I want to share something with you that I would like to be a point of focus for us, as a group, in our prayers. Every time I read a newspaper or turn on a news channel, I am bombarded by messages about lay-offs and business closings. It is striking close to home, too, as I know of a number of families in our church that are being affected. I don’t want to minimize this in any way… in fact, I want to speak directly from the heart, as a person who has been struggling through this crisis myself. You see, one of the byproducts of the present economic climate is that charitable giving is down markedly. Because of this fact, the non-profit organization of which Debbie was the Executive Director made the decision to close last year. This left us with a number of months in which she wasn’t paid. While we thank God that He has provided her with a new job, we will still feel the effects of her lost income for quite some time. I’m not writing this seeking pity, rather to simply say that we are “walking through the valley,” as are many of you.
Here, then is what I want to share with you: chapters 7-12 of Exodus tell of the 10 plagues that the Lord sent on Egypt so the Egyptians would release the Children of Israel from slavery and allow them to go to Canaan. The entire nation of Egypt endured the first three plagues (this seemingly included the Israelites). However, in chapter 8, verse 22 things shift. Check this out: “But on that day I will give special treatment to the land of Goshen, where My people are living; no flies will be there. This way you will know that I, the LORD, am in the land. I will make a distinction between My people and your people. This sign will take place tomorrow." In the midst of the worst national disasters in the history of Egypt, God spared His people. He allowed them to go through part of the plagues, but then He stepped in.
Already, He has allowed us to go through part of this crisis, but I want us to pray that God would again “make a distinction” between His people and the rest of the nation. We should pray that The Crossing would be like the land of Goshen was in the days leading up to the exodus of Israel.
Friday, March 6, 2009
The Multiplication of the Anointing
I want to talk to you about multiplication of the anointing and why it is absolutely critical. God’s first command to Adam in Genesis was to “be fruitful, multiply, and have dominion.” God is showing us a progression here. It is first necessary that we be fruitful, which speaks of our character and ability to reproduce: however, fruitfulness will not give us dominion. There has to be a process of multiplication to produce dominion. Let me show you something: in Exodus, God sends two men, Moses and Aaron to bring Israel out of bondage. In Numbers 1, Israel is now in the wilderness and needs more leadership, so God instructs Moses to select 12 heads of the tribes to help lead. This seems to work okay for traveling through the wilderness, but in Numbers 11, they have reached to edge of the Promised Land. Now is the time they are going to have to occupy territory, overcome armies, and take dominion over Canaan. So what does God do? He tells Moses to select 70 elders from among the people and in verse 17, God says: “Then I will come down and speak with you there. I will take some of the Spirit who is on you and put [the Spirit] on them. They will help you bear the burden of the people, so that you do not have to bear it by yourself.” I think the message is clear: to have dominion, you have to multiply your leadership. Jesus does the same thing in the New Testament. He first selects the 12 and sends them out, then as the time for Him to leave draws near, He selects 70 and sends them out. For the last 7 or 8 years, our church has been in the business of developing leaders. Now, in 2009, Pastor has heard the Lord say, “I’ll give you the keys to the city.” We have worked as individuals to be fruitful. As a church, we have spent several years in the business of multiplication, and now I believe it is time for us to have dominion! It is time to release those giftings that lie in each of you. Close your eyes for a moment and imagine what a church that has dominion would look like. Nearly every restaurant and store you walked into would have members from your church working, dining, or shopping there. Many stories on the local news would involve someone from your church. When the mayor needed a solution to a problem, he would consult the leaders of the church. When the homeless, hungry, hopeless, or addicted needed help, they would turn to your church. Can you imagine it? We can be that church! Deborah’s song, in the book of Judges says, “blessed is Israel when the leaders lead.” However, it can’t be one leader, it can’t even be 12 leaders, the 70 have to step up. Do you see yourself in that role? You should. The passage in Numbers shows us God placing the Spirit that was on Moses on each of them. Luke 10 shows Jesus placing His anointing on the seventy and telling them to go out and do things that it seemed only He could do. The same principle will work for us. The anointing that rests on our leader rests on us. It is time for us to step up… to have DOMINION!
