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Lights Out!!
When the Light of Christ
Goes Out in the Church!
If you are walking in the Light of Christ, you should also be walking in the faith and love of Christ. You cannot do the one without doing the other.
Divine Light equals Divine Love and Divine faith imparted to the saint of God shining forth into the lives of brothers and sisters and into the lives of the lost. The problem with the Church at Ephesus is that they substituted the church and its activities (toil, perseverance, put men to the test, not grow weary in doing good) for the love of Christ. One could hardly understand how this church could be rebuked by the Master. But Christ said to the Church at Ephesus;
“But I have this
complaint
against you.
You don’t love me
or
each other as you did at first!
Look how far you have
fallen!
Turn back
to me and do the works
you did at first.
If you don’t repent,
I will come and
remove your lampstand
from its place among the churches.
(Revelation 2:4-5, Living Bible)
When the church and the things of the church are elevated above loving the Master and loving each other, its lights grow dim and finally are extinguished meaning the power of the Holy Spirit and the church’s power to witness and be effective for the kingdom of God are no longer present. In other words, the Holy Spirit walks out the front door and the spiritual lights are turned off.
The people grope in the darkness of the soul life rather than spiritual life. It is at the point the church becomes an institution/organization rather than a living organism pulsating with the supernatural light, love, faith, and life of Christ. When the church is in this condition, Christ says, and I paraphrase, “It has fallen from grace and truth and needs to repent for the lights to be turned back on.”
Unfortunately, in today’s world, there are too many churches where the lights have gone out and the people sit in darkness thinking that the lights are turned on. But spiritually speaking, the lights are turned off and the church becomes part of the darkness surrounding it.
Recently, the Lord gave me a vision and its interpretation which I wish to share with you which is related to the above.
The Vision
I saw in a vision, angels descending on a ladder coming down to earth. The earth was dark. Each angel had a torch that was burning.
However, some angels had large torches which were burning very brightly while other angels had medium-size torches burning half as bright. Then, there were still other angels with smaller torches with very little light coming from their torches.
When the angels reached the earth, they started looking for the saints they could give their torches to. Many of the saints had the faith and love of Christ to carry the large flaming torches while other saints were given the smaller torches that emitted a smaller light or flame. This seemed to match the measure of their faith and love – little faith and love – little light of Christ being demonstrated – no faith and love – no light of Christ being demonstrated..
As the angels would hand their torches to selected individuals matching their faith and love with the size of the torch, there were some saints who refused to take the torch.
It seemed that they were satisfied with the darkness which surrounded them and were walking in deception and self-satisfaction and could not find their way.
These angels would also visit churches to give them torches of light. But as I watched, some churches would just close their door, refusing to accept the light.
The angel would just go on to the next church. As soon as the angels had given their torches away, they would ascend back up the ladder into heaven.
Those saints who took their torches begin to spread the light and love of Christ as well as God’s grace and truth – His salvation message. The saints had to be bold in their faith, love, testimony, and witness because the darkness was very thick. But, as the saints journeyed in the darkness their flaming torches grew larger and brighter and split as well as dispelled the darkness.
The vision ended.
The Interpretation
After I received this vision, and I was directed by the Holy Spirit to John 12:35-36 (Amplified Bible).
So Jesus said to them,
You will have the Light only
a little while longer.
Walk while you have the Light
[keep on living by it],
so that
darkness may not overtake and overcome you.
He who walks about in the dark
does not know where he goes
[he is drifting].
While you have the Light,
believe in the Light
[have faith in it, hold to it, rely on it],
that you may become
sons of the
Light
and
be filled with Light.
Here are eight things I sensed the Holy Spirit speaking:
(1)
Thick Darkness!
There is a thick darkness that is coming which will cover the whole earth. Nothing will penetrate this darkness except for the Light of God which comes down out of heaven.
No nation will escape or be exempt from this darkness. Man is powerless against it, and it comes because of the rebellion of man against a Holy God.
“All the shining lights in the heavens
I will darken over you
and
will
set darkness on your land,”
declares the Lord God.
(Ezekiel 32:8)
(2)
Proclaim Grace and Truth!
There is a heavenly urgency in proclaiming and telling of the grace and truth and the Light and love of Christ to those who are being pulled into this vortex of utter darkness and hopelessness.
“Arise, shine; for
your light
has come,
and
the glory of the Lord
has risen upon you.
(Isaiah 60:1)
(3)
Called out Priests!
God's grace and truth or His Light of Love and Faith are to be distributed by His “called out priests” (saints) (Revelation 1:6) to take the heavenly torches and spread His Light and Love while there is time.
I sensed in the Spirit the time is growing short and that His judgment is coming, and His Light will only be available for a short period of time.
Let your light shine before men
in such
a way that they may see your
good works,
and
glorify your Father who
is in heaven.
(Matthew 5:16)
(4)
Distractions!
Many of the saints will be so caught in the darkness (busyness of the worldly activities, secular distractions, lust for materialism and the pleasures of life, seeking mammon, etc.) that they will be unable to come to His light and carry His Light in a fallen and dark world.
