And he said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little chirldren, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven."
— Matthew 18:3
We need sweeping reformation. Let me give a definition of reformation as it is given in a religious dictionary: "Change by removal of faults or abuses, and a restoration to a former good estate." Now that is not so bad. I do not know how anybody who believes he or she is a Christian could ever object to changing in the direction of the removal of faults and abuses toward the restoration to a former good estate. The problem is change, which disturbs many people. They have accepted the status quo as being the very tablets given by God on the mountain. Most people, if they happen to be in any church anywhere, accept the status quo without knowing or caring to inquire how it came to be. In other words, they do not ask, "Oh God, is this of You, is this divine, is this out of the Bible?"
Because it was done and is being done, and because a lot of people are doing it, they assume it is all right. Then songs are written about it, and it gets into magazines. Pretty soon people are called to it, and the first thing we know we have gotten into a religious situation that is not of God. It is not according to Scripture, and God is not pleased with it at all. Rather, He is angry. Yet we do not know it because we do not like the word change. The change took place slowly, before we arrived on the scene, and we think because it is everywhere it is therefore right. We accept the status quo, the existing state of affairs, and say, "This is it," forgetting that history demonstrates that religions invariably degenerate.
thought
Change by reversion to the past seems safe except that a return to external forms does not insure recapture of the inner reality. Nor does the invention of new forms assure heart change.
prayer
Fascination with the new contemporary; nostalgia for the forms of the past; neither guarantee encounter with You. It is You I need, O God, You!
"Come now, let us reason together," says the LORD. "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool."
— Isaiah 1:18
The second question is: How many are worthy to hear His voice? In Acts 13:46b Paul and Barnabas told the people, "Since you reject it . . . we now turn to the Gentiles." This is a terrible judgment. But here is the gist of what I want to say: A radical and sweeping reformation is imperative among the people called Christians? Protestants generally and evangelicals in particular. What is meant by reformation? Some may recoil from that word; I have heard people say, "I do not believe in reformation ?I believe in regeneration." That sounds good and it gets some amens, but the fact is, if you do not have reformation you cannot have regeneration.
The Holy Spirit will not come and regenerate carnal, stubborn people who will not obey Him. First there must be a reformation. "Wash and make yourselves clean. Take your evil deeds out of my sight! Stop doing wrong, learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow. 'Come now, let us reason together,' says the LORD. 'Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool'" (Isaiah 1:16-18).
thought
A heart committed to obey more quickly and clearly perceives God's voice. Sometimes we only want to hear what we want to hear.
prayer
Father, sometimes the cost of obeying You seems so great, so painful. But what infinite cost is not obeying You.
The LORD came and stood there, calling as at the other times, "Samuel! Samuel!" Then Samuel said, "Speak, for your servant is listening."
— 1 Samuel 3:10
. . . There are two questions before us. The first question is: How many of us are willing to hear the voice of God? Jesus said, "Therefore I am sending you prophets and wise men and teachers. Some of them you will kill and crucify; others you will flog in your synagogues and pursue from town to town. O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing. Look, your house is left to you desolate" (Matthew 23:34, 37-38). Were these people willing to hear the voice of God?
Thousands of years before Christ was born in Bethlehem, the Holy Spirit said, "Wisdom calls aloud in the street, she raises her voice in the public squares; at the head of the noisy streets she cries out, in the gateways of the city she makes her speech: 'How long will you simple ones love your simple ways? How long will mockers delight in mockery and fools hate knowledge? If you had responded to my rebuke, I would have poured out my heart to you and made my thoughts known to you. But since you rejected me when I called and no one gave heed when I stretched out my hand, since you ignored all my advice and would not accept my rebuke, I in turn will laugh at your disaster; I will mock when calamity overtakes you'" (Proverbs 1:20-26).
thought
We all delight in hearing God's voice in words of forgiveness and comfort. But are we willing to hear His voice in unvarnished truth and naked honesty? "Speak, for your servant is listening" or are we?
prayer
Lord, there seem to be a thousand voices calling to me in this world. Help me to discern Your voice above them all and obediently listen!