Do not call to mind the former things, or ponder things of the past. Behold, I will do something new, now it will spring forth; will you not be aware of it? I will even make a roadway in the wilderness, rivers in the desert. (Isaiah 43:19)

Those who know me are aware I have fellowshipped among charismatics most of my Christian life, and to them, I am forever beholden. They have always had greater expectation with God than others. This always seemed wholesome in light of God’s dimensions.

However there has been considerable guilt and consternation along the way because of how many times I have heard Isaiah 43:19 used as a lead-in to a “prophetic” word: “Behold, I am about to do a new something—It will spring forth and … (add prophetic particulars), thus says the Lord.” The frustration came in that I never became aware of the new thing. Well…there was that once. I’ll come back to that.

If these subjective words had been offered to people equipped to look at the scriptures more objectively, I would have been more comfortable. My problem, as an elder and a father—entrusted with impressionable souls, was that the subjective, by default, always trumped the objective. I believed this to be unhealthy.

The subjective word of God is a gigantic subject, ill defined with incredibly strong feelings attached. Most churches cultures are steeped in environments weighted toward Bible-only or Spirit-mostly modes of thinking. From 1992 to 2013, I lived among a Spirit-mostly tribe, attempting to impart a greater appreciation for the written word of God (and community). I believed objective study of the Bible was very profitable. I believed training young believers to study and to meditate on the scriptures was integral to making disciples. This was not how my co-elders had been equipped. My appeals fell on deaf ears.

Without prophetic unction, issues were guaranteed to die in committee. They would not make it to the table for consideration. God had not spoken. How many times did I hear, “We must just wait upon a word from God”? I disagreed. I believed the Spirit lived in us and that we were to discover our word of direction through prayerful dialogue. Nothing could have been more natural to me. But an idea that did not trace its origins to a dream, or a vision, or a certified prophet, would not gain traction.

Back to the prophetic word that did register with my wife and me.

“Rob and Daneille, I don’t know what this means, but God is going to do a new thing.” I winced, bracing myself for the thus sayeth the Lord. It didn’t come. “Whew!” This prophet was just speaking to us as a friend: prophetic etiquette was changing. What did come was this word: “God is going to radically change your family.” “Wow! I wonder what this could mean!  Maybe one of our girls is going to have a baby? Foster parents? Adoption? Is Daneille pregnant! If so, she won’t like this word.”

Our family did begin to change, for a reason I hadn’t expected. The change began because I had grossly underestimated the unspoken ruling covenants within my religious subculture (i.e. the local church). The roots of this tribe were deep into a Spirit-mostly orientation. When they added the idea of apostolic leaders, it only cemented a dawning in my heart—the new thing that God is doing among this tribe will never include the things that are on my heart. The more I tried to articulate the passions of my own heart, the more tension I created. I knew my family was going to change when I was asked to keep quiet.

Our family now meets in living rooms, over dinner tables, on walks around the neighborhood, on beaches, and in forests. The members are believers who participate in organized weekly church and those who do not. I have a new and abiding appreciation of the power of culture. Culture is comprised of the driving ideas within a group of people. Culture is built on the spoken and unspoken agreements of why and how things are expected to happen. They are not meant to be challenged. Therefore, in my family quest, I am not going to subject any existing subculture to any challenging questions. Neither of us has the time or can stand the strain.

In an age of moral decline, in a time when church numbers are plummeting, questions seem as holy to me as declarations. For the record, I appreciate the prophetic spirit proclaiming that God is doing a new thing. Given the nature of resurrection life, within an ever expanding kingdom, this is a sure thing.

Father, this is your world. This is your Church, your Kingdom. Have your way. May your Spirit prevail. May your name be honored now and forevermore. Amen.

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