I am at home waiting on the Lord and reading. We are still together and reading through the New Testament…? It is the 27th February 2020 in the year of our Lord and according to my timetable I believe the church is on Luke 15. I dont know what I want to say, but I will just sit with pen or ‘type fingers’ poised…Here goes :
Throughout Luke, Jesus uses many parables to exemplify the kingdom of God, how to be part of this Kingdom and how we can miss it. There is a Leaven of the Kingdom and a Leaven of the Pharisee (that much I have understood) but I don’t intend to precise all that I have read or has been covered up to Chapter 15 as there are too many points to reflect on. However… as I am musing by the fire… (so to speak) the Lord highlights the parable of the lost sheep, the lost coin and the lost son with the executive director of the compilation of the spirit filled bible , Hayford, giving meanings inherent behind and key words.
Highlighting chapter 15:5 of Luke he says ‘sheep lie down helplessly when they are lost and refuse to budge…’ This immediately brought back a time in 2019 when I was in Argentina (a beautiful country with tall classical buildings ) with Mission 24. It was the last day of the mission and we were ‘killing time’ . Everyone was doing their own thing and the more confident ones had gone for their daily walk or run. Over the days we had been here, I hadn’t done anything apart from mission work, prayers and services. I thought , it is the last day, I would go out on my own and walk round the block and see the area where we had been staying…. Well, what do you know? I got lost. Sheer panic kicked in , I couldn’t see a landmark , I couldn’t remember the name of the hotel (we had had a co-ordinator book our flights and the hotel and we had been escorted to and fro to events ) so there had been no reason for me to take note. I had not paid any attention to the physical surroundings of where we were staying. Everything now looked the same and different all at the same time. Nothing stood out. I almost fainted.
With my heart racing and sweat on my brow, I crossed over a zebra crossing to a corner shop and tried to explain my plight to the non English speaking merchandiser…. He pointed to where he thought I might be staying . It didn’t look like anything I could remember, was he trying to trick me? I had no option but to give it a try. As I neared the front door of the building he had pointed out, I could see the sofas that I had been sitting on a number of nights before. Like the lost son (described between verses 11 and 24 of Luke 15), I was back where I belonged and what sheer relief.
As I am reflecting on this today, as a result of my reading of the Word the Holy Spirit brings to my attention that many don’t know they are lost or how far they have drifted from shore. Some have moved the landmarks and there are now no longer sign posts, that can lead them back to that safe place, to the Father heart of God. The standard bearers are gone and there is no more beckoning lights at the window.
The good news of the gospel is that there is a light that never goes out. Jesus. The good news is that we have a Savior who is pleading in glory for our safe return and we must get this message out to both unsaved and those who have erred. If anyone wants it. Hayford said that true repentance involves realization of the need to turn, the need to change from the wrong direction that we have been heading. But “We” have to do something . We have to pick ourselves up, turn and seek the heart of the father. Sometimes we have to open our ears to hear difficult answers to our soul searching questions. As we do so, we meet Father running out to meet us with open arms – people need to know he is waiting just over yonder and with no condemnation.
Hayford says that it is at the point of repentance and acceptance that the kingdom of heaven is released through us and revival , celebration , the party….glory to God ….is released ‘amongst us’ touching those around us.
My prayer today, is that the lost ones return and find safety and rest. That we see release, repentance, return and revival (The mighty RRRR’s of God) for many, in our life time.
Evangelist Linda J
Written 27/2/2020 under my E & S anointing