APOSTOLIC ACTING OUT
THERE IS A TIME FOR EVERYTHING, BUT TIME IS RUNNING OUT
Scripture text – Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 – “1To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: 2A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; 3A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; 4A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; 5A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; 6A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; 7A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; 8A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.”
In October 2002, there was an incident, among many, of a sniper shooting in Washington, D.C. There were probably several opinions about who the sniper was at that time. One thing that was agreed upon was that it was a terrorist act. I heard about this and I listened to people talk about it and I wondered how they really felt about it. Did they think that it was just more bad news and it was a shame that it happened, and then just go on with their lives and forget about it after a few weeks? Or did they realize that our world was falling apart and the end might be near? When I heard of this, I thought that it was just a part of all of the prophecies being fulfilled like Jesus prophesied in Matthew 24:6-12 – “6And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. 7For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. 8All these are the beginning of sorrows. 9Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake. 10And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. 11And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. 12And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.”
So people may wonder sometimes, “Why would God let things like this happen?” I believe that if they will read that scripture, they will not ask that question. I don’t believe God lets things like this happen; it is just that everyone was born in sin and some people choose to do sinful things like this. God is not going to be over us like a puppet master, pulling our strings when we are about to mess up. He created us in His own image, which includes a mind of our own and freedom of choice just like He has. It was His decision to create the world; His decision to kick Adam and Eve out of the Garden of Eden when Eve chose to disobey God and take the serpent’s advice and eat of the fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil and when Adam chose to take some fruit from Eve. It was God’s decision to destroy the earth with the flood; God’s decision to come down to earth as Jesus Christ and set the world free from the bondage of sin; and it will be God’s decision to come back when everything has come to pass.
I believe that there has been a lot that has come and gone that Jesus talked about. Everyone knows how fast time goes by. As fast as time is going by, that is how much faster the coming of the Lord is getting. Here is what I think we should do to help us get ready faster for the coming of the Lord. In 2 Kings 2:8-15 –
“8And Elijah took his mantle, and wrapped it together, and smote the waters, and they were divided hither and thither, so that they two went over on dry ground. 9And it came to pass, when they were gone over, that Elijah said unto Elisha, Ask what I shall do for thee, before I be taken away from thee. And Elisha said, I pray thee, let a double portion of they spirit be upon me. 10And he said, Thou hast asked a hard thing: nevertheless, if thou see me when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee; but if not, it shall not be so. 11And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. 12And Elisha saw it, and he cried, My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof. And he saw him no more: and he took hold of his own clothes, and rent them in two pieces. 13He took up also the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and went back, and stood by the bank of Jordan; 14And he took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and smote the waters, and said, Where is the Lord God of Elijah? and when he also had smitten the waters, they parted hither and thither: and Elisha went over. 15And when the sons of the prophets which were to view at Jericho saw him, they said, The spirit of Elijah doth rest on Elisha. And they came to meet him, and bowed themselves to the ground before him.”
Here Elisha asks for a double portion of Elijah’s spirit. That is what I want to ask God of. Sure, I already have His Spirit dwelling inside of me, but what would I be like if I had a double portion of the Holy Ghost? I believe I might be like David, because Solomon says in Proverbs 16:7 – “7When a man’s ways please the Lord, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him.”
If we want our enemies to be at peace with us, I believe it would please God if we did what David did. I am sure it took everything David had to get what he wanted from God, like it says in 2 Samuel 6:13-15 – “13And it was so, that when they that bare the ark of the Lord had gone six paces, he sacrificed oxen and fatlings. 14And David danced before the Lord with all his might; and David was girded with a linen ephod. 15So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the Lord with shouting, and with the sound of the trumpet.”
We need to dance like David danced. We need to praise God like David praised God in 2 Samuel 22:2-7; 29-36 – “2And he said, The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; 3The God of my rock; in him will I trust: he is my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower, and my refuge, my saviour; thou savest me from violence. 4I will call on the Lord, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies. 5When the waves of death compassed me, the floods of ungodly men made me afraid; 6The sorrows of hell compassed me about; the snares of death prevented me; 7In my distress I called upon the Lord, and cried to my God: and he did hear my voice out of his temple, and my cry did enter into his ears. 29For thou art my lamp, O Lord: and the Lord will lighten my darkness. 30For by thee I have run through a troop: by my God have I leaped over a wall. 31As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the Lord is tried: he is a buckler to all them that trust in him. 32For who is God, save the Lord? and who is a rock, save our God? 33God is my strength and power: and he maketh my way perfect. 34He maketh my feet like hinds’ feet: and setteth me upon my high places. 35He teacheth my hands to war; so that a bow of steel is broken by mine arms. 36Thou hast also given me the shield of thy salvation: and thy gentleness hath made me great.”
