By Grant Marshall

(The problem is…) It’s a familiar term used quite a lot in our examinations of the prevailing conditions within our society. So what is the problem? The problem is that it is not clearly defined.

Problems only have one function — to cause confusion and difficulty. We can blame whoever we like for the cause, but when every sphere of our lives is affected by the same problem and chaos and crisis result, we must look a little deeper into the problem.

We can blame the nation as a whole, the government, the Church, ourselves. Socially every one of those areas, apart from the latter, is a reflection of our macro self. They are all us, you and me. We can choose to walk together in agreement or not at all. If we don’t then we are partisan. And that is the problem. The government is partisan and the Church is partisan. Each has a myriad of opinions, their problems within, and their own solutions to other people’s problems to boot! The way to bring about a solution is to agree on the outcome. How we get to that outcome is irrelevant so long as it is reached. Another problem is that everyone wants their say, and to express their own solutions. Result: stalemate!

In our hour of need, when a solution must be found to the proposed compromise, there is no time for recess. Our goal must be to agree to the solution. Compromise is not agreement but is a means to provide a temporary peace accord. When we look at the state of our parliament and the ridiculous shenanigans to date, we see that even compromise has left the room. What we have witnessed, as a result, is that the ship that once was dominant upon our majestic waters, lies rudderless, and leaderless, as most of the crew have jumped ship.

Regarding the Church, what can we say here? Instead of leading the nation as she once did, providing the moral and civil guideline to society’s compass, we see her compromised and corrupted as never before. Most nonbelievers would look at her and the hypocrisy and shameful acts within its cloisters and wonder, how? You see, regardless of whether a person believes in God or not, the moral attitude of God’s law has also been the rudder, although unbeknown to us. All of this is written in the bible. The assembly of the church reflects the counsel of the heavenly assembly to whom God deliberates. As our nation, or at least those who want what is best for her, through what should be the wise counsel of its leaders, labours in her efforts to come out of the imperial state of the EU, God’s counsel to His people has never changed.

2 Corinthians 6:16-18 Complete Jewish Bible (CJB) 16 What agreement can there be between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God — as God said, “I will house myself in them, . . . and I will walk among you. I will be their God, and they will be my people.” 17 Therefore Adonai says, “‘Go out from their midst; separate yourselves; don’t even touch what is unclean. Then I myself will receive you. 18 In fact, I will be your Father, and you will be my sons and daughters.’ says Adonai-Tzva’ot.

Isaiah 66, speaks to us about the person whom God favours. They are one’s that trembles at His word: v1 and v5. We should be shaking in our boots because we have forsaken the way of the Lord. Our salvation is in jeopardy.

Isaiah 66 Complete Jewish Bible (CJB) 1 “Heaven is my throne,” says Adonai, “and the earth is my footstool. What kind of house could you build for me? What sort of place could you devise for my rest? 2 Didn’t I myself make all these things? This is how they all came to be,” says Adonai. “The kind of person on whom I look with favor is one with a poor and humble spirit, who trembles at my word. 3 Those others might as well kill a person as an ox, as well break a dog’s neck as sacrifice a lamb, as well offer pig’s blood as offer a grain offering, as well bless an idol as burn incense. Just as these have chosen their ways and enjoy their disgusting practices, 4 so I will enjoy making fools of them, and bring on them the very things they fear. For when I called, no one answered; when I spoke, they did not hear. Instead, they did what was evil in my sight and chose what did not please me.”

If we come out of the meetings we attend, hoping that everything will be different, then we need to think again. If we are not prepared to come out of them and go back to our Churches and fellowships challenged to change things that need to be changed, challenged to speak into the living cemeteries that most places are, challenged to bring the flaming torch that consumes and illuminates the leaven among us, challenged to be a carrier of God’s word, then nothing will change. What I have seen among these great days of assembly, is often boasting. Yes, it is good for us to encourage one another about what we are doing for the Lord, and it is wonderful to hear what we are witnessing in our midst. But let’s not fool ourselves. We cannot have a foot in each camp. We cannot be in the world and of it. We are called to be separate – Holy! as God is Holy! This what the Lord says:

Isaiah 66:15. For — look! — Adonai will come in fire, and his chariots will be like the whirlwind, to render his anger furiously, his rebuke with blazing fire. 16 For Adonai will judge all humanity with fire and with the sword, and those slain by Adonai will be many. 17 “Those who consecrate and purify themselves in order to enter the gardens, then follow the one who was already there, eating pig meat, reptiles and mice, will all be destroyed together,” says Adonai. 18 “For I [know] their deeds and their thoughts.

The proceeding passages in that chapter, speak of the commission Yeshua transferred to us, and the judgement upon a rebellious people. Believing in the salvific act made upon the tree on which our blessed savior hanged, allowed us time to change and to look upon our forgiven sin and to walk in repentance, lest we die in the judgement to come.

The solution for us, if indeed we are walking in repentance, is to come together and agree that we have sinned against God. An unbelieving nation cannot do that. Only the people who are called by His name, those who have been given the word and regenerated by the Spirit of God can do so. Repentance is the recognition of sinning against God, not anyone else. Revival will come when we recognise that fact. True revival comes from repentant sinners. It is to them that the prophet speaks. A company of prophets echo the same message. That is what the Lord will bring together in this time. The prophets of the northern and southern kingdom of Israel brought the message of repentance so that the whole house of Israel could be one. That was the gospel message and it has largely been ignored. The mainstream Church wants to invite and attract congregants with politically correct and unchallenging words. To make this happen they preach a relevant Bible, one that has been translated and corrupted to tickle the ears of those listening. Our intercessions and prayer days should solely be for the petitioning of repentant requests and for God to act accordingly — we hope, with mercy. They are not to present to God offerings and well-meaning words, emotions and works. These times are not parade grounds of achievement They are the opposite. Godly men stand in front of us and front such meetings and they should know this.

We recognize the filthy rag in the middle of the room but we are afraid to go near it. We should come before God as Sovereign Judge not as our best friend. We should be asking Him to do what is right in His eyes and not ours. In His mercy, He will respond with the voice of the prophet warning us again that the window of repentance is open, the Lord is near and judgement is coming. We, through God’s grace, have simply been given the time to prepare.

But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away. Isa 64:6 Sadly, there seems to be a prophet around each corner.

We, unfortunately, tend to gravitate to one who tells us something that appeases, not challenges. False prophets and teachers are hirelings and cowardly, and there are thousands of this kind, and not only in the Church.

I, to this day, believe that God is bringing together a company of prophets for this time. They will speak concerning the depravity to which the Church has fallen and how it has adapted to the world and to the spirit of the age. They will speak with one voice and declare the works of the Lord and if their words are listened to, maybe the Lord will deliver us from our delusion and make His face shine on us.

Grant Marshall