The theme of this issue of Remnant, along with the Holiness Partnership’s conference in Kansas City — the Gathering — is “For Such a Time As This.” These words are drawn from Scripture in the book of Esther. This book shares with us the compelling narrative of a young lady who rises to a particular place at a particular time in which she faces hard and costly decisions. Her courageous actions, encouraged by her cousin Mordecai, countermine an attempt to annihilate the people of God in the Persian empire.
It is not a coincidence that you are in the position in which you now serve. Your current context of ministry, giftedness, location, and setting within history are not haphazard and random. A historic pandemic, unprecedented political upheaval, social unrest, and war have not taken God by surprise. False teaching and cultural ideology being promoted within the context of God’s people has not diminished the Kingdom of God. Divisive philosophies, rejection of holy living, ignoring evangelism, and refuting transformation from sinner to saint has not changed God’s salvific work in the world today!
Brothers and sisters, we have the daring hope that the message of full salvation is still the great need of our hour! That Jesus has provided for the forgiveness of sins by shedding his own blood on the cross of Calvary and given the precious promise of the baptism of the Holy Spirit to those who seek this blessing. And that promise includes power. Power for what? Power for purity of heart and effectiveness in ministry!
Throughout the book of Acts, the apostles would come behind the spread of the Gospel and hear testimonies of people redeemed from darkness. Then they would ask: “Have you been filled with the Holy Spirit since you believed?” Why this interest in “being filled”? Because it was a necessary ingredient for effective, potent evangelism and mission. It was staying power. It was keeping power. It was power that could take a rag tag bunch of uneducated failures and create a movement orchestrated by God that spread across the world.
We seem to be moving into a season of hard conversations, declining church attendance, increased immorality, and biblical illiteracy. With that, we face a great temptation to despair. “I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth” (Psalms 121:1-2). Are these times difficult? Yes. Is there temptation to compromise and flee from the harvest? Yes. Is there a price to pay and sacrifices to make? Yes.
But we have come to this moment for such a time as this.
This is the moment of darkness and despair that the world desperately needs to see and hear a holiness church declare the hope that has been revealed to us in Scripture and incarnate in Jesus!
Do not grow weary in well-doing now; there is too much at stake. This is our time. This is the hope we have been given. Jesus still sets the captives free! Jesus can still forgive the vilest sinner. Jesus can still sanctify through and through the spirit, soul, and body of every consecrated believer! And He can still keep us holy all the way to Heaven! Praise His Name!