"THE GREAT OVERHAUL OF THE CHURCH"

THE GREAT OVERHAUL OF THE CHURCH
A prophetic teaching from the Holy Spirit through Mary Lindow

"And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory
in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself
restore (overhaul) you and make you strong, firm and
committed." ~ 1 Peter 5:10

We have all heard about the re-possessing of an automobile or a
home, and understand that this occurs when something is being
taken back, re- possessed - because the terms of payment were
not met.

So in a similar way, the church at large is being "re-po-ed"...in
the sense of repossession or re-po-sition!

REPOSITIONED FOR WHAT?

We have been hearing the words shifting, shaking, re-aligning,
reformation, and so on… for over three to four years now. God
is sending a clear warning shot across the bow of the "church
ship" which is now finding itself in uncharted waters. I think
that if we were all totally honest about it, we could even say that
we feel like there have been times we have all been one of the
members of the famous Gilligan's Island tour group, simply
looking for a pleasant experience on the USS Minnow, only to
find ourselves on a strange island rather than returning from a
three hour tour!

THE WEATHER IS GETTING ROUGH!

Amazingly, the theme song for Gilligan's Island had a verse in
it that goes like this:

“The weather started getting rough, The tiny ship was tossed, If
not for the courage of the fearless crew, The Minnow would be
lost!”

IS THE CHURCH LOST AT SEA?

It might appear that we are in a place of great turbulence and
with all of the earthly calamities that are roaring in unrelenting
waves, we might feel that the place we used to run to for
security is also in a major crisis of sorts! The storms are raging
literally with hurricanes termed as, "biblical in proportion" by
many media reporters!

Local church establishments are inundated with traumatized
people from not just hurricanes! Utility bills are predicted to rise
anywhere from 70 to 90% due to the "Oil"shortage. Major
corporations are laying people off from long-
term jobs.
Inflation is on the rise, but cost of living salary adjustments
are...disappearing! The Swine Flu is being dramatized and
claimed as potentially "pandemic!" And we haven't even
touched the issues of homicides, child kidnapping, and the rise
in pornography and abuse issues!

THE AMAZING SHRINKING CHURCH WALLET

As people of church affiliations of all expression feel the pinch
in their wallets begin to irritate and hamper their lifestyles, the
church is going to experience a major tremor. YES. TREMOR!
What was once applauded as an " Ambitious visionary
advancement" into greater influence, will soon become a
burdensome weight to those who presumed that God was into
the "Marketing and Merchandising" wave of luxuriously
pampering the bride of Christ! Sort of like the story of the
Princess and the Pea. No matter how many mattresses were
stacked one upon the other, the pouting and over indulged
princess could still feel the irritating little pea resting underneath
all of them.

THE COMFORTER VERSES THE CONVICTOR

Somehow. The Holy Spirit has been diluted into some esoteric,
floaty, glitter duster who simply drops heaps of goodies on fat
little sheep, never warning them about over indulgence,
sluggishness or sloth! Let's look at what the Lord himself said
to us about the Holy Spirit….and the roles He plays.

COMFORTER
”But when He, the Spirit of Truth (the Holy Spirit) comes, He
will guide you into the whole, full Truth. For He will not speak
His own message on His own endorsement; but He will tell
whatever He hears from the Father. He will give the message
that has been given to Him, and He will make known and
declare to you the things that will happen in the future.”
John 16:13

CONVICTOR
“And when He comes, He will convict and prove to the human
race and bring demonstration to it, about sin and about
truthfulness of heart and right standing with God and about
judgment: About sin, because they do not believe in Me, trust in
Me, rely on Me, and hold on to Me.”
John 16:8 & 9

WHEN THE BENEVOLENT GET TIRED OF GENEROSITY

Already, the coffers of Bail-out Aid, Earthquake Aid, Hurricane
Aid, Tsunami Aid, 9/11 Aid have been fed into the enormous
gaping black hole of need. And... for a while people will pull
together to make heroic attempts to bring a fix to the problems
all of these catastrophic events churn up.

But! Ask folks to give sacrificially and then…you will see a real
reason for the need of the laser cutting conviction of the Holy
Spirit!

