Between Two Opinions

1 Kings 18:20–21 HCSB

So Ahab summoned all the Israelites and gathered the prophets at Mount Carmel. Then Elijah approached all the people and said, “How long will you hesitate between two opinions? If Yahweh is God, follow Him. But if Baal, follow him.” But the people didn’t answer him a word.

The “calling for a nation to repent because of God’s judgment on it usually gets nowhere when the people of that nation have no fear of God”, or the Kingdom of God (R.T. Kendall, italics mine).

A lack of fear of God led to the demise of the Israelite nation. A lack of fear of God by their king led them to embrace foreign ways and practices. Many children lost their lives by sacrifice to the god Malquart because the Israelite society lost sight that each person and child represents, and is, made in the image of God.

Interesting though, a zealous fear of God, the opposite, can led to oppression, extreme fundamentalism and loss of personal freedoms as we have read about with the Pharisees, Sadducees and scribes of the Law in Jesus’ time. Jesus’ charge was that these teachers of the Law lost the spirit as to why the Law was given in the first place…for the welfare of God’s people in living with God in Covenant. The teachers of the Law build 613 boundary laws, enslaving the people under strict rules and regulations; you could not pick up and move your mat on the Sabbath because it was classified as work (Jn. 5:9-16). None of us would be able to come to church because driving your car or truck would be deemed as work!

President John F. Kennedy, quoted, “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” He said this while giving a speech to the Canadian Parliament in 1961 to foster goodwill amongest neighbors in the fight against the spector of Communism gripping the world from the Soviet Union, China and Cuba.

Interesting is it not, that we find ourselves in the very same situation today, except that Social/Communism is gripping both our countries today in ways we could not imagine; in Parliament and Government; with China remaining the chief power behind the movement in both countries, with deep financial ties into all Liberal & Social Democratic parties.

Ironic are the words President Kennedy spoke then, that apply to today: “As the new nations emerge into independence, they face a choice: shall they develop by the method of consent or by turning their freedom over to a system of totalitarian control. In making that decision they should look long and hard at the tradgedy now being played out in the villages of communist China.” (Office of the White House Press Secretary, JFK Library, May 17, 1961; P.4). The prime minister of Canada at that time was John G. Diefenbaker, the PM who scraped the AVRO ARROW project and was hoodwinked by President JFK; preventing Canada from becoming a world power in air superiority.

The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.

The nations of both Canada and the United States have taken their eyes off the God of gods we sing about in our anthems, and thus the fear of Him has left the conscious of the peoples. What movement of God will it take to get our attention back? After 911, more than half of the adult population in the United States streamed back to religious services (Fox News, Church Attendance Back to Normal, Sept. 11, 2002). By November, the number was back down to 43%.

Has the fear of God left the peoples of Canada?

In Canada, today, half of Canadians identify as agnostic, atheist or no specific religion. A mere 11% of Canadians attend any kind of religious service on a weekly basis. That means, 89% of Canadians do not attend a religious service of any kind weekly. Those affiliated with Evangelical churches has dropped from 12% of the population in 1996 to a piddly 6% in 2019.

The god of Secularization is not descriminate of generations either.

50% of CAD population identify as agnostic, atheist or no specific religion

89% of population do not attend anykind of religious service

62% of those 75 yrs or older who attended church as a child, still do today.

Boomers (55 to 74), dropped to 53%.

Gen-X’ers (39 to 54), dropped to 33%.

Generation Y (24 to 38) dropped to 26%

Generation Z (age 18 to 23) dropped to 22%.

For those who attended church at age 12, the fall away rate is 78% (meaning = most will never attend).

[Lifesite, March 11, 2020; Jonathon Van Maren]

Has the fear of God left the Church of Canada?

A 2013 survey of 1,100 Canadian church-goers indicated:

34% — admitted to saying they “rarely” or “never” read the Bible outside church.

A mere 11% read the Bible daily, and barely over a quarter

27% — say they read the Bible a few times a week or at least once a month.

Only 3% said they engage in Bible study on a daily basis

while over half — 53% — said they "rarely or never” study the Bible.

62% of respondents did not agree with the statement, “If I go several days without reading the Bible, I find myself unfulfilled.”

The fear of God has left the building Church, therefore true wisdom and knowledge is disappearing as well.

Proverbs 1:7 HCSB

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and discipline.

Two Opinions Yesterday, Two Opinions Today

What is God to do? What will God do? What has God done? He confronts the people with a decision.

1 Kings 18:20–21 HCSB

So Ahab summoned all the Israelites and gathered the prophets at Mount Carmel. Then Elijah approached all the people and said, “How long will you hesitate between two opinions? If Yahweh is God, follow Him. But if Baal, follow him.” But the people didn’t answer him a word.

Today is the day that the North American Church needs to make a decision…who will we choose to worship? Will we live in fear of God or man? Of God or a sickness created and allowed to exist by God? Do we kneel at the altar of God or man’s governement, media and medical establishment? Make a choice to sacrifice your personal rights and freedoms for God’s glory, but not out of fear of man or his power and principalities. This seems to be the road of our suffering and ultimate crucifixion. And thank God that we can do this for His Name, His glory and His kingdom.

