Roll Tide...In the Right Direction

I live in Alabama and you are either Roll Tide or War Eagle, when speaking of football or any sports. I just happen to be a Roll Tide fan and enjoy watching my team play their sports. What happens in life if the tide is rolling in the wrong direction? There has to be a change to get "back on track" and that track must be centered on one destination or purpose. For the born again believer the track we must be on is a narrow one that truly exists at the point of salvation and life change. I use the term life change too loosely at times, because as Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 5:17, "we are a new creation." Born again in the Spirit is a radical change of heart at the soul level, because we are surrendering our will over to His will, no matter the end game. We are His because He is ours, and we are no longer living for ourselves, but living for Him. Y'know, God?

What happens when we get off track? From the beginning of time a "minor" slip in direction brings on judgment and that judgment has results, and those results are not good. God desires for us to follow His Word and His Ways, and when that happens our life purpose and our direction in life is meant to fall in line with His Word. ALL OF HIS WORD!!

There is no hedging when it comes to God's Word and us following our own morality and our own purpose in life is a very distant "second" to the ways of the Lord. When we follow God His light shines brighter and brighter through each of us and the Holy Spirit is our guiding light in all things. The writer of Proverbs said it this way in Proverbs 4:¹⁸ The way of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, which shines ever brighter until the full light of day. God's intent for our lives is for us to live in the righteousness He provides and the end result will be His light shining through us more and more each day. The picture I see in my mind is we are looking to God for our direction and He gives us that direction. He shines through our lives and others want to have that relationship with Him and the Holy Spirit working in our lives draws them to a choice of whether to surrender their lives by faith to God or not. Then the process goes further and further. The result is what was happening in the early church in Acts 2: ⁴³ A deep sense of awe came over them all, and the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders. ⁴⁴ And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had. ⁴⁵ They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need. ⁴⁶ They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity— ⁴⁷ all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved.

For all the people who say "Volunteer at that church and they will have you there all the time" has no comparison to the true movement of God in the early church as is written in the above verse where its says ⁴⁶ They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, It is all we can do to get Christians to come to church once a week or once a month, much less every day. It would be like VBS all the time! REALLY? Paul moved the temple out to people's homes because the synagogue leaders didn't agree with his teaching that Jesus was the only way to heaven. In those homes, they had a church, and those churches thrived because the purpose of the gospel was being done, and God was blessing it. It was a "true" community that was open to all and not centered on themselves alone.

The tide changed in the world during those days and it can change today also, as we see our country and president allowing churches to function freely and that makes it possible for the gospel to be preached more and more, but not just in a church building. Home churches are rising to the forefront in our country and in our world and God is blessing them as they allow God to turn the tide of their faith to be more "real" and follow God's Word that is not filtered down by the world. It may seem like a small turn, but when the tide gets going in the right direction we will see a great awakening and God will do things we never thought possible, like Christians becoming more bold, and more receptive to taking a stand for the gospel and for God's Word. Barriers to sharing our faith will fall and there will be an openness to the new thing God is doing in our lives and in our land.

Now is the time for God's Roll Tide to begin and keep going, so get on board and get involved as an intricate part of God's church and let God be God in our fellowship and in our personal walk. Pray for the Holy Spirit to spark a movement in the Lord's church and then get involved in making that movement grow and grow. That tide will be powerful and timely for the upcoming revival of the Lord's church. If you are an unresponsive believer, then repent and get on board for God to "do a new thang!" You won' t regret it!! As Peter Pan said "Time to fight, time to fly. God spoke these words to the prophet Isaiah 40:²⁸ Have you never heard? Have you never understood? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth. He never grows weak or weary. No one can measure the depths of his understanding. ²⁹ He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless. ³⁰ Even youths will become weak and tired, and young men will fall in exhaustion.

³¹ But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.

ROLL TIDE! THE REAL TIDE IS GOD'S TIDE!!

Today's Message,

David Warren