I sincerely apologize–for some reason I missed the notification and did not see your comment until now. That sounded like an amazing experience, and I can see why it brought you to tears. The Creator reveals His love in so many ways. Thank you for sharing it. – Pamela.

Amen. I am in agreement with all you say.
The Lord is preparing His remnant & separating the goats from the sheep.
We are in the last days.
Praying for my prodigal son & my ears to hear & a willing heart to go where Holy Spirit leads me.

Afflicted with the “male” gene ;) I can be locked in on what I’m doing and oblivious to what is happening around me. So the Lord gets my attention with either a “whap” upside the head, or getting in the middle of what I’m so intently focused on until I recognize Him and stop to hear Him and learn.

About the state of the Church (ecclesia), and what it is that keeps us divided and defeated, I have to agree with Sam that it is myriad doctrines by men – but really needs to focus on “men” more than doctrine. We need to repent from following men, in lieu of Christ via the Holy Spirit. Never once have I heard a man preach on 1 John 2:27, which says in part “You do not need a man to teach you … the Holy Spirit will teach you everything and what the Holy Spirit teaches is true” (not false or with ulterior motives like the things men teach). The end of that verse tells us to obey the Holy Spirit – i.e., be taught by Him and apply / obey what He teaches … through which we will “remain in union with Jesus” and thereby each other.

So unity looks like renouncing and coming away from men who presume to teach in the place of Christ (without authority) and submitting exclusively to the teaching of the Holy Spirit and obeying. That’s conveyed in 1 John 2:27. I believe also that is echoed in Revelation 18:4 which tells us to “come out of her (religious harlotry) my people” and Revelation 3:20 which finds Christ locked out of the church and knocking on the door of it to rescue out of it any person who hears him knocking. It strikes me that when someone opens the door in Revelation 3:20, Jesus does not go in to the church, he goes into the man who answers the door.

That in itself is startling to contemplate … the man is IN CHURCH where ostensibly, the saved followers of Christ are “gathering together”, yet Christ is locked out of the church, and the man who answers the door does not have Christ within him – which he would IF he were born again. So the church is apparently filled with unregenerate religious practitioners – and the born again / sons of God / brothers of Christ – are found outside the church.

Another sobering thought – if as in Revelation 3:20 Christ does NOT go in to the church, and in Revelation 18:4 tells His people to come out … what of all the reborn brothers and sisters who go into such churches and take the presence of Christ with them – aren’t they in essence forcing Christ to enter / or at least come with them – into whoredom? Harlotry? What of all our ideas of “ushering in revival” or change to such churches? I’ve always been met with resistance and hatred in such places … and the few times the Lord has had me take a whip to them (in the way that’s right for the way I’m wired) or overturn their sacred cows and money tables – all they have ever done is circle the wagons and escort me out.

Based on my experience (67 years), I think the only solution is Revelation 3:20 and 18:4 – people must be woken up to the Holy Spirit by Christ Himself – relentlessly knocking – whereupon He enters into them in Spirit and gives them Himself what the churches NEVER gave them. And once out, they need to stay out and not go running back into the whore house to attempt rehabilitating the harlot(s). In much the same way that Lazarus came out of the tomb, he did not go back.

Years ago, there was a spit-fire of an old lady who continued attending the church I was led to leave. She told me after one service, she distinctly felt the Holy Spirit blow past her and out the door. The Spirit prompted me to ask her “why didn’t you follow Him out then and there?” She continued to attend. Until finally the pastor, who was a wicked man, told her to get out in his sermon, by referring to “false prophets” (indirectly aimed at her). If only people cleaved to Christ the way they do to their human teachers and Laodicean churches.

It’s interesting Pam that the birds do so out in the open – with no covering of any kind – prostrate under the sun – nothing between them and the source of their life, healing, comfort. We should all be that way – fully exposed / completely vulnerable – under the sun (Son).

Love you Pam! Jack and Karen