There are many parallels between the natural and the spiritual. Take for example some of the most decorated soldiers In school they we not always the popular one, often times they led a quiet life, with no fan base or groups of fellow students to cheer them on, kind of like Gideon, the Shepherd boy who turned king, and the disciples whom Jesus chose.
In fact most students wanted to be amongst the popular ones, or just to be friends with them, even though it could and often duid cost them their own integrity, to where they basically sold out their destiny to gain access to what they deemed as that of societal value.
Yet in the spiritual realm, these quiet ones who quietly went about their own business with no desire to be noiticed, were labeled arch enemy number #1 by the forces of darkness.
Now, people looked at them through spiritual eyes, they may have just picked up on the inward tenacity that fueled their warrior spirit within them.
The same could be said for the modern-day Church landscape, where many want to be part of the “popular Church”. You know, the big Church with a grand ole production of entertainment in their services, big screens and smoke machine. Because after all. they must be authentic, just look at how many people they have drawn, and the money they are receiving. Campuses are being built in the most affluent and popular neighborhoods.
Now, for the record, I am not claiming that they all fit in this class, however, I want to share a dream I had 20 years ago.
Now this was a very real-life dream where I found myself standing next to a man who showed me a picture of a mega Church which by all accounts on the surface looked like it was prospering, and it was also adding to the Kingdom.
But upon a closer look, the man beside me revealed it was actually a grave yard of stolen destinies, where like Esau, they had sold their destiny for a temporary fix, a hunger they felt needed to be filled,
He then took me in the spirit to now be standing in front of what appeared to be a rundown Church, the paint on the outside was peeling, the cross on the steeple was a little crooked, and once inside you could see the carpet was worn, the pews were outdated, the choir books where held together with what looked like duct tape – yet up at the front where the altar was, something powerful was happening.
As we walked up there I saw what seemed to be all the members of that congregation, from the youngest to the oldest and they were all on their knees unified in praying as their voices blended into one strong voice, where each member was happily praying in agreement with the others in the group.
Then I was taken from that scene and found myself in a room where I saw a person on a hospital bed, the machines attached to them had just been turned off, and the medical personnel had started to turn away, when all of sudden, a streaming light came through the ceiling and touched their head, and all at once the person on the bed rose up, and shout Thank you Jesus.
Then I was whisked in the spirit to a dark alley way, where I saw an individual whose body had been withered down to skin and bones, and this individual was about to stick their arm with yet another needle, when all of a sudden a man, who was surrounded by light reached out and touched their shoulder, and immediately health came back into their body, their pale like death white skin began to shine like the light around the one who had just touched them.
From the place of a very deep and dark prison of addiction, they walked out of the chains that had bound them. Then just like the one who had just touched them they began going through the alley touching others, and the sound of chains dropping to the ground began to resound through the whole alley way, even to the point that people walking on the enjoining streets could hear the sound.
Then once again, I was taken in the spirit to a bedroom where a young women was crying on the edge of the bed, where she held a pill in her hand, I noticed the writing on the box next to her bed which read, morning after pill. she was crying and asking the Lord to forgive her, but she could not keep the child in her any longer.
All of sudden the man who had been accompanying me stood beside her and I suddenly noticed that He had long white hair. He walked over and stood beside her, where He reached out and gently grabbed her hands, and spoke with a voice that sounded like a thousand rivers, softly rushing through a canyon. He said its ok daughter, I am here now and I will be with you from this day forward, you are greatly loved, and this child inside you is not a mistake, for I have blessed you with this child, knowing the loving mother you shall be to her.
And then I found myself back in that little Church and realized that each person there was not concerned with what the building looked like, or the part of town it was located in. Suddenly I began to discern as I stood there that these were the faithful ones, spoken of in Revelation 12:11, those who could care less about what people thought about them, or what their building looked like, for their days were consumed with the assignments that the Father had given them, knowing their faithfulness and steadfastness.
As I turned, I noticed something that I hadn’t noticed when I first saw the sanctuary, although now seeing it, and due to its showing the signs of having been there for years, with a hill of spent candle wax on the floor, was a golden candle stand, with six spent candles, and one candle which was still burning ever so brightly.
So my dear brothers and sisters, are you driven to belong to the popular crown, do you have to be part of the big show? Or does your heart burn with the same passion for the world as does the heart of our Lord.
If you said yes to the atter, ask Holy Spirit to direct you to a Kingdom family whose whole focus is on the King, His Kingdom and His Righteousness.
And remember, Big isn’t always better, sometimes the small thigs have a greatest impact.
~Dr. Russell Welch
Elder / Apostolic Teacher: Highway to Heaven Church and Founder and Shepherd of Remnant Warrior Ministries / Remnant Warrior School of Spiritual Warfare.
Radical Disciples - A Remnant Revolution 