Time to Rebuild and Restore 

Rev. Lonnie C. Crowe

Isaiah 35:8-10

"A highway shall be there, and a road, and it shall be called the Highway of Holiness. The unclean shall not pass over it, but it shall be for others. Whoever walks the road, although a fool, shall not go astray. No lion shall be there, nor shall any ravenous beast go up on it; it shall not be found there. But the redeemed shall walk there.  And the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with singing, with everlasting joy on their heads. They shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away."

Review:

It seems that the Church in America has been in a Babylonian captivity for many years.  Our captivity came because we succumbed to the customs of the world system rather than the commandments of our King.  We have given both tacit and tangible approval of practices that the Bible has warned us are not God’s best for us, i.e. sinful practices.  We have allowed the chains of political correctness to bind us.  We have diluted the Word of God.

The world system, like the Babylonian conquerors of Israel, is crying for the awakening of God’s people. We have become like the ancient Israelites, unable to bring joy into the world.

Consider Psalms 137:1-4: “By the rivers of Babylon, There we sat down, yea, we wept When we remembered Zion. We hung our harps Upon the willows in the midst of it. For there those who carried us away captive required of us a song, And those who plundered us required of us mirth, Saying, ‘Sing us one of the songs of Zion!' How shall we sing the Lord's song In a foreign land?”

The Lord is calling us out of our captivity in the Babylon of worldliness that has surrounded us in the past years.  It is time for us to take our harps from the willow trees and return to Zion. 

When Cyrus allowed the Israelites to return to Jerusalem, they did not return to a resplendent nation.  Judea was broken physically and spiritually.  The walls were in ruins; the Temple destroyed.  The returning remnant met opposition at every turn.  The return was difficult.  Yet God blessed them and brought them through to victory. 

It is now our time to rebuild and restore.

The rebuilding and restoration must begin with the Church, the spiritual Israel.

Isaiah preached that charity and compassion are the foundation stones to rebuilding and restoring.

Isaiah 58:10-12: “If you extend your soul to the hungry and satisfy the afflicted soul, then your light shall dawn in the darkness, and your darkness shall be as the noonday. The Lord will guide you continually, and satisfy your soul in drought, and strengthen your bones; you shall be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail. Those from among you shall build the old waste places; you shall raise up the foundations of many generations; and you shall be called the Repairer of the Breach, the Restorer of Streets to Dwell In.”

The government in Babylon allowed and encouraged the rebuilding of Jerusalem.  However, it was God’s people who had to do the rebuilding.  And so, it is up to God’s people to rebuild this nation.

The books of Ezra and Nehemiah tell the story of the rebuilding and restoration.  The first edifice to be built was the Temple.

Ezra 1:5-7:  "Then the heads of the fathers' houses of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests and the Levites, with all those whose spirits God had moved, arose to go up and build the house of the Lord which is in Jerusalem. And all those who were around them encouraged them with articles of silver and gold, with goods and livestock, and with precious things, besides all that was willingly offered.  King Cyrus also brought out the articles of the house of the Lord, which Nebuchadnezzar had taken from Jerusalem and put in the temple of his gods.”

What had been taken from them was returned.  We must cry out to God for those freedoms which have been challenged and/or actually taken from us to be restored.

In chapters 9-10, Ezra called for confession of sin and repentance. The Jewish people confessed and repented for their sins.  We believers must confess and repent for our sins and then for the sins of our nation.

Before the Babylonian captivity, Israel had adopted many pagan practices including the worship of Baal. The fundamentals of Baal worship remain alive and well today. The principal pillars of Baalism were child sacrifice, sexual immorality (both heterosexual and homosexual) and pantheism (reverence of creation over the Creator).

As we seek to rebuild the spiritual temple of God, our personal temples must be cleansed.

Daniel spoke of an Abomination of Desolation (Dan. 11:31; 12:11) that desecrated the Temple of God.  It happened during the years between the Old and New Testaments.  It will happen again in the Third Temple as prophesied in the Book of Revelation.

