The Lord has impressed upon many hearts that His chastening, purging, and purifying judgment of love is now upon His church (Matthew 5:13; 1 Peter 4:12-19; 1John 3:1-3; 1 Corinthians 11:31-32; 2 Corinthians 13:5; Hebrews 12:5-11; Jude 17-25; Revelation 2:4, 14, 20; 3:2, 14-22).
God’s goal in this post 9/11 hour is to create a longing for “home” in the hearts of His children (Romans 8:18-25; Philippians 1:21-23; 2 Corinthians 5:1-10; 2 Timothy 4:7-8; Revelation 22:20). The shaking of the earth that is now occurring, is designed to cause us to see this world of Satan’s dominion and man’s depravity for what it really is: Brief, full of trouble, and destined for destruction (Psalm 39:4-6; 90:10; John 16:33; Romans 13:12; 1 Corinthians 7:31; 1 John 2:17).
It is to AWAKEN the people of God from our complacent slumber and sleep (Matthew 25:1-13; Mark 13:32-37; Luke 12:35-40; Romans 13:1-12; Ephesians 5:14-17; 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11), force us to DISENGAGE from the entanglement of this present, cursed world, that is under the control of Satan’s insane rebellion against God’s sovereignty (Luke 4:5-8; 21:34-36; 1 John 5:19; 1 Corinthians 7:29-31; 1 John 2:15-17; Hebrews 12:1; Colossians 3:1-3; John 17:15; Galatians 1:4; James 4:4; Revelation 18:4; 2 Corinthians 6:17), and DRAW NEAR to Him (Psalm 91:1; John 15:1-17; James 4:7-8; Philippians 3:10; Hebrews 4:16; 10:21-22,24-25; Mark 12:30; Psalm 27:8; 42:1).
I am convinced that a time of necessity is coming for the church in America, when our only reference point will be our intimate knowledge of God’s love and faithfulness (Jeremiah 9:6-7, 23-24; Psalm 32:8-11; 33:4, z18-22; 34:15-22; 36:5; 37:23-29). The severity of necessity will be determined by how much we are controlled by self and this world. Christ cannot be formed in a life controlled by self and this world (Romans 8:29; 12:1-2). The coming period will be one in which the Lord may seem to you as being distant and silent.
Depending on your view of, and approach to Him, It may almost look and feel to you like rejection and abandonment, as He begins to Shake, Topple, and Overthrow, every physical and intellectual monument to self, both personal and corporate, that have been built by the Pride of selfish ambition and empty glory-seeking using His name. The Lord’s purpose in this discipline is three-fold:
(1) To correct the correctable and to prepare the wicked for destruction (Isaiah 55:7; Ezekiel 18:23, 32; 33:11; Romans 2:4-5; 1 Timothy 2:4; 2 Peter 3:9). (2) Remove every obstacle that hinders intimacy with those whom He loves. (3) To cleanse every spot, stain, wrinkle and blemish, that would make His bride unworthy to be offered. (Psalms 13:1,2; 22:11,19; 27:7-19; 30:6-7; 42:1,2; 44:23-26; 63:1,2; 73:23-28; 102:1,2; 84:2; 143:6,7-11; Proverbs 3:11,12; Isaiah 26:7-11; Jeremiah 29:13; Hosea 5:15; John 14:1-6; 2 Corinthians 11:2; Ephesians 1:4; 5:27; Philippians 2:3-11; 3:10; Colossians 1:22; Jude 24; Hebrews 12:1-13; 1 Peter 4:17-19).
Our love, trust, and obedience, must rest on our intimate knowledge of His Word that describes His character. It is through His Word, as it is written, and correctly interpreted, that He reveals Himself, and we gain intimate relationship knowledge of the Most High God. Without it we cannot know Him. (Hebrews 3:10-11; cf. Proverbs 2:1-7; Jeremiah 9:23-24) His Word is Who He says He is, and what He promises that He will and will not do. He has promised to never leave, forsake, or to let us fall (Psalm 55:22; Hebrews 13:5; Philippians 4:11; 1 Timothy 6:6-11).
He says to us: “Taste and see, which means (know by experience) that the Lord is good” (Psalm 34:8). It is easy to trust Him when things are going our way. But what about when things in our safe, comfortable spiritual lives are spiraling out of our control, and all of our neat and largely self-centered formulas of faith are: shattered in order to be altered? The very foundation of our faith could soon to be shaken, and our belief in the God who says that He loves us will be tried. Why? An untested faith simply cannot be trusted (John 16:33; Acts 14:22; Romans 5:3; 12:2; 1 Thessalonians 3:3-4; 1 Timothy 3:12; James 1:3; 1 Peter 1:3-7).
