Tuesday, January 7, 2003

UPDATE

We have so much exciting news that I hardly know where to begin.

While in Harrisburg, we got a chance to sit down with Carol’s mother and brother, Mike, and talk about our move. Carol began by telling her mom what we have been doing the past few years. She told her about the teen ministry and the 20-Something meetings. She told her about Remnant Catcher and the Pre-Martial Classes . She told her about the strategies, productions, music, and comedy. Then I told mom about the desire in our heart to touch, not only this generation, but to help those in her generation be heard and understood by those coming behind them. I told her about the change needed in our generation to connect with our children. I told her that we don’t see ourselves as the saviors of Harrisburg, but we are coming home to do our assigned part because there are other ministers and ministries there who have been doing their part.

Mom paused, as she always does, and said, " I needed to hear you say this. I needed to hear your voice and to have you here to say this, because as you were talking, I felt God. I felt the Lord." Before we ended our time in prayer, mom also said this, "I had this request before the Lord and He promised me this. Before I die, I wanted to see pastors who had a heart for God. He promised me that I would see pastors who had a heart for God." Her brother made several comments along the way in the conversation and one of them was this, "We’ve seen lots of young people leave the churches. It seems like something would always happen every time churches started to grow with young people. Something would happen and they would all leave. We need something like this now."

I also told mom that this did not start with Carol and me. It started many years ago when she (Mom) got saved. God knew all along what He wanted when He caused us to meet at O.R.U. I told her that God wants to use this little insignificant family that lived on the corner of 16 th and State in Harrisburg, PA. It has been devastated, but God’s going to give them a platform to declare His Glory. He uses the foolish things to confound the wisdom of this world.

We look forward to discussing all of this with you, but for now, we at least wanted you to be up to date on what’s coming to us. While we were driving in to Harrisburg, we were playing the prophetic words. One was given to us through Sis. Melissa. As we were driving in these words were playing,

"…For the builders, for the builders, for the builders…. I’m seeing a breaking forth of expansion, now, of the work as under builders under the apostle of this house. And the word of the Lord is, ‘There will be children. There shall be children! And these children shall help you build and they shall help you establish, they shall help you stabilize and they shall help you groom the harvest that is coming in. For what has been laborious, my grace shall remove the labor out of it with these children.’

– I tell you Pastors, for the first time those words " a breaking forth of expansion, now, of the work as under builders under the apostle of this house " jumped out at me. I could hear it. I could see it. Carol said to me, the breaking forth of expansion means our leaving to start this work and we are still connected to our Bishop and overseer.

It was something, how, listening to that Word while being physically in Pennsylvania enabled me to really hear it for the first time. Just like Elisha, I’m not going to settle in Jericho. I’m going to keep following the Man of God, the Prophet of God. I must cross the Jordan with him and see him when he is taken up. Though it won’t be in this local in Missouri, I must occupy a prophetic position in Pennsylvania. I’m shaking in my boots, but I’m going after God with all my heart. I see the whirlwind. I hear the thunder of war and chaos. I cannot settle for the comfort zone of my plans and goals. I believe many of us know that the call to Jesus means being with Him and being sent by Him. We are so afraid of the sending that we won’t respond to the call to be with Him. But when you’ve been with Him , you will be changed. You will go for Him . That’s all you both did so many years ago. Now it’s my turn.

Sincerely,

Christopher & Carol Green