"Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lappidoth, was leading Israel at that time" (Judges 4:4).
It's an interesting story: Deborah, during her term as judge over Israel, called for Barak and gave him a prophetic word: "The LORD commands you to fight: the LORD will give you victory" (Judges 4:6-7, paraphrase mine).
Barak is mentioned by the prophet Samuel as part of the team that delivered Israel from its enemies and made it possible for the people to live in security (see First Samuel 12:8-11).
In spite of God's provision of leaders, the people decided to demand their own way. God's protocol was not good enough for the people, and they asked to be placed in the same protocol as their pagan neighbors- the protocol that called for an earthly king and the accompanying phenomena: a system of enlistment for war, a system of taxation, a system that entailed the loss of land and privileges, a system that made them insecure.
Does this sound familiar? May I bring this closer to home?
You've asked God for a job. He gave you a job where you could serve as a missionary for Him, being a living witness to your co-workers. And now you're telling everyone how horrible your office is and how you can't wait to get out of there. You've left the zone God placed you in, you're busily seeking comfort instead of embracing the cross, and now you're out of alignment with God's agenda.
You prayed for a pastor with vision and connection to God, and He gave you one- actually, He gave you several. And now you're complaining about the vision, you're afraid of the manifestation of God's power, you're skeptical of God's program. In fact, you're not on board with God's program and have disengaged from moving forward with the community of faith.
Well, people have a tendency to demand their own way. But leaders who are submitted to God have no other option than to be obedient to the voice of God. You see, God still speaks. And our pastors are hearing Him. They are kissing the Son, "lest He become angry and you be destroyed in your way" (see Psalm 2:12).
What a glorious thing to receive the commendation of God! Bronx Bethany's leaders stand commended by God for their obedience to His Spirit.
How about you?
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Friday, January 30, 2009
Giving The Lie
Today we continue our reflection on this past Sunday's sermon.
Saul was the leader that God appointed in response to the people's demand for an earthly king. Yesterday we considered overviews of some of the chapters in First Samuel; today let's look at some of the verses- I think you'll see a pattern emerging.
"When they arrived at Gibeah, a procession of prophets met Saul; the Spirit of God came upon him in power, and he joined in their prophesying" (10:10).
"So they inquired further of the LORD, 'Has the man come here yet?' And the LORD said, 'Yes, he has hidden himself among the baggage'" (10:22).
"When Saul heard their words, the Spirit of God came upon him in power, and he burned with anger" (11:6).
"Jonathan attacked the Philistine outpost at Geba...So all Israel heard the news: 'Saul has attacked the Philistine outpost'" (13:3-4, italics mine).
"...'What have you done?' asked Samuel. Saul replied, 'When I saw that the men were scattering, and that you did not come at the set time, and that the Philistines were assembling... I felt compelled to offer the burnt offering'" (13:11-12).
"Saul said, 'May God deal with me, be it ever so severely, if you do not die, Jonathan'... the men rescued Jonathan, and he was not put to death" (14:44-45).
"Samuel said...'Why did you not obey the LORD? Why did you pounce on the plunder and do evil in the eyes of the LORD?' 'But I did obey the LORD,' Saul said" (15:17-20).
"Saul replied, 'I have sinned. But please honor me before the elders of my people and before Israel...'" (15:30).
"Now the Spirit of the LORD had departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD tormented him" (16:14).
There are other Scriptures, but I'll just reflect on these. You may want to add insights of your own as well.
Light does not fellowship with darkness. We see that the Holy Spirit of God could not remain on Saul because Saul was engaging in behaviors contrary to the counsel of God through Samuel the prophet.
Sheep are not authorized to lead shepherds. In his desperation to please people, Saul allowed the persons under his authority to make decisions AND he ignored the counsel of God as he carried out those decisions.
Where does the buck stop? At the top. Even though Saul's rationale for sin was the need to keep the people happy, the consequence was not the destruction of the people: it was Saul who lost the kingdom, Saul who lost the glorious presence of the Spirit of God, and Saul who received the rebuke and punishment from the hand of God.
So, as was stated by Pastor Benji in the sermon, it's the responsibility of the church to speak up when the actions of leaders are contrary to the plan and program of God. My prayer is that our leaders in church, and our leaders in the nation, will remain submitted and obedient to God. We may not like all their decisions, but it is critically important that they follow the voice of God and not the voice of man.
Saul was the leader that God appointed in response to the people's demand for an earthly king. Yesterday we considered overviews of some of the chapters in First Samuel; today let's look at some of the verses- I think you'll see a pattern emerging.
"When they arrived at Gibeah, a procession of prophets met Saul; the Spirit of God came upon him in power, and he joined in their prophesying" (10:10).
"So they inquired further of the LORD, 'Has the man come here yet?' And the LORD said, 'Yes, he has hidden himself among the baggage'" (10:22).
"When Saul heard their words, the Spirit of God came upon him in power, and he burned with anger" (11:6).
"Jonathan attacked the Philistine outpost at Geba...So all Israel heard the news: 'Saul has attacked the Philistine outpost'" (13:3-4, italics mine).
"...'What have you done?' asked Samuel. Saul replied, 'When I saw that the men were scattering, and that you did not come at the set time, and that the Philistines were assembling... I felt compelled to offer the burnt offering'" (13:11-12).
"Saul said, 'May God deal with me, be it ever so severely, if you do not die, Jonathan'... the men rescued Jonathan, and he was not put to death" (14:44-45).
"Samuel said...'Why did you not obey the LORD? Why did you pounce on the plunder and do evil in the eyes of the LORD?' 'But I did obey the LORD,' Saul said" (15:17-20).
"Saul replied, 'I have sinned. But please honor me before the elders of my people and before Israel...'" (15:30).
"Now the Spirit of the LORD had departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD tormented him" (16:14).
There are other Scriptures, but I'll just reflect on these. You may want to add insights of your own as well.
Light does not fellowship with darkness. We see that the Holy Spirit of God could not remain on Saul because Saul was engaging in behaviors contrary to the counsel of God through Samuel the prophet.
Sheep are not authorized to lead shepherds. In his desperation to please people, Saul allowed the persons under his authority to make decisions AND he ignored the counsel of God as he carried out those decisions.
Where does the buck stop? At the top. Even though Saul's rationale for sin was the need to keep the people happy, the consequence was not the destruction of the people: it was Saul who lost the kingdom, Saul who lost the glorious presence of the Spirit of God, and Saul who received the rebuke and punishment from the hand of God.
So, as was stated by Pastor Benji in the sermon, it's the responsibility of the church to speak up when the actions of leaders are contrary to the plan and program of God. My prayer is that our leaders in church, and our leaders in the nation, will remain submitted and obedient to God. We may not like all their decisions, but it is critically important that they follow the voice of God and not the voice of man.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Expedience Versus Obedience.
Today we'll continue gleaning from this past Sunday's sermon.
Pastor Benji said, "Relativism is an enemy of righteousness". And the saying is true. We see in the life of Saul an interesting saga of internal spiritual struggle, a conflict between expedience and obedience, and it might be good to reflect on the details. We'll do a telescopic look today, and a microscopic look tomorrow.
First Samuel 10
God did His part. He sent Samuel to anoint Saul as king; and in spite of Saul's attempt to hide, the anointing was accomplished. God renewed Saul's heart. God sent His Spirit, and Saul prophesied under the power of the Holy Spirit. Saul went home accompanied by comrades whose hearts had also been touched by God.
First Samuel 11
Saul, under the anointing of the Holy Spirit, was victorious in battle over the Ammonites. The people confirmed Saul as God's choice, and gave to God with a joyful heart.
First Samuel 12
Samuel warned the people with words and with the prophetic sign of a rainstorm during the wheat harvesting season. It's interesting to note that Scripture does not record a response from Saul or from the people- a sharp contrast from the "what the LORD says we will do" from the days of their ancestors.
First Samuel 13
Here we see the first wave of Saul's opposition to God: Saul offers sacrifices- a task that he is not authorized to do. Saul justifies his sin by claiming a need to boost the morale of the people. The result is that Samuel prophesies that Saul has already been replaced.
I wonder, what happened to those valiant men we met in chapter 10? Why were soldiers fleeing the battlefield in chapter 13? Perhaps the answer lies in the leadership of Saul. We'll look at that tomorrow.
Pastor Benji said, "Relativism is an enemy of righteousness". And the saying is true. We see in the life of Saul an interesting saga of internal spiritual struggle, a conflict between expedience and obedience, and it might be good to reflect on the details. We'll do a telescopic look today, and a microscopic look tomorrow.
First Samuel 10
God did His part. He sent Samuel to anoint Saul as king; and in spite of Saul's attempt to hide, the anointing was accomplished. God renewed Saul's heart. God sent His Spirit, and Saul prophesied under the power of the Holy Spirit. Saul went home accompanied by comrades whose hearts had also been touched by God.
First Samuel 11
Saul, under the anointing of the Holy Spirit, was victorious in battle over the Ammonites. The people confirmed Saul as God's choice, and gave to God with a joyful heart.
First Samuel 12
Samuel warned the people with words and with the prophetic sign of a rainstorm during the wheat harvesting season. It's interesting to note that Scripture does not record a response from Saul or from the people- a sharp contrast from the "what the LORD says we will do" from the days of their ancestors.
First Samuel 13
Here we see the first wave of Saul's opposition to God: Saul offers sacrifices- a task that he is not authorized to do. Saul justifies his sin by claiming a need to boost the morale of the people. The result is that Samuel prophesies that Saul has already been replaced.
I wonder, what happened to those valiant men we met in chapter 10? Why were soldiers fleeing the battlefield in chapter 13? Perhaps the answer lies in the leadership of Saul. We'll look at that tomorrow.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Scatter-Brained.
