Woe to Him Who is Alone
Up until I went to prison in 1989, I had always had lots of people around me. Most of those people were slight acquaintances, some were co-workers, some were friends, some were church folk, and some were family. I must confess that back then, I often got the priorities in my relationships out of order. I let my slight acquaintances and other working relationships preempt the most important ones that I should have nurtured.
Ecclesiastes 4:7-12 NCV
Again I saw something here on earth that was useless:
I saw a man who had no family,
no son or brother.
He always worked hard
but was never satisfied with what he had.
He never asked himself, “For whom am I working so hard?
Why don’t I let myself enjoy life?”
This also is very sad and useless.
When everything came apart and all of my relationships were tested, I realized that there were precious few people that I could count on in this life. But the ones I had neglected, were the ones I found were faithful to hold me up and support me when many others betrayed me and most just scattered like deer.
There is no teacher for that lesson like trauma. People often wonder why God allows them to go through various struggles and traumas in their life, and the answer is because He is merciful. God promises to use everything that happens to us for our good, even those things that come upon us by our own mishandling.
If I had not experienced the trauma of the loss of everything – I would not have known the peace of realignment with God’s order of things.
True Friends and Family Give Strength
Two people are better than one, because they get more done by working together.
My friend, Bishop Ronnie Webb always says “teamwork makes the dream work.” There is so much truth in that one simple statement. Teamwork is absolutely essential in the Church in the Last Days. But the kind of team that God will use is a team that has come together in the true unity of the Spirit.
This is not a team like you have heard teams defined before. This team is dead to any of their own dreams, ambitions or self-promotions – and they are alive only to what the Lord wants. That’s not an easy thing because the humanity in us is always pulling us away from right priorities.
The teams God is bringing together will find their dreams are rooted in one vision, to know Him and to make Him known. When this happens in a Church or ministry, you truly have a “Dream Team” and you will see your momentum gain strength in impacting the world for Jesus.
If one falls down, the other can help him up. But it is bad for the person who is alone and falls, because no one is there to help.
In my book, The Refuge, I outline the importance of the Church in the Last Days. Believe it or not, many people have abandoned the Church in droves in the last 10 years. Just when the Church needs to come alive, it appears to be dying.
But the Church is not going to die – but it may be rebuilt! Jesus said “I will build My Church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against her!” Now it doesn’t get any clearer than that. Has it ever occurred to you that much of what has been built may not have been built by Jesus!?
Yet, the disappointment or disillusionment in today’s churches does not justify the “Lone Ranger” syndrome. You cannot make it on your own – you need the help and the fellowship of other believers!
If two lie down together, they will be warm, but a person alone will not be warm.
One of the saddest things I ever heard was when Philip Cameron brought several of his “Kids from Moldova” to our show and they told stories of the horrible conditions in the orphanages there. One young girl told of nights in sub-zero temperatures without any source of heat except each other. These children had to sleep huddled together and keep rotating to the inside to keep from freezing to death.
Though this situation was very real in the natural, we can use that poignant depiction of the need for others to point to just how essential the Body of Christ is. Accept it. You need others and they need you. No Lone Rangers! Neglect not the assembly!
An enemy might defeat one person, but two people together can defend themselves; a rope that is woven of three strings is hard to break.
I’m not a fan of violent movies, but I remember one scene in the movie Gladiator from which I drew some great spiritual wisdom. It was in the arena when all the gladiators were surrounded by the chariots. The leader shouted three things to the others: “stay together, raise your shields, move as one!” Their formation was a virtually impenetrable fortress against the enemy.
You may think you are strong enough to stand against anything that comes against you, and we know that the devil and his minions are very busy trying to steal, kill and destroy everything and everyone they can in these last days. But you are not as strong alone as you could be together with others who can help you fight. When you fight together, you can watch each other’s backs, so to speak. And when Jesus is in your midst, the three-fold defense is undefeatable!
Don’t be found alone in the Last Days. Jesus didn’t intend for you to have to go it alone. Not only will we have increased spiritual warfare, we will have increases in natural calamities as well. God knew you would be born and live in these perilous times – and He designed it that way and gave you a special assignment. Don’t disappoint Him. Pray that God will align you with good people – people who love the Lord and are called according to His purposes. And while we’re at it, we should probably pray that we ourselves are found faithful!
Love,
