Breaking Ranks 3

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 The Invitation Has Been Sent Out

The Spirit and the bride say, “Come.”  Let each one who hears them say, “Come.”  Let the thirsty ones   Let them come and drink the water of life without charge.” Revelation 22:17

come- anyone who wants to.

Thirsty? Come! 

No matter who you are, no matter how long you have or have not been a Christian- God wants to change your life!   I believe he said, “Life and Life more abundantly.” 

I believe if life falls short of “abundantly”….

It’s time to break ranks. 

Just as people cannot break free from the bondage that holds them, people cannot break ranks unless they turn to Jesus, repent, let go and start letting God/Jesus teach you to live in the understanding/will of the Spirit of God.

Let this be a refreshing living word for us

Romans 12:2 says “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.  Then you will know what God wants you to do, and you will know how good and pleasing and perfect his will really is.”

I think we can get into this rut or believe some lie that holds us back and from breaking rank where we truly experience what God wants for us.   

To truly live as God intends us to live we must “let” be reliant on Him in all things.  I mean how much of the burden do you carry? Are you “yoked” with God or not?   

Our LORD and Savior Jesus Christ lived in this way of thinking… and because He did, He continually broke ranks with the ways of men.  Think about it.  He crossed lines that men set.  He went against the grain of society norms.  Men hated and resented Him and do to this day because of who He IS -not truly understanding He is God- not us.

 

He even breaks ranks in the people He chooses to represent Him expecting us to break ranks as well and live by His example- in only being captive in Spirit (Him/God), not to ways of men. 

When we start to believe we are contained by “something” other then God what happens? I can tell you it’s pretty lousy.

But what happens to our cup when we allow God to stir and fill it up?

 Psalm 23:5-6 says…

“You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies.  You welcome me as a guest, anointing my head with oil.  My cup overflows with blessings.   Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life and I will live in the house of the LORD forever.”

 And Proverbs 21:1 says…

“The king’s heart is like a stream of water directed by the LORD; he turns it wherever he pleases.”

 Think about it....

Breaking Ranks 2

 

…. God says, “Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you.  I have called you by name; you are Mine. When you go through the deep waters, I will be with you.” Isaiah 43:1-2

I was reminded of a passage written by the prophet Ezekiel.  A man (probably Jesus) showed Ezekiel water that was coming up from beneath the threshold of the temple.  The stream passed to the right of the alter and went though the south side of the east gate. The man measured the stream every 1750 feet.  He did this four times and each time told Ezekiel to cross the stream.  The first time it was up to Ezekiel’s ankles.  The second time it was up to his knees.  The third time it was up to his waist and the fourth time the stream had turned into a river that was too deep to cross without swimming.  The man led Ezekiel back along the riverbank and to Ezekiel’s surprise there were suddenly fruit trees growing on both sides of the river producing a new fruit crop every month.  This fruit was for food and the leaves from these trees for healing (Revelation 22). The river then flowed into the desert where it entered the Dead Sea where it turned the salt water into fresh water.  Fish of every kind abound there and fishermen would stand along the opposite of shores drying their nets but the marshes and swamps did not become purified but became sources for salt.  (Note Ezekiel 47:1-12)

What a WONDROUS illustration this should be to us….

Combined God’s word and Spirit (the stream/river) is the source of power and life for His temple (us).  His Word and Holy Spirit purify and flow from within, maturing, sanctifying and clothing us.

1 Corinthians 3:16 says “Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in your midst?”

His Spirit brings an understanding of His GREAT love until we are literally swimming in it (Ephesians 3:17-20, 2 Peter 1:5-8).  God’s Spirit goes where? The desert.  He sought me out in the desert.  He brought me life and he planted me along the riverbank (Psalm 1) where we produce the fruit of the Spirit and gifts of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23, 1 Corinthians 12:4-11).

His Spirit brings life to where there was nothing.  He touches people of every kind and leaves us examples of what happens when we don’t trust God, try to control, are not obedient to HIM and look to and practice sin -hence the salt marshes and swamps where nothing lives and death remains.

God is the God who makes all things new.  His thoughts are higher then our thoughts and His ways are higher then our ways. (Isaiah 55:8-9, Revelation 21:5)

Without God’s Spirit at work within us, we are naked. 

Jesus said to the Laodicea church, “I know all the things you do, that you are neither hot nor cold.  I wish you were one or the other!  But since you are like lukewarm water, I will spit you out of my mouth!  You say, ‘I am rich.  I have everything I want. I don’t need a thing!’ And you don’t realize that you are wretched and miserable, and poor and blind and naked.”  Revelation 3:15-17

 

We have no relationship with God if we don’t have the Spirit of God at work within us... Remember the foolish brides/virgins in Matthew 25?

