How is God at work transforming the life in cities, and how does He ask us to cooperate? Consider Ezekiel 22 (in the Bible) as a good indicator. There, the prophet reveals ten characteristics of ancient Jerusalem that anger God.
IN A TRANSFORMED CITY:
1. The people collectively destroy their false idol worship and serve the one true God (Ezek. 22:2-4).
2. Leaders cease using their power to shed innocent blood (22:6).
3. The people cease making light of father and mother (22:7).
4. The people cease oppressing the stranger (22:7).
5. The people cease mistreating the fatherless and widow (22:7).
6. The people cease despising God’s holy things and cease profaning the sabbath (22:8).
7. Men who formerly slandered to cause bloodshed stop doing so (22:9).
8. People stop committing lewdness (9), and stop uncovering their father’s nakedness; they stop violating women who are set apart during their (menstrual) impurity (22:10).
9. Men stop committing abomination with the wife of his neighbor; they stop defiling their daughters in law; they stop violating their sisters (22:11).
10. They cease taking bribes to shed blood, stop charging interest to make gain; they stop profiting from neighbors through extortion; and they stop forgetting God (22:12).
Tweet ThisFriend, there is a lot one person can do to be a part of transforming their city.
And looking at this list helps us realize that God is not being selfish when He calls us to repent. Every single one of these sins tear down the life of society, and every call to repentance will improve our cities.
None of these destructive behaviors have gone away. The dark inclinations of the human heart continue to battle against the wholeness of society.
In this context, the words of Scripture offer hope to anyone who will appeal to Jesus Christ for help:Â “Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body that you should obey its lusts, and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. (Romans 6:12-13)
