He knows our names---With Tender Hand~He lifted me!

Sunday Morning's sermon at Central Church of God

Lead on, O King Eternal, The day of march has come; Henceforth in fields of conquest Thy tents shall be our home. Thro' days of preparation Thy grace has made us strong, And now, O King Eternal, We lift our battle song.

Lead on, O King Eternal, Till sin's fierce war shall cease, And holiness shall whisper The sweet Amen of peace; For not with swords loud clashing, Nor roll of stirring drums, With deeds of love and mercy The heav'nly kingdom comes.

Lead on, O King Eternal, We follow, not with fears; For gladness breaks like morning Where'er Thy face appears; Thy cross is lifted o'er us; We journey in its light: The crown awaits the conquest; Lead on, O God of might.

How God storms the Bastilles of our hearts with Grace and Mercy! Mercy and Grace will follow me, all of the days of my life… The sermon on Sunday was not of my doctrinal perspective, but it was truly the heart of God for His people.

Behold!

Look for me! God is saying. Are we looking for Him to even address us? Are we beholding His dealings with us in our relationship with Him in the Churches (that is who He was talking to, the churches) God said He is following hard after the souls that are following after Him. (Like the Philistines following Saul in combat in 1 Chronicles) He is standing at the door and knocking! Why isn't He in the Church?

If anyone opens the door

That means the church does more than just shake his hand in decorum and politeness, He will be in their life(the life of the church, that is). God is storming our hearts with Himself. He is supping with us to find the need and meet the need of our hearts. That is the deepest condescenscion. He has a vendetta of mercy (as it were) that He is pointing at us. God’s love is deliberate and intentional.

We can't really appropriate this on our own. It is a corporate promise and We receive it in conjunction with our allegiance to the disciplines of Church membership and fellowship. Some of it is personally received, but God's promise here and his knocking is on the door of the Church after repentance and forgiveness was received. His Church is the outworking of that.

To the utmost, Jesus saves! The delicate and the sublime and the needy and unchurched are both stormed by God’s intensity. New York kind of in your face religion and the polite and delicate neat church of the NC are both won to Christ’s intensity of getting into your life reality. What do we want? The Pastor preached a little while ago. Conformity to Christ?

When do we want it? If we are waiting to pursue Christ for a better day we are the ones missing out on the healing hand of God in our deepest need. Halleluia, What a Savior! Free at last, Free at last...(Our souls most imminent need)Redemption accomplished!

Lead on Oh King Eternal—Storm us for your glory!

Revelation 3:19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. Revelation 3:20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. Revelation 3:21 To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne. Revelation 3:22 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.