“Fear
not, for I am with you. Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will
strengthen you; yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right
hand.” Isaiah
41:10 NKJV
The
people of Israel had every right to be afraid. They had lost everything,
and their future as a nation, as a people, was uncertain. In some ways it
may be the same fear the Church has today. Much has been written about
the decline of Christianity and the rise of the so-called “nones” since the
latest Pew Research poll was released. There had been a lot of wringing
of hands long before this poll put numbers on what we can already clearly see
but, perhaps more importantly, there has not been nearly enough concern – or at
least concern in the right direction.
The
key to what will lead the Church out of this wasteland of uncertainty is found
not only in Isaiah but in the prophets as a whole. The statement
preceding the passage above clues us in: “You are My servant, I have
chosen you and have not cast you away” (vs 9). Long before the
Exile the people of Israel knew exactly what they wanted, but their real
problem was they had no clue what they really needed. The harsh
reality of their fall was that they were too concerned about personal
desires and not nearly concerned enough (or at all) about the needs of
the greater community.
It
is the same problem we face today. The community of the church does not
exist for our personal satisfaction nor did Israel exist so individuals could
personally benefit without concern for others, including strangers and
foreigners and the poor, the widows and the orphans. These marginalized
persons are the ones who cried out to The Lord for relief, for mercy; and it
was The Lord who withdrew His hand from those who withheld their own mercy and
care for their “neighbors”.
The
key for church growth is not in new PR techniques or programs or jazzed-up
worship. Like a temporary diet that will produce temporary results, these
things we try because they sound good to us may produce immediate
results but will soon fade when we reach a particular goal and lose
interest.
It
will take a complete turn-about (repentance). It’s not entirely about
telling The Lord how sorry we are (confession) and then making no effort to
turn about. It is about the Promise made only to those who earnestly seek
the Face of God. Like my friend, JD Walt, recently stated: “Discipleship
is not about preparing for Eternal Life; discipleship is about practicing
Eternal Life”. We make a deliberate choice to live now as we believe
living in the Kingdom will be: only those willing to serve The Lord will be
there; those willing only to serve themselves will not be. It really is
that simple, and there are too many verses of Scripture backing that statement
to list here.
Only
those willing to follow Me and serve Me will I strengthen and help and uphold, says The Lord
through the prophet. So let us resolve to turn back to The Lord. It
will require more than memorizing a few verses of Scripture or a Creed or a
prayer. It will be long, hard work – but our God assures us He will show
us the way out of our self-imposed exile and into the Life for which we have
been called and for which we are being prepared.
Blessings,
Michael
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