The Lord Builds the House (Part 6 - Final)
The Move of God.
Because of the perception of the lack of God’s move in the historic Christian church, many people are flocking to the circus world of ‘Christian’ showmanship. For generations the church has been dumbed down to the point where the average Christian cannot discern between the move of God and the that which masquerades as truth. There is only one way to identify a counterfeit – by knowing what the authentic looks like. In the past, bankers studied the authentic 10, 20, 50 and 100 dollar bills so that when a counterfeit showed up, they were able to identify it by its false markings. When it comes to truth, the church previously has been able to discern what is false by knowing biblical truth. Unfortunately this is no longer the case. All false moves claim to be biblical but if they were, they would be consistent with scripture and focused on Jesus Christ.
Most Christians claim to know the Bible, but if this were true, false doctrine would be quickly identified. The truth is that most Christians get their doctrine second or third hand. Even Christians who study the Bible often do it through an interpreter. Reading a book about the Bible is not the pure milk of the word. Using a devotional is not the pure milk of the word. Getting doctrine through a teacher or a preacher is not the pure milk of the word. Teaching and preaching has its place in God’s plan, but it is not intended to replace personal Bible study. As people have become ‘leader dependent’, they have also become vulnerable to error. As the teacher goes, so goes the follower. The teachers are following experts and the layman is dependent on teachers. Even study Bibles can be a hindrance if you are depending on the commentary instead of seeking the Lord through the word and listening to the Holy Spirit.
Without a firm foundation built on the doctrine of scripture, we cannot be in God’s will and will not see the move of God. Consider Romans 6:
17 But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you.
Each one of us has been commanded to hold to the form of doctrine that was delivered to us through scripture. Many falsely claim that God is doing something new that has replaced the word of God, but Jesus clearly stated that heaven and earth may pass away, but the word will never pass away. The scripture is our source of doctrine and how we identify the truth and discern the error. Look at 2 Timothy 3:16-17
16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.
It is the scripture that teaches us doctrine, reproves what is wrong, instructs what we are to obey and corrects what is in error. The Bible tells us that if anyone claims to have a revelation of God, he is to be judged according to the word for “the spirit of the prophets are subject to the prophets”. In other words, what someone speaks must agree to what God has already stated through the prophets. If the doctrine that has been delivered is rejected by the self-proclaimed prophet, the Bible gives us instruction for that person. Look at 1 Timothy 6:3-5
3 If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness; 4 He is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings, 5 Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself.
It is unfortunate that when the modern day ‘prophet’ is in contradiction with the scripture, most will believe the one claiming to be the prophet and disbelieve the word of God. Most claim to believe the word of God but only those who hold fast to the word truly believe God.
Without being instructed by scripture, there is no move of God. There is a false move that attempts to imitate a move of God. There can be excitement, numerical growth, lying signs, and many other counterfeit displays which can give the appearance that the church is on the move. Being on the move is only good if you are moving in the right direction. There once was a pilot who flew his plane by sight. One day he got lost in the clouds and when the skies cleared up, he didn’t recognize anything. As the flight grew long and the passengers grew impatient, he made an announcement. “Ladies and gentlemen, I have some good news and bad news. The bad news is that we are completely lost. The good news is that we are making very good time.” This is how most churches are moving. There is a lot of movement, but they do not know where they are going. They are following a vision, but the vision is not one that is focused on seeking God’s Kingdom and His righteousness. Every vision I have heard pastors declare involves growing the church. We are creating our own kingdom and calling it the kingdom of God, but if disciples are not being taught to observe and obey all that has been commanded, you may be making a lot of progress, but you are still lost. We do not only seek the Kingdom, but God’s kingdom and God’s righteousness. You cannot leave out our call to walk in righteousness in the quest to build the kingdom.
In place of the lack of God’s move, many are flocking to the counterfeit as they look for something that claims to be authentic. This is explained well in Proverbs 27:7
The full soul loatheth an honeycomb; but to the hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet.
The church is filled with starving souls. I know traditional churches that are so caught up in ‘the way we’ve always done it’ that the church is dead. Worship is no longer God-focused but is based on the preference of those who hold positions within the church. I have watched churches slowly die as members begin to fall away or seek something meaningful in other churches. Those who leave a lifeless church are starving for something real and are often sucked into the excitement of an entertainment driven church. Because these churches are geared toward stirring our excitement, we mistake our emotions as a move of God.
