Post 39-Is This Why There's No Revival?

 

 

Is This Why There’s No Revival?

 

Tue, May 23, 2017 at 9:50 AM

Hey Dana

            I have revival on my mind today. Last night was our regularly scheduled—through the church—night to pray for revival. Once again, it was just Carol and me praying. (Sometimes I feel like Anna in Luke 2 who, singularly, just kept on praying for the Messiah to come.) On Monday evenings at our home we hold an hour long prayer time for revival.  While I don’t think I’m too picky (meaning I would love to see revival breakout in my home church first) the prayer time is for revival in the churches, church leaders, and individuals in this region, throughout the country, and across Canada. Our pastor at Calvary Chapel in Chester Springs, around the spring of 2014 bought a thousand copies of the book, The Laws of Revival by James Burns. This is a link to the entire book on line. http://www.svetrunas.lv/JBurns/default.html  The first time I read it, I thought it too simple. Blew right through it. But then I reasoned if our pastor bought a 1000 copies for the congregation, there must be something to it. So now we use it as a prayer guide, often praying it page by page, paragraph by paragraph, and sometimes line by line. I am a TV addict. In over 20 years, this is the only thing that has caused me to turn off the TV at a regular time each week. The Church needs revival.

            We also recently went to a book sale with one of Carol’s daughters. She is a serious book buyer. While she was doing her thing—scanning each book to check its value—I was casually looking at titles. I came across Martyn Lloyd-Jones book Revival, published by Crossway Books in 1987. It is a compilation of sermons he began preaching back in 1959.

            In Ch 2 of Revival, Jones references Genesis 26:17-18 where Isaac needs water for his blessed, but dispossessed family, and he returns to the lands of his Father, Abraham, and re-opens the wells that were stopped up by previous enemies. Jones postulates that because Isaac was desperate for water for his family and herds, rather than trying new things and trying to find new sources of water, he went to where he knew there had been sufficient water. Then, if necessary, he could try new things—dig new wells—once he was re-established and secure. He uses this as an analogy for the Church today. The Church should be desperate for revival rather than trying new things—apologetics, archaeology, new translations of the Bible, use of the media, and what he calls “popular evangelism,” i.e. “Everything that can appeal in the modern man, the last word in presentation is used...(so that) when it is done, and you do it with a modern technique, then you will get hold of modern man.” page 18.

            Jones preached that rather than trying those new things listed above—that the Church was trying and still tries—Isaac went back to what worked. Jones then relates that to the Church today, and suggests we go back to its history both here and at other places—like the 1859 Revival—to see what worked, and then do that. I agree.

            But I see apathy in today’s Church as a roadblock to this. In 1959 when Jones preached this, he saw it as a total disregard of God and Biblical things—a total lack of spirituality—different from a 100 or 200 years previous when there was Biblical knowledge but  j u s t  apathy, from which people could be awakened. (Which then leads me to Jeremiah—knowing his message wasn't going to be received, but God said preach it anyway, which Jeremiah did. How many pulpit leaders today are Jeremiahs, preaching God’s word, challenging and encouraging people to pray for revival, but knowing it may not—probably will not—come, while they watch their congregations slip further away from God?)

            In addition, Jones, in Ch. 1, looks at the portion of scripture in Mark 9:28-29, where Jesus casts out a demon that his disciples were unable to cast out and He tells them that sometimes something extra is needed—in that case prayer and fasting—due to the additional power the devil was manifesting at that time. He suggests that among other things today, in order to see revival, the Church needs more. What is more? One of the things missing in today’s church is there is insufficient power from God to deal with the devil at all levels and this is holding the Church back from seeing revival. (Think Daniel, Michael the arch angel, and the Prince of Persia.) More?  Solid pulpit preaching, prayer, fasting, teaching—all bathed by the Holy Spirit.

            Jones also asked his listeners (remember these were sermons) to ask God specifically what they should be praying to see the breakthrough the Church needs so that revival can finally happen. If I’m reading Jones correctly, it almost sounds too simple—ask God what I should be praying to (hopefully) hasten revival. Yes, this is up to God, but it takes prayer. As I wrote above, while I’d like to see revival break forth in my home church first, wherever it were to begin in the US or Canada would be wonderful.

