The Church is Asleep (and Jesus is About to Wake Her Up!)
Last week, the Holy Spirit gave me a major revelation about how the Church has become like a business or organization and how many who are in it can’t even see it. And needless to say, I’ve been grieving about it ever since. But, after continuing to pray into it and meditate with the Lord over this past week, He showed me the answer this morning and it’s awesome (in the TRUE sense of the word!).
The Church isn’t dead. She’s asleep. But, Jesus is on His way to wake her up.
I won’t reiterate everything I said in the last post (you can read that here), but basically, the Lord opened my eyes to how His Church is operating by having me prophetically walk it out myself in the natural.
As I shared in that post, I sadly ran into the same thing time and time again - churches being run like businesses or organizations with departments, rules, processes and procedures. And for the most part, being told that they “couldn’t” help me or if they could, there was a limit on how much they “could” help.
Like I said, I hadn’t even seen a problem with this myself! Until He opened my eyes and showed me that is not Him. That is religion. That is man-based. Man is systems, structures, procedures and rules. Jesus is not.
And, since the other day, He has continued to elaborate on just what He means by walking me step-by-step through some of the objections I had experienced.
First, there is the reasoning that “God is a God of order” (which I have run into personally when people have tried to tell me that God couldn’t possibly be having me live and move the way I say because that’s not “how He is”). But, that is a man-based statement. As the Holy Spirit showed me, the Scriptures actually do not say that.
Where people have gotten that from is 1 Cor 14:33 that says "God is not a God of disorder but of peace." And they backwards-engineer it to then assume it means God is a God of order. But, they are taking the line out of context (and the Holy Spirit is all about CONTEXT!) because first of all, Paul is speaking very specifically in this passage about order in the church services. That basically, God doesn't want everyone trying to stand up and prophesy over one another.
But, what man does is take something like that and then try to use it completely out of context to confirm or validate their ways of thinking. When in actuality, God is NOT a "God of order" in the way of systems, structures and plans. He is the opposite! Just read the Scriptures! He is constantly changing up the plans. One time, He will tell you to advance on your enemies from one direction and the very next time, tell you to do it a different way. It's why David was a man after God's heart because He truly knew Him and sought after His direction at every single turn instead of making assumptions about Him (side note - the Lord has taught me that "assumption" is like a curse word to Him! ).
Jesus is NOT about plans, structures and rules. That is man. And exactly what He came to stand against. So yes, He doesn't want everyone talking over one another in church and yes, He had the disciples sit the people down in groups to feed them. He likes that kind of order. But when man tries to take that and then apply it to Him as a personality trait and then therefore say, He would "never do this" or "never do that," we have gone back into man-based, "religious" thinking again.
A prime example is when Jesus heals on the Sabbath. The religious leaders have a system in place. They have rules and procedures to follow. And that includes no working on the Sabbath. So, when Jesus comes along and heals a man on the Sabbath (Mark 3:1-6), they lose their minds. He is not following the rules. He is not going along with the system and procedures. But, Jesus says which is more important - following a rule or healing a man?
“Another time Jesus went into the synagogue, and a man with a shriveled hand was there. Some of them were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal him on the Sabbath. Jesus said to the man with the shriveled hand, “Stand up in front of everyone.” Then Jesus asked them, “Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” But they remained silent. He looked around at them in anger and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts, said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was completely restored.” -Mark 3:1-6
Not only was Jesus not about the rules, but the fact that the people were, angered and distressed Him. He was grieved by their stubborn hearts and their inability to see what was most important.
This again goes back to the personal experience I’ve had at so many churches along my journey where I have encountered policies, procedures, rules and applications for how they “can” help people. Which means, if you don’t fall into those guidelines, you “can’t” be helped. But, what the Church isn’t seeing is that they are doing the exact same thing that the Pharisees did. They are saying the rules are more important than meeting a need. And that is definitely not Jesus.
Over and over, I continued to hear similar things (when He’d have me ask a church for help) - people saying they couldn’t help me because this person is “in charge” of that or that person usually handles these things and they’re out of the office or on vacation. But, they didn’t even realize as they were saying it, how outlandish that sounds to Jesus.
Again, that is not a judgmental statement. That is the Holy Spirit revealing how deep the systematic, man-based mindset runs. These people genuinely don’t recognize that there’s a problem with that! But, there is.
Jesus is saying enough is enough.
He showed me that when someone says they "don't have anything" to offer, they again are relying on man-based reasoning. They are referencing their man-made systems, procedures and policies to deduce that they have no resources. But, they are forgetting that THEY HAVE AN ABUNDANT GOD. They have a God who never runs out. Ever. He has access to all of the resources in the entire universe! And we have access to it through Him.
Yet, they are not recognizing and BELIEVING that truth. They say it out of their mouths, but they don't believe it with their hearts or else they'd respond differently. If they TRULY believed that God is an abundant God, then they would know they always have access to provision.
So, instead of analyzing and responding to a system based on a system and their own reasoning, the Lord is saying simply - all you have to do is ask Me!
It's quite literally what Jesus was trying to teach the disciples with the fishes and loaves. Not once, but TWICE (because we as man tend to be hard-headed and we don't get it the first time). The disciples looked at the situation naturally, evaluated it based on the resources they saw in the physical and deduced that they “couldn’t” help the people. In fact, they outright tell Jesus to send the people away so they can help themselves.
But, Jesus’ response is different.
He says, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.” (Matthew 14:16)
(READ THAT AGAIN CHURCH - Jesus said, they do not need to go away. YOU give them something to eat.)
