Our church started at the usual time this morning. We had a short Bible study on the gifts of the Spirit and headed out to Anchor of Hope Church of God. I had been invited to preach there so our church went over to their church so we could worship together. We had a great service! The Spirit of God was touching hearts from the very outset of the service. I preached about Elijah's confrontation with the prophets of Baal in 1 Kings 18.
There was a sore famine in the land. The rain had been stopped by the word of God through Elijah. After 3 years it was now time for Elijah to speak directly to King Ahab and tell him the rain was coming. Ahab was an evil king and was not very happy with Elijah. But Elijah told him the truth of the matter. Ahab had allowed the wicked queen Jezebel to cause the people to worship idols and completely stray from God. We need those who will hold to the truth and speak God's word no matter what the circumstances. We can only be blessed by clinging to the truth. It is the truth that sets us free. Jesus is the truth that we need!
The rain was going to come but Elijah had some business to tend to first. He called for all of the People of Israel, the prophets of Baal, and the prophets of the groves. Why? He was going to remind them all about the true God. We need constant reminders of who God really is. He is the God that is in control of our life if we yield that control to Him. In good times and bad God is still God. If we dedicate our life to Him we have a sure future.
"Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? if the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word."
There is a pull on our hearts from two directions. If God be God, follow Him. There is also that voice tries to pull us away from God. It seems that there is a great multitude that listen to the wrong voice. How about you? Will we follow when all others left? When all left following Jesus he asked the disciples if they were going to leave also. Peter said “Where would we go?” When the world is trying to pull us aside will we keep our eye on the prize? The prophets of Baal answered not a word to Elijah because they had no excuse in front of the true God. What excuse can we offer God? Are we going to say it’s too hard to serve You God? Are we going to tell God we wanted to do our own thing?
Elijah issued his challenge and engaged the enemy. He didn’t hesitate to stand for God and oppose wickedness. Oh for men of God who will stay true to this call! Preachers everywhere need the integrity to declare God's word with authority. It seems that we have had many public failures in the ministry the last few years. It is a stain on all ministers but I believe that there are those who are hungry to serve God and are true to their faith.
Elijah's challenge to the false prophets was to make an offering and let the true God will answer by fire. So Baal’s prophets jumped up and down, cried, and cut themselves trying to get an answer from a god that they had invented and couldn't hear them. There was no answer because there is no answer from the false gods of this world. After they were done, Elijah repaired the altar of the Lord. The world is doing everything it can to destroy our altar. We need to repair our altar so it is a place where God can move in our lives. We need a place to cry out to God with complete commitment. After he repaired the altar, he brought his sacrifice and prayed. Once he prayed God answered with fire. Get your altar repaired, present yourself as a living sacrifice, and see if God won’t answer by fire!
Now it was time for the rain.
"And Elijah said unto Ahab, Get thee up, eat and drink; for there is a sound of abundance of rain". Elijah went up to pray. During prayer, he sent his servant to look toward the sea. The servant didn't see anything so Elijah sent him again, seven times! How often do we ask God to move in our situation and then stop because we didn't see an answer the first time? After the seventh time he got a small sign. Don’t overlook small signs. Maybe you’ve prayed over and over again and have not yet seen the cloud. Pray again, look again. Don’t miss what God wants to do in your life.
Dedicate your senses to recognizing the move of God. Elijah’s servant “saw” a little cloud. The wise men “saw” His star. We’ve "seen" His glory in the sanctuary. “See” what God wants us to see. The disciples "heard" the call of Jesus “follow me”. We have "heard" the gospel in preaching. Bartimaeus “heard” that Jesus was coming by and he would not be denied. Don't be denied the blessing that God has for you!
Let’s hear what God is speaking to us. There’s a still small voice in the confusion of this world. "Hear" what the word is speaking. "Hear" the message from pastors and teachers. Don’t miss a chance to reach out and touch Him. The woman with the issue of blood “touched” the hem of His garment. The multitudes of sick reached out to "touch" Him.
The rain came just as God told Elijah that it would. Hold on to the word of God in your life. The rain signifies abundance that’s on the way. Are you ready for God’s abundance?
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Sunday, January 11, 2009
The Gift of God's Love
2 Corinthians 9:15
15Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!
