Harbor. Seal.

“Sunday’s sermon.” It’s a phrase I use a lot in my blog posts. But this week I’ve found that, as I re-read my sermon notes, God pulls out points that I really was not conscious of back on Sunday. It’s like hearing a new sermon!

For example, Pastor Sam spent some time talking about the concept of sin in the camp and its dangerous consequences for communities. It’s especially dangerous in leadership. We see in the books of Samuel, Kings, and Chronicles how nations’ destinies were tied in to the worship lives of their leaders.

I’d like to share a little phrase that the Lord put on my heart this Wednesday (the day I wrote this post) concerning sin in the camp. Whatever we harbor will seal our fate.

The Jeremiah 1:10 charge shows us that not everything can be harbored. If our first prophetic task is to uproot, tear down, destroy, and overthrow, then we are tasked to remove any thing that would impede our second prophetic task of building and planting. To go back to a farming analogy, and we’ve reflected on this in prior posts over the summer, there needs to be a breaking up of the ground before seeds are planted. Some weeds need to be uprooted. Some rocks need to be cast out of the field.

Our pastor shared a few points about what God has asked us to consider as we begin our enacted parable of Jeremiah 1:10:

*If it is God’s work assignment and God’s ability equipping us, then we have to do the work in the way God wants. As His faithful stewards, we carry out His policies and procedures.

*Even if we don’t understand God’s way, we are called to obey Him. His ways are sometimes “beyond understanding”, and that’s okay. We can still do what He says.

*We cannot wait until it is “convenient”. Ask any preacher and he or she will tell you that convenience is not part of the ministry’s benefits package.

*If we are harboring known sin, the prophetic will not occur. Joshua chapters 5 through 7 give a great example of this truth.

*We cannot work in God’s ability if we are nurturing sin. This echoes Jesus’s sermon point in Matthew 6:24, “No man can serve two masters.”

What does it mean if we decide we don’t want to carry out the assignment?

Our community center is a wonderful allegory here. Before any building could begin, there first had to be demolition of two existing buildings on Bronx Bethany’s campus. One of those buildings had a small room that, for me, held high sentimental value. But the sentimentality did not line up with the assignment, so my task was to let go of the sentimentality. Whether I let go or not, the building was still coming down!

God was very direct with Jeremiah. He says, “But you, Jeremiah, get yourself ready! Go and tell these people everything I instruct you to say. Do not be terrified of them, or I will make you terrified in front of them.” (Jeremiah 1:17) It is the echo of Psalm 27. Don’t be afraid! The LORD, Sovereign God, is on our side.

Does God find us pining for what was, rather than rejoicing for what will be? Is our personal satiation of more value to us than others’ salvation?

Lord, help us to harbor a strong faith in you. Give us grace to be sealed by Your Spirit. Accomplish Your work in and through us. In Jesus’s name we pray. Amen.

Compromised Christians And The Way Of Escape.

[Today’s post is lengthy. I hope you will make the sacrifice of time and continue reading.]

God’s controversy with His people reaches its apex at the place of worship. In a context where God demands obedience, exclusivity, and intimacy, there is sometimes the evidence of disobedience, divided hearts, and distance. As Bronx Bethany earnestly enters into the call to build, we must be careful to submit ourselves to the Lord and no other. From God’s perspective, the inclusion and placation of His rivals is an act that ultimately shuts the door to redemption. We see this in the life of Judas Iscariot, whose last-minute pitch for redemption was rejected. He left this world with no money, no Jesus, and no hope.

Now when Judas, who had betrayed him, saw that Jesus had been condemned, he regretted what he had done and returned the thirty silver coins to the chief priests and the elders, saying, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood!” But they said, “What is that to us? You take care of it yourself!” So Judas threw the silver coins into the temple and left. Then he went out and hanged himself. (Matthew 27:3-5)

We also see this on a larger scale in the book of Ezekiel, where God shows the prophet how the priests, though in His house, have distanced themselves from His love. Their worship is divided between God and idols. Ultimately, God sent harsh judgement to the men and women who compromised their relationship with Him.

He said to me, “Go in and see the evil abominations they are practicing here.” So I went in and looked. I noticed every figure of creeping thing and beast – detestable images – and every idol of the house of Israel, engraved on the wall all around. Seventy men from the elders of the house of Israel (with Jaazaniah son of Shaphan standing among them) were standing in front of them, each with a censer in his hand, and fragrant vapors from a cloud of incense were swirling upward. He said to me, “Do you see, son of man, what the elders of the house of Israel are doing in the dark, each in the chamber of his idolatrous images? For they think, ‘The Lord does not see us! The Lord has abandoned the land!’”

Then he brought me to the entrance of the north gate of the Lord’s house. I noticed women sitting there weeping for Tammuz. He said to me, “Do you see this, son of man? You will see even greater abominations than these!” He said to me, “Do you see, son of man? Is it a trivial thing that the house of Judah commits these abominations they are practicing here? For they have filled the land with violence and provoked me to anger still further. Look, they are putting the branch to their nose! Therefore I will act with fury! My eye will not pity them nor will I spare them. When they have shouted in my ears, I will not listen to them.”

Then the glory of the God of Israel went up from the cherub where it had rested to the threshold of the temple. He called to the man dressed in linen who had the writing kit at his side. The Lord said to him, “Go through the city of Jerusalem and put a mark on the foreheads of the people who moan and groan over all the abominations practiced in it.” While I listened, he said to the others, “Go through the city after him and strike people down; do not let your eye pity nor spare anyone! Old men, young men, young women, little children, and women – wipe them out! But do not touch anyone who has the mark. Begin at my sanctuary!” So they began with the elders who were at the front of the temple. (Ezekiel 8:9-12, 8:14-15, 8:17-18, and 9:3-6)

By stepping into our enacted parable of Jeremiah 1, we have stepped into a new level of worship and service. We have shifted from preparation to prophetic action. The spiritual stakes are higher. The evil one, who does not want redemption to come to the young people of the Bronx, will offer us the option of compromise. Our task is to resist and refuse the offer.

As we learned five years ago in our study of Revelation, the enemy will respond to our resistance and refusal with overt threats. Particular to Revelation 13 is the threat aimed at us from other people of God, those we love who have compromised and therefore have crossed into the enemy’s service. They are still in church attendance, still in church attire, still speaking church lingo, but like Ezekiel’s contemporaries there is another service being conducted in secret. It’s a dangerous way to live. Fortunately, these passages from Matthew and Ezekiel assure us that God sees, and God has determined an end to the practices that turn men’s hearts away from exclusive worship. (Those of you who attend Bronx Bethany services will notice there is a literary echo occurring here, as our senior pastor shared several sermons this past summer on this topic.)

Rather than debating where the line of demarcation is, let’s simply acknowledge that there is a line which, once crossed, closes any further opportunity for redemption. Our task as believers is to lovingly urge one another to remain faithful to Christ Jesus and His cause, “faithful” implying that there are no rivals stealing our attention from Him.

