When I first arrived here in the Middle East, I had hoped to help lead worship at some point and maybe help teach a Bible Study or two. To my great surprise, I was invited to preach not long after my arrival. Soon after that, the Chaplains said that they were looking for someone to lead one of the two Bible Studies. Although I felt God nudging me, because of work, I was not available to do anything. So, I spent time praying about. The nudging from God continued, so when work settled down, I volunteered to lead the Bible Study, which the Chaplains immediately thanked me for. Initially I though I would to a study on specific topics or current events. But, one afternoon or evening, as I was thinking about different topics to discuss, I felt God nudging me a different direction.
The direction that I felt God nudging me was to study the Minor Prophets. The Major Prophets are Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel. The Minor Prophets are Jonah, Micah, Haggai, Zephaniah, etc. The reason why they are called a 'Major' or 'Minor' Prophet is not because of content, but because of length. Isaiah, Jeremiah, and the other Major Prophets have 40 or more chapters. The Minor Prophets have 14 or fewer chapters. The content of all the Books of the Prophets are important. Some wrote more, some wrote less.
Although I have been writing a blog entry about doing the Bible Study on the Minor Prophets, that is not this particular entry. This entry is about something else that has been weighing on me, that God has been correcting me on. And, part of it is because of the studying that I have been doing.
If one studies the Old Testament, it becomes apparent that the Hebrew people would go through times of being very devout and sincere in following Yahweh (the Hebrew Name for God). And, there were times when they would very eagerly seek after the false gods of their neighbors and commit spiritual adultery against God, Who was to be their first and only love. And, with their spiritual adultery, along would come actual sexual immorality, human sacrifice and even child sacrifice, corruption within the legal and religious leaders, etc. God would repeatedly send Judges and later prophets to rebuke His people and call them to repentance so that they could, once again, enjoy His blessings.
Throughout Israel's history, they would sometimes being very faithful to God and sometimes be utterly rebellious against Him. But yet, God still sent people to call them to repentance. In Ezekiel 3 and 33, God calls Ezekiel to be the 'watchman' for Israel. Now, the role of a watchman was to, literately, stand in a tower or on the wall of the fortified town or city. They were there to watch for danger and, if they saw it coming, to give the inhabitants of the town or city warning. If they did their job and warned the people of pending danger, the people had a choice of listening or not to him. God called Ezekiel to be the watchman for Israel to warn them of coming judgment for their sins and rebellion. If Ezekiel did his part, he would not be held accountable for the actions of others. But, if Ezekiel did not do his part and warn others of God's judgments for their sins, then they would suffer the consequences and Ezekiel would be held accountable for not warning them.
Over the centuries, the Church (Body of Christ, not just a physical church or a particular denomination) has been both faithful and unfaithful to God. There have been seasons where the Church has eagerly sought God, to be obedient to His Will, and to allow Him to mighty and awesome things through them in the lives of others. And, there have been times where the Church, just like Israel, has abandoned God and sought the pleasures of the world. I know that not all churches in the United States and in Europe have forsaken God to embrace secularism, sexual immorality, etc. But, many have. In fact, several denominations have already turned towards or have embraced these things. They have given up the things of God in return to be accepted by the world and please others. And, for many of us in the Church, instead of fervently praying for our political leaders, religious leaders, etc., we have become more focused on other things. I know I have.
But yet, I am reminded of what God promised Solomon in I Kings 8. That is, no matter how far away a person or a nation may turn from God. Upon acknowledging their sins and turning back to God, He promised to forgive them and heal them. Jesus repeatedly told us in parables, like The Lost Coin and the Prodigal Son, that God seeks out those who are lost and eagerly welcomes them back when they repent. Today, God has given each of those who are His Disciples the Holy Spirit. We are called to listen to God speak to us, through Scripture, through our prayer lives, throughout our lives as we work and play. God wants to use us to minister to others, to pray for others, to be His ambassadors. For renewal, or even revival to happen, we must make ourselves available to Him.
As I mentioned in my blog entry a while back about Dietrich Bonhoeffer. There is cheap grace and there is costly grace. Cheap grace is where we are not challenged, we are not changed. It costs us nothing. Costly grace is grace that causes us to change in response. That is, out of thankfulness to God for saving and redeeming us through the life, death, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ, we willing choose to do His Will. And, actively following God costs us. It costs us comfort, it costs us relationships, it might even cost us our jobs or maybe even our lives.
As I continue to lead the Bible Studies on the Minor Prophets, worship God in the Chapel services, and do my work here, I know I need to be more purposeful in praying for others. For the people of the country that I am, for the leaders here, and for those back in the States. I encourage each of you to share in this with me. But, more importantly than just praying for others… We all need to actively seek God's will with using us to bring about change that honors Him. It very well may cost some of us a lot. As a US Soldier, I am reminded often that “All gave some, some gave all.” In the E-mail devotional I get concerning the Persecuted Church, I am reminded daily that for Christ, “...some gave all.” Should I not be just as willing??
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