August 6
Ezra 3:1-4:23 | PS 28:1-9 | Prov 20:24-25 | 1 Cor 2:6-3:4
Last year I had the pleasure of delivering a woman who chose life as a result of an encounter on "Hannah" our stork van from the Bridge Women's Center. This ministry in our church (Calvary Chapel Old Bridge), sends this van which contains an ultrasound unit, along with servants from our church around abortion centers. There is no shouting done from this van, simply a loving offer to see their baby on the ultrasound housed on the van. Many choose life once they actually see the reality of the baby within their abdomen and are counseled by those Christian servants aboard the van. The Pro-life view is very unpopular in academic circles and among health professionals. Often when I bring it up, there will be a loss of eye contact by those residents and students who are around me. But the other day, as I brought up this patient, to the team assembled during a surgery, the medical student, who is a Christian, excitedly asked and wanted to know more to see how she could come alongside. Not infrequently, during the course of labor or after delivery, if a conversation about God takes root and is not rejected, I will ask and often the mother will accept open prayer for the new family. This takes place no matter who else is in the room, whether accepting or not of what is taking place. As I walk through the corridors of the hospital, not infrequently I will be humming or singing portions of worship songs. Who we are in Christ should not be hidden. We may not be asked to stand up with a bullhorn, but we all are surrounded within often hostile surroundings, and God needs to be seen in us, His ambassadors in a fallen world.
After seventy years of Babylonian captivity, this relatively small remnant of returning Jewish people, around 50,000, which represented only around 2% of the total number of Jewish people residing in Babylon at the time, returned to Jerusalem. Those who now inhabited this area were hostile to their God and their mission of rebuilding the Temple. We read in Ezra 3:2-3, "Then Jeshua the son of Jozadak and his brethren the priests, and Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and his brethren, arose and built the altar of the God of Israel, to offer burnt offerings on it, as it is written in the Law of Moses the man of God. Though fear had come upon them because of the people of those countries, they set the altar on its bases; and they offered burnt offerings on it to the Lord, both the morning and evening burnt offerings." Though "fear had come upon them", this did not stop them from openly and unashamedly worshipping and representing God. As they moved forward with the building of the Temple, they continued to openly exalt God, as we read in 3:11, "And they sang responsively, praising and giving thanks to the Lord: “For He is good, For His mercy endures forever toward Israel.” Then all the people shouted with a great shout, when they praised the Lord, because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid." When they stepped out in faith it was met with resistance as we read in 4:4-5, "Then the people of the land tried to discourage the people of Judah. They troubled them in building, and hired counselors against them to frustrate their purpose all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia." This attempt was unsuccessful, so the resistance became more aggressive, as they sent a letter to the new king of Persia, as we read in 4:12-13, "Let it be known to the king that the Jews who came up from you have come to us at Jerusalem, and are building the rebellious and evil city, and are finishing its walls and repairing the foundations. Let it now be known to the king that, if this city is built and the walls completed, they will not pay tax, tribute, or custom, and the king’s treasury will be diminished."
If we are honest, we, God's ambassadors in the Western hemisphere may be in hostile surroundings, but our situation is not as tenuous as it was for this small band of Jewish people. Like our brothers and sisters in areas such as Iran, China, India, and much of Africa, their hostility comes with the threat of loss of life. Persecution often emboldens individuals, while lack of persecution often broods complacency and weakness. We in the United States see our society becoming increasingly hostile to the Christian message. We can either remain in the closet and quietly practice our faith under the radar, hoping to remain unnoticed for fear of being disliked or marginalized, or, we can represent our Savior in the capacity He has placed us in with boldness. We all like to explain why our situation is so unique, but the truth is, our situations are all common to man. We should not and can not allow ourselves to be defined by our times or circumstances. We, in Christ, must be defined by who we are in Him. We must remember, once accepting God's invitation, we are not who we were, as we read in 2 Corinthians 5:17, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new."
Messages from Pastor Lloyd Pulley: