Ichabod Spirit

Losing His Glory

This weekend we had an opportunity to be present with one of our families in a restricted country. What was noted was a pure worship before the Lord as they traveled in heat, braving the elements, and threats of persecution.

Their pure worship before the Lord leads me to a place of wondering, what happened to the church in the United States, so much blood was shed to be able to worship our God.

This week alone across America there will be 200 hundred churches that will close their doors for the last time. At this rate, this time next year, we will see a decline of about 10,400 churches across the nation that once was a training ground for kingdom builders. One is left with a set of simple questions. What in the world is going on? Why is the Lord allowing this to happen?

Something that is becoming obvious is the replacement of true Spirit-Filled worship and genuine study of the word with entertainment. That is;

Entertainment has become the primary format to interpret our reality; we are either being entertained or are the entertainer. We treat church just the same if it does not entertain us we do not want it.

When the glory of the Lord is absent the church will die in entertainment

1 Samuel 4:20–22 ESV

And about the time of her death the women attending her said to her, “Do not be afraid, for you have borne a son.” But she did not answer or pay attention. 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. And she said, “The glory has departed from Israel, for the ark of God has been captured.”

Church was not called to entertain but to grow the Kingdom of heaven and to render to the Lord the Glory due His name.

we will note how the church gets to this point… it doesnt happen overnight it creeps up and dooms the future generations

A church functioning without the Glory is known as one contenting with the Ichabod Spirit. (Yes the Lord will lift His Glory from the church and will render it useless.)

Provoked into Ichabod Spirit

Fallen Priesthood

1 Samuel 2:12 ESV

Now the sons of Eli were worthless men. They did not know the Lord.

Deemed as worthless… They functioned in the work but did not know the Lord.

Abuse of the Offering (v.13-16)

Take their portion before first giving the Lord what is due to Him

Not that everything did not belong to them but they took the best for themselves

Manipulated he congregation to give them the offering before giving to the Lord

1 Samuel 2:17 ESV

Thus the sin of the young men was very great in the sight of the Lord, for the men treated the offering of the Lord with contempt.

Abuse of the Servan body

sent the servant body to do their dirty work

sleeping with the women

Spiritual Fathers Absent

1 Samuel 2:23 ESV

And he said to them, “Why do you do such things? For I hear of your evil dealings from all these people.

1 Samuel 2:25 ESV

If someone sins against a man, God will mediate for him, but if someone sins against the Lord, who can intercede for him?” But they would not listen to the voice of their father, for it was the will of the Lord to put them to death.

It was a very passive response to their bad behavior Eli exhibits

The concern of sinning against the Lord should have prevented them from continuing the abuse

Lord had willed to put them to death… geez what led to this

1 Samuel 3:13 ESV

And I declare to him that I am about to punish his house forever, for the iniquity that he knew, because his sons were blaspheming God, and he did not restrain them.

Their behavior ascended to blasphemy

Eli did not fix the issue… fathers of the house that let their church leaders run untempered.

The house is rejected now what?

The House Rejected

1 Samuel 2:30 ESV

Therefore the Lord, the God of Israel, declares: ‘I promised that your house and the house of your father should go in and out before me forever,’ but now the Lord declares: ‘Far be it from me, for those who honor me I will honor, and those who despise me shall be lightly esteemed.

while the house had yet to be rejected nothing was off limits

Growth finance provision

once rejected the Lord makes clear “Honor those who honor me… I will esteem lightly those who despise me”

In the Rejection they resort to entertainment over dwelling in Him.

Condition of the Rejected House

vv.30-33

Strength and Favor removed

Lineage is cutoff

Access to the authority of the office is removed

The ones that remain will look in distress for His presence… and will beg to once more function as priest

Condition of the Rejected Minister

Found in the Story of Samuel’s calling (3:1-17)

1 Samuel 3:1 ESV

Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the Lord in the presence of Eli. And the word of the Lord was rare in those days; there was no frequent vision.

They no longer carried the word

Visions were few and far between

The priests (Eli) was dim and was laying down

three times Samuel comes to inquire of Eli twice Eli just turns over lazily… he is no longer willing to teach the young minister

Instead of inquiring of the Lord himself he says “Samuel you do it”

When Samuel tells him how the Lord is now going to take everything away… “Meh if thats what God wants to do then so be it”

Condition of the Rejected People

1 Samuel 4:3 ESV

And when the people came to the camp, the elders of Israel said, “Why has the Lord defeated us today before the Philistines? Let us bring the ark of the covenant of the Lord here from Shiloh, that it may come among us and save us from the power of our enemies.”

They didnt consider carrying the presence to begin with

the presence was just a game an after thought they abused the grace given

Today in the 10400 church that will permanently shut their doors are a slew of churches that have been spiritually dead. They have been functioning in death and have taken Eli’s posture… “oh well, if God wills it then whatever.”

1 Samuel 2:35 ESV

And I will raise up for myself a faithful priest, who shall do according to what is in my heart and in my mind. And I will build him a sure house, and he shall go in and out before my anointed forever.

This is the generation being made ready in this time to minister before the Lord Forever.

We cannot be as the ones before and must press into His heart and His Mind

We are not completely undone today we are called to respond to the voice of the Lord. If we are found in a space where the Lord is saying Im bringing this to an end… rather than just throwing our hands up we should take a posture of conquering and overcoming.