“A Good Product”…

“A Good Product”…

How many leeper’s have you met this week? Did you sit down with any? What about making an attempt to know them as a person or understand how they became so “unclean”?

We are all unclean. There is no “product” that can clean our uncleanliness. Only the blood of Jesus Christ can wash our souls clean and forgive our sins. Nothing else. We have to know we are completely powerless over our lives and our lives are 100% unmanageable without forgiveness through grace and have the humility to seek the guidance, love and strength of Jesus Christ.

Yes, we have free will, Jesus affords us that luxury and we can make our own decisions all day, everyday if we choose. Doesn’t bring us closer to Jesus. Doesn’t strengthen our hand to reach out to the leeper we just passed on the sidewalk.

Do we need more churches or do we need more hospitals? Does our world look shiny and clean with everything in place, everyone living their best life and plenty of substance for all? Of course not.

Let’s try again, do we need more churches – Jesus appreciation clubs, or do we need more hospitals – where people can meet Jesus Christ and receive the healing necessary for their broken souls?

Let me be direct. I am sick of churches that only cater to the well to do. I am sick of churches that cater to people who believe their life is a disaster because they missed a Bible study or didn’t pray enough this wee. I am sick of these “Jesus appreciation Clubs” that are well attended by people that don’t even think they about the teachings of Jesus Christ on Sunday afternoon. much less try to follow Him.

The hand of the Lord came upon me and brought me out in the Spirit of the Lord, and set me down in the midst of the valley; and it was full of bones. Then He caused me to pass by them all around, and behold, there were very many in the open valley; and indeed they were very dry. And He said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?”

So I answered, “O Lord God, You know.”

Again He said to me, “Prophesy to these bones, and say to them, ‘O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! Thus says the Lord God to these bones: “Surely I will cause breath to enter into you, and you shall live. I will put sinews on you and bring flesh upon you, cover you with skin and put breath in you; and you shall live. Then you shall know that I am the Lord.” ’ ”

So I prophesied as I was commanded; and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and suddenly a rattling; and the bones came together, bone to bone. Indeed, as I looked, the sinews and the flesh came upon them, and the skin covered them over; but there was no breath in them.

Also He said to me, “Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man, and say to the [a]breath, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live.” ’ ” So I prophesied as He commanded me, and [b]breath came into them, and they lived, and stood upon their feet, an exceedingly great army.

Then He said to me, “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They indeed say, ‘Our bones are dry, our hope is lost, and we ourselves are cut off!’ Therefore prophesy and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Behold, O My people, I will open your graves and cause you to come up from your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel. Then you shall know that I am the Lord, when I have opened your graves, O My people, and brought you up from your graves. I will put My Spirit in you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken it and performed it,” says the Lord.’ ” ~Ezekiel 37:1-14

We need front line soldiers ready for or preparing to go into Battle – Spiritual Warfare with an enemy that is cunning, baffling and powerful. This enemy can tell you how beautiful you are while he is, literally, slitting your throat from ear to ear. That’s Spiritual Warfare.

This enemy will put a smile on your face and tell the world “I’m fine” when in fact they just lost their job, their spouse walked out on them and their kids have turned their back on them. This is Spiritual Warfare.

This enemy will talk to you in the middle of the afternoon when you have 2 hours remaining at the office before you get your first drink of the day. This enemy will tell you day after day – “today you can have 6 beers instead of the usual 14” or “only one oxycontin today instead of 6“. This is Spiritual Warfare.

This enemy will tell you it’s okay to only “look at pornography”, not get wrapped up in it and reach the end like all the times before. This is Spiritual Warfare.

If any that sounds familiar maybe it’s time to stop attending church and start visiting a rescue mission, a hospital’s psych ward or a prison on visitors day. Maybe it’s time you, yes you, got your hands dirty and put your perfectly comb hair aside for a minute and embrace the leeper you just passed on the sidewalk. Maybe even seek out a “leeper colony” to find the one person looking for their copy of the Gospel they can only see in you.

“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them. “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. ~Matthew 7:15-21 NKJB

Either the Gospel is divine inspiration, the Word of God teaching us how to live and how to be a reflection of Him, or it’s nothing more than a historical account of events.