Posted in Musings

It is really hard to put into words all the things we learned and experienced in Antioch. I think that we will be processing much of it for a long time to come. Guy expressed many things very succinctly on his blog here and here. There were a few things though, that really made an impression on me personally and those are the things I will share here.

The first thing that seemed to emerge was a confirmation of what many of us have been feeling for some time now. That would be the sense of urgency in our task to bring the gospel to ALL the nations. I personally believe that we have already entered into the last phase of humanity. I really believe that within the lifespan of my children Jesus will return. I really do think it will be that soon. There just isn't time to waste. This has colored how I see life almost more than anything else. It has propelled me to "clean house" in a way that has been and is very freeing and refreshing.

Another thing that "hit me between the eyes" and brought me under conviction is the truth I learned about prophetic words from God. I'm not talking about an Elijah-type prophet standing in front of a bunch of christians pointing his finger and thundering out condeming words, but rather that Word of God that comes to us leading us to do things His way rather than ours. What was new to me was the idea that when God speaks through a prophetic person, the Word spoken is for the church, not for the prophet.  "The prophet belongs to God, his prophecy belongs to the people"  was how it was shared. What brought me to conviction was realizing that all the knowledge that God has given me I have hoarded and not shared because I didn't think I was a worthy vessel. That is selfishness in it's purest form. It's not about me, but about God and His Kingdom.

That brings me to another Word that God revealed during the week that made an impression on me. "The only good apostle is a dead apostle."  We must put aside all that we are in order to be a vessel that God can use for his kingdom. There are many things in my life that need to be put aside so that God can work through me. And this has not been an easy thing to do (still working on it!).

Recently I read or heard somewhere that American Christians carry the Bible in one hand and the flag in the other. This image has been with me for several months now and had been bothering me more and more. During our time there I realized that I didn't just have the flag in my hand, but I was immersed in it- I wore it, I decorate my house with it, I saw the world through it. It was as important to me as the Bible I carry in my other hand. For goodness sake, I got my letter to The O'Reilly Factor read by Bill O'Reilly himself! I'm a true patriot! If I learned anything at all this week, it was that I am first, and foremost, a citizen of God's Kingdom. I needed to put down my flag and take up the Banner of the Kingdom. I could no longer allow the flag to compete with the kingdom. This I did. It doesn't mean that I'm no longer patriotic (I am). It just means that God's Kingdom is more important than my American citizenship.  The people at this meeting were from all over the world, from all different walks of life, from widely differing pay scales. What brought us together was that we are all citizens of God's Kingdom, working with God to further His Kingdom.