ICHABOD - The REAL REASON

ICHABOD - The REAL REASON
-by Joie Pirkey.

The Lord has been speaking to me about a number of different
issues that I have been compartmentalizing in my thoughts: the
"Insider Movement," "Seeker Sensitive," "Social Justice," the
"Emergent Church," and "Prosperity Gospel" to name several.
I have been seeing these issues as separate and distinct from
each other and have been praying about them, prophesying about
them, and doing some research as time permitted. But this past
week at the prayer group called "the House of Prayer" the Lord
began to reveal to us how each of these issues that the modern
day Church is dealing with are inter-connected in that they are
manifestations of the same foundational sin. This sin is not
allowing Christ to be the Head.

Nearly ten years ago the Lord began to speak to me about a
time of shaking that would occur in the churches in our region
here in northeast Wisconsin. He told me that He was about to
begin to remove a large number of ministers that were not
allowing Christ to be the Head of the Church. As this time of
shaking transpired the prophetic words that I was receiving
began to veer in different directions, or so I thought.

The Lord spoke to me about Church leaders pigeonholing
Christianity with Islam. He revealed that this is what a method
of missions called the Insider Movement was doing. He told me
that it was spreading quickly and then asked me to prophesy
publicly that He hates this.

He spoke to me about the Seeker Sensitive method to church
growth and ministry and how that belief system was avoiding
the cross, repentance, and the need for a savior. Seeker
Sensitive methodologists are saying that they are building
bridges to the lost. But the Lord told me that these bridges
are actually overpasses. He said that they are the symbol of
not allowing Christ to be the Head. These so called bridges
are actually overpasses to get over the cross. To overpass the
cross is to overpass Christ.

He spoke to me about something called "Social Justice". He
told me that He is not involved in this work and to stay clear of
it. He also told me not to take it into my thought life and not to
consider it regarding missions or evangelism. He said that the
way in which it is "sold" is deceptive. Assisting the poor and
repressed needs to be directed by the Holy Spirit not by the
logical deduction of man. Like the woman who poured the
expensive perfume on Jesus’ feet, the disciples rebuked her
for not selling it and giving the money to the poor, but Jesus
was pleased with her action. Giving needs to be directed by
the Holy Spirit.

He spoke to me about the Emergent Church and how at its
foundation it holds a humanistic world view. He said that people
embracing this movement are relativeizing truth.

Last night the Lord showed me that each of these seemingly
separate issues were all manifestations of the very thing He
had been speaking to me about in the beginning: Not allowing
Christ to be the Head. When men step out from under His
Headship they begin to create philosophies, methods, and
ministries out of their own ideas, logic, and flesh. This lack of
Headship has created a very weak, ineffective, and unholy church.
It has created a mongrel.

At the House of Prayer, as we spoke about these issues, I found
it difficult to address the topic without a name. We prayed about
a name and the Lord led us to the name Ichabod.

I Samuel 4:21 - And she named the child Ichabod, saying, "The
glory has departed from Israel!" because the ark of God had been
captured and because of her father-in-law and her husband.

When the Body of Christ removes itself from being under the
Headship of Christ, it is a mongrel and the glory of God leaves
it. It is headless. Ephesians 4:14-15 speaks directly to this:

"Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the
waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and
by the cunning and craftiness of men..."

It is the Christian who refuses to be tossed about by new
teachings and whims and crafty ways of deceiving others,
and who chooses to simply speak the truth in love, that
matures into submission of Christ’s Headship.

But when the "Insider" deceives the Muslim with his cunning
ideas, and the politically-correct pastor misleads the "seekers"
with crafty teachings, they move themselves out from under
the Headship of Jesus Christ. Thus resulting in Ichabod and
the glory of God departs from them.

When the "Prosperity Preacher" "claims a new car" instead of
the cross he is to pick up and carry, he moves himself out from
under the Headship of Christ.

When the "Emergent Evangelist" agrees with the homosexual
that he was born with this sin and can bring it into a relationship
with Christ, he has removed himself from the Headship of Christ.

These ideas are spreading through the Body of Christ and they
are generated by man and not by God.

God has been explaining to me how these philosophies
are wrong and in what ways they are connected to the
same source, how they all result in Ichabod. What He is
asking me to do is to expose this sin for what it is, of not
allowing Him to be the Head, and to warn those who seek
to please Him to avoid these "winds of teachings." He is
asking those who have an ear to hear to pray for the Body
of Christ that is being beset by such immaturity. He is asking
us to put on the Armor of God.

Ephesians 6:11-18 - "Put on the full armor of God so that
you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For
our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the
rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this
dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the
heavenly realms."

He is calling us to stand firm and speak the truth in love. If
we cower back and allow these teachings to silence us, we
become advocates of not allowing Christ to be the Head. Our
voice of light is paramount in darkness. Our stand is integral
to the advancement of the Kingdom of Light. We are soldiers
called to fight against principalities of darkness, and we fight
with a sword of the Spirit, the Word of God. I am prophetically
calling you stand! To take up your cross and follow Christ as
your Head! To press on to the high calling of God in Christ
Jesus by speaking the truth in love as you grow up in all
things into Him who is the Head, that is, Christ.