THE COMING WIND

BY GRANT MARSHALL

A time of great change is coming. God is looking into the body of His people. For hundreds of years, we have moved in the same way, done the same things, and everything has become quite routine. But things should not be routine; if they have become this way, then there has been no change, and the bride of Christ, ultimately, has become retarded and remains at a level of immaturity. Throughout the ages, God brings us men and women who have caused movements among the ecclesia, prophets and teachers of their generations. They never gave us anything new; they were mouthpieces, obedient servants of God who illuminated and revealed text, reminding us of our wickedness, God’s loving kindness and forgiveness, and the desire of Him to have a unique and personal relationship with all of those who were made in His image. However, change has not stalled; it is moored. Like a boat in the harbour waiting to be refitted and refreshed for its onward journey, it still sways with the movement of the water, but awaits a new captain and crew. The sea in scripture is used as a metaphor for the nations, a sea of people. The Lord walked upon the waters; He came from the waters, and we, even in our makeup, are water.

Every life that comes into the world, every generation of new souls, will impact our world. They have been designed to do so. God waits for them to be born, for He knows the plans He has for them. They will prosper in His will because they will establish His kingdom, they will, like John the Baptist, prepare the way for the return of the king.

Psalm 102:18 says,’ This will be written for the generation to come,

That a people yet to be created may praise the Lord….that men may tell of the name of the Lord in Zion, and His praise in Jerusalem, when the people are gathered together, and the Kingdoms to serve the Lord.

We speak of and desire this generation, these people who will play their part in changing the world. The difference between them and us is that their focus will become the Kingdom of God, not what men wish to establish. It is our part, those who are living in Christ now, to prepare the way for this new addition to the caravan. But things seem slow; why are we not having the impact we should? Because we have failed to realise that to change the outside world, the world beyond the walls of the church, we must undergo tribulation within it. Our meetings should be filled with people who have been changed and impacted by being in the presence of God. We have to move away from appeasing the people and propagating emotional experiences. Of course, God’s grace allows us to experience His loving touch among us, but when He sees that our hearts are often far from Him and that the love of His children is not always for Him alone, He won't stay for long.

God wants us to want Him as much as He wants us. This is reflective of the bridal union, both He and us must share.

God is so kind and long-suffering with us; He pours out every blessing needed for the hungry soul. Sometimes, our feasts can become too much. Fat and idle we become, constipated by the richness of fine fare. In order to change the outside world, we must change from the inside. When a couple desire a child, the making of it is delightful, but for the seed to connect, the woman’s body must prepare, and then it will begin to change. The new generation is about to grow inside her. She will become turbulent, experiencing inward and outward change. There will be times of ecstasy and times of sickness. But when the child comes from the darkness of the womb into the light of the world, all that she has suffered is forgotten; her focus and life are now upon the survival and the joy of her child. The birth of a child into the world is designed to bring change.

The church must suffer the same way. Generations are passing that have born no fruit. They have been to the feasts, had the teachings and done nothing with them at all. They have the outward appearance of a child of God but have remained bound in the cell of religion and experience, and the result is apathy. Why? Because they have been taught that this is the way..’ God is in control! He does not need us; we just have to be good Christian folk. But alas, that is not the case. We are called to be God’s co-workers, servants of the Lord, doers of the word. This is how faith is proven.

Something phenomenal is about to happen to the Christian world. The towers of power within its conclave are being demolished. Platforms of status are crumbling, and ungodly, foolish and perverted leaders are being exposed. The waters under the boat are moving. The boat is being prepared to sail, but not before the Lord places His captain on board and the crew is recruited. Meanwhile, the tension builds upon the anchor. New feet are going to walk upon the decks of this vessel. They will need to know how the ship is run and will need to know every inch of it. The question there, for those who will walk upon the decks of the church, and steer her among the sea of the people, is,  ‘Do you know the charts, the power of the ship's engines, the strength of its hull, the capacity of its sails. Leaders, every captain of a ship, must know the sea and the crew intimately. Do we truly know all of this in our own churches, the flock of the sheep of which we have been given charge? The people we are called to work with? Do we know the sea around the us, the people and the town we are called to tend?

The reason we are unaffected inside, in that things remain the same, is that we are not affected enough by what is outside, and the reason the outside is not brought to the fold is that we are blind to the fact that we need to change from the inside. Some people won't like this, they want to keep things as they are - They want to lead the leaders. But this is a new era for a new generation. We change by not changing the truth and throwing out the lies and the unprofitable ways. That is what we need to do, that is what the people want.