Jeremiah 32
A little background:
Israel has been given over to Syria by God generations before, as a judgment. Judah is about to be given over to Babylon as a judgment.
In the midst of this, God raises up Jeremiah, a prophet, to say something unique: “surrender to Babylon. God is giving you over to that nation because of your pride, hard hearts and disobedience.”
But that wasn’t all that God was saying through Jeremiah. The rest of the word was: “God will bring you back.”
As an expression of this, the Lord has Jeremiah buy his nephew’s field, to redeem it as closest kin. Realize the situation: Jeremiah was in prison during the Babylon seige of Jerusalem while he’s been prophesying that Judah is going down.
So he buys property in a land that is given over to Babylon, about to be conquered.
Logically, seems like a waste, like he threw his money away.
But Jeremiah preached a return to the Promised Land. So he physically banked on it.
We need to understand that God is raising up a generation and a people who seek to invest in the world to come despite the current situation.
And the most eternal thing you can invest in is other human beings, especially the Body of Christ. We are the Kingdom. Everything else will pass away. Everything.
It will look silly and wasteful to some. You could be investing in the stock market or retirement or a host of other things.
A lot of people are losing their jobs. For Christians, where should we look for refuge and survival?
Banks? Bailouts? Stimulus plans? Better jobs? Families? Socialist governments? Retirement plans? Claiming our rights and priviledges before men?
I got an idea. Why don’t we look to the Church? And I do not mean an organization or a building. Instead of shacking up with our blood family, go live life with your spiritual one. Invite your brothers and sisters in Christ to live with you, not as renters but as family. This will look silly or even crazy to some, even other Christians, but do it.
Oh, I know what some of you are thinking. “The Church is so messed up! She’s too religious or materialistic or divided or petty” or whatever.
Blah, blah, blah.
“Speak to things that aren’t as if they are.”
I can whine about the Church with the rest of them. But I’m not sure how much good that does. It’s almost insulting to God. Didn’t He call, choose, and elect them? Didn’t He save them and give them His very Spirit? “Do not judge another man’s servant.” We should be careful about this. The Church is also His Lady. Be careful talking about His woman.
God has been more than ready, for some time, for Christian Americans to get out of this isolated, individualistic mentality and start living life together. The grace is there if we but act.
Move in faith. It will be inconvenient. But how has a life of seeking convenience ever led to more spirituality? America has the highest standard of living in the world. People move here just to be poor. We also have the highest rates of depression, alergies, behavorial issues, divorce, and we could go on. Our wealth and convenience has led to misery.
Yes, this will lead to a type of division, not on doctrine but between those seeking quick convenient fixes and those willing to give much to invest in the people of God, the Kingdom Herself.
I’m okay with that. Jesus was.
If we treat the Church according to what she is meant to be, Salt and Light, she will rise to the occasion, because it will not be the flesh that rises but the Spirit. And it will not be by “power or by might but by My Spirit,” says the Lord. Place your trust on His Spirit in His people and His Word. Invest in the promised land. Each other.
I’m not the first to say this and I won’t be the last.
Live life together. And watch life grow.
Peace.