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Hi, Ron!
Boy, you’re asking a lot of these frazzled and jet-lagged brain-cells…
I do not think that the landscape has changed all that much from the days of Paul. He was forced to contend against the relentless onslaught of the ‘judaizers’ – those who lived by ritual and party membership and not by the Spirit through faith in Jesus. I know what a struggle it has been to prevent OH from being defiled by some of those who posted concerning Lakeland because it didn’t fit their rituals and didn’t come from their camp.
But, Paul also sought peace among those who were true to the Lord, but experienced friction among the brethren. For example, “Phi 4:2 I urge Euodia and I urge Syntyche to live in harmony in the Lord.”
Personally, I do not think that we will see a civil war in the Church, regardless of the esteemed credentials of the one who prophesied it. I believe we are on the edge, not of a civil war, but of a great revelation. Ritual and party membership are powerful in times of status quo, but are revealed as void and meaningless in times of trouble. For the past 200 years here in the West, almost anyone could make the claim that they represented Jesus Christ and His Church. But a shaking is seizing the West, such as we have not seen before. Unlike the shaking of war – and we’ve seen some BIG ones – this shaking is striking the roots and structures all around us. It has no outward enemy to draw men closer together, to unite them in a common cause. But, as in war, it is stripping away the choices and goods which make up the fabric of culture. Without the binding force of a common enemy things are going to be torn apart. Those cultural structures which have masqueraded as Church or Christian will be revealed for what they are, and the love of God which illuminates the children of our Father will also be seen.
There is good reason to avoid the imagery of a civil war. It is the imagery of brother against brother in a struggle for supremacy. This will not be the case at all, but, hearts that are primed for that will act accordingly. What we actually need is to press into the unity that Laurence has been describing; a unity predicated on and informed by our life as sons of one Father through union with Jesus Christ.
Literally, it will be a two act play here in the West. In act one, the children of our Father who have been seduced by the promises of Babylon to provide comfort and security will have their eyes opened to the truth. You actually can live without your 401k and retirement and insurance and new furniture and all the stuff… and what’s more, you can use those resources freely every day to pursue the kingdom. When this happens we will find many, many faithful people entering into a new level of union with Christ; union with Him in suffering for and bearing the burdens of others as well as finding a daily experience of the Spirit’s depth and power. This will set the stage for act two, wherein, the unity Laurence describes as the Body begins to function begins to shine forth.
In the meantime, we share tiring work in the heat of the day. Easy to become discouraged and irritable in such conditions. That is why we need to encourage each other.
Blessings!
mark
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