It is fine to have exciting worship, but the commandment Jesus gave is on the word. As long as our methods and practices are not unbiblical, the Bible gives us freedom to choose our style of worship and programs within the church – under the over arching conditions of scripture – worship is God-focused, we preach the word, and make disciples. Almost every church I have been in is truly entertainment driven. Some want music and excitement while others want a pastor that can keep them amused. Even traditional churches fall into this trap. I have preached in very fundamentalist churches that do not like my style because I don’t huff. A pastor can shout, huff and provide very little doctrine and people feel energized because this entertains them. Others want a pastor that tells stories or pampers their ‘felt needs’ or teaches them how to be relevant in the world. Both are symptoms of the same problem but the outward evidence is quite different.
I believe in preaching with passion and conviction, but if there is nothing that will challenge the congregation to bring their flesh under subjection as they conform to the image of Christ what value is there in the message? We must preach and teach the cross. The cross of Jesus Christ and all that it brings into our relationship with God is the purpose of the church – period. The other stuff must be kept within its proper roles but never become the focus of the church. Only then can we see the move of God. Excitement isn’t the move of God; though God’s move can indeed excite His people. Signs and wonders are not the evidence of the move of God for Jesus warned that the workers of Satan will do signs to deceive the world and if possible, the elect of God. Church growth is not the move of God; but the move of God may indeed produce church growth. The evidence of God’s move is discipleship, the fruit of the Spirit and people who are conforming to the image of Christ.
Just look at the biblical church and see how God moved. Why doesn’t God move this way today? False faith is based on emotionalism but true faith is based on believing and obeying the word of God. Satan mimics the move of God by working people up into a state where they confuse emotional manipulation with the touch of the Spirit. God’s touch may stir up emotions, but the Spirit of God is not dependent on our emotions. If a church must work the congregation up into a high emotional state before ‘God begins to move’, this is a strong indication that this is an emotional move and not of the Spirit. The evidence of the Spirit’s move is not shouting or signs, but the sure foundation of Christ in our lives and hearts that turn to the Lord. Jesus said that the Holy Spirit will testify of Him; therefore, if worship is focused on our felt needs, desire for excitement or anything other than Jesus Christ, it is a false worship and not of God – regardless of how good it makes us feel. Good feelings do not produce spiritual growth; however, spiritual growth does produce peace, love, joy, patience, goodness, kindness, self-control, and faith. Don’t substitute the true work of the Spirit for mere emotions that fade and leave no fruit behind.
So does God move today? Absolutely. Does God require dead, reverent worship? Absolutely not. We don’t need the false gift to claim to be of God. We don’t need emotional manipulation to experience God. A church is not reverent to God only if they are quiet and lacking in emotion. It is truly exciting to see God’s move. Excitement is not the problem; where are focus lies is the problem – or the solution. If we are excited about getting excited, it isn’t worship; however, if we are excited about knowing the Lord, learning of Him, and seeing His move in our own lives and the life of our congregation, there is much to rejoice about. There is nothing more exciting than seeking God and seeing Him move within your own life on a consistent, daily basis. When you are experiencing God in your daily walk as you get to know His word, you will not need what is false in order to move you.
The true move of God begins with individuals within the church who set their hearts to seek the Lord and lay down their lives. The reason we need manufactured excitement is because we don’t see or feel God’s move in the church or our lives. The reason churches dwindle away is because there is no move of God in the people of that congregation. It is not possible to waste away when God is working in your own life, and if God is working in your own life, it will affect those around you. The hearts of God’s people and the faith of His saints is a reason why God moves or does not move within the local church. Let’s examine how God moves or why He does not move based on the teaching of scripture.
Why God does not move – His people are not in the Word.
If there are no people of righteousness, God will not exalt the church or move within the church. The Bible states that without holiness no one will see the Lord. We are commanded to be holy for our God is holy. Earlier we looked at the reasons for God’s commandments. Everything in His word is based on His character and nature. We grow in our fellowship with God by conforming to His image and this is done by conforming to His word. As we become like Him, we grow closer to Him and He works within us and produces the fruit of the Spirit in our own lives. Jesus explained this in John 14:23-24
23 Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. 24 He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father's which sent me.