Monday, February 9, 2009
Acceptable Sacrifices
April 2007
Genesis 4:1-5: Adam knew his wife Eve intimately, and she conceived and gave birth to Cain. She said, "I have had a male child with the LORD’s help." Then she also gave birth to his brother Abel. Now Abel became a shepherd of a flock, but Cain cultivated the land. In the course of time Cain presented some of the land's produce as an offering to the LORD. And Abel also presented an offering—some of the firstborn of his flock and their fat portions. The LORD had regard for Abel and his offering, but He did not have regard for Cain and his offering. Cain was furious, and he was downcast. (HCSB)I always wondered why God didn’t accept Cain’s offering, but I recently saw something I had never seen before. Look at verses 3 and 4 again. In the course of time Cain presented some of the land's produce as an offering to the LORD. And Abel also presented [an offering]—some of the firstborn of his flock and their fat portions. The LORD had regard for Abel and his offering, (Emphasis mine)
Do you see the difference? Cain just offered some of his produce… just an offering of his choosing. Abel offered the firstborn… the best – God’s prescribed offering. In Malachi 1:6-14, we are told of God’s feelings about receiving less than our best: "A son honors his father, and a servant his master. But if I am a father, where is My honor? And if I am a master, where is your fear of Me? says the Lord of Hosts to you priests, who despise My name." Yet you ask: "How have we despised Your name?" "By presenting defiled food on My altar." You ask: "How have we defiled You?" When you say: "The Lord's table is contemptible." "When you present a blind animal for sacrifice, is it not wrong? And when you present a lame or sick animal, is it not wrong? Bring it to your governor! Would he be pleased with you or show you favor?" asks the Lord of Hosts. "And now ask for God's favor. Will He be gracious to us? Since this has come from your hands, will He show any of you favor?" asks the Lord of Hosts. "I wish one of you would shut the temple doors, so you would no longer kindle a useless fire on My altar! I am not pleased with you," says the Lord of Hosts, "and I will accept no offering from your hands. "For My name will be great among the nations, from the rising of the sun to its setting. Incense and pure offerings will be presented in My name in every place because My name will be great among the nations," says the Lord of Hosts. But you are profaning it when you say: "The Lord's table is defiled, and its product, its food, is contemptible." You also say: "Look, what a nuisance!" "And you scorn it," says the Lord of Hosts. "You bring stolen, lame, or sick animals. You bring this as an offering! Am I to accept that from your hands?" asks the Lord. "The deceiver is cursed who has an acceptable male in his flock and makes a vow but sacrifices a defective animal to the Lord. For I am a great King," says the Lord of Hosts, "and My name will be feared among the nations.”
It seems God is saying that it is useless fire on the altar if we offer anything less than our best. In fact He says He will accept NO offering from our hands. In verse 14, He even goes as far as to say that one who has an acceptable offering yet brings anything less is cursed. What I have learned from this is that in every service, even every rehearsal, I need to put forth my very best. God deserves nothing less! One final thought: Genesis 12:1-3 records the call of Abram and the birth of a nation. God tells Abram:“Go out from your land, your relatives, and your father's house to the land that I will show you. I will make you into a great nation, I will bless you, I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, I will curse those who treat you with contempt, and all the peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” Israel was that great nation, and I believe God’s promise is just as true today as thousands of years ago. Our church recently blessed Israel by going and doing Encounters there. Many people made great sacrifices financially, as well as giving great amounts of time away from home. There were also many days of prayer and fasting invested. God is true to His Word, and I believe we are walking into a time of God’s favor on our church in an unprecedented way. I believe we will see financial, numerical, and spiritual blessings poured out. Let’s be in our place and lead the celebration!