"But if you do not obey the LORD, and if you rebel against his commands, his hand will be against you, as it was against your fathers" (First Samuel 12:15).
"Saul waited seven days, the time set by Samuel; but Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and Saul's men began to scatter. So he said, 'Bring me the burnt offering and the fellowship offerings.' And Saul offered up the burnt offering" (First Samuel 13:8-9).
In the presence of all Israel, the prophet Samuel warned King Saul and the people of the consequences of disobeying the command of the LORD. And they heard, but did not heed.
"When the men of Israel saw that their situation was critical and that their army was hard pressed, they hid..." (First Samuel 13:6). There was a scattering of the men Saul had chosen for his army, and in a move to bolster confidence Saul decided to offer up burnt offerings in place of Samuel. When confronted by Samuel, Saul made another offering: he offered multiple excuses for his disobedience.
Saul violated the command and protocol of God by engaging in ministry responsibilities that were assigned to Samuel. We've talked about this before, so I'd recommend a revisiting of "The Open Show: Nahab and Abihu" which posted on January 2nd of this year. To summarize, though, God takes particular offense when the prophetic ministry is usurped by men who were never called to the position of prophet. It's a risky behavior that holds dire consequences.
Some of you are saying, "but Saul did not die immediately". You're right- but he did have an immediate rebuke and consequence: the loss of his role as king (First Samuel 13:14). God had already lined up Saul's replacement.
You know, God hasn't changed.
"Saul waited seven days, the time set by Samuel; but Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and Saul's men began to scatter. So he said, 'Bring me the burnt offering and the fellowship offerings.' And Saul offered up the burnt offering" (First Samuel 13:8-9).
In the presence of all Israel, the prophet Samuel warned King Saul and the people of the consequences of disobeying the command of the LORD. And they heard, but did not heed.
"When the men of Israel saw that their situation was critical and that their army was hard pressed, they hid..." (First Samuel 13:6). There was a scattering of the men Saul had chosen for his army, and in a move to bolster confidence Saul decided to offer up burnt offerings in place of Samuel. When confronted by Samuel, Saul made another offering: he offered multiple excuses for his disobedience.
Saul violated the command and protocol of God by engaging in ministry responsibilities that were assigned to Samuel. We've talked about this before, so I'd recommend a revisiting of "The Open Show: Nahab and Abihu" which posted on January 2nd of this year. To summarize, though, God takes particular offense when the prophetic ministry is usurped by men who were never called to the position of prophet. It's a risky behavior that holds dire consequences.
Some of you are saying, "but Saul did not die immediately". You're right- but he did have an immediate rebuke and consequence: the loss of his role as king (First Samuel 13:14). God had already lined up Saul's replacement.
You know, God hasn't changed.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Don't Shoot The Messenger!
On this past Sunday Pastor Benji spoke on First Samuel 12, and for the next few days we'll reflect on some of the points made during the sermon "Church and State: Friends or Foes". I'd like to publicly thank Pastor Benji for sharing his sermon notes and for taking time (almost an hour!) out of his busy schedule to talk with me.
In the chapter, the prophet Samuel makes reference to Israel's shift in how leaders were selected. Up to the time of Samuel, leaders were chosen by God and confirmed by the people. But as Samuel grew old, the people expressed displeasure in the process and voiced their desire to follow the pattern of the pagans surrounding them.
God's assessment of the situation, succinctly expressed to Samuel, is a warning we should heed: "They have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me."
Sometimes there are individuals in church, and I'll be specific and say there are individuals in Bronx Bethany, that are quick to reject or dismiss the counsel and vision of the pastoral staff. It's a dangerous position to take, especially in light of First Samuel 12. It's dangerous for two reasons:
-God takes it personally when you malign His chosen servants. Notice that at the moment of the people's rebellion, God took Samuel out of the equation: Samuel, step aside- this is not about you. This is about My will and desire being rejected.
-God gives you what you want and allows you to live with the consequences. This is so reminiscent of an earlier situation where the people of Israel expressed displeasure at God's program: their rejection of the manna He sent and their desire for quail (Exodus 16; Psalm 78:12-33). Moses, step aside. They want quail? I'll give them quail.
So, let's turn the camera onto you. When God presents a thing through His servants, what do you do? Do you receive the word as from the LORD, or do you reject the word and malign the prophet/pastor who gave it?
In the chapter, the prophet Samuel makes reference to Israel's shift in how leaders were selected. Up to the time of Samuel, leaders were chosen by God and confirmed by the people. But as Samuel grew old, the people expressed displeasure in the process and voiced their desire to follow the pattern of the pagans surrounding them.
God's assessment of the situation, succinctly expressed to Samuel, is a warning we should heed: "They have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me."
Sometimes there are individuals in church, and I'll be specific and say there are individuals in Bronx Bethany, that are quick to reject or dismiss the counsel and vision of the pastoral staff. It's a dangerous position to take, especially in light of First Samuel 12. It's dangerous for two reasons:
-God takes it personally when you malign His chosen servants. Notice that at the moment of the people's rebellion, God took Samuel out of the equation: Samuel, step aside- this is not about you. This is about My will and desire being rejected.
-God gives you what you want and allows you to live with the consequences. This is so reminiscent of an earlier situation where the people of Israel expressed displeasure at God's program: their rejection of the manna He sent and their desire for quail (Exodus 16; Psalm 78:12-33). Moses, step aside. They want quail? I'll give them quail.
So, let's turn the camera onto you. When God presents a thing through His servants, what do you do? Do you receive the word as from the LORD, or do you reject the word and malign the prophet/pastor who gave it?
Saturday, January 24, 2009
An Open Letter To An Open Letter From An Open Letter.
"It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them" (Second Peter 2:21).
My friend, I wish you would have chosen the way of righteousness. Your life is an open letter being read by all who interact with you. And they are seeing you. They know you as one who engages in a form of worship, but like Ezekiel they see you worshiping idols in the dark corners and the back rooms. They know you serve God and mammon; they know you pretend to serve God but you really are just serving yourself. That's why they aren't taking you seriously- it's because you aren't serious about serving God.
Guess what? I'm wide awake. And I am not giving in to sexual immorality, I am not giving in to idolatry, I am not engaging in indulgences. You will never corrupt me because I have completely given myself over to the ministry of the Holy Spirit. He teaches me to say no, and to keep saying no, to ungodliness and worldly passions. I am living soberly and righteously and godly- today, tomorrow, always. Guess what? People are seeing me too- yes, my life is an open letter. They know me as one who engages in true worship, walking in the light of Christ Jesus. And I am not leaving Him. I love Him too much.
Your heart is hard and you have refused to listen... so, as God told Balaam, as the angel of the LORD told Balaam, "Go". Go ahead, stand on every high place and open your mouth to try to curse the plan and program of God. Your idol sacrifices are of no avail. Your thievery is of no avail. The One True God has spoken blessing: your incantations over images and your slaughtering of animals are a waste of time. Your attempts at curses will fail, and blessings will be poured out on the faithful. Every time you open your mouth you will cause blessings to flood the households of the servants of God. That is what God does for His sons.
I have nothing in my hands: no status, no legacy, nothing upon which to stake a claim. But I do have something in my ears: the glorious word of God. I hear Him speaking and I say Yes; Yes, God, I will do as You say. And He says SOON- soon it will be over.
You do have hope, because the LORD is still sending warnings. But God help you when the prophetic warnings stop. Repent while you still have the chance. You detest me, but I love you. Don't stay in the error of Balaam.
My friend, I wish you would have chosen the way of righteousness. Your life is an open letter being read by all who interact with you. And they are seeing you. They know you as one who engages in a form of worship, but like Ezekiel they see you worshiping idols in the dark corners and the back rooms. They know you serve God and mammon; they know you pretend to serve God but you really are just serving yourself. That's why they aren't taking you seriously- it's because you aren't serious about serving God.
Guess what? I'm wide awake. And I am not giving in to sexual immorality, I am not giving in to idolatry, I am not engaging in indulgences. You will never corrupt me because I have completely given myself over to the ministry of the Holy Spirit. He teaches me to say no, and to keep saying no, to ungodliness and worldly passions. I am living soberly and righteously and godly- today, tomorrow, always. Guess what? People are seeing me too- yes, my life is an open letter. They know me as one who engages in true worship, walking in the light of Christ Jesus. And I am not leaving Him. I love Him too much.
Your heart is hard and you have refused to listen... so, as God told Balaam, as the angel of the LORD told Balaam, "Go". Go ahead, stand on every high place and open your mouth to try to curse the plan and program of God. Your idol sacrifices are of no avail. Your thievery is of no avail. The One True God has spoken blessing: your incantations over images and your slaughtering of animals are a waste of time. Your attempts at curses will fail, and blessings will be poured out on the faithful. Every time you open your mouth you will cause blessings to flood the households of the servants of God. That is what God does for His sons.
I have nothing in my hands: no status, no legacy, nothing upon which to stake a claim. But I do have something in my ears: the glorious word of God. I hear Him speaking and I say Yes; Yes, God, I will do as You say. And He says SOON- soon it will be over.
You do have hope, because the LORD is still sending warnings. But God help you when the prophetic warnings stop. Repent while you still have the chance. You detest me, but I love you. Don't stay in the error of Balaam.
Friday, January 23, 2009
24,001... 24,002...
God really does not like it when we worship anything or anyone other than Him. He likens it to the act of having sexual relations with someone who is not your spouse. The prophet Ezekiel had a vision of idolatry occuring within the temple of God, where His Spirit left the sanctuary because of the elders who worshipped false idols in dark areas of the temple (see Ezekiel 8). The opening chapters of Jeremiah use the analogy of the LORD as a husband to Israel, the bride who forsakes God and is described as "laying down like a prostitute" on every hill and under every tree (see Jeremiah chapters 2 through 5).
