It has been my great desire today, that we should hear the voice of the Spirit and what He is saying to the Church. Here, on the threshold of Christ's return, we are in great need; and even more so, the world needs us to be the Church, that more might be saved.
For Today...for all of us
Again, I say, it is critical that we keep in mind the universality as well as eternity of truth contained in the seven letters to the Churches.
By this I mean they are not simply a historic archive, revealing the condition of the early Church. Rather, they are timeless messages for the universal Body of Christ. Moreover, these churches were not randomly selected by some divine lotto. They were specifically chosen by the Spirit of God to reveal to the Church of Christ throughout her earthly pilgrimage the pitfalls and problems to avoid.
To that end, these letters contain a treasure trove of truth for teaching, reproof, correction, and training. As Israel's sins were said to serve as examples for the early Church (today also), so these failures of the early church serve likewise as a warning to the present-day body and to us individually. They contain the standards of Christ, against which we will be measured.
It behooves us therefore to pay attention to the Spirit's voice, and to the lessons we need to learn.
Beware of Falling Our of Love
The most clear and important message is our call to divine relationship.
That which is of paramount importance to the Lord has nothing to do with size, programs, wealth, or fame. What is most important to Him is that He alone, is the love of our life. Christ will not tolerate being relegated to anything less than first place.
As Paul made clear to the Colossians, Christ must have "first place in everything" (Col. 1:18). Any person, program, or passion that replaced Christ is idolatrous in the sight of God. We do well to remember how Peter was desirous of building three tabernacles in his zeal to accommodate Moses and Elijah on the mount of transfiguration; and yet God overshadowed them, leaving only Christ transfigured before them. So we have sought to elevate personalities, denominations, and movements that have replaced Christ from His rightful place of supremacy and centrality.
Beware of Replacements"
Our problem is that this replacement process does not happen suddenly. It takes place gradually.
An example of this is found in the parable of the prodigal son. As this young man matured, he came to the realization that his father had an inheritance set apart for him. From the father's viewpoint this inheritance was to be of great blessing to his son. Its advantages were enormous. It had the means of establishing the son for the rest of his life. The father had worked to provide for his sons. He had selflessly set aside his own wealth in order to bless his sons. It was never the purpose of the father to withhold from his sons that which was in their best interests. The son, on the other hand, began to desire more. He was far from satisfied with his present condition and knew that his father wanted to bless him. His older brother, unfortunately, was satisfied to remain impoverished and had no desire to partake of the father's wealth.
There are some striking similarities between this story and many within the Father's house today. We have seen a young generation arise that has not been satisfied with the older generation's example of Christianity. This younger generation has heard that the Father has an inheritance reserved and ready for the asking. This inheritance comprises the Father's wealth - his wealth of wisdom, power, gifts, authority. Failing to see their brothers pursuing these things, they have begun to implore the Father that he release to them His wealth - their inheritance.
Having received the inheritance, the son's focus shifted from seeking more from his father to reveling in his new found inheritance. The inheritance then became the object of his desire and the love of his life. Slowly his new-found inheritance drew him away from his relationship with his father and he began to derive his pleasure from the gift that his father gave him.
This story illustrates one of our greatest dangers in the Church today. We focus on our great blessings, and in time our love for our blessings replaces our love for God. Whatever term we use to describe our inheritance - whether it be anointing, gifts, authority, or calling - none of these blessings was ever meant to become a substitute for the greatest of all inheritances - Christ.
~David Ravenhill~
(continued with # 2)
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