Like Lazarus

Pre-Easter Fast

March 4 - April 3, 2010

pastor pete A series of Scripture meditations written during our time of fasting and prayer as a church.

by Pastor Pete Beck III

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Like Lazarus...

So the sisters sent word to Him, saying, "Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick." 4 But when Jesus heard this, He said, "This sickness is not to end in death, but for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified by it." John 11:3-4 (NASB)

As a church we are fasting and praying in order to seek God for our church. First of all, we are doing this for God's good pleasure. We exist primarily to glorify God and bring him pleasure. When we fast, we deny ourselves in order to more fully consecrate ourselves to God and listen for anything he may wish to tell us. We are putting into action the truth that God's Words are more important to us than food.

Secondly, we are fasting because we are desperate to hear the Lord. We have received many prophetic promises over the years that have never yet come to pass. Either these promises are not really from God, or we need to continue in faith and perseverance until they come to pass. We need to know. We need a fresh word from God, something to stand on, something that will inspire us to fresh faith and joy.

As part of the process, we need to understand the principle of the cross. God puts us to death in the natural so he can raise us spiritually. Some people call this process "the death of a vision". It works like this. God gives us a promise. We believe that promise and expect it to be fulfilled. Over time, God allows us to go through all sorts of tests and set backs that make us wonder if God is ever going to do what he said. We may even come to the point of losing hope. It is at this low point that God intevenes to resurrect our faith and fulfill his word to us.

You can see this process in the lives of God's people as recorded in the Bible. Abraham had to wait 25 years for Isaac. Then God commanded him to kill his only son as a sacrifice. Abraham was willing to let Isaac die because he believed, if need be, that God could raise him from the dead in order to be true to his promise. Joseph languished in jail for years before his prophetic dreams were fulfilled. The Scriptures say that:

Until the time that his word came to pass, The word of the LORD tested him. Psalms 105:19 (NASB)

I believe we are in a time of testing from the Lord. We are in a time of transition. We are in a time of surrender. My prayer has been to surrender myself and the church completely to the Lord. May his will for us be done. Once we give up our own desires and preconception of what God may want to do, we are in a great position to hear him clearly.

Last Sunday we dicussed the concept of faith as a church. I thought what each person added was great. I was particularly encouraged by what different ones shared regarding what God is saying to the church at this time. Let me recount what four different people shared over the past couple of weeks.

Paula Ryskiewich shared with the church two weeks ago from Jeremiah 29:11.

For I know what I have planned for you,’ says the LORD. ‘I have plans to prosper you, not to harm you. I have plans to give you a future filled with hope. Jeremiah 29:11 (NET1)

She believes that she heard this verse in her spirit as she questioned God about why we are not a larger church body, about what our purpose is...She sensed God looking at each of us individually and considering His plan for each of us and how we fit into the church body and that we are there for a purpose. Also, she sensed that what we are getting at Liberty could be televised and broadcasted with the best of Christian TV. What we have is so rich, anointed, powerful, genuine, etc. She sensed that the Holy Spirit is in Liberty Church to set us free so that we can go and preach the gospel and make fishers of men, to help others to find freedom in Christ and to unlock their gifts and potential for the Kingdom of God.

Last Sunday Sheri Cox shared a prophetic word that came to her during worship. She believes we are like Lazarus. When news came to Jesus that he was sick, our Lord deliberately delayed coming to him so that the glory of God could be more fully revealed. Martha and Mary did not understand. They wept because they failed to grasp that the Resurrection was in their presence. Our church is in the middle of a difficult time. Jesus has delayed coming to our aid, but we should not assume that he is going to let us "die". Quite the contrary, God intends to raise us up again in resurrection power because he still has much for us to do.
Gary Edmonds shared that he believed we are in a Gideon time. Our numbers have been depleted, but God is going to use the remnant to gain a great victory through the power of his grace alone. God is also using this time to destroy idols in our midst. In other words, this is a time of deliverance from things that formerly interfered with our relationship with and faith in God.
Teresa Blackwell shared that God is shaking us in order to break us so he can remake us. This is right along with a word that Pastor Kerry Richmond gave me a week ago. He told me that our church is going through a shift. God is changing things, moving us into a new expression of ministry. Times of shifting are difficult, and people often leave, but we must keep God's perspective on things. We must soar like an eagle, because God is not coming down to our level and flap around in the flesh with us.

Putting all of this together, I believe we can say that God has said the following to us, even at this early stage of the fast.

God is not done with us.

God is purging us from things that have held us back.

God is shaking, breaking and remaking us.

God is shifting us into a new phase or expression of ministry.

Let's consider these things and continue to seek the Lord for further clarity and faith so we can move forward as a group into what He has planned for us.

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