This allusion to sex is not just metaphorical, because the Scripture shows us that sex was in fact part of the system of idol worship. The worship of Baal in Peor was characterized by three things: the eating of foods that were sacrificed to idols, the worship of those idols, and sexual intercourse with the women of Moab who invited the men of Israel to participate in idol worship (Numbers 25:1-3).
Though we are not given Balaam's name in the early verses of Numbers 25, there are other Scriptures that reveal Balaam's role in causing Israel to commit sexual immorality and spiritual adultery.
Balaam's error is exposed in the words of the resurrected Christ as He addresses the church in Pergamum: "Nevertheless, I have a few things against you: You have people there who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin by eating food sacrificed to idols and by committing sexual immorality" (Revelation 2:14, italics mine). The risen Christ, our Lord and King, has faulted Balaam. The way of Balaam is the way that leads to death. It is the way that will place you in the position of being fought against by the One who has the sword (Revelation 2:12, 2:16).
In Numbers 31 we read Moses' testimony: "They were the ones who followed Balaam's advice and were the means of turning the Israelites away from the LORD in what happened at Peor, so that a plague struck the LORD's people" (Numbers 31:16). The response to this idolatry and immorality was to immediately remove it from the community. That removal, as recorded in Numbers 25, came in two forms:
Death by the sword.
Death by plague.
"So Moses said to Israel's judges, 'Each of you must put to death those of your men who have joined in worshiping the Baal of Peor.' Then an Israelite man brought to his family a Midianite woman right before the eyes of Moses and the whole assembly of Israel while they were weeping... When Phineas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, the priest, saw this, he left the assembly, took a spear in his hand and followed the Israelite into the tent. He drove the spear through both of them- through the Israelite and into the woman's body. Then the plague against Israel was stopped; but those who died in the plague numbered 24,000... the LORD said to Moses, 'Treat the Midianites as enemies and kill them, because they treated you as enemies when they deceived you in the affair of Peor..." (see Numbers 25:5-18).
Well, that was then. This is now. And God still hates idolatry and immorality.
If a modern-day Eleazar were to follow you home, who would he find you embracing?
This allusion to sex is not just metaphorical, because the Scripture shows us that sex was in fact part of the system of idol worship. The worship of Baal in Peor was characterized by three things: the eating of foods that were sacrificed to idols, the worship of those idols, and sexual intercourse with the women of Moab who invited the men of Israel to participate in idol worship (Numbers 25:1-3).
Though we are not given Balaam's name in the early verses of Numbers 25, there are other Scriptures that reveal Balaam's role in causing Israel to commit sexual immorality and spiritual adultery.
Balaam's error is exposed in the words of the resurrected Christ as He addresses the church in Pergamum: "Nevertheless, I have a few things against you: You have people there who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin by eating food sacrificed to idols and by committing sexual immorality" (Revelation 2:14, italics mine). The risen Christ, our Lord and King, has faulted Balaam. The way of Balaam is the way that leads to death. It is the way that will place you in the position of being fought against by the One who has the sword (Revelation 2:12, 2:16).
In Numbers 31 we read Moses' testimony: "They were the ones who followed Balaam's advice and were the means of turning the Israelites away from the LORD in what happened at Peor, so that a plague struck the LORD's people" (Numbers 31:16). The response to this idolatry and immorality was to immediately remove it from the community. That removal, as recorded in Numbers 25, came in two forms:
Death by the sword.
Death by plague.
"So Moses said to Israel's judges, 'Each of you must put to death those of your men who have joined in worshiping the Baal of Peor.' Then an Israelite man brought to his family a Midianite woman right before the eyes of Moses and the whole assembly of Israel while they were weeping... When Phineas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, the priest, saw this, he left the assembly, took a spear in his hand and followed the Israelite into the tent. He drove the spear through both of them- through the Israelite and into the woman's body. Then the plague against Israel was stopped; but those who died in the plague numbered 24,000... the LORD said to Moses, 'Treat the Midianites as enemies and kill them, because they treated you as enemies when they deceived you in the affair of Peor..." (see Numbers 25:5-18).
Well, that was then. This is now. And God still hates idolatry and immorality.
If a modern-day Eleazar were to follow you home, who would he find you embracing?
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Prophets and Profits
The story of Balaam, as we see in Scripture and as we heard in Sunday's sermon, is not confined to the book of Numbers. It is referenced in Second Peter chapter 2, and in the letter to the church in Pergamum found in Revelation chapter 2. And there is a warning to be heeded. So, let's consider this question: if a man has been made aware of God's desire, why would he speak a word that is in opposition to the desire of God?
In Balaam's case, it appears that he was offered temporal incentives that were enticing enough to cause him to oppose a series of spiritual directives and warnings.
If you have a Bible that has maps in the back, check out the distance from the region of Moab, Balak's kingdom, to the region of Mesopotamia along the Euphrates River, where Balaam was. It's about 250-300 miles. Balaam must have had quite a reputation for Balak to send two sets of messengers, and money, to petition Balaam to travel from Mesopotamia to Moab.
And Balaam made the journey. He made the journey in spite of having received a direct warning from the mouth of God (Numbers 22:12). Made the journey in spite of what I like to call the "glossolalic" protest from his own donkey (Numbers 22:28-30). Made the journey in spite of having a direct encounter with 'the angel of the LORD' holding a drawn sword (Numbers 22:31-35... and, I hope you see the connection to Revelation 2:12-16!).
As Pastor Benji noted, there are some that are so bound in the grip of sin that they will remain on the reckless path in opposition to God (see Numbers 22:32). And Balaam lost on several fronts. He lost the ability to curse: when he opened his mouth, God filled it with words of blessing upon Israel. He lost the wealth of Balak, who refused to pay him after the pronouncements of blessing spoken over the children of God. And, for his part in opposing the mandate of God, Balaam was killed- not on the road by the angel of the LORD, but in a war later conducted between the Israelites and the Midianites.
Now, this is interesting, because Scripture tells us that after the failure to curse Israel, Balaam went back home- that 250-300 mile journey north to Mesopotamia, if the biblical scholars are on target. But the war was conducted in the areas of Moab and Midian (which is even further south than Moab)... Why was Balaam there? I think his return to Moab is connected to his success in creating a sexually immoral and spiritually adulterous environment that led to the deaths of 24,000 Israelites. We'll explore that a little bit more tomorrow.
In Balaam's case, it appears that he was offered temporal incentives that were enticing enough to cause him to oppose a series of spiritual directives and warnings.
If you have a Bible that has maps in the back, check out the distance from the region of Moab, Balak's kingdom, to the region of Mesopotamia along the Euphrates River, where Balaam was. It's about 250-300 miles. Balaam must have had quite a reputation for Balak to send two sets of messengers, and money, to petition Balaam to travel from Mesopotamia to Moab.
And Balaam made the journey. He made the journey in spite of having received a direct warning from the mouth of God (Numbers 22:12). Made the journey in spite of what I like to call the "glossolalic" protest from his own donkey (Numbers 22:28-30). Made the journey in spite of having a direct encounter with 'the angel of the LORD' holding a drawn sword (Numbers 22:31-35... and, I hope you see the connection to Revelation 2:12-16!).
As Pastor Benji noted, there are some that are so bound in the grip of sin that they will remain on the reckless path in opposition to God (see Numbers 22:32). And Balaam lost on several fronts. He lost the ability to curse: when he opened his mouth, God filled it with words of blessing upon Israel. He lost the wealth of Balak, who refused to pay him after the pronouncements of blessing spoken over the children of God. And, for his part in opposing the mandate of God, Balaam was killed- not on the road by the angel of the LORD, but in a war later conducted between the Israelites and the Midianites.
Now, this is interesting, because Scripture tells us that after the failure to curse Israel, Balaam went back home- that 250-300 mile journey north to Mesopotamia, if the biblical scholars are on target. But the war was conducted in the areas of Moab and Midian (which is even further south than Moab)... Why was Balaam there? I think his return to Moab is connected to his success in creating a sexually immoral and spiritually adulterous environment that led to the deaths of 24,000 Israelites. We'll explore that a little bit more tomorrow.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
In A Word, thanatos.
Balaam answered the donkey, "You have made a fool of me! If I had a sword in my hand, I would kill you right now." (Numbers 22:29, italics mine)
Among their victims were Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba- the five kings of Midian. They also killed Balaam son of Beor with the sword. (Numbers 31:8, italics mine)
There was a song I learned in Sunday school when I was three or four years old:
"Oh be careful, little mouth, what you say..."
Balaam, in his zeal to pursue sinful behavior, spoke a word of 'death by the sword' to the donkey he was riding. And I believe it was not simply ironic that Balaam died the way he did: I believe it was a divine response to Balaam's error- the error of wrong thoughts, murderous thoughts, thoughts of prospering at the expense of the suffering of an entire nation, wrong thoughts of endeavoring to curse what God has blessed.
The promise of God to Abram still speaks: "I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse" (see Genesis 12:1-3).
How is it that a man, aware of the program and plan of God, still chose to seek to curse the nation that held God's favor? We'll reflect on this question tomorrow.
Among their victims were Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba- the five kings of Midian. They also killed Balaam son of Beor with the sword. (Numbers 31:8, italics mine)
There was a song I learned in Sunday school when I was three or four years old:
"Oh be careful, little mouth, what you say..."
Balaam, in his zeal to pursue sinful behavior, spoke a word of 'death by the sword' to the donkey he was riding. And I believe it was not simply ironic that Balaam died the way he did: I believe it was a divine response to Balaam's error- the error of wrong thoughts, murderous thoughts, thoughts of prospering at the expense of the suffering of an entire nation, wrong thoughts of endeavoring to curse what God has blessed.