Danny
Genesis 4:1-5: Adam knew his wife Eve intimately, and she conceived and gave birth to Cain. She said, "I have had a male child with the LORD’s help." Then she also gave birth to his brother Abel. Now Abel became a shepherd of a flock, but Cain cultivated the land. In the course of time Cain presented some of the land's produce as an offering to the LORD. And Abel also presented an offering—some of the firstborn of his flock and their fat portions. The LORD had regard for Abel and his offering, but He did not have regard for Cain and his offering. Cain was furious, and he was downcast. (HCSB)I always wondered why God didn’t accept Cain’s offering, but I recently saw something I had never seen before. Look at verses 3 and 4 again. In the course of time Cain presented some of the land's produce as an offering to the LORD. And Abel also presented [an offering]—some of the firstborn of his flock and their fat portions. The LORD had regard for Abel and his offering, (Emphasis mine)
Do you see the difference? Cain just offered some of his produce… just an offering of his choosing. Abel offered the firstborn… the best – God’s prescribed offering. In Malachi 1:6-14, we are told of God’s feelings about receiving less than our best: "A son honors his father, and a servant his master. But if I am a father, where is My honor? And if I am a master, where is your fear of Me? says the Lord of Hosts to you priests, who despise My name." Yet you ask: "How have we despised Your name?" "By presenting defiled food on My altar." You ask: "How have we defiled You?" When you say: "The Lord's table is contemptible." "When you present a blind animal for sacrifice, is it not wrong? And when you present a lame or sick animal, is it not wrong? Bring it to your governor! Would he be pleased with you or show you favor?" asks the Lord of Hosts. "And now ask for God's favor. Will He be gracious to us? Since this has come from your hands, will He show any of you favor?" asks the Lord of Hosts. "I wish one of you would shut the temple doors, so you would no longer kindle a useless fire on My altar! I am not pleased with you," says the Lord of Hosts, "and I will accept no offering from your hands. "For My name will be great among the nations, from the rising of the sun to its setting. Incense and pure offerings will be presented in My name in every place because My name will be great among the nations," says the Lord of Hosts. But you are profaning it when you say: "The Lord's table is defiled, and its product, its food, is contemptible." You also say: "Look, what a nuisance!" "And you scorn it," says the Lord of Hosts. "You bring stolen, lame, or sick animals. You bring this as an offering! Am I to accept that from your hands?" asks the Lord. "The deceiver is cursed who has an acceptable male in his flock and makes a vow but sacrifices a defective animal to the Lord. For I am a great King," says the Lord of Hosts, "and My name will be feared among the nations.”
It seems God is saying that it is useless fire on the altar if we offer anything less than our best. In fact He says He will accept NO offering from our hands. In verse 14, He even goes as far as to say that one who has an acceptable offering yet brings anything less is cursed. What I have learned from this is that in every service, even every rehearsal, I need to put forth my very best. God deserves nothing less! One final thought: Genesis 12:1-3 records the call of Abram and the birth of a nation. God tells Abram:“Go out from your land, your relatives, and your father's house to the land that I will show you. I will make you into a great nation, I will bless you, I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, I will curse those who treat you with contempt, and all the peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” Israel was that great nation, and I believe God’s promise is just as true today as thousands of years ago. Our church recently blessed Israel by going and doing Encounters there. Many people made great sacrifices financially, as well as giving great amounts of time away from home. There were also many days of prayer and fasting invested. God is true to His Word, and I believe we are walking into a time of God’s favor on our church in an unprecedented way. I believe we will see financial, numerical, and spiritual blessings poured out. Let’s be in our place and lead the celebration!
