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THE PROPHETIC GAP BETWEEN
SOCIAL AND RELIGIOUS REFORM
Chad
Taylor
Apr 18, 2003
QUOTE OF THE WEEK: "I am convinced
that nothing less than a mighty Holy Ghost revival will awaken us to a sense of
our great privilege and responsibility with regard to the missionary challenge
and world evangelization." - Clifford Filer
THE GOD MAN
When Jesus was on this earth in physical form He became a mediator between God
and man. What made Him such an effective negotiator between Heaven and earth?
Besides the obvious; His deity and nobility- what really created such a
revolution between social and religious hostilities? The answer is simple: He
was with the people. He ate with them, He sat and socialized with them, and in
many cultural interpretations He was one of them. In Jesus' meteoric and nearly
overnight success as He ascended from "son of Joseph and Mary" to the
Son of God, He never forgot the people. He never allowed His religious standing
to regulate his social involvement and influence. In other words, He met the
people where they were at. Whether this was at the Wedding of Cana or in the Tax
Collector's home or the literal immersing of Himself in the massive crowds that
followed Him. Jesus the Prophet, Jesus the Apostle, and Jesus God, never
distanced Himself from the social and relevant needs of the people around Him.
REVOLUTION VS. REGRESSION
Today we see an opposite regression from the social and religious revolution
Jesus initiated. Now as ministers and leaders progress up the ministry ladder of
popularity, they at the same time, distance themselves from the common man. What
it finally becomes is a segregated group or body that meets in conferences and
meetings with very limited genres of social representation. Modern day prophets
fail to express the real need of the cities and people around them because; THEY
ARE NO LONGER PART OF THE PEOPLE AND CITIES AROUND THEM. They have limited
themselves to the immediate influence of those drawn to their ministries. Ask
the visiting prophet when is the last time that they went to a tavern in their
city and sat and heard the heart of the people? Or at a mall and hung out with
the youth to hear first hand their needs and concerns? Or walked in America's
ghettos and seen the tragic plight of millions of people? Nine out of ten times
they have not. They have fallen prey to the modern methodology of ministry that
caters to the minority; the saved. Rather than the majority; the lost.
WHO WILL STAND IN THE GAP?
Now the question is, What kind of strain and pressure does this apply to the
heart and possible salvation of those in these cities and regions? The answer is
complex. What we have created in modern ministry is the opposite of what Christ
set in motion in His. He promoted and catered to the sinner. We distance
ourselves and even worse, create environments in our conferences and churches
that alienate and push the lost or unsaved away. The modern day prophet has
become a celebrity instead of an advocate and friend of the people. We have
reversed the very cycle of social and religious reformation Jesus initiated 2000
years ago in Jerusalem. He was faced with many if not more of the social strains
we are faced with today. Jew and Gentile (white and black), Pharisee and
Sadducee (different denominations), and the ancient struggle of gender and where
it fits into our religious experience. Jesus confronted these issues head on and
prevented the disease of social and religious prejudice modern ministries have
allowed today. We must re-evaluate everything we do. We need an infusion of His
heart into our ministries and not allow another moment to pass that we are not
using the platforms of our conferences and personalities as stages set for
outreach and revival. We must cast our net on the other side of modern methods
and ministry.
RELIGIOUS PROTOCOL
Just by our concept of conference we are feeding this disease. If we do not
begin to introduce the church to the lost and struggling world around them how
can we ever entertain the idea of social transformation? We teach the opposite
in our religious dress codes and our demeanor and attitudes. We shout at a world
that is spiritually unaware, "Unless you somehow attain to our spiritual
prowess you can never be saved and your level of social standing is not good
enough to qualify you into our elite groups of religious expression..." It
is shocking that modern leaders still find it necessary to even wear a tie? This
small act of religious protocol can strengthen and lengthen the gap between
religious idealism and true revival. How long will we permit this before we take
on the unadulterated nature of Jesus and baptize our ourselves into humanity?
Most of what we do today would be unacceptable in Jesus' group of disciples. We
must reverse this cycle of separation and spiritual segregation now if we are
ever going to experience the magnitude of harvest prophesied and intended for
this present generation. We have to step up to the spiritual Jordan of our time
and say to John, "Suffer it to be so now..." thus condescending and
putting ourselves at the same level of those we are ministering too.
WHAT IS THE ANSWER?
The answer is simple, JESUS. But the process to undue centuries of religious
jargon and dispensation is not. We are faced with a problem with epic
proportions. But there is a road less traveled that if taken can exponentially
change the religious landscape around us. One, we have to realize that any
personality or notoriety that is given to us is ultimately for harvest. Jesus
was no stranger to notoriety or fame, "And Jesus returned in the power of
the Spirit into Galilee: and there went out a fame of him through all the region
round about." (Luke 4:14). But we see a balance at work here that most
evangelists and ministers forget, "And Jesus saith unto him, See thou tell
no man; but go thy way, shew thyself to the priest, and offer the gift that
Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them." (Matt 8:4). This was after the
notable miracle done to the man with leprosy. There is a time for promotion but
there is also a time to be quite. We have put the knife to our throat of
influence in modern culture by our inability to relate to the common man and
woman by our lifestyles. Jesus did just the opposite. He ate with them, sat with
them and really was a part of their entire living experience and He avoided any
undue social pressure to perform. We have become performers to a large degree in
our ministries because of this social pressure applied from the conferences and
crowds around us. We have given them a show, now they expect a show every time;
thus the people outside this experience perish.
