The name of the LORD is a strong tower
A TIME TO LOOK UP | January 2010 | PRINT
And when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, for your redemption draws near (Luke 21:28).
The above was a concluding statement by the Lord Jesus Christ, to His proclamations concerning the last days. It seems that the crisis of our times and what I choose to call “a waiting fatigue” has caught up with and overtaken a lot of us in the body of Christ, just as it happened to the five foolish virgins of Matthew 25:1-13. Some of us have, therefore, slumbered into a state of complacency, unduly occupying ourselves with the affairs of this world; and even theologizing them in the process (Luke 21:34-36; Revelations 3:17-19).
Our New Year resolutions from the personal to the pulpit level clearly attest to the above statement in both content and context, when one takes a look at our focus and concerns for the year ahead. Our programs and schedules clearly show that we plan for everything, but the second coming of Christ. What is happening to certain segments of the body of Christ is quite alarming, when one considers what Jesus said concerning the attitude required of believers in the last days.
When the bible calls for us to look up, we tend to look down to the world and consume ourselves with the very things that tend to drowse and destabilize us spiritually (Luke 21:34-35). When the bible calls for a life of purity as we wait for Christ’s second coming (I John 3:2-3), some of us choose the low road of iniquity. When the scriptures call for vigilance, some decide to respond with gullibility, blindness, and denial.
Is it any strange that the visible church of God has been caught off-guard in the face of the mounting pressure coming from the spiritual rulers of the darkness of this age? Our backs seem to be against the wall in a time when morally decadent people are out there redefining morality as it pertains to marriage, faithfulness, decency, and truth, in both conduct and speech. Some of our church leaders have even bought into the flow in order to please their political masters, and gain some five minutes of popularity. What is happening to the visible body of Christ is worrisome.
As we enter into the year 2010, let us resolve to go beyond our usual “Year of physical breakthrough” hypes, which are more reminiscent of the Laodicean Church in Revelations 3:14-17; and face up to the realities of our times; for it is time for us to look up, purify ourselves, and put oil in our lamps. We are in the midnight hour, and the body of Christ needs to discern the times and cease from doing business as usual. We need to pray for the Lord to empower the leadership in the body of Christ with the spirit of discernment and judgment, so that they can rise up to the occasion and prepare us for the second coming of Christ. We have had enough of the “Don Quixotic” drama being proclaimed as spirituality, abundance, and growth.
We praise God for 2009, and look forward to taking the fight to the enemy in 2010. We continue to ask for prayer support from all our well-wishers as we go through the year, so that we can continue to serve our readers and patrons with a divine sense of responsibility and accountability. We wish you a happy and prosperous New Year.
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