DRY BONES IN THE BIBLE BELT

 

NEW BETHANY BAPTIST CHURCH 

2798 HWY. 588 -- ELLISVILLE, MISSISSIPPI 39437

 

“The hand of the LORD was upon me, and carried me out in the spirit of the LORD, and set me down in the midst of the valley which was full of bones. And caused me to pass by them round about: and, behold, there were very many in the open valley; and, lo, they were very dry. And he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live: And I answered, O Lord GOD, thou knowest. Again he said unto me, Prophesy upon these bones and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the LORD.” (Ezekiel 37:1-4).

Ezekiel, were he living today, might well have been in the Leaf River valley, surveying our com- munity. It is in many ways, a “valley of dry bones.” The spiritual life of the community is at a low point, as it is in the whole nation.

Though they live in the same neighborhood, the people are scattered and alienated from one another. Folks live their lives – they think – as usual, but their lives are devoid of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus. The ultimate realities are no longer the glory of God and His sovereign Will and Purpose, but rather sin and death.

“But ain't we having fun, preacher?” If gambling and dope are the grounds of our hope; if liquor and beer are what gives us our cheer; if the joy of sensation is in fornication, and if covetous greed will supply all we need; I suppose we could say we're having the fun of our lives. But maybe we just think we are. The apostle Paul said long ago that “she that liveth in pleasure is dead while she liveth.” (I Timothy 5:6) Sound like fun to you?

All the indicators we can track – and believe or not, legalized abortion and same-sex marriage, though dramatic, are not the most important – paint us as a society bent on death and self-destruction. And the local church has lost its positive impact on the community, to a lesser or greater extent.

We might well ask ourselves, “If my church doors closed forever, should it make any difference in my community of in my life?” Think about it: the answer might leave you a bit shaken; but most folks will be affected like James Bond's martini – shaken, but not stirred.

Taking a wide view of local churches in America – even in the Bible Belt – yields  vision similar to that of Ezekiel; a valley full of dry bones, the members of each local body scattered from one another and in a state of lifelessness. And preaching in a variety of these churches over time confirms the vision as more than a shallow impression: it is the sad truth. But whining about it or simply decrying the obvious is not an answer.

And what is the real question, after all? It is the one the LORD asked Ezekiel to consider: “Can these bones live?” Can these churches, which have a name as living bodies of Christ in the kingdom of God on earth, be gathered together and revived?

In Ezekiel's case, he deferred to the LORD for an authoritative answer, and so should we. And as in Ezekiel's case, the real answer will not only interest us, it will involve us personally. Ezekiel was a prophet, a preacher of the Word of the true and living God, and the LORD told him to deliver His word to the dry bones.

Now, you may be saying, “Whew! That let's me out, since I am not a prophet or a preacher.” Not so fast! If you claim a place in the kingdom of God, an interest in the saving blood of Jesus Christ, and/or membership in a local church, then you are very much involved.

As the familiar saying goes, if you are not part of the solution, then you are part of the problem. But I think we can go beyond this, and say, “We are indeed part of the problem; and now we must be part of the solution.”

And hearing the Word of the LORD stirs faith in the heart (Romans 10:17), and the dry bones begin to come alive; for the Word of Christ is Spirit and life, as Jesus declared (John 6:63). This is the life of the Spirit, and is not to be confused with the activity generated by fleshly excitement stimulated by worldly means and programs: it is the very work of God in us (Philippians 2:12-13).

Ezekiel obeyed the LORD, preaching the word to the dry bones, and he saw some movement in response (Ezekiel 37:7). How many preachers would give everything to see a movement of god among the members of the churches they serve! I know I would. But all I can do is preach, and pray, and love, and try to connect with others. And that is all you can do, too.

Ezekiel saw the muscles and tendons and organs join the bones a they moved into place to form bodies, and then the skin covered them (Ezekiel 37:7-8). As church members, indwelled by the Spirit, strengthened and guided by the Word, move together with other members of the community of faith which are round together with sinews of love for one another, strengthened with faith and hope, n the inner man, and covered with the righteousness of Christ as with a thick and healthy skin freed of blemishes and sores.

And so we have a complete body; but wait, something is wrong: it is not moving! Not even breathing (Ezekiel 37:8b)! I think of a remark I heard one Sunday after church: “If it hadn't been for the ceiling fans, there would have been no movement at all in the services.”

That hurt; but I took it to heart. It was missing in the bodies made from the dry bones, and it is missing in many, if not most churches in our country: the movement of the Spirit of God, accomplishing the will of God in and through the church as the members live their lives in their communities.

Ezekiel was told to prophesy to the 4 winds. I think I know how it feels  to be preaching to the wind. He obeyed: and the winds blew life into the bodies in the valley. Each body took his or her stand there in the valley, and it was like a mighty army (Ezekiel 27:10). I think of a verse from that great anthem, “Onward, Christian Soldiers”:

“Like a mighty army, moves the Church of God,

“Brothers, we are treading where the saints have trod.

“We are not divided, all one body we.

“One in hope and doctrine, one in charity.”

But before all the churches can stand and move together like a great army, each local church must come together as a body, and take its stand in its own community. This is the challenge for the Kingdom of God as a whole; and it is clearly the will of God for His people today as it was in ancient Israel and Judah (Ezekiel 37:11-14).

There are members in the New Bethany congregation today who would describe the condition of the church as hopeless – dead and buried They are so wrong! The LORD our God is able to revive our church, and bring back the “dry bones” that are scattered through- out the Leaf River Valley.

It might be fair to say that we are in a rut, and we have been in this rut for a long time. The late Herb Timmons, of Kalamazoo, Michigan (who dropped dead years ago in a K-Mart aisle in Gautier, Mississippi) used to say, “A rut is a grave with both ends kicked out.” Whatever he might have meant by that, it sounded good to me.

We need a spiritual revival at New Bethany, and we can have it. Can this church experience a real revival? God knows. But this we can be sure of. We have to start making connections with one another, moving toward those who are scattered from the congrega- tion, and strengthening the ties that bind us as members of Christ's body.

And  we need to ask for the Holy Spirit, which the LORD has promised to give us (Luke 11:13). Then being led by the Spirit, we can walk together in the light and love of Jesus Christ our Lord. Our first movements may be awkward and stiff, but we will soon get in step with the Lord and one another. Thanks be to God!

 

THIS MESSAGE FITS HUNDREDS OF BIBLE BELIEVING BAPTIST CHURCH- ES IN THE USA.  IS YOURS ONE OF THEM?