We live in such a tenuous time and more than ever, we need to hear what God is saying to the churches, TODAY! There have been so many wonderful, powerful and absolutely necessary moves of God in the body of Christ. These should not be movements that we live through and then put on the shelf because each is critical for the place we are today. But we must hear what God is saying today.
As I think back on some of those who brought so much into the body of Christ, I am reminded that they were often viewed as heretical and out of step with the main steam religion of the day. Thank God they were out of step, but I also remember that Jesus was viewed as a heretic and lunatic by the religious “experts”.
Two major issues I’ve seen with any move of God is first, there are those who would not receive what God is doing in that day and secondly, there are those who will not go past what God did yesterday. Peter Wagner said it best when he said “the greatest danger to a new move of God is an old move that is still at work”. I do not believe any valid move of God expires, but it takes its place as the foundation of our faith and we build on that revealed truth with every new move of God. The truth is always going to be the truth, but the truth revealed years ago should be part of our foundation of truth today to help us evaluate and receive what God is saying and doing in this hour. God is always revealing and He is so multifaceted that He is past our ability to comprehend, until He reveals Himself.
Every move of God takes its place in preparing the body for what God is going to do next. As important as the message was 20, 30 or even 60 years ago, God still speaks today and we must hear what the Spirit is saying to the church. The foundation of truth never changes and every move of the past is a critical stepping stone to get us to a place today. But what is God saying today? I think back to over 40 years ago when I first became a believer and the world is nothing like it was then. Abortion embraced by the church was unheard of. The fact that homosexuality would be embraced by the church would be unthinkable. What was once darkness is now considered light and received as “uncovered revelation” in this new day. This is the basis of the Gnosticism that even the early church dealt with.
Thank God for the Word of Faith movement that brought light to the importance of knowing and applying God’s unchangeable truth in our life. Thank God for the Charismatic Movement where Holy Spirit was recognized as an empowering and real person who is involved in the life of the church and the believer. I thank God for the apostolic and prophetic movement of the early 21st century that brought awareness of the authority of the church in God’s Kingdom in the earth. All of these are critically important to where we are today. We must have the foundation of the Word and the power and wisdom of Holy Spirit to properly steward the apostolic and prophetic influence of the church. We must understand our authority as agents of God’s Kingdom in the earth today and we desperately need the true prophetic voices to be heard.
Today, like none I’ve seen, evil powers and principalities have removed their disguise and openly assault what is right, good and holy. Jesus warned against us accepting darkness as light, (Mt. 6:23) and I fear this is where the church has landed in some cases. When the church embraces the doctrines of the world that include the destruction of innocent lives and perverse immorality as “God ordained”, we are in serious trouble. When the church is afraid to address these issues from the pulpits, we are in deeper trouble. The church is the answer to the evil days we are in. The church is the power of God present in the earth to expose and remove evil influences in our nation, cities, schools and homes. We must walk and exercise the authority granted to us as the Ekklesia of today.
Let’s move past the elementary teachings as warned in Hebrews 6:1 and deal with the issues at hand. It’s time to stop having Holy Ghost parties and rolling around in the floor looking for a feel good moment and start addressing the powers and principalities that are attempting to destroy our families and nations. It time to stop having holy huddle Bible studies that do nothing but increase knowledge without the expression of power. (1 Cor. 2:4). It’s time to stop with the worn out cliche’s that only reveal where we’ve come from and not where we are going. If we are “too blessed to be stressed”,
let’s turn that blessing into power that will change a life, city or nation.
It’s time for the church to be about the Father’s business rather than man’s. It’s time to start counting our churches’ success by spiritual growth rather than nickels and noses. It’s time to empower the body of Christ for the work of ministry, rather than leaving the assignment to the few “professional elites”. Jesus said the “gates of hell will not prevail against His church”. Let’s not sit idly by waiting on someone else to make a difference. I believe believers today are called for such a time as this. Let’s be the Church!
Thank you pastor for the message. You have made my day