During Sunday’s sermon, Pastor Sam commented on the use of the word “overthrow” in God’s call to Jeremiah. Our pastor said, and I paraphrase, “If it’s useful and helpful but takes you away from God’s purpose, then it has to go. We must root out the things that are stopping us from reaching our destiny.” We are to remove the influences in our life that stand in opposition to God’s agenda.

What are some clues that show us whether an influence is in opposition to God’s agenda? Here are a few that we see in the Matthew and Ezekiel passages:

*It is negotiated in secret.
*It causes a turning away from the commandments of God.
*It requires isolation and/or separation from the community of faith.
*It involves betrayal of those closest to us.
*It appears to offer some type of benefit or reward.

God is calling us, individually and collectively, to search our hearts. Let us be sure that our walk with God, publicly and privately, is not compromised. God is calling for pure hearts and lives. Let us be a people who reject duplicity and embrace Christ. May His Name be glorified in us.

Say to them, ‘As surely as I live, declares the sovereign Lord, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but prefer that the wicked change his behavior and live. Turn back, turn back from your evil deeds! Why should you die, O house of Israel?’ (Ezekiel 33:11)

You Can't Fire Me. Ever.

In a recent sermon, our pastor mentioned that someone contacted our denomination’s headquarters and made critical remarks concerning what and how he preached. It’s not the first time we’ve heard of such. And sadly, it probably won’t be the last. Not sad for our pastor, but sad for the person who thinks their criticism will have an effect on the “what and how” of preaching. It's sad because the person obviously does not understand the concept of prophetic mode.

Jeremiah chapter 20 is perhaps the ultimate chapter concerning prophetic mode and the obligation of a prophet to his Lord. In chapter 20 we see Jeremiah speaking in the prophetic mode: His words were not his  own, but were the words of the LORD. His prophecy earned him a beating and a day in the stocks. We see Jeremiah shifting from powerful prophetic utterances to moments of stark fatigue and despair. And in the middle of that chapter, we see the heart of the prophet:

Sometimes I think, “I will make no mention of his message. I will not speak as his messenger any more.” But then his message becomes like a fire locked up inside of me, burning in my heart and soul. I grow weary of trying to hold it in; I cannot contain it. (Jeremiah 20:9)

And, because God’s agenda cannot be suffocated, His word must pour from the soul of the prophet into the atmosphere. God’s word is not stopped by threats, nor beatings, nor caustic letters to denominational headquarters. It appears that the only way to silence a prophet is to kill him.

But guess what? The killing thing won’t work either. God has built into the prophet a life that effects prophetic action post-death! We see it in Scripture:

But the Lord said to Cain, “What have you done? The voice of your brother Abel’s blood is crying out to me from the ground! So now, you are banished from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. (Genesis 4:10-11)

Samuel said to Saul, “Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?” Saul replied, “I am terribly troubled! The Philistines are fighting against me and God has turned away from me. He does not answer me – not by the prophets nor by dreams. So I have called on you to tell me what I should do.” Samuel said, “Why are you asking me, now that the Lord has turned away from you and has become your enemy? The Lord will hand you and Israel over to the Philistines! Tomorrow both you and your sons will be with me. The Lord will also hand the army of Israel over to the Philistines!” (First Samuel 28:15, 16, and 19)

One day some men were burying a man when they spotted a raiding party. So they threw the dead man into Elisha’s tomb. When the body touched Elisha’s bones, the dead man came to life and stood on his feet. (Second Kings 13:21)

Six days later Jesus took with him Peter, James, and John the brother of James, and led them privately up a high mountain. And he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light. Then Moses and Elijah also appeared before them, talking with him. (Matthew 17:1-3)

As Saul was going along, approaching Damascus, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” So he said, “Who are you, Lord?” He replied, “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting! But stand up and enter the city and you will be told what you must do.” Now the men who were traveling with him stood there speechless, because they heard the voice but saw no one. (Acts 9:3-7)

So, this is it. We as a prophetic community are obligated to obey our Lord. We are speaking and acting according to His command. And our enacted parable, that we have begun with our physical plant, will indeed continue to unfold long after we have died.

Know for certain that I hereby give you the authority to announce to nations and kingdoms that they will be uprooted and torn down, destroyed and demolished, rebuilt and firmly planted. (Jeremiah 1:10)

At last, the flywheel has caught.

What Does It Mean To Be Prophetic?

During Sunday’s sermon, Pastor Sam shared with us (and I paraphrase here) “If we see what God sees, then we will do what God wants done. God can count on His people to act according to what He says.”

Of course, the implication is that if you see what God sees but do not act according to what He says, then you are not one of His people. Rather, you are a servant of the evil one. There is no middle ground.

Our pastor compressed the concept of seeing as God sees into three sub-points. For those of us who are people of God, we share God’s perspective of reality. This perspective:

Sees beyond;

Sees before; and

Sees behind.

Seeing beyond. This is best explained using farming as an allegory. A farmer knows that the corn seeds he plants and cultivates will eventually become full-grown, each ear of corn capable of producing thousands more. There is an exponential consequence of seed-planting. In like manner, God shows us that “small” indiscretions, lies, and compromises are starter seeds which will one day produce a harvest of deception, destruction, and death. Conversely, a man who figuratively sows seeds of goodness will produce a future harvest of righteousness and truth. What a man falsely thinks is an issue affecting “only him” will eventually touch the lives of many more persons. Our God speaks to us from the beyond, revealing to us the end result of our current actions and urging us to obey Him.

Seeing before. There is no accuracy of analysis if we merely assess life based on what we know in immediacy. As we read in Jeremiah 1:5, God knew us before He formed us. Life’s circumstances have a before segment which is known to God. If we seek after Him, He will show us what went on beforehand, and how it has influenced the now. When we have this information, we can pray and act from a position of wisdom.

Seeing behind. Our God is an accurate God who can show us specific histories and origins of powers, principalities, and systems. When we know the origins, we can pray from a position of strength. Particularly in the process of deliverance ministry, the naming of powers serves to expose them and enhance our prayers.  We have the power to speak the history, name the origins, and “connect the dots” between what was and what is. We have this power because God has shown us what is behind the scenes.

Why does God show us these things? Because He has invited us to participate in His salvation plan. The call to Jeremiah is the call to Bronx Bethany. Seeing life from God’s perspective will give us the great strength needed to root out, pull down, destroy, throw down, build, and plant. This is our privilege and our responsibility.

Let’s declare it: God can count on me to act according to what He says.

The Specter Of Pathetic Community.

The whole earth had a common language and a common vocabulary. When the people moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar and settled there. Then they said to one another, "Come, let’s make bricks and bake them thoroughly." (They had brick instead of stone and tar instead of mortar.) Then they said, "Come, let’s build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens so that we may make a name for ourselves. Otherwise we will be scattered across the face of the entire earth."

