7. Everywhere, God's people turning again to the Word.   

This is really a continuation from last week, where we saw that lack of reading the Word was giving rise to the New Dark Age, or apostasy in the church.     

It is not a new problem! Hosea prophesied about this around the 8th century BC....

my people are destroyed from lack of knowledge. ‘Because you have rejected knowledge, I also reject you as my priests; because you have ignored the law of your God, I also will ignore your children. (Hosea 4:6)     

The Lord criticized the priests for their failure and rejected them. May I ask who are the priests today? We are.....   

5 and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, 6 and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father – to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen. (Revelation 1:5-6)(emphasis added)   

In the Old Testament the priests were the mediators between the people and God. But now we have a new and better covenant.....  

5 They serve at a sanctuary that is a copy and shadow of what is in heaven. This is why Moses was warned when he was about to build the tabernacle: ‘See to it that you make everything according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.’[a] 6 But in fact the ministry Jesus has received is as superior to theirs as the covenant of which he is mediator is superior to the old one, since the new covenant is established on better promises. 7 For if there had been nothing wrong with that first covenant, no place would have been sought for another. (Hebrews 8:5-7)

Jesus is our mediator.....     

4 who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave himself as a ransom for all people. This has now been witnessed to at the proper time. (1 Timothy 2:4-6)       

Put simply, we cannot come to a knowledge of the truth unless we study and absorb the Word, which for true believers is the 'living word'.....

22 Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart.[a] 23 For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. (1 Peter 2:22-3)    

When I was young (surprising I can remember back the far!) my parents made me read the Bible each day. It was boring, and I hated it! !earned my own method of 'speed reading'!   

Once I came into a relationship with Jesus when I was 42, I started to read the Bible again, for it was interesting to find out more about my Jesus. I could read and understand the words on the page. However, it was only after coming into the realm of the Holy Spirit, the Bible truly came alive to me. I got revelations, for now I could read the 'words between the lines'. Thank you Jesus. Thank you Holy Spirit. (And thank you Father.)    

Over the past 20-30 years, at an estimate, there has been a big falling away in the West in people walking in Holy Spirit power. Going into supposed Pentecostal and Charismatic churches today, I am saddened by the lack of evidence of people moving in the Holy Spirit. Most of our Pentecostal churches have become formal and dead. Just another religious movement based upon the revelation and life of earlier times.      

When visiting Africa too, there is lots of joyful worship, for that is inbuilt, but the greatest demand of people I share with is for Holy Spirit baptism. My friend Rodney Francis's manual, 'The School of the Holy Spirit' is meeting with insatiable demand.   

In order therefore, for believers to turn again to the Word, there is a need for Holy Spirit infilling or baptism, however you prefer to express it, to come back into the church today. Then we will see a return to the Word.   

Come Holy Spirit, come.

8. A tested, tried people, once again devoted to the Person of Jesus Christ! 

I live in a society here in New Zealand where 'health and safety' rules above all! The rules and regulations applying to workplace safety are so extreme, that common-sense has departed out the door. Children are so protected, by regulations and over protective parents, that risk taking is is no longer in our vocabulary. Yet risk taking, so learning where boundaries are, is a part of maturing to become well rounded people. Phew! Got that off my chest! Without developing RSI (Repetitive strain injury)!   

Why I mentioned it though, is that this mind attitude has crept into all life, including our spiritual journey. We all look for comfort. We are risk averse. But God is not! He leads us through trials and testings, 'Through the valley of the shadow of death", in order to bring us into a deeper and closer relationship with Him. 

Reality is, if you want a peaceful, comfortable life, do not give your heart to Jesus! I know that this goes against a lot of modern teaching, of the 'Father Christmas', easy Christianity theology, I mentioned earlier. But it is the truth. Jesus himself said..... 

34 ‘Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35 For I have come to turn ‘“a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law – 36 a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.”37 ‘Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. 38 Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39 Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it. (Matthew 10:34-38)    

We are to lose our life for Jesus! And take on the character of our Lord. That is the purpose of the ministry giftings of Ephesians....

11 So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. (Ephesians 4:11-13) (emphasis mine)

My experience has been one over the years of financial trials, the first of which brought me to Jesus, and those after that closer to Him. Do I enjoy financial problems? No! But I do know that for me personally, they have helped meld my character to what it is today. Had I continued to have ongoing business success, I know pride and self-sufficiency would have been at the centre of my soul. 

James wrote about this.....   

Trials and temptations         

2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance 4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. (James 1:2-4)   

Peter too, talked about trails building faith.....

5 who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7 These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith – of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire – may result in praise, glory and honour when Jesus Christ is revealed. (1 Peter 1:5-7)       

Persecution is also a means of developing faith. Jesus set it out plainly that we would be persecuted for our faith.....  

‘Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. (Matthew 24:9)    

Paul experienced huge persecution during his life. He told Timothy....

11 persecutions, sufferings – what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, the persecutions I endured. Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them. 12In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, 13 while evildoers and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. (2 Timothy 3:11-13)

Devotion to Jesus, as we can see, is developed through trials. testing, and yes, persecution, in our lives.   

Are we prepared to pay the price?