Isaiah 3:8-9 “Jerusalem staggers, Judah is falling; their words and deeds are against the LORD, defying his glorious presence. The look on their faces testifies against them; they parade their sin like Sodom; they do not hide it. Woe to them! They have brought disaster upon themselves.”
This scripture could be speaking about Europe and America right now. I wonder how many, like me, are getting a little – or a lot – sick and tired of a Christianity that denies Christ, Christian attitudes that embrace world values, Christian doctrine that pleases man but is abhorrent to God, lives lived without a single thought of eternity, and Christian morality that is so corrupt and hypocritical that it makes much of the worlds morals seem more acceptable.
How did we get into such a parlous condition? More to the point, what can we do about it?
In my humble opinion – we need to stop going to church on a Sunday when it really needs to be every day. We need to stop going to church altogether and start acting like and actually being the church as described in the New Testament. Sunday-only Christians have been around forever. Our problem is becoming the fact that, more and more, the world is now recognising this fact and uses it as a stick with which to beat us. “Hypocrite!” is the most common cry – and I honestly believe Jesus would agree. Sadly, we are only really realising now the sacrificial necessities of actually being the church – of loving our enemies and loving our neighbours as ourselves.
Again it’s only my opinion, but we need to face facts and confess our faults, our half-heartedness, our hypocrisy! It doesn’t matter what I say here, it will not convict you, or trouble your conscience in any way you don’t want it to. Only Holy Spirit can do that – and even then He virtually needs your permission !!! You see, we still need to ask Him, to invite Him to do His work in us.
As the Word says in Psalm 139:23 “Search me and know my heart” to which we should add, “and show me my sin that I may repent and turn again to you.” A bit fierce for you? How else will we become the Church as Jesus wants it to be? How else will we begin to love our neighbours “as ourselves”? How else will we show Christ’s love to a hurting and unbelieving world?
Only when we repent of our sin can we expect God, through us, to deliver others of their sin. Only when we do something is God released to do something. He can or will do little until we do. “If my people, who are called by My Name . . . . . then . . . . ”
IF - THEN . . . simple isn’t it?
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