Lost In Church?

Lost In Church? We have often heard that the people in the world are lost without Christ. But these days, many of us Christians are ourselves lost ~ lost in church. Lost in our journeys with the Lord, wandering in our own wildernesses and religious circles. The world at large is lost, and so is the church! This may seem highly impossible, but this is exactly what Jesus said would happen in Matthew 7:21-23: "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!' Looking closely at these verses, we will find that many of these "lost" people are not just ordinary church members sitting in the church pews every week but they are the leaders and the ministers in the church! They are not just a small isolated few individuals, but a large group of people! Jesus said many would be involved! If many of these Christian leaders are lost and going astray, many of their members and followers will be lost too. The apostle Peter revealed this lost condition of the church in 2 Peter 2:1-2: But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord Who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed. Many of them will deny the Lord, and will be denied by the Lord Himself! They may think that they have the spiritual gifts such as prophesying, casting out demons and working miracles, done even in the name of Jesus, but they are lawless in the sight of God, practicing lawlessness! What is lawlessness? It is summed up in just one word "unloving" - not loving God and others! Jesus again said in Matthew 24:12: And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. The love of many Christians will grow cold. And many will be indifferent or lukewarm towards God and others. Many will lose their zeal and passion to seek God and to do His will! How does our love for God or others grow cold? The moment we embrace things of the world more than the things of God! The moment we esteem ourselves and our interests above those of others! The moment we start worshipping money instead of God! The moment we stop seeking the kingdom of God and His righteousness! But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away! (2 Timothy 3:1-5) We are living in very difficult times. The world climate may be in terrible crisis and condition but much worse is the condition and crisis of human hearts. For people will love only themselves, and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will not consider what is holy and what is not. They will be unloving and unforgiving. They will slander others and have no self-control. They will be cruel and hate what is good. They will betray their own friends, be reckless, be puffed up with pride, and love pleasures rather than God. They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. Many Christians do not have close friends. If they do, their friends would be those they can exploit, take advantage of, use or misuse. And people like these are numerous among us! And we may be one of them. For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." (Galatians 5:14) Without obeying this one law, we become lawless, and practice lawlessness! Many Christians working inside the church and outside the church are lawless in God's eyes! We don't have agape love. God is not impressed with our sermons, our signs and wonders, our prophecies etc. Others look at the outside, God looks at the inside - the heart factor! "Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the LORD does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart." (1 Samuel 16:7) God looks at the heart, but man always chooses to look somewhere else. In fact, man still chooses to look at the outward appearances. Hollywood and Bollywood have entered the church arenas. Many churches have become show business! Many pastors and preachers have become entertainers and guru stars themselves. Most music in the churches today no longer draws men to God and God to men. The worship teams are performers, and the congregations have become the audiences, enjoying or not enjoying what they see, hear or feel! It is now all about how we feel and not how God will feel! Our preferences of likes and dislikes will determine how the church services will be conducted. In praise and worship, biblically speaking, God is the Audience of One, and we are the worshippers! And God desires true worshippers! Our utmost desire is to please Him and not ourselves! Today, many people do not wish to listen to sound and wholesome teachings. They will follow their own desires, looking for preachers and teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear. They will reject the truth of God, chasing after myths and false teachings, and compromising with the standards and values of the world. For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. (2 Timothy 4:3-4) People love to look at other people either to admire, compare or criticize! And Christians are no exceptions! We love the visuals, the sounds and the razzle-dazzles! Sometimes, we secretly "worship" eloquent preachers and inspirational teachers, admiring them for their spiritual giftings and pulpit showmanship. We are called to worship the invisible God! But we choose to worship the visible! We love doing church, and going through the religious motions and activities! That's why Jesus would say that He does not know many of us. Many of us are known in our churches and congregations, but we may be unknown nobodies in God's eyes! The Lord says: "These people come near to me with their mouth and honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. Their worship of Me is made up only of rules taught by men. Therefore once more I will astound these people with wonder upon wonder; the wisdom of the wise will perish, the intelligence of the intelligent will vanish." (Isaiah 29:13-14) Many of us are far away from God! Many of us have lost the joy of our salvation, lost our faith in God, lost our trust in God and in man, lost our pursuit of holiness, lost our desires to do good, lost our passions to win souls, lost our love for God and others, and eventually we lost ourselves! Remember the story of the Israelites! They are God's chosen people, yet many of them strayed away from God even though God was with them 24 hours a day, seven days a week! And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so as to go by day and night. (Exodus 13:21) God called His people stiff-necked, rebellious! They were like sheep who have gone astray, each turning to his own way! In fact, all of the Israelites died in the wilderness, and not one of them was left except Caleb and Joshua. Only their children and children's children entered into the Promised Land! That's why we must remain refreshed and renewed in our relationship with God. God is our Father, and we are His children! We cannot afford to be dull of hearing, having hardened hearts! We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. (Isaiah 53:6) 'Go to this people and say: "Hearing you will hear, and shall not understand; And seeing you will see, and not perceive; For the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, And their eyes they have closed, Lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, So that I should heal them."' (Acts 28:26-27) Judas Iscariot was with Jesus for 3½ years. He was the perfect example of one who is lost in church! He was personally chosen by Jesus Himself to be one of His 12 apostles! Very privileged and honored. He was in the same company with Jesus. He ate, slept, worked and journeyed with the Lord! He was the Lord's treasurer! Jesus entrusted him with all His finances! Judas had heard the best sermons spoken directly out of the mouth of Jesus! He saw the miracles, signs and wonders that Jesus did! He witnessed and experienced divine love as Jesus reached out and touched the multitudes! Judas also tasted the goodness of the Lord as Jesus washed his feet. He knew what true servanthood was! But in the end, he chose otherwise. He traded the life of a beloved Friend for 30 pieces of silver! He betrayed Christ! That's the saddest part of the gospel story when Judas committed suicide after all the damages were done! I believe Jesus had forgiven him. On the cross, Christ prayed, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." I believe the pronoun "them" includes Judas. Though Jesus had forgiven him, but Judas just couldn't forgive himself! Like Judas, will we betray the Lord? or will we deny Him like Peter? or will we run away from knowing Him like the other apostles? Peter denied knowing the Lord thrice but he came to his senses and repented. The Lord forgave him, and reaffirmed him! Like Peter, we must know our own hearts and spiritual conditions. The worst thing we can do is to pretend that we are alright when we are not. The sick must see a doctor, and the lost must find the way home! We cannot afford to go on doing the same things week in and week out! We must turn back and return to God! Like the prodigal son who was lost, we must realize our own wretchedness and go back to the Father in repentance! Before God the Father, we must be transparent. God sees and knows all things! He will forgive, He will restore! Never let our pride and ego prevent us from approaching God! And we may taste His amazing grace again! Amazing grace! How sweet the sound That saved a wretch like me! I once was lost, but now am found Was blind, but now I see. Written on: 11 July 2007

