12 But You, O LORD, abide forever,
And Your name to all generations.
13 You will arise and have compassion on Zion;
For it is time to be gracious to her,
For the appointed time has come.
14 Surely Your servants find pleasure in her stones
And feel pity for her dust.
God is waiting for the attitude of the church to be one of compassion. When Israel is being crushed, the church rises up to join the Lord in a heart of compassion for this humbled people.
In the midst of a message explaining this, Art Katz, went into a "Spirit-led" rant against the "spiritual self-seeking" of a people who even in the guise of "wanting more of God" are actually seeking for an increase in themselves. The subtlety of pride is exposed by this. It is a deep thing. One that I have come to acknowledge was very present in me, as i went from conference to conference, seeking a "touch" or a "word" that would set me up as one of the 'ones' with power and anointing.
Here is his rant, as best as I could transcribe it. Speaking to people at a place where they had gone, (outwardly) for more of God, but underneath....
"because He (God) has waited for you to come to this condition. You hard Americans, you callow, shallow, evangelical charismatics who are rooted in self-centeredness, with an overlay of seeming spirituality but your self-interest is the predominant factor that is the center of your being and moving, even coming to a place like this to learn ministry and how to obtain...It's Deep! and it is the wrong principle, its the wrong center, the right center is an identification with God, in those things that are contrary to self-interest, even spiritual self-interest and it shows itself in a way that beggars the mind and stupifies the imagination that a gentile would be so identified with Jews in their ultimate depravity of distress and judgment, that they would take it upon themselves as being appropriate to themselves. It is not from a distance that you cluck your tongue 'too bad about those Jews' you are with them in it, you are not just having mercy about the dust, YOU"RE IN THE DUST and when God sees that He can now deliver Israel, because the issue of Israel has produced in you that quality of divine character which is at the heart of God Himself, and is the very genius of deity, which is compassion!" ART Katz
4 comments:
So true, Chuck. This is precisely what I wrote about this past winter in my little work called "Organic Christianity." In America, it seems, so many Christians seek and seek to lead outward programs, events and calendar fillers under a Christian title and guise, but in reality, are nothing but self focused, narcisstic parades of ignorance and pride masquerading as piety. Very sad, frustrating and shameful. I pray we might recognize our depravity and be delivered from such misguided and evil things.
Tribulation, the fire of God, will consume self in His bride.
thank you for your comment
is "organic Christianity" published yet?
no...i doubt it'll ever be published...i asked a handful of people to proofread and argue against what I said in it for me but none of them ever got back to me...that's been 5 months ago. so oh well...must not have been that interesting. I'll send it to your email so you can debunk my heresies. lol. =D
looking forward to it, still don't really know what category i fall into, but i have always appreciated your willingness to discuss
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