Man
is this a crazy wicked time or what? If you've been paying attention at all,
you've
had to see how much our world is changing right? I mean global rioting,
school and work place shootings everywhere even at IHOP?? Talk of this War and
that War...North Korea to destroy South Korea, Iran to obliterate Israel.
Global economies on the verge of collapse. Shariah Law has taken root here in
America in 23 states..Yikes. Gross Sin is rampant..I mean GROSS SIN...flesh
eating man arrested in Florida, cannibalistic adult film star on a murder
spree. As my Pastor has said..Adult Entertainment is "Epidemic" Heck,
family time television hour show commercials that would have been considered
soft core at a prior time. Racial tensions are stoked, love is waxing cold.
Mobs of people attacking one another because of the color of their skin not
knowing a thing about the person they are attacking other than they don't like
his color?? Or Ethnicity?
What
in the world is going on? teenage sex..epidemic, divorce..epidemic, adult
entertainment..epidemic, addictions to alcohol and drugs..epidemic, anxiety and
fear...epidemic, greed in the heart of man...epidemic, hatred toward Israel and
Jews epidemic, Love of Pleasure and Self more than God...Epidemic. You get the
point. It's a Perilous time. Think Not? you must be living in a cave or just
choosing to hide your head from what's going on at a time Our Lord said to
Watch and Pray! For What?
Sadly
all of this is not only epidemic in our society...it's Epidemic in our Churches
and that is where it's time for the rubber to meet the road.
Seeker
Friendly has turned deadly we've compromised ourselves into a corner ...and it
shows. Jesus said Take Up your Cross and yet it's the "In thing" to
go Cross-less. BUT WAIT, the Word of God says IT's The Power of God unto
Salvation hmmmm
Our
World is going to Hell, their is NO DOUBT. In fact no matter what I'm about to
say is going to change what the Bible has said is going to happen in that
regard.
However,
God in His sovereignty has a plan and it's a redemptive one and it's one of
great Hope but it can't be fulfilled any other way than God's Way. So what
would He say to His people as such a wicked and sinful time as this??
RETURN
TO ME
Joel 2:“Now, therefore,” says the
Lord, “Turn to Me with all your heart,
With fasting, with weeping, and with
mourning.”13 So rend your heart, and not your garments; Return to the Lord your
God, For He is gracious and merciful,
Slow to anger, and of great kindness;
And He relents from doing harm.
14 Who knows if He will turn and
relent, And leave a blessing behind Him—
A grain offering and a drink offering
For the Lord your God? 15 Blow the trumpet in Zion, Consecrate a fast, Call a
sacred assembly; 16 Gather the people, Sanctify the congregation, Assemble the
elders, Gather the children and nursing babes;
Let the bridegroom go out from his
chamber, And the bride from her dressing room. 17 Let the priests, who minister
to the Lord, Weep between the porch and the altar; Let them say, “Spare Your
people, O Lord, And do not give Your heritage to reproach, That the nations
should rule over them. Why should they say among the peoples, ‘Where is their
God?’”
OK,
so let's just cut to the chase and get real. This is a dire straits moment in time
and we all can talk a good "churchy" game but talk is cheap and it's
time to get down and gritty. We have drawn near to God with our lips and we
have sang the latest and greatest music..but our hearts have been far from Him.
If it was just great music He wanted from us we would be in great shape but in
Amos we see that's not what He's after.
Amos 5:21 “I hate all your show and
pretense— the hypocrisy of your religious festivals and solemn assemblies. 22 I
will not accept your burnt offerings and grain offerings. I won’t even notice all
your choice peace offerings. 23 Away with your noisy hymns of praise! I will
not listen to the music of your harps. 24 Instead, I want to see a mighty flood
of justice, an endless river of righteous living.
The
reason we are in such a mess right now is because we've gone astray. If you
don't think so then tell me how in the world has divorce statistics risen in
the church to equal if not higher in the world?? (by the way I went through and
unwanted divorce 10 years ago and I'm not condemning the over 55% percent of
who will read this article who too have been divorced) and how in the world is
it that when Christians meet at Bible Conferences in cities across this nation
or other nations that the adult viewing in hotels go up? How can we allow the
tv and internet and gaming consoles to baby sit our kids and not expect the
fruit of rebellion and violence or addiction?? And How in the world is it that
that we can meet Sunday after Sunday and blow and go and YET have such little
impact upon our culture anymore?? I mean does it look like the Gates of Hell
are not prevailing against us right now?? Be Honest!!! We have Mega and Giga
Churches growing in numbers but the fruit of their followers render the
statistics of the unsaved? Something is rotten in the cotton
So
what do we do? We need to seriously stop EVERYTHING and take a good look at
where we are and from where we have fallen. There are a million excuses not
too, I know I'm guilty bigtime it's 80 outside and the golf course is calling
or ballgames, American Idol's on and Colt Dixon's a Christian...but wait It's
Monday Night Football oh wait..it's the Season Finale of Survivor or it's this
excuse or that excuse "deer season" or whatever BUSY thing that comes
at us .but WAKE UP...it's Urgent...Our World around us is going to hell and
God's On the Phone and He is telling us to Run ..not walk to a dedicated time
of seeking HIM and confessing and turning back to the One who Loves Us and ask
for Him to Heal Us!!' This is not a legalistic appeal to guilt us to "do
something" but to return to Him who did everything!!
The
Goodnews is that is why we were created .. that is His Redemptive Plan and More
Goodnews is that it's He that is Calling Us back to Him so He can renew us and
work through us to move righteously in this earth while their is still this
thing called TIME!! To Go Back to Preaching the Cross! Why? Because it's what
life is all about. Christ dying so we could truly live.
But
their is a BIG "What if" are we going to nod our heads up and down in
agreement OR are we going to take the bull (altar) by the horns and press in
and seek Him while He may be found??
Are
we ready to repent??
This
is an important question not only for you but those you are assigned to.
Righteousness still exalts nations and You and I do have direct bearing upon
this place we call home. Think Not? then why are we told to be Salt and Light?
In
II Chronicles 7:14 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.
This
famous passage addressed to Israel and it's a promise for them but not only
them but us as believers not that we can believe for a Sovereign National
Healing but as the Church we are a Holy Nation and WE need to be healed and
when the Church is operating as it was created to do...it will be moving in Our
Lord's Authority with boldness and victory, overcoming and reaping in the
harvest assigned.
Again
in this thing called TIME that is why we are still here and that is what it's
all about as far are our calling is concerned, but our Calling starts with Him
who Called us and we have lost our way and He is calling US back to Himself.
Thank God!!!
But
in coming back to Him He is also telling us to CHANGE!!!
Ephesians
4:17 With the Lord’s authority I say this: Live no longer as the Gentiles do,
for they are hopelessly confused. 18 Their minds are full of darkness; they
wander far from the life God gives because they have closed their minds and
hardened their hearts against him. 19 They have no sense of shame. They live
for lustful pleasure and eagerly practice every kind of impurity.
20 But that isn’t what you learned
about Christ. 21 Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth
that comes from him, 22 throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of
life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. 23 Instead, let the Spirit
renew your thoughts and attitudes. 24 Put on your new nature, created to be
like God—truly righteous and holy. 25 So stop telling lies. Let us tell our
neighbors the truth, for we are all parts of the same body. 26 And “don’t sin
by letting anger control you.” Don’t let the sun go down while you are still
angry, 27 for anger gives a foothold to the devil. 28 If you are a thief, quit
stealing. Instead, use your hands for good hard work, and then give generously
to others in need. 29 Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you
say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those
who hear them.
30 And do not bring sorrow to God’s Holy
Spirit by the way you live. Remember, he has identified you as his own,
guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of redemption. 31 Get rid of all
bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil
behavior. 32 Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one
another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.
How
do we do this? We don't!!! It's the Lord's Battle and we can do NOTHING without
Him..and that has been our problem. We have tried to live for Him without Him
and that is where it all went wrong. At some point in time it became normal to
believe that we were to go and clean ourselves up and fix ourselves and be
"christians" without Him and then He would accept us...but what a
bunch of Self Righteous mumbo jumbo that is!!
