God gives men gifts, that they may operate corporally as His Body, the real Church, ministering to the needs of the saints. That they may be lights in a dark world... beacons of hope to dying men, women and children. In just my lifetime I have seen and experienced some of these moves of God. They have all fallen by the wayside. They are all past tense, because that is not what God is doing right now, today. My observation has been that we are prone to put our focus on a part, rather than striving to gain the whole picture. We are too quick to settle for grasping at crumbs that fall under the table, rather than cleaning ourselves up and sitting down with the adults to the full meal.

If you read up on Church history, there have been phenomenal moves of God all down through the ages. Why have they come and gone... over and over again? God has set forth in His Word, that which He requires of man. Man likes God's blessings. We all like to feel good... to get the goosebumps when we feel the anointing. We are all guilty of settling for the crumbs, when God desires that we should enjoy the full meal.

In this day and hour, we need to take stock of our relationship with God. Not what we want it to be, but what it is. I believe that God is sending a wake-up call to the Churches. To every believer, worldwide, in or out of organized religion. Now is the time to prepare. Now is the time to seek God with our whole heart. No longer will God allow us to fall short and miss the mark. We must either get in or get out. We must no longer be willing to settle for one little segment or part of what God is offering us, but determine to KNOW HIM to the fullest.

1 Corinthians 13:10 But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.

The perfect IS come... JESUS CHRIST. He is calling out to His Body to get ready. To submit to Him and be made perfect just as He is perfect. We can live in these bodies of clay... on this earth... and still be with Him in heavenly places. Why are we willing to listen to other voices? Why are we settling for bits and pieces? Why are we still struggling against sin and the devil? We are called to be overcomers! Why don't we believe? And if we believe, then why aren't we walking in it? These are hard questions. They make us very uncomfortable. You don't have to like them, but one day we will all have to answer them.

Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life. Jesus is the One we are to keep our eyes on, the One whose example we are to follow. He has given us the Holy Spirit to lead us into All Truth. If we are not growing daily in Christ, overcoming our flesh [our natural reasoning and carnal appetites] there will be no justification for our failure. What are we feeding on? Cable TV isn't going to prepare us to stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ. We are individually responsible for our own choices. The Church in America is not ready for what is coming. We have become a house full of corruption. Every sinful and vile thing found in the world is found in the Church, from sexual impurity to homosexual clergy. Do we really think that God hasn't noticed?

Church today is Big Business, merchandising Christ, and building edifices to impress men. All of our good works are empty if we are doing them from our intellect and natural reasoning. The results bear witness. We don't need more education, more programs, more attractions. We are going about trying to win souls like the world sells cars. Only they sell more cars than we see people having genuine conversions to Christ.

What we need is the power of God. What we need is the unction and anointing of His Holy Spirit. What we need is to get on our faces in humble repentance. Only the Holy Spirit of God can draw anyone to God. Read about some of the moves of God in the past... They didn't even need preaching! When the Spirit of God comes on the scene, people are convicted and repent without even being told they need to. Why are we settling for the crumbs on the floor... when we could be eating steak?

1 Peter 4:17 For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?

God is telling people around the world to get ready... prepare... for judgment is coming. Are you ready? If your not sure, now is the time to act, while you can still do something about it. Judgment is coming, first to the Church. That would be every denomination, every sect, every cult, every individual person that invokes the name of Jesus.

Peter knew the awesome power of God. He knew the truth, having lived and walked with Christ, during His earthly ministry. Notice his question, "if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?" Read on in vs. 18-19, And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear? Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator. Peter had a very different take on salvation than most of the Church's of today do. He knew how serious a thing salvation is. He witnessed up close and personal, the price Christ paid for our reconciliation back to God. In the Gospel of John 21:15-17 So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jona, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs. He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jona, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep. He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jona, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep.

We see the Lord appeared to Peter and several of the other disciples before his assension. After they had shared a meal, the Lord asked Peter three time, "Lovest Thou Me," and three times Peter answered Him, "Lord, you know I do." Three times also, Jesus said unto him, "Feed My Sheep." If you read through the New Testament for yourself about the life of Peter, you may be surprised how much of a regular guy he was. One that we can readily identify with. Yet the God of heaven picked him out of all the other regular guys around, and taught him things he'd never heard before. At the time of the above visitation, Peter was no doubt trying to recover emotionally from his own denial of Christ before His crucifixion. Yet now, here the risen Lord is asking Peter if he loves Him, and telling him to Feed His Sheep. At that moment in time, I'm sure Peter was confused and wondered greatly what and how he could comply.