John

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Tue, May 23, 2017 at 12:09 PM, Dana answered

     John,

     When asked what I believe my spiritual gift to be, I usually answer, “Cynicism.”  Perhaps I’m a Christian Missourian, you know, from the “Show Me” state.  I’m not too optimistic when it comes to revival talk.  Talk is cheap. 

     Since I came back to the Lord in the late 1970’s, the subject of “Revival” has been something I’ve heard in most of the Christian circles through which I’ve moved. Everybody wants revival, even though revival is often thought of in different terms and descriptions.

     Granted, we all know the Church needs revival, in the sense of invigoration, and enlightenment—new life.  And we tend to look back wistfully at some of the great revivals of history.  But why doesn’t revival ever come?  Why no modern day Great Awakening?  Why not another Azusa Street?  Why no further Charismatic renewals? 

     Oh, one hears tales of mini-revivals breaking out here and there, but they don’t seem to last too long, and there seems to be little spill-over effect.  When reports of revival are heard, they usually are from distant lands, and among those people who the western world (and Church) might consider primitive. 

      Revival, for many, generally speaks of effusive and emotional spontaneity.  It’s an event, surrounded by supernatural, spectacular occurrences.  Miracles, healings, and speaking in tongues—Oh My!  And everyone yearns for the Holy Spirit to just explode upon them and bring real 1^st Century Pentecost back to the Church of today. But not always.

      The Great Awakening of the 1700’s displayed a measure of enthusiasm, but remained tame by the standards of the 2^nd, 3^rd, and the disputed 4^th Great Awakenings.  Some argue that the Charismatic Renewal of the 1960’s and 1970’s might be the 4^th Great Awakening.  Non-charismatic and or Pentecostal people don’t share the same interpretation. 

     My point is that Evangelical Christianity may not have the same idea in mind when it acknowledges that the Church needs revival.  Reformed Presbyterians and Congregationalists most likely are not interested in wild, emotional supernaturalism invading their decent and in order meetings, while I dare say most Pentecostals would probably feel somewhat underwhelmed if the revival they sought only brought a resurgence of doctrinal and theological preoccupation.  And since the Church cannot agree on what revival is or how it should manifest, imagine the plethora of prayer requests for it that must be reaching the Heavenly throne.

     One side says, “Lord, send revival, but I don’t want to speak in tongues,” while the other says, “Lord, send revival, but please don’t make me have to learn Greek, or Hebrew, or Systematic Theology.”  So in my estimation, rather than a unified desire to see real revival (whatever that might be) come to the Church in America, we’re rather schizophrenic about the idea.

     Perhaps the real problem is that the different wings of the Church want revival their way.  It’s as if God somehow must tailor the various types of revival to the different tastes of His ultra-diverse people.  And do you know what that smacks of to me?  Entertainment!  We’re not so much concerned with the growth of Christianity (personally and corporately) but we want God to dazzle us with that which we feel would be our concept of revival.

     So rather than revival being a means to increase the Kingdom of God on earth, it’s a means of tickling our particular ecclesiastical fancies.  “Hey God, do a trick for us!”   The congregations of Jesus’ day wanted the same from Him as well.  It’s all backwards.

     Since Jesus inaugurated the Kingdom on earth with His coming (Mark 1:14-15), and since there is no question of His being the reigning King (read Revelation) doesn’t it seem logical that we be the ones doing the tricks?  And “tricks,” being a figure of speech, perhaps it could be better termed obedience or service.  Instead of Jesus performing for us, how about our performing for Him?  But what’s the entertainment value in that? No goosebumps there.  Scratch that idea.

      We don’t want to put hard time into studying His Word.  We don’t want to get out of our comfort zones in radical, obedient service to our King.  We don’t want to repent, because hey, everybody else is worse than we are. But we do want God to send down the power. 

       Brother Grazier used to say that most of the big historical revivals began with the preaching of the book of Romans, and consequent conviction and repentance.  Good doctrine followed by cleansing from sin, generally got the old revival ball rolling.  But do we really want that?

      In your opening comments, you compare trying new things with going back to what works.  Unfortunately I see that idea employed in the Church thinking that somehow revival can be achieved if we duplicate the steps that previous revivalists took.  My contention is that if we duplicated every step that every single revivalist ever took from Pentecost till now, it still would be wrong-headed.  We want what was, when God might want something altogether new and different for the Church today.  

