Those hard words, why must I read them?

In the revivalist tradition of my youth, I heard many sermons on the coming wrath of God!  Fervent preachers with red faces, sweat on their brow, and a big black Bible on their right hand scared Hell out me, or at least they tried hard to do so. Many of those messages included a great deal more heat than light, aiming to move my heart, it seemed, more than to instruct my mind. Youth revivals, in my recollection, dealt much with ‘lust’ and ‘worldliness’ which was anything to do with fashion, entertainment, and ‘rock and roll.’  I cannot recall a single message about loving the poor, other than to tell me that I should be faithful to try to get them ‘saved.’ Nor can I recall any sermons that challenged me to think about real justice or my attitudes towards those of other races or religions. As a result, in my youth, God was a fearsome Being to me, not a Father who loved me and wanted me to find Him an Advocate for a rich life of purpose. Thankfully, His grace led me to discover that He was more than I had heard about and to know the joy of walking with Him.

Some people think that the ‘minor’ prophets, those preachers whose words are recorded in the short books near the end of the of the Old Testament, are just like the revivalists I heard in my youth. “Jerry, I do not read them because they are so negative." 

I invite you to take a second look. Yes, they can be difficult! Why?
First, their messages are set in a context of history that is largely unknown to most.
Second, they write about judgment and wrath a lot!   

For that reason many Christians skip from Isaiah to Matthew in their Bible reading. I was drawn to those preachers recently, opening my Scripture each morning to that obscure place. And, I am discovering, anew, that their messages are spot on for me, in 2017.  Yes, it takes some work to find the treasures in the text, but they are there and the Holy Spirit speaks to me in them.

Micah preached to God’s people in a time of prosperity before the first Assyrian invasion. He warned them about the inevitability of God’s judgment, that their neglect of devotion would have consequence. And what specifically did he challenge?  Pride, oppression of the poor, bribery that corrupted justice, and ritual religion that did not engage them in true worship! Sound like things that plague the Church today to you? Sure does to me. 

The people heard Micah’s sermons and told him to stop. “Don’t preach such stuff. Nothing bad will happen to us. Talk like this to the family of Jacob? Does God lose his temper? Is this the way he acts? Isn’t he on the side of good people? Doesn’t he help those who help themselves?”  (Micah 2:6-7, The Message)  He was unafraid, trusting God’s Spirit and responds to the critics - "But as for me, I am filled with power, with the Spirit of the Lord, and with justice and might, to declare to Jacob his transgression, to Israel his sin. Hear this, … who despise justice and distort all that is right." (Micah 3:8-9, NIV)

In one telling passage, his sermon strikes this note of outrage. "Judges sell verdicts to the highest bidder, priests mass-market their teaching, prophets preach for high fees, All the while posturing and pretending dependence on God: “We’ve got God on our side. He’ll protect us from disaster.” Because of people like you, Zion will be turned back into farmland, Jerusalem end up as a pile of rubble, and instead of the Temple on the mountain, a few scraggly scrub pines." (Micah 3:11-12, The Message)  Is this God’s view of the Church in 2017?  Sounds familiar to me. “God bless America,” preachers tell their congregations while ignoring the glaring sins of our nation – our greed, our broken ‘justice’ system, our economic inequities, our empty civil religion.

In a passage probably best known we learn that the Lord wants more than our money, more than our sacrifices to appease Him. He desires to know us, to transform our ways. The preacher captures me in these words. "What can we bring to the Lord? What kind of offerings should we give him? Should we bow before God with offerings of yearling calves? Should we offer him thousands of rams and ten thousand rivers of olive oil? Should we sacrifice our firstborn children to pay for our sins? No, O people, the Lord has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God." (Micah 6:6-8, NLT)  Christ Jesus calls us to salvation and invites us to live in the power of the Spirit. Our faith is not invisible nor is it without result.  Yes, we too, must allow Him to make us holy, compassionate, and in a daily conversation with our Father.  Amen, Micah!

Finally, some cannot see the whole of his sermon, put off by the dire predictions of destruction.  But, his message was not all thunderous wrath. After calling for change of heart, Micah reminds them repeatedly of God’s grace. "Do not gloat over me, my enemy! Though I have fallen, I will rise. Though I sit in darkness, the Lord will be my light. I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me." (Micah 7:7-8, NIV)  "Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy." (Micah 7:18, NIV) What a beautiful promise.  I will rise!

