Listen to the words of the prophet
Micah:
1 Listen up you heads of Jacob, princes
of Israel, is it not for you to know judgment?
Let’s
exchange any reference of Israel and Jerusalem to reference today’s
church. Aren’t we supposed to know the
ways of God?
2 They have come to hate good and love
evil. They strip the skin from the
people, even the flesh from their bones.
3 They scrape their skin off, eat their
flesh and even break their bones. They
chop them up as to boil them in a caldron.
Hasn’t too
much of today’s church set God aside to accommodate the world’s views? We can’t offend anybody! They might not come to church (and feed our
offering trays)! Indeed, we have
minimized and scraped away too much of God’s truth just to bring more people
into the church. After all, everyone
knows that the bigger a church, the more successful it is! Right?
We have mutilated God’s teaching.
We have cut it down to our size to fit our needs.
4 Then they cry to the Lord, but He won’t
hear them. At that time He will hide His
face from them because of their ill doings.
But when
things start to go wrong doesn’t the church call out to God? Yet, when that time comes, because of the
church’s waywardness, God will not hear it.
5 He says this to the prophets who make
His people err. They bite with their
teeth and cry peace but God does not tell them what to say. They even prepare war against Him.
Listen! Today, too many prophets are prophesying
nothing but good and there is no longer a balance. Once saved, you’ve got it made God wants to
bless you! Yes, God wants to and will
bless us, but are we being told that we have a responsibility to insure those
blessings? In seeking God’s kingdom we
should be seeking to have His will done in our lives and through our lives and
in so doing, we become obedient in His will.
6 All things will become as night and
they won’t have a vision, it shall be dark.
They shall not divine and the sun shall go down over the prophets and it
shall be dark over them.
7 Their seers shall be ashamed and their
diviners confused, indeed, they shall cover their lips for there is no answer
from God.
Truly,
darkness will fill the church when we refuse to obey God’s will. The prophets
will preach feel-good lies without the balance of how we should be living our
lives. As with Israel, those prophets
who were out only for their own gain will be speaking their ‘own thing’ because
God has not spoken to them. And won’t until
they come back into His will. Experience
tells us that, yes, there are those false teacher who know exactly what they
are doing and are trying to get as rich as they can off of our sacrifices. And yet, I am persuaded that there are others
who are only doing what they have been taught and because so and so said it, it
must be true. Unfortunately, they never
check it out for themselves! We have to
know God’s word so we can see the ‘real deal’ when we see it and discern that
which is not.
8 But I am truly filled with power by the
Spirit of the Lord. I declare judgment
and might unto Jacob for his transgression and unto Israel their sin.
9 Hear this, I pray, you heads of the
house of Jacob and you princes of the house of Israel, who hate judgment and
pervert equity.
Micah says
that he does hear from God and as Micah’s plea went to the church,
today’s plea now goes out to church leaders to examine themselves – is God’s
Word really being preached, in accordance with His will, in His love? is it designed to edify and grow the people
and not just tickle their ears so they can ‘feel good’?
10 They who build Zion with blood and
Jerusalem with iniquity.
11 The heads judge for reward, the priests
teach for payment and the prophets prophecy to be paid. Yet they will say “Isn’t the Lord among
us? No evil can come upon us.”
In Micah’s
day, the church leaders told the people what they wanted to hear and got paid
to do so. Do today’s prophets, priests
and ministers do so just to increase their income? Yes, there are expenses that come along with
ministry, so money is necessary. Judas
Iscariot was the disciples’ treasurer, he kept the money. Read the gospels they used that money for
their own living expenses and to help the needy. The disciples carried on this tradition for
the same reasons and today’s churches need to gather money for the same
reasons. Or should I say this is why
they should be gathering money? Do any
of today’s preachers say “I preach the ‘word(s)’ and think “I’m secure because
God is with me”? Or are they any like
those of 2000+ years ago and do everything to pad their own pockets knowing that
God is far from them?
12 Therefore, for your sake, Zion shall be
plowed as a field and Jerusalem shall become a heap. The mountain of the house shall become like
he high places of the forest.*
God tells
Israel that because of their waywardness, they shall become nothing. Mounds of dirt that have been plowed for
field but not planted with seed – or, at least, good seed. The high places of the forest become overrun
because of lack of use. How many churches
today have become useless weeds by the wayside?
I’m not saying
the whole church is off track. God forbid that I point a finger. But I am saying that too much of the church has
strayed. We shall know them by their
fruit (Matt. 7:16-20). We can
identify those committed to Jesus Christ.
Of course, then, we need some sort of personal knowledge of the fruit
and the bible is that basic source of knowledge. How else do we know God’s love? Yes?
We’re
looking at a two-edged sword today. Part
to f the church needs continued building and being encouraged, but too much of
the church has gotten off track and needs a swift kick to the keester
(backside). God has been trying and will
continue His attempts to get our attention.
Thank God
for what happened in Asbury, Ky. Thank
God for the planned revival I am hearing about coming to California and the
west coast in April. But thank God that
once these souls have given their heart to Jesus Christ or have come back to
Him from their wayward steps, they are given a solid foundation for living in
Christ Jesus. WE have to know God’s
nature (LOVE) in order to be with Him when He calls us home! Yet, how many will be like those who said “But
Lord, didn’t we do all these wonderful things in your name (Matt. 7:20-23)?
Read the
book of Acts. Paul spent weeks, months
and even years establishing a church assuring that the leadership, he left
behind was able to lead the church, was grounded in Christ’s doctrines of love. Why? So they could raise up ‘true’ believers
founded in the love of God and then that they could continue sharing that love
– in its totality. Too many souls have
felt that once we accept Jesus, the battle is won. True, but the war is just
beginning. There is a life to live!
Read the
parable of the sower (Matt. 13:3-9). The
seed by the wayside never received salvation, came into the church. The seed among the thorns and on rocky soil professed
a faith and joined the church but didn’t stay and left for their own reasons. Only the seed sown on good ground took root
and held on to God’s love and remained faithful. Read the whole chapter for Jesus’
explanation.
Have we been
learning how to live in Christ Jesus?
Does our love grow stronger each day?
Do we commune with our Lord each day?
I don’t mean just saying the “Our Father”, then “see ya later! Got things to do.” God is our friend. We should share our heart with Him – even
more so than we might with our closest friend!
Do we experience the joy of His fellowship? I enjoy singing songs about God, who He is
and what He does. His Spirit literally
fills my heart with joy and peace. I can’t
just stand up and walk away. I have to
sit and bask in His presence until my body can, once again, move.
Yes, we need
to draw souls into the kingdom of God, but we also need to do what we can to
help them get grounded in their faith. Salvation
is not just confessing Jesus then getting ‘dunked’. We have made a commitment. Our relationship
becomes a living faith!
So, where are
we at today?
Amen