From a Move of God to a Mausolem
The seven stages of a ‘Move of God’ – From Life to Death
God MOVES upon a person – Seriously touches life with great “implications in (their) life”
Holy Spirit comes and hammers on a person
As is happening today
As seen in some of the stories in “The God Chasers”
As has happened many times in the past
Basic to every church and denomination at its start
Basic to this move
Key: No structure / just life
This person touches others with the change and the power to change
Life “begats” life
Discipleship
MOVEMENT
KEY: Still little or no structure
If structure – it supports life
Jerusalem – Judea – Samaria and whole world
Well, a tad bit of structure but only when necessary to support life
Organism – not organization
Life and power
This movement learns that certain things work for them and others don’t
Life happens when they do this
Life does not happen when …
More structure is introduced
So, a METHOD is devised to spread what initially touched this
person and his followers
Problem is that METHOD takes on a life of its own
How we do it more important than what is accomplished.
The next generation needs to experience things for themselves
Life and power begin to either fade or be replaced
Structure is enforced “upon” the organism (body) and it
becomes an organization
The methods continue even when all life has gone out of them when into 2nd and 3rd generations.
Structure with little life
In the next generation (15 to 20 years) it becomes a memory.
MEMORY – “sentiment in our hearts”
KEY: No life
Azusa Street
Holiness Movement
Latter Rains Revival
Charismatic Movement
Word-Faith Movement
“Having a form of godliness but denying its power”
Techniques
Man’s wisdom and skills
Structure
Grieves the Spirit
Soon even the MEMORY fades.
Move – Movement – Method – Memory 1 All structure and no life
MONUMENT is then seen
As the memory fades we then have a monument
KEY: Absolutely no life and all structure
Large churches and institutions just doing Religion – This involves
Rituals
Regulations
Rules
It has now become just another religion.
Methods are evaluated and set in concrete
“Good enough for Paul…”
Organization without life
The monument soon becomes a MONSTROSITY
A monster controlling people
A monster killing any spiritual life that might try to sneak in
Eating up people by controlling and manipulating
Fighting each and every succeeding move of the Spirit
The monstrosity soon becomes a MAUSOLEUM
Death reigns
Structure killing any life that might appear
Organization and not an organism (body)
Here the Spirit of God moves and brings a time of refreshing
Renewal
Fire of God
A fresh and new move of the Spirit
God moves on those who “hunger and thirst”
The cycle begins again with a few responding to what the Spirit is doing
The remnant
The MOVE of the Spirit
Historic examples
God MOVES on John Wesley
Others are effected and we have a MOVEMENT
Certain things seemed to work (small groups) and so we have METHOD
“Methodists”
Life ebbs and structure increases but less actual experience of God and we have a MEMORY
Leadership dies and soon even the memory fades and we have a MONUMENT
In time the monument becomes a MONSTROSITY that kills life
We see death reign and the Spirit quenched and we have a MAUSOLEUM
God’s Spirit MOVES and we have the Free Methodists …
The same can happen in every church
The same can happen in a person’s life
THE OVERVIEW
God MOVES and brings life
As the life grows He then allows STRUCTURE
Only what structure is absolutely needed to support and sustain life
When structure no longer needed then it should be removed/allowed to die
If we do otherwise we will hinder the MOVE of the Spirit and in time inevitably go down the tubes
Move – movement – method – memory – monument – monstrosity – mausoleum
The cycle continues until “BROKENNESS” is a reality and a visitation becomes a habitation
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