3 Things the World Needs From the Church Right Now

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The world is in crisis right now, and the church – the only source of hope – is being shut down.

Canceled

Muted

Ever since the world shut down in March 2020, many churches have remained closed, or voluntarily shut down again to quell the second wave.

Why?

Because the church has chosen to voluntarily live in captivity to science and experts instead of boldly walking in the freedom of Christ.

We see this same scenario at around 500 B.C. in the Persian empire, following the Babylonian captivity of the Jews.

The Jews were free to return to their homeland, and many did.

But many others chose to stay dispersed throughout the Persian empire, living as though they were captives and in bondage.

It was during this time that God raised up a young Jewish woman who would become the Queen of Persia.

Soon after, it was reported to her that one of the King’s officials hated God’s people so much that he concocted a sinister plot to wipe them out completely.

Her cousin wrote to her and said this:

“Do not think in your heart that you will escape in the king’s palace any more than all the other Jews. For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” Esther 4:13-14

In other words, “Esther – do not forget who you are! You are not just the Queen of Persia, you are one of God’s chosen people and you have a responsibility to act on behalf of their deliverance.

And this is where we see the church today.

A satanic decree has been written against the church to cancel and silence her; to render her irrelevant and muted in this generation.

A decree written by the forces of hell who hate her and want to destroy her.

And what are we going to do about it?

Because if we remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance will come to the world, but the “woke church” in 2020 will perish!

1. The world needs the church to boldly proclaim the truth of God’s Word

There is so much confusion and chaos right now. News headlines contradict one another and it is so hard to know who to belive.

What the world doesn’t need is another link to another news article or another YouTube video landing in their inbox.

The world doesn’t need to be intellectually stimulated by the church.

What we need is the one and only source of truth – and that is God’s Word! That is all we need to know how to respond to a world that has gone crazy in 2020.

But in order to proclaim truth, we need to know truth.

“If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” John 8:31-32

Most of us know this promise in John 8:32, but what we may not realize is that this promise is under lock and key.

We can’t claim John 8:32 without the key found in verse 31.

If we want the truth to set us free, we must first abide in God’s Word.

Abide in Greek is meno, and it means “Not to depart from”, “Continue”, “Dwell”.

Jesus is saying: If you choose to not depart from my word, to make it your home, you will come to know truth and it will set you free.

We have to know God’s Word – read it, study it, memorize it, meditate on it.

We have to allow God’s Word to inform our future, our path, our steps, and literally mold every area of our life around it until it is the final authority – the amen – of our life.

2. The world needs the church to know her identity

When Esther became queen, she did not allow her position to become her new identity.

If she had, the weight of the impending destruction of her people wouldn’t have weighed so heavily upon her.

But it did – it drove her to fast and pray for 3 days, and then risk her very life to approach the king uninvited.

Why would she risk her life like this? Because she knew who she was! She wasn’t just the Queen of Persia, she was one of God’s chosen people.

All throughout history, the world has looked to the church as it’s source of stability and hope during times of crisis.

But in the past 100 years, that has shifted as the world looks to science for it’s answers and stability.

Not just the world, but the church as well.

How else can you explain the number of churches that are still closed and sheltering in place?

How else can you explain the number of Christians who have thrown out hotline number and sent those suffering from depression to counselors and psychologists who refuse to acknowledge God in their thinking?

What hope can an unsaved, unregenerate person give, when Jesus is the source of all hope?

The church has lost her identity!

God had raised Esther up to be an ambassador for her people, to represent them to the king to deliver them from destruction.

In the same way, God has raised up the church in 2020 to represent the kingdom of heaven here on earth and deliver this generation from the satanic agenda of destruction!

The question is: will we answer that call?

Do we really believe Jesus is coming back soon….at any second?

Do we really believe in a literal hell where all those who refuse to accept Christ as Lord will burn for all eternity?

If so, it should drive us to our knees in agony for their souls. It should compel us to warn them of what is to come.

And if we are not compelled in this way, we must question what we really believe.

Because God has called us to battle for the souls of the lost.

Our war right now isn’t against COVID, Black Lives Matter, and rioting in the streets.

Our war isn’t against Marxism, fascism, socialism, Fauci, and politicians.

“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” Ephesians 6:12

This is a spiritual battle that must be waged on a spiritual battlefield.

3. The world needs a church that is baptized in the Holy Spirit

If we plan to engage in this battle, we must be filled with the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues.

Dear sisters, what lies ahead of us right now is more than you and I can imagine.

In December 31, 2019, in our wildest imaginations we could haven’t dreamed we’d be here today.

Saturday night, August, 1, rioters in Portland, OR were burning Bibles in the street.

Never in our nation’s history have we witnessed such a horrible assault against Almighty God.

And these attacks are growing more and more rapid in their frequency.

Very quickly, we are headed to a level of persecution we’ve never faced before and we must be ready!

We will not be able to withstand it in our own strength.

We need the power of the Holy Spirit within us to stand in face of the persecution that will arise against believers – yes, even in America.

And if you are not daily seeking the Lord to fill you fresh and new with the power of the Holy Spirit, you will not have the stamina to stand in this evil day.

This is what will mark the authentic church in 2020.

This is what will separate the men from the boys.

I challenge you today, begin seeking for the baptism of the Holy Spirit today; if you do not already speak in tongues.

If you do, I challenge you to spend time each day praying in your spiritual language and seeking God to fill you each day.

We need his wisdom!

We need his power to reach out and touch those who are hurting and confused.

We need his power to stand in the face of perseuction and hate.

“Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. [Happened and happening]

See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. [Happened and happening]

And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. [Happened and happening]

All these are the beginning of sorrows. Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. [Happened – Columbine – and happening]

And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. [Sound familiar right now?]

Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. [Happening right now]

But he who endures to the end shall be saved.” Matthew 24:4-13

On August 2, 2020 I shared this message at my dads’ church in Hermiston, OR. I invite you to watch it here:

Other posts in this series

Covid-19 and the Canceling of the Church

3 Things the World Needs From the Church Right Now

3 Powerful Reasons We Need the Baptism of the Holy Spirit Now More Than Ever

3 Things That Have Made the Church Powerless In This Culture

Resources for Spiritual Warfare