Wall that divides

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 	There is a wall that divides the church today. This wall keeps
the church from moving forward in the race of the high calling.  It is a
wall
that keeps the church from growing, physically and spiritually.  It is a
wall
that blocks the entrance to Heaven.

	This wall is not an actual wall made up of concrete or wood.  
It is a wall built up by non-spiritual materials.  It is not built of
only one material, but many various items.  To put it plainly, these 
materials are things that do not please God.  

	I wholeheartedly believe that Acts 2:38 is not all there is to
salvation.  I believe salvation is complete only when you enter into the
gates of Heaven and hear God say, "Well done..."  In between repenting of
your sins, being baptized in Jesus name, and being filled with the Holy
Ghost, is a thing called, "holiness."

	Holiness is living a life the way God wants you to live it.  You
stop doing things which God asks you to stop doing.  You begin to implant
"standards" into your life as you walk with God.  When a saint does not
walk in the way God asks them to, a "building block" for the wall is
made.

	Another building block that can be found in the wall that divides
is one that is formed by lukewarmness.  Lukewarmness according to
Webster's dictionary means to be tepid, not intense.  When I looked up
the word intense, I found it to mean, "existing in a extreme degree."  I
took this to mean a extreme degree of temperature.  When you become
lukewarm, you are not on fire for God anymore.  God tells us we are to
either be hot or cold.  He does not want a lukewarm person living for
Him.  When you live a lukewarm life, you are intentionally or
unintentionally living a life for God AND the devil.  To live a life that
way is what I feel to be a slap in God's face.  

	In the book of Revelations, Chapter 3  says:
	
	" And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; 
	These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness,
	 the beginning of the creation of God; I know thy works, that
	 thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. 
	 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot,
	 I will spue thee out of my mouth." 

Lukewarmness is like a bad meal to God, it makes Him want to vomit!

	How does one form a lukewarm heart?  Lack of standards, lack of
Holy living, being to busy for prayer, sitting silently through a worship
service, not supporting your pastor, holding back  in your tithes and
offering,
lacking in just plain zeal for God and not witnessing.  I could go on and
on, but
the above sums up a lot of how to be lukewarm.  

	A third brick in the wall is an actual "brick of division."  Very
simply put, division according to Webster's dictionary is, "disagreement,
 disunity." Division can be done by physically separating oneself, or 
speaking badly of another. I personally have seen division come in 
many shapes and sizes.  I have seen departments of a church come 
against each other.  Saints against saints, saints against preachers, 
and most of all, I have seen age verse age. Young against old. 
 The "age gap."  When there is a division in the church, great or 
small, it builds up the and helps strengthen the wall.  

	We are in the endtime of this world.  God is ready to come back
for a church robed in white with  no stain spot or wrinkle.  Above are
examples of how to divide yourself from being one of the "church." 
 The wall that divides has been built up to long.....

	IT IS TIME TO TEAR DOWN THAT WALL!!!

	When I read in the book of Joshua, I noticed a few things about
the children of Isreal marching around Jericho.  They were told to march
around once a day for six days and then finally seven times on the
seventh day..
 

	" And ye shall compass the city, all ye men of war,
	and go round about the city once. Thus shalt thou do six days. 
	And seven priests shall bear before the ark seven trumpets of 
	rams' horns: and the seventh day ye shall compass the city seven
	 times, and the priests shall blow with the trumpets."

This, I feel had to be a march of faith.  It would of been rather hard to
believe that you could capture a city by only marching around it.  We
MUST
have faith in order to conquer the walls that separate the church from
Heaven!

Secondly, 

	" And Joshua had commanded the people, saying, Ye shall
	 not shout, nor make any noise with your voice, neither shall
	 any word proceed out of your mouth, until the day I bid you 
	shout; then shall ye shout."

I believe saints need to take this stance today when going forth to
conquer the devil and his dividing spirits.  Saints need to stop
complaining
about who is preaching, who is singing, who is sitting next to them, and
shut there
mouth! As Bro. Jeff Arnold once stated, "God likes someone who will go to
HIM to
talk about their problems instead of going to other saints."  

	Going to the altar can be a problem for some.  When you go to the
altar with your sacrifice or your problems, don't just "knock them out"
and
revive them when you get home, sacrifice them and leave them at the
altar!!!  God
will take care of your problems and  concerns, if you only let him and
have faith that
He will.

	On the seventh day, it was time to get results.

	" So the people shouted when the priests blew with the
	 trumpets: and it came to pass, when the people heard
	the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a
	great shout, that the wall fell down flat....."

I am going to walk out on a line on this one and make a few comments.
The people finally opened their mouths only after the priests blew the
trumpets.  Notice first of all, they shouted, as in a victory shout. 
They did not go back to complaining, gossiping about sister so and so,
they
shouted!  When your praising God, you do not have time to be negative!!!

	Who are the priest when it comes to the church tearing down the 
walls that divide?  I believe that is God sending revival!!!!  When he
sends revival and there is nothing in its way, it will come "loudly!"  On
the day of
Pentecost, the Holy Ghost came like a mighty rushing wind, so why not
revival?  When it comes, You can then begin to shout! When the walls
finally come down, TAKE THE CITY BY STORM!  Don't leave anything, use all
that God has for you!  RUN AT FULL FORCE!  BE ON FIRE! The gates of
Heaven are open wide and there
is nothing stopping you from taking Heaven by force!

				Chris Sterrett   3-12-97

Chris Sterrett                    Apostolic Bible Church
sterrett@juno.com               acts2.38@juno.com