     Again revival, as spoken of today, seems to be less about Kingdom growth, or even God’s glory, and more about entertaining us. If we expect revival to come to us today, then we have to change our ways, not our techniques.

      Another popular fallacy is the calling of a particular preacher or evangelist who is noted for their track record of prompting revival to occur.  Anyone can whip a crowd into the shape the congregation is expecting (or the shape they are getting paid to provide.)  Exciting speakers are always in demand, because at Brother So n’ So’s church they preached, and “the power came down.”  Really?  Watched any films of Adolph Hitler’s speeches lately?  If one doesn’t speak German, one could believe Hitler’s massive throngs were in the throes of revival.  Beware of attributing revival to man, otherwise one might end up with the Reich instead of renewal.

     Another thing that gets me is when churches have “revival,” meaning that they set aside a week, invite in a guest speaker, and if the messages are good, then they have achieved their goal.  My contention would be that having revival is not the same thing as revival, in the truest sense of the word.  Don’t get me wrong; I’m not knocking that which most churches do.  But the day after the evangelist leaves, don’t tell me “We had revival last week…”  I’m not sure one can limit real revival to one week.  Revival isn’t a service or a set of services; it’s a change of a church’s entire spiritual being, and, it doesn’t stop at the end of the week.

     In my Sunday school, I’m preparing to teach a unit on the book of Judges.  The last verse in the book says, “In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” 

      The reason I chose that book as our next lesson path, is that I find it strikingly similar to the way things are in our country and also in the Church at large.  Honestly, as I look at modern day American Christianity I see little understanding of, or regard for the Kingship of Jesus.  We are living the book of Judges.  God has commissioned us, like Israel, with taking the land, and rather than doing so, we’ve tolerated and compromised with the evil in our land.  And we wonder why we do not have revival?  We’ve become neighbors with the Baals.

      In closing, I suggest that we indeed should try something new in our pursuit of revival; at least something new to the Church of today.  Repentance. 

      It’s an old idea really, but again, just new to us in our modern times.  Jesus is not king to us.  If we truly grasped the concept of Divine Kingship, we’d be a radically different church.  Radically repentant.  Radically obedient. Radically giving.  Radically taking the Gospel to every creature, despite the discomfort level it might cause us, and perhaps in so doing, we might then actually see real revival come.  Otherwise, pass the plate, sing a hymn, and let’s get to the restaurant before the church down the road lets out.  And don’t forget to pray for revival.

        Dana

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John adds Fri, May 26, 2017 at 9:19 AM

Dana

            This is from the introduction of Burn’s book on revivals. Where there are italics, I have added them:

 

In Christian history, no phenomenon is more clear than the recurrence of revivals. At times, a passion for repentance sweeps across specific geographical areas. Many people who had been unaware of the supernatural become keenly aware of it. They are stopped during their jobs as their minds are gripped by a terror of wrongdoing and a fear of coming judgment. Throwing all else aside, they desperately search for a way of salvation. Having started, these movements spread like wildfire and are seemingly carried in the air. Breaking out in unexpected places, they produce a strange phenomenon and awaken forces that have lain dormant. Mostly, these movements are contained in a local geographic area, but they can spread throughout nations, with incredible results.

 

            Look at those italicized words. How often do Joe and Jane Christian, or Harry and Heather Heathen hear these words in their churches today? Passion for repentance. A terror of wrongdoing. A fear of coming judgment. Desperately search for a way of salvation.

            The below is from David Wilkerson’s sermon, Call to Anguish. Again, our pastor, in what I believe is his desire to see God bring revival, played a portion of Wilkerson’s sermon many, many months ago. Our pastor had returned from a regional pastor’s conference where the conference sponsors played a portion of this sermon. I have not used what he used, but I’ve taken some things from Wilkerson’s introduction. For the entire text,  click the link: http://www.sermonindex.net/modules/articles/index.php?view=article&aid=32622

 

Call to Anguish (by David Wilkerson, 9/15/2002)

