A Cry For Justice

      "What is it that God wants from me?"  Ever asked that question? Maybe it's  Go to church, pray, recite the 10 commandments, the book of Amos and speak fluent Christianese?    Isaiah 58 is a word from God to His people who are trying to get God's approval and God  calls them out on their motives. The people are even questioning God on why He hasn't noticed their prayer, fasting and worship. (v.3) God saw through their religious activity and rituals that look pretty on the surface but void of  heart transformation. Verse 4 of this passage suggests we shouldn't even expect God to listen to our prayers when our hearts are not authentic and we are simply going through the motions. He isn't fooled when we pray, sing, worship, give but all the while have selfish hearts, hidden agendas and wrong motives. A true heart change shows up in the way we live everyday.  So, what does God want?

                               " Is not this the fast that I choose:  to loose the bonds of wickedness,

                               to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to

                               break every yoke?

                               Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless

                               poor into your house;  when you see the naked, to cover him, and not

                               hide yourself from your own flesh?" (v. 6-7)
       Just as Jesus walked with the least of these,  "As the Father is sending me, I am sending you."(John 20:21)  We are to reclaim and redeem the world for the Kingdom of Heaven.  The brokenness of the world hits us in the face sometimes and we can no longer pretend  like  the world is fine and retreat in a spiritual bubble.    Let's look at the  facts about the lost, those in poverty and experiencing injustice and respond.

                               -7,080 unreached people groups (2.89 billion people that have never heard 

                                the Gospel

                               -27 million people in modern day slavery across the world

                               -1 million children exploited by the global commercial sex trade every year

                               -Over 1 billion children live in poverty in the world

                               -1.4 children die annually from lack of  safe drinking water and sanitation

                               -Over 16,000 children die from hunger related causes daily
       I want to make it clear, I am not saying our salvation is earned. It is by grace through faith alone in Jesus Christ. Our faith is then demonstrated in actions motivated by love for God through the power of the Holy Spirit. "We know we have come to know Him if we obey His commands.  The man who says, 'I know Him," but does not do what He commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him." (1John 2:3-4)  Jesus summarizes all God's commandments in Matthew 22:34-40, "Love the Lord God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind....Love your neighbour as yourself."  By loving God, you will have the heart to love people. Acts of love, mercy and justice will flow out of  great affection for Him.  Obedience to God's commands is not done to earn God's love but because of His great love for us.

     What happens when God's people embrace the Gospel and live transformed lives that change the way we think, feel, act, see others so that we become salt and light on the earth?

                                 "Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing

                                  will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you,                  

                                  and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.

                                  Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; you will cry for

                                   help, and He will say: Here am I.

                                    ......if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy

                                   the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness,

                                   and your night will become like noonday.

                                   The Lord will guide you always; He will satisfy your needs in a

                                    sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be

                                    like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.
                                    And your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt, you shall raise up
                                    the foundations of many generations. You shall be called the repairer
                                    of the breach, the restorer of the streets to dwell in." (Is 58:8-12)

     What a great promise to those who act in God-exalting justice and mercy on Monday not just pray and sing about it on Sunday!  For my own life,  I need to repent of religious hypocrisy and  pray for God's grace and Holy Spirit guidance to live  out Isaiah 58 this week and go beyond religious rituals to demonstrate God's love through tangible ways of compassion and fighting for justice. It's a fight God's people must engage in.
                                    " Sometime, I would like to ask God why He allows poverty,
                                     suffering and injustice when He could do something about it."
                                           "Well, why don't you ask Him?"
                                        "Because I'm afraid He would ask me the same question."
                                                                                            -Anonymous

The End Is Near?

Have you been paying attention to the events in the Middle East?  The battle seems to be escalating daily between Hamas and the Israelis. For the first time, Hamas fired a rocket at Jerusalem. Much hatred is being pointed at Israel and countries that previously had always backed Israel appear to be waning in their support. There is also less support among Evangelicals as different theological views are embraced. As these events are played out, I cannot help to think about the day when there is the  end of this earth as we know it and all things are made new.

Jesus was very clear about how the world will end and He told us the signs to look for.

               "But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then
                 know that its desolation has come near.....Jerusalem will
                 be trampled under feat by the Gentiles.....and then they will
                 see the Son of man  coming in a cloud with great power
                 and great glory. Now when these things begin to take place,
                 straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption
                 is drawing near." Luke 21:20-28

The end is coming! The more I meditate on that day, the more excited I am about seeing the day where nations from every tribe and tongue gathered around the throne of Jesus singing, "Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God almighty". God will bring peace, justice, righteousness and also, judgement. God will judge people for what they have done and only those who know Jesus as their Lord and Savior will be allowed to enter the new kingdom. As excited as I am to see Christ in His Glory and praise Him forever, I can't escape the truth that  there are many who will be in hell because of their choice to reject God.

