Scripture: Ezekiel 2:1-5
They will know. Sometimes I wonder if I am doing what I am suposed to do. I’m not looking for encouragement, I am just saying I do not always see how the ministry I am involved in affects the world and community I live. I think this is fairly common. We want to make a big difference, but the truth is we live in a culture thatis in open rebelion against God. There are several reasons why, many of them fall squarely on the shoulders of the Church also.
Sometimes we as members of the Church focus so much on the amount of people in our buildings that we forget the true point. Our job is to do as the Spirit leads. Ezekiel said when the Spirit entered him It set him on his feet. Why would the Spirit want him to stand? Well basic Newtonian physics explains this, object at rest stay at rest and objects in motion stay in motion until another force is acted on them. So the Spirit is acting on the restful body to put it in motion, there’s another law about that but to be honest I do not really care all that much. Ezekiel was put on his feet so he could move. Moving is pretty hard to do if you are sitting down.
God is moving us for a reason. It is not exactly what most of of think though, we are not called to win the lost or to save the sinner. If you have ever really thought about that do you hear how we replace God by saying words like that? We are called, prompted, and set on our feet to be the messangers of grace. True religion is to feed the hungrey, cloth the naked, and a bunch of other things, we could probably add to that list a few more items not yet thought of by first century dsciples like help the addicted. While doing the activities God calls us to we are to also speak accordingly. Not so they can be saved, but so that they will know.
They will know that God has sent a prophet. They will know that God cares. They will know that God lives, if we allow His Spirit to fill us and we then allow His Spirit to lead us. I have grown up hearing stories of people that have done this my entire life. As a Quaker our testomony is that God is present today and our ever present teacher and guide. We proclaim that we do not need a mediator other than this inner voice, or the Light Within. This Light will lead us to act or speak, to move or to stay still. Many Friends in ancient or contemporary times have spoke of their experiences in listening to the Spirit, and I still sit in awe of what God has done in the world because of seemingly in significant people doing what God leads. Of course Quakers do not have a monopoly on the Spirit of God. I have also read stories of the Saints of old doing similar things, and there are great testimonies of people even today being lead to do great things. Most of these people are rarely recognized and most do what they do without even realizing that their actions are divinely guided. But the people they reach out to in love and grace know.
They know because God is working in their lives. God is speaking to their hearts, and causing them to face their rebelious spirit. The world hates these men and women, these saints of ancient and contemporary history because they are causing them to question themselve over right and wrong. The world gets angry and bitter and they lash out in violent words and actions. Yet they know. They know if we do what we do and speak what we speak under the guidence of God.
Today as you pray I encourage you to consider what you are doing, why you do them, and if your actions are focused on promoting the love of God or selfish gain. After that just sit for a while in silent reflection and listen for the Inner Light to prompt you to action. I will guess you will not hear a voice like Ezekiel but after you get into a disipline of this, you will begin to sense the leading and see your actions more clearly.
Just remember we do so that they may know, that’s all we can do. God will handle the rest.
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