Jewels from Judy: THE ELECTRICAL OUTLET
Judy A Bauman
A Warning for the Church: The Electrical Outlet
In a vision, I was looking at the inside of a church from the entrance toward the sanctuary, down the aisle, and toward the platform. At the front of this empty church, between the two front pews, and in front of the Communion Table dangled an electrical outlet. It was suspended in the air from a gray, 1 inch thick, flexible conduit. Heavy electrical wire came into the top right side of the electrical box and exited the bottom left side.
I saw a man's hand holding a large extension cord in his left hand and he reached up to plug it into the dangling outlet with his right hand. The outlet only twisted and turned away from him. He tried this repeatedly with no success. Discouraged, he finally turned and walked away sad and frustrated.
I asked the Lord what this short vision meant. As I prayed, the scene replayed in my mind. I noticed that the outlet was not affixed. It just dangled there in mid-air and was not firmly anchored into the structure of the church. Because it was not installed correctly, any pressure applied to the outlet caused it to twist and turn and no one was there to help hold it in place. There wasn't enough stability to allow the person to plug in their extension cord. It was also above his head, so it wasn’t easy to reach.
I believe what the Lord was showing me is the outlet represented the power of Holy Spirit that is available to the believer, but leaders in the Church were keeping people from Him. Jesus said of them in Matt 23:13 “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut the kingdom of heaven in people's faces. For you neither enter yourselves nor allow those who would enter to go in.”
The man represented a believer’s desire to get plugged into God's power and authority to gain a greater understanding of His ways. The Holy Spirit, seen as the Electrical Outlet, was in the front of the church and near the Communion Table, but He wasn't given a firm place there. He was not anchored in the church, and He was not easily accessible. The believer understood this was the POWER SOURCE for the church but regrettably couldn’t plug into it.
Currently, I believe this vision speaks into why many churches are not experiencing growth or are altogether failing. If the Holy Spirit of God is kept out of reach and not given a firm foundation to which people can plug into and get charged up, they will get discouraged and leave.
It deeply grieved me when I saw him walk away looking so dejected.
Unless the Holy Spirit is given a secured place in the church to love, save, guide, teach, build, confirm, comfort, empower, fill, speak, renew, bear witness, convict, sanctify, anoint, correct, heal, counsel, rebuke, send, and give hope to the believers - that church will not be permitted to experience lasting growth. Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. Everything that can be shaken will be shaken and that shaking begins in the church. Amen.
This vision was shown to me in 1998, but recently it came to mind and as I read the vision, I knew I was to share it with you. I believe it carries a kairos message for the church and her leaders because this is what has happened recently to many of them. I pray when people come seeking fellowship with a Body of believers, they will be able to plug into the power of God and His wonderful ways. I pray those seekers will find Him in our midst.
In the Father’s Love,
Judy A Bauman
