Benaiah killed his lion. Its time for the American church to kill theirs!!!
I'm sure you're wondering what is up with that title. Let me explain.
2 Sam. 23:20: "Benaiah son of Jehoiada from Kabzeel was a vigorous man who accomplished a great deal. He once killed two lion cubs in Moab. Another time, on a snowy day, he climbed down into a pit and killed a lion." (The Message)
Benaiah chased a lion into a pit and killed the lion. Oh, and it snowed that day. So, he chased a lion into a pit, in the snow, and killed the lion.
Coincidently, the American church has a lion of their own to kill. That lion is poverty. The church was created to dismantle the idea of poverty. The American church has changed that image. The American church has said that other people need to worry about poverty, cause we don't have time for such a thing. Don't get me wrong. There are a lot of American churches out there doing their part to help fight the poverty crisis. But there are so many more that are sitting back hoping that those few churches can take care of the issue. The American church is so focused on fasting and praying that God will help those in need, that they have forgotten that God is the one who is asking for help.
When a crisis like poverty affects billions of people every day, the church is proned to ask, "Why don't You help them God? How can You let them suffer?" All the while God is in Heaven going, "Why don't you help them church? How can you sit back and watch them suffer?"
In Isaiah 58, God tells us what He is interested in seeing us do and it goes something like this: "What I'm interested in seeing you do is: sharing your food with the hungry, inviting the homeless poor into your homes, putting clothes on the shivering ill-clad, being available to your own families."
How's that for a kick in the face? Or how about in Isaiah 1 where God says, "Work for justice. Help the down-and-out. Stand up for the homeless. Go to bat for the defenseless."
So here's the challenge American churches: Get up off your tails and start chasing the lion that is facing the entire world. Chase poverty into the pit and kick its face in until its dead. If Benaiah can do it on a snowy day, then we can do it any time we choose.
2 Sam. 23:20: "Benaiah son of Jehoiada from Kabzeel was a vigorous man who accomplished a great deal. He once killed two lion cubs in Moab. Another time, on a snowy day, he climbed down into a pit and killed a lion." (The Message)
Benaiah chased a lion into a pit and killed the lion. Oh, and it snowed that day. So, he chased a lion into a pit, in the snow, and killed the lion.
Coincidently, the American church has a lion of their own to kill. That lion is poverty. The church was created to dismantle the idea of poverty. The American church has changed that image. The American church has said that other people need to worry about poverty, cause we don't have time for such a thing. Don't get me wrong. There are a lot of American churches out there doing their part to help fight the poverty crisis. But there are so many more that are sitting back hoping that those few churches can take care of the issue. The American church is so focused on fasting and praying that God will help those in need, that they have forgotten that God is the one who is asking for help.
When a crisis like poverty affects billions of people every day, the church is proned to ask, "Why don't You help them God? How can You let them suffer?" All the while God is in Heaven going, "Why don't you help them church? How can you sit back and watch them suffer?"
In Isaiah 58, God tells us what He is interested in seeing us do and it goes something like this: "What I'm interested in seeing you do is: sharing your food with the hungry, inviting the homeless poor into your homes, putting clothes on the shivering ill-clad, being available to your own families."
How's that for a kick in the face? Or how about in Isaiah 1 where God says, "Work for justice. Help the down-and-out. Stand up for the homeless. Go to bat for the defenseless."
So here's the challenge American churches: Get up off your tails and start chasing the lion that is facing the entire world. Chase poverty into the pit and kick its face in until its dead. If Benaiah can do it on a snowy day, then we can do it any time we choose.
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on Sunday, July 27, 2008 at 12:19 PM.
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