Here are some more tidbits from the book of Ezekiel - revelations of God's character. I know it looks like a long blog, but I promise it's not - it's well worth a read and it only scratches the surface.

(By the way, for those of you interested in Messianic prophecy, it's most certainly not all found in the book of Isaiah! There's a tonne of it in Ezekiel, but I'll let you look for it on your own!)


GOD IS.....

...hurt by our unfaithfulness.

"Then those of you who escape will remember Me among the nations to which they will be carried captive, how I have been hurt by their adulterous hearts which turned away from Me, and by their eyes which played the harlot after their idols; and they will loathe themselves in their own sight for the evils which they have committed, for all their abominations." (Ezekiel 6:9)

...interested in restoration.

"And I will give them one heart, and put a new spirit within them. And I will take the heart of stone out of their flesh and give them a heart of flesh, that they may walk in My statutes and keep My ordinances and do them. Then they will be My people, and I shall be their God." (Ezekiel 11:19-20)

"They will bear the punishment of their iniquity; as the iniquity of the inquirer is, so the iniquity of the prophet will be, in order that the house of Israel may no longer stray from Me and no longer defile themselves with all their transgressions. Thus they will be My people, and I shall be their God,"' declares the Lord God." (Ezekiel 14:10-11)

...concerned with justice for evil deeds.

"But as for those whose hearts go after their detestable things and abominations, I will bring their conduct down on their heads," declares the Lord GOD. (Ezekiel 11:21)

...lavish in His love for us.

"Then I bathed you with water, washed off your blood from you and anointed you with oil. I also clothed you with embroidered cloth and put sandals of porpoise skin on your feet; and I wrapped you with fine linen and covered you with silk. I adorned you with ornaments, put bracelets on your hands and a necklace around your neck. I also put a ring in your nostril, earrings in your ears and a beautiful crown on your head. Thus you were adorned with gold and silver, and your dress was of fine linen, silk and embroidered cloth You ate fine flour, honey and oil; so you were exceedingly beautiful and advanced to royalty. Then your fame went forth among the nations on account of your beauty, for it was perfect because of My splendor which I bestowed on you," declares the Lord God. (Ezekiel 16:9-14)

...desirous that everyone LIVES.

"For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone who dies," declares the Lord God. "Therefore, repent and live." (Ezekiel 18:32)

"Say to them, 'As I live!' declares the Lord God, 'I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn back, turn back from your evil ways! Why then will you die, O house of Israel?'" (Ezekiel 33:11)

...protective of the glory of His name.

"But I acted for the sake of My name, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations among whom they lived, in whose sight I made Myself known to them by bringing them out of the land of Egypt." (Ezekiel 20:9)

...Israel's (our) defender.

'Therefore prophesy concerning the land of Israel and say to the mountains and to the hills, to the ravines and to the valleys, "Thus says the Lord God, 'Behold, I have spoken in My jealousy and in My wrath because you have endured the insults of the nations.' Therefore thus says the Lord God, 'I have sworn that surely the nations which are around you will themselves endure their insults.'" (Ezekiel 36:6-7)

...on our side.

"'For, behold, I am for you, and I will turn to you, and you will be cultivated and sown.'" (Ezekiel 36:9)

So, I've been reading Ezekiel this week. I've decided that it's one MESSED UP book! Well, that's not accurate - the book of Ezekiel is not messed up, but man! some of the things that poor Ezekiel had to do as a prophet were incredible (these things were symbols for Israel, in case you're wondering):

For example:

- He had to lie on his left side, bound up, for 390 days (that's 14 months!)
- While on his side, he had to cook his bread cakes over cow dung (that was supposed to be human dung, but he pleaded with God about that one, and God's mercy was to give him cow dung)
- His reward for lying on his left side for 390 days was to turn over and lie on his right side for 40 days
- After all of that, he had to bare his arm and lay siege to a mini Jerusalem - it was actually a brick with the word "Jerusalem" written on it
- He had to cut off all his hair with a SWORD and run around the city chopping some of it up (the rest he scattered and burnt)

And there's more - that's barely five chapters' worth.

Do you know, I'm at chapter 21 right now (there's 48 altogether) and so far, Ezekiel has only said three things to God. The first was his request to not have to cook his food over human waste (chapter 4). The second, a question about whether God was going to wipe Israel completely off the face of the earth (oh yeah, did I mention God is ticked with Israel in this book?) (chapter 9). The third is also a question, probably out of frustration. Ezekiel asks God if the people to whom he passes these prophetic messages are not just going to think he's speaking in stories or parables. I personally would have asked if they weren't just going to think I was crazy - he showed more reserve than I would have. Way to go, Ezekiel.

Three short comments in 21 chapters. I think I could make three short comments in the space of one nanosecond. And even then, "short" is a relative term. I realize this book is all about God's judgment prophesied over Israel and his anger and the just reasons for it. But to me, so far, I have seen a man who is so dedicated to God's pleasure and living a life of righteousness that he barely even talks to God about it - he simply does what he is told. I want to live a life like that. I'm fearful that I'm not even close, but that's what I want.

Few words and radical obedience.
I have a feeling that one will be harder than the other....



(On a lighter note, here are a couple of comments that witty friends of mine made this week when we were talking about Ezekiel and all his crazy stuff....

"Can you imagine how GREAT Ezekiel would have felt, just for a moment, when after 390 days he turned over to his other side?"

"I can just see Ezekiel going to heaven and God saying, 'Hey, remember when I made you do all that weird stuff? Good times, good times....'"

Just to be clear, when they said this I did move aside in case there was any lightening going to strike them. So far, they're still around....)


PS - HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MOM!!!!

OK, I promise I'm not trying to cheap out on the blogs here lately - I've just been interested in some things that other people been writing. Definitely check out Andrew Stringer's blog from November 12th. He (I would think quite innocently) posted a quote from William Booth that has been getting a lot of feedback and a good discussion on guilt as a motivating tool. Interesting stuff - check it out.

Check out MJ's blog ("The Line" - Wednesday, November 16th) for some incredible insight on relying on God alone while still being a member of the body of Christ. Good stuff!

I've been reading a book by friends of mine, Aaron White and Stephen Court, called Revolution. (Sorry, guys, I can't get the cool backwards letter thingy you got going on in the title.....) Here's a quote from it that really struck me:

"Anything less than a total commitment on our part to bringing the light to the ends of the earth suggests we haven't really grasped why Jesus came, lived and died. (page 32)"

I realize that at a first glance that statement might sound harsh and perhaps even critical or judgmental, but in fact, I believe it is actually the bald truth, with no judgment attached to it. If we do not have spreading the gospel and fulfilling our mission in the little time we have on this earth as our first and foremost purpose in life, we probably haven't yet fully realized what Jesus was doing and how we are to carry on this work. I suppose that could sound judgmental, too, but it truly isn't meant to be. I simply see the truth in the statement.

There's no agenda attached to this statement about how or where to carry out that passion to spread the gospel. Those details are laid before us by the Father in how He asks us to spend our lives on Him. But there is a when, and the when must be not only now, but always, every second of our lives.

There's another purpose that we are called to fulfill on earth, and I would suggest it is primary, even compared to spreading the gospel (don't lynch me, boys, read on....). It is getting to know and love God with every ounce of our being. Spreading the gospel is important (what an understatement!), but it remains only a duty unless sparked by knowing Jesus and fulfilling that commission out of love. The Westminster Shorter Catechism has this as it's very first statement:

"The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever."

When we truly know and love God (or pursue knowing Him - we won't get there until we see Him face to face), and truly understand "why Jesus came, lived and died," then we will worship Him more purely and seek to spread His message to every corner of the earth, not out of duty, but because we love Him and we love the people He loves. It will be a commission fulfilled out of hearts of passionate love, just as Aaron and Stephen are talking about.

Bring it on.

I have been thinking a lot in the past few months (perhaps even the past few years?) about social justice in the suburbs.

It has seemed in our times that the people that are most passionate about social justice (the justice that God requires in the scriptures - taking care of the poor, the homeless, the outcast, the orphan and the widow) are the ones that are moving to the inner cities and living in community with addicts, prostitutes and the homeless. Kudos to them - really - it takes a lot of boldness to move into that part of town, especially for those with young families. The decision to do this reflects a passion of conviction and a trust in God's protection that is an example for all of us.

But what of the number of God's people who live in the suburbs? Obviously there are more of us - geography and the demographics attest to that. Why is it that living in the suburbs and being in ministry and mission here makes me feel less than adequate in the eyes of those who now live downtown? Something in myself? Well, that's entirely possible, I suppose. But the more I read the literature of my brothers and sisters in the inner cities of our country and the more I hear the comments about "true community" and "incarnational living" and "social justice," the more I feel that fingers are pointing at those of us living in the "cushy suburbs" - that we might not really be engaged in the warfare of the Spirit and the mission that God has ordained for His church to fulfill.

I want to break that myth here tonight.

The suburbs contain homeless. The suburbs have addicts. The suburbs have the broken. The suburbs have prostitutes. The suburbs have the poor and the marginalized. The suburbs have widows and divorcees and orphans and the abused. The suburbs have it all. More importantly, the suburbs have thousands upon thousands of unsaved creations of the living God who are marching straight to hell even as I write.

