Unbelieving Believers

I read a challenging piece recently by Dr Bernard Etta when speaking of the 7000 prophets who had not bowed the knee to Baal (1 Kings 19.18); he said. "I have no respect for such prophets who lived in a nation taken over by Idolatry and evil but chose to remain silent. Not bowing to Baal is good, but not enough to transform a society or nation. True prophets confront the idolatry in the land and speak again sin in both high and low places with a vision of taking back the nation for God. You don't need 7000 prophets to change a nation, just one true prophet is enough."

A little similar to today's church I believe, 'and the love of many will wax cold.' 

They say they are believers but when it comes to issues of sin and righteousness and judgement they are cold and silent. 

It has been said "all that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing," (often attributed to Edmund Burke but disputed) how true it is.  Burke also said, "Nothing is so fatal to religion as indifference."  

If 7000 prophets who had not bowed the knee to Baal had spoken up, how different might the situation have been. If millions of 'so called' Christians learn to live with evil in the world and around them in their community instead of denouncing it and setting aright the ills of society, what will be the outcome of the Jezebels?

 

Today we have professing believers filling church pews with no moral fortitude, Jesus said, "These signs shall follow them that believe" Mark 16.17 our churches seem to be full of those with only the "DO NOT DISTURB" sign around their necks, dare we say that many of our churches are filled with unbelieving believers? 

To believe in Christ is to follow Him and be His disciple; "I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father." John 14.12

Are we doing the works? 

Are the signs following? 

Are we expecting the signs to follow? 

or have we just become humanitarian tolerants? 

The words of Christ command obedience, if obedience to His way is not there, are we in fact His disciple at all? 

Society will always have its malevolent, those intent on their own perverted gain at the expense of good morals and judgement, its wicked, evil and sinister plotters to bring down anything that is upright, moral, good or godly for it is an affront to them, for they desire to remove any semblance of righteousness or God from their lives, for then (in their minds only) their is no account to give to God.

It is encumbent upon us to heed the warning given by God to Ezekiel, “Again, when a righteous person turns from their righteousness and does evil, and I put a stumbling block before them, they will die. Since you did not warn them, they will die for their sin. The righteous things that person did will not be remembered, and I will hold you accountable for their blood. But if you do warn the righteous person not to sin and they do not sin, they will surely live because they took warning, and you will have saved yourself.” Ezekiel 18.26/27

Society in many nations (not restricted to western nations) is crumbling for lack of absolute values, where everything is questioned and many outcomes are questionable, it behoves those that have the truth that delivers (and has delivered for thousands of years for those that follow it,)  peace, stability, prosperity and godliness to share it with those of the community hellbent on destroying righteousness in society and themselves along with it to a torturous hell for those who reject God.  

Don't let your religion crumble around you for lack of attention to it.

Dr Howard Sands is the International Director of Beautiful Feet Task Force, is available as a speaker for churches, outreaches, business & missions.

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What’s in a Seed?

Howard Sands (c) 2010

What’s in a Seed?
Great Oaks from Little Acorns Grow.

     Discover how this principle has, is, and will, apply in your life.

re discover the journey of your life, and how, where you are now is just a part of the journey to where you are going. Small beginnings, cold winters, hard times, refreshing rains and summer joys are all part ofg the journey to where you are going. 

Life is In Stages

Seeds

Genesis 1:12

The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.

Genesis 1:29

Then God said, "I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food.

The right kind of seed – every seed produces

The seed of the Holy Spirit was planted in you – keep that seed only growing

Leviticus 19:19

" 'Keep my decrees. " 'Do not mate different kinds of animals. " 'Do not plant your field with two kinds of seed. " 'Do not wear clothing woven of two kinds of material.

Deuteronomy 22:9

Do not plant two kinds of seed in your vineyard; if you do, not only the crops you plant but also the fruit of the vineyard will be defiled.

Planting  - theres a death to self

John 12:24

I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.

Underground growth,  - the seasons –winter necessary

Genesis 8:22

"As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease."

Shooting – there’s extreme joy with new birth – natural and spiritual -

Mark 4:27

Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how.

Isaiah 61:11

For as the soil makes the sprout come up and a garden causes seeds to grow, so the Sovereign LORD will make righteousness and praise spring up before all nations.

Seedling

Young tree – beauty and strength in a growing young tree = this is just the early phase not its destiny. 

It is still has a valid ministry – provides shade and beauty,

Birds still rest on it and make nests in it

Leaves still exchange carbon di oxide for oxygen to give life

Binds the ground together with its roots so rains don‘t destroy & degrade the land

But this is not its destiny. 

Hosea 14:5-6

I will be like the dew to Israel; he will blossom like a lily. Like a cedar of   Lebanon he will send down his roots; his young shoots will grow. His splendor will be like an olive tree, his fragrance like a cedar of Lebanon

Must survive the Weather/ elements – storms of life

Young trees are supple – know how to take the battering winds

Tall mature tree  

Matthew 13:32

Though it is the smallest of all your seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and perch in its branches."

Luke 13:19

It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his garden. It grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air perched in its branches."

1 Corinthians 3:6

I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow.

Cut down

Isaiah 6:13

And though a tenth remains in the land, it will again be laid waste. But as the terebinth and oak leave stumps when they are cut down, so the holy seed will be the stump in the land."

1 Kings 5:6

"So give orders that cedars of Lebanon be cut for me. My men will work with yours, and I will pay you for your men whatever wages you set. You know that we have no one so skilled in felling timber as the Sidonians."

To the saw mill to be cut to lengths

1 Kings 5:18

The craftsmen of Solomon and Hiram and the men of Gebal cut and prepared the timber and stone for the building of the temple.

Endure the pain – stay securely anchored in Him

Hebrews 6:19-20

19We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, 20where Jesus, who went before us, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.

2 Timothy 2:3

Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus.

Stored in the timber yard

1 Chronicles 22:14

"I have taken great pains to provide for the temple of the LORD a hundred thousand talents of gold, a million talents of silver, quantities of bronze and iron too great to be weighed, and wood and stone. And you may add to them.

Sold to the builder

Cut shaved shaped nailed

2 Kings 22:6

the carpenters, the builders and the masons. Also have them purchase timber and dressed stone to repair the temple.

House – a great house – a palace – a temple – a city

This is the destiny of the seed

2 Chronicles 2:3

Solomon sent this message to Hiram king of Tyre: "Send me cedar logs as you did for my father David when you sent him cedar to build a palace to live in.

Hebrews 11:10

For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God

You’ve been working towards it

Don't lose heart in the winter. 

Don't stop growing through the storms of life. 

Don't give up when you're cut down.

Don't say I can't when you're being cut and shaped. 

Don't think your time will never come when you seem to be forgotten when you're lying in the timber yard,

because everything you do is determining

how your palace will work out.

Faithfulness, a forgotten virtue

Hebrews 3.² He was faithful to the one who appointed him, just as Moses was faithful in all God’s house. ³ Jesus has been found worthy of greater honor than Moses, just as the builder of a house has greater honor than the house itself. ⁴ For every house is built by someone, but God is the builder of everything. ⁵ Moses was faithful as a servant in all God’s house, testifying to what would be said in the future. ⁶ But Christ is faithful as a son over God’s house. And we are his house, if we hold on to our courage and the hope of which we boast.

² He was faithful to the one who appointed him,

He did the job He was sent to do.

Even though in his humanity he said “let this cup pass from me”

Faithfulness is virtue that is fading in our society, but highly sought after, Why?

Because it’s a kingdom principle.

What is it?