Back

Back. Back to the beginning, to the fundamentals, to the way things used to be. Back to the basics. Back to the good ole days which usually prove not to be so good, once we take a closer look. Back to normal, which wasn't that normal. Back to first love, which would be much better. For years believers have yearned for a return to the days of the book of Acts. What they are longing for of course, is not going back to pit toilets and mud-daub houses, but the excitement of daily salvations, the sick healed, the dead raised, prison doors--both spiritual and literal--opened and chains loosed.

Back. Jesus is coming back. We don't know the hour or the day, but it's hard not to think that we are at least in the beginning of that season. In Matthew 23 Jesus said He won't return until Jerusalem welcomes Him back. Revelation 19 says He is coming back for a Bride made ready, spotless, united, and mature; a congregation of lovesick worshippers who will cover the world with the message of the Kingdom before the end.

The high priestly prayer of Jesus in John 17 is His call to unity. This is not a Council of Churches unity in which all denominational and cultural differences are compressed into a bland, homogeneous, politically-correct sameness. The God who created us with such distinctiveness could not possibly have wanted us all the same. His intent in making us so different was surely to weave a vibrant tapestry; the gifts and callings of each group contributing to the beauty of the Bride. The unity Jesus calls us to is not sameness, but oneness in Him. Devotion to God that burns and purifies and draws us irresistibly to Him, aligning us to one another in the process. Red and yellow, black and white adoring together the One who made us different to be a blessing, not a curse. A unity that takes us back to what we were in the beginning, beings designed for communion with the Holy.

Acts 2 details early believers living in unity, sharing all things, meeting from house to house as they figured out how Yeshua's resurrection deepened and expanded their Jewish faith. So going back to the book of Acts means a return to the origins of our faith, before the Gentilizing, before the persecutions, inquisitions, and crusades. Back to when Israel knew Messiah had come. When they saw the Torah with new eyes and began to understand God's heart for the nations. When they knew their sins were forgiven, God's promises would be fulfilled, Yeshua would return, and His justice would reign. Back to following 'the Way' for the joy set before them, no matter the cost.

For believers, back to the beginning would be the remnant of Israel worshipping with the remnant of the nations; together again as they were in the infant church--One New Man, interdependent, united, standing beneath the banner of Yeshua, the promised Messiah of Israel's God. Take us back, O Lord. Back to the original design, the plan You made that cannot be improved upon. Incline our hearts to Yours O God. Revive and restore hearts of fervent love and submission that we might go back, back to the origin, the foundation of Jesus upon which our house must be built. Then united, we will turn to the abundant harvest fields in preparation for Your glorious return. Come back soon lovely Jesus!

Conspiracy

Conspiracies...almost daily a new one pops up. Covid-19: naturally occurring virus, or government funded conspiracy? Cash shortage: real, or conspiracy to permanently move to a cashless society? Black Lives Matter: social-justice organization, or pawn of intellectual elites conspiring to destroy America? What's up with China's 'Safe Cities' product?* And what about the UN? Rumors are everywhere and we can wear ourselves out trying to get the right intel so that we can decide where to stand, what to think, what to say, what to believe.

So let's get right to the point--yes, it's all a conspiracy...of course it is. The devil lost his bid to be god of this planet and has been conspiring to take over ever since. From the beginning we have been hated, lied to, warred and conspired against. Beloved, there are sides here. Choosing one over the other has consequences. You were not saved for membership in the First Church of the Undisturbed, you were inducted into a kingdom at war.  When we chose God we chose to become the enemy of His enemy. Ever since the Garden, the forces opposed to God have conspired to destroy what He loves.

The Bible is full of conspiracy stories because the stories are about people, and people have proven to be willing to do anything to get what they want. Generals conspired against Kings. Kings conspired against other kings. Political leaders conspired against Daniel, and against Mordecai and Esther. Religious leaders conspired to kill Jesus. For those so wired, pandemics and social upheaval are not tragedies, but opportunities to advance an agenda. While we complain about masks and statues people who believe they are better qualified to control our lives than we are, are quietly leveraging this crisis into remaking the world order. On the United Nations own website it says Covid-19 is an opportunity to "steer the world" towards its goal of a one world utopia.** Go to the site. Look at it yourself.

So we are clearly in a battle, but not against our government or competing experts. Our enemy is neither another race, nor another political party, nor the police (or even the U.N.). We are being provoked to rail against the system, but a better system is still just a human system. We have a real but unseen enemy who knows his time is short. He is working overtime to keep us fearful, angry, and against each other. He wants us running after causes, running after information, running so hard and so fast that we don't have time to think or pray. He wants us running in terror or rage down any path except the one that leads to God.

Don't fall for it! Take a breath. Take several. Step back. Good information is important, but in this battle information has been weaponized so we must have discernment. Definitely get information, but look at sources yourself rather than accept what others have concluded. Pray. Decide for yourself whether something is accurate. Ask our Father for revelation about the big picture. Our enemy uses physical agents to do his work but he is not physical. So our remedy must be spiritual too, truth from an unimpeachable Source, direction from the One who knows where we're going.

Let's remember that Covid-19, race relations, and civil liberties, though important, are subplots in a very big story. The Earth is not an experiment gone wrong, or a machine left unattended. God has been letting us, like petulant toddlers "do it ourselves." He has given us millennia to improve things without Him, but we have not made the world better, we've simply found more efficient means to hate our brother. God is not silent, absent or uncaring, just waiting for us to recognize our deep need and call on Him.

There is a remedy but it won't come through a new President, or a vaccine or better policemen. This shaking has revealed the futility of only seeking human solutions to problems that God alone can solve. We have information yet are not wise. We have leisure but are not free. We have money but are not rich. More programs, marches, food drives, masks and vaccines are band aids; what is needed is soul surgery by the Great Physician. God does care about the unrest and the fear and the anger and has the answer for the cry of the human heart.

