The power of the Holy Spirit is not a gentle dove beating her wings against the bars outside of the preachers soul. Holy Spirit power is the knight-hood for the soldier-preacher who has wrestled in prayer and gained the victory.
We need fire-brand preachers who have the power to gather christian troops, to deliver people from a delirious chaotic society that offers nothing but adultery, abortion, murder, bribery and has no vision. Words of emotion have no momentum.
Away with this palsied, powerless, complacent, compromising, preaching which is unmoving because it was born in a tomb instaed of a womb and nourished in a fireless, prayerless soul.
Joel declaress a national crisis and a national solution. It is not politics!
Taken from Joel 1:9-11 and 2:1
“Weep like a young virgin dressed in black, mourning the loss of her fiancé. Without grain and grapes, worship has been brought to a standstill in the Sanctuary of God.
The priests are mourning because they have no offerings to make, but they are more concerned for themselves because without these offerings the priests lose their main source of food.
The fields lie desolate. The earth herself mourns the loss,
For her golden grain is ruined. The fruits of her vines have withered.
Her gift of oil has dried up. Wilt in shame, you farmers. Wail with screams, you vinedressers. Grieve for the wheat and the barley;
Grieve, for the crops in the field are ruined. The grapevines have withered and died. The fig trees have dried up. The pomegranate, the date-palm, the apple tree – indeed all the trees of the field – have dried up. Joy has withered on the branches of the people and turned to shame.”
Using the Message Bible and the Voice Bible translations we can see why there needed to be an Awakening.
Vs 9-10
The grain offering – the Word of God, and the ‘drink offering’ – Holy Spirit, were cut off from the church.
- Church brought to a standstill.
- The ‘priests’ the pastors were mourning:
- For themselves – unable to deliver what was required, and could not ‘shepherd the sheep. (Feed and water).
- Fields are sterile – source has dried up, no grain – word
- Fields are lifeless – wine and oil dried up, no presence of God.
Vs 11
Grieve, mourn, wail with screams, wring your hands in despair because the source the fruit of the field is dry.
It is a call to the church leaders to cry out, to groan for revelation not information of God. The church was born in a fire Ac 2. When the Lord’s presence is spoken from the parched throats of preachers the message is but a flameless dry wind of memories. Messages of ‘use to be’s’; over desolate hearts of congregations and the people scatter. The message historic causes people to become hysteric
Could we as preachers cry as David did: Ps 24:3
- “Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? And who shall stand in his holy place?”
- “He who has clean hands and a pure heart”.
There is the situation and desolate position of a nation.
What is it?
Vs 11 – 12 we find four things lacking:
- grain is destroyed – bread the word is lacking.
- Fig tree – no healing present
- Palm tree – inting ceases to flow in power.
- Apple tree – withers – truth of God’s word.
The priests are to do these things:
- Blow a trumpet in Zion: breathe salvation and healing into dry bones again.
- Sound an alarm: Trumpet the gospel afresh, from the prayer room.
- Let all people tremble: when mercy is rejected judgment is invited.
- Preach resurrection of the dead, and 2nd Coming.
Finally: Joel 2:11 “The Lord utters His voice before His army, for his camp is exceedingly great; He who executes his word is powerful”.
Execute His Word!