THE TEMPLE MODEL
The Old Testament model of the temple holds a secret to modern revival and
outreach. Let's look at this more carefully. The outer-court was where most of
the transactions between the social and religious classes occurred. The
inner-court evolved into a more intimate experience between God and priest which
was ultimately for the people. Finally, the Holy of Holies. A place where only
the High Priest could tend to the altar for the sins of all the people as well
as himself once a year. How can this apply today? The Holy of Holies now is
obvious, when we are saved and washed in the blood of Christ, we enter this
place freely. The inner court is the place of healing and introduction to this
intimacy and reality. The outer-court is the missing link today in church and
ministry. A PLACE THAT THE COMMON MAN CAN COME FREELY TO TASTE AND SEE THAT THE
LORD IS GOOD. In the old testament model of the temple, if someone unclean come
into the Holy of Holies or anyone other than the priest for that matter, they
died! How many "deaths" of modern revivals have occurred because we
have tried to force a generation into the "holy of holies" instead of
first bringing them into an "outer-court" place of meeting or
experience? We need to institute "outer-courts" into our conferences
and our churches. A place where the world can come and feel "normal".
This may come as a shock to many, but the world does not wear a tie.
HE BECOMES FLESH AGAIN
"And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld his
glory..." (John 1:14). Jesus came to earth and DWELT AMONG US. He did not
separate Himself from the world, but rather came into it with a forceful love
and compassion. This scripture should epitomize our ministries, "AND DWELT
AMONG US". Jesus has become "in the flesh" again every time we
take Him to the modern day market places of the world. He becomes "in the
flesh" every time we touch someone in need or we love one another as He has
loved us. The only way to transcend contemporary religious dogma that has
blurred who He really is - is to become Him in the flesh again and personally
interact with the world around us. We need to join their clubs, go to their
meetings, attend their social gatherings and invade every venue of society with
His power and glory. That is the only way to fulfill the second sentence in John
1:14: "...and we beheld his glory..." How will they ever behold His
glory when it is fish-bowled in conferences and private Christian experiences
confined to church groups and settings? We must create an
"outer-court" experience to then marry our conferences with their
present reality of existence. We must do it now or become another dispensation
or spot on church history books, rather than the monumental prophetic generation
of impact and influence previously prophesied.
A NEW BREED OF PRIESTS
"For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our
weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are--
yet was without sin." (Heb 4:15). This speaks of a Jesus that associated
Himself on every social and religious level with the people. He identified with
His generation to ultimately reach His generation. He was "separate"
and at the same time not "unequally yoked". Modern doctrine has
created an entire expose on "unequally yoked" and it's relationship
between Christians and the world. We have determined this to mean we do not
associate with the lost on their social levels. This is completely out of
context and not in the paradigm of Christ's thinking or lifestyle. How did He
justify then sitting with the drunkards and the gluttons? What we call a
"party" today Jesus called opportunity. He justified His lifestyle in
one eloquent and brilliant response to His critics, "I have not come to
call the righteous, but sinners to repentance." (Luke 5:32). This new breed
of priests and prophets today will practice this same approach to the social
world around them. They will have the inept understanding that they are in this
world to be "the light of the world" not a hidden object of religious
affection.
ARE YOUR FEET WET?
"And as they that bare the ark were come to the Jordan, and the feet of the
priests that bare the ark were dipped in the brim of the water, (for Jordan
overflows all his banks all the time of harvest)." (Josh 3:15). As the
great army of Israel was crossing the Jordan into Canaan notice who led the way
in this campaign; The priests. They were not watching on closed circuit TV. in
isolated offices. They were the first ones to embark on this epic journey to
blaze a trail for those that followed. Notice the season that the priests were
called on to lead this march. Harvest. When the banks of the Jordan were
overflowing. In this modern moment of unparalleled harvest we as leaders and
priests are being called on again to lead the company of Christians into battle.
What awaited them across the river was not just milk and honey, it meant battle.
They had giants to slay and cities to possess. The same landscape of possession
awaits us. Can we delay any longer? Can we dare stand behind the pulpit and be
rushed out the door as the final note ends any longer? Can we allow the catering
and socializing that promotes us to pedestals rather than power any more? The
social structure of our meetings only widens the margin between the world and
the church. Our "special seating" and vying for position. The
"star" treatment afforded to those that speak. The lost shrink in the
back row with the pervading feeling that they can never measure up to such an
elite "god" like group. This is appalling to a Jesus who suffered
dirty children to interrupt His message. Sick homeless men to take precedence
over His entourage and prostitutes to approach him as He met with other
dignitaries. This is the Jesus the world is still desperately looking for. Are
they seeing Him in us?
FINAL THOUGHTS
I pray that the modern prophets of our day, who I believe to be the best
equipped and enlightened in history, to take up their plowshares and swords and
lead us into battle. The people will follow you! Can you imagine in a Benny Hinn
crusade (who I respect completely), at the end of the meeting would look at the
people and say, "We are going to the streets! I will personally lead
whoever will downtown and bring the love and power of Jesus to the city!"
Can you imagine the reaction? Thousands would pour from the conference into the
real world that mills around them. Not exiting quickly to find the nearest
Denny's and eat their revelation away. How preposterous! We have become a
spiritual consumer rather than a minister. We "hoard" our manna until
the entire camp stinks! We need to give freely what we have received freely and
as leaders we need to lead the charge into the streets of our cities. We cannot
afford to do anything else. A severe accountability is going to be upon the
prophets and ministers of our time. Can you imagine how many conferences and
meetings occurred in New York City in 2001? How we look back now and say to
ourselves, "why didn't I tell someone about Jesus?" Yes there will be
casualties in war but the numbers that are perishing as the parade of
conferences roll through our cities is staggering. We have to wake up from our
religious stupor and run to a world dying. We have to do it now.
Chad Taylor
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