Wake Up Calls

WAKE UP CALLS

Read Joel 1:1-21

Read Joel 1:1-21

Blow a trumpet in Zion; sound an alarm on my holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble, for the day of the Lord is coming; it is near. Joel 2:1

No prophet makes central the day of the Lord more than Joel does. It is the theme of his brief prophecy. When Joel was written, and for what occasion, remains a mystery. Evidence for both a pre-exilic and a post-exilic date exists. The occasion of the prophecy may be less important than its message.

Joel interweaves three themes in his message: the day of the Lord, repentance and the Spirit of God given to His people. Joel’s prophetic approach is classic. He takes the occasion of an actual locust infestation, and its resulting devastation, and uses it as a prophetic picture of what is to come (or has come) upon Israel: The invasion of the Babylonian armies, the destruction of Judah and the exile.

Joel calls the people to repentance. His word of warning becomes a Biblical principle later set forth by Peter the Apostle. Please read 1 Peter 4:7, 12-19.

Joel’s message is simple and clear: God is about to judge His people with severe remedial judgments, in order to bring them to repentance and draw them closer to Him. He will then pour forth His Spirit on the Church (2:28-32), to revive and reform it (Pentecost and all subsequent revivals). Then, God will turn to judge the nations in a greater, final day of the Lord: the second coming of Christ and the final judgment of mankind.

In a very real sense, Joel sets forth the divine pattern of expansion of the Kingdom of God: pouring forth of the spirit in power, advancement, decline, judgment, repentance, and another pouring forth of the spirit in revival. These cycles of revival––decline––judg-ment are known to church historians as the cycles of redemptive history. So obvious is this divine pattern that Jonathan Edwards wrote: “It may be observed, that from the fall of man, to our day, the work of redemption in its effect has mainly been carried out by remarkable communications of the Spirit of God.”²³

What must be observed here is that both the judgment of God and the outpouring of God’s grace are seen as attendant to the day of the Lord. Tragedies, devastations, difficult events serve as precursors to days of spiritual refreshment and renewal. It appears that we cannot have the one without the other, for repentance always precedes revival, so judgment always prepares for blessing.

We moderns would do well to view the tragic events of our day as the Hand of the Lord working in the day of the Lord––terrorist attacks, economic recessions, unsettled times. This awesome day of the Lord is not just a far-off, futuristic and final event. Listen to Peter: “The end of all things is at hand…the fiery ordeal when it comes upon you…for

it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God.” Plagues of locusts or the plague of AIDS, are they not both under the Hand of God? Are they not both part of the day of the Lord? And are they not both wake up calls to repent, draw near to God and look to Christ for yet another outpouring of Gospel grace through the Spirit? Such is the warp and woof of Life with God. Behold, the day of the Lord is at hand!

PRAYING FOR THE PCA

CEP: Please pray for youth pastors and their families. The demands of youth ministry such as weekend retreats, weeknight youth group activities, ball games, school plays and week-long summer trips can be difficult on the families of youth pastors. Please ask the Lord that in the midst of these time demands, youth pastors and their families will have quality time together and that husbands and wives can carve out time to grow their marriage relationship.

CC: Please pray for our faculty as they do research and write articles and books in theiracademic disciplines. Active research is an important factor in enabling our faculty to provide the first-rate Christian education that is at the heart of Covenant’s mission, and so your prayers for energy, focus and fruitfulness in these areas are much needed and appreciated.

MNA: The first edition of the Church Planting Wives Ministry (Parakaleo) toolkit is completed and the second part is being written. Pray for the new groups who are starting and will be using the new toolkit as they begin planting churches. Pray for Shari Thomas as she leads this ministry.

PCAF: Pray for safe travel of PCA Foundation staff and their supplies to and from the 2009 General Assembly in Orlando, FL.

RH: Pray for Dale Hagedorn, the Maintenance Manager, as he bears responsibility for the day-to-day operations of all the Ridge Haven vehicles, water system, buildings, grounds and many types of equipment. Dale is also responsible for ensuring that Ridge Haven is in compliance with many state regulations. .