The suburbs also have passionate believers - believers who are willing to go to any lengths to see the name of God glorified and His justice executed. The suburbs - and more specifially suburban Christians - have been given a bad rap since this latest movement for social justice has abounded in the church. Are we not one body? Are the only people needing the saving love of Jesus in the inner city? Lots of them are there, and praise the Lord, so are lots of passionate, convicted followers of Christ. But lots of these people are here, in the suburbs, quietly sitting in their houses, needing the love and redemptive power of God. Praise the Lord there are many convicted followers of Christ here, too.

We need to be ONE BODY. We need to band together, regardless of where we minister, to remember that whatever geographical location in which we are called to be, that's exactly where we need to be showering people with the love of God and the passion for His justice in our world.

The suburbs are not a cop-out. The suburbs are a calling. If there are Christians anywhere that are not living up to the fullness of our mission as believers, that is actually the issue. It is not about where we live or don't live. It is about obedience. Where we live does not indicate the level of our heart's cry for justice and mercy upon all of our cities in this day and age.

As I often do when posting a blog like this one, I pray for God's mercy to be on us, and our hearts, minds and even our mouths to be filled with His undeniable wisdom and love.

As I work on my computer this afternoon, I'm listening to a song that I wrote a few years ago called "Dance Like David." For once, I was not listening with an ultra-critical musical ear (as I often do when listening to my own stuff), but I was rather listening to the heart and the depth of passion that was in me when I wrote the lyrics. And as I thought about what was in me that I just had to get out the day that song was written, I wondered if I still feel the same way.

In some ways, I feel like my personal passion and zeal to worship has been lost or damaged in some way. Has it really? Is who I am as a worshipper simply a shadow of what I have been in the past? Has my zeal been buried in the mechanics and responsibilities of teaching worship and leading music? Or have I simply not spent enough time alone at the feel of Jesus, telling Him how much I adore Him?

There is such a danger in ministry - and yet we are all called to it. There is such a tendency to be so caught up in what we do FOR God that we lose opportunities to be WITH God and simply lavish Him with praise. There is a dangerous but pervasive thought process that says, "I could be doing all these things instead of just sitting here alone worshipping God." I know I have blogged about this before. I likely will again. I miss the times where all I was worried about was when I was going to get the chance to worship Him again and how I could do it more extravagantly. I know that my understanding of what God accepts as worship has grown and matured over the years. But this afternoon I am missing the times where the worship and the music were simply about Him and me. I know He has called me to more than that, and that part of my worship is to passionately reproduce the gifts and passions He has given me.

But sometimes I just want to be extravangant and anonymous once again.


I want to give extravagant praise
I want to dance like David danced
I want to unveil myself before You
I want to dance like David danced

I want to pour out fragrant oil
I want to dance like David danced
I want to clothe Your feet with kisses
I want to dance like David danced


Now one of the Pharisees was requesting Him to dine with him, and He entered the Pharisee's house and reclined at the table. And there was a woman in the city who was a sinner; and when she learned that He was reclining at the table in the Pharisee's house, she brought an alabaster vial of perfume, and standing behind Him at His feet, weeping, she began to wet His feet with her tears, and kept wiping them with the hair of her head, and kissing His feet and anointing them with the perfume. (Luke 7:36-38)

David, wearing a linen ephod, danced before the Lord with all his might.... David said to Michal, "It was before the Lord, who chose me rather than your father or anyone from his house when he appointed me ruler over the Lord's people Israel—I will celebrate before the Lord. I will become even more undignified than this, and I will be humiliated in my own eyes. (2 Samuel 6:14, 21-22a)

I heard a disturbing comment on one of the news radio stations this morning. The story was coverage of political discussions in light of our upcoming elections, with a member of the Sex Party urging parliament to simply legalize brothels in Vancouver, since - as he asserted - they're already there under assumed business licenses. The MP's response was that irresponsible comments like that one are "further stigmatizing the sex trade."

Further stigmatizing? The inference that I was left with after hearing this interchange (and assuredly the one that the MP intended me to have as it made his collegue look poorly) was that it is people's irresponsible comments that are making prostitution a "dirty" business.

Since when has prositution become a career? Since when is it anything short of a grossly perverted use of something beautiful that God created? Since when are men and women caught in the sex trade people of business rather than souls beloved by God who are only harming themselves and invoking God's anger? Where is the justice in this?

