Friday, November 28, 2014, 6:45 a.m. – The Lord Jesus put in mind the song, “Living Water.” Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read Revelation 3:1-6 (ESV).
Your Reputation
In the church here in America, and perhaps in other locations throughout the world, the church has a reputation of being spiritually alive, but in many cases they are not, but they are dead. They are still the church, so they are not dead in the sense of being condemned to hell, but rather they lack the life of the Spirit of God in their midst. So, why is this?
I believe that much of the Body of Christ, which is comprised of true followers of Christ, has slowly and gradually moved away from God’s original design for his church, and they have, instead, turned to following after human design for what the church should look like and act like: They have moved away from walking in the Spirit to walking according to the flesh; away from true worship of God to forms of worship which often have nothing to do with God at all. They have moved away from awe, honor, respect and reverence for God to playing games, entertaining and making jokes about what should be taken very seriously. They have moved away from being followers of God to being followers of man; away from the teachings of scripture to the teachings of humans; and away from the authority of God to human authority. God could be totally missing, and they probably wouldn’t even notice.
The sad reality of this all is that today’s modern church here in America is only a shell of what God intends and desires for her to be. She looks good on the outside, but inside she is filled up with the flesh, and she is very worldly. In fact, she has invited worldliness into the church because she wants to attract the world to her meetings in order to grow her “churches.” She has also opened the door wide to invite in false teachers (wolves in sheep’s clothing) – cunning, crafty, poisonous and predatory creatures who spin their (spider’s) webs in order to catch their unsuspecting prey in their webs of trickery and deceit. These poisonous and predatory leaders of the people twist scripture and dilute the gospel to make it more appealing and pleasing to human flesh – non-judgmental, and with no requirement at all for the follower to die with Christ to their old life of living for sin and self. So, they give out a false hope of salvation and a false hope of eternity with God in heaven.
As well, her true loyalties and devotion fall not with God, but with humans and with human institutions. And, she tries to lead others to follow in her footsteps into the same kind of lighthearted, casual and often disrespectful to God kind of worship and service to their Lord. As well, God’s authority is often treated with contempt and dishonor, while human authority is often given greater honor.
The presence of God is not required at all, in fact, for the worship services to even begin in many of these churches. Thus, they do not truly meet in the name of Jesus, because he is not central to and involved (engaged) in most of what they do, beginning with their corporate times of worship and praise to the teaching and preaching, and to the times of fellowship, too. As well, the bulk of their meetings is not according to God’s will and purpose, but is according to the will and purpose of human beings. If Jesus himself were to walk into their meetings, they probably would not even recognize him and would treat him no differently than they treat anyone else, or worse. In fact, he would probably be asked to leave most of these churches, because he would not be a “good fit” with their target audience, goals and visions, and they would probably suggest he go someplace else.
A Few
This picture of much of today’s modern church here in America is kind of depressing, yet not all is bleak. I do believe revival is going to come to America, but that it will come through tribulation of some kind, and that the unsuspecting church will be caught off guard by it. As well, I do believe there are many Christians in this country who have not soiled their garments with the ways of the flesh and the ways of this sinful world, but they have remained faithful to God, committed to obedience, surrendered to his will for their lives, and that they are truly walking according to the Spirit, and are no longer living to gratify the desires of their sinful flesh.
They are not perfect people, mind you, but their lifestyles reflect ones who love the Lord Jesus and who are fully devoted to following him wherever he leads them, and to doing whatever he has called them to do, even in the face of much worldly opposition, and even in the midst of strong opposing forces from within the worldly church with its venomous and predatory leaders who are full of trickery, deceit and hypocrisy.
These who are faithful to the Lord Jesus will walk with him in white (in his righteousness and holiness), for they are worthy. This means that we have died with Christ to our lives of living for sin and self, we have been transformed in heart and mind of the Spirit of God, and we are daily putting off the deeds of the flesh and are putting on Christ and his holiness. We do not, however, do this in our own strength, but only in the power and working of the Spirit within us (See: Ro. 6-8; Eph. 4:17-24; 1 Pet. 2:24-25; Tit. 2:11-14 & 1 Jn. 1-5).
Wake Up!
