Time to Rise

I've been thinking about this a lot recently.

About eight years ago, a prophet (a Christian man with the spiritual gift of prophesy, hearing and delivering words from God) said to me: "The men of the Church in this country will fail the Church and lead her astray, and it will be up to the women to rise and show her the way back." Then, he told me to read the story of Gideon, for God wanted to show me something from his story.

The test of a prophet is if his or her words come true, and, well, can we say these words certainly have? In the last eight years since that prophecy, we have seen many men of the Church leading her astray and into the worship of Trump and into bed with the MAGA party. Not all male preachers, certainly, and not just men, but there have been several prominent male pastors with public platforms who have been champions of Trump, calling him "God's anointed" and "the savior of Christianity", leading many down this false path. It seems very much like prophecy coming true.

What about the other piece, though, the idea that it’ll be up to the women to rise and to lead the church back? Who are these female voices?

I can think of a few who already have public platforms and who have been pretty upfront with their rejection of Trump and American Christian nationalism. Women like Beth Moore, for example, who broke a couple years ago away from the Southern Baptist Church and has spoken out against Trump. But I think there are more. I think there are more women out there who are being called... called like Gideon.

Gideon's story is found in the book of Judges in the Old Testament. Judges tells part of the history of the Israelite people. In Chapter 6, the Israelites are conquered by the Midianites, who plunder the land and impoverish the people. The people cry out to God for deliverance. In response, God sends an angel to a man named Gideon. Gideon is from a weak, lesser known tribe of Israel, and he calls himself "the least" in his family. He is no one special. The angel finds him working a winepress, not leading an army. He is an unlikely hero, and a hesitant one as well.

If you have heard the story of Gideon, you've likely heard of the fleeces. Gideon wanted God to prove He was the one truly calling Gideon and He hadn't made a mistake. Gideon wanted God's assurance that God would be with Gideon and help him defeat the Midianites. So, he set out tests. "If this is truly what you want..." Three times he tests God, and three times God answers. Finally, Gideon obeys.

When he goes out to gather up an army, he is so successful that too many people respond. God tells him to narrow down the number of soldiers. He wants Gideon as well as the people of Israel to clearly see their victory wasn’t through their own strength but rather through God's strength alone. Twice God has Gideon dial back his numbers until he has just a small crew of soldiers - who weren’t really even trained to be soldiers as they were mostly farmers and people who worked the land. They went against one of the greatest armies of the world at the time - and they won, because God was with them.

What do we learn from the story of Gideon? We learn that God calls the unexpected. We learn that God is patient with the called and willing to prove they are indeed called for such a time as this. We learn when God is with you, who can stand against you? Even when faced with what seems like insurmountable odds or even the impossible, if God is on your side, anything can be achieved.

I think God is speaking right now. I think He’s calling for Gideons to rise. Maybe it’s you. Maybe it’s me. We may not be the most qualified, the most prepared, or the most special. But God is looking for people who will listen and obey and speak His truth.

Let me be very, very clear here, less I be labeled a revolutionist or something. I am not referring to a literal rise up in arms to physically fight the empire, like Gideon and the Midianites. Rather, what I am talking about is God is looking for true believers who hear His voice and can call the Church back to her true calling. Who can lead us back on the path we have lost sight of. We have not been called to establish an earthly kingdom or to serve a country or flag. We have been called to raise up disciples who know His Word and follow His ways. We have been called to care for the poor and the vulnerable, to free the oppressed and marginalized, to love our neighbor, and to show God's mercy to all. 

Moses went up the mountain for 40 days and the people built a golden calf to worship. Big name pastors all over the country have abandoned their teaching of the gospel and the Church has created a golden idol to worship.

We need our Moses. We need our Gideons. We need our Nathans and our prophets and our teachers to rise up!

Maybe, to all the women out there, as a woman you think it could never be you. The church has taught you for years that women are meant to be silent. These out-of-context verses from Paul have been used to abuse and silence women and steal their gifts for centuries. But there have always been some. There have always been some women who have been brave enough to believe in their call. To believe in the word that God has planted in them. And they have risen and they have spoken and they have changed the Church and swayed the culture around them.

Now is the time for such voices to rise. Now is the moment for new leadership and direction.

Will you answer the call?

DID YOU KNOW... You can subscribe to my blog through Substack? No membership required and free! Check it out, here: https://substack.com/@jadedevangelical.