Jeremiah 3:15 And I will give you Shepherds according to Mine Heart, which shall feed you with Knowledge and Understanding.
These words spoken by the Prophet Jeremiah are primarily for Israel during the coming Kingdom Age, but the Principle can be applied to the Church today.
The people were in a backslidden condition. They had turned their backs on God and His Commandments. They had entered into horrible sin, but God in His Mercy said through the Prophet Jeremiah, Return, backsliding Israel,’ says the Lord; ‘I will not cause My anger to fall on you. For I am merciful,’ says the Lord; ‘I will not remain angry forever. Only acknowledge your iniquity, That you have transgressed against the Lord your God, And have scattered your charms to alien deities under every green tree, and you have not obeyed My voice,’ says the Lord.
Many Christian congregations are in such a condition today. They have turned their backs on their first love, Jesus Christ, who is the Word of God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. (John 1:14) They have drifted from the Purpose and Pattern set forth by God in the New Testament and have gone their own way following rituals, traditions, and various doctrines of man.
Many churches today are without Pastors. Others have a hireling of a Pastor who lacks the Call of God on his life. As we discussed yesterday, perhaps they have been going about it the wrong way. We don’t have to search for a Pastor. There is no need to advertise or hire an agency to find the right man. God said, And I will give you Shepherds according to Mine Heart, who will feed you with Knowledge and Understanding.
We have to learn to trust God for everything. If the Church can’t trust God, who can? I am aware of a church that exhausted everything they could think of and hired pastor after pastor only to watch their church get worse. If they had only followed God’s Pattern found in His Word, the Lord would have sent them a Called Shepherd according to His Heart who would have fed them with the knowledge and understanding they had looked for all those many years.
The problem is, the doctrine of their denomination and their by-laws state they have to form a Pastor Search Committee and consider a certain number of applicants. Then, they are required to follow a procedure whereby they narrow down their search to two or three. Finally, after several interviews, they bring their recommendation to the congregation and the people vote. None of this is anywhere to be found in the Word of God. It is nothing more than man-made doctrine. The Lord called this iniquity which is sin that is carried on from generation to generation.
This is a perfect example of so many churches that struggle to find a Pastor. They continue to follow the same ways because that’s the way it’s always been done and that's what their by-laws require. I'm sorry, my friends, but if it’s not in accordance with the Word of God, it’s not God’s Pattern or Order. But God said, Return, backsliding Israel,’ says the Lord; ‘I will not cause My anger to fall on you. For I am merciful,’ says the Lord; ‘I will not remain angry forever. Only acknowledge your iniquity, That you have transgressed against the Lord your God…... And I will give you Shepherds according to Mine Heart, who will feed you with Knowledge and Understanding.
Praise God for His never-ending Mercy! Let us learn to trust God for what we need and do things His Way which is perfect! He is the Rock, His Work is perfect; For all His Ways are justice, A God of Truth and without injustice; Righteous and Upright is He.(Deuteronomy 32:4)
The Word of God will……….turn the tide
In the Word, Doreen
www.bettsministries.org
