Romans 8:1 There is therefore no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the spirit

I am still in the midst of processing what the Lord has shown me over the past two weeks. There are two words that describe it: urgency and aggressiveness.  I have seen altar calls answered by masses of people coming forward and falling on their knees before the cross, finally giving up their fight and surrendering  their lives to Christ. I have been present as an entire congregation wept openly for the condition of their loved ones who do not know the Lord, the condition of their communities, the condition of the world, and the condition of the church at large. Hearts are being won, the body of Christ is being convicted and refocused; The spirit is on the move! I believe that God is mobilizing His church for a revival the size and scope of which will be unmatched in human history.  Mathew 5:14: You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. 

Believers are called to be a reflection of God’s  grace and mercy to this dying world. 1 John 1-5: This is the message which we have heard from Him and we declare to you, that God is light and in Him there is no darkness at all. The light of salvation through Christ Jesus does pierce the darkness. It is Jesus who wins souls from the evil one; we are simply called to be His messengers. What an  amazing thought! The creator of the universe wants to use believers to communicate His message. Scripture tells us that as believers we are to be in this world but not of it. Romans 12:2: And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. We are to stand apart; to stand on biblical principle, on the principle  of God not man. By basing our opinions and actions on the truth of the word of God and not on will of man we will begin to see the world as God sees it. Once we begin to live in the spirit of the Lord we will be used to reach the perishing.

While there has always been a distinction between the world and the body of Christ, I can safely say that never before has that distinction been so sharp or apparent. We live in a world fraught with danger on all sides  both spiritual and physical. The spiritual danger to the lost is an eternity spent separated from God – a polite way of saying that those who don’t accept Christ as their savior will go to Hell when they die. For believers called to  reach the lost the physical dangers run the gambit from ridicule to imprisonment and death.  Just pick up the newspaper or surf the internet and you will find stories detailing the persecution of the body of Christ. Matthew 24:9 Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake.  The words of Jesus echoed in my head this week. The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing it is offensive. Jesus states in Matthew that believers will pay for their offense to the world with their lives. The blessing is, though we are condemned by the world system; man’s system, in Christ there is no condemnation for the believer. This is a promise from God found in Romans 8. This is the gift of salvation. So, steady on, square you shoulders and speak the truth.

The word of God has never changed. John 1:1 In the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word was God.  The world has, over time become more and more corrupt. The hearts of man have become more and more prideful and hard, forsaking the truth of scripture. It is going to get worse and as the world becomes increasingly morally corrupt and harder of heart the path that Christians walk – the narrow path will grow ever narrower. As sin becomes accepted in the name of equality, the line between what is right and wrong according to the world, becomes blurred. As for the path of Christ, the path that believers follow – it has become less acceptable by the worlds standards; pushing Christians out on the periphery. This brings me hope if only because it proves the sovereignty of God because Jesus predicted this in Mathew 24.

I believe that in my lifetime we will see increased persecution of Christians, not in far away lands (that is already happening) but right here in the United States. I know that is not the most encouraging rallying cry. The encouragement comes from scripture and the promise found in Romans  8:1 ……there is no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus. In short, fear God not man. Man’s condemnation is temporary, Gods salvation is eternal. I pray that God would give us discernment, protection, and boldness to be a reflection of His love to a dying world.

Grace & Peace

LD

*If you would like to know more about a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, email me at savedIIserve@gmail.com and let me know! I will be happy to lead you through what the bible says about salvation and accepting Jesus Christ as your savior.*