I am not a prophet. There are prophets in this world, but this is one gift I do not want. For I have seen the cost. Reversing it, how do you know that you are speaking the word of God and that your words are effective? You are opposed. I would not call losing the blog for a day true opposition: I wonder about the effectiveness of this place at times.
But the main thing I do here is blog the lectionary. Today’s passage shows us the cost of bearing witness to the truth in ancient times. Prophets were executed. For treason.
For not preaching a narrative of comfort and self-esteem.
A fair number of the people in the blogroll speak the truth as they see it. Some consider those outside of the Barque of Peter (or the Society of Pius X annex) as damned. I see us all as seeking truth and proclaiming it. To a West that has been given feed, not food, so we are fat, effete and stupid.
1At the beginning of the reign of King Jehoiakim son of Josiah of Judah, this word came from the LORD: 2Thus says the LORD: Stand in the court of the Lord’s house, and speak to all the cities of Judah that come to worship in the house of the LORD; speak to them all the words that I command you; do not hold back a word. 3It may be that they will listen, all of them, and will turn from their evil way, that I may change my mind about the disaster that I intend to bring on them because of their evil doings. 4You shall say to them: Thus says the LORD: If you will not listen to me, to walk in my law that I have set before you, 5and to heed the words of my servants the prophets whom I send to you urgently — though you have not heeded — 6then I will make this house like Shiloh, and I will make this city a curse for all the nations of the earth.
7The priests and the prophets and all the people heard Jeremiah speaking these words in the house of the LORD. 8And when Jeremiah had finished speaking all that the LORD had commanded him to speak to all the people, then the priests and the prophets and all the people laid hold of him, saying, “You shall die! 9Why have you prophesied in the name of the LORD, saying, ‘This house shall be like Shiloh, and this city shall be desolate, without inhabitant’?” And all the people gathered around Jeremiah in the house of the LORD.
10When the officials of Judah heard these things, they came up from the king’s house to the house of the LORD and took their seat in the entry of the New Gate of the house of the LORD. 11Then the priests and the prophets said to the officials and to all the people, “This man deserves the sentence of death because he has prophesied against this city, as you have heard with your own ears.”
12Then Jeremiah spoke to all the officials and all the people, saying, “It is the LORD who sent me to prophesy against this house and this city all the words you have heard. 13Now therefore amend your ways and your doings, and obey the voice of the LORD your God, and the LORD will change his mind about the disaster that he has pronounced against you. 14But as for me, here I am in your hands. Do with me as seems good and right to you. 15Only know for certain that if you put me to death, you will be bringing innocent blood upon yourselves and upon this city and its inhabitants, for in truth the LORD sent me to you to speak all these words in your ears.”
16Then the officials and all the people said to the priests and the prophets, “This man does not deserve the sentence of death, for he has spoken to us in the name of the LORD our God.” 17And some of the elders of the land arose and said to all the assembled people, 18“Micah of Moresheth, who prophesied during the days of King Hezekiah of Judah, said to all the people of Judah: ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts,
Zion shall be plowed as a field;
Jerusalem shall become a heap of ruins,
and the mountain of the house a wooded height.’
19Did King Hezekiah of Judah and all Judah actually put him to death? Did he not fear the LORD and entreat the favor of the LORD, and did not the LORD change his mind about the disaster that he had pronounced against them? But we are about to bring great disaster on ourselves!”20There was another man prophesying in the name of the LORD, Uriah son of Shemaiah from Kiriath-jearim. He prophesied against this city and against this land in words exactly like those of Jeremiah. 21And when King Jehoiakim, with all his warriors and all the officials, heard his words, the king sought to put him to death; but when Uriah heard of it, he was afraid and fled and escaped to Egypt. 22Then King Jehoiakim sent Elnathan son of Achbor and men with him to Egypt, 23and they took Uriah from Egypt and brought him to King Jehoiakim, who struck him down with the sword and threw his dead body into the burial place of the common people.
24But the hand of Ahikam son of Shaphan was with Jeremiah so that he was not given over into the hands of the people to be put to death.
There are modern people who are trying to shut down those who preach the truth. I like Tim Keller. He has some issues (Brother Dalrock has discussed that at length). But he stands for the gospel. We are all flawed.
Because he stands for the gospel he denies the current narrative… and he shall not receive the prize. He must not have a platform.
Tim Keller founded one of the most influential urban churches in America, Redeemer Presbyterian, which is theologically conservative, racially diverse and growing across its three New York City congregations.
He was set to receive an award from Princeton Theological Seminary, also a Presbyterian institution in the Reformed tradition, for his contributions to the “Neo-Calvinist vision of religious engagement.”
But Keller does not believe in the ordination of women and sexually active LGBTQ people, and the seminary’s self-appointed defenders won’t tolerate that.
In a message to the community Wednesday morning, President Craig Barnes announced that the seminary – an independent institution with “historic and continuing” ties to Princeton University – had caved to objections about Keller receiving the Kuyper Prize
The correct thing to do (as a reformed person myself) with this apostate bunch of twits is to find those who still preach the faith. This will lead to the twits trying to sue you, to take their property back — probably to sell it. The same thing is happening with the Anglican faithful leaving the apostate Episcopalian bishops.
The PCUSA is not more useful that the Unitarians when it comes to finding examples of error.
The Rev. Garrett Smith, pastor of Newton Covenant Church, told CP that his congregation had been considering departing from PCUSA for about two decades over what he called “a shift of the denomination away from our core beliefs.”
In January, the Newton congregation voted 107 to 26 in favor of changing their affiliation from PCUSA to the Evangelical Covenant Church, a theologically conservative denomination.
“We are on a different page in terms of mission, theology and practice. It came to the point recently where we realized if we did not leave the PCUSA we were going to lose many people and struggle to survive as a church,” said Smith to CP.
“The presbytery here in Boston is full of declining churches and we did not want to become another.”
Smith also told CP that he and his congregation felt ECC was “a place that could help us in mission and help revive as a church community.”
“We had trouble finding unity as a church and as a leadership on the other Presbyterian denominations,” said Smith when asked about other conservative Presbyterian options like the Evangelical Covenant Order of Presbyterians or the Presbyterian Church in America.
“After a few years in discernment, we found ourselves very excited by the ECC and its leaders and churches we could be in fellowship with. We were amazed by the unity in both our leadership and congregation in support of this move.”
If you are faithful. Expect opposition. Now excuse me for a few minutes. This site will need its backup.