Danny
The Sons of Issachar
May 2007
We often hear the term “sensitivity to the Spirit” used, and I believe one way to define the term is recognizing God’s timing and responding accordingly (that’s not from any dictionary, just my own definition). I Chronicles 12: 32 describes a group who were good at this. It says, “the Sons of Issachar understood the times and knew what Israel should do.” Jonathan Edwards, the great 18th century preacher and theologian, put it this way: “I believe the task of every generation is to recognize in which direction the Sovereign Redeemer is moving, and move in that direction.” What I see for us is this: we must recognize that this is a divinely appointed season of favor for our church. While this is great news, it is not to be taken lightly. We must respect, guard, and cherish the moments that God turns His face toward us. During the Brownsville revival, that church had a saying. They said that they must not do anything to “make the Dove fly.” In other words, they were having an historic visitation and they recognized the importance of handling it with care.
I believe these coming months will be an historic opportunity and visitation for our church, and we must be in our places and be sure to not take this season lightly. We must seize the moment! We must give with a grateful heart, not just with financial giving, but giving of our time and talents as well. In fact, the Bible says the Lord loves a cheerful giver. David collected the resources for Solomon to use in constructing the temple. David himself gave more wealth and resources toward the project than anyone, yet listen to David’s attitude in his prayer of I Chronicles 29: “who am I, and who are my people that we should be able to give as generously as this? For everything comes from You, and we have given You only what comes from Your own hand.” Let’s be in our places, so God can use us in a mighty way.
Finally, I want to ask you to pray for God to release the prophetic in a greater dimension in our ministry. In I Chronicles 25:1 David assigned the singers and musicians a specific task. It says, “David and the officers of the army also set apart some of the sons of Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthan, who were to prophesy accompanied by lyres, harps, and cymbals."
Danny
We often hear the term “sensitivity to the Spirit” used, and I believe one way to define the term is recognizing God’s timing and responding accordingly (that’s not from any dictionary, just my own definition). I Chronicles 12: 32 describes a group who were good at this. It says, “the Sons of Issachar understood the times and knew what Israel should do.” Jonathan Edwards, the great 18th century preacher and theologian, put it this way: “I believe the task of every generation is to recognize in which direction the Sovereign Redeemer is moving, and move in that direction.” What I see for us is this: we must recognize that this is a divinely appointed season of favor for our church. While this is great news, it is not to be taken lightly. We must respect, guard, and cherish the moments that God turns His face toward us. During the Brownsville revival, that church had a saying. They said that they must not do anything to “make the Dove fly.” In other words, they were having an historic visitation and they recognized the importance of handling it with care.
I believe these coming months will be an historic opportunity and visitation for our church, and we must be in our places and be sure to not take this season lightly. We must seize the moment! We must give with a grateful heart, not just with financial giving, but giving of our time and talents as well. In fact, the Bible says the Lord loves a cheerful giver. David collected the resources for Solomon to use in constructing the temple. David himself gave more wealth and resources toward the project than anyone, yet listen to David’s attitude in his prayer of I Chronicles 29: “who am I, and who are my people that we should be able to give as generously as this? For everything comes from You, and we have given You only what comes from Your own hand.” Let’s be in our places, so God can use us in a mighty way.
Finally, I want to ask you to pray for God to release the prophetic in a greater dimension in our ministry. In I Chronicles 25:1 David assigned the singers and musicians a specific task. It says, “David and the officers of the army also set apart some of the sons of Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthan, who were to prophesy accompanied by lyres, harps, and cymbals."
Danny
Where Are the Levites?
