Going And Listing

Lately I've been thinking of some of the unique aspects of Church life.

One is 'the prayer list'. I know many people have 'phone books' where the keep phone numbers of people. Perhaps they write in birthdays and names of that person's relatives and/or children also. That way when the call they also can mention those people by name. The prayer list is another animal really. I have had these lists of people... no contact information... some entries read like 'that guy with the blue shirt you talked to at Home Depot'. The list isn't one we use to contact the people. We use it to talk to God. Unique.

The other is Church 'seating'. I have purposed to be a wandering Jew in this area. I try to vary where I sit on purpose. That way I get exposed to many different people and interact with them. It does seem however that once a Church grows to more than a few people 'seating zones' begin to form. The 'upfronters' want every drop they can get. Sometimes it is family who will just dominate a certain area. The youth often like to sit together. Once in a while I'll just plant myself right in the middle of the teenagers just for fun.

Church has added so much to my life. It isn't always an easy place for me to be but it has added much more than I can list here.

"And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near." - Hebrews 10:24-25 ESV

A believer living 'in application' goes. They go out to evangelize. They go to other countries. They go to God. They gather. Believing is active not passive. I never want to stop going and listing things and people.

--

Sent Two By Two

"And he called the twelve and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits." Mark 6:7 ESV

What does this passage say to you? I woke up thinking about this. I think that evangelism works this way today also. It is God pairing together two or more people, sometimes strangers or people who have little in common, and sending them out So that they can bring people back to Him after a witness of power on those two people's lives.

This isn't about me being a nice person at work. That's fine but it isn't necessarily evangelism. I see a structure. I see people going out that have a place... a place where a person is manifested... to bring people home to.

I have seen people leave the structure that allows them to evangelize and then that aspect of their life drys up. I have seasons like that. Let's face it not everyone has the make up to disciple people in faith one on one. Most people need a group or at least the support of a group. I was always taught that winning someone and then leaving them undiscipled is paramount to abandoning a child. You just don't do it and I see the logic of that. A person who believes in Jesus has become new. They have a new identity and they need someone as a guide or it would be very easy to get lost in the woods.

I'm very glad God used a group of people to come and get me. That imperfect team had the power of love. I saw that love and that imperfection. It was a group that could live as imperfect people made perfect in a thinking atmosphere of grace and truth. I go because that group went and I don't have to be perfect to do it. I do however need a place to bring people home to where they can meet Jesus.

I'm not saying that 'place' needs to have a name over the door and a cross on the wall but how else does this 'two by two' dynamic happen? What does that passage say to you? Can you afford to tear it out of your Bible or write it off as being written to some other group of people? There was a power placed on those two people. If we live outside that structure isn't it right to say that we might also be living without that power?

--

Understanding Fellowship Through Participation

Sometimes it is hard to listen to people who teach concepts dealing with fellowship when those teachers are clearly outside of fellowship themselves. It is like unmarried people giving advice about marriage or people who have never had children talking about raising children. Concepts are present but there are clear blindspots. What is being said might be theoretically compelling but it is going to lack the practical edge that only a participant has. You know that the people who listen and learn from them are going to suffer and that is hard to watch.

"Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near." - Hebrews 10:19-25 ESV

This book is called 'Hebrews' for a reason. It is written to the Jewish people living in Jerusalem during the time of the Apostles right before the fall of that city in 70 AD. Persecution was active. If Jewish people associated themselves publicly with the other believers in Christ there were social and financial consequences.

Drawing near was fellowship and it has never been easy to do. Sometimes the obstacles are external to the group and sometimes they are in the midst of the fellowship. That is always how it has been and will be in this life. If we fly solo, for whatever reason, we are going to be missing something. Oneness and identification are needed even if it is long distance identification that has a longing for a future reunion. Life has those times.

"As I remember your tears, I long to see you, that I may be filled with joy. I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well." - 2 Timothy 1:4-5 ESV

Yes. We have those times.

Someone who is purposely cutting themselves off may be a fine person on one level but they have nothing valuable to say about the Church or fellowship in general. Their theology is going to change more and more over time in justification of their new lifestyle and become protective of individualism. If someone is not submitted under anyone (except grudgingly to their source of income because of necessity) then they see no value in submission. They aren't disciples and will lack the wisdom of a disciple. Discipleship has submission. It is a vital ingredient.

The Church is a big part of the new testament. I understand people taking issue with places that have problems and not wanting to fellowship everywhere with everyone but to 'throw away' the Church and Bible-centered fellowship and worship has consequences now in this life and later when we stand before God. If teachers teach individualistic doctrine there will be smoke later as the wood, hay and stubble they built their Christian life around goes up in flames. They will also be partially responsible for the smoke in other people's lives also.

If you are reading this and getting angry I understand. Perhaps you are ready to be around imperfect people again. Please pray and seek a place where they open the Bible, worship and pray. If you ask God I know He will be faithful to open doors and show you a place you can call home that will bless you and bring you just a little out of your comfort zone.

God, please keep us from adding wood (human thinking based on natural reasoning) to the foundation you have given us. It looks so pretty and practical at times to add it. It can be moulded and carved in such beautiful patterns. Show us the right way so we can be functioning in a bright eternal mindset.

"Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire." - 1 Corinthians 3:12-15 KJV

Gold is your deity. Silver is your redemption. Precious stones are the people and memories you give us... relationships formed in the Earth by heat but made to shine in Your hand.

