This is a pastoral message.
Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Therefore, ask the Lord of the Harvest to send out workers into His harvest.” (Matthew 9:37-38)
For some years now, I’ve had a vision of events driving people out of the mainstream churches. Not necessarily leaving their association from the organization, but leaving behind the false premises on which most churches operate. It’s not like a delusion where I imagine thousands flocking to me as their savior and building up yet another religious cult. I seriously doubt I’ll have any more fame/notoriety than I do now, just more work. I’ve done my best to build a frame of reference that excludes what I see the churches teaching and doing wrong. Apparently, a handful of folks see some use in my different approach to religion, because they discuss it with me. I’ve done my best to make them fully independent of me. I want to contribute to, not rule, their search for a better way. I want them to be ready to pick up the pieces because I remain quite certain what we’ve had up to now is coming apart.
A part of me senses the time has here. Nothing concrete, mind you. I have no clear idea what sort of troubles are coming our way, just some generalities and fragments. I know for certain that I don’t know enough to describe much. That’s because most of it is the background, the context in which I expect to operate. The context will determine the methods and means, but has no effect on the mission. The methods and means must arise from the individual doing, so I continue encouraging folks to remain independent. Let’s confer, not congregate around the place I stand.
I’ve had plenty of offers posted right here on this blog, other folks inviting me to join their little group and do their thing. They obviously don’t know me, aren’t really reading what I write, just picking up on a single post or something. They don’t want me; they want more bodies for their glorious dreams of a massive army of something or other. Sorry, that’s the wrong vision. That’s more of the same, what we’ve already had that doesn’t work and won’t carry us through the way Jesus taught. Tribulation is not properly faced by human organization, but by divine power working in spite of human organization. That’s the whole point: This is something that rises above the human level, where God Himself does the coordination. We are just along for the ride and anyone pretending to drive is usurping the role of the Holy Spirit. Until there is a form of organization and leadership that departs very sharply from what we’ve had so far, don’t expect me to be at all interested.
What I see as the real need is something much more subtle, but which I’ve tried to bring up to fully conscious consideration. What we’ve had in mainstream Christianity up to now is not going to ride out the storm. It’s too shallow and human, not deep and divine. My regular readers get that. Today I write for them: It’s here, close at hand. The Lord is shaking His body; people are going to detach from current structures and will need a point of anchor the churches can’t give them. Be ready to throw out the lifeline. You can’t make them grab it, but some surely will. Brace yourself. Redouble your efforts to make sure you have some part of you standing free of all this nonsense and strong enough to realize it’s all shadows and noise.
I can tell you what I suspect are some included fragments. You know I’ve often criticized the evangelicals for their slavish and misguided devotion to modern Israel. On the conscious level, I suspect something will happen to shatter that devotion — the false idol will totter and fall. I can’t say whether it means something big and bad will hit Israel, but something will happen to sully the shine; some part of the facade will fall away. Be ready to explain how Israel never meant anything to us in the first place.
I’m also finding a strong inclination to expect serious financial trouble for churches. I foresee billions in losses, particularly investments in facilities and so forth. We will be thoroughly surprised at what completely dissolves from lack of funds, because it’s built on money, not the gospel. Be ready to explain how material goods are mere tools, not at all critical, not at all any sign of God’s approval. Help people across the tribulation by demonstrating the power of sacrifice, of truth, of letting stuff go (Revelation 12:11). If you can’t have church in your backyard with whatever Bibles folks can carry in their hands and hearts, you can’t have church at all.
Most of all, stand ready to teach people how to think like a Hebrew. Take a little time to refresh your understanding of the leaven of the Pharisees, how Hellenism destroyed the ancient biblical outlook and sucked the life out of Old Testament religion. Learn to cling to the Justice of God, to see that moral fabric in everything. There’s enough insanity in the world without us contributing to the madness. Let us be the sane ones.
As always, you know where to find me if you need something.
