Some Silver and a Robe

Introduction
            This message was inspired by and adapted from a sermon by Paris Reidhead, “10 Shekels and a Shirt”.  [Click here to hear a recording of Reidhead's original sermon.]  I heard Reidhead's sermon for the first time about 10 years ago and it really left an impact on me.  Reidhead was a missionary to Sudan mid-1900s.  His ministry in Africa led him to re-evaluate his core spiritual values and a rejection of humanistic Christianity.  I will do my best to communicate his ideas to you and I hope they will move you as much as they have me.  I have not always lived up to the ideas Reidhead put forth in his message, but I try and I keep coming back to his Christ-centered philosophy as an important guide for my life.
            This message starts with a rather long Scripture reading, so let me give a bit of background.
  Moses led the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt and Joshua brought them into the Promised Land in Palestine.  The Israelites were to drive out the heathens that lived in the land and worshiped idols.  Unfortunately, the Israelites never completed the job and so the Israelites lived alongside the heathens in many areas and this caused all kinds of trouble.  One problem we find in our story today is that a heathen people called the Amorites would not allow Israelite tribe of Dan to travel to the Tabernacle in Shiloh where they were supposed to worship.

 

Judges 17:1 – 18:1-5, 14-21

17 There was a man named Micah, who lived in the hill country of Ephraim. ² One day he said to his mother, “I heard you place a curse on the person who stole 1,100 pieces of silver from you. Well, I have the money. I was the one who took it.”

“The Lord bless you for admitting it,” his mother replied. ³ He returned the money to her, and she said, “I now dedicate these silver coins to the Lord. In honor of my son, I will have an image carved and an idol cast.”

⁴ So when he returned the money to his mother, she took 200 silver coins and gave them to a silversmith, who made them into an image and an idol. And these were placed in Micah’s house. ⁵ Micah set up a shrine for the idol, and he made a sacred ephod and some household idols. Then he installed one of his sons as his personal priest.

⁶ In those days Israel had no king; all the people did whatever seemed right in their own eyes.

·       Does this seems like it could be a direct description for the times in which we live right here in America?

⁷ One day a young Levite, who had been living in Bethlehem in Judah, arrived in that area. ⁸ He had left Bethlehem in search of another place to live, and as he traveled, he came to the hill country of Ephraim. He happened to stop at Micah’s house as he was traveling through. ⁹ “Where are you from?” Micah asked him.

He replied, “I am a Levite from Bethlehem in Judah, and I am looking for a place to live.”

¹⁰ “Stay here with me,” Micah said, “and you can be a father and priest to me. I will give you ten pieces of silver a year, plus a change of clothes and your food.” ¹¹ The Levite agreed to this, and the young man became like one of Micah’s sons.

¹² So Micah installed the Levite as his personal priest, and he lived in Micah’s house. ¹³ “I know the Lord will bless me now,” Micah said, “because I have a Levite serving as my priest.”

18 Now in those days Israel had no king. And the tribe of Dan was trying to find a place where they could settle, for they had not yet moved into the land assigned to them when the land was divided among the tribes of Israel. ² So the men of Dan chose from their clans five capable warriors from the towns of Zorah and Eshtaol to scout out a land for them to settle in.

When these warriors arrived in the hill country of Ephraim, they came to Micah’s house and spent the night there. ³ While at Micah’s house, they recognized the young Levite’s accent, so they went over and asked him, “Who brought you here, and what are you doing in this place? Why are you here?” ⁴ He told them about his agreement with Micah and that he had been hired as Micah’s personal priest.

⁵ Then they said, “Ask God whether or not our journey will be successful.”  ….

¹⁴ The five men who had scouted out the land around Laish explained to the others, “These buildings contain a sacred ephod, as well as some household idols, a carved image, and a cast idol. What do you think you should do?” ¹⁵ Then the five men turned off the road and went over to Micah’s house, where the young Levite lived, and greeted him kindly. ¹⁶ As the 600 armed warriors from the tribe of Dan stood at the entrance of the gate, ¹⁷ the five scouts entered the shrine and removed the carved image, the sacred ephod, the household idols, and the cast idol. Meanwhile, the priest was standing at the gate with the 600 armed warriors.

¹⁸ When the priest saw the men carrying all the sacred objects out of Micah’s shrine, he said, “What are you doing?”

¹⁹ “Be quiet and come with us,” they said. “Be a father and priest to all of us. Isn’t it better to be a priest for an entire tribe and clan of Israel than for the household of just one man?”

²⁰ The young priest was quite happy to go with them, so he took along the sacred ephod, the household idols, and the carved image. ²¹ They turned and started on their way again, placing their children, livestock, and possessions in front of them.

Explain the Passage

            We see how religion served as a useful tool for everyone in this story.  Micah wanted God to bless him and he thought God would because Micah built a chapel--his own personal chapel right there on his own property.  It would be as if you decided it was too much trouble to come to church every week and since your kids had all grown up and move out, you decided to take one of the extra rooms and turn it into your own personal church.  Micah built a chapel and he filled it with some religious items.  And at first he made his son the priest and he was going to pray to the God of Israel, but he also wanted to have all his bases covered so he added some idols to foreign gods as well.  And so he thought he could use religion to make his life better.

            And the Levite in the story also found religion to be a useful tool.  Levites were the one tribe of Israel that weren't allotted a portion of land, but they were to make the living by being priest and serving in the Tabernacle.  But, the Levite in this story didn't much like being one priest in a whole tribe a priests.  He could make a living doing that, but maybe not as much as he'd like and he wan't very important and he thought he could do better elsewhere.  So the Levite was quite happy when he ran into Micah who offered to give him some silver and a robe to be his personal priest; and Micah was happy too because now he had a "real" priest, a Levite, to serve him in his chapel.  SO the Levite got what he wanted and Micah got what he wanted.  You see, religion was a nice tool for them both.

            Then along come some Warriors from Dan who thought religion might be a useful tool for them too.  They were supposed to drive out the heathens and take their land for their own--that's what God instructed them to do--but the Ammorites where too strong (or the warriors from Dan didn't have enough faith) so they decided to pick on an easier target.  And the came to the Levite and asked him for a blessing before they went to war.  And the Levite gladly gave them a blessing and the warriors won the battle.  So they came back, realizing that Micah had a lot of expensive stuff in his chapel, and they decided to steal it and make it their own.  What was Micah gonna do against 600 warriors?

            At first when the Levite sees the men stealing the altar and idols and all the religious objects from the chapel, he's like, "Hey!  What are you doing with that stuff?"  But the warrior so of Dan are like, "Shh!  Be quiet!  Look, here's the thing.  We're taking this