Circle The Wagons – Consolidate With The Faithful Around Jesus
Word-Of-The-Day: ‘For this is what the high and exalted One says— he who lives forever, whose name is holy: “I live in a high and holy place, but also with the one who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite.’ (Isaiah 57:15)
A recent study by Lifeway Research found 260,000 people, between 2023 and 2024, left the Southern Baptist Convention, the largest Protestant denomination in Christendom. Yet 4.3 million people regularly attend Southern Baptist services, with 2.5 million attending associated Life Groups and Bible Studies each week. Also, baptisms rose from 225,000 in 2023 to 250,000 in 2024.
It is possible that a portion of these quarter-million people left the Southern Baptist denomination to join another denomination. A few may ‘tuned out’ to the Biblical Worldview to seek a more liberal message that felt or sounded better to them, a ‘tickling of their ears’. Others may have simply ‘graduated’ by passing away and are now with Jesus in the Eternal Choir praising Him in His presence. Some may have simply gave up on church, never fully buying into the fellowship of those around them in the pews, or getting to know Jesus all that well.
Some may point to this as the consolidation of the saints occurring prior to the End Times; those who are not of Christ are falling away from Him in greater numbers, and those who are seeking Him are firming up in Faith, attending churches in fellowship with other Believers and getting baptized to identify with Christ; though more are leaving the church overall, a lesser but substantial number of those seeking the Truth are turning or returning to Faithful obedience of the Lord.
Of course, it may not be anything to do of the End Times at all. The 21st century has several crises, beginning with 9/11 and continuing with the housing crisis in 2008, the increase in natural disasters hitting the US (including the rash of hurricanes striking the Eastern US, especially in Florida from Irma in 2017, to Ian in 2022 and Debbie, Helene, and Milton in 2024), and the COVID pandemic and its lockdown and vaccine controversies starting in 2020 and continuing into 2023.
People generally flock in fear to church during such a crisis, then some unfortunately fall away after the crisis subsides. At this time, we find most of the damage of the hurricanes is repaired, the COVID pandemic and its controversies behind us, and the housing and financial markets have remained rather stable, though some minor hiccups occur as they normally do.
It is for some of those leaving a failure in having Faith in Christ, or never having established their relationship in the Lord that sends them away. They may go through the motions of Faith without ever realizing what true Faith will bring. There is no contentment, only believing in ‘self’ and determining there is no need for a personal Savior. There is a failure in recognizing the omnipotence of the Triune God and importance in building a trusting reliance on Him. The falling away stems from a belief that ‘self’ can overcome their fears, while those who come to Faith realize they need a Savior to lead them out of the worldly crises that always arise, both personal and as a societal whole.
In this portion of Isaiah, God has provided Isaiah warnings and consequences for the wicked, both leaders and followers who do not recognize God as their Lord. But God does give Isaiah this message for those who are ‘contrite’ or remorseful and seek repentance. We all know (or should know) that God is not a genie in a lantern that you can simply rub to get wishes and then put Him back in.
The Triune God – God the Creator (Father God), God Manifested (Jesus the Son), and God Spiritualized & Indwelled (the Holy Spirit) all together as One – is an encompassing, omniscient, omnipotent God. Sometimes we who have followed Him for many years focus on Jesus as our friend as well as our Lord and Savior, which we should always do, but lose sight that God in all three forms is Eternal, Exalted, Guiding, Overseeing, and All-Powerful and we need to interact and accept all Three Forms to have that effective relationship with Him.
Think of who the All-Powerful God is; He has created all things, sees all things from the most microscopic to the overarching universal view over His entire Creation, has the all the knowledge, and can change any or all of it at any time of His choosing. Yet this same God, our God, will stoop down to look on His Creation, and will take the time and effort to ‘raise the poor from the dust and lift the needy from the ash heap’ (Psalms 113:6-7), so He gets involved in the minute details of our lives.
This same God also gave us His Son Jesus, so we could relate to Him as well as having that Perfect Sacrifice that would take away our sins and provide us a means for Salvation; He also gave us the Holy Spirit so that we could have His presence living with us and within us for guidance, not to control us but to give us the nudges and corrections we as humans need as we attempt to walk in His righteous ways while living in a sinful world.
God also knows those who have not accepted His Son, or have not accepted Him yet. God has nothing to surprise Him as He transcends time; God does not react to events, He only initiates acts. We know God loves all people, as stated in John 3:16, but also knows only a few will accept His Son as Lord and be regarded as His children. It is truly mind-boggling to know that God knows all things of all people who have ever lived. It is estimated 20 billion people have lived since the Creation, and God knows all of their lives and each waking millisecond within them.
Many have had fathers or mothers who were also good friends, and that is a good thing. But a parent should always be held in that respect of being an earthly parent; the one who oversaw them in adolescence, provided necessary provisions like food, water, shelter, and clothing, and encouragement in adulthood. Parents who corrected them when the child was in the wrong, and one who praised when one was proper. But the parents are not God; but God is our ‘chief parent’, who provides all things for us in physical, mental, and Spiritual form – if we only show Him our obedience to Him. Ensure God is in the proper place in your life; worshipped, respected and awed for who He is – the All-Powerful, All-Knowing, Highest and Exalted Creator!
