The Unseen Majority

THE UNSEEN MAJORITY

II Ki.6: 13 And he said, Go and spy where he is, that I may send and fetch him. And it was told him, saying, Behold, he is in Dothan.
14 Therefore sent he thither horses, and chariots, and a great host: and they came by night, and compassed the city about.
15 And when the servant of the man of God was risen early, and gone forth, behold, an host compassed the city both with horses and chariots. And his servant said unto him, Alas, my master! how shall we do?
16 And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them.
17 And Elisha prayed, and said, Lord, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the Lord opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.

Jehoram, the son of Ahab and Jezebel, was the King of Israel. He was always double minded and the Scriptures say he did evil. But by God’s grace the people of Israel were spared and given several chances to repent of idolatry. God used the prophet Elisha to speak to Jehoram, however his obedience was always temporary.

But through the ministry of Elisha, the King of Israel escaped the clutches of the Syrian army several times. In fact, the King of Syria was so vexed he inquired of his servants as to who was the spy among them. His servants told him that there was no spy, but the Prophet Elisha was telling everything to Jehoram, even about things the King of Syria was speaking in his own bedroom. It was a metaphor, however it revealed the extent to which God was using Elisha.

Now the King of Syria sent his army and surrounded the place where Elisha slept in hopes of capturing him. One morning when the servant of Elisha awoke and went out he saw a tremendous gathering of men and horses and chariots surrounding the house. He ran in and told Elisha and in a panic he asked Elisha what they were going to do.

Now please allow some license here. I can see Elisha sliding his feet over the side of the bed and stretching his arms up in the air while yawning widely. He brings his hands to his eyes and rubs them. “Good morning”, he says to his servant. “Did you hear what I just said, Master?” “Yes, I did,” said Elisha. “Well what are we ever going to do?”, said the servant.

Elisha rises and says, “Give me a minute. OK, our army is much greater than theirs.”

“What? Where?” The servant still believes his master is still somewhat asleep.

Elisha asks the Lord to let his servant see the invisible, and behold! The mountains are full of horses and chariots of fire.

There is such a principle of faith in this narrative. We live in a world filled with fear, and the church has followed suit. Listen to professing believers moan about the economy or the coming Islamic state. And what is their answer? Another king, another president. Yes, that will turn things around. People in America live with an unspoken fear. And that fear has invaded the church as well. Believers fear they will lose their jobs, or their finances, or their health, and they fear all sorts of things like Muslims and liberals.

But notice what Elisha said. “Fear not” And what were the words of the angels on the night when Christ was born? “Fear not.” And why should we who are believing followers of Jesus not fear? Because we serve the Risen Christ, and the hosts of heaven are more than anything here on earth. What could upset a person who has the guarantee of eternal life and the innumerable hosts of heaven as his rear guard? God has not given us the spirit of fear.

Do we doubt what the end of all things will bring? Do we trust in the systems of men or do we trust in the living God? Do we think that any of God’s enemies can circumvent His eternal plan? Well, God has given us instructions from which we dare not deviate. Paul called the gospel the power of God to everyone who believes, so why do those who say they believe turn to all sorts of other so called powers? Attempting to bring the kingdom of heaven down to earth through a voting majority is little more than witchcraft. It is a vain attempt to leverage the will of God through the arm of man’s flesh which include all kinds of unholy alliances. What purports to be evangelical Christianity today is an earthly façade.

Do we even believe in heaven or angels or the power of the Spirit or the overarching authority of Christ and His Word anymore? Look how millions of professing believers are completely entangled with the affairs of this life in this election year. Listen to their caustic verbiage and their hopes that just one more election will add coins to their coffers. If you really observe the situation through the eyes of the Spirit it will seem like Christianity has all but vanished from the planet. Christ saved us, forgave us, transformed us, inhabited us, and sent us as sheep into a world of wolves with the admonition to be harmless as doves. And yet here we are with people who claim to know and follow Jesus bellowing out incendiary language and joining redeemed hands with unredeemed hands in order to attack and conquer the very fields in which we are called to be harvesters for Christ.

Oh children of the Most Merciful God, let us remove ourselves in spirit and in truth from the evil systems of this present world. We are surely in this world but we must never be of it. Ours must be a humble confidence that understands the power of our God but wields that power in ways foreign to this world of selfishness and braggadocio. While they lift lit torches we must proceed on well worn knees. While they speak great and swelling words filled with lies and distortions, we must speak the truth in love, seasoned with salt, and willing everywhere to speak of the hope which lies within us. And to be sure our hope is not of this world.

How can we once again summon the true spirit of Christ to become the driving force within our lives and the church itself? Have we strayed so far and embraced such falsehoods that the path that leads back to Calvary has all but been erased? Have the fowls of the air eaten the bread crumbs which might point us back? But even though the church as a whole may continue to wallow in the pigpen of this fallen world and all its ways, each individual can and must repent and present his mind, heart, and body as a living sacrifice. God desires to mold us into the image of His Dear Son.

Let the trumpet sound and let the call go out. Behold, the Bridegroom comes! We must not engage in all these worthless games, eternity looms large and men’s souls hang in the balance. Forget about Obama or Romney, neither one is the answer to anything. The latest poll taken of conservative voters reveals that even abortion is not the deciding factor in people’s votes. So that means even people who are concerned with moral issues and who believe voting helps things will still vote with their pocketbooks. Yes, the entire thing is a sham and a fraud and has many believers walking in a deep deception.

But take heart, all you who diligently seek Him. Never think more highly of yourselves but think more highly of Him. He alone is our answer, and He alone is the mark for which we strive. We grieve for our wayward brothers and sisters but we rejoice in Him and the freedom in which we walk. How many years have we wasted with temporal worthlessness, but no more praise His Name! God has shown us great patience and grace but we still know we have not arrived. But we no longer battle against flesh and blood.

It is not the gays with whom we strive, It is not the abortion doctors with which we do battle. It is not the liberal or the atheist or the Muslim that causes us to put on the whole armor of God. No! We do battle with the unseen forces of hell that seek to take us off course and thereby help in damning the souls of men. The devil does not fear voting blocks or elections; he fears the gospel lived and shared by believers whose lives reveal much more than orthodox written doctrines. The devil fears the Christ that is allowed to live through His redeemed followers.

And that requires much more sacrifice and diligence than a voter registration.