Recently, the Lord spoke to me about the sacred church and the scared church. The word “sacred” means “connected to God for a purpose.” The word “scared” means “to be fearful or frightened.”
In my opinion, in America and in the nations of the world right now, churches are either one or the other. They are either the sacred church or a scared church.
I understand that in many different states and regions in America, the restrictions and guidelines are varied. I understand that some nations have more restrictions still in place than others. I understand abiding and respecting the government restrictions and guidelines. However, I remember the moment during all of this when God spoke to me, and I knew it was time to stand up. I knew when the Lord impressed upon me to begin having live, public gatherings again. There were only a couple of churches in our region that reopened once the restrictions due to the pandemic began to lift. We were one of them. We began having public gatherings and services again. By the fourth week, we were functioning normally with nursery and children’s church as well as our Sunday morning service.
I didn’t realize that there were still many churches in our area and all over America that hadn’t returned to public services. Many churches still hadn’t returned to holding live services even in areas where the restrictions had been partially or completely lifted. I began to ask the Lord why this was happening. This is when the Lord began to speak to me about the sacred church and the scared church. Many have not returned to hosting live church services because they are so scared or frightened. Many have been influenced by the news and the media to the point where they will not return to live services.
Prophetic voices have been prophesying that many churches will not recover. Not because of the pandemic but because of the fear that will keep them from moving forward. I want to urge you, if you are in an area where you are able to open and have services, and you’re not, reopen! Leaders in the body of Christ, this is your time to stand up and let your voice be heard. Let it be said of you that you responded in faith, not in fear. The Blood of Jesus has never lost its power. We need to be the ones who are full of faith, expecting miracles and resisting fear instead of surrendering to it.
This is an hour where we need to stand up and be the sacred church. We must be the church devoted to God and driven by the purpose He has given to us. We must arise and be the sacred church in this hour. We must be motivated by the truth of God’s Word: that nothing is impossible, that we have the authority God has given to us. This is a time to be full of faith, not fear. Faith must be what motivates us as we continue to go after the things of God.
These are unprecedented times; we are walking through territory that no one else has ever had to navigate. However, we must not be scared. We must be sacred, wholly devoted to the Lord and advancing His kingdom no matter what. I believe God is about to pour out His Spirit as never before. I believe there will be demonstrations of the power of God different than anything we’ve ever experienced. I truly believe we are on the verge of revival and awakening. But it will only come through the sacred church, not the scared church. It is time! We can’t be scared; we must become sacred! {eoa}
Joe Joe Dawson is the founder and apostle of Roar Apostolic Network and Roar Church Texarkana.
For the original article, visit joejoedawson.net.
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