judgment, mercy, and the men we need

"Human history is the long terrible story of man trying to find something other than God which will make him happy."

C.S. Lewis

"Every great movement of God can be traced to a kneeling figure."

D.L Moody

Whenever you talk about the judgment of God, it makes people nervous.

There is a legitimate cause for this.

So often, the least loving people show up at the worst times, interjecting a theology of judgment in the midst of heartache and pain.

Who can forget the talk about God's judgment on America after 9/11?
Who can forget the cries of judgment on New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina for the "sins of Mardi Gras?"
Who can forget the explanation of COVID-19 as a judgment on a godless world?

I have a robust theology of judgment. 
I believe God can, does, and will judge sin. 
I just think it looks different than we think it should. 

Jesus said we should take the log out of our own eyes before we judge others.
Paul asked, "What job is it of mine to judge the world?"
Peter said, "Judgment must begin in the house of God."

The judgment of God rarely comes how we expect.

One of the clearest examples of this is found in Isaiah 3. Read these verses closely, and you see the explicit, systematic judgment of God on his people. Don’t just skim this; sit with it. It's revelatory. Rather than cataclysmic weather events or wasting disease, it’s a judgment of withdrawal.

(1) See now, the Lord, the LORD Almighty, is about to take from Jerusalem and Judah both supply and support: all supplies of food and all supplies of water,

(2) the hero and the warrior, the judge and the prophet, the diviner and the elder,

(3) the captain of fifty and the man of rank, the counselor, skilled craftsman, and clever enchanter.

(4) "I will make mere youths their officials; children will rule over them."

(5) People will oppress each other— man against man, neighbor against neighbor. The young will rise up against the old, the nobody against the honored.

(6) A man will seize one of his brothers in his father’s house, and say, "You have a cloak, you be our leader; take charge of this heap of ruins!"

When a society moves away from God and puts its trust in the wrong things, God will judge that society. He does this by stripping away those with the capacity to lead.

The judgment of God is the removal of the help of God.

God takes support and supply; His response and His resources. 
God takes the hero, the warrior; those who can fight.
He takes the prophet and judge; those who can discern. 
He takes the men of capacity and the captains of rank.
He takes the counselor; those with wisdom.
He takes the craftsmen; those who can build.
God removes those who can help.

Then something shocking happens.

Children rule over society.
The nobody over the honorable.
Oppression and opposition. 

And what’s the result?

Children ruling over the rubble and remains of a broken world.
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When I think about the secular culture we live in today, I see the judgment of God everywhere I look.

We have a crisis of leadership; so few worth following.
We have a crisis of character; so few with integrity, 
We have a crisis of capacity; so few with ability.
We have a crisis of discernment; so few with wisdom.

We live in a world where the fools think they are wise, we have deconstructed everything, and the narcissists are fighting over rubble. We are installing the subjective feelings of children as the highest form of wisdom in the land.

I doubt the secular culture knew that when it sought to remove God from society, it would remove the source of its strength, capacity, leadership, and favor.

This is a grim and heartbreaking analysis. But I have seen another pattern over the years, both in God’s Word and His work in the world.

Whenever God is getting ready for revival and renewal, He will restore godly men.

He will bring back the hero and warrior; those who know how to fight.
He will bring back the prophet and the judge; those who can discern.
He will increase men’s capacity, and captains will emerge.
Counselors will appear and craftsmen will arrive. 
Watchmen will appear on the wall.

Could the rumblings amongst the men of this generation be the foreshock of a great restoration He is bringing through a move of God among men?
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Those of you who know me know I have three real passions in ministry:

(1)  Renewing secular culture through the gospel
(2)  Working to raise up men
(3)  Prayer and revival

People often wonder how these things fit together in life, and at times, I have as well.

About a year or so ago, a friend of mine, Darren Rouanzoin, came and preached at our church. Between services, we went down to Fulton Street, where the Businessman’s Revival began in 1857.

While we were there, he gave me a prophetic word that pulled the pieces of my life together in a powerful moment. He said something to this effect,

"The reason I think you have a heart for men is because of what happened in this city. The great move of God in 1857 wasn’t a pastor’s revival or a church planting revival; it was a businessmen’s revival. I think God is pulling these themes of your life together. Raising up men to pray for revival and then moving them out to renew the culture is at the heart of the history of this city. I think God wants to do it again."

Praying men. Revived men. Renewing men.

This is not just something stirring in me; I see rumblings everywhere.

While preaching around the US and talking about Fighting Shadows, I was marked by the hunger and stirring for more in the hearts of men today.

Men want more than managing decline.
More than lukewarm faith.
More than passive participation. 
More than sin management.
More than a distant and disappointed God. 

Here was the most hopeful picture of the trip. It was taken during ministry time at The Well Church in Salt Lake City.

God's stirring the heart of the next generation, the current generation, and previous generations like never before.

I see…

Teenage guys meeting before school to pray for their friends.
Retired men meeting at diners to pray for their communities.
Dads getting up early to pray for their families.
A new generation of men emerging in the marketplace who want more than money, status, and success.

I obviously believe God wants to use women in all this, and I believe Mary of Bethany was the best disciple Jesus had.

Yet, I am seeing a cloud on the horizon, and it’s the size of a man's fist.

I am resolved to be a part of a godly restoration in our time.

A time when Jesus is worshipped.
A time when leaders can be trusted.
A time when men fight for what matters.
A time when wisdom is honored.
A time when favor is restored.

God removes men in judgment and restores them in revival.

Take heart, men; God may be moving you into place right now.

You don’t have to fight for influence in the ruins of our culture. God is calling you as a remnant of rebuilders.

Yes, it’s a time of judgment, but it is also a time when mercy may triumph over it.

Praying men. Revived men. Renewing men.

I’m here for that.

Keep pressing in; the cloud is on the horizon.

Cheers.

Jon.