                          ....But it’s a call to anguish. Lord, if you don’t help me I can’t get through this.... Lord I’m too old for games. Foolishness. And I’m tired of rhetoric, meaningless rhetoric. It never changes things. 
              Folks, I’m tired of hearing about revival. I’m tired of hearing about awakenings, of Last Day outpourings of the Holy Spirit. I’ve heard that rhetoric for 50 years. Just rhetoric. No meaning whatsoever. I’m tired of hearing about people in the church who say they want their unsaved loved ones saved.... it’s just talk, rhetoric. I don’t want to hear any more talk about how immoral America has become, how godless our society, how corrupt our business.... Christians losing power. And how dead the church has become, because that too is rhetoric, meaningless. I look at the whole religious scene today and...It’s mostly powerless. It has no impact on the world. And I see more of the world coming into the church and impacting the church rather than the church impacting the world. I see the music taking over the house of God. I see entertainment taking over the house of God ... an obsession with entertainment in God’s house, a hatred of correction, and a hatred of reproof. Nobody wants to hear it anymore....

             Tell me now how many churches have you visited recently when you walk in the Holy Ghost is so strong that every one of your sins are brought up before your face, and the loving grace of God. When was the last time you’ve been to a church where you’ve seen young people under such conviction because the people of God have been on their face? ...and there’s such an agony, that young people are falling on their faces and calling on God because a spirit of conviction is called down from heaven upon them.

 

            Dana, while Paul’s words do not haunt me (Romans 7:21-25), the Son never sets on me so I’m everywhere shadowed his words:

 

²¹ So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. ²² For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; ²³ but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. ²⁴ What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? ²⁵ Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in my sinful nature^[d] a slave to the law of sin.

 

            After writing and reading the above, as a former college adjunct, teaching business writing; as a former non-fiction, trade journal writer; as a former public speaker; and as a former sometimes pulpiteer; I’m asking myself, “What’s the take away?” You wrote jokingly saying your gift is cynicism,  there are times I think perhaps God has given both of us this gift. Why? At least today, at this hour, if I do not have the anguish that David Wilkerson spoke about, even though we hold a weekly prayer time for revival, and pray for it periodically in other settings, why should I say the Church doesn’t really care, if I don’t really care and am willing to pay the price?

 

Thankful to share your foxhole

John

Post 38-What Does It Mean to be “In Christ”?

                                  

On Thu, May 11, 2017 at 3:33 PM, John wrote

Hey Dana

            I found a note on my desk. I'm cleaning it off and all kinds of things are surfacing. The note deals with Arthur Miller's play Death of a Salesman. The play is about Willy Loman, a failure at being a travelling salesman, and pretty much a failure at life. As Wikipedia says about Loman, "...unstable, insecure, and self-deluded. Willy tends to re-imagine events from the past as if they are real. He vacillates between different perceptions of his life." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_a_Salesman  

            In the final scene of the play, Willy commits suicide. He basically lied about everything. In a paraphrase of some of the final words in the play, Biff, an elder son, says to his mother about his father, "You know Mom, the problem with Dad was he never really knew who he was."

            That caused me to think about the oft heard saying, (now almost a cliché), how do we know who we are in Christ? How can knowing this help us not to end up like Willy Loman--lying to ourselves and others about who we really are, and being a "success" in life, no matter who we are or what we accomplish?

In Christ

John

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Fri, May 19, 2017 at 6:45 AM

 John,

     While one could write an entire book on the subject of who we are in Christ, I will just offer a few thoughts on the subject, based on several Scriptural references that come to mind.  Mind you, this is far from exhaustive in nature, and Biblically literate readers of the blog could, I’m sure, give more numerous examples than I have considered.  There are some of the more obvious ideas, like, in Christ we are saved, and such, which should be a given, so I won’t go into that for this exercise.   

  1.  In Christ we are family.

     Once orphaned by sin, and adrift on our own, we have become part of a glorious family, and actually children of God.  Let’s look at what Paul says in Romans 8:12-17

     “ ¹² So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh.  ¹³For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. ¹⁴ For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. ¹⁵ For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’ ¹⁶ The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, ¹⁷ and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.” (ESV)

     With the assault on the family taking place in our increasingly pagan society, and the sad, but true fact that many in our land have come from broken homes, or have (through no fault of their own) missed having access to one or both parents, the idea of inclusion into God’s family is quite comforting. 