Sadly, it is occurring today in the Church.    Some areas about which we should be concerned include:

•Denial of Creation

•Fascination with violence

•Horoscopes and other occult activities

•Substance abuse

•Unbiblical sexual activity

If we want to be repairers of the breach, we must first confess and repent of sinful beliefs and practices in our own lives. 

Remember: “A highway shall be there, and a road, and it shall be called the Highway of Holiness. The unclean shall not pass over it, but it shall be for others.

Each of us must examine our own heart and decide whether we want to walk on the Highway of Holiness or remain in Babylon.

Ctrl/click the following link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NsrpSM2Fz-s

Holy Highway

Ginger Hendricks | Jim Hendricks

Praying for Those in Authority

By Rev. Lonnie C. Crowe

1Timothy 2:1-2 ESV

“"First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.”

So many of us in our nation and around the world are weary of the anger, the disrespect, the disunity, and the untruth that has sullied our lives.  Many of us desire to lead peaceful and quiet lives, godly and dignified in every way.

Please join me in prayer for leaders on all levels.

Father God, in the name of Jesus our Lord, we pray for anointing on all levels of leadership.  May our leaders be anointed with wisdom to discern what is best.  May they speak that wisdom with respectful boldness.  May they be diplomatically articulate.  May they know the power of speaking the truth in love. May they be willing to work together.  May they be dignified in every way.

We thank You, Father, for Your love for us and for Your desire for our welfare.

Amen.

Prayer for Our Nation

By Rev. Lonnie C. Crowe

As we move on toward the midterm elections and in light of the chaos in our nation and in the world, several major prayer ministries our calling for us to intercede, to stand in the gap for our nation. Remembering that righteousness exalts a nation (Proverbs 14:34), please join together as we declare the word of the Lord over those in authority over us.

We declare that our governmental leaders will love God and obey His directives for a good life because happy is the one who keeps the law of the Lord. (Proverbs 29:18)

Then our land will be blessed because our leaders will noble and not given to partying and drunkenness. (Ecclesiastes 10:17)

Our authorities will judge with truth. (Proverbs 29:14)

Our leaders will make right decisions because true authority is established in righteousness . (Proverbs 16:12b)

Our politicians will walk in the truth because “the king establishes the land by justice, But he who receives bribes overthrows it.” (Proverbs 29:4 (NKJV).

When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice. (Proverbs 29:2 (NKJV) .

Intercede, pray, declare and then vote for truth and righteousness.

 

What We Should Be Celebrating on October 31

By Rev. Lonnie C. Crowe

As Christians, many of us have become so caught up in whether or not or how we should or shouldn’t celebrate Halloween that we have either forgotten or have never learned what is important about and worthy of celebration on October 31.

On Oct 31, 1517, Martin Luther (then a Catholic monk) posted his 95 Theses (or

statements) on the door of Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany. This act started

the  historical movement known as the Reformation. The Reformation was the great rediscovery of the good news of salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ.  Ephesians 2:8-9 (NKJV):

⁸ For  by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, ⁹ not of works, lest anyone should boast.

Although, Reformation Day is more commonly celebrated in the Lutheran Church,

Martin Luther should be celebrated as a hero of faith by all Christians. The Protestant churches that many of us worship in today are the result of Luther's efforts to restore the gospel, salvation through faith in Jesus Christ, to the hearts of Christians.  The Catholic Church, as well, went through a major reformation during the ensuing years. 

Therefore, Halloween is a time for us to war in the opposite spirit by celebrating our covenant in Jesus Christ and turning from the ugliness, the wickedness, the witchcraft that the world celebrates.  It is a time to celebrate life in Christ rather than death.  It is a time of walking in faith instead of seeking out fear.

May we, like Luther, courageously stand for the truth, light and life in the Body of Christ.  

