That Which Was Promised

This week, we commemorate what Jesus has done for us through the final days of His perfect life, through His death, as well as His resurrection, reminding us that we are alive in Him. Isaiah 59 states, regarding our God:
(16) Therefore His own arm brought salvation for Him; And His own righteousness, it sustained Him.
17 For He put on righteousness as a breastplate, And a helmet of salvation on His head; He put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, And was clad with zeal as a cloak.
18 According to their deeds, accordingly He will repay, Fury to His adversaries, Recompense to His enemies; The coastlands He will fully repay.
19 So shall they fear The name of the Lord from the west, And His glory from the rising of the sun; When the enemy comes in like a flood, The Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard against him.

Can we trust that?  Absolutely.  Do we trust that?  Well, that is a question that we all must ask ourselves. If we profess Christ, do we really possess a sense of expectancy that He will move through our lives. We have been empowered by His Spirit, and we can trust Him for the strength we need in order to bring glory to our God.  We pray according to His will, but we can stand in the way by our disobedience and unbelief.  So, we can pray with expectancy that He will do as He has said.

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Yesterday, the Church worldwide observed Palm Sunday, the day in which Jesus rode into Jerusalem to the adulating crowd. Luke 19 presents this narrative:
37 Then, as He was now drawing near the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works they had seen,
38 saying: "'Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord!' Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!"
39 And some of the Pharisees called to Him from the crowd, "Teacher, rebuke Your disciples."
40 But He answered and said to them, "I tell you that if these should keep silent, the stones would immediately cry out."

Just a few days after the people gathered in Jerusalem to greet the One whom they thought would lead a political revolution and deliver them from Roman oppression, another crowd, perhaps even comprised of some of the same people, were calling for His crucifixion.  Maybe they felt Him to be a failure, who didn't deliver on the promises He never made.  But, the truth is, that Jesus, who had ministered to large crowds throughout the preceding three years, would actually die and rise again so that those same people could, if they chose to follow Him, experience deliverance from spiritual oppression. 

And, that's the message of the gospel. The gospel that is shared one-on-one, and preached to gatherings of various sizes.  You could say there is strength in numbers. 

Sean Feucht has certainly witnessed that.  During the pandemic, He was calling people to gather in outdoor settings and to worship the Lord - in very public settings, including in the nation's capital.  

Recently, the Kingdom to the Capitol event has visited several U.S. state capitals, including Montgomery back on March 19.  This past Saturday, a gathering was held in the State Capitol of Tennessee - Nashville - a place that is, in a sense, a hub for a number of people involved in ministry - it's the home of many who sing and produce Christian music, it is the headquarters of the Southern Baptist Convention.  

But, within the last 7 days, it has become a microcosm of cultural and spiritual warfare.  Where six people lost their lives in a Christian school at the hands of a shooter who had lost her way, whose penchant for violence may have been driven by a corrupt agenda and a movement that seems to have no problem in harming those whom they perceive as opponents.  Where the State Capitol was essentially "invaded" by those who believe that the way to deal with what you could describe as sexual brokenness is to mutilate one's body and boldly proclaim their perversion. 

But, Sean Feucht and the Let Us Worship team, who have embraced the concept of "worship as warfare," brought God's music to the Music City, in a movement that emphasizing praying - they're planning to go to all 50 state capitols.

This past weekend, Kingdom to the Capitol stopped in Little Rock, where there were tornadoes in the area, according to Sean's Twitter feed.  Nashville was also hit by inclement weather, but the worship rally went on. Then, yesterday, Jefferson City, Missouri was the site of an event.

In Nashville, the Tennessean newspaper offered a report on the Capitol event there - it said:

Organizers said they tailored Saturday's concert, punctuated with sermons and performances by Rita Springer, to focus on the shooting that killed students and staff at The Covenant School in Nashville on March 27.

"I want to say with all compassion, with all sensitivity, and with no flippancy at all that Hallie, Evelyn, William, Katherina, Cynthia and Mike were welcomed into their prepared place in Heaven by the son of God himself," Feucht said. "Let's not let trouble, anxiety and worry overshadow the hope of Heaven. Heaven is a place where life reigns and death dies."

Tennessee Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson spoke and stated, "There are very few things that are as beautiful to see as the kingdom gathered here in a public square to worship our almighty God," adding, "I felt led to read Psalm 34:18: 'The Lord is close to the broken-hearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.'"  By the way, the Alabama gathering two and a half weeks ago featured a message by and prayer for Chief Justice Tom Parker. 

Sean wrote just a few weeks ago on his Substack page that had been published on the Turning Point USA Faith page, which is co-sponsoring the "Kingdom to the Capitol" tour:

Just a few days ago, a remnant gathered inside the U.S. Capitol rotunda — the ceremonial and sacred center of America — hosted by 7 members of Congress worshipping, praying, and seeking God’s heart for revival in our nation. We lifted our hands, raised our voices, and cried out to God on our knees for a move of His Spirit.

The momentum is only growing – leading up to the “Kingdom to the Capitol” tour kicking off this week. The fires of revival are now being lit in every U.S. Capitol building in America (all 50 of them!).

Sometimes it takes a bold declaration of faith to give language to what God is already doing on Earth. Just like Peter boldly declared in Acts 2:16 while giving a definition to the phenomena of the Upper Room: “This is that which was promised.”

What if this is the beginning of that moment for us? What if God is indeed answering our prayers and the intercession of many that have gone before us? What if these prayers for awakening, prayers for revival, prayers for a mighty move of God to sweep America are culminating in a response from heaven in our day?

Even in the midst of tragedy, there is hope.  What the enemy has intended for evil, we know that our God - our God - is capable of bringing good out of it.  Jesus died on Friday, but was raised on Sunday. In our darkest moments, we can trust God to move in us.  

Think about the disciples after the crucifixion - scattered and lost, they were most likely scared and feeling alone.  But, upon news of the resurrection of Jesus, hope was ignited in their hearts.  On Pentecost, they saw the visible expression of the risen Lord through His Holy Spirit, moving upon a crowd of thousands in the same city where He had been celebrated and rejected, but now being celebrated again.  When we feel alone and afraid, we can seek the face of God with an expectancy of the Holy Spirit moving upon and through us.