Apart from God

Historically, the areas in which the church grows the fastest is where there is persecution and hardship. Right from the beginning, the early church was faced with intense persecution, first from the Jewish people and then from the Roman Empire. It became illegal to worship and follow Jesus, and yet the church grew and grew until three centuries later it became the state religion. Through the 1700 and 1800’s, as Christians went out into the world and took with them the gospel message, they faced steep opposition. Many were martyred. Those who accepted Christ were often shunned, kicked out of their family, or even worse. And still the church grew.

In our day and age, while the church seems to be plateauing and even declining in North America, it is growing exponentially in China and South East Asia, parts of Africa, and throughout Central and South America. One thing that each area has in common is the persecution of Christians. Why is the church growing in areas where it seems the most unlikely? I believe the answer is found in what Jesus taught (it’s always a good place to start looking for answers!). In Mark 10:17-31 we read the story of a rich man who approached Jesus and asked Him how he could inherit eternal life. Jesus said to the man that he needed to go away and give all that he had to the poor, and the man went away sad because he was very rich. Then Jesus said, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” There is our answer.

And because there is nothing new under the sun (read Ecclesiastes to get that message), this is the same message that we can read in Hosea. The people had everything, and so they didn’t need God. They thought they could do it on their own apart from God. They were wrong. My prayer and hope for the church in North America is that we recognize our need for God above all else, that we wouldn’t become enamoured with the things of this world, and we would listen to what God is calling us to be and do. My fear is that history will repeat itself because we are so slow to learn from our mistakes.

This Sunday we will continue our study of Hosea looking at chapters 9-11. One thing I’ve greatly appreciated as we’ve gone through this book is God’s promise of forgiveness that is always underlying the discipline. If they’d only turn from their sins and return to God He would forgive them. That message is still true today. Our gathering begins at 4pm. If you’d like to come for prayer before the service we will be meeting from 3-3:30 to do just that. Hope to see you on Sunday.

Blessings, Pastor Mike