Knocking Down

If you get a chance to listen to Episode 7 of The Refuge City Radio (while it is posted in the right hand column or at   http://audioboo.fm/boos/316474-trcradio-ep-7-3-30-11-striking-matches ) then you will have a bit more understanding of why I posted this picture here.

I got what I believe was a very sure message from God a few years ago about what we put our hope in and what we should put our hope in.  Without retelling the entire journey of that message, let me just say that the lost in our lives will only come to trust in Jesus Christ as their rock of strength if they see us do the same.

In order for this to occur,   the Lord is setting things in motion for us to have opportunities to take our place of solace in Him alone.  HE will jealously remove all that we trust in His stead.  This shaking that has begun and will continue in the Church for some time is simply to get our hearts focused on Him so that those in the darkness around us will also receive their hope.  Our lights shine brighter when we are looking at Him.  Shaking causes us to seek Him and as the rest of the world begins to shake too, we will need to provide a display of our hope in Christ.

I'm not talking about defending your faith and twisting people's arms to believe the way we believe.  I'm talking about being ready in every season to be able to explain the hope-filled lives that we lead.  There will not be any time to muster up a false resolve that they will see right through even in the midst of their blindness.  The only voice they are going to be willing to listen to is the voice that is coming from the rock.  As they are sinking down into the mire that is threatening their very existence, they will be crying out for help.  Don't be fooled into thinking that right words and right theology will be enough to win the lost to your side.  They will not swim and struggle t get to someone who is claiming victory while gasping for air themselves.  No, the only voice they will strive to follow is the one that is coming from the safety of the rocks above them; the one that does not carry the stench of despair; the one that offers genuine hope and life and is coming from a most brilliant light.

The world around us needs a "real" God, not programming and kind words.  Yes, God is kind, but a lie wrapped in kindness is still a lie.  We cannot, simply cannot, afford to give the lost a false hope of any kind.  We must give them Jesus Christ, the Stone that the builders rejected.  He may not look like He can do what He promises because of His meek stature and His benevolent mercy, but I assure you all that He is the only One who can truly rescue us from all that threatens us.  Put you hope in Him and you will not be disappointed.

Here is another picture to illustrate what I am trying to share today.  Let us "really" be those found on the rock and not just another drowning captive claiming to have found a foothold.