If we who call ourselves believers and followers of Jesus lean
upon either our own personal wealth and blessings as a place of
safety or…if we lean upon the wealth of others if we have little
ourselves…thinking that either of these things are
acceptable…we will continue to have the shaking and
convicting of the Holy Spirit "ROCK OUR WORLDS!" YES!
Both in a planetary way and in our own little "spheres of
influence" until we awaken to the reality that we are to see our
lack of trusting, leaning, relying, and holding on to Jesus as
SIN!

IN GOD WE TRUST?

When we trust in self implied or planned securities and rely on
them, or when we hold on to a hope that the wealthy among us
might be our source and answer to needs unmet…we have
wandered very far away from the shores of safety in Christ!

Human beings and yes… "CHRISTIAN" human beings can
become very protective of their "assets" if they are not in a place
of brokenness and listening to God's plan for them to share
"honestly" with others, without contempt for their lowly place
and genuine neediness. One needs to only look at the story of
Lazarus and the rich man to know how cruel the worldly and
corrupt folks of wealth treat their fellow brethren. But also…let
us not forget Annanias and Sapphirah whom were supposed
believers… who lied to their brothers and sisters, the Apostles
and above all, the Holy Spirit about their self-protecting and
devious plan!

THIS FULLY ADDRESSED THE SETTING THEN AND
ALSO RIGHT NOW IN THE ERA THAT THE CHURCH
IS IN!

When those who have substantial blessing and abundance start
turning to "selective" blindness when they see another family
member in the Body needing assistance to be sent into mission
locations to care for the devastated or to train a new emerging
generation into truth and instructed direction, and simply
continue to say things like; "God bless you, I will pray for you,
Be at peace!" …God does not Himself…turn a blind eye to
their darkened eye of soul.

HE SEES THE WICKED HEART OF THE LOVERS OF
"SELF PRESERVATION AND GRATIFICATION"

And

HE SEES AND HEARS THE HEART- CRY OF A
GENERATION AGONIZING TO BE RELEASED
AND SENT.

John 16:20
“I assure you, most seriously I tell you, that you shall weep and
grieve, but the world will rejoice. You will be sorrowful, but
your sorrow will be turned into joy.”

TO BE CONCLUDED IN PART II

_________________________
Duplication and re-transmission of this writing is welcomed
provided that complete source and website information for Mary
Lindow is included. Thank You Copyright © 2009 " THE
MESSENGER " ~ Mary Lindow
www.marylindow.com
www.globalprayerrooms.com

“THE SAFE VOICE OF THE FATHER IS CALLING TO US”

~ By Mary Lindow

“Save me, O God, for the waters have come up to my neck.
I sink in the miry depths, where there is no foothold.
I have come into the deep waters; the floods engulf me.
I am worn out calling for help; my throat is parched.
My eyes fail, looking for my God.”
Psalm 69:1-3


THERE ARE MANY THINGS GOING ON
IN THE MIDST OF GOD'S PEOPLE…

So many believers have gone through pain and devastation because of betrayal and disappointment in those with whom they have at one time “walked with” in the Lord.

“For it is not an enemy who reproaches me; Then I could bear it.
Nor is it one that hates me who has exalted himself against me;
Then I could hide from him.

But it was you, a man my equal,
My companion and my acquaintance.
We took sweet counsel together,
And walked to the house of God among the people.”
Psalm 55:12-14


DEGREES OF SEPARATION AND DECEPTION

Church leaders and members or friends separate. Their unresolved issues and wounds infect others around them. With their tongue and pen, (and emails)!.. their resentment and bitterness spread in uncontrollable proportions.

Christians in other ministries and relationships receive the bad report and often, they don't even know the people involved but - because they have inclined their ears to hear the suggested and well-placed evil reports, the conversation poisons them like toxic waste in their soul. If unchecked, this becomes a hideous, malignant cancer-like cell eventually damaging their mind and above all, their spiritual discernment.


“Who is wise? He will realize these things.
Who is discerning? He will understand them.”

