by Glenice Mills
‘We’ll get the government the church deserves.’ What a statement. The other night the Lord spoke this to me. At first I thought it was my own thoughts but soon realised it was the Lord. The tone was firm and commanding. He got my attention! Such was His concern! He was concerned about the state of the church here in Australia and the consequences to this nation. We are in God’s prophetic timetable and there are some things that will happen whether we like it or not, as this is about His kingdom purposes coming here on earth, ushering in the Lord’s return. Some things will happen that we as Christians will have to ride through and it would be naïve of us to think that we will by-pass every negative thing that is going to happen here in Australia and the world in coming days and times.
For too long we Christians have been lulled into a complacent false peace and rest because a people pleasing, user friendly, watered down version of the Word that has been preached. There has been a false evangelistic message preached that says ‘come to the Lord and your life will go well from then on.’ There is next to no talk or preaching about sin, and the consequences of sin. Sin in the church is not confronted, instead a blind eye is turned. The reality is: there is a battle we all face in different areas of our lives that we need to learn to over come in. There must be a deeper knowledge and revelation of the character and ways of God as we grow up into Him. There is an appeasing gospel being preached that keeps God’s people stuck in immaturity. Unfortunately it renders them ineffective and unable to stand when the storms of life come.
So what is happening in the church that is also taking place in our government?
Those in authority positions MUST lead. That can mean a losing of one’s reputation and the ire of those to whom the leader must lead. What is more important: reputation or popularity? That is the crux of the matter in both government and church leadership. The truth is a leader cannot and MUST not be all things to all people. It will result in compromise. In the end there will be a dishonouring and irreverence of the leader, resulting in a take over by someone who appeals to the status quo. There is a line a leader must not cross: Will you bow to the demands of the people or risk unpopularity for making the tough decisions? A true leader will die to their reputation and embrace what they believe and stand for. This requirement is even more so for a church leader who has the Word of God to teach and guide them as to the right and wrong things to do. A leader must STAND FOR something or fall for everything. That is why we must pray for those in positions of authority such as government and church.
The government of Australia, all sides of politics, have a dangerous thinking. The position of parliamentary representatives is a serious position, one that the people expect to be treated with respect. The people need to know that their elected representatives are looking out for their best interests. Unfortunately this does not always happen and it is breeding a discontent and cynicism of those that we should in fact think highly of because of the position they hold. It is in fact a servanthood position of the highest order. Unfortunately the revelation of this is generally lacking. Pride because of the position takes root and blinds them to seeing what really are the issues and concerns of the people.
Replacing leaders is not like replacing a coach when a football team loses a few games. However, there is the same thinking: that a leader is somehow disposable if they don’t reach an expectation put on them by the people. This is how both politicians and church leaders succumb to people pleasing, thereby compromising what they stand for. Popularity polls are not a good way to gauge whether a person is doing a good job leading a nation as people are fickle. The reality is people love the good times and the good things that come because of it, but opinions quickly turn if there are bad things happening and people‘s self interests are not being met. It is a sad indictment on us that we are shown to be this shallow, though sadly I think most of us are. We are selfish in our motives and only see things as to how they affect us. As Christians we should be rising above this thinking, instead we bow to the general consensus of opinion out there. If we are to be the salt and the light in a world of darkness perhaps we need to see things differently. It is about the bigger picture, what the Lord wants for this nation at this time, and where we can best play our part as watchmen and being a voice at this pivotal time in history.
In the past three years we have had five leadership takeovers if you count the leaders of the opposition. This is concerning. We can say to ourselves what’s the big deal however it is a warning as shown in Scripture. Leadership is about maintaining stability whether that be church or in a nation. If there is instability among the key leaders of a nation it is a sign that some things are very amiss. Often where there are many leaders it means sin is a reason for this.
Proverbs 28:2, ‘When a land transgresses, it has many rulers, but when the ruler is a man of discernment, understanding, and knowledge, its stability will long continue’.
We see an example of this throughout the Books of 1 Kings and 2 Kings where if the people were doing what was right before the Lord there was a righteous king governing, and where there was disobedience and the breaking of God’s covenant unrighteous kings led.
It is no different today. God’s principles still apply. The church of Australia must ask whether they are walking righteously before the Lord?
We will get the government the church deserves. It is a righteousness issue.
It always was and will continue to be, however the onus is on us to individually and corporately repent where we have chosen ways that grieve the heart of God. The church likes to quote 2 Chronicles 7:14 as the verse for praying for a nation. However if you take a deep look at what this verse is truly saying we must first examine it. The first statement of this verse: If My people, who are called by My name, is a challenge in itself. Are we truly God’s people for if we were we would be different, we would be a people of influence and would stand out as having and being light in this world. Perhaps we need to ask the question: what is required to be My people, true people of God? What is required to be a people called by His name? This is about belonging to Him, being His disciple, and walking in obedience to all the Lord requires. Are church leaders in this nation walking in true obedience and teaching, training and equipping the saints to come into their destiny in Christ? Are they allowing the Holy Spirit to have His way in church meetings so that breakthrough can come into people’s lives and for this nation. Is the individual aspect of God in and through His people able to be expressed so the fullness of Christ can be released? Are the people being trained and positioned so the Kingdom of God can be advanced here on earth at this time in history? Is the church here in Australia a force to be reckoned with, with a voice speaking out what is right and true or are we rightly deserving of the mocking and ridicule that seems to be pervading all aspects of society here?
How can we be a voice of influence when we are impotent to even helping our own people because we don’t truly believe and embrace the power and authority of Jesus Christ and the gifts - both motivational and ascension gifts - that He wants to release to His church?
We see bickering, backbiting, slander, gossip and contention being shown by our government representatives. Is this not how the church also behaves? Our behaviour must be exemplary if we are to be respected and have standing in the community.
The church has lost its way but the good news is it can come back on course.
Things can change and it starts with us individually to examine our own hearts and ask the Lord to show us where our lives do not line up with the Word of God.
The church can no longer stay asleep and continue bowing to an appeasing gospel, shutting its eyes to blatant and hidden sin. This means confronting sin not talked about such as sexual sin, dishonesty, and prejudices. Unless and until true honesty and the truth of the Word of God is preached, and repentance as a part of church life we will continue to be dissatisfied with our parliamentary leaders and the laws they pass. This word is not a judgment or criticism of the church but rather a challenge to stir up the church so it can be positioned, respected, acknowledged and honoured as the influence in this dark world that it was always meant to be.
It is time to arise, to influence and to be the hope that the Lord shed His blood for: that is His church, His body of believers who have the answer to a dying world. We need God’s grace and His mercy like never before, and this is a rallying call while we can still speak publicly and through the website, before evil increases in this land and we won’t have a voice anymore.
We must speak now before it is too late!!!