--

Save Yourselves From This Crooked Generation

"And Peter said to them, 'Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.' And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, 'Save yourselves from this crooked generation.' So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls. And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers." - Acts 2:38-42 ESV

This passage was expounded upon last weekend and it stuck with me. Teaching, fellowship, eating together and prayer. This is what saves us from the corrupting influences of our generation. This is the salt we are preserved in.

I also love How Peter gave them a promise from God. If they 'turned' they would 'receive' the Holy Spirit. It was a sure thing.

If you get in water you will get wet. If you turn because of belief in Jesus Christ the Holy Spirit will suddenly saturate and seal you and you will be saved forever and have a Heavenly home. It is a promise. It is a divine post-cross dynamic.

What will we devote ourselves to? Is there a place where we can learn, fellowship, break bread and pray? Is that place baptizing new people? This is what every group of people who believe need. Otherwise, there is no buffer from the subtle corrupting influences of an adulterous generation. Guilt and shame make their way back in again and cause people to forget what happened when they turned to God.

"And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved." - Acts 2:43-47 ESV

Wow. That is so good.

--

Build Up The Walls

Reading Psalm 51 again and again this morning.

"To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet went to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba. Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin! For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment. Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me. Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being, and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart. Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones that you have broken rejoice. Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me...

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. Do good to Zion in your good pleasure; build up the walls of Jerusalem; then will you delight in right sacrifices, in burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings; then bulls will be offered on your altar." - Psalm 51:1-10, 17-19 ESV

The picture of repentance and hope is amazing. I marvel at it. David had an understanding of grace and mercy. He saw that it needed a sacrificial system. Zion needed strong walls so that the altars would be right altars.

I don't know about you but I repent regularly. The word doesn't mean to be sorry and beat our breast. It means we turn to God and communicate. Jesus is my sacrifice. He is my only sacrifice.

As the King David saw the importance of the walls. Why does he mention them of all things in this Psalm? The walls were a continual community project. They always needed repair and upkeep. The walls meant that the temple was safe. The strength of the walls kept bulls on the altar.

Is grace taught? Where is it taught? What will keep Jesus' work on the cross preached? What are our walls and how can we strengthen them?

If no one knows that Jesus paid the price people will just be beating their breast and have no way to be cleansed. They will do what we did before Jesus came into our life. They will cover themselves with fig leaves. They will add sin to sin and sink into despair or pile on as many good works as possible to balance a scale that can never be balanced.

Do you have a Bible study or a Church or a place where the message is made known? Reason with God He will make your scarlet heart white as snow and then build the walls of the place that taught you how to do that. Build up the places that teach other how to do that.

David ends the Psalm this way for a reason. Me. Me. Me. Can't be the end of our thinking. A cleansed heart shifts to the needs of others. It contributes to the strengthening of what helps others. It starts to say, 'Hey, That wall has a crack. I'll get some mortar and you bring some bricks and let's get to work.'

--

Touching On Support Systems

This morning I'm thinking about time and support systems. We all need people. Some of us have great support systems and some of us don't. There seems to be a myriad of reasons why that is. Having people who care around in hard times is a real gift.

"Peter began to say to him, 'See, we have left everything and followed you.' Jesus said, 'Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last first.'" - Mark 10:28-31 ESV

"Therefore do not be anxious, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. 'Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.' " - Matthew 6:31-34 ESV

The things in these passages have spoken to me in the last week or so. They are support system items, aren't they?

Then there is time...

"But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible, for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says, 'Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.' Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil." - Ephesians 5:13-16 ESV

One of the things I see about Church is that if it is done with God's  heart it becomes a hot house for support systems to be nurtured and created. Missions, family and people who have little in common on a natural level form into an interconnecting root system of support and it is amazing.

Time. How will we use it? I want to use it to strengthen and create new branches of support. I see the value of it not only for the needy but the young and strong also get a great benefit from being involved.

My prayer is that God would give us creativity and insight. That He would strength the weak areas and give wisdom involving the pitfalls of interconnectedness. His Kingdom and His righteousness will form eternal bonds of supply. That is so amazing to me.

--

Breakfast Onshore

This is such a picture of Church life to me...

"Just as day was breaking, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to them, 'Children, do you have any fish?' They answered him, 'No.' He said to them, 'Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.' So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in, because of the quantity of fish. That disciple whom Jesus loved therefore said to Peter, 'It is the Lord!' When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment, for he was stripped for work, and threw himself into the sea. The other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, but about a hundred yards off. When they got out on land, they saw a charcoal fire in place, with fish laid out on it, and bread. Jesus said to them, 'Bring some of the fish that you have just caught.' So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, 153 of them. And although there were so many, the net was not torn. Jesus said to them, 'Come and have breakfast.' Now none of the disciples dared ask him, 'Who are you?' They knew it was the Lord. Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and so with the fish." - John 21:4-13 ESV

I'm going to work today but really my heart is to sit and eat Jesus' fish. I work to eat but even my ability to do that comes from God. My life is fellowship.

I get the impression that Jesus looked different somehow. The disciples knew it was Him but He was different in His appearance and maybe His voice was also.

Life is like that I think. We do what we must at times but God has a meal for us waiting onshore. We will see Jesus in the midst of the people who believe in Him. We will know it is Him but the testimonies will be unique and fresh. There will be new and old faces as time passes.

Work is work even if you love what you do... but then there is the time onshore... there is the moment when you realize God is inviting you over to the fellowship and you dive in the water to get there... that place has joy, communication and hope.

The building with the sound system isn't what Church is... those are just tools... the time ashore with God is Church.

