Preparing for the Next Season

Three of my books have a common purpose. They are Being Church Where We Live, Government of God and God's Economy. Some readers think that these books are unrealistic and impractical. In a way that is true. Although these books contain a great deal of wisdom that is relevant now, they are not for this time. I have written them to help people prepare for the new season that will emerge soon (I explain the changing seasons in Kingdom Authority).

When a culture collapses, there is no time to think about options to replace it. It is too late to think about what to do next, when next is already here. That needs to be done in advance, especially if the transition is a time of distress.

The church always struggles to be ready the next season it faces. When the gospel conquered the Roman Empire, the church had not thought clearly about the implication, so it embraced political power with no understanding of the dangers.

When the Rome Empire collapsed, the church was totally unprepared. Christians saw Rome as an instrument of Gods plan to bring in his kingdom. When Rome expanded, the Kingdom of God expanded. The Kingdom was so bound up with the Roman Empire that they could not see how church life could go on without it. When the empire collapsed, they were shattered and confused, and many fell away. It took more than 500 years for the church to recover from the Dark Age that followed the collapse of Rome.

I believe that we are close to the end of another season. Democratic government and industrial capitalism have provided unprecedented peace and prosperity for the Western World. Unfortunately, this great social and cultural development is running out of steam. The main source of democratic and economic power has been the United States, but it has lost its way. Despite many recent moves by the Holy Spirit, the strength of the gospel that has been the source of its strength has lost its way.

Without the life of God to sustain it, the strength of the United States will fail. The nation could go two ways. It could fragment and break into numerous tribal groupings as happened it many other nations. Or it could become a totalitarian empire in an effort to hold back the tide of decay. Either way, it will be nasty for the US and for the rest of the world that gets caught in the crossfire.

Like the Roman Christians, God’s people in our time have confused democracy and industrial capitalism with the Kingdom of God. When they collapse, they will believe that the Kingdom of God has failed too. God’s people will need a vision that can sustain them through the darkness and inspire them to build something new.

I have written these three books so that when our culture collapses, at least some of God’s people will be prepared with a new way of living. If enough people are prepared for the change of season, God will use them to build something better and establish his government in the world.

So, if you have bought any of these books, and don’t like them, don’t throw them away, but give them to one of your children and tell them to get them out and study them when the season is changing.

And if you are a forerunner and want to be prepared for the next season, you should get these books and read them carefully.