WHERE HAS “THE HOME” GONE??????

This little study really precedes yesterday’s about the church, but either way is a serious issue then…and now! God’s plans and institutions don’t change, too bad we fail to pay attention as we should. God established three institutions for society:

1. The Home     2. Human Government     3. Worshipping Community

The Worshipping Community consists of two groups:

           1. Israel, Old Covenant     2. Church, New Covenant

First in time is the home (in time and significance) because the home is the basis for society. Is it any wonder the world is in such terrible shape if the home is foundational????? Satan always knows exactly where to attack to do the most damage. When God wedded Adam and Eve in the Garden, He laid the foundation for the social institutions humanity would build. When that foundation crumbles, society begins to fall apart (?)…Psalm 11:3. As we read in Judges 17:1-6, we can see that crumbling in action.

Dysfunctional families don’t come much more dysfunctional than this. Spiritually and morally dense, they managed to break almost every one of the Ten Commandments and not feel the least bit guilty before the Lord! In fact, they thought they were serving the Lord by the bizarre things they did. Does this ring any bells in anyone’s head?  Look at this list:                                                                   

1. The son dishonored his mother, stole from her and lied about it.

2. He coveted the silver and took it. Colossians 3:5 says coveting is idolatry.

3. He lied about the whole deal until the curse scared hi8m into confessing. He broke the 5th, 8th, and 9th, 10th, commandments

4. He broke the 1st and 2nd by having a shrine of false gods in his home.

5. He stole the silver, breaking the 3rd commandment and took the name of the Lord in vain.

Breaking seven of ten commandments without leaving home is quite an achievement! Deuteronomy 12 tells us the people were not permitted to have private ‘shrines” in their own homes. Micah’s mother made no attempt to deal with her son’s sins: his character surely didn’t improve by the way she handled the matter. She was a corrupt person herself, her son was no better. He ordained his own son to serve as priest…Micah knew the Levites were to be the only priests, anybody else serving as priests were to be killed, Numbers 3:10.

Because Micah and his family did not submit to the authority of God’s Word their home was a place of religious and moral confusion…a great deal like  homes in our day where money is the God the whole family worships. If every home and family had Christ at the center and Head of the home, we could stop some of our crime before it starts. Godly homes are the foundation  for a just and happy society.

Not only did God establish the home and instruct parents how to raise their children, (Deuteronomy 6) but He also instituted spiritual leadership in the worshipping community. Ander the Old Covenant, the tabernacle and then the temple were the center of the community and the Aaronic priesthood supervised both. Under the New Covenant, the Holly Spirit calls and equips ministers to serve Him and His people. Ephesians 2:19-22; 1 Corinthians 12-14, Ephesians 4:1-6. In His Word, God told the Old Testament priests what they were supposed to do; and in His Word today the Holy Spirit guides His church and explains its order and its ministry. It’s all there…we need to read it, understand it, and obey it.

WHERE’S THE CHURCH GONE?????

This is a story from the book of Judges, (17:7-13) a very up and down book to say the least. The time of the Judges came about after the death of Moses, the death of Joshua and no apparent leader to take the place of these two giants of leadership. The people of Israel were at loose ends due to no leader and what we see in the book are cycles of prosperity, indulgence and sin, falling away from God, judgment from God, conquering by a foreign nation, captivity, eventually back to prosperity, etc., etc. There are seven cycles like this throughout the book. It ends with these words, which I personally believe exemplify OUR day: “and because there was no leader in Israel, every man did that which was right in his own eyes.” This story is about a man named Jonathan. He was a Levite, who was living in the town of Bethlehem, no one of the designated towns for priests to live in. He was probably there because the Israelites were not supporting the Tabernacle and it’s ministry as God had commanded them to do. (you can read about how God intended His work to be funded, especially OT times in the Pentateuch, particularly Exodus-Deuteronomy.) When God’s people grow indifferent to spiritual things one of the first evidences of their apathy is a decline in their giving to the work of the Lord! Instead of seeking the mind of God for his future, Jonathan set out to find a place to work and live even if it meant abandoning his calling as a servant of God. The nation was at a low ebb spiritually, and quite possibly he could have done something to bring them back to God. It was his responsibility to do just that. Even though he was only one man, that’s all God needs to begin a work that can change a nation. Instead of being available to God, he was agreeable to men. He eventually found himself a comfortable home and job with a man named Micah. If Jonathan was typical of God’s servants in that time period, it’s no wonder the nation was confused and corrupt. He had no appreciation for his high calling as a Levite…he was a chosen servant of God! The Levites were to assist the priests in ministry, they were to teach the law to the people, be involved in the sacred music and praises of Israel. Numbers 3:6-13; Nehemiah 8:7; 2 Chr 17:7-9; 35:3; Ezra 3:10.

