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When I as small my youngest sister and I were privileged to attend Bible School in the summer. Mom, having five children was relieved having at least her two yougest out of the trailer to attend. Although my "religion" was formed there, I was not convinced by teh Holy Spirit until a couple of decades later. Until this wondrous event I was content with the theology that Jesus loves me, and that was all I needed. At any rate I won a plaque with a short poem on it for memorizing scripture. It has a robin and a sparrow on a blue background with clouds. Printed on it below the small birds it read:
Said the robin to the sparrow
I would really like to know
Why these anxious human beings
Rush about and worry so.
Said the sparrow to the robin,
Frend, I think that it must be
They have no Heavenly Fathers
Such That cares for you and for me.
Titled: Overheard in an Orchard.
Said the robin to the sparrow
I would really like to know
Why these anxious human beings
Rush about and worry so.
Said the sparrow to the robin,
Frend, I think that it must be
They have no Heavenly Fathers
Such That cares for you and for me.
Titled: Overheard in an Orchard.
Psalm 95:1-6, "Come, let us sing to יהוה ! Let us raise a shout to the Rock of our Salvation. Let us come before His face with thanksgiving; Let us raise a shout to Him in song. For יהוה is a great Strength, And a great Sovereign above all mighty ones. In whose hand are the depths of the earth; The mountain peaks are His also. His is the sea, for He made it; And His hands formed the dry land. Come, let us bow down and bend low, Let us kneel before יהוה our Maker."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxgsPCCDlqk
Just one of this young woman's praise songs. Look for more on YouTube, she is a peace spreader for certain.
Just one of this young woman's praise songs. Look for more on YouTube, she is a peace spreader for certain.
Whatever has happened to sin?
As the world sinks deeper and deeper into the terrible darkness of sin, we, the church, seem to be speaking less and less about it (with some wonderful exceptions of course).
One might wonder how this is possible since the word 'sin' in all its variations (sin, sins, sinner, sinners, sinned) is mentioned in 245 verses in 21 of the New Testament books. Preachers may think they are speaking clearly on the issue, but from nearly twenty years of prayer ministry experience, working with individuals from many denominational backgrounds, I am far from sure that this is what people are picking up.In my experience, and in the experience of most people in prayer ministry that I have talked to, the level of wilful sinful behaviour in some categories within the church seems little different from the levels outside the church. We do try to be unshockable, but sometimes we are shocked at what is going on beneath the well polished surface. I would go as far as to say that sometimes we nearly despair.
Perhaps there is a fear about speaking on sin in strong terms in case one is accused of somehow denying grace, nevertheless, the matter will not go away. Christianity and sin are never to be bed partners. Never.Please note that I am not referring to Christians who are still broken people and who want nothing more than to be free of their besetting sins. I have been that person. I am that person.As a ministry we work with the abused, the addicts, the weak, the fatherless etc, almost all coming from within the Body of Christ. These are people crying out to God to be free from sin's degrading compulsion.
You will never read of Jesus being anything other than kindness itself to such people. People who agree with God on what is right and what is wrong and desire to do what is right, but so often fail to do so. The Apostle Paul had such struggles and so do we. He wrote of the conflict within. He agreed with and wanted to do what God wanted, but so often failed. He hated sin but so often found himself doing what he did not want to do. Listen to his pain as he describes the reality of the battle.
For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do. If, then, I do what I will not to do, I agree with the law that it is good. But now, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. I find then a law, that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good. For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man. But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord! Romans 7:15-24
Nor will you read of Jesus distancing Himself from the unsaved sinners. He was known as the friend of sinners. He was accused of being a glutton and a drunk for associating with such people. He was looked down upon for talking to an immoral woman. He came to save them.I am talking about people who have heard what God has said and yet have chosen to say no.I am talking about people who call themselves Christian, thus taking God's Name upon their lives and thus being ambassadors for Him, and wilfully deliberately and continually choosing unrighteousness for personal gain, personal satisfaction or ungodly control. I am talking about people who have made friends with secret sin. Sometimes even making friends quite openly with sin. Please note that I have said 'people who call themselves Christian'. There is no shortage of people who attend church, calling themselves Christian, who deliberately, habitually and wilfully sin thus bringing public disgrace to the Name that they openly profess as their Lord. To such, scripture holds out only wrath.
Repentance
As the world sinks deeper and deeper into the terrible darkness of sin, we, the church, seem to be speaking less and less about it (with some wonderful exceptions of course).
One might wonder how this is possible since the word 'sin' in all its variations (sin, sins, sinner, sinners, sinned) is mentioned in 245 verses in 21 of the New Testament books. Preachers may think they are speaking clearly on the issue, but from nearly twenty years of prayer ministry experience, working with individuals from many denominational backgrounds, I am far from sure that this is what people are picking up.In my experience, and in the experience of most people in prayer ministry that I have talked to, the level of wilful sinful behaviour in some categories within the church seems little different from the levels outside the church. We do try to be unshockable, but sometimes we are shocked at what is going on beneath the well polished surface. I would go as far as to say that sometimes we nearly despair.
Perhaps there is a fear about speaking on sin in strong terms in case one is accused of somehow denying grace, nevertheless, the matter will not go away. Christianity and sin are never to be bed partners. Never.Please note that I am not referring to Christians who are still broken people and who want nothing more than to be free of their besetting sins. I have been that person. I am that person.As a ministry we work with the abused, the addicts, the weak, the fatherless etc, almost all coming from within the Body of Christ. These are people crying out to God to be free from sin's degrading compulsion.
You will never read of Jesus being anything other than kindness itself to such people. People who agree with God on what is right and what is wrong and desire to do what is right, but so often fail to do so. The Apostle Paul had such struggles and so do we. He wrote of the conflict within. He agreed with and wanted to do what God wanted, but so often failed. He hated sin but so often found himself doing what he did not want to do. Listen to his pain as he describes the reality of the battle.
For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do. If, then, I do what I will not to do, I agree with the law that it is good. But now, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. I find then a law, that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good. For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man. But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord! Romans 7:15-24
Nor will you read of Jesus distancing Himself from the unsaved sinners. He was known as the friend of sinners. He was accused of being a glutton and a drunk for associating with such people. He was looked down upon for talking to an immoral woman. He came to save them.I am talking about people who have heard what God has said and yet have chosen to say no.I am talking about people who call themselves Christian, thus taking God's Name upon their lives and thus being ambassadors for Him, and wilfully deliberately and continually choosing unrighteousness for personal gain, personal satisfaction or ungodly control. I am talking about people who have made friends with secret sin. Sometimes even making friends quite openly with sin. Please note that I have said 'people who call themselves Christian'. There is no shortage of people who attend church, calling themselves Christian, who deliberately, habitually and wilfully sin thus bringing public disgrace to the Name that they openly profess as their Lord. To such, scripture holds out only wrath.
Repentance