A few weeks ago I was at a pastors gathering in Northern Ireland. One evening, during a time of worship, one of the ladies felt she saw an angel outside the window with a banner wrapped around it containing the words of Zephaniah 3:17 “The Lord your God is living among you.
He is a mighty to save.” I felt this promise was not just for the people in the room that day but for KingsGate too.
On Sunday, I felt the Holy Spirit show me to use the whole of Zeph 3:17 for us to meditate on as we entered into worship; to think about what this promise meant for us individually and to bring our worship to the God who makes these promises. We did this in both the morning and evening meetings. In the evening, during worship, Shirley Clay felt she had a message in tongues. She spoke the message and then we waited for the interpretation, as per 1 Cor 14:27-28. A number of interpretations & contributions were brought, all of which, I felt, added some explaination of what God was saying:
- Bruce Macgregor brought an interpretation about God doing a new thing, turning a new page.
- Michelle Gaitskell brought an interpretative picture about God placing a sword in the ground in the centre of KingsGate and ripples going out from this that affected the community around us.
- Heather Irvine brought a word of God saying “Do you know the power that is in you”. As the Holy Spirit lives in us, God’s power is not remote or distant, He is inside us. Therefore we cannot hold back or discount ourselves.
- Christine Calder shared Luke 12:32 32 “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom.”
- Milly sang this prophetic song “I will not let you down my child, for I am not far away, I go ahead and I make a way, I make your path straight For I am not far away. Trust me, trust me, trust me”.
Together, these all created a message of God saying “Do not be afraid, trust me, my power is within you, by the Holy Spirit, to impact this community, which I have placed you in”
To cap off an very powerful message from God, Liam Hayden from Malta, who has recently joined us, incredibly recognised what Shirley was saying as the Maltese language. The phrase she was repeating over and over was “Look who is among us”.
It would appear that God is going out of his way to make a point to us. He is living among us, not just when we gather on a Sunday, but where ever we go, and he is fully able to protect & provide for us. Therefore we should not shrink back or be afraid but should move forward confidently, trusting him as we do what he has created us to do.
Earlier in the worship Cara McCarthy had brought this word:
“Arise, Kingsgate! Let your light shine for all to see. For the glory of the Lord rises to shine on you. Darkness as black as night covers all the nations of the earth, but the glory of the Lord rises and appears over you. All nations will come to your light; mighty kings will come to see your radiance. “Look and see, for everyone is coming home! Your sons are coming from distant lands; your little daughters will be carried home. Your eyes will shine, and your heart will thrill with joy, for merchants from around the world will come to you. They will bring you the wealth of many lands.”
Isaiah 60:1-5 NLT
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah+60%3A1-5&version=NLT
Reflecting on this passage, I feel there are promises from God to us in this season. We are in a season where God is increasing his glory in, through and over us. We are to rise and shine and as we do this we will be filled with joy.
We are simply to rise and shine, His glory will do the rest.”
There is huge comfort in knowing God continues to speak to us, to lead us forward into the future, to protect and provide for us, so that we accomplish all that he has planned for us to do, both individually in our own families, homes, work and community and together with what he is doing through us as a church.
Have a great Holy Spirit filled week as you carry God’s kingdom where ever you go.
Love
Paul
