This new series has been long coming. The reason is between the daily issues pertaining to human life one must take time to ascertain the intuitive way God desires to speak.

We must first make a definition:

The difference between the Old Testament Remnant and the New Testament Remnant is that in the Old we see how God deals with His people Israel all the time leaving a people who seek Him as a Remnant which are preserved and reserved from judgments to blessings based on covenant.

In the New we see God make available His covenant to all via the Blood of His Son, however in times of backsliding, even in this time of grace, we see God preserve His people until His new restoration move of the collective, but He starts by preparing and bringing His Remnant to His eternal work in preparation for His Coming in fullness to the earth.

The purpose for being part of His Church is central to His programme of redeeming humanity and being instrumental in bringing forth the conditions for Jesus to come physically to earth. This coming to earth is to complete the complete restoration of creation.

For the Remnant, this requires the virtue of patience. It is no surprise that patience figures in the list of fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5.

Patience figures in James 1:

Knowing that the trying of your faith works, produces, patience.

But let patience have her perfect work ( let patience mature you) so that you may be perfected and whole, wanting nothing.

There is a work that comes to us, so that the work is done in us.

The work comes in the form of a trial. The test. Whether the test comes from God remains to be seen, or whether it be a permitted process.

Faith is tried because it exists at the moment in the crucible of a fallen creation.

What does the trial do? It tests your motivation, determination, perception.

The context of this insight has all to do with those who are the Remnant. The remnant is those who do not conform to trends and tendencies that seem attractive to a generation. They sense that the majority do not have the conditions to promote an intense relationship with Jesus, nor does deepen the understanding of what God has planned to transition us to our eternal state and abode.

If you look at the world stage at what we term as mega churches we see the emphasis on platform ministry and worship bands pumping out “Christian pop”.

The remnant know that not all this is well. Especially when concepts of holiness and commitment to the Bible study is out of fashion. Where a goosebump is sought after.

For us to be the remnant, we must be stirred that something greater is there to be restored.

And that vision, that hope will be severely tested over time.

We see this patience displayed in Joshua and Caleb. They have to wait 40 years for their faith to be rewarded.

How long will we need to wait?

How deep is our patience?

In that work of patience we are being matured. So much so that conference preaching no longer thrills us, and very often we spot error very quickly. That is because we have been drinking the water from the wilderness brook and know the purity we have been partaking of.

We are being matured. We are being perfected because we are going to receive the fullness of what He showed us.

I was called to nations in 1990. God said that I would travel. God spoke to me many things. I have one small treasure,when God causes me to sit down and hear His Word.

We can be waiting to preach, have a ministry, but there is nothing greater than knowing Him. It requires patience to know and obtain.

Hebrews 11 talks about Enoch whose pursuit was God Himself. He was translated, did not taste death, because his life was so embroidered in God that he lived more in Spirit that it was so natural to walk through that veil.

The remnant is being called to this level.

What will it take? It will take the perfecting work of patience.

This is the sign of those who will be known as His remnant.

Shalom.