A Word For Tucson Az. And Our Nation!
by Henry Falcone
This morning I was in the book of Jeremiah and reading the first few chapters and I was overwhelmed in the Lord and what He said to Israel and Judah. How sad the Lord had to bring such judgement to His people. What were the two major reason that He had to judge them? Jeremiah 2:13 "For my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water. "
What a word of the Lord to this nation, the USA. Though we go to church and do lots of things for the Lord, this nations heart has grown fat and our hearing has grown dull. Why? Because we to have "forsaken the Lord, the fountain of living water."
Today we go listen to a 35 minute sermonette on Sunday on how we should feel good about ourselves, be blessed and prosper. We enjoy our 7 songs, 20 minutes of announcements, and we love to be entertained by every Christian entertainer there is. Yet the house of God is full of sin and idolatry in this nation.
We are not unlike Judah in Jeremiah's time giving God our "religious motions," but never giving him the fullness of what He desires, our entire life. He is the fountain of "living water." If we were truly drinking that "water" we would be such a light in the midst of darkness. The Glory of the Lord would fill our shadow as it did with the Apostle Peter.
Most unbelievers in our nation don't see much difference in our lives than theirs accept religious talking. They call us hypocrites because we say one thing and do another. For the most part that is the true assessment of the church in America accept God has left a remnant in this nation of those who are drink that living water.
The other thing the Lord says against Judah is that the "built their own cisterns." We are surely doing this today with the expansion of our mega churches, satellite churches, and all our religious works. Most of what we do in our nation is no different than what they did in Babel. Though we love God, our SUCCESS, the SUCCESS OF OUR MINISTRY is what is most important to us so we CAN PROVE OUR WORTH TO GOD. That is "false ministry idolatry."
That is why our works will be tested by fire as 2nd Corinthians chapter 3 says. That is why 1 Corinthians 13 says, we can give our bodies to be burned, all our money away to feed the poor, and have faith to move mountains, but without God's love doing these things in us we are a useless nobody and a clanging bell.
If the root of what we do for God is for "Our success" or "justifying ourselves" before God instead of the "true love of God," that is an abomination to God and we may hear, "Depart from me you worker of iniquity I never knew you. " But Lord have we not done this in your name, or that in your name, they cried out? Beloved the "quality must go in before the name goes on." The quality is the "heart we do the work for the Lord and the heart that truly loves the Lord first and drinks that living water."
Little churches or ministries are looked down upon as not being "anointed." God must be the "big churches." The size of the church big or small does not reflect the "anointing." What brings forth the true anointing of God is if they can say of us as they had said of Peter James and John, "that these men have "BEEN WITH JESUS."
In this nation, we have built our own cisterns in our own lives and in the church. We make our own water to fill ourselves with the best of this world and the best of God has to offer, not realizing that we are compromising and becoming luke warm and being ready to be spewed out of God's mouth. Mega church Pastors are saying, "we don't have to preach against sin, we just have to tell people that they can be successful with a positive message."
People ask me all the time is judgment coming to America? Beloved, It is coming to the whole world including America? Our nation who claims to be "one nation under God," is just a shell of that statement with no substance in it at all. Why? Because of the state of God's people, His church, in this nation. Our politicians are not the only ones to blame, they are a reflection of us.
The church in America are a majority of believers who have made our own cistern. We call it Christianity, or religion, or I go to church mentality, but in reality we are not reflecting the life of Jesus or showing forth His Glory. I am afraid much of the church in our nation has a "form of godliness" but denies the power thereof."
Much of what we have done in the Lord's name in this nation for the "Gospel" has been for our needs and not the Lords. How can you tell? Ask this question, "is our nation better or worse off now then 10 years ago? How can that be?
It is because we have "hewed out" for ourselves, cisterns, broken cisterns that can hold no water. We go to church to build "God something instead of BECOMING SOMETHING! We go to church instead of being a church. Very few live a life a true life of a disciple any more. We play our Christian music, but we don't have true worshiping hearts that pant after God.
We may go to church activities and watch the super bowl in church on Super bowl Sunday, or do marches for Jesus, or evangelism in our towns, but we don't spend quality time with God to get His heart, know His ways or even His desires.
Why is the our nation in such a mess? Because we have forsaken the Lord. We have put the second commandment above the first one which is to love the Lord our God with all our heart, mind, soul and strength and put no strange God's before Him. We have shifted the churches priority from being "God seeking" to "men seeking." We have even made "seeker friendly" churches where people feel welcomed but God does not.
How can say that? How many people in the churches in America have an intimate abiding relationship with the Lord? How many can hear His voice clearly every day? How many know His plans and desires for their lives and are living their entire live for His desires? How many have signs and wonders following them as signs of a true believer? Why are couples living together in sin not dealt with or gossip, backbiting, and no one correcting them.
