I knew this week would give me more clues into whether my Pastor was going woke or not. That is because this week we were going to be studying the book of Nahum. As far as I have seen, Nahum is a prophet that many a woke Pastor tries to ignore, make apologies for, or reinterpret altogether. I wondered if my Pastor would even find some justification for not doing the book at all!
Anyway, Sunday rolled around, and I arrived at Church early as I had signed up to be a church greeter. I realized that the book of Nahum would be a watershed moment for our Church. When a Pastor is forced to face what the fiery prophet Nahum said about God judging the nations it provides clarity about what their church is and what it stands for.
So many things are changing in churches today. It is no longer right or godly to stick by a Pastor or a church which has failed in its’ God given mandate to preach the Word of God. The book of Revelation draws a vivid picture of churches who while following some of the tenets of the faith have failed miserably in others.
Ephesus had forgotten its’ first love. What a sad, sad thing to say about a Church. Then there was Pergamon. This Church appeared to suffer from many spiritual lapses. So many sins were committed that it needed to repent. Thryatira was following some false prophet. Do you get the picture? When a church has a problem, the Bible does not ignore it and neither should we.
Unfortunately, many people think of church as something other than what God wanted it to be. Some think it is their Church which brings salvation when in point of fact only Jesus alone can bring salvation. There are those who think of the social networking aspects of their Church and don’t care about how they are living their lives at all. So, what if my Pastor, or yours, is woke and departs from the teachings of Jesus and substitutes a false gospel? The Bible says that such a one is accursed.
As my Pastor opened the book of Nahum, I knew that if he was departing from biblical truths that it would be imperative that I respond to that challenge. The Pastor started his sermon by giving some useful background information including the historical setting of the book. The prophet Nahum appears to have preached during the time of King Josiah, the last good King of Judah. Nahum’s message to the Jewish people explained that the time had finally come for the just judgement of God to come upon the Assyrian state.
Interestingly enough, God’s judgement of that civilization had been previously forestalled when they heard the words of another prophet Jonah and they accepted the opportunity God have given them through the prophet to repent. The opportunity to repent of their sins was accepted in Nineveh the capitol of the Assyrian empire. God always gives individuals and nations opportunities to fly right. In fact, being truly sorry for our sins and accepting Jesus as our Lord and Savior could come just moments before our death and the judgement of God that should come because of all the wrong that we have done would be mitigated by Jesus’ atoning death for us. It was only some time later when the Assyrians disobeyed God again that their time of punishment would arrive.
As the sermon unfolded I was taking notes to see if my Pastor flinched from revealing the true content of this tiny book in the Bible. I resolved to compare my notes of his sermon to the book of Nahum after service to make sure. Was he going to mention that God’s wrath was coming? Or would he shy away from verses describing the destruction of Nineveh in chapters 2 or 3?. Finally, the message in Nahum points to the fact that believers in God can feel comforted by God but for the enemies of God there will be judgement. Would the Pastor be able to get through this without changing the message or interpreting the book into oblivion?
In today’s world we are moving away from the traditional concepts of justice. There are so many headlines that you can read telling of gangs of people in the United States stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of handbags or other merchandise and security guards or citizens just watching or recording a video of the event without interceding. People get beat up on the streets, while people walk by in major cities of the United States. It all points to confusion of the moral sort. What of letting murderers and rapists off with light sentences? What of all the national conflicts going on at the moment? Rockets being shot off here and there and everywhere? It all points to ungodliness on a grand scale and God will have his say.
I am relieved to know that upon hearing my Pastor’s sermon and scrutinizing its’ content that my Pastor passed the woke test. The last thing this world needs is one more fallen away Christian. With everything going on in the world we need to put on our full spiritual armor everyday and make a decision to be in God’s camp. We need to hold our Pastors accountable and leave churches that no longer represent Jesus Christ. Phew, that was a close call!
The Lord is good-indeed, He is a fortress in time of distress, and He protects those who seek refuge in Him. But with an overwhelming flood He will make a complete end of, He will drive, His enemies into darkness. Nahum 1:7-8.
Next Week: Election Insanity
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