Joel 2:15, "Blow the trumpet in Zion, sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly: 16.Gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the children, and those that suck the breasts: let the bridegroom go forth of his chamber, and the bride out of her closet. 17 Let the priests, the ministers of the LORD, weep between the porch and the altar, and let them say, Spare thy people, O LORD, and give not thine heritage to reproach, that the heathen should rule over them: wherefore should they say among the people, Where is their God?"
God’s instructions were to “blow the trumpet in Zion, sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly.” Joel’s responsibility was to alert the nation of Israel to the fact that God wanted to meet with them. However, there were conditions for this meeting. The nation of Israel as a whole must prepare. They must cleanse themselves from all legal impurities by offering sacrifice for all transgressions of the Law. To be obedient was to be purged and made worthy to be presented before the Lord in His house.
Joel's cry was to the elect, the chosen of God, His beloved. We must sound the alarm in Zion. Can we truly feel that we have obeyed God completely when there is such a great need in the Church? A need for our altars to be filled with saint and sinner alike seeking God for divine revelation and divine intervention. We need and must receive a fresh wind of Holy Ghost power. Then we can become actively engaged in the harvest of eternal souls.
Let the world know that the Lord of Glory dwells among His people. God's presence among His people struck fear in the hearts of their enemies. They trembled in fear because they had learned that God secured the victory. They could not win against the Lord God of Israel. When Israel followed God they could not be defeated.
God's presence in the Church strikes fear in the heart of Satan. He is well acquainted with the power of Almighty God. He knows when the Church follows God, we cannot be defeated. When the Church gets it right, God will correct the imbalance sin has created in our world. The Church will have victory over sin! That means that true believers and disciples of Christ will reign in victory over sin!
Through God’s manifest presence we will throw off the encumbrances that have silently crept in. Throw off the doubt that has slipped in due to a lack of seeing the manifest presence of Christ in the Church. Break the chains of oppression that have gripped us due to the lack of freedom in the Holy Ghost. Throw off the cloud of ignorance that has anesthetized us because of the lack of hearing a fresh Word from the Lord. Wake us O' Lord to the full measure of Your truth. We will not be content with only a resemblance of truth. We must receive and walk unshackled in Your TRUTH. Baptize us in Your TRUTH!
God wants to reveal Himself to this lost world. He wants to use His Church in the endeavor. The Church must understand and embrace that God wants to reveal Himself in us and through us. "Blow the trumpet in Zion, sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly:” Sound the alarm in Zion, the Church. We must prepare for what God has for the Church and what God has for the world through the Church. We must be purged and made worthy to be presented before the Lord in His house. Then we can expect to encounter God there and may the world testify that the Lord of Glory dwells among His people!
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