One heart at a time

This is a follow up of sorts to my "Moves of God" post. And by the way, it's also my first post using Windows Live Writer. I just began trying it out, so we'll see how well it works for producing blog posts!

The title of this post actually may be somewhat misleading. The "at a time" part, that is. To explain what I mean, let me start by quoting another line from Barb's "What If" post:

What if there was no big "Move of God" but just God pursuing people – sometimes seemingly in the same location at the same time?

I think God "moves" in people individually - one heart at a time. However, at times it may just happen that He is doing a larger "movement" of the same or similar work in the lives of many individuals at the same time or in the same physical location. And at the same time that He's doing this work in larger groups of people, there may be individuals in the same place in which He is not doing the same or similar work. And that's ok!

The body of Christ is one body, and at the same time we are a bunch of individual parts who make up that one body. We may be doing different things, or sometimes doing the same things, but we still make up one body.

As one example, my wife and I are one. But yet this legitimate "movement of grace" that God has been doing in my life since the mid 90's is not the same as what He has been doing in her life during the same time. And that's ok. We're still a unit. We still communicate with each other and love one another. We are not divided.

Don't get me wrong - my wife loves the grace of God! But the way in which I've been led in sharing it and teaching it and learning more about it and living it out is different than the way she's been led. It would be so easy for each of us to think less of the other because we don't see our "missions" in life as the same as each others'. But we've realized that it's absolutely all right to let God do what He is doing in each of us individually and to celebrate it! As an example, I've grown very discontent with what I and many call the institutionalized church. I've not "been to church" (other than visiting my dad's church) for over a year. At the same time, my wife is actively involved in our mega church.

As long as she loves what she's doing, I don't have a hard time with that at all. And in the same way, she knows I love doing what I do. For some time now I've really enjoyed connecting with people online from all over the country and world. She has absolutely NO interest in it! But she knows it's my heart's desire right now and she hasn't been trying to get me to "go to church" with her. We're still one. We're still a unit.

I say all of that to say that it's the individual hearts of people that matter. If God is doing a "big" thing in a church, a city, a nation or even worldwide, that's a GREAT thing! I most certainly hope that I haven't come across as saying that I'm against "big" moves of God! But what is He doing in your heart? Is He doing something that is on a larger scale that involves lots of other people? If so, great! If not, then just be content with what He's doing in you and don't worry about what other people think of you when you're not jumping on the bandwagon!

Also, what is He doing in the individual hearts of those around you, whether it's one or two, or ten or a thousand or more? Sometimes the saying is true that we miss the forest for the trees, but maybe even more often in a great big thriving forest we miss the individual trees.

Either way, I think it's good to remember to not judge one another or look down on one another for the legitimate things that God is doing in our lives. He's got the forest as a whole and the individual trees in His hands!

"Moves of God"

The third post I wanted to mention from yesterday was a great post at A Former Leader's Journey called "What If?" Barb asks a bunch of "What if" questions about grace and "moves of God" that I take as rhetorical and reality, and not just possibilities.

She starts out with:

What If God were much bigger than I had ever imagined?

What If Grace was more encompasing that I could believe?

What if God wanted to find his people, go after his sheep, anywhere they had wandered?

What if there was no big "Move of God" but just God pursuing people – sometimes seemingly in the same location at the same time?

What if He was desiring a relationship equally with us who have left the institutional church AND those who are still in there?

What if today, His “Big Move” was to search out hungry hearts anywhere they will be found?

And that's just the beginning! Barb really nails a lot of things right on the head. Check out the entire post, as well as the wonderful comments left by others. One of Barb's very own comments speaks to me as well: "The big movement of God is all the little movements added up together."

Although I've been growing in grace for well over a decade now, I only began really connecting with other similar-minded believers through the internet about three or four years ago (people who were tired of religion and who were learning about grace and freedom in Christ, and walking in it), and my connection and interaction with others really seems to have grown exponentially during the past year or so. I've kind of thought that perhaps through the internet there would be kind of a huge tsunami wave or big explosion of God's grace - a "big move of God," so to speak. But I think (and I could very well be wrong, but this is simply my perception right now) that while there does seem to be some very wonderful things happening around the U.S. and around the world, it's not so much one huge "movement of God" but rather a lot of little ones.

Mega churches and mega ministries are easy to see and are perhaps easier to collect data on. But what's not so visible to the naked eye are all the small gatherings of the saints and the LIFE that is passed on from one saint to another in places such as homes, cafés, on the internet, on the streets, over the phone, in places of employment, in the parks, in private conversations, in the bars, in the gutters, in the alleys, in solitary, in gatherings of two, three or ten, etc, etc, etc, where God is doing big things in individuals and small groups of people.

Don't get me wrong - I think there are some really wonderful things that God is doing in the lives of people through "big" ministries and through "big" churches. I pray for that to always continue! The point is, "What if" God was doing what He wanted to do wherever and however He wanted to do it, whether it was visible to the masses or not.

I'm saying all of this because over the years other people have said and done things to me that have essentially left me feeling inadequate and "out of the loop" because I haven't jumped on the bandwagon of various so-called "moves of God." The reason I haven't jumped on the bandwagon isn't because I'm cold or stuck up, but rather because I'm sitting here listening to and watching what God is saying to me and doing in and through my life and in the community He's put me in and I'm sticking with that. IF He "moves" in me to do something "big" or to join something "big" (as was the case of remaining involved in the mega-church that I was a part of for seven years), then I want to ride the wind of the Spirit and be as involved as He wants me to be. But for now as I seek, pray, watch, etc, I'm very content to be a part of the "small" movement of God that's going on in my own little world and with the people I've come to know and love.

Right now what I see, with my limited view, is a lot of butterflies spread out all over the world that are emerging from their cocoons and are wanting to spread their wings and fly and be free (see my first post from earlier today). If God forms these butterflies into large groups or mega-groups that sweep across the nation or world, then what a great thing that will be! If He keeps them in smaller groups that help, serve, heal, save, impart life, etc, to one life at a time, wherever they're at, what a great thing that will be too!

Do you have any thoughts on "moves of God?" Are your thoughts similar to mine? Different? I'd love to hear from you.