Trouble on the Horizion!

“Jesus is the desire of the nations, but the nations don’t know it yet.”  SB

I was considering Love this morning and how Jesus’s Love for humanity has brought us to where we are.  Really, if it were not for Jesus, we would still be living in the dark ages.  God’s economy regarding His Kingdom is expansion and growth.  Our Western World has received tremendous benefit from the Gospel of Jesus Christ.   Jesus has stated over and over again that 'the fields are white unto harvest', the only thing missing in this equation is workers to bring in that harvest.  True men and women of God who shake cities and bring the fear (or awe) of God to bear in the hearts and minds of the lost.

Our country and the Western world in general have experienced unprecedented growth in the last several hundred years namely due to our freedoms and our openness to take in the foreigner and refugee’s from other countries who have experienced oppression and have required asylum. Yes our Western world has been a Bastian of freedom to people who needed it most. 

 

However, there is a threat on the horizon, and this threat does not come from refugees or foreigners seeking freedom, it comes from people who do not want to assimilate into our culture seeking peaceful integration, instead their intent is to bring what is diametrically opposed to Christianity and the laws which have been established which were mostly based on Christian ideals.  Their purpose is to raise a new generation of religious zealots who do not view democracy as a legitimate style of government or Christianity as a legitimate faith.  They want to crush Christians or anyone who aligns themselves with this style of government as being Christian.  These are competing ideologies which are attempting to counter Christianity, one such ideology is humanism.  Humanism has become very prevalent in our society, it puts man at the center of his universe and his argument for justification becomes pragmatic as opposed to absolute which describes God’s position.  Pragmatism is the the linking of practice and theory or better said ‘the means to an end’.  (The attached sermon link is known as the “Sermon of the Century”, it was preached by Paris Reidhead to a group of young people graduating from seminary back in the 1960’s it was called ‘10 shekels and a shirt’ detailing this threat in detail.  Here is the link: http://media.sermonindex.net/2/SID2575.mp3).

I am not bringing attention to this threat to call Christians to ‘rise to arms’ and defend Christianity or even to defense of this country, believe me I know Jesus is strong enough and capable enough to defend Himself and His people if need be. 

Joel 2: 1-2 (GWT)

¹ Blow the ram’s horn in Zion.

    Sound the alarm on my holy mountain.

        Everyone who lives in the land should tremble,

            because the day of the Lord is coming.

    Certainly, it is near.

²         It is a day of darkness and gloom,

            a day of clouds and overcast skies.

                A large and mighty army

                    will spread over the mountains like the dawn.

    Nothing like this has ever happened.

    Nothing like this will ever happen again.

It is so easy to live cloistered in a Christian environment with Christian people around us who share our mindset and ideals that we may lose sight of the fact that we are salt and light in a dark and tasteless world that needs saving.  I grew up understanding that Christianity was meant to be a deeply personal walk with Jesus, walking with Him and talking with Him daily.  Getting to know His heart, with Him revealing ours.  My Grandmother used to tell me that being a ‘real Christian’ requires sacrifice, and “part of that sacrifice was setting aside time for Jesus and letting Him speak to your heart”.  I used to write off my Grandmother as being a bit eccentric, but now I see the wisdom in what she had shared with me. This whole walk with Jesus is all about Him and His desire for us, not about our desire or our wants.  It is a joy and a privilege to be able to share Christ with other Christians, but in perspective this is only like ‘taking shore leave’ from the battle.  The battlefield is all around us, in our workplace, or schools, in the marketplace, our government, our court system, our churches, everywhere we go.  I believe my purpose in sharing this is in line with scripture, for I believe we need to ask God to give us eyes to see our opportunity and to stand in the gap and pray for our leaders as well as our neighbors whatever nationality or religion they may espouse, that the Love of Christ may be in all and prevail.  We extend that Kingdom of Love when we enjoin in the battle.   

But what does that look like?  And how is this walked out?

Isaiah 62:6-7 (NASB)

⁶ On your walls, O Jerusalem, I have appointed watchmen;

All day and all night they will never keep silent.

