If they keep quiet, the stones will cry out

So, I haven't written a blog for a week or so, but so much has been going on and so many things have encouraged me. I kept thinking...write that one down miriam you can do a blog about that! So I actually have a little list here (sad, i know)... but it won't do them justice to squeeze it all into one post, so I'll try and catch up with them all over the next few days!

I have two more one-to-one's since the last entry, let me summarise the first. We looked at Joel 1:13-20, that good old NIV title calls it "A Call to Repentance" (disclaimer: NIV titles are not the Bible!)

So the first part of Joel 1 that we looked at was telling the people that the swarm of locusts that had come were a judgement from God that had left their relationship with Him broken. Joel told them to mourn and despair because they had brought this judgement on themselves from God. The second part that we looked at was more about the outward signs of repentance. Obviously there has to be a change of heart, but the outward signs of putting on sackcloth, declaring a holy feast and calling a sacred assembly... they are all important parts of repentance too!

We talked about how repentance can't be real unless there are both the inward and outward signs... a real guilt and sorrow of the heart, and also the physical action of turning away from whatever it is that you need to repent from. Similarly with the Christian life, there must be this real repentance, we can;t just say we are Christians and then not act like it, or vice-versa, act like a Christian but actually be unrepentent in our hearts. It just doesn't work! Apparently Joel focuses a lot on this issue of inward and outward repentance.

What is emphasised in this passage is just how bad the judgement was from God, and then the people of Israel are warned of an even worse judgement to come. After everything Joel has already said in vs 1-12, that must be bad! Verse 15 says: "Alas for that day! For the day of the LORD is near; it will come like destruction from the Almighty." How much worse can it get?

I was encouraged here to remember the verses in 2 Peter 3:3-14 which have kind of been our motto or something, for the CU committee this year as it was preached on at the New Leader's Training last year just before we started on committee.

"3First of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. 4They will say, "Where is this 'coming' he promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation." 5But they deliberately forget that long ago by God's word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and by water. 6By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. 7By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.

8But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. 9The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

10But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.
11Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives 12as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming.That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. 13But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness.

14So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him."

I think that these are some of my favourite verses in the whole Bible, it is so good to know that God isn't willing that ANYONE should perish. And that he is patient. It's good to remember that promise I find, when praying for people who don't know Christ. God loves them and cares about their eternal state before Him infintely more than I do so... :)

I can't remember how we got there, but another verse that we looked at that was cool was in Luke 19:37-40, "37When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen: 38"Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!"

"Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!"
39Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, "Teacher, rebuke your disciples!"
40"I tell you," he replied, "if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out."

It's cool with our CU missions week coming up in a couple of weeks time, just to know how amazing Jesus is. And that if we failed to preach the Gospel to people, others will find a way. We can't supress it even though loads of different people throughout history have tried, we know that though the grass withers and the flower fades, the Word of the LORD wil stand forever!