What does all the activity in the Middle East mean for the Christian?  We don't know when the end will come but we should want to be found faithful when the end does come. God created us for His glory and gave us the mission to be part of His plan of redemption.  Jesus called His followers to be witnesses in "Jerusalem and in all of Samaria and to the ends of the earth". (Acts 1:8) He promised that He "would be with us until the end". (Mat. 28:20)  The truth that Christ's return is closer today than yesterday should cause us to  pray for God's mercy on the lost and lives transformed through the power of the Gospel, be watchful for His return so as to not be taken by surprise and endure through suffering, rejection and persecution in steadfast faith in Jesus. There is a sense of urgency to act through the power of the Holy Spirit to be disciples who make disciples. May we be followers of Christ who are even more intentional about sharing the Gospel, not only in the community we live but globally. Whether it's being sent or sending.  A community of believers to encourage each other to  live in the light of God's love is even more important in the last days.  As believers, we know how the story ends, we get Jesus and that is worth everything. Until that day, we are "Waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ". Titus 2:13

Come quickly Lord Jesus, come.

INTO THE GLORIOUS

I'm a church girl. Pretty much love the church. I'm a sermon junkie, worship music addict. I love the wonderful memories singing 18 verses of "Just As I Am", juice and goldfish with twenty toddlers in VBS and eating chicken pie and cherry yum yum at a pot luck lunch, but it is so much more. It is the mission of the church that God invites us into that fascinates me, gives me goose bumps and makes me dream of the extraordinary. Christ died for the church and He appointed the church to carry the good news of His life, death and rising again so that we might have life and live in the power of His resurrection! The church is the bride of Christ and even with all the idols, complacency and pursuit of comfort, the church can be beautiful and is God's plan to carry out His mission of redemptive work in the earth.
Jesus commissioned His followers in Matthew 28:19-20 to "Go, therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age." but look what He said before that command, "ALL authority has been given to me in heaven and earth". (v.18)  Acts 1:8 says, "but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you". The Holy Spirit did incredible things through ordinary people in the early days of the church. The apostles and disciples didn't just memorize the Great Commission, they acted on it with all boldness. The early disciples weren't comfort driven but Spirit driven. It didn't matter if beaten or imprisoned, they trusted God and "stood firm in one Spirit, striving together as one for the faith of the Gospel without being frightened". (Phil. 1:27)  In the middle of great persecution the "disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit". (Acts 13:52) God asks us to do our part in obedience and He will be faithful to do His.
Most people seem unaware there is an invisible battle raging. A full out violent war between light and darkness with the number of dead growing everyday. We now have statistics to prove what was already evident-America is now in a post-Christian era. A time when good is called evil and evil is called good. Many churches no longer provide a moral compass or biblical worldview.
I am not ready to give up on the church in America. I talk to  many young people who look at religion and are so disinterested in what they see. They see plenty of religious activity but don't see "Christians" encounter God in such a way that they are changed and don't look like the world. They want to see the Holy Spirit do supernatural things in them and the lives of the people around them. They want to experience the God of the bible and live out the command to "come and die" and "take up your cross and follow me". They want to be bold and experience the floor shaking around them like the Apostles did in Acts 2. They want to see God glorified. They want something real.
The bible appoints Christians to not walk alone, but in a community and fellowship with other believers. I don't mean a hot dog supper and playing church ball and participating in great church programs. It's gathering in simplicity to praise God, pray to God and call on the Holy Spirit. It's encouraging one another to keep Jesus at the center and glorifying in Him in all that we do. It's saying to one another, "Hey, let's go share our faith in an amazing King.  Let's pray God gives us opportunities this week to make Jesus famous. Let's pray for courage and that the Holy Spirit fills you with all boldness. If we don't encourage each other to make disciples of Jesus Christ,  love mercy, seek justice and walk humbly with our God, we will probably just play video games and watch TV all week. Let's push each other to stir up our affections for Jesus and live by faith.  Let's care more about the church of Jesus Christ and growing His Kingdom than whatever we are into.  Let's share how we can love the least of these and leverage everything we have for the Kingdom of God."
I am praying boldly for a mighty move of the Holy Spirit in The Church of Jesus Christ.  Will you join me and take the call to follow Him into the glorious?