Jonathan gave it all up for comfort and security in the home of an idolater. Now bear in mind, Jonathan’s ministry with Micah wasn’t a spiritual ministry at all. He was a hireling…not a true shepherd, Judges 18:4; John 10:12-13. He didn’t serve the true and living God; he worked for Micah and his idols. He wasn’t a spokesperson for the Lord, he gave people what they wanted to hear, Judges 18:6. When he was offered a new and more favorable position, more money and people, and he took it. He then assisted his new employer in stealing his former employers gods!

Whenever the church has a “hireling ministry” God can’t bless. We need true and faithful shepherds who are called of the Lord, and are actively and completely serving Him…and doing it His way. He is not doing it for personal gain but out of love for his Lord and Savior. He knows he is called to stay with the flock, feed them, protect them, and lead them to the best of his ability. He will stay with that flock until God tells him otherwise, not making a move until He tells him so. True shepherds receive their calling directly from God, it is not a job opportunity, read Galatians 1:6. It must grieve god to see His people worshipping the idols of ministerial success statistics, buildings, entertaining programs and music, reputations, and more worldly ideas. What makes it worse, these hirelings will call what’s happening the blessing of God. Jonathans and Micahs will always find each other.

God should have been King in Israel and His Word, law…but the people preferred to do their own thing, Judges 21-25. Take for instance the tribe of Dan, who didn’t accept the assigned the assigned (by God) territory, but coveted another’s place. Joshua 19:51 was to oppose the divine will. Isn’t it the same today??? We aren’t willing to accept what God gives and instead want what somebody else has, and will do almost anything to get it, James 4:1-3. The corruption that is in the world is fed by “evil desires,” 2 Peter 1:4. The elders of Israel should have put a stop to the men of Dan as they moved north to conquer another’s territory. Covetousness is strong, and once people get an appetite for “something more” it is difficult to control them. When the Danites met up with Jonathan, they asked his counsel and he told them what they wanted to hear. He told them about Micah’s collection of god’s and the spies invaded the shrine and stole them! The Danites then hired Jonathan thus silencing him, he was always ready for a better job! When Micah discovered the shrine had been vandalized, he called his neighbors and they pursued them. But it was useless and Micah had to go home defeated. In verse 24 Micah says “what else do I have?” This reveals the folly and tragedy of “religion” apart from the true and living God.

The tribe of Dan was the first tribe to adopt an idolatrous system of worship. Their house of worship was in Shiloh, but they preferred their images and idols. Years later when the kingdom divided, Jeroboam 1 set up golden calves in Dan and Beersheba and encouraged the whole nation to turn away from the God of Israel, I Kings 12:25-33. the story of Micah, Jonathan and the Danites is more than a story, it is the revelation of the wickedness of the human heart and the hopelessness of human society without God. We truly should be mindful of this story in our day…we are proceeding to do the same thing!

