From the Pen of Paul

God's Remedy for a Sinsick World (4)

(Note: We are continuing to look at God's remedy for a world deep in sin as given to Solomon in II Chronicles 7:14.)

If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray...........

"and seek my face": How do we seek God's face? By seeking Him with all our heart. Moses told the Israelites, "But if from thence thou shalt seek the Lord thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul" (Deut. 4:29). We seek the face of God by seeking His law. It is said of Ezra that he had "prepared his heart to seek the law of the Lord, and to do it" (Ezra 7:10). We seek the face of God when we seek first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness (Matt. 6:33).

We need to take into consideration that there is an appointed time to seek the Lord. Sometimes we hear folks say that they are going to seek the Lord that they are going to obey His truth, but they are not ready yet. Who gave them that right? Isaiah warned, "Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near" (Isaiah 55:6). If this doesn't indicate that man may wait too late to seek the Lord or to call upon Him, then what is it saying? Listen carefully to the words of Proverbs 1:24-28:

Because I have called and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded; But ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof: I will also laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh; When your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you, Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me.

Some have died in their sins because they had not yet decided to seek the Lord and to obey His word.

"and turn from their wicked ways": Our ways may not seem wicked to us because we are comparing ourselves to those others out in the world. Just exactly what is a wicked way? In Acts 8 when Simon tried to buy the gift of God with money, Peter told him, "Repent therefore of this thy wickedness" (v. 18:22). Simon's wickedness was due to his thoughts (v. 20). I believe a good definition is anything in our lives that prevents us from being the very best Christian possible, is a wicked way in the sight of God. And all such things need to be turned from. The Bible calls this action repentence. There are scores of church members who need to repent of their sins, confess their sin, and ask God's forgiveness. Many neglect to study as they should; many neglect to assemble with the church for Bible Study and worshp; some feel no need to attend on Sunday night; others allow any and every excuse imaginable to keep them from the services of the church. What about you? Are you guilty of the sin of neglect? That is wickedness in the sight of God. We have preachers who need to repent and turn from their wicked ways; some have compromised the truth—they need to repent; some have joined with denominations in their error—they need to repent.

And if God's people, called by His name, do these things required by God: if we will humble ourselves and pray, and seek the face of God, and turn from our wicked ways, what does God promise to do?

"then will I hear from heaven": Isaiah informs us: "Behold the Lord's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear" (Isaiah 59:1). God is not deaf; God can hear; and He has promised to hear the prayers of the righteous.

"and will forgive their sin": God is a merciful, forgiving God. "For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more" (Heb. 8:12).

"and will heal their land": If we want healing in our land, and if we want healing in the great brotherhood, we must go back and start doing things God's way; there just isn't any other way. God has the remedy for all our ills; He has the remedy for this sin-sick world that we live in; He has the remedy for all the ills that are plaguing the church in the 21st century: And that remedy is:

"If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land." —Amen!
—Paul Wilmoth

From the Preacher's Viewpoint. . .

We have some preachers in our brotherhood who are scared to death when it comes to the word "direct" with reference to the work of the Holy Spirit and the work of God. Does God do any work at all anymore? Is He entirely separated from His people and the work of His people? If so, then why pray to Him? If God answers our prayers as Christians it has to be direct somewhere along the line. We pray for God to keep us safe when we travel. Does He do so, and if He does, how does God do this? Does He do this without doing anything Himself? Some tell us God does do something, but when investigated, God does not do anything, according to their arguments.

When a baby is begotten in the womb, God sends the spirit of life into that baby because God is the God of spirits (Heb. 12:9; Eccl. 12:7). When God sends the spirit of life into the begotten child does He do so in a direct way or in an indirect way? We say God does so in a direct way. How could it be otherwise?

God forgives us our sins when we obey the truth and sends seasons of refreshings from the presence of the Lord (Acts 3:19). Does He do this in a direct way or an indirect way? If indirect, please tell us how this is done. Those seasons of refreshings are of interest to us. How does this take place, and does God have anything to do with this?

Brethren often pray for the preacher to say the right things, and they pray for God to help him preach and remember what he has prepared to say. Should brethren pray this prayer? Why don't the preachers that are so afraid of the word "direct" rebuke the brethren for praying this prayer? We know why they do not do so! The preachers would get fired if they did so. How could we ask God to help us in anything if He never does so?

Many brethren want to deal with how the Holy Spirit works in a child of God and this only. They do not want to deal with the subject of God's providence and how God and the Holy Spirit work in providence. You see, there is more to how the Holy Spirit works in this day and age than just a study of His working in the Christian. If God can work directly in providence and it not be a miracle, then He can work in a Christian and it not be a miracle. If not, why not? Brethren sometimes use the word "direct" to scare unlearned brethren away from God's teaching and truth. They sometimes do the same thing when it comes to the word "divine" or "supernatural." All healing is divine, but this does not mean that it is a miracle. God heals in a supernatural way, but this does not mean He still works miracles. We know God does not work miracles today as He once did, but this does not mean that God does nothing today.

One of the saddest things that could happen to the Lord's church today has taken place with some of our extreme brethren. They have tried to relegate the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit to a sideline place in the church today. They do not want the Father, Son and Holy Spirit in today's congregations. The Bible teaches that God still answers prayer, the Son still mediates for the Christian, and the Holy Spirit is still given to all who are scripturally baptized. Is it any wonder that some congregations are as dead as an old dead stump if brethren try to pitch the Triune God out of it?
—Malcolm L. Hill