Jeremiah – an Epistle to the Modern Church

The Epistle of Jeremiah the Prophet to the Modern Church – Climate Change

Now that I have your attention… take a deep breath, relax, maybe go for a short walk or make yourself a cup of herbal tea, this isn’t going to be as divisive or political a blog as the title might suggest. As part of the race appointed to rule over nature we have a God given responsibility to be good stewards of this planet we call home (in case you are unsure if you are a member of the ruling race, looking at my picture won’t help; God gave the human race authority to rule over creation Genesis 1:28-30 (NIV)). Other than the climate change thing and bringing up race, how am I doing at avoiding controversial topics so far?

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The Epistle of Jeremiah the Prophet to the Modern Church – Tied Up In Nots

I am concerned. I would even say I am worried but I know as followers of Christ we are often chastised when one says, “I am afraid” or “anxious” or “worried” so in an attempt to avoid the unacceptable, out of context, reality denying unbiblical response to the fear those that struggle in the face of what appears to be unsurmountable situations feel, I will stick with I am concerned. What am I concerned about? I am concerned that as a follower of Christ I will be forced to serve those who are foreign to my faith in a land that I no longer can call my own.

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The Epistle of Jeremiah the Prophet to the Modern Church – All My Friends Are Doing It

If all your friends jumped off a bridge does that mean you would? These were the wise words of parents everywhere to get children to recognize that we should never do something just because our friends did. We would always answer with a resounding NO even though we knew that if our friends were doing it we would be right there doing it too no matter how dangerous it was.

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The Epistle of Jeremiah the Prophet to the Modern Church – The Work of Our Fathers

Our forefathers worked hard to create a country that is now being destroyed. It sounds like a political rallying cry, a complaint against what is and a call to return to what was. What was it? What should it be? What was their intent when they created it? Is that our intent when we want to recreate it? I believe we would all agree with the words in Jeremiah 3:24 (NIV) “From our youth shameful gods have consumed the fruits of our ancestors’ labor— their flocks and herds, their sons and daughters,” but would we all agree with what this means?

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The Epistle of Jeremiah the Prophet to the Modern Church – Sheep Stealing

It is considered the biggest offence a church/pastor can commit. Those accused of committing this offence often are unfazed while those behind the accusations feel wronged in ways that cannot be measured. Do some churches set out to steal sheep? Some. Do some churches have sheep go missing because they aren’t being good shepherds? Some. Do some sheep change sheep pens because the grass is always greener in some other sheep pen? Some. Do some sheep look for a new shepherd because the one they have isn’t shepherding at all? Some. Is the type of sheep stealing that the modern church concerns itself with actually something God is concerned about? Sometimes.

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The Epistle of Jeremiah the Prophet to the Modern Church – ’Til Death

…to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part. I often say to my wife we’ve done the worse, the poorer, the sickness, maybe for this part of our lives we can try the better, the richer and the health. The truth is, regardless of whether we are able to turn the tables, we are committed to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part. There are some days I am sure that my behavior puts ideas in my wife’s mind about ways to fulfil the ‘til death do us part, part.

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