In The Midst Of

Here's a note I sent to our church's first "huddle" group.

The Lord woke me up early this morning, and, in the last hour or so, has revealed something to me that I want to share. 

For a very long time I've been puzzling about why it is that God wants us to stay here in Cokato. 

This morning it became clear to me that one of the reasons we are still here is that the Lord wants to be active AMONG us and IN us, among us and IN our relationships with one another.

If people leave without being clearly called elsewhere, that cuts off what God wants to do IN and AMONG us. 

One of the things huddle is about is allowing God to deal with us personally, to look, not to our intellectual convictions but to what HE is doing IN us... and a lot of what God is doing IN us he does by our interactions with one another.  Loving God does have to do with loving one another! 

This, as many of the things God is saying to me, needs to be clarified, but I'd ask that you would be praying about it.

After all, the word Cokato does mean "in the midst of."  And that's where God is working through His Holy Spirit... in our midst.

Your partnership, and your comments, whether in person or through this blog, are important ways that the Lord is at work among us.  Please do not hold back.  God calls us to speak and to listen to one another.  Please do not remain silent if the Lord is speaking to you.  I cannot state this strongly enough.  If God is to work in our midst, we must speak what the Lord lays on our hearts. (And don't worry too much if you don't live in the town of Cokato.  The name of the town is just an illustration and county and town boundaries are truly artificial lines drawn by people, not by the Lord!)

The Lord impresses on me that when we hold back on what the Lord is saying to us,  when we hold back the Lord's word that he has planted in us, that his Holy Spirit is grieved.  See Ephesians 4:30... read the entire chapter to see it in context at this link.

For more on this subject, please see Pastor Bryan Lowe's "Rolling Stones Theology."  

Peace to you all in Jesus' name.

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