Being the Church - For Such a Time as This

I awoke middle of last night to a deluge and thunderstorm outside! Since I was awake, I started to pray about this world that we are living in. Jesus warned us of terrors to come before He returns. He warned of everything from nations rising up against nations and the stars falling into the sea to false Messiahs (Christs) being out in force to families hating and being against each other and people's hearts FAILING them for fear. A lot of that is being seen even now. Even WITHOUT all that, this is an often frightening world we live in. Hate and immorality abound, common decency is UNCOMMON. 

What is the meaning of this for Christians? For ONE thing, I believe that it is a reminder for us to get closer to Jesus - in Word and prayer. Also a reminder that this world is NOT our home. The more I look at this world, the more I LONG for my TRUE and ETERNAL home in Heaven. Yet, we cannot simply long and wait to go home! God has PLACED us in this world FOR SUCH A TIME AS THIS (Esther 4:14). It would seem that as we trust that God knows who we are better than we do, we can rely on HIM more than on ourselves (Prov. 3:5-6) for strength and courage (Josh. 1:8) and direction to make it through these difficult and CRAZY times! And we will KNOW what our part is as we draw near and PRAY! Encourage ONE ANOTHER, brothers and sisters! This is why we HAVE each other - the CHURCH - which IS the Body of Christ. It is NOT a PLACE but it is WE who know and love Jesus, who is our HEAD. He gave us each other, NOT to coerce or manipulate as some do to their shame, (because they can't TRUST Jesus to lead His OWN). This is the job of His Holy Spirit - to lead, guide, teach all truth, convict of sin as necessary [none of us is perfect] - to train and comfort. (Jn. 14:16-17, 24-26; Jn. 16: 8-15).

It  beyond  MY ability to grasp the WHYs of it, but  He chooses to use US - to partner with His SUPERNATURAL power to build each other up and draw others to Himself.  That's the REAL purpose of the church - to use the spiritual gifts He has given us in order to BUILD each other up so that we can walk OUT of the building and into the world to be LIGHT and SALT there! Because when they see Christ in US, they will MARVEL and drop hate to serve & worship He who IS TRUE LOVE!

 But as they did to the Master, some will also (as Jesus warned) hate us and have us killed, joyfully, because OUR light will show up and convict them of their DARKNESS, and that most often without a word from us.  It is not necessary.  This is why it is not our place to speak judgment on anyone. Jesus does it through His Spirit IN US.  People KNOW  that they are doing wrong.  I believe that that is WHY they march in Pride Parades!  That is WHY they are trying to DESTROY Christians who refuse to not only accomodate but bow down and do homage to the LGBT activist agenda.  It's like they are getting into the face of Jesus and boldly rejecting His way for their own,  almost DARING Him, through us, to shout them down!  But that isn't His way.  And it shouldn't be OURS, either, as His children. The hate they accuse us of belongs to them, not us, and we must not act in kind.  But we must take our cues from our Master, who when He was slapped, offered the other cheek, answered directly but without hatred or sarcasm, and gave His hands and feet to the nails.  

Some call that weakness.  Islam, Communism, Fascism,  Paganism - (you don't have to go farther than our own government to see) - they ALL see Jesus and His followers as weak.  But Jesus was anything BUT.  They think He was a Pacifist.  But would a pacifist make a whip to disrupt and send the moneychangers packing?  Would a wimp call the religious leaders of his time "Whitewashed tombs, filled with dead men's bones" and "Hypocrites!  You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when he becomes one you make him twice as much a son of hell as you are." (Mt. 23:15)  I think NOT! When He came the first time it was with the purpose of being the Lamb of God  come to save the world by humbling Himself to death on a cross, followed by a vindicating resurrection.  But He WILL come again, and THEN it will be as the ROARING LION of the tribe of Judah, to JUDGE and SENTENCE!  In the meantime, we each have our "assignment," according to the faith and gifts he has given us to work with Him.  I honestly don't believe, however, that we have even completely awakened to live out that calling on our lives, but I think the time is close at hand.  

While praying early this morning, the passage in Ezekiel 37 came to my mind:  the story about the Valley of Dry Bones.  One day when Ezekiel was praying, God took him (in the Spirit) to a valley filled with dry bones.  Then God asked him, "Son of man, can these bones live?"  To which  Ezekiel replied, "O Sovereign Lord, you alone know."  Then the Lord told Ezekiel to prophesy over the bones and piece by piece, tendons and flesh, skin and breath entered the bones and they came to life as a mighty army!   While I didn't "see" the image myself, the idea materialized as it were, and I sensed God telling me that this would be HIS church in THIS day - coming SOON!   

Many have counted the church OUT - like a boxer in a ring that appears to have been knocked out.  Our numbers have lowered in many churches, our ranks appearing weak.  But I think that we will soon watch the Sleeping Giant RISE in Jesus' Name as we once more SEEK and see MIRACLES of regenerated life, healings, and more, as Jesus promised ("I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing.  He will do even GREATER things than these, because I am going to the Father." (Jn. 14:12)  and BE the people of God that we were meant to be, bringing in many people to the kingdom.  I haven't seen that  - maybe people in other countries I've heard about - but just maybe it will soon be OUR turn.  When the darkness is the darkest, the Light of TRUTH will shine like the noonday SON!  Let's all start (if we haven't already) praying BIG TIME for the world around us and for the SPIRIT to bring us a new Pentecost, complete with power and boldness - and fruit like we've never seen before!  Let us prepare ourselves to be faithful in order to RECEIVE such a TREMENDOUS "catch" as we partner with our Lord to improve our "fishing" skills (Mt. 4:19)!