The above title was a famous 1970’s commercial that played in America. It served as a 1970’s catchphrase for Memorex, a cassette and VHS tape manufacturer. The most famous spokesperson for Memorex was Ella Fitzgerald, a jazz singer known as the “First Lady of Song” who could hit both low and high voice ranges in her songs. The million-dollar question was whether Ella was singing live or was it a recording. The quality of the Memorex tape made it difficult to distinguish even after 100 recordings.
Have you noticed how increasingly difficult it’s becoming to distinguish the real from the fake? It’s seen in the counterfeiting of currencies, passports and other official documents. Are the photos you look at real or have they been photoshopped? All of these should alert us to the importance of having the ability to discern the true from the false as believers. If we can be fooled in the above areas, we certainly can be deceived when it comes to matters of the Spirit. Jesus was very clear that even the elect could be vulnerable to being deceived (Matt 24:24). How then can we come to the place of needed discernment?
This past Wednesday’s Lunchtime Prayer Meeting focused on the need for intimacy with the Lord. A prophetic dream was cited by Suzette Hattingh where she saw a picture of the Bride of Christ as loveless and unprepared. There was urgency that the time to prepare is NOW. The following statement was accentuated, “I want intimacy, not activity”. Are we slipping into a false sense of security of status quo Christianity? Are we able to discern the need to truly be in love with our Lord; a love that then is reflected in our love for people (Matt 22:37-39)? This resulted in a heartfelt cry for true love and passion for the Lord as a Bride adorns for the Bridegroom.
A second prayer pointer focused on the need to go deeper into God. This is especially true as we see the boundaries of Cornerstone being spread to other nations. The church can only go wide to the extent it goes deeper in God. There’s a “Rehoboth”, amongst the other wells that God desires to open up to Cornerstone. The pursuit of a greater intimacy with God will open our wells to an overflowing of joy and love. This is the kind of love that the Apostle John had for Jesus. This love relationship enabled him to discern the deceiver in the Upper Room (John 13:26).
A third prayer key focused on the following verse – Ps 45:7 “Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest wickedness: therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.” Are we willing to take inventory of things in our life and honestly present them before the Lord to get His assessment? This is not an easy exercise but I feel a needed one in this hour. There’s a danger in presuming that God’s pleasure is upon everything we do. God is faithful; He knows our frame and He’s there to pour grace into a willing heart (Ps 45:2). We’ll be well-positioned to discern the true from the false when we have this level of intimacy with the Lord.
Our world is becoming increasingly “virtual” and we must recognise the implications for the Church. We can ill afford a “virtual” relationship in our walk with Christ; a relationship that appears to be real but is loveless and false.
This week will be a special time of prayer and fasting in Cornerstone. Now’s the right time to apply the prayer items above in seeking to go deeper into the heart of God. It’s a time where we can be transparent before Him so that needed adjustments can be made. This week of fasting and prayer needs to be a PRIORITY! It’s a call to go deeper!
Is it live or is it Memorex? The 1974 commercial referred to Nelson Riddle, a renowned composer and orchestra leader who could not discern between the real and recorded voice of Ella Fitzgerald. We do not have that luxury; seeing that time is short; the Church is called to discernment.
(Watch the commercial here.)
