Will You Be the One?

Sin is rarely confined to one area or group in a society. Sin instead spreads like a wild bush fire at summer time, lapping it's destructive insidious tongue over leaders and followers alike. In Ezekiel's day, God had a problem with the Princes, Prophets, Priests and the People.

There was no spiritual leadership. God summarizes the issue like this,

I sought for a man among them who should build up the wall and stand in the breach before me for the land, that I should not destroy it, but I found none - (Ezekiel 22: 30)

Only One

I find it fascinating that God doesn't say, He sought a team or an army. He says, "I sought, a man", only one. God often only needs one. 

Give me a man of God, one man, 

Whose tongue is touched with heavens fire

And I will flame the darkest hearts

With high resolve and pure desire. - George Liddell 

God looked for a Nehemiah or an Ezra. He looked for a Moses or a Samuel but there was no one to answer the call to stand. If God could not find one, surely there was none to be found. 

The Need to Rebuild the Walls

Let us not be careless or carefree. Let us not be missing in action. There is a need in every generation for people who will repair the walls that God has built to restrain sinners. There is also a need for righteous people who will talk to God as a man talks to his friend (Exodus 33:11)

Their is a need to rebuild walls of restraint or righteousness that have been torn down completely or breached by the enemy.

Like a city whose walls are broken through is a person who lacks self-control - Proverbs 25: 28

The Need to Stand in the Gap

God requires serious solid soldiers who will endure hardship and not become entangled in civilian pursuits (2 Tim 2: 3-4) to repair the breaches in the walls and intercede for the people.

The sad result in Ezekiel's day was judgment because God found no one. Will you be the one, that is found by God? He is canvassing the area, He is on a recruitment drive. He says now, as He said in the days of Isaiah,

"Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?", will we answer, "Here am I. Send me!"? (Isaiah 6:8)

Written by Marlon Pownall

Worship

Worship is the submission of all of our nature to God. It is the quickening of the conscience by his holiness; the nourishment of mind with his truth; the purifying of imagination by his beauty; the opening of the heart to his love; the surrender of will to his purpose—all this gathered up in adoration, the most selfless emotion of which our nature is capable - William Temple

SURRENDER

You could be Ten thousand miles on the wide road or only 10 steps we all need to surrender to the good Lord to wipe our slate clean. We all need to say God, have mercy on me, a sinner (Luke 18:13) and sing "take me to your river, I wanna go". 

COME TOGETHER

Sometimes all we need is to come together and the Lord will do the rest. Here is what scripture says to us,

Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching - Heb 10:25 kjv

Ravi Zacharias says, " .. being in the presence of fellow believers in worship is meant to be a restorer of spiritual hope". Just imagine that, just showing up and being with other believers is a way for the LORD to change lives. It is a moment to engeder hope, to bring light in a dark world. 

It gets even more exciting when we add prayer to the togetherness. 

LET US PRAY

Over the years I have discovered that praying with people can sometimes do more for them than preaching to them. Prayer draws the heart away from one’s own dependence to leaning on the sovereign God. The burden is often lifted instantly  - Ravi Zacharias 

Jesus says,

When two of you get together on anything at all on earth and make a prayer of it, my Father in heaven goes into action. And when two or three of you are together because of me, you can be sure that I’ll be there (Matt 18:20 MSG).

Sometimes we ask permission, often we don't have to, we just let it rise. A cry from the heart. From your heart to the heavens for yourself or for someone else. A Simple sentence or several that are simply sublime, with prayer we dispel all notions of ordinary. We cast off the yoke of the natural and ride on the waves of the supernatural.

Heaven touches earth all over again when we unite with other believers in one place and when we pray.  Let us gather together at Village worship to engender hope, to change lives, to lift our hands in prayer and praise so that the Glory of the Lord can be shown.

Written by Marlon Pownall