Jeremiah 29:4-9
Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, unto all that are carried away captives, whom I have caused to be carried away from Jerusalem unto Babylon; Build ye houses, and dwell in them; and plant gardens, and eat the fruit of them; Take ye wives, and beget sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons, and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters; that ye may be increased there, and not diminished. And seek the peace of the city whither I have caused you to be carried away captives, and pray unto the Lord for it: for in the peace thereof shall ye have peace. For thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; Let not your prophets and your diviners, that be in the midst of you, deceive you, neither hearken to your dreams which ye cause to be dreamed. For they prophesy falsely unto you in my name: I have not sent them, saith the Lord.
In Exile, in the Sense of Sojourning
Somewhere and somehow we have developed a thought-process in the church that fails to remember our exile from the Garden. Sure, upon receiving the baptism of the Holy Ghost, we receive the earnest of our inheritance (the downpayment) and—in a sense—come to understand the Sabbath rest of God’s presence. But, and this is important, we fail to understand that we are still exiled (in the sense of our temporary vs. permanent residence) from heavenly places due to our fallen nature.
We, like Abraham, are sojourners who still look for a city which “hath foundations whose builder and maker is God.” (Hebrews 11:10). Earth is not our permanent home and, as scripture states, Jesus has gone to “prepare a place for us” (John 14:2-3). In Peter’s first epistle, we are admonished to “be holy in all manner of conversation” (I Pet. 1:15) knowing that we will be judged according to our work and that we are to “pass the time of your sojourning here in fear” (I Pet. 1:17).
Peter would go on to connect us to the mobility of the nation of Israel in the wilderness who was revealed to be a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people and remind us that we are “strangers and pilgrims” that must “abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul” (I Pet. 2:9; 11). Sadly, our infatuation with earthly things has led us to embrace things corruptible far easier than things that are incorruptible. It’s hard too long for heaven when we are mired in earthly things.
1 Chronicles 29:15 KJV 1900For we are strangers before thee, and sojourners, as were all our fathers: our days on the earth are as a shadow, and there is none abiding.
When we become properly aligned horizontally due to a vertical expectation, there is a sense of horizontal discomfort due to our vertical commitment. Many are unwilling to embrace this horizontal discomfort and will consistently live their lives in avoidance to a vertical calling. They will surround themselves with trinkets and toys; miring themselves in motheaten garments and things that are polluted with dross failing to understand that life is a “vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.” (James 4:14).
So, let me clarify an important point: it is absolutely crucial we understand that every facet of our life here on earth is overshadowed by an eternal purpose and destiny. As such, how we live on this earth must consistently be tethered to the same concept expressed in the Lord’s Prayer, “thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, in earth as it is in Heaven” (Luke 11:12).
How Then Should we Live?
I have been disturbed over the last year, specifically 2020 and I am continuing to find reason to be alarmed in 2021 due to the conduct and character of many men and women who claim to be people of the faith. On several fronts, I have observed a fever pitched pursuit of political justice, social justice, and an extremely vocal community of saints and preachers who are demonstrating a great lack of wisdom.
I have seen saints engage with argumentative and rude behavior with pastors and, visa-versa, pastors with saints through social media outlets. I have observed disrespectful rhetoric, thoughtless opinions, and countless other less-than-appropriate activities and behaviors online. Recently, while having a conversation about this issue, I asked a question: “if I were to go back through my social media accounts, how much would talk about church, family, and things related to God vs. politics and/or social unrest?”
I think this is a very good question and, as the pastor of local church, I challenged anyone who is aspiring to be used of God regarding social media use to avoid conversations, groups, posts, and content that can be labeled as divisive. Sometimes I think we forget that many people will immediately search for us online after meeting us to learn more about us. I have done that very thing countless times! I like an article I read from Crossway Books that was titled “The 10 Commandments of Facebook:”
- Thou shalt not compare thyself to other
- Thou shalt not add a smiley face to an insult
- Thou shalt not brag about yourself
- Thou shalt not start a discussion that should happen in person
- Thou shalt not believe everything that you hear or read
- Thou shalt not buy into outrage culture
- Thou shalt not pout on a spiritual show
- Thou shalt not blur boundaries
- Thou shalt not gossip
- Thou shalt not misrepresent the gospel
I like what the book of Proverbs has to say on many of these specific points I just listed above:
He that passeth by, and meddleth with strife belonging not to him, Is like one that taketh a dog by the ears. As a mad man who casteth firebrands, arrows, and death, So is the man that deceiveth his neighbour, And saith, Am not I in sport? Where no wood is, there the fire goeth out: So where there is no talebearer, the strife ceaseth. As coals are to burning coals, and wood to fire; So is a contentious man to kindle strife. The words of a talebearer are as wounds, And they go down into the innermost parts of the belly.
