Have you ever been blindsided by the Lord? I recently called a special corporate prayer time for Harvest Fellowship, knowing that we are in a key time as a local church. I am never content with where we are, but always want more; more of His manifest presence, more of His glory being released through our lives. What happened in this time of prayer was totally unexpected by me. I feel like the Lord was drawing us so He could corporately ask us a question. The following has been written by our ‘in-house’ scribe, Martha Summers:
“Andy Rudd called a prayer time for Monday afternoon, March 28. Seven members came together to pray and seek the Lord as to how to continue to contend for His Presence in our midst. About an hour into the prayer time, the Lord asked the question: “Are you willing to lay down your life for the sake of the Gospel?” We were told and sensed that this was not just an individual question being asked of each of us - but a corporate question being asked of the entire Body. The heaviness of the question overwhelmed us as a hush settled in on the meeting. We realized this was not a question that could be answered hastily or without weighing the cost. It was a very sobering time.
As we came out of the hush - Andy said that we had just witnessed a transaction that took place in Heaven. He said he could actually see the Lord taking a scroll and writing upon it a Covenant; signing it, and then sealing it, as we said “Yes” to His question. He said we were all witnesses to this transaction and signing of this Covenant.
This was confirmed by several in the meeting through visions they had received during this time. One mentioned that she saw the transaction of a groom receiving his bride and putting the cup of wine before her to signal whether she was willing to enter into the marriage with him. Her drinking of the cup - all of the cup - signaled her acceptance.
We then felt we were to make a prophetic act and drink the cup of acceptance together.
The Presence of the Lord came in such a way that the seriousness and magnitude of the moment was unmistakable and very difficult to put into words. We all knew we had just made a commitment we were not turning back from and had witnessed something beyond us.”
At the end of this time, I reflected on the seriousness of what the Lord had asked. From the earliest moments when the Father directed us to plant this church, I knew that we must be a people with a heart for the nations. It truly is in His heart, and He continues to emphasize that to us. We must become a people who go, serve those who go, and pray for the nations to be penetrated by the Gospel of the Kingdom. It must be more than mere mental agreement. It comes with the realization that we are responsible for seeing the Gospel go to every creature! Can He send you?