MY MARATHON? - Part THREE - 1990

To go from, great joy and celebration when Goliath your arch enemy was killed to trying to pin David to the wall. How does this happen?

With me my pastor was so surprised that God would send me to co-labor with him and now he was ready to send me off as well. Over the last three years my prophetic gift had become more visible, a new sense of the favor of the Lord, the words of my mouth becoming the means of blessing in my life.

I had moved into a sales career during this period of time so it was literally the words of my mouth provide the prosperity and the blessing of the Lord. It was becoming more natural for me to flow in words of wisdom or knowledge especially during prayer for people. I enjoyed personal ministry and prayer times they seemed to be the most rich presence there. I had built friendships with the guys in my home church group and the guys who lead the home church groups. I felt connected to the prayer movement that was characteristic of  the elder-ship in the church as well as many others who were committed to regular prayer.

Mid-April 1990 -  during a time of prayer at the church, God told me, "do not pray for this people." It bothered me so much, because it didn't fit my theology, so I asked God what was going on?  You are married to the back slider, you are long suffering, slow to anger plenteous in mercy, grace abounding... God told me He was removing the spirit of prayer from this church. I made no mention of this to anyone. I was still wrestling with it in my spirit.

At that time we had early morning prayer six days a week Monday through Saturday and a Friday Night prayer meeting. There were 6-10 people every morning sometimes more. Within weeks of this word from the Lord, all prayer groups were ill attended then cancelled for lack of interest. Even the Friday night group although it lingered on, only the man leading it was showing up.

Sunday, July 29, 1990  -  God asked me a question - 

GOD - Are you a cut and polished stone? 

Me - No Lord, (embarrassed) I answered, No, I am not polished. 

GOD - You have answered well, my son, for I have made you to be a field stone. 
This place is becoming a place of cut and polished stones there will not remain for you a place here anymore. 

Immediately I saw a vision (a moving picture) of a mason placing courses of cut and polished stone blocks, the wall was only a couple of courses high. With his trowel he laid down a thick layer of mortar on the polished stones and then with two hands he gentled lowered a white, kidney shaped, field stone onto the mortar, immediately the mortar shrunk away. (this was similar to the concrete that would not bond tot e old concrete in the picture Gary got from his garage in part 2. When he exhorted me to go to the church. Now it was God showing me the same thing in preparation for leaving the church.)

The mason became frustrated as he troweled the mortar out and tossed it aside. He turned the field stone over and repeated the process, again the mortar shrunk away. He tried three times and three times the mortar shrunk away, then the vision ended.
It was replaced by a vision of the same stone being dropped into a field of tall grass on a bluff that dropped away on three sides there was a city just beyond my view point at the bottom of the bluff. I came to believe that the city was Mankato, once I went and prayed at bluff park and immediately was reminded of this vision.  

Sunday, August 19, 1990 - three (3) weeks after the vision and three (3) years after the word about being in a Saul /David relationship.  

• three times the cement did not bond 
• three times the mortar did not take to the field stone. 

the conclusions both times. "There will not remain a place for you here anymore."

I was urged not to proselytize... it had never crossed my mind.
After I was prayed out, our former church family members were urged not to have any contact with me.  I found out later that there was a "prophetic" couple who had been going about sowing discord and so suspicion had gained a foothold.
What more can he have but the kingdom, my title, my people, my building, my ministry, I wasn't wanting any of that. But it is amazing and the devil has no new tricks. So we will see this pattern emerge again in Mankato, just three years later almost to the day. 

What I was unaware of, was that the pastor, had met with an outside group who convinced him to veto the unanimous decision of all the elders. His actions put the church under the authority of a tribunal who heard the case of the deposed pastor who was removed because of sexual immorality and awarded this ex-pastor him and his ex-wife another large sum of money as a severance package. Shortly after I left, Bob made arrangements to come under the authority of the Assemblies of God denomination because he feared of the lack of accountability, which he blamed for the mis-behavior of his predecessor. Then when he left town a few years later the Assembly of God took over the property and it has remained dormant (used for storage) for almost 20 years (redemption) all of the years I have been in Mankato.

Just recently a local church who is connected with Bethel Church in Redding has taken over the building, arranging to buy it from the Assys. of God denomination.  Interestingly the name of the church is the House Church that's what we called our home groups back in 1990 before I left.  And again 20 means redemption and I believe that this building and the call for this congregation in this region is being redeemed.