Grace Awakening

Have you ever played those games where you have to determine what is missing in the pictures given to you to look at?  It is pretty easy to pick out what is missing when there are four or five pictures.  But, when you have a lot of pictures to look at, it is easy to miss what is different.

I wish it was like that in the Church - we would have so much wrong that we have missed something.  Fortunately for us, there are a few major issues in our churches today that are easily identified.  It is up to you to fix what is missing.

Do you notice what is missing from today’s passage?  It is both obvious and not.  I wish I could hide the page from you for a moment to let you think, but I cannot.  What is missing from this passage is the men.  “You tolerate the woman Jezebel” to teach and lead God’s servants astray.  Ok, you might hate me for this and you might think I’m stretching a bit, but hear me out.  The church of Thyatira had the same problem that we have in our churches today – milk toast, muffin eating, tea – toddling men who are more interested in their own selfish wants than being the man God called them to be.  Yes, you heard me right, men we are stupidly failing our families and our churches because we will not stand up and be the man of God we are supposed to be.  We have, for the most part, abdicated our roles as men and leaders in our homes and churches because we are too worried about what we want.  The men in Thyatira “tolerated” Jezebel.  The Scripture seems to indicate the reason why – because they could get “lucky” with Jezebel.  Jezebel was definitely teaching some way wrong doctrine, and the milk toast men were thinking about something other than righteousness and holiness.

Boil it all down to the basics men, we are not that far off.  We may not have a “Jezebel” with her own private lounge just off the narthex, but we do have a tendency to be disobedient to God and make very poor decisions because we are afraid that our wives might get mad at us and not give us any sex for the next three weeks.  Men, all I have to say to us is this, “Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.  Let all that you do be done in love.” 

1 Corinthians 16:13, 14

If we are truly serious about revival in our churches, it is past time for us men to stand up and lead instead of being self absorbed in our own worlds and letting the women do all the work.  Leadership of the home and the church falls on the shoulders of the men – not the women. I’m not saying that the women cannot do the work (they’ve been carrying our weight for years, men), but it is not their role to lead.  Pray men, fervently and passionately, that God will sculpt you personally into the man of God that He desires.  Take a long, hard, brutal look at yourself in the mirror and ask God to reveal to you what is lacking and beg Him to fix it.  Don’t give up the fight because it is too hard.  It is going to be very hard, brutally hard.  But don’t quit.  If you have to find another man to thump you a few times when you want to quit, do it.  Much is depending on us men.

Our churches need godly men to lead – not just pastors and deacons/elders.  He needs men in every aspect of the church ministry to lead.  He needs these strong men to help keep each other on track – even the pastoral staff.  Did you notice something else in that verse?  By all appearances, the pastor of the church in Thyatira was tolerating this woman!  It just goes to show you that the pastor is human too.  He needs encouragement and sometimes, he needs rebuke.

Revival must begin in the hearts of people.  Revival must start in the hearts of us men – you and me!  We can no longer tolerate false, unscriptural teaching in the church and not expect God to deal harshly with us men.  I believe that if the men of Thyatira had been doing what they were supposed to in God’s order of things, Jezebel would be plying her wares somewhere else.  On that note, we have given quarter to unsound Biblical teaching and instruction.  Whether your “Jezebel” is an actual woman exerting ungodly influence or a man is not the point.  The point is that godly men are missing in our churches.  The point is that godly men are not standing up for the Truth of God’s Word.

Men, you and I must take our roles seriously – in the home and in the church.  Our wives are not going to stand in front of God and give an account for the way they have led.  You and I are going to stand in front of God and give an account for the way we have led.  God will deal with Jezebel – that is a fact.  But, God will also deal with the ones who have tolerated Jezebel and her teachings.

  “I gave her time to repent, and she does not want to repent of her immorality.  Behold, I (God) will throw her on a bed of sickness, and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of her deeds.” 

 There is still time for the hearts of the men to change.  There is still time for the hearts of the men to be turned back to their own wives and to their God.  There is still time for us men.  Wives, pray for your man.  Pray with all the passion that you possess that God will transform your milk toast, muffin eating, tea toddling man into a strong, courageous, godly man who leads his family as its prophet, priest, and king; and that the leadership in the home will be reflected in the church.  Allow God to fix what is missing.  Allow God to move.  And, by all means, encourage him to be God's man.

Heavenly Daddy,