February 26

EXODUS 9 Now, the Lord slays Apis, the bull-god worshiped by the ancient Egyptians. Apis, a reincarnation of Ptah, a creator god. should have been the protector of the Egyptian livestock. (Perhaps this is the model for the golden calf made by the Israelites at Mount Sinai.) Instead the Lord shows his greatness over their gods. He slays Apis. Note that none of the Israelite livestock is damaged. The Egyptian priests/magicians were careful to be clean in their duties. Ashes were used to make a powerful soap to rid their bodies of uncleanliness. If you have ever made soap, you know that one of the ingredients is lye. Lye is produced by letting water filter through ashes. The lye is leached into the water as it filters through. Then it is added to rendered animal fat to produce soap. Perhaps soap was invented as part of the religious sacrificial rituals of early man. Instead of cleanliness, Moses’ ashes brought a festering skin disease. Note that the Egyptian magicians could not stand before Moses because skin disease produced by Moses’ ashes. Once again Lord slays an Egyptian god. All our attempts to cleanse ourselves apart from the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ will eventually result in the slaying of that god. They result in spiritually festering skin diseases. The sky goddess Nut was trusted upon to give the Egyptians good weather. Lord slays Nut. He rains a deathly hail and fire from the sky upon the Egyptian crops and unprotected livestock. One by one the Lord slays those things upon which the Egyptians trusted. In what do you trust. If not the Lord, be careful! He may slay them. He is after all, the Almighty, and He will share His glory with no other. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today! --Pastor john * * Job 27 Why is it that we all would run the earth differently if we were God? Job desires to teach his debaters about how God works. 11”I will teach you about the hand of God; What is with the Almighty I will not conceal.” In praise to His own name, God controls His creation. Yes He allows evil and suffering to exist. Sometimes when we don’t understand what God allows, it is easier to invent a god who works like we think he should work. Once we have re-invented God, it is so exciting to tell others about our awesome invention. I think this is true of both Job and His friends. Somehow I need to let God break through my inventions of Him with who He really is. Can you imagine what the earth would become if it were run by the way I conceive God. Oh Lord, help us! Lord, show me YOUR glory! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today! --Pastor john * * * Psalm 57 Can you imagine sitting in the cave of Adullam? 1 Samuel 22:1-2 says: David therefore departed from there and escaped to the cave of Adullam. So when his brothers and all his father’s house heard it, they went down there to him. And everyone who was in distress, everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was discontented gathered to him. So he became captain over them. And there were about four hundred men with him. So here he is unjustly hunted as a criminal by Saul, living in a cave, surrounded by 400 discontented people. What a wonderful environment to practice the power of positive thinking! While I wrote that sarcastically, I also meant it literally. Keep in mind though that not all positive thinking is godly, but all godly thinking is positive. Ever been around people who are discontent? Can you imagine 400 hundred of them? So here is David living in a cave with 400 discontents. What do you suppose the conversation was all about? “Saul is really doing a great job at subduing the Philistines,” or “The economy is really booming right now. We are doing so well. I think will have to expand my barns for all the grain and livestock. Maybe the wife and I will expand our house for the children we are having.” I don’t thinks so. The conversation could probably be better described as, “My soul is among lions; I lie among the sons of men who are set on fire, whose teeth are spears and arrows, and their tongue a sharp sword.” On the one hand, David feels it is good to have the support of 400 men. On the other hand, it is negative support. These men want change. They are discontent. They want change that spears, arrows and swords can bring. They see in David their champion. They see in David the one who can vulcanize their corporate desire for change and produce a new regime. Well, David is headed there, but not in the direction they had expected. So if you were being pursued by Saul, if it were as though your pursuer had laid a net to trap you, if it were as though a pit had been dug for you, if you were among 400 discontents, how would you speak to vulcanize your followers in such a way that they would follow you to establish justice? Most of us would lay plans to bring down the evil regime and establish ourselves as the rulers. It is not so with David. He speaks of the glory of God! He cries for God’s mercy! He establishes his trust in God! He remembers that calamities, as evil as they are, are temporary! He calls out to the One who is almighty! He petitions Him to let mercy and truth be seen in their midst! He pleads for God’s Glory to be revealed to them! He makes his heart steadfast to sing the glory and praise of God! Oh Lord help me to trade my discontent for Your glory! Help me to lift up the praise of your mercy and power! Help me to be content only in Your empowerment! May Your mercy and truth ever be upon my lips! It is Your glory to work that work in me and in us! Establish it O Lord! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today! --Pastor john * * Mark 5:21-43 The late summer and early fall of ’78 were difficult for me emotionally. Laura and I were convinced that God had called us to join the staff of Campus Crusade for Christ for the next 3 years. We applied and received a preliminary invitation to their Institute of Biblical Studies in June and July and to their Staff training the first two weeks of August. We raised support to attend and headed off for the summer to Ft. Collins, Colorado, where these events were being held. At the end of IBS we were informed that we were no longer invited to staff training. I had shown up on the psychological test as being extremely introverted and they did not feel that I would be a good match for their style of ministry. The problem for me was that I had been sure at the beginning of the summer that this was the direction that God was leading me. But obviously the door was shut. How could I have so misheard the Lord? Hind sight is always 20-20, as the saying goes. In the intervening years I have figured out what God was doing. God did want me in Ft. Collins, but He didn’t want me on staff with CCC. But during those first few months I didn’t understand and it seemed as if God had led me on a wild goose chase or I had not really heard God properly. God never leads on a wild goose chase. It just seems like it sometimes. Can you imagine this synagogue official as He is waiting for the healing of His daughter? She was at the point of death. She may already be dead. He has begged the Lord to come and heal her. I can’t think of anything more emotionally wrenching than the possible death of a little child. But Jesus goes with him. There is hope. Time is of the essence. Then the unspeakable happens as He leads Jesus. Jesus stops. Come on, Jesus! She is dying. But somebody had touched Him. People were always touching Him. They were always crowding in on Him. He was the most popular man of the region at the time. Come on, Jesus, let’s go. My daughter is dying or dead! You can’t tarry here! But somebody had touched Him! Somebody had touched Him with healing faith and He felt the healing power go out. How could it be that He did not know who it was who touched Him? Sometimes the Lord asked questions that were similar to rhetorical questions. This one was one. He wanted the one of faith to identify herself. “Come on, Jesus! We don’t have time for twenty-questions.” But Jesus took time with the woman. Time was something the daughter did not have. But while Jesus was talking with the woman, the official’s servant showed up with the dreaded news. The daughter was dead. It was too late. It indeed had been a wild goose chase. But Jesus says, “Don’t be afraid, only believe.” Back at the house the mourners were already there, doing their job. “She is only asleep,” says Jesus. They had seen death before. There was no pulse, no breath. She was cold. She was dead. They laughed at the Lord of glory. Of course they did not know that He was the Lord of glory. Jesus raised the girl. They were astounded. What do you know? It wasn’t a wild goose chase. Jesus’ delay did not make a difference in the end result. His glory was clearly seen in His victory over death! So, when it seems that you are on a wild goose chase, don’t be afraid, only believe. Jesus will show His glory. And by the way by having gone to Ft. Collins I was forced to live in Stillwater, Ok for the next 2.5 years. During that time the Lord led me into the Christian and Missionary Alliance, which I dearly love. Also during that time I was able to live in the same town as my parents which was a blessing that I have not been able to enjoy since. It wasn’t a wild goose chase. It was blessing. I see His glory in a greater way now. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today! --Pastor John