The Lord showed me something this morning…

In our intercession we are interceding for the world (to be saved) but also interceding for the church (to become more like Christ – to represent Him well to the world so that they can be saved)…

There is this twin focus…

As God wants the world to be saved and He wants the church to share in His Holiness (to have fellowship with Him and see Him as He really is – to operate from that place of knowledge – personal, intimate, knowledge – of and with Him)…

What I saw today is that God has Patience (when the Patience of God kept waiting in the days of Noah) but also Perfect Patience (which He demonstrated towards Paul as He waited for Paul to be saved)…

He has Patience towards the world (waiting for them to be saved) but He has Perfect Patience towards His Church (waiting for them to be saved – but it goes further than that and He wants to have Perfect Patience towards His Church in terms of Her sanctification)…

This was a new level for me…

I’ve been baffled and intrigued by the scriptures regarding “the sin which leads to death” and also the word about “many being weak and sick and some having fallen asleep”, also what happened to Ananias and Sapphira and the man who Paul “handed over to Satan to be taught not to blaspheme” (that his spirit might be saved on the day of the Lord – that man actually came back to repentance after being removed from the fellowship which is a cause for rejoicing)…

What the Lord showed me was this – He needs someone on earth to enforce His Perfect Patience…

If you forgive their sins, their sins are forgiven but if you retain their sins, their sins are retained…

There is a choice there…

It is an Apostolic mandate given by the Lord to those chosen to be Apostles…

We, if we are chosen to be Apostles, can choose to retain or remit the sin which is committed by the Church (by sin which dwells within the Church – as we know that the Church is pure in Her New Creation – completely pure)…

Peter chose to retain the sin of Ananias and Sapphira and so they died – they went to be with the Lord (if they knew the Lord – my sense is that they did know the Lord but I don’t have a revelation on that so I can’t be sure)…

Paul handed the man over to Satan but someone must have been interceding for him (possibly Paul) and that man came back to repentance…

And we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience, once your obedience is complete. (2 Corinthians 10:6 NIV)

I’d never seen this – the Lord has been really “annoying me” with those scriptures to make me “seek this out” so I can stand in this place of Perfect Patience…

I have chosen to stand in this place of Perfect Patience and to intercede from this place for the Church that none would be removed from this earth after having committed the sin which leads to death but that all could fulfil their destiny in God to completely fulfil His Plan and Purpose for them on earth and not be “snuffed out” “prematurely” (I know there’s a mystery there but I’m sharing what the Lord has shown me – I believe He will give you wisdom)…

This is a beautiful place – we have a right to pray Psalm 35 but I believe even as Jesus prayed this He came to a place where “mercy triumphed over judgement” and He prayed “Father forgive them for they know not what they do”…

God is righteous – always… God is holy – always… God is vengeful and wrathful – not always (as He has mercy on whom He has mercy)… God is loving – always (even on those who end up in the lake of fire and brimstone for eternity suffering for their sin – in torment – He will still love them and wish that they weren’t there for eternity – but His righteousness and His holiness will dictate that there they will remain – the sadness is real)…

God is looking for those of us – like Paul – who have experienced His Perfect Patience – I know I have (I’ve shared some of my testimony on this blog to date and I think you’d agree that God has been Perfectly Patient with me – I know He has been) – to now show His Perfect Patience to those who have not known it – what a call…

Sounds scary doesn’t it?

It is but it isn’t once He shows you just how patient He’s been with you and just how much He yearns to be patient with all who He has chosen for salvation…

No one interceded for Uzza – the guy who touched the Ark…

No one interceded for Ananias and Sapphira…

They obviously committed the sin leading to death…

What I am saying is that we should be interceding now for the Church before She or any of her members commit the sin leading to death…

I know the Lord has been showing me quite a bit about this and usually with me it starts with Him telling me what He is going to do – like the discipline or the judgement which He is going to bring – shocking me into reality and then I kind of “deal with it” “try to get my head around it” and then He brings me through to a place where I see He doesn’t want to do that but is just showing me what would happen if I didn’t – or if we didn’t – intercede…

“I searched for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand in the gap before Me for the land, so that I would not destroy it; but I found no one. (Ezekiel 22:30 NASB)