About My Father’s Business

…“Why do you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s Business?”

“But they did not understand the statement which He spoke to them.” (Luke 2:49 & 50 NKJV)

The introduction to this article appears to be two scriptures out of Luke referring to Jesus missing from His family and sitting among the scholars in the temple. Look again and you will find these two scriptures are more profound than they appear. Allow me to expound on this statement. Hidden in these scriptures are instructions to “the church” today and not only that, but the response of “the church” to these instructions. Do you recall the recent church buzz word, “seeker friendly”? This was the response of the church to attract those who were seeking Jesus. In other words, programs were created and the term “seeker friendly” adopted to attract Jesus seekers into a building. Hopefully I have set the stage for you. Jesus’ family was desperately seeking Him when they could not find Him where they thought He should be. The parallel is this; “the seekers” were also desperately seeking Jesus. The church through programs attempted to satisfy the seekers by attracting them to where the church thought Jesus should be. Okay, so where is Jesus? “Jesus has left the building.” This statement, made famous by the MC closing Elvis Presley concerts, speaks directly to where Jesus is today. He has left the building and He is about His Father’s Business.

The instructions to the church today are to get up out of your building, get out of your programs, get out of your pews and get on with the Father’s business. Let’s look at why this has become necessary. Compare church to school; how many years did you attend school, twelve, sixteen, twenty for a doctorate? At some point you completed your schooling and went to work applying what you had learned. Now next question, how many years have you attended church, twelve, sixteen, twenty, a whole lifetime? It’s time to leave the classroom and go to work using what you have learned. Where do you work? Go ye wherever the people are who are not in relationship with Jesus. Here’s a hint, they are not in church. Unfortunately we have as a whole tried our best to attract people into our buildings (churches) by hook or crook, I mean by the latest sure-fire programs because that’s where they can find Jesus. When Jesus made the statement “…did you not know I must be about my Father’s business”, He knew they did not understand the statement which he spoke to them anymore than we as the church in the past have understood it’s not about buildings and programs. I am not being anti-church, rather I am challenging all of us to stop just attending church and start being the church.

You probably have some legitimate questions at this point about how I arrived at this prognosis. My arrival was accomplished by being led by the Spirit into some new ways of thinking regarding church. I actually had to

get off the church attending philosophy and come to the realization that I, like you, am the church and the Lord was calling me, like you, to go be the church.

Once this new way of doing church took hold I found I was walking in a freedom that was very strange and unfamiliar. As I was about My Father’s business, in this case sharing this information with disgruntled church goers, I was overwhelmed with the responses brought back. They had a new fire burning in them and a renewed love for sharing the Lord because they found countless hungry and hurting people on the highways and byways of life outside the walls of a building. They had found joy and freedom traveling the path of Jesus as “the church”.

There is one thing that I can tell you regarding being about your Father’s business, you will be on an all consuming ride that captures almost every hour of every day. It has been a year since we published our last newsletter. Why so long? We have literally been about the Father’s business and everything about where we used to be has shifted. The face of the church as we know it today will very soon be so dramatically changed that the true followers of Jesus Christ will realize the church has become completely different than anything they have ever seen. Anything that is left resembling the church we all grew up with will not be at the front of the battle. This time the church is being built on the proper foundation, apostles and prophets with Jesus the chief cornerstone. (See Ephesians 2:20) These instructions have existed since the inception of the New Testament Church, but they were not adhered to very long before man in his infinite wisdom started making things more user friendly. The good news is that now the church is poised for a true revival, not lip service to a week-long meeting. Honest to goodness restored life.

I have attempted to give you a simplistic overview of some things the Lord is saying and what is on the horizon for the church. This article is not intended to be all or end all regarding church, but rather a continuing effort to announce “the church” is changing. You will find some prophetic words in the article Thus Saith that I pray will add some insight and speak to situations you have experienced or may be experiencing now. These words speak to the past and coming season to pinpoint where we are on the Lord’s timetable.