Every Joint Supplies

Yesterday I met a man, a missionary to the nations, whose theology mirrored my own, but whose vision far exceeded mine. As he shared he opened up new realms in my understanding and perception of the Kingdom of God. He was a man of conviction and who clearly understood his assignment from the Lord. And though he was gentle and mild mannered when I first met him, once he began sharing, he was like a man on fire.

After listening to him for a while I had to stop him. I said, "I can't listen to anymore. I need to pray," and together we went up and began to engage the atmosphere of heaven and call out for an awakening in our region.

This encounter with a man who truly walks with a God given burden has changed me. I have been pondering the question of why it impacted me so much.

First of all, I did not come away with the feeling that he had an ax to grind. He did not make me feel guilty for not "winning souls." This wasn't brow beating.

I also did not feel it was just another person trying to build a ministry helping the poor or an attempt to get people to support something with their money. It was more than information about the plight of persecuted believers around the world.

It was even more than revelation. He brought an impartation of the Lord for awakening hearts to the opportunity to participate in God's global harvest. I came away with a burden for his burden. I left with a clearer vision of what God was doing and a burning heart to help carry the burden.

It has been a very long time since I experienced anything like this. Clearly, this man was not just trying to build his own ministry or even trying to make himself feel better for doing something. This burden did not originate with him. This ministry, Vision Beyond Borders, was not his idea. It was the burden of another given to him as a stewardship. I felt that Pat was not the only player in the picture but that clearly the Lord had something deep in his heart and he found a willing vessel who would share his heart and get something done about it.

When God anoints a ministry with a burden, it is clear and pure and it does not need a lot of hype to get it moving. It carries within itself a propulsion for movement and momentum. When God initiates the thing, God will propel it in partnership with his people and all who feel called will have opportunity to participate and "every joint will supply"!