I want to describe to people what God has done for me but words are not enough. He has given me the gift of His son. He has give me a relationship with Him. He has given me salvation for my soul that makes me want to praise and worship Him. I am glad for the people in my life that always encouraged me to have a relationship with God. As a young man I made Jesus Christ my Lord and Savior. I have been blessed because of it. The Apostle Paul was convinced that Timothy, one of his partners in ministry, was full of genuine faith. Timothy had a mother and grandmother that Paul also noted to be full of faith. (See 2 Timothy 1:3 through 2 Timothy 1:5)
Timothy had a Grandmother that was full of faith, a mother that was full of faith, and a pastor that encouraged him. All of these things helped him to know Jesus Christ.
I have been given the gift of God’s love. What I mean by that is that there have been people in my life that wanted me to find the joy that can only be found in God. We can all be thankful for the family that loves us. I also had a church family that loved me. They shared Christ with me through their words and through their deeds. I had a pastor that preached the gospel to me and lived by the words that he spoke. My church family prayed for me and prayed with me in my times of need. Through their love and the message of hope in God’s word I responded to God’s tug at my heart.
My life has been blessed since the day I found a true relationship with Jesus Christ. The bible tells us that God will bless our coming and going. We have favor with God when we have a relationship with God.
1 John 3:1
1Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: ……
God waits to make us part of his family. We join God’s family when we come to Him in faith and humility. You can start a legacy today of God’s blessing. It will not only bless you, but it will bless your friends and family.
15Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!
I want to describe to people what God has done for me but words are not enough. He has given me the gift of His son. He has give me a relationship with Him. He has given me salvation for my soul that makes me want to praise and worship Him. I am glad for the people in my life that always encouraged me to have a relationship with God. As a young man I made Jesus Christ my Lord and Savior. I have been blessed because of it. The Apostle Paul was convinced that Timothy, one of his partners in ministry, was full of genuine faith. Timothy had a mother and grandmother that Paul also noted to be full of faith. (See 2 Timothy 1:3 through 2 Timothy 1:5)
Timothy had a Grandmother that was full of faith, a mother that was full of faith, and a pastor that encouraged him. All of these things helped him to know Jesus Christ.
I have been given the gift of God’s love. What I mean by that is that there have been people in my life that wanted me to find the joy that can only be found in God. We can all be thankful for the family that loves us. I also had a church family that loved me. They shared Christ with me through their words and through their deeds. I had a pastor that preached the gospel to me and lived by the words that he spoke. My church family prayed for me and prayed with me in my times of need. Through their love and the message of hope in God’s word I responded to God’s tug at my heart.
My life has been blessed since the day I found a true relationship with Jesus Christ. The bible tells us that God will bless our coming and going. We have favor with God when we have a relationship with God.
1 John 3:1
1Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: ……
God waits to make us part of his family. We join God’s family when we come to Him in faith and humility. You can start a legacy today of God’s blessing. It will not only bless you, but it will bless your friends and family.
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Embrace the Power of the True God
1 Samuel 5:1-12
Israel took the Ark of the Covenant into battle and lost it to the Philistines, their bitter enemies. This would never have happened if Israel listened to God and left the Ark in its appropriate place. The Philistines thought this was a great spoil of war because the Ark was where the Spirit of God dwelt among Israel. This was a disaster for Israel because the source of their blessing was missing. God is the source of a blessed life today. Are you living in God’s blessing? When the Philistines put the Ark next to their god, Dagon, they woke to find their god was cast down before the Ark. Why, because Dagon was a man made false god, hewn from wood. There is no false god erected by men that will ever stand before the true God. The Philistines lived in their sinfulness while worshipping a god that had no power to change their circumstance. “Dagon” didn’t mind the sinfulness of the Philistines. This is why many people seek a false god. The false gods of this world will not challenge our conscience. The presence of the true God condemns our sinfulness. We need to feel guilt over our sin so we can come to God and seek forgiveness. Mankind is condemned to death and hell without God but those who seek after God and accept the salvation made possible by Jesus no longer have to live in condemnation.
Romans 8:1
1There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
The Philistines found the presence of the true God very troubling. They were a sinful people and the unfiltered presence of God is destructive to sin. Their lives were totally disrupted by the presence of God. They had to deal with their dilemma. The presence of God will cause us to deal with our sin. We can either cry out for forgiveness or we will need to expel God’s presence from our life. The Philistines, like many in this world today, decided to expel the true God’s presence from their lives. They could worship Dagon all day long and not have to face any consequence for sin. People want churches today where they can go and feel good about their sinful lives and never hear the preacher mention a commitment to Christ. We are plagued by the “It’s not so bad” syndrome.
