Simply a test

In my attempt to be modern, I am trying to post from a tablet. We'll see how it works...

As I read Ezk 34 and Eph 1 this morning, I had twin, Spirit directed thoughts. One was, despite the quality of our earthly shepherds (or our ability as shepherds), God himself will always be the Shepherd of his people (See Jn 10)

The other was this: we have been given so much more when we were saved, rescued, redeemed, adopted in Christ than we can possibly grasp that any (and every prayer should really be at least 99% praise, worship, thanksgiving and awe. I'm not there yet, but God is working on me.

To God Alone be the Glory

Have We Become Functional Atheists?

Then he said to me, “The guilt of the house of Israel and Judah is exceedingly great. The land is full of blood, and the city full of injustice. For they say, ‘The LORD has forsaken the land, and the LORD does not see.’ (Ezk 9:9)

Here's a personal note: It is always risky to pray before opening God's word something to the effect of "Open my eyes to see You in your word, even in obscure passages like Ezekiel." The Holy Spirit may just honor such a request.

It is interesting to peel back some of the layers in Ezekiel 8 & 9. These chapters contain a great expression of God's displeasure with his people and help us understand why he dealt so severely with them at the end of  run the of kings. It is also helpful to remember that God's expectations haven't changed. Do we have a better understanding of grace than Israel did? Sure. Do we have the wonderful gift of the Holy Spirit? Absolutely. But if our lives are not marked by a trajectory that is leading toward God and toward Christlikeness, one has to wonder whether we are revealing the heart attitudes found in Ezk 8-9.

For me, the telling phrase found in each chapter is when God repeats what he hears the people saying "The LORD has forsaken the land, and the LORD does not see." It is easy to read this in the sense of "The cat's away so the mice can play." I'm confident that is a large part of what was happening in Israel and what is happening in our day. Throw away any conception of God, abandon any moral code that He might impose and what your left with is an ever decreasing cycle of sinfulness and depravity. I imagine taking 10 year snapshots of our culture even for the past 100 years would show not just a decline but one that is accelerating.

And yet, I think there is another layer in these chapters. When God repeats what he's heard "The LORD has forsaken the land, and the LORD does not see." he is quoting in one instance the elders and in another instance the houses of Israel and Judah. In effect, He's addressing the church. And why this is pressing so hard on me today is not from the morality perspective (as real and profound as that is), but rather from the perspective of Christians, both individually and corporately, who have functionally abandoned God.

Consider your own lives or the life of your church. How much is done that totally depends on God? Not just sitting on the banks of the Jordan and waiting for the water to part, but to actively stepping into river expecting something only God can do? Not simply standing in the crowd around Jesus thinking "He could heal me if He wants to", but actively pushing through the throng and grabbing the hem of His robe? I see a lot of methodology in my own life and in the churches I've been a part of. I see much less abandonment to the Holy Spirit.

Perhaps the question comes down to this: If the Holy Spirit left you, your family, your church, would you even notice? The leaders of Israel couldn't even see Him while He was still in their midst, so when He did leave there was no change from their perspective. Are we in the same boat? Do we have everything scripted so well that we have functionally removed our need for God?

I don't know that I have all (or any) of the the answers, but one thing I do know that needs to change in my own life is more God dependent, Spirit pleading prayer. I know its not the quantity of prayer that makes a difference, but there is some correlation between how often we come utterly dependent and bankrupt before God and our true vision of our own abilities.

In conclusion, maybe the picture of the church of Laodicea from Rev 3:14-22 is apt. In their self assessment, they needed nothing. In Jesus' assessment, they needed everything, The solution: "I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see."

To God Alone be the Glory

Stones to Flesh?

And he said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” And I answered, “O Lord GOD, you know.” (Ezk 37:3)

I recently read about the stirring of the gospel in Iran. Could there be a harder place for the gospel to penetrate? Yet, God's words in Ezk 37 and John 3 should constantly remind us that the Spirit moves where He wills. He can put flesh on the driest of bones and He can breathe life into the deadest of men.

Can we each pause here and consider our own spiritual journeys? Where has God breathed life into your spiritual deadness and brought light into your spiritual darkness? Praise Him! Thank Him! Explode with joy over what you have graciously received without any action of your own (You & I contribute as much as dried bones in the desert).

Now, can we turn the corner and plead with God to do it again? We all have situations or scenarios (Iran, for example, or the abortion epidemic, or the salvation of a spouse or parent or child) where everything seems hopeless. If we are spiritually alive, the Spirit is pressing on you, in some way, to cry out to God for something that is beyond hope for the expansion and extension of the kingdom of Christ. If you are unsure where to start, maybe you can begin with Lk 11:13.

Father, we need you more today than ever before. We need the gospel to be real to us today. Take the scales off of our eyes and help us to see, really see, the greatness and the goodness of all that Jesus has accomplished for us on the cross. And, I plead that you would give us fuller access to the Spirit in alignment with Jesus' promise in Lk 11.


Father, there are many things in many lives that appear to be spiritual dead ends. Like the dry bones of Ezekiel, we cannot do anything to make a lasting, permanent change. But you can. You can breathe life into whichever situation you choose. So, we humbly ask that you would consider our situation and glorify yourself so that the gospel of your Son may shine all the brighter. I offer this all in Jesus' name. Amen.

To God Alone be the Glory