When God's Message Stings

 

Wednesday, February 17, 2021

“Shout with the voice of a trumpet blast.  Shout aloud!  Don’t be timid.  Tell my people Israel of their sins!  Yet they act so pious!  They come to the Temple every day and seem delighted to learn all about me.  They act like a righteous nation that would never abandon the laws of its God.  They ask me to take action on their behalf, pretending they want to be near me.  ‘We have fasted before you!’ they say.  ‘Why aren’t you impressed?  We have been very hard on ourselves, and you don’t even notice it!’  “I will tell you why!” I respond.  “It’s because you are fasting to please yourselves.  Even while you fast, you keep oppressing your workers.  What good is fasting when you keep on fighting and quarreling?  This kind of fasting will never get you anywhere with me.  You humble yourselves by going through the motions of penance, bowing your heads like reeds bending in the wind.  You dress in burlap and cover yourselves with ashes.  Is this what you call fasting?  Do you really think this will please the Lord?  “No, this is the kind of fasting I want:  Free those who are wrongly imprisoned; lighten the burden of those who work for you.  Let the oppressed go free, and remove the chains that bind people.  Share your food with the hungry, and give shelter to the homeless.  Give clothes to those who need them, and do not hide from relatives who need your help.  “Then your salvation will come like the dawn, and your wounds will quickly heal.  Your godliness will lead you forward, and the glory of the Lord will protect you from behind.  Then when you call, the Lord will answer.  ‘Yes, I am here,’ he will quickly reply.  “Remove the heavy yoke of oppression.  Stop pointing your finger and spreading vicious rumors!  Feed the hungry, and help those in trouble.  Then your light will shine out from the darkness, and the darkness around you will be as bright as noon.  The Lord will guide you continually, giving you water when you are dry and restoring your strength.  Isaiah 58:1-10

Isaiah was a priest to the rich and powerful people who ran things in Jerusalem.  His voice stung like a scorpion in the wilderness as he preached a message nobody wanted to hear.  Truth be told, nobody wants to hear a prophet with a stinger-tail.

Jeremiah was a weeping prophet because Israel needed someone to weep for their sins.  Amos called the refined ladies of the king’s palace fat cows[1].  They lived lavishly while the ordinary citizens were starving.  And John the Baptist?  Well, the poor listened, but the powerful plotted…and had his head on a platter!

There is little about being a prophet that is attractive to those who value an easy life, career advancement, and perks.  Mainly, the job description calls for telling those who have those values that their whole existence stinks in God’s nostrils; and then they kill you.

And yet, Isaiah says, don’t be timid…speak the tail of the scorpion out clearly and don’t hold back!  Be like a trumpet blast…tell Israel of her sins! 

For a prophet there can be no other choice. 

·       Jonah found that out when he tried to run away from his appointment to Nineveh.  God arranged a submarine ride back to the mission field. 

·       Elijah trembled in the face of adversity, hid in a cave, and hoped to die before ever seeing Jezebel again; he didn’t die, but God’s Word prevailed, and Jezebel’s corpse was eaten by dogs. 

Considering a prophet’s calling, and that for which God always seems to employ His prophets, what would today’s prophet say of America? 

·       Would he be like Jeremiah, the weeping theatrical prophet, dressing in swaddling clothes, and hacked to pieces by an abortion provider?

·       Would he be like Isaiah or Samuel, marching into the White House and Congress with a list 7 times longer than Martin Luther’s 95 points of the sins of leaders?

·       Would she instruct like Priscilla, telling all the so-called pandering preachers, insipid messengers of prosperity and fluff, to cease their endless petting of evil, and start calling our nation to repentance?

Would to God we would see that.

For You Today

If the day of God’s prophets is ended, what hope is there for humanity and righteousness? 

None, I suppose, except, Revelation’s final message, even so, come, Lord Jesus.

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!

[1] Title Image:  Courtesy of Pixabay.com    Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation^©

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[1] Amos 4:1

 

Building Blocks

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Friday, August 11, 2017

Meanwhile, a Jew named Apollos, an eloquent speaker who knew the Scriptures well, had arrived in Ephesus from Alexandria in Egypt.  He had been taught the way of the Lord, and he taught others about Jesus with an enthusiastic spirit and with accuracy.  However, he knew only about John’s baptism.  When Priscilla and Aquila heard him preaching boldly in the synagogue, they took him aside and explained the way of God even more accurately.  Apollos had been thinking about going to Achaia, and the brothers and sisters in Ephesus encouraged him to go.  They wrote to the believers in Achaia, asking them to welcome him.  When he arrived there, he proved to be of great benefit to those who, by God’s grace, had believed.  He refuted the Jews with powerful arguments in public debate. Using the Scriptures, he explained to them that Jesus was the Messiah.  

Acts 18:24-28^(NLT)

Apollos was an excellent, eloquent orator, who got introduced to Jesus and began spreading the word like an itinerant evangelist.  That enthusiastic spirit and sharp mind working together got the attention of more mature believers, Priscilla and Aquila, who helped sharpen Apollos’ focus and ministry for Christ.  The whole church at Ephesus encouraged the young man to go forward, and Apollos was used of Christ to reach many for the Kingdom.

God uses many different ways and people to build His Kingdom.  We all have people who have laid building blocks of discipleship into our lives.  I’ve had many.

Yesterday marked the two year anniversary since my Dad went to be with Jesus.  He was a major influence in the way I look at everyday/everywhere evangelism.  Dad never made a big deal of formal programs or presentations, but he made it a point to connect with people every day with humor and encouragement.  A building block a day!

I gained another building block yesterday when Elizabeth and I went to Winston to get her bee and wasp allergy shots, and also the Veteran’s Administration to drop off some papers.  The entryway has a metal detector apparatus you have to go through, as with all federal buildings these days.  The two uniformed and armed men help you through the process.  The older one first helps you put all your metal stuff in the basket that goes through the x-ray machine.  On the other side of the machine and walk-thru metal detector stands the other guard. 

I said “Good afternoon”.  He smiled and answered:  “Hey, that’s a nice voice you got there…I’ll trade you for it.” 

I replied:  “You wouldn’t want what goes with this voice; stage 1 cancer on the vocal cords…thanks to Agent Orange…1967 Vietnam.”

The young man’s expression sobered and, pointing to the VA office door, he said:  “Well, I sure hope everything goes well for you in there.”

I smiled at him and said:  “It’s all good, because God is still good!”

From behind me came the echo from the other guard:  “All the time!  You know it!”

I walked on noticing that all three of us had smiles and a brightened day; building blocks of faith and Kingdom brotherhood firmly holding us up.

For You Today

Have you spent a little time lately thanking God for those who have helped build part of the Kingdom wall in you in your journey?

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road…have a blessed day!

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NOTES

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[1] Title Image: By Pixabay.com