“I MISS YOU!” I am truly looking forward to the Sunday when we can, once again, gather for worship! I am asking you to join me in praying that we will be able to meet by the first part of May. To assemble for worship is essential to our spiritual life and we must make it an object of our prayers. We are reminded of the importance of assembling for worship when we read Heb. 10:24-25, “And let us consider one another to provoke (rouse, whip up, stir) unto love and to good works, Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting (encouraging, pressing, urging) one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.” I believe the writer is telling us that as we see the coming of the Lord Jesus drawing more, and more, near the need for each other in an assembled place of worship becomes more necessary for us as believers, AMEN!
There are some troubling signs that remind me of the world at the time of the rapture and the coming of the Antichrist. I was troubled when I saw law officers taking the license numbers of those that had assembled to worship and reporting them for mandated quarantine, and the pastor facing jail time and a $1,000.00 dollar fine. The members thought that the stay at home orders were voluntary. Now most churches are trying to cooperate with this social distancing but those who still sense the need to meet, which is their constitutional right, should not be treated like criminals.
While assembling to worship is not considered essential, liquor stores staying open is along with abortion clinics. While the world, sadly, has reported almost 130,000 deaths from the virus during the first three months of the year, and America over 26,000 deaths, over 10million abortions have taken place in the world, along with 612,000 alcohol related deaths. It is also alarming that during the first three months of this year 2.8 million have died from starvation and 269,000 from suicide.
What are we to do? As believers I call your attention to II Chron. 7:14 and you will notice the verse begins with God saying,”If”. God speaks following Solomon’s dedication prayer at the dedication of Solomon’s Temple which at the time was so beautiful it was considered one of the ‘wonders’ of the world. Solomon praised God, and exalted Him, before the congregation of Israel. Solomon also asked for God’s ever present grace, forgiveness and blessings to be upon His people.
God’s reply started with ‘if’ and ended with, ‘then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and heal their land.’ Here are the conditions that God calls for from His people for “hearing, forgiveness and healing”. My people must ‘HUMBLE’ themselves, they must ‘PRAY’, they must SEEK ME’, they must ‘REPENT AND TURN’ from their wicked ways. MAY WE ALL UNDERSTAND THIS IS OUR HEAVENLY FATHER SPEAKING TO HIS CHILDREN. If we who claim Jesus Christ as Savior, and claim God as our Father, will follow God’s instructions we will be a big help to our nation.
HOPE TO SEE YOU SOON – BRO. ED