A Kid in a Candy Store!

Ezekiel 37:5-6 - Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones: "Surely I will cause breath to enter into you, and you shall live. I will put sinews on you and bring flesh upon you, cover you with skin and put breath in you; and you shall live. Then you shall know that I am the LORD."

I think I was asleep and have been going through a time of awakening. I was becoming comfortable in my life in Christ, despite the deep seated desire to grow deeper in Him. As the days grow more ominous we know our strength must come from some place other than our selves and our resourcefulness. The only way to gain that strength is to go to the Source, which is Jesus.

Our church (The Church in Wisconsin) is being bombarded by several nights' worth of powerful, eye-opening words of a young evangelist, Jeremy Prochazka. Old truths have been brought forth as reminders of what being in Christ means. As one sermon leads into the next they are all connected by a fresh view and a common thread...the Lord. I feel like a kid in a candy store. So much to "look" into and take in, not that I haven't heard it before, but that I need to be reminded. That's what revival is. Dry bones coming back to life.

Jeremy started with the Church and how if Christ is in it that's what it's all about. And those churches which are doing it right by not watering down the Word or preaching man's version of the Gospel and are allowing the Holy Spirit full access, the Latter Will be Greater than the Past, as his first message was entitled. There will be a remnant in the end who will rebuild the Church to what it should be, who will be standing only on the truth of His Word...what it's all about.

These messages have touched me. Each one so far has struck a conviction, one that started probably a year ago when I was beginning to become dissatisfied with something I couldn't put my finger on...which culminated in one day just knowing God was leading me to make a change, a very big one, in order to go deeper with Him. That change moved me to a new church, a difficult decision but when God is behind it, a good one, of that I was sure.

The Church: it's not about the building but the people within it...if Christ is in the heart, He is in the home as well. He had no luxurious place to rest at night. It was whoever took Him in, or whatever rock was available to rest His head. This speaks corporately and personally, too.

All things that are not of Christ must be removed. There is a shaking going on. I have felt that there has been a sifting and when that is done the shaking within Church walls will come thereafter. Perhaps some churches have been sifted and are now being shaken, some are still being sifted. Is the Church, or ourselves, Christ-centered or not? Shake it out if it is not.

Again, I have felt complacency, but desiring more. Where I am now I don't think I can remain with all the people around me. That is good. Now three weeks later I'm really sensing I am lacking compared to them. Ah, but we are not to compare ourselves, which Jeremy brought up last night, and as I've heard before. And no one should compare in Church. It's where edification should take place if it is the church (any church) it claims it to be. If there's comparison, it's wrong.

We're at different spiritual levels and that's okay. It's that we want to reach the next level that is important. And it starts in a church that is of one accord, all wanting this same thing, no matter what level we're on. Shaking causes shackles to be broken and that equals freedom. We are all given a measure by Christ. If He has given us that measure, don't try to fix it. Go with it.

Jeremy talked about the dry bones in Ezekiel 37. Shaking of the Church isn't always bad but will produce good. You shake to stir things up, to open eyes, revive, restore, bring back together. Once the bones are shaken the flesh will reappear and growth will occur.

In his sermon on Controlled by the River Jeremy discussed Ezekiel 47:1-11. There was a vision of a man measuring the waters that flowed out of the temple. First they were ankle deep, then knee high, then to the loins until the waters were so deep they could not be crossed. These are like the depth of our spiritual walk with the Lord. And He is the Man measuring. When He moves, we move with Him, but never before Him. It reminds me of Jesus as our living Water. And it is about the Spirit of God which flows in us and directs us. Just keep moving when He moves into that deeper place with Him, beyond where you now are. Follow Him is all He asks and there will be healing and life.

If we get to a place where we can't grow anymore, He will move us. Oh, I saw it when I knew it was time to move from one church to another but this message was such confirmation. I'm sure more revelation will come! Hallelujah.

Monday night in his Conditions of Defeat and Conditions of Victory Jeremy talked about how we might go through seasons of defeat...early on, in the middle of our walk or the end. Sometimes the condition is based on those around us. If they are lax, so will others be. But if they are Spirit-filled and of one accord, it will stand to reason I will be also. And at the same time we must continue to realize that He has given each of us a measure, which I mentioned above. I cannot become frustrated that I can't "measure up" to the person next to me. Jesus has done the measuring; be satisfied with that.

In Acts the early day church all came together in one accord...all 120 people! They prayed and fellowshipped together and the Holy Spirit came upon them. They were then able to go out, with the full measure that Christ had given them and preach to all the world. And the Church grew in number. His Spirit, which stirred the waters in Genesis, stirred their spirits in that upper room. He moved and they followed, each with and in the measure He had given them. He does the same today...let our Church be as the upper room, filled with the glory of God, sending forth the people with praises of God and the healing power to save, increasing the remnant Church.

An interesting point brought up: Ezekiel 47...the first step forward into the river was only ankle deep. That's our first step of faith in our walk with God. In Acts the first healing that took place as the disciples went out to begin their preaching ministry was a lame man. His ankle bones and feet received strength! This was the lame man's first step of faith in trusting the mighty healing power (spiritually as well as physically) of God. He had to start somewhere, like we all do. And sometimes we need to get back into step!

Ezekiel 47:9 - And it shall be that every living thing that moves, wherever the rivers go, will live. There will be a very great multitude of fish, because these waters go there; for they will be healed, and everything will live wherever the river goes.