But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower that the people had started building. And the Lord said, "If as one people all sharing a common language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be beyond them. Come, let’s go down and confuse their language so they won’t be able to understand each other." So the Lord scattered them from there across the face of the entire earth, and they stopped building the city. That is why its name was called Babel – because there the Lord confused the language of the entire world, and from there the Lord scattered them across the face of the entire earth. (Genesis 11:1-9)

This is a special week for me. In my married life, I celebrate my husband's birthday. In my church life, we began our "enacted parable" of Jeremiah 1 (at the groundbreaking ceremony for Bronx Bethany's community center). And it is the advent of Yom Kippur, a good time to reflect on God's provision of a holy Substitute to cover His people's sins. We all have the privilege of experiencing prophetic community in dyads, groups, and nations. And while this past Sunday's sermon focused on insights into the self-understanding of a prophetic community, I believe today is a good day to consider the antithesis to prophetic community. It is found in Babel.

There were words voiced in the plain of Shinar, and there was successful work being performed, but it was neither God's voice nor God's work. The settlers of Shinar created a community, by their word, "so that we may make a name for ourselves." God was never invited to the planning table. So God, uninvited God, forgotten God, called a staff meeting with His Triune Self: "Let's go down and confuse their language." He came to the plain of Shinar, confused their self-made community, and scattered them. God reached into their success and turned it into pitiful failure.

Yes. The LORD is just when He judges. He sees when we build structures that are not founded in Him. And that is why our pastors and leaders were very careful to saturate the groundbreaking ceremony with the word of God. His word was spoken out loud, printed on paper, prayed from our hearts, and it will be laid in the foundation of the building. We were (and are) a self-understanding community, consciously gathered around God's word, to glorify His name.

The devil, who is always quick to counterfeit, will no doubt do his best to "scatter" us in an attempt to hinder progress. He will magnify strongholds and engage principalities and powers. He will seek to discourage the faithful and promote the wicked. He will accost the unaware, turning their God-given strengths into arrows of evil. The devil is a master at causing people to first be blinded to danger, then second to be tricked, tempted, or trapped into perpetuating his evil schemes.

But God is good. He gave us assignments before He gave us birth days. He spoke to Bronx Bethany through Jeremiah 1. And physical and spiritual Israel will meet at Yom Kippur, contemplating our passion, our place, and our purpose. We have heard the call of God, and we anticipate the enemy's opposition. So we fast and pray.

Jesus, on this Day of Atonement, we recognize You. Your Presence presides over this ritual of the scattered diaspora coming back to Your temple for forgiveness and blessing.

Our bodies are Your temple. So we come to you as a community of faith. "Though we are many, we are one body in Christ." You have brought us together! So we relinquish our agenda and embrace Yours.

We do as You have decreed in Jeremiah 1: we uproot, tear down, destroy, and completely overthrow every thing, person, and system that stands in opposition to our complete obedience to You.

Our deep passion is for You.
Our desired place is with You.
Our destined purpose is in You.

We reject the self-sufficiency of Shinar, and we give ourselves to You. Jesus, use us to build Your kingdom. In Jesus's name we pray. Amen.

I Know Who I Am.

In yesterday's sermon, we were reminded of our position as a prophetic community. As prophetic people, we step into line with God's assessment of who we are and what we must do. Pastor Sam referenced Jeremiah chapter 1, which details the process and content of Jeremiah's call to prophetic ministry.

 

Let's begin our week's reflections with a discussion of the following question in light of Jeremiah 1:5.

 

Who are we?

• We are persons formed by God.
• We are persons known by God.
• We are persons sanctified by God.
• We are persons appointed by God.

This process occurs prior to our conception! God said to Jeremiah and says to us, “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you; before you were born, I set you apart and appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” It is an awesome thing to know that God has given each of His people a particular task to perform, and a particular destiny to fulfill.

 

This word to Jeremiah relates to another Scripture, found in Isaiah 45:9:

 

“Woe to the one who quarrels with his Maker—

An earthenware vessel among the vessels of earth!

Will the clay say to the potter, ‘What are you doing?’

Or the thing you are making say, ‘He has no hands’?”

 

For anyone who has not taken a pottery class, the potter analogy may be a challenge to fully understand. But we all understand that clay does not talk, and therefore clay on a potter's wheel does not argue to the potter about the rationale behind his formation process.

 

God is creative, God is intentional, God is a planner. God has us living for a specific purpose. He had that purpose in mind before He formed us in our mothers' wombs. There is no such thing as a life without purpose. God, as Potter, designed our purpose even before He designed us.

 

Some people learn at a very early age that they were made for a particular task. That was the experience of Jeremiah (see Jeremiah 1:7) Other people, like Moses, do not come to that realization until they are well into adulthood (see Exodus 3:10-12). And sadly, there are some people who never realize their destiny and purpose.

 

To Jeremiah's and Moses's credit, they do not fall into the error of saying to the Potter, “What are You doing?” But though they did not quarrel, they did offer a few lame excuses to God. I am familiar with some of those excuses, because I've said them myself. Maybe you have said them too. Lord, it's too late for me. Lord, I have nothing to offer. Lord, I'm too young. I'm sure God has heard many excuses.

 

Fortunately, Pastor Sam brought out an amazing point concerning Jeremiah's reluctance to serve. God never addressed Jeremiah's personal sense of inadequacy. God confirmed the call, stated the assignment, touched Jeremiah's mouth, and immediately moved Jeremiah into the prophetic role. What an encouragement! Our God who calls us is also God who equips and empowers us to be prophetic voices in our community and our world.

 

So, who are you?

Flood Insurance...

Pastor Sam shared the sermon "Freedom from Fear" just a few days before Reverend Gabbidon shared the final session of the School of Prayer class. During the prayer class, we spent time in discussion concerning reasons why people experience hindrances to holiness living. The hindrances-- anger, peer pressure, compromise, immaturity, busyness, and several others mentioned-- are means by which the enemy of our souls seeks to block us from reaching our full potential in Christ. (One example given during class was that of a person who had been a Christian for thirty years but never grew into maturity, so the person's behavior taught new Christians that spiritual immaturity was acceptable.) For those of us who were able to attend both Sunday and Wednesday, we experienced a wonderful juxtaposition of insights. In one hand we held Psalm 27, and in the other James 4.

Our constitution. From Psalm 27 we learned that, because the LORD is the strength of our life, we have no need to fear. Therefore, our prayers must be prayed from a position of strength. Further, prayer is not a chore-- it is a joy! Our desire is to gaze on the beauty of the LORD and to enquire in His temple, for in the day of trouble He will hide us (Psalm 27:4). As Pastor Sam shared, "principalities don't have to rule us; no darkness is too dark- we can sing in the dark because Jesus is with us." Fearful prayers are ineffective prayers. Fearless prayers are not swayed by external circumstances.

Our character. James 4 underlined the characteristics of those Christians who are capable of praying from a position of strength and singing praises in the dark. James says, "When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures." (James 4:3) He then follows with a list of the characteristics that will identify the believer as an authentic child of God: submitting to God, resisting the devil, washing our hands and purifying our hearts (holiness as a lifestyle), and humbling ourselves before God (James 4:7-10). In other words, the Christian who has not "gone on to maturity" (see Hebrews 5:11-6:6) really doesn't stand a chance.

