All Hands On Deck
While I have never served in the Navy or been a sailor one of my hobbies is reading novels of ships at sea.
Danger can result in a call for "All Hands on Deck!" As I understand the command it is "Every sailor to his assigned station." Every sailor must immediately cease all activities and commit to tasks of the highest priority. The survival of the ship and the crew can depend upon the efficiency with which a crew responds in time of danger.
In World War II a Japanese suicide pilot aimed for mid-ship of an American aircraft carrier. The Japanese pilot was dead before his plane crashed into the deck of the ship creating a huge hole. American planes were in the air and needing to land on the ship. Other planes on the ship needed to be launched to fight the air battle.
The crew aboard the ship responded amazingly putting out the fire caused by the Japanese plane. In 45 minutes crew members had brought up steel plates and repaired the hole in the flight deck and planes were landing and taking off!
Two years ago America was on a euphoric trip with money seemingly "growing on trees." Values of homes were increasing thousands of dollars per year. Good times were rolling.
We do not need to rehearse the change. What we do need to do is realize the Church is present in these challenging times.
After 911 a sermon "The Merry-Go-Round" was delivered to the Covenant congregation. It was more prophetic than I imagined. The point was that those in the center of the merry-go-round are able to hang on when the speed increases or bumps come. Those on the fringes, near the outside of the structure, are slung off first. Other points included:
1. We will see a dramatic change in economic structure.
2. We will see society shaken until those most secure will
be alarmed.
3. We will see churches struggle with their identity, i.e.,
churches built on a "good time" and "celebration"
mentality will struggle to survive.
4. Mega-churches will come to a time of challenge because
of fear and economics.
5. People will do strange and sudden things out of
character. Some who have seemed to be stable will make
sudden changes of direction, e.g., jobs, churches,
marriage, friendship, without explanation, consultation,
prayer, or planning.
6. The river will divide with those who are willing to
believe the Bible and live by the Bible being rejected by
those "Christians" who follow Jesus for the "fishes and
the loaves."
7. Emphasis on religion and family values will be without
centrality of Jesus Christ and the need of salvation from
sin.
All Hands on Deck! The merry-go-round is speeding up. The speed control is broken. Faster. Faster. Faster! Those on the outer edge standing casually are being flung off. Those near the outer edge and living day-to-day are facing huge challenges. Those who thought that good times would last forever are paying a high price for their recklessness. Those who have worked hard, been careful, paid taxes, tithed and given to the Lord have suffered loss and lost confidence in man‟s economic system.
Where are we? We are setting the stage for the return of Jesus. We are setting the stage for the Kingdom of the anti-christ, which will be after Jesus comes for His Church.
Never has the Church had a greater opportunity. All Hands on Deck! The power of the Holy Ghost anoints us for this hour. People are in need. What they need is Jesus. What they need is to understand that sin will not prevail. Jesus clearly taught that "My kingdom is not of this world." The Lord‟s prayer is for the will of Our Heavenly Father to be done in the heart of every man and woman.
We are dependent upon the Holy Spirit to guide us through these times. Jesus came as a babe through a virgin woman with angels singing, wise men and shepherds (poor and rich) bowing and worshiping, and the heavens manifesting the glory of Salvation come. It is not reasonable that Jesus would come as a Babe with such splendor and return as Resurrected Lord to a whimpering, whining, wheedling, anemic, impotent Church.
He will return for a glorious Church. He will return for a powerful Church. He will return for a people who have not sold out to a carnal world.
All Hands on Deck! Let each of us be at our Holy Ghost assigned task. We cannot do less. We must not do less. He has called us, appointed us and anointed us!
Pastor Bare
"That He might present it to himself, a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish" (Ephesians 5:27).