MORE TOMORROW

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE MESSAGE, con’t

Continuing on about our Life Message…

6) Accept the fact that God loves you unconditionally…We humans have a very difficult time getting an understanding of unconditional love, mainly because whether we realize it or not, we love conditionally, I believe because of our fallen nature. Many times even our body language puts forth the idea that our love depends…God’s love is as far from that as possible…remember, He loved us before we even gave Him a thought! Conditional love is based mainly on performance, you do/act right (by our standard of right) and I will love you. Many…too many children perceive that fact very early in life, from a parent or guardian, and it sticks, unfortunately. If we are spending adequate time with the Lord, maturing in our attitudes and ways of interacting, we will develop an unconditionally loving attitude toward others, and REALLY show Christ to people who badly need Him.

7) God is in control of absolutely everything in life…we all SAY this, but don’t model it in our lives and live as if we do indeed believe it! We all like control, of ourselves and others. But, the real control tower, our minds, is God’s and HE SHOULD be the one controlling us. I think we should give this serious thought, because it ties into so many other areas. REMEMBER…when we are born again, our minds are NOT born again…the Scripture tells us in many places we are to renew our minds constantly by reading Scripture, meditating on it, memorizing it so that it sinks in and becomes real…what a privilege to think (and act) God’s very thoughts…see Colossians 1:9…and have His mind on everyday things.

8) Depend completely on the Holy Spirit for every direction…He requires that  we submit to Him, and stay yielded in order to be effective in our service. We are gifted for service to the Body of Christ and placed where HE wants us to serve…see Romans 12:1-2…The place of service may be different than you would pick…why?…because God hates pride, and frequently will put us into ministry that isn’t easy for us to do in our own strength. Then we MUST depend on Him to do it through us. God hates pride so much, it is destructive to us, ruins our testimony and robs Him of the glory only He deserves. Another area where we need quiet time with Hi8m in order to be where and what we should be…we can never serve in our own strength but many times we will try. We mess it up, trust me, we incapable of doing the kind of job God wants done when we attempt to do it on our own. Additionally, in our own strength, we will feel proud and self-confident, something He hates.

9) Personal time of meditation is the best time we could ever spend.  to be content and please God we MUST know the Word. Additionally, we must be familiar with the character of God, which can only be learned by knowing the Scripture internally and personally from cover to cover, observing the character studies contained in the Book. This reading and contemplating grows us and gives the Holy Spirit the opportunity to conform us to the image of Christ and having His mind.

10) The Word of God will transform your life…YOU CAN TAKE THAT TO THE BANK!!!!! This transformation is the process God has ordained, He uses it to teach us about Him, our fallen nature and His plan to change that nature “line upon line, precept upon precept.”  and as He tells Israel all through the Old Testament, “I tell you these things for your own good.” Indeed, YOU CAN TAKETHAT TO THE BANK!’

God bless you as you mull over these precepts. They worked for me, and they’ll work for you, if you’re willing.

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE MESSAGE, con’t

Here are the principles I said I would post, things I’ve learned in my 30+ years of walking with the Lord…

1. Obey God and leave the consequences to Him. A phrase that is spoken frequently to the point I wonder if we take it seriously. I have found in obeying God what we would call “consequences” are not as devastating as we might expect. One thing I have learned: He is not A HARD TASKMASTER and doesn’t expect more than we can give. We many times get ourselves in positions that are harsh, and may be, but the question becomes, is it truly of God or did we bring it on ourselves? And…He always has a way of escape the harshness, but it will be HIS way!Bear in mind: A) We need to learn to listen to Him. 2) We need to learn to trust Him, and this takes practice, but is definitely worth it. As we read the Word, God reveals to us areas that need change…He wants us to ponder it as we sit quietly in His presence. I am pretty sure we have lost the ability to “be still” in our so-called modern society. God speaks with a still, small voice…when WE are quiet! When we are constantly on the move, He may have to bring something into our lives that forces us to “settle.” Quieting ourselves and being available to the Spirit takes devotion.

2. Learn to trust the Lord for everything you need. 1)Ask yourself if you are willing to stop worrying, fretting, being anxious, or frustrated. 2) Are you willing to believe what you see…what you hear…or what God says????? Most of us don’t even talk to God about our everyday decisions, our schedules, our purchases, plans and dreams…we just “do them”…I have found that God loves to be consulted about these seemingly small areas of our lives, He really does. Try saying to Him, “I don’t know the end from the beginning, but YOU do” and mean it. His response will surprise you!