I was so angry when I heard that report, especially considering it left me feeling that these politicians were more concerned about their reputations than actually doing something about prositution. I may be wrong about their attitudes - I hope so. Prostituion is not a "problem" nor is it a political platform. It is people.

May God have mercy on us for our attitudes, and help us to see our way clear to executing justice for these His children (including the politicians!).

As I watch some of the amazing way that God grows us, His servants, I marvel at the things He takes us through to produce fruit-bearing disciples and tools that He can use at will. As a pastor, I watch my congregation, both young and older, with both pride in their growth and pain as they walk through sorrow, testing and difficult seasons. But surprisingly, even when the hard seasons seem to have passed, and the joy of abundant fruit is apparent, I find that there is still an ache deep within me to pray for each of those so embedded in my heart. I find comfort in knowing that Paul was the same. This was his prayer, as it is mine.....

For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be with power through His Spirit in the inner man, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God. (Ephesians 3:14-19)

This is it! The last of the "40 Days of Purpose" accountability blogs. I'm done! (Actually, I was supposed to be done a few days ago, but better late than never, in this case....) For those who have never read the book, The Purpose Driven Life, it's actually pretty good, filled with some basic - and extremely important - tenets of our faith. May the Lord bless your pursuit of His truth if you decide to read it!

40 DAYS OF PURPOSE
Chapter Forty: Living With Purpose

Main idea: Similar to the very first chapter, this last one reiterates that it is not about us and our plans, but rather about living our lives for the eternal purposes of God.
Most impactful verse: "Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them. (John 13:17 NIV)" and "The eyes of the Lord search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to Him. (2 Chronicles 16:9 NLT)"
Most impactful concept: Just these questions to consider throughout our lives: Am I putting Jesus at the centre of my life? Am I working at developing His character? Am I devoting my life to serving others? Am I communicating His message and fulfilling His mission? Am I loving and participating in his family?
Other thoughts: With God's help, I pray that it will be so forever, for all of us. And for those of us that have just completed the 40 Days of Purpose and reading The Purpose Driven Life, I pray that it will now be a time of implementation and action for each one of us.

"Don't lose a minute in building on what you've been given, complementing your basic faith with good character, spiritual understanding, alert discipline, passionate patience, reverent wonder, warm friendliness, and generous love." (2 Peter 1:5 MSG)

40 DAYS OF PURPOSE
Chapter Thirty-Nine: Balancing Your Life

Main idea: We must keep a balance in our lives - living out each of the five purposes all the time.
Most impactful verse: "Test yourselves to make sure you are solid in the faith. Don't drift along taking everything for granted. Give yourselves regular checkups.... Test it out. If you fail the test, do something about it. (2 Corinthians 13:5 MSG)"
Most impactful concept: The best way to balance the five purposes in your life is to evaluate yourself regularly.
Other thoughts: Test ourselves....definitely Biblical - and we should do it with an ability to see both the negative and the positive things in our lives, otherwise we will get discouraged when we only see the things that are not as they should be. Here's a thought: let's ask God regularly what we're doing that pleases Him and what we could do that would please Him more.

40 DAYS OF PURPOSE
Chapter Thirty-Eight: Becoming a World-Class Christian

Main idea: We are all called to the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20).
Most impactful verse: "I don't think about what would be good for me but about what would be good for many people so that they might be saved. (1 Corinthians 10:33 GWT)"
Most impactful concept: We can (and probably should) pray and ask God how to witness and what things are holding someone back from knowing Him.
Other thoughts: I must admit that by the end of this chapter I was slightly disturbed to note that though the book talks about "mission" as being sharing our witness with non-believers, this chapter really only specifically equates that with cross-cultural missions. I would have to disagree that this is the only way to fulfill our God-given mission to evanglize the world. There are people in my own backyard - indeed, in each apartment next to mine - that need to know God in a personal way so as to be with Him for all eternity. I think there are times when people are frightened to go overseas, and therefore make excuses. I myself (I will be honest) have never wanted to go on cross-cultural missions, though if you asked me why, I might be hard-pressed to come up with a good answer, other than that it is completely unfamiliar territory for me, and therefore makes me nervous until I've actually done it. But regardless of my desire to not go to Africa at this time, I have a great desire to see people saved and see the name of God glorified in the process. I think we as the church must be careful to (a) not judge someone's motives for staying home, and (b) remember that even Canadians need to know Jesus. In fact, I believe that some of the third-world countries where we are sending missionaries contain a faster growing church than Canada itself (that's not hard, as we are in decline overall). Perhaps they'll soon see fit to send us some missionaries in fulfillment of their Great Commission. Until then, may God find us faithful to be His witnesses to the ends of the earth - even this end.