Tuesday 22 October 2013

The 'True Vine' Move

As a young boy, I was blessed to be part of a powerful move of God in northern New South Wales. Shortly after my mum was born again, we were led to True Vine Christian Community based in and around Mullumbimby.


It was around 1982 when we arrived and I was about seven years-old. We were there for two years or so. Mum and I lived with other women and children in a couple of women’s discipleship houses before mum married the man who would become my dad and adoptive father.

I am blessed to have experienced the True Vine move of God and to have encountered Jesus there. Even as a young boy I was marked by the authenticity of the community and the manifest power of God in our midst. The teaching and discipleship was rich; the praise and worship sincere and deep. I still sing the songs I learnt during that time and have taught them to my wife and children. I'll never forget the corporate worship  it was worship in spirit by a people hungry for righteousness and truth. Sometimes there was no musical accompaniment at all – only the harmonious roar of human voices in declarative praise. As hundreds of Heavenly gates lifted their heads and voices, the King of glory would come in and lavish us with His joy and peace and grace.
Lift up your heads, O ye gates, even lift them up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in. Ps 24:9
True Vine was a company of saints that included many redeemed from oppressive and destructive lifestyles. Men and women, who’d been in bondage to drugs and the occult and sexual immorality, discovered the living Christ at True Vine. Forgiven much, they loved much. And they tapped into His transforming power.
"I tell you, her sins  and they are many  have been forgiven so she has shown Me much love..." Lk 7:47
For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God... Rom 1:16
A documentary about True Vine appeared on television so, praise God, we have some video history of the move. I encourage you to watch this short video. (Update 11/03/14: I have merged the two videos that were on this page into one 15 minute video. Click the link below). You will be moved by the testimonies and worship and baptisms and the centrality of Jesus. 
True Vine Christian Community (documentary) 


I'll finish this post with reflections from two other pilgrims.
The only safe place and the source of TVCC's [True Vine Christian Community's] blessing was not its discipleship ‘system’ but the wonder and power of the open heaven that the Spirit allowed us to enter into whenever a group of worshippers sought the Lord, this was truly an extraordinary thing and pure grace, blessing, for us. I can say I have heard the angels sing. As a charismatic group TVCC did not preach the gifts. No ceremony for receiving tongues, healing, prophecy etc. was in our litany. This all just happened during worship. Thankfully, the opening of the heavens- the experience of the Glory- remains my greatest memory, my lodestar, and at the core of my spiritual life. - James
The focus in meetings on worshipping the LORD stood out as it wasn't dependent on 'worship leaders' and schmoozing the crowd, so unlike most churches today. Though there were excellent musos there I remember many times there was no musical accompaniment, only the human voice in song. Beautiful. Days of heaven on earth. Although it could not be replicated, as every situation is unique, there were valuable principles that were universal. God looks for those who will worship him in spirit and in truth. - Paul
True Vine Christian Community does not exist today. The fruit, however, remains...
...I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain... Jn 15:16
...So shall My word be that goeth forth out of My mouth: it shall not return unto Me void... Isa 55:11

Saturday 12 October 2013

The Weakness Of God

Psalm 131 is a bedrock. It is a psalm of surrender, a psalm of submission, a psalm of meekness, a psalm that offers a glimpse into the peaceful world of the crucified life.
But I have calmed and quietened my soul, like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child is my soul within me. Ps 131:2
In a world consumed with self-advancement, self-gratification, and self-preservation, this humble song of David stands like an oak of righteousness in a field of fickle grass. 


It offers the wisdom of meekness to all who would still themselves before the Ancient of Days.
The wisdom that is from above is pure, filled with peace, meek and attentive... Jam 3:17
Meekness is having a calm and quieted soul. Meekness is true gold. Not only does meekness bring soul peace  without it, we will never walk in our God-ordained destiny. 

