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A Prophet’s Call
| The Old Testament
records many prophets God rose up to admonish Israel. Few were ever
heeded. The book of Judges is a seemingly endless cycle of God allowing
the Philistines to attack, Israel asking God for help, God helping
them, and then Israel forgetting about God. This cycle has at it’s core
a disinterest in God. A woman in Japan was once asked if she had
considered Christianity. She answered that she had felt bad before in
life, but never bad enough to consider religion. This perhaps is
representative of most people. Like a fire extinguisher, God is not
considered unless a time of crisis or calamity requires it.
Parents also can observe in their children a disregard of warnings,
exhortations, cautions, and admonitions. There is that in humans that
turns a deaf ear to that which is seen as useless, annoying, and
irrelevant. All humans are born helpless, ignorant, and selfish.
Without a connection to God, we are driven to satisfy ourselves as out
highest priority. Whatever feels good becomes our compass in life.
Experiences can teach us things like not to steal because we can get
caught. However, learning not to steal because it hurts someone else
requires us to rise above our fleshly instincts.
The rich man in Hades being tormented as recoded by Luke asks
Abraham to send Lazarus to warn his brothers. The rich man is told that
his brothers have Moses and the prophets and that if they do not listen
to them, they will not listen even if one be raised from the dead. This
is an accurate description of the disinterest most have in the things
of God. In addition to our natural disinterest, most have been
influenced by various ideas that Satan has propagated through society.
Evolution allows people to laugh off the idea of God or a Creator as a
superstitious vestige of those less evolved. The idea that there is no
absolute truth was embraced by those who saw the pursuit of feeling
good as preferable to the discomfort of truth.
What is called Christianity today bears the imprint of both Satanic
machinations as well as human perfidy. This has resulted in waring
groups, arrested development, and a confusing array of denominations
often advocating conflicting doctrines. A modern day profit (one who
would warn) faces a greater difficulty than those of the old Testament
in that people generally see litle value in truth.
There are those (like the prophets of old) who would call Christians to
rise from slumber and worldly or fleshly entanglement. Some shout a
clarion call to follow the law, put forth more effort, or give more
money. Some try to implore Christians to seek greater maturity so as to
not be ashamed for wasted opportunities. There are many voices calling
for various actions. However, these calls to action have little success
unless those called are already seeking or at least questioning.
A person may not respond to the “call” of a prophet (or the exhortation
of a brother in Christ) because they feel their Christian tradition has
assured them that such a baptism, repentance, church attendance or
membership, or other criteria is sufficient. However, this faith may be
in man more than Jesus.
Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. - Mark 7:7 |
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