 

A people, who experience spiritual death and spiritual birth/LIFE, should break ranks.  They should want to experience renewal and LIFE and not settle.  Remember God speaking to the dry bones in the valley and giving them tendons and them with flesh and skin and breath again? (Ezekiel 37:1-14) 

Breaking Ranks 1

Just as there is a time to scatter stones and a time to gather stones, there is a time to close ranks and a time to break ranks.

New Christian Jews grew up with the law and though they could not live up to them, they had a difficult time leaving them behind.  The law was what the Jews “knew”- this living by the grace of God through Jesus Christ was all new to them.  They were breaking ranks with the old ways.   No longer did they have to bring their sacrifices to the temple for their sins, which were “tangible”… and made them feel in this sort control but now they had to trust in the “intangible”. 

In all honesty, churches in this age have the same problem.  They want “comfort” that is controlled by them. 

This past December my wife and I walked into a young man's hospital room whom we loved and appreciated.  Just by looking at his body you would have thought he was just sleeping.  Even the monitors in the room recorded a steady heartbeat but upon closer examination all brain function had stopped.

A life support machine gave his body the appearance of "life" keeping his organs and tissue viable for transplant.  

The church can be on "life-support".  It can look alive but spiritually "dead".  It can have the appearance of "life" with programs, events, bible studies, teaching and so on but "activity" doesn't necessary mean it's spiritually" alive "

Jesus said to the church of Sardis, "I know all the things you do, and you have a reputation for being alive- but you are dead." Revelation 3:1

 … the intangible is unpredictable, challenging, unorthodox and at times irrational in our understanding.  I am sure when Jesus told the man to fill the containers with water and pour some for the master of ceremonies, he probably thought, "How can water be mistaken as wine?"     

I was given a picture once.  The Spirit of God was like a beautiful wild stallion and He comes when we are still.

He says, "Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." Psalm 46:10

The Spirit of God cannot be tamed.  He does not fit or can he be contained nor does he feel welcomed by wayward hearts, lip service, man made customs and rules learned by rote. (Isaiah 29:13)

 He is the Spirit of God that must be FREE not shackled and directed by unreliable men!

This same stirring and restless should live in the believer!
 

For a people to live as GOD intends us to live, we must not only break ranks with the unjust ungodly rules, social norms, and sinful ideals of this world but religious mindsets.  

Ever hear, “That is the way we have always done it”?   

How about thinking and living too much in the past? What does this mean to the new Christian?!!!    How about compromising the word of God to appease the views of the world? Who is the church to reflect? God or the world?
 

Look at the beautiful cathedrals and church buildings in Europe where God’s people used gather.  Do you wonder why some nearly stand as empty shrines for tourist to visit and held religious ceremony?   
Why did they become to be this way?  What became law in their hearts? What encroached and infringed? What became censored?  How were they scrutinized? Were they persecuted?  Were they tamed by society? Did they compromise the word of God and in doing so... God became no one to honor or fear? 

When churches become like tombs, God becomes an absent “god” in people’s minds.  He becomes that “unknown God” that people give little thought to even when they walk through shadows of steeples that hold up a cross.  And the signs are obvious... a rot and decay of society... the suffering and loss of souls for lack of knowledge of God (Hosea 4:6).  The church building soon becomes just a social gathering place, a club for “Christians”.

Do we see this happening in America?

Comforts

A Christian church will die if:
1. It compromises to the ungodly pressures or thinks it's doing the world a service by agreeing with it's sin.   This is dangerous, laws are made in people's hearts and legislation and soon "anything evil" goes.  (Sin separates us from God.)

2. If it thinks it has "arrived".   It has experienced worldly success and soon sees no need for workings of Spirit of God.  It does what it feels is best without consulting God.

And just as the" law" did nothing for the Jews except to show their guilt of sin so are these so-called “comforts” that are like a plague to a church.

For as children of God we have heard these words, “The law kills but the Spirit gives life.” (2 Corinthians 3:6)

The “comforts” of man do little to sustain our spiritual house in fact I have found they actually weaken and brings instability into our life and those around us- for sanity and peace are gifts from God to those who trust and are guided by Him. 

 Colossians says," Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ." 2:8

Restoration

I am not going to be long.

The last few weeks have to do with "Restoration" of the church and individual.

There is much work still to be done.  No time to waste.  There is also "opposition" within the church to ignore the work that has to be done.   They want to cover up the problems and focus their attentions else where.

There are those who only want to play church and keep the status quo- madness.

The King has requested his priests to make repairs to the temple but nothing has been done so He will soon take things into his own hands.
    
The idea of obedience and deep reverence of God seems to be lost on some of the churches of this day.   We much rather talk about the grace and mercy and love of God instead of the justice and judgment of God.

The materials that were used before on the temple were not sustainable materials.  They did not lasted and the temple has suffered.

Pray, reflect and evaluate yourself.
Pray for the church.

Remember God is in control.