Today, more than 500 years since the time of Martin Luther, it is time for another Reformation.  Let’s boldly place these theses on the door of the Temple, the hearts of Christians:

Unity in doctrine; diversity in worship—Let’s stand together in the knowledge that our sin has separated us from God, that God the Father sent His only begotten Son, Jesus, to the Cross to pay the penalty for our sin, that Jesus died, was buried and rose again and that He is coming back for those who have, by faith, accepted His sacrifice.  Let’s then allow believers to worship in spirit and in truth whether it is with pipe organs or guitars and drums, formal liturgy or flowing in the Spirit, or classical or contemporary music, or an eclectic, yet spiritual, mixture of all.

Repudiation of “progressive” Christianity—Progressive Christians believe that the Bible is no longer relevant and must be reinterpreted for our time.  Basically, progressive Christians do away with salvation by grace, the Ten Commandments, and the Cross, and become gods unto themselves.

Denunciation of Replacement Theology—Replacement Theology states the Church has replaced Israel in the heart of God so we can just forget that nation and its people.  Believers in Replacement Theology don’t understand that when the Lord makes a blood covenant with a people and pronounces that covenant as lasting forever that He means “forever.”  Those who choose Replacement Theology also choose to ignore Romans 11 which teaches us that we, as Christians, have been grafted into the olive tree that is Israel. 

October 31 is a day to celebrate the courage of a man who stood for the truth of the gospel.  It is, likewise, a day to reaffirm our commitment to biblical truth.

God's word over us, our loved ones, our nation and the world.

I will bring the blind by a way they did not know;

I will lead them in paths they have not known.

I will make darkness light before them,

And crooked places straight.

These things I will do for them,

And not forsake them.

‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭42‬:‭16‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Engaging in Political Dialogue

By Rev. Lonnie C. Crowe

The season for political debate has begun.  While we are blessed with the freedom to engage in political dialogue, biblically speaking, our dialogue must be done decently and in order.  Those with whom we disagree are also created in the image of God and are worthy of our respect even if they don't respect us.  

One of the fundamental rules in dealing with offensive argumentation is never to stoop to the level of the adversary.  Simply put, don't argue with a fool.

2 Timothy 2:23:  "Don't get involved in foolish, ignorant arguments that only start fights." ( NLT)

  

Proverbs 26:4:  "Do not answer the foolish arguments of fools, or you will become as foolish as they are." ( NLT)

 Proverbs 10:15: "Wise people treasure knowledge, but the babbling of a fool invites disaster."

Mark Twain:  "Never argue with a fool; onlookers may not be able to tell the difference."

 "Insults are the last resort of insecure people with a crumbling position trying to appear confident." (Wisdom Quotes)

In viable, vibrant dialogue, we must discuss issues, not personalities.  We must defend our positions with readily variable facts and not hearsay. Sometimes the best strategy is either to change the subject, to remain silent or to walk away.

The Heart of Autumn
By Rev. Lonnie C. Crowe

Crisp morning breath,
Softening in the noontide,
Deepening with the day,
Redolent in the cinnamon
Of fallen leaves and burning wood.
Fields, once green, then golden,
Now newly frosted,
Gleam in russet-bronze.
The earth’s returned the harvest
And seeks repose.
We, too, desire respite.
Autumn, amber, umber, Autumn,
Golden, flaxen, honey-hued.
Multitudinous tones
Of withered grass, ruddy leaf
And tranquil turf.
O Lord, our God,
Our Creator, our Sustainer,
In autumn, we worship Thee.
The harvester, surveying fallow fields,
Lifts his heart in psalm
For laden cribs and fattened flocks.
The housewife, pausing near the shelf
And fragrant larder
Sings her sacred song.
Young ones, basking in the fiery glow,
Harken to the swirl and plash of storm
And, mindfully, remember Thee.
O Lord, our God,
We worship Thee.
In autumn, we worship Thee.