Sunday, August 12, 2012

Nailing it to the Door Part 2

This is not meant to be a cure-all to every problem the Church faces. Rather, a diagnostic for those that don't think there is a problem and a preventative screening for those that see the problem and want to be sure they stay immune to it. Do you passionately desire the Lord above all else? Listen to what the Spirit is saying. The Enemy has invaded our midst and is trying to destroy us from the inside out. The Lord desires us pure and undefiled. But we are allowing anyone to redress the Bride however they like. The world called her self-righteous for her purity. But why would she care what another man thinks of her? Sadly, she is now a slave to the fashions and designs of the very people that call themselves enemies of her Bridegroom. His heart is broken...

    "They cling to deceit; they refuse to return. I have listened attentively, but they do not say what is right. No one repents of his wickedness, saying, “What have I done?” Each pursues his own course like a horse charging into battle. Even the stork in the sky knows her appointed seasons, and the dove, the swift and the   thrush observe the time of their migration. But my people do not know the requirements of the Lord. "

The warning cry has been sounded. The death rattle can be heard in the streets. A somber spirit has settled in the valleys. A cancer has spread and it is the Church that has infected itself. These are the birth pangs before the Trumpets of Judgement are sounded. The Church is divided, weak, delusional, and dizzy. If this age of the Church were a boxing match, our corner-man would be ready to throw in the towel. But, as if that wasn't bad enough, we also have a suicidal level of arrogance and pride about the whole situation. We refuse to see the death blow coming. We refuse to admit our weakness. We have built our life, our hope, our future on man-made stories, lies, and traditions; and are not willing to repent and leave it all so as not to go down with the ship. It's insanity.

This is strong language. They are harsh words. But who among you can deny the sickness that is evident. "Christians"  justify and rationalize this sickness in every way imaginable; some even celebrate it. But our self-centric theology will not save us in the day of testing; much less the day of judgement. We are living the fulfillment of the words of Jeremiah: "They dress the wound of my people as though it were not serious. 'Peace, peace,' they say, when there is no peace."

But there is still hope. The final trumpet has not been blown. We can be restored to the glory the Bride once possessed. "If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land." We must turn our hearts back to Jesus. We cannot be too simple about the situation though. The Body is a living organism and the problems it faces are complex and deep.

Martin Luther was a man who loved Jesus and hated the world. I don't mean he hated the people, but the world's ways, lies, manipulation, and love of power. As his maturity in Christ increased his understanding went deeper and deeper in what Jesus really wants for us and from us. This revelation drove a divide between the Church as he knew it of his day and the reality of the Bride of Christ. He spent years trying to rationalize and reconcile the two, but was never able to justify the injustices and outright evil that were displayed. It began with his issuing of the Ninety-Five Thesis on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences and continued in a life time of culling the truth from the lies.

I have prayed and meditated on this debilitating sickness for years now. And I have gone though many stages of understanding, compassion, anger, and judgement in this process of revelation. The Holy Spirit has been presenting me with the truth little by little as He saw fit. And He has now given me a ninety-five thesis of my own to be nailed to the doors of the Church. Mine does not contain ninety-five though, but only three. Three things that all churches and anyone who claims the name of Christ should do that will remove many of the tumors that plague the Church and get it back on a road of health so that we can spend our energies doing the will of our Bridegroom and not merely gasping for breath.

The contents of this will be hard for many to reconcile with what they know and have been taught their whole lives. Whether you are one who has been raised in the Church or possibly even if you are new to Jesus or do not know the man Jesus at all, this will be a challenging teaching. There are some things that grace covers. And then there are other things that drive a wedge between Jesus and ourselves. Things that give the Enemy a foothold and, eventually a full hold. The Church has opened their flank wide open and now Satan is the lord of the organized church of today. Jesus said, "If you are not for me, you are against me." He always reserves a remnant for Himself as He did in the days of Elijah. But, the organized church is in it's final moment before it's body begins hemorrhaging and dying in spectacular fashion just as Israel was before it's  physical destruction. The organized church has surrendered it's heart and loyalty to it's own self-serving needs. Power, money, titles, and moral justification are the apple of the these church's eye.  They sit under a strong delusion. And we know that lies can only come from one source: The Father of Lies. He truly is a wolf in sheep's clothing.

The greatest man who ever lived was Jesus. And as Jesus said, "Among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist." Both of these men had a simple and singular message as they walked the Earth, "Repent! For the kingdom of Heaven is near!"  As you read these pages I ask you to open your heart to what the Shepherd is saying. His return is very near and He is calling out to His people. I preach the message that my Master and Lover preaches "You have forsaken your first love. Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first... He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God. "

The Holy Spirit has left us with a complete revelation for the operation of the Body just as He gave the Israelites a complete revelation for the operation of their nation. It was a fatal offense to add or subtract from the Law. What the Israelites experienced as a physical truth in the Law and through divine judgement and correction on their physical beings; we experience in spirtual truth and feel the repercussions of our actions in our hearts and souls. To operate outside of the Law would cause death and disease inside the Camp. To operate outside of Jesus' commands for the Body causes spiritual death and disease inside the Church. It is of the utmost importance that we know what Jesus expects of us and how he wants His Bride to operate if we are to be healthy and alive.

Feel free to comment or ask questions! 

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