Scripture: Ephesians 5 v 15 - 19: "See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise
16 Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
17 Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.
18 And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;
19 Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;"
I was shocked when the late Christian author, Norman Grubb, wrote that he thanks God for Communism because it creates the perfect vacuum for spiritually starving hearts to be filled with the fullness of Jesus and the Holy Spirit. However, it is true. Nature abhors a vacuum. Something must fill that emptiness.
Our president, Cyril Ramaphosa, was once a Christian youth leader. He has now used the example of the Chinese Communist Party to remodel South Africa into a corruption free nation. This plan has backfired so badly that we are now considered a failed state. The corruption in high places has caused American President Trump to withhold all US Aid from South Africa until investigations are made.
The Lord has the answer, as He always does, that by withholding Christianity those who become spiritually hungry will eventually explode with determination to eat the Bread of Life. Shortly after Mr Grubb uttered those words, the Berlin Wall fell and thousands of missionaries poured through the gap and were welcomed with open arms.
We should redeem the time as Paul said in Ephesians 5 v 16. This means to make up for lost time. All the time that Communism, or any other 'ism', shuts God out is just the cold winter of no visible growth but under the ground all the seeds are germinating and waiting for Spring. When the KGB Communist party fell in Russia in 1991 under Gorbachev, the Christians were overjoyed. Churches, ministries, outreach sprang up like mushrooms as the Holy Ghost rain fell on the barren land.
There was an Arab Spring in the north of Africa that ousted Gaddaffi by murder, and freed Libya from draconian laws, but it was not filled with Jesus Christ, just motley crews of other Arab groups and it has not blossomed. There is strife, greed, lack and another vacuum waiting to be filled.
The revival among the youth in Asbury, USA, that began a few years ago is still aglow and the ministers from other American States that were inspired by it have spread the word. It is reviving souls across the Nations and keeping the flame lit. Our God is unstoppable and He is raising up workers to continue to bring salvation to the lost.
True revival comes with deep repentance, weeping before a holy Saviour for every mistake, sin, omission, lie, angry or idle words, in fact everything we did to grieve our precious Lord. The times we did our own thing, went ahead with plans He did not initiate or sanction. The times we did not thoroughly check whether some doctrines were in line with the Word of God and got ensnared in false teachings with suspect behaviour. These will all have to be dealt with and the vacuum in their hearts filled with truth.
In the book "Beyond the Veil" by H.R. Baker a missionary to China in the 1920's, his orphanage for boys was suddenly visited by a powerful outpouring of the Holy Spirit. The prayer room was filled with normally spiritually indifferent boys pleading for forgiveness, including their Buddhist teacher who got gloriously saved.
This revival lasted about two years. The children were caught up to Heaven and saw, spoke to, played with children from the orphanage who had died. They were seen by the Bakers filling their pockets, playing musical instruments, listening earnestly, singing. When they returned they were sad that the fruit they tried to put in their pockets was not there!
But the fruit was spiritual and changed their lives dramatically as they went out into the streets and preached the gospel, often by the gifts of tongues and interpretation of tongues. One boy would speak in tongues and one after another of the children, all about 7 or 8 years old, would interpret it bringing very strong messages of salvation to the crowds whose hungry hearts were a vacuum waiting to be filled. A very inspiring book!
Our Almighty God uses every situation the enemy has in play as a weapon to be turned against him. He counteracts the evil conditions with brilliant solutions. Let us trust the Lord in the outworking of His plan for our salvation and the ministry to others.
We all, ALL, have a part to play, we just have to recognise a vacuum we can fill. When we find our direction and apply ourselves to being obedient to Jesus, put aside our worldly distractions, and concentrate our energy on doing that which pleases Him, we will turn this world upside down.
The pandemic of 2020 + was another situation aimed to wipe out God's creation. The other distractions are climate change, financial meltdown, the wars in Ukraine, Gaza, DRC, and the games people play. Jesus said all these things would happen, just before His return. It's not going to happen a hundred years from now. The generation born after Israel became a nation again will see it happen. We will see it.
Jesus will use the 1000 years of peace when He rules this planet to restore a worldwide garden of Eden. He will fill the vacuum of destruction and pollution on this planet with pure clean beauty. The venom of spiders and snakes and some plants will be removed, the deadly attacks of wild animals will be gone, our oceans will be clean, our air pure, our children safe.
Worrying about this planet is a distraction from making our combined effort to saving the souls of those who don't know Jesus, and we should not be conned by it. It is sad to see the poaching of rhinos for their horns. There is nothing magical about those horns. They are just like large solid fingernails. Let us not neglect the work of salvation of souls by pouring our all into saving the rhinos.
We have been given the task, the authority, the tools, to fulfil the great commission of Jesus. Go into all the world and tell them the good news that I am alive, they are forgiven, they must be born again to perceive Heaven. There is a vacuum in their hearts for a personal relationship with the King of Kings. Let us be ready at all times to bring it to pass.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, how wonderful it will be when we see the fruits of our labours, our family, friends or strangers we met, safely home in Heaven with You. If every Christian won two hearts, and they in turn won two hearts for You, this world would be saved in one week! Help us do it Lord! In Jesus' name. Amen.