Of course, as we know, Jesus ends up multiplying what they have and not only is everyone fed as much as they want, but there is plenty of leftovers.
We all know the story and churches all over preach it from their pulpits. But, they’re not walking it out themselves. Instead of remembering and believing that they have an abundant God who can provide more than enough, they are stuck looking at what they see in the natural.
The other important piece the Holy Spirit showed me though that is tied into this, is a true understanding of grace. On the surface, it may seem like these two topics are unrelated. But, as He showed me, they are quite connected.
He said, the reason why people think there is such a thing as "abusing generosity" and even "abusing grace" is that they don't actually fully understand grace. It's another one of those Christian concepts that most believers think they get, but they don't really. I know for me personally, it is one of the hardest things He's ever had to teach me. Because our flesh will make us resist it with everything it's got. To the point that when people try to really talk about the true meaning of grace, people will want to call it false teaching or prosperity Gospel.
It's been shocking to see. It's literally the real “good news” of the Gospel, but believers will be the first ones to try to deny it. Because deep down, we still want to think we can earn it. We might say we know it's a free gift, but if we still think we can "abuse" it, then we don't get it.
The entire point is that God knows we will mess up. Over and over. Every day. He expects us to. That's why He calls us sheep because sheep left to their own devices will run off, get stuck in things, keel over and not be able to get up, not eat or drink enough or even walk off a cliff. The Shepherd's job is literally to keep them from killing themselves. And He is the Good Shepherd.
So, the first thing we all need to come to grips with is just how much we need Him and how we're not as great as we think we are. But, that again is the entire point of grace! So, it is not possible to live a "sin-free" life. You can't just will yourself into it. You will continue to sin. But that's not you "abusing" grace. That's you being human!
It's like Paul says - we do what we don't want to do and don't do what we want to do. That is the sin of the flesh! That IS the "thorn" in our side! (another misconception He taught me, where man teaches that the thorn was a physical ailment). But, like the very next line says - His grace is sufficient. So, what He was saying is that we will always have the thorn of our flesh. The part of us that makes us want to rebel against God and do the wrong thing. But, He knows that and His grace covers that. That's the whole point of Jesus!
But, the way that then affects our reasoning when it comes to things like provision is that we will still look at it from a flesh-based perspective and not His Spirit. So, just like people can think there is a "limit" to His grace that can be "abused," they can think the same thing with generosity.
But, when you really come to know Jesus (and I mean really, really), then you get the revelation that His love really is better than you can ever imagine because His grace is truly LIMITLESS. Which is where the true freedom lies. When you finally just accept it and receive it! And then, all the rest about generosity will follow.
So, let’s get on to the good news, shall we??
After allll these downloads about the state of His Church, I was obviously pretty grieved by it. It surprised me, saddened me and even frustrated me. But, I had to keep believing in my heart that there was a reason He was showing me all of this. A reason He had me experience it first-hand.
And there is. (Hallelujah!)
This morning, His gentle Spirit whispered to me… “It’s okay to grieve. But, just believe.” And immediately, I felt Him impress the story about Lazarus upon my heart.
He reminded me that when Lazarus became ill and died, the people were grieved. They moaned and wailed. They cried and were even frustrated and angry that Jesus hadn’t shown up to do anything for the one He loved.
But, Jesus had a bigger plan in mind. His delay was on purpose. It was the set-up for an even greater glory. He wasn’t just interested in healing Lazarus. He was going to resurrect Him from the dead. He was going to take everyone’s faith to a whole other level, including those who didn’t even know Him.
And as He showed me this morning, the same is true for His Church - His beloved bride.
“Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.” -John 11:4
“Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up.” -John 11:11
The Lord says His Church has fallen asleep, but He is coming to wake her up. Her “sickness” will not end in death. Instead, it will be used for God’s glory!
When Jesus arrived on the scene, it appeared impossible. Lazarus had been dead for four days. All hope was lost and the people were grieving.
Some wondered, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?” (John 11:37)
The Church appears to be “dead.” There is no life, no movement. And some wonder, why did Jesus let it get this way? Couldn’t He have stopped this from happening?
But sometimes, the Lord lets people’s hearts be hardened. He lets their eyes be blinded. Not out of cruelty, but as a set-up for something even greater.
“Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?” -John 11:40
Just like Jesus tells Jairus in Mark 5:36, “Don’t be afraid, just believe.” He tells Mary and Martha, if you just believe, you will see the glory of God.
Jesus prays to the Father. He calls Lazarus out. And he emerges from the grave.
And He is about to do the same thing with His Church.
He is coming for her. He has not forsaken her. He has not abandoned her. He may have let her “die” for a time. But, she is not dead. She is just asleep. And it will not end in death. But, for the glory of God.
When Jesus prays to the Father, He does it aloud so the people who are standing by and watching will believe that God sent Him (John 11:42). And when they see Lazarus raised from the dead, they begin to believe in Him (John 11:45).
“I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.” -John 11:42
“Therefore many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary, and had seen what Jesus did, believed in him.” -John 11:45
And the same thing is happening now. When Jesus resurrects His Church and brings her back to life, there will be people watching. People who do not know Him or believe in Him. But, they will see and they will begin to believe.
It will be not only the spark of revival that wakes up His Bride, but many who do not know Him as well.
Yes, the Church has lost her way. And she may be asleep right now. But, Jesus is on His way to wake her up.
She will move again. Not in the ways of man, but solely by the Spirit of the Lord. She is coming out of slumber. Out of complacency. Out of deception and the ways of man.
She will arise and awaken. And she will walk in the full glory and splendor of the Lord.
He is coming for the one He loves.
He is coming.