3. Learn to wait on God. 1) He always has a specific time and purpose .2) Sometimes we wait because WE are not ready, or others are not ready, and sometimes He has a better way. Waiting today is almost a joke. now days, if you want it, go get it! it’s called “immediate gratification”…but God isn’t into that. He has a bigger picture, there are others involved, and He knows more than we do. Many times that quiet little voice inside us urges me to wait, be still, don’t do or say that…and the more I obey, the better things are. As a single woman living alone, it is a great comfort to me to know I can depend on God to this extent. I can trust Him to do only good for me and that takes much of  the stress out of everyday living.

4. Give generously to God’s work. 1) Don’t be overly attached to “things”. Hold them loosely. 2) Ask God to protect you from greed and materialism. 3) Life isn’t made up of “things” but our relationship with God, and what we convey to others about Him.

5.Recognize you can’t and don’t live the Christian life on your own. As I said earlier, we are God’s Ambassadors, good or bad. How many times have you heard someone say, “if that’s what a Christian is like, I don’t want to be one,” I would not want to answer to the Lord for that kind of testimony.

That is only half the principles, the last ten I’ll post tomorrow. I trust they are a help to you as you seek to understand, trust and obey God, and learn to love Him better.

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE MESSAGE????

How much thought have you given to the “picture” of your relationship with the Lord do you project to those you come in contact with? I’ve given it alot of thought, especially as I’ve grown older and seem to be bumping into too many what I would call “phonies”…Ii hate making that judgment but the Scripture says, “by their fruit (Gal 5) you will know them.” When a person’s lifestyle and interaction with others is blatantly ungodly, what other conclusion can you come to. At times I think to myself, “do they realize they will have to account to God one day, for very idle word?” Probably not, I can’t imagine they don’t care, and don’t think it through. But that only makes it even more important for the rest of the world of believers to live what the Scripture says.

What made me think about it was an a few incidents at the prison with the staff. They are usually a pretty hard-hearted bunch, not inclined to talk with chaplains, even small talk. A few years back, I became chaplain “by default.” I was very pleasantly surprised at the reaction of the staff, the helping attitude, the desire on their part to come to me with problems…family and personal. I realized they had been watching me for along time . I wasn’t aware of it, but they were, and obviously felt comfortable with me, enough to talk, one-on-one. The more I thought about it, I realized we should all be like that all the time.  Our everyday lives should be so transparent and open that our commitment to Christ and His influence on us, would be obvious! We should display an attitude of acceptance and availability. I understand not everyone is a “people person.” And, even more sadly, not every professing Christian has gone though the process of maturing in areas where they are weak, where there are stronghold of anger and/or bitterness or other places of character or personality flaws. I think we need to think about that…there are thousands upon thousands of believers that have NEVER allowed the Spirit of God to refine them, deal with them in areas of their lives that need healing, and that is very, very sad. God desires balance in our lives, and is perfectly capable of making balance a reality in each and everyone of us. To minister to people, one needs to be whole, and only God is capable of doing that. He can and will, if we let Him. But usually we go about our lives after salvation in the same way we lived before we came to Christ. We bring all the accumulated baggage of the years and relationships prior to salvation right along with us, recognizing Christ cleansed us from sin and ASSUMING He dealt with our defects at the same time. WRONG!!! Our minds are not born again, and need to be renewed day by day. Over and over the Word tells us about renewing, abiding, having the mind of Christ…etc., etc. Do we do anything about it??? Usually not, we just go about our lives, continuing to ignore this very critical area of growth. How about you? Are there places in your heart/mind or spirit that you know are not what they should be but you aren’t sure what to do? You are not alone…if you want to talk about it, email me and we can talk.

