There are 150 chapters in the Bible on the generation before Jesus’ return.
Revelation is the only book of the entire Bible with the promise of blessing to those who read it (see Revelation 1 verse 3).
So how come so few Christians I know of seem to have ever even considered reading any of it let alone developing a proper theological understanding of it?
Now might be a good time to start.
Shallow Hipster coffee drinking Christianity is over (perhaps thank goodness).
And time is ticking onwards before the day of Jesus Christ’s return and the end of this earth.
If Church leaders and Christians generally don’t quickly learn to be more creative and bold with their ways and expressions of “Church” in the UK in coming weeks and months, many former individual congregations in Northern Ireland may well not survive the Covid Winter.
Just being real. Hope I’m wrong.
Yet hope remains.
Abundant hope.
And I’ll probably write more on ‘hope’ in weeks to come.
Something massive is stirring in our lands. Good, bad and ugly.
Yes the enemy has over-reached, but also too, God is much greater and has supremely and Sovereignly, mystically, allowed all of this to happen too.
The Sunday morning thing many called ‘Church’ in Northern Ireland prior to Covid, maybe wasn’t much of what Father God had intended for Church to be or become.
God is certainly not boring, so how come so much of Northern Ireland Church was?
Now is a time for honest reflection and repentance.
Father God is also very powerful, so how come so much of Christianity in NI was and is power-less?
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not being disrespectful, or dishonouring. I love the Church and all her flaws, but I’m willing to have us be a bit more honest in these days.
So He’s right now allowing everything to be shaken that can be shaken.
He’s not afraid of the Church in Ireland dying, either, amidst all of this. He believes in her much more than we do.
He’s waiting for an end to the religion choking her, and new life springing forth, even amidst (and because of) thick adversity and indeed pain coming this Winter.
We’re going to need the gift of healing like we’ve never needed the gift of healing before, as NHS waiting lists are just now horrifically, unthinkably bad, even if the whole system keeps going at all.
The Holy Spirit wants to co-labour with his children in new – and even excitingly new – creative, supernatural ways in the days ahead.
God also wants us to use our brains, and intellects, and worship him through them, not bury them in the name of obedience and conformity, failing to discern or understand more of what’s really going on and rapidly advancing all around us.
After all, if the Chinese Church did this, it wouldn’t exist at all. Ignorance of the enemy’s schemes is in no way glorifying to God.
So fresh creativity and boldness are needed to spark the fires of ‘twos and threes’ coming together in His name in the weeks ahead.
Big Church gatherings absolutely of course have their place, and we all miss them in their free form, but there’s something much greater Father is allowing in and through all this crazy covid chaos and unadulterated control now obliteraring our land.
This afternoon I pulled up my car parallel with my friends’ car, to have unofficial church, with our car heaters on, and our driver’s window down, staying out of the house to obey the current Government restrictions.
The point here, is that Church of a new slightly inventive covid-era kind was happening and the enemy cannot stop the Church though he might like to think so.
Prayer to our living God can never be thwarted.
The Church is finally leaving the building.
And perhaps that’s no bad thing.
The Church of twos and threes is unstoppable.
And His presence is with them.
Good news indeed.
And perhaps even a bit of Revelation for many.
Will leave it there for now.
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