I say this weeping: Church it’s time to humble ourselves!
2 Chronicles 7:14
14 if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.
This verse says that if God’s people humble themselves He will heal our land, not the lost or deceived who don’t know any better. When will God’s people stop arguing and dividing about their pet doctrines? Don’t you realize that if you need people to agree with you, for you to Love and accept them as a child of God, you are in pride? What will you say to God when you approach His throne, and people who God sent to you were reprimanded for not agreeing with your doctrine? Jesus said Love your enemies. He used the greek word agape in this verse. Agape is unconditional perfect Love. This kind of love is described in 1 Corinthians 13. Do you think you will have any excuse that could possibly justify you not obeying the Lord’s command?
We are talking about real people here, whom God dearly Loves. Do you not remember how you were saved, how you were a disgusting, filthy sinner, and how God lifted you up and saved you in the midst of being a sinner? What makes you think God, treats other sinners more harshly? What gives you the right to push away the beloved of God, for the sake of you being right? When you get to heaven, is it really going to matter that you defended your doctrine? Or is Jesus going to want to see that every person who came across your path was empowered to get closer to Jesus, and experienced His Love through you? When you get to heaven, is it really going to matter that you knew the Bible better than everyone else, or that you knew the King’s heart for the people He Loved and you were moved by His heart? When you teach about Jesus, do people have to go through you to learn about Jesus, or can they have the relationship that Jesus died on the cross for them to have? Are you leading people to Jesus or to your doctrine?
It’s time for the church to start acting like a real family that actually Loves one another. We are brothers and sisters despite our differences. (For those of you who actually need me to say it, I don’t mean mormons or jehovah’s witness) When you have family over to your house, for example: your actual brother or sister or mom or dad, do you not allow them to come to your house because of theological differences? Do you constantly berate them for not believing as you do? Do you find forums online to post on to tell the whole world how wrong your brother or sister or mom or dad is and how they are deceived? When people talk about your mom or dad or brother or sister, is the first thing that comes out of your mouth a warning about how deceived they are? No! Of Course Not! Why do people think church family is any different? It is something to pray and think about.
This is something I have consistently heard God saying to the church “Stop building your own kingdoms around your doctrine, instead humble yourselves so you can build and expand My Kingdom! If you seek first and focus on my Kingdom and my righteousness, all of the rest of the things you are anxious about, that I told you to not be anxious about, will be taken care of! ”
By His Grace Alone,
Machew