--

Disciples Or Believers

This morning I am reading passage after passage where the word 'disciple' (Mathetes - Strong's G3101) is used.

"Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple... So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple." - Luke 14:27, 33 ESV

It is pretty clear that there are some groups that believe that the word disciple is synonymous with the word believer and others that don't. The passages above are the primary reason. Today, I wanted to read the other passages, especially in the book of Acts, to see for myself.

"Then the disciples, every man according to his ability, determined to send relief unto the brethren which dwelt in Judaea:" - Acts 11:29 KJV

One trend you see clearly is that these disciples have unity. They band together to do things. Even when there are differences they go to God and work them out.

"Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?" - Acts 15:10 KJV

Leadership was very concerned about them and they were concerned about the leadership.

"But when Paul wished to go in among the crowd, the disciples would not let him." - Acts 19:30 ESV

"I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them." - Acts 20:29-30 ESV

We know that a believer is 'one' who believes. The scripture is clear on this but from the context of word usage we can see that a disciple is someone who bands together with other disciples and things get accomplished.

Missions is done by disciples.

Some believers seem to do fine on their own... others really don't. The cohesive group dynamic provides stability. The shared vision gives focus. Grace is given and received in the group. Jesus is lifted up and present in a special way.

"Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them." - Matthew 18:19-20 ESV

Dying to self is not automatic. We pick up Christ's cross and self is negated. If we don't or won't it isn't going to affect our position in Christ but it sure will affect our experience. The group is where the rubber hits the road. The band of brothers and sisters is where words are spoken that come from Heaven.

If you know me you know I am very pro-Church but what I see in Acts isn't a Church dynamic per se. The Church has seeds in the Gospels and is defined in the epistles and this Greek word is only used in the Gospels and the book of Acts. These disciples become the engine of the Church. They are the core that makes things happen because God uses the life they have laid down in the group. The Church then serves the community and has an impact on the world. The Church gives God's work a name in that community so that people know where to go and find Him.

I decided I would be a disciple long ago and I reaffirm that decision again day after day. When the group I am with blesses me or rubs me the wrong way I decide again that I won't go solo. I will take up my cross and let God move me if that is what is needed. That is what I see in the scriptures. That is my model. If I am isolated by circumstances beyond my control then I won't go negative against the other disciples of Christ. I will pray and consider myself as counted among them. I will repent to God on their behalf and choose to love and serve. My Bible shows me a life like this. I have seen people live like this. Some have been loved and some hated but they lived before God as men and women of integrity. It is possible because God is in it.

"For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them." - Matthew 18:20 ESV

Amen.

--

Carving Out Spaces

I've been reading and studying this morning but my overwhelming thought is one of the territorial nature of intelligence. Man splits places up and creates spaces. This is my space and that is your space. Free people can roam here but criminals must be imprisoned there. This room is off limits. We make locks. We create elaborate doorways. Primitive cultures designate areas that belong to certain gods.

"Now when the king lived in his house and the LORD had given him rest from all his surrounding enemies, the king said to Nathan the prophet, 'See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwells in a tent.'

And Nathan said to the king, 'Go, do all that is in your heart, for the LORD is with you.'

But that same night the word of the LORD came to Nathan, 'Go and tell my servant David, 'Thus says the LORD: Would you build me a house to dwell in? I have not lived in a house since the day I brought up the people of Israel from Egypt to this day, but I have been moving about in a tent for my dwelling. In all places where I have moved with all the people of Israel, did I speak a word with any of the judges of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, saying, 'Why have you not built me a house of cedar?''

Now, therefore, thus you shall say to my servant David, 'Thus says the LORD of hosts, I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, that you should be prince over my people Israel. And I have been with you wherever you went and have cut off all your enemies from before you. And I will make for you a great name, like the name of the great ones of the earth. And I will appoint a place for my people Israel and will plant them, so that they may dwell in their own place and be disturbed no more. And violent men shall afflict them no more, as formerly, from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel. And I will give you rest from all your enemies. Moreover, the LORD declares to you that the LORD will make you a house. When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. When he commits iniquity, I will discipline him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men, but my steadfast love will not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you. And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever.'"

In accordance with all these words, and in accordance with all this vision, Nathan spoke to David." - 2 Samuel 7:1-17 ESV

This is a great chapter. It seems that when David's mind shifted to giving the LORD a special place then God was able to promise David special places. God gave promises about David's offspring when David began to inquire with Nathan about 'building a house' for God. David was unique in many ways. He acted like a new testament believer in the old testament. He seemed to have insight into God's heart.

God had never asked for a house and no one ever thought to give Him one.

"As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ." - 1 Peter 2:4-5 ESV

A group of believers becomes a house for God when that group is bound together in a unique purpose.

David said, 'You have given me a dwelling place where I can rest. I want to know if God wants a dwelling place also or would He rather live in His tent?'

I find myself asking that question also. Missions is like house hunting with God. We look at spaces wondering and asking God if He wants to live in a certain place. It isn't going to be just a place of course. His Church is a group of people and the place is just where they are going to meet.

God has given us a home in Heaven. Is it right for Him to be a nomad on the Earth? I look at David's heart and it convicts me.

God give us that heart. Give us a reflection of the heart of a king. Make us men and women who set apart places for you. Not like a primitive villager would but like a new testament believer would. Make us gatherers not scatterers. Lead us to the people that will be stones for your home. Thank You Lord.

--

A Body Member

Christianity isn't one person believing. It is many people believing in One person.

"Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills. For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body - Jews or Greeks, slaves or free - and all were made to drink of one Spirit. For the body does not consist of one member but of many." - 1 Corinthians 12:4-14 ESV

Church life is mystical. It isn't always easy.

"For the body does not consist of one member but of many. If the foot should say, 'Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,' that would not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear should say, 'Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,' that would not make it any less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, yet one body." - 1 Corinthians 12:14-20 ESV

These questions do arise because each person is self aware and as fallen people we have had exposure to the effects of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. As fallen individuals we amplify differences and make distinctions but God is saying that the group is His body. He thinks about 'us' the way we think about our physical frame. That is his frame of reference.

"The eye cannot say to the hand, 'I have no need of you,' nor again the head to the feet, 'I have no need of you.' On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty, which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together. Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it." - 1 Corinthians 12:21-27 ESV

God tells us this and then we know it. The group is His body. A Church is seen by God this way. It is so easy to be cut off from this reality. We wouldn't even know about it if He hadn't told us.

Now that we do know what do we do with that information?

This reality is challenging for me this morning. If this is true (and it is because the Bible reveals it) then the decisions I make matter on a larger scale. It isn't just me. It isn't just me and my family. It isn't just me and my political party. It isn't just me and my ethnicity.

The King James Version puts it this way.

"Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular." - 1 Corinthians 12:27 KJV

If we believe we are part of something larger. What will we be in that arena? What is our function today?

"But covet earnestly the best gifts: and yet shew I unto you a more excellent way." - 1 Corinthians 12:31 KJV

Chapter thirteen is about love for a reason. It is linked to this reality. We love knowing this. The more excellent way is love that recognizes and unity that transcends right and wrong.

If I feel small and I often do. I remember this. There is much more at stake here then me and my needs. God will meet my needs. I want to stay connected in the way that glorifies God. There is life there and provision there. I am a member in particular.

If you have believed then you are also.

--

Publicly Or Privately?

I was thinking this morning about dealing with problems privately versus publicly. Oh how important it is to know which one must happen. If we deal with something publicly when it should be done in private then we expose someone but if we keep everything private then we can become accessories to crimes to avoid exposure.

"Whoever covers an offense seeks love, but he who repeats a matter separates close friends. A rebuke goes deeper into a man of understanding than a hundred blows into a fool." - Proverbs 17:9-10 ESV

"If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church." - Matthew 18:15-17a ESV

It is out of order for the Church to know things that no one has discussed face to face first. But there is an order that escalates issues. People need layers of actual accountability. Men need to have someone who can rebuke them. They need someone who is willing to humbly get in their way as much as they need for there to be respect in the relationship just like a woman needs someone who will care that she is crying even if there is nothing to be done but to just stand there caring and listening.

I want to expose the abuser and cover the victim but issues are rarely that cut and dry. Many times this happens the other way around in this world and people bristle at the injustice of it.

By exposing the abuser we may inadvertently drag the victims out into the public as well. We need wisdom. Oh, Wisdom is so needed.

I carry some secrets that I will carry to my grave because there are situations that need to be covered. Exposure should sometimes happen for a season and a reason but sin is ultimately covered so I don't want to know people after the flesh either. God's history is a redemptive one. I want my history to be redemptive also.

"It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches." - Matthew 13:32 ESV

Some of these birds are dirty birds. The Church should be a place of rest for everyone but not a place to hide from everything.

"It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that is not tolerated even among pagans, for a man has his father's wife. And you are arrogant! Ought you not rather to mourn? Let him who has done this be removed from among you. For though absent in body, I am present in spirit; and as if present, I have already pronounced judgment on the one who did such a thing." - 1 Corinthians 5:1-3 ESV

"For I wrote to you out of much affliction and anguish of heart and with many tears, not to cause you pain but to let you know the abundant love that I have for you. Now if anyone has caused pain, he has caused it not to me, but in some measure - not to put it too severely - to all of you. For such a one, this punishment by the majority is enough, so you should rather turn to forgive and comfort him, or he may be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. So I beg you to reaffirm your love for him." - 2 Corinthians 2:4-8 ESV

"For even if I made you grieve with my letter, I do not regret it - though I did regret it, for I see that that letter grieved you, though only for a while. As it is, I rejoice, not because you were grieved, but because you were grieved into repenting. For you felt a godly grief, so that you suffered no loss through us." - 2 Corinthians 7:8-9 ESV

Even if something must be exposed the end result should be one where people 'suffer no loss.'

"For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it." - Hebrews 12:11 ESV

This is God's work and I don't want to play God in people's lives.

It is a balance that we must find as we are on our knees. Formulas only go so far. We need God's heart and God's mind. We need courage. We need convictions. We need mercy. God is faithful to supply us with all we need.

Let our Churches be places of worship and voluntary accountability to spiritual authority.

This is not me rebuking anyone in particular. This me thinking about God's structure and marveling at it. This is me reminding you and myself that holiness is wonderful and that people need a place of refuge. People need to be covered and people need to know that they will be safe and that issues will be handled with clarity and discretion.

This is me reminding myself that as a man I must walk as a man.

God please bless us and raise us up as wise people that can make hard decisions with integrity. Real men and real women are so needed in this world. People with backbone and kindness. There is a gap but who will stand there? God. Help us to be the ones who do in our generation. Without You we can do nothing. With You all things are possible. Thank you God. Thank You. Thank You.

