When you have had exposure to the Living God, how does one begin to attempt to describe that with words? How do you try and organize your thoughts after entering into a place where no words are worthy to relay what it is you have just witnessed?
I spent today sleeping in. Work didn’t need me today, and so I relaxed and took it easy. I spoke to my authority briefly this morning, and began to communicate again how eager I was and how impatient I am getting. We spoke about the things I saw concerning the Ramp Ministry in Alabama, and even just watching it over the internet live feed, just messed me up. I am starting to see things from an entirely new perspective. I am not walking in it yet, but I have seen enough change to know that God is shifting my focus and my sight into different things.
I have been following a few things on the internet, and God has been using things as simple as a posting forum to relay to me some very disturbing things. A few days ago, I was on Facebook, when, for some unknown reason, I began looking for different “groups” that dealt with Christianity. I found one, looked around, and almost at once became disgusted. Under just the first page of topics, I saw more posts that dealt with homosexuality, pro-islamic conversions, and atheistic study groups than I saw Biblically based, God honoring, Body edifying discussion threads. Part of me wanted to simply leave, but I felt a nagging to join this group and post myself. This has become unlike me, as because I thrive on anything to do with arguments, debates, and/or discussion, I have avoided such things because I know that I operate out of my flesh when I get riled up. But for some reason, I felt the absolute need to join, and post my own topic. The topic I chose was simple. “Where is the focus of this group?”
What followed was a tidal wave of rebuke, scorn, attack, slander, accusations, and revilement. And for the better part of that day and part of the next, I sat there trying my best to talk sense into this community which claimed to be Christian. I sit here tonight, a few days later, and think back on the last few days, and I am starting to see something. I started to see the Body of Christ as it truly stands in America today. I was not only being attacked by muslims and atheists, I was being attacked by other Christians that have bowed to the world and the world’s sense of direction and purpose. This group has over nine hundred thousand members, most of which I believe are Christians, and many whom I know in real life and they LOVE Jesus with all their hearts. But out of that 900,000 I would estimate only 300 or so regularly post on the discussion boards. For most, simply being in the largest Christian group on facebook is like having a badge saying “I stood up for Jesus on the internet.” Most I have no doubt have never even looked at the discussion boards to see the absolute filth that is being discussed there. The very first thread I saw on this board was where someone said they were having a crisis of faith and was thinking about converting to islam, and a Christian responded saying that the poster should talk to Ezekiel (who was a muslim!) I spent hours that day going back and forth with homosexuals, muslims, atheists, and Christians who wouldn’t know Jesus if He turned their bottled water into wine! I resigned later that night in exhaustion. I felt like the Voice of One Crying.
Tonight, while waiting for the Ramp live stream to begin, I was again on facebook, and commented on a friend’s page, and this in turn progressed into a LONG discussion about the Bible. I was accused by another Christian of misinterpreting the Bible. When I asked how, where, and why, I was answered by this lady who refused to explain her accusation. The more I pushed, the more prideful she got. But no matter what I said, I could not get her to explain how I misinterpreted the Bible. Finally, another Christian male jumped in, and stated that “my faith may not always line up with another’s faith.” By this point I was extremely unnerved and as compassionately as I could find the words to express it, told this man that he could take his post-modern theological crap and throw it out the window. To my amazement, he honestly didn’t know what I was talking about. His entire point dealt with his belief that two people could both be right, and that it all depended on the perspective of the person (the very definition of post-modernism). But he didn’t even know that he believed in post-modern thought! Finally, after going around and around with him, the wonder of all wonders happened. An atheist jumped in and defended both Christians! Now I was already ramped up in my spirit due to the level and intensity of the debate, so when this happened, I was both wired, and disgusted at the same time. There were two things about this dialogue with the atheist I want to focus on. The first, was that he defended the other Christians. This alone, should tell you something about their stances, when an atheist comes in and tries to defend the same position. The second thing, was the accusation that I was looking down on him. He accused me of saying I thought he had less value than he did. When I read that, God almost immediately told me the truth…. I actually saw more value in him, than he did. Because I know that it was God that made and created him. That it was God that put gifts, talents, personality, and passion in him. And that it was God that put purpose in him. I was accused of treating him like he had less value than I did, and yet, I saw in him, more inherent value and purpose than he recognized!
And now I am starting to see it. It is not just that the Body of Christ has fallen asleep concerning its purpose. We have become whores! We have become the very thing we were saved out of! We like Israel, have been delivered from sin, only to choose slavery once more!
While this was going on, I was listening to the Ramp (Hamilton AL) on the web. Damon Thompson was preaching, and even over the internet, the very presence of God was evident. God moved in a mighty way, and I began to feel His anointing and the power of His glory. I have always felt called to the church. I never have claimed to be much of an evangelist, and I honestly don’t feel the passion for the lost like I do for the church. This isn’t to say I don’t want to see souls saved, I do. It’s just that that’s not where my passion lies. I have always felt called to the church. But I have always seen that call as one of pastoral care, helping the Body mature and grow spiritually. It always felt more like a maintenance labor more than anything. See, the things is, I never understood that what I was buying into was status quo.
Status quo. Some of you know immediately what I am talking about already. Others have not even a clue. Status quo. Do you know what status quo is? Status quo is the never ending plateau of church every Sunday, preaching to the choir, scheduling your revival serves, never preaching about who is running for president, see a few get saved, and generally resigning yourself to cultural apathy to the world around you. Do not be of the world you keep telling yourself. But as time goes on, it becomes harder and harder to distinguish the lines between the world and the church. What is status quo in truth though?
Status quo is the unholy alliance between the church and the world. It is the not just sneaking in of false prophets, but the ordination of them within the leadership of the Body. It is the denial of anything that resembles the New Testament in today’s culture, and the acceptance of new age, and post-modern thought into the teaching of the church. It is the whoring of the Body to lay down for its lover the world. It is to demonize those that do not resemble the church and start to resemble Jesus. It is the cultural mindset that says that we can do church and still love the world. Status quo is the fornication and adultery of the Bride of Christ, prostituting herself out to the lowest bidder, all for the sake of acceptance by those who stab her in the back the first chance they get.
I no longer feel called to the church as some pastor feels called to the sheep, to nurture and raise them up to maturity. I am beginning to believe that God is calling me to the church for a whole other reason.... more on this later.
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