You cannot love God without keeping the word of God. Jesus reiterated this repeatedly during His ministry. As you conform to His word, your abiding relationship with God will grow and spiritual maturity will develop. In John 15, Jesus made it clear that if we abide in Him and His words abide in us, then God will answer our prayers, we will produce fruit and God will accomplish His work through us. So clearly we can see that if God’s people are not abiding in the word, conforming to His word, growing in their fellowship with God, there will be no move of God in their lives or ministries. When God is not in it, man is dependent on his own methods to make things happen, but even when we can make things happen, there is no eternal significance if God is not the one producing the fruit. Jesus made it clear that we must abide in Him for without Him we can do nothing. Jesus said that He is the vine and we are the branches. If we do not abide in Him, we cannot produce fruit for it is not our efforts, but His work within us. If we are not people of righteousness, we cannot expect the gifts of the Holy Spirit to edify the church.
God’s people lack biblical faith.
Mark Twain once stated that faith is believing something that you know isn’t true. There is a false faith and when you talk to many Christians you will find that Twain wasn’t too far off in his observation. My wife once had a brief friendship with a woman whose father ran a fundamentalist ministry. My wife questioned something concerning their beliefs and this woman turned on her. She said that she had to break off their friendship by stating, “You have a disease. This disease is called doubt. I can no longer have contact with you because I am afraid of catching your disease of doubt”. How sad it is that so many Christians – even those in ministry – have a false faith that is dependent on not seeing anything that will make them question their beliefs. This woman’s faith was in her isolated world, not in the word of God. When you believe something that you are unsure of, you have no choice but to protect your religion rather than grow in the faith. This is why people get so angry when their beliefs are brought into question.
True faith is not so. We do not believe what we are unsure of nor do we have to protect our faith. Consider this passage from Ephesians 6:16
Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
You should not be protecting your faith; your faith is a shield God has given that protects you. If you must guard your faith from questions and doubts it is not true faith. Faith is not making yourself believe what you are unsure of, but believing that what God has said is true and that He has the power to do what He promises. God revealed His word to Abraham and he believed God and it was accounted for righteousness. Abraham did not come to God with the plan and pray for God to bless it, rather God revealed His plan to Abraham and Abraham believed and submitted himself to God’s plan. It was not a faith sheltered behind a belief system, but the revelation of God’s word that was understood and became a sure foundation. The word of God produced faith as Abraham believed what God said. This is the refuge of our Christian walk as well. Look at Proverbs 30:
5 Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him.
Our lives are no different. The Bible says that faith comes by hearing the word of God (Romans 10:17). We grow in our faith as we grow in our understanding of the word of God. When the word is not preached or understood, there can be no true faith. Just like false worship, when true faith is lacking man creates his own faith that must be protected by human effort. When there is no true faith, there can be no move of God. Look at Matthew 13:58
And he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief.
In this passage, Jesus was in a synagogue with those who did not believe His word and were offended when He was not who they wanted Him to be. The same is true in the church today. When the church is not established in the faith, God will not do mighty works in that church. Another example of faithlessness hindering the work of God is found in the account where the disciples could not cast out a spirit. It is interesting that in Matthew 10, Jesus gave his disciples the power to cast out evil spirits and they returned from the mission work He sent them to do rejoicing because of their success. Yet in Matthew 17 they failed to cast out a spirit and then the possessed was brought to Jesus. Look now at Matthew 17:17-21
17 Then Jesus answered and said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him hither to me. 18 And Jesus rebuked the devil; and he departed out of him: and the child was cured from that very hour. 19 Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out? 20 And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you. 21 Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.
Why did they fail? They were faithless and perverse. Perverse does not only mean sexual sins. You can pervert anything. You can pervert the truth by mixing in a lie. You can pervert anything in your life by mixing in the works of the flesh. According to Jesus, the disciples had enough faith to cast out the spirit but could not because of their unbelief. They clearly had the power to accomplish the work of God, but unbelief – which is of the flesh – was perverting their lives so that they were not working in faith. Faith is of the Spirit of God and is not of man. Unbelief is a work of the flesh. This is why Jesus stated that the solution was prayer and fasting. Prayer puts our focus on the things of the Spirit and fasting subdues the flesh. When we are walking in the flesh, we cannot please God and cannot do the work of God. Jesus did not say that they needed more faith; He stated that they had the faith but needed to pray and fast. This is also taught in Romans 8:4-8
4 That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. 5 For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. 6 For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. 7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. 8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.