--

Raise Up A Platform

"And Ezra the scribe stood on a wooden platform that they had made for the purpose. And beside him stood Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah on his right hand, and Pedaiah, Mishael, Malchijah, Hashum, Hashbaddanah, Zechariah, and Meshullam on his left hand. And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people, for he was above all the people, and as he opened it all the people stood. And Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God, and all the people answered, 'Amen, Amen,' lifting up their hands. And they bowed their heads and worshiped the LORD with their faces to the ground." - Nehemiah 8:4-6 ESV

Fourteen men on a raised platform made so that the people could see and hear them. A platform made to hold that many people had to be sturdy.

"Solomon had made a bronze platform five cubits long, five cubits wide, and three cubits high, and had set it in the court, and he stood on it. Then he knelt on his knees in the presence of all the assembly of Israel, and spread out his hands toward heaven... As soon as Solomon finished his prayer, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the LORD filled the temple." - 2 Chronicles 6:13 & 7:1 ESV

A cubit is approximately eighteen inches. So this platform was 7 1/2 feet long and 4 1/2 feet high.

It is good to have a platform to present the message because if we are going to reach more than a few people there must be a platform of some kind. These platforms were not holy. God did not give specific instructions about how they were to be built or with what material they should use.

These pulpits were sturdy enough to hold the people who stood on them. They were made for prayer and to explain (and proclaim) the word of God to people.

We need men who will make a platform and then stand on it to proclaim the Gospel. This platform isn't a pedestal. You can still reach these men. They aren't standing there to be seen. They are standing there to be heard.

Some might say that there are to many people doing this already but I say there should be more not less... more humble men... more men with the grace  message from Heaven that does not originate from them.

"And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. And as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and he stood up to read. And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written, 'The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.' " - Luke 4:16-19 ESV

Jesus stood and read this. He was the fulfillment of that prophecy. This is the year of the Lord's favor. God has unbarred the doors of Heaven and men can go there because of what Jesus has done. Let's go to cities and tell them the good news. The platform we use is our choice. It should be sturdy and not to high. It should work for the setting. It might be the radio or the internet. It might be a homeless shelter or a Thursday night meeting in the back of a pizzeria. It might be flyers out on lampposts or lawnsigns. Let's pray and then see what reaches people.

Thank you God please make us creative people who don't leave the old landmarks but are brave enough to stand on something to make your message known.

--

At The Church

Church is such an interesting place. There is glory, fellowship, illumination and clarity but at the same time there are also often so many needs, pains and unresolved issues. Theology meets sociology at the Church and there are so many that need social services.

Sometimes I have a lot to say at Church but last night God made me very quiet. I sat with people but for the most part I just watched. I watched the Pastor minister. I watched an older man struggle with the dilemma of helping a couple who had been displaced from their home or give two first time visitors that smelled strongly of cheap cigarettes a ride home who had been left without a ride. I saw families living in expectation for a loved one who would return home for thanksgiving and others who had lost loved ones and would never see that person again at a dinner table in this life quietly struggle with that loss. Prosperity walks side by side with poverty at the Church. Wisdom sits next to naive foolishness there. Girls and boys dance the dance of courtship. Friends laugh. People struggle with barely flickering smiles. Translators translate. Some came in rich already but everyone leaves with something eternal. Even those who wonder if anything was there that can help them practically in their barely tolerable situation in this season of life. Eternal words sink deep. Fellowship is eternal.

"But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel." - Hebrews 12:22-24 ESV

I remember being the stranger coming in the doors of a Church. I rode a bus which brought men from a mission house to this nice white washed Church filled with families and sweet elderly people. I remember being self conscious and feeling like a stranger. I didn't smell like cigarettes but I felt like I did. I had the look in my eyes that I saw in those two men's eyes last night... the ones who needed a ride.

The older man decided he couldn't help the couple but he took the two visitors home and the couple who was displaced got a night, or a couple nights, reprieve somewhere. They got help in the 11th hour.

"We want you to know, brothers, about the grace of God that has been given among the churches of Macedonia, for in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. For they gave according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their own accord, begging us earnestly for the favor of taking part in the relief of the saints - and this, not as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then by the will of God to us. Accordingly, we urged Titus that as he had started, so he should complete among you this act of grace. But as you excel in everything - in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all earnestness, and in our love for you - see that you excel in this act of grace also. I say this not as a command, but to prove by the earnestness of others that your love also is genuine. For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich." - 2 Corinthians 8:1-9 ESV

It baffles me many times. I am not hard like I once was. People's needs affect me. Like that older man I can't help everyone. Last night I wasn't led to help anyone. I prayed but I wasn't the ride and no one is waking up on my couch this morning who doesn't normally live here. The needs did get met. Those needs might not have been met but they did... at the Church.

Jesus purposely became poor so we could be rich. There is a grace that is only seen at the Church. It is place of great joy and poverty. Sometimes it is hard to be a part of but it is always a great honor to see God do what He does there.

--

Grace In Luke Chapter 12 - Returning From The Feast

Luke chapter 12 is so interesting. I am reading it over and over and Jesus is painting a picture of several scenes and sides of God's heart.

At one point Peter says this...

"Peter said, 'Lord, are you telling this parable for us or for all?' " - Luke 12:41 ESV

Jesus is describing aspects of God's gracious character but He Is also describing God's Kingly justice.

If you read the chapter carefully you see each parable is strung together linking different colored stones.

Here is a key passage.

