What Time is It?
What Time is It?
So much unrest.
What did Jesus have in mind when He said “Nation shall rise against nation”? The Greek word for nation is: ethnos; Strong’s number: 1484. Ethnos can mean nation; it is also the word for ethnic groups.
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“Ethnos against ethnos.
It is what we see in the Middle East between Israel and the Palestinians; the Pakistani against the Indian; and so forth. We see it here in the US too.
My spirit is stirred,
but so is my flesh.
What time is it? No, don’t look at your watch, rather look at the day, the tensions, and the climate in our country and around the world. What time is it? Remember how fast everything shut down over Covid-19 just a couple month ago? All of which now—in a day—has been literally swept aside for a new conversation. What happened to the FBI investigations? The impeachment(s)? Wave after wave is crashing against the shore of humanity.
How are we responding?
Are we responding:
in the spirit
or
in the flesh?
It cannot be both.
This is a critical time in our country. It is a critical time for the church in our country. The church, I’m sure, should not go back to business as usual—both the Sunday gatherings and individuals who are the church. We must stop living according to the flesh and live by the Spirit of God within us. Ethnos against ethnos is living according to the flesh. The Bible says in Galatians 5:
But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.
This may be common language to those who read this blog, but really, how many people who go to church or who would call themselves a Christian think in these terms: flesh verses spirit?
I think very few.
Before the Throne of God is every ethnos.
After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation (ethnos), from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, 10 and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” Revelation 7:9-10
On the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2) God’s Spirit brought all nations together under the banner of His new people called The Church. This would be fully realized later in Acts by Peter. Peter encountered God’s plan through a vision. He saw God’s inclusiveness of all people through Jesus Christ (Acts 10).
As goes the church so goes society. We are the gatekeepers—the watchmen—to society. Remember the “If My people would…” Well, it’s true. We, the church, must—must—talk to God (humble ourselves and pray) and stop living by the flesh (turn from our wicked ways). God is the only One wo can heal our land.
When God is removed through disbelief and/or ignored due to worldliness and carnality what is left to take His place?
My dear friend,
