Leading The People Aright?

When Jeremiah was preaching to the people of Israel, he was not just directing his words to the ordinary people, or to the civic leaders.  He targeted his denunciations on the religious leaders of the day.  If anything, it was they who were responsible for the spiritual mess the people were in.  As is often the case, the state of the world and society is a reflection of the real state of the church.  It was so in Jeremiah's day, as it is in our own.  We need look no further than the true state of the Christian church for an explanation of why the world and society are as they are.  No one was seeking the Lord.  They did not know how to handle the law of God.  The very pastors transgressed willfully against God, the prophets, men who had been set apart and ordained to proclaim the true word of God, these men prophesied by Baal.  The were also pursuing things that did not profit the work of God at that time, distractions, diversions.  They saw more profit in these than in sticking to their God-given priorities. 

We see the self-same thing happening in the church and among the religious leaders today.  Some run headlong after ecumenism, while others give their time and energy to trying to reform para-church organisations that have no divine mandate or warrant.  Some run their very lucrative music businesses while others involve themselves headlong into politics.  Others are extremely big into denominationalism and the maintenance of traditions, while others could give give a toss about denominations, but spend their precious time loafing about, doing their own thing.  It is a strange mix indeed.  Yet they are all official and accredited church leaders! 

Jeremiah's big question to the people was this: are they leading you aright?  This pertinent question must also be asked today's leaders.  Are they leading the people aright?  Are they following God's word and way for the church?  Has God commanded them to bring the world wholesale into the church in a bid to get the ear of the unbelieving masses?  On the contrary, He has commanded them to "Go into all the world..."  Don't bring the world into the church - send the church out into the world. 

The answer Jeremiah gives to his own question is an emphatic NO.  This was a daring thing for the prophet of God to, and he suffered dearly for so preaching.  He ended up in gaol! 

Today, the religious and church leaders do not want to hear such a clear and accurate message, so they conspire with the local 'mafia' to silence those men who are exercising a prophetic ministry.  And when they have them out, they will not let them back in again!  The church wants today, as much as in Amos' day, to be "at ease in Zion."  Don't disturb us by bringing God's Word to us - that is more than we can bear.  Let us go on in our blissful ignorance of God's message; maintain the 'feel good factor' in our congregations, but do not bring God into them! He messes things up!  He causes annoyance; he divide former friends and family members. We prefer to remain in peaceful darkness rather than be exposed for what we are by the light of God's Word.