 by ken booneI started my day with this thought…. If a believing spouse can sanctify a household, then what can a church do for its city? 1 Cor 7:14 “For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband; otherwise your children would be unclean, but now they are holy.” Paul’s teaching in 1 Corinthians was to encourage believers with the knowledge that their entire household would live under the covering of the blessing that was theirs due to being made holy through sanctification. That even though a spouse or child had not yet received salvation they would still be beneficiaries of the blessing that rested on the life of the believer and that the believing spouse would not be in danger of living under the curse of sin because his or her spouse had not yet been saved. Paul says : “otherwise your children would be unclean, but now they are holy” the word “unclean” means to be “ceremonially unclean” In the Old Testament this simply meant you were not allowed to participate in the giving of offerings and therefore disqualified to be a recipient of the blessing that came as a result of offering a sacrifice in worship to God. Now under the new covenant when one spouse is saved and filled with the Kingdom of God the entire household becomes indirect recipients of the results that come through a life of sacrifice and worship. Although the entire house may not yet be saved they are made holy (sanctified) and positioned to live under the blessing and favor of God. When God revealed His plan to Abraham concerning the destruction of Sodom Abraham begins to convince God not to bring destruction upon the city for the sake of the righteous that may be living there. In Genesis 18:26 Abraham begins to ask God not to destroy Sodom for the sake of fifty righteous men, God answers this way: “If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes” The word “spare” means “to lift up”. God eventually agrees to sparing Sodom for the sake of ten. The reality is that if there had been ten righteous within the walls of the city the entire city would have been “lifted up” and saved from destruction. The righteous lives of a few would have benefited everyone in the city. In the book of Acts Philip travels to the city of Samaria where revival breaks out. Multitudes were being healed and saved and a church was birthed. The result was that there was “great joy in the city”. The city became a recipient of joy because of the release of the Kingdom of God through one believer. If a believing spouse can sanctify a unbelieving household and validate them as clean and deserving of the blessing and favor of God then how much more can the household of God (the church) sanctify a city and position the city to become recipients of the grace of God? Jesus said that we are “the salt of the earth” salt was used more as a preservative in biblical days than a seasoning. Much of the church attempts to only be a seasoning to the culture around them attempting to only add flavor to their communities. The intention of Jesus for His church is rather that we would be a preserving agent for our city. That because of the presence of the church the society around it would profit from the wisdom, favor, and grace that rests upon the people of God in that city. Thus sanctifying a city and validating it as clean and deserving of the blessing and favor of God. Romans 2:4 says: “Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and long-suffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?” The word “goodness” here refers to the nature of God, but it literally means “fit for use”. The sanctification process makes one “fit for use”. Through the act of sanctification God deems one “fit for use” and thus begins to demonstrate His goodness to them by placing His grace upon them in the hopes that repentance will take place. Whether it be an individual or a city I believe God is looking for any excuse to render them “fit for use” and allow the blessing that rests upon believers to rest upon anyone around them so that whole communities are preserved by the church and given an opportunity to “taste and see that God is good”. The city of Samaria experienced sanctification and the result was a supernatural release of Joy that saturated the entire city. If a spouse can sanctify a household, and a church can sanctify a city then perhaps a believing city can sanctify a nation! Be blessed  Ken Boone and his wife Christa are the proud parents of four children. They have been married for more than 15 years. And have been in the ministry for more than 17 years, They have dedicated their lives to preaching the "Gospel of the Kingdom", and to living a life in partnership with Holy Spirit. Their desire is to see believers equipped to live a lifestyle that brings the realities of Heaven to the world that we live in, to see the culture of the Kingdom of God replace the cultures around us. And to fulfill the mandate from Jesus to: "Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, freely you have received freely give."
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