"Stay dressed for action and keep your lamps burning, and be like men who are waiting for their master to come home from the wedding feast, so that they may open the door to him at once when he comes and knocks." - Luke 12:35-36 ESV

The wedding feast in the scriptures is the height of human celebration. It was the event of the year. When a person returns from an event like that they are floating on a cloud. That is the time when they are prone to great generosity.  But, Also woe be upon the head the the person or people that ruin that day for them.

A good parallel that comes to mind is when parents leave children at home and go away on a trip. If the house is clean and in order when they get home life is good but if they threw a party and destroyed the place the penalties would be especially harsh.

Peter wonders, 'Who Is Jesus talking to?' for a good reason.

The Church is at the wedding feast. Believers are not servants minding the store. We are family members traveling with the King.

When I see God's holiness and justice in how He deals with his servants and it comforts me but as a family member it does not scare me. I see His high standard and it does not cause me to strive but as a son added to His family it raises the bar of my thinking.

Grace is a safe place.

"Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready; it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure - for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints. And the angel said to me, 'Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.' And he said to me, 'These are the true words of God.' " - Revelation 19:7-9 ESV

The Lamb will have His Marriage feast and then He will clean house on the Earth. Those who receive Jesus now in this window of time will only ever experience His favor.

"I came to cast fire on the earth, and would that it were already kindled! I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how great is my distress until it is accomplished! Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division." - Luke 12:49-51 ESV

Jesus suffered great distress. More distress than an man ever has or ever will. He did it so that man could be on God's 'good side.' The King is not lenient to those who mess with His possessions when He is away.

If you have moment read Luke chapter 12. It is a true work of art.

--

The Excitement Of Opening Day

We gather because we have an expectation that something is going to happen.

"Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near." - Hebrews 10:23-25 ESV

Let me first say that one of the things that I love about being a believer is that it renders guilt and shame oriented obligation useless. Conviction is useful but guilt is foreign and abandoned. Jesus became my guilty one. My sins were put on Him. Guilt is never a means to gather because guilt is never a means period.

If you have been part of a play or complicated dramatic production what do you do as opening day gets closer? You gather together more and more to practice and prepare. Why? Is it guilt that draws you? No. It is desire. When that curtain goes up everything you have worked for will be presented to a group of people and that is exciting and scary and wonderful all at the same time.

'The Day' this passage in the book of Hebrews is talking about is the day of God's visitation.

When that curtain goes up the people see the actors and hear the music. Props are moved on cue and the things people are doing behind the scenes become visible to the spectators. At the same time the actors feel the audience and hear their applause. Both groups are seen and experienced by each other.

The same is true on God's day of visitation. God is there observing us and we are there observing Him. All of this is happening as something prepared beforehand is unfolding before us.

I don't want to be a person that has nothing to look forward to. I want to be a person that expects God to show up. God Is faithful. Since I know that to be true I always have something to look forward to. That manifests as a general air of expectation but it also manifests in specific expectations of divine appointments in scheduled gatherings.

If you have ever experienced a visitation of God then you know what it's like but if you haven't I'm not sure if I have the words to explain it. It is the most wonderful transcendent thing.

I don't want to miss it and grace removes all the barriers from us receiving all that God Is in those times. There is no guilt or shame there. God is there and we are in the best possible place to be for that moment in time.

--

Hands On The Rope

"What I am saying with this boastful confidence, I say not as the Lord would but as a fool... If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness. The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, he who is blessed forever, knows that I am not lying. At Damascus, the governor under King Aretas was guarding the city of Damascus in order to seize me, but I was let down in a basket through a window in the wall and escaped his hands. I must go on boasting. Though there is nothing to be gained by it, I will go on to visions and revelations of the Lord." - 2 Corinthians 11:17, 30-33 & 12:1 ESV

Can you picture the blocked gates and the many hands of the people that loved Paul and held the rope of that basket?

Paul needed people. He would not have survived without them.

Acts chapter 9 gives the account this way...

"But Saul increased all the more in strength, and confounded the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that Jesus was the Christ. When many days had passed, the Jews plotted to kill him, but their plot became known to Saul. They were watching the gates day and night in order to kill him, but his disciples took him by night and let him down through an opening in the wall, lowering him in a basket." - Acts 9:22-25 ESV

There are traps we end up in where the exits are blocked.

Only many hands on a prayer rope are the answer. Only the provision found in a calling will provide the way of escape.

"Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen." - Galatians 1:3-5 ESV

This provision is given to 'us' and we can often find it alone on our knees for our personal issues but there are certain logistical issues that require the provision to be found in 'us'.

It's Sunday and I'm going to go be with people.

We will sing and worship. We will hear a fresh portion of Christ centered truth and who knows what we will escape from just because we spent that time there.

--

The Plan Is Revealed In The Group

God has a plan. You and I are in that plan. Those who know Him and those who don't are in that plan. Jesus is at the center of the plan and everything else revolves around Him.

"Now many nations are assembled against you, saying, 'Let her be defiled, and let our eyes gaze upon Zion.' But they do not know the thoughts of the LORD; they do not understand his plan, that he has gathered them as sheaves to the threshing floor." - Micah 4:11-12 ESV

"In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will," - Ephesians 1:7-11 ESV

"To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things, so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord," - Ephesians 3:8-11 ESV

In this age God's plan is being revealed in clarity through the Church and the pursuits of the Church. You may say that is a narrow statement. Can't we just be believers and know God. Of course we can but will we see God's plan unfold before us or behind us? God used and uses the Church to reveal His wisdom (knowledge in action) to the angels.