June 2007
I Chronicles 13 deals with David’s incorrect attempt to bring the ark of God’s presence to Jerusalem. In fact, he tried to bring it to Jerusalem on a cart. Verse 8 even tells us there was lots of music being played and sung. There is only one other time recorded in the Bible that the ark was transported on a cart, and that is when the Philistines used a cart to send the ark away from them. Here in this instance, we see David trying to use a pagan method to transport the ark! Sure, it would have been a lot easier to let it ride along on a cart than to have men carry it on their shoulders, stopping every six steps to sacrifice; however, God doesn’t grant His presence to us based on our comfort. Rather, in I Chronicles 15, we see David found that God had a prescribed method for transporting the Ark of His presence. Only the Levites could carry God’s presence (verse 2), and in verses 11 – 13, David tells the Levites that the Lord “burst out in anger against us because you Levites were not with us.” (HCSB) It seems very important to the Lord that the Levites are in their place. Look at this passage as David appoints Levites to sing and play before the Lord:
“Then David told the leaders of the Levites to appoint their relatives as singers and to have them raise their voices with joy accompanied by musical instruments—harps, lyres, and cymbals. So the Levites appointed Heman son of Joel; from his relatives, Asaph son of Berechiah; and from their relatives the Merarites, Ethan son of Kushaiah. With them were their relatives second in rank: Zechariah, Jaaziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, and the gatekeepers Obed-edom and Jeiel. The singers Heman, Asaph, and Ethan were to sound the bronze cymbals; Zechariah, Aziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Maaseiah, and Benaiah were to play harps according to Alamoth; and Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, Obed-edom, Jeiel, and Azaziah were to lead the music with lyres according to the Sheminith. Chenaniah, the leader of the Levites in music, was to direct the music because he was skillful. Berechiah and Elkanah were to be gatekeepers for the ark. The priests, Shebaniah, Joshaphat, Nethanel, Amasai, Zechariah, Benaiah, and Eliezer, were to blow trumpets before the ark of God. Obed-edom and Jehiah were also to be gatekeepers for the ark.” (I Chronicles 15:16-24, HCSB)
Chapter 16 records the ceremony Israel had upon the ark’s arrival and the beautiful Psalm David wrote for the occasion. The chapter ends with David leaving the Levite musicians to “minister regularly before the ark of the Lord” while he sends the other people home. You guys are those Levites that God has given the honor of ministering before Him, and being carriers of His presence. It may not always be the most convenient or comfortable thing to do. Many times it would be easier to let someone else do it, but God wants those He called to carry the ark.
Thanks for being in your place so faithfully.
Danny
I Chronicles 13 deals with David’s incorrect attempt to bring the ark of God’s presence to Jerusalem. In fact, he tried to bring it to Jerusalem on a cart. Verse 8 even tells us there was lots of music being played and sung. There is only one other time recorded in the Bible that the ark was transported on a cart, and that is when the Philistines used a cart to send the ark away from them. Here in this instance, we see David trying to use a pagan method to transport the ark! Sure, it would have been a lot easier to let it ride along on a cart than to have men carry it on their shoulders, stopping every six steps to sacrifice; however, God doesn’t grant His presence to us based on our comfort. Rather, in I Chronicles 15, we see David found that God had a prescribed method for transporting the Ark of His presence. Only the Levites could carry God’s presence (verse 2), and in verses 11 – 13, David tells the Levites that the Lord “burst out in anger against us because you Levites were not with us.” (HCSB) It seems very important to the Lord that the Levites are in their place. Look at this passage as David appoints Levites to sing and play before the Lord:
“Then David told the leaders of the Levites to appoint their relatives as singers and to have them raise their voices with joy accompanied by musical instruments—harps, lyres, and cymbals. So the Levites appointed Heman son of Joel; from his relatives, Asaph son of Berechiah; and from their relatives the Merarites, Ethan son of Kushaiah. With them were their relatives second in rank: Zechariah, Jaaziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, and the gatekeepers Obed-edom and Jeiel. The singers Heman, Asaph, and Ethan were to sound the bronze cymbals; Zechariah, Aziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Maaseiah, and Benaiah were to play harps according to Alamoth; and Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, Obed-edom, Jeiel, and Azaziah were to lead the music with lyres according to the Sheminith. Chenaniah, the leader of the Levites in music, was to direct the music because he was skillful. Berechiah and Elkanah were to be gatekeepers for the ark. The priests, Shebaniah, Joshaphat, Nethanel, Amasai, Zechariah, Benaiah, and Eliezer, were to blow trumpets before the ark of God. Obed-edom and Jehiah were also to be gatekeepers for the ark.” (I Chronicles 15:16-24, HCSB)
Chapter 16 records the ceremony Israel had upon the ark’s arrival and the beautiful Psalm David wrote for the occasion. The chapter ends with David leaving the Levite musicians to “minister regularly before the ark of the Lord” while he sends the other people home. You guys are those Levites that God has given the honor of ministering before Him, and being carriers of His presence. It may not always be the most convenient or comfortable thing to do. Many times it would be easier to let someone else do it, but God wants those He called to carry the ark.
