Blog

Written by Lisa Mason
on 24th January 2022

Sometimes we make plans but God has other intentions. Our last team time was no exception!

We set out with the intention of reading Genesis 6-9, the story of the flood but, early on, our conversation turned to the Disciple Making Movement training that we have just begun as a team. Questions and concerns, dreams and hopes all began to be expressed and before we knew it there wasn’t time left to read three whole chapters of scripture.

So we turned instead to Ephesians 3: 20-21

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

It seemed to us that God wants us to dream. To ask. To imagine.

Last week, two members of the team spent time praying and reading scripture together. They read Isaiah 11:1-10, a passage that paints a beautiful picture of God bringing justice and peace on earth. It ends with these words:

In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his resting place will be glorious.

The image they saw was of Jesus, standing with a huge banner and setting it down with a flourish in the middle of the fountains in Bradford city centre. They had the sense that ground had been taken for Jesus. The word ‘breakthrough’.

These are big dreams and images but what does God say? That he can do infinitely more than this.

Since moving to Bradford we have received, from many different people, pictures of a dam about to break, of water -symbolising the Spirit of God- rising in the streets of the city. Adults and children have shared an image God has shown them of a tree in the centre of the city, full of fruit that was ripe and ready to pick - symbolising the many people in this city who are ready to hear God’s word and discover him.

We talk and dream about seeing multiple little groups like ours starting all over this city. Groups of people reading God’s word together and discovering for themselves who he is and how much he loves them. Groups in different languages, postcodes, homes and cafes. 

We pray that people from these groups might start more groups, in Bradford, in the towns and cities around us, even in other countries.

These are some of our dreams. What do you dream? Could our prayers and dreams get bigger? Remember, God can do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine.

So let’s keep dreaming, team. We know what to do - we gather to read God’s word together and take our small steps of obedience - we bring our requests and dreams to God in prayer. It is God who moves in power, it is God who draws people to himself, it is God who continues to be glorified in Christ Jesus and in the church, throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.