Here is a word from the Word. "You have been taught the holy Scriptures from childhood, and they have given you the wisdom to receive the salvation that comes by trusting in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work." (2 Timothy 3:15-17, NLT)

 Lord, bless Your Word to us, I pray. Amen.

Gripped by Rapture Fever?

Hurricanes blew through our southern states, floods came displacing thousands. An earthquake shook Mexico and there was loss of life. North Korea’s Kim Jong Un fired off more missiles while making nuclear threats. And, predictably some Christians started speculating about ‘the end of days!’  Jesus will return in the Father’s time. But, why must we think that every crisis is a sign of the times? 

Yes, I do pray, “may your Kingdom come and Your will be done.”  Yes, the frightful state of the world often causes me to want to see the King coming on the clouds! “Lord, let Your Kingdom come.”  When the Curse of sin brings real and lasting pain to people sometimes the only words I can find in prayer are, “Lord, let Your Kingdom come.” But, I know that praying for the Kingdom is not just about Jesus’ Return. It is my responsibility to live as Kingdom subject, now, here, in this present world.

What does that mean? It means that I love justice, I practice compassion, I live with mercy, I advocate for what is good! Kingdom Christians are making their King known, representing Him well, in the middle of the pain, the problems, the panic of this present world. (Or, at least they ought to.) Christ is my King. In a real sense, His Kingdom has come. A recurring theme of Jesus’ message was to tell people that the Kingdom of God has come near you.   Let me quickly qualify that by acknowledging we do not yet know His reign perfectly. Like Paul, we are works in progress.  "Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 3:12-14, NIV)

Are you only hoping for a future Kingdom, Christian, or are you entering into God’s provision, protection, and power now?

This does not take away from the fact that when we pray for the coming of His Kingdom we also anticipate the second coming of the Lord!  This hope does not rest on a few isolated texts in the Bible. That promise appears again and again. Isaiah looked for the Kingdom of God to come with peace. Ezekiel saw frightful visions of the Kingdom to come. I love Daniel’s prophecy is about the Kingdom to come. “In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever. This is the meaning of the vision of the rock cut out of a mountain, but not by human hands—a rock that broke the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver and the gold to pieces. “The great God has shown the king what will take place in the future. The dream is true and the interpretation is trustworthy.” (Daniel 2:44-45, NIV)

Let’s not turn our Blessed Hope of Christ’s return into sensational speculation. Rapture fever distracts too many Christians from Kingdom living! Though we long for the glory of sin’s defeat and the wonder of the full realization of our salvation, there is yet much to do while we wait.  The Scripture’s promises of a renewal of all things, a final defeat of evil, and the revelation of God’s glory is not meant to distract us from doing the work of the Lord. It is a promise to keep us on purpose, boldly facing the world, our sinful nature, and the Devil himself with tenacity in proclamation of Christ’s Gospel. 

Are the headlines about disasters, wars, and violence tearing at your soul?

Does the cruelty of sin get you down? Are you weary, Christian, wanting to be holy but finding yourself failing too often?

The word from the Word embraces the ‘now and not yet’ of the Kingdom. Lord, make us Kingdom people who make You known. "For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good." (Titus 2:11-14, NIV)

_________

Song For The Nations

May we be a shining light to the nations

A shining light to the peoples of the earth

'Til the whole world sees the glory of Your name

May Your pure light shine through us

May we bring a word of hope to the nations

A word of life to the peoples of the earth

'Til the whole world knows

There's salvation through Your name

May Your mercy flow through us

May we be a healing balm to the nations

A healing balm to the peoples of the earth

'Til the whole world knows

The power of Your name

May Your healing flow through us

May we sing a song of joy to the nations

A song of praise to the peoples of the earth

'Til the whole world rings

With the praises of Your name

May Your song be sung through us

May Your kingdom come to the nations

Your will be done in the peoples of the earth

'Til the whole world knows

That Jesus Christ is Lord

May Your kingdom come in us

May Your kingdom come in us

May Your kingdom come on earth

Chris Christensen

© 1986 Integrity's Hosanna! Music (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing (Integrity Music [DC Cook]))

CCLI License # 810055

Will we learn anything?

Today Floridians are digging out of Irma’s destruction, that entire state torn by hurricane winds and floods.  It’s a day when some will weep over loss and others will rejoice in what the dawn reveals. This day is also significant that it is the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks on America. 19 terrorists visited destruction and death on us that those of us alive that day will never forget. 9/11 changed so much about the world.  But, all in all, after tragedy, after storms, after attacks,  life goes on.  In no way am I intending to dismiss the sorrow and cost associated with loss when I say that. But, despite all the fear and frenzy that come before, during, and after terrible times – the sun comes up, life finds a ‘new’ normal, and we press on, too often failing to learn much if anything.

