Confused? Frustrated? Perplexed? You're not alone. Today these are common reactions to the often baffling world we live in. But this plague isn't restricted just to the secular world; it has seeped into the church as well. The Bible speaks out about the many pressures that would fall upon the church prior to the coming of Christ. It is amazing, though, that so many Christians have disregarded this warning from the Word of God. As a result, many have lost their sense of purpose and direction. The Way Forward explores the various challenges faced by the believer and the church today. It is intended to help you better understand God's glorious purpose for the church and your personal part in it. It will give you God's perspective, rather than man's. The content emphasizes the soulful plea of the "called-out" believer for the return to holiness, as delineated by God. The church is positioned for the most crucial stage of its human and spiritual experience-the Lord's arrival. This book seeks to be a gauge as to where one may be in God's economy and to spiritually awaken and inspire the thirsty soul to a higher level of consciousness. The message of this book is simple: move forward and refuse to become stagnant or motionless! In today's confusing, challenging, and directionless world, it's just too easy for a person of faith to feel lost and alone. The Way Forward provides inspiration to help maintain and redirect your walk with God.

The Way Forward

Embracing Unity, Faith, and PowerBy O'Niel Fisher

iUniverse, Inc.

Copyright © 2011 O'Niel Fisher
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4620-7173-9

Contents

Acknowledgments.....................................viiPreface.............................................ixIntroduction........................................xiTake a Moment to Consider...........................1Get Rid of the Robbers..............................15Politics and the Church.............................31Leaders at Loggerheads..............................39Is the Church Powerless?............................53The Church—a God Thought!.....................65Faith Will Find a Way...............................73Christian Living....................................85The Way Forward.....................................93References..........................................107

Chapter One

Take a Moment to Consider

When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him? —Psalm 8:3-4

The clamor, noise, stress, and strain of life can make it so difficult to stop and enjoy. So many times, the unrelenting pace of life and the instant mind-set has made it almost impossible to stop and smell the roses! This nonstop wave of progression has plunged its fangs in the lives of countless millions, and as a result, it has revolutionized the way we live—"on the go." In light of this, I have heard too often the complaint, "I don't even have time to think!" The pressure of life has so many in a headlock, suffocating them from understanding and fulfilling their purpose and experiencing happiness. Along with that, time itself has become a formidable foe that has heightened this standoff. But if you had a moment to consider something, what would it be?

Have you ever stopped to consider the grandeur and splendor of the celestial terra firma or the innumerable angelic hosts or the serenity of this place? Or have you just pondered the extent of God's limitless power as He created man from the dust of the earth and how the body is really a display of wonder and intricate detail? Or have you pondered why God, in His infinite love and mercy, selected you from billions of people? Have you wondered what it was in God's mind that made you stand out from so many others? Really, have you just stopped and wondered in the sheer amazement of why?

David in Psalm 80:4 asked God this poignant question, "What is man that thou art mindful of him and the son of man?"

David, in his pursuit to understand, questioned God by juxtaposing the splendor and radiance of the heavens to the insignificance of man. But after conversing with God, David remained awestruck as to why God is so cognizant of sin-prone man and his actions and affairs. The Psalmist then was left to worship and observe with wonder the infinite mercies of God.

Like David, we need to take periodic moments in our lives where we just stop and consider. David's moment to question God and His enthrallment of man is an example for us to follow. It is a starting point for movement—forward!

Love that Moved God!

Fostering any relationship can be a daunting experience. In the relationship between God and His creation, He made the first move, showcasing His immeasurable love and admiration for us. John 3:16 puts it this way:

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

The price Jesus paid on Calvary was not the simple action of trying to woo mankind. It was the purest declaration of His unfailing and limitless love to us. First John 4:9–10 conveys God's heart and admiration to man this way:

In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

God, through Jesus Christ, became the ultimate sacrifice to break the curse of sin that tore the bond between God and man. Without question, the infinite suffering of Jesus to bring man back into fellowship with Him goes far beyond any human parent or spouse. This is certainly the greatest love story known to man!

If you or I were in a relationship with someone for any length of time, there would be an expectation that the level of communication established would enhance the union of the parties involved—agreed? This law is true in both the natural and the supernatural. Once one has developed that intimate relationship with God, the outcome and experience are wondrous. For so long, many have believed that attending or participating in church is the sum total of one's experience with God.

Sadly, this erroneous concept has strongly pervaded Christendom. Actually, the experience of knowing and serving God goes far beyond the confines of the four walls of a church building. There is so much more of God that we have yet to tap into. Unfortunately, the experience of church as it pertains to what happens within a building has placed limitations in how we perceive and understand God.

Consider Your Position. Are You Stagnant?

I know thy works, that thou are neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.

So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. —Revelation 3:15–16

Stagnation: a state of inactivity, being stagnant, standing still, without current or circulation (www.thefreedictionary.com).

Kahlil Gibran, a Lebanese American novelist, emphatically declared, "March on. Do not tarry. To go forward is to move toward perfection. March on, and fear not the thorns, or the sharp stones on life's path." Certainty life experiences or circumstances and external worldly influences can aid in diminishing and hindering our consciousness for spiritual growth. As easily as these challenging occurrences happen in one's life, negative emotions or feelings can grab hold, and without realization, one can slide into discontentment and abject despair. The outcome is spiritual stagnation, which has the insidious ability to siphon one's desire for God, and as a result, barriers of frustration, discontentment, fear, denial, and anger are constructed.

Revelation 3:15–16 gives us a view into God's thoughts on spiritual stagnation. Although the primary purpose for John's letters to the seven churches of Asia Minor was to give God's report card of their spiritual condition, it also describes the seven types of churches. Clearly John's writings to the churches of Asia Minor have significant pertinence to us today. It is a direct warning not only to the church at large but also to us on a personal level. It should propel us to consider our personal walk with God. Am I lukewarm? Am I growing spiritually? Am I truly matching up to the word of God? Do my daily actions and disposition reflect and demonstrate spiritual growth?

These are very important questions that each of us needs to consider in our daily walk with the Lord. We can quite easily become so caught up in the experience of church that we lose sight of our personal relationship with the Lord. Unfortunately, many have equated the church experience as the sum total of their...