VW A Voice in the Wilderness | Blog last post: Closing Words | J :)
-- Closing Words --
A Voice in the Wilderness Blog last post November 9, 2015 http://j.mp/7BlogVW aka http://a-voice.org/blog.htm
"My eyes fail with tears; my stomach is upset; my liver is poured on the ground for the destruction of the daughter of my people, because the children and the babies faint in the streets of the city." (Lam 2:11)Lately I have either shed tears, or been on the verge of tears when the state of the church is observed.
"and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus." (2Ti 3:15)
At the age of 5 I have known the Lord. I remember that night in Japan, after my dad highlighted a cross at July 13 on the calendar, and lifted me up as we went and looked at it together on the wall. It was a day of remembrance.
"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous, and say, If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets. Therefore you are witnesses against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers. Serpents! Offspring of vipers! How will you escape the condemnation of Gehenna?" (Mat 23:29-33)
During my years of education I sought to conduct myself in Bible studies. Campus Crusade was pretty much known to be 'iffy', what with their mini-skirted "dancing girls" in their musical groups, and Intervarsity Christian Fellowship was thought to be -the- group to be involved with. So that's where I gravitated. This was the group I've told about at other times who attacked me with accusations of being "judgmental" and "unloving".
I was recently just reading in Jeremiah where this was found:
"The Word that came to Jeremiah from Jehovah, saying, Stand in the gate of the house of Jehovah, and proclaim there this Word, and say, Hear the Word of Jehovah, all Judah, who enter in at these gates to bow down to Jehovah. Thus says Jehovah of Hosts, the God of Israel, Make your ways and your doings good, and I will cause you to dwell in this place. Do not trust in lying words, saying, THE TEMPLE OF JEHOVAH, THE TEMPLE OF JEHOVAH, THIS IS THE TEMPLE OF JEHOVAH. For if you thoroughly make your ways and your doings good; if you work to execute justice between a man and his neighbor; if you do not oppress the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow, and do not shed innocent blood in this place, nor walk after other gods to your hurt; then I will cause you to dwell in this place, in the land that I gave to your fathers, forever and ever. Behold, you trust in lying words that are of no benefit. Will you steal, murder, and commit adultery, and swear falsely, and burn incense to Baal, and walk after other gods whom you do not know; and then come and stand before Me in this house which is called by My name, and say, WE ARE DELIVERED TO DO ALL THOSE ABOMINATIONS? (It's OK for us to do this) Has this house, which is called by My name, become a den of robbers in your eyes? Behold, I, even I, have seen it, says Jehovah. But go now to My place which was in Shiloh, where I set My name at the first, and see what I did to it because of the evil of My people Israel. (THE CHURCH) And now, because you have done all these works, says Jehovah, and I spoke to you, rising up early and speaking, but you did not hear; and I called you, but you did not answer; therefore I will do to this house, which is called by My name, in which you trust, and to the place which I gave to you and to your fathers, as I have done to Shiloh. And I will cast you out of My sight, as I have cast out all your brothers, the whole seed of Ephraim." (Jer 7:1-15)
At (so-called) Bible studies the passage would be opened, and we would read...and then the moderator (they didn't have an actual 'teacher') would ask to "go around the room"...what does this mean to you? I also happened to be going to one of the "57 varieties" of Baptist church and at the end of one of the evening services the college group loitered around behind "whooping it up", and out of concern for the sanctuary (you know: Holy place) I voiced concern to an adult near-by, and they suggested I might keep them occupied by playing the organ, and they could sing along. (The place had a nifty little 2-manual pipe organ)The real kicker was...this was the college/career group. This group would continually ask me to conduct the Bible studies. I was always available to do whatever the Lord called, and so I would teach these classes. My Bible studies were the same as when I would -share- around the circle what the passage "meant to me". What does the passage mean?
What it says. What does the Word mean? What God said. Whereas the IVCF studies would retort with one-liners, "You're being so judgemental"; these college/career kids would rile up -VERY- vocally. Viciously. They didn't like what I preached. But you know what? They would -continue- to ask me to take the Bible studies, regularly. They would get riled up at one lesson, but continually ask me back the next week.
What was I preaching? What Jeremiah did just above, here. This is the church. We're going to church. We are having affairs. But it's OK. We're under grace. This was going on in Bellingham, I also attended another Baptist church in Spokane: there it was "grace, grace, graaaaaeeeeessss"God's grace "overlooks" our weakness. Actually, we have no "weakness". We are wonderful "just as we are" (as the speaker spreads his arms wiiiiidddd open) ALL YOU WONDERFUL PEOPLE. God accepts you just as you AAAARRRREEEE.Silly me! I thought God meant what He said, and spoke it like God said it. I guess I was too much 'concerned' for them. What did God tell Jeremiah?
"Therefore do not pray for this people, nor lift up a cry nor prayer for them, nor make intercession to Me; for I will not hear you." (Jer 7:16)"Then I will cause the voice of gladness to cease from the cities of Judah and from the streets of Jerusalem, and the voice of joy, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride. For the land shall be desolate." (Jer 7:34)
Chapter 8 is more of the same. Please read it for the full picture."Behold the voice of the cry of the daughter of my people from a distant land. Is not Jehovah in Zion? Is not her King in her? Why have they provoked Me to anger with their graven images, with foreign vanities? THE HARVEST IS PAST, THE SUMMER IS ENDED, AND WE ARE NOT SAVED. For the ruin of the daughter of my people I am broken; I am in gloom; horror has seized me. Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why then has the healing of the daughter of my people not come?" (Jer 8:19-22)
And herein is one of the saddest verses in Scripture. And considering the time in history where we are presently standing poised, at the end of history. Every time I read it tears well up."THE HARVEST IS PAST, THE SUMMER IS ENDED, AND WE ARE NOT SAVED."and also...
"And he said to me, Do not seal the Words of the Prophecy of this Book, for the time is at hand. HE WHO IS UNJUST, LET HIM BE UNJUST STILL; HE WHO IS FILTHY, LET HIM BE FILTHY STILL; HE WHO IS RIGHTEOUS, LET HIM BE RIGHTEOUS STILL; HE WHO IS HOLY, LET HIM BE HOLY STILL. And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to what his work shall be." (Rev 22:10-12)
"....WE ARE NOT SAVED"
"Even so. Amen!" (Rev 1:7)
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