The promise of God to Abram still speaks: "I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse" (see Genesis 12:1-3).
How is it that a man, aware of the program and plan of God, still chose to seek to curse the nation that held God's favor? We'll reflect on this question tomorrow.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Balaam, Balak, and Bronx Bethany.
This past Sunday we were blessed to experience a powerful prophetic sermon from Pastor Benji, which was underlined by an equally powerful prophetic prayer from Pastor Sam during the second service. I am so grateful to God for these two men of faith and integrity who walk in obedience to Him, who weep over the waywardness of the sheep in their care, and who long to see the will of God manifested in Bronx Bethany. My brothers, He loves you so!
"The error of Balaam"- it's a term we've heard before, and the sermon dug deep into the specific behaviors and motives behind Balaam's error. For the remainder of this week we'll hold a magnifying glass to the sermon and reflect on a few of the insights that were shared by Pastor Benji.
As a reminder for some, and as a starting point for those readers who missed the sermon, here is a rough outline:
"Come Under The Covering Of God's Blessings"
-Blessings promised to individuals: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob
-Blessings promised to the nation of Israel (conditional, based on their obedience to God)
-The proposal to curse what God had blessed (Balak and Balaam)
-The plan to corrupt the people of God
I'd recommend that you read (or re-read) Numbers chapters 22 through 24, and Second Peter chapter 2, which are critical to the unpacking of this sermon. Tomorrow we'll take a closer look at one point that got a tiny mention in the sermon: the death of Balaam.
"The error of Balaam"- it's a term we've heard before, and the sermon dug deep into the specific behaviors and motives behind Balaam's error. For the remainder of this week we'll hold a magnifying glass to the sermon and reflect on a few of the insights that were shared by Pastor Benji.
As a reminder for some, and as a starting point for those readers who missed the sermon, here is a rough outline:
"Come Under The Covering Of God's Blessings"
-Blessings promised to individuals: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob
-Blessings promised to the nation of Israel (conditional, based on their obedience to God)
-The proposal to curse what God had blessed (Balak and Balaam)
-The plan to corrupt the people of God
I'd recommend that you read (or re-read) Numbers chapters 22 through 24, and Second Peter chapter 2, which are critical to the unpacking of this sermon. Tomorrow we'll take a closer look at one point that got a tiny mention in the sermon: the death of Balaam.
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Your Mission: It's Possible!
When I was growing up, my mom did not allow me to watch much television. But, one show I remember watching was called "Mission:Impossible". It would begin with the main characters receiving a recorded message that explained what was going on, and what they were needed to do. "Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is..."
In Acts 13, we see the Holy Spirit speaking to the small company of prophets and teachers gathered in fasting and worship: "Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them." And, it seems, the Lord gave them the mission to travel and teach. Their travel itinerary was set by the Holy Spirit, and their teaching initiative was graced with miracles and wonders.
Paul (Saul) and Barnabas had the joy of being able to briefly return to Antioch to encourage the disciples there for a season (Acts 14:21-15:41), but soon they were back on ships- traveling separately, but remaining true to the mission they accepted: two men set apart by the Holy Spirit for the work God called them to do. And that work took them outside of Antioch.
What is your mission? What is the special work that God has called you to do? All you have to do is ask God, and He will tell you what He wants. You might have to fast. You might have to wait. But He knows your heart, He knows if you're truly sincere, and at the right time He'll reveal His desires to you.
In Acts 13, we see the Holy Spirit speaking to the small company of prophets and teachers gathered in fasting and worship: "Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them." And, it seems, the Lord gave them the mission to travel and teach. Their travel itinerary was set by the Holy Spirit, and their teaching initiative was graced with miracles and wonders.
Paul (Saul) and Barnabas had the joy of being able to briefly return to Antioch to encourage the disciples there for a season (Acts 14:21-15:41), but soon they were back on ships- traveling separately, but remaining true to the mission they accepted: two men set apart by the Holy Spirit for the work God called them to do. And that work took them outside of Antioch.
What is your mission? What is the special work that God has called you to do? All you have to do is ask God, and He will tell you what He wants. You might have to fast. You might have to wait. But He knows your heart, He knows if you're truly sincere, and at the right time He'll reveal His desires to you.
Friday, January 16, 2009
Yes, I Am Connected With Him. Arrest Me Too.
Oh, how I wish the story began differently. But Acts 11 tells us clearly that it was persecution that sent men and women of God traveling throughout the region: "Now those who had been scattered by the persecution in connection with Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch..." (11:19, italics mine).
When a mob comes after your friend, what will you do? Will you disassociate yourself, or will you stand with your friend, or will you turn and join the mob?
Sometimes, 'being a redemptive influence' has deadly consequences. It's impossible to be neutral about Jesus, and your testimony has the potential to drive people to repentance or drive people to riot. Simon Peter experienced the former, while Stephen experienced the latter (see Acts 2 and Acts 7).
I wonder if we get too wrapped up in the experience of Peter, and perhaps we assume that our preaching will win thousands to Christ and elevate us as a great speaker among our peers. God reserves the right to place us in the position of Stephen, and we might find that our preaching of the gospel leads to murder and the scattering of the faithful. But, in that scattering, the gospel of Jesus Christ is carried around the world.
So, Bronx Bethany, are you willing to speak the gospel of Jesus? Even if it costs you your comfort, your job, your life?
When a mob comes after your friend, what will you do? Will you disassociate yourself, or will you stand with your friend, or will you turn and join the mob?
Sometimes, 'being a redemptive influence' has deadly consequences. It's impossible to be neutral about Jesus, and your testimony has the potential to drive people to repentance or drive people to riot. Simon Peter experienced the former, while Stephen experienced the latter (see Acts 2 and Acts 7).
I wonder if we get too wrapped up in the experience of Peter, and perhaps we assume that our preaching will win thousands to Christ and elevate us as a great speaker among our peers. God reserves the right to place us in the position of Stephen, and we might find that our preaching of the gospel leads to murder and the scattering of the faithful. But, in that scattering, the gospel of Jesus Christ is carried around the world.
So, Bronx Bethany, are you willing to speak the gospel of Jesus? Even if it costs you your comfort, your job, your life?
Thursday, January 15, 2009
What If God Moves Them?
For a moment, imagine Bronx Bethany without Pastor Sam and Pastor Benji... as I imagine it, I see the church continuing to move forward in Christ whether these two men are there or not. Like the church at Antioch, Bronx Bethany is blessed to have a "deep bench" of pastors: three of the six pastors are ordained elders in the Church of the Nazarene, and the other three have District Licenses and are actively pursuing the necessary training to be considered for ordination. Several of our congregants have been to seminary. And we have a few retired pastors in our congregation who are quite capable of filling the pulpit. We have no lack of preachers, and in that regard it would not be a hardship if Bronx Bethany were to lose two.
In Acts 13, we see the church doing something interesting: they are fasting. Not just praying, not just singing, but fasting. It's a not-so-subtle reminder of the verse (which reads differently based on the translation you use... but check your footnotes): "This kind cometh not out except by prayer and fasting" (Mark 9:29). The implication is that there are some things that don't happen, that won't happen, in the spiritual realm unless you approach God in fasting.
So the prophets and teachers are worshiping and fasting, and God shows up with an announcement: the Spirit says, in effect, I'm breaking up this group. Give Me Barnabas and Saul. Get in all your looks now, because they're leaving soon. The work I have for them is beyond Antioch.
And what did the leaders do? They fasted and prayed. Same routine. No protests, no committee meetings, no congregational vote, no emergency calls to headquarters... they fasted. They prayed. And after they fasted and prayed, they laid hands on them and sent them on their way (see Acts 13:1-4). Antioch's "deep bench" was strong enough to handle the loss of two of their key speakers.
But guess what? Even if Antioch had a thin bench, or no bench, I think they still would have obeyed the voice of the Lord. These men were in a posture of worship before, during, and after the announcement from the Holy Spirit. They were ready to hear from God and to do whatever He said.
What about you? Are you ready to hear from God? What if He says 'give up your best two'- how would you respond?
In Acts 13, we see the church doing something interesting: they are fasting. Not just praying, not just singing, but fasting. It's a not-so-subtle reminder of the verse (which reads differently based on the translation you use... but check your footnotes): "This kind cometh not out except by prayer and fasting" (Mark 9:29). The implication is that there are some things that don't happen, that won't happen, in the spiritual realm unless you approach God in fasting.
So the prophets and teachers are worshiping and fasting, and God shows up with an announcement: the Spirit says, in effect, I'm breaking up this group. Give Me Barnabas and Saul. Get in all your looks now, because they're leaving soon. The work I have for them is beyond Antioch.
And what did the leaders do? They fasted and prayed. Same routine. No protests, no committee meetings, no congregational vote, no emergency calls to headquarters... they fasted. They prayed. And after they fasted and prayed, they laid hands on them and sent them on their way (see Acts 13:1-4). Antioch's "deep bench" was strong enough to handle the loss of two of their key speakers.
But guess what? Even if Antioch had a thin bench, or no bench, I think they still would have obeyed the voice of the Lord. These men were in a posture of worship before, during, and after the announcement from the Holy Spirit. They were ready to hear from God and to do whatever He said.
What about you? Are you ready to hear from God? What if He says 'give up your best two'- how would you respond?
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Bronx Bethany, You Never Left Nazareth.
During the BBCN leadership meeting on January 10, our guest speaker (Bob Adams, who blogs at http://27gen.blogspot.com) incorporated a variety of exercises and reflections in his presentation. One of the "points to ponder" hit me like a ton of bricks, and it bears repeating in light of Pastor Sam's sermon this past Sunday:
The question was, What are the unique needs where God has placed us? In our city? In our neighborhood?
