Dress Rehearsal for the Church’s Greatest Hour
The church will rise to unprecedented purity, unity, and power during the Great Tribulation. Holy Spirit is training us to do the same today if we will listen to Him.
Apr. 26, 2020 (David Kim)
We just passed 40 days in shelter-in-place. Tensions, uncertainty, impatience, anger, frustrations… all building up. All sorts of things are pushed to their limits and beyond in: political, economic, religious, family. The best and worst will keep coming out.
What is God doing in this hour?
It’s a Season of Cleansing and Purification for the Church
Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? And who shall stand in his holy place?
He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false
and does not swear deceitfully.
Psalm 24:3-4 (ESV)
Holy Spirit Is Preparing Us. Jesus Is Cleansing Us With His Word.
It’s not a season to miss what we used to have. We will appreciate it all the more once we’re able to do what we did before. But we will not do it in the same way that we did. We are coming out stronger and more focused.
God is purifying the prophetic in the church. God is pruning things in the prophetic: lack of restraint, speaking way beyond our authority, relying primarily on dreams and visions to figure out God’s “secret will” instead of obeying all that Jesus’ already commands in the Scriptures. God is cleansing us of all that if we will listen.
God is purifying the teaching ministry: relying on our communication abilities, leaning on the fancy and flashy forms to draw people.
God will help us if we humble ourselves and seek His face and call out to Him.
If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.
2 Chronicles 7:14 (ESV)
It’s a “Dress Rehearsal for the Church’s Greatest Hour”
The Great Tribulation to come (Matt. 24) is not just great trouble for the earth, but it’ll also be the church’s great hour.
The church will rise to unprecedented purity, unity, and power during the Great Tribulation. Holy Spirit is training us to do the same today if we will listen to Him.
The church’s greatest hour will be in the midst of the greatest tribulation in all of history. The troubles we are facing today are not nearly as bad as what Jesus says will be the most severe in all of history. We’re not close to that yet. But, even as the Great Tribulation will also be the church’s greatest hour, what we’re going through today is training for that.
No matter what trouble, pain, famine, pestilence, or persecution you might face, Holy Spirit is preparing a Bride to be equally-yoked with Jesus, without spot or blame.
This is the season to arise. When we’re back to our usual strengths after shelter-in-place is over, we will be tempted to go back to what we once had. It’s not a season to go back, but a season to advance.
It’s a season of great advancement if we will follow Jesus. This is a time to be on the offensive with respect to the advance of the Kingdom of God. This season is not the Great Tribulation. It’s difficult with real pain and hardships, but a season of training, a “dress-rehearsal.”
How are we doing? How are we measuring whether this season is good or not? God wants to help us. He wants it to be training for the church’s greatest hour.
Stadium events are not the answer. They are the result and the fruit of great revival, not the spark that propels a movement. Stadiums reproduce superstars on a platform. God is pruning us of all that is fancy and flashy. God is helping us take our eyes off of our idols and things that we think are our strength. He is helping us to be weak so that His strength will be made perfect in His church.
Through It All, God’s Purposes Are Being Advanced
Man’s sinfulness, Satan’s rage, creation’s groans, God’s discipline. All will be at heights. It’s in this environment that the church’s finest hour. Will we be able to meet publically? Buy or sell without a mark? Face severe persecution? Governmental, environmental, relational, spiritual pressures on many fronts?
Conclusion/Application:
Focus on the simple things: the cross, the Gospel, personal and corporate holiness, making disciples, gathering together to worship and pray. Do those things. These are the main things in this hour.
These are the simple, clear, revealed will of God. Make disciples of all nations.
And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Matt. 28:18-20 (ESV)