So, God is calling out to this modern church of today, which has made MUCH PROVISION for the flesh, in order to gratify sinful desires (cf. Ro. 13:11-14), and he is telling her to WAKE UP! She needs to strengthen what remains and is about to die, i.e. she is not completely dead, yet she is only a little bit alive. The way in which she will be able to wake up is that she needs to remember the truth from God she has received and heard. She needs to keep (obey) it, and she needs to turn from her idolatry, spiritual adultery and worldliness and begin to walk in the ways of God, according to the Spirit, and not according to the flesh. She needs to take God seriously, and honor and respect and reverence him for the holy God that he is. In other words, the modern church of today which is caught in the spider’s web of deceit, and is following after the flesh instead of after the Spirit, needs to be revived.
If the church does not wake up, Jesus Christ will come like a thief, and she will not know what hour he will come against her in judgment – in divine discipline and correction in order to bring her back to him so that he can restore her. So, don’t wait! If you are living a worldly lifestyle, and you are immersed in the culture of today, and you are not giving God the honor and respect he deserves, but you are going your own way and doing your own thing, instead, then repent of your sin today and allow him to revive your heart. If you have forgotten the Living Water which springs up like a fountain within those who believe in Jesus as Lord and Savior, and you have chased after what can never satisfy, then surrender your all to Him today while you still have today, because none of us knows if we have tomorrow.
Living Water / An Original Work / November 21, 2013
Based off Various Scriptures
My people have forsaken Me,
Their Savior, who died on a tree;
Made idols, and they worshipped them;
So empty, they will ne’er fulfill.
Lord, You are the hope of Your chosen ones.
Those who turn away from You will be shamed;
The Spring of Living Water left behind.
Living Water satisfies.
The thirsty, let them come and drink;
Believe in Jesus as their King;
The gift of Jesus given them,
So they will never thirst again.
Indeed, the Living Water flows within.
It springs up like a fountain cleansing sin.
Eternal life in heaven promised them.
Living Water glorifies.
Oh people, won’t you come to Him?
Obey Him and repent of sin.
Let Jesus come and live within.
Surrender all your life to Him.
My people, won’t you turn your hearts to Me?
Forsake your idols and then you’ll be free.
Won’t you come now to Me on bended knee?
Living Water sanctifies.
http://originalworks.info/living-water/
“And to the angel of the church in Sardis write: ‘The words of him who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars.
“‘I know your works. You have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead. Wake up, and strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your works complete in the sight of my God. Remember, then, what you received and heard. Keep it, and repent. If you will not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come against you. Yet you have still a few names in Sardis, people who have not soiled their garments, and they will walk with me in white, for they are worthy. The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot his name out of the book of life. I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’
“‘I know your works. You have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead. Wake up, and strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your works complete in the sight of my God. Remember, then, what you received and heard. Keep it, and repent. If you will not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come against you. Yet you have still a few names in Sardis, people who have not soiled their garments, and they will walk with me in white, for they are worthy. The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot his name out of the book of life. I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’
Your Reputation
In the church here in America, and perhaps in other locations throughout the world, the church has a reputation of being spiritually alive, but in many cases they are not, but they are dead. They are still the church, so they are not dead in the sense of being condemned to hell, but rather they lack the life of the Spirit of God in their midst. So, why is this?
I believe that much of the Body of Christ, which is comprised of true followers of Christ, has slowly and gradually moved away from God’s original design for his church, and they have, instead, turned to following after human design for what the church should look like and act like: They have moved away from walking in the Spirit to walking according to the flesh; away from true worship of God to forms of worship which often have nothing to do with God at all. They have moved away from awe, honor, respect and reverence for God to playing games, entertaining and making jokes about what should be taken very seriously. They have moved away from being followers of God to being followers of man; away from the teachings of scripture to the teachings of humans; and away from the authority of God to human authority. God could be totally missing, and they probably wouldn’t even notice.
The sad reality of this all is that today’s modern church here in America is only a shell of what God intends and desires for her to be. She looks good on the outside, but inside she is filled up with the flesh, and she is very worldly. In fact, she has invited worldliness into the church because she wants to attract the world to her meetings in order to grow her “churches.” She has also opened the door wide to invite in false teachers (wolves in sheep’s clothing) – cunning, crafty, poisonous and predatory creatures who spin their (spider’s) webs in order to catch their unsuspecting prey in their webs of trickery and deceit. These poisonous and predatory leaders of the people twist scripture and dilute the gospel to make it more appealing and pleasing to human flesh – non-judgmental, and with no requirement at all for the follower to die with Christ to their old life of living for sin and self. So, they give out a false hope of salvation and a false hope of eternity with God in heaven.
