The power of sharing the story on Sept 13…
You may or may not know this about me; I am a story teller. My kids know this. Sometimes they say, “Dad, I heard that one.” Recently, I learned that my middle name, Edward, means keeper of the stories – testimonies. And, you can’t make this stuff up…I was born in, guess where – Story City, Iowa. So, here I was, in Iowa, operating in my identity, telling and listening to others tell stories during my July trip to Ames, Iowa. Suddenly, in my minds eye, I saw that the words coming out of our mouths became steel threads that rose upward until they reached into the heavens. As others told their stories, they too became steel threads - Slowly, as I watched this, the threads became entangled in the air and soon, those threads were woven into a large, strong, steel cable reaching up into heaven…end of vision. I wondered at the time, what is that all about? I told my wife, Colleen about it and a few days later she shared with me a YouTube video from Lou Engle: He was exhorting us to pull down our dreams from heaven and make them a reality. Interesting but no real clarity came to me about all this until Wednesday night, July 23. That night, I received the interpretation. The vision is about the strategy Holy Spirit is using to set the table for revival in Ames and rolling out to the state of Iowa, the Heartland, and to the nation (eventually the world) This strategy involves our story telling culminating in our Do It Again Reunion on September 13 in…get this – in a barn west of Story City…you really can’t make this stuff up!
The strategy involves sharing our stories: He is showing us that spiritual power is multiplied through our collective storytelling. Individual stories, or testimonies, are like those "steel threads." Every one of our stories are as building block: Each person's story or testimony is a "steel thread," strong and valuable on its own. However,
· Collective Power of sharing: Sharing and uniting these stories or threads creates a collective synergy - power greater than the sum of its parts. True strength emerges when these threads are "woven together" into this "steel cable," symbolizing a unified, unbreakable collective testimony. God Do It Agaih
So, when woven together, our stories become a powerful "steel cable" capable of pulling down societal or spiritual "strongholds." – over individuals, families, colleges, cities like Ames, states, and even the nation. This idea is rooted in 2 Corinthians 10: 4-6. “The weapons we use in our fight are not the world’s weapons but God’s powerful weapons, which we use to destroy strongholds. We destroy false arguments; we pull down every proud obstacle that is raised against the knowledge of God: we take every thought captive and make it obey Christ.” (GNT) The victory promised us comes as we apply Revelation 10:11” They triumphed over [the accuser of our brothers and sisters] by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony…”
In Hebrew, the root of the word testimony means more than what it does in our western mindset. The Hebrew people believe that history is cyclical not linear. So, when a story is told of God’s activity in our history, we are opening our mouth to release the power of God through our words for Him to “Do It Again. Sharing our personal narratives becomes a potent tool to change the atmosphere paving the way for community transformation.
So, we must understand that our personal stories and testimonies are not just narratives, or simply a record of past history. They are an active, powerful element in spiritual warfare. The core idea is that individual experiences, when shared collectively, create a unified force strong enough to overcome entrenched negative forces ("strongholds") affecting a specific community, namely Ames. How else could one man chase a thousand and two ten thousand as it speaks of warfare in Deuteronomy 32
Take Away:
· Revisit your story – Remember how you came to Christ, or how he changed some aspect of your life. What difference has he made in your life or the life of others since you were adopted into His family
· Put it into words – Remember the 3-minute testimony we heard at ‘College Life’ from our Campus Crusade days? Or perhaps you’ve heard of the “elevator speech” Here’s a suggested outline for you to follow:
This is what life was like before I met Jesus
This is how Jesus became more than just a word to me
This is how things changed
· Make yourself available to share — Get into God’s presence. Ask Him if He would like to you to come to the September 13 party to be poured out on those that come.
· Respond to our Invitation – To sign up for a place at the table go to the home page or the events page and send us your info