When we are free from fear, we are free to intercede for others. We are empowered to break down the gates of hell, set people free, and do damage to the kingdom of darkness. And fearlessness is a necessary trait, because there is always backlash when a true Christian steps in and claims territory for the kingdom of God. In Psalm 27, we see that King David endured slander and defamation. In Acts 16, we read of Paul and Silas being beaten and thrown into prison. Prayer is warfare, and it is not a joke. Sometimes it costs us everything. But hey, welcome to the war zone. Fearless Christians rejoice not because their life circumstances are comfortable, but because they have an assurance from Christ of His presence and covering. His covering trumps everything else.

At the close of Wednesday's class, Pastor Sam asked us all to pray about our potential to be intercessors. For some of us, that means we will need to deal with the fear issue. For others, it may mean we have to deal with the forgiveness issue. God has an interest in His children being well, whole, and capable of successful engagement in warfare prayer. What grace, that He allows us to participate in this ministry of prayer! Will you join the team?

When darkness seems to veil His face, I rest on His unchanging grace;
In every high and stormy gale, my anchors holds within the veil.
His oath, His covenant, His blood, support me in the 'whelming flood;
When all around my soul gives way, He then is all my hope and stay.
On Christ the solid Rock I stand! All other ground is sinking sand. (Edward Mote)

Break Free From Fear.

For those readers who were not part of Sunday's altar call, the pastoral prayer is reprinted below. If God has made you aware that you need deliverance from fear, pray this prayer. Our God is faithful and He will deliver you. Dear Father, in the name of Jesus, I come to You for refuge. “Other refuge have I none; hangs my helpless soul on You.” I come to You for salvation. I am sorry for anything that I have done that has grieved You. Forgive me of my sins. Cleanse me from every thing that grieves You Lord. I want to be Your child. I want to come under Your control. Save me Lord. Make me a new person. Fill me with Your Spirit. Cause me to be free from fear as I trust in You. In Jesus's name. Amen.

Shammua, Shaphat, Igal, Palti, Gaddiel, Gaddi, Ammiel, Sethur, Nahbi, Geuel.

Today we'll consider a third aspect of fear that we learned of during Sunday's sermon.

The LORD God is powerful to deliver us from the fear of deficiency.

Sometimes we are bombarded with a sense of our own inadequacy. There is a heightened pressure to do well when one is surrounded by high-performing colleagues and peers. To further complicate the matter, principalities and powers seek to make us downgrade our own skills and abilities. And, if I may add another component, we know ourselves well enough to know our own weaknesses and shortcomings. There are some things we just aren't able to do well.

But our weakness gives God space to be the strength of our life! If our strength is in the LORD, then our deficiency doesn't matter- it is God's adequacy that matters. And if our deficiency is overcome by God's adequacy, then there is no need for us to fear.

This concept is brought to light in the experience of the twelve tribal leaders of ancient Israel. Ten leaders are rarely spoken of: the other two are poster children for fearlessness. Joshua and Caleb had an assurance of God's power, and they were eager to possess the land of Canaan. The other ten responded in fear, focused on their own inadequacy.

The ten leaders engaged in fear-based actions which ultimately resulted in their not being permitted to enter into the promised land:

Their mantra was “We can't”. However, God did not ask them to make an assessment of their own ability; He asked them to explore the land that He was giving to the Israelites (Numbers 13:2).

Their mouths were engaged in slander. After giving Moses a positive account about the produce of the land (Numbers 13:27), the ten leaders then spread a bad report of the land among the Israelites (Numbers 13:32).

Their measurement of self-worth was based on their own assessment instead of God's. Rather than remembering God's great works among them, the ten leaders chose to compare themselves to other people (Numbers 13:33). In comparing their stature to that of the descendants of Anak, the Israelites gave in to the fear of their perceived inadequacy.

Joshua and Caleb, though in the minority, fearlessly testified of God's power. Their testimony is one that we can be encouraged by today.

Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had explored the land, tore their clothes and said to the entire Israelite assembly, “The land we passed through and explored is exceedingly good. If the LORD is pleased with us, he will lead us into that land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and will give it to us. Only do not rebel against the LORD. And do not be afraid of the people of the land, because we will swallow them up. Their protection is gone, but the LORD is with us. Do not be afraid of them.” (Number 14:6-9).

The LORD is with you. His adequacy covers your deficiency. Do not be afraid!

Free Delivery!

As we continue our reflections on this past Sunday's sermon, let's consider another aspect of fear.

Our God is powerful to deliver us from the fear of danger.

Principalities and powers threaten us with the specter of being hurt or being destroyed. These threats can result in a form of fear that keeps the Christian from reaching his or her full potential. The Scripture shows us examples of the types of threats that are made to attempt to keep believers from walking in obedience to God.

The threat of public humiliation. The first century church, empowered by the Holy Spirit, was able to stand against the spirit of fear. The threats of the religious leaders, and the beatings and imprisonments those leaders imposed, did not deter the disciples of Jesus from boldly proclaiming the gospel of salvation.

The threat of death. The book of Daniel recounts the experiences of Daniel and his friends. They refused to give in to the fear of death, and instead chose to suffer the consequences of disobeying direct orders from the pagan kings who ruled over Babylon. Neither a den of lions nor a fiery furnace could turn these young men from honoring God with undeterred, undivided worship.

Pastor Sam reminded us of the central verse of Psalm 23: “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil, for Thou art with me; Thy rod and Thy staff, they comfort me.” The LORD, who is our salvation, is present with us! He empowers us to continue standing for His agenda, even in the face of threats from principalities and powers.

One of the beautiful aspects of God's power is that deliverance from fear can be accomplished even if our external situation does not change. This was the testimony of unnamed Christians commended in the book of Hebrews: “Others were tortured and refused to be released...” (Hebrews 11:35). To paraphrase our pastor, “What can anyone do to you if you're not afraid to die?”

The LORD is my light; darkness cannot move me.
The LORD is my salvation; threats will not stop me.
I'm not afraid anymore!

Navigating Sunset.

“Who is holding your hand when the darkness closes in?” -Pastor Sam

In this past Sunday's sermon, our pastor spoke of various ways in which the enemy of our souls seeks to instill fear. Over the next few days we'll consider some of these points.

The LORD overcomes the fear of darkness.

We sometimes go through life not knowing where to go nor what to do. The darkness is a metaphor for the lack of insight or understanding. We experience darkness in a number of ways, but three specific ones were mentioned in the sermon.

Economic darkness. This darkness is experienced in unemployment, underemployment, debt, or financial lack. The devil seeks to move us into a place of hopelessness because we do not know how we will make our living or meet our needs from day to day. Alternately, agents of the devil seek to promote systems in which families are caught in a spiral of compromise for the sake of maintaining income. This compromise manifests itself when people intentionally engage in actions that they know are against the will of God, for the sake of economic relief.

