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Monday, January 23, 2012

Put out into the Deep


Yesterday, we attended our 
first community assembly for the year. 
It was exciting because it coincided with the meeting
of leaders from the Asian communities in 
"an international association of 
ecumenical communities,
brothers and sisters from many Christian traditions
living out our daily lives together".

We were reminded of the Bulwark prophecy
which was given to a small group in people 
in the summer of 1975:

This gathering is a great hope                                        
This meeting is both a hope and a promise.
I am raising up courageous, 
strong, gifted men and women 
who will join themselves to you.
As you hold fast to one another others 
will come and be joined to you.
Together you will labor with me to stem the tide of evil
that is sweeping the earth.                                        
I have brought you together for this purpose; 
go on with confidence, courage, and determination.
I will be with you, and in the days to come 
I will raise up men in communities
Who will bind themselves fast to you in my service.

I will raise you up with others,
And bind you together 
to make a bulwark.
But that is not all there is to be, 
             because when you have                 
     stemmed the onslaught of the Enemy
Then I will reveal to you greater things.
In the unity you have with one another there is a
     prefigurement and foreshadowing of something much
     greater that I intend to do;
Something greater, much more vast, 
much more glorious I will unveil at that time.
You are a foreshadowing and a prefigurement
You are a bulwark 
I have set up to stem 
the onslaught of the Enemy.        
You are a part and not the whole;
You are my servants and my people.


The amazing thing about this
is that when this small group of people 
in the US were hearing this in 1975,
here in the Philippines, our covenant community,
Ang Ligaya ng Panginoon (The Joy of the Lord)
was also being formed.

More communities are being raised up, even now.
Jean Barbara, president of the Sword of the Spirit,
and Senior Coordinator of 
The People of God Community in Lebanon,
told us about the little community in Istanbul.
"There are only 13 members. 10 adults, 2 children, and 
one on the way. 10% of the members is
a converted Muslim." (that means 1 of them!)


God raised up leaders, 
the same way He raised up David to lead His people.
One of our leaders asked yesterday:
"The harvest is ripe.
The laborers are few.
We are the first fruits.
Who is willing and ready to go forth
and bring in the second wave?"
We have to be willing to walk on water,
to obey with freedom and boldness,
to get out of the boat ,
"Duc in altum", put out into the deep.
Then and only then will God's mission
be fulfilled in us and through us! 

I love blog parties!
Won't you join me?


Blessings to you
and your family,
Patsy

8 comments:

  1. I adore that last painting of Jesus calming the storm. Thank you for sharing it!

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  2. So true...we are all part of the whole -- the body of Christ. As we each step out in faith and do our part, God's plan for the world will unfold. And as we come together through fellowship, worship and prayer, we ourselves are encouraged to keep the hope which He promises! Blessings!

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  3. Your work is stunning, Patsy. You minister to my heart with your beautiful, God-centered art.

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  4. when i grow up, i will learn to draw and paint people with human looking faces and hands just like patsy :) - aly

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  5. I am always so at peace when I visit your page. What a Christ lesson in your story (history) today.

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  6. your work always touches my heart!

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  7. Wow, I really adore those sketches. Beautiful.

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  8. Thanks for stopping by my blog today and saying such nice things and even pinning my verse! I am so blessed by that. I actually ran across your blog recently and have been a fan of your work so your words especially touched me. Thanks for sharing your talent, it blesses. :)

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I am so glad you dropped by! You are a blessing!
:^) Patsy