Bishop-Elect Dr. Monterey D. Lee, Sr.
From the days of John the Baptist until now, the Kingdom of Heaven suffered violence, and the violent take it by force (Matthew 11:12).
As kingdom ‘citizens’ and ambassadors of Christ, we are obligated to protect the kingdom of God at all costs. The only agenda we have is the Kingdom of God. For all things are governed by God and His kingdom. Right now, 85% of churches in North America are stagnant and in decline. Churches are at a 50% decrease, and in the next few years, as many as 100,000 houses of worship will close. This is 4,000 churches a month closing their doors. This has nothing to do with the post-COVID pandemic we are facing now, It has to do with the commitment of the people of God. People have lost their commitment to God and His word.
Leaders are faced with a decision: Do we close in fear, or do we make a stand?
When it comes to the church and the mission of the Kingdom of God, we have to take a stand and do what is right. This is the right time to push upward with everything you have. Leaders must pray like never before, stand on the word of God, and teach truth.
There are two common views about the meaning of Matthew 11:12:
- Jesus is referring to a vast movement toward the kingdom of God, the movement that John the Baptist preached in John 1:1. In the beginning was the word (logos), the word was with God and the word was God. The logos became flesh and dwelt among men in the person of Jesus of Nazareth. The word must come alive. People need to hear the real word of God.
- Entering God’s kingdom takes courage, unwavering faith, determination, and endurance. The Kingdom of God will face opposition against the followers of Jesus Christ, but we must stand.
We need to wake up! We need to wake up and take our ground! This is not the time to survive, people, it’s the time to thrive.
This is the time for a prophetic move of God’s anointing. We need a word from the Lord now—a true word, a real word, a word that will have people repent and come out of sin. The church needs to wake up and repent.
We are the agents of God’s Kingdom. We have the authority to move about freely. We have been given a ministry assignment, and we will not break or bog down.
There is only one church, the church of Jesus Christ. When this crisis, this pandemic, this attack, blows over—the church must be the one entity that did not lose or fold. The church cannot lose ground. The church is being hit right now, but we cannot stop moving upward in Jesus’ name.
As the church of God, we don’t move forward; we move upward!
We move to a higher place, point, or dimension.
Let’s get in military formation. When the General gives the order:
—
Go, charge, attack!
Where are the soldiers;
Where are the fighting warriors;
Where are the kingdom ambassadors?
Are you alert; are you ready to evangelize; win souls; fight for the kingdom of God?
Then keep serving, keep giving, keep loving, and reach the lost. You are not by yourself. The Holy Spirit is our helper, our converter, our go-between. He equips up with what we need to win the fight.
One of the oldest tricks in the military-strategic playbook is to do the opposite of what the enemy expects. When the enemy expects you to defend yourself, you attack.
When your enemy zags, you zig and make a sharp change of direction.
In the military, the General will give the order to charge.
