The fire of Revolution

Jeremiah was a true revolutionary - actually the model revolutionary in many ways. Jeremiah was called by God to address the injustice and immorality that had come to characterize Judah in their complacency. It was an unpopular but true message. Jeremiah knew that people did not want to hear what he had to say, but he still had to say it - he could not hold it in - it burned in his belly! Jeremiah says, " ... these messages from the Lord have made me a household joke. And I can't stop! If I say I'll never mention the Lord or speak in his name, his word burns in my heart like a fire. It's like a fire in my bones! I am weary of holding it in!" (Jeremiah 20:8-10). We need more Christians today who see the injustice and immorality in our culture and, like Jeremiah, cannot remain silent. I am not talking about bashing sinners and labeling the lost ... I am talking about calling the Church and Christians to account! Jeremiah was prophesying against God's chosen people, not the pagans of the day! The same was true for Jesus, Jesus didn't bash sinners and call them names and blame them for everything that was wrong in the world - he treated them with love, mercy and compassion. But for the self-righteous religious leaders Jesus had a message of condemnation that ultimately got him killed! Do you have anything burning in your bones? If not, why not?

Comments

[Van S]

I don't think Christians in this country realize how entrenched they are in the "system"--how much they've capitulated to the "powers." When I try to challenge friends about how much the church has given up faithfulness on the altar of effectiveness and respectability, people either respond with resignation ("oh well, there's nothing I can do about it.") or defence ("hey, people are getting saved...it works!"). The church today spends a huge amount of their resources gathering people into a relatively untransformative 1 hour event. We don't practice hospitality, we don't use our resources for the poor, and we care more about reaching out to many folks that are just like us rather than a few folks that are marginalized. We don't need more programs. We need a seismic shift.

[Brian Allen]

I can relate well with Jeremiah. God has given me a message of challenging the church to be about the work of reaching a lost world and making disciples. For the most part, believers in America are wrapped up in moralism and taking care of those already in the pen. When I share that message, no matter how graceful, it places usually places me on the outside of the respected relational structures in the church. Because I like being liked as much as anyone, my temptation is to keep quite to keep the peace and so I can be accepted. The problem is that God has given me this message and to keep silent is an act of disobedience. It does burn within me like Jeremiah mentioned. None-the-less, I often find myself feeling lonely and on the outside. It's tough sometimes to keep an eye on that day in the future where it's possible to hear the Lord say "Well done." Of course, there's always the possibility that the way I communicate the message God has given me needs to be seasoned with more grace. I truly desire to find the balance knowing that no matter how well I share it, it just is not a popular message given the selfishness of human nature, inlcuding my own.