Jonah, the preacher of the Old Testament, is best known for his time in the belly of a fish. An event that should have changed him for the rest of his life, did not! Here is his story briefly.  God spoke to him and gave the assignment to preach in Assyria to Israel’s enemies. Willfully, he took off in the opposite direction, found a ship and sailed right into a storm. Realizing that his disobedience was the cause, he told the sailors to pitch him overboard and he was promptly swallowed up by a big fish. 

In spare detail we are told this - "But the Lord provided a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was inside the fish three days and three nights." (Jonah 1:17, NIV)  The preacher prayed an eloquent prayer of confession as we all are so prone to do when life gets rough. He ended that prayer with this statement -  “Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs. But I, with a song of thanksgiving, will sacrifice to you. What I have vowed I will make good. Salvation comes from the Lord.” (Jonah 2:8-9, NIV)  Sounds good, doesn’t it? He learned something, he found a new direction, right?

Well, not so much, actually.  Yes, Jonah did go to Nineveh. He did preach and there was something of national spiritual renewal. But, the preacher’s heart remained rebellious and he sulked about his ‘success’ knowing that it meant that Assyria would not be judged by God. He desired their destruction caring nothing for the lives of those people.  Look at his willful prayer of justification for his rebel ways. " his change of plans greatly upset Jonah, and he became very angry. So he complained to the Lord about it: “Didn’t I say before I left home that you would do this, Lord? That is why I ran away to Tarshish! I knew that you are a merciful and compassionate God, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. You are eager to turn back from destroying people. Just kill me now, Lord! I’d rather be dead than alive if what I predicted will not happen.”(Jonah 4:1-3, NLT) Right to the end of the book, Jonah remains a willful, selfish man that seems to have learned nothing from his ordeal in the fish!

Remember the national unity that broke over America on 9/12/01? Remember how people were so kind and helpful to each other in the days when our national psyche was bruised and we forgot our divisions?  It did not take very long for the old ways to sweep over us, and even worse divisions now exist all these years later!

Here is my strange line for the day.  Don’t waste a tragedy!  What does that mean? Hurricanes blow. Terrorists strike. Cancer comes. Children rebel. Business fails.  What I know, from the Scripture and from my life experience is this: God is at work around us and will work through the things that we cannot understand, that hit us hard. Will we feel the impact, make a temporary change like Jonah, and then go back to doing the same things as before? Or, will we humbly seek the Lord, learn, grow, and become His intimate friend?

The story of another man offers a much different example to us. Saul was an angry man, hating Christians and seeking the destruction of the Jesus’ sect. He went off in a rage to find new Believers in Damascus, but God met him on the road. "When he got to the outskirts of Damascus, he was suddenly dazed by a blinding flash of light. As he fell to the ground, he heard a voice: “Saul, Saul, why are you out to get me?” He said, “Who are you, Master?” “I am Jesus, the One you’re hunting down. I want you to get up and enter the city. In the city you’ll be told what to do next.”  (Acts 9:3-6, The Message)  We know him as Paul, the apostle, a man forever changed by his encounter with God. He was blinded by that meeting, but found healing for his eyes and his heart and went on to change the world with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  He kept on learning from the many tragedies that he experienced along the way. 

His words that express hope in the Lord are the word from the Word today. All of  “this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us^..”  (2 Corinthians 1: 9-10) 

As a new week begins, walk wisely with the Spirit. Let God lead you through the trials, an eager student, ready to learn, growing in grace and the beauty of the character of Jesus!  Don’t waste a tragedy!

______________

Great Is Thy Faithfulness

Great is Thy faithfulness

O God my Father

There is no shadow

Of turning with Thee

Thou changest not

Thy compassions they fail not

As Thou hast been

Thou forever wilt be

Summer and winter

And springtime and harvest

Sun moon and stars

In their courses above

Join with all nature

In manifold witness

To Thy great faithfulness

Mercy and love

Great is Thy faithfulness

Great is Thy faithfulness

Morning by morning

New mercies I see

All I have needed

Thy hand hath provided

Great is Thy faithfulness

Lord unto me

Thomas Obediah Chisholm | William Marion Runyan

© Words: 1923. Renewed 1951 Hope Publishing Company

CCLI License # 810055