And as I looked at that question, the Spirit of God spoke to my spirit: Bronx Bethany can't answer the question because New York is not their city and The Bronx is not their neighborhood. They have yet to embrace the community I sovreignly placed them in.
In Acts 1:4 we read, "On one occasion, while Jesus was eating with them (the Eleven), he gave them this command: 'Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift My Father promised, which you have heard Me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit'."
Eleven men, who had spent three years as disciples of Jesus during his public ministry, experienced several encounters with the resurrected Christ. And Jesus gave them a simple order: Stay here in Jerusalem. Jerusalem is where the Holy Spirit will be poured out on you. Jerusalem is the starting point for your experience of ministering with the powerful anointing of the Holy Ghost.
My friends, some of you are supposed to be waiting in Jerusalem but you have never left Nazareth. You have not crossed Kidron. You have not watched in Gethsemane. You have not taken the walk along the Via Dolorosa. You have not gone to the Cross. You never made it to the Upper Room.
In other words, you are not where God called you to be. And you have set yourself up to miss the outpouring of His powerful Spirit.
Admittedly, Nazareth makes more sense in terms of human logic. It's where your fishing business thrives. It's where you can get your accounting degree and have your nice job supporting the Roman Empire. It's where you can maintain your political connections and talk about justice and representation. It's where you can be seen at the synagogue hanging out with your religious/intellectual friends. It's low risk and high reward. But God called you out of Nazareth, and that should be sufficient reason for you to leave it behind.
Do you have any interest in the Northeast Bronx? Acts 1:8 gives the blueprint- or, as Pastor Sam termed it, "the programmatic": Jerusalem (your neighborhood), Judea (your region), Samaria (the neighboring region), and the ends of the earth (the world). Jerusalem is first- that is, The Bronx is first.
But it's hard to put The Bronx first when your brain is still in Jamaica, or Harlem, or wherever you were before God called you to the Bronx Bethany church community. And, if we do not as a community redefine ourselves according to God's program (which, by the way, is spelled out in our church's Mission Statement), God might very well repeat history and leave us in the wilderness to die so that the generation behind us is released to put "The Bronx" back into Bronx Bethany.
Forewarned is forearmed.
The question was, What are the unique needs where God has placed us? In our city? In our neighborhood?
And as I looked at that question, the Spirit of God spoke to my spirit: Bronx Bethany can't answer the question because New York is not their city and The Bronx is not their neighborhood. They have yet to embrace the community I sovreignly placed them in.
In Acts 1:4 we read, "On one occasion, while Jesus was eating with them (the Eleven), he gave them this command: 'Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift My Father promised, which you have heard Me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit'."
Eleven men, who had spent three years as disciples of Jesus during his public ministry, experienced several encounters with the resurrected Christ. And Jesus gave them a simple order: Stay here in Jerusalem. Jerusalem is where the Holy Spirit will be poured out on you. Jerusalem is the starting point for your experience of ministering with the powerful anointing of the Holy Ghost.
My friends, some of you are supposed to be waiting in Jerusalem but you have never left Nazareth. You have not crossed Kidron. You have not watched in Gethsemane. You have not taken the walk along the Via Dolorosa. You have not gone to the Cross. You never made it to the Upper Room.
In other words, you are not where God called you to be. And you have set yourself up to miss the outpouring of His powerful Spirit.
Admittedly, Nazareth makes more sense in terms of human logic. It's where your fishing business thrives. It's where you can get your accounting degree and have your nice job supporting the Roman Empire. It's where you can maintain your political connections and talk about justice and representation. It's where you can be seen at the synagogue hanging out with your religious/intellectual friends. It's low risk and high reward. But God called you out of Nazareth, and that should be sufficient reason for you to leave it behind.
Do you have any interest in the Northeast Bronx? Acts 1:8 gives the blueprint- or, as Pastor Sam termed it, "the programmatic": Jerusalem (your neighborhood), Judea (your region), Samaria (the neighboring region), and the ends of the earth (the world). Jerusalem is first- that is, The Bronx is first.
But it's hard to put The Bronx first when your brain is still in Jamaica, or Harlem, or wherever you were before God called you to the Bronx Bethany church community. And, if we do not as a community redefine ourselves according to God's program (which, by the way, is spelled out in our church's Mission Statement), God might very well repeat history and leave us in the wilderness to die so that the generation behind us is released to put "The Bronx" back into Bronx Bethany.
Forewarned is forearmed.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
The Overthrow Of The Status Quo.
"...these men who have caused trouble all over the world have now come here..." (Acts 17:6).
Paul and Silas had an international reputation for crushing paganism and winning souls to Christ. Paul would reason with the people in any setting: in the synagogue, in the marketplace, in the streets, and in private homes (see Acts 17:17 and Acts 20:20). By his own admission, it was not easy. A careful reading of Acts and of the epistles of Paul will reveal a life of beatings, imprisonment, separation from friends, abandonment by fellow ministers, shipwrecks, and other hardships encountered in his efforts to preach the gospel.
What was Paul's response? "I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me- the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace" (Acts 20:24).
That's it. Not a word about divine retribution against those who persecuted him. Not a hint about the prosperity of God being manifested in his favor so that everyone will see how much God loves him. No evidence of Paul anticipating a day when he will be in a comfortable parish far away from dungeons and cells. He's not looking for justice or vindication; he just wants to compel people to draw near to the One who can save them.
As Pastor Sam said in Sunday's sermon, there needs to be another cry: a cry from today's pagans. "Bronx Bethany is here! The Bronx will never be the same! The world will never be the same!"
Bronx Bethany, are you ready to pay the price for having an international impact? Anointings like Paul's don't come cheap.
Paul and Silas had an international reputation for crushing paganism and winning souls to Christ. Paul would reason with the people in any setting: in the synagogue, in the marketplace, in the streets, and in private homes (see Acts 17:17 and Acts 20:20). By his own admission, it was not easy. A careful reading of Acts and of the epistles of Paul will reveal a life of beatings, imprisonment, separation from friends, abandonment by fellow ministers, shipwrecks, and other hardships encountered in his efforts to preach the gospel.
What was Paul's response? "I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me- the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace" (Acts 20:24).
That's it. Not a word about divine retribution against those who persecuted him. Not a hint about the prosperity of God being manifested in his favor so that everyone will see how much God loves him. No evidence of Paul anticipating a day when he will be in a comfortable parish far away from dungeons and cells. He's not looking for justice or vindication; he just wants to compel people to draw near to the One who can save them.
As Pastor Sam said in Sunday's sermon, there needs to be another cry: a cry from today's pagans. "Bronx Bethany is here! The Bronx will never be the same! The world will never be the same!"
Bronx Bethany, are you ready to pay the price for having an international impact? Anointings like Paul's don't come cheap.
Monday, January 12, 2009
Pop Quiz Answers
Here are the answers to last Saturday's quiz:
1. Which set of Old Testament figures were mentioned in Stephen's sermon before the Sanhedrin?
a. Joseph, Moses, Gideon
b. Joshua, David, Solomon (Acts 7:45-47)
c. Abraham, Ishmael, Jacob
2. What did the Sanhedrin do before stoning Stephen to death?
a. pronounced judgement against him
b. ordered that Stephen be put outside the room while they discussed his case
c. dragged him outside of the city (Acts 7:58)
3. During last Sunday's sermon, what was one of the "Stephen Principles" mentioned?
a. full of animosity and wisdom
b. forcefully and fearlessly spoke the truth (Acts 6:8-10, Acts 7)
c. facilitator of grace towards the widows
1. Which set of Old Testament figures were mentioned in Stephen's sermon before the Sanhedrin?
a. Joseph, Moses, Gideon
b. Joshua, David, Solomon (Acts 7:45-47)
c. Abraham, Ishmael, Jacob
2. What did the Sanhedrin do before stoning Stephen to death?
a. pronounced judgement against him
b. ordered that Stephen be put outside the room while they discussed his case
c. dragged him outside of the city (Acts 7:58)
3. During last Sunday's sermon, what was one of the "Stephen Principles" mentioned?
a. full of animosity and wisdom
b. forcefully and fearlessly spoke the truth (Acts 6:8-10, Acts 7)
c. facilitator of grace towards the widows
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Pop Quiz
1. Which set of Old Testament figures were mentioned in Stephen's sermon before the Sanhedrin?
a. Joseph, Moses, Gideon
b. Joshua, David, Solomon
c. Abraham, Ishmael, Jacob
2. What did the Sanhedrin do before stoning Stephen to death?
a. pronounced judgement against him
b. ordered that Stephen be put outside the room while they discussed his case
c. dragged him outside of the city
3. During last Sunday's sermon, what was one of the "Stephen Principles" mentioned?
a. full of animosity and wisdom
b. forcefully and fearlessly spoke the truth
c. facilitator of grace towards the widows
Answers on Monday! Have a blessed weekend my friends.
a. Joseph, Moses, Gideon
b. Joshua, David, Solomon
c. Abraham, Ishmael, Jacob
2. What did the Sanhedrin do before stoning Stephen to death?
a. pronounced judgement against him
b. ordered that Stephen be put outside the room while they discussed his case
c. dragged him outside of the city
3. During last Sunday's sermon, what was one of the "Stephen Principles" mentioned?
a. full of animosity and wisdom
b. forcefully and fearlessly spoke the truth
c. facilitator of grace towards the widows
Answers on Monday! Have a blessed weekend my friends.
Friday, January 9, 2009
Secret Persuasions
"Then they secretly persuaded some men to say, 'We have heard Stephen speak words of blasphemy against Moses and against God'" (Acts 6:11).
We serve God! God, who brings the hidden things into the light (Ephesians 5:13-14, First Corinthians 4:5); God, who sees what is done in secret and rewards us openly (Matthew 6:1-18).
