In Judges 2 this morning I was reminded of the importance of each of us as believers and more importantly the impact of one committed individual. As you probably know Judges can be outlined around the repeated pattern of rebellion, rebuke, repentance, and restoration. The author outlines the pattern in 2:11 – 23. Note though the emphasis in 19, when the judge was taken home, the nation drifted into sin again.
This impacts me in a couple of different ways. First, it reminds me that all of us are critically important to the Body. Our gifts were given to build up the Body. We have a responsibility to live fully in those gifts to fulfill that assignment. But there is much more. 2 Peter 2:1 tells us that the Body will be beset with false teachers, and that is just one of many places where we are given this warning it shows up also in 1 Timothy 4:1 – 5, 2 Timothy4:3, 2 Timothy 3:7, 12, just to get you started… Which brings me to the second impact, the Body or a subset of the body can be turned back to God through the life of one totally abandoned to living a radically surrendered life. This pattern is also repeated throughout Scripture, Hebrews 11 is a Reader’s Digest summary of some of those people. But there are others since Biblical times, listen to a few of John Piper’s series on “Men of Whom the World Was Not Worthy” for some examples.
The Church is constantly under attack by a murderous, committed, demented enemy. As those redeemed and gifted through the life, death, burial, resurrection, and ascension of Christ, we have to stand alert in constant vigilance not only over our own hearts, Proverbs 4:23, but also our families, our friends, our leaders, our local communities, and the Church. It is vital.
The Church is constantly under attack by a murderous, committed, demented enemy. As those redeemed and gifted through the life, death, burial, resurrection, and ascension of Christ, we have to stand alert in constant vigilance not only over our own hearts, Proverbs 4:23, but also our families, our friends, our leaders, our local communities, and the Church. It is vital.
Heresy abounds in the American Evangelical Church among prominent and popular teachers. My son-in-law recently told me about a book by a popular mega-church pastor in which he denys a solid, plain biblical truth. Why? It defies compassionate human reason. I've been reading one on a totally different topic but which has as it's underlying philosophy the same principle - human reason. The popular and scholarly author denies an absolutely essential doctrine on the character of God, and builds his world-view on a seriously cracked foundation drawing false conclusions.
ReplyDeleteI'm ashamed to say that it took me longer than it should have to recognize the malicious lie beneath his plain arguments. I read an ancient account of the same lie in Genesis 3:1, "Indeed, did God say....? And this was followed by the direct assault to truth, in v.4, "You surely shall not...!
Truth is in the Bible. Not all truth, but all the truth I need to base my life on, to guide my relationships with God, my wife, my children and grandchildren and my neighbors (by biblical definition) and the world God has put me in. I need to make it priority. And all the truth I need to identify the lies in my own heart and coming from all directions.
The answer starts in my heart - do I really want to know what God has said? And even more critical, am I willing to accept it as Truth, and if necessary, obey it, base my life on it? That used to seem easy; then I got to know myself better....