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The War for the Soul of the Church
Usually, when we consider Paul’s words about God’s comfort in times of trial, we tend to apply them only to ourselves and to others as individuals. But sometimes, whole nations come into times of tribulation as well. Starting with the terrorist attacks of 2001, hurricane Katrina, and then the financial collapse in 2008, our nation (along with many others) entered into a time of difficulty. And as I write this, it seems that there will continue to be a season of personal and national distress as a result of our financial excesses, along with many shakings due to both weather patterns and international conflict.
But the message we carry is not primarily about the present difficulty, but about God’s promise to call us near at such times. When Jesus said that those who mourn are blessed because they will be comforted (called near), He was referring not only to believers, but to all who are troubled. The present season is one in which the Lord is arising into the Earth, and in the midst of shaking is sending forth a call to the nations to turn toward Him.
So what is causing the present shaking? Moses informs us that when the Lord descended upon mount Sinai, it shook violently (Exodus 19:18). Later, Isaiah the prophet cried out for God to rend the heavens and come down so that the mountains (often a symbol for nations and kingdoms)[1] would shake at His presence (Isaiah 64:1). Put simply, the Earth convulses at the presence of God[2]. I submit to you that we are experiencing an increase of His manifest presence. And the status quo simply cannot survive.
Why is He arising? Is it simply because we deserve great wrath due to our massive worldwide sin? Certainly the sins of the world are great. But He has promised to fill the Earth with His glory, not just His wrath. To further His redemptive plan, He is sending forth His comfort in trial. He is calling near to himself all who will listen, that many may hear and gain new insight into His beauty, His grace, and His purpose.
When we consider our own nation, we see a growing and spreading darkness. And the Church has seemed unable to stem the tide. But this will change. Many unbelievers will hear and respond to the call of Heaven and be born of the Spirit; many will not, and will be used of the enemy to further greater violence and sin. Many Christians as well will respond to God’s call to come into greater intimacy with Him and to receive new insight into His holy purpose and character. But many believers at least initially, will fail to understand God’s strategy. Their priority will be to focus on what is wrong with the political, economic, and philosophical thinking of others. While these issues are important and must be addressed, they must be done so from the perspective of fresh insight into God’s heart and purpose.
The nations need to hear what is on the heart of God. To miss His priority will be to miss His emerging kingdom in our generation. Our message is not simply about going to Heaven when we die; it is also about God’s activity in extending His kingdom among men. And it is at best misguided to think we can comprehend the Kingdom of God without spending time beholding and learning the motives and priorities of the One who rules it.
Because many will hear and respond to His call in the midst of tribulation, there will emerge in our land an increasing number of believers bringing to us new and fresh insights into the heart and purpose of God. Through this company, He will reveal to all who will listen, new dimensions of who He is. Some will proclaim with new perception God’s love for Israel. For others, it will be about His love for the poor. Still more will have gained new insight into His present and available healing power for the sick. And while He will lead some to greater political activism, they will understand that His kingdom transcends politics. But let us be clear – God is arising in the Earth and coming into greater clarity among the nations. As He does so, our own nation will be confronted with clearer choices concerning the Lord and His kingdom than what she has faced to this day.
When the revelation of God is clearer, the consequences of our choices are greater.[3] For example, Christ’s life and ministry in Israel gave forth the greatest and clearest expression of the nature and glory of God in all of human history. When people made proper choices concerning Him, the results were eternal life. But because most of the nation of Israel made wrong choices concerning Him, the results were catastrophic, both individually and nationally.
So also, the years ahead are fraught with danger in our land simply because seeking to maintain the status quo will in itself be a wrong choice. If God is arising into greater clarity before the world, then change among the nations is unavoidable. The Kingdom of God does not expand at a pace that is according to our comfort levels, but according to the sovereign initiatives of God. This is not to say that He intends to just ignore our frailty; He is not out to simply steamroll over us.
To be clear, God’s project to fill the Earth with His glory is not based on human zeal to get the job done. We are too prone to settling in wherever His blessings have brought us so far. And while where we are in our spiritual pilgrimage may be wonderful, where He is leading us will be more satisfying to His heart. And whatever brings joy to Him will also have great fulfillment for all who follow Him.
Again, the zeal of His own heart is the driving force behind God’s expanding kingdom. He is arising and the nations are beginning to quake before Him. To put it another way, humanity is at present experiencing geopolitical, economic, and climatological trembling, because God is revealing himself as the unshakeable foundation for human existence. In effect, He is exposing the shaky condition of everything else in which people put their trust.
So where does your trust reside? As believers, our first response is to say that we trust in the Lord. But have you noticed a kind of dread, an anxiety growing in your heart as you consider the future? Or is your hope firmly established on God even though His presence can seem so disruptive to the status quo?
And here is something else to consider. If the hearts of God’s people are beginning to shake as much as the nations, then what is it that we are discovering about ourselves? Could it be that we are not building our lives individually and corporately upon Christ the only true foundation of God’s house? And if we are, could we be doing so only partially? Is that sufficient to please Him? To put it another way, have we noticed in our own hearts a desire to go back to the time before God recently began to shake what could be shaken in the world?
But let us be clear – we are not going back. The Lord is taking His people and even the whole Earth on into the next phase of His work among men. Will we look forward with eyes of faith and hearts filled with hope? Will we be among those proclaiming good news while the hearts of some faint from fear? Let us keep looking unto Him as we look toward the years ahead.
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