We are still in the early months of this year, 2013. The worst of the winter has passed, and Spring is on the horizon, which is another new beginning. I've chosen the above scripture because I feel it was the first new beginning in the Bible. Many Bible scholars feel a judgment had taken place between verses 1 and 2. First, there was the heaven and the earth, and then there wasn't. That is another lesson, but there are scriptures to indicate a catastrophe had taken place, between verses 1 and 2 (Jeremiah 4:23-26, Isaiah 24:1).

Nevertheless, Genesis 1:1-2 indicates the very first NEW beginning. Later in Genesis, there is another new beginning for the earth, and mankind, after Noah's flood. Then a final new beginning in Revelation for the planet, heavens, mankind, and even a new beginning for the entire Godhead.

The Bible is full of new beginnings for individuals. The Old Testament speaks of encounters with God changing the course of lives and even nations. People are not the same...many turn around and walk in the opposite direction, which is the meaning of the word “repentance”. Abraham, Moses, David, Gideon, Ruth, Esther, Rahab, and Job, just to name a few, experienced that encounter with God.

The New Testament speaks of so many having a new beginning after meeting Jesus. Every disciple called by Christ, the Apostle Paul, Mary of Magdala, the demoniac of Gadara, and on and on. Once we have an encounter with the God of the universe, in any form, be it the Father in the Old Testament, the Son in the New Testament, or the Holy Spirit in the Church age, we are never the same again.

Millions have been saved (changed) since the beginning, and now in this last church age, thousands are saved everyday. With our modern means of communication, the Gospel has already been preached around the world.

So what is there left to do? The very first thing we must do is prepare for the coming of Christ. Besides the evangelists, who have a passion for souls, and the faithful and few missionaries (mostly in foreign lands), the main Body of Christ called the Bride, Over-comers, or Inner Body of  Believers, in every Christian church, are not ready and we have NOT overcome, especially here in America.

Our enemies (the world, the flesh, and the devil) seem to win too often.

We have churches on almost every corner and the Gospel is broadcast on television, radio, and even on the internet 24/7.

God's table is full, yet the Body of Christ is in starvation in our own land. And why is that? Because we  have little appetite for God! We are rich by the most of the world's standards and feel we have no need for God...(however, that may be changing, as our economy appears to be on the decline).

Most church goers only go on Sunday morning. Once a week is all they have tolerance for and that is only out of duty. The rest of the week, they barely think of God. Some will say a prayer at the dinner table, or at bedtime, but the rest of the time, it is business as usual.

Many get good works confused with being “Rapture Ready”. If that would be the case, Jesus died for nothing. There are millions of volunteers doing a lot of good all over this world, but that doesn't mean they even KNOW Jesus.

There is a belief that has been around a long time, that if you are a believer in Christ, you will automatically go up in the Rapture. For those who do not know, the term “rapture” is found in the Latin  Vulgate translation of the Bible. It means “catching away” or “caught up” and refers to the day when Christ appears in the sky and calls His Bride to Heaven. It is an invisible event seen only by those who are going. However, just being born again and living any way you please, and going up in that “great catching away”, is a false belief (Luke 12:45-48).

The Word tells us that those who are watching (Luke 12:37)and waiting for His coming(1 Cor. 1:7), are the ones who are going up into glory. First, the Lord comes with a shout and trumpet and the dead come up out of their graves, “then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air; and so shall we ever be with the Lord” (1 Thess. 4:16-17). Verse 18 tells us to... “comfort one another with these words”!

If we are watching and waiting every day, then our lives are a lot different than the lives of most “Sunday” Christians. It impacts everything we do and everything we say. It changes our life and life style, because our thinking is changed. So many of us have “Stinking thinking” (Joyce Myer). We are carnal minded...yet, the Word says that we have the mind of Christ...(much of the time, we just don't appropriate it)!

In our Thursday night Bible study, we learned about the Seven Churches which also represents the Seven Church Ages. Make no mistake...we are in the LAST Church Age. We studied Bible Prophecy, and the 43 signs we found, have already been fulfilled...85% of all Bible prophecy has been fulfilled in our lifetime!

The Church is not ready for Christ's return. If Jesus comes for us this week, all the church parking lots will still have most of the same cars in them next Sunday...including some of the pastors'!
I cannot imagine how the disappearance of all the world's young children will be explained, unless they say UFO'S have taken them! Once again “Rachel” will be wailing for her children and will not be comforted.

