Post by arthurpare on Feb 4, 2013 8:07:49 GMT -5
First, an apology. I lost heart. Nobody was commenting on any of these posts. Nobody cared. I felt like Elijah, having a pity party. But God cares and said there are lots of others. And I see the others every week and am very thankful for them. They do care, they just are not promoting this blog. And probably with good reason.
While we are already off topic from The Story, let me put in a plug for two recent posts that have been circulating on Facebook.
www.missionaloutreachnetwork.com/m/blogpost?id=2422312%3ABlogPost%3A79277 is the first link entitled Why are Churches of Christ Shrinking?
www.missionaloutreachnetwork.com/m/blogpost?id=2422312%3ABlogPost%3A79819 is the first link entitled Why are Churches of Christ Shrinking?
I am not agreeing with everything the author, James Nored, is saying, but it made me think that at least this blog offers an alternative. It is a forum where people can comment and discuss and I believe it is a safe environment that offers tremendous potential to those who oppose the three points, yes no alternatives, and fill in the blank responses that are so harshly criticized in those two postings.
Back to The Story - Israel had gone from being the most favored, blessed people ever to again being slaves in a foreign land. Why had they fallen so far? Because they did not honor Yahweh above all else.
How did they fall so fast and so far?
One of the most wonderful things I read is that the foreign kings recognize God's awesome power. They realize that Yahweh has power and dominion outside of Canaan, with other people beyond the Hebrews, and is worthy of praise and honor.
That is where Chapter 19 opens, with Cyrus, King of Persia, proclaiming that God has appointed him to build (rebuild) a temple to honor the LORD in Jerusalem.
After last week's long lesson of studying all the woes and wrongs of Jeremiah - followed by the wonderful message of hope couched inside those middle chapters, where Jeremiah buys land and and defines a 70 year span before Israel will return to the land and again be redeemed by their loving, forgiving, and generous God.
We see opposition to the rebuilding of the temple coming not from the mighty powerful kings, but from the neighbors and the constant temptation of distraction and misplaced priorities.
We all know the dangers of "good intentions." Sixteen years of good intentions had resulted in these thousands of Jews making the long difficult trip from Babylon to Jerusalem and the surrounding area. They resettled the land. They rebuilt their houses, not just minimal shelter, but paneled, nice, finished homes. An entire new generation was being born in Israel, that had not lived in captivity, that did not know firsthand the journey and terror involved.
Read the text, learn what was required to implement the change in mentality. What jump-started God's people to action.
Please post what you think made the difference, and what you think is needed to boost today's church mindset from overall complacency to prominent action.
Is there a "temple" that needs to be built today? If the church is the people, not the building, what should be our immediate priority if we are comparing to this section of scripture?
Get ready for next week's chapter, focusing on the situation around Queen Esther and the Jewish persecution with the spectacular turning of tables accomplished by God for His loyal servants.
While we are already off topic from The Story, let me put in a plug for two recent posts that have been circulating on Facebook.
www.missionaloutreachnetwork.com/m/blogpost?id=2422312%3ABlogPost%3A79277 is the first link entitled Why are Churches of Christ Shrinking?
www.missionaloutreachnetwork.com/m/blogpost?id=2422312%3ABlogPost%3A79819 is the first link entitled Why are Churches of Christ Shrinking?
I am not agreeing with everything the author, James Nored, is saying, but it made me think that at least this blog offers an alternative. It is a forum where people can comment and discuss and I believe it is a safe environment that offers tremendous potential to those who oppose the three points, yes no alternatives, and fill in the blank responses that are so harshly criticized in those two postings.
Back to The Story - Israel had gone from being the most favored, blessed people ever to again being slaves in a foreign land. Why had they fallen so far? Because they did not honor Yahweh above all else.
How did they fall so fast and so far?
One of the most wonderful things I read is that the foreign kings recognize God's awesome power. They realize that Yahweh has power and dominion outside of Canaan, with other people beyond the Hebrews, and is worthy of praise and honor.
That is where Chapter 19 opens, with Cyrus, King of Persia, proclaiming that God has appointed him to build (rebuild) a temple to honor the LORD in Jerusalem.
After last week's long lesson of studying all the woes and wrongs of Jeremiah - followed by the wonderful message of hope couched inside those middle chapters, where Jeremiah buys land and and defines a 70 year span before Israel will return to the land and again be redeemed by their loving, forgiving, and generous God.
We see opposition to the rebuilding of the temple coming not from the mighty powerful kings, but from the neighbors and the constant temptation of distraction and misplaced priorities.
We all know the dangers of "good intentions." Sixteen years of good intentions had resulted in these thousands of Jews making the long difficult trip from Babylon to Jerusalem and the surrounding area. They resettled the land. They rebuilt their houses, not just minimal shelter, but paneled, nice, finished homes. An entire new generation was being born in Israel, that had not lived in captivity, that did not know firsthand the journey and terror involved.
Read the text, learn what was required to implement the change in mentality. What jump-started God's people to action.
Please post what you think made the difference, and what you think is needed to boost today's church mindset from overall complacency to prominent action.
Is there a "temple" that needs to be built today? If the church is the people, not the building, what should be our immediate priority if we are comparing to this section of scripture?
Get ready for next week's chapter, focusing on the situation around Queen Esther and the Jewish persecution with the spectacular turning of tables accomplished by God for His loyal servants.