If we are to be useful in our Master's hands, our soulish desires for self-advancement, self-gratification, and self-preservation must be surrendered to the blazing, purging fire of Christ's love. Such passions of the soul  rooted in pride, lust, and fear  will never produce the righteousness of God (Jam 1:20). We must surrender the 'strength' of our fallen Adamic nature and embrace the 'weakness' of Christ. Our soul must be weaned.
... the weakness of God is stronger than men. 1 Cor 1:25
David was ordained by God to be the king of Israel. His was a glorious call  to lead God's people in priestly intimacy and kingly dominion. As a young man, he seemed primed to step straight into his destiny. As a minstrel, he could shift the atmosphere and send demons fleeing. As a shepherd, he could slay giants. And yet for all David's giftings, until his soul was weaned and he learned the way of meekness, he could not step into that destiny. His soul strength was a hindrance to the humility and simple trust required to host the King of Glory.
... My power is made perfect in weakness. 2 Cor 12:9
Before entrusting David with the great authority and power weaved into his destiny, the LORD patiently waited for him to come to a place of complete surrender and brokenness.

For David, it took around fifteen years of running in the wilderness as a fugitive before he became truly useful to his God. His baptism of fire came at Ziklag. At Ziklag, he and his men's home and refuge was reduced to smouldering ruins and their families lost to savages. After weeping aloud with his men until they all had no more strength to weep, David buckled under the weight. He was an outlaw to his brethren  his king wanted him dead. His Philistine associates didn't trust him and had rejected him outright. And now in the smoky confusion of a smouldering Ziklag, his own company of mighty men spoke of killing him. What would David do? From where would he draw his strength now?


At Ziklag, there is no more running, no more hiding, no more self-preservation, no more soul strength. Ziklag is the baptism of fire. It is the testing ground for kings. And it must come before we step into our ruling and reigning destiny.
Moreover David was greatly distressed because the people spoke of stoning him ... but David strengthened himself in the LORD his God. 1 Sam 30:6
Before Joseph stepped into his destiny of ruling Egypt and saving millions from starvation, he too had his baptism of fire. With his coat of favour long since stolen, torn and bloodied and his Divine dreams seemingly broken, Joseph surrendered his soul strength and embraced the weakness of God. With his feet in fetters and completely forgotten in a foreign prison, Joseph was finally a broken man and useful to his God.
Whose feet they hurt with fetters: he was laid in iron: until the time that his word came: the word of the LORD tried him. Ps 105:18-19
Before Moses delivered millions of Hebrews from oppression and slavery, he had his baptism of fire. He too had to surrender his soul strength and embrace the weakness of God. Forty years of desert wandering dissolved all hope he'd ever placed in his royal heritage, classical education, and worldly wealth. And long gone was any faith in his own strength. There were no Egyptian oppressors buried in the sands of Midian. At the burning bush knelt a broken man, useful now to his God.

Now the man Moses was very meek, more than all people who were on the face of the earth. Num 12:3
We could also look to Abraham, the three Hebrew furnace dwellers, Noah, and the prophets for examples of meekness. The most pure example, of course, was left by our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.
For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps. 1 Pet 2:21
Brothers and sisters, there is no resurrection without a death. There is no ruling and reigning without a suffering and a dying. There is no bequeathment of authority without first a calming and quietening of the soul. Soul passion and the strength of man do not produce the righteousness of God. Such must be surrendered to the flames. The Spirit of Jesus intreats us to stop running and hiding and pleading and strategising and fighting and looking to man. No more dodging spears. We are called to lay our lives down ... gracefully.
... unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Jn 12:24
If you cling to your life, you will lose it; but if you give up your life for Me, you will find it. Matt 10:39
Let us surrender our lives  our dreams, aspirations, affections, security, reputations and, yes, our gifts and callings  to Him who is faithful. Instead of scrambling to save our lives, let us lay them down believing, as Abraham did, that our God truly is able to raise the dead (Heb 11:19). It's the way of the Cross, brothers and sisters. It's the fragrance-releasing, crucified life that takes us ever-deeper into Him. Let us embrace the weakness of God, knowing that it is stronger than the greatest strength of men. 


As we trust Him, we will surely be manifest on the earth as the radiant, shining sons of God. We will experience the full manifestation of Christ's kingdom in and through us. Through the anguish of our souls, we shall see and be satisfied...
Always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our body. 2 Cor 4:10