This is a Teaching with an outline below and thoughts to follow.
Pastors and Teachers add you own testimony.
Study the image above. Are they not all God Seekers?
Do we, the Church, have an answer?
Why are they not coming to us? Could it possible be because they do not see God in us?
WOW!
Begin
1. My wife and I are God Seekers
2. Talk about how you came to your community of believers
3. A little testimony – prayer for like-minded fellowship
4. We are completely dismayed with the church today.
5. I’m not the only one who is discouraged with the current status of most church bodies today.
THE PROBLEM
Where’s the power!
1. Mark 16:17 “these signs shall follow those that believe: demons, tongues, serpents, drink deadly things, lay hands on the sick and they shall recover.”
2. No one does anything and they don’t want to. All of them do what is right in their own mind. i.e. the OT
3. Finding the same passion for a return to a church with “Signs and Wonders” Where’s the power!
Authority – Who has been in the army?
“All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” (Matt 28:18-20)
Note: not members but disciples. Are we disciples?? Today we have many members who are not disciples.
The Current Church today mirrors our country in these last days. It should be the other way around.
- We talk about life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness as though they are a fact when 60 million children murdered,
- Fornication is rampart in the government and streets
- Lying is now a fact that we just have to live with.
- Freedom of Religion means we are no longer a Christian country by an everybody country.
- But be sure to take the Bible out of school because you may offend someone of another religion.
- The LGBT community however about only 1.6% are gay or lesbian and only 0.7 % are bisexual (2014). (or 25%) either way over 60% say this is morally acceptable. These are Biggies – the family unit is broken.
Whose fault is this:
I blame it on the Church. This is why I believe that the church in America is mirrored by our government.
How did the Church get here?
1. Greed – Pastor in Anderson preaching 20 min per Sunday on tithing.
2. UN-forgiveness blocks the manifestation of Kingdom Power. (see Matt 18, 21 -) – The Catholic Church forgiving the Jews for crucifying Christ (Pope Benedict in 2011 Also in 1965.
3. Power obtained by filling its congregation with fear.
4. Lust – today with the gay bishops it al.
5. Pride – only we can do these priestly functions. – only we have the answer
Story of South Carolina employee
Marie was a Catholic and she wasn’t getting what she wanted out of her denomination. As a minister I counseled her, prayed the “Sinners Prayer” with her and encouraged her to go to a local Baptist Church. After two weeks of attending that church she came to me and said that they politely approached her and her family and told them that they might find more fulfillment in another church. She is now a Jehovah Witness. She was black and they accepted her and her family where the Baptist Church did not.
If this type of thing continues in our Churches this is what must happen:
- This Nation/Church will be judged for its lackadaisical attitude and let the other guy do the work.
- God will have to apologize for Sodom and Gomorrah.
- Now I Love the Church but
- The Church is deceived; has lost its purpose, lost its saltiness (Matt 5 13) and is being trampled under the feet of men. Read 2 Tim 3:1 – 5
Dangerous Times call for: Accountability to God for our actions and focused repentance and prayer. However some Christians, sadly, do not recognize sin as sin.
God Seekers
The God Seekers are the lost who are not finding their answers in the Church so they move on to “other things”. Now there is a remnant of “God Seekers” like you and I, who have a passion and love of the church so much as to do something about it.
THE SOLUTION
We desperately need to see Gods Power manifest in the Church as it was during the time of the Apostles. This requires the work of the Holy Spirit is to bring people under the Lordship of Jesus Christ. The gifts: tongues, interpretation, prophesy, words of knowledge, wisdom, discernment, hearings, miracles, great faith, need to be seen again.
We have a mountain to move. We need seed Faith to move mountains. Matt 17:20
And we need to Speak Grace Grace to the mountain Zacariah 4:7
How
First Love must saturate all we do. We must love the church as Jesus does.
Pray, focus on the Church and its power, and for the nation
Remember the great intercessor George Muller founder of Bristol Orphanage
“I had a secret satisfaction in the greatness of the difficulties which were in the way. So far from being cast down on account of them, they delighted my soul.”
Seek the Kingdom of God remembering the violent will take it (the kingdom) by force Matt 11:12
The violent are people of keen enthusiasm and commitment who are willing to respond to propagate with radical abandonment the message and dynamic of God’s reign.
Suggestion
1. Be on one accord with a mandate to focus and collectively engage in this pursuit
2. Form a group to Humble ourselves, pray, and fast with a focused energy on the church. This bride needs cleaning up.
3. Form a group to engage in Spiritual Warfare for themselves and those on the front lines because we are going to get hit
4. We need “Watchman” to tell us what is happening: in the church, in government, and with the next move of God so that our prayers will be focused and be more affective.
5. Find out where God is and go there. Read Henry Blackaby “Experiencing God”.
Enough said.
Thy Words were found, and I did eat them; and Thy Word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by Thy name, O LORD God of hosts. (Jeremiah 15:16)