You don’t really know that God won’t leave, forsake, or let you fall, until He takes you to the place of falling (Hebrews 13:5; Deuteronomy 31:6-8; Psalm 16:8; 21:7; 37:24; 91:7; 145: 14).
Contrary to some of today’s broad road, self-serving, give to get, cost you nothing preaching and teaching, that is becoming increasingly more hollow, and out of touch with the times in which we now live (Matthew 7:13,14; 2 Timothy 4:1-4). This is not the time for self-centered introspection, the pursuit of our own personal happiness, or worldly full satisfaction and attachment, because, by God’s hand peace and security are absent from the earth (Genesis 19:15-26; Isaiah 9:6,7; 45:7; 48:22; 57:20-21; Jeremiah 6:14; Lamentations 2:14; 14:13,14; 23:16,17; Amos 3:6; Zechariah 9:10; Matthew 10:34-39; 24:1-8; Luke 17:26-32; 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11) as the consummation of this age draws near. (Romans 13:11-14; 1 Corinthians 7:29; 10:11; 1 Peter 1:13; 4:7; 1 John 2:18)
The hour is upon the church for emergency refocusing (fixing our concentration and efforts on things above) Ephesians 1:8-9; Colossians 3:1-4; Philippians 3:18-21, examining as well as streamlining our lives (improving the efficiency of our lives, and arranging them to offer the least resistance to the changes that are coming) 1 Timothy 6:6-10; Mark 4:19; Luke 21:34-36; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1Peter 1:13; 4:1-2; 1 Corinthians 10:12; 11:31-32; 2 Corinthians 5:9-10; 13:5; James 2:14-26, and gospel simplicity (faithfulness to the testimony of nothing but Jesus Christ and Him crucified, risen, and coming again 1 Corinthians 2:1-5; 15:20; Acts 2:23-24; 1 Peter 1:3-5; Galatians 6:14; Revelation 19:11-16; 22:7).
During this shaking God will be making a distinction between those who are His and those who are not (2 Timothy 2:19; John 10:14; 1 Corinthians 8:3). He will be confronting, exposing, and calling to account; impure motives, false teaching, false professions of faith, as well as all well-meaning ministry efforts based upon erroneous theology and doctrine that have distorted and hindered the clear mission of Christ (Hebrews 12:25-29; 2 Peter 2:1-3, 17-19; Acts 22:1-8; Romans 10:1,2; 1 Corinthians 2:1-5; 4:19,20; Romans 15:19; Galatians 1:13,14; Philippians 3:4-6; Matthew 15:7-9; Luke 19:10; Isaiah 32:6; Colossians 2:8).
The Lord is forcing professing believers to choose between true biblical Christianity, that is narrow-road, kingdom-focused and Christ-centered (Matthew 7:14; Luke 13:24; Ephesians 2:1-10; Colossians 1:5; 3:1-4; 1 Peter 1:4,5; Hebrews 12:2), or the popular worldly churchianity being practiced by the cult of popular church culture, that is broad road, earth-focused (Matthew 7:13; John 6:15; 18:36; 1 John 2:15-17; 1 Corinthians 7:29-31; Colossians 2:8; James 4:1-10; Philippians 3:18-19), and man-centered (Matthew 16:23; 1 Timothy 4:1; 2 Timothy 4:3, 4; 2 Peter 2:1-3).
Just as it is unnatural for church leaders to allow themselves to be glorified (1Peter 5:1-3; Philippians 2:5-11; 3:7-10; Matthew 20:28; 23:11,12; Luke 22:27; John 13:13-17; 1 Corinthians 1:26-31; 2:1-5; 4:1,2,6,10,13; 9:16-19; 2 Corinthians 1:24; 8:9; 1 Peter 4:10; Acts 20:19; Isaiah 2:11,22; 23:9; 42:8), it is unnatural for a child of God to be broad-road, earth-focused, and man-centered, which is idolatrous personality worship.
Note: The fine line between being honored (valued highly with respect) and being glorified (exalted, magnified, promoted and renowned), has been crossed by some professing Christian leaders (1 Corinthians 1:11-13; 3:1-9; 4:1, 2, 6, 9-13; Galatians 5:19-24; 1 Thessalonians 5:12-13; 1 Timothy 5:17-20; Hebrews 13:7, 17).
