I will give You thanks in the great congregation; I will praise You among a mighty throng.

Psalm 35:18

God’s way for Christians has always been the local church.  And, I don’t mean the house church, primarily.  It is God that has set up pastors and leaders in the body, to equip and teach them, to bring them to maturity in faith (Ephesians 4:11-13).  Even the verse most commonly referred to in the support of the house church indicates both the meeting together in the temple courts as a great assembly as well as house to house, sharing meals (Acts 2:46).

The passage from Ephesians 4 describing ministry roles has two very important aspects.  For some it is a job-description, detailing the calling of some and the role of their ministry.  For others, it could be likened to an street address for being trained.  Those who want to be equipped should find their way around such people that are apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers, because that is who God has given to do the job.  If you don’t see the job getting done, it could be that you are in the wrong spot!

The purpose of His church is to demonstrate to the spiritual realms the surpassing greatness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  It demonstrates, every day of its existence, the victory of the cross, showing forth the body of the Lord Jesus Christ, who the enemy killed, but whom God raised from the dead.

A voice of one calling:  In the desert prepare the way for the LORD; make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God.

Isaiah 40:3

There seems to always be works that God needs to do in the wilderness.  There seems to be no lack today of things that God is yearning to restore to the body of Christ.  In the recent past, God has been restoring prophecy.  Before that, he was restoring other things, such as holiness, the Baptism of the Spirit, or, in Martin Luther’s day, justification by faith alone.

But, the desire of God for His Body has always been the church, the assembly, and, ultimately, a great congregation or a mighty throng.

Jesus said that the world would know that we are His disciples by our love for one another (John 13:35).  This will never happen in a conference setting.  It will not happen en mass in a Healing Room scenario.  It will not come to pass throughout His body by only small groups, although that might be a part.

One day, we will be known by our love again, as it was in the days of the original Apostles.  It will happen because we have obeyed the truth.  It will happen because we have died to this life, and have nothing to fear short of the Father.

The voice of one is calling in the wilderness again.  There are many voices, and many disgruntled hearts.  Many have given up sound doctrine because they could find no real sense of direction.  Others have become so wounded and disappointed by what has or hasn’t come, that they have set down on the side of the road and stopped their progress.  Many others are waving all sorts of flags, saying ‘this is it’, ‘try this’, ‘try that’, ‘this will work’, or, ‘if we only get this (insert your favorite scriptural idea such as love, unity, nightly meetings, more advertising, etc), then we will get this (insert some happy idea here, like healings, revival, miraculous, love, etc)’.

The most difficult thing about today’s church is we have hundreds of voices, and thousands of voices, all crying out, saying, “This is the way, walk ye in it”.  And while many have some truth, any claim of having “the way”, while still not possessing the results, unless it is a sound scriptural formula, is the definition of foolishness.  Some people say if we get unity, we’ll get miracles, yet we see them get neither.  Some say if we could be more loving, the Kingdom would come.  Yet, what they settle for in what they call love is not God’s definition.  Some people say we simply need more money to make our vision go forward.  Yet, God knows your address.  If you have to pull that many strings to get your promise, are you sure it’s not just an Ishmael?

Yet, where have the results consistently been throughout history?  In those that pray, fast, and live holy, consecrated lives, often quite separate from the rest of society, although they may still reach out.

In all of history, this is always where the power has come down.  It isn’t the only requirement, but it is always present.  God does not listen to sinners, plain and simple, and He does respond to our sincere prayers and fasting.

Yet, God’s designation for local government has always been the Church for New Testament Christianity.  He has and continues to use the conferences for His equipping, but even as it becomes the latest thing, the political maneuvering and posturing of egos is coming in right behind in the next wave of conference circuit speakers change their place.  Houses of prayer are springing up, but so much as they stay in a place separate from apostles and prophets and the other God-given leaders, they will always be out of place when it comes to the deeper equipping for righteousness and training in faith and the Spirit.

God’s government springs from trust and relationship, through the faithfulness of a shepherd with the Father’s heart, who cares for the sheep.  Many have discredited church based on leadership or many other choices, many have tried to redefine church based on their own concepts, and many simply take it as it is, but never let it touch them.

All this is about to change.  By the twinkling of an eye, in the breath of a shadow, the landscape of the church will change.  As in a flash, from sea to shining sea in America, and elsewhere as well, the reckoning of church will change dramatically in the years to come.  No longer will the church be viewed as powerless, and no more will the islands and factions be able to hold out against each other.  But as brother against brother changes to man to man, both standing in the truth that is being given, the country will reel under the power of the Almighty through the hands of men.

Then the world will stand up and take notice, because, not from an outward change or an organization shift has something occurred, but by a transaction in the spiritual realm, the culmination of the blood of martyrs, the fasting and prayers of saints today and yesterday, as all the spiritual service offered up to heaven comes to a fullness juncture of time in the beginning of a new day for His proclamation of the Gospel.

They will stand on street corners, and look, and see.  They will walk down streets talking.  They will look at one another with amazement.  Another enters a church, and is born again, instantly, dramatically.  Power encounters shift the atmospheres, and angels, in heaven rejoicing.

The truth in the church will begin to shine, and no longer will the work of the cross be merely in words, and talk, but men and women with lives that at least to the world resemble that of Christ Himself (though all still continue to sin from time to time, but to the world, they may not be able to tell some of the more subtler sins in attitude and thought), and men will be changed by the working of the Spirit as He exposes and makes known their hearts.  The invisible realm begin to be changed in the church, as the revelation of the Gospel of the Kingdom begins to become known and lived, in the light of the fullness of the work of the cross, the efficacy of His blood, and the Love of the Father are known and embraced in increasing fullness.

It is not a time for a partial message, or an excuse to bypass anything but full Holy Ghost possession, but it is time to apprehend that for which we were apprehended, and to learn faith, and to come alive (John 10:10).

The Kingdom light is shining, and burning, and has been for nearly two thousand years.  Only, let the ears hear His message afresh, and let the armies of the Lord rise up, not in rebellion and disunity, but as His body, joined together by hearts of love, that the world might stop in its course, and tremble at the demonstration of Jesus Christ, the same, Yesterday, Today, and Forever.

Afterward he appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen. And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.

Mark 16:14-18