The Call Of Moses

 The story of the call of Moses is interesting to think about. God still calls men into ministry. But when God calls men like Moses He calls them in a unique way that few other men will ever know. We know that God called Moses on mount Horeb. We know the familiar story of the burning bush. But there seems to be a mystery to be solved still.

When did God call Moses to be the deliverer? Some people think that God must have been dealing with Moses in Egypt. They use Moses' outburst in killing the Egyptian oppressor as proof that something Divine was at work in Moses. The Bible nowhere says anything about God until Exodus chapter 3 concerning Moses. Moses was more Egyptian then Hebrew. Moses was raised by Egyptians in Egypt his whole life. Why Moses over-reacted and killed the Egyptian is more evidence that maybe Moses had a hot temper than that God was calling him.

Anyway, God chose Moses, God called Moses, God equipped Moses, and God used Moses to do a great work.

When Moses' staff became a snake, he was not afraid of the snake. He was afraid of what the sign meant. Who am I was Moses' response. He knew what the serpent power in Egypt was and how powerful it was. He understood that what God was asking him to do was beyond even his ability to perform.

In the end Moses went and did what God called him to do and he is honored in history as the great deliverer. But even Moses was not sinless. No one gets to Heaven on their own merits. We all need a savior.

"And when the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, here I am." Exodus 3:4

Fellowship and Food?

 As Believers, we all know what fellowship is. Or do we? We are studying fellowship in our home Bible studies and so I thought that it might be good for me to do a little Bible study of my own on fellowship. One thing that I noticed right away is that you have to stretch pretty hard to make fellowship be about food. 

The Greek word is koinonia. It is translated fellowship. It means, by definition, a close association between people that emphasizes what we have in common. The word communion is closely related to the Bible word fellowship. 

The dictionary defines fellowship as a friendly association, especially with people who share one's interests.

Vine's defines it as communion, a sharing in common. Bullinger says it is the act of partaking or sharing.

The word communion defines as the sharing of intimate thoughts and feelings, especially when on a mental or spiritual level.

I am not saying that there is no place for food in fellowship. I am suggesting that there is something deeper than food in real fellowship.

It is when we look at the verses where the word fellowship is used that added meanings come out.

"If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: but if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his son cleanses us from all sin." 1John1:6-7. 

"For your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now;" Phil.1:5

"And they continued steadfastly in the apostle's doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers." Acts2:42

Going Forward While Looking Backwards?

 "forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead," Phil.3:13

I had a nice chat with an old friend today. After I turned off my phone I realized that my friend seemed to live in the past. He has a great memory. He loves his memories. And he talks about things that happened years ago as though it was current events.

I do not now nor have I ever been one to dwell on the past. Memories only seem to remind me of a life that I used to live that is gone forever. I can remember things. I can share things from the past. But overall, I do not live in the past. My eyes are looking for what next, not what used to be. Since my wife died memories have become unwelcome in my mind.

We all deal with the past in our own way. I choose not to live looking backwards. You cannot go forward while looking backwards.

Equal or Superior?

 I learned something today. I lived through much of the madness of the 1960s. The time of revolution in America. People who claimed to be part of an oppressed group were clamoring for freedom and equality. I all along believed that it was not equality they were after. I understand that what these groups wanted was more than equality. They wanted to be superior and they wanted to rule the country.

Gays were never about equal rights. They wanted their lifestyle to be normalized and promoted. Feminists were never about equal rights for women. They wanted to dethrone men and take their place running everything. Today we see, as the radicals fade from public view, how messed up their utopian ideas were.

If you want to rule, raise children. The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world. If you want to be accepted, be normal. Stop engaging in abnormal behavior. 

The rebellion of the 60s was a declaration of war against God and Christ and the Bible. Anything true or just was cast off in favor of liberty and freedom. We have seen a war against men, and boys, and marriage, and morality.

You know what has been happening that the radicals try to ignore? Men will be men, boys will be boys, girls want to get married and have children, and time has exposed how flawed and faulty those old ideas were. 

It's time for my generation to repent. One day you will answer to God, not the courts. I doubt if you will change your mind even then.

Do something

 "Then Jews from Antioch and Iconium came there; and having persuaded the multitudes, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing him to be dead. However, when the disciples gathered around him, he rose up..." Acts 14:19-20.

