DO NOT TEST GOD
Frequently, God shows me things. And i am compelled to share some of them with you here. Things that are hidden from plain sight. Obvious things yet, inexplicably, not so obvious. Same things seen by many, but viewed from a different perspective. Though, intangible and invisible, He is changing the landscape of the seen and unseen worlds. He is shifting, and connecting events and situations, masterfully, to prepare for the 2nd Coming of His Son, not for Salvation, but Judgement. Read on to find out how these things, are deeply related to technology, the 2nd coming of His Son, the church, and how we are, unintentionally, testing God.
TECHNOLOGICAL IMPACT
God used technology throughout the Bible to advance His plans and purposes, or simply as tools for the livelihood of people.
Here are some examples :
-
King Solomon used Cedar and Cypress tree for the construction of the Temple.
-
Jesus and His father, Joseph used tools for their work.
-
Paul used Papyrus to write epistles, rolled them up and sent them to churches.
-
Noah built the magnificent ark. (Gen 6)
-
Tubal-Cain became an expert in forging tools of bronze and iron. (Gen 4:22)
TECHNOLOGY : GOOD OR BAD ?
As the day of His coming draws nearer, there has not been an age in history where the sharing of the Good News has accelerated to an unprecedented pace. God’s love for the lost, the work of the Holy Spirit and the use of technology speak volume in these last days.
In this fallen world, everything under the sun, can be used to glorify God, by the Holy Spirit inspired creativity. Likewise, everything can also be abused as destructive tools for the devil. No exception for technology. Babel was built with a technology by a united human effort, but for a wrong reason. Nothing has changed in modern term. Nuclear power are built and converted into weapons, just to name one, for selfish & inconsiderate minority group of politicians with an evil agenda of mass destruction, no matter which side they are from, all in the pretext of self-defence.
PANDEMIC NEW NORMAL IRREGULARITIES
Since the attack of the virus on human more than a year ago, new normal in every aspect of human life is taking shape. And this includes how Christians assemble to worship God. Are Zoom, Meet, Skype, etc, the technological & divine solution that God has prepared for this pandemic ? Continuity of His will has been in God’s mind since the beginning. Hebrews 10:25 says and let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.
This situation triggers me to reflect & research the Word, like the Bereans, to clarify & understand what does these current situations reveal, or mean in the mind of God.
While countries’ Covid-19 casualties increase around the world, it is deeply disturbing & puzzling when religious organisations are still opening up their doors to welcome back devotees to their physical building to congregate during pandemic. No doubt, the world has been enforcing SOP since day 1 of the pandemic, yet the deadly virus still prevail. What are we missing out ? Do not get me wrong, i am a firm believer of practicing SOP, they work.
Some church ministries go online while others offline, and some have both online and offline. They wait for their government instruction to tell them to shut down the church building in the context of lockdown measure. In some instances, families are split over this silly issue. Some go to the physical church, while some stay at home. Those who go to physical church cannot tell whether they have brought back with them the virus to the home, if there is even any. What is the benefit of going to the physical church building when church members have been encouraged to go back as soon as church services end? What fellowship are we talking about here? Any accountability ? We are no less a Christian, less faithful, or implying fearful if we go online. There are more questions in this article than answer, definitely, with no intention to complain, but to help you and i think, and response to what God wants us to do in this difficult time.
ARE WE TESTING GOD ?
Is this the angle how God wants me to see this situation from ? Warning signs and daily upward trends are so blatant, yet we are remaining unresponsive to safeguard what is important, as if we are testing God. And this reminds me of the devil’s attempt to tempt Jesus. Here is what Matthew 4:5-7 says, Then the devil took him to the holy city, Jerusalem, to the highest point of the Temple, and said, “If you are the Son of God, jump off! For the Scriptures say, ‘He will order his angels to protect you. And they will hold you up with their hands so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.’” Jesus responded, “The Scriptures also say,
You must not test the Lord your God.
Listen to the following voices, what are they telling you ?
-
“Go to the crowded place. God will order His angels to protect you from Covid-19.”
-
“Forget about the blood on your door frame. Go out, do not stay indoor, the angel of death will not take your life. Surely God will preserve your life, He will not kill you.”
-
“You won’t die! God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil.”
Does this particular temptation not conceal an underlying issue of the pride of life? (FYI, Satan was tempting Jesus on the lust of the flesh, the pride of life and the lust of the eyes. Perhaps daily, 3 similar temptations affect you and i, and around the world). For eons, these are devil’s modus operandi, in another word, his habits of working. What is hindering us from recognising and learning from history ?
THE CHURCH IS NOT A CHURCH BUILDING !
1 Corinthians 3:9 CLEARLY says, For we are both God’s workers. And you are God’s field. You are God’s building.
This means, we, the body of Christ, are God’s building. This means, we can be a church when we meet offline in a physical church building. We can also be a church when we meet offline in a house. We can also be a church when we meet online in our own respective house with technology. We cannot have physical offline fellowship, but we can have unlimited time fellowshipping with one another online without practicing any SOP. What is obvious but hidden from plain sight?
There are also the issues of internet connectivity, or are there ? According to Global Digital Insights, Internet penetration in some of the countries is nearing 100% in January 2020. And with the pandemic, perhaps it is more now. Check your own country for Internet penetration.
One last thing, in John 10:10, John exposed the devil’s kill, steal and destroy scheme. He is targeting and maneuvering unsuspecting leaders then, followers, feeding on man’s ignorance of the Word, and snatching souls around the world from the pandemic fallout. He knows if he does not work hard now, he will not have the opportunity to do so later. Let’s not be deceived by our former father John 8:44. He is dragging us to the pit with him. From a bigger picture perspective, do not let the plan of God for you, tragically, die with you, unfulfilled. Besides, you do not belong to yourself.
Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 NLT
Go back to basic, go back to the WORD. It has all the answer you need for this season.
Trust God, not man.
You cannot fully trust God unless you read, believe and experience the Word for yourself, basically, have a relationship with Him. Before ending this message, let these 3 verses speak to you regarding our unwillingness to allow the scale to be fallen from our eyes, our shortsightedness and ignorance, or what Jesus often mentioned, darkness.
There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death. Proverbs 14:12 KJV
Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God. 2 Corinthians 4:4 NLT
Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.” John 8:12 NLT
Let’s be wise & be united.
For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. Ephesians 6:12 NLT
Stay safe, stay in the Lord.
He is coming.