It's a dangerous thing to make plans that are contrary to the mandate of God. Remember, this is God who speaks to His ministers and prophets. The King of Aram learned this when he asked his servants whether any was betraying him: "'None of us, my lord the king,' said one of his officers, 'but Elisha, the prophet who is in Israel, tells the king of Israel the very words you speak in your bedroom'" (Second Kings 6:12).
Nothing is clandestine. God sees and knows everything.
Jews from the Synagogue of Freedmen planned a secret campaign against the ministry of Stephen, and God in turn empowered Stephen to preach His truth before the Sanhedrin. Instead of silencing the word of God, Stephen's martyrdom only served to expand the wave of new converts to Christianity.
Judas Iscariot planned a secret campaign, agreeing to betray Jesus. Jesus was condemned to the cross and Judas experienced the guilt of that betrayal, so much so that he took his own life.
In both these instances, the end result seemed to not be a success for Stephen or Jesus- after all, they both died unjustly. Is that success? YES.
In their deaths, they spoke a word of forgiveness to their persecutors.
In their deaths, they opened the door for the spreading of the gospel throughout the world.
Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds" (John 12:24).
There are only two options: the secrecy of betrayal, or the openness of identification with Christ. And yes, that open identification might ultimately result in your death. But guess what? Before you die, God will tell you some things. He will give you His wisdom and insight and knowledge, and you will be positioned to do miracles and wonders in His name. Before your candle is extinguished, you will have a chance to burn so brightly that the world will see Jesus in you.
Holy Spirit, I pray you will give Your people boldness. Give us the capacity to raise Lazarus and to work wonders. Give us a fearlessness in living for You, Jesus, especially when no one is watching. Help those of us who serve You to embrace the sermon we heard, so that we will be able to speak truth in the face of power. Cause us to triumph- not the world's definition, but Your definition of success. O God, how we love You! Help us to live out that love without fear, in Jesus' name. Amen.
We serve God! God, who brings the hidden things into the light (Ephesians 5:13-14, First Corinthians 4:5); God, who sees what is done in secret and rewards us openly (Matthew 6:1-18).
It's a dangerous thing to make plans that are contrary to the mandate of God. Remember, this is God who speaks to His ministers and prophets. The King of Aram learned this when he asked his servants whether any was betraying him: "'None of us, my lord the king,' said one of his officers, 'but Elisha, the prophet who is in Israel, tells the king of Israel the very words you speak in your bedroom'" (Second Kings 6:12).
Nothing is clandestine. God sees and knows everything.
Jews from the Synagogue of Freedmen planned a secret campaign against the ministry of Stephen, and God in turn empowered Stephen to preach His truth before the Sanhedrin. Instead of silencing the word of God, Stephen's martyrdom only served to expand the wave of new converts to Christianity.
Judas Iscariot planned a secret campaign, agreeing to betray Jesus. Jesus was condemned to the cross and Judas experienced the guilt of that betrayal, so much so that he took his own life.
In both these instances, the end result seemed to not be a success for Stephen or Jesus- after all, they both died unjustly. Is that success? YES.
In their deaths, they spoke a word of forgiveness to their persecutors.
In their deaths, they opened the door for the spreading of the gospel throughout the world.
Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds" (John 12:24).
There are only two options: the secrecy of betrayal, or the openness of identification with Christ. And yes, that open identification might ultimately result in your death. But guess what? Before you die, God will tell you some things. He will give you His wisdom and insight and knowledge, and you will be positioned to do miracles and wonders in His name. Before your candle is extinguished, you will have a chance to burn so brightly that the world will see Jesus in you.
Holy Spirit, I pray you will give Your people boldness. Give us the capacity to raise Lazarus and to work wonders. Give us a fearlessness in living for You, Jesus, especially when no one is watching. Help those of us who serve You to embrace the sermon we heard, so that we will be able to speak truth in the face of power. Cause us to triumph- not the world's definition, but Your definition of success. O God, how we love You! Help us to live out that love without fear, in Jesus' name. Amen.
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Shut Up And Serve? I Don't Think So.
Perhaps Stephen would not have been killed if he had chosen to keep his mouth shut while he was waiting tables. But he was a man full of God, and the truth of God is of no effect if it is not shared. We are a community that touches each other: preaching, baptisms, faith, laying on of hands... there must be a sharing of God in the community that calls God her LORD.
So Stephen, the one full of the Holy Spirit, full of faith, full of God's grace, and full of power (see Acts 6:5 and 6:8), spoke the truth about Israel's history of rejecting God: rejecting His Spirit, rejecting His prophets, rejecting Jesus the Christ. And Stephen infuriated his listeners further by sharing his vision: "'Look', he said, 'I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God'" (Acts 7:56).
Today, there are pastors in certain parts of the world that are being persecuted and even killed for their simple but adamant affirmation: Yes, I see Jesus. Even here in the Northeast Bronx, perhaps even here in Bronx Bethany, there are pastors being stoned to death. Not with literal stones, but with stony words from the stony hearts of "congregants" who refuse to embrace the rhema word of God and who do not share the vision.
Stephen has told us something that is critically important: every now and then, heaven opens. And in those moments believers receive the revelation of God in His majesty and power. Even in the face of being killed, these believers see the beautiful face of Jesus and they respond as His beloved children: "Lord, don't hold this against them" (see Acts 7:60). And that, too, is what Jesus did: while we were still sinners, alienated from Him, He chose to die for us (see Romans 5:8).
Are you ready for the experience of an open heaven? It is coming soon. The words of Elijah's servant (see First Kings 18) echo in the background: I see a little cloud, the size of a man's hand, rising from the sea...
So Stephen, the one full of the Holy Spirit, full of faith, full of God's grace, and full of power (see Acts 6:5 and 6:8), spoke the truth about Israel's history of rejecting God: rejecting His Spirit, rejecting His prophets, rejecting Jesus the Christ. And Stephen infuriated his listeners further by sharing his vision: "'Look', he said, 'I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God'" (Acts 7:56).
Today, there are pastors in certain parts of the world that are being persecuted and even killed for their simple but adamant affirmation: Yes, I see Jesus. Even here in the Northeast Bronx, perhaps even here in Bronx Bethany, there are pastors being stoned to death. Not with literal stones, but with stony words from the stony hearts of "congregants" who refuse to embrace the rhema word of God and who do not share the vision.
Stephen has told us something that is critically important: every now and then, heaven opens. And in those moments believers receive the revelation of God in His majesty and power. Even in the face of being killed, these believers see the beautiful face of Jesus and they respond as His beloved children: "Lord, don't hold this against them" (see Acts 7:60). And that, too, is what Jesus did: while we were still sinners, alienated from Him, He chose to die for us (see Romans 5:8).
Are you ready for the experience of an open heaven? It is coming soon. The words of Elijah's servant (see First Kings 18) echo in the background: I see a little cloud, the size of a man's hand, rising from the sea...
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Don't Touch Him When He's In That Mode.
Most of my friends are ministers. This has been the case with me since I was a young adult in the Salvation Army, and it is still the case today.
Over these 25 or so years of having pastors as friends, I've noticed an interesting phenomenon. When my friends are preaching, there is something that "kicks in" during the sermon and their words become irrefutable. I recognize that it is not an activity they engage in on their own: the Holy Spirit moves through them, and in that move of the Spirit the congregation splits into two camps: those who are receiving the word of God, and those who are rejecting the word of God.
There are times when the opposition to God's word is so strong you can feel it physically. But the Scripture warns us not to oppose the person who speaks as an oracle of God. We know that Miriam, in her opposition to Moses, won a week of leprosy for her efforts (see Numbers 12). And, while we do not have record of any illness striking the men who opposed Stephen, we do have the record of their not being able to withstand him:
"Opposition arose, however, from members of the Synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called)- Jews of Cyrene and Alexandria as well as the provinces of Cilicia and Asia. These men began to argue with Stephen, but they could not stand up against his wisdom or the Spirit by whom he spoke" (Acts 6:9-10).
We serve a mighty God, the one true God, whose truth always triumphs. And we stand in the midst of a wicked world, where men will resort to lies in their attempts to silence the word of God (see Acts 6:11-14). In the face of opposition, Stephen continued to speak the uncompromised word of God... this humble waiter, expounding the word of life to all who would hear.
A waiter? Yes, Stephen, you establish order and justice so everyone can have something to eat. And yes, Stephen, My anointing has been imparted to you: do signs and wonders and speak life to the hard-hearted.
Stephen came to his assignment full of the Holy Spirit and full of wisdom. After the laying on of the hands of the apostles, he carried out his work "full of God's grace and power" (Acts 6:8) with accompanying signs and miracles. He was so full of God that he was described as having the face of an angel (Acts 6:15).
When you are carrying out your God-given assignment, do others see signs of the kingdom of God in you?
Over these 25 or so years of having pastors as friends, I've noticed an interesting phenomenon. When my friends are preaching, there is something that "kicks in" during the sermon and their words become irrefutable. I recognize that it is not an activity they engage in on their own: the Holy Spirit moves through them, and in that move of the Spirit the congregation splits into two camps: those who are receiving the word of God, and those who are rejecting the word of God.
There are times when the opposition to God's word is so strong you can feel it physically. But the Scripture warns us not to oppose the person who speaks as an oracle of God. We know that Miriam, in her opposition to Moses, won a week of leprosy for her efforts (see Numbers 12). And, while we do not have record of any illness striking the men who opposed Stephen, we do have the record of their not being able to withstand him:
"Opposition arose, however, from members of the Synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called)- Jews of Cyrene and Alexandria as well as the provinces of Cilicia and Asia. These men began to argue with Stephen, but they could not stand up against his wisdom or the Spirit by whom he spoke" (Acts 6:9-10).
