Author: Wick

Something that caught my eye as being very appropriate, considering the topics I’ve blogged on this week. A recent post from the “Jubilee USA” people, here are some quotes:

“We have this challenge and opportunity,” Watkins said. “In a time of scarcity when the budget is going to be directed to U.S. human needs we need to help leaders remember that we also have to think about those in the rest of the world.”

“Relief for storm-weary Haiti is one Jubilee USA’s biggest concerns. Despite being hit by a succession of hurricanes that led to devastating floods during the summer of 2008, Haiti continues making weekly $1 million payments to the World Bank. Jubilee USA plans to push Obama during his first 100 days in the White House to ask the World Bank to cancel the Caribbean country’s payments, Watkins said.”

“When countries have to pay back the debt, then what falls aside is the education, the medical help, family care,” Sister Josie said. “The country cannot take care of their people when they have to pay back the debt. Everything they have, and everything they don’t have, goes into paying the debt and as a result they have nothing to move their infrastructure forward.”

May God bless these efforts towards His Kingdom….

It’s become increasingly clear through being immersed in the minor prophets all week, that there are many VERY appropriate messages contained still for us today. Many of them are difficult to accept, hard to swallow/handle, but all are from God – who many of us seek to serve.

In the Old Testament, God established a covenant with a people, Israel. They were chosen by God. Throughout the scriptures we see a pattern of these people falling away, being punished/restored, and enjoying covenant living again.

We believe that the Israel of Old Testament can be, in many ways, considered the “Church” of today. That is to say, WE are the descendants of these people. Through the blood of Christ, we have become His people, and His desire for covenant living once again, now applies to us.

In the minor prophets, we see God using nations like Assyria and Babylon. Not only USING them, but using them to PUNISH the Kingdoms of Israel and Judah. What are we to think of this? Didn’t God choose Israel, and thereby decide that Israel should be blessed?

But we realize God did not simply choose Israel so that He would have “a people”. God chose Israel SO THAT the entire WORLD may be reached by His love. It’s when the people of Israel forget this, and trample the needy, or do not show love for their Gentile neighbors; that God moves in the correct them.

So what about us? If we (the Church) are now, what Israel was to God in the OT, the connection becomes very, sometimes painfully clear. We are the Church not so that God can have a “body”. But we exist SO THAT the entire world may know that God is for them. To proclaim, and live out His Kingdom, ESPECIALLY outside the walls of our churches and confines of “our needs”.

“you who hate good and love evil; who tear the skin from their bones; who eat my peoples flesh, strip off their skin and break their bones in pieces; who chop them up like meat for the pan, like flesh for the pot?” Micah 3:2-3

Whoa. Seriously Micah? I mean….you couldn’t have just said “hey, you people who are misleading those I love”

Its intimidating sometimes, especially with passages like this in scripture. These verses come under the heading “Leaders and Prophets Rebuked”. Wow. That’s right. Leaders and Prophets. You may have thought, “enemies and warlords rebuked”. But nope….it’s directed at those who are actually in positions of leading/caring for God’s people.

People in the book of Micah were complacent. They enjoyed listening to an “easy” religiosity. Surely God wouldn’t do anything rash, right? They’re doing fine.

Sound familiar? It’s very tempting these days to do ministry in a way that looks attractive to people. Even in youth ministry, I’ve heard youth pastors offer salvation as a cure for teenage angst. I’ve seen children, teens, and adults claim Christ, and yet upon examination of their life – nothing has changed.

God calls us OUT of the broken covenant. We are called to love God, and to love others. As someone in ministry, that means the preaching of the FULL gospel message, not simply the chunks that are easy to digest. After all, it’s evident that it’s not just a “pet peeve” of Gods….apparently it gets him pretty riled up. 🙂

But we read Micah 2:12-13. “I will surely gather you…..like sheep in a pen……one who breaks open the way will go up before them; they will break the gate and go out. Their king will pass before them, the Lord at their head.”

It may not be an easy path, but it is the path led by Jesus Christ. The path of suffering. The path of new creation. The path of liberation.

May God help we who are leaders and prophetic ministers to not be deserving of such rebuke….