I am so
grateful for Jesus.
There are hardly words that can express appreciation for
what Jesus has accomplished for us by dying on the cross. His death has brought
freedom and peace, as nothing else could.
Like many of my previous posts, I have emphasized that it
is the light of Christ that shines through us to demonstrate His love through
us, not just our good intentions done for our benefit or the benefit of others.
I listened to several messages on Easter Sunday online,
which spoke to that very thing, saying that somehow we need to
reach out to others and do the works of Jesus. Unfortunately, we cannot do the works of Jesus unless He does His work through us and meets the spiritual needs of
others, that need falls squarely on the lap of Jesus for Him to
shine with His glory so that others are drawn to Him. Not so much by
what we do, but rather by who Jesus is and who we are in Him.
"There is a divine mystery—a secret surprise that
has been concealed from the world for generations, but now it's being revealed,
unfolded and manifested for every holy believer to experience. Living within
you is the Christ who floods you with the expectation of glory! This mystery of
Christ, embedded within us, becomes a heavenly treasure chest of hope filled
with the riches of glory for his people, and God wants everyone to know it!"
Colossians 1:26-27
(TPT)
We can meet the immediate needs of others by providing
food, shelter, toilet paper, whatever, and that is a good thing, but what emanates
through us? Is it the love of Christ? Or is it another obligation to a Church denomination or ministry we
are involved with?
Christ residing in us is essential for our spiritual walk
forward with Jesus as He draws us onward. It is growing more in love with Jesus
that typifies Christ residing in us, and His glory that shines from us that
draws others to Him, which is our true testimony. We are a reflection of Jesus.
Large Churches try to meet the needs of a lot of people,
which at times can forsake the glory or radiance of
Christ to be able to achieve that immediate need of those who attend to reach the masses. Don't misunderstand, immediate needs are essential and needed, but Christ still needs to shine through us with His glory to reach and inspire others.
We have
an opportunity to make a change (a difference)
and not go back
to the "same old-same old" of the "business as usual," a Church model which has kept the Holy Spirit at
arm's length for many years and not given Him the free rein of His ecclesia.
As a Church Body, we have prayed for revival in our
nation for many years with little or no national results.
It has been said prophetically that the "windows of revival have closed in America.*" Yet, if we stand back and quietly ask the Lord why, a whisper comes back to us
that we as a Church (as a
larger body of believers) have
offended the Holy Spirit by not letting Him have His way among us and operate
through our lives for decades.
We as the established Church, have become too comfortable and familiar with
the corporate Church structure, which too readily resembles a business model.
The Holy Spirit has vacated the premises and has gone looking outside our "Church" building walls for individuals who are open to
listen and allow their lives directed and led by Him.
'"For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout
the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is
perfect toward him."
2 Chronicles 16:9a (BRG)
Where did we ever come up with this model for a Church "building" anyway? Originally, It came from the early house churches
which existed at the time of the disciples and through the Roman persecution of
Christians.
In the second
half of the 3rd century AD, the first purpose-built halls for Christian worship
(aula ecclesiae) began to be constructed. Although many of these were destroyed
early in the next century during the Diocletian Persecution, even larger and
more elaborate church buildings began to appear during the reign of the Emperor
Constantine.
It wasn't until the 11th to the 14th centuries that large cathedrals
began to be built. The word cathedral is Latin for "seat." The seat referred to is the seat of the
bishop, who is the leader of a group of churches related to the cathedral. The
bishop's seat (or position) is both a metaphor for the cathedral as the
bishop's "seat of power" and his actual chair, the
"cathedra," inside the cathedral.**
Paul was opposed to anyone becoming
an "authority" figure with power in the Church other than
Christ.
"I pray that you will continually experience the
immeasurable greatness of God's power made available to you through faith. Then
your lives will be an advertisement of this immense power as it works through
you! This is the mighty power that was released when God raised Christ from the
dead and exalted him to the place of highest honor and supreme authority in the
heavenly realm! And now
he is exalted as first above every ruler, authority, government, and realm of
power in existence! He is gloriously enthroned over every name that is ever
praised, not only in this age, but in the age that is coming!"
Ephesians 1:19-21
(TPT) emphasis mine
There was the 5-fold ministry in Paul's day, but these
were considered servant roles and not positions of authority. The early Church met
in homes, much like the Church in China does today. The Church in China is
thriving even though it is underground.
Christianity is illegal in China, if government authorities find pastors, they are arrested and jailed.
Persecution has always been a catalyst for Church growth no matter where it is
located, as it was in Jerusalem in Paul's day, and so it is today in China.
I hope we can get past the old ways of drawing crowds
into large buildings and get back to simplistic faith of one on one Christianity
being practiced in our homes where we live our lives as a family and let Christ Jesus shine
through us to inspire and impart life to others.
My Prayer—
God, you are so faithful to be in us through our troubles and
conflict; it only shows us that you are a good God who cares about and loves
the people that you have created. We have experienced many deaths in our nation
due to the Coronavirus it is overwhelming to calculate the losses for it does
affect us directly, with the loss of people due to sickness, the loss of jobs, and wealth
and income. Our economy is our biggest loser, but when it is all said and done,
we are aware that you, God, did not cause this virus.
We as a people depend
upon your mercies and healing to get through the worst of it and find our lives
solely dependent upon you.
This nation and the world have economies that are
deeply damaged and affected in ways we could never have imagined, which only
shows us not only how fragile our lives are, but how weak our economies are
when impacted by such a pandemic.
Our hearts and minds are drawn back to you
for hope and comfort during the worst of this virus outbreak.
My prayer is that we, as a
nation, will come to you who is our hope and our refuge during this time of
struggle, and be our strength at all times moving forward.
Amen.
"God, you're such a safe and powerful place to find
refuge! You're a proven help in time of trouble—more than enough and always
available whenever I need you. So we will never fear even if every structure of
support were to crumble away. We will not fear even when the earth quakes and
shakes, moving mountains and casting them into the sea. For the raging roar of
stormy winds and crashing waves cannot erode our faith in you."
Psalm 46:1-3 (TPT)
Be Blessed;
Stephen Barnett
* allegedly a quote from Lonnie Frisbee** from Wikipedia
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