Planted by Water

Continuing today with my reflections on Jeremiah 30-31 and how they spoke to me of some of the principles and truths that I believe God has been restoring to his church:

• Devourer devoured/enemies into exile (30:16) - we have victory over all our enemies; the Christian life does not need to be characterised by struggle and defeat; we are called and enabled to live a victorious Christian life
• Health/Healing (30:17) - although truths about healing had already been restored to the church in earlier years, faith in God for miracle has also been a big part of more recent moves of God, and we must not let this go or let it be theologised away!
• City rebuilt (30:18) - God has been revealing more fully the true nature of his church as a covenant community (30:20) and showing how it must be built according to his pattern.
• Praise and Worship (30:19, 31:4,7,12) - one of the most noticable changes in the church over the last 30 years has been the changes in its worship. Praise God that he has especially restored joyful and exuberant praise to his house - shouts of joy and victory should resound there! Our danger now is that we don’t let it become ‘professionalised’ and miss out on real encounter with the Presence of God.
• Increase (30:19) - Knowing that it is the very nature of the Kingdom to increase, churches are more likely to believe God for big things, for growth; and to believe that the church is not meant to be some small insignificant band cringing in a corner as they wait for Jesus to return. They know the Kingdom is going to fill the whole earth!
• Anointed, spiritual leadership (30:21) - leaders are not meant to be clerics, advertised in the religious press and recruited from Bible Colleges. They grow from within the churches and are appointed because they are called and anointed. They lead by the Spirit, from the depths of their walk with God, and not by academic theories.
• The Purpose of God (30:24) - for me, one of the deepest revelations I have received is an insight into how everything that we do has to relate back to the eternal purposes of God (see Ephesians 1). Restoration is about coming back to and moving forward in the purpose and plan of God to bring all things under the headship of Christ, and continually moving forward (never settling) until God has accomplished all the purposes of his heart.

This list keeps growing. If you are interested and inspired, come back for more tomorrow.