Ezekiel 23:36

 Ezekiel 23:36 says, The Lord said moreover unto me; Son of man, wilt thou judge Aholah and Aholibah? yea, declare unto them their abominations;  Some of the people of Samaria, or Israel, had returned to Jerusalem, or Judah, after Isreal had been defeated, but the people of Judah were no longer living by faith in God and obeying His commandments.  God asked Ezekiel if He would judge them both at this time.  If we find ourselves suffering defeat in the world today, we may look to Christians for help, but if the Christians that we are looking to for help are Christians in name only, then we both will be judged by God one day.  

Verse thirty-seven adds, That they have committed adultery, and blood is in their hands, and with their idols have they committed adultery, and have also caused their sons, whom they bare unto me, to pass for them through the fire, to devour them.  God said both Israel and Judah, all of His chosen people had been unfaithful to Him by putting their faith in false gods.  This also affected their sons, who were supposed to be dedicated to God, but who were led to follow false gods and to suffer defeat as well.  If we don’t teach our children about God, they may never accept God’s gift of salvation.  Of course, the decision is ultimately up to each individual, but if we are a Christian in fact instead of only in name, we can make it easier for our children and other people to know about God.  

Verse thirty-eight continues, Moreover this they have done unto me: they have defiled my sanctuary in the same day, and have profaned my sabbaths.  God then said that the people of Judah had defiled his sanctuary, or the temple that was seen as His sanctuary, and had also defiled His sabbath.  As Christians, we believe that our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, or a sanctuary for God, and how often do we defile it.  Though the church building may be defiled, it is really not God’s sanctuary unless we are gathered there, but we often are more concerned with keeping the church building clean than we are with keeping ourselves from being spiritually defiled.  

Verse thirty continues, For when they had slain their children to their idols, then they came the same day into my sanctuary to profane it; and, lo, thus have they done in the midst of mine house.  God said that when they had slain their children in sacrifice to idols that the same day, they came into His sanctuary to defile it.  We cannot practice sinful actions in our lives and at the same time profess to worship God.  This is never going to be pleasing to God.  We especially cannot gather as the church after committing sins against God without repenting and asking His forgiveness and expect Him to be pleased.