The Movement continues…

Sometimes I really relate to the scripture at the end of John that states “Jesus also did many other things. If they were all written down, I suppose the whole world could not contain the books that would be written.” I am not suggesting that I have hit such a point in life as Jesus did. What I am trying to say is that as I have traveled and tried to maintain writing it all down to share, it is just simply hard to do. I can’t even imagine trying to keep up with all that Jesus did. Stop for a moment and think about the stories of your own life.

Many times I write down a story to make sure that I can go back and recall it and I will eventually remember more to the story or it has since then grown into a greater story. I think how much more was Jesus’s life just like this. His stories always continued to grow.

I have been chewing on the scripture “ Return to your strength you prisoners who have hope. Who have clung to hope as your bondage.” Zechariah 9:12

What would life look like if our bondage was hope? Never going into any situation without it being grounded in hope. What makes this scripture so shocking to me is that the people who are being referred to in this passage are prisoners! Meaning they have hope even in the midst of being chained up and locked in.

Our world is aching for hope. Hope isn’t just wishing for something good to come about. Hope is an anchor. Hope is what keeps one going even when they haven’t seen something come about yet. Hope is the joyful anticipation of good. An excited condition before something happens. This kind of hope that the world needs to experience through the Body of Christ is not one for the faint of heart. Even more, than the truth of being in prison, they are secure in the hope they have in God. Though they may be chained up they have an established hope that goes beyond where they find themselves.

The last two months have been everything that my heart has desired yet nothing I could have planned. This story has many turns and many location changes. Yet one remaining theme looking back has been…hope! Many are desiring hope again. Many are needing a fresh hope for where they find themselves. There are many stories that could be shared and better yet even growing into greater stories! I would love to fill this newsletter with all those accounts of salvation, healing, and freedom! I also realize that you as a reader may not have time to read all those. I also realize that as it is, I tend to be long-winded in letters. So many stories must wait as this adventure is still ongoing.

I think that this was Jesus’s life. This is what never allowed for the fullness of His stories to be written down because His stories never ended. His stories are still being lived out, even now.

This trip has blown me away! The opportunities to minister to people I never knew or planned on meeting. The amazing testimonies of healing and salvation have surpassed anything I could have planned. When I left to head to IL to host a revival event (will have to write about that later), I never thought that the movement would continue on the road with one of my best friends and myself. I didn’t know that I was going to wake up some days and not know where we were going to go or where we would end up staying. Partially looking back, there wasn’t a way to plan because over 75% of the people we stayed with I have never met. This trip has been so stretching to my faith yet so fulfilling to my heart.

This trip isn’t over and I know there are plenty of people along the way that need encouragement. They need a fresh encounter with courage. They need a fresh dose of hope. They need a fresh wind in their sails. They are teetering with disappointment and discontentment. The best thing we can do is be a tangible dose of hope to others. The best thing we can do is offer what we have! The best thing we can do is offer prayer! The best thing we can do is to ruffle up our faith and courage to believe with someone that God could move on their behalf. It is time to stir yourself up again brothers and sisters. It is time to not just seek out just for ourselves but to also call others into believing He is who He says He is again. I am not poking at you all without calling myself higher. This trip has felt much like what I imagine the historic Jesus People Movement to have been like. This trip has had many amazing stories and many days of equal shaky moments of trust. Much like all of our lives! Life will have shaky moments and even seasons, but are you anchored in hope? Hope isn’t just a feeling it’s found in a person! A person named Jesus Christ.

A prisoner of Hope,

Shay Arthur
Ignite A Movement Director