Because the paddock gates still sit unattended, the thief has infiltrated My flocks virtually undetected. for he looks and sounds just like all the other sheep. Though I have offered repeated warnings to those entrusted with the overseeing of each individual herd, only a few of these shepherds have paid any attention, and as such, many of My sheep continue to be led astray.
Ah, then, what hired hand should expect to keep his position when he has been so negligent with his charge? Should not the Owner seek out new overseers to watch over His flocks: those who will actually tend to the sheep?
And while some of these inattentive shepherds may offer up some form of protest against My decision to change who is overseeing My sheep, sighting that it was not they themselves who were derelict in their duties, as others had been delegated to the task of actually caring for sheep and so are really the ones to blame, that excuse, however, shall not suffice, for much time was given to correct this error; as even now My directives are disregarded, and My requests all but ignored.
It’s a wonder, then, that a single overseer found operating under My auspices has remained in My employment, as I am greatly displeased with the state of the Church. And while I find no pleasure in having these shepherds removed from effective service, nonetheless, this course of action has become unavoidable if the Church is to recover her strength and become the dominant power upon the earth.
See then have I begun to remove the staffs of authority from some who are called “pastor”: those who continued to act in willful disobedience toward My commands. Know that there are some overseers who shall maintain their roles, refusing to step down even when their effectiveness is rendered impotent, as surely shall it be evident to all that their anointing has been lifted.
Then let My children be put on notice that “swift and sudden” change in pastoral leadership shall continue until I am satisfied with the results. Those who assumed the position of pastor-teacher are indeed being held to a higher level of accountability for what they have taught, and as such, I have determined quite a few to be unsuited for the job, as these have relied too heavily on their own understanding when it came to feeding My flocks.
Then in the midst of this transitional process, I am raising up new caretakers to watch over My flocks, yet not as replacements for the recently vacated pulpits, for these shepherds shall guide from within the midst of My sheep, and thereby, will be able to quickly ascertain any wolves in sheep’s clothing: those imposters which should have been driven out of the Church long ago.
Hear Me, dear ones, do not resist the working of My hand in even this vain, for the desired revival to which you prayed cannot be sustained by the Church as she stands, and therefore, have I come to make the necessary adjustments so that on the other side of the coming resurgence, she emerges as the mighty army I designed her to be, lined with valiant warriors who are battle-ready and thus willing to face down any foe.
Therefore, in this hour I am rooting out any blockade which stands in My way, whether that be an overseer or faulty doctrine, for My will shall not be thwarted. So do not balk at these needed changes as they come, but instead trust in the one who is All-Knowing, the One who has seen the end from the beginning, and so has already determined the best plan of action to see My overall Will is accomplished. Trust Me wholeheartedly, dear ones, even if this requires some “unlearning”, where the correct understanding you thought you possessed about Me, and about being the Church, is challenged. For indeed have you entered days of uncertainty: that time when the old is being discarded and the new has yet to fully emerge. And It is for that reason you must lean into Me like never before, as confusion is standing just outside your door, hoping to catch you off guard and obscure your vision so that you are unable to comprehend the true revelation of what I am now doing.
Then say I: Press in, and then press in again! Do not partner with reluctance, for this was the attitude of many in past revivals, and as such these children were not partakers of those blessed events. Do not stay attached to “what was”, or the mode of operation found in the modern-day church. Instead, ready yourselves for the new structure I am even now constructing. For in this new configuration of the Church, overseers shall revert to their original calling, which involves knowing more intimately the flock they are shepherding.
“Therefore, I exhort the elders among you, as your fellow elder and witness of the sufferings of Christ, and a partaker also of the glory that is to be revealed, shepherd the flock of God among you, exercising oversight not under compulsion, but voluntarily, according to the will of God; and not for sordid gain, but with eagerness; nor yet as lording it over those allotted to your charge, but proving to be examples to the flock.” -1Peter 5:2-3