Stand Part III - Standing In The Glory : Pastor Tony Samuels

2021: The Year To Stand! As we continue in this conviction of our faith, let’s recap on the word stand. It means: to make firm; to fix; establish; immovable; to continue. We as believers are not called to be changed by the world; we are called to change the world. What the world needs right now is not a church that is conforming and hiding, but a church that is standing in the Truth of the Word of God. The darker the world gets, the brighter our light will shine. 

Mathew 5:14-16 explains it well: “Your lives light up the world. Let others see your light from a distance, for how can you hide a city that stands on a hilltop? And who would light a lamp and then hide it in an obscure place? Instead, it’s placed where everyone in the house can benefit from its light. So don’t hide your light! Let it shine brightly before others, so that the commendable things you do will shine as light upon them, and then they will give their praise to your Father in heaven.” What good is a light that cannot be seen? That benefits no one! But a light that can be seen, especially when it is dark, is a benefit, especially to people that are in the dark. Notice, it says, “let your light shine so that by doing the commendable things you will shine a light.” So our stand is not just a stand without movement; it is a stand demonstrating the Love of God to the world around us. What does this do? It causes people’s attention to be drawn to the Source of our Light: the Lord Himself. If you look at last year, one of the things that happened was the enemy was able to stop a lot of ministries in the mission that God had called them to do. Because of this, the impact of the Church was neutralized at a time when the world needed the church more than ever. 

So, we are standing, but our stand is not without action; it is a movement in the mission that God has called us to do. We never stop functioning in the call of God on our lives, because this is why we are here; this is our purpose. This Scripture explains it well. 1 Corinthians 15:58 says, “Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.” If you look at the world, you can see that the enemy has not stopped his work at all. He didn’t take a break because of a pandemic. As a matter of a fact, he has kicked up his assault in the world. So why in the world would we stop the mission of God Almighty? There is something that the Lord wants to manifest, and it is connected to our stand!

Romans 5:2 shows us…it says, “Through Him we also have access by faith into this [remarkable state of] grace in which we [firmly and safely and securely] stand. Let us rejoice in our hope and the confident assurance of [experiencing and enjoying] the glory of [our great] God [the manifestation of His excellence and power].” I am seeing that the stand is a two-edged sword. One side is persecution, which comes when you stand for Truth, but the other side is the Glory of God, which makes it all worth it. When you ask Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego if it was worth it to stand for God in your time, they will tell you, “Absolutely, yes!” On one hand, they were persecuted…but on the other hand, they experienced God in a way that they had never experienced Him before, and it converted the very person who was the source of their persecution. Ask the man Moses at the Red Sea, was it worth it to stand for God? He will tell you yes, because His Glory showed up and did a miracle that they are still taking about to this day. God needs us to stand, because our stand is the stage that He is going use to demonstrate His Glory. 

Isaiah 60:1-3 says, “Arise, shine; for your light has come! And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you. For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and deep darkness the people; but the Lord will arise over you, and His glory will be seen upon you. The Gentiles shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising.” The word arise in this Scripture means: to stand up; to persist; to be fixed. Although this Scripture was written thousands of years ago, it is relevant for this time. When we stand, God’s Glory comes on us. God’s glory is His Goodness. Usually, we are standing because things around us don’t look good, but our stand provides God with a channel to flood His Goodness into the World. 

This is so much bigger than us. Our stand provides light for the unsaved people of this world…so stand and shine! As the world gets darker, they will begin to be drawn into the Body of Christ. The Lord is asking, “Who will Stand for Me?” If you take your stand in 2021, get ready to see the Glory of God in a way that you have not experienced before. Ephesians 6:10, “Now my beloved ones, I have saved these most important truths for last: Be supernaturally infused with strength through your life-union with the Lord Jesus. STAND victorious with the force of his explosive power flowing in and through you.” 

Standing In 2021,