11-12
I received this email yesterday:
I read your blog post today on 11-11 and was wondering if you'd take a minute and answer a question. Since Solomon and Israel fell away from their covenants with God, do you think we have done that today? I guess by "we" I mean America and the church. And, assuming you will say that we have also left our covenants with God, what can be done about it? Thank you!
The easy answer is that the collective "we" has indeed turned away from God, both America and the church. But truth is there are some people who are faithful, like Isaiah's remnant.
But here's the deal... These Godly people are not our hope. The One in whom they have placed their faith and remained steadfast, He is our hope.
The hope is NOT to be politicized, though it often is. It does not belong exclusively to the right or left.
The hope is not be to be denominationalized. It does not belong to the Baptists or the Church of Christ, the Catholics or the Lutherans.
Last week I saw a Mitt Romney ad on a newscast, one currently being run in Iowa. He was giving a stump speech in the ad. Behind him was an ocean of American flags. Frankly he was pretty good and very passionate. But as his intensity peaked and the 30 second spot ended he said, "America is the hope of the earth."
Wow.
Solomon probably thought the hope of the world was Israel. That's how he ends up with hundreds of wives. Political deals with foreign nations sounded like a good idea at the time but proved fatal to his faith and the future of the nation who's most important role in the world was to introduce all its inhabitants to God.
Church leaders probably think the hope of the world is their church or their denomination. That's how we end up with hundreds of movements and churches claiming they are the true church, they alone have the one lost detail and have figured it out. This is why churches cover up scandals. Hiding our sins and the truth (a truth that we know better than anyone) that we are not nearly as close to perfect as we claim sounds like a good idea at the time. But it proves fatal to our faith and the future of people who's most important role is not to condemn the world, yell at sinners and pretend we are right all the time. Our job is to love and introduce people to our God.
So have we fallen away from our covenant with God. In a word, "Yup."
What can we do? The best answer is in the scriptures. Here are two:
2 Chronicles 7:14
Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land.
Micah 6:6-8
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.
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
I read your blog post today on 11-11 and was wondering if you'd take a minute and answer a question. Since Solomon and Israel fell away from their covenants with God, do you think we have done that today? I guess by "we" I mean America and the church. And, assuming you will say that we have also left our covenants with God, what can be done about it? Thank you!
The easy answer is that the collective "we" has indeed turned away from God, both America and the church. But truth is there are some people who are faithful, like Isaiah's remnant.
But here's the deal... These Godly people are not our hope. The One in whom they have placed their faith and remained steadfast, He is our hope.
The hope is NOT to be politicized, though it often is. It does not belong exclusively to the right or left.
The hope is not be to be denominationalized. It does not belong to the Baptists or the Church of Christ, the Catholics or the Lutherans.
Last week I saw a Mitt Romney ad on a newscast, one currently being run in Iowa. He was giving a stump speech in the ad. Behind him was an ocean of American flags. Frankly he was pretty good and very passionate. But as his intensity peaked and the 30 second spot ended he said, "America is the hope of the earth."
Wow.
Solomon probably thought the hope of the world was Israel. That's how he ends up with hundreds of wives. Political deals with foreign nations sounded like a good idea at the time but proved fatal to his faith and the future of the nation who's most important role in the world was to introduce all its inhabitants to God.
Church leaders probably think the hope of the world is their church or their denomination. That's how we end up with hundreds of movements and churches claiming they are the true church, they alone have the one lost detail and have figured it out. This is why churches cover up scandals. Hiding our sins and the truth (a truth that we know better than anyone) that we are not nearly as close to perfect as we claim sounds like a good idea at the time. But it proves fatal to our faith and the future of people who's most important role is not to condemn the world, yell at sinners and pretend we are right all the time. Our job is to love and introduce people to our God.
So have we fallen away from our covenant with God. In a word, "Yup."
What can we do? The best answer is in the scriptures. Here are two:
2 Chronicles 7:14
Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land.
Micah 6:6-8
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.
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
posted by Danny Sims | 7:47 AM 
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