In one church, a wife was encouraged to divorce her husband and marry someone else when the husband wanted to be reconciled to the wife. In another church the Pastor felt to take the cross out of the church remove everything in the church that looked like church to bring in the young people. So he pierced his whole body and got his body covered in tattoo's just to reach the youth. I am not making this up.
In another church they boast about being not confrontational, we will get you out in an hour. We are the fastest growing church in America. We have jumping jacks for the kids, horseback riding and we guarantee to get you out in an hour. Another church hired a marketing specialist to find out what the "people wanted for a church. " So they found out.
They wanted service under an hour. An upbeat friendly service no hard words given. A bowling alley, a recreation center was desired, and to do nice charitable works in the community and have fun events each week. That church did it and they have 10,000 members. So tell me if what God said to Jeremiah about Judah could not be said of our nation at this time.
In our city Tucson, it is surely of a truth. Today we have a "man made" unity outreach that is trying to bring the church together, prayer leaders together. Pastor's have left their positions in their own churches to take new positions in this organization. People have to pay a fee to join and be a leader so "they can help others do the work of God." Yet the real crying out prayer of repentance for city is not happening.The real returning to the Lord is not being preached. The sin in the camp is not being dealt with.
Yet they are planning events, outreaches and doing all they can to bring the "body of Christ together! To do what? More stuff? You can't even do what God wants you to do unless you "bring it under this new organization." The plan for this city wide unity in the church is to come up with "new ideas" new ways of changing our city and meet the needs of our community. It sounds great doesn't it, but it is rooted in the works of men and not the power of God."
Once again we are forsaking the Lord, yet doing these things in "his name" to gain His approval, bu not in the power "of His name," of coming forth from the deep abiding presence of the Lord that must worked in the lives of God's people before they do these things.
Men and women are being given positions of power and influence in our city and now everything being done in this city has to go through them? Who appointed these people? Are they truly five fold ministers? Does this look like the books of Acts where the Holy Spirit said, "separate unto me Paul and Barnabas" for My purpose? Is this birthed in real fire filled prayer where the Holy Spirit speaks or flair prayers or petitions rooted in our flesh? Was their fasting, praying, weeping and true crying out to the Lord for our city and even appointing these people?
I have not seen or heard any of that happening I am afraid. What I see in hear is "man" once again trying to build a babel instead of "waiting upon the Lord" and bringing true repentance to God's people and only doing what He desires.
This new city wide unity is built on the premise, I'm OK and your OK, there is nothing wrong with us." Yet, we have not did what David did and cried out "search me Oh God and see if there is any wicked way in me, try me and know my thoughts." We have not realized that we have "forsaken the Lord of the works." We have not realized we are not "drinking the living water" from the Lord, or even that we have built our own cisterns. This is true in our city of Tucson and in our nation.
I am not trying to be critical or judgmental but speaking the truth in love. Judah was doing all the "religious things" as well at the time of Jeremiah and they thought they were right with God also, and the false prophets were saying peace, all is well, nothing will happen to our city of Jerusalem.
Yet the true prophet of God brought a "word" they didn't want to hear. He told them of their spiritual condition and to repent. He told them they had forsaken the Lord. He told them they worship idols and God was going to judge them if they didn't repent. The religious leaders hardened their hearts and didn't obey. They did much evil to this Man of God, and rejected the Word of God through him, accept a Holy remnant of God's people who did listen and obey.
I pray in our city there is a true remnant in this land. I pray there is a true remnant in our nation that is hearing the "true cry of the Lord" and will return to Him the "fountain of life and will allow the Lord to dig and make the wells instead of what "our hands can build."
Lord, hear our cry today for our city, our nation and we your people. Lord we have forsaken you. You are not first in our lives. Your kingdom and your righteousness is not the first thing we seek. Lord we are guilty of deserting our intimate relationship with you. We are guilty of turning away from you and going after other lovers. We are guilty of idols in our hearts. We are guilty of building our own wells, broken wells that can't hold water. Please forgive us. Please forgive the religious leadership in our city and in this nation. Please forgive us of our "man made" efforts to do your work. Forgive us Holy Spirit for not seeking your wisdom and guidance though we say we do.
Forgive us for putting men and women in places of power that you never chose. God remove this from our midst. Tear down everything that is not of you. Let everything that can be shaken, shake, so that which can't be shaken can remain. Lord do it in our own lives, do it in your people, do it it your church in this city and have mercy on this nation for abandoning your our First love. Grant us grace and mercy to truly repent and change and give us the spirit of tears once again to cry out for your church, us your people in this nation and turn to you with our own hearts.
I ask this in Jesus name!
