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THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS
By Chad Taylor
"The appearance of them is as the appearance of horses; and as horsemen, so
shall they run. They shall run like mighty men, they shall climb the wall
like men of war; and they shall march every one on his ways, and they shall not
break their ranks..." (Joel 2:4-8).
For in this hour a new breed of warriors shall be heard over the din of
contemporary clamor. They shall shout as they shouted on the plains of
Jericho and the walls of religious restraint shall fall from them.
Traditional armor will be shed for a more undignified approach. They will
surprise hell with their unconventional tactics and the spoil of nations will be
left at their feet.
They will be like the four lepers at the gates of the city who will exclaim,
"If we sit here we will die!" They will come to the awesome
conclusion that modern methods have failed and they will come to the river of a
new experience and select five smooth stones. They will find the momentum
of harvest and fling themselves at the giants of the age as their predecessor
David did. They will be a dangerous dilemma to hell as they poise
themselves in the fields by night as the shepherds of old did and the heaven's
will be opened to them.
The mild mannered methods of modern ministry will not take hold of these.
They will thunder across the land with a cry of harvest. They will come
upon a city like lightning to leave the forest of men's thinking in ashes.
They will walk like Elijah did and call down fire on the altars of
intellectualism and enlightenment. Nations will turn at the sight of this
burning. Kings will issue decrees at the sight of these, this new breed.
The lion's den of religious persecution will produce these modern day Daniels.
They will come with a message of Heaven for a planet void of it.
They will be a Joseph in times of spiritual famine; famine from hearing the word
of God. They will be the youth that survive the fires of men's thinking to
emerge from the institutions without even the hint of smoke on their clothes.
They will dress different, act different, sleep different. They will raise
a standard of holiness not defined by outward religious acts but rather the
hidden Man of the heart. They will re-write the theological pages of
history with a tongue of a ready writer. Their words will be gold in a
land of imitation.
The limitations of doctrine will not capture their hearts in fear. They
will defy theories and the theorist of their time to reshape the minds of men.
They will be the force that endures tribulation and prepares an army for war.
They will confront the icons of theology and cast down the altars of escapism
and teach an army to fight the good fight of faith.
They have no comeliness that one would be drawn to them. But they will
represent the faces of thousands of broken hearts. A voice for the
voiceless and an advocate to those appointed to death. They only know one
thing, GLORY TO THE LORD OF HOSTS. He must increase in their ministries
and they must decrease. They do not look for the role of leader but are
not afraid to lead. They are the forerunners to the greater works.
They will set a prophetic precedence that will allow a generation of uncomely
parts to enter the Promised Land.
They are living martyrs that have died already. They have lost their life
to gain His, they are crucified with Christ. It's not them who live but
Christ who lives in them. They have lost all identity in exchange for His
authority. They are the Esther's of their day who comprehend that they
were born for such a time as this. They will loose themselves to gain Him.
They will appear for a little while then you will see them no more. Like
Philip in the Acts of the Apostles they will be "caught away" and
disappear into other harvest fields to sow and reap. They will have no
resting place on this earth, their Kingdom is one to come. They march to a
different drum. They will separate themselves from a system of temporary
position and discard titles and trophies. They will refuse the kingly
robes of reputation and will put on Christ. "The earth quakes before
them, the heavens tremble, the sun and moon grow dark and the stars diminish
their brightness. The Lord gives voice before His army, for His camp is
very great." (Joel 2:10-11).
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