The gospel of the kingdom has never been more important, nor Jesus's identity as Savior of the World more timely. God is calling us to carry His message to a world desperate for deliverance. But it's difficult to carry something when my hands are already full. So for saints as well as sinners the way forward goes right through the Cross. This season has caused me to question what I'm leaning on. Am I navigating through life using social approval as my compass? Am I trusting my civil rights to keep me safe? Do I love my stuff, my opinion, and my routine more than God? I want to take this moment to assess my focus. I want to empty my storehouse of the tarnished dime-store trinkets I thought so important, and wait for God to fill me with real, lasting treasure. Treasure He can multiply and I can carry to those around me.

Oh my friends, let's take time to seek the Lord! We need God; we need His perspective; we need His presence and power; we need His heart for the nations. Conspiracies do not confuse or confound Him. He has the information we need, plus the perspective to give it meaning. His love for us is fierce and unrelenting as well as tender and inexhaustible. He has the map for where we are going. We can trust His wisdom and His plan.

Do not be afraid. Seek His face. Get fresh oil. Maranatha!

                                    

______________ For more information go to:

*https://www.csis.org/analysis/watching-huaweis-safe-cities  More than 50 nations already use this product.

**https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/ What is the "Decade of Action"?  What is "Agenda 2030"?  

Watch and Wait

“Blessed is the man

who listens to me,

watching daily at my gates,

waiting at my doorposts."

Proverbs 8:34

The Golden Gate, Jerusalem

At the beginning of each year I ask the Lord for direction on how to pray for the new season. For 2020 the word was "Watch and Wait," though He didn't tell me what to watch and wait for. And then 2020 arrived...unfolded, turned inside out, and exploded! I soon discovered I was a card-carrying member of the "Ten Spies Club," hanging out at my house, watching the news in confusion and anxiety as giants roamed the land. Watching and waiting patiently for the Lord evaporated as I heard bad report after bad report. Then I remembered that God hadn't shown the Israelites the giants to drive them to despair but to Him...to afford them an opportunity to see God do great things beyond their imagination.

So I've been reminding myself to step back, take a breath, and watch and wait to see what the Lord will do. I've been encouraging myself to remember that what we see in the media, what we hear from dueling experts, internet influencers and all the other talking heads is not the whole story. "They" are telling us the giants are too big; that we are too small, too weak, and too afraid. That may be so, but we are also not alone.

God is with us. God is for us. God is moving. The gospel was preached at the very site where George Floyd was killed. People of all colors stood together, worshipping and praying. There were salvations and baptisms. That report did not make the nightly news. Watchmen for the Nations is just one ministry among many using this stay-at-home season to do recurring online gatherings with the body of Christ around the world. Over the past two months, I've celebrated Passover with believers in Israel, earnestly prayed with Christians in Morocco, Egypt and Jordan, worshipped with the Body of Christ in China, Japan, and Korea. Wept as Jewish and Arab believers honored one another and committed themselves to one another. Wept again as I listened to testimonies of racism, but also pledges of reconciliation and hope. Just yesterday I listened to the testimonies of young men who flew to Washington to minister the love of God to the spiritually starving who occupied downtown Seattle. Healings, deliverances and salvations followed. The Spirit is touching hungry hearts, drawing them to desire more of Jesus. Believers are rising...not to shake their fists at the world system, but to serve and bless and worship the Lord. To proclaim His beauty and worthiness. To affirm their membership in a kingdom that cannot be shaken, even as the world quakes and trembles.

This does not mean we refuse to see the darkness. It does not mean we deny the reality of pain and sickness and injustice. Encouraging ourselves in the Lord isn't delusional optimism, putting on a brave face or wearing rose-colored glasses. Rather, focusing on Jesus and what He has said will adjust our perspective, keep our minds steady, focus our internal eyes on the horizon...where He is taking us. We must look reality in the face, then turn in childlike trust to our good God and rest in His character. We must look to Him for our response, not our political party, social justice warriors or even the local church. Reminding ourselves of our true citizenship and where we are headed will encourage us. It will also help us remember that we are part of something much bigger than getting back to normal. Normal is overrated anyway. The Lord of history is moving us toward the conclusion of all things, and He is preparing His Bride. God is revealing His heart for the nations, He is touching the lost, He is awakening His people. The Earth groans and convulses, the nations rage, lawlessness increases, yes that's true; all this He told us to watch for, while looking to Him to keep fear at bay. Trust and wait on the Lord. If we keep our eyes on Jesus, allow Him to comfort, encourage and strengthen us, we will move toward becoming the people God wants us to be. He will return for His Bride, one people united in their passion for Jesus, pouring out their lives in abandoned sacrifice because He is so lovely.

So watch the news, check the internet, listen to the theories, but all with a grain of salt (maybe several grains). Remember that Joshua saw the giants too but came to a different conclusion. His perspective was forged in communion with the Holy One. Look for the good that God is doing in the midst of darkness. Remember what God has done in the past to spark desire for Him to do it again. Revival is coming, expect more than exciting meetings with great music. Spend time with our great King. Soak in His presence. Let His love touch you. Ask for fresh oil. Gain perspective from the One we can trust not to lie or misdirect us. He is in charge of our rights and reputation, not the government. God is taking us somewhere, but to see it we have to focus and listen to Him. Watch and Wait. Listen with a heart prepared to obey.

Maranatha, even so Lord, come!

"You will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are

not frightened, for those things must take place, but that is not

yet the end. For nation [ethnos, ethnic group] will rise against nation,

and kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there will be

famines and earthquakes. But all these things are merely the

beginning of birth pangs." Matthew 24:6-8