That goes back to Ecclesiastes 3:8 – “8A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.” In this situation, David had just finished being in a war and he prevailed by the help of God. David was a soldier for God just like it says in 2 Timothy 2:3-4 – “3Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. 4No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.”
We need to be a soldier in God’s army. If there has ever been a time, it is now. The world is getting more and more evil, but at the same time, there are more and more people getting the Holy Ghost, now than ever before as the prophet Joel prophesied in Joel 2:28-29 – “28And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: 29And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit.”
There is a song that says that we have momentum, because we have been on a roll for two thousand years or so. The more we tell people about God, the greater the momentum is going to be. It goes on to say that this party ain’t over till we take flight; which means we can’t stop testifying and spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ until the rapture. It finally says that once you start an avalanche, there ain’t no turning back; which means Jesus Christ started an avalanche on the cross. I believe the avalanche started when they pierced Jesus’ side and out came blood and water; which now the blood and water of Jesus has avalanched in forgiving the sins of billions of people. Our momentum is so great that when time is up, the avalanche will have buried the enemy and we will live and reign with Jesus forever. I can see the devil; and he can hear the avalanche coming; and he is panicking because he knows that the end is near and he has to become desperate and more evil than ever before while he still has time; because he knows that in the end, the army of God’s momentous avalanche will overtake him in the end.
So like it says in Ecclesiastes 3:6 – “6A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;” Now is the time to get a double portion of the Holy Ghost; the time to lose the chains that the devil has on you; the time to keep fighting the devil and win as many souls as possible until the time comes for God to cast away the devil into the bottomless pit forever. It is now time for us to join the army of God and shout the victory to the end like Jesus says in Matthew 24:13 – “13But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.”
In October 2002, there was an incident, among many, of a sniper shooting in Washington, D.C. There were probably several opinions about who the sniper was at that time. One thing that was agreed upon was that it was a terrorist act. I heard about this and I listened to people talk about it and I wondered how they really felt about it. Did they think that it was just more bad news and it was a shame that it happened, and then just go on with their lives and forget about it after a few weeks? Or did they realize that our world was falling apart and the end might be near? When I heard of this, I thought that it was just a part of all of the prophecies being fulfilled like Jesus prophesied in Matthew 24:6-12 – “6And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. 7For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. 8All these are the beginning of sorrows. 9Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake. 10And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. 11And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. 12And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.”
So people may wonder sometimes, “Why would God let things like this happen?” I believe that if they will read that scripture, they will not ask that question. I don’t believe God lets things like this happen; it is just that everyone was born in sin and some people choose to do sinful things like this. God is not going to be over us like a puppet master, pulling our strings when we are about to mess up. He created us in His own image, which includes a mind of our own and freedom of choice just like He has. It was His decision to create the world; His decision to kick Adam and Eve out of the Garden of Eden when Eve chose to disobey God and take the serpent’s advice and eat of the fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil and when Adam chose to take some fruit from Eve. It was God’s decision to destroy the earth with the flood; God’s decision to come down to earth as Jesus Christ and set the world free from the bondage of sin; and it will be God’s decision to come back when everything has come to pass.
