| June
2009 - Vol. 31
Women Sent
on Mission, continued
.
Promise of empowerment
and gifting
Our God was generous and gracious to us in his promise to pour out
renewal power and greater gifting of the Holy Spirit upon us. These are
words which in recent years have been heard frequently across the Sword
of the Spirit. And this renewal power and gifting is not for the young
people alone. It is a promise for those who have already labored long to
build the Sword of the Spirit, as well as for our children and our children’s
children. We were promised that God has come to us to create miracles,
not just do ordinary things in our lives. “…I have come in a powerful way;
I am about great things in your lives!”
The Lord made clear to us that as we endeavor to accomplish our mission,
his faithfulness can be counted upon. “I want to give you everything you
need to fulfill the mission. Those who come after you will see the fruit
of your labors. The work is difficult but I am with you. Count on my grace.
You are not alone. Count on my power. Count on my love.”
We sensed the Lord saying that those of all ages are called to take
risks – as we walk in faith we will see the glory of God. All have
been called by name, in this time and place, to be skilled laborers for
the Lord, to build his work. Each is a part and not the whole; we need
one another in order to accomplish the purposes God has set before us.
All are to pray and toil and work together.
Our wells will
not run dry
As our last worship session drew to a close, the Lord told us to value
what we had received during the week and to take it back with us to our
various communities. Such a gift of sisterhood and tangible experience
of freedom in one another’s presence and before the Lord is not for us
alone: “Be sober about the gift I’ve given to you this week. Be sober
about the treasure you have received. Nurture it. Take care of it. Hold
it in your heart; break it open and share it with all the other sisters
at home.” We can freely come and drink of Christ’s living water and give
of it freely to others – one by one – and we are assured that our wells
will not run dry. Christ is faithful; he will forever fill his well of
living water in a way which cannot run dry as we give and give of his precious
life to others.
All the activities of the conference – including times of worship and
seeking the Lord, teachings, workshops, and small group discussions – encouraged
and equipped us to better carry on the call entrusted to us by the Lord
as “disciples on mission” and perform our various leadership responsibilities
within the Sword of the Spirit communities. The activities strengthened
our unity and personal relationships with one another as sisters together
serving the Lord and his people.
Continued
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Reflections
from participants
Since
hearing about the International Co-ordinators meeting in Santa Domingo
last year and the words the Lord spoke there touched my profoundly with
God’s love and grace, my main thought and prayer about attending the IWC
this year was: surely the Lord will speak significantly to His daughters
as wel. And I was particularly expectant for God’s prophetic word among
us as we met as an international group of women leaders in the Sword of
the Spirit. I was not disappointed!
The
presence and grace of God was very evident. The Lord spoke strongly and
profoundly about His love for us and for all His people. He has called
us for such a time as this, and again He spoke of difficult times, but
that He wanted to free us from fear and give us grace to serve Him and
His people. We heard about God’s love and experienced it as we prayed,
but also through each other.
It
was wonderful to attend with my sisters from Antioch Community and also
with my sisters from our region, and it made me see how much the Lord has
built among us in recent years as sisters across Europe. But it was also
very special to share with sisters from other regions and make new friendships.
My one regret: there were not quite enough days to have the chance to share
with all the sisters who were there (and how I wish I could speak Spanish!)
Clare
Bick, Antioch, London, UK
Two
impressions especially emerged for me during the conference. The first
was a sense of deep unity with sisters from many different countries, cultures,
languages, and traditions. Even when I couldn’t really communicate with
a sister because of language differences, smiles, hugs, and worshipping
together united us.
The
second was the sense of mission. While some of the women gathered there
were younger, most of the sisters present were seasoned veterans of many
years of serving the Lord. Many of us have endured trials and struggles
over the years. Yet, there was a sense of excitement and zeal for the call
the Lord has given us. We want to make room for the next generation so
they can serve in the mission with us, not so that we can retire and relax
at the beach.
Jan
Munk, The Work of Christ,
Lansing,
Michigan, USA
Through
the talks, the Lord reminded us to go back to the basics: to love one another
because our covenant is founded on that, to move urgently into the mission
with a spirit of sacrifice and self-giving, but always in the joy of the
Lord. The best was listening to the Lord speak to us as women of this people,
asking us to remain together. Thank you Lord, for giving us your living
water!
Paty
de Sotelo
Betania,
Acapulco, Mexico |
