Many church members are broken-hearted, dismayed, and discouraged by apostasy they see overwhelming their church; they are tempted to stay home on Sabbath.
The Enemy seems to be coming in as "a flood," but the Lord has promised, "When the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard against him" (Isa. 59:19). That is happening today! The Lord is faithful!
The church where they were baptized seems to have departed from the faith. There is now a new meaning to the solemn words of Jesus: "On the earth distress of nations with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring; men's hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of heaven will be shaken" (Luke 21:25-26).
It's those "powers of heaven" being "shaken" that so distresses sincere, honest-minded people. The Psalmist anticipated this when he said, "If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?" (Psalm 11:3).
Answer: They must stand firm even if the foundations around them crumble. The Lord has placed these messages in His Bible to alert us of the terrible "shaking" that must come. The answer to the Psalmist's question is clear: stand for the "truth of the gospel." Bear witness of your faith; the Protestant Reformation was a work of the Holy Spirit, but even Protestantism has now crumbled, and no longer is protestant; but nevertheless the Holy Spirit keeps the spirit of "protest" alive. Truth has not died.
In the final "shaking" everything that has been built up may crumble around us like ashes after a fire. "Think it not strange," says the apostle Peter, "concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you."
The Lord is a jealous God, He has tremendous Self-respect, determined not to let the Jews crucify Christ again, and also determined not to let His glorious outpouring of the Holy Spirit in the latter rain to be "insulted" again. When Laodicea lays her self-righteous, proud offering on His altar, "rich and increased with goods," when in reality she is of all the seven churches of history the most "wretched, and miserable, and poor and blind and naked," He will treat her offering as He treated the offering of Cain--just walk away until it withers and becomes garbage that the janitor has to cart away. The Lord will not accept the offering of those who choose to remain proud and self-sufficient.
It's time to let the Lord have all there is of us; share the cross of Jesus with Him (that's where we belong, you know). "Humble [ourselves] under the mighty hand of God" (1 Peter 5:6). Get down to rock bottom.
No comments:
Post a Comment