Thanks for being in your place so faithfully.
Danny
Who's Building Your House
July 2007
All the construction going on at our new campus has me thinking about how God would want His house to be built. In fact, Psalm 127:1-2 says,
“Unless the LORD builds a house, the work of the builders is wasted. Unless the LORD protects a city guarding it with sentries will do no good. It is useless for you to work so hard from early morning until late at night, anxiously working for food to eat; for God gives rest to his loved ones.” (NLT)
In fact, Solomon, the wisest man in the world and builder of the most elaborate house of God in history, was the writer of this Psalm. It kind of makes me wonder if he might have come home from watching the beehive of activity going on during construction of the temple and written these words.
As I see that same type of activity going on at 7501 Standifer Gap Road (our new address), I think about the New Testament church and Jesus telling Peter He would build His church upon “this rock.” Years later that old church builder, Peter wrote these words: “You are coming to Christ, who is the living cornerstone of God’s temple. He was rejected by people, but he was chosen by God for great honor. And you are living stones that God is building into His spiritual temple. What’s more, you are His holy priests. Through the mediation of Jesus Christ, you offer spiritual sacrifices that please God. As the Scriptures say, ‘I am placing a cornerstone in Jerusalem, chosen for great honor, and anyone who trusts in Him will never be disgraced.” Yes, you who trust Him recognize the honor God has given Him. But for those who reject Him, ‘The stone that the builders rejected has now become the cornerstone.’ And, ‘He is the stone that makes people stumble, the rock that makes them fall.’ They stumble because they do not obey God’s word, and so they meet the fate that was planned for them. But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light. ‘Once you had no identity as a people; now you are God’s people. Once you received no mercy; now you have received God’s mercy.’” (I Peter 2:4-11, NLT)
As we do the physical work of building God’s house, we must allow Him to do the spiritual work on each of us as well. I have been blessed the last two years to be able to go to Jerusalem and see the Temple mount. One of the things we have done both years is to take what is called the “tunnel tour.” You are probably familiar with the image of the Wailing Wall, which is a portion of the western wall of the Temple mount. This wall continues on to the north and is now under ground. The tunnel tour takes you far below ground level along the rest of the western wall, and one of the features of the tour is looking at the size and perfection of the massive stones that make up the wall. Not only are they huge, but after they were quarried they were smoothed and had ornate details carved into them. No doubt Peter would have had some of these very stones in mind, as well as the ones in the Temple itself, when he wrote this passage. He would have been thinking of the process of making those stones acceptable to be part of God’s house. It didn’t end with the stones being quarried; there was then a lengthy process whereby a stone carver would have perfected each stone. We, as individuals, and as a corporate body have been going through this process. We, just like those massive stones, have had rough edges knocked off of us. Sometimes it may have even been painful as God cut away things, as well as people in our lives. The Temple was a breathtakingly beautiful structure that dominated the Jerusalem skyline when it was finished, and I’m sure everyone involved in building it would have said it was worth the effort, fatigue, and pain. Peter was seeing the modern day church, and knowing after the process was finished, it, too would be breathtakingly beautiful. I encourage you: submit to the process… stay the course. I can’t wait to see how beautiful we will be.
Danny
All the construction going on at our new campus has me thinking about how God would want His house to be built. In fact, Psalm 127:1-2 says,
“Unless the LORD builds a house, the work of the builders is wasted. Unless the LORD protects a city guarding it with sentries will do no good. It is useless for you to work so hard from early morning until late at night, anxiously working for food to eat; for God gives rest to his loved ones.” (NLT)
In fact, Solomon, the wisest man in the world and builder of the most elaborate house of God in history, was the writer of this Psalm. It kind of makes me wonder if he might have come home from watching the beehive of activity going on during construction of the temple and written these words.
