"The Fifth Song"

 ""Then those in Judea must flee to the hills. A person out on the deck of a roof must not go into the house to pack. A person out in the field must not return even to get a coat. How terrible it will be for pregnant women and nursing mothers in those days. And pray that your flight will not be in winter or on the Sabbath. For there will be greater anguish than at any time since the world began. In fact, unless that time of calamity is shortened, not a single person will survive. But it will be shortened for the sake of God's chosen ones. "Then if anyone tells you, 'Look, here is the Messiah,' or 'There he is,' don't believe it. For false messiahs and false prophets will rise up and perform great signs and wonders so as to deceive, if possible, even God's chosen ones. See, I have warned you about this ahead of time."" (Matthew 24:16-25 NLT)

  Footmen, are something of a thing of the past. Interesting enough, they are going to be retuning soon enough: but this time that duty of serving food, will be replaced with serving God's word; the duty of filling in for butlers, will be replace with bandaging the wounded; the task of carrying heavy things, will be replaced with a heavy cross; and the task of opening and closing doors, will be replaced with earnest prayers and supplications. Do you want to know how I know this to be so? It is Written! 

  I have heard quite a few examples of how the churches are being less about teaching God's word, and more about entertainment and exceptionalism; focuses more about being structured, than they are about being like Christ. It is hard to realize how this might have happened; harder sill, to try and figure out how it can be turned around. Maybe it is all meant to be, as we find many Scriptures that say what things will look like in the last days; none of which appear to be very inviting or pleasant for your average Christian. 

  This next Song is more about being like Christ, than it is about being a church. Something of a little mystery, as there are so many different churches, but there is only one Jesus Christ! Not that it will make a really big difference, but the thing about picking up your cross and following Jesus, it is really not about carrying around a really big cross! It is actually much more about having your life turned upside-down; having the structured life you might live, be interrupted, and doing the things you might not otherwise do. In other words, it is about sacrifice; giving yourself away for the sake of others...

"He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all theses things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us." (Romans 8:32-37)