They wait. They do not know what they’re waiting for, possibly for someone sane to come along and fix things, but no one dares to step up and suggest ways to do so. The irony of the situation is that everyone can see as plain as day what’s wrong, and thus have ideas as to where to start, but we look at it with the same trepidation as one is asked to lay his neck across a guillotine, the fear of repercussions keeps everyone in line. There are just too many threats to our social status, our financial status, and/or our standing in what passes for civil society for anyone to dare make a move that might flag them as someone who might pose a threat to the almighty system. The glaring fact is that our nation, in fact the entire world, has turned away from our God and things aren’t going to get any better – in fact they are going to get plenty worse – until we seek His favor. When we decide to seek God and come to Jesus Christ, we become a threat to the system – but so be it.

One day a long time ago, there was this itinerant preacher – at least most of the crowds to whom He preached thought He was just a preacher, or rabbi, but He would prove Himself to be much more – who roamed the countryside around Galilee and Capernaum telling people of a new Covenant. He spoke of a kingdom which had come upon the world into which He was inviting everyone to enter. There were, as of His appearance, a new set of rules, a whole new Way of life for men to adopt, that no longer required the religious practices which God had required heretofore, and when the theologians of the day compared what He was teaching to what the prophets of old had prophesied, the serious ones realized this was no common itinerant preacher, but that the very Son of God had come to them.

He taught them that the old laws they had been trying to follow could not avail them of a proper relationship with God the Father and gave specific examples of why this was so. For instance, until His time men had been taught to exact vengeance – an eye for an eye – upon their enemies, but this Jesus taught that a more perfect resolution of dispute would be to forgive someone who wronged them. This new attitude was based on a completely alien approach they had never practiced it was, and is, based on love – the most powerful force in all creation, but hitherto unpracticed as a way to interact with others. Love was, and is, absolutely underrated as to its efficaciousness in human dynamics and in the resolution of human conflict. Other aspects of the old law, He explained practices one by one, which were shown to be not only impractical, but impossible for men to follow to the letter, like a man looking on a woman with lust in his heart being just as bad for him spiritually as actually committing an immoral act with her. In the old Covenant, only the physical act was wrong, and the inner feelings were not considered.

Jesus Christ very succinctly taught His followers that this new Way was much easier to follow due to its simplicity, but now religion must be practiced from the heart and no longer from practice lists and rituals enumerated in ancient texts. His new Covenant is still in effect today – over two thousand years later. This religion is completely derived from – and in obedience to – the presence of God’s Holy Spirit which dwells within the heart, the inner being of the human soul. The prophets of old had foretold that the time would come when God would “write His law on the hearts” [Jeremiah 31:33]:“But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.” This new covenant was initiated during the gathering of the disciples and followers of Christ described in [Acts 2:1-4]: ” When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all ^[a]with one accord in one place. ² And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. ³ Then there appeared to them ^[b]divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. ⁴ And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. That meeting was when God gifted the Holy Spirit into the hearts of Jesus’ followers – the beginning phase of the new Covenant.

Later events would go on to demonstrate the availability of the Holy Spirit to all who made the decision to follow Jesus Christ, thus making the promise in Jeremiah that “they shall be my people”. There are ample other scriptures of prophecy that make it abundantly clear that in the new Covenant all – Gentile and Jew – who call on the name of Jesus Christ will become God’s people. God’s chosen people are, and have since the advent of Jesus Christ, all who follow Christ – but no other. [John 14:6]: “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”

There’s no distinction – skin color, nationality, previous belief system, if you are a human being and choose to follow Jesus Christ, you are able to become one of God’s chosen people. That’s a good title to carry – so don’t let anyone convince you that you are second-class or that there are any others more preferred by God the Father than you as a believer in Jesus Christ. Get to know about Him. You’ll be eternally glad you did!

May the blessings of the Almighty Father find and keep us.

MK