Babylon the Great is Fallen Pt 5 of 6
by David Orton
A Warning To The Church
Part 5 of 6
In Parts 3 and 4 we have discovered coming out of Babylon involves renewal of heart. We will now consider two other elements: restoration of relationships, and the rebuilding of the house of prayer.
Restoration of Relationship
“See, I will send you the prophet Elijah before that great dreadful day of the Lord comes. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers; or else I will come and strike the land with a curse” (Mal 4: 5,6 NIV).
“…’To be sure Elijah comes and will restore all things’. …he was talking to them about John the Baptist” (Mtt 17: 11,13 NIV).
The prophetic forerunner spirit prepares the way for visitation by bringing restoration to relationships.
In times of revival hearts begin to bow again before the majesty of his felt presence. God begins to require purity, brokenness, and humility in all of our relationships. If we come to the altar knowing our brother has something against us, we are commanded to go and first be reconciled.[1] Is it possible that our worship and our sacrifices, our singing and our praying, are actually grieving the heart of God?[2] Absolutely!
No amount of praying or religious exercise will move God when unresolved relationships and offences break our fellowship with him and with one another.
“If any one says, ‘I love God,’ yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For any one who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother” (I Jn 4: 19-21 NIV).
If we are serious in our pursuit of God, we cannot escape the light of God searching our hearts on these issues. He will not permit us to move on until our hearts break in repentance and restitution. In fact, he will resist us. No amount of good intentions, human planning or effort will move us forward if we have unresolved attitudes of bitterness and resentment.
If we need to write a letter, make a telephone call, or see somebody, whatever the cost – do it. Weighty matters are at stake. We are in travail for the visitation of God to the earth – for an outpouring of the Spirit to awaken and transform our world.
One of the specific areas the Holy Spirit is speaking about is the relationship of the fathers to the sons. While it is fitting for sons to honour their fathers, both natural and spiritual, the order of Malachi’s prophecy is very significant. The hearts of the fathers are first turned to their sons before the hearts of the sons are turned to the fathers (see Mal 4:5-6). The initiative is with the fathers. David, the man after the heart of God, prayed, “Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, O God, till I declare your power to the next generation, your might to all who are to come” (Psa 71:18 NIV emphasis mine). The whole DNA of fatherhood is geared to raising up sons – to releasing a new generation. Pastors and ministry leaders, please hear me - this means a change of heart and ultimately letting go. Let’s stop making excuses and pass on the baton!
Rebuilding the Houser of Prayer
“See, I will send my messenger (John the Baptist), who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple… But who can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand when he appears? For he will be like a refiner’s fire or a launderer’s soap. He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver” (Mal 3: 1-3 NIV).
“‘It is written’…’My house will be called a house of prayer, but you are making it a den of robbers’” (Mtt 21:13 NIV).
“And I will pour out on the house of David…a spirit of grace and supplication” (Zech 12:10 NIV).
The prophetic forerunner spirit prepares the way for Christ to come and cleanse his temple. His first advent set the pattern for every future visitation. Here lies the core diagnosis already outlined in this book. When Jesus came, the temple of God was filled with worldly transactions and those making gain for themselves. Self-seeking and worldly values, as explained throughout this book, predominate in the Western church. Too often ministerial success and status are determined by worldly measures - in dollars and numbers. While these can certainly multiply under the blessing of God, they are not our motive, nor our goal. Neither are they the measure of our obedience to the will of God.
The seduction, though, of trading our ministry gift for personal gain is powerful. Even so, ministers and leaders do not, overall, trade for financial advantage. The enemy of our soul is more subtle. We sell ourselves for the acceptance of our people or peers - for popularity, prestige, or position. Our personal security, our reputation, our recognition, and our ministerial success are maintained by this mercurial spirit. By selling ourselves for personal advantage the house of God has thrown out the welcome mat to opportunism and commercialism, in fact, to what the prophets called a “spirit of prostitution”.[3]
Western Christianity has become almost totally narcissistic as we worship our own image in God’s house. But the prophets declare that when Jesus comes to his house all idolatry will be purged. And his glory will fill the temple. But he will not share it with another. It is his house and his glory. How much of our ministry comes from our need to seek our own glory – for personal significance and a sense of identity?[4] To the degree we seek our glory to that degree the glory of God cannot return to the temple. Like John the Baptist, are we willing to decrease for him to increase?
An excerpt from David Orton’s book, “Snakes in the Temple: Unmasking Idolatry in Today’s Church”.
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[1] Mtt.5: 21-26
[2] Isa 1:13-20
[3] Hos 5:4
[4] Jn 7:18
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