As you follow him into the book of Acts, we see that when they waited in the upper room for the promised Holy Spirit, a great change was wrought in this same man. Peter was transformed. He still had lessons to learn along the way, but he was no longer the ever questioning disciple. His eyes were spiritually opened after receiving the Holy Spirit, and he was endued with power from on high. He learned from that point on how to 'feed the sheep.' It was not by any earthly means. He hadn't memorized Christ's sermons for three years, and then went about repeating them. He knew the risen power of God, residing within his own body. He knew the unction of the Holy Spirit, filling his mouth with the proper words for the moment. He spent the rest of his earthly life, walking in obedience to God, and himself died a martyr for the Gospel. God is calling out to His Body today. Can you hear Him? Are you listening? Will you respond?

Peter did not perceive the salvation of the righteous as an easily acquired one time act, as demonstrated by his above statement. "If the righteous scarcely be saved." He knew the cost, firsthand. Yes, salvation is a free gift. But the price for becoming an overcomer is our life. We may not all be called to be martyrs, but we are certainly all called to die to our flesh and learn to walk in the Spirit. We need as never before to seek the face of God. We need to feed on His Word. We need to consume every word that Christ spoke, for they are where we will find life. Not this fleshly, self-centered life we were born to naturally, but the new life in Him that is spiritual. Do you have a burden for souls? Do you want to be able to help others find freedom? Then seek God as never before. God can do the same thing with you as He did with Peter. When was the last time you walked down the street and people brought their sick out that by your shadow falling on them they might be healed? Stop listening to those who say, "that was just for the Apostle's day and God doesn't do that anymore."

Hebrews 3:14 For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast unto the end;

We need to expand our belief. We need to understand that we can partake of Christ here and now, during this life on earth, not just after we die and go to heaven. The only hindrance to our being partakers... is unbelief. Observing mighty miracles and manifestations of spiritual things will not change you. The children of Israel spent over 40 years seeing a steady diet of God's mighty deliverance and provision, but they weren't changed by it.

Hebrews 3:19 So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.

Hardness of heart and unbelief are what will keep you from ever knowing God. The choice is ours. What will we choose to believe? Our lives are open books, read of all men. What do others see when they look at us? Do they see that we have something they don't? Are they made curious to know why we are at peace when all around us are in turmoil? Are we different in some way they can't put their finger on, but want to know what it is? Or are we just like everybody else they know? If we are born again children of the Living God, our lives should be a reflection of that. We are called to be lights in this world. Reflecting the light of God that abides within us. We are called to walk as Jesus walked, being directly connected to God through our inner man... being led by His Spirit.

We have been settling for meeting the diluted requirements of men, rather than the high standards of the Almighty. It's time to find out exactly what God's requirements are, for ourselves. It's time to get our own house in order. We can't help any one else without God's help. Man can only use bandaids to try and cover over wounds. God gives healing and restoration. God's requirements of man are found from Genesis through Revelation. The cry has been going forth in this country for many years now. From many varied sources, God has been warning His people to wake up, prepare, for judgment is coming. We are living in the last days, and witness to the filling of the cup of abominations... the full manifestation of evil in the world. Judgment is coming, first to God's own people. the Word tells us that everything that can be shaken will be shaken. There is one place of refuge from the troubles that are fast approaching... and that place is not geographical. The only place of refuge is in our relationship with God. As never before, we need to know what we believe and why we believe it. We need to learn the Reverential Fear of the LORD, fearing above all things that we might disappoint HIM. We need to walk in complete obedience to all that He tells us, both in His written Word and to us personally in our inner man. We need to seek Him with all our heart and soul and mind. That we may be hid in Christ, and stand when all about us comes crashing down. This is the most important thing that has ever happened. The prophets and saints of old saw glimpses of these last days and wished they could be here. Just as evil will be fully manifested in the world, so shall the fullness of the Body of Christ. We have the opportunity of being active, willing participants in the restoration of the world back to God. We may behold the establishment of the long awaited Kingdom of God in this world. As never before, we need to examine our hearts. As never before we need to prepare ourselves spiritually. The time is short. We will receive a reward. We are the only determining factor as to whether the reward we receive brings us joy or pain. Believe, Obey, Fear the Lord. These are the keys. May we all seek Him with honest, repentant hearts. May we all value our spiritual life far above our physical, and find in our relationship with Christ our hiding place.

Amen

Cathy Morris

8/30/2001

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