Not long after the Bride leaves, the world leader will appear on the scene. He will sign a peace treaty and bring peace to the Middle East. He will play nice for the first 3½ years of the Tribulation Period. These same lukewarm Christians will continue to do their duty and go to their lukewarm churches for these first 3½ years while the Bride is in Heaven at the marriage supper of the Lamb, and getting her rewards.

When the Anti-Christ sits himself down on the Mercy Seat in the rebuilt temple in Jerusalem, and declares himself to be GOD, then all Hell breaks loose, against the Jews (Matt. 24).

Meanwhile, the lukewarm Christians will also be in trouble. They will be told they must take a mark in their hand or forehead if they want to buy or sell food or anything they need at all. Perhaps it will be on the order of the grocery bar code, and can be scanned and tracked like an Onstar type thing.

Some will remember from their church teaching, that taking the mark means eternal doom, and refuse.
That means those who did not live for the Lord before the Rapture of the Church, will now have to die for the Lord during the Tribulation Period. These are the martyrs that Revelation refers to, that comes up out of the Great Tribulation (Revelation 7:14).

Since this is too awful to contemplate, we must get ready now! It is time for the whole army of God to march on and move forward. We are the ones who will take the land for Christ, and that includes our own hometowns! The Psalmist says in Psalm 98:1, “Sing a new song unto the Lord for He has done marvelous things; His right hand, and His holy arm hath gotten Him the victory”.

It is time some of us sing a new song. We have passed through our mourning period. Our night has turned to day. Tears were shed in the night but joy comes in the morning. It is time to move forward. The Apostle Paul said to forget those things which are behind, and press on toward our high calling of God. The old things and ways have passed away, and now all things are become new.

It is time for the whole army of God to march on and move forward. We are the ones who will take the land for Christ, and that includes our own neighborhoods. We must get ready for that assignment. We must pray for a hunger for God and His revelation to us as a Church. Each congregation needs the Prayer team in place. Then we need the Praise team in place as it was in the Tabernacle.

Over the outside door at the church/school in Texas were I received my Biblical training, hung a sign over the door...“Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise”. People did their visiting outside. When you entered the sanctuary, everyone was kneeling in their pews or at the stair-step, half-circle altar (men on the left and women on the right of the pulpit), and in quiet prayer. There was a “holy hush” in the house and an air of expectancy. The people came on assignment...they prayed until the Holy Spirit came in BEFORE the service began, and the services were wondrous. We saw miracles and healing at just about every service, as they were almost a natural manifestation that came out of heartfelt worship! Even our individual ministries are but the overflow of our worship/relationship with God!

The church house was always full and it was just a plain frame church with hard, wooden pews. People always sat in the same place, and left their pillows in their seat, to kneel or sit upon.

There were no external trappings or projects, dinners, or bake sales to attract people. There were no classes for the children, only a small nursery for Mom's with babies and a speaker on the wall so the sermons could be heard through the pulpit microphone. The children sat with their parents and had no classes of their own...the parents were expected to instruct them at home. The church was a teaching and training center for missionaries, or any type of Christian minister/worker who wished to learn the Word of God. Even the teens were in ministry of some sort, and did have a young people's minister. They sang specials and even made their LP record, since a member at the church did recordings. The teens had a passion for Christ, and a ministry.

This church was on fire for God. All denominations came there for training. Missionaries were sent out all over the world from that obscure training center, and their work has gone on since the 1940's!

This type of church starts within the individual hearts of the people, for we ARE the church.  We should be asking ourselves “If not us, then WHO? If not now, then WHEN”?

David said he meditated on the Word day and night...so that means we give God our first fruits of the morning and our last conversation at night.

To meditate on the Word is not just reading it...it means to think about...to CHEW on what we read. David said “Your Word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against You”.The memorized Word keeps us and even little children from SIN!

When the Word is in us, we treat people differently...we esteem the other higher than ourselves. We show respect for our leaders, and for the Lord's house. It is just getting back to the milk of the Word, to basic Christianity!

Gathering around the front to pray before services is a reasonable thing to do. As a group, we are inviting the Holy Spirit into our midst. Without His presence, we can do nothing here. It is all just hot air.

Let us all recommit ourselves afresh and anew to God, this coming year and ask Him to have His way in our churches rather than our own way. May we all seek the Lord for a New Beginning! Amen.