Opening Prayer
Abba Father, I pray that the remnant church will stand strong and grow in both number and outreach.
When is the last time you personally witnessed a blind person receive sight? When is the last time you personally witnessed a lame person begin to walk or run? When is the last time you personally witnessed a deaf person receive the ability to hear? When is the last time you personally witnessed a dead person come back to life? Do I hear you saying, "Never . . . !" You are not alone.
The Remnant Church
Mark 16:20 – "And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following."
The remnant church continues to confirm the word just as did the first century church – and the first century church had many signs that confirmed Yahweh's word:
• people were able to speak in languages that they have never been taught (Acts 2).
• crippled people were able to immediately get up and walk (Acts 3; Acts 5; Acts 14).
• great miracles are performed (Acts 5; Acts 6).
• the dead are raised to life (Acts 9:32-34; Acts 9:40-41; Acts 20:9-12).
• the blind receive their sight (Acts 9:17-18).
• the demonized are set free from demonic oppression and/or possession (Acts 5:16; Acts 9:40-41; Acts 16:16-18).
Today, these same signs are evident in the modern remnant churches, but there are so few remnant churches in the world that their impact is neither noticed nor appreciated by the vast majority of humans.
The Ineffective Church
Hebrews 11:6 – "Without faith it is impossible to please him."
The ineffective church generally does a fair job of telling people who Yeshua is, why he became a human, and how his shed blood provides the sacrifice that covers all sin, and for this I give them credit. But the vast majority of humanity has no interest in hearing the Gospel message. Why is this? Perhaps it is because:
• the leadership is afraid to speak out against the evils assaulting humanity, or worse yet, supports those behaviors that Yahweh terms an abomination, a "stench in his nostrils."
• the leadership is afraid to allow other members of the congregation to use their gifts, perhaps even demanding their removal from the body.
• the leadership is proud and arrogant, thinking they have the answers but no one else can.
• the leadership has failed to hold themselves accountable for adhering to the gender roles specified by scripture.
• the leadership is works oriented rather than faith oriented, and the members of the congregation are likewise works oriented.
The ineffective church is ineffective because it is lukewarm, because it is too leadership centric, because its leaders persecute those whom Yeshua sends just as fully as did the leaders of the past, because they do not adhere to the gender roles specified by scripture.
But Wait, There's More
At the time of Yeshua's first coming, the temple leadership, as well as the people, were looking for a human king to take David's throne and remove the Roman overlords (John 6:15). Even John asked Yeshua if he was the "one that was expected, or should they look for another?" (Matthew 11:3, Luke 7:19-20). Today, some segments of the modern church are still looking for that human king – for that human control of the world:
• This movement is called Dominion Theology.
At the time of Yeshua's first coming, the temple was considered the prime example of incredible architecture (Matthew 24:1, Mark 13:1-2). Today, some segments of the modern church are still looking at the buildings rather than at the people:
• Take your pick – dozens have been voted as best modern churches.
• And don't forget the Vatican and the many "crystal" palaces throughout the world!
At the time of Yeshua's first coming, the temple was inundated with sellers of goods, traders, peddlers, vendors, hawkers. Today many churches are still in the business of selling goods, turning Yahweh's temple into a "den of thieves rather than a house of prayer" (Matthew 21:13, Mark 11:17, Luke 19:46). Some of the goods available in these dens are:
• Coffee Shops
• Trinket Shops
• Beautician Shops
• Sporting Goods Shops
• And let us not forget the ubiquitous Book Store!
The ineffective church is ineffective because it is still looking for a human king, because it looks at architecture instead of people, because it has become a den of thieves, no longer only a house of prayer.
Conclusion
Despite the numerous churches today whose leadership are useless teats, snakes, or gender role benders, the Gospel message is still preached. Yahweh does not reward those who are not operating in faith, those who are proud or arrogant, those who lord it over each other, those who persecute his messengers, or those who willingly refuse to follow his plan for humankind. Neither does he reward those who are looking for a human king, or a place to gaze at in awe of its architecture, or a shopping mall to satisfy every lust of the flesh!
The remnant churches, however, continue to exhibit the same signs as the first century churches and synagogues that fully submitted themselves to Yeshua Ha'Mashiach. May they increase in both number and outreach.
Prophecy continues to unfold as foretold by the Hebrew prophets. The stage is being set. History is moving extremely quickly towards the prophesied one world government, the one world financial system, and the rise of both the Antichrist and the False Prophet. The birth pangs are just over the horizon. Yeshua Ha'Mashiach is coming soon – get busy reaching the lost.
Closing Prayer
Abba Father, I pray that the remnant church will stand strong and continue to provide both the Gospel message and the proof of Yahweh's power as evidenced by the signs. I also pray that the growing ineffective church will repent and become a vibrant, fully engaged church like the remnant church. In Yeshua's name I pray. Amen.
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