|
News for the Pews |
Home
3rd July 2024
WednesdayReflection
************************
Paul Lawler
Lead Pastor, Christ Church United Methodist
'Is this really a word of encouragement for God's Hand in prospering us? '
************************
"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare[a] and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope."
Jeremiah 29:11 has been a source of great hope and inspiration for those struggling; however, what is the context of the verse?
The prophet is speaking to a group, under God's judgment that have been exiled to Babylon.
As Christians, I want you to also identify with them, that there is the biblical context that we, too, are exiles here.
"Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires which wage war against your soul."
..... 1 Peter 2:11 /p>
It would be helpful for the church to recover its understanding of being exiles but exiles who are on a divine mission.
Most of Jeremiah's words spoke of God's judgment of His people for their rebellion of idol worship.
In this era of history, they would not only go to the Temple and worship Yahweh outwardly but also give their hearts to other gods of the day, including sacrificing their children before pagan gods.
The Bible says one day, you and I will give an account of our lives, every word we've ever spoken before the throne of Jesus.
I cite that reality because we can all live under the canopy of grand delusion, if we're not careful, that we won't be accountable.
I invite you to be wise.
A cherry-picked Scripture, applied in the wrong way and out of context, can mislead people and, in some ways, also misrepresent God or what He can do through people in difficult times.
In my decades of ministry, on numerous occasions, I've heard, "I'm spiritual, but I don't want anything to do with the church."
One of the common themes they share is that they somehow feel that their life's not working out the way it should.
They often share a few Scriptures that have informed them of an unbalanced view of who God is and how He works in the Church.
When we lift the revelation of God, let's be wise that we do so in a way that develops people in the beauty and grandeur of who God is.
This is why Jeremiah made us aware of false prophets (which is not unique to the Old Testament).
The false prophets were part of the cocktail that got them into this mess!
In Western Christianity, we have been conditioned to believe we will not suffer for Christ.
For believers worldwide, suffering when standing for Christ is the norm.
We've been led to believe that we can follow Jesus and never pay the price.
That is simply false.
The second lie was that while exiled in Babylon, they were to engage in the political process and overthrow the government.
The problem was that the people of God were turning the political process into their Messiah.
That was a falsehood.
We've got a Messiah; He is Yahweh.
Jeremiah's instruction was don't let revolt be your hope.
The second most important issue of your life is fruitfulness.
Salvation is number one, but in coming to Christ, we are called to live fruitful lives.
When it's redemptive, anger may be a catalyst for action, but anger will not transform.
No one will transform a city when their anger does not produce the righteousness of God.
Pray on behalf of your city and behalf of your nation.
Pray for your city and nation's leaders, regardless of their affiliation.
Wherever you live, God has a divine appointment for you in your 'city'.
That means that when you land in your city, whether by birth or move, God has ordained you to a divine mission.
"Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you."
.....Jeremiah 29:12
God is saying a relationship would be restored.
He then says:
"You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.
I will be found by you, declares the LORD, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, declares the LORD, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile."
.....Jeremiah 29:13-14
God honours the direction of your heart.
The Lord promises that He will draw near to you if you draw near to Him.
If you surrender to the Lord, He will be honoured, and you will find Him in your life.
God knows how to cultivate good things and new growth, even after decades of destruction and defiance.
The text illustrates it's never too late.
That's the Gospel of Christ for you.
Jesus went to the cross to take our sins.
We become a new creation when we surrender, confess our sins, and put our faith in Jesus.
We will have new life in Christ then.
><(((°>
This is an edited version.
The full article is avaiable on request
Rev Paul Lawler
Lead Pastor, Christ Church United Methodist
Asbury Theological Seminary
Memphis, Tennessee, United States
We are a Global Methodist Church that glorifies God and makes disciples of Jesus Christ among all peoples.
Contact the Rector
The Revd.
Nic.Edwards
The Rectory,
Church Lane,
BUGBROOKE,
Northampton,
NN7 3PB
Land Line: 01604 - 815496
(Can be accessed from the mobile device)
Mobile: .....
E-mail:
thebeneficeofbhkandr at gmail dot com
Contact the Benefice Office
Sunday School Rooms, Church Lane,
BUGBROOKE, Northampton, NN7 3PB
Land Line: 01604 830373
E-mail:
thebeneficeofbhkandr at gmail dot com
Mon., Tues., Wed,, Thur., Fri.
9:00am to 11:30am
For Baptism bookings (Christenings)
to arrange an appointment please contact
the Benefice Office.
For Wedding bookings:
please contact the Benefice Office to arrange
an appointment.
Who Made This?
Seeing as you asked, if you can give helpful
advice or report factual corrections and
'deliberate mistakes',email:-
regparker3 at gmail dot com
Email addresses shown using words in an
attempt to avoid 'spam',
Type the email address replacing 'at' with '@',
and 'dot' with '.'
|