A PROUD CHURCH
Thousands of years ago following the dedication of the first Temple in Jerusalem, King Solomon was visited by God in a dream. Solomon was probably still caught up in the glory of what he and all Israel had witnessed in God's visitation on the Temple ceremony. But God anticipated what the future would bring and brought warning to the king, lest he forget the possibility of sinning as a nation and its consequences. Listen to what God said,
"If I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain or if I command the locust to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among My people, and My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land."
DROUGHT
To a people straying from God and needing to be wakened, notice the progression of signs and discipline God will send. First, God limits rain and therefore, drought affects their harvests. Not enough food, at least not enough to sell and make a profit. Hunger physically just might lead to spiritual hunger for more of God. America has experienced drought progressively in recent years starting on the West Coast and moving across the Great Plains and eastward. Until the recent deluge of rain in California, Lake Mead was drying up and may do so again if rain doesn't continue to fall plentifully. Yet, we hear no leaders calling America to repentance because the drought is so severe.
DEVOURERS
Next, if limited rainfall and its consequences aren't enough to turn His people's heart back to Himself, God sends catastrophes to devour even what has survived the drought. Take, for instance, the natural disasters on our continent and around the world: earthquakes, floods, and fires that eat up not just irreplaceable forests, but expensive homes built among the trees and, in some cases, even small communities. The tragic fire on Maui is one such example. Still no leader, secular or religious, raised his or her voice to call America to repentance.
DISEASE
Even worse and devastating world-wide was the COVID pandemic, a pestilence that began in 2020 and swept thousands and thousands of lives into eternity. The consequences of quarantine imposed on entire populations of nations caused irreparable damage to children who were isolated from their social groups at a time in their development when they need to learn how to interact with other children and adults. The loss in academic instruction, even though virtual learning was touted as being an equal substitiute for a classroom setting, will never be regained by the majority of students. That loss will result in many young adults being unemployable through lack of job skills or inability to adequately work with other people.
In addition, many families were torn up by the death of loved ones from COVID, so that life will never be the same for the survivors. As well, for the many who still walk among us but had the COVID vaccines with their now proven outcomes of instilled disabilities, infertility, or fatal disease outcomes such as myocardial inflammation and cancer, pestilence left a permanent blot on their health, well-being and livelihood.
Yet, the Church remains placidly cold and unmoved by the changes in our way of living amid all the calamities. She refuses to hear what God said in II Chronicles 7:14: "If My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land.
REPENT!
On the Day of Pentecost, Peter stood up and preached to the crowd in Jerusalem. Conviction settled on his hearers mightily, and they said, "What shall we do?" Peter replied, "Repent!"
Repentance, a turning back to God and away from sin, is what God told Solomon must happen among His people when they forget Him. "...humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways..."
Today's church will have nothing to do with such a commandment. Her cry is that of the Laodicean church in Revelation 3: "I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing" What she means is, "I have nothing to repent of. I am well-situated and don't need anything or anyone else, not even God."
But listen to what Jesus said to the church of Ephesus in Revelation chapter 2: "But I have this against you, that you have left your first love." Ephesus was the most spiritual of the Asian churches where Paul ministered. He wrote deeply spiritual truths to them. At one time they knew Jesus very intimately and loved Him supremely. Yet, not too many years into the future, she had left---notice LEFT---her first love. It means it was by choice that she chose NOT to love Jesus supremely. Other things in life captivated her attention and won her heart. . She still did things for Jesus, but she had departed from being in love with Him.
Jesus' own admonition to her was a simple, but profound direction: "Remember from where you have fallen, and repent and do the deeds you did at first." Again, we see His command to repent!
REMEMBER
Notice, also, that Jesus told the church at Ephesus to REMEMBER. She was to think back to better days when she walked in love with Jesus. She was to seek those good days again by turning her back of the stuff that had taken Jesus' place in her affection and to pursue Him once more.
Because today's church is satisfied with the status quo in her corporate life as well as in their individual lives, she refuses to admit she is lacking spiritual hunger and fervency for God. She is self-satisfied and proud--too proud to humble herself and confess her infidelity to Jesus. Too proud to meet God's expectations so that He can turn our nation around and bring healing and wholeness where now brokenness and sin reign supreme.
Don't blame the predicaments in today's world on godless leaders. Most certainly they do not seek God's face either, but God could and would confound them IF the Church would humble herself and repent. Is that about to happen? I don't think so!