The
By Allan Aubert
“Then he
said to me, “Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word
of the LORD! This is what the Sovereign LORD
says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. I
will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with
skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know
that I am the LORD.’ ” So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was
prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together,
bone to bone. I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered
them, but there was no breath in them. Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the
breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, ‘This is
what the Sovereign LORD says: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe
into these slain, that they may live.’ ” So I prophesied as he commanded me,
and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet—a vast
army. – Ezekiel 37:4-10
The last
few years in the Detroit Church of Christ have been years of great
freedom! No one has been assigned a
discipleship partner, there has been no accountability
for contribution, evangelism, or quiet times. Attendance at church events has
been optional. Everyone was assumed to be “doing well” unless there was some
very obvious problem. Most pulled back from any close discipling involvement in
their lives. What has been the result of having this “easy discipleship” in your
life? Has this time drawn you closer to
God and other disciples?
This one
man’s perspective is that I can’t find anyone who has thrived spiritually in
this environment, only some that have struggled to hold fast to their
convictions and endured until things should improve. Most though have weakened,
and some have given up on their faith. I have found my old sins and temptations
creeping back into my life, and my vision for the future being pulled toward
worldly ambitions rather than Godly. Like any time of over-reaction to the past,
it is time for this, too to come to an end!
This
summer, the leadership of the church refocused on restoring our faith in, and
obedience to God, and his scriptures. Kicked off by our recent Friday night
service of confession and rededication, many have felt the refreshment that
comes from repentance! Have you felt the winds of the Holy Spirit blowing in
your life? The
This
summer’s campaign to restore our evangelism is really about rebuilding the
evangelistic army of faithful disciples that once was the