Ever have a song or a verse of a song just repeat over and
over again in your head? That is
what happened a couple weeks ago.
I awoke in the middle of the night to the lyrics “crooked crosses in God’s
country”. Since then... it has
been a running theme in my thoughts and what I have been reading in the bible
and hearing from pastors on the radio.
Here are the lyrics to the song, “In God’s Country”.
Yeah. Desert sky
Dream beneath a desert sky
The rivers run but soon run dry
We need new dreams tonightDesert rose
Dreamed I saw a desert rose
Dress torn in ribbons and in bows
Like a siren she calls to meSleep comes like a drug
In God's country
Sad eyes, crooked crosses
In God's countrySet me alight
We'll punch a hole right through the night
Everyday the dreamers die
See what's on the other sideShe is liberty
And she comes to rescue me
Hope, faith, her vanity
The greatest gift is goldSleep comes like a drug
In God's country
Sad eyes, crooked crosses
In God's countryNaked flame
She stands with a naked flame
I stand with the sons of Cain
Burned by the fire of love
Burned by the fire of loveLyrics by U2Paul (Bono), Dave (Edge), Larry and Adam
In God’s Country is a song that speaks to me of a spiritual famine. People come to the country… the nation… the kingdom… the church, to find a new life, a new way of being that liberates their soul but after a while of being in this place these seekers find it to be another type of social club to be entertained and people’s vanity to be stroked. “Church” is in its name but there is no liberating power there.
I see
this picture of billboard. I mess
of old and new words and images glued to it. It is in bad shape.
It’s been neglected. The
posters glued to it are torn and tattered and about to fall off. There is so much junk and mess- that
the message is unclear. What
is being shared here?
Then I
am reminded of Jesus going into the temple and knocking over the tables of the
money changers and the stalls of those selling doves. Why did he do that?
God wants that billboard for himself. He wants us to give it to Him. Where He can strip it down to it’s original content. Content that was never to be dressed up, forgotten and/or covered up… but HIS EVERLASTING WORD.
But will these people give it to HIM or will they just continue to presume in an attitude of indifference?
“Look! Here I stand at the door and knock. If you hear me calling and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal as friends.” Revelation 3:20Churches in America and around the world are standing on the doormat of the “Laodicea” age. Sadly some have already stepped inside. These have become the crooked crosses in God’s Country.
Just to summarize quickly, the Laodicea church is the church Jesus
said, he was going to spit out of his mouth because it was lukewarm (Revelation
3:16). The Lord then said, “You
say, ‘I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing,’ and you do
not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked.”
It was spiritually bankrupt of God’s renewing oil that kept their inner lanterns
burning bright in the night we call the world.
The Laodicea church compromised the truths of God and did not take
the doctrinal truths seriously. It
avoided controversial issues to appease and keep the peace with those who had
worldly views. And since the truth
wasn’t living and active, there was no Holy Spirit power to drive and encourage
people to share the life changing and saving message of Jesus Christ. It’s conscious had died. It assumed that since it was outwardly self-sufficient and
wealthy it was ruler of itself. It
no longer looked to God for guidance, power, encouragement and discernment or
correction but it’s own broken immoral self-satisfying compass. It fell into a deep asleep. It became a religious/ social club of the
people not a church of faith “in” God that belonged to God. It became a church of the world.
And since it was a compromising church it let itself become stripped
of the righteous, goodness and true things of God. Whatever flame it had spiraled down to be blown
around and finally out by the world that it befriended. It became a church that did not
reverence or fear God.
And since in did not reverence or fear God, it became what I read
yesterday morning.
“He turned rivers into desert, flowing springs into thirsty ground, and fruitful land into a salt waste, because of the wickedness of those who lived there.” Psalm 107:33-34
And as I was also reminded,
“You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.” James 4:4
Their actions showed, like Cain, that they despised God. They were like Balaam who sought
profit not righteousness. They
presumed because they attended "a" church that they were righteous before God. (And we know this is not always the
case. Example, Just because you might work in a hospital doesn’t necessarily mean
you are a doctor right? And just because you attend a church doesn’t mean you
have given your life to Christ.)
Read with me,
Do you know what doubly dead means? It means they lost their divine nature just as Adam and Eve did when they deliberately disobeyed to God in the Garden of Eden.“But these people mock and curse the things they do not understand. Like animals they do whatever their instincts tell them and they bring about their own destruction. How terrible it will be for them! For they follow the evil example of Cain, who killed his brother. Like Balaam, they will do anything for money. And like Korah, they will perish because of their rebellion. When these people join you in fellowship meals celebrating the love of the Lord, they are like dangerous reefs that can shipwreck you. They are shameless in the way care only about themselves. They are like clouds flowing over dry land without giving rain, promising much but producing nothing. They are like trees without fruit at harvest time. They are no only dead but doubly dead, for they have been pulled out by the roots. They are like wild waves of the sea, churning up the foam of their shameful deeds. They are like wandering stars, doomed forever to the blackest darkness.” Jude 10-12
Another river of thought came from the Spirit. A church that compromises God's truth to keep the status quo acts just like the Sadducee's and Pharisees when Jesus was here in the flesh on earth. They didn't want to upset the Roman government so they did things to appease the Roman government. They didn't want the Romans to come after and persecute them. When Jesus came He caused trouble for them. He didn't keep the status quo. His followers did not keep the status quo. They were not politically correct. And they were persecuted just as Jesus was. They were obedient to God not society. This caused a cultural backlash/war but in doing so many accepted Jesus seeing Christians "civil" disobedience.
Jesus came not too keep the world's foolish and destructive status quo/political correctness but break it and set the captives free and bring about a spiritual everlasting revolution and revelation to His beloved creation.
"The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because of which He has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim deliverance to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to send forth in deliverance the oppressed," Luke 4:18Jesus also said,
"Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division." Matthew 10:34
The lukewarm Laodicea church that chose friendship with the world is gone.
It is warning to all the Christian churches of the world.
Remember Jesus who is God loved this church SO MUCH, he rebuked it and warned it because He wanted to save it from it's own foolishness.
God disciplines those He loves. It was their choice to continue down that destructive path or accept HIS life saving meal. God is doing the same today. Can you hear Him knocking?
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