A Gallon of Water & A Cracker

To say the vision was strange would be an understatement. The thought that continually came to my mind is: "Weird!" However, after much prayer and some insight from God, we moved forward. What am I talking about? I'm talking about a gallon of water and a cracker.

I took a picture of the platform early on in our worship service. Our PBC folks had heard me challenge them for the past couple of weeks about bringing a gallon of drinking water per member. What they didn't know was the significance of what God was getting ready to do. Our people responded and God moved.

What I shared yesterday came from a vision that a trusted friend of PBC has when praying for our church. In the vision there was a line of water jugs with crackers on top of them. The question for us was whether or not it was a challenge from the Lord. I spent several weeks praying about it. I asked the Lord for insight and He gave it. There was symbolism in the jugs of water and the cracker.

Here's the breakdown:

Every person - each of us had to bring a jug of water because the Bible says that every joint supplies. It was all about unity and cooperation.

Gallon of Water - Represented the Spirit of God. The reason for gallon jugs was due to the handle (portability) - they could be carried out of the building.

The Cracker - Represented those who came for worship. The salt on the cracker makes us thirsty. We are to be the salt of the earth! However, the cracker also absorbs water when place inside (I used the example of soup and crackers).

The Application - As we worship God and He pours out His Presence upon us, we soak it in and carry Him out into the world. We become one with Him. In essence, we become the presence of God in the world.

The Results - At least two people were saved. People came for prayers of healing (physical, emotional, spiritual). Lives were recommitted to God and His purpose. A Church was edified in love!

What did we learn from all of this? I think what we learned is that you can have church without preaching. We learned that as we honor God's presence that He blesses us. We learned that through worship we truly engage with God and worship becomes more than a ritual/routine.

Personally, I learned to trust God with things even if they seem weird. I learned how to listen when things come through other servants. I learned to trust in the power of God in a more meaningful way.

To those of you that were not with us - it's hard to understand. For those of us who were there - it's hard to explain. What we encountered was a special time of the manifest presence of God. Some of us were pushed beyond our comfort zone, some were challenged to go even deeper, and others experienced God in a way that they had never experienced Him before.

What I have discovered in my walk with God is that Worship should always be an encounter with Him. I shouldn't have to bring a gallon of water and place a cracker on top to understand how I am transformed through worship. When I honor Him through praise and worship, He honors me. Isn't that an amazing thought? Doesn't blow your mind to think that you are bringing Him what He deserves but then He turns and gives you what you don't? WOW! God is good.

My prayer from is experience is that we never forget how God moved in this time. I pray that we won't become complacent in our worship. And I pray that when we come together that each of us will seek to soak in His presence so that we may carry Him out into the world.

Blessings to you all ~ Neal