As I see that same type of activity going on at 7501 Standifer Gap Road (our new address), I think about the New Testament church and Jesus telling Peter He would build His church upon “this rock.” Years later that old church builder, Peter wrote these words: “You are coming to Christ, who is the living cornerstone of God’s temple. He was rejected by people, but he was chosen by God for great honor. And you are living stones that God is building into His spiritual temple. What’s more, you are His holy priests. Through the mediation of Jesus Christ, you offer spiritual sacrifices that please God. As the Scriptures say, ‘I am placing a cornerstone in Jerusalem, chosen for great honor, and anyone who trusts in Him will never be disgraced.” Yes, you who trust Him recognize the honor God has given Him. But for those who reject Him, ‘The stone that the builders rejected has now become the cornerstone.’ And, ‘He is the stone that makes people stumble, the rock that makes them fall.’ They stumble because they do not obey God’s word, and so they meet the fate that was planned for them. But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light. ‘Once you had no identity as a people; now you are God’s people. Once you received no mercy; now you have received God’s mercy.’” (I Peter 2:4-11, NLT)
As we do the physical work of building God’s house, we must allow Him to do the spiritual work on each of us as well. I have been blessed the last two years to be able to go to Jerusalem and see the Temple mount. One of the things we have done both years is to take what is called the “tunnel tour.” You are probably familiar with the image of the Wailing Wall, which is a portion of the western wall of the Temple mount. This wall continues on to the north and is now under ground. The tunnel tour takes you far below ground level along the rest of the western wall, and one of the features of the tour is looking at the size and perfection of the massive stones that make up the wall. Not only are they huge, but after they were quarried they were smoothed and had ornate details carved into them. No doubt Peter would have had some of these very stones in mind, as well as the ones in the Temple itself, when he wrote this passage. He would have been thinking of the process of making those stones acceptable to be part of God’s house. It didn’t end with the stones being quarried; there was then a lengthy process whereby a stone carver would have perfected each stone. We, as individuals, and as a corporate body have been going through this process. We, just like those massive stones, have had rough edges knocked off of us. Sometimes it may have even been painful as God cut away things, as well as people in our lives. The Temple was a breathtakingly beautiful structure that dominated the Jerusalem skyline when it was finished, and I’m sure everyone involved in building it would have said it was worth the effort, fatigue, and pain. Peter was seeing the modern day church, and knowing after the process was finished, it, too would be breathtakingly beautiful. I encourage you: submit to the process… stay the course. I can’t wait to see how beautiful we will be.
Danny
Zeal!
August 2007
John chapter 2 tells the story of Jesus going into the temple and seeing the money changers doing their daily business in God’s house. He was so enraged, He immediately sprang into action: “So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple area, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. To those who sold doves he said, “Get these out of here! How dare you turn my Father’s house into a market!” His disciples remembered that it is written: ‘Zeal for your house will consume me.’” John 2:15-17 (NIV)What drove Jesus into such extreme action? It was His zeal for His Father’s house.Dictionary.com defines zeal as follows: “fervor for a person, cause, or object; eager desire or endeavor; enthusiastic diligence; ardor. The American Heritage Dictionary states zeal is: Enthusiastic devotion to a cause, ideal, or goal and tireless diligence in its furtherance.”
What are you zealous about? What provokes you into action? Whose honor do you rise to defend if it is challenged? What stirs you into white-hot passion? Is it your favorite football team? Is it your family? How about your reputation? Jesus showed us where His passion lay… He was passionate about God’s house. Numbers 25 tells us about another zealous individual… his name was Phinehas.
