The following post is from Pastor Myrue Spivey of Grace Bible Sanctuary in Palm Bay, Florida. I thought it was well thought out and made a lot of sense. I post it here with his permission.
"The Church is the conscience to society and society is a reflection ofthe church. A self-restrained society is a testimony to a holy living and God pleasing Church. But a loose, corrupt, immoral and unrestrained society is an indictment on the Church for it's lack of holiness and for it's dishonoring of God!"
Therefore, when you read of, hear about or actually witness personally some of the godless and immoral evils taking place in our society. Do not pull your spiritual dagger to go to war with the world. Rather recognize that they are simply reflections of OUR failure to function as an effective conscience to society.
May it drive us to our knees in repentance for our personal and corporate sins, crying out to God for a fresh vision of Himself and for power of and from the Holy Spirit to grant us a love for Him and a love to worship and adore Him- rather than seeking how much more we can do for Him. Remember, "When we be who we are called to be. God can and will do through us all He purpose to do through us for Him!" In other words,"Knowing Him intimately is prerequisite to serving Him faithfully and all service rendered apart from knowing Him intimately, is blasphemy!"
James 4:1-10 "Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members? You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures. Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, "The Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously"? But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: "God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble." Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.
James 5:13-20 "Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms. Is anyone among you sick? Let him call forthe elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will beforgiven. Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit. Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins."
Myrue L. Spivey May 16, 2009
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