06-09-2004 "Wat de Geest zegt tegen de kerken..."
Naast de bijbel lees ik graag boeken van de Geest der Profetie (voor onbekenden: Ellen G. White), maar ook boeken van andere auteurs.
Maandag 6 september 2004
Afgelopen vrijdag kocht ik een boek van Henry Blackaby, met als titel "What the Spirit is saying to the Churches", ik heb net vandaag de inleiding van het boekje gelezen (gelukkig is het geen dik boek.. heb ik vaak meer moeite om zoiets door te worstelen). En ik ben zeker niet ontevreden over de inhoud, lees eens wat Blackaby zegt over kerk zijn;
"How desperate is the need in our world for churches that hear and follow what the Spirit is telling them! The world in our day wants to see God at work through His people, but unless we hear and obey inthe thins he assings u, the world will not experience Him; the will see only "religion"and be turned away. Thsi is true also on the personal level..." (pag 18)
"The churches of our day seem to be at a crossroads. Many appear somewhat afraid to relase their lives and their people to God. But others truly desire God's presence and activity and are praer for a great touch from God. They are discovering that this requires repantce. These believers are being deeply moved by the Spirit of God to return to Him with all their heart. They hear Him say "Return to Me, and I will return to you" (Malachi 3:7) "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you"(James 4:8); "The Lord is with you while you are with
Him "(2 Chronicles 15:2). Hear Carefully and thougtfully the heart of God! It is always a cause for trembling to think that our sovereign God, who is holy and just would ever "plead"this way with His people when they have deliberately departed and strayed from Him (pag 19)
God has always desired to work through His people, but they have not always recognized His initiative in their lives of His activty around them. Bur fot those churches [and people] who repent - those who takt time to hear the Spirit; to believ what He tells them; to adjust their plans, structures, and programs to Him; and then to follow the Lord regardless of how impossible it may seem - these are the churches that will be spiritually renewed and that will experience God's mighty deeds through them to bring a lost world to Himself in a great spiritual awakening. (pag 20)
Als wij luisteren naar Gods stem en luisteren naar zijn woord.. dan kunnen wij God's conditie tegemoet komen voor opwekking.. Een vergevende persoon.. een vergevende kerk is een kerk waar ware opwekking kan en zal plaatsvinden... Dit boekje ga ik zeker uitlezen... wellicht deze week nog.
