"IN LABOR...?"

“And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars:
And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered.” (Revelation 12:1-2)

This morning’s service at Bread of Life Assembly of God in Westminster, MA was very rich and very anointed by the Holy Spirit. For the most part, it really WASN’T a “bouncin’ off the walls” kind of service. In fact, it was much more of a reverent service with soft, contemporary worship music and a very sweet and special presence of God. (I realize if you’re not Pentecostal or Charismatic, this probably sounds bizarre.) Something I very much like about Bread of Life church is that they don’t wait for the ending of the service for a “move of God”. They also do not try to orchestrate and manipulate a “move of God” like so many churches do...and frankly many of those situations are NOT genuine moves of God. At Bread of Life, we were only singing and worshiping for about twenty minutes when it was evident God had some special work to do. The pastor called people to come up to the altar area for prayer, and many did just that. A few minutes later, the worship leader urged those still at their seats to get on their knees and spend time in the presence of God...creating their own “altar” at their seats. I did just that.

When I was spending time on my knees at my seat, I got a VIVID picture in my mind of a woman in labor. No it wasn’t a literal “vision” but it was pretty close. I could “see” a young woman around 30 with dark brown hair laying on a bed. She was VERY pregnant, in labor, and in fact, in VERY difficult labor....in AGONY...and there were a number of people in the room watching her. The following “thoughts” came to me...and I believe they were from the Holy Spirit:

Individual Christians, Christian families, as well as churches and Christian organizations will (at times) go through “great labor pains” as God is intending to “birth” something new, different, important, and special in their lives. For a literal woman in labor, it may be 24 hours or more, but in a SPIRITUAL sense, we may be in “labor” for months or years before a new ministry or a new chapter of life is “birthed”. It’s very unpleasant. It’s been said that if MEN gave birth, everybody would be an only child! I think that’s accurate! What many men can attest to is the helplessness of watching their wife in agonizing labor, and that whole experience of, “Hey, YOU got me into this!!” that’s even yelled by some women. Well, Christians and Christian organizations DON’T like when God has them going through labor pains as something is being birthed. Often, we get mad at God wondering HOW He could say He loves us but has “gotten us into this mess”!

So often, Christians blow it. So often churches blow it. So often we MISS what God really has for us. Those who are “watching” the labor want to help, but frequently make things much worse. When Mary Ann and I went through our first series of childbirth classes when she was pregnant with Jon, the class did a “field trip” to the Labor and Delivery floor at the local hospital, and I remember they showed us what “forceps” look like. They’re kind of big metal tongs to grab the baby and pull it out if things are going badly. Fortunately, forceps are not used much anymore. In fact, they CAN cause serious damage to the baby being born. Sadly, SOME well meaning people see a Christian or a Christian organization “in labor” and want to “hurry things along”. They “pull out the forceps” as it were, and try to FORCE what God intends to birth in His time and His way. The results are never good. At the other end of the spectrum, are well meaning people who decide it’s just not worth it for a person or ministry to “go through” such agony, and they perform an abortion! They “kill” what’s being birthed in the name of love and compassion.

(I know somebody may ask “What about a C-Section?” but remember this is just a parable...an illustration...don’t try to carry it too far!)

Jim Spence was the founder of New England Aftercare Ministries (“The Bridge House”) back in the 1980s. I have the highest respect for him because I don’t know HOW he did what he did; except for the grace of God! Jim had been Protestant Chaplain at Walpole Prison. He saw countless men receive Christ as their Savior, get released from prison, go back to their old friends and neighborhoods, and “go down the drain”. Jim’s vision was a place where newly released Believers could go to spend at least 6 months reintegrating into society and being discipled. There were YEARS in which Jim and his fledgling board tried to find property and make the vision a reality. Jim was subject to hatred, hostility and opposition of a truly demonic nature. Nothing was easy! Nothing went right! Jim experienced agonizing labor pains! Most of his friends and colleagues urged him to GIVE UP the vision...to “have an abortion” as it were. Jim stuck it out. A “baby” was born, and Framingham’s Bridge House is now 23-years-old!

Moses got out the forceps back there in the Old Testament. At 40 he was ready to “take on all comers” like a 19th century boxer. In his own way, he was trying to lead an uprising, and it all BOMBED! You see, it wasn’t God’s time and it wasn’t God’s way. Many years later, when God called him from the burning bush, Moses wanted to “abort” the vision, telling God to “get someone else”.

There are a number of things God impressed to ME today that are VERY VERY personal and that I could not and would not share with anyone. They’re just for me. But I felt this could be helpful for someone. Is God in the process of “birthing” something through you, or through your family, or your church, or your ministry or Christian organization? Are friends getting out the forceps and trying to force things along? Are YOU doing that? Or, even worse, do you just want an abortion and for the whole thing to be over?

God’s thoughts are not our thoughts and God’s ways are not our ways (see Isaiah 55:8-9). Please don’t try to “force” the birth, and please don’t “abort”. Let God be God. Nothing is impossible for Him!