A New Thing (06/27/11)

Shalom,

Please begin by reading Isa 42:16-21.

Prophetic minister Rick Joyner said, "A revolution is coming to Christianity that will eclipse the Reformation in the sweeping changes that it brings to the Church. When it comes the present structure and organization of the Church will drastically change, and the way that the world defines Christianity will be radically changed." His words are in agreement with Isa 43:18 which says, "Forget the former things; do not dwell in the past."

Yahweh is trying to bring new things to his people. And by new it doesn't mean brand new, as in never used before. In Hebrew this word for new is referring to something that's been restored or renewed. When Solomon wrote, "there is nothing new under the sun" in the Book of Ecclesiastes, he used the same word as Isaiah did when he wrote, "See, I am doing a new thing!"

This isn't a contradiction or a way to prove the inconsistency of the Bible. We need to look at how these words are used. In Hebrew words often had different shades of meaning, depending on how they were used and in what circumstances. In Ecc 1:9 and Isa 43:19 we find the word chadash. In Ecclesiastes it means unheard of, that nothing is truly brand new in our world because of Yahweh's all-knowing influence. In Isaiah it means renewed, refreshed, repaired - like a freshly oiled and polished sword. Both imply that there are no truly "new" things in our world. Under Yahweh's sovereignty the only time there were truly new things was at creation.

There's nothing that's been unheard of previously in our world. All the "new" discoveries science makes aren't new to our Creator. He's known about them all along. In fact, he's been behind the scenes prodding and directing, sometimes even limiting, all the scientists and researchers. Our gadgets may be more complex and miniaturized than ever before, but they all work on mathematics which has been around since time began.

The staleness and boredom found in our churches isn't Yahweh's fault. He's always trying to bring refrshing to his people. He's constantly urging us to move on to the next place of service or the next move of his Holy Spirit. He wants us to pick up our freshly polished swords and enter the battle for the souls of mankind. And he's trying to get our attention again today. He wants another "new" spiritual wave to propel us forward. Our Lord Jesus is always working to give us new revelation and insight to help us spread the Gospel and advance his Kingdom.

Rick Joyner says, "The future leaders of the Church are now being given a vision of radical New Testament Christianity being restored to the earth." Yahweh wants to bring a new apostolic movement to his people. Denominational structures won't be the same, or if they refuse to change they'll be left behind as the Holy Spirit leads us on to new frontiers. The immature devotion to forms, formulas, and rituals that many of our churches follow will be set aside as hungry believers seek for today's spiritual food. The old and very stale bread of the past won't sustain those who seek the Lord with their whole heart.

Our paradigms and patterns are all going to take a massive hit. Yahweh is going to do things his way, no matter what we think or expect. Our Father wants his children to be humble followers, listening to his new call of faith and holiness. Yahweh is calling his people to break down all the walls and barriers that have been built by "doctrinal integrity" to keep out other denominations. We're to be distinctively Christian, not distinctively Protestant or Catholic or Baptist or Reformed or Wesleyan or Pentecostal or anything else.

A little over 100 years ago the Holiness Movement got its start with many former Methodists. At the time they were called "come-outers." This was based on 2 Cor 6:17, the call to come out from among the unbelievers. Many churches were started by these people who wanted to remain faithful to John Wesley's version of Methodism. Some of the churches started between 1890-1910 were: The Church of the Nazarene, Pilgrim Holiness, Pentecostal Holiness, Salvation Army, Christian and Missionary Alliance, Assembly of God, Church of God, and Church of God in Christ. All of these have their roots in John Wesley's Methodism.

But now Yahweh wants to start some new churches. He wants to call all churches and denominations together to combine forces to fulfill the mission and call of evangelism and discipleship. The name on our churches needs to lose its significance, and the name of our Lord and God needs to gain prominence. Remaining attached to what is now old and stale won't bring us Yahweh's freshness. Refusing to leave what is old and stale for Yahweh's freshness will leave us spiritually weak and dying.

If you are willing to follow Yahweh on his new path, be prepared to face opposition. We're talking about taking people out of their comfort zones. Change isn't popular, even though it's inevitable. We've denied ourselves the fullness of our Lord's provision for far too long. It's time to take hold of what he's sending to us so we can fight the good fight of faith and win the war for souls. We should be excited that our Father is bringing us new and fresh revelation. If we're truly hungering and thirsting for his best, the new insights we gain will taste great and bring deep refreshing.

D. L. Moody once said, "A great many people are thinking that we need new measures, that we need new churches, that we need new organs, new choirs, and all these new things. That is not what the Church of God needs today. It is the old power that the Apostles had; that is what we want, and if we have that in our churches there will be new life." We've got to get back to basics, exerting ourselves in spiritual disciplines like prayer and fasting, Bible study, praise and worship. Getting ourselves securely attached to the heavenly power source is the only thing that will refresh and renew our fellowships.

We don't need new for the sake of new. What we need is Yahweh's NEW. We need the renewed, refreshed, and repaired things of our God. We need a freshness that inspires us to evangelize our world and draws the lost to Jesus. We need a renewal of the holiness that has inspired saints ever since the Church began. We need to have our swords repaired so that they're sharp enough to "divide soul and spirit, joints and marrow" (Heb 4:12). We need to quit trying to limit what Yahweh can do in our midst and open ourselves up to his amazing and miraculous activity.

C. H. Spurgeon once said, "If you have not the Spirit of God, Christian worker, remember you stand in somebody else's way. You are a tree bearing no fruit standing where another fruitful tree might grow. This is solemn work: the Holy Spirit or nothing. Death and condemnation to a church that is not yearning after the Spirit." The ongoing activity of the Holy Spirit being recognized in our midst is vital to us being a healthy fellowship of believers. The manifestations of the Spirit are the living movements of the Body of Christ, proving that we have the life of the Savior flowing through us and showing the world that we are different because of his touch in our lives.

Are you willing to let Yahweh do a new thing in your life? Do you hear the call of your Lord and Master to move on to the next great move of the Holy Spirit? If you answer no to either of these questions you need to reevaluate your walk with Jesus. Yahweh has always tried to get his people to remain fresh, moving with the flow of his Spirit. Tradition and ritual are OK only when we use them to teach of the faithfulness of past saints. When they become the priority, we have failed to hear the Spirit's voice. Hearing the voice of our Master and following him wherever he leads is a fundamental part of our faith walk. Being ready to respond when we hear him calling is necessary for us to remain spiritually fresh and vital.

Isa 42:9 says, "See, the former things have taken place, and new things I declare; before they spring into being I announce them to you." Yahweh's people shouldn't ever live in the past. Our Lord God Almighty isn't locked into doing the same thing over and over again. He will continue to do new things, and he'll speak to us of what those things are. Remember that these "new" things are refreshed and restored things. Yahweh has repaired them, removing our error and presumption. These new things can now do the job they were intended to do before we humans misused and spoiled them.

So pick up your freshly oiled and polished sword. Enter into the battle for the souls of mankind. Yahweh is calling all of us to accept his new asisgnments and new directions. We can't keep repeating what we did and expect it to have the same impact it did the first time. We need to trust that our Soveriegn and Almighty Lord is more intelligent than we are. We need to accept that he's providing us with perfect instructions and tools. Answer his call even if it what he's asking you to do feels weird and different. Don't get left behind.

Blessings & Peace, Mike