“And the king said to him, How many times shall I adjure thee that thou say nothing but the truth to me in the name of the LORD?” II Chronicles 18:15
Even the wicked expect the righteous to tell the truth.
“And they said, There is no hope: but we will walk after our own devices, and we will every one do the imagination of his evil heart.” Jeremiah 18:12
When ministers grow weary and frustrated because souls aren’t being won like they want and their church isn’t growing numerically like they desire, then they lose hope. Once hope is lost then they start to walk after their own devices and live out their imaginations. This is where we are at today. We need the Spirit to once again lead our churches.
“But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children’s bread, and to cast it to dogs. 27And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.” Matthew 15:26-27
This foreign, Syrophenician woman believed there was more power in Jesus’ left overs than much of the church believes in the gourmet.
“Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and will gather the wheat into his garner; but the chaff he will burn with fire unquenchable.” Luke 3:17
I have often wondered why the Lord would not pour out the wind of His Spirit to fan the flame of churches who no longer have the fire, but have just become a flickering flame. In my estimation it would bring a revival to those churches. However, he has showed me that the same wind that fans the flame and makes it even hotter can also blow out a small flickering flame.
“Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?” Acts 2:37
We need such preaching again that cuts the heart of people so they ask “what shall we do,” instead of “what can I still do and be a Christian?”
“And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him. 16And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: 17And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” Matthew 3:15-17
In this setting we read that Jesus spoke, the Spirit landed on Jesus and the Father spoke. This is the greatest testimony of three this world has ever known.
“And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.”
The ax can be laid to your roots at any time. How’s your fruit?
“And when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon, she came to prove Solomon with hard questions at Jerusalem, with a very great company, and camels that bare spices, and gold in abundance, and precious stones: and when she was come to Solomon, she communed with him of all that was in her heart.” II Chronicles 9:1
The queen came prepared to give in abundance, if the report she heard was true. The report was true and she gave it. She wasn’t going to visit Solomon to get more of the things of the world, she was going to get what the world can’t offer. This is why the church must stop offering worldly ministry to the lost. They don’t need more of what they have, they need what they don’t have, CHRIST.
“And this house, which is high, shall be an astonishment to every one that passeth by it; so that he shall say, Why hath the LORD done thus unto this land, and unto this house? 22And it shall be answered, Because they forsook the LORD God of their fathers, which brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, and laid hold on other gods, and worshipped them, and served them: therefore hath he brought all this evil upon them.” II Chronicles 7:21-22
The world can be astonished by the church in two ways. When she flows with Holy Ghost power, or when she is uprooted through back sliding.
“And the LORD appeared to Solomon by night, and said unto him, I have heard thy prayer, and have chosen this place to myself for an house of sacrifice.” II Chronicles 7:12
You also have the privilege of being chosen to be a house of sacrifice.