November 4, 2009

• the shepherds' confession: may Christ and His Gospel become a joy and delight to us once more

  
  On Reformation Day I presented eight theses and made a call to prayer for revival. At the time I wrote that I wanted to post on the Protestant Reformation and the need for revival in the Church today...I've had a lot of things swirling around in my head...but for the most part they are all centering on our need to preach Christ.

  The call to Christ is a call to repentance, a call to forsake all that is worthless for Him who is precious. This post today is aimed first at those who are pastors, teachers and elders in the Church, but it is certainly applicable to all of us since we are all teachers in one sense of another (and bloggers: please consider the words you write here, even the comments you write). God is calling His Church back to the first things. If you look through the book of Acts, you'll see the early Church is preaching Christ (look there). How can we say we are Christ's Church if we do not preach Christ? How can we say we are pleasing our Lord if we are ashamed of His Gospel? If we embrace different gospels are we not grieving His Holy Spirit? May He be merciful and gracious to us and restore to us a love and a delight and a joy for His words, for Christ (the Word) and for His Gospel.

  ~Contending for His Gospel for His glory,
  Karen

  the shepherds' confession: may Christ and His Gospel become a joy and delight to us once more

  

  Your words were found, and I ate them,
  and your words became to me a joy
  and the delight of my heart,
  for I am called by your name,
  O LORD, God of hosts...
  
  If you utter what is precious, and not what is worthless,
  you shall be as my mouth...
  
  Jeremiah 15:16, 19b

  O, loving Father, You led us back to Your house
  We were so far away
  We weren't seeking to go there
  We weren't seeking You
  We were happy eating the corn husks in the pig sty
  Your merciful kindness brought us to our senses
  Your gracious kindness led us to repentance
  You called us to come to Your house, O Father
  We ate of Your words
   We ate of Your bread from heaven
  We ate of the Word
  Jesus Christ satisfied us
  Jesus Christ alone satisfies us
  He became a joy to us
  He was the delight of our hearts
  Your Word became a joy to our hearts
  Your Word was the delight of our hearts
  Your Word was salvation to our souls

  We delighted in Him
  We delighted in Your Word
  We delighted in Your Gospel
  We delighted in Your salvation

  But, O, no, now what have we done?
  What are we doing?
  You have fed us
  You have been our joy
  You have been our delight
  You have been our salvation

  But, O, no, now what have we done?
  What are we doing?
  We are throwing out corn husks to Your sheep
  You told us to feed Your sheep
  Why are we not feeding them with Your words?
  Why are we feeding them bread that is not the true bread from heaven?
  Why are we not feeding them with Your Word?
  Why are we uttering what is worthless?
  Why are we feeing them with wholesome words?
  Why are we feeding them with words that will never bring joy?
  Why are we feeding them with words that will never bring them delight?
  Why are we feeding them with words that will never save them?

  When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these? He said to him, Yes, Lord; you know that I love you. He said to him, Feed my lambs.
  
  16 He said to him a second time, Simon, son of John, do you love me? He said to him, Yes, Lord; you know that I love you. He said to him, Tend my sheep.
  
  17 He said to him the third time, Simon, son of John, do you love me? Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, Do you love me? and he said to him, Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you. Jesus said to him, Feed my sheep.
  

  –John 21:15-17

  

  Do we really love You?
  How can we say we love You if we utter what is worthless?
  If we really loved You, we would love what You love
  If we really loved You, we would abhor what is worthless
  Do You not love Your Gospel?
  Do You not abhor different gospels?
  How can we say we love You if we preach a different gospel?
  How can we say we love You if we embrace what is worthless?
  How can we say we love You if discard what is precious?

  Forgive us for departing from the simplicity and purity that is in Christ.
  Forgive us, O Lord God of hosts.

  We've left Your house
  We are now far away
  You've called us to be shepherds
  You've called us to feed Your sheep
  The sheep have gone astray
  Your Church has gone astray
  We too are now the sheep who have gone astray
  We have lost our senses
  We have gone back to the pig sty
  We have fed on different gospels
  We have gone once more to eat of the corn husks in the pig sty
  Where is the joy in that?
  Where is the delight in that?
  Where is the salvation in that?

  But, O, no, now what have we done?
  What are we doing?
  You have fed us
  You have been our joy
  You have been our delight
  You been our salvation

  We are feeding the corn husks to the sheep
  We are not feeding them with Your words
  (How can we if we've not eaten of Your words?)
  We are not feeing them with the bread from heaven
  (How can we if we've not eaten of Your bread from heaven?)
  We are not feeding them with Your Word
  (How can we if we've not eaten of Your Word?)

  How can the sheep delight in You if they do not hear of You?
  How can the sheep joy in You if they do not hear of You?
  How can the sheep be believe in You if they do not hear of You?
  How can the sheep be saved if they do not hear of You?

  O, Lord of hosts, may Your merciful kindness bring us to our senses
  O, Lord of hosts, may Your gracious kindness lead us to repentance
  Draw us to Your house once more
  We ate of Your words there
  May we eat once more of Your words there
   We ate of Your bread from heaven there
    May we eat once more of Your bread from heaven there
  We ate of the Word there
  May we eat once more of the Word there

  May we be satisfied with Jesus Christ and Him alone
  There is no satisfaction apart from Him
  There is no true joy apart from Him
  There is no true delight apart from Him
  There is no salvation apart from Him

  Forgive us, Chief Shepherd of the sheep for not shepherding the flock as we ought

  Lead us back to Your house
  We are so far away
  You have shown us now
  We have been happy eating the corn husks in the pig sty

  

  But now we hear Your voice calling us
  You are bringing us to our senses
  You are leading us to repentance
  Your Spirit is hovering over us here in the pig sty
  You are calling Your shepherds to return home to Your house, O Father,
  Take us there and keep us eating of Your bread from heaven
  May Jesus Christ alone satisfy us
  For Jesus Christ alone satisfies
  He was a joy to us
  May He become a joy to us once more
  He was the delight of our hearts
  May He become the delight of our hearts once more
  Your Word had become a joy to our hearts
  Your Word was the delight of our hearts
  May Your Word become a joy to our hearts once more
  May Your Word become the delight of our hearts once more
  There is no salvation apart from Your Word, the Lord Jesus Christ

  May we delight and joy once again in Him alone
  May we delight and joy once again in Your Word alone
  May delight and joy once again in Your Gospel alone
  For there is no true delight or joy apart from You!
  There is no true salvation apart from You!

  O, Lord of hosts, may we treasure what is precious
  Your Word is precious
  Your Gospel is precious
  May we utter only what is precious
  May we abhor all that is worthless
  May we discard all that is worthless
  so we might be Your mouth
  for there is no salvation apart from Your precious Word and Your Gospel

  ---

  Related:

  • Tent of meeting, my other site devoted to prayer for revival. You can read more about that here (as well as here and here for background).
    
  • Forgive us for allowing natural brute beasts in our midst!
  • Good Shepherd, send us good shepherds to shepherd us.
  • a famine of hearing the words of the LORD
  • the most diligent prelate and preacher
  • Postcards from England: do you care?
  • postcards from England: "The Burden for Revival" (ML-J)
  • postcards from England: are we excited over a dead fish and a car wreck?
  • Naphtali News: the Ministry of the Word & Prayer
  • Revival resources, etc.
  • More revival resources: opportunity and eyes to see the ruins, a burden from God

  • 3:11 PM
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