In my last post, I started talking about life in our present society. In many ways it’s like when the children of Israel were captive in Egypt at the time of Moses.
There is great pressure on the church to agree with the world’s goals or stay quietly in the background. All the while, the enemy’s kingdom seems to be strengthening. Many of God’s people are in hiding, afraid to speak up.
Moses ran away from his problems and became a shepherd in Midian. As he was out tending the sheep, he sees a burning bush that isn’t being consumed.
As he checks it out, he hears the voice of God, speaking to him.
“…And now the cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them. So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.”
Exodus 3:9-10 NIV
There are some important truths in this passage that we need to hear in this generation. One of the key statements is this: “I have seen the Egyptians oppressing them – so I am sending you to Pharaoh.”
Moses’ problem was that he thought the enemy was the Egyptians. The Lord set him straight. Pharaoh was where the victory needed to be won.
In the same way, our fight is not against flesh and blood. How do we see spiritual change? It won’t come about by attacking the Egyptians – the people of the world. We need to go against the spiritual “Pharaohs.”
However, there’s something that has to happen first. God said, “The cry of the Israelites has reached me.” That’s the important statement.
Are we crying out to the Lord? Do we even understand that we need the Lord’s help to rescue us? Or, are we happy to go right along with the world’s agenda?
This is the heart of the matter. Much of the church is content right where they are.
This is illustrated powerfully later on the book of Exodus. After the Israelites left Egypt, they were going through the wilderness. At one point they were complaining about the food God was miraculously providing.
The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died by the Lord’s hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death.”
Exodus 16:3 NIV
Their view of the situation was skewed. They don’t seem to remember that they were tasked with building the enemy’s kingdom, brick by brick. They don’t remember the abuse they had to endure – only the pots of meat they had available.
For the most part, the church doesn’t even know they’re in slavery. In the USA we can get a rich spiritual meal anytime we want it. TV, radio, and internet. We can live stream a message from some of the greatest preachers in the world.
Then, once we finish our hefty spiritual “meal”, we run off to continue building the enemy’s kingdom. We chase after the world and all it has to offer us. There is so much available in the way of entertainment, athletics, recreation, and educational opportunities.
We can fill our schedules so full that there’s no room for what God is calling us to do. In many cases, our spiritual life consists of a church meeting (online or in-person) once a week.
Actually, in our generation, what is considered an average committed Christian attends church twice a month. We’re too busy doing other things.
We need the Holy Spirit to open our eyes to the present condition of the church.
Question: What’s your view of the church in this present society?
© 2023 Nick Zaccardi
The Spirit and the Word 