The Year Ahead - And One Smooth Stone
This Christmas, I put up the annual decorations, signed and mailed cards, bought gifts, prepared special food; something I had done all my life. But this holiday seemed to be different from all the rest; a dark, sinister force seemed poised offshore as waves pounded away my "shoreline" as never before…not so much at Christmas trees and Santa, but at the very One whose birth I was celebrating. I could even envision the after-effects of it as if I were airborne a mile high and looking down at the aftermath of a tsunami. Manger scenes were hard to find. People were taking down forbidden Christian symbols so as not to offend other religions. Even the word “Christmas” had been changed to “Happy Holiday”. It seemed as if Christmas no longer represented a babe in the manger. The world, just as at His crucifixion, had allowed Him to be condemned back upon His cross…the object of ridicule, mockery and shame. It was horrifying to me.
Incredibly, even today many of His disciples meekly stand by and watch it happen, and for the same reasons 2,000 years ago. One, they feel helpless in the face of the onslaught. And two, they are deluded into thinking their “comfort zone” will always be there---so let things alone; Jesus will soon come and rapture them safely away.
As I prepare to leave in a few days for my 21st missionary journey to Asia, I was thinking about the many places I have visited that were so affected by the recent terrible tsunami two years ago. India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Maldives. All of them, and many more, experienced the horrifying exposure to nature’s power. Hundreds of thousands died, whole cities were destroyed. And almost simultaneously the thought came to me that what had happened in the natural was also happening in the spiritual.
Jesus is a subject that brings a confrontation “to be avoided“. Few want to stand against what is “politically correct“ and “non-confrontational”. Yet Jesus will always stand in the face of such thinking. “Be either COLD or HOT. But if you are lukewarm, I will spew you out of My mouth” he said. There would be nowhere to hide in apathy or in denial. “If you deny Me, I will deny you”.
What was His offense? He offended. And He still offends.
What fault did they find in Him 2,000 years ago? “He said he was a king”, they replied. “We have no king but Caesar!” they cried. Having stated that His Kingdom was not of this earth, he was no threat to any Caesar, but that was, perhaps, another reason they condemned Him to death: He refused to be their concept of a “conquering Messiah”.
“..blessed is he whosever shall not be offended in me.” (Mat 11:6)
Take note: it is the Word that causes the tribulation and persecution. And it is the Word which digs deep within us to expose our sincerity and purpose. Either we are a committed Christian or we are not-- The “Peter” syndrome.
However, we must also note the tremendous work it did to Peter and the disciples at Pentecost, which was to bring forth a display of the Grace of God upon His servants. For once they had experienced the painful exposure of their human weakness and shame, they then had the opportunity to become empowered with His Spirit. “I am the vine, ye are the branches; He that abideth in Me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without Me ye can do nothing.” (John 15:5) LET US NEVER FORGET THIS: The tremendous growth of the early church came about through the demonstration of His Miracle Power through JUST SUCH PEOPLE! No wonder Jesus called Peter “a rock”! A stone! For that is the very foundation of His church--and God cannot build it on anything less! It will be through a people who believe in and are empowered to do the works of Jesus through the miraculous! "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father." (John 14:12)
Don’t be terrified as you see tragic and horrifying things come to pass; many events are about to happen, such as the world has never experienced before. There will be upheavals, many tragedies and frightful events. It is coming sooner than you think. The beginning of sorrows has already begun. Hidden forces have been unleashed! But don’t be fooled if it should appear that the waves have suddenly retreated and you think it is safe to venture out further to gather up treasures from the sea; for that spiritual tsunami will surely come full force and engulf you where you stand.
God is being merciful to us to strip us of our worldly attachments and to sever us from our comforts and pride. Angels are now among us to draw us away from Sodom. We are being forced to confront our decisions to leave all behind to follow Him, or to remain. To resist that opportunity will prove just as fatal to us as it was to the people who could not resist the lure of an empty beach and were swallowed up by the tsunami which followed. They did not recognize it as a warning to flee to higher ground. Remember Lot's wife!
It is not because God has suddenly turned His back on us, but because the anti-Christ spirit is energizing itself for a final onslaught, and the modern church is not prepared for it.
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"The report has come: The army is not able to win the battle. But a call has gone forth to summond the shepherd-boy playing praises to God on his harp on the gentle hills back home: “Bring your brothers food and supply us with nourishment!”. Leaving the flock in the hands of a keeper, the shepherd-boy rushes to the battle zone and sees the enemy standing upon a hill mocking and challenging the army of Israel. The giant is massive and his sword sharp. No one wishes to engage him, and the soldiers stand by trembling and perplexed. Even his older brothers excuse themselves.
Then the shepherd-boy steps up--not with youthful arrogance, but because he knows his God and has proven his weapon: Hadn’t he faced this before with a lion and a bear? Who is this giant to defy the Living God who had delivered him time and again?”
Refusing a sword and armor, he simply goes to a little brook, picks up five smooth stones and places them in his shepherd’s bag. But only one will really be needed, for with it securely in place, he hurls it in his sling and shouts aloud: "this assembly shall know that the LORD saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the LORD'S!"