I am not talking about the Church as an institution. I am talking about body life. A dynamic of believer interaction that is mystical and forms with and around Godly shepherd leadership where the Book is opened and life is revealed.

"Oh, Now I see... that was God's plan! This happened and that happened..." Outside body life we get hints of what was.

"And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose." - Romans 8:28 ESV

For 'those' (plural) who are called... not just 'me' who is called. Us. It is 'us' who are called and when we are immersed we see that in spite of tremendous hardship this principle hold true and we can live in and expectation of it's reality in our own life.

God has a plan. It is a plan for 'us' where God is thinking of 'you' and loving 'you'.

Radio, television and internet ministries are great but It is my conviction that we can't be pastored by a radio preacher unless we can fellowship with others who heard the same message. Otherwise we just get the crumbs of the meal. They might be tasty crumbs and crumbs are something... but not the fullness.

I heard the radio and followed it to find a group of people.

"And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:" - Ephesians 4:11-12 KJV

God gave leaders but why did He give them and how are they used? He gave them to the body not just to us. He didn't give them to feed us knowledge. He gave them to build up the Church.

First we realize that God has a plan for our life. Things may seem haphazard but they are not that way to God. We can just stay there or we can go to the place where we get more definition. That place is where spirit filled like minded people are gathering under a covering that has a foundation in truth. A Church. A Bible Study. A prayer group. A youth group. An area meeting. It is in those places where God will reveal our gifting and give direction for what is next. Some of these places will only get a few things right in the Biblical dynamic but God will use them if they point to His Son. His Son Is the center of His plan.

When God brings us to a place that fires on multiple cylinders then watch out. It becomes a hot house for growth for a group of individuals that are knit together.

We can attack that dynamic or surrender to it. The place will make for an easy target. It is filled with flawed people and there are often barriers of different kinds to draw us away if we let them.

"For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them." - Matthew 18:20 KJV

Yes. He really Is. I have seen it again and again. We just draw near. We must be led but we also must be 'around' whatever that means for the season we are in and that may change from month to month or year to year.

Times away will always be seen in hindsight. Times in the midst can be experienced in the great fullness of the 'eternal Is' because the anointing is here to break our yoke of bondage.

--

The Latter Rain - Part 2

The latter rain is given to the Church and it becomes an example to Israel of what God can do with people. It gives them hope. The Church will have a lukewarm reputation in the world but God will do wonderful things in the body of Christ before the Church is transformed into His bride.

"All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness," - 2 Timothy 3:16 ESV

God gave promises to Israel and the Church is not Israel or an extension of Israel. The Church is a beautiful foreign bride that God has taken to Himself and called His own. God has grafted the Church into His kingdom.

"Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out, "Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready; it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure' - for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints." - Revelation 19:6-8 ESV

This spring rain will prepare the Church and move the corporate structure from 'the body' into 'the bride.' It will be a last pre-marriage preparation. A marriage that will be taking place in Heaven during the relatively calm first half of the time when craziness is about to break out in mass on the Earth.

When Moses took a foreign bride (See Numbers 12:1) it provoked his siblings to jealously and this latter rain revival will serve the same purpose. God does it out of love but He also will use the political backlash caused by His choice to convert Israel to Himself.

"So I ask, did they stumble in order that they might fall? By no means! Rather through their trespass salvation has come to the Gentiles, so as to make Israel jealous." - Romans 11:11 ESV

"The LORD answered and said to his people, 'Behold, I am sending to you grain, wine, and oil, and you will be satisfied; and I will no more make you a reproach among the nations... Be glad, O children of Zion, and rejoice in the LORD your God, for he has given the early rain for your vindication; he has poured down for you abundant rain, the early and the latter rain, as before. The threshing floors shall be full of grain; the vats shall overflow with wine and oil. I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the hopper, the destroyer, and the cutter, my great army, which I sent among you. You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, and praise the name of the LORD your God, who has dealt wondrously with you. And my people shall never again be put to shame. You shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am the LORD your God and there is none else. And my people shall never again be put to shame.  And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions. Even on the male and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit. And I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and columns of smoke. The sun shall be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes. And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be those who escape, as the LORD has said, and among the survivors shall be those whom the LORD calls.' " - Joel 2:19, 23-32 ESV

Israel will be provoked to jealousy saying, 'How come they knew God and we don't? Remember what happened with the vilified Christian's before they vanished? Maybe God will save us also?'

God will send the latter rain on us to ripen His crop and then He will send rain to them in the midst of great trouble. Young people will be converted in the midst of Israel and those young people will be witnesses during that dark time.

"After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth, that no wind might blow on earth or sea or against any tree. Then I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun, with the seal of the living God, and he called with a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm earth and sea, saying, 'Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees, until we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads.' And I heard the number of the sealed, 144,000, sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel:" - Revelation 7:1-4 ESV

God has the angels stand waiting and holding back while those witnesses are being converted. These are the young who will 'see visions' as the old men 'dream dreams.' Israel's conversion will happen in part because of the Church's last days revival. The bright light of the grace message will shine in the memories of those surviving daily calamity surrounded by lies and propaganda.

"Then I looked, and behold, on Mount Zion stood the Lamb, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father's name written on their foreheads. And I heard a voice from heaven like the roar of many waters and like the sound of loud thunder. The voice I heard was like the sound of harpists playing on their harps, and they were singing a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and before the elders. No one could learn that song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth. It is these who have not defiled themselves with women, for they are virgins. It is these who follow the Lamb wherever he goes. These have been redeemed from mankind as firstfruits for God and the Lamb, and in their mouth no lie was found, for they are blameless." - Revelation 14:1-5 ESV

They will sing a new song no one else can sing because they were saved from what no one else has gone through. We sing our 'grace song' and they will have their glorious song.

