Last week I spoke in a Church and the word the Lord gave me to speak about was on being a contentious wife, one who according to the dictionary, is argumentative and quarrelsome. [Proverbs 21:9]. Now before the ladies all start jumping up and down and emailing me, we must remember that we are all the Bride- to-be of Christ. [2 Corinthians 11:2] We are betrothed to the Bride Groom, Jesus, as He and He alone will return one day for the Bride that has made herself ready. [Revelation 19:7]
The thought goes through my head, is what is the reason the Lord Jesus has not yet returned for His Bride? Does the Father look down from Heaven and see a bride that is not ready or one that is living as if she is not betrothed? [Luke 17:26] Whether male or female the Lord Jesus is coming to take us to the Father’s House. [John 14:2] Is He likely to come for a contentious Bride? But then He did come and die for the sins of the world while we were still sinners. [Romans 5:8] Maybe, just maybe, He will return for His Bride ready or not. [1 Thessalonians 5:2]
When Jesus gave the cup to the Disciples He was relating the actionsof the Jewish wedding of His time. Ina way it was a proposal of Marriage and once the cup was taken from the Groom and drunk, you were as good as married and required to live accordingly. [1 Corinthians 11:23-32]
In my travels I find that the Bride is not only not ready but if we carry onin the way we are we will never be ready. [Matthew 25:1-13] To be ready, whether we are Pastors, Evangelists, Prophets orhealers, if we are not living the way we should as the Bride of Christ, what will the Lord say to us on Judgment Day? [2 Corinthians 5:10]
We must remember a Pastor has a responsibility far greater than others. [James 3:1] If we are an Evangelist are we taking the Gospel to bring the people out of the world and yet living in a worldly way? [Matthew 23:15] If we claim to be a Prophets then we must realise a Prophet does not speak on his own accord but God’s. [2 Chronicles 18:13] If the words we speak are to encourage then the people have to see a Prophet that is living the life that represents the message.
[1 Kings 17:24] If we are healing people and see the joy within the life of those who are healed but we have no joy ourselves, why would the people come to us to be healed?Contentiousness has no place in God’s Kingdom and as we are called to be a Royal Priesthood [1 Peter 2:9] surely there is no place in our lives for it either. The Lord is going to return one day and He is not going to tell us when. [Matthew 24:44] However next week is the celebration of the Feast of Trumpets, the only Feast when the Trumpets are sounded and the Lord Himselfsaid He would return on the Great Trumpet sound. [Matthew 24:31]
So the question remains, are we Ministering as He would? Are we ready to receive Jesus when He returns? Are we acting as the Brideof Christ with no arguments as He said we should? [Psalm 24:3]“Israel will never come to her proper boundaries. Israel will never economically prosper. Israel will never really see the next stages of prophetic fulfillment actually come to pass unless there are men andwomen who stand in the gap andplead with God for this people. That is why God calls us to be Watchmenon the Walls of Zion. Did you hear
what the Messiah said? “For Zion’s sake,” he said, “I will not hold my peace. For Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest, until I go forth as a lamp that burneth.” And then He says, “I have set Watchmen upon thy walls, Oh Jerusalem. They shall never hold their peace. Ye that are the Lord’s remembrances. Give Him no rest and take no rest until He does what He says.” (Intercession: "The Call to Be Watchmen” by Lance Lambert, CFI Teaching Seminar, May 28, 1987).
No matter how long ago these words were spoken by Lance Lambert, the key words are: “Stand in the gap and plead.” Watchmen are situated in a position somewhere in the world, in their particular places standing--not sitting where one could easily fall asleep—but upright,reading God’s Word and fighting the battles of spiritual warfare through beseeching the Lord earnestly, entreating Him, often arguing the case for Israel in support of her before the throne of God. It appearsthat Israel is being sliced and diced, cut up and divided into the desire of the nations which is diametrically opposed to God’s Will. Presently, nations are being weighed in the balance by God. (Daniel 5:7).
The thought goes through my head, is what is the reason the Lord Jesus has not yet returned for His Bride? Does the Father look down from Heaven and see a bride that is not ready or one that is living as if she is not betrothed? [Luke 17:26] Whether male or female the Lord Jesus is coming to take us to the Father’s House. [John 14:2] Is He likely to come for a contentious Bride? But then He did come and die for the sins of the world while we were still sinners. [Romans 5:8] Maybe, just maybe, He will return for His Bride ready or not. [1 Thessalonians 5:2]
When Jesus gave the cup to the Disciples He was relating the actionsof the Jewish wedding of His time. Ina way it was a proposal of Marriage and once the cup was taken from the Groom and drunk, you were as good as married and required to live accordingly. [1 Corinthians 11:23-32]
In my travels I find that the Bride is not only not ready but if we carry onin the way we are we will never be ready. [Matthew 25:1-13] To be ready, whether we are Pastors, Evangelists, Prophets orhealers, if we are not living the way we should as the Bride of Christ, what will the Lord say to us on Judgment Day? [2 Corinthians 5:10]
We must remember a Pastor has a responsibility far greater than others. [James 3:1] If we are an Evangelist are we taking the Gospel to bring the people out of the world and yet living in a worldly way? [Matthew 23:15] If we claim to be a Prophets then we must realise a Prophet does not speak on his own accord but God’s. [2 Chronicles 18:13] If the words we speak are to encourage then the people have to see a Prophet that is living the life that represents the message.
[1 Kings 17:24] If we are healing people and see the joy within the life of those who are healed but we have no joy ourselves, why would the people come to us to be healed?Contentiousness has no place in God’s Kingdom and as we are called to be a Royal Priesthood [1 Peter 2:9] surely there is no place in our lives for it either. The Lord is going to return one day and He is not going to tell us when. [Matthew 24:44] However next week is the celebration of the Feast of Trumpets, the only Feast when the Trumpets are sounded and the Lord Himselfsaid He would return on the Great Trumpet sound. [Matthew 24:31]
So the question remains, are we Ministering as He would? Are we ready to receive Jesus when He returns? Are we acting as the Brideof Christ with no arguments as He said we should? [Psalm 24:3]“Israel will never come to her proper boundaries. Israel will never economically prosper. Israel will never really see the next stages of prophetic fulfillment actually come to pass unless there are men andwomen who stand in the gap andplead with God for this people. That is why God calls us to be Watchmenon the Walls of Zion. Did you hear
what the Messiah said? “For Zion’s sake,” he said, “I will not hold my peace. For Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest, until I go forth as a lamp that burneth.” And then He says, “I have set Watchmen upon thy walls, Oh Jerusalem. They shall never hold their peace. Ye that are the Lord’s remembrances. Give Him no rest and take no rest until He does what He says.” (Intercession: "The Call to Be Watchmen” by Lance Lambert, CFI Teaching Seminar, May 28, 1987).
No matter how long ago these words were spoken by Lance Lambert, the key words are: “Stand in the gap and plead.” Watchmen are situated in a position somewhere in the world, in their particular places standing--not sitting where one could easily fall asleep—but upright,reading God’s Word and fighting the battles of spiritual warfare through beseeching the Lord earnestly, entreating Him, often arguing the case for Israel in support of her before the throne of God. It appearsthat Israel is being sliced and diced, cut up and divided into the desire of the nations which is diametrically opposed to God’s Will. Presently, nations are being weighed in the balance by God. (Daniel 5:7).