Human idealism is one of the worst enemies of truth and perhaps the biggest deceiver of zealous Christians. Zeal is not the problem, since the exhortation to overcome lukewarmness is to “be zealous therefore and repent” (see Revelation 3:19). We could use more zeal in these times, and our King deserves it. However, sometimes if the enemy cannot stop us, he will get behind us and push us too far. This is how he often trips up the zealous. 

         Some Christians have a vision for what the church is supposed to be like based more on their ideals than on truth. When a church does not meet their ideals, they can, in their zeal, challenge, reject, or desert it instead of considering that they may have been sent there to help impart and achieve their vision. 

         I have heard people who have left bodies of believers saying, “When the church becomes what it’s supposed to be, I’ll  come back.” They may try to come back, but their place will have already been taken by others, and by then the church will be so much further down the road, they’ll never catch up. Many Christians who desert the church are running from the process of becoming who they are called to be. 

         If we are prone to running from difficulties, people, or things that do not meet our expectations, we will likely spend our entire lives running from one disappointment to the next, like the Israelites who wandered in the wilderness and never entered the promised land. As the saying goes, “Any jackass can kick a barn down, but it takes a skillful carpenter to build one.” As we are told in Hebrews 6:12, it takes “faith and patience” to attain the promises. Seeing the vision is the easy part, but who will have the patience to see the vision fulfilled?  

         The true church is the greatest society the world has ever known and a bridge to the kingdom of God, even when it is still maturing. The body of Christ is the most powerful and compelling entity on earth, far more than any government or organization, though still in its formative stages.

         When we come into just a small amount of unity, our power grows. We may not see this now because of our limited experience, and many are deluded, thinking their limited church experience is indicative of the whole church. Others allow their cynicism and unbelief to cloud their vision, but the body of Christ is being built by the Lord and will become everything He said it will be. 

        We may look at the church in our own country and think the body of Christ is the weakest it has ever been. This may be true, but the Lord uses the weak to confound the strong. We are just getting to the place where we are humble enough for God to use us to demonstrate His power. 

        Never give up on the body of Christ—not the one in your country, city, or even your own congregation. If it is weak, foolish, divided, or full of dry bones, it may just be ready for a great revival. Dry wood ignites faster and burns faster. Ask for the Lord’s vision for your congregation, then proclaim it and pray that every member sees it. Don’t be a “jackass” kicking everything down; be a builder with Christ. As we are exhorted in Hebrews 6:10-12:

         For God is not unjust so as to forget your work and the love which you have shown toward His name, in having ministered and in still ministering to the saints. 

         And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence so as to realize the full assurance of hope until the end, 

         so that you will not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises. 

         Are we ministering to the saints, or are we discouraging them? Are we discouraged by the church? Discouragement is unbelief, which is sin. If we are discouraged with the church, we are discouraged with Christ’s own work, since He’s the one building it.

         Has our faith grown weak because we did not unite it with the patience required to inherit the promises? Biblically, we could say that anything that happens too fast or too easily is usually insignificant. Consider how long it took the Lord to raise up some of the great works and leaders in Scripture or in history. If what we are envisioning takes a long time, maybe God truly has something significant planned for us. 

© 2024 Rick Joyner. All Rights Reserved.