The Day of the Lord is a major theme through scripture. The prophets prophesied it and the Apostles preached it; that the church should live for the day of our resurrection and the coming kingdom of God to the earth.
“Behold, the LORD has proclaimed to the end of the earth: Say to the daughter of Zion, “Behold, your salvation comes; behold, his reward is with him, and his recompense before him.” Is 62:11
Being a “Day of the Lord Church” is an even more urgent calling in our day than it was in the days of the Prophets and Apostles. The people of Israel faced exile and foreign invaders, and the NT church faced Roman persecution and the destruction of Jerusalem. We, the church of the 21st century, may be the ones to see the great tribulation and the coming of the Lord to the earth.
What kind of church is Jesus looking to find when he returns to earth? One with a knockout kids program complete with multi-million dollar jungle gyms and Christmas pageants, or full service Christian cafes and bookstores? Not likely.
Jesus said three things:
1. My house will be a house of prayer for all nations
2. Where two or three are gathered there I will be in their midst
3. I will build my church and the gates of hell will not stand against it
Jesus is looking for a church with three characteristics: “Prayer, Presence, and Power”.
God is not calling us to build a “House of Prayer” ministry for the Twin Cities. He is looking for us to call out a church in Minnesota that will pray until His presence and power are poured out among us unto the salvation of thousands and the preparation of the church for His coming to earth. It’s not about adding another program to an already overloaded portfolio of ministry initiatives. It’s about saying “this IS the church”; a people of prayer; a people in passionate pursuit of Him; a people who hear his voice and do His works.
Jesus said: ” Just as it was in the days of Noah, so will it be in the days of the Son of Man.” Lk 17:26 And just as God said to Noah “Make yourself an ark…” (Gen 6:14) we believe He is saying the same thing in our day. Not to build an ark of gopherwood with handtools, but to build a church with intercession, the proclamation of the coming of the Lord, and the exercise of the spiritual gifts in the power of the Holy Spirit. A church prepared for the coming flood on the Day of the Lord.
“By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.” Heb 11:7
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