Happy Birthday Israel!

  Happy 60th Birthday to the nation of Israel!

I’m not Jewish by birth but I am a grafted branch (Romans 11.19ff). I love Israel and its people because my God loves them and they will always have a special place in His heart: “For you are a holy people to the LORD your God, and the LORD has chosen you to be a people for Himself, a special treasure above all the peoples who are on the face of the earth.” (Deuteronomy 14.2)

On May 14, 1948, following the end of the British Mandate, the people of Israel declared itself a nation. This is an excerpt from the proclamation by the Jewish People’s Council:

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ACCORDINGLY WE, MEMBERS OF THE PEOPLE’S COUNCIL, REPRESENTATIVES OF THE JEWISH COMMUNITY OF ERETZ-ISRAEL AND OF THE ZIONIST MOVEMENT, ARE HERE ASSEMBLED ON THE DAY OF THE TERMINATION OF THE BRITISH MANDATE OVER ERETZ-ISRAEL AND, BY VIRTUE OF OUR NATURAL AND HISTORIC RIGHT AND ON THE STRENGTH OF THE RESOLUTION OF THE UNITED NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY, HEREBY DECLARE THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A JEWISH STATE IN ERETZ-ISRAEL, TO BE KNOWN AS THE STATE OF ISRAEL.

WE DECLARE that, with effect from the moment of the termination of the Mandate being tonight, the eve of Sabbath, the 6th Iyar, 5708 (15th May, 1948), until the establishment of the elected, regular authorities of the State in accordance with the Constitution which shall be adopted by the Elected Constituent Assembly not later than the 1st October 1948, the People’s Council shall act as a Provisional Council of State, and its executive organ, the People’s Administration, shall be the Provisional Government of the Jewish State, to be called “Israel”.

THE STATE OF ISRAEL will be open for Jewish immigration and for the Ingathering of the Exiles; it will foster the development of the country for the benefit of all its inhabitants; it will be based on freedom, justice and peace as envisaged by the prophets of Israel; it will ensure complete equality of social and political rights to all its inhabitants irrespective of religion, race or sex; it will guarantee freedom of religion, conscience, language, education and culture; it will safeguard the Holy Places of all religions; and it will be faithful to the principles of the Charter of the United Nations.

THE STATE OF ISRAEL is prepared to cooperate with the agencies and representatives of the United Nations in implementing the resolution of the General Assembly of the 29th November, 1947, and will take steps to bring about the economic union of the whole of Eretz-Israel.

WE APPEAL to the United Nations to assist the Jewish people in the building-up of its State and to receive the State of Israel into the comity of nations.

WE APPEAL – in the very midst of the onslaught launched against us now for months – to the Arab inhabitants of the State of Israel to preserve peace and participate in the upbuilding of the State on the basis of full and equal citizenship and due representation in all its provisional and permanent institutions.

WE EXTEND our hand to all neighbouring states and their peoples in an offer of peace and good neighbourliness, and appeal to them to establish bonds of cooperation and mutual help with the sovereign Jewish people settled in its own land. The State of Israel is prepared to do its share in a common effort for the advancement of the entire Middle East.

WE APPEAL to the Jewish people throughout the Diaspora to rally round the Jews of Eretz-Israel in the tasks of immigration and upbuilding and to stand by them in the great struggle for the realization of the age-old dream – the redemption of Israel.

PLACING OUR TRUST IN THE “ROCK OF ISRAEL”, WE AFFIX OUR SIGNATURES TO THIS PROCLAMATION AT THIS SESSION OF THE PROVISIONAL COUNCIL OF STATE, ON THE SOIL OF THE HOMELAND, IN THE CITY OF TEL-AVIV, ON THIS SABBATH EVE, THE 5TH DAY OF IYAR, 5708 (14TH MAY,1948). (from Israel.org)

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Please join me in praying for the peace of Jerusalem. Peace in Israel is vitally and inseparably connected to peace in the world! 

 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:
         “May they prosper who love you.

 Peace be within your walls,
         Prosperity within your palaces.”
 For the sake of my brethren and companions,
         I will now say, “Peace be within you.”
 Because of the house of the LORD our God
         I will seek your good. (Psalm 122.6-9)

 

(Flag of Israel image courtesy of 4 International Flags)

“Arise and go”

 

The Old Testament book of Jonah begins with these words: “The word of the LORD came to Jonah the son of Amittai saying, ‘Arise, go to Nineveh the great city and cry against it, for their wickedness has come up before Me.’ But Jonah rose up to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD…” (Jonah 1.1-3a)

We remember well how Jonah was cast into the sea, swallowed by a great fish and regurgitated on dry land – at the place the Lord first told Jonah to “arise and go.” (The Lord will continue to bring you back to His starting point for you. You will make no progress apart from His will.)

After Jonah lands on the beach…

Now the word of the LORD came to Jonah the second time, saying, “Arise, go to Nineveh the great city and proclaim to it the proclamation which I am going to tell you.” So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh according to the word of the LORD… (Jonah 3.1-3a)

The will of God will not be prevented. You may choose to battle God by trying to ignore His will for your personal life and You may push your own life’s agenda but it is, ultimately, an exercise in futility.

