Elementary Church No More

SCRIPTURE: Micah 1-4; Hebrews 6

Micah 35:7
Here is God’s Message to the prophets,
the preachers who lie to my people:
“For as long as they’re well paid and well fed, 
   the prophets preach, ‘Isn’t life wonderful! Peace to all!’
But if you don’t pay up and jump on their bandwagon,
their ‘God bless you’ turns into ‘God damn you.’
Therefore, you’re going blind. You’ll see nothing. 
   You’ll live in deep shadows and know nothing.
The sun has set on the prophets.
They’ve had their day; from now on it’s night.
Visionaries will be confused,
experts will be all mixed up.
They’ll hide behind their reputations and make lame excuses
to cover up their God-ignorance.”

Micah 4:6-7
“On that great day,” God says, 
   “I will round up all the hurt and homeless, 
   everyone I have bruised or banished.
I will transform the battered into a company of the elite. 
I will make a strong nation out of the long lost,
A showcase exhibit of God’s rule in action,
as I rule from Mount Zion, from here to eternity.

Hebrews 6:1-6
So come on, let’s leave the preschool fingerpainting exercises on Christ and get on with the grand work of art. Grow up in Christ. The basic foundational truths are in place: turning your back on “salvation by self-help” and turning in trust toward God; baptismal instructions; laying on of hands; resurrection of the dead; eternal judgment. God helping us, we’ll stay true to all that. But there’s so much more. Let’s get on with it!

Once people have seen the light, gotten a taste of heaven and been part of the work of the Holy Spirit, once they’ve personally experienced the sheer goodness of God’s Word and the powers breaking in on us—if then they turn their backs on it, washing their hands of the whole thing, well, they can’t start over as if nothing happened. That’s impossible. Why, they’ve re-crucified Jesus! They’ve repudiated him in public!

OBSERVATIONS: Religion is often a needed comfort. But there are times when the comforting turns to coddling, and the people of God find themselves in the sad situation of no longer acting as the people of God. Without a clear vision of leadership, they may find themselves turning to those who will tell them what they want to hear.

APPLICATION: Joey, your sacred responsibility stems from good discipleship, not a special rank or status. You are not the leader, but the lieutenant who carries orders to the sergeants. Listen to your general; get closer to your God. When the people cry out for fundamentals and fundamentals alone, they make their dwelling on top of a foundation without walls, without a roof — blasted by the elements and worthless as a sheltering sanctuary. BUILD.

PRAYER: God, our arms are weak and flabby. Our feet are without blister and callus. Our hands are in our pockets, and it is because I have not repeated your word with specifics and fervor. Grant that my words might reach the summit of your expectations, empowered not by my abilities, but by your Spirit. This city is yours, God; strengthen me to the task of having your people claim it through ministry and outreach.