The lengths that some church leaders go to in their attempt to give professing believers a different option other than death to this world (John 15:18-21; 17:14-16; John 12:25-26; Galatians 6:14; 1 John 2:15-17; James 4:4) and the surrender of self is amazing, because Jesus provided no such option.
He always plainly declared the high cost of discipleship to the ignorant, and immature multitudes that followed him (Matthew 10:37-39; Mark 8:34-38; Luke 9:57-62; 14:25-33; John 12:25-26). The fruit produced as a result of the unfaithfulness of these leaders, is pampered, double-minded, self-consumed church members, who are preoccupied with the perverted search for acquisition and significance, in this world of the walking dead (Ephesians 2:1,2; Colossians 2:13). And who are tragically ignorant of the cost of true discipleship that our Lord demands (Luke 9:23-26; 14:25-33; John 12:25; Philippians 3:7; Hebrews 11:23-26).
Foreign to the teachings of Christ is the easy believe-ism that is rampant in the professing church today (Matthew 7:13-27). In teaching, we believe a distinction must always be made between receiving Christ, which is totally by the free gift of believing faith (Ephesians 2:8-10; Galatians 2:16; John 6:44; Acts 13:48), and the consequential demand of true believing faith; the sacrifice of self (Luke 14:25-27; 2 Corinthians 4:11; Romans 12:1,2; Matthew 16:24-27; Phil. 3:7-8; Romans 6:5-8; 8:12-14,17; 12:1,2; 2 Tim. 2:11; I John 2:6; 1 Peter 2:21; John 6:38; 13:5; Matthew 11:29). Jesus denied and sacrificed His life to conquer sin and Satan and gain the risen life. It will cost us our life to live in the full power of resurrection newness of life. (Genesis 3; Romans 5:12-21; Hebrews 10:19-21; 1 Corinthians 15:22; 1 Timothy 2:5-6; Philippians 2:5-11; Isaiah 53:4-5; Matt. 1:21; John 19:30.)
He calls on us to deny and sacrifice ourselves, because the consequences of Adam’s sin and rebellion presents obstacles both to the development of the Christian life, as well as our being vessels fit for the Master’s use (Matthew 16:23-27; Mark 8:34-37; John 12:23-26; Jeremiah 17:9; Acts 20:24; Romans 3:10-12, 23; 5:12; 6:23; 7:14-25; 8:3-8,13-17; 12:1,2; 1Corinthians 9:23-27; 15:21,22; 2 Corinthians 5:14-15; Philippians 2:3-5; 2 Timothy 4:6,7; Psalm 51:5; Galatians 2:20; 5:16-25; Isaiah 53:6).
I believe that the Lord has impressed upon our hearts, that this is a final call hour. It is an hour for closing doors, settling all issues in our lives, and “choosing this day who we will serve.”
The Kingdom of heaven is preparing for the wedding and coronation day of the King of Kings, and Lord of Lords. This present, imperfect world is being prepared for Jesus to come back again, to complete what He finished/accomplished at His first coming. That is the blessed hope of the true believer (Titus 2:13; John 14:1-3; John 12:27-33; 19:30; 1 John 3:8; Acts 1:1-11; 3:21; Romans 8:20-24; Zechariah 14:1-9; Daniel 2:44; 7:14; Phil 2:5-11; Revelation 11:15; 12:10; 19:11-16- 20:1-3, 11-15; Isaiah 65:17-25; 21:1-8).
“Forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13-14).
The church is the fellowship of the called out ones (John 15:19; 1 Peter 2:9-12). As God’s children (John 1:12; 1 John 3:1-3); we are called out of this world, which is the kingdom of Satan’s darkness, sin and death (Luke 4:5-8; 1 John 5:19; Acts 26:18; Ephesians 6:12; Colossians 1:13-14).
We are called out to witness that we are not of this world, but are united to the glorified Christ in heaven (Ephesians 1:18-23; 2:6; Colossians 3:1-4).
PLEASE BURN THIS INTO YOUR BRAIN:
We are left here in this present, imperfect world, for one very simple reason: As ambassadors of the kingdom of heaven; we are to submit ourselves as living sacrifices, that can be molded by Christ into useable vessels through whom our Lord can preach the gospel (Good News) of the coming of His kingdom (Mark 1:14-15; Luke 4:43; 9:1-2; 19:10; Acts 8:12; 28:30-31; 1 Timothy 1:15; Romans 12:1-2; John 17:14-18; 2 Corinthians 5:18-20; Philippians 1: 21-27; Colossians 4:2-6; 1 Peter 3:15).
COMMITTED TO AUTHENTICITY.
Harry Oliver