I believe that there has been a lot that has come and gone that Jesus talked about. Everyone knows how fast time goes by. As fast as time is going by, that is how much faster the coming of the Lord is getting. Here is what I think we should do to help us get ready faster for the coming of the Lord. In 2 Kings 2:8-15 –
“8And Elijah took his mantle, and wrapped it together, and smote the waters, and they were divided hither and thither, so that they two went over on dry ground. 9And it came to pass, when they were gone over, that Elijah said unto Elisha, Ask what I shall do for thee, before I be taken away from thee. And Elisha said, I pray thee, let a double portion of they spirit be upon me. 10And he said, Thou hast asked a hard thing: nevertheless, if thou see me when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee; but if not, it shall not be so. 11And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. 12And Elisha saw it, and he cried, My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof. And he saw him no more: and he took hold of his own clothes, and rent them in two pieces. 13He took up also the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and went back, and stood by the bank of Jordan; 14And he took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and smote the waters, and said, Where is the Lord God of Elijah? and when he also had smitten the waters, they parted hither and thither: and Elisha went over. 15And when the sons of the prophets which were to view at Jericho saw him, they said, The spirit of Elijah doth rest on Elisha. And they came to meet him, and bowed themselves to the ground before him.”
Here Elisha asks for a double portion of Elijah’s spirit. That is what I want to ask God of. Sure, I already have His Spirit dwelling inside of me, but what would I be like if I had a double portion of the Holy Ghost? I believe I might be like David, because Solomon says in Proverbs 16:7 – “7When a man’s ways please the Lord, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him.”
If we want our enemies to be at peace with us, I believe it would please God if we did what David did. I am sure it took everything David had to get what he wanted from God, like it says in 2 Samuel 6:13-15 – “13And it was so, that when they that bare the ark of the Lord had gone six paces, he sacrificed oxen and fatlings. 14And David danced before the Lord with all his might; and David was girded with a linen ephod. 15So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the Lord with shouting, and with the sound of the trumpet.”
We need to dance like David danced. We need to praise God like David praised God in 2 Samuel 22:2-7; 29-36 – “2And he said, The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; 3The God of my rock; in him will I trust: he is my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower, and my refuge, my saviour; thou savest me from violence. 4I will call on the Lord, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies. 5When the waves of death compassed me, the floods of ungodly men made me afraid; 6The sorrows of hell compassed me about; the snares of death prevented me; 7In my distress I called upon the Lord, and cried to my God: and he did hear my voice out of his temple, and my cry did enter into his ears. 29For thou art my lamp, O Lord: and the Lord will lighten my darkness. 30For by thee I have run through a troop: by my God have I leaped over a wall. 31As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the Lord is tried: he is a buckler to all them that trust in him. 32For who is God, save the Lord? and who is a rock, save our God? 33God is my strength and power: and he maketh my way perfect. 34He maketh my feet like hinds’ feet: and setteth me upon my high places. 35He teacheth my hands to war; so that a bow of steel is broken by mine arms. 36Thou hast also given me the shield of thy salvation: and thy gentleness hath made me great.”
That goes back to Ecclesiastes 3:8 – “8A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.” In this situation, David had just finished being in a war and he prevailed by the help of God. David was a soldier for God just like it says in 2 Timothy 2:3-4 – “3Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. 4No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.”
We need to be a soldier in God’s army. If there has ever been a time, it is now. The world is getting more and more evil, but at the same time, there are more and more people getting the Holy Ghost, now than ever before as the prophet Joel prophesied in Joel 2:28-29 – “28And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: 29And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit.”
There is a song that says that we have momentum, because we have been on a roll for two thousand years or so. The more we tell people about God, the greater the momentum is going to be. It goes on to say that this party ain’t over till we take flight; which means we can’t stop testifying and spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ until the rapture. It finally says that once you start an avalanche, there ain’t no turning back; which means Jesus Christ started an avalanche on the cross. I believe the avalanche started when they pierced Jesus’ side and out came blood and water; which now the blood and water of Jesus has avalanched in forgiving the sins of billions of people. Our momentum is so great that when time is up, the avalanche will have buried the enemy and we will live and reign with Jesus forever. I can see the devil; and he can hear the avalanche coming; and he is panicking because he knows that the end is near and he has to become desperate and more evil than ever before while he still has time; because he knows that in the end, the army of God’s momentous avalanche will overtake him in the end.
So like it says in Ecclesiastes 3:6 – “6A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;” Now is the time to get a double portion of the Holy Ghost; the time to lose the chains that the devil has on you; the time to keep fighting the devil and win as many souls as possible until the time comes for God to cast away the devil into the bottomless pit forever. It is now time for us to join the army of God and shout the victory to the end like Jesus says in Matthew 24:13 – “13But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.”
