Scripture: Jeremiah 23 v 1 - 6: "Woe be unto the pastors that destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! saith the LORD.
2 Therefore thus saith the LORD God of Israel against the pastors that feed my people; Ye have scattered my flock, and driven them away, and have not visited them: behold, I will visit upon you the evil of your doings, saith the LORD.3 And I will gather the remnant of my flock out of all countries whither I have driven them, and will bring them again to their folds; and they shall be fruitful and increase.
4 And I will set up shepherds over them which shall feed them: and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, neither shall they be lacking, saith the LORD.
5 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth.
6 In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS."
At the end of our Lord's life on Earth after His resurrection, He told Peter, If you love Me, feed My sheep. Peter and the other Apostles did an excellent job that has carried the gospel to the whole world.
The Lord has always sought for those who will feed His sheep, progressing from the milk of the gospel to the meat that mature believers need to grow into effective witnesses and teachers of the deep things of God.
In the past thirty years or so, the deeper things have all but disappeared and even the milk of the Word has curdled to a form of godliness that lacks power. This is the general view but there are small beacons of hope here and there trying to bring the true light into gathering gloom and darkness.
I read an article this week that makes this quite real. It said that in the past fifty years the brightness of the Earth has begun to lose its shine and had become somewhat dimmer. The scientists are still trying to find out why. John 9 v 4 - 5: "I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.
5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world."
There are millions of Christians on Earth right now and in some places the growth of the number of believers is faster than any religion. However Jesus knows that time is running out and the night is coming when we can no longer work for Him. It's getting darker and this Earth is sending us a clear signal. If we don't feed the sheep with all our might now, the opportunity may soon be gone.
The ship called, Christianity, is sinking like the Titanic, broken and there are few lifeboats. The ship has hit an iceberg called Compromise, and it has ripped its guts out. It's going nowhere but down.
The recent California wildfires, the worst ever and still burning in 9 areas came after proposals and plans are being made to ban the Holy Bible in that state. The one infallible collection of writings that will keep mankind from Hell. As the world clings to anything but Jesus Christ, it gets dimmer until one day the light is completely gone.
In the early days of the 20th century, the Holy Spirit started moving in some churches in Russia. There was great religious opposition to this movement, this stirring, and He departed. Do not grieve the Holy Spirit because when He is pushed away the next highest force is Satan, and he did some stirring of his own which produced godless Communism which spread to many nations.
In Germany in the early 1930's, the Holy Spirit started to move in the Lutheran church, and He was again rejected and withdrew. Satan empowered Adolf Hitler to become the slayer of millions of Jews in gas chambers, and make Germany the pariah of the world. To this day there is an American occupation force keeping watch in Germany. On the upside, the Holocaust served to bring the Jews back to Israel, their homeland given by God Almighty.
The loud voices of the recent past who warned and pleaded have passed into their heavenly home. David Wilkerson wrote The Vision, back in the mid 1900's. He had the same cataclysmic dream every night for 3 months of the coming tribulation. He saw the price of gold go from $33 a fine ounce to beyond $800. He saw the superstorms and the misery and destruction that would be caused. Everything he dreamt has happened.
He saw the state of the church universal becoming corrupt, heretical and compromised. He warned the church that if they did not repent and bring solid food to their people, the consequences would be terrible. Satan is very much at home in the churches bringing in heresies, false doctrines and bogus revivals called Toronto Blessing, which has caused the anointing of the Holy Spirit to be withdrawn. Many sheep have been shorn and starved, have fallen by the wayside if we do not pick them up and feed them solid food and living water they will be lost forever.
Another bastion of righteousness was the late Dave Hunt, who exposed the rot in his book, The Seduction of Christianity, back in the 80's. Many of the false pastors and false prophets he warned about are still being adored today. They preach a politically correct, sweet, prosperity, repentance free gospel. They are showmen on a glittering stage, entertaining those who feel good and virtuous from being in church.. There is not much of Jesus left in their lives.
There is very little emphasis on taking up the Cross and following Jesus Christ. No wonder Jesus said, When I return will I find faith on the Earth? He has no doubt that He will return, but as Adam and Eve rejected God in favour of the Serpent, how many are doing so today.
1 John 1 v 7: "But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin."
We can only have true fellowship if we are all walking in the light in the same way Jesus did. If there is a lack of fellowship with other believers check yourself first to see if you are in the light of Lord Jesus. If you are not shown by the Holy Spirit of truth any areas of darkness within yourself, then those others need much prayer. And better spiritual food.
I stand together with the determined preachers of old. Watchman Nee, whose books on Christian living gather dust today. The Welshman, Rees Howells, a powerful and obedient preacher and Intercessor, whose incredible understanding and consecration to God which gave him the baptism of the Holy Spirit, and had him speaking at the Welsh Llandrindod Convention and bringing the house down.
We need to reach this depth of life in the Spirit to survive the coming onslaught, where it will be so much easier to compromise with the norms of the world than withstand the wiles of the Devil.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, strengthen us for the journey ahead and raise up the Sons and Daughters of God to live a life of true consecration before You, and to lead others, many others, into purity, holiness, and virtue. Let us feed Your sheep with proper nourishment that they may grow to Your satisfaction. In Jesus' name. Amen.