We serve a mighty God, the one true God, whose truth always triumphs. And we stand in the midst of a wicked world, where men will resort to lies in their attempts to silence the word of God (see Acts 6:11-14). In the face of opposition, Stephen continued to speak the uncompromised word of God... this humble waiter, expounding the word of life to all who would hear.
A waiter? Yes, Stephen, you establish order and justice so everyone can have something to eat. And yes, Stephen, My anointing has been imparted to you: do signs and wonders and speak life to the hard-hearted.
Stephen came to his assignment full of the Holy Spirit and full of wisdom. After the laying on of the hands of the apostles, he carried out his work "full of God's grace and power" (Acts 6:8) with accompanying signs and miracles. He was so full of God that he was described as having the face of an angel (Acts 6:15).
When you are carrying out your God-given assignment, do others see signs of the kingdom of God in you?
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
It's Back... The Laying On Of Hands.
Dear Friends,
Have you gotten a chance to read Acts 6 and 7 yet? I'd encourage you to do so: these chapters are an amazing glimpse into the life of the early church. As Pastor Sam mentioned in Sunday's sermon, we see in this text a picture of the opposition that arises when God moves.
For today, though, let's just look at a few verses from chapter 6 of Acts.
"So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, 'It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables. Brothers, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.' This proposal pleased the whole group. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit; also Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas from Antioch, a convert to Judaism. They presented these men to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them" (Acts 6:2-6).
Delegation. The apostles knew that they could not effectively minister if they took on the additional responsibility of running the church's food distribution program. So, they did what I call a 'double delegation': they decided that seven other men would oversee the food program, and they also delegated the selection process ("Brothers, choose seven men from among you...").
Identification. The community chose Stephen, and the Scripture tells us he was known to be "a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit". What a combination! And what a commendation! If the pastoral staff of Bronx Bethany asked the congregation to choose some people for a delegated task, who would you tag as being full of wisdom and the Holy Spirit? Or, to be more blunt, would you be tagged as being one of those who is filled with the Holy Spirit?
Presentation. The community completed their assignment by presenting seven men to the apostles. In a young, fast-growing church, the twelve apostles were not in a position to have personal relationships with the thousands who were worshiping Jesus in the temple courts and in the private homes of believers. The community served as ears and eyes, and were able to say, Yes, I know someone who is a leader and who will be an asset to the kingdom of God.
Impartation. Here we see, once again, the laying on of hands as a normal part of the life of the believer. In this instance the laying on of hands was not for receiving the Holy Spirit, because the community had identified Stephen and his colleagues as men who were already full of the Spirit and wisdom. I believe that, as we saw last month with the examples of Moses/Joshua and Paul/Timothy, that through the laying on of hands these seven men received a measure of the spiritual authority that was resident in the apostles. And, like Joshua and Timothy, Stephen demonstrated authority and boldness in his ministry.
But, as I mentioned at the start of this blog, apostolic boldness usually carries with it the risk of opposition and persecution. We'll reflect on this aspect of ministry as the week progresses.
Have you gotten a chance to read Acts 6 and 7 yet? I'd encourage you to do so: these chapters are an amazing glimpse into the life of the early church. As Pastor Sam mentioned in Sunday's sermon, we see in this text a picture of the opposition that arises when God moves.
For today, though, let's just look at a few verses from chapter 6 of Acts.
"So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, 'It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables. Brothers, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.' This proposal pleased the whole group. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit; also Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas from Antioch, a convert to Judaism. They presented these men to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them" (Acts 6:2-6).
Delegation. The apostles knew that they could not effectively minister if they took on the additional responsibility of running the church's food distribution program. So, they did what I call a 'double delegation': they decided that seven other men would oversee the food program, and they also delegated the selection process ("Brothers, choose seven men from among you...").
Identification. The community chose Stephen, and the Scripture tells us he was known to be "a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit". What a combination! And what a commendation! If the pastoral staff of Bronx Bethany asked the congregation to choose some people for a delegated task, who would you tag as being full of wisdom and the Holy Spirit? Or, to be more blunt, would you be tagged as being one of those who is filled with the Holy Spirit?
Presentation. The community completed their assignment by presenting seven men to the apostles. In a young, fast-growing church, the twelve apostles were not in a position to have personal relationships with the thousands who were worshiping Jesus in the temple courts and in the private homes of believers. The community served as ears and eyes, and were able to say, Yes, I know someone who is a leader and who will be an asset to the kingdom of God.
Impartation. Here we see, once again, the laying on of hands as a normal part of the life of the believer. In this instance the laying on of hands was not for receiving the Holy Spirit, because the community had identified Stephen and his colleagues as men who were already full of the Spirit and wisdom. I believe that, as we saw last month with the examples of Moses/Joshua and Paul/Timothy, that through the laying on of hands these seven men received a measure of the spiritual authority that was resident in the apostles. And, like Joshua and Timothy, Stephen demonstrated authority and boldness in his ministry.
But, as I mentioned at the start of this blog, apostolic boldness usually carries with it the risk of opposition and persecution. We'll reflect on this aspect of ministry as the week progresses.
Monday, January 5, 2009
Check, Please.
During this past Sunday's sermon Pastor Sam spoke on Acts 6 and 7. In that passage we meet Stephen, a man whose brief appearance in Scripture provides us with ample evidence of the ways in which a believer can bring glory to God. This week, we'll look at various aspects of Stephen's story and reflect on them in light of our personal lives.
In the face of a crisis involving conflict between Hebrew-speaking and Greek-speaking Jews, Stephen was recognized as a man who was full of the Holy Spirit.
In the face of persecution, Stephen consistently said yes to God and was not ashamed nor afraid to preach Christ.
In the face of death, Stephen experienced an open heaven and saw the resurrected Christ standing at the right hand of God, welcoming Stephen into the eternal kingdom.
Quite a track record for a man called to be a waiter.
What about you? Do you bring glory to God as you go about your daily work? Today, let's ask God to fill us anew with His Spirit so that our work colleagues will know Who we serve.
In the face of a crisis involving conflict between Hebrew-speaking and Greek-speaking Jews, Stephen was recognized as a man who was full of the Holy Spirit.
In the face of persecution, Stephen consistently said yes to God and was not ashamed nor afraid to preach Christ.
In the face of death, Stephen experienced an open heaven and saw the resurrected Christ standing at the right hand of God, welcoming Stephen into the eternal kingdom.
Quite a track record for a man called to be a waiter.
What about you? Do you bring glory to God as you go about your daily work? Today, let's ask God to fill us anew with His Spirit so that our work colleagues will know Who we serve.
Saturday, January 3, 2009
The Open Show: Cornelius Caught In The Act.
"Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God. Now send men to Joppa to bring back a man named Simon who is called Peter. He is staying with Simon the tanner, whose house is by the sea" (Acts 10:4-6).
Cornelius was caught doing good things for God. In the Acts 10 passage we read that he was a God-fearing man. He set the tone and the standard for his family: "He and all his family were devout and God-fearing" (v. 2). Additionally, he was known in both Roman and Jewish communities as a man who gave, and as a man who prayed. Though he was not a follower of Jesus Christ, and was not even Jewish, Cornelius established a standard for himself and his home that was pleasing to Jesus.
Cornelius' track record of praying regularly and giving generously was noticed and commended by God. In the midst of the new wave of God's mighty power being manifested in the early church, we see God sending an angel to the one man who does not fit the profile of the followers of "The Way". Cornelius was a Roman. Cornelius was a centurion, a soldier in charge of other soldiers. Cornelius' job was dependent on his loyalty to the state. If you met Cornelius in the street, his greeting to you would be "Hail Caesar!" And in the face of the profile, God sends an angel with a word...
God was doing things for Cornelius. In response to Cornelius' praying and giving, an angel shows up with clear statements and detailed instructions:
Cornelius, God knows what you have been doing.
Cornelius, God is so pleased with you!
Cornelius, you're a man with the authority to move men. Send some of your men over to Joppa to get Simon Peter and bring him to Caesarea.
Oh, and Cornelius, Simon Peter is staying at Simon Tanner's house by the sea. Your men will find him there.
Cornelius' giving and praying paved for way for Simon Peter to get an education on how God regards the people of the world. After Simon Peter realized that God was sending him to Gentiles, he said, "I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism" (v. 34). Walls of prejudice were broken down as God arranged this encounter between Cornelius and Simon Peter.
Cornelius' giving and praying paved the way for salvation to come to his household. In his actions we see a reflection of the promise of Jesus recorded in Matthew 6: a public reward for private activities. (Psalm 50 also echoes the correlation between giving to God and receiving His salvation.)
Cornelius' giving and praying paved the way for a multicultural church. Prior to his conversion, the earlier chapters of Acts present a picture of a church largely confined to those who were Jews. But God sent Peter from Caesarea to Joppa, to speak to a house packed with Gentiles. In the moment the Holy Spirit manifested His presence in that little community, the face of Christianity was changed forever (see Acts 10:21-46).
Wouldn't it be wonderful, Bronx Bethany, if your private giving and praying were so generous and consistent as to be recognized by God? It's a great way to destroy prejudice, to bring salvation to your household, and to become a multicultural community of faith where everyone has access to the presence and power of God.
Today, I pray that God catches you doing the right thing. Take care, my friends. See you Monday.
Cornelius was caught doing good things for God. In the Acts 10 passage we read that he was a God-fearing man. He set the tone and the standard for his family: "He and all his family were devout and God-fearing" (v. 2). Additionally, he was known in both Roman and Jewish communities as a man who gave, and as a man who prayed. Though he was not a follower of Jesus Christ, and was not even Jewish, Cornelius established a standard for himself and his home that was pleasing to Jesus.