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego faced their own suffering and crucifixion if they would not bow down and worship King Nebuchadnezzar’s statue. They stood resolute and glorified God by their trust in Him.

Daniel 3:17–18 HCSB

If the God we serve exists, then He can rescue us from the furnace of blazing fire, and He can rescue us from the power of you, the king. But even if He does not rescue us, we want you as king to know that we will not serve your gods or worship the gold statue you set up.”

Covid is being used as a cover to strip men and women of their personal rights, freedoms and prosperity. It has been manufactured to breed fear into the public, so that community breaks down, people become divided and can be conquered by their own governments. It is a manufactured pandemic that is transforming our society from one of goodwill and faith into fear and isolation.

The public is now looking for a savior with a solution to this “pandemic”. Someone who can provide salvation through medicine and economic stability through policies and debt. God hasn’t shown up so far, so let’s look to man for the solution. Sorry, God has answered like He has always answered.

“Repent, return and believe” - He brings fire, a refiner’s fire.

1 Kings 18:22–24 HCSB

Then Elijah said to the people, “I am the only remaining prophet of the Lord, but Baal’s prophets are 450 men. Let two bulls be given to us. They are to choose one bull for themselves, cut it in pieces, and place it on the wood but not light the fire. I will prepare the other bull and place it on the wood but not light the fire. Then you call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of Yahweh. The God who answers with fire, He is God.” All the people answered, “That sounds good.”

1 Kings 18:37–39 HCSB

Answer me, Lord! Answer me so that this people will know that You, Yahweh, are God and that You have turned their hearts back.” Then Yahweh’s fire fell and consumed the burnt offering, the wood, the stones, and the dust, and it licked up the water that was in the trench. When all the people saw it, they fell facedown and said, “Yahweh, He is God! Yahweh, He is God!”

What Kind of God do we Worship?

We worship a God who loves us so much that He would send one more prophet to warn the people, bring such drought and disaster to humble our hearts, to ready our hearts, and humble the most powerful of men, in order to save our souls.

God that would go to the umpl degree to break our hardened souls and bring us beck to repentence and into relationship with Him. It took men not burning in a fiery furnace to break the heart of King Nebuchnezzar. It took 3 years of no rain, 900 false prophets and one evil queen’s death to humble the heart of a idolatarous king Ahab to repent and believe in the word of God.

What journey will God have to take with the North American Church in order to bring her back into a living relationship with Him? To repent of unbelief and religiousity? Is God using Covid to do so? A drought of economic prosperity, health and community? Isolation from the “show of faith” to the wadi of true worship and faith? Is time to take our faith out of the hands of men and put it back into the hands of God?

Jesus challanged all who would be disciples of His with these words,

The Holman Christian Standard Bible Chapter 16

14 Later, He appeared to the Eleven themselves as they were reclining at the table. He rebuked their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who saw Him after He had been resurrected. 15 Then He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to the whole creation. 16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. 17 And these signs will accompany those who believe: In My name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new languages; 18 they will pick up snakes; if they should drink anything deadly, it will never harm them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will get well.”

They will call down fire and I will hear them and answer! We have a God who answers and provides! Live your faith!

The Festival of Sukkot (Tabernacles)

A Lord’s feast celebrated with great joy! It commemorated God’s past goodness and provision during Israel’s wilderness sojurn, and it commenmorated God’s present goodness and provision with the completion of the harvest.

Celebrate His goodness and provision this day!

I wonder if the Church has become so powerless because we have forgotten God’s goodness and provision? We have forgotten to celebrate His goodness and greatness as often as He has said to.

Also called the Feast of Ingathering (Ex. 23:16; 34:22). At some point in time the God’s earthly harvest will be completed. The wheat and chaff will be seperated and the Great Feasting of Joy will begin. Will I be at that Feast, that table?

Part of the prayer and ritual of Sukkot was the offering of water and prayer for rain. If Israel did not receive the rain in needed, there would be a dire shortage of next years crops. We pray for rain for crops aswell, but we also pray for a fresh rain of God’s Spirit, His anointing upon the people of our nation; that they will return to God. Let us do so in faith.

The Festival of Tabernacles was celebrated in a sukkah or tabernacle, or “booths”. A reminder of Israel’s wanderings in the dessert were temporary until they came into the promised land. Today they feast and sleep in the booths today with a roof sparce so they can see the stars, a reminder of God’s coming, greatness and provision.

Our sukkuh is temporary, this body, this earth. We wait for God’s harvest, Jesus’ coming. Our dwelling here is temporary. Are we looking towards Christ’s return. Are we ready? Are we prepared for the coming of God’s Kingdom?

2 Corinthians 5:1–10 HCSB

For we know that if our temporary, earthly dwelling is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal dwelling in the heavens, not made with hands. Indeed, we groan in this body, desiring to put on our dwelling from heaven, since, when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. Indeed, we groan while we are in this tent, burdened as we are, because we do not want to be unclothed but clothed, so that mortality may be swallowed up by life. And the One who prepared us for this very purpose is God, who gave us the Spirit as a down payment. So, we are always confident and know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. For we walk by faith, not by sight, and we are confident and satisfied to be out of the body and at home with the Lord. Therefore, whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to be pleasing to Him. For we must all appear before the tribunal of Christ, so that each may be repaid for what he has done in the body, whether good or worthless.