The
truth is even on my best day, If I pray a thousand (my will be done) prayers
and read the Old Testament three hours and witness to five strangers and buy a
meal at a drive through window for the car behind me and then say Lord have I
been good enough to earn your blessing and favor He would say..."Filthy
Rag!!!" Say What?? Yea, because You did it ...that's not what I want from
you or for You...I saved You to Myself. I want You to hang out with Me!! Come
Learn of Me. Behold I stand at the door and Knock to they who open I will come
in and dine with them and they with Me. I only want you to do what I want You
to do when I tell you to do it. My burden is easy and My Yoke is light. Quit
striving to be good and instead strive to enter through the Narrow Gate ME!!!
Its that calling that we've lost. We've allowed CHURCH to become God and
thought if we go to Church and hear sermon's and sing songs about Him and read
about Him that we were fulfilling a righteous checklist that allowed for
blessing and then tried to fulfill a new law list of do's and don't ...don't
drink, don't curse, don't hit the wrong tv channel that you know if you click
will take you where you shouldn't go don't lust, don't, don't, don't is the LAW
at work invoking sin ...our own will power is not powerful enough to WIN those
battles. Just as Jesus cried in the Garden "nevertheless NOT My Will but
thy will be done" is the cry that needs be coming from our hearts...We can
do NOTHING ...let me say that again ..We can do NOTHING without Him and it's
total pride to think otherwise. That is why He tells us "In All Your Ways
acknowledge Me" because that is what we were designed to do. He is our
Fuel...His Joy is our Strength ..In His Presence is Fullness of Joy and and
where His Presence is ..is FREEDOM!!!
Let's
PLEASE Get Real ...it's time for a BIG TURN of Events in this land should the
Lord tarry and it can come IF ..
We
will turn not from Sin but Turn to Him and ask HIM to help us to turn from
Sin..(Might sound like semantics but that is a BIG semantic)...HE WILL ANSWER
YES!!! HE will Heal He will set free!! IF we turn to HIM!! Lord I wrestle with
a love for Chocolate or Chips or Cookies or Adult Addictions...what do I do?
Don't buy it at the grocery store, don't type that web address. Lord I am sick
of being scared, well "Fear Not I'm with You Always" but Lord I'm
wretched..I mean you don't realize how wretched I am "Oh Yes I do, I know
your innermost thoughts and it's I who desires Truth on your inward parts"
But Lord I've tried so hard, "I Know and how's that been working for
you?" "I crash and burn everytime" We cry and scream we moan we
complain like fish out of water we flip out and around WE need to be put back
into Christ...Let's go back to The Cross and our First Love and never leave.
Why oh why if when we are weak He is strong do we ever try to be strong in our
own strength??
It's
heavy upon my heart to believe for a BIG TURN by many who read this. Not
towards a new book or a new doctrine or new "in thing" but a big Turn
to a dedicated purposeful setting aside of TIME spent pouring out all that is
wrong and hurting and tearing apart of your life in His Healing Presence ...but
that is a big "what if"
The
effectual fervent prayer of the righteous avails much (IF WE PRAY)
Jesus
will dine with you today and tonight and everyday all day long ..(IF YOU OPEN
THE DOOR TO HIM)
Righteousness
will exalt this HOLY nation (If we Turn back to HIS Righteousness) My House
shall be called a House of Prayer (Fellowship with God)
Souls
will come to Jesus (IF WE LIFT HIM UP) If I be lifted up I WILL Draw all men
unto myself
God
does want to speak to the Local Body (If the Pastor will Let Him) one message
hot off the altar is worth more than a million googled
This
is a Big Deal! Why? Because I believe Jesus is preparing His Bride, He is
calling us to Himself before He calls us to Himself. He's coming for a Spotless
Bride washed white as snow through His Precious Blood. Our eyes have been on a
gazillion of things but He is saying right now "turn Your eyes Upon Jesus
look full into His wonderful face and things on this earth will grow strangely
dim in the light of His Glory and Grace"
IF
we do that He will meet us right where we are at, and right where we are at is
not a pretty place in time right now! But What IF, We heard what He is saying
to Us His Church and really did turn to Him??
He
who has ears to hear..please HEAR the heart of this message and get alone and
PRAY (Turn)
If
your a Pastor and your flock hasn't had Prayer at the forefront of your
gatherings or ministry ...PRAY (Re-Turn)
It's
Time to Seek Our Lord! He has said "IF you seek You Will Find"
"What If?"
In
Christ,
Tim
Cameron
