June 17

1 Kings 18

False prophets speak false messages.  They actually become hinderances in bringing God's word to His people.  They often feed into, and appeal to the sinful nature of people because they tell people what they want to hear and lead them astray,.  Elijah's story separates false prophesy from God's truth a in very visual and dramatic way. By the power of the Living God, Elijah mocks the false prophets of Baal. They screamed, danced, and even went as far as to draw their own blood, but when no one is there, no one can answer.  The Living God flashed fire from heaven when Elijah called to Him.  If it was true then, it is true now.  Let there be no doubt, the God we serve still today is very alive and very real.  Like many others who are reading this, I am waiting for God to appear in dramatic ways in my life - if for no other reason than for those who know me and doubt  turn and believe.  I really do trust  God and believe that God is as real to me as He was to Elijah.  Elijah's story shows us that there is only One True God and we can't sit on the fence about where we put our faith.  I pray for all of us who know people who doubt, that as we pray to our Lord and wait for prayers to be answered He demonstrates the power He has.  I pray that anyone who is on the fence and wavering in faith will come to know that He is The Lord God and all hearts will turn to Him.





Randi

June 15: Mine is not to question why...

As a father, today's OT reading was painful.  What was the sin of Jeroboam's son, Abijah, that he should die so young, and in so clearly ordained fashion?  Why was he the one to die as a result of his father's sins? What kind of a God would do such a thing?

I am reminded of my college years, studying under Jesuits who, God bless them, were never known for a straight answer - the Socratic method denied them the luxury; rather than teach answers, they taught thought and process.  Which is the only way Albert Camus's "The Plague" finally made sense.  Camus postulated a town where plague struck, killing indiscriminately, without predictability or reason.  It was an attempt to prove the non-existence of God, for if the conditions he described were indeed possible (and they were!), what kind of god would permit them?  My philosophy professor (and yes, it was in philosophy that we took this up) then explained that Camus was struck by conflict: if, in fact, such conditions as he'd described could, in fact, come to pass, and there was no discernible reason for them, then what was the point to order in man's existence?  Such irrationality would render his existence, and its basis, futile.  And it was there that he discovered contradiction, for man's existence, upon observation, was neither purposeless nor futile.  And so he reconciled the scenario he'd envisioned with his observations of man's existence by concluding that there was reason to man's existence - reason which, while perhaps indiscernible to man, had to make sense somehow...to a sensibility higher than man's.  And in so doing, Camus, in his quest to prove the non-existence of God, ended up postulating His existence.  To Camus, things didn't make sense - but he appears to have ended up believing in a higher power to which they did make sense.

Still back during my 16 years with the Jesuits, one of the lessons they tried to teach me was that humility wasn't self deprecation; humility consisted of a recognition of truth.  Reading the story of Abijah, I am tempted to outrage and anger; humility demands I recognize the truth Camus demonstrated to himself inadvertently - that God exists, that He knows better than I do, and that He is not under any obligation to explain Himself to me.  We are told Jeroboam and all of Israel mourned Abijah's passing; Jeroboam clearly did not have a good relationship with God.  How sharp the contrast of his reaction with David's who, when he sinned by killing Uriah the Hittite, also suffered the loss of a son.  David, unlike Jeroboam, when accused of his sin, repented; and he fasted, hoping to stay God's hand.  One does not do interact that way with anyone, unless they believe the Being they interact with exists, and they have a relationship with Him that gives them the faith their prayers will be heard.  And because David had a relationship with God, he was comforted in his son's death by the certainty that while he couldn't bring him back to life, "I will go to him, but he cannot return to me." (2 Sam 12:23 [NIV]).  What a strong relationship with God that brings such certainty!

Our pastor, Scott Taylor, discussed the development of such a relationship in his talk on revival.  The development of such a relationship with God is premised on our "seeking His face".  And here, rather than reinvent the wheel, I cite the devotional God gave us today in such perfectly timely fashion.  It's title is "A Deeper Longing", and can be found at http://devotional.upperroom.org/devotionals/2015-06-15.

Dear God: give us the humility we need to recognize the limits of our strength and understanding, so necessary for us to be able to submit to Your will.

Sunday, June 14, 2015

Sunday, June 14, 2015

The message from the Old Testament reading for today told me that it would be wise to check with God before following the words of another. Jeroboam had been doing just about everything he could to defy God. He made priests of anyone who raised their hand and said they wanted the job even though God had set aside the Levites only to fill that role. Jeroboam made golden calves for the people to worship because he was afraid they would return to Judah to worship the Lord. Jeroboam thought if they did that then they would kill him.

A man of God came from Judah to Bethel, where Jeroboam was about to make an offering to the golden idols and spoke words of prophecy about what would happen to the 'priests' and to the altar itself. Jeroboam stretched out his hand against the man of God and as he yelled, 'seize him', he watched his own hand shrivel up. The king asked the man of God to intercede and ask God to heal his hand. This was done but when the king invited the man to his house to eat, the man of God refused, saying that the Lord had told him he must not eat bread or drink water or return by the way he came.

