Christian Living
January 6, 2012 – A Lifeless Body
8 And I looked and behold, there were sinews upon [the bones] and flesh came upon them and skin covered them over, but there was no breath or spirit in them. 9 Then said He to me, Prophesy to the breath and spirit, son of man, and say to the breath and spirit, Thus says the Lord God: Come from the four winds, O breath and spirit, and breathe upon these slain that they may live. 10 So I prophesied as He commanded me, and the breath and spirit came into [the bones], and they lived and stood upon their feet, an exceedingly great host. – Ezekiel 37:8-10 AMP
Chapter Thirty-Seven of Ezekiel is a very graphic prophecy about the nation of Israel being born again, and its people being brought from all over the world back to the Promised Land. It starts in a valley of dry bones, and God brings those bones back to life again. Just like when God made Adam, the body was formed, and then breath entered the body. Once the breath entered, the multitude stood together, in Ezekiel’s words, an exceedingly great host.
Ezekiel grew up in and around the temple in Jerusalem. He was born into a priestly family, and was even carried off as an exile to Babylon when Nebuchadnezzar took control of the kingdom of Judah. With such an upbringing, Ezekiel was able to see firsthand a fair share of his fellow countrymen turning away from God. He looked around and saw lots of people, but they had no life in them. Christians today are increasingly becoming like the Israelites in Ezekiel’s day: the body is there, but there is no life.
In college I took a course on emergency medical care. In this course they taught the basics; the ABCs they called them. The A is for airway, B is for breathing, and C is for circulation. These were the first things we were taught to look for in an accident victim, even if their arm was completely ripped off their body. If their airway was obstructed, it had to be cleared. Then they had to breathe, even if you had to administer CPR to get it done. Then the victim’s blood had to flow, once again, using CPR if necessary. I won’t go into the techniques that had to be used, but I just wanted to point out that breathing came first. You had to make sure the victim could move air before anything else. Yes, breathing is that important.
So what does all this breathing talk have to do with Christians? Everything. The typical Christian most people picture in their mind is simply someone who goes to church. They may be meek and humble people, but will likely kowtow to just about anything. They do anything they like and go anywhere they want and even keep committing the same sins over and over. They live in a land of eternal forgiveness, so it’s okay to do as they wish. They made no amendment in their life after receiving their salvation. They have physical life in their body, but the breath and spirit imparted by God is nowhere to be seen.
If you have followed my blogs since the inception of this website, you will know that I have very little tolerance for church leaders and pastors who water down the Word to fit their church into society. But on the other hand I can see the frustration of some pastors and leaders who really live what the Word says. Imagine being a pastor and having to look over the same flock week after week, knowing you’re not reaching them. You see the lives those in your flock lead and don’t know why they don’t get it. You deliver the message God puts on your heart and never compromise the Word, but it always falls on deaf ears. They all just sit there with the same fake smiles every time you step up to the pulpit. I’d probably go home every Sunday afternoon and bang my head on a wall and even question if I was in the right line of work. Can such bones really live? Lord, only You know.
What will it take to breathe life back into the body of Christ? First of all, believers must have a desire to do something different. They must be willing to change. They must look at themselves through God’s eyes and want to live for Him. And they must choose to follow Him no matter what the consequences. Believers alone changing will be a great move of God in and of itself.
Second, pastors have to preach the Word. They cannot preach a watered down version of the real thing but must choose to preach the real deal. Preach about the dangers of immoral living. Preach about the evils and lusts of the world. Preach about living godly lives. Preach about being real and never fake. And never waver out of fear of offending someone.
Third, pastors, leaders, and lay people in the church need to come together in one accord. Break down denominational boundaries. Stick to a rigid interpretation of the Bible and stand by it. Never assume that anything in the Word may say one thing but mean something else. That’s where compromise can begin, and once it starts, it’s almost impossible to stop.
When pastors resolve to preach the Word and believers change their ways, the breath of life will enter the body of Christ like it did in the first century church. Those believers were of one accord. They didn’t waver from the Truth.
Are you the pastor ready to take a stand? Are you the believer who needs to change their ways? Are you the church leader ready to point out wrongs in your church and correct them? Whoever you are and whatever you’re doing, stop and ask God for His breath in your body. If we all choose Him and His ways, we’ll no longer be a lifeless body; we’ll be all standing on our feet together, seeing the same thing Ezekiel did: an exceedingly great host.
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