Hey Todd,

If we are branch and He is the vine and our #1 priority is abiding in the vine, just what does ‘keep us from being ineffective’?  Would it be ‘trying to produce fruit rather than bear fruit’?  Are we branches who grunt and groan with effort to produce fruit that only the vine can produce?

Maybe we need to ‘be busy’ abiding in the vine and defending ourselves from motivations that would prompt us to try and produce fruit rather than bear fruit?

I hurt for the professional ministry types.  It must really be tough to combat the worldly models of success against the leading of the Spirit.

I say abide, rest and trust that God can do in a moment what you think would take a lifetime.

Does that makes sense Todd...are my comments even in the realm of consideration?

What frightens me even more is that we assume that our plan is always Gods. Sometimes what has worked in the past doesn’t always work in the present. I think that’s how we get in a rut. Because we assume the results will always equal the amount of effort and the type of strategy needed to accomplish the task we lose hope when that plan fails. God sees us where we are as leaders and He also sees where those people are who are following our example. The key to drive our ministry oftentimes never has to do with strategy and our ability to accomplish the tasks God has put in our lives. By this I’m not saying that we don’t need strategy or the ability to accomplish the task He has given us but God doesn’t always use those things to accomplish what He wants in us and in the lives of who are under us. Sometimes He uses bad circumstances or people with evil intentions to turn around the mondaine and spiritual dryness of doing “Church”. Just this past Sunday I was helping out with the worship in a youth service at a church I used to attend. In this church was a lot of politics and strife but in the midst of it all, God showed up in a way that was virtually indescribable. Here was this church in all its trouble and God was right in the middle of the youth service transforming lives as we sang and worshiped God. His presence was so strong that all of us leading in the service felt unworthy and unclean before Him. Although most of the regular group was missing and others who were personally involved in the difficulties of the church wasn’t there to experience it, God blew up our service and transformed lives in a powerful way. It wasn’t an experience that was defined by emotional standards but one that spoke to every heart causing each of us question our walk with God. In other words, we felt as Isaiah did when he told God that he was a man of unclean lips. I honestly don’t believe that God would have showed up in such a way had we not needed that to happen. Because of the great trouble this church was experiencing, I was forced to ask God to help us in a way that I have never before asked of God. It was a call of desparation and hunger for God to step into this situation. I wasn’t able to utilize my musical training to bail me out of what I knew that awaited me. And I certainly couldn’t out wit those behind this awful situation and turn it around by convincing people that the devil was having his way with this church. All I could do was lean on God and do what He has called me to do. There wasn’t a talent or college course that was going to help here. If this was going to work God would have to protect us from this great storm. Guess what? He did and although people were angry about what was happening, God was moving. Moving in a way that I hadn’t felt in a long time. Moving so much that it drove teenagers to their knees calling on God and asking Him to meet their needs. With tears streaming down our faces others in the church were plotting to destroy the work God was doing. They couldn’t stop it. At least not that Sunday. There is still great trouble there and many have and are planing to leave this church but I believe that we all learned something that night. Once again, Jesus revealed to us that He hadn’t left. He was and always will be with those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. Please pray for unity and ask that God will protect those trying to do His will. There is a lot of people just like me who have spent their lives in the desert believing God for the impossible; change in the church of America. Many of us are hiding in caves and running from the devil’s opression. But if we stand together and stop the daily grind of midiocrity as Bill Hull and many others have, then we will be able to speak and lead with authority and power to change lives. The moment we stop thinking about ourselves and see the needs of others we are sending God an invitation to do what He wants and how He wants it. God bless.

I long for freedom in worship in the church and authentic Christianity.  Previous revivals have required more than mere Christianity.  Jeremiah says that if we seek Him we will find Him if we seek God with all our hearts.

I started a church with just my family , over the next 6 years we grew from 5 to 120 , never had a money problem , people always gave and our needs as church were met , I always told my congregation that if I ever saw the day when our church stopped growing and lives stopped be changed I would simply close the doors , after a while the people turned into fat cats on the word of God , they heard the Word but really weren’t interested in having a large church so growth was stopped in peoples hearts , so one day I closed the doors , everyone was shocked but Gad had called me to start it and He told me to stop it as well , the moments behind the pulpit were better than life itself ,it was hard to close those doors but I had to do it .