Pandemic Chronicles #18: A New Thing

The word of the Lord has been that God is doing a New Thing in this season.  Surely we know this is a time of upheaval and transition what with life being shut down and our sense of normalcy completely shattered.

Isaiah 43:18-19 speaks to this moment we are living in.  Yes, Isaiah was prophesying to the remnant that would return after the Babylonian exile but God's word still stands.  When we return to corporate meetings from this pandemic exile, I believe the remnant that returns will hear and be aware of God's New Thing

“Do not remember the former things,
Or ponder the things of the past.
19 
“Listen carefully, I am about to do a new thing,
Now it will spring forth;
Will you not be aware of it?
I will even put a road in the wilderness,
Rivers in the desert.

We're not Going Back....

We are not going back to the way things were.  I have had a number of conversations recently about the next chapter whether it is ministry, fitness, business, or relationships and the conclusion is always the same: We're not going back to the way things were.  Life as we know it is going to change.

Thinking about the next chapter of ministry is exciting.  I believe that the prosperity teachers are done with.  I also believe we're done with the social media ministries and influencers.  In a decimated economy people will not have the money to buy whatever crap these "ministries" are peddling.   They will actually need people who know how to minister to others and not those who are trying to make money.

It says something about how we view this Christian walk that in desperate times such as these, believers want to build a platform for themselves but cannot even take the time to serve at their local church, disciple others, or be faithful to show up for other people.

I think we're going to definitely see a change with this in these coming days.  

We're not going back to the way things used to be. As one of my friends put it, we won't see people doing things for "Clout" anymore.  I even think these megachurch ministries will begin to fall by the wayside once people realize prosperity narcissistic teachings will not provide any relief during serious times.

One thing is for sure: We are not going back to the way we were 

What if the initial harvest is in the house?

I was at an Evangelistic outreach event and I got to thinking: What if the initial harvest is among the churchgoers in the house.  With the way Christians have quickly turned away from the Lord and disengaged during this time, I have my own suspicions that the initial harvest and revival will be among the churchgoers.  We will see the lukewarm turn and become FIRED UP.

Recently the Lifegroup I co-lead discussed Revelation 2 as it kept coming up.  We centered on the Church at Ephesus because they were doing so much right but they got it all wrong because they had left their first love.

2 ‘I know [b]your deeds and your toil, and your patient endurance, and that you cannot tolerate those who are evil, and have tested and critically appraised those who call themselves apostles (special messengers, personally chosen representatives, of Christ), and [in fact] are not, and have found them to be liars and impostors; 

3 and [I know that] you [who believe] are enduring patiently and are bearing up for My name’s sake, and that you have not grown weary [of being faithful to the truth]. 

4 But I have this [charge] against you, that you have left your first love [you have lost the depth of love that you first had for Me]. 

5 So remember the heights from which you have fallen, and repent [change your inner self—your old way of thinking, your sinful behavior—seek God’s will] and do the works you did at first [when you first knew Me]; otherwise, I will visit you and remove your lampstand (the church, its impact) from its place—unless you repent.

Jesus tells them that he will come and take their church and its impact unless they repent.  They have to go back to basics.  I believe that is the word of the Lord for us in this hour.  I hope that we go back to our first love which is the people!  The people are souls who have eternal life at stake.  This isn't about building a business or trying to make money.  It's about people's eternal consequences.

I pray that we go after the people that have left the church and even those that have been coming but have not been transformed by the spirit because they have not surrendered to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

My New Thing

This past summer I took off that ring I wore and I proclaimed myself done with the Single Journey.  I felt so foolish about wasting so much time and energy on a journey that seems to have come to nothing and I was just done with the whole thing.  Seemed like a giant waste of time and more disappointment.

Technically this is still true.  I'm done with the single journey. The ring is still off and I'm moving on. I have hope that things will come to pass at the appointed time but I have no expectations because I think that ends up leading to our disappointment.  We project and make our own conclusions by trying to piece things together.

At the beginning of 2020, I made a declaration and  I'm growing uncomfortable and suspicious because there seems to be more than a coincidence going on here.  

Nevertheless...
 

I have learned my lesson:  No more projecting and trying to fit pieces together.  We have a fleece and we're sticking to it.  He seeks the Lord, gets the yes, comes tells me about it, and then it's on.

If that's not happening, then so be it.

Trusting God means trusting past the disappointments and your own understandings.  It means feeling foolish at times but not giving up hope!

God takes us on us detours and sometimes we go to the scenic route but I think that's for a variety of reasons including:

• Building Our Faith
• Putting us in the right position
• Building up our endurance so we don't back out
• Teaching us that this is not in our own strength but by His mighty power
• He will get every bit of the glory.
• So that we will become more like Jesus

We shall see all of the New Things that God has for us.  The way things are unraveling in this country, I anticipate it will be SENSATIONAL