Pulling Together

Mark Iles leads School for Prophecy and has been an instrumental voice in our church community since before Patrick and Jodi arrived (see the word he shared in October 2018). He shared the following word with us last week.

I believe that the Lord has given me a prophecy for the church which highlights the particular season that we find ourselves in and how he wants us to respond to it. It is based on the image of a ‘Tug of War Team’ and there are a number of features that we can draw meaning from. My understanding is that Father is using our circumstances to bring us together, get us all pulling together, and understand our single-minded purpose. We are in a tug of war for the next season, but not forever. It will change in time.

Our formation, or how we organise ourselves is very specific. If you think you are playing football your formation will not work well in a tug of war game. We need to be in close fellowship, communication, and location.

Our purpose needs to be one single goal that we are all focussed on achieving wherever we are working. We must have a clear common goal we understand and are engaged with.

Everybody needs to be on the rope and pulling. There is ample room for everyone, and while we all have different strengths and abilities, our common purpose is what brings us together.

There are places on the rope for very different roles. The places at the front are for young or new members. Behind them come the main church family. The further back you are the more responsibility you have. At the back are the anchor men and women who dig their feet in and hold the line. Among the anchor men and women are the leaders who ‘call’, very much like a coxswain, so that we can synchronise our pulls for maximum effect.

Interestingly, pulling on the rope guarantees we are pulling in the right direction. Our pulling will gradually align us with the direction of our opposition, much like a windmill does with the wind.

Having a rope makes it easy for people to find their own place in the team, understand what they are there for, and begin to participate quickly. Maximum pull requires maximum membership on the rope.

There will be ups and downs in this tug of war, it is not always going to be in one direction. What is important is how we respond and rely on our anchor team at the back to minimise any losses. Good footing and footwear are very important in a tug of war. So, our engagement in our local community [footing], and wearing the gospel of peace [footwear] are both important.

The rope, or our mission, will naturally attract people. It offers belonging, purpose, and involvement for all. It is not difficult, and anyone can do it. The more the merrier. Numbers are not a problem, there is plenty of rope.

The rope naturally makes sure we all are pulling in the same direction. The rope provides a singular and powerful statement of our purpose. It is so large it is visible and obvious to all. In fact, the more people align with the rope the more visible it becomes.

That just leaves one question for each of us to ask. Are you on the rope…? 

What's Our 'One Single Goal'?
Bognor Vineyard Leadership team responds

Jesus said that the first and greatest commandment is to '"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” ...And the second is like it: “Love your neighbour as yourself"' (Matthew 22:37-39). At Bognor Vineyard, our commitment to the greatest commandment is expressed in our vision: 'We want to see people transformed by the love of God, becoming fully devoted followers of Jesus who are grounded in his truth and empowered by his Spirit for the sake of his kingdom.' We believe many of the prophetic words shared about our church over the past years reinforce that we should be unified, pulling on the rope together toward the one single goal of seeing more lives transformed by the love of God.

It's time that we actively receive and take possession of the blessing he has for us, which is why we spent last Sunday looking at Joshua 3-6 and the story of Israel taking possession of the Promised Land. Using this story as a model, we going to continue exploring ways we can respond to God's leadership in this season. When we asked Mark how these six invitations could fit within his word about the tug of war, he responded, 'a rope is made from more than one strand.' 

• Follow God with us: He knows the way and the destination, and we trust him to get us there in his time and in his way.

• Repent with us: We don’t want there to be any obstacles in our lives that get in the way of God’s work in us.

• Take steps of faith with us: Expect God to do big things and be willing to risk 

• Work towards unity: We need one another and no one should be left behind.

• Recommit to one another and to God: Let’s be ‘all-in’ especially as we face the challenges in our church together.

• Pray with us: Let’s seek God’s face and his heart for us and for our community. Consider fasting once, or one a day a week.

We invite you to join us on the rope!