Another area I ponder alot…what could we possibly do to please God or make Him happy? He doesn’t need us you know…but He loves us and has chosen to interact with us, even though many times I am sure we are a burden to Him. What  can we possibly do to make Him pleased He made us His? Many months I read through the books of Psalms and Proverbs, 5 Psalms and 1 Proverb a day will take you through the two books in a month and give you a good grasp of the content of both. Tomorrow I will give you ten principles I gleaned from these two books that give us an idea of what pleases God.

ARE YOU GETTING THE MOST FROM SCRIPTURE?

In the Christian life, it will never do to only accumulate knowledge. What you learn with your mind you must respond to from the heart in obedience. Then, and only then does it become yours…your own personal possession, one you can live, and share with others. You will find you can empathize with others trials and pain! There is a big difference between sympathy and empathy…most of us can sympathize with almost any situation that is difficult, but empathy takes personal experience…you can only empathize if you have “been there, done that.” Knowledge that is not filtered through the spirit of a redeemed man will make him proud and self-reliant, instead of obedient and even more dependant on the God who gave Him the knowledge to begin with. Appropriation…a big word, an important word…when knowledge becomes yours through personal experience and understanding, you have turned that knowledge into wisdom by the power of God in you!!! The world and other Christians are looking for people of God that are living what Scripture says…they are looking in the hope that God and His Word are real…will you live it in front of them?

GODLY WISDOM… is seeing things from God’s point of view and responding appropriately. Here are some ways to walk with wisdom.

1. Have a strong desire to walk wisely.

2. Learn to meditate on the Word, portions that “stand out”to you.

3. Learn to turn your mind to the truths in the Word, use the “grid” in Phil 4:8 to filter the truth.

4.Don’t be afraid to “step put” on something the Scripture tells you to do, take the step and leave the consequences to Him.

5. Learn to be sensitive to the promptings  of the Holy Spirit. Learn from your mistakes, and never be afraid to ask yourself, “why do I feel/do this way.”…

6. Believe that God is all-wise, that you CAN trust Him, and when you do, listen, He’ll protect you and keep you safe with integrity.

7.Have the courage to do what God asks of you, even when you don’t understand, (it isn’t necessary to understand, but it is necessary to obey), and are fearful. Understand clearly that you will never go wrong trusting and obeying God.

THE RESULTS…

1.You will gain a clear picture of who God is and will see His point of view.

2. You will gain clear direction about God’s plan.

3. You will also gain God’s protection from wrong thinking an action.

4 God will provide the strength and power to accomplish the task.

5. Peace and contentment will become a personal possession for this kind of obedience and humility.

6. Prosperity, materially and spiritually will be yours according to Prov. 8:17-21. This does not mean that you will become a millionaire, but you will definitely have what you need.

7. This kind of walk with the Lord contributes to long life and good health. Additionally, you will become a blessing to those whose lives you touch…family, friends and co-workers.

STANDING ON THE PROMISES…

When you find promises in the Word, and you are having difficulties with an issue in your life, think about these things in regard to answered prayer…

1. Does this promise meet my personal need/desire?

2. Am I asking, yet being submissive to His will?

3. Would God’s fulfilling this promise honor Him?

4. Could this answer harm or interfere with His will for another?

5. Does the Holy Spirit bear witness that God is pleased with my request?

6. Does my request contradict the Word of God?

7. Will the answer further my spiritual growth?

Learning to know the promises of the Word, to ask with confidence because you know you are in His will, can lead you on a wonderful life of intimacy with Creator of the Universe…imagine that!!!! Intimacy is about a relationship, not a gift exchange. When we live expectantly, serve Him purely, slow down and spend seasons with Him in His Word, in prayer and meditation…He fills your soul with HIMSELF. God doesn’t meet us  at the Mall…He meets us in the inner sanctum of our hearts. If it’s intimacy we want, we need to be more intrigued with the Giver than the gift. Not the stuff He does for us, but HIM!…to experience Him more than we do, more than all the things we are attracted to and we will find that He and He alone…IS SUFFICIENT!!!!