A New Day Dawning

A New Day Dawning: God's Weighty Presence

The coming days will bring greater dimensions of darkness in the world; yet our hope is for the appearing of God's weighty Presence.

As I am putting the final touches on this article, my daughter-in-law is preparing to give birth to my grandson, Isaac. It was prophesied before his conception that his birth would be a prophetic sign for our ministry and mark timing for the Body at large. I do believe something is about to arrive and the dawning of a new day is imminent. The child of covenant and promise is about to be birthed.

Even so, I find myself in this spiritual dilemma; I've seen the great needs of our generation, yet I'm being compelled by the Spirit to pull aside and "wait on God." Presently, I have been required to remain at home for a season. I am daily spending hours in prayer, meditating on God's Word and waiting upon the Spirit. There is something of vital importance that we must obtain in this season that is essential to move forward. Perhaps many others are in a similar place.

The Open Door

As emphasized in Revelation 3:20, the Lord stands at the door and knocks and to him who hears and opens the door to his heart, the Lord will dine with him. This is an individual commission and requires an individual response. On the other side of the "open door" we will find Living Word revelation vital for this season and the Heavenly blueprint.

The fullness of the ministry model God has ordained to respond to the great needs and challenges of the 21st Century is not presently on the earth. It is something that we must obtain from behind the veil in the unseen realm. It is the hidden manna reserved and set apart for this generation that will equip the Bride of Christ without spot or wrinkle and empower her for the harvest.