They will not respond to the call of the Lord to be a light in the world. The days of darkness will overcome many like a thief in the night.
They are drifting away from the Word of God. But there will be those of the “Light” who will respond and take the “Light” and spread it for Apostle Paul declared,
For you are all
sons of light
and
sons of the day;
we do not belong either
to the night or to darkness.
Accordingly
then, let us not sleep,
as the rest do,
but
let us keep wide awake
(alert, watchful, cautious,
and
on our guard)
and
let us be sober
(calm, collected, and circumspect).
(1 Thessalonians 5:5)
(5)
Torch Bearers!
Those saints who receive the torch from the angels will be those who will walk in the Light and will live by His Light. They will not compromise with the darkness, nor will they allow the darkness to overtake them. The greater the darkness the greater their touch lights up and dispels the darkness.
(6)
Light and Judgment!
Jesus said, “while you have the light.” The “Light” will eventually be taken away and judgment will come. As He would take the“Light” away, it may mean the catching up of the saints unto Him in the heavenly sphere.
But before that time, there is work to be done to let the “Light” shine. And as long as the “Light” shines in the darkness, …the darkness will not comprehend it (John 1:5).
(7)
Light = Christ = Word
The “Light” is Christ. The “Light” is His Word and since He is the Word, the Word is His “Light.”
“I am the Light of the world;
he who follows Me
will not walk in the darkness,
but will have the Light of life.”
(John 8:12)
(8)
Filled with His Light!
The saint of God is to exercise the action of taking the “torch Light of God” and walk in faith. It will require a holding on to the “Light” while at the same time desiring to be filled continually with the “Light.” Without the continuous filling of the “Light,” the “Light” will grow dim and go out. Jesus said,
You are the light of the world.
A city set on a hill cannot be hidden;
(Matthew 5:14)
Therefore, let us examine ourselves and if there be any darkness within us or the corporate Body of Christ, let us repent and receive the bright torches He must give each one of us to do His work in the short time we have left.
After I received the above, I heard the Lord speak the following
Why do you look
at the darkness
surrounding
you?
Men and women
are stumbling because
they have allowed
the darkness
to blind them.
Yes, I say darkness
and not the light
has blinded the eyes,
harden the heart,
planted deception
in the mind,
and
has stopped the
ear from hearing
the Word
of the Lord.
As the darkness
increases the light
of My glory
will multiply
and
dispose of the
because of the
anointing in you.
You are not
without the anointing
for the anointing
is Light.
You
are not called
to let darkness
overtake you.
But you are summoned
to walk in the Light
and
let your ears hear
and
eyes see what is
righteous,
holy,
and
pure.
For I call to
My people -
where is righteousness
in the land?
Who will stand
for
righteousness
in a
generation
of
wrong doers?
Who will stand
for
righteousness
when confronted
by clouds
of
thick darkness?
Do you not
understand that
your
anointing of
righteousness
is
My Light and glory
which I bring
to the world?
For your
righteous acts
plunder the acts
of the enemy
and
dispel his darkness
upon
the earth.
Be aware,
My people,
have I not said in
My word,
darkness shoots
at the
upright in heart.
You are at war
and
the darts
of darkness
seeks
to make you fall
and
lose
your hold on
the Light in you.
But,
you are not without
the anointing
I have placed in you –
the anointing
is Light,
your righteous acts
are Light,
and
your speech is Light.
Your speech
will thus become
Light as the words I give you
flow forth
out of mouth.
The anointing is in you,
the anointing
is Light out of you,
your speech
becomes the Light,
and
the Light of your
righteousness
breaks the hold
of the
darkness
surrounding you.
These three things-
the anointing of Light,
the anointing of Light speech,
and
the anointing of Light righteousness
all arise out of
hearts pure,
hearts transformed,
and
hearts captured
by Me,
and
hearts filled
with My word and ways.
Let the eyes
of your heart
be filled with My Light,
for if there is not
Light in the heart,
how can your thoughts
and
your speech be seasoned
with the salt of
My Word?
How will you be able
to speak Light
into darkness
if darkness
is within you?
How will you be able
to release
the anointing
of Light
to do righteousness
if darkness
overtakes you?
But darkness
will not overtake you
if your heart is
full of Light
and
grace,
your mind
centered on me,
your speech
pure and lovely,
and
your acts
of righteousness
reflect the Light
of My
love for you.
For your anointing
of Light
will arise
out of the darkness
surrounding you
and
you will go forth
proclaiming,
“The Light of the Lord
has come into this dark place.
I bring the Light of
His restoration
and
His refreshing
to
the hurting,
the despised,
the rejected,
the broken,
the disappointed,
the discouraged,
and
the lost.
Let the anointing
of
Light
in your heart,
in your mind,
in your speech,
and
in your righteousness
overcome
the shadows
of darkness which
wish to
consume you.
The flow ended here.
Rich Arnold
Servant of the Lord
311 Adelaide Ave SW
Hartville, Ohio 44632
330-704-9306
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