     Brother Grazier, in teaching about our relationship with God, used to say that the permission and privilege to say “Abba! Father!” is essentially being able to say to God, “Hey Dad.”  That is not to say we can be cavalier in how we address our Heavenly Father, but what it is saying is that our relationship with God as our Father is one of (or should be) closeness, and familiarity.  He loves us enough to grant us this access.  For one who has had and lost a father with whom there was a close and loving relationship in place, this is a tremendous blessing.

     In addition, the inheritance which is Christ’s is something in which we get to share.  Again, the subject of Christ’s inheritance is almost too vast to contemplate, but it’s wonderful to think that whatever that might entail, we will enjoy as well.  Several times and in many situations, someone has been kind enough to say to me, “You’re family.”  While that is a nice sentiment, and I’m quite certain that on some level the saying is genuine in intent, in my mind I have to remind myself, that one is not truly family unless one is included in the will.  Well, Christian, you’re included in the will, so to speak.

     Listen to what the writer of Hebrews says in chapter 2:11, speaking of Jesus “¹¹ For he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one source. That is why he is not ashamed to call them brothers,” (ESV) 

     There are times, I admit, that I haven’t felt like I am a brother to Jesus.  But you know what?  It doesn’t matter what I feel.  The Scripture trumps my feelings.  Whether I feel it or not, the Bible says that Jesus is not ashamed to call me His brother.  It’s my job to quit wondering about it, and to start acting like His brother.  He laid down His life for me, what have I ever done for Him?

     And as if all the above isn’t enough, we have the benefit of having real, human extended family members in all of the saved brothers and sisters in this life, through friendship, or Church.  That’s Capitol “C” Church—the at large Church in the world.  No matter where we go on this planet, if there is a blood bought, redeemed person there, we have family.  We are never alone.  And developing that thought a little further, we also have relationships with God’s servants the angels.  Not that we worship them or pray to them, like when John fell down at the feet of the angel in Revelation 21, we read:

 

“ ⁸ I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I heard and saw them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed them to me, ⁹ but he said to me, ‘You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers the prophets, and with those who keep the words of this book. Worship God.’”

 

     So we also have relationships with God’s Heavenly family as well, though not as evident as with our flesh and blood family and extended Christian families, but in a real sense we are co-workers with them, and often have probably received benefit from them, perhaps not even knowing it at the time.  So we are loved as family in Christ.

  2. In Christ, you’re extended family is even bigger than you think. Check out Galatians 3:25-29:

 

     “ ²⁵ But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, ²⁶ for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. ²⁷ For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. ²⁸ There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. ²⁹ And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to promise.” (ESV)

 

     Did you get that?  When you read Genesis 12 and following, do you relate yourself to Abraham, the Patriarchs, and to all of Israel for that sake? Your family tree just grew some more branches.  Now we may not be blood Hebrews, DNA-wise, but in Christ, we transcend our Gentile roots and can legitimately claim Abraham for a relative.  So you think you are not related to anyone important?  Think again.  And, while you are at it, read the genealogies in the beginning of the gospels of Matthew and Luke.  You are in the lineage after the fact. 

     And not only the Patriarchs, but also how about David and Jesus Himself?  Now would be a good time to cue the old soul song, “We are Fam-i-ly.”

  3. In Christ we have purpose and meaning, as we are God’s handiwork; designed and built to do His bidding in this world. Paul writes in Ephesians 2:4-10:

 

     “⁴ But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, ⁵ even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— ⁶ and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, ⁷ so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. ⁸ For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, ⁹ not a result of works, so that no one may boast. ¹⁰ For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” (ESV)

 

     So many people (even Christians) wander around lost; not knowing who or what they are, and having no real sense of purpose. Is it any wonder why suicide has become almost an epidemic in this country? Go to any Christian bookstore (do we still have book stores?) and there one will find as many Christian self-help books as there are in secular book stores.  If anything, Christians should be the most “put together” people on the planet.  If we are truly, as the (now) old Charismatics used to say, “King’s kids,” why are we so messed up?

     Having purpose and meaning in life is a driving force.  The opposite of that is alienation and hopelessness. Once I worked for a medical doctor. Part of my duties were taking patients’ histories and recording all of the medications which they were taking.  My town was a town built on the textile and apparel industry, as well as furniture manufacture and tobacco farming.  When our government so disastrously sold our birthright down the river for a bowl of porridge, many fine, decent, and hardworking people were put out of work.  And to compound the misery, there were no other jobs available, because most had gone overseas.