The doctrines of the church today allow Christians to be taught that they can mind the things of the flesh and still have the work of God in their lives. When God’s people lose focus on the spiritual things of God, they begin to set their minds on the things of the flesh and cannot please God. If God is not pleased, you will not see the move of God which changes the lives of God’s people and the lives of those God sends to the church to be saved. In Ezekiel 22, God was going to judge the culture but first looked at His people to see if there was any who would stand in the gap for the land. If God’s people were faithful, the culture would have been protected from judgment and God would have moved them to influence the culture. But since the culture was driving God’s people, He found no one to stand in the gap. Not only did God not do a great work, but He also judged. The work of God is accomplished through faith and faith is established by God in the hearts of those who seek Him. Consider this passage from James 5:14-15
14 Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: 15 And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.
We can see through this passage that God does indeed promise to show His healing power, but only when there is a prayer of faith. Faith is a gift from God; therefore, it is only present when God’s people are walking in an abiding relationship with God. The elders of the church have specific, biblical requirements. We call people elders because they are appointed within the local church as elders; however, if an elder is not fulfilling God’s requirements as stated in Titus 1:5-9, they do not fulfill the requirements of this passage above in James. We may call them elders, but it means nothing unless God calls them an elder. When our elders are lacking in spiritual maturity and are not mindful of the things of God, there can be no prayer of faith to see God move. God will not give the prayer of faith unless He is moving in the church.
There are a lot of sincere people, but because of a lack of knowledge and therefore a lack of faith, God is not moving. Being sincere is not faithfulness and being sincere does not make us right. We are in God’s will when we take heed to His word, believe the word, and obey out of faith with an attitude of gratitude. When we are eternally minded, we can’t help but to take joy in the word of God knowing that His way alone has eternal significance and value.
Why God moves in the church.
We have already seen why God does not move, but the same principle applies to why God does move in the church and the culture. God told Jeremiah to run to and fro and see if He could find one man who follows the ways of the Lord, but there were none. There were many who practiced the Jewish religion and many who talked the talk, but none who truly followed God. In fact the Lord proclaimed, “This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me”. Church people have a tendency of speaking with Christian terms, but unless we are fulfilling the one great commandment by which everything flows from, our religion is vain. Jesus said that the great commandment is to love the Lord our God with all our heart, mind, soul and strength. If our lives are focused on pursuing this commandment, our hearts will be near Him.
In the early church we see the evidence of God’s people seeking Him and giving up their self-centered lives. Look at the foundation of the church God indeed blessed as described in Acts 2:38-47
38 Then Peter said to them, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 "For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call." 40 And with many other words he testified and exhorted them, saying, "Be saved from this perverse generation." 41 Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them. 42 And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers. 43 Then fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles. 44 Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, 45 and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need. 46 So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.
There are seven characteristics to be noted from this snapshot of the first church that God blessed so greatly:
1. They answered the call to repent.
2. They received Christ as revealed through scripture.
3. They left the perverse generation (or the world system).
4. They gladly received the word.
5. They continued in the apostle’s doctrine and fellowship with each other.
6. They were self-giving rather than self-serving or self-seeking.
7. They rejoiced with gladness and praised God – this is true worship.
The result was that the Lord added to the church and showed great signs. It was the Lord that added to the church and not the effort to make the church palatable to the world. The life-changing, transforming word of God is always relevant to those who are responding to God’s call. True relevance is seeing how God’s word teaches us how to grow in our fellowship with the Lord Jesus. The gospel message is not, “How can I make my life better in this world?”, but rather, “How can I set my heart on the things above, conform to His character and image, and how can I come out from among the world and be separate for God (which is holiness)?”. Living the gospel may make my life better in this world, but that is not the focus. I also must be aware that the gospel may make my life in this world difficult. The scriptures warn us that the world will hate us, we will endure persecution and that through many tribulations we must enter into the kingdom of God. The gate is narrow and the way is difficult that leads to life, but we can endure knowing that this world is passing away, but the way of God is eternal.
I realize that I discuss the falling away of the church often, but this is a constant threat. Churches are departing by droves into the various movements that promise instant success, praise, fame and an easy path. It is hard to endure while megachurches are exploding around us and men are getting praised for ‘the move of God’ because of their growth. There is little praise for faithfully preaching the message of the cross and often ridicule follows the true gospel. We must always have the Lord before our face knowing that we will be praised by God for our faithfulness to His calling and His word – these two are inseparable. God will not measure your faithfulness by the size of your congregation, but by the discipleship you invested into others.
