The lack of thirst in the pursuit of
God is a big issue in any evangelical church given the fact that ignorance of biblical
truth is widespread. It is impossible to understand what we don’t know and obey
it. It makes you wonder if people don’t put some mystical quality to attending
church, and as soon as you enter and before you leave, bible knowledge enters
the heart through some kind of spiritual osmosis or falls on you like a gentle
mist. Falling to sleep with the bible resting on the chest doesn’t work either
in learning the Word. I can attest to that! Many times I have gone to sleep only to be the same as when I awoke. There's a lesson somewhere in that!
As I mentioned in part 3, drawing from the
well is work; there really is no end to the dropping of the bucket. Once it is
filled you have to haul it up. Most people don’t want to spend time doing that.
So they kick the bucket down the road for someone else to do the work to teach
us the Bible, which is fine because God has gifted great men of God to help us
better understand the truth of Scripture to equip us in living for God.
But you just don’t read anywhere in
Scripture, “Sit back and let those other guys do all the work.” We got to do some pulling out of the Scripture, too,
as much as we can! There is a premium placed on “hearing” nowadays, citing Rom
10:17 and claiming, “We don’t have time to read the Bible; we don’t have time to read what
people write about the Bible.” So they make time sporadically to only hear it when convenient. Truth
is; they don’t thirst for righteousness.
It’s a funny thing though. I never have
seen so many people claim they are going to heaven to spend eternity with
Jesus, but they can’t tell you a whole lot about Jesus! That tells me they are willing to spend eternity with essentially a stranger. Going to heaven is far better than hell; I get that. I just don’t get the
other part of making claim to know Jesus and just loving Him to death but never thirsting for Him! And I am not speaking about a formal
education of knowing Jesus but an understanding and knowing Jesus intimately that when others come into contact with us they recognize us as “having been with Jesus” (Acts 4:13, NASB).
Obviously, those without don't recognize Jesus (2 Cor 4:4; 1 Cor 2:14) in our company, but they do see something different in our
lives. That visible difference provides us with an opportunity to inform them about Jesus who they don’t see or
know. There is an element of truth about “you are who you hang out with.”
Christianity is all about having a relationship with Jesus and from that
relationship springs forth obedience out of love for Him. You don’t see a
pattern of worldly living from those who love the Lord (Jn 14:15).
Are we so naïve that we think being
like Christ was merely intellectual? Back in Rom 12:1, the body was to be presented as a living sacrifice; in Rom 12:2 Paul
states that transformation is by the renewing of the mind (saturated and controlled
by the Word of God). This helps us to think and see like God thinks and sees.
Through the lens of Scripture is how we are to see the world. For what purpose?
To be holy, set apart unto God for service. We can have direct discernment in knowing
God’s will, but it only becomes a reality in our life from a yielded life (total
submission to God’s authority by presenting our bodies as a living sacrifice to
God,), a separated life (be not conformed, fashioned, or patterned to this
world), and a transformed mind (through renovation by the Word of God and the
experiential outworking of its truths in our life).
You only have to open your eyes to see
that I am not exaggerating one bit or being unkind in part 3 about the thirst
problems within the churches. On a side note, those who attend the same church
as I do shouldn’t assume in my writings that I use our local assembly as a template
as a basis for what is going on throughout America. Nothing could be further than the truth.
Observations are made in my
own life, in the life of others, church life, and churches I have visited, but
mostly from churches I have read about of those far more qualified than I am on
church life in America. Regardless of the sources of information I pull from, I
call it like I see it tempered by the truth of Scripture! You probably figured that out by now. I do my best not to
attack individuals but focus on the sin/s. Often I will include the pronoun “we” to
express my involvement as well, good or bad. I am part of the problem or part
of the solution. What about you?
The results from a mosaic of madness
resulting from a lack of thirst reveal in part why we are right on the path of
the storm of Divine chastening. Though America stands in jeopardy from acts of
terrorism, it continues to plunge headlong into the darkness of depravity with
its determined effort to promote same-sex marriage, gay rights, abortion, silencing
the churches, and so forth. It reminds me of the antediluvian civilization or the peoples of the earth before the universal flood, clueless of the impending danger even though Noah preached righteousness and impending doom for 120 years.
