2 Chronicles 18:12-13 ~ "Then the messenger who went to summon Micaiah spoke to him saying, 'Behold, the words of the prophets are uniformly favorable to the king. So please let your word be like one of them and speak favorably'. But Micaiah said, 'As the LORD lives, what my God says, that I will speak'.”
Read the full story in 2 Chronicles 18 to see what God told the prophet Micaiah to say...
Then remember and recall this incident the next time you hear someone ask, "Why can't we all just agree to disagree"?
The word which Micaiah spoke was NOT in agreement with the word from other prophets. Micaiah was NOT in unity with them, however Micaiah WAS in unity with God. WHY?
Because he spoke what God wanted...although it was not well-received. Because the king did NOT like what God spoke through Micaiah, the king called Micaiah's word "EVIL".
When God's word reproves your lifestyle, there is a reason...it is God's way of pointing out to you what is wrong in your life, and what changes are needed.
At this point, in your life, you have a choice to make - - - change, or do as this king did...call God's word "evil", and NOT change. You may consult with other people who would tell you a "word" that is "favorable" like these other prophets did to the king. But, in your heart, God's word will continue to disturb you, because it revealed the truth about your life to you.
You can't escape truth; you may try to "mask" it, or as is said in Romans 1, "suppress truth", but this decision will not save. Only by doing "what my God says" will you be saved and ready for the day of Judgment, looking forward to that day to come.
No, Micaiah was not united with the other prophets in the "word" they gave to the king. So today, "what my God says" is that "word" that Jesus taught. This "word" will bring true UNITY. God desires THIS type of unity from us. It can exist, but it comes with a price...just as it did with Micaiah. You will NOT be united with most others in your beliefs and practices.
God's "WORD" is the STANDARD, for which true unity can exist. This is what Jesus wanted of ALL believers. It can't happen when differing messages are proclaimed. The message must be uniform.
Read
John 17:20-21 - Simply being in agreement does not necessarily mean that God approves of our unity. "Two or three" being gathered does not mean He is in our midst (Matt. 18:20). The phrase "IN MY NAME" dictates whether the assembling is pleasing to God.
Jesus prayed for all who believe on Him to believe on Him THROUGH THEIR WORD...whose word? The apostles word!
Their "word" was as Micaiah's..."what my God says, that I will speak".
God gave Jesus His WORD - "For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak." ~ John 12:49
Jesus said in John 17:8, "...I have given unto THEM [the apostles] the words which thou gavest me...".
The apostle Paul said in 1 Cor. 14:37, "...the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord."
Likewise, the unity that is "OF THE SPIRIT" is to be united as the Holy Spirit declared through the pen of those who preached the gospel ~ Eph. 4:1-6
Joshua pointed out the two choices that we have when we encounter "what my God says" Joshua 24:15 - "And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD."
The apostle John was given this "word" of "what my God says" from the Holy Spirit. He wrote:
"Anyone who does not remain in Christ’s teaching but goes beyond it, does not have God. The one who remains in that teaching, this one has both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your home, and don’t say, “Welcome,” to him; for the one who says, “Welcome,” to him shares in his evil works.
~ 2 John 1:9-11
"Abide", or "go beyond" 'what my God says'; "remain in" 'what my God says', or "not receive" 'what my God says'...what choice will you and I make?
copyright 2018
rdb
No comments:
Post a Comment