THOUGHTS ON THE PARABLES

When Jesus finished these parables, He asked the disciples if they understood…they said yes. Hearing and understanding involves responsibility1  and to illustrate this He told another parable. In verse 52 Jesus speaks of the teacher of the law…a steward perhaps, one that dispenses out of the household things both old and new…He is telling the disciples to be prepared to not just hear and record in the mind what they are learning but to align them with Old Testament teaching, and be willing and able to give it out…live it and give it…the household steward is responsible to the master to guard the treasure and dispense what is needed, where and when it is needed. Teachers of the Gospel are to do the same, carefully and fully, remembering they are accountable to the Master.

From verse 53 to the end of the chapter, Jesus is in Nazareth, His hometown, teaching and preaching. And, causing a stir! The Scripture says they were OFFENDED with Him. He annoyed them! they wanted to know who He thought He was!!!! We need to remember that if we are teaching/living the Gospel our lives and teaching WILL OFFEND OTHERS JUST AS HE DID! Part of our identity with Him is this form of persecution…misunderstanding perhaps, but it will happen because of WHOSE we are, it is our lot and our privilege! THEY knew who He was, the son of Mary and the carpenter…they did indeed know Him after the flesh but they surely didn’t KNOW who He was! Pity…He was from that time on referred to as Jesus of Nazareth, and His followers Nazarenes, but there was no hometown reception for Him…Matthew chooses this incident to close out the section on “rebellion against the King.”

There are other interesting parables worthy of our thinking about. Three in particular speak to us about our attitude and compassion toward those we are to serve.

Matthew 18:12-14 THE LOST SHEEP

I personally love this one, it speaks of the concern of the Shepherd for EACH sheep…one has wandered away and He goes and finds it, and rejoices much that it is found. He states that it is not His will that even ONE should be lost. It reminds me of another, recorded for us in Luke 15:11-32 THE PRODOGAL SON…such a beautiful picture of God’s desire for us to “come home” to Him. The prodigal son his inheritance (in those days this would indicate he wished his father was dead), left home and lived an utterly debauched lifestyle until his money ran out. When He realized what was happening to him, he repented and returned to his father. In the parable, the Father was ALWAYS looking for his son to return, and when he saw him coming, he ran to meet him with his arms opened wide, eagerly forgiving and loving him. He ordered a feast to be prepared and there was rejoicing and happiness in the home. The older brother, however, who still had his inheritance and would gain everything his father had, was sullen and angry…Jesus in the parable was talking to the Pharisees and the Sadducees, who like the elder brother were self righteous, prejudice, indifferent to repentant sinners…

Matthew 19:16-26, THE RICH YOUNG RULER

This is another favorite, mainly because I use it as a yardstick with prisoners, particularly as they prepare to leave for home.The parable tells us that he came to Jesus, asked Him some questions, which the Lord answered. He still persisted on asking more, again Jesus answered. Finally, Jesus got to the heart of the matter…the man’s HEART attitude toward his life. He was more interested in “doing” than in “being”. Jesus told him to divest himself of his belongings and become a follower…the man could not do it! He was apparently very comfortable with what he had, both in possessions and in position, and wasn’t willing to “see” that these two “things” in his life would keep him from God’s best. Many times we are willing to settle for doing good things for God, when He really wants us to be “perfect” just as He is…He wants us to mature, whole and complete, not holding onto “stuff”…we are like the rich some ruler, we decline the Lord’s offer and move on. This is the part I like…Luke says, “Jesus looked on him with love,…and let him go”!!!!One of the most difficult parts of a mentor’s job is the “letting go”…for whatever reason…and there are many times we must “let him go.”

We serve a gracious, loving Father, One who wants us to enjoy His heaven with Him. He works very hard on us to prepare us for that pleasure. Unfortunately, in a lot of cases we resist His grace, and lack of forgiveness is a prime offender, but not the only one. We really need to think long and hard, are we “hearing” all that we should, and are we responding in a positive way to the Holy Spirit, and His urging us to really be reconciled to God. Not only salvation, but are we allowing God to have His way???? He wants us to have the same mind and heart as Christ. We are to be conformed to His image…the question is…ARE WE??????