Dear oh dear... the prophet spoke of these days where the penal substitutionary atonement is viewed as child abuse. Our pulpits are overshadowed by the opinions of men - egotistical men who are impressed by their own words. Driven by their culture, fashioned by their time yet untouched by the true life transforming gospel... can we appeal for this gospel to return to center stage... and let cleansing and hope restore the true beauty of life?
Just read your post and appreciated your lament.
ReplyDeleteI share a similar one. To your question, I say a resounding "yes," we can appeal. And we must appeal, as it's only when men who have no regard for their own pocket or reputation,but only a true and vibrant fear of the Lord, that we will see and hear again the arresting cry of a soul set on fire for the gospel of truth. Then and only then will people find the face of God again in their midst, and not an offensive counterfeit such as we are witnessing today.
For we know Job met with the true and living God, and there were no perks for trusting in His God for a good long while...not even the comfort of well-meaning friends...
Too long we've allowed the mockery of a "fun and games" mentality to rob the Church of her privilege to sing the song of the redeemed, and instead we've allowed the song of the temptress to seduce us into paying attention to her flirtings with the world, and as we've done so, we've exercised a prosperity gospel before the people that has caused even the most sincere efforts in living for God toward self and has flaunted the notion that God means for us to somehow always increase.
This is not the gospel of Christ. It is the counterfeit doctrine of Jezebel, always full of contempt for the true doctrine of Christ, albeit religious and ambitious, but always selfish and cruel in the end and bearing little fruit.
But God cannot be mocked. And although His mercies are new every morning, He will do all that He pleases, and when loved ones are taken away without so much as an explanation, we must bow lower still and submit to our Sovereign God and ask, pleadingly, "What is it are You truly saying, O Lord?"
I'm convinced we are living in days where God is deciding things in Heaven that have long been delayed, but now He is stirring up the waves to a tempest's fever pitch,that we might pay attention. For many, many, many well- meaning but sincerely mistaken folks have drifted away, for they have not paid careful attention.
The Word of God has been sacrificed to idols.
It is a call to repentance.
-E