Don’t Miss the Significance of this Moment: Part 2

I felt led to share this thought today. Then, I realized that it's not the first time I've had this thought. The only difference is that it is in a different context and circumstance. There is a great likelihood that many people will not appreciate what I’m about to suggest this time around. However, I feel compelled to convey that thought anyway.  

In the last twenty to 21 days, I’m seeing more of a prophetic movement. It is happening outside of the church. This movement is visible through what is happening in our nation and this current administration. You may disagree but hear me out. When God called the prophet Jeremiah, He told him his call was to “root out and pull down, to destroy and throw down. He was also called to build up and to plant (Jeremiah 1:10). While many will read that passage and say, “hey, God was speaking from a spiritual point of view,” there can be no doubt about it. Some may interpret God as speaking spiritually. Nonetheless, the impact is undeniable. In many respects, there are times when what is spoken Spiritually also has natural and very practical outcomes.

There can be no denial that there is a rooting out and a pulling down taking place within the government. It began with the freezing of federal grants. The reason behind it was to investigate (1) where the money was going, (2) who was benefiting from it, (3) what it was being used for, and (4) was it in the interest of the American people. One particular fund USAID, which under President John F. Kennedy was meant to be a humanitarian arm of charity and outreach, now appears to have become an avenue by which anti-American propaganda and global cultural and moral erosion was unleashed upon many other nations. In addition to that, it enriched many who were elected to serve the people. 

The White House reported on the wasteful spending taking place. Other reports have uncovered a more sinister use for the fund; that being its use in the impeachment of President Trump. As many are awakening to that loud sucking sound that President Trump alluded to in his first term in office, when he vowed to drain the swamp, these last 21 days into the second term, people aren’t just hearing it, they’re seeing it happen.  

In the same way that you can see demons manifesting in a person when they are disturbed, this rooting out and pulling down has the political elite unhinged and grandstanding. It almost reminds you of when Paul came into a town. He delivered a woman of the spirit. She used to make the town rich. The people became enraged because they could no longer profit from this possessed woman. Even now, the elite aren’t upset about the mismanagement of money. They’re more concerned about who found it. Their secret gravy train has abruptly stalled on the track. 

The political elite have spent the last two generations amassing power for themselves. They forgot that their role was to be a government of the people and for the benefit of the people. Instead, they became a government over the people at the expense of the people. 

We’re seeing what happens when government gets too big. It became gluttonous and now it is experiencing a purge and a detox. When the body goes through detoxification, the initial response can be volatile. The body doesn’t know what is happening. As toxins are cleared out, it reaches an equilibrium. The body realizes just how unhealthy it had been. It feels much lighter and healthier now. It is able to perform more efficiently than in times past. 

I’ve said it many times and I’ll repeat it here: “We’re used to all kinds of awakenings and revivals, but what we’ve not seen since the days of Martin Luther is a reformation.” I believe that we are finally in a place where we witness reformation taking place. Seeing it happening in government should wake up the church to its need of reformation as well. With the level of shaking that has been taking place in the last 1-5 years and the increasing visibility becoming publicized; there can be no doubt that the reformation cannot be far off as connections to what is happening in government spill over into the messages that has been coming across the pulpits of many churches. I won’t list examples but if you’ve been paying attention, you know there are many. 

The last reformation in the church highlighted the issues with the ministry elite. It also pointed out its misuse in the practice of indulgences. First, he felt that the selling of indulgences was unbiblical. He believed that the forgiveness of sins could not be bought. It could only be resolved through true repentance. Second, he felt that this practice misled people. It made them think they could buy their way into heaven or reduce their time in purgatory. This notion was a false assurance of salvation. Third, he deemed the practice corrupt. Church leaders exploited the people’s fear of damnation in exchange for financial gain. Fourthly, martin believed that true repentance involved the internal spirit rather than external sacraments. He believed the practice discouraged true repentance and sorrow for sin. Fifthly, Martin believed that the practice also neglected that act of true charity and mercy. 

The church's responsibilities were neglected over the last 60-70 years. Much of its call was given to the government. America, and especially the church in America, has been shown to be among the most generous. However, the current administration is uncovering abuse. It reveals how the entrusted monies were misused and not placed where they were most needful or beneficial. 

This governmental righting of the ship should wake up the church. It has yet to do its own reforms. The church must reassess its true call as a light in the darkness. For too long, the commingling has not spoken well of the Kingdom. I pray that the prophetic act we see in the government will reveal to the church its need for reformation. 

What we can be assured of in this moment is that reformation is not for the weak but the bold. Those who are bold enough and courageous enough will get it done, even at the cost of being ridiculed, mocked, scandalized, and assassinated (characteristically or otherwise). The true reformers lean on God for their validation, vindication, redemption and even restoration. My prayer in this is for those who are hearing the call wherever they have been charged to go. I pray that they would become a Jeremiah and root out, pull down, and throw down. This would allow those who have been called to build and plant to follow. They can create the genuine renaissance that is needed.