Since the end of the first century, NO century has excelled in spiritual depth. In fact, most centuries since then have been very, very shallow indeed with only a handful of gloriously shining lights - usually no more than a few dozen men and women - to illuminate the darkness.
THIS era - the one we live in now - has proven to be, unquestionably, the most Bible-centered age since the days of the Pharisees; HOWEVER it also rivals their age for being one of the LEAST in emphasizing spiritual depth. (And men today get just as angry as they did then when someone points this out).
Nor is that the only record our age has set. We are setting a whole raft of records. For instance, until today, the 1500s have generally held the trophy for being the most financially corrupt age in church history. That was the day you could - for cash - have your sins erased right out of God's ledgers. We don't do that today, but with our mass mailings, business reply envelopes, four color brochures, foundations, professional fund raising campaigns, "living by faith", schools of financial prosperity, tax exempt status, and sermons on stewardship, by the time one is 35 years old, many ministers of the gospel have become some of the best promoters and fund raisers around. (And truly if you listen to the ones like Mike Murdock, 100 people can sow a seed of $1,000 to "buy" the 58 blessings...of this or that scripture verses...)
The same can be said for intellectualism. The 1700s have usually been considered the high water mark of intellectualism in the Christian faith, but today more men walk the earth with doctorates in theology than in any other age. Unsatisfied with the spiritual depth this intellectual climate has produced, these men cry out that the solution is more, better, and higher Christian education. (Holy Spirit proclaims that intellect is at enmity with Him - 5:05 p.m.) This is an age of endless reams of books and papers on endless varieties of subjects, and age that produces men who deliver mind-boggling lectures on the DOCTRINE of prayer and yet know little of its deeper experience. This age has, generally, NEVER known Christ in a deep way. Sophisticated, disdainful, sterile and passionless, we have wrenched from the hand of the 1700s the trophy for the most intellectual age in church history - intellectual and not spiritual, not holy, not sanctified, not in intimate relationship with Jesus Christ. (5:07 p.m.)
The era between 1100 and 1400 has generally been considered the darkest and most corrupt in church history, an age when the papacy went to the highest bidder and the church was the most powerful political and financial force on the earth.
But we live in a day when churches look like storybook castles. Servants of God today, looking back upon the first century worker's idea of owning NOTHING throughout his whole life, might view such an ideology as cultish. They are quite unlike their fathers, the early Christians, who were the natural enemies of their community, who fought for the PRIVILEGE of living their whole lives owning nothing but the clothes on their backs, and who gloried in dying as might a pauper. (NOTE: The Lord once again is having me daily throw away massive amounts of accumulated "stuff" (papers, unused things, etc...dwindling down possessions - He did this in a huge way also in my life in 2005) (even before I knew He was going to speak this current word - love the confirmation!)
Those serving the Lord "full time" in this age should prepare themselves for being remembered, as a whole, as being the wealthiest, most commercial, sophisticated, worldly-minded, materialistic and comfortable men in the whole history of the church.
There is one more trophy which this age - above any other - will win (that is, unless a radical change takes place very soon). In every era of church history there have been recorded the names of a few devout men and women whose hallmark was awesome spiritual depth and utter devotional abandonment. There were such men even during the bleakest days the dark ages ever witnessed. In every age there have been ALWAYS been at least a few men and women who knew Him in the depths. Will our age slip by with no such testimony? From a purely historical viewpoint, we MUST be categorized as the most universally shallow believers ever to cross the pages of church history.
If the Lord tarries, future generations will deem this one to be the darkest century, in spiritual depth and spiritual experience, in church history - UNLESS something very radical happens - soon.
More corrupt than the dark days before Luther; more impotently intellectual than during the heyday of Calvinism; more financially perverted than the days that caused John the Baptist to explode; more intoxicated with the drive for spiritual power than any age, yet exercising that outward power with less internal transformation than anyone since King Saul; enamored with the gifts, yet hardly knowing the Giver, our age has produced the most commercial, materialistic, fad-oriented people ever to claim His name.
Too harsh an assessment? Consider one last trophy this age may win: we seem to be more totally blind to the deprivation of our spiritual depth than all other centuries lumped together. (How many people do YOU know - including you, yourself?, who THINK they know Him, THINK they hear Him - THINK they are doing His will - - - yet are so far from knowing, hearing, doing - yet will NOT be told differently because of PRIDE keeping them in bondage/deception....)
It is true we have built more buildings and founded more religious organizations than all the past eras combined (all of which is UN-SCRIPTURAL!). It is true that today's Christianity has won more men to Christ than all other ages combined - BUT it is also just as true that those converts have set new records for the short length of time they have followed the Lord with abandoned devotion!
(NOT forgetting that a 'sinners prayer' is NOT scriptural, does NOT produce true repentance, humility, salvation, conversion)
If past church history is any guide, we can optimistically look for some sort of a turnaround. Spiritual depth is due for a return.
May God have mercy. May He see fit to woo back those who have been deceived, lost, fallen away, walk luke-warmly, or in compromise - for He cannot bless sin (which spiritual shallowness IS - sin) - - - therefore there must come a great spiritual awakening. And yet He has already pronounced His word a few days ago (of the coming judgment).
The Lord ALWAYS has a word for His faithful remnant - at 3:53 p.m. He said:
"I will lead her (My loves, My true disciples), into solitude, and there I will speak to her heart. And it shall be at that day, that she will call me Ish'-i (literally "my husband"). And in that day will I make a covenant for her...and I will make her to lie down safely. And I will betroth her unto me for ever; yea, I will betroth her unto Me in righteousness, and in judgment, and in loving-kindness, and in mercies. I will even betroth her unto Me in faithfulness, and she shalt know her Lord."
He included (in the midst of proclaiming the above): "And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people..." (Isaiah 11:11)
As an added note the number 11 have been significant of late - He showed me that it has to do with dealing with things that are imperfect, things that have disorder or even chaos - He is bringing all that is imperfect in us to perfectness in HIM - aligning, arranging, molding, making us into His likeness, His spotless Bride. Submit unto His refining process - while it is day!
via His Messenger
(NOTE: some of this is by another writer however in that HOLY SPIRIT was the ORIGINAL speaker, it is owned by HIM and the Lord then added MORE via THIS messenger to make this word more complete)
June 24th, 2011