     One of the things I found remarkable in my task of recording the prescriptions of the patients of this particular doctor, was that many if not most of the people coming in were on some kind or another of anti-depression, anti-anxiety, or tranquilizing medication, or a combination thereof.  It was prolific and staggering.  At one time, we were a nation of people who made things.  We worked all day, and at the end of that day we could look back at our accomplishments, and feel a sense of pride in whatever our product of manufacture happened to be.  Those products were of a quality second to none. 

      When all those jobs went away, thanks to our uncaring and corrupt elected officials and the greedy corporate elite who really pay their salaries, our forsaken work force suddenly lacked a sense of purpose in life.  If those betrayed and dispossessed workers were fortunate enough to find a job at all, it generally required sitting at a desk typing numbers into myriad nameless computer files, or doing something almost less than menial in order to barely scratch out enough money to feed oneself.  With the sense of purpose, meaning, and pride of accomplishment gone, many of the people began to encounter personal problems, the answer to which was prescription drugs.

     Many Christians also lack this sense of purpose and meaning, and are just as lost (not in the salvation sense however.)  That is a shame, in light of Ephesians 2:10, as quoted above.  In Christ we find true purpose.  God, the Bible says, applied His divine craftsmanship in making us, as objects of beauty and purpose.  He is conforming us into the image of Jesus (Romans 8) and doing so for specific courses of action in the furtherance of His Kingdom on earth. We all have a part to play.

      There is some thing at which everybody is good.  Someone might be tempted to say that they have no talents or abilities, but that is simply not true.  Now, we all cannot be Billy Graham or the President or the Pope, but we can all do SOMETHING.  As we pursue whatever that “something” is, God, we find, is there waiting to enhance and support and strengthen that talent or ability for His good purposes. 

 

      Romans 9: 20-21 states:  “²⁰ But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, “Why have you made me like this?” ²¹ Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use?” (ESV)

 

      Because we cannot all be Billy Graham, the President or the Pope, does not mean that God does not have a special purpose for our lives. It could be added that if we seek God, and get out there and just do whatever we are best suited to do, in Jesus’ name, and with His glory in mind, then we will discover a sense of purpose, meaning and fulfillment that will give us true identity—not in our accomplishments, but in Christ.

     This may have been cited in a previous blog, but the thought is a good one.  Ina Duley Ogdon (1872-1964) wanted to be a missionary. It was her heart’s desire to serve God in that capacity.  When a relative got sick and needed caring for, she stepped up to the plate and provided that care for several years.  Following that, another relative became afflicted, and once again she became the caregiver.  Protracted illnesses in her family caused weeks to turn into months, and months into years, so consequently, Ms. Ogden never got to become a missionary. 

     But…Ms. Ogden did write the hymn, “Brighten the Corner Where You Are.”  She wrote a number of other hymns a well.  She didn’t mope and complain, and get bitter because God dealt her a hand for which she didn’t sign up.  She found meaning doing something for which she was suited—providing loving care for family members in need.  That was not what she envisioned for her life; she was going to be a missionary.  Evidently God had other plans, and look what resulted. The hymns she penned, have inspired and comforted and helped numerous Christians throughout the times said hymns have been sung. 

     Remember if you feel like you can do nothing; that when God was handing out talents, you were at the back of the line, and His bag ran out before you got to the front, you can still be faithful.  And in being faithful, even in the midst of disappointments and failures, you might just be surprised in how God can and will use that.  Ms. Ogden didn’t get to bring thousands to Christ on the mission field, but in the midst of her disappointment, she was used of God to reach millions.  If you are in Christ, you have purpose!  And you have a purpose even when you cannot see it. So get to work!

   4. In Christ, you are…the Temple.

     Solomon’s Temple was the replacement for the Tabernacle of Moses’ day. Built in Jerusalem, the Temple was the central place in Hebrew worship and ritual. It was the dwelling place for the Ark of the Covenant. The Temple was the place on earth where God’s presence would be evident (in the Holy of Holies).

     When Judah was attacked by Babylon, the Temple was sacked, and many of its valuable objects were taken to Babylon (see Daniel: the writing on the wall episode….)

