"Now there was in the city of Susa a Jew...." (Esther 2:5, NIV)
I'm finishing this quarter in Esther. "Now there was...a Jew...." The People of the Living Triune God have always been the nemesis of the humanists who have ruled kingdoms since Babel. It has not changed. Today in the United States of America the number of Followers of Jesus is decreasing, while the illegal and children of illegals number is increasing. I think it fair to say that we are becoming more and more an "illegal" nation, and apparently, as Jeremiah the Prophet said of the moral decline in his day, "the people love to have it so." The US Government is doing virtually nothing to curb this.
"Now there was in [the Roman Empire people called Christians....]" They caused the same headache to the Roman Government as Mordecai did to the Media-Persian Government, and as did Dietrich Bonhoeffer to the German Government, and as did.... This will go on until the Second Appearing of Jesus Christ. Now there are some in "the church" who do not like anyone of "their own" who stir up trouble. They are the "settlers" in a "pioneer" journey, or could we say, They are "pilgrims" who make no "progress"? Settling down in a culture is the best way to insure your defeat and its victory. "Adieu, all indoor scouts, Adieu, yes, Adieu, we can no longer wait for you, wait for you, we have no time for scouts who will not play the game of scouting all the way." So used to sing Troop 32, of the Somerset Boy Scout Troop, about the scouting life. And so should sing the Church of Jesus Christ in these days, "We can no longer wait for you," all those who just hope things will get better, stay at home on election day, and just quote 2 Chronicles 7:14, but do not do 2 Ch. 7:14.
Mordecai is exemplary of the life style of the Church, as was the Church of the First Three Centuries, as was Bonhoeffer in 1930s Germany. "Adieu, all worshipping, devotional reading, church attending members, conference-attending religious people, "Adieu, yes, Adieu; we can no longer wait for you...." The stakes are too high. Jesus, our Lord, challenged historic Judaism and the Roman Government, by claiming to be, "the Son of God," and, "The King of the Jews." It's time for the Global Church to "get on board." We are of those to whom the command of Jesus has come, "Go and preach the Kingdom of God," viz., "the Government of God," which preaching includes repentance, surrendering to Jesus, aka, "the New Birth," water and Holy Spirit Baptism, and, "make disciples teaching them to observe (obey) all things that I have commanded you." In other words, Take over. Maybe this is the "Four Spiritual Laws" revisited.
Father, in Jesus' Name, I don't want to be an "indoor scout." Amen.
*********************
* Thank you to all who are praying for my Brother-in-law, Joe.
* Please also keep us in your prayers for the October 4-27 Mission.
I'm finishing this quarter in Esther. "Now there was...a Jew...." The People of the Living Triune God have always been the nemesis of the humanists who have ruled kingdoms since Babel. It has not changed. Today in the United States of America the number of Followers of Jesus is decreasing, while the illegal and children of illegals number is increasing. I think it fair to say that we are becoming more and more an "illegal" nation, and apparently, as Jeremiah the Prophet said of the moral decline in his day, "the people love to have it so." The US Government is doing virtually nothing to curb this.
"Now there was in [the Roman Empire people called Christians....]" They caused the same headache to the Roman Government as Mordecai did to the Media-Persian Government, and as did Dietrich Bonhoeffer to the German Government, and as did.... This will go on until the Second Appearing of Jesus Christ. Now there are some in "the church" who do not like anyone of "their own" who stir up trouble. They are the "settlers" in a "pioneer" journey, or could we say, They are "pilgrims" who make no "progress"? Settling down in a culture is the best way to insure your defeat and its victory. "Adieu, all indoor scouts, Adieu, yes, Adieu, we can no longer wait for you, wait for you, we have no time for scouts who will not play the game of scouting all the way." So used to sing Troop 32, of the Somerset Boy Scout Troop, about the scouting life. And so should sing the Church of Jesus Christ in these days, "We can no longer wait for you," all those who just hope things will get better, stay at home on election day, and just quote 2 Chronicles 7:14, but do not do 2 Ch. 7:14.
Mordecai is exemplary of the life style of the Church, as was the Church of the First Three Centuries, as was Bonhoeffer in 1930s Germany. "Adieu, all worshipping, devotional reading, church attending members, conference-attending religious people, "Adieu, yes, Adieu; we can no longer wait for you...." The stakes are too high. Jesus, our Lord, challenged historic Judaism and the Roman Government, by claiming to be, "the Son of God," and, "The King of the Jews." It's time for the Global Church to "get on board." We are of those to whom the command of Jesus has come, "Go and preach the Kingdom of God," viz., "the Government of God," which preaching includes repentance, surrendering to Jesus, aka, "the New Birth," water and Holy Spirit Baptism, and, "make disciples teaching them to observe (obey) all things that I have commanded you." In other words, Take over. Maybe this is the "Four Spiritual Laws" revisited.
Father, in Jesus' Name, I don't want to be an "indoor scout." Amen.
*********************
* Thank you to all who are praying for my Brother-in-law, Joe.
* Please also keep us in your prayers for the October 4-27 Mission.
When Peter, an 18 year old Norwegian, "heard the call to evangelize China, on that day he not only emptied his wallet into the collection plate, but included a small note with the words, 'and my life.'"
Hebrews 12:2
Hebrews 12:2
