SHILOH MESSENGER - October 2012
















 

Groans of a Nation

“When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan” (Proverbs 29:2).


Next month we will go to the polls to cast our vote for a President. Our vote will determine who our President will be for the next four years. The Media and the Politician's are busy with their spin in order to sway us to vote for a particular party. But do they have our best interest in mind? Why do we question this? It is sad that we live in an environment where integrity is lacking in politicians and the news media. How did we arrive to such a place of mistrust? I am convinced it is because the Church has compromised her Authority and allows this spirit to go un-challenged. What do I mean by this? The Church is ordained to be a Watchman and also a Bride (Matt. 25:10-13). In Mark 13:33-37, Jesus warns us about complacency. “Take heed, watch and pray; for you do not know when the time is. It is like a man going to a far country, who left his house and gave authority to his servants, and to each his work, and commanded the doorkeeper to watch. Watch therefore, for you do not know when the master of the house is coming--in the evening, at midnight, at the crowing of the rooster, or in the morning lest, coming suddenly, he find you sleeping. And what I say to you, I say to all: Watch!"  There is such a sobering Truth to these verses describing a sleeping Church (servant). Notice Jesus said, “He went away and left us in authority and He gave us an assignment (a work).” As we (Christians) take an honest assessment of our assignment, how are we doing? You need not to look, but to listen and hear the groans of a Nation in assessing our assignment.
 
In John 14:12-18,21, Jesus gives us an invitation to co-labor with Him in the assignment. He says; "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it. If you love Me, keep My commandments. And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever--  the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.  I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you. He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him."  In my years of ministry I have learned many “Truths”. One  of the most  valuable is that I have a Helper (Holy Spirit) and that I should pray for “earth to be like Heaven,” in Jesus name (Matt. 6:10). I have also learned another Truth, that God would never give me an assignment that would not produce a favorable outcome. Therefore we have a mandate that is already successful because  of the “Victorious One” who issued it. He is desiring our partnership in carrying out the “Victory” that already has been won, but needs to be enforced by the one given the authority. Luke 10:17-20; “Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, "Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name. And He said to them, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven."
 
I believe as the Body of Christ we have missed these valuable Truths. Some how we have become dis-engaged from our assignment. I believe the strategy of the enemy is to keep us self-centered. When we do this, we spend our time worrying about things that have already been provided for in Christ.   Jesus gave a commandment for us not to worry, but to seek to establish the Kingdom of God. Matthew 6:31-34, Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. When we are about the Fathers business of preaching the “Good News of the Gospel,” the lost will respond, because of the Good News that Christ Jesus has came to “seek and save the lost” (Lk. 19:10)
 
I am often reminded about how wicked the world has become. Usually it comes by listening to others who are in the Body of Christ. It seems they are so impressed in what the devil is doing, that they behave like their in survival panic mode. “Oh, if I can just hang in here until Christ Jesus comes to pick us up in the rapture”. Well here is a profound statement that I heard, “Jesus is not coming back on a rescue mission. He is coming back to pick us up for a wedding!” (Rev. 19:7-9) Oh how we need to become the righteous, loving, victorious, warring Bride. Our hearts should be as one with Him for the affairs of a world that seems orphaned. An orphan always manifest abandonment, because he does not have a family. As the Family Of God our response to an orphaned planet should be to manifest the Love of the Father, for the purpose of drawing the orphans into the Family of God. This is an assignment that we have failed to accomplish.
 
So what is the solution to correcting a failure in an assignment? Humility in repentance!  2Chronicles 7:14 is a familiar passage that I believe the Lord is desiring for implementation in the Body of Christ, “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 I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” In this well known verse the Lord is calling His people  to humility in repentance. There is so much the Lord is desiring to do in and through the Body of Christ, for the purpose of drawing a Nation back to Him. We must repent and then seek out the other members in the Body to be unified. How will the world know love unless we demonstrate love for one another in the Body of Christ (Jn. 17:20-26, 1Jn. 4:21)? I do not believe we can just manufacture a superficial relationship with one another. We can only demonstrate the Love of the Father through intimacy with the Holy Spirit. When we spend time in Worship, we will begin to manifest His Heart for Humanity. We become like the “One” we worship. “Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world” (1 John 4:17). I believe the Holy Spirit is instructing us  to pray for the Body of Christ to infiltrate into politics, the media and education in order to demonstrate the love of God. This strategy will change a Nation that is groaning into one that is rejoicing. Don’t forget to vote on November 6th.


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