Much of what is happening in the world at this time must happen before Christ returns. But many in the Church are praying for it to stop. Instead, we should be seeking the Lord for the revelations and strategies for this season and preparing ourselves for the next season.
The Bible says that the end will not come until the restoration of all things.
"Now repent of your sins and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped away. Then times of refreshment will come from the presence of the Lord, and he will again send you Jesus, your appointed Messiah. For he must remain in heaven until the time for the final restoration of all things, as God promised long ago through his holy prophets." - Acts 3:19-21 NLT
What are we, the church, seeing? Do we see as God sees or as the world sees? When we see these signs spoken of in the Bible, we should be rejoicing for our redemption draws near! Instead, many in the church are in fear, fighting against the sin in the world rather than preparing for the wedding.
The Bible states that sin will increase in the world because the tares grow up with the wheat. Both will come to maturity together. But as sin increases, so does righteousness.
"Here is another story Jesus told: "The Kingdom of Heaven is like a farmer who planted good seed in his field. But that night as the workers slept, his enemy came and planted weeds among the wheat, then slipped away. When the crop began to grow and produce grain, the weeds also grew. "The farmer's workers went to him and said, 'Sir, the field where you planted that good seed is full of weeds! Where did they come from?' "'An enemy has done this!' the farmer exclaimed. "'Should we pull out the weeds?' they asked. "'No,' he replied, 'you'll uproot the wheat if you do. Let both grow together until the harvest. Then I will tell the harvesters to sort out the weeds, tie them into bundles, and burn them, and to put the wheat in the barn.'" - Matthew 13:24-30 NLT
Both sin and righteousness will mature together, and the difference will become evident as they mature. Where is your focus? Is it on the tares or the wheat? The Lord has promised that when darkness increases in the earth, He will cause His glory to be seen on you.
"For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee." - Isaiah 60:2 KJV
This season is a time of great opportunity for the Church. As we heed the call of God to turn to Him as our only source, and as we go deeper in our relationship with Him, He will come closer to us, and we will receive from Him what we need for the transition and the coming season.
"Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded." - James 4:8 NKJV
We were born for such a time as this! We have been positioned through salvation and resurrected life to be vessels for the restoration of all things which must happen before Christ returns.
God used many of His saints throughout history to restore specific things to the Church that were needed for that particular season. An example is the restoration of the fivefold ministry to the Body of Christ. We always had Pastors (Elders/Shepherds). But in the 40’s & 50’s Evangelists were brought to the forefront. Then in the 60’s & 70’s Teachers, the 80’s & 90’s Prophets, and finally in the 2000’s the Apostles.
God now wishes to use us to restore His presence on this earth, through us! This season requires each individual who desires to be obedient to the Lord to participate. It is not something He can do without our cooperation because He has given us free will. And, it is not something our leaders can do for us. Each part of the Body must grow up and come into their place. The Bride of Christ must make herself ready. (Ephesians 4:16)
To do that, we must be willing to embrace the fire of God’s love that will purge anything that separates us from Him. We must also be aware that only the Holy Spirit can cause a spirit of repentance and surrender to fall on the Church. Our job is to ask for the cleansing fire, understand its purpose, cooperate with it, and help each other through it.
It starts with the forerunner leaders who will lead the way. I would rather be led by someone who has been there already, wouldn’t you?
Lance Wallnau, in an article titled “Who Would You Rather Follow” writes:
“If you are walking in the steps of your father Abraham you MUST experience seasons when you know what you are looking for but don’t have a clue how to get there.”
“By faith, Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.” Hebrews 11:8
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