A move of God in Reading? Maybe you have heard of the recent Reading Outpouring? What is God doing? Sometimes the season changes. In Gen 26 Isaac is thrown out of the land of the Philistines where he is secure and growing. When he tries to succeed outside he encounters yet more difficulties. However, although the season has changed the vision and inheritance has not. Isaac could have been tempted to leave the land but he chooses to remain and continue to pursue his inheritance there. He needs to discover where God is moving now.
So he moves to a new area where God had acted before and unblocks the well but each time there is opposition. So he has to continue to look elsewhere. Eventually he comes to a place where God is moving and he is able to flourish. He declares, “Now the Lord has given us room and we will flourish in the land” (vs 22)
The season of the move of God has changed but the vision and inheritance of the Church are the same. So we must seek Him afresh and ask Him to open our eyes to where He is currently moving. So in this new season where is God working more powerfully?
It is outside the Church. The recent Reading Outpouring is happening as believers are taking to the streets to share the Good News and pray for people. The West Virginia Revival is happening and growing as the believers are witnessing to their friends and the church is visiting all the local schools to share the Good News about Jesus.
A powerful prophetic passage for this time: John 4
There is a fascinating story in the Gospel of John that sheds a lot of light on what God is doing at the moment. I was first alerted to this many years ago when I listened to a powerful message on John 4 by Mark Stibbe, the then minister at St Andrew’s Church, Chorleywood, UK. Since then God has spoken to me a lot more from this passage and I want to share my current thoughts here that build on Stibbe’s exposition.
Jn 4 is the scene of an extraordinary move of God that happened pre-Acts 2 and pre-Philip’s revival with the Samaritans. Where? At a Samaritan village under Jesus when he reaches out to a woman on the periphery of society.
What is particularly extraordinary is that a mini revival happened in a community that was outside the people of God, outside the Church. The Samaritans were despised. Amazingly it also preceded God moving amongst the Jews, the established people of God, at Pentecost.
Jesus starts it by first leading a Samaritan woman to faith who then testifies to her community and they come to faith on mass. Incredibly she was not a person we would think of who would start a move of God.
She was an outcast, living outside her community because of her lifestyle. She was also a Samaritan and not a Jew. Why did God start with her? She shows some important qualities.
The qualities of the Samaritan Woman
Firstly, Jesus is a Jew but she listens to him anyway. She doesn’t dismiss what Jesus says. In his day many Jews who knew the Scriptures kept a distance from him because he was too radical. However there are many people today who will never enter a church or go into a Christian event but are very open to Jesus. So we must seek them out.
Secondly, Jesus offers her living water and she believes him. He tells her about her husbands and she declares to her fellow Samaritans that Jesus had told her everything she had ever did.This at first appears an exaggeration. However, she is communicating revelation about Jesus. Just a few small things Jesus said led her to believe profoundly.
This is spiritual poverty and hunger. Jesus says, “Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Many that walk in the greatest faith have yet to be found because they are not in the Church at the moment.
Thirdly, she has tremendous courage to immediately go to those who have judged her lifestyle and introduce Jesus to them. She does it naturally. After encountering Jesus she can’t help but tell everyone, leading to a move of God
She has no training but shares about Jesus powerfully. There are many today like this who are outside the Church but have powerful ministries to be released and will radically grow the kingdom.
Jesus’ concluding explanation
When she leaves Jesus explains what God is doing to the disciples. He says open your eyes to see the harvest and reap.
Firstly, today it is such a time now, harvest time! But to reap we must go outside the Church, on the streets, and into the marketplace. We need to see where God is working and leave our comfort zone to respond. There is no other way.
Secondly, God starts revival first outside the Church and only after this does the revival move inside the Church. Revival first starts on the periphery of the Church before it can become mainstream, as it did after Pentecost.
REVIVAL DEVOTIONAL BOOK
If you are interested in a 21 day devotional guide based on revivals and the move of God see “GRACE OUTPOURINGS“.
It includes stories from the Reading Outpouring and more insight into what God is doing currently.
Click link for some great book recommendations on Christian revival