The news has been filled in recent days with a little boy, Elian Gonzalas. Tonight, as I speak on destiny, I wonder what the destiny of this young six-year old is? And as much as we would sit around the table and discuss his circumstances, and his plight in life, I wonder how much time we have taken recently to talk about out own. It is easier to discuss what we would do with the life of someone else, especially when that situation is beyond our grasp, and how much harder to we find it to talk about who we are, and where we are in life.
In the next few months, the national attention will be focused on the election of an American President, who can do the best for our nation. Al Gore cannot solve the problems of America, for social programs, for they have never righted the ship of state, and George Bush Jr. will not be able to change the tide of our nation either. In fact, there is no one at either end of Pennsylvania Ave, from the White House to Congress who has a candidate to get America back on track. No the moral fiber of this nation depends of people of Destiny, Christians who make up God’s church to change this earth. I am not saying we should not be involved in politics, God has called us to pray for our leadership, and prayer mandates action, yet the greatness of America lies within the church.
We have a tendency to live our lives on the gray side of faith, yet the Bible is more black and white than we would like to admit and God is raising up a generation of prophets who in these last days are crying out to bring the church back to the reality of its calling, its destiny. The day has come when we are called upon to live our life totally for God, for God is calling the church to be the church, or shutting the doors on those who will not.
As great as our economy has been, the world has a serious problem and we have attempted to place physical band aids on what is a spiritual problem, and while we are experiencing some relief from the pain, the wound has not gone away, it has just required a larger piece of elastic to keep it in check. The root of our problem is found in Ephesians 6:12, For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. While we are operating in the physical realm, the spiritual realm cannot be ignored, there are spiritual implications which must be acknowledged. Colossians 1:15, 16 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created; things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers are rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. We have a spiritual birth. When God created the heavens and the earth in Genesis 1:1, it began from the spiritual realm of God, with a plan for us to be people of destiny.
What takes place in individuals, in families, in the business community, in politics, is a result of our spiritual standards. We get angry over the increased delinquency in our youth today, yet it relates to the lack of moral codes by their parents. We have witnessed in the last few years a lack of moral standards in some parts of our government, and it relates to the fact that money has become more important than morality. Drug abuse if the result of greed and fleshly lusts mixing and yielding in an era of decadence. The family is breaking up because marriage has become a social convenience rather than a divine institution. The more society has tried to address the problems, the worse they have become. Just look at the teaching of sex education in our schools, since planned parenthood entered the school systems with their form of education, teen pregnancy has increased 300%. Things have become worse as sinners have become more adapt at sinning and it is time for the people of destiny to rise up, the church, and reclaim the land back which has been stolen from us.
The problem for us began when we thought we knew more than God. Isaiah 42:8 warns, I am the Lord, that is my name! I will not give my glory to another, or my praise to idols. Satan found out the truth of this statement when he rebelled against God and was cast with a third of the angels from heaven. We are called to make a choice.
Joshua said it well, Now fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods of your forefathers worshiped beyond the River and in Egypt and serve the Lord. But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living. But for me and my household, we will serve the Lord. Joshua 24:14, 15.
It was recently reported Christians marriages are ending in divorce faster than non-Christian unions. We have more marriage seminars and more divorce, more psychiatrists and more suicides, more financial counseling and more debt, more just say no programs and more teen pregnancies and drug abuse, more community organizations and less transformation. It does not take a village to raise a child, it takes people of destiny who know the call of God on their life to bring the needed transformation our society is desperately seeking for but coming up empty handed with. It has been noted there are more youth groups yet we have more gangs, there is more income, yet less giving to the church, more sermons and less ministry being done. In spite of all the Bible translations, all the study material, all the Bible teachers, churches, God’s people who are His instruments of change, we have failed to be all which God has called us to be.
Matthew 16 records Jesus saying he is going to build His church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it. It is God’s intention for the church to be a powerful force, yet are we storming the gates of hell or is the gates of hell storming out of control throughout our society? If Jesus said the gates of hell cannot stop the church, yet the church seems to be stopped, what does that say about the American church today? Is it really Christ’s church or has it become our church with His name on top of the building?
A church that is built by man will allow homosexuals to preach from the pulpit and sing in the choir, it will allow practicing sinners to serve in leadership without accountability or discipline, it will have altar calls without the disciplines to make disciples. A church built by man will not expose people to the Scripture or hold them accountable to obey it. And this is not the church God wants His church to be.
God spoke to the church at Ephesus in Revelation 2:5 Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did first. If you will not repent, I will come to you and remove your lamp stand from its place. The lampstand is His spiritual empowerment to the church. We are in a period of church history where the church is being judged, for how can God judge the world without first judging the church. Churches are closing across America on a regular basis, and it cannot all be blamed on the devil, God is calling His church to respond to the Word and clean up their acts. Ministries are drying up because of their lack of respect for the things which are holy. We see a lot of activity, but so little impact coming from the American church. A lot of ourselves but little of God. The light instead of burning bright is dimming and the world continues to deteriorate because the church has been failing in the mandate to be God’s church, and as God’s people goes, so goes society, and I wonder on judgement day, will we still be called the people of God, the people of destiny?
It is time for the church to rise up from its rest and be the church of destiny. Are you ready? The church, we who believe in Christ, are called to be the dynamic, living representation of Christ through whom God can work to accomplish His work and through us people will experience a glimpse of His glory.
As people of destiny we understand our roles as a community of believers to infiltrate the culture with God’s righteousness. And when we fail to do this, there exists a void of Biblical Christianity being lived out in our society.
We can reminisce about the day when the church was a mighty influence in our culture, a time when not everyone was a Christian but the influence of Christianity was so great it shaped the culture, impacting how people behaved, or we can today decide we are going to bring better days into our area of influence through the godly standards and life we live. To be people of destiny.
When the world does what it is suppose to do without the influence of the church, lawlessness exists. And it happens not because the church is getting worse, it has always been in dire straight’s, it happens because the church has forgotten we are God’s agents to make a spiritual impact on our culture, people of destiny.
During the first century following Jesus ascension, His disciples were closely aligned with God’s agenda. They knew their purpose, and they turned the world upside down. Today, could I speculate, the world is turning the church upside down. Today some are observing the Ten suggestions rather than the Ten Commandments. The word sacrifice has been eliminated from our Christian vocabulary, and some have turned to the world for solutions, adding a Bible verse or two and calling it a Biblically based ministry. Are you ready to turn things around and be people of destiny?
Turn to Acts 17:1-9 (READ) Now lets look at Acts 18:1-17 (READ); now turn to Acts 19:18-41 (READ).
Here is the thing, God never intended for the impact of the gospel to be limited to the first century. These are suppose to be the norm of the church all the time. We need to constantly be causing people to make decisions, to look to Jesus. You can hate Him and seek His destruction or you can love Him and submit to His Lordship, but you cannot ignore Him for His very presence draws us into decision. Jesus is the model for the church and the world should never be able to ignore His examples lived out through the church.
Jesus said this of the church in Matthew 5:13-16 (READ)
What is salt? It is an antibacterial agent that prevents decay. In essence when salt is applied to meat, it prevents bacteria from making the meat go bad. The earth in which we live is covered with bacteria, a bacteria called sin, and we the church are the salt which can protect the earth from going bad. Are you ready to be people of destiny. To be salt and light in this world. Are you ready to make a righteous contribution….Mark 16 says this of us when we do…
ALTER
