By Apostle Richard Wright
“Now it will come about that In the last days, the mountain of the house of the Lord will be established as the chief of the mountains, and will be raised above the hills; and all the nations will stream to it.” (Isaiah 2:2)
There are numerous verses in the Bible that prophesy about the last day Church and how it will be a glorious Church, a Church without spot or wrinkle and how many will be seeking the way to find it. This scripture above is only one that indicates that there will be a day quite different than we are experiencing today. It will be a day when all nations (or races) will stream to it.
Why?, what will be so different in the last days that will cause multitudes to stream to it? Will it be because…
(A) we have finally mastered church growth programs? (B) we have finally learned how to properly market and locate our churches?…or (C) of some “new miraculous thing” that is going on in one or two churches?
THE CORRECT ANSWER IS (D), NONE OF THE ABOVE.
John 13:35 says, “By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”
When the world can look upon the church (the believers) and see a quality in us that they have not found anywhere else; a quality of living what we preach and showing integrity in our relationships with each other, then and only then will we see the real harvest that we pray for. And remember, the harvest will still only be a remnant.
The Lord is now looking for those who are willing to be made examples: Examples of the very nature and character of Christ for first, the Church to see and then for the world to see.
2 Corinthians 3:2-3 says, “You are our letter, written in our hearts, known and read by all men; being manifested that you are a letter of Christ, cared for by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone, but on tablets of human hearts.”
We are to be living epistles, testimonies to the power of the Christ living in us. We are to literally be “ ” for the world to see as we live out that which is written on our hearts by the Spirit of the living God.
1 Timothy 4:12 says, “Let no one look down on your youthfulness, but rather in speech, conduct, love, faith and purity, show yourself an example of those who believe.”
Titus 2:7-8 says, “…in all things show yourself to be an example of good deeds, with purity in doctrine, dignified, sound in speech which is beyond reproach, in order that the opponent may be put to shame, having nothing bad to say about us.”
My heart’s desire for the Church is that we be known not for some “powerful anointing”, but for integrity of character. We should be known for being examples of people walking together in unity of spirit and unity of faith…known as people who are careful to keep their word to others and are more concerned that relationships be maintained than they are of being right or wrong. And most of all, we must be known for being people who practice what they preach, being examples of the character of Christ as we cry out to see Christ formed in His Church!
John 17:17-21 says, “Sanctify them in the truth; Thy word is truth. ‘As Thou didst send Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. ‘And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they themselves also may be sanctified in truth. ‘ I do not ask in behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word; that they may all be one; even as Thou, Father, art in Me, and I in Thee, that they also may be in Us; that the world may believe that Thou didst send Me.”
When Jesus prayed for His disciples and for all those who are believers, He did not ask the Father to give us great, well-known ministries or anointings. He asked for us to be sanctified in the Word and that we be one as He and the Father are one. Jesus knew that if we could walk in absolute unity, then the power and anointing would be maintained. Therefore, we find that the primary ingredient needed to become that glorious end-time Church is simply to work at being one together as Jesus is with His Father.
Remember, Scripture tells us that Jesus will present to Himself a Church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless (Ephesians 5:27).
WHAT DOES A GLORIOUS CHURCH LOOK LIKE? IT IS A CHURCH THAT LOOKS LIKE JESUS!