As he went on his way, an old prophet heard the story of what had happened and set out to find the man of God. When he did, the prophet also invited him to come to his house to eat. The man of God repeated what he had told the king and said that he could not. Then the old prophet lied to the man and said that God had spoken to him and instructed him to bring him home for a meal.

So the man of God went with him.

This was his mistake. It seems to me that his first response should have been to seek the Lord and find out if God had really changed his mind about the dinner plans. But he did not and God rebuked him for defying the Word of the Lord. The man was killed by a lion shortly thereafter and was buried away from his family as God had said would happen.

Lesson learned.. If I am following God's guidance and someone gives me advice that contradicts his Word then I need to check it out thoroughly before I take one step in another direction. I will pray about it, see what the Bible says and seek Godly wisdom from an elder or pastor.


Sent from my iPad

June 12

Acts 8 

This summer the preaching series will focus on preparing ourselves to answer the questions skeptics pose to us. One of the most common objections we face is put this way, "What about the heathen in Africa, who has never heard about Jesus, how is it fair that God would judge them?

This issue is dealt with in an incredible narrative in Acts 8. We pick up the story during a great revival that breaks out in a Samaritan city. This revival has miracles, shrieking spirits, healing and it ends with the whole city filled with great joy. If you are playing the numbers game this is the place to be, cities, possible regions are going to be impacted.

But an angel breaks up the party and says to Philip to head south on a desert road. One would have to question the plan of God with this decision. But God has made a promise and he will always fulfill that promise. In Psalm 19 it tells us that the created world makes it plain to everyone that there is a master designer. The existence of stars, the beauty of the seasons, the intricate design in a zucchini plant all point to a master watchmaker. God has also placed in our hearts a moral compass which continually passes judgment upon the rightness or wrongness of our deeds, words and thoughts. Finally God has given us his "Word" by which we can know the heart of God.

Through both general and specific revelation every person on this planet must make a decision. Do they want to respond to this light by receiving more light or will they reject the light and ignore master watchmaker. 

In Acts 8 we see exactly what God will do when one person wants to have more light. He removes Philip from the revival and sends him to meet with one guy in the desert who is searching for the truth. That is the commitment of God. By the way, did you see the passage the Ethiopian eunuch was reading?  He is reading Isaiah 53 which is an incredible chapter pointing to Jesus 750 years before his birth.

Jesus told us about the heart of God in John 3:17 "For God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him."  God will do anything necessary to give the truth to those who seek to know him.

I know this is true because of our 2010 trip to Africa. On Tuesday afternoon a guy walked up to one of my team members, Erik, and said he needed to speak to him. This young man said he was troubled by terrible nightmares and dreams because of his connection to a witchcraft shrine. But during the exact time we were traveling over to Africa God spoke to him in a dream. God said that in 3 days a white guy was coming to his town and he needed to speak to him and listen to what he said. This young man listened to Erik as he explained the gospel message and he believed the good news about Jesus. If a person in Africa, India or Stamford says, they want to know more about God, God will send them light, that is the heart of God, and that is the promise of God.

Finally, we need to switch this question because Africa is more Christian than the USA today. The new question is this, "How can God send a heathen in Stamford to eternal condemnation who has never heard about him?"  This new question defines our mission; we must share the WORD with the people around us in this dark place called Stamford. Will you join me in the mission?

--

"Multiplying leaders to change the world"

Thursday, June 11

THURSDAY, JUNE 11, 2015

1 Kings 8:1–66

Acts 7:53–8:13

Psalm 129: 1–8

Proverbs 17:1

 

 

In Acts 1:8, Jesus explained that “you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”  The disciples might have wondered how the Gospel would indeed spread beyond Jerusalem – and in such a short time!  Would the “you” hear refer to the disciples specifically – or to those that would follow after them?

 

In today’s reading, we see the coming together of two threads that would power the spread of the Gospel into Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.  The persecution of the early Church drove the apostles to new mission fields:  “On that day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria.” (Acts 8:1)  The spread of the Gospel would therefore rely not just on the apostles and the good deposit planted within them, but also on other early disciples.  These early disciples would not be able to rely on their leadership as a substitute for their own involvement.

 

And these early disciples did indeed step up:  “Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went.   Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Messiah there.” (Acts 8:4,5)  If you recall from our reading of the Gospels, half-Israelite folks lived in Samaria, having intermarried with surrounding peoples and intertwined the faith of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob with those featuring other deities.  The Jews of Jesus’s day looked upon the Samaritans with scorn, but Jesus had embraced them, even speaking with a woman at a well (John 4).  Jesus offered Himself as “living water” for Jews and Samaritans alike.  Now, Philip, himself likely a Hellenic (Greek) Jew, became an evangelist to the people of Samaria.

 

Philip’s ministry included signs and wonders that brought refreshment to the Samaritans:  “When the crowds heard Philip and saw the signs he performed, they all paid close attention to what he said.  For with shrieks, impure spirits came out of many, and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed.  So there was great joy in that city.” (Acts 8:6–8)   It appears that Philip had studied Peter’s sermon from Acts 3:19,20:  “Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, and that he may send the Messiah, who has been appointed for you—even Jesus.”  God’s presence in Samaria brought healing and life.

