He Has Torn Us Into Pieces

I am feeling I need to write on this. There is a wonderful, heartwrenching song by Shane Barnard called Hosea. Greg, the c.d. we sent you should have it on there. Here is a link to listen for about 1 min. HoseaHere are the lyrics:come let us returnHe has torn us into piecesHe has injured uscome let us return to the LordHe will heal usHe will bandage our woundsin just a short time He'll restore usin just a short time He'll restore His churchso we might livewe might live in His presencein His presenceoh that we might know the Lordoh that we might know the Lordoh that we might know the Lordlet us press on to know Himlet us press hard into Himthen as surely as the coming of the dawnHe will respondHere are the verses Hosea 6:1-2" Come, and let us return to the Lord; For He has torn, but He will heal us; He has stricken, but He will bind us up. After two days He will revive us; on the third day He will raise us up, That we may live in his sight." NKJIn the NLT: vs 1-3 "Come, let us return to the LORD! He has torn us in pieces; now he will heal us. He has injured us; now he will bandage our wounds. In just a short time, he will restore us so we can live in his presence. Oh, that we might know the LORD! Let us press on to know him! Then he will respond to us as surely as the arrival of dawn or the coming of rains in early spring." Does anyone else see this?I could not explain before why I loved the fact that i was saying that the Lord had torn me to pieces - but for MY GOOD- because now He could restore me, revive me. It is the same for His church as a body. We have to be torn to pieces first before He can restore us to what He wants us to be.And even better, do you see this about the second and the third day? A day is as a thousand years. We are in the third day now that we are past the year 2000. This revival, restoration- is like no other. It is the restoration of His bride because of the timing. It will not probably look like anything before. More is required and more is expected because this time we are to be spotless. We are to be brought to the "full knowledge" of Christ. "I believe that the fruit of this final revival is going to be a bride that the Bridegroom is worthy of. She will consist of those wise virgins who those who heed the warning in Revelation 3:18. "I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see." The Church for which Christ returns will be a glorious Church, without spot or wrinkle, but there must be a tearing and rending, gold tried in the fire, first. Jesus is not coming back for a bride that is a self-indulgent, spoiled brat."`Michael Clark I really cannot explain what i am trying to say and I don't even know if I have the words.Unless we know what it is like to be torn to pieces as Christ was- then we will not be able to be revived and be resurrected as He was on the third day.25 And I will restore to you the years which the swarming locust has eaten, the locust larvae, and the stripping locust, and the cutting locust, My great army which I sent among you. 26 And you shall eat in plenty, and be satisfied, and praise the name of the LORD your God, who has dealt with you wonderfully ([literally "who has fashioned you"] by the hewing of the prophets, by plagues, by pestilence, and by invading armies) and My people shall never be ashamed. 27 And you shall know that I [am] in the midst of Israel, and that I [am] the LORD your God, and no one else; and My people shall never be ashamed. 28 And it shall be AFTERWARDS, I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh. And your sons and your daughters shall prophesy; your old men shall dream dreams; your young men shall see visions. 29 And also I will pour out My Spirit on the slaves and on the slave women in those days.(Joel 2:25-29 MKJVThe word "afterwards" in verse 28 above has been the most overlooked word by modern revivalists. After what? Doesn't the context of both of these passages in Joel and Hosea support the fact that first we must be hewn and brought to a place where we see the sin sick state of today's church and our part in its decadence? God first calls out to us to fall on our faces in true repentance and torn hearts, and only then does He pours out the promise of His Spirit. Doesn't it also appear that this final outpouring is accompanied by great natural disasters and a promise that everything that can be shaken will be shaken? Is it not just a remnant that answer His call to true repentance? "-Michael Clark29 And also on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days. "And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth: Blood and fire and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, And the moon into blood, Before the coming of the great and awesome day of the LORD. And it shall come to pass That whoever calls on the name of the LORD Shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be deliverance, As the LORD has said, Among the remnant whom the LORD calls. (Joel 2:29-32, NKJV). It sounds to me a revival that is to come before His appearing. So this will not be your typical revival. Things are a-changin'.Anyone with any thoughts.In Him, Chanin

God has really been using the book of Hosea in my life lately... largely through it He gave me my first true (I think) understanding that He wanted a close, loving relationship with me (and each of us). One based on an intense, uncompromising, consuming, and selfless love for one another.It's almost more than I can believe. It doesn't really fit with my previous presuppositions that I was totally and completely unnecessary to Him. I could feel that kind of love for other people because I knew that (theoretically) God could use me to bless them in a way that they could not necessarily satisfy by themselves. With God Himself there's absolutely nothing I can give Him that He can't make/do/etc by Himself... except, maybe, just maybe... me.Before, His very act of creating anything at all made absolutely no sense to me whatsoever. It seemed absurd. I could trace it back from the other end, that maybe He wanted other sentient moral agents to have some kind of relationship with... but I didn't see why He'd want that, I just accepted it.Now, I think I just might understand it to some slight degree. And some small inkling of how far I am from what He means me to be.I once encountered, in a most unlikely place, a phrase, a beautiful and noble phrase now embedded upon my heart, "What would you have of me?"What wouldst Thou have of me, O Lord?What is Thy heart?In Him,-Keith

Keith, I love it! This also goes along with what i was saying in the "In His Presence" post. It is so much a love story.I love what you have to say about thinking before that we were unnecessary to Him. When you think of how much He loves us and wants this intimacy with us- how could we ever walk away or not be obedient. Yet, we do because we are not Him. I am sorrowful that I have to disappoint Him with my sinful baggage at times. I wish I could present myself as completely spotless for Him as a gift. Yet I guess I will have to wait until He returns to be what I would like to be for Him. In Him, Chanin

Remember 1 Cor. 10:13"There hath no temptation taken hold of you but such as is common to man. But God is faithful; He will not suffer you to be tempted beyond that which ye are able to bear, but with the temptation will also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it."I love those words "He will not suffer..." meaning He puts His sovereign foot down and prevents us from being forced to sin against Him.I praise God that by His grace I don't have to go on living expecting to repeatedly sin against Him.I know what you mean by the baggage, though... Oh, how far I am from what He desires I be. Those ever-ready temptations to pride, to lust, to self-pity, to apathy... By His grace I have not succumbed for some time, but I know there must be something wrong for these temptations to continue in me, some root making the well bitter. If only He'd show me, I'd repent and cast it into the flames.I think I know what the problem is. I don't care enough yet, I'm not in anguish, His heart is broken but mine is yet whole. When I am no longer able to live with something between Him and me, perhaps then I'll be ready.

I am sorrowful that I have to disappoint Him with my sinful baggage at times. Yes, when I said this I was thinking of heart sins - pride, unforgiveness, coveting, etc...Even when we think we are free from sin (and most people think of the obvious things like lust, lying, gossiping, bodily sins, etc...)- there is always some sin that we have not checked our heart for. Especially when we are walking in the deeper Christian life and we have learned how to overcome the most obvious sins- it's so easy to think we have it all together and that we are "sin-free".I know I never walk a day without sinning in my heart. When I lose my temper with my kids, when I think a jealous thought, when I covet someone elses life or position. Even when I doubt the Lord- this is sin. When I worry - it is sin. Thank the Lord for his mercy and His patience in helping us to grow in the grace and knowledge of him more and more over time.I will always be a work in progress.In Him, Chanin