I have heard quite a bit said about Acts 5:29 when the disciples told the council and the high priest, “we ought to obey God rather than men” but I hear very little said about the encounter that the Apostle Paul had with the high priest where Paul, having been slapped at the command of the high priest, said to Ananias “God shall smite thee, thou whited wall.” Upon being asked “you revile God’s high priest?” Paul apologized saying, “I wist not, brethren, that he was the high priest: for it is written, thou shalt not speak evil of the ruler of thy people” (Acts 23:1-5). Nothing, and I mean nothing, gives us an excuse to lay aside our Christian character and take up an ugly spirit!
What Then Should our Conversation be in Babylon?
Jeremiah 29:4–9 KJV 1900Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, unto all that are carried away captives, whom I have caused to be carried away from Jerusalem unto Babylon; Build ye houses, and dwell in them; and plant gardens, and eat the fruit of them; Take ye wives, and beget sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons, and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters; that ye may be increased there, and not diminished. And seek the peace of the city whither I have caused you to be carried away captives, and pray unto the Lord for it: for in the peace thereof shall ye have peace. For thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; Let not your prophets and your diviners, that be in the midst of you, deceive you, neither hearken to your dreams which ye cause to be dreamed. For they prophesy falsely unto you in my name: I have not sent them, saith the Lord.
What Were the Other Prophets Saying?
Jeremiah 27:9–10 Therefore hearken not ye to your prophets, nor to your diviners, nor to your dreamers, nor to your enchanters, nor to your sorcerers, which speak unto you, saying, Ye shall not serve the king of Babylon: For they prophesy a lie unto you, to remove you far from your land; and that I should drive you out, and ye should perish.
Let this sink in, as we are currently facing an insurmountable increase of language that has mired itself in the language of revolt. What Jeremiah said in 29:10 regarding the false prophets who were saying: “ye shall not serve the king of Babylon,” was met with God’s declaration of “they prophesy a lie unto you, to remove you far from your land; and that I should drive you out, and ye should perish.” In other words, you are where I want you!
I have a question for everyone out there in social media land, “what if everything we are seeing is something that God is wanting to happen?” What if the events of 2020 were the direct result of God seeking to keep the church from entering into a Laodicean spirit? It always amazes me how so many in the church community are ok with the status quo when things are convenient and financially secure. The moment the world moves in a direction that affects the status quo we are convinced that it is the work of the devil and God isn’t in it.
Let’s say there was a “stolen election?” What if God has us exactly where He wants us at this specific point in time? Alas, the name calling, the bickering, the constant chatter and arguing over politics; how does that play into the work of the kingdom of God? I’ve seen a lot of MAGA hats and have heard a lot of political rhetoric but I have not seen many ask the question, “what if this is what God wants?” Think about it! If this is exactly what God wants then we are wasting a lot of energy getting so mired it the results of our recent election.
Have some of us forgotten the exhortation given by the Apostle Paul to Timothy?
1 Timothy 2:1–4 I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.
I sometimes fear that we are showing ourselves to be American first and Kingdom of God second! I fear that many among us seem to have elevated the constitution to the same level as the Scriptures! I fear we have many who seem wiling to die for our country but not for our Gospel! I know this is not popular speech, but it is right nevertheless! I love this great nation but my first and foremost calling and election is to the Kingdom of God! Some of us have been quoting the Lord’s Prayer wrong!
Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, in America as it is in Heaven
No! Get it right! God’s kingdom is global! The correct prayer is “in Earth as it is in Heaven!”
The Decadence of America
I’m afraid, and I will reserve this subject for a later post, that we have elevated America’s role in biblical revival to a position it was never intended to fill. Because we have so much money and influence we seem to automatically assume that our American preachers are the premier representatives of the Five-Fold ministry worldwide. All of our speaking abilities, big buildings, and financial layouts seem to have caused us to lose our mind.
I fear that, based on our decadence, we would fail to hear from a prophet that was from, say, the war-plagued regions of Africa simply because we don’t view him as successful or fitting the proper “mold.” Have we forgotten where most of the miracles are occurring in the world? All the great stories we like to tell in our pulpits often happen in third-world countries where countless thousands are receiving the Holy Ghost.
Don’t let your American identity overshadow your Kingdom citizenship! It took Europe a long time to come to the secular place that it now is and, in contrast, it has taken America a much short amount of time! Let’s get the Kingdom back into perspective and hit our knees in prayer for our World! Revival is bigger than America alone.