The early church that God affirmed through signs and spiritual growth did not redefine Jesus to a buddy who requires nothing and gives everything you desire. The Jesus of the Bible does not promise that you can be rich and have everything you have ever wanted. Quite the opposite. Let’s look again at a passage we looked at in the previous section of this study from Luke 9:23-24
23 And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. 24 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it.
Does this agree with the early church as described in Acts? It certainly does. It does not agree with many of the modern doctrines that teach that we seek ourselves. The church that seeks to fulfill their lives here and now will not see God move and in fact will lose the true abundant life God offers. The church and the Christian that loses their life for His sake will find it. This is the message preached to the early church and their response to that message is why God blessed and showed His power to them.
We must follow the pattern of worship given to us in the scriptures. Receiving the word is essential; however, we are not merely called to receive, but to respond in obedience. Jesus stated that those who fall away are those who receive the word with joy, but do nothing with it and because he has no depth he quickly falls away. Some receive the word and do nothing with it and the word is forgotten and taken away (See Matt 13:18-23). The only ones who are fruitful are those who receive the word, seek to understand it, and act according to the word. God then produces fruit in that person’s life and through faithfulness to the Word, He moves in the church. The early church received the word, repented, and departed from the wicked generation around them. They did not seek how to make their church compatible to the culture, but called believers to come out of the culture and into a new kingdom which lives by an eternal standard.
Repentance means to turn from our own ways and to the Lord. We are not called to take ‘Christian principles’ and apply them to our worldly lifestyle, but to be transformed into a new creation and come out from among the world. Consider the command God gave in 2 Corinthians 6:14-18
14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? 15 And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? 16 And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, 18 And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.
What does it mean to be separate? The scriptures help clarify this in 1 Peter 4:3-5
3 For the time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles, when we walked in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revellings, banquetings, and abominable idolatries: 4 Wherein they think it strange that ye run not with them to the same excess of riot, speaking evil of you: 5 Who shall give account to him that is ready to judge the quick and the dead.
In times past (before we surrendered to Christ) we lived according to the worlds standards. Sin seemed fun until we found true joy, peace and hope. Now we are separated from the world and no longer run after a sinful lifestyle. The world will think us to be strange because our desires have changed. This does not mean that we live on an island, but our fellowship has changed. When a believer and an unbeliever walk together, someone’s value system will be challenged and compromised. The world demands that Christians condone sin and even participate. Someone who lives for Christ will intimidate anyone who does not. Therefore, others will try to find fault or draw you into their behavior or lifestyle. To try to make the church a happy place for those who do not want holiness is foolishness. The only way the world can be happy in the church is for the church to hide or alter the message of the gospel. The only way God will move within the church is for the church to uphold the message of the gospel. One or the other will be true.
A living church will continue in the doctrine of the apostles. This is known as our modern New Testament. Doctrine is mentioned 56 times in the New Testament, teaching is discussed 59 times and preaching is discussed 153 times. Since this topic is discussed 268 times, it stands to reason that it is a very important issue in the church. In fact, doctrine is a foundational issue. Doctrine is simply the teaching of the principles of scripture. If a church is going to be blessed by God and we are to truly see His move, the members MUST continue in the doctrine of the scriptures. Simply hearing a sermon is not what this is talking about. This is addressing true discipleship. This is referring to teaching and preaching the word so that our members can understand how to walk in faith and obedience and continue in the doctrine of Christ. In John 8:31 Jesus said:
Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed
You cannot be His disciple without continuing in the word. If a church will do this very thing, we will truly see the move of God. When we truly see God moving, we will find little pleasure in a manufactured move of God through luring members into our club or emotional tactics. What kind of Christian you are on Tuesday is the proof of what kind of experience you had on Sunday. If you need a Sunday morning fix to get you into a spiritual mood, it is not the life-changing power of the Holy Spirit. God does not merely enrich your life, but He transforms your life. The fruit of the Spirit in your everyday life is the evidence that the Holy Spirit is truly working through you. This message in Acts has been taught from the beginning. Look at Psalm 37:
34 Wait on the LORD, and keep his way, and he shall exalt thee to inherit the land: when the wicked are cut off, thou shalt see it.
