Speechless
It doesn't happen often to a preacher, but I really am speechless about this past weekend.
How do you put into words what we experienced?
I haven't even started to process what I personally heard & experienced - and by that I mean, just the stuff that was coming to me, not all the wonderful things that were spoken over our church as a body.
We often say, "you had to be there" - but when it comes to the 2008 "First Love Conference", even being here wasn't enough - I think you have to get the CD's or the podcasts and listen again and again in order to process it all.
At least that's what I'm planning to do.
Maybe some other CLCers can help us all with that 'processing' - would you share what you received personally?
C'mon, this is one time that we really need some dialogue - what impacted you the most? What are your biggest 'takeaways' from the Conference?
How do you put into words what we experienced?
I haven't even started to process what I personally heard & experienced - and by that I mean, just the stuff that was coming to me, not all the wonderful things that were spoken over our church as a body.
We often say, "you had to be there" - but when it comes to the 2008 "First Love Conference", even being here wasn't enough - I think you have to get the CD's or the podcasts and listen again and again in order to process it all.
At least that's what I'm planning to do.
Maybe some other CLCers can help us all with that 'processing' - would you share what you received personally?
C'mon, this is one time that we really need some dialogue - what impacted you the most? What are your biggest 'takeaways' from the Conference?
posted by Pastor Jerry McQuay at 9:01 AM
3 Comments:
Pastor Jerry,
I think my biggest takeaway from the First Love Conference was how hungry God's people are for the presence, the power, and the word of the Lord and how our Father so lovingly and graciously responds to the hunger of His children when His children are united in the Spirit of love and in their desire to receive from Him and when His servants are obedient to feed His children the unadulterated, pure meat of the Word of God - through praise, through worship, through teaching, through preaching, through prophesy, etc. - by whatever means necessary.
The Lord showed up so very powerfully in every meeting of the Conference. In fact, the power and authority of the Holy Spirit and the word of the Lord we received in each successive meeting seemed to continually build upon the anointing and word of the Lord from each previous meeting. It was like a continuous spiritual crescendo that reached its ultimate climax on the final evening of the Conference. Although our flesh was getting weak by the end of the conference, our spirits were more than willing. We kept asking for MORE of God and for MORE of His power and MORE of His Word and He kept delivering, meeting after meeting. It was like we were finally beginning to experience the "pleroma", the fullness of God, that had been prophesied in months past.
It is up to us now, to take all the preaching and teaching, all of the individual and corporate prophetic words, and begin to truly walk with God in the power and authority of those words, not turning back to a spirit of fear, poverty and slavery that continuously attempts to keep us, individually, and as a congregation, bound in a mindset of fear, poverty, and bondage, and tries to make us keep ourselves and others we lead in fear, poverty, and bondage. It's time for us to obediently walk in the abundant life that God has called each of us to live for Him and His glory.
Finally, if anyone at CLC did not previously know God's heart regarding His desire for Him to be our First Love, for us to be set ablaze, totally on fire in our love for Him, and His desire for His salvation to be manifested throughout all the nations of the earth before Sunday night, they sure know it now. The call and prayers for revival that were spoken over the entire congregation by our West African and Latino brothers and sisters and then the congregation's prayers for the salvation of the nations were some of the most intensely powerful prayers sessions I have ever been a part of during a church-wide Conference.
May every heart and mind be transformed by the Word of God and every life changed as a result of us returning to our First Love, Jesus Christ!
I am overjoyed! I have never been a part of something so profund, amazing and fulfilling. I did not know about the fast until the last 3 days. Even though I wanted to participate, the flesh was weak. I thought that maybe by not fasting I might miss out on something God had for me. I am SOOO glad He does not think the way I do. So much happened for me. There is a new level of awarness regarding God's presence. My hunger is so much deeper. His presence and the Word delivered by the wonderful men of God touched in me in ways I am still discovering. I feel like I am bursting with His promises.
On Friday, Pastor Eric Butler prayed for me at the altar call. This is the second time in my life I have ended up on the floor. :)
Last year it was Bishop Garlington at 1st Love who had the honor of being the first person to "impart" that experience to me. No compliants my knee was healed as a result of that "impartation!" Thank you, Lord!
Anyway, Friday night after the service I had a dream. It was as if the Lord was answering a question I had asked. I remember Him saying, Pastor Eric Butler had to pray to release his prophetic annointing in me. This dream was confirmed by the prophetic words and "double portion" of impartation released in the last service on Sunday.
Pastor Nellis' services Sunday morning opened my eyes to see that I need to focus on my vocation and stop trying to go back to my "Egyptian Career." Definitely an answer to pray.
I could go on and on, but I need to re-watch the whole conference. There were so many answers the Lord gave in those services, I haven't been able to process it all.
One more thing for those of you who have last year's 1st Love Conference CDs, re-listen to them. As I was copying them and this years to my PC so I could download the messages to my iPod, I realized the messages build on each other. It's almost like last year's message was a cliffhanger for this year's conference.
As my girlfriend always says, "God showed up and showed out!"
Wow...I'm so glad I asked for feedback....but could you do me a favor - send me an email or post another comment to tell me who you are - I want to rejoice with you!
Anyone else out there got a report of the takeways from the conf. for you?
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