     After the Babylonian exile, construction on a new temple was begun (see Ezra and Nehemiah), with its new foundations laid in 535 BC, and was ready for consecration by 516 BC. Later Herod the Great greatly expanded the Temple complex, and the Temple in Jesus’ day and time was called Herod’s Temple. In 70 AD, as Jesus prophesied in Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21, the Temple was again destroyed; this time by the Roman army.

      Needless to say, the Temple figures highly in Jewish thought, culture, history and worship.  Jesus’ Disciples (along with most of their Jewish contemporaries) associated the destruction of the Temple with the end times.  Notice in the passages above from Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21, the reaction of the Disciples to Jesus prophecy of the destruction of the Temple.  Very quickly the conversation changed from impressive architecture to eschatology.

     It has been over 1900 years since a Temple structure stood in Jerusalem.  Today there is no Temple in Israel (or anywhere else).  Many foresee another Temple being constructed as part of their end-times scenario, but I strongly disagree in principle.  That is not to say that if the Islamic Dome of the Rock, which (inconveniently) sits on one-time Jewish Temple property is ever destroyed, that zealous Zionists, aided by a faction of equally overzealous pre-millennial Christians might not attempt to build a new Temple, but to what purpose? 

      The book of Hebrews teaches, the sacrificial system is over…for good.  What possible sacrifice would God accept after the sacrifice of His own Son on the cross?  

     Evidently the lights came on for Peter (and with his companions) with the coming of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost. In his first epistle, Peter 2:4-5 states:

 

“ ⁴ As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, ⁵ you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” (ESV)

 

     Notice the “building” imagery being employed by Peter?  Notice also the mention of priesthood and sacrifices?  Kind of sounds like the Temple doesn’t it?  But Peter is not alone in that thought. 

 

      In 1 Corinthians, chapter 3 and verse 16 Paul writes: “Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you?” In 1 Corinthians 3:17 he continues, “If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him. For God's temple is holy, and you are that temple.” (Both quotes ESV)

 

     Again in 1 Corinthians 6:19 Paul writes: “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own….” (ESV)

 

      Likewise in Paul says in 2 Corinthians 6:16:

 

      “What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, ‘I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.’”

 

     Paul says again in Ephesians 2:18-22:

 

     “¹⁸ For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. ¹⁹ So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, ²⁰ built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, ²¹ in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. ²² In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.”

 

     Do you reckon Paul is trying to get a point across?  We are the ones who are the dwelling place of God—the place where His presence is evident.  And we, the Church shall remain so until the end of time as we know it, in the New Heavens and the New Earth in Revelation 21.  “²² And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb.” (ESV)  Until that time we, in Christ, are the Lord’s Temple.  Those are just a few points to ponder as to who we are in Christ.

Dana

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On Sunday, 5/21/17, John adds this post script

                 I think I’ve written before about how I became a member of the family of God—after I was in Christ. My church, First Assembly of God, Alexandria, VA, had a commercial kitchen and dining room that took up the entire lower level. We held church dinners, fed conferences and cooked for outreach ministries, such as the railroad ministry. Me? I had nothing. Because of my drinking, I had lost everything--my wife, my daughter, my self-respect, my car, much of my furniture, and my friends. Then I turned my life over to Christ, was born again, and was on the new road to heaven.

                 Early on in my salvation while I was a church attendee, something in me still needed to belong. But God (oh, how I love those two words—but God) led me to the kitchen. After one dinner, since I had nothing and no one to go home to, I volunteered to help clean up the tables and help with the dishes.  From then on, whenever the kitchen was in use, I was there—setting tables, serving food, clearing tables, doing dishes, scrubbing pots and pans, taking out garbage. I belonged. I was part of the family. My life meant something and I was helping. God was using me and ministering through me. Quite honestly, those are some of the happiest memories of my salvation—when I became a part of the family.

                 I’ll close with restating something Dana wrote above about being in the family:

                 In addition, the inheritance which is Christ’s is something in which we get to share.  Again, the subject of Christ’s inheritance is almost too vast to contemplate, but it’s wonderful to think that whatever that might entail, we will enjoy as well.  Several times and in many situations, someone has been kind enough to say to me, “You’re family.”  While that is a nice sentiment, and I’m quite certain that on some level the saying is genuine in intent, in my mind I have to remind myself, that one is not truly family unless one is included in the will.  Well, Christian, you’re included in the will.....