Hope for the Double-minded Church

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The parallels were glaringly obvious to me as I read through the Book of Hosea in preparation for this study.

The modern church and Israel.

The modern church buildings with stage sets, stage lights, modern bands, and modern music…with words that say praise to God, but a cursory glance would cause us to wonder if we’re really worshiping man and his ability to play really great music.

“Though they call to the Most High, none at all exalt Him.” (11:7)

The exaltation of the boss babe, the side-hustle woman.

“Now they sin more and more, and have made for themselves molded images, idols of their silver, according to their skill” (13:2)

These themes run throughout the entire book.

Hope for the Double-minded Church

Much like Israel in that day, the church is fruitful.

God has blessed us with skillful people: theologians, song-writers and musicians, people who are skilled with children and working with teens.

There is no lack of Christian books on every subject you could possibly want.

There is so much skill and professional ability in the church today – probably more than ever before in history.

And yet, here is what God said about Israel:

“Israel empties his vine; he brings forth fruit for himself. According to the multitude of his fruit he has increased the altars; according to the bounty of hi s land they have embellished his sacred pillars.” (10:1)

Israel was fruitful, but the harvest didn’t go to worship of God, it went to idolatry.

The greater the harvest, the greater the idolatry.

So much so, that God actually changed the name of Bethel – House of God to Beth Aven – House of Wickedness (10:5).

In their abundance, they forgot God.

“Yet I am the LORD your God ever since the land of Egypt, and you shall know no God but Me; for there is no savior besides Me. I knew you in the wilderness, in the land of great drought. When they had pasture, they were filled; they were filled and their heart was exalted; therefore they forgot Me.” (13:4-5)

Instead of trusting God for their provision and success, they began to rely on theselves.

“You have plowed wickedness; you have reaped iniquity. You have eaten the fruit of lies, because you trusted in your own way, in the multitude of your mighty men.” (10:13)

The more successful the church has become, the more she relies “in the multitude of their mighty men”.

We continue to use the same Christian lingo, but our methodologies are founded on the wisdom of man who has been generally educated in the “counsel of the ungodly” (Psalm 1:1)

But is there hope for the double-minded church?

If Hosea was only an indictment by God to Israel, the heaviness of it would be more than the human heart could bear.

But all throughout the book we not only read the brokenness of God’s heart, but the hope that He will restore the nation once again.

“Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground, for it is time to seek the Lord, till He comes and rains righteousness on you.” (10:12)

“My heart churns within Me; My sympathy is stirred. I will not execute the fierceness of My anger; I will not again destroy Ephraim. For I am God, and not man, the Holy One in your midst; and I will not come with terror.” (11:8-9)

“I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death. O Death, I will be your plagues! O Grave, I will be your destruction! Pity is hidden from My eyes.” (13:14)

“I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely, for My anger has turned away from him.”

God redeemed Israel from Egypt, just as He has redeemed created man from the sin and destruction.

He then wrote an indictment against them for their idolatry, wickedness and double-minded worship…

Just as He has written an indictment against the modern church for her love of the world, worship of fallen man, and her glorification of those gifted among her.

But in that indictment, He has written a path to redemption!

He didn’t just write an indictment and leave us hopeless. He has already paved a way for repentance, restoration, and redemption of the church.

Dear sisters, if there ever was an opportunity in our lifetime to fall out of love with man and his abilities…

if there ever was a time to stop walking in the counsel of the ungodly….

if there ever was a time to stop playing footsie with world, thinking that God will overlook it because we play “good Christian girl” on Sundays or keep our 6 AM quiet times…

if there ever was a time to reject the entertainment industry’s constant flood of perversity…

The time is now.

God is calling His church to repentance.

“Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord” Acts 3:20