IS THE LORD AMONG US OR NOT - A PLEA FOR SBC

 Greetings,
". . . and because they tempted the Lord, saying, Is the Lord among us, or not?"  Exodus 17:7
". . . and they sought Him among their kinsfolk and acquaintance.  And when they found Him not, they turned back again to Jerusalem, seeking Him. . . they found Him. . . "  John 2:44 -- 46

What a question to ask by the children of Israel, in Exodus 17.  After all that the Lord had done for them in bringing them out of Egypt, with great power and many signs and wonders; bringing them safely over the Red Sea and delivering them from the hand of their enemy, the Egyptians; and leading them with mercy after mercy through the wilderness providing both food and water.  For them then to ask, 'Is the Lord among us or not?'   Yes, and His Presence and mercies are all around to see.  

And then we have this passage in John 2.  Christ at the age of 12, is beginning to mature and grow in the things of His Father.  But assumption by His parents that He was with them, in their return home from Jerusalem, quickly became a frantic search.  They had lost Him.  Follow the progression here: 1.  they did not know that He had stayed behind (negligence); 2.  they sought for Him among all the people (humanistic effort); 3.  they found Him not, but they continued seeking Him;  4.  they found Him.  We know full well the verses, 'if you seek Me, you shall find Me.'    Yet, they lost Him, and then they could not find Him.

The lost and the world may doubt and scoff and question, 'Is the Lord among us or not?'   But the church and Christians should never question Him.  God cannot lie.  He speaks and His promises are yea and amen.  And God has said, "I will never leave you, nor forsake you."  "Lo, I am with you always even until the end of the age."  Yet, when sinful, earthly circumstances unfold, Christians weak in the faith, may very well, look around and say, 'Is the Lord among us or not?'  These are those, that do not know the Word of God, nor the God of the Word.   The Lord is Omnipresent.  And in the passages of John, Christ was never lost; He simply was lost by his parents, and could not be found.

There are some awful verses in the Bible.  'and God departed from them'; 'And God withdrew His Spirit"; 'And he wist not that the Lord had departed from him"; 'they knew not that evil was near them".  In all of these circumstances, it was not God hiding or not being there, it was that the people had not sought Him.  They had lost Him.  And not just seeking Him, but they did not stay long enough before Him, to find Him.  

At the beginning of this month of August, we hosted 100 Hours of Prayer for SBC.  We rejoiced in the outpouring that took place in multiple places across the nation during that next Sunday following the 100 hours of prayer.  But none knew (they knew not of it v. 43) what would unfold within a week, the resignation of Willie McLaurin, our SBC executive ceo.   Now facing 3 resignations within 5 years, one might quickly ascert, 'Is the Lord among us or not?'   Yet, we know the truth, God is with us, for us and keeps us.  But we cannot be negligent to lose Him, nor seek Him.  

Grateful for all those that prayed and joined us.  Those that have continued to pray, fast and give the Gospel out.  We all rejoice in the increase to God's Wind of the Spirit blowing upon our land, and seeing many come to Christ and be baptized.  But we have only experienced the 'blowing of the wind in the mulberry trees'.  God told David when he experienced the wind to blow, then go forth and the victory would be given.  The end goal is victory.  And it is this victory that we must seek and find in  Him.   Do not be satisfied with 'mercy drops, but for the showers we plead'.

Many have lost Him, or many have not known that He is not in their midst.  It is a needful moment and hour to call for SBC to seek and find Him.  And that requires due diligence to go forth 'seeking Him'.  And not letting up till we find Him.  Seek Him for direction of our executive leadership; seek Him for revival and His Presence and power; seek Him for Who He is, He is worthy.  Let us not be satisfied with what was or has been, but let us go on  unto the victory for our nation, future and His glory & kingdom.   

Therefore we must be intentional about seeking Him.  We need the Lord, like never before!  And such issues of our leadership, our future, all the disunity among us, let us 'seek Him'; and continue to seek Him, until He come in power and Presence upon the church and the land.  Let us set one day per month to call upon Him and fast.  Let us encourage those small groups that are already doing this, and go to bi-monthly or once a week.  Let us be blest of those that seek and call upon Him, 'morning, noon and night'.   Let us know that God is blowing across our nation, even now.  And we must go into His Presence and find Him.  Let us be like the book of Canticles, 'I sought Him, Whom my soul so long has loved; I sought Him, and found Him, and I will not let Him go."  

Suggest Response:
1.  Call for a monthly fast to seek the Lord for His Divine help and Presence.
2.  Set it as a suggest prayer target before all of SBC pastors and churches.
3.  Encourage prayer groups to pray for revival, help and leading weekly;
4.  Unity - every aspect of SBC life to be involved.

Until,
Dan Biser
Rdbiser@live.com  

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