 

From a human perspective, the persecution that the Church endured might have appeared as a great hindrance to their mission – and certainly to their comfort and safety.  As with the Gospel itself, God’s plans may appear as “foolishness” in human eyes, but we may trust that these plans come from God’s wisdom.  The Cross itself appears as “foolishness”:  “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God….  For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.” (1 Corinthians 1:18,25)  The Jewish leadership saw the Cross as adequate to crush the rebellious crowd of those claiming Jesus as Messiah.  Instead, the Cross brought forgiveness for all who would seek it, and the testimony of the Risen Christ brought instant validity to Jesus’s claims as Messiah.

 

How will we view the hindrances we face in life?  Might God be using these stumbling blocks as opportunities for His glory?  Where do your detours lead you?  May we seek God’s wisdom in these re-directions, trusting Him to provide direction and opportunities to serve Him.

 

 

Lord Jesus, thank You for the Cross.  We embrace the foolishness of the Cross, knowing that it is indeed the wisdom and power of God.  Help us to learn from the example of Philip and the other early disciples, who did not shrink back when pushed out of their hometown by persecution.  Thank You for allowing the Gospel to spread even to us.  Thank You for giving courage and faith to these early disciples.  We do not understand what a day may bring forth, so we trust You to guide us into all truth and wisdom by the Holy Spirit.  Allow us to honor You with our lives and to share the glorious news of Your life, death, and Resurrection to those ready to hear.  In Your Name, we pray.  Amen.

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Tuesday, June 9, 2015

Like father, like son.  This thought entered my head this morning as I was contemplating what to write about.  David had many sons.  David was also a well respected leader but he was not without flaws.  His one son Absalom, who David held near and dear to his heart, was known and praised for his handsome appearance.  From the top of his head to the sole of his foot, there was no blemish on him.  His hair seemed to be his crowning glory.  Yet, before Absalom met his end, it was his hair that became entangled in a large oak tree and that was where he was found hanging and eventually killed by Joab, who disregarded David's plea to be gentle to his son for his own sake. 

Then David's son, Solomon, is appointed king to succeed his father.  Solomon was gifted with wisdom.  He was able to build the Lord's temple because the Lord gave him rest on every side from his enemies and there were no adversaries or disasters to prevent him from completing the plan.  The Lord's temple was crafted just as the Lord commanded, and Solomon spent seven years building it.  Solomon was indeed a son of whom to be proud.

Then we move onto the sons of Abraham, Issac and Jacob.  Indeed certain sons far exceeded their father's expectations, while others broke their hearts.  Today, as parents we may stop and observe our own children.  As parents, we have lofty aspirations for all of them.  Unfortunately, some go the way of Absalom and hopefully some follow the ways of Solomon.  As parents, we can only be an example and give the best guidance we can which hopefully we derive from following the ways of the Lord and allowing the Holy Spirit to enter us to become a temple in which the Lord can dwell.

Yet, when all is said and done, the Lord knows what all of our children will do and the paths they will take in their own lives.  He is the Father of us all, and I am sure He must feel heartbroken at times when we do not follow the path He has laid out for us.  The saving grace we can experience though is the fact that our Heavenly Father NEVER gives up on us.  Once we have asked Him to come into our hearts, He will remain forever.  It is just important to keep up with a strict house cleaning schedule to make sure that the Lord delights Himself with living in us.  I believe it is our consistent attempts to keep brushing ourselves off after a fall that put a smile on God's face. 

In Psalm 127:1-5 it is confirmed that "Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labor in vain.  Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain."  Keeping the Lord at the center of our lives and making Him the foundation on which our homes and families are built can only help to bring forth children, sons and daughters, who will indeed delight in the Lord and be a delight to the Lord.  And this is why we continue each day to pray for God's love, mercy and compassion, even though they are already with us.  Amen.

June 10

Acts 7:30-50

Stephen's review of Jewish history must have struck a raw nerve in the hearts of many of the religious leaders.  His testimony to God's faithfulness and sovereignty was clear, but not something anyone who rejected Jesus as the Messiah wanted to hear.  He outlined how Moses led the building the of the Tabernacle as a place for God for to dwell.  Solomon built an elaborate temple for the same reason.  I think the question Stephen was presenting which got the religious leaders so upset was "where does God live - does He live in a building or does He live in your heart?"  "The Most High does not live in houses made by men. As the prophet says: Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool.  What kind of house will you build for me? says the Lord.  Or where will my resting place be?  Has not my hand made all these thing?"(v.48-50).  Stephen is holding up a mirror and showing the religious leaders that by resisting the Holy Spirit and having uncircumcised hearts they are being stiff necked just like their fathers before them.  Stephen recognized the importance of the temple even though he was accused of speaking against it.  We all need a place to worship but when the place becomes more than Who we are worshiping we are in dangerous waters.  When we worship we have to open our hearts, in faith, to receive God and we then become His dwelling place.  1 Corin. 3:16 tells us that "you yourselves are God's temple and God's Spirit lives in you". Lord I pray that Your Spirit rests upon my brothers and sisters and that we carry Your Holy Spirit in our hearts today and shine Your light everywhere we go.




Randi