Cornelius' track record of praying regularly and giving generously was noticed and commended by God. In the midst of the new wave of God's mighty power being manifested in the early church, we see God sending an angel to the one man who does not fit the profile of the followers of "The Way". Cornelius was a Roman. Cornelius was a centurion, a soldier in charge of other soldiers. Cornelius' job was dependent on his loyalty to the state. If you met Cornelius in the street, his greeting to you would be "Hail Caesar!" And in the face of the profile, God sends an angel with a word...
God was doing things for Cornelius. In response to Cornelius' praying and giving, an angel shows up with clear statements and detailed instructions:
Cornelius, God knows what you have been doing.
Cornelius, God is so pleased with you!
Cornelius, you're a man with the authority to move men. Send some of your men over to Joppa to get Simon Peter and bring him to Caesarea.
Oh, and Cornelius, Simon Peter is staying at Simon Tanner's house by the sea. Your men will find him there.
Cornelius' giving and praying paved for way for Simon Peter to get an education on how God regards the people of the world. After Simon Peter realized that God was sending him to Gentiles, he said, "I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism" (v. 34). Walls of prejudice were broken down as God arranged this encounter between Cornelius and Simon Peter.
Cornelius' giving and praying paved the way for salvation to come to his household. In his actions we see a reflection of the promise of Jesus recorded in Matthew 6: a public reward for private activities. (Psalm 50 also echoes the correlation between giving to God and receiving His salvation.)
Cornelius' giving and praying paved the way for a multicultural church. Prior to his conversion, the earlier chapters of Acts present a picture of a church largely confined to those who were Jews. But God sent Peter from Caesarea to Joppa, to speak to a house packed with Gentiles. In the moment the Holy Spirit manifested His presence in that little community, the face of Christianity was changed forever (see Acts 10:21-46).
Wouldn't it be wonderful, Bronx Bethany, if your private giving and praying were so generous and consistent as to be recognized by God? It's a great way to destroy prejudice, to bring salvation to your household, and to become a multicultural community of faith where everyone has access to the presence and power of God.
Today, I pray that God catches you doing the right thing. Take care, my friends. See you Monday.
Friday, January 2, 2009
The Open Show: Nahab and Abihu
"Aaron's sons Nahab and Abihu took their censers, put fire in them and added incense; and they offered unauthorized fire before the LORD, contrary to his command. So fire came out from the presence of the LORD and consumed them, and they died before the LORD" (Leviticus 10:1-2).
It's a dangerous thing to engage in activity that is in opposition to the mandate of God. Nahab and Abihu approached the presence of God unworthily, and in the light of His awesome presence they perished.
God particularly doesn't like it when people approach Him with unauthorized forms of worship. He made this clear at the beginning of man's history, as we see recorded in Genesis 4. Cain was rebuked and warned for his offering of fruits: "if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door" (see Genesis 4:7). The implication is that Cain knew what was the right thing to offer, but chose to offer an alternative.
We have the same scenario in Leviticus 10. Nadab and Abihu, along with their two brothers, were present with their father Aaron as Moses instructed them on the proper way to offer the various sacrifices and offerings before the LORD. So they were not ignorant, they were disobedient. But, unlike Cain, Nahab and Abihu did not get a second chance.
God had said previously, "Among those who approach me I will show myself holy" (Leviticus 10:3) - and in that statement we are reminded of the power of God which presents itself in the community of faith, which we've discussed in several of the Back to Basics blogs. There is no question that God shows up. But there is a question of whether the people of God are ready to experience what happens when He shows up in His power.
There are modern-day versions of this scenario, where we see the service of worship compromised by persons who, knowing the mandate of God, choose to step in and defiantly do their own thing. Armed with laptop and lectionary, they make up their own contributions to a ministry they were not called to. And God, in His grace, still ensures that the message He intended to send is sent clearly. "My word will not return void, but will accomplish the purpose for which I sent it..." (see Isaiah 55:10-11). But the day comes when He shows up... and when He does, make sure you are not found offering the strange fire. If you are, you will die and someone will carry you out of the sanctuary (Leviticus 10:4). Those who disobey the mandate of God will be put to an open show.
It's a dangerous thing to engage in activity that is in opposition to the mandate of God. Nahab and Abihu approached the presence of God unworthily, and in the light of His awesome presence they perished.
God particularly doesn't like it when people approach Him with unauthorized forms of worship. He made this clear at the beginning of man's history, as we see recorded in Genesis 4. Cain was rebuked and warned for his offering of fruits: "if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door" (see Genesis 4:7). The implication is that Cain knew what was the right thing to offer, but chose to offer an alternative.
We have the same scenario in Leviticus 10. Nadab and Abihu, along with their two brothers, were present with their father Aaron as Moses instructed them on the proper way to offer the various sacrifices and offerings before the LORD. So they were not ignorant, they were disobedient. But, unlike Cain, Nahab and Abihu did not get a second chance.
God had said previously, "Among those who approach me I will show myself holy" (Leviticus 10:3) - and in that statement we are reminded of the power of God which presents itself in the community of faith, which we've discussed in several of the Back to Basics blogs. There is no question that God shows up. But there is a question of whether the people of God are ready to experience what happens when He shows up in His power.
There are modern-day versions of this scenario, where we see the service of worship compromised by persons who, knowing the mandate of God, choose to step in and defiantly do their own thing. Armed with laptop and lectionary, they make up their own contributions to a ministry they were not called to. And God, in His grace, still ensures that the message He intended to send is sent clearly. "My word will not return void, but will accomplish the purpose for which I sent it..." (see Isaiah 55:10-11). But the day comes when He shows up... and when He does, make sure you are not found offering the strange fire. If you are, you will die and someone will carry you out of the sanctuary (Leviticus 10:4). Those who disobey the mandate of God will be put to an open show.
Thursday, January 1, 2009
2009: The Year Of The Open Show.
Some of you have noticed, and have commented to me privately, that my blogs often contain an undercurrent of prophetic warning that is specific to two things: total obedience to God, and careful respect of leadership that God has set into place. You are correct.
God has continued that warning into 2009, and my sense is that there is an even greater urgency behind it. Please hear me: I am not a fortune teller and I am not trying to scare anyone; I'm just repeating old news. And, this is not my agenda: I am just speaking what God has put on my heart, and I am asking you to receive and understand it as coming from Him.
So, here is an old word for a new year: Remember the word of Jesus in Matthew 6.
He is the one who calls us to give, to fast, and to pray. He is the one who sees what we do in secret. He is the one who publicizes what we have been doing in private. This is true for the good we do, and this is also true for the evil we do. God brings the hidden things into the light. It's His way.
He is also the one who calls us to relax and not worry. He is the one who provides our food, clothing, and shelter. He is the one who meets our needs- not just arbitrarily, but as we walk in obedience to His mandates.
He is also the one who calls us to seek His kingdom and His righteousness. He is the one who calls us into a lifestyle of holy living, integrity, and truthfulness. By the power of the Holy Spirit, He puts in us a desire to learn more about Him, to love Him, to obey Him, to be in relationship with Him. He moves our Christianity beyond the realm of intellectual insight and moves us into intimacy in Him.
2009 is the year of the open show. Those who have ignored God's warnings will endure a public suffering of the consequences. Those who have faithfully worked the works of the kingdom of God will receive public reward for their private efforts. And yes, those who have opposed God's prophets and ministers will suffer the fate of the king's servant detailed in Second Kings 7: they will see the miraculous provision of God, but they will have no share in it.
So, my friends, if you know in your heart that you are not right before God, get it together. Repent and live the life you know He has called you to. Be obedient and do what He says. Why should you die?
"Therefore, O house of Israel, I will judge you, each one according to his ways, declares the Sovereign LORD. Repent! Turn away from all your offenses: then sin will not be your downfall. Rid yourselves of all the offenses you have committed, and get a new heart and a new spirit. Why will you die, O house of Israel? For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign LORD. Repent and live!" (Ezekiel 18:30-32)
God has continued that warning into 2009, and my sense is that there is an even greater urgency behind it. Please hear me: I am not a fortune teller and I am not trying to scare anyone; I'm just repeating old news. And, this is not my agenda: I am just speaking what God has put on my heart, and I am asking you to receive and understand it as coming from Him.
So, here is an old word for a new year: Remember the word of Jesus in Matthew 6.
He is the one who calls us to give, to fast, and to pray. He is the one who sees what we do in secret. He is the one who publicizes what we have been doing in private. This is true for the good we do, and this is also true for the evil we do. God brings the hidden things into the light. It's His way.
He is also the one who calls us to relax and not worry. He is the one who provides our food, clothing, and shelter. He is the one who meets our needs- not just arbitrarily, but as we walk in obedience to His mandates.
He is also the one who calls us to seek His kingdom and His righteousness. He is the one who calls us into a lifestyle of holy living, integrity, and truthfulness. By the power of the Holy Spirit, He puts in us a desire to learn more about Him, to love Him, to obey Him, to be in relationship with Him. He moves our Christianity beyond the realm of intellectual insight and moves us into intimacy in Him.
2009 is the year of the open show. Those who have ignored God's warnings will endure a public suffering of the consequences. Those who have faithfully worked the works of the kingdom of God will receive public reward for their private efforts. And yes, those who have opposed God's prophets and ministers will suffer the fate of the king's servant detailed in Second Kings 7: they will see the miraculous provision of God, but they will have no share in it.
So, my friends, if you know in your heart that you are not right before God, get it together. Repent and live the life you know He has called you to. Be obedient and do what He says. Why should you die?
"Therefore, O house of Israel, I will judge you, each one according to his ways, declares the Sovereign LORD. Repent! Turn away from all your offenses: then sin will not be your downfall. Rid yourselves of all the offenses you have committed, and get a new heart and a new spirit. Why will you die, O house of Israel? For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign LORD. Repent and live!" (Ezekiel 18:30-32)