"He, that being often reproved hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy" (Prov. 29:1).
God loves us. Woe unto us if we fail to obey His Word which was given for our good. "Unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required" (Luke 12:48). "Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish" (Luke 13:3). "Some, alas, wrest the Scriptures unto their own destruction" (2 Pet. 3:16).
Instead of trembling at Gods holy Word (Isa. 66:1-2), today there is entirely too much trifling with His Word adding to and taking from the plain statements and teachings of His Word accepting the traditions of men, and the ideas and interpretations and notions of men instead of adhering with reverent love and awe to what God Himself has plainly said. "Because they received not the love of the truth
For this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie" (2 Thes. 2:10-11).
Hurricanes! Tornadoes! Floods! Earthquakes!
"When Thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness" (Isa. 26:9). "By terrible things in righteousness wilt Thou answer us, O God" (Psa. 65:5). "Judgment must begin at the house of God" (1 Pet. 4:17).
Jesus ripped the mask of hypocrisy off from the faces the lives the testimonies of the scribes and Pharisees of His day. "The Pharisees
rejected the counsel of God against themselves" (Luke 7:30). When we reject Gods Word and twist it to fit our notions we are forsaking our own mercy, for when God gave us His Word, He gave Himself to us, for God is in His Word and when we despise His Word we cut ourselves off from God Himself. "There is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; neither hid, that shall not be known" (Luke 12:1-5).
Let us humble ourselves NOW under the mighty hand of God (1 Pet. 5:6), and not wait for His judgments to fall upon us. God is merciful, but if we continue to reject Him and His words to neglect His warnings, to despise His way and the reproach of His cross twisting His Word to excuse our sins there will come a time, if we fail to repent in the space given us to repent (Rev. 2:21) there will come a time when sudden judgment shall fall upon us, for God is no respecter of persons (Acts 10:34).
Jesus is the Head of the church (Eph. 5:22-24). He says, "He that rejecteth Me, and receiveth not My words hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day" (John 12:48).
Oh Church of God Repent!
May God send Holy Ghost conviction on sinners in Zion! On me! And on you! We need to be convicted! There needs to be a mighty humbling of ourselves before God a desperate going down before Him, and intense seeking of His face and entreating of His mercy, and His forgiveness, and His favor that revival may come!
Preach the Word!
Now is the accepted time. Let those of us who are preachers speaking the truth in love, casting first the beam out of our own eyes in faithfulness to God and to the great trust committed unto our care, in love for the souls of men, by Gods grace, and without fear or favor, let us "preach the Word;
reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine" (2 Tim. 4:2). Only as we ourselves live the life of self-denial, sacrifice, consecration, holiness, faithfulness and declare all the counsel of God only then can we say, with Paul, "I am pure from the blood of all men" (Acts 20:16-38).
"The Kingdom of Heaven Suffereth Violence
" (Matthew 11:12)
I entreat my fellow ministers to blow the trumpet in Zion today, and to sound the alarm NOW in the church (Joel 2:1-21). Brethren, let us confess to God, and to one another, that we have failed to do our duty. Gods people are destroyed for lack of knowledge (Hos. 4:6) and we preachers are largely to blame. "The leaders of this people cause them to err" (Isa. 9:16). Let us honestly face the facts, and humbly confess our lack and begin today to effectively arouse and awaken Gods own precious people before it is forever too late!
Gods Thought for the Church
Get a vision of Gods thought for the church of today sanctified and cleansed, not by the ideas and notions of men and women but by the Word of the living God! (Eph. 5:25-26).
Picture a church, your church, my church, the preacher and the congregation in their places the door bursts open, a man enters, trumpet in hand, and suddenly the air is rent with a blast, shrill, penetrating the blood runs cold not a drowsy saint is left in the room, conviction, awakening has come! Blow the trumpet in Zion! (Joel 2:15).
Are You Gods Messenger? (Malachi 2:7)
Remember, fellow minister, your mouth is Gods trumpet. John the Baptist was a "Voice" a mouthpiece for God. Preach the Word of God, with the anointing of the Holy Spirit, in thunder tones of divine love, and the place will again be shaken by the mighty power of God. Saint and sinner will be convicted of sin. Revival will come!
"Therefore also NOW, saith the Lord, turn ye even to Me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning: and rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the Lord your God: for He is gracious and merciful
And I will restore to you the years
I will pour out My Spirit upon all flesh" (Joel 2:12-13, 25, 28).
_________________ SI Moderator - Greg Gordon
|