If you criticize these radical beliefs or causes in any way, there is an attempt to characterize the “I don’t agree with you” crowd as guilty of “hate” speech. It will gain traction and grow teeth once passed into law. There is no thirst, no taste for righteousness, only a non-relational religion embracing a Jdg 21:25 culture in America. A simple thirst may cost genuine believers in the future a lot of problems. If you think there is no way our religious freedom will ever be in jeopardy, think again. You only have to hear and read the news. John MacArthur’s comments on 2 Chron 7:14 concerning America,
If you criticize these radical beliefs or causes in any way, there is an attempt to characterize the “I don’t agree with you” crowd as guilty of “hate” speech. It will gain traction and grow teeth once passed into law. There is no thirst, no taste for righteousness, only a non-relational religion embracing a Jdg 21:25 culture in America. A simple thirst may cost genuine believers in the future a lot of problems. If you think there is no way our religious freedom will ever be in jeopardy, think again. You only have to hear and read the news. John MacArthur’s comments on 2 Chron 7:14 concerning America,
Unlike
ancient Israel, America is not a covenant nation. God has made no promise to
our physical ancestors that guarantees our national status. If Israel had to
fulfill the conditions for divine blessing, even though God had covenanted with
them as His chosen people, America certainly has no inviolable claim on the
blessing of God. As long as unbelief and disobedience to the Word of God color
the soul of our nation, we cannot expect the blessing of God. Israel didn't get
it in her unbelief.
But for
those of us who are Christians, the covenant blessings do apply. "If you
are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the
promise" (Gal 3:29). All the promises of salvation, mercy, the forgiveness of
sins, and spiritual prosperity are ours to claim as long as we remain faithful
to God.
That is
why the spiritual state of the church in our nation is the key to the blessing
of the nation as a whole. If God is going to bless America, it will not be for
the sake of the nation itself. He blesses the nation and has always done so,
for the sake of His people. If we who are called by His name are not fulfilling
the conditions for divine blessing, there is no hope whatsoever for the rest of
the nation.
On the
other hand, if the church is fit to receive God's blessing, the whole nation
will be the beneficiary of that, because the Word of God will be proclaimed
with power, God will add to His church, and spiritual blessings of all kinds
will result. And those are the truest blessings of all (The MacArthur Bible Commentary).
We have to be very concerned about the
spiritual state of the church in our nation, and it begins with us. If we are
spiritually unfit to receive God’s blessings because of our unfaithfulness, we
are in trouble along with other believers and the nation who derives blessings from our being blessed. Are we becoming increasingly a thirstless
lot of vagabonds given in to fleshly impulses that drive us to apostasy? We who
know the Lord are called to be saints
(Rom 1:7; 1 Cor 1:2), not sinners! Vincent
Word Studies on Rom 1:7 points out that the term “saints” as applied to
Christians are used in three ways: (1) members of a visible and local community
(Acts 9:32; 9:41; 26:10), (2) members of a spiritual community (1 Cor 1:2; Col
3:12), and (3) as individually holy (Eph 1:18; Col 1:12; Rev 13:10).
Truthfully, all this saint talk is slightly embarrassing. I feel unworthy to be referred
to as a saint, Saint Michael. Well, maybe it doesn't sound so bad... Without being pious, I am more comfortable being described
as a sinner saved by grace. But saints we are whether we like it or not as born
again believers, and saints we should be in this life even in the phenomenally
dark environs we find ourselves in for the Lord.
Physically, we thirst and then we
drink until we are satisfied; thirst is alleviated. Then we thirst again (cf. Jn
4:13). Spiritually, we thirst and are satisfied at salvation, and unlike physical thirst; we thirst no more (cf. Jn
4:14); salvation is secured! However, in sanctification (growing in grace,
maturing in the faith) we are never satisfied. The distinction between thirsting
physically and spiritually is that the spiritual desire continues beyond the
quenching of our thirst. Once our thirst is satisfied physically, we step away
from the water and return when we are thirsty again. With spiritual thirst, we
never step away from desiring the water of life. It’s an oxymoron of being
content but never satisfied. It’s a good and spiritually healthy thing!
I don’t want to overwork the metaphor any more than stretching a parable. But we must not overlook the intensity of the panting
of the deer seeking a water brook during a drought – “So pants my soul for You,
O God (Psa 42:1b). “My soul thirsts for God, for the living God” (Psa 42:2a; cf. Psa 42:3, 5). This
desire for God is not a desire of many desires; it is the one and all-consuming
desire of the heart of a believer. Doesn’t this dovetail nicely with the first
commandment (Mk 12:30)! This prime directive of all of Scripture is in conjunction with the second command (Mk
12:31); love God; love others.
What is severely lacking in Christianity in America today is a compelling thirst for the living God. It can be seen in the prevailing ignorance of biblical truth and ungodliness that divides rather than unifies. Where is love in all of this? Without love, we are nothing, right (1 Cor 13:2)? <><
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What is severely lacking in Christianity in America today is a compelling thirst for the living God. It can be seen in the prevailing ignorance of biblical truth and ungodliness that divides rather than unifies. Where is love in all of this? Without love, we are nothing, right (1 Cor 13:2)? <><
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| To Part 5 |
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