Then an Israelite man brought to his family a Midianite woman right before the eyes of Moses and the whole assembly of Israel while they were weeping at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. When Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, the priest, saw this, he left the assembly, took a spear in his hand and followed the Israelite into the tent. He drove the spear through both of them—through the Israelite and into the woman’s body. Then the plague against the Israelites was stopped; but those who died in the plague numbered 24,000. The Lord said to Moses, “Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, the priest, has turned my anger away from the Israelites; for he was as zealous as I am for my honor among them, so that in my zeal I did not put an end to them. Therefore tell him I am making my covenant of peace with him. He and his descendants will have a covenant of a lasting priesthood, because he was zealous for the honor of his God and made atonement for the Israelites.” Numbers 25:6-13 (NIV)
Are you getting the idea God loves for us to be zealous for Him? In the next few days, think about what zealous people look like and how they act. They don’t just “go through the motions” or “mail it in.” They give 100%. They battle through pain, fatigue and discouragement to further the cause. Couples in love have zeal. They talk on the phone for hours. They drive miles out of their ways to see each other. They see all the good in each other, and stubbornly ignore the bad. Do we feel that way about God? Do we passionately pursue His presence? Do we cheerfully give Him our time? How about His house? Do we give it our all? Do we rise up to defend it if it is dishonored by something that is said or done, or have we lost our zeal? I know sometimes for me, the flame cools. The passion dies out a bit, and it becomes routine… maybe even drudgery. Let’s examine ourselves and reignite the coals if they need it.
Zealously yours,
Danny
John chapter 2 tells the story of Jesus going into the temple and seeing the money changers doing their daily business in God’s house. He was so enraged, He immediately sprang into action: “So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple area, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. To those who sold doves he said, “Get these out of here! How dare you turn my Father’s house into a market!” His disciples remembered that it is written: ‘Zeal for your house will consume me.’” John 2:15-17 (NIV)What drove Jesus into such extreme action? It was His zeal for His Father’s house.Dictionary.com defines zeal as follows: “fervor for a person, cause, or object; eager desire or endeavor; enthusiastic diligence; ardor. The American Heritage Dictionary states zeal is: Enthusiastic devotion to a cause, ideal, or goal and tireless diligence in its furtherance.”
What are you zealous about? What provokes you into action? Whose honor do you rise to defend if it is challenged? What stirs you into white-hot passion? Is it your favorite football team? Is it your family? How about your reputation? Jesus showed us where His passion lay… He was passionate about God’s house. Numbers 25 tells us about another zealous individual… his name was Phinehas.
Then an Israelite man brought to his family a Midianite woman right before the eyes of Moses and the whole assembly of Israel while they were weeping at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. When Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, the priest, saw this, he left the assembly, took a spear in his hand and followed the Israelite into the tent. He drove the spear through both of them—through the Israelite and into the woman’s body. Then the plague against the Israelites was stopped; but those who died in the plague numbered 24,000. The Lord said to Moses, “Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, the priest, has turned my anger away from the Israelites; for he was as zealous as I am for my honor among them, so that in my zeal I did not put an end to them. Therefore tell him I am making my covenant of peace with him. He and his descendants will have a covenant of a lasting priesthood, because he was zealous for the honor of his God and made atonement for the Israelites.” Numbers 25:6-13 (NIV)
Are you getting the idea God loves for us to be zealous for Him? In the next few days, think about what zealous people look like and how they act. They don’t just “go through the motions” or “mail it in.” They give 100%. They battle through pain, fatigue and discouragement to further the cause. Couples in love have zeal. They talk on the phone for hours. They drive miles out of their ways to see each other. They see all the good in each other, and stubbornly ignore the bad. Do we feel that way about God? Do we passionately pursue His presence? Do we cheerfully give Him our time? How about His house? Do we give it our all? Do we rise up to defend it if it is dishonored by something that is said or done, or have we lost our zeal? I know sometimes for me, the flame cools. The passion dies out a bit, and it becomes routine… maybe even drudgery. Let’s examine ourselves and reignite the coals if they need it.
Zealously yours,
Danny
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