For the
love of money you have left your first love!
This is
what the Lord spoke to me about the Church at large last night when I asked the
Lord, where is the Church? Please continue reading so that I may explain.
If you don’t believe God will move in the
midst of a political meet and greet, guess again, two weeks ago, as I attended
one such event. He led me to lay hands on and pray for a woman who had
relationship issues and a cataract in one of her eyes that prevented her from
seeing, by the end of the meeting her eye had cleared enough for her to make
out letters and she was excited to go home and tell her family about what God
had done for her. The spirit will move where He sees fit.
Over
the course of the Last few weeks I have been led into situations where I have
found myself fellowshipping with and ministering to groups of men and women who
are either elected officials running for re-election or those relatively new to
the political arena campaigning to make a change. I have met men and women so
passionate about the causes that have been laid on their hearts that they have
been willing to drive thousands of miles away to join others and literally
stand in front of the guns of bureaucratic oppressors in defense of peaceful
families. From every one of these people and candidates I have heard a
commonality of conviction, a great love of the Lord, a respect for His Law and
a love for this country they know He began. Last night we attended a conference
on the Bill of Rights, specifically the second amendment, in which many of
these candidates and those from another state were invited to speak. The spirit
was present and prevalent as each speaker humbly yet firmly explained their
position on the issues and gave God the credit for their strength and
perseverance and the glory for their victories. I found myself witnessing
something God had told me some time ago.
“The Spirit of Truth is on the rise in this Nation”!
Afterward
we spent some time fellowshipping encouraging and ministering. I was greatly
encouraged to see the Godly people that were standing up and collectively
saying enough is enough and seeking to bring sincere change. There was one man
though who really captured my heart. As he heard me speak some scripture and
found out that I was a pastor he struck up a conversation with me and began to
express some anguish he was experiencing as a result of what he felt he was
being pressured to do. You see, his conflict was same sex marriage. He is in a
position where he his directly responsible for granting official recognition
and enforcing the licensure of such. I listened as he expressed his deep
concerns over the new Idaho laws and how he wanted nothing to do with it and
how he believed it was contrary to what God would want and he asked for
counsel. I simply agreed with Him and revealed that he was already receiving
counsel from someone much greater than me. It is written, “We ought to obey
God, not Man”. As he continued to speak,
I could tell he felt somewhat alone and his demeanor revealed a man fighting to remain courageous in the midst
of this battle. I reminded him of the story of Meshach Shadrach and Abednego
encouraged him to remain strong and listen to the Lord and the Lord would honor
him. I told him of how God said to me one time, “Moses never had
to ask permission from men to do what I asked him to do”. He, like all the rest
needed to be lifted up
and encouraged. Then he asked a question that pierced straight through me,
“Where is the Church”? as if to say,
where is my help, where is my support. I could only respond by saying we are
here and our church will be supporting you in any way we can but most
powerfully, in prayer. These people are our voices on the front line in many
aspects of the battle being waged against evil and they are in sincere need of
prayer support. It is written, “For the weapons of our warfare are
not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds”.
I went home that night and tried to sleep but
I could not get his concerned face off of my mind and his question kept
churning in my spirit. “Where is the Church”? So I prayed throughout the night
seeking God and an answer to this question. Father, I asked, where is the
Church in all this? and this is what was laid on my spirit.
To the
church at large, For the love of money you have left your first love, you draw
nigh unto me with your mouth and honor me with your lips but your heart is far
from me this is taught by the precepts of men. You hide and pray for this
nation but your prayers are hindered because you regard inequity in your heart
as you serve other gods in my house. Faithless in fear you take no action and
are content in silence and complacency, seduced into a love of worldly things
and the praise of men more than the praise of God. Stop being deceived stop
portraying your fondness for emotional human energy as my spirit and stop
attempting to prostitute my Holy Spirit. You who were once powerful in me have
become ineffectual in the world. Faith without works is dead, end your
rebellion and Repent!
The
evidence for this is clear. We have had people come in to our church who are
obviously oppressed, suffering, lost, hurt and tormented, denying the power of
Jesus in their lives, yet carrying baptismal certifications they acquired from
somewhere that was completely ineffectual. All around us evil seems to be
prevailing in its influence in all aspects of our lives and culture. Just
because you refuse to acknowledge this does not mean it is untrue, earnestly contemplate
what your families are facing and the influences guiding your children. You
will be held responsible for your generations. Stop using end times doctrine to
excuse your lack of movement it is sloth and laziness. Church rise up in your
absence God is using influences like Hobby stores and Fried chicken food chains
to do your work, they aren’t afraid to stand on the principles of God, why are
you? Do not concede. God is on the move. Repent, enough is enough. And because the
truth was not delivered gently is no excuse to resist receiving it. We have
already begun to see God create circumstances that work to reveal and remove people
from church leadership. Soon there will be many Church leaders who, like Saul,
are forever tormented in their spirit, because they simply would not obey what
the Lord asked of them to, and opportunity to walk in His will and majesty
passed them by. It is not too late. It
is written,
“If my people, which are called by my
name, shall 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.”
