"If My People...": Hiding? Go Seek.

Sunday's sermon began with a warning: Pastor Althea reminded us that the church will suffer persecution. And, although this is not new information, her reminder hit us with a sense of urgency.  We in the West, and particularly in the United States, have grown accustomed to seeing Christians tagged as "intolerant"-- while, at the same time, the tenets of Christianity are not tolerated. It's an interesting juxtaposition. We can engage in meditation and mindfulness, vision-casting and 'imagineering', all with no backlash, but a desire prayed to Jesus can cost us our livelihood... asking Jesus to help us through life may cost us our lives.

Our pastor shared an important thought: our response to the threat of persecution is a better indicator of our relationship with Christ than any thing we might say in the absence of said threat. Pastor Althea pointed out that when persecution comes, some people will suffer gladly for the sake of Christ; others will hide, hoping to continue their faith-walk as an "undercover Christian" (or, to be blunt, they will engage in covert denial of Christ); and still others will switch sides, choosing to publicly deny Christ for the sake of their own physical safety or economic security.

In Second Chronicles 7:14, God gave King Solomon a set of criteria that are found in the kinds of people that are God's people. In the list is found a simple, yet profound, truth: God's people seek God's face. What does it mean to seek God's face? We seek through prayer. We seek through reading the scriptures. We seek through acts of worship and devotion. And, for the Christian, this face of God is found in the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. Jesus encouraged His disciples with this truth: You believe in God; believe also in Me... anyone who has seen Me has seen the Father (see John 14:1-11 for context).

We have a precious case study in Scripture, and it keeps us from being too puffed up about our ability to stand for Christ in the midst of persecution. The case concerns Simon Peter: he was a man who sought after God, but when the pressure hit Peter the denials flew. The desire to stay alive at all costs was far stronger than his urge to seek the face of God no matter what the cost. Today, we face the same challenge. What is our response? Do we gladly suffer with Christ, or do we hide, or do we switch sides?

"If My People...": Have A Heart.

In this past Sunday's sermon, Pastor Althea noted that King Solomon prayed and worked.

The first two chapters of Second Chronicles show us the heart-concern of Solomon. He prayed for wisdom to lead the people, and he undertook two concurrent building projects: one to make a temple for the worship of God, and another to make a home for himself. The first decade of his rule was devoted to the re-establishment of God's sanctuary, and God's ministers, as the foundation and hub of community life.

In our present context, the term ora et labora (Latin for "pray and work") is most commonly associated with the Rule of Saint Benedict. The Rule, a set of guidelines for community life, was used in several monastic communities and served as a key influence in medieval Europe. What was the heart-concern of this Rule? It was not merely to organize a set of monks. Rather, it was to ensure that the community enjoyed stability and security in health, safe housing, food production and distribution, respect for the elderly and ailing, consistency in prayer, balance between work and rest, and loving discipline of those who repeatedly brought offense to the community.

Do we Christians need to re-establish ourselves as the persons who serve as the bedrock of our communities? Do we Christians have a heart for honoring God in our prayers, and in our service to the communities we call home?

Where is your heart today?

"If My People...": The Backstory.

In this past Sunday's sermon, Pastor Althea shared with us from Second Chronicles 7:14. When we read the verse in context we see that God is speaking in response to a prayer that had been offered by King Solomon.

For today's post, let's take time to read (or re-read) the events that occurred prior to God's response. While the passage is long, it is worthwhile to gain a sense of what Solomon and the people of God experienced. Please click here to read Second Chronicles 5:1 through 7:3.

“If my people, who belong to me, humble themselves, pray, seek to please me, and repudiate their sinful practices, then I will respond from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land.” (Second Chronicles 7:14, NET)

Tautologia.

This past Sunday, Evangelist Creary shared an alliterative tool to help us remember God's word to Solomon (which we find in Second Chronicles 7:14):

Principles;
Plans;
Prescriptions;
Promises.

We have this great "if-then" statement. If My people will do certain things, then I will do certain things. If we aren't doing what God asked, then perhaps we should not be surprised when we fail to experience God in His fullness.

A question: what is it that keeps you from humbling yourself, praying, seeking God's face, and turning from wickedness (forgetting God, forsaking God, ignoring God)?

LORD, You have laid out the blueprint, and it is crystal clear. Give us courage to obey You without concern for what the world may say or do. Give us hearts to follow You exclusively and obey You without hesitation. Amen.

Nobis, Culpa, Domine.

Let's continue our reflections on this past Sunday's sermon from Evangelist Creary.

In describing the phrase "turn from their wicked ways" (see Second Chronicles 7:14), we were given a short list of the ways in which wickedness manifests itself:

-forsaking God;
-forgetting God;
-rejecting God.

Our tendency is to associate "wickedness" with external activities such as murder, incest, or other sins that directly affect the lives of innocents. Or, we associate wickedness with activity that occurs outside of the church. But God indicates to us that His concept of wickedness relates directly to our treatment of Him and His holiness (see Jeremiah 23:11-16 as an example of this).

Are you saying things that are contrary to what God has said? Today is a good day to change your ways.

Lord, we are guilty: please forgive us of our wickedness: the pride, the ignoring of Your word, the lie to think that we can live our lives without seeking after You. We repent and we ask You to help us to change. Make us true representatives of Your holiness. May our lives turn the world to You. In Jesus's name we pray. Amen.

Four Score.

This past Sunday we had a guest speaker. Evangelist McCreary used Second Chronicles 7:14 as his text. This week we'll take some time to think about the principles that were shared during the sermon.

If My people, which are called by My name, shall humble themselves and pray, and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sins, and heal their land.

In this verse, we see four qualifications God expects from His people:

...humble themselves... When we recognize the greatness of God in light of our frailty and weakness, we respond in submission and humble obedience to Him.

...pray... The key to true revival is found in prayer: not formulaic prayers, but prayers from the heart.

...seek... As has been mentioned by our own pastoral staff, the soul who loves Jesus will always desire to know Him more intimately.

...turn from their wicked ways... Our wickedness is a snare that prevents our prayers from being heard (see Isaiah 59:2). If we want a response from God, then we must adhere to His standard of holiness and righteous living.

LORD, we pray that when You see us, you see these four things evident in us. Help us to obey You in these things, so that our prayers might be heard by You. We love You. In Jesus's name, Amen.