You who remind the Lord, take no rest for yourselves;

⁷ And give Him no rest until He establishes

And makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth.

My Grandmother was an intercessor, she would rise up early in the morning and the fireworks would begin.  Her prayers started quietly with just a simple worship song, but she knew the secret of ‘pressing in’ or entering in to God’s presence.   From that simple worship song she entered into the Lord’s presence and began taking her place as a warrior for Christ (A daughter of Zion).  She would begin praying for the people that came to her mind, she would then take spiritual authority over any oppressive spiritual influence over that person’s life, then she would pray for them and not give up praying until she sensed that it was done, complete, and the victory was won.  Sometimes these prayer sessions would go on for an hour to an hour and a half of constant warfare.  In the end my grandmother would be laughing and joyful, because the Lord assured her of the victory.  I thank God I have such vivid memories of this amazing model of intercession of my Grandmother where I have seen great battles won for Christ and His Kingdom.  I have also seen many battles lost when I personally did not take the time to pray and seek God’s face before entering into battle.  I have walked away from these battles bloodied and wounded from attempting to bring victory in my own strength rather than seeking God’s face first.

Isaiah 59:15-16 (GWT)

¹⁵         Truth is missing.

            Those who turn away from evil make themselves victims.

    The Lord sees it, and he’s angry

        because there’s no justice.

¹⁶     He sees that there’s no one to help.

    He’s astounded that there’s no one to intercede.

        So with his own power he wins a victory.

        His righteousness supports him.

So what is our calling?  What is our purpose in Christ?  I believe it is really simple!  It is to KNOW Christ!  And to share in the fellowship of His suffering. 

2 Timothy 2:3-13 (NIV)

³ Join with me in suffering, like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. ⁴ No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in civilian affairs, but rather tries to please his commanding officer. ⁵ Similarly, anyone who competes as an athlete does not receive the victor’s crown except by competing according to the rules. ⁶ The hardworking farmer should be the first to receive a share of the crops. ⁷ Reflect on what I am saying, for the Lord will give you insight into all this.

Brother Darrell shared an email last week stating: “…I woke up in the middle of the night last night and many predictions of the dire times were flooding my mind.  One of the realities of these predictions is that persecution is coming and very soon.  We need to get ready for it.  It will cause a lot of pain and grief but God will use it to purify his church.” 
 

I believe this is a time of great opportunity and not a time to be gripped by fear.  The media wants us to be afraid so they can keep us under control and quiet.  God wants us to be alert and aware of His power so that we can walk in His victory.  He has given us many resources so that we can be the ‘shade tree’ for many when the persecution does come.  We are the Oaks of Righteousness…so that He might display His glory.

Isaiah 61:2-3 (GWT)

²         He has sent me
            to announce the year of the Lord’s good will
                and the day of our God’s vengeance,
            to comfort all those who grieve.
³         He has sent me
            to provide for all those who grieve in Zion,
            to give them crowns instead of ashes,
                the oil of joy instead of tears of grief,
                    and clothes of praise instead of a spirit of weakness.

    They will be called Oaks of Righteousness,
        the Plantings of the Lord,
            so that he might display his glory.

Lord, thank you for your love, and your mercy which is extended to all.  Give us eyes to see and ears to hear the opportunities that you place before us.  Help us to trust you more, even in areas where our trust in you is weak.  May your strength flow through us and bring salvation and hope to others.  O that we may know Christ in all of His fullness, and to behold the beauty of His presence.   May we be led by His Sheppard’s staff into all that lies ahead for us. 

Stephen Barnett

↓Click Here to listen to the song

Let my words be few

Words and music by Matt Redman & Beth Redman

CCLI #3040980

You are God in heaven
And here am I on earth,
So I'll let my words be few-
Jesus I am so in love with You.

And I'll stand in awe of You,
Yes I'll stand in awe of You,
And I'll let my words be few-
Jesus I am so in love with You.

The simplest of all love songs
I want to bring to You,
So I'll let my words be few-
Jesus I am so in love with You.

Guitar Tabs Click Here

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The music above is copyrighted by the respective artists, and is demonstrated here for educational purposes only.