Relational darkness. This darkness has two faces. One side is experienced when agents of the devil threaten us by instilling of the fear of losing loved ones to sickness or death; the other side is experienced when the devil and his agents actively engage in actions designed to destroy marriages through adultery and deception. Relational darkness is a prime target for the enemy, as it undermines God's design for the sanctity of marriage. This fear, if not addressed, leads to a spiral of control and self-preservation that marks the works of the flesh (see Galatians 5).

Educational darkness. We see this in the lack of access to learning opportunities and materials, systems designed to withhold information about educational resources, and even the popular media's lauding of ignorance and apathy as “cool” ways of being. The enemy of our souls seeks to ruin a lifetime by causing young people to succumb to poor educational choices at an early age.

But we can be encouraged. If the LORD is our light, there is no darkness-- light and darkness are alike to Him. His Presence is near to those who call on Him in truth, and He has all power to rescue, save, and deliver His people.

Will we trust the LORD when we can't see? Do we have to see everything? Faith, the evidence of things not seen, is not bound by darkness. Appropriate the faith of God today.

Where Would I Be If Not For...

During yesterday's sermon Pastor Sam reminded us that, “whether we want to fight or not, we are in a war!”. And the key to winning the war is to recognize that God is on the side of the authentic Christian. Our God fights on behalf of those who rest in Him, feed on His word, and obey His commands.

Over this week we will reflect on various points from the sermon. Today, though, we consider two questions:

1) What Has God said to Bronx Bethany?

Say no to the fear.The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? (Psalm 27:1)

Say yes to the fight.Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. (Ephesians 6:11)

Let us be bold to not merely memorize the word of God, but also to meditate upon it! And, another m-word, let our fears melt in it. Our LORD is a consuming fire (Deuteronomy 4:24), and His word is a word that purifies us and burns out the dross of our lives. As we submit to His commands, we become purer reflections of His character.

2) What has God said to you?

Lord, Hear Our Prayer...

Son of God, eternal Savior, source of life and truth and grace,
Son of Man, whose birth incarnate hallows all our human race;
Thou, our Head, who, throned in glory, for Thine own dost ever plead,
Fill us with Thy love and pity, heal our wrongs, and help our need.

As Thou, Lord, hast lived for others, so may we for others live;
Freely have Thy gifts been granted, freely may Thy servants give.
Thine the gold and Thine the silver, Thine the wealth of land and sea,
We but stewards of Thy bounty, held in solemn trust for Thee.

Come, O Christ, and reign among us, King of love, and Prince of peace;
Hush the storm of strife and passion, bid its cruel discords cease.
Ah, the past is dark behind us, strewn with wrecks and stained with blood;
But before us gleams the vision of the coming brotherhood.

See the Christlike host advancing, high and lowly, great and small,
Linked in bonds of common service for the common Lord of all.
Thou who prayedst, Thou who willest that Thy people should be one,
Grant, O grant our hope's fruition: here on earth Thy will be done.

Rev. Somerset Corry Lowry (1855-1932)

"Scatter" Plot.

Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters! Let every person be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger. For human anger does not accomplish God’s righteousness. So put away all filth and evil excess and humbly welcome the message implanted within you, which is able to save your souls. But be sure you live out the message and do not merely listen to it and so deceive yourselves. For if someone merely listens to the message and does not live it out, he is like someone who gazes at his own face in a mirror. For he gazes at himself and then goes out and immediately forgets what sort of person he was. But the one who peers into the perfect law of liberty and fixes his attention there, and does not become a forgetful listener but one who lives it out – he will be blessed in what he does. (James 1:19-25)

As we close this week’s reflections on Dr. Hawthorne’s quote (“We have the pastor, the fellowship, and God as our Captain”), let’s consider the above passage from the epistle of James. James, in speaking to the Jews who lived among the Gentiles, gave counsel to the fellowship of believers which were scattered throughout the diaspora. For those who would heed James’s counsel, there would result three things: God’s righteousness (1:19-20), their souls’ salvation (1:21), and the Lord’s blessing (1:25).

What was James’s counsel?

Be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry. The community of faith is to be characterized by patience, gentleness, and self-control—that is, the faith community is to reflect the fruit of the Spirit (see Galatians 5:22-23).

Put away all filth and evil excess. The community of faith is not to condone or harbor actions that run counter to God’s attributes. If we cling to evil, then we are not representatives of our Lord Jesus. Further, our misrepresentation hurts not only ourselves, but also our entire faith community.

Humbly welcome the message implanted within you. Our pastors are tasked by God to speak His agenda. Because we trust our pastors to speak as the oracles of God, we are tasked to receive what they speak. Some messages are encouraging; others are convicting. Either way, our mandate is to humbly welcome the message. God is using our leaders to help us grow up in Him.

Live out the message. Hell will be full of people who have attended churches and heard messages, yet never got around to obeying God’s word. We are to be hearers and doers (see James 1:22).

Peer into the law of the Lord. Gaze intensely! Faithful meditation on the word of God helps us to remain aware of what God has said. As we daily keep our attention on His word, we are reinforcing the messages we have heard from our pastors. This reinforcement empowers us to live in obedience to God.

A three-stranded cord is not quickly broken (see Ecclesiastes 4:12). As was shared by Reverend Gabbidon during our Wednesday night class, Christians were never meant to “go it alone.” We have a three-stranded cord: our pastors, our fellow believers, and Elohim, the triune God.

Let us humbly, and joyfully, embrace this God-given support system.

This Is Your Captain Speaking. Again.

“We have the pastor, the fellowship, and God as our Captain.” (Dr. Lowell Hawthorne)

In identifying God as part of our support system, Dr. Hawthorne alluded to a powerful representation of Christ that we find in the Old Testament.

“Now when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua went up to him and asked, “Are you for us or for our enemies?” “Neither,” he replied, “but as commander of the army of the LORD I have now come.” Then Joshua fell facedown to the ground in reverence, and asked him, “What message does my Lord have for his servant?” The commander of the LORD’s army replied, “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did so. (Joshua 5:13-15)

As we continue reading through the next few chapters of Joshua, we see that the Lord gave Joshua very specific instructions concerning the role of the community in achieving and maintaining victory. Sadly, the actions of one individual brought judgement on the entire community.

“But the Israelites acted unfaithfully in regard to the devoted things; Achan son of Carmi, the son of Zimri, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took some of them. So the LORD’s anger burned against Israel.” (Joshua 7:1).

I think it is this verse that helps us to answer a question scholars sometimes ask: Why would the Lord say He was not on anyone’s side (5:14)? As commander of the armies of heaven, our Lord executes the will of God in the earth. If people, even God’s people, work in opposition to His will, then He is not obligated to support us in our sinfulness.

Ancient Israel experienced this as they lost the battle in Ai (Joshua 7:2-5) and worked through the difficult process of having to participate in the judgement of God. In obedience to His command, the community destroyed the stolen goods, Achan, and all that belonged to Achan.

Last night during our School of Prayer class, Reverend Newton Gabbidon and Pastor Sam also spoke of the word of God as the catalyst that moves the community. Like Achan, there may be persons in our fellowship who have chosen to harbor or cling to objects and persons that God has deemed accursed. And like Achan, if we choose to hold onto things that God has told us to release, then we will remain bound to that curse. And like the unnamed man in First Corinthians 5, remaining bound to accursed things will ultimately result in our own destruction.