God has told us to “arise and go.” He has told those who name the Name of Jesus Christ to “arise and go.” He has clearly instructed the Church, His blood-bought Bride, to “arise and go.” He commands those who sit in the pews, who sit at home on the couch, who rest on their bed: “arise and go!”

Is any command of God more clearly stated? Is any command of God more consistently ignored?

We begin our day with excuses at the ready: “the world, the flesh, the devil are against me!”

The Word of God counters every argument…

“…Take courage; I have overcome the world.” (John 16.33b)

“But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts.” (Romans 13.14)

“…Greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world. (1 John 4.4b)

The problem of the Church is an unwillingness to overcome spiritual inertia. Inertia is, basically, resistance to change, the tendency to do nothing, to remain at rest. Yet the Lord clearly tells us to “arise and go.”

The problem of the church is a lack of yielding to the Holy Spirit. We deliberately choose to remain as we are in our present, lethargic, anemic, powerless spiritual condition.  Again, it is usually not ignorance on our part, but choice.

We have yet to experience the power of “Arise and Go.” Selfishness, false security, and satisfaction in the present lull us into believing “I’m OK.” But a Christian must be a selfless person who rests in the security of the Lord, and who finds complete satisfaction in Him.

Jesus is telling us at St. Paul’s Reformed Church to “arise and go.”

Jesus’ Great Commission was spoken to His disciples, to the Christian Church of every generation, and to St. Paul’s: “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19-20)

Will we be the generation of whom it was said: “They sat and surrendered” or will we be the ones who say, “Today I answer the call of my God. Come what may, no matter how inconvenient it may be to my present life, no matter how inadequate I feel to the task, I will take the first step: I will arise and go! In Jesus’ power and in Jesus’ Name. Amen.”

Is there a change?

Holy Week has come and gone. What’s different about your life?

You revisited the betrayal, the trial, the beatings, the denial. You walked beside Jesus as He carried His cross. You watched Him suspended on that cross and heard Him speak. You watched Him die. 

On Sunday you heard that He rose from the dead, and in Easter clothes you lifted Easter voices at an Easter service, and left. An Easter meal was waiting. Another year, another day. So, after considering Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection, how are you different? How have you changed?

This story may sound familiar:

Two men went to church to pray. One was recognized, respected, religious. The other: disreputable, despised, debased.

The first, without hesitation, entered into the sanctuary, walked straight to the front of the room and  promptly addressed God (but really spoke to himself): “O God, look at me. I’m so glad I’m not like that hypocrite over there. I’m so glad that I’m not like that other person: why does she dress that way? I’m so glad I’m not like him: he must think he’s something! I’m so glad I’m not like that guy over there: You should have heard what I heard about him. I’m so glad that I’m not like that degenerate in the back of the church. The nerve! Coming to church after all HE’S done! You know, God, I have been coming to this church all my life. I go to Sunday School. I support fundraisers. O God, You must be as proud of me as I am of myself. I am recognized, respected, and religious.”

The second man sat at the back of the church – his face in his hands. In trepidation he had come. In shame he could not look up. With lowered eyes and a barely audible voice, he said, “God, be merciful to me, the sinner!”

Two men left the church that day. The first left unchanged. The second left reborn. (From Luke 18:9-14)

Have you been born again? Do you see any change in your life? Do you look on others with contempt? Have you used these few days after Holy Week to complain? Have you used those days to criticize and condemn others? Is you heart and life and  speech different?

And what are you trusting in today? Do you believe that anything you have done, ANYTHING will curry God’s favor and impress Him? Do you think you deserve better: better from your family, from your church, from God? Is it possible that you have managed to walk through the spiritual fire of holy Week, untouched, unscathed, unchanged?

If you have, then you have missed God. 

Holy Week is a time of remembering Jesus: His passion, crucifixion and resurrection. It is a time of reflection, self-examination and repentance. Repentance (metanoeō) means to change one’s mind for the better. It means to look with abhorrence at your sins and to really, truly change.

If you have not truly repented, truly changed these past few weeks, I invited you to pray this prayer of repentance. Please know that these are just words on a page, nothing more, unless they are spoken from the heart to the God who is real, to the God who loves you, to the God who has waited for you to come to Him.

I’m sorry Lord. Please forgive me. I have sinned before Your eyes, I have not taken seriously our relationship. My God have mercy on me, a sinner. I do not deserve to be called Your son/daughter. I do not deserve to call You “Father” for I have neglected You and sinned before You. I have wasted the time You have given me on this earth. I have buried the talent You placed in my safe keeping. I have not loved as You, O God, have loved. I have not really trusted Your Son. Forgive me I pray.

I come before you wearing the rags of destitution: the world’s profits. As the prodigal, I return and I ask You to restore me to Yourself. Even this, my confession is suspect for I cannot trust myself, my motives – but, still I come asking You to forgive me. Restore me to Yourself that I may know You and Your heart. I deserve nothing but refection and hell, but I come to You, not on my own merits, which are none, but on the merits of Jesus Christ: His mercy and grace. I turn to Jesus: receiving Him as Savior; trusting Him as Lord; desiring to know and love Him. I want no one. I want no thing except you, O God. I pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen.

If you prayed that prayer not “religiously” but with sincerity, from the heart, you must know that God has forgiven you and accepted you as His own.