As well, her true loyalties and devotion fall not with God, but with humans and with human institutions. And, she tries to lead others to follow in her footsteps into the same kind of lighthearted, casual and often disrespectful to God kind of worship and service to their Lord. As well, God’s authority is often treated with contempt and dishonor, while human authority is often given greater honor.
The presence of God is not required at all, in fact, for the worship services to even begin in many of these churches. Thus, they do not truly meet in the name of Jesus, because he is not central to and involved (engaged) in most of what they do, beginning with their corporate times of worship and praise to the teaching and preaching, and to the times of fellowship, too. As well, the bulk of their meetings is not according to God’s will and purpose, but is according to the will and purpose of human beings. If Jesus himself were to walk into their meetings, they probably would not even recognize him and would treat him no differently than they treat anyone else, or worse. In fact, he would probably be asked to leave most of these churches, because he would not be a “good fit” with their target audience, goals and visions, and they would probably suggest he go someplace else.
A Few
This picture of much of today’s modern church here in America is kind of depressing, yet not all is bleak. I do believe revival is going to come to America, but that it will come through tribulation of some kind, and that the unsuspecting church will be caught off guard by it. As well, I do believe there are many Christians in this country who have not soiled their garments with the ways of the flesh and the ways of this sinful world, but they have remained faithful to God, committed to obedience, surrendered to his will for their lives, and that they are truly walking according to the Spirit, and are no longer living to gratify the desires of their sinful flesh.
They are not perfect people, mind you, but their lifestyles reflect ones who love the Lord Jesus and who are fully devoted to following him wherever he leads them, and to doing whatever he has called them to do, even in the face of much worldly opposition, and even in the midst of strong opposing forces from within the worldly church with its venomous and predatory leaders who are full of trickery, deceit and hypocrisy.
These who are faithful to the Lord Jesus will walk with him in white (in his righteousness and holiness), for they are worthy. This means that we have died with Christ to our lives of living for sin and self, we have been transformed in heart and mind of the Spirit of God, and we are daily putting off the deeds of the flesh and are putting on Christ and his holiness. We do not, however, do this in our own strength, but only in the power and working of the Spirit within us (See: Ro. 6-8; Eph. 4:17-24; 1 Pet. 2:24-25; Tit. 2:11-14 & 1 Jn. 1-5).
Wake Up!
So, God is calling out to this modern church of today, which has made MUCH PROVISION for the flesh, in order to gratify sinful desires (cf. Ro. 13:11-14), and he is telling her to WAKE UP! She needs to strengthen what remains and is about to die, i.e. she is not completely dead, yet she is only a little bit alive. The way in which she will be able to wake up is that she needs to remember the truth from God she has received and heard. She needs to keep (obey) it, and she needs to turn from her idolatry, spiritual adultery and worldliness and begin to walk in the ways of God, according to the Spirit, and not according to the flesh. She needs to take God seriously, and honor and respect and reverence him for the holy God that he is. In other words, the modern church of today which is caught in the spider’s web of deceit, and is following after the flesh instead of after the Spirit, needs to be revived.
If the church does not wake up, Jesus Christ will come like a thief, and she will not know what hour he will come against her in judgment – in divine discipline and correction in order to bring her back to him so that he can restore her. So, don’t wait! If you are living a worldly lifestyle, and you are immersed in the culture of today, and you are not giving God the honor and respect he deserves, but you are going your own way and doing your own thing, instead, then repent of your sin today and allow him to revive your heart. If you have forgotten the Living Water which springs up like a fountain within those who believe in Jesus as Lord and Savior, and you have chased after what can never satisfy, then surrender your all to Him today while you still have today, because none of us knows if we have tomorrow.
Living Water / An Original Work / November 21, 2013
Based off Various Scriptures
My people have forsaken Me,
Their Savior, who died on a tree;
Made idols, and they worshipped them;
So empty, they will ne’er fulfill.
Lord, You are the hope of Your chosen ones.
Those who turn away from You will be shamed;
The Spring of Living Water left behind.
Living Water satisfies.
The thirsty, let them come and drink;
Believe in Jesus as their King;
The gift of Jesus given them,
So they will never thirst again.
Indeed, the Living Water flows within.
It springs up like a fountain cleansing sin.
Eternal life in heaven promised them.
Living Water glorifies.
Oh people, won’t you come to Him?
Obey Him and repent of sin.
Let Jesus come and live within.
Surrender all your life to Him.
My people, won’t you turn your hearts to Me?
Forsake your idols and then you’ll be free.
Won’t you come now to Me on bended knee?
Living Water sanctifies.
http://originalworks.info/living-water/