Let us obey the word of God. “Therefore come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch not the unclean thing, and I will receive you.” (Second Corinthians 6:17)

Lord, we know that You are not obligated to be on our side when we live in opposition to Your word. Give us wisdom to remove the accursed things from our lives, so that we might live victoriously.

Jolly, Good Fellow.

As we continue our reflection on "the pastor, the fellowship, and God as our Captain" (Dr. Lowell Hawthorne), let's take some time to think about our community of faith.

"Fellowship" is a challenging word. We don't ever want to forget that we are a church, a gathering of people whom God has called to represent Christ Jesus in the world. There are fellowships that are not churches: gangs, cults, secret societies such as the Freemasons or Elks, fraternities and sororities, and other religions that do not confess Jesus as Lord and King.

As a church, then, we find that we are strengthened by the relationships we have. Each individual has his part to play in the functioning of the entire body. Bronx Bethany Church of the Nazarene has many people with a diverse array of skills and gifts. Scripture tells us that these gifts are to be used, in a spirit of love, to build up the body of Christ in the local church (see Ephesians 4:11-13).

In addition to exercising our gifts, we are called to grow up. Just as we don't expect a ten-year old to still be sucking a bottle, God does not expect that we will remain in spiritual infancy over our lifetime as a Christian. The community of faith is a community that grows in knowledge, understanding, and love (see Ephesians 4:14-16).

However, being gifted and becoming a spiritual grown-up is not enough. Pastor Sam frequently warns us, from Matthew 25:31-46, that there will be many spiritually gifted people who will find themselves blocked from entering the presence of Jesus. Part of our fellowship with others involves not just meeting together, but also having compassion for those who may never walk into our church. We are called to serve.

These themes should sound familiar to Bronx Bethany people, because we hear them every week. Our leaders have boiled them down to seven words:

Loving God
Growing Together
Serving The World

A perfect template, designed to guide us as our spirits groan and wait for the day when we will be perfected in Christ.

For you were at one time darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness. Rather than participating in them, you should even expose them! (Ephesians 5:8 and 5:11)

Big Brother-In-Arms.

Although an assailant may overpower [prevail over] one person, two can withstand him. (Ecclesiastes 4:12a)

Have you ever felt like your prayers weren’t getting past the bedroom ceiling?

There was an occasion some time ago where I felt that my prayers were caught in a bottleneck. I mean, I was pouring it on full-force. Praying, fasting, watching, solitude, silence, I was rocking those classic disciplines… and it seemed that nothing was happening.

During a conversation with a minister, I casually mentioned my prayer concern. We prayed together for less than a minute, then went about our separate business. But after that short prayer, I felt that God had stepped in to act on behalf of my petition. The next day, I got to see His answer to my prayers.

Am I saying that God didn’t hear me the first time I prayed? No, that’s not what I mean. But I am saying that, from time to time, the answers to our prayers seem to have more ease of transit when a person of higher spiritual rank is involved. Consider:

-Hannah and Eli (First Samuel 1:1-20);
-The Shunammite woman and Elisha (Second Kings 4:8-37);
-The unnamed messenger and Michael (Daniel 10:12-13).

The Daniel 10 example is particularly interesting because it gives explicit detail of why Daniel’s prayer went “unanswered” for three weeks. The unnamed messenger was opposed by the prince of the kingdom of Persia for twenty-one days. Michael, an archangel known as a fighter, had to step in and tip the scales in favor of the kingdom of God. And during this unseen conflict, Daniel continued in prayer.

So, when we pray, we can be encouraged in knowing that the Lord hears the prayer of the righteous. Even the conflict is an encouragement! It is a sign that we are on the right track, and the enemy is seeking to discourage us by causing divine delays of one sort or another.

But, although we are encouraged, the Scripture also gives us precedence to exert additional force on behalf of the kingdom of God. Hannah and the Shunammite woman, partnering with spiritual leaders, received swift answers to the prayer of their hearts. And the unnamed messenger, partnering with Michael, broke through the spiritual conflict in order to reach Daniel.

In the three examples above, the accounts reveal that Daniel, Hannah, and the Shunammite woman were devout people. They exemplified the opening passages of Matthew 6: they prayed, they fasted, and they gave. Moreover, their devotion was not contingent on their prayers being answered! Hannah faithfully worshipped God even though her rival tormented her year after year. Daniel worshipped God even though it meant he had to spend a night in a den of lions. The Shunammite woman built an addition to her home for Elisha to use, without knowing that she would get anything in return.

Are your prayers seemingly going unanswered? Perhaps it’s time to call a superior.

Examen.

"We have the pastor, the fellowship, and God as our Captain." -Dr. Lowell Hawthorne

The pastor.

Several weeks ago I wrote about a concept which I termed "the prophetic-faith exchange" (see Second Kings 4): that is, a situation in which a spiritual leader and a lay person work together in a short-term dyad to accomplish God's will. In saying "We have the pastor", Dr. Hawthorne alluded to this powerful relationship.

Sadly, many of us relegate our pastors to the role of "entertainer". We stroll into church and expect some sort of performance. We lack consciousness of our opportunity to participate in God's program. Our worship experience, rather than being a service to God, becomes a self-service station. And the exchange, rather than appropriating God's miraculous power, becomes as tepid as watching television. To quote from Keith Green's Asleep In The Light, "you just lay back and keep soaking it in." (Perhaps the only difference is that the cable company gets a larger offering.)

Why are we unengaged in this component of spiritual life?

We slip into Fear. I believe this falls into two categories. There is the fear of rumors based on our association: Jesus's disciple John experienced this crisis (John 21:20-22). And there is the fear of retaliation based on our association: again, the book of John shows us that Jesus identified this as a real possibility for His followers (John 15:18-21). The emotions of jealousy and hatred, especially when launched from other believers, are sometimes sufficient to cause a Christian to avoid any sort of prophetic collaboration with their pastor.

We shirk our Responsibility. It may be the "exchange" aspect of prophetic-faith exchange that deters some souls from engaging the process. The apostle Paul made mention of those men and women who took risks and gave of themselves for the sake of his ministry (Philippians 4:15; First Corinthians 16:17). If our approach to faith is that the pastor is the supplier and we are merely consumers, then we will never reach a point where God can commend us for our role in the prophetic process.

So today, and everyday, let's examine our hearts. Are we willing to be participants in God's program? Do we trust our pastors as accurate purveyors of God's agenda? Is our heart's desire to participate in the miraculous regardless of what it may cost in terms of profession or reputation?

Trust in the LORD your God and you will be safe! Trust in the message of His prophets and you will win. (Second Chronicles 20:20b)

Son Light.

Yesterday's guest speaker was Lowell Hawthorne, D. Litt., CEO of Golden Krust Caribbean Bakery and Grill. His message inspired us to remember God's faithfulness: we serve a God who always brings His word to pass, and we can trust Him completely.

