Desperate Faith (Pt 3): Deserting all for Corporate Activity in the Kingdom of God
March 19, 2010
The people of Israel in the book of Joel become one of the desperate ones. They are in a time of famine, and have not been serving God. God allows plagues, famine, and eventually raises up another army to destroy the people of Israel. This is time serious chastisement directed upon God’s people. The army that is coming is described as one that is unified, strong, an unbearable––no one can stand against them. At the sight of them, nations are in anguish; every face turns pale (2:6). Yet, in midst of the destruction God sends a form of hope through the prophet Joel. He declares, “Yet, even now, return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning (2:12).” They are told to seek the Lord in a desperate way corporately. Joel 2:16 says, “Gather the people, consecrate the assembly; bring together the elders, gather the children, those nursing at the breast. Let the bride leave his room and the bride her chamber.” God spares his people because they gathered in unity and sought him whole heartily.
We can elevate into a desperate faith that changes history through deserting all for corporate activity in the Kingdom of God. In comparison to the part one, which Jacob left all so he could be alone; God is now calling the people of God to escape all by corporate desperation after him in unity. We can not merely change and reach the world by being a pioneer, or lone-ranger. Rather we must be available to the corporate body of Chrst. Joel 2, is a special instance in scripture, and can be seen as revival. Yet, we must be ready to drop our schedules and what we think it should all look like and be participants of God’s outpouring. The people in the book of Joel stopped a wedding in order seek God. You and I must be willing and ready to stop our lives when God calls and says, “It’s revival time.” Again in the same breath we should be like Jacob wrestling with God saying, “Now is revival time.” God may lay stumbling blocks to enable His people to be thirsty for things of Him, and also to keep us humble like in the book of Joel. Also Possible, there may be works we don’t understand or know how to explain to someone else. The Spirit may do a “new” things that we aren’t accustomed to––it may be extraordinary, unusal wonders. “God gave Paul the power to perform unusual miracles” (Act 19:11).
Jonathan Edwards said, “a work of God without stumbling blocks is never to be expected” (Works 2:273). There are many stumbling blocks in the spirit of revival and outpouring, may it never be our own schedules and inabilities to come together into the house of God as a body of believers. We can elevate into a desperate faith that changes history through deserting all for corporate activity in the Kingdom of God. We are the body.
Written by Michael Krysty
http://www.inhabitfire.com
© 2010 Inhabit Fire Ministries
