In Acts 2, when Peter was inspired to preach mightily by the power of the Holy Spirit, he was evidencing an amazing amount of “faith casting.” In that case, the place where they were meeting was affected by the presence of God in response to what the people were willing to do in response to the word given. Peter was able to see the future of the church in Jerusalem. He could see God’s preferred future for the people of God in that place, and he was endued with the capacity to give great word pictures to what God was up to. The people not only heard, but they also gave themselves entirely to the task at hand to what God was calling them to.
I call it Faith casting for short.
It is a gift that is possessed by the primary leaders of local churches that are taking off in the realm of God’s Spirit. When people can fully see what God is up to, and they lend their strength to all that he is up to in their midst, amazing synchronicity begins to occur.
This is the matter of seeing the not-yet in the already. It is the ability to connect with what God is about to do among his people.
There is an ability on the part of a primary leader to stand before his people and explain what is going on – to give a live interpretation of what is happening – and in so seeing to impart to the people courage to carry out the vision in a powerful way. So it is that God’s people begin to carry out the will of God as they leave the gathering of his people.
Power Talk
For the senior leader to stand before the people and to consistently paint a picture of what is happening is a powerful thing. This gift of interpreting things from the place of heaven to the understanding of earth is a gift that God gives out to those who are primary leaders. It is available for leaders who need it to guide their churches forward onto the place of clarity that God is taking a local church.
What does it take to receive this gift?
First, we must have a spiritual environment where God is at work. If nothing much is happening, there isn’t much, if anything, to interpret. This gift is not given out to every senior leader, willy-nilly, in other words.
The good news is you can stir up a spiritual environment in your midst by beginning to lead people to Christ. There is nothing more spiritual than spiritual conversions. Work toward the leading of many into a relationship with Christ, and you will see a mighty upstirring of the exact environment you seek after if that is not already happening in your midst.
Second, people need to be hungry to hear from on high.
This hunger is accomplished through an atmosphere that is saturated with God’s word that is preached and taught consistently and passionately. Added to that is the atmosphere of prayerful dependence upon God as we move forward as a congregation. We make progress, but we make it clear that we are in dire need of the stirring of God to move forward. Steps forward will not be made by the mere decisions of people who are aligned with one another alone.
Most importantly, we make progress with seeing God at work in our midst as we are willing to give away momentum.
We seek to love others consistently as the focus of our congregation. We do this in significant ways that are organized and in a multitude of small, seemingly insignificant ways that are done throughout the outflow of the congregation as people step out to meet the needs of the community in practical ways.
Hear And Do
There is something spiritual that takes place in the setting of a gathering when a senior leader is in full motion and is declaring what the future holds.
God shows up when one of his representatives risks by stepping out to see and say what he sees coming the way of the church. This is more than one person merely gabbing away with small talk about the future.
This is a spiritual activity that can mold and shape the very texture of the roadmap the church will follow as it is taken to heart from that moment forward out the doors of the church and into the streets.