God will use the Church to send grain, wine and oil to Israel and then God will redeem them in a like manner in a dramatic accelerated way similar to how He once delivered them from Egypt.

(FYI. If you want a good resource that goes into end times events in depth check out 'Things to Come' by Dwight Pentecost)

In a way our lives are a microcosm of all these things. Each of us living through different tragedies and experiencing different triumphs. Some of us live relatively controversy free lives and others seem to have trouble swirling around them all the time (or for extended seasons.) The love God has for us and our response to it has an impact on those around us. Perhaps it has a larger impact then we realize.

We can have a visible relationship with God that provokes people who don't have it to jealousy. Peace that passes understand by is available to us.

"I, the LORD, am its keeper; every moment I water it. Lest anyone punish it, I keep it night and day;" - Isaiah 27:3 ESV

As individuals we can live in constant hydration knowing that God will do what He does inside us and more for His Church publicly some day soon.

--

Two Trumpets

"Make thee two trumpets of silver; of a whole piece shalt thou make them: that thou mayest use them for the calling of the assembly, and for the journeying of the camps." - Numbers 10:2 KJV

Two trumpets of silver... not one... two trumpets. The Hebrew word is Chatsotserah (Strong's H2689) and it is different word than the one used for a curved horn made of bone. If you look up when the word was used we see that they blew these trumpets at different times for different reasons.

"And if ye go to war in your land against the enemy that oppresseth you, then ye shall blow an alarm with the trumpets; and ye shall be remembered before the LORD your God, and ye shall be saved from your enemies. Also in the day of your gladness, and in your solemn days, and in the beginnings of your months, ye shall blow with the trumpets over your burnt offerings, and over the sacrifices of your peace offerings; that they may be to you for a memorial before your God: I am the LORD your God." - Numbers 10:9-10 KJV

"And David and all Israel played before God with all their might, and with singing, and with harps, and with psalteries, and with timbrels, and with cymbals, and with trumpets." - 1 Chronicles 13:8 KJV

"It came even to pass, as the trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the LORD; and when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and instruments of musick, and praised the LORD, saying, For he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever: that then the house was filled with a cloud, even the house of the LORD;" - 2 Chronicles 5:13 KJV

One man can't play two trumpets.

People are going to experience a calling when there is more than one witness.The straight silver witness of the Gospel is a two or more witness. The calling is not a duty. It is a sound that goes out and says there is trouble and reminds us to be on alert. It reminds us to sing, dance and rejoice. It is a sound that is mirrored and not solitary.

You are called and so am I.

"Who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began, and which now has been manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel," - 2 Timothy 1:9-10 ESV

"Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. For surely it is not angels that he helps, but he helps the offspring of Abraham. Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted. Therefore, holy brothers, you who share in a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession" - Hebrews 2:14-18, 3:1 ESV

Salvation brought us in and opened our ears now we recognize the sound of the straight silver trumpets of grace.

I want to be about His things today not mine. My message is the message that others have. It is not a solitary witness. It is a clean open sound that echos off the mountainside and says, 'Rejoice because it is finished. The sacrifice has been made.'

We share a holy calling. Alone we are sons and daughters and that is a wonderful thing but together we are called out ones and there is dancing and rejoicing.

--

Light Turns To Warmth

I got stranded the other day at the shuttle stop that takes me to work. Other people were waiting in cars but I knew that the first shuttle was going to be very full because of the delay so I waited at the stop to be first in line. It was just me and a mailbox covered in ice. I watched the ice melt and had a good time with God.

It was morning time and the mailbox was a dark blue so the sun began to heat the mailbox up. First there were little drips. Then water began to form under the ice and drip faster drawing air into the vacuum forming beautiful patterns. The water and air had a kind of dance. The mailbox was curved like a upside down 'U' so as more water formed under the ice it pulled the air down the sides but the air fought to rise again to the top of the arch. Then when the ice started to melt faster the air was gone and it was only water under the ice pouring in little streams down the sides finding the lowest path like water is prone to do. Soon big chunks started to fall off.

My shuttle came before the ice was completely gone but it made me think...

'I wonder what a man's soul looks like as it is thawing out?'

I remember what it was like when I got saved. The world started dripping off of me. Little by little I didn't do what I did before. God's warm light was getting to me and warming me under my thick atmospheric coating. When big chucks fell off of me is was messy and it affected those around me.

A man I dearly love called the Church 'An incubator of Love.' What a great thought that is. It is place to thaw out. It is a place where life can thrive and grow in safety and under the right conditions.

"I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit." - Mark 1:8 ESV

Those who are baptized with the Holy Spirit are stained the color that absorbs God's light. Light turns to warmth.

When all the ice melts off that mailbox it will just be a mailbox. When we are warmed with God's light we grow. When we are washed by God's word the grime of other things is taken away. What is left when the ice is gone is us. Us as we are. Us as God has made us to be. Ripened by sunlight.

It may be cold outside. Heck, It might be cold inside. The welcome we get in some rooms is far from warm but we can bask in God's love and have warmth. We can go to God's hot box of love and grow some leaves and branches.

Warm fruit trees are bound to produce fruit when it is the right season.

---