North America
Christ's Church Shaken?
Sometimes I write out of desire, other times out of necessity. This is one of those times, a time where I have to write, rather than I want to.
Yesterday (22 February 2011), Christchurch, New Zealand experienced another earthquake, following the one in September. This time the destruction was worse, though the quake was smaller on the Richter scale. At the time of this writing 65 or more are dead. The icon of Christchurch––the cathedral––was devastated. Buildings have collapsed and most of all people are shaken. In the past month or so, Australia has been shocked by floods, fires and a cyclone. Revolution and riots are breaking out in the Middle East. Even America has had massive snow storms. For me, watching this stuff play out on TV and in my own neighborhood has been extremely distressing. It's one thing when it's in someone else’s territory, it's a whole other thing when it's at your doorstep.
What is happening? The writer of Hebrews gives us insight. Now Hebrews is all about God's New Covenant and the dispensation of grace that we are living in. No other book explains grace and mercy more, except maybe Romans. And yet Hebrews tells us:
"See that you do not refuse him who is speaking. For if they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape if we reject him who warns from heaven. At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, 'Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.' This phrase, 'Yet once more,' indicates the removal of things that are shaken––that is, things that have been made––in order that the things that cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire" (Heb. 12:25-29, ESV).
The book of Hebrews makes it clear what God is doing: he is shaking both the heavens and earth. I don't like it as much as the next man, but that is what God has purposed. And this shaking will only get more intense as the Day of Christ's coming approaches. Jesus said, "For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again" (Matt 24:21, NIV). Why? Because God is removing what is man-made and temporal to replace it with the eternal.
So what is eternal? God's kingdom and the stuff of his kingdom is eternal. The Father's rule and work is eternal, his love and Word is eternal, his power and grace will never pass away. The whole world will be shaken but God's kingdom––the real world––cannot and will not be overcome. It's time that we focus on the eternal rather the the temporal stuff like buildings, material goods, money, fame and the WOW factor. Yes, we should properly manage the things God has given us during our pilgrimage on earth, but we should not set our hearts on these things and allow them to consume our time. Every act of obedience to Jesus Christ will reap eternal rewards, so let's focus our energy on listening to him.
Peter said, "For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God?" (1 Pet. 4:17, ESV). Judgment begins with us, Christ's church. For too long we have focused on the outward and not the inward, the temporal rather than the eternal. We have built with wood and stone, but not with the power and riches of the eternal kingdom. Our running of the church has been like a business rather than a reflection of the Kingdom’s humility. I graduated from a reputable business school (so I appreciate management skills), but I count it as rubbish compared to knowing Jesus. The church may have skills, but skills do not save, and are often a hinderance, rather than a blessing.
If we are motivated to worship because of the beauty and prestige of a building, we will scatter when that building falls. If we are motivated to worship because of reputation, we will run when accusations are thrown. Instead, God and God alone must be our motivating factor. Emotions can be shaken, but let's not allow our God-given relationships to crumble. Just because a cathedral or another place of worship is devastated does not mean that God's people should scatter. We are to meet together all the more as the Day approaches (Heb. 10:25). We will meet in the fields and in houses; we will meet in public places and in private businesses; we will meet in boats and on mountain-tops. We will not allow the shaking to destroy our fellowship in Jesus. That is the nature of the true church.
Let us be like David who said, "I have set the LORD always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken" (Psa. 16:8, ESV). Trusting in God helps us overcome all the uncertainty of the world. Our Lord cannot be shaken and if we are in him we are secure.
North America - Revival, Awakenings, and the Movings of God
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