The three day retreat was scheduled quite routinely as a simple time for some Christian brothers (apostles and prophets) to assemble and inquire of the Lord together.
It would be a repeat of a meeting we had scheduled at this same time last year. Our hearts were being drawn together in love, and this second time the only thing we knew was we didn’t want to invite any contentious, know-it-all, agenda-filled brethren no matter how gifted they were.
I don’t have time to explain it all but suffice to say that provision for the event was supernatural.
Real Kingdom Relationships
Prior to their arrival I asked the Spirit to lead me to teachable men and women from the city who I could invite to join us. He showed me four men and one woman who had a great gifting but walked in a gentle spirit. Not that there are not more, but it’s all we had room for.
As the days neared there was a mutual sense the Lord was bringing us together and we were very excited.
The day the men from outside the city arrived for the retreat, I made a joke about a small offering one of the men had sent to help defray the costs. I said before the brothers who had arrived from outside the city that it had been enough to by the toilet paper. We all laughed, but I felt a check in my spirit. Later the next morning I would find out what that was all about.
Monday morning came and like a “Martha,” I had to get up early to make my usual bread run for the poor and get back before the men got up for breakfast. As I drove I heard the Lord’s rebuke, “You joked about the small offering; it has offended me. “Never take what I give you as small and make it common.”
I apologized immediately to the Lord, and when I returned I apologized to the brother who had given the gift in front of the men who heard it, and then I shared what the Lord had said. God was speaking about money, but he was also speaking about the retreat. I told them God had also said that I had no idea in whose company I was in, or what He was going to do in His Kingdom with that handful of men.
Prior to this retreat I had just shut down a citywide leadership meeting I had hosted monthly for three years because it had dwindled down to just a few. There seemed to be no traction for it, and I felt like I was spinning my wheels. I was frustrated with what the Lord was not doing, and this meeting could not have come at a better time. I really wanted to hear from the Lord as to how to proceed in the days to come.
From the very first night a cloud of His presence seemed to fill the room, and the love of God was shed abroad in our hearts. As each leader shared their story of transition out of the religious system, God began to heal and give direction. Everything flowed and the love that was felt as the Holy Spirit ministered to each one of us will never be forgotten. Truly, God was doing a holy thing among us, and He didn’t let up the whole three days.
I have never seen apostles and prophets behave like that in my entire life. Each person preferred the other, and there was no posturing for preeminence. No one was trying to figure out what to say next, but instead we each listened to each other’s participation with a caring heart. In my heart I heard, “I will build my church and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against her.”
On the last night I gathered with the men from outside the city to discuss the retreat. They could not believe that the other city leaders I had invited were not in a full-on relationship prior to the retreat. We came to realize by the Spirit that the deep love that we had for each other had literally “colored” the meetings, and that the Holy Spirit had somehow made us all ONE in His love during the retreat.
It was then when I shared how I have been watching the world move in community outside of geography via the internet. We were all convinced that we had tasted family and community in a very special way during these three days of the retreat. Could it be that God was speaking about how He is operating at this time to build His church? Our feelings would soon be tested as we each left the next morning for another group of meetings in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Although Charlotte was a series of separate meetings, His presence continued like in Jacksonville. As soon as we shared among the brethren what God had done in Jacksonville, the fragrance of His presence filled the meetings. God was speaking, revelation and words of knowledge were flowing like we were standing under Niagara Falls. During the meetings many lives were touched, His body was healed and most of all, the love of God again silenced the spirit of contention.
During our time in Charlotte, we continued to discuss what we were seeing. We felt God say the New Jerusalem is coming down. We agreed that when we gather as ONE in LOVE the city of God, the dominion of God, and the Kingdom of God reigns in the lives of His people. God’s Kingdom is not physical first but spiritual. Before we can build our local cities, we must build the New Jerusalem.
We are in a period of transition where many have left and are leaving what is not, but we have not yet entered in or fully understood what is. We must continue to build community where our strength is that which at this time is non-geographical. Only the love found in the New Jerusalem (His Kingdom) can displace the principalities and powers that now rule over our cities.
Rev 21:2-4 Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. NKJV
May God give you wisdom to hear what the Lord is saying to His Church at this time!
See also http://www.jaxchristian.com/churchministry/leadership/1624-you-cant-hurry-love by Steve Crosby
Jose Bosque
Jose Bosque is Editor in Chief and founder of Viral Cast Media which oversees GodsLeader, JaxChristian now ViralChrist and 15 other websites. He has ministered in Jacksonville since 1987 and served the city since 1992 as a citywide servant leader. Jose is considered a resource and a spiritual father to many leaders in the city and in the 54 nations where the Lord has sent him to serve.
Originally born in Cuba, Jose has resided in Jacksonville since 1966. Contact Him at: www.RevivalPartners.net or ForRevival@aol.com Editors Note: Please help us continue to get this word out for free- No amount is too small- Thanks for your generosity! DONATE CLICK HERE
Copyright 2013 Jose L. Bosque www.JaxChristian.com. Permission is granted to copy, forward, or distribute this article for non-commercial use only, as long as this copyright byline, in totality, is maintained in all duplications, copies, and link references. For reprint permission for any commercial use, in any form of media, please contact JaxChristian1@aol.com