We are not called to only wait on the Lord, but to do so while keeping His way. You are not promised instant success but rather, you are called to actively wait. God may bless quickly or your hope may be deferred. Either way, in the end those who stand upon the Lord will see His salvation and have the promise of His inheritance. Look also at Proverbs 4:1-9
Hear, ye children, the instruction of a father, and attend to know understanding. 2 For I give you good doctrine, forsake ye not my law. 3 For I was my father's son, tender and only beloved in the sight of my mother. 4 He taught me also, and said unto me, Let thine heart retain my words: keep my commandments, and live. 5 Get wisdom, get understanding: forget it not; neither decline from the words of my mouth. 6 Forsake her not, and she shall preserve thee: love her, and she shall keep thee. 7 Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding. 8 Exalt her, and she shall promote thee: she shall bring thee to honour, when thou dost embrace her. 9 She shall give to thine head an ornament of grace: a crown of glory shall she deliver to thee.
This was written by Solomon who received his wisdom from God. Our heavenly father calls us to seek the right ways. Notice again the instruction that commands us to hold to doctrine. When we receive doctrine we will have the power to seek and find wisdom. Once we obtain the wisdom of God, we have all the promises of success. Success is dependent on God and the promise God has given is dependent on “Let thine heart retain my words: keep my commandments, and live”. This is no different that what we have been taught about the first church. They continued in the doctrine of the apostles – which is the doctrine handed down from Jesus Christ – who is the word made flesh.
God will move in the life of any man or woman who keeps His word by faith. It begins with individuals seeking the Lord and calling others to follow His ways. As the church, the collective body of believers, are faithful to the word, the Lord will move and show Himself strong on behalf of those who are faithful as stated in 2 Chronicles 16:9a
For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him.
God did not call us to be lone Christians. There are indeed times when we must stand alone, but the plan of God for the church is an assembly of believers who lift Him up through faith, obedience and worship. When a church does so, God will move as He has promised. It is not one Christian carrying the load but faithful leadership discipling faithful members so that the church can seek God and walk in obedience. Just as the 1st century church was led by faithful elders (the apostles) and the people continued in obedience to the word, we also can see God move mightily if we live according to the scriptures. This is not merely Sunday morning faith, but a life transformed by the gospel and a lifestyle focused on Jesus Christ.
How God moves in the culture.
The way to reach the culture is not to make the church appealing to the culture, but by God’s people living according to righteousness and biblical wisdom. Look at Proverbs 14:33-35
33 Wisdom resteth in the heart of him that hath understanding: but that which is in the midst of fools is made known. 34 Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people. 35 The king's favour is toward a wise servant: but his wrath is against him that causeth shame.
As God’s people understand doctrine and continue in it, wisdom will rest in the heart of His people. The Lord gives wisdom and out of His mouth comes knowledge and understanding (Proverbs 2:6). It is not possible to walk in God’s wisdom without abiding continually in God’s word that has been delivered to us through the scripture. As we just read, wisdom is found in the hearts of those who have understanding.
According to the Lord, the success of our culture is not dependent on mankind, but the exaltation of God. All we need to do is look back throughout history. As faith grows, success follows. As God’s people seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, all these things will be added unto us. Sin is a reproach to any people; therefore, if the culture is to prosper, the people of God must return to their foundation of scripture. The culture is not protected through politics, the economy, laws or leaders. These all have their proper roles, but if righteousness is missing, none of these things can save a nation. The Bible says that the nation that forgets God shall be turned into hell (Psalm 9:17), but if God’s people will repent, seek His face, humble themselves and pray, then God will forgive sin and heal their land (2 Chronicles 7:14). It is not merely to pray, but to do all of these things. Indeed 2 Chronicles is preaching the same message found in Acts 2.
We must be men and women of the word. We must be in the word, seek to understand the word, obey the word and continue in the word. For the Lord has promised that if we keep the word He will keep His word to bless us, our congregations and our nation. Let’s conclude this series with the same passage where we began in Psalm 127:1
Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.
It is not our labors that produce success. Our efforts are to keep His word by faith and trust the Lord to build the house. Any of our labors outside of God’s work is in vain, for He alone builds the house, establishes each family, builds the church, and establishes the nation.
Eddie Snipes
Exchanged Life Outreach
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