“The ways of the LORD are right;
The righteous walk in them,
But the rebellious stumble in them.”
Hosea 14:9


The age-old serpent, the ultimate enemy of our souls, has not lost the art of deception even after centuries! He, even now, can cause God's people, including the sincere ones, to miss the mark if they are willing to only hear one side of a story!


A MURDEROUS STAMPED AT WAL-MART?

The frenzied consumer culture we are seeing as a result of selfishness and feeding upon fear has begun to reach a newly fevered pitch.

People getting trampled to death while others are “herding” their way to the discounted Hi-Definition Televisions reflects the hardness of heart and disrespect for the needs and lives of those around us.

This type of behavior is a prime example of even how believers have become “selectively “ hard of hearing when it comes to serving one another, or encouraging one another, or having patience with one another!

One moment we are asking for forgiveness and prayer, and in nearly the next breath, slanderous retorts are spoken out in anger.

Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger,
Fighting and slander, along with every form of nastiness.
Ephesians 4:31

Once bitter words are spoken or written, they cannot be retracted.
Sadly, those who often shout the loudest about being maligned are often the perpetrators of assassinating the characters of those whom have been in disagreement with them or who have possibly warned them about a need for a course correction.

“He who conceals his hatred has lying lips,
And whoever spreads slander is a fool.”
Proverbs 10:18


TODAY MANY THINGS HAVE DEGENERATED INTO BLURRED INSIGNIFICANCE AND UNCERTAINTY.

The beauty of what God's purpose in His people really is meant to passionately reflect is missing. Things that are now being said and done do not mean what they did mean originally in His Word.
Twisting of truth to fits one’s own idea of God’s will has become acceptable and is often left unchallenged.

So many spiritual and scriptural terms are put into motion, but they are not in the same dimension and point of view, which are in the Divine plan!


THE TRAGEDY IS THAT SO MANY WELL-MEANING BELIEVERS HAVE GONE ON WITH THE OUTWARD APPEARANCE OF SEARCHING FOR THE WILL OF THE LORD AND THEY FAIL TO SEE THAT THE POWER OF HIS RADIANT LIFE IS MISSING!

The Apostle Paul warned us in his letter to Timothy about this….

" This know also that in the last days perilous times shall come…Having the form of godliness (true religion) but denying the power there of. "

MY HEART IS BROKEN TO SEE THINGS AS THEY ARE HAPPENING ALL AROUND US.

So much is falling short of its original design. There is so much labor and "rallying" being pumped out there and it is being poured into the Self Promotion Machine" more than any time in the history of God's people! Yet the toil is ending in heartbreaking disappointment!


SAINTS, ONLY THOSE DEVOTED TO HUMILITY AND HONOR
can be saved from this deadly poison that lulls those longing to be entertained and pampered into apathy and spiritual paralysis!

God's faithful ones in this hour should seek him and that which is upon his heart. What the Lord is doing in this era is so different …
…and we should be sensitive to Him!

He is looking for His People of the “Secret Place” in which the power of resurrection may freely function.

The Apostle Paul said "according to the power that works in us" (Ephesians 3:20b).

These People will have to be men and women who have “seen”!
They shall be like "a voice in the wilderness".


IT IS BECOMING INCREASINGLY CLEAR
THAT GOD MUST DO A FRESH THING WITH HIS REMNANT.

And the actual “thing” is that He is drawing them to seek the Lord Himself and His recognizable presence! Away from the throng,
nearer to the Word, bowed in repentance and prayer.

The Psalmist said,
"When You said oh Lord, Seek My face;
My heart said unto You, Your face, Lord will I seek."


WILL YOU SET YOUR HEART TO SEEK HIM?

Oh that God may find His Davids in this crucial hour that will set their faces towards Him at the command of His voice!
Without it, Humankind will continue its fall and decline into further confusion, tragedy, and self-preservation.


LET US RUN IMMEDIATELY…
… TO THE THRONE OF GRACE AND MERCY!

Now! While our hearts are freshly tenderized and troubled over the recent events in the earth!

There is the safe voice of the Father calling us. Let us respond with ears to Hear and hearts that obey.

“Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”
Hebrews 4:16

Duplication and sharing of this writing is permitted provided that complete article and website information for Mary Lindow is included. Thank you.
2008
www.marylindow.com