ADVICE (Jeremiah 23)

Instead of claiming to know what God says, ask questions of one another, such as "How do we understand God in this?" But don't go around pretending to know it all, saying "God told me this. . .God told me that. . . ." . . . You can the prophets, "How did God answer you? What did he tell you? But don't pretend that you know all the answers yourselves. (Jeremiah 23:35-37, MSG)

To start with today, I will apologize to those of you from the pentecostal/prophecy branch of the Christian faith, in case my comments offend you. But today's passage reminded of an earlier incident which struck me as insensitive:

For years I was part of a face-to-face critique group. We met every other week for almost ten years, until our hostess died. Vicki Baker left an unforgettable influence on my life, only partly because of her courageous life in spite of living as a quadriplegic. She described herself as a "wheelchair-bound trapeze artist" because that explained both her high-octane enthusiasm for living and the way she broke her neck.

Like Joni Erickson Tada, she believed that "in every way that matters, (she) was already healed."

One day a new writer visited our group. On her second visit, she told Vicki, "I have a word from God. He wants to do a work of healing in you, starting with your legs."

Embarrassed silence. At the time, the comment struck me as incredibly insensitive. I now suspect the visitor came from a practice where such words are received and accepted. I still think, however,that she handled it poorly.

She might have benefited from Jeremiah's advice today. Perhaps she could have initiated a dialogue about divine healing. Perhaps even that would have felt like an assault. The time is too far removed for me to gauge it today.

Suggestions included:
Don't pretend you have all the answers.
Ask others what their understanding of the situation is.
Assume that others are seeking God about the same matter. You should find common ground in His answers.

In Jeremiah's time, they faced strong military oppression, the king of Judah already deposed. Rarely did the decision to fight or to surrender carry such a heavy weight. The decision affected many people.

If you feel God is urging a change of direction on you. . .ask the people your decision will impact. What has God told your church? your co-workers? your family? your spouse?

Then listen. . .really listen.




23:35-37





Instead of claiming to know what God says, ask questions of one another, such as ‘How do we understand God in this?’ But don’t go around pretending to know it all, saying ‘God told me this . . . God told me that. . . .’ I don’t want to hear it anymore. Only the person I authorize speaks for me. Otherwise, my Message gets twisted, the Message of the living God-of-the-Angel-Armies.

37-38 “You can ask the prophets, ‘How did God answer you? What did he tell you?’ But don’t pretend that you know all the answers yourselves

INCLUSIVE WORSHIP (2 Chronicles 20)

Everyone in Judah was there--little children, wives, sons--all present and attentive to God. (2 Chronicles 20:11.)

Jehoshaphat and Judah were under attack from neighboring countries, and the king called for a national day of prayer. One might expect men of fighting age to show up. "Everyone was there." The writer felt compelled to clarify whom he meant by "everyone."  Little children, wives, sons--the majority of the people of Judah came to Jerusalem for the occasion.

Two verses later, Jahaziah gave the multitude God's answer: "Attention EVERYONE. . .God's word:
This is God's war, not yours. . ."

It's not surprising that the men brought their families for worship. What is jaw-dropping odd to me is that they brought them to war.

The next morning, they left for the battlefield (after a rousing worship service, complete with choir and orchestra).  It doesn't say only the  men followed the king. Perhaps the same "everyone" came along. After all, the prophet had promised, "You won't have to lift a hand in this battle." and God had commanded, "March out boldly."  What could be bolder than bringing along entire families as if this was a picnic?

Of  course, our 20-20 hindsight tells us that God set the armies to fighting each other instead of Judah and they all died. It took the Judeans three days to clear the loot. Maybe they needed all the hands to carry the extra!

There are times that God calls us to act as a single body. Each body part has a different role to play, but all are needed.  Even the women and children. :)

Not to mention they started with prayer, music, and preaching. Hey, that sounds like church!  We enter to worship together and leave for the battle . . .

ONE FOR ALL, ALL FOR ONE (Joshua 22)

I slept the morning away. I'm still sick, but I quickly realized that I need to start my writing day
where I always do: in God's word. It's not "urgent" or contracted, but it may well be the most important thing I do all day.

Today I finished reading Joshua. Boy, that went by fast! It seems like I hardly started. The final chapters finish up things. The final parcels are alloted to the remaining tribes, the 2½ tribes east of the Jordan are reminded of the importance of staying true to the Lord their God, and Joshua leads the tribes in a recommitment to their covenant with God.

After charging the eastern tribes to remain true and to not rebel against God, Joshua adds an interesting statement: don't rebel against us by building your own altar apart from the Altar of our God. (Joshua 22:20, MSG)

In the case of the nation of Israel, it was always a case of "one for all and all for one." Remember the case of Ai, the city they attacked after Jericho? They lost the battle--because of one man's sin. If one tribe rebelled against God, God would count them all guilty. Rebelling against God meant rebelling against their fellow citizens.

Paul said the same thing about the church. In the passages from 1 Corinthians about spiritual gifts and the body of Christ, the church, he says, If one part hurts, every other part is involved in the hurt, and in the healing. If one part flourishes, every other part enters into the exuberance. (1 Corinthians 12:22)

If my sin only brought consequences on myself, that would be bad enough. Unfortunately, the effects ripple across those around me. My physical family, my work place, my church, the church world wide.

With all the arrogance of the young, I used to tell my mother, "You only have two choices: either you obey God, or you serve the devil." She asked (taking my spiritual arrogance seriously), "Why can't I do what I want to do? Don't I get a choice?"

The truth is more complex than the way I presented it to my mother. The closer we grow to God, I believe, the closer our desires align with His. God made us the way we are and it usually figures into His will for us.

But the heart of my statement is true. If we don't obey God, we are rebelling against Him. Not only Him, but also His people.

Conversely, God's people are also key in helping us to recognize God's calling on our lives. Those around us may recognize a spiritual gift, a service God has called us to, before we do.

Teamwork, again--I am only one cell in a multi-celled body, but cancer can begin with me and destroy the whole.

We're not perfect, and we all will do things that hurt the body of Christ as a whole. That's when "every other part is involved in the healing."

Basically, Christianity is a team sport. We win or lose together, so we are wise if we take care of our own.

P.S. Does Mom's story fit in here? Felt I should add it, not sure why?