Hebrews 8:4-5 tells us how Moses discovered the Heavenly pattern for his generation:

Now if He were on earth, He would not be a priest at all, since there are those who offer the gifts according to the Law; who serve a copy and shadow of the heavenly things, just as Moses was warned by God when he was about to erect the tabernacle; for, "SEE," He says, "THAT YOU MAKE all things ACCORDING TO THE PATTERN WHICH WAS SHOWN YOU ON THE MOUNTAIN."

It seems that oftentimes Moses was required at the most inopportune time to pull aside and ascend the mountain of God to receive insight, instruction and empowerment. It was on the mountain that Moses obtained the heavenly pattern for the Tabernacle and God's ordained order of worship. So it is today.

Lessons Learned

Great value is placed upon learning from our past mistakes. In the prior generation many distinguished leaders found themselves captured by doing things for God and unknowingly lost their sensitivity to the voice of His Spirit. It is imperative that we guard against doing so much for God, when our invitation is to do things with Him. Even so, that is in no way an endorsement on complacency.

Our highest purpose is to have relationship with Him. Intimacy with the Lord is the essence of our design in Creation and the highest purpose in the restoration of all things. To walk with God in the "cool of the day," is still our foremost aspiration. It is in that place of "union" that we are empowered to influence our culture and manifest His Kingdom.

The earth is entering into a season of travail. World systems will be powerless in responding to the needs that are about to be present in the earth. Even those obtaining revelation through spirits of divination are prognosticating essentially the same thing. Only when anointed with the Holy Spirit can the Church impart wisdom and revelation that will provide genuine light in this dark generation!

The day is fast approaching when the prophetic ministry of the Church, through the spirit and power of Elijah resting upon a company of people, will once again encounter the "prophets of Baal" in a Mount Carmel showdown. We must contend for that higher standard.

When the genuine is present, it makes the counterfeit appear all the more perverted. The Church should not fear to take the prophetic gospel to the marketplace where our enemy is presently attempting – often successfully – to dominate. This generation is desperate for authentic spiritual representation from the Kingdom of Light.

In another Old Testament example, the 400 prophets of Ahab each received spiritual revelation containing measures of truth, yet the origin was a deceiving spirit the Lord allowed because of Ahab's unrighteous leadership. A true prophet of God, Micaiah, was then summoned and was able to soar above the deceiving spirit and receive a true revelation from God's heart (1 Kings 22:1-28).

Spiritual discernment and a good foundation in truth clearly identify false revelation, thereby motivating the Believer to press in all the more earnestly to receive the genuine. The Spirit of Truth will render the false spirits of revelation powerless, as with Paul, Elijah, and other loyal servants of the Lord. Instead of their prophecies bringing numbness to us, those with the true revelatory mantle will precipitate immobility and disarray in the camp of the enemy. Light dispels darkness. Amen.

David's Example

Although David's destiny was one of greatness and divine favor, he was required to endure times of separation and hardship before being released into the fullness of his calling. It was during these difficult times that character was being forged to prepare him for being a king. Decisions he made in the wilderness helped formulate the pattern of David's life when he ascended to the throne.

A similar situation has occurred for many in the Church. It appears our enemies are prevailing, despite great promises given to us by the Holy Spirit. However, it is during times of disappointment and hardship that divine character is formed in us; we are purged and purified from our own carnal plans and agendas and equipped to faithfully accommodate the anointing. Righteous decisions that are made during these dry intervals will reap immeasurable dividends throughout the coming seasons of great prosperity that we are transitioning into.

While experiencing the baptism of trials, it is challenging to wait upon the Lord for His perfect timing in releasing all His promises to us. Like David, we cry out to the Lord, "How long must we endure these difficult and trying times?" Patiently, the Lord admonishes us to "be still" and wait for the completion of His sanctifying work of grace within us, allowing the full release of His anointing through us.

However, our tendency during these times is to "do something." So we often misinterpret ministry activity as "doing the will of the Father" and confuse endless motion with progress. In Matthew 7, Jesus describes many who were involved in ministry but their eternal destiny was outer darkness.

Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the Kingdom of Heaven; but he who does the will of My Father who is in Heaven. Matthew 7:21

In doing the Father's will, we access the Kingdom of Heaven and find favor and grace during times of need. In the Scripture, one of the Hebrew terms translated as "salvation" is yeshuash, which denotes deliverance, welfare, prosperity, and victory. Its unique application bespeaks deliverance from present troubles and the assurance that the Lord is aware of our condition and will intervene on our behalf. He assures us, saying:

'I know the plans that I have for you,' declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. Jeremiah 29:11

Our Savior's plans for us are for welfare and prosperity, not calamity. However, wilderness experiences are allowed to establish godly character in us and to allow us to sow seeds of righteousness that will reap bountiful harvests in the seasons ahead. We must pray with the same assurance as David, despite the external circumstances and trustingly realize that the Lord is faithful to His promises. Not one of His promises has ever failed in all of history.

Beholding God's Beauty

After years of walking with the Lord, David gave expression to his heart's longing. He had ultimately concluded there was only one thing he truly desired and one thing that would fully satisfy the purpose of his life: to dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of his life and to behold the beauty of the Lord and meditate in His Temple (Psalm 27:4).

David's passion was to gaze upon and perceive the Lord's beauty and delight in His loveliness. His expression signifies an experiential comprehension of the beauty realm of Heaven. Can we behold the King in all His beauty?

In Isaiah 33:14-15, the Holy Spirit through the prophet Isaiah asks a revealing question: "Who can live with continual burning?" Or, in other words: Who can live in an atmosphere where there are perpetual expressions of God's justice? The prophet provides the answers:

1. The one who walks righteously.
2. The one who speaks with sincerity.
3. The one who rejects unjust gain.
4. The one who shakes his hands so that they hold no bribe.
5. The one who stops his ears from hearing about bloodshed.
6. The one who shuts his eyes from looking upon evil.

Such a person lives in a state of consecration and purity, which allows them to dwell in the heavenly heights; their refuge will be the impregnable Rock. Such a person's heavenly bread will be provided and their spiritual water source will be sure. Such a person's eyes will see the King in all of His beauty and will behold the far-distant land (Isaiah 33:14-17).

Although the Lord first appeared as the suffering Lamb, He is now being revealed as the victorious King. Presently, Heaven is unveiling the Lord's great glory and kingly authority. It is our outstanding privilege to be offered the opportunity to possess anointed eyes to see, behold, and perceive the revelation of the King and His Kingdom design.

To Behold by Revelation

According to biblical scholars, the Hebrew word chazah means "to see, behold, or select for oneself." It appears fifty four times, and in every period of biblical Hebrew. Chazah literally signifies the ability to see "in a prophetic vision or as a seer in an ecstatic state." In Numbers 24:4 the word means to see by way of a prophet's vision, to see with intelligence and by an experience.

The oracle of him who hears the words of God, Who sees the vision of the Almighty, Falling down, yet having his eyes uncovered,

Through biblical promises, opportunities are given to apprehend experientially the glory attributes of God in perceptible and tangible ways as we "wait" upon Him. The sum of David's passions were captured in that one thing.

May it also be our chief desire to see, behold, comprehend, and explore the mysteries and infinite riches of the Lord's goodness and beauty and discover His plans and purposes for this unique hour in which we live so that we can build according to God's ordained model.

Paul Keith and Wanda Davis
WhiteDove Ministries
Email: mailto:inquiries@whitedoveministries.org?subject=Inquiry%20from%20Elijah%20List%20Subscriber

Paul Keith Davis has written numerous articles appearing in various Christian publications, including the MorningStar Journal, Charisma and Church Growth International. He has also written four books including "Thrones of Our Soul," "Engaging The Revelatory Realm of Heaven," and "Books of Destiny," all dealing with prophetic mandates placed upon the end-time generation. His newest book, "Angels That Gather," provides a Biblical outline for the harvest and insight to help access our end of the age inheritance. Paul Keith and Wanda reside in Orange Beach, Alabama. Together they have five children and five grandchildren.