Whenever intercession, prayer and travailing in the Spirit have lost their appeal, then church meetings are kept alive by a social spirit which entails group gatherings, peppy musical entertainment, fund raising, and stewardship programs. These fleshly processes cloak the exit and evacuation of God’s Spirit from a congregation, and the leaven will continue until the sheep have fallen in the desert wilderness.
These once-anointed congregations got on God’s moving train of the Spirit and delighted in the exuberance and exhilaration. However, as many spiritual experiences took place, fleshly reasoning realized that to continue on God’s trail would mean a new repentance, a new revealing of personal sin and eventually God’s total program of surrender and selflessness implemented. Then the “go” of man’s social program superceded the spiritual. An exodus at the next station was carefully and joyfully planned because the price of riding God’s express train was too costly. Besides, it was interfering with the building program. The golden calf social was something they had always wanted to promote and idolize, and besides, Moses was too spiritual, and also he might not come back down the mountain.
Another congregation left God’s move of the spirit. They had made a choice comparable to Lot’s because the hillsides and fertile valleys looked prosperous, like desirable fund raising country. However, as the train went toward higher ground and rocky country, there were a few who wouldn’t be shaken, nor sidetracked at the next station, even though the countryside was getting rockier and steeper. The landscape appeared less likely to produce any food and protection.
A profound seriousness entered the souls of the few left on the train, as they realized that it was just them and God now. No visitation programs, no dial-a-prayer phone numbers to remember. Suddenly, as this new environment looked so terribly threatening and insecure, a great supernatural flood of peace, quietness and absolute stillness permeated every minute area of the very few remaining survivors, and out of the eternities spoke a reassuring voice:
“Your unselfish desire to go only the way of your God will unfold a new relationship with your Heavenly Father, and you shall be fed with heavenly manna until I can change you and use you as I used My own Son, to go back down to the social areas in the valleys and bring back a people that will hear My voice and there shall be one fold and one Shepherd!”
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