But the more we pressed into it, processed and prayed, the more we uncovered the heart and call behind the tour. Its so very simple. Jesus is our bridegroom and God the Father through the Spirit, calls for the Bride to be prepared. This call is a yearning and passionate call. It's a call to return to our first love - and to forsake all others. As I stated in a previous post, it is two-fold:
1) To reposition ourselves to minister to the Lord instead of each other
2) To recapture our first love for Jesus
Now, just think of all the preparations as a wedding draws near! The closer the wedding day, the more attention that is placed on the bride - her dress, her attendants, her accessories, her nails, her hair..then the Father walks her to the Bridegroom..its a WOW moment! In the same way God is wooing his church, from every nation, tribe and tongue. Jesus is our bridegroom and those who have put their trust in Him, through his shed blood on the cross where he bore our sins, are part of his glorious church (bride). He is calling his church to walk in purity of heart, and to forsake all other loves, even as a bride commits herself fully to her husband in covenant love. So preparations are underway, for the time of the wedding feast is at hand! Yes, there is a wedding day coming - so let's get ourselves ready for Him..Revelation 19:7
Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready.
So, at each location we visit, we believe that the Lord will give us prayers, songs, even dances. We will ask Him to give us His heart for each city. Primarily though, this time is about being with Jesus, ministering to Him our love and devotion through various ways such as art, writing, music, quiet contemplation, dancing, flagging, ribbon waving, even blowing the shofar, or using the rainstick. There is a myriad of ways to express our love and devotion!
I know this sounds so unconventional. But if you take a close look at Scripture, were any of Jesus' followers conventional? Take John the Baptist, the disciples, or even Jesus himself, not to mention the Old Testament characters. They broke the rules. They stepped outside religious boxes. They challenged old mindsets. They cared more about the Father's opinion than popular opinion. And they cared about the poor, the lonely and the broken. And they all saw God move in ways that were supernatural.
There are some qualities that I want to cultivate in my life so that I can live "dangerously" for Jesus, so here they are:
1. I want to be unconventional in my approach to people and ministry (being real and authentic would be a good start)
2. I want to have divine boldness (not presumtion, but calm confidence and trust)
3. I want to have risk-taking faith (not afraid of failure or looking foolish)
I've been intringued by the title of a book lately called "Wild Goose Chase" by Mark Batterson. Its purpose is to inspire us "to reclaim the adventure of pursuing God." I like that alot! I guess that really sums up this post, doesn't it?
I think Paul the Apostle says it really well:
2 Corinthians 11:2-4
For I am jealous for you with the jealousy of God himself. I promised you as a pure bride to one husband—Christ. But I fear that somehow your pure and undivided devotion to Christ will be corrupted, just as Eve was deceived by the cunning ways of the serpent. You happily put up with whatever anyone tells you, even if they preach a different Jesus than the one we preach, or a different kind of Spirit than the one you received, or a different kind of gospel than the one you believed.
Thanks for reading and stopping by. Our pilgrimage begins this coming Monday. If you think of us, we`d appreciate your prayers too!
Blessings to you..and oh, here's a link to my friend Cassandra's blog. She says it so much better than I:
http://fairylightsandseabreezes.blogspot.com/2009/09/place-where-we-are-destined-to-live.html
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