Dr. Hawthorne made a statement during his message that we will be reflecting on over the next few days. While encouraging the congregation, he said:

"We have the pastor, the fellowship, and God as our Captain."

For today, I encourage us to contemplate this statement. And for some of us, this may be a new way of thinking about the supports God has provided to help His people. Could it be that some of our struggles are occurring because, though we love God, we do not love the pastor He has set over us nor the people He has placed us with?

Although an assailant may overpower one person, two can withstand him. Moreover, a three-stranded cord is not quickly broken. (Ecclesiastes 4:12)

Stay Calm And Carry On.

About twenty or so years ago, I experienced a revival. This occurred at a small church in New York City.

At the time, the pastor had done nothing different from what she usually did on Sundays. In fact, our church was so predictable that you could set your watch based on what was going on: a hymn, a chorus, a prayer, another hymn interspersed with testimonies, announcements, offering, sermon, altar call, closing hymn, benediction, go home. We weren't involved in any sort of initiative concerning revival.

But for some reason, at that particular point in time, God decided to show up in the midst of our routine. And He kept showing up powerfully every Sunday over a period of four months. For sixteen consecutive weeks the altar call was packed. People were conscious of their need for repentance and sanctification. There was confession and contrition. Lives were changed, and over the following years we saw that the change was real. Several of the men and women who experienced that revival eventually moved into ministry positions: some were volunteers, and others became full-time pastors.

Because we knew we were not the originators of this experience, we didn't try to bottle it and sell it. No one ever called our denomination's headquarters to tell them what was “going on”. No one wrote any articles about us. We didn't make any recordings. But we did make resolves, personally, to draw nearer to God.

Throughout that revival period, the routine remained intact. But it was new! The prayers were prayed with passion. The Spirit of God opened our eyes and ears, giving the old songs new life. The Word of God leapt off the pages, piercing our hearts as He revealed the Scriptures to us. Yes, it was our Emmaus Road: Jesus, ever present, was suddenly recognized. We were in awe.

And then, it subsided. Altar calls went back to the usual handful of seekers. The routine lost the spark of enlightenment we had briefly experienced. But, we had been changed. And because we had changed, our homes changed! Our community changed! Our church changed! The seeds planted in those few months bore spiritual fruit that has remained over the decades.

Are you longing for change? Be encouraged. At His appointed time, our Lord will appear and revive our souls... and we will never be the same again.

New York, Fast.

The leadership of Times Square Church has called for a three-day fast this month: September 16, 17, and 18. There will be prayer services at their church each of those three days:

*Sunday September 16: 10 AM, 3 PM, and 6 PM
*Monday September 17: 7 PM
*Tuesday September 18: 7PM

Times Square Church is located at 51st Street and Broadway. For more information, please go to http://www.tscnyc.org/events_3_day_fast_God_heal_our_land.php

Meet The Real Lord Of Time.

Because I am a fan of the British series Doctor Who, I associate the term “time lord” with the series’ title character, who is capable of traveling into any moment in time. It’s not unusual for Doctor Who to step into his ship, set a chronological date, and fly to wherever he needs to go. The whole series is founded on the Doctor’s ability to travel through time.

However, this has no comparison to the power of God. Our God, as Pastor Richie shared on Sunday, does not need to travel through time because He is not subject to time. He created time, and He commands time. Time does what God says. We have this evidence in Scripture:

The day the Lord delivered the Amorites over to the Israelites, Joshua prayed to the Lord before Israel: “O Sun, stand still over Gibeon! O moon, over the Valley of Aijalon!” The sun stood still and the moon stood motionless while the nation took vengeance on its enemies. The event is recorded in the Scroll of the Upright One. The sun stood motionless in the middle of the sky and did not set for about a full day. (Joshua 10:12-13)

Hezekiah had said to Isaiah, “What is the confirming sign that the Lord will heal me and that I will go up to the Lord’s temple the day after tomorrow?” Isaiah replied, “This is your sign from the Lord confirming that the Lord will do what he has said. Do you want the shadow to move ahead ten steps or to go back ten steps?” Hezekiah answered, “It is easy for the shadow to lengthen ten steps, but not for it to go back ten steps.” Isaiah the prophet called out to the Lord, and the Lord made the shadow go back ten steps on the stairs of Ahaz. (Second Kings 20:8-11)

Pastor Richie made an awesome comment concerning Jesus’s apparent delay in responding to the illness and death of Lazarus (see John 11:1-44). In arriving to Bethany four days after Lazarus’s death, it appeared to the people that Jesus showed up “too late” to do anything. But Jesus, the Lord who is not subjected to time, has the power to command creation irrespective of time. If Jesus speaks life, then death has to step aside. Therefore, and I paraphrase Pastor Richie here, “There is no such thing as praying too late. So if you were supposed to pray for someone at 9, and didn’t remember until it was 12, pray anyway!” If we really believe this, and if we live as if we believe it, our prayer lives will be completely transformed. This power of God is a power that transcends time, and even transcends death.

If time is not capable of preventing God’s hand, then how can we ever say it’s too late for Him to act?

No Expiration Date.

He was fully convinced that what God promised he was also able to do. So indeed it was credited to Abraham as righteousness. But the statement it was credited to him was not written only for Abraham’s sake, but also for our sake, to whom it will be credited, those who believe in the one who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. (Romans 4:21-24)

Recently I watched a television program that touted the numerous complications that could occur in women who, after the age of forty, “choose” to have children. For Christians, the very premise of the program is in error. What woman is it that chooses whether an egg will be released, whether it will be viable, whether it will be fertilized, whether it will attach or miscarry, whether it will develop, whether it will remain singular or split into identical twins? Here in America we can legally choose to end a life, but no human being can initiate life. That is the prerogative of God. This is what we believe. As we say in the Nicene Creed, “I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the Giver of life.”

Pastor Richie reminded us that if we don’t understand God’s makeup, we won’t understand His power. And, from time to time, the Lord confounds the world with His power to do the impossible. I know women who have had children at age fifty (for one of them it was her first child), with no complications. But even that does not compare to the life of Sarah, whose prophetic promise of having a child was not fulfilled until she was far past the age of childbearing. Her husband, Abraham, merited this testimony that we read in Romans 4:21: “(Abraham) was fully convinced that what God promised, He was also able to do.”

What a comfort to know that our chronological age is no deterrent to the activity of God in our lives! We can still sing and preach and pray and give. We can still be recipients of miracles. We can still be participants and agents for the cause of Christ in the world. And we can still bear fruit, physically and figuratively, in our old age. God simply asks us to believe Him, and to take Him at His word without backtalk or doubting. God will never run out of time to do what He chooses, using whomever He wants.

Do you understand this?

Whose Tithe Is It Anyway?

"Do I eat the flesh of bulls?
Do I drink the blood of goats?
Present to God a thank-offering!
Repay your vows to the sovereign One!
Pray to me when you are in trouble!
I will deliver you, and you will honor me!" (Psalm 50:13-15)

Pastor Richie shared with us that God does not need our tithe to meet His needs; rather, we need to give God our tithe in order to meet our needs. It is the theme of Psalm 50. The tithe, given to the One who doesn’t need anything, opens the doors of heaven and procures our salvation, deliverance, and provision.

Our God is a God who permits us to transact with Him. Malachi 3, perhaps the most famous passage on tithing, makes this crystal-clear. “Bring the entire tithe into the storehouse so that there may be food in my temple. Test me in this matter,” says the Lord who rules over all, “to see if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing until there is no room for it all. Then I will stop the plague from ruining your crops, and the vine will not lose its fruit before harvest,” says the Lord who rules over all. (Malachi 3:10-11)

God asks us to participate in this redemptive process: we give, and He gives. And He even takes into account our weakness. We give ten percent, and He pours out in such abundant measure that we cannot measure it: the blessing is poured out “until there is no room for it all”. In other words, it overflows! Our one-bedroom apartment is not big enough. Our 200-acre ranch is not big enough. As the old saying goes, we can never out-give God.

Where else can we find such a vast return on investment? And why do so many Christians fail in this simplest tenet of our faith? Let’s pray that the hearts of God’s people will turn to complete obedience in the matter of the tithe.

Lord, You are everything to me! I give you ten percent of my earnings and one hundred percent of my heart, one hundred percent of my passion, one hundred percent of my obedience. What else can I do? I love You and will do anything for You.

Time To Upgrade.

In this past Sunday’s sermon, Pastor Richie spoke about the danger of “downgrading” God. If we seek to make God understandable by reducing His greatness to look more like our weakness, then we really don’t know who He is. And, if we don’t know who He is, we are prone to ignore what He says.

Our pastor gave a wonderful illustration of this, based on Luke chapter 5. After an unsuccessful fishing venture, Peter and his fishing crew are advised by Jesus to go back out and cast another net for fish. Pastor Richie said, and I paraphrase here, “If I were a professional fisherman, and a carpenter advised me on how to catch fish, I wouldn’t listen to him. But because Jesus is not just a man, but Lord of creation, He can make fish to go into the net.” I hope that concept is not too surreal for us to grab hold of in this twenty-first century. Jesus is Lord. He speaks creation into being, across the millennia. He also speaks to you and me.

So, if Jesus has been relegated to being only your friend, or if you think He’s only a nice person that lived a long time ago, I encourage you to look at Him again. Look beyond His preaching on the hills of Jerusalem. Look beyond His blessing babies and healing lepers. Look up into the heavens: He is there, our Creative King, with all power in His hand. And He is an interested intercessor, calling your name and taking note of how you respond to His call.

Will you hear Him? Or will you ignore Him?

Now Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret, and the crowd was pressing around him to hear the word of God. He saw two boats by the lake, but the fishermen had gotten out of them and were washing their nets. He got into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, and asked him to put out a little way from the shore. Then Jesus sat down and taught the crowds from the boat. When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep water and lower your nets for a catch.” Simon answered, “Master, we worked hard all night and caught nothing! But at your word I will lower the nets.” When they had done this, they caught so many fish that their nets started to tear. So they motioned to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both boats, so that they were about to sink. But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!” For Peter and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish that they had taken, and so were James and John, Zebedee’s sons, who were Simon’s business partners. Then Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people.” So when they had brought their boats to shore, they left everything and followed him. (Luke 5:1-11)

Keyed In!

During each of our English-language services this past Sunday, Pastor Richie shared a profound sermon on the greatness of God. As we recognize God’s greatness and power, we are moved into increased levels of faith and trust in His ability to care for us. Pastor Richie encouraged us to maintain focus on the identification of Jesus not as our "homeboy", but as the Living God who supersedes time and space.

This week we’ll reflect on some of the Scripture passages that our pastor referenced during the sermon. For today, I’ve listed two of those passages for us to meditate upon. I pray that our reading (and re-reading) of these will serve as encouragement for our souls.

He says:
“Listen my people! I am speaking!
Listen Israel! I am accusing you!
I am God, your God!
I am not condemning you because of your sacrifices,
or because of your burnt sacrifices that you continually offer me.
I do not need to take a bull from your household
or goats from your sheepfolds.
For every wild animal in the forest belongs to me,
as well as the cattle that graze on a thousand hills.
I keep track of every bird in the hills,
and the insects of the field are mine.
Even if I were hungry, I would not tell you,
for the world and all it contains belong to me.
Do I eat the flesh of bulls?
Do I drink the blood of goats?
Present to God a thank-offering!
Repay your vows to the sovereign One!
Pray to me when you are in trouble!
I will deliver you, and you will honor me!” (Psalm 50:7-15)

For the promise to Abraham or to his descendants that he would inherit the world was not fulfilled through the law, but through the righteousness that comes by faith. For if they become heirs by the law, faith is empty and the promise is nullified. For the law brings wrath, because where there is no law there is no transgression either. For this reason it is by faith so that it may be by grace, with the result that the promise may be certain to all the descendants – not only to those who are under the law, but also to those who have the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all (as it is written, “I have made you the father of many nations”).

He is our father in the presence of God whom he believed – the God who makes the dead alive and summons the things that do not yet exist as though they already do. Against hope Abraham believed in hope with the result that he became the father of many nations according to the pronouncement, “so will your descendants be.” Without being weak in faith, he considered his own body as dead (because he was about one hundred years old) and the deadness of Sarah’s womb. He did not waver in unbelief about the promise of God but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God. He was fully convinced that what God promised he was also able to do. So indeed it was credited to Abraham as righteousness.

But the statement it was credited to him was not written only for Abraham’s sake, but also for our sake, to whom it will be credited, those who believe in the one who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. He was given over because of our transgressions and was raised for the sake of our justification. (Romans 4:13-25)

It's My Other Anniversary!

On Sunday, September 2, 2007, my husband and I became members of Bronx Bethany Church of the Nazarene. What a wonderful five years it's been!

A public thank-you to the pastors of Bronx Bethany, past and present, for your faithfulness in ministry. Thank you for speaking into my life, for being agents of healing and deliverance, for teaching me through your actions, for exemplifying godly character, for praying effectually and fervently, and for your exercise of discipline through the lens of unconditional love. I thank God for you, and I love you.

"We work the field of souls together, you and I: some fields are blooming now, while other fields are dry. We are not the same; but, differences aside, we work the field of souls together, you and I." (Wayne Watson)

Another Year Has Ended...

Glossa Water began on August 31, 2008. It was birthed out of a short series of emails between myself and four leaders at Bronx Bethany (two pastors, one board member, and one staff member). We sensed that there needed to be a forum in which we could reflect on the Sunday sermons throughout the week, and my response to the need was to start this blog.

The name of the blog is a playful compression of the phrase “A glass of water instead of glossolalia”. The truth, of course, is that we Christians are continually in great need of both. Our physical life is dependent on water, and our spiritual life is dependent on living water, which is the work of the Holy Spirit in and through us.

With God's help, we will continue to seek Him and contemplate His word throughout the next week, and every week, for as many weeks as He permits. Blessings and peace to you all.

Love,
g-force