Things happen to us in life that can, if not actually kill us, leave us as good as dead. The death of a loved one, the loss of a career, failure in ministry, all can wreck havoc on our emotions and our spirits. But look what happened in the text. The crowd thought they had killed Paul. His friends came to see how he was. No one spoke or even prayed. They just surrounded him. And God raised Paul up.

We have no idea how little it takes to help someone in their darkest hour. We might be the only thing standing between them and utter collapse and failure and despair. We hold back the very thing that the damaged person needs because we don't think it will help.

You do not need to know all of the answers to their problems. But you do have to invest in their care even if it is just to be there with them without speaking at all.

In the end, only God can do what needs to be done. 

Make the call, send the text, pay a visit. Do something for those beaten and weary and left for dead.

Future Thoughts

 The third generation sells the farm is just another way of saying that no movement or empire lasts forever. We rejoice at what God did in establishing our Fellowship. But what will we do when the fathers of our faith are all in Heaven with Jesus? Will we carry on doing what we have always done? Will we get tired of doing the same things over and over? Will God want to do something new that we have not even thought of?

It is natural to think that things will never change and that life will go on forever. We do not like to think about the end of things. I have lived long enough to see some things end. My wife of 40 years died. My beloved pastor died. Men that I knew and respected either died or left. There is very little left of what I thought would last forever.

I think that one thing we can do is to plan for change and prepare for the end. In our personal lives that might mean making a will and a plan for where you want to be buried. In our churches it might mean having a plan of succession so that your church counsel knows what do do when you are gone. Pastor Wayman did that in Prescott. 

When I was first saved I was sure that I would live to see the Rapture. I know a lot of good people who lived with that same hope and expectation. They are all gone now. But we are still here. 

Failing to plan is planning to fail. 

Unfortunately the New Testament was written by men who thought that they would live forever. It does not give us guidelines on how to deal with the death of our pastors. Jesus died and rose from the dead so that is no help. He was only gone for three days! When we die our time on Earth is over for good. 

One final word. Are you trying to build a legacy so that people will remember you after you are gone? Can I tell you a secret? People will forget. Great nations, great empires, great men, and great churches are all gone and forgotten. 

The Unloved Woman

 I want to talk a little about the unloved woman. I will focus of course on Leah, Jacob's first wife. Leah evidently had feeling for Jacob that were not felt by Jacob for Leah. Leah was like any normal girl. She had hopes and dreams and she no doubt thought once she was married all of her troubles would be over. But we read in Genesis her story and how that marriage and children did not earn her Jacob's love.

"When the Lord saw that Leah was unloved, He opened her womb; but Rachel was barren." Gen.29:31

Sometimes the unloved woman has unrealistic expectations about love and romance and marriage. Sometimes she thinks she has it all figured out and she is surprised when her plans fall apart. Sometimes it's a matter of misunderstanding or trying too hard to make love happen.

Leah tried to make it work. She was faithful. She bore Jacob children. But Leah was not as pretty as her sister and nothing she did could change Jacob's attitude. He did his duty as a husband, but he did not love Leah.

"For three things the earth is perturbed, yes, for four it cannot bear up; ...a hated woman when she is married." Prov. 30:21,23.

This is a recipe for disaster. In todays world Leah would have divorced Jacob. But in her world, Leah could do nothing but stick it out and hope that things would change.

I see one thing that seems to stand out in Leah's story. In Genesis 29 we read 

"And she conceived again and bore a son, and said, now I will praise the Lord. Therefore she called his name Judah. Then she stopped bearing." Gen.29:35

For her first three sons it was all about Leah trying to win Jacob's love. But with her fourth son there is a change in tone in the story. Leah has done what any unloved woman must do. She had left her cares with the Lord and decided to serve the Lord no matter what. Rachel never did anything like that.

We know the end of the story. Rachel dies alone and is buried alone. Leah is buried with the family and Jacob is buried with her. In the end Jacob did love Leah. Rachel was selfish, Leah became selfless. 

Love and romance are a gamble that sometimes works and sometimes doesn't. But trusting God will always bring about the best end result. Even the unloved woman is loved by God.