the middle of the night and you will write down a prophecy that the Lord gives you. Or maybe you will have a dream or a vision from the Lord? Are these not jewels from heaven, fire from the throne of God, God speaking to us? That’s what we must look for and atune ourselves to hear, the voice of God. We must know His voice, recognize His voice, and share what He shows us. So, when we gather we look only for jewels from the Lord, not just the words of man (common rocks not given by the Spirit of God). God wants His gifts and His Spirit to move through each one gathered. And He will even reveal things to us when there is no meeting to bring His fire to the next meeting.

Chapter 3   The Lord Writes His Symphonies

We want to have a place for Him to come, not just once in awhile but to stay and dwell with us. We are preparing our hearts for His revival and to know how to receive Him and He is preparing us because He wants this too! He will sharpen us to hear only Him, recognize His jewels, and not really want man-made stuff any more. Then, what kind of symphonies is He going to write and how is He going to conduct them through us?

A symphony orchestra is made up of many different instruments. There may be violins, clarinets, trumpets, drums, cymbals, piccolos, or triangles. A piccolo being a small wind instrument like a flute that makes a higher pitched sound. A triangle also being a small instrument hit with a little metal rod to sound one, high musical note. Each instrument has a different sound and a different purpose as a song is being played. The author of the song and the conductor of the music know what the song should sound like and what instruments will be best for each part. The Lord is very artistic and creative and can write a symphony out of His heart at any moment and no two songs ever need to be the same. The Lord is endlessly creative and gifted to write music. When we gather together what each one shares or does is like part of a symphony, each one has something from the Lord in the exact sequence that the Lord directs. (see I Cor. 12)  One time He may move through the trumpets and the violins and at another moment He may only want the kettle drums and the triangle to sound. It is for us to discern when we gather through whom the Lord wants to share and when (the Lord will teach us how to follow the Spirit as He moves in those He wants to use). Sometimes there may only be prayer, and other times only singing. Sometimes there may be songs we already know but other times we may sing a new song made up by the Lord right on the spot. Sometimes the Lord may get our feet to dancing but other times we may be laying on the ground weeping and interceding for people we don’t even know. Or there may be all of the above in one meeting. What a variety of symphonies the Lord could write and conduct. Every time we meet it could be different, and every group in every place may be different than our group.

And so you see how God can write a symphony and play it through us. Actually we want His “songs” (His compositions) and His direction completely because He makes the best music ever created (not man-made stuff).

 This is the story, this is the Lord’s call for gatherings in the 21^st century. I have written other articles to show how the Lord has done this in the Old Testament and He has done these things in the book of Acts and in the teachings of the New Testament. The Lord has always had this vision for His Church through the centuries in church history too.

Now again through your prophetic voice and others He is calling again. He will have a beautiful Bride, He will have a Church of His making. Bless you as you seek Him and find Him. He is calling for this and He will have those who hear and respond.