hosanna.

sometimes i wonder if we are an exiled people.

throughout history, the Hebrew people went in and out of exile.
they knew that a Messiah was coming, but they didn't know what they were looking for. they knew that they needed to follow God's commands from the past, but they weren't sure what He was saying in those days. God seemed silent.

we, the people of God, are spread all around, knowing something of what is to come-- Christ's return.
many of us are unsure of what to do right now-- and feeling directionless. we want to hear from Him, and we're all kept waiting, wondering what's going to happen next.

however, throughout history, the Lord has used exile to do some miraculous things.
for example:

*de-centralized worship (people began to build synagogues all over-- they no longer believed that the Lord was only present at Zion).

*the writing of the Torah in the lingua franca-- Aramaic

*the Hebrew people began to notice that God was elsewhere in the world, and in fact began witnessing! "God-fearers" came to know Yahweh, and pagan cultures were "evangelized" to monotheism, as a result of the exile. this prepared the way for the gospel of Christ among the nations.

*when the Israelites were gathered together again, only those who were devoted returned-- exile cleansed the people of the idolaters.

what is the Lord going to do in our time of exile?
purge us of idolatry? spread us around the world, bringing the truth with us? something new and beautiful that we have yet to understand?
i long for His return, i long for Him to gather us together, but i KNOW His timing is perfect.

hello, again

okay okay okay.

if i ever again neglect blogging for an extended period of time, y'all have my permission to bug me about it.

if i knew that there was a certain spot in my city where i could stand, at a certain time of day, and everyone would stop and listen-- it would irresponsible of me to not show up to that spot, at that time, and preach the gospel.
likewise, people read blogs. we should make the most of this opportunity.
so i'm going to try and jump back on the bandwagon, we'll see how this goes.

i'm considering starting a series, that may one day turn into a book, called something like, "What must i do to be saved?"
my writings on holiness have all been clear and steady.
my writings on salvation are more likely to be a struggle, because i have so many diverse, half-baked thoughts on this far-reaching theme.

it will include topics such as:
repentance
grace
faith
predestination
works
judgement
hell/heaven
the end of the world
fear of the Lord
character of the Lord
evangelism
free will

you can expect me to launch off into these themes in my next few entries.

i'll leave you with that for now, and also with this--
stay close to Jesus.