HOW DO WE GET THERE?
By W. G. Guy
For more than fifty years I have been teaching that the church that our Lord Jesus Christ is returning for will be like it was in the beginning. It will be without all the man-made trappings, doctrines, appearance, vestments, traditions and worldly forms and practices that have been added over the past two thousand years. There is a whole lot of cleansing that is needed.
Ephesians 5:26-27 – that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, that he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.
So the question is: “how do we get there”? As I was talking to the Lord about this He showed me that it won’t be an easy journey; in fact it will come with great difficulty, trials and tribulations. Why? Because much of we now have as church needs to be removed; and this will most likely come by various forms of opposition and tribulation.
What has happened to the church is a parallel to what happened to ancient Israel. They strayed from the true and pure worship of God by incorporating and adopting the things of the world that surrounded them. Then God had to allow their enemies to conquer them and destroy their sanctuary and form of worship. They eventually repented and God had to restore true and pure worship: and this happened multiple times to Israel as recorded in the Old Testament.
So what can we expect to happen to the church in order to bring it about to be the true Body of Christ that Jesus is coming back to receive unto Himself. Remember, we are to look like, act like, and speak like Him; glorifying and reflecting Him in the way we live; being the light of the world – HIS LIGHT.
1 John 3:1-3 – Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.
The process of removing what man has established as church is already occurring in other parts of the world; and it will soon be happening in America. Consider the state of the church in Europe; it is almost nonexistent. Many churches have been taken over by Islam and are now mosques. Consider the church in China: Christians have had to go underground to meet as the established churches have become wards of the state and are required to pay homage to the communist party. Consider the state of the church in Nigeria, West Africa (where I have ministered in the past). Churches there are being destroyed and the believers being slaughtered by the Muslims. This pattern will continue throughout the world, as is prophesied to come to a climax in the Book of Revelation.
There are churches today that are run like a business rather than a ministry; they even hire Business Managers to run their daily operations. What will happen to such churches when there is a financial collapse and there is no money to maintain their operations?
How do we become the church as it was in the beginning? God will use our enemies to accomplish this task. The enemy of Christ and the true church will be used to destroy what is not of God by persecuting and destroying much of what we recognize as church today. We will be forced by government to comply with their dictates of what they will require of a church, just like in China. The Antichrist will have a major role in this effort.
Revelation 12:11 & 17 – And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death. …17 And the dragon was wroth with the woman (Israel), and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ, (Christians, His church).
The church in America will have to go underground, as it did in China. We will meet in homes, just as it did in the beginning. The work of the true church will not be able to use mass media as is done today; its work will go forth by word of mouth, and the evidence of changed lives that will draw others to Christ. Times will get so difficult that Jesus, and the promises in His Word, will be the only hope and solution for those who are seeking a resolution to the turmoil.
The church will have to very familiar with the Word of God because that will be our only source of strength to stand against what is coming. Please recognize that what we will be fighting against is not human flesh, but the powers that operate to manipulate and control sinful mankind. This will actually be spiritual warfare we are fighting, but it takes place in our physical environment. The real enemy is unseen and unrecognized: spiritual (supernatural) forces that most Christians do not even know about, understand, or know how to defend against.
The Lord has made provision for us to stand, to fight, and to overcome in this warfare. However, it all depends on us each, individually, knowing, believing and adhering to the Word of God, the Sword of the Spirit.
Ephesians 6:10-13 – Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of
God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
Each piece of this spiritual armor is an application of the Word of God. With such we are able to stand against the attacks and wiles of the enemy.
Ephesians 6:14-18 – Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; and your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;
Jesus gave us an example of how to apply His Word against the enemy. This us demonstrated when Satan tempted Him in the wilderness.
Luke 4:1-13 – And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, being forty days tempted of the devil. And in those days he did eat nothing: and when they were ended, he afterward hungered. And the devil said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread. And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God. And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it. If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.
Since Jesus’ defense was so effective, using it is written, that the devil tried to use it himself against Jesus, (quoting from Psalm 91); but he has no authority to use God’s Word.
And he brought him to Jerusalem, and set him on a pinnacle of the temple, and said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down from hence: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. And Jesus answering said unto him,
Jesus responded to this ploy with a verbal use of the Word of God, speaking directly to the devil.
It is said, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. And when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from him for a season.
When Jesus returns, He will find His true church rich in the knowledge of His Word; and being conformed to His image. This is the very purpose of His church; to bring us to the full image of Christ: to be full of the Fruit of the Spirit which is the character and nature that God originally placed in man – restored to the original.
Ephesians 4:13-16 – till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: that we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; but speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: from whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.
The apostle Paul labored to this very end.
Galatians 4:19 – My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you,
Colossians 1:25-29 – whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God; even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints: to whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory: whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus: whereunto I also labour, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily.
This is what is known as REDEMPTION – restoring back to original form. Thus we need to heed what is written for us: Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might, … that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
It is imperative that we know His Word and how to apply it in our daily lives.
2 Corinthians 10:3-6 – For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (for the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; and having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled.
To know God’s Word is to know God’s love and care for you; as it is written:
Romans 8:31-39 – What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
How do we get there? Warfare is how we will get there; so the battle will be fought! Will you have the victory that He has provided, or will you bow to the workings of the enemy? Getting the church back to the way it was and the way it is supposed to be will be difficult; but God, through Jesus, has provided the way and the victory! And it will be a glorious church, His body fully manifesting as being His, the sons of God.
Romans 8:18-19 – For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.
