Liverpool. Hallelujah!
The train pulled into Liverpool Lime and there, waiting for us was our friend, brother-in-Christ Robbie. I almost wept for joy to see this man of God. Although only in his 20’s, God has given him Spiritual wisdom and discernment beyond his years.
Robbie spent the day and evening with us. The highlight of the day was our visit to the Episcopal Cathedral in Liverpool. Although Liverpool was heavily bombed in WWII and although the area around the Cathedral was one of the mostly heavily hit neighborhoods, the building was untouched.
It is the largest Cathedral in the UK and I am told the 5th largest in the world!. It is massive, majestic, awesome in grandeur and architectural detail. I was amazed. First, because I had never heard of it and didn’t know it was here and second, because I felt the presence of God so powerfully in the place.
Some of these lofty buildings in Europe become over time breathtaking memorials to the men and women who built them. Tourists visit them to be impressed. But this one, so beautiful, so detailed and elaborate struck me as attempting to reveal, in the best way men know how, the Glory of God.
As we were kneeling in front of the majestic altar of the church, I felt a word from the Lord. I felt Him say that he was pleased with this place, but that if I could see the beauty and immensity of the temple He has built in my heart, this place, in comparison, would look plain. I shared that with Robbie. Both of us asked the Lord “Ok God, show us”. For me, the purpose of part of this trip is to give me a revelation of how majestically God is working in my life so that I can know Him more, worship Him more, and love Him more. And so that I can put away, once and for all, the nefarious voice that tells me “you are nobody’.
As good as the day was, the evening was better. We met Robbie’s friend Heather and her two brothers Joel and Sam. They all work at a very high-end restaurant in Liverpool, where Hannah reserved us a table. We spoke and laughed into the evening. Heather shared her testimony about receiving the Holy Spirit and the overwhelming love of the Father. It was a testimony similar to the prodigal son in many aspects. While repentance was an important part of the story, the Father and His love for Hannah were the critical, central elements. Hallelujah.
Imagine, showing up in Liverpool (a city we didn’t know) and spending the day with brothers and sisters in Christ, not knowing Robbie well and never having met Hannah and her brothers, and leaving Liverpool absolutely knowing that we have met family. And knowing this in the deepest and most powerful way. The Body of Christ is a miracle that is even more amazing and powerful than the Cathedral we saw that morning.
Hallelujah.