“Wait here in Jerusalem for Him who Is promised “

The word “Tarry” is an old Word that old Pentecostal pioneers caught hold of. They had meetings where they would sit and wait for hours for God’s Presence would begin to move in an extraordinary way.  Leader and saint alike would come to the vigil and sit and wait. Nothing was led from a platform. Platform ministry in these times were understood to be unnecessary when what we were waiting for was invisible and personal.

I am constrained to speak out prophetically because some of those holy practices have been abandoned and some have been discarded in the name of tradition. 

There seems to be a awesome growth in congregation where platform performance is now the norm. The saint comes to sit and hear, sing and give, and enthused with a pick me up preach. 

Congregational exercise of gifts in the meetings is now discouraged as we are bow to a new “worship and the Word ” model. Then what seems to be broadcast in the social media is words of impact and growth which in reality leave one empty.

God never plants systems nor formulas. He invites us to the “wilderness ” to wait on Him because in all ages and in all generations something unique of God comes into being because He must always be God and must always be the Centre. 

I do not see God setting trends but He reveals streams, rivers which flow into a Person. The programme of God is never pre arranged. When you study the Book of Revelation you see spontaneous exclamations of deep worship and declarations that affect both the heavens and the Earth in turn. 

We have tried to put God into a box right from our theology when what we need to do is from a base of theology discern the moment and our vision of Him in the Spirit be nurtured from a place of continual Tarrying. 

Yes we see Churches and movements stress the meaning of prayer vigils and prayer life, but it seems it is coordinated from a stage, a pulpit. 

I read Frank Bartleman book concerning the Azusa Street revival, it seems the ministers could not coordinate the meetings which were continual hours of self surrender, self discovery of Jesus , self discovery of the Word. More than ever we are creating a “show” based Church where an excitement is mistaken for a awakening. And at the same time the enemy walks around delighted at our deception and distraction.

The autonomy of the believer must start from conversion entrusting the Holy Spirit to guide and teach and enthused with gifts which must have space for expression. 

Instruction and revelation are two different realities. We can mistake them making the assumption for us to programme everyone’s Christian life with the need for leaders to offer so many activities that we believe that our instruction will lead onto revelation. No. I sense that revelation must come first and our instruction will enable us to  apply correctly and live righteously..

God is Tarrying because we desire the easy. We desire the Spirit without first making God the main object of desire. GOD is Tarrying because we want to be entertained without entering into the Holy of holies where our hearts are arrested from our human noise and over activity. 

We are not defined by what we do. 

If we present a Church with entertainment, and with easy living we will get crowds. We will label this revival yet in daily life will behave as the world. 

If we had Jeremiah living in our day he would be weeping for our generation. 

Babylon is known for her beauty and her merchandise. Read Revelation about her activities and how all marvelled. Yet she is revealed as a false bride who is shamed and is obscured as God reveals His True Bride. 

The money made by the Church and all ministry associated can edify and help but it is sold as merchandise as it keeps the machine going. As all depended on Babylon so it shall fall in one day. 

It represents the world system. Yet God called us out. 

Tarrying for God, waiting, even when He seems not to answer, even the voice of Malachi fell silent and 400 years went by in total silence. 

He waits as he frustrates and waits as man does his thing. We do not read of a glory visitation on Herod’s temple and yet in 70AD it was torn down. It was revealed on the Day of Jesus crucifixion as a house devoid of glory. 

Then all of a sudden without announcement, not in the city, not in the Temple, nor Synagogue , a voice cried out from the desert. It vibrated with something different. It showed that times changed, it was time to accept and pass through the waters as One was coming with the Spirit. 

May we wait on Him. Let not our restlessness invent a faith that bears no resemblance with that which we find in His Word. May we not substitute the music of heaven with a sound that only moves the soul, may we not substitute the smoke of glory with artificial smoke, or an entertaining word with a Word that cuts to heart. 

God is Tarrying for us…

Shalom