Advent-ure 2021 December 7: Beaten and Scourged, Clothing Divided - Psalm 22:14, 18 (Guarding the Church)

Jesus suffered and died for us, so that we might experience His new life. He has placed us in the body, of which He is the head, and encourages us to protect our own hearts, as well as the Church, to stand watch and to make sure that we are faithful to His truth. In the book of Jude we read:
3 Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints.

4 For certain men have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Church is being beset these days by ideas that do not line up with Scripture. We have to be careful not to embrace the world's theories that are clearly not consistent with Christ's teaching.  When we place human ingenuity and effort above the power of God, we become vulnerable to walking in human, worldly understanding, rather than to be the spiritual people, devoted to Christ, that we are called to be. We are called, I believe, to defend our own hearts and to defend the body of Christ. 

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The body of our Lord Jesus Christ endured incredible physical suffering, as we read throughout the accounts of the time period leading up to and including the crucifixion. The religious and civil leaders were parties in the physical harm done to our Savior, which was actually described in the Old Testament, as well. It's Day 7 of our "25: A Christmas Advent-ure" by Faith Radio, and today we reflect on the beating and scourging of Christ. Psalm 22 relates:
14 I am poured out like water, And all My bones are out of joint; My heart is like wax; It has melted within Me.
15 My strength is dried up like a potsherd, And My tongue clings to My jaws; You have brought Me to the dust of death.
16 For dogs have surrounded Me; The congregation of the wicked has enclosed Me. They pierced My hands and My feet;
17 I can count all My bones. They look and stare at Me.
18 They divide My garments among them, And for My clothing they cast lots.

Those who put Jesus to death were so driven by their hatred for Him that they engaged in excessive punishment for Him - but in the providence of our Heavenly Father, Christ's death and resurrection brought us salvation.

Following His resurrection, in the days of the early church, there continued to be hatred for Christ expressed and the persecution of His Church was quite intense.  Even today, the Church still faces opposition and disrespect.  And, the enemy desires to thwart and discredit what God wants to do in the earth.  Nevertheless, we keep loving - and living according to the Savior within us.

I reported to you before Thanksgiving about an instance in a Nashville church, where an attendee walked into a service and pulled out a gun while the pastor was praying with people at the altar down front, according to WKRN Television, which was referenced from ChristianHeadlines.com. The report said that the gunman, named Baganda, "...told everyone to get up while he waved and pointed the handgun at the congregation, according to Metro police. The pastor quickly tackled Baganda before he was able to fire any shots. Several church members jumped in to help wrestle the gun away from Baganda and hold him down until police arrived, according to investigators."

The pastor, Ezekiel Ndikumana, said, "God wanted to show that he’s a powerful God,” adding, “One main thing I said, we had faith.”

Then, there's the man in Baltimore who has pledged to stand guard at a local church after a 69-year-old woman was found dead inside the Southern Baptist Church; it appears she showed up at the church early to allow contractors to access the building and shortly thereafter, she was found dead, according to ChristianHeadlines.com. 

A church member, Kimkur Lee, who was close to the victim, Evelyn Player, and reportedly saw her as a "church mother," according to the article, has decided to stand guard at the church.  The article goes on to say:

Lee vowed to take matters into his own hands by standing guard outside the Southern Baptist Church to prevent future incidents from happening.

“I can’t and won’t sit back and let this happen to anybody else in this church,” he contended.

Referring to Fox 45 in Baltimore, the story says that Lee "...told the news outlet that protecting others in Baltimore is his way of honoring Player." The television station's report states:

He’s waiting outside the church to make sure the other women who work inside make it home safe each and every night.

“That’s helping me. That’s therapy for me because it hurt. When this happened it hurt,” he said.

We live in a world where people are in danger and are fearful, and we could certainly be reminded to look out for one another in the Church and for our neighbors.  We can draw strength from the Lord to stand in the face of threats to peace.  Remember Jesus gave Himself for us, and taught us that we should be willing to lay down our lives for others.

Let's consider the concept of protecting the body of Christ, given for us. Jesus can take care of Himself, certainly, but He charges us to remain true to the Word of God and to make sure we are guarding our own hearts and being watchful against what Matthew 7 calls, "ravenous wolves:" The verse says: "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves."