Let Him Tell You Something.

In this past Sunday’s sermon, Pastor Sam mentioned two examples of prophetic speech in the lives of men.

Amos was called by God to speak His truths to the nation of Israel. In the third chapter of his book we find one of God’s purposes for prophetic speech: it is a means by which people can be warned of impending judgement and urged to repent.

Certainly the sovereign Lord does nothing without first revealing his plan to his servants the prophets. A lion has roared! Who is not afraid? The sovereign Lord has spoken! Who can refuse to prophesy? (Amos 3:7-8)

Abraham, the man chosen by God to be the great patriarch of the nation of Israel, was a recipient of a prophetic message from the Lord. Genesis 18 records the Lord’s reasons for revealing His truths to Abraham:

Then the Lord said, “Should I hide from Abraham what I am about to do? After all, Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation, and all the nations on the earth will pronounce blessings on one another using his name. I have chosen him so that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is right and just. Then the Lord will give to Abraham what he promised him.” (Genesis 18:17-19)

Over the ages, God has spoken to His people. He still speaks today. For those of us who love and serve Him, there is opportunity to hear His word… and opportunity to share what we have heard.

Lord God, equip us to obey, and to say, what You have said.

"Hasta La Bye-Bye!"

"Hasta la bye-bye!" is a direct quote from Pastor Benji's sermon during the second service. Amidst the roars of laughter, though, we realized he was absolutely right.

If God has given you a clear and direct promise that He intends to fulfill (contingent upon your obedience to Him), and you are in the company of people who tell you that God is not going to fulfill His promise, then you need to get away from those people.

Even the secular world follows this rule. The reason rock stars have an entourage is so that they are constantly surrounded by people who support them. If a professional sportsman is not working well with a team, then the team owners trade him for someone else who shares the vision and goals of the team.

For them, it's just business. For us, it's a spiritual truth. The Bible is chock-full of verses warning us to stay away from wicked people. What is the spiritual definition of wicked? Those who don't fall into line with God's program (Psalm 106:25-26). Those who are not joyful and generous in their support of God's program (Second Corinthians 9:7). Those who grumble against the leadership that God has set into place (Proverbs 24:22).

Friends, what has God said? Are you keeping company with others who are in full agreement with what God has said to you? Who's in your entourage?

First Things First.

On this past Sunday Pastor Benji shared a point found in Genesis 18:19: the blessing of Abraham was embedded in the proper management of his children and his household. In fact the verse shows a conditional clause: "For I have chosen him, so that he will direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the LORD by doing what is right and just, so that the LORD will bring about for Abraham what he has promised him."

In other words, the promise is brought about in the context of a family and household that keeps the way of the LORD by doing what is right and just. How do they know to do what is right and just? They are directed by the head of the household.

Pastor Benji made a powerful statement: "Do you want to be a pastor? Pastor your household!" Sometimes we get very excited about things outside of the home, not fully understanding the influence we have on those closest to us. His statement echoed First Timothy 3:5: "If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God's church?".

LORD, help us to do the right thing by keeping the family first. You set up family as the first institution on earth, and we know it is of paramount importance to you. Help us to live in a way that shows the world that Your prerogatives are our prerogatives too. In Jesus's name, Amen.

Who Blessed Who?

What's going on in Genesis 18?

• Abraham sees three strangers. He implores them to allow him to bring water to wash their feet, rest for a while, and have something to eat. They agree, and Abraham blesses them with a meal.
• Afterwards, the LORD tells Abraham that his previously barren wife Sarah will bear a son the next year, Abraham will become a great and powerful nation, and all nations on the earth will be blessed through Abraham. The LORD states that He chose Abraham, and He will bring about for Abraham what He promised.

I wonder what would have happened if Abraham didn't stop to bless those strangers.

"Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it" (Hebrews 13:2).

Assigned Territory!

Well, it got VERY quiet in church when Pastor Benji was explaining that Abraham's promise of land was not figurative, but literal. I'm not sure why people weren't responding- after all, the Genesis 18 passage is crystal clear in indicating that God promised to give Abraham land. We looked at Genesis 22:17 in yesterday's blog, and the idea is there too: "Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies". Friends, it doesn't get more plain than that.

Maybe some people were upset because Pastor Benji called their bluff. Sometimes we claim to have great plans, but then there is no preparation to support the plan. How can we promise to care for five grandchildren when we are just sub-letting a room?

Maybe we get mad because we think this is a subtle way for the church to ask for more support. But, the text indicates that it was not the church who made the assignment. GOD assigned territory to Abraham, and Abraham was expected to be obedient to GOD in how that territory was managed. What do we see? Even in the state of wandering, Abraham demonstrated hospitality (see Genesis 18:1-10).

Pastor Benji shared a wonderful example. The South African pastors who visited us recently had come to General Assembly, but did not have lodging for the week after the assembly. A pastor from another church had offered to allow one of the pastors to sleep in the basement of his church. When our church found out, we asked the South African group to come to us. Each pastor and family was able to be hosted in the homes of some our our BBCN congregants. Like Abraham, our congregants stopped what they were doing and made provision for the guests who were passing through.

But, to host several guests, we have to have more than a rented bedroom. We need sufficient physical space.

Has God given you a heart to help others in need of housing? If you have the space, don't be stingy! You can be a blessing just like Abraham was!

And what about people like me who are living in a one-bedroom apartment? PRAY! Surely God would not put within you a heart to host without also providing the space to host (that means sleeping quarters, food, and maybe even time and means to take your guests to see some of the sights of New York). In the meantime, let's do what we can. Last month I invited someone over for tea. All I had was tea and crackers, but we shared that and had great conversation about the love and ministry of Jesus in our lives. I'm believing God that as we are faithful with the little we have, He will give us more.

The days of "Bronx Bethany, the singing church" really need to be over. How I pray that our reputation will shift:

Bronx Bethany, the community-serving church.
Bronx Bethany, the missionary-supporting church.
Bronx Bethany, the pastor-preparing church.

Yes, it can happen. God gives territory for His children to possess in obedience to His desires!

Iron Fences, High Hedges, And Cultural Microaggressions.

"Jamaican Christians within the tri-state area are being invited to fast and pray for Jamaica from 6:00 am - 6:00 pm culminating with special prayer services at designated prayer centers throughout the tri-state area." (This, unfortunately, is from a real ad. Keep reading to see why I said "unfortunately".)

Here is the way I, as someone who's not a Jamaican, interpret the ad:

"If you are a Jamaican, you're invited to fast and pray with us. If you're not Jamaican, don't bother. We don't need intercession from outsiders. We don't want you to know our deep prayer needs."

This ad stands in stark contrast to the sermon shared by Pastor Benji this past Sunday. Pastor Benji focused on the need for Christians to shift from a mentality of individualism to one of universalism: we represent the message and mandate of Christ to all nations of the earth. The sermon was perfectly in line with the mission of BBCN- to be a redemptive influence in the Bronx, and in the world, to the glory of God. I believe that a huge part of that influence takes place in the intercessory prayers of Christians around the world.

So, I remain a non-Jamaican praying for Jamaica. And though I was not invited by the ad, I think that God would be cool with it if I fasted and prayed along with the Jamaican Christians. I'm tempted to say something about the use of the term "Jamaican Christians", but I'll hold my thoughts on that for now.

Let's make the shift from self to world! Please visit the blog for the rest of this week as we park in Genesis 18, reflecting on God's assessment of Abraham. Here's a verse to consider in preparation:

I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me. (Genesis 22:17-18)