In front of “Dagon” we can justify any action but not so in front of the real God.
The Philistines wondered “what shall we do to the ark of the LORD”? It reminds me of when Pontius Pilate asked “What shall I do then with Jesus?” In both cases they chose to expel the presence of God from their lives rather than embrace it. What does it take for people to recognize the need for real God? The Philistines saw the power but wanted nothing to do with it. Why didn’t the Philistines send an emissary to Israel and enquire about the God of power? Why don’t so many enquire about God today? How will you deal with the power of the real God? Will you embrace it or will you expel it from your life? It is the hungry heart that cries out to know the true God. I pray that you have a hungry heart that longs for Him.
Israel took the Ark of the Covenant into battle and lost it to the Philistines, their bitter enemies. This would never have happened if Israel listened to God and left the Ark in its appropriate place. The Philistines thought this was a great spoil of war because the Ark was where the Spirit of God dwelt among Israel. This was a disaster for Israel because the source of their blessing was missing. God is the source of a blessed life today. Are you living in God’s blessing? When the Philistines put the Ark next to their god, Dagon, they woke to find their god was cast down before the Ark. Why, because Dagon was a man made false god, hewn from wood. There is no false god erected by men that will ever stand before the true God. The Philistines lived in their sinfulness while worshipping a god that had no power to change their circumstance. “Dagon” didn’t mind the sinfulness of the Philistines. This is why many people seek a false god. The false gods of this world will not challenge our conscience. The presence of the true God condemns our sinfulness. We need to feel guilt over our sin so we can come to God and seek forgiveness. Mankind is condemned to death and hell without God but those who seek after God and accept the salvation made possible by Jesus no longer have to live in condemnation.
Romans 8:1
1There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
The Philistines found the presence of the true God very troubling. They were a sinful people and the unfiltered presence of God is destructive to sin. Their lives were totally disrupted by the presence of God. They had to deal with their dilemma. The presence of God will cause us to deal with our sin. We can either cry out for forgiveness or we will need to expel God’s presence from our life. The Philistines, like many in this world today, decided to expel the true God’s presence from their lives. They could worship Dagon all day long and not have to face any consequence for sin. People want churches today where they can go and feel good about their sinful lives and never hear the preacher mention a commitment to Christ. We are plagued by the “It’s not so bad” syndrome.
In front of “Dagon” we can justify any action but not so in front of the real God.
The Philistines wondered “what shall we do to the ark of the LORD”? It reminds me of when Pontius Pilate asked “What shall I do then with Jesus?” In both cases they chose to expel the presence of God from their lives rather than embrace it. What does it take for people to recognize the need for real God? The Philistines saw the power but wanted nothing to do with it. Why didn’t the Philistines send an emissary to Israel and enquire about the God of power? Why don’t so many enquire about God today? How will you deal with the power of the real God? Will you embrace it or will you expel it from your life? It is the hungry heart that cries out to know the true God. I pray that you have a hungry heart that longs for Him.
Thursday, January 1, 2009
January 1st, 2009
Here we are in the new year. We hosted a new year's eve party last night where we had great food and fun. My wife is a great party giver. She's a great cook and is always welcoming of our guests. We had people from our church as well as friends from three other churches. We ate, played charades, and sang karaoke. The karaoke started out as just plain fun as we all sang and put on our best performances. Getting together doesn't have to be about getting drunk and acting in ways we are ashamed of the next morning. After the entertainment we sang praise and worship songs and felt God's presence in a real way. Some gave testimonies of what God had done for them in 2008. We were all touched and encouraged about what God will do in this new year. With the economy in a mess, people losing theirs jobs, and our
401K's shrinking dramatically, how can we be so positive? Because we have experience with God that validates our faith. We know what God has done in our lives and what He will do for those who trust Him. It is only the power of God that can bring us from despair to a joy that looks forward to each new day. Thank God for what He has done in our lives. I'm looking forward to continued blessing in 2009.
401K's shrinking dramatically, how can we be so positive? Because we have experience with God that validates our faith. We know what God has done in our lives and what He will do for those who trust Him. It is only the power of God that can bring us from despair to a joy that looks forward to each new day. Thank God for what He has done in our lives. I'm looking forward to continued blessing in 2009.
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