I called the police to see if they could help her. The dispatcher said to me, "I'll send an officer there to put her down." The officer came within a minute and said, "I've been looking for her since yesterday. She was hit by a car as she was slipping on the icy road. I can't get a good shot at her at this angle." Just then my cat got out of the house and wanted to see what we were looking at. We couldn't stop her and she scared the deer to her three hooves. The deer had nowhere to go - a shut gate on one side and a police officer on the other. On his instructions I went out my back door and opened the gate and she hobbled through it and through the yard into the woods. He said she has a chance to mend since there doesn't seem to be any internal injuries - she'll just either die or live with a bad leg.
So how does this illustrate what I was about to share this morning? you may ask. I may be stretching the analogy, but what was on my heart this morning was my fellow sheep who have been wounded by abusive leaders and are now hurt and on their own. I know the pain of isolation from a church fellowship. Being cut off from fellow sheep due to an injury sustained by an under-shepherd at the instigation of a goat in the flock happens way too often. I might compare the lies of the goat to the icy condition and the careless leader to the car that hit the deer. Now that poor deer is more vulnerable to the elements and the wounded Christian in this comparison will be scarred for life or possibly even lose the faith, which would be comparable to dying, spiritually-speaking.
I don't know if you've noticed, but the condition of the church, now that the goats are in control and the sheep are scattered, is close to self-annihilation. The sad story I shared yesterday about the empty church buildings all over Europe give testimony to the failure of institutional churchianity. But Jesus had His own people in those places - as He said to the seven churches in Revelation - there are some who have not defiled their garments. He follows that with the command to "Come out from among her, My people."
I believe we're almost there, if not there already. The watchmen have done their duty to reveal hidden dangers, expose evil, and confront abusive leaders. And yet the people still flock to the hirelings and fill up the pews in the buildings where they eat up all the wood, hay and stubble. And the sheep are not welcome among them.
What more can be done? God will soon stop all His warnings and the judgment that will fall upon the church before He takes it to the world will be great. The ax will fall. At this point 'there is no remedy.'
Let's stay connected in cyberspace. Especially for those who are no longer welcome in the circle of merry-makers.
Even so, LORD come!
"And the LORD God of their fathers sent to them by his messengers, rising up betimes, and sending; because he had compassion on his people, and on his dwelling place: But they mocked the messengers of God, and despised his words, and misused his prophets, until the wrath of the LORD arose against his people, till there was no remedy." - 2 Chr 36:15-16
"Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea;...But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness. Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted...Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come. Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall." 1 Cor 10:1,5-6,11-12
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