The Old, Godly Way

"This is what the Lord says:  'Stop at the cross roads and look around.  Ask for the old, godly way, and walk in it.  Travel its path, and you will find rest for your souls.'  But you reply, 'No, that's not the road we want.'" Jeremiah 6:16

This Scripture is very fitting for the current state of our nation.  Many are rejecting the "old, godly way."  They label it old-fashioned and out-of-date.  They believe it is for the uneducated and the ignorant.  They think their way is better and that they know better than God Himself. 

Just like the children of Israel, they deliberately make the choice to reject God and His Word saying, "No, that's not the road we want."  We want our new progressive way of thinking based on our own ideas of what is right.  God's plan is archaic.  His ways are intolerant.  We know better.  We are more inclusive.  No one needs to feel ashamed of the way they choose to live.  We make excuses for our sin so that we can go our merry way and never feel any conviction.  After all, people should never feel bad about themselves. 

We do not want to see our sin as God sees it.  We do not want to go through the pain of crucifying the idol of self at the cross.  We do not want to share in Christ's death and suffering as the Bible commands.  We do not want our flesh to be buried with Christ.  We do not want to rise to life with Christ as a new man, a new creation.  It is too much pain.  It is too much sacrifice.  We are content to choose our own path where we can keep the lusts of our flesh all in the name of progressivism, tolerance, and inclusiveness. We will not choose the old, godly way. 

Sadly, this generation never realizes that the rest their souls are craving is not in holding onto and making excuses for their sin, but in traveling the path of the old, godly way that they so despise.  They never realize the freedom they are seeking can only be found when they allow the Holy Spirit to break the grip of sin in their lives.  Only in the old, godly way can true peace, freedom and abundant life be found.

Dear Heavenly Father, 
I pray that this generation would wake up from their slumber and realize not every thing that is old should be rejected.  There is wisdom in following the old, godly path.  Help them to realize they are not as smart as they think they are, and true wisdom comes only from You.  I pray for those who are rejecting what they have been taught and instead choosing their own paths.  I pray that the hold the enemy has on their minds would be loosened and that they would turn to You before it is too late.

In the precious Name of Jesus I pray,
Amen

The Importance of the Church

"But because the rest of you have forsaken the Lord and have forgotten his Temple..."  

Isaiah 65:11 NLT

As I read Isaiah, I see many parallels between Israel and America today.  One is that Americans have forgotten His temple.  While a vast majority of Americans still claim to be Christians, faithful church attendance is steadily on the decline.  Whether the cause is apathy, laziness, pursuit of pleasure or the cares of life, Americans have forgotten His temple.  Many churches have omitted Sunday evening services due to poor attendance and have morning services only.  Some churches have even began to omit the mid-week services as well, because people have forgotten His temple.

It stands to reason as followers of Christ, we as "Christians" would do as Jesus would do.  Remember the popular saying a few years back, "What would Jesus do?"  When Jesus was on the earth, He did not forsake the temple.  As a young boy, Jesus' parents could not find Him on the journey back home, and they began to search for Him.  For three days they hunted frantically for Him and finally found Him. Where?  In the temple!  Three days, Jesus had been in the temple learning and studying the law, and yet we can't get "Christians" to church for three hours a week!

Throughout the Gospels, Jesus can be found at the temple, honoring the Sabbath days, and participating in the sacred festivals.  If the temple was important to Jesus, shouldn't it be important to His followers?  Do we think in America that we know better than Christ who told Peter in Matthew 16:18 that "...upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it."  The enemy has successfully deceived many into believing they do not need the church.  I'm afraid that he knows better than we do the power in the congregation of the saints.  Paul teaches extensively on the importance of the body of Christ and of each member to make up the whole, and the writer of Hebrews gives this warning regarding the assembling of the saints: "And let us not neglect our meeting together as some people do , but encourage one another especially now that the day of his return is drawing near."  Hebrews 10:25

Some reason that they are essentially a "good" person, so they are doing okay without the church.  Others say they can read their Bible and pray at home.   Then there are those who are in the church bashing crowd and blame their lack of attendance on hypocrites in the church.  Whatever the excuse or reasoning, when we stand before God, all those excuses will crumble.  No, church attendance does not save us.  Only the precious Blood of Jesus Christ has the power to save our wretched souls from sin and hell.  However, when we have truly believed on Him as Lord and Saviour, not just in our heads, but in our hearts, when we have become new creations in Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit, we will find that just as Jesus was on this earth, we cannot get enough.  Our hearts long to be in the assembly of the saints worshiping God with our fellow believers.  (There is something powerful when two or three are gathered together.)  We desire to fellowship with other believers, encouraging and being encouraged.  We enjoy studying and growing in His Word.

The church is powerful, and Christ knew we would need the church when He established it.  He knew in these last days we would need it more than ever before.  The gates of Hell cannot prevail against the church.  It is time for those who claim to be followers of Christ to follow Him to the temple.  I encourage you to find a Bible-believing church today and get plugged into what Christ is doing through His body.  It will change your life.

Dear Heavenly Father,
I pray that Christians in America would wake up from their slumber and shake themselves from the deception and lies of the enemy.  More now than ever, we need one another to stand in these last days.  I pray that Christians would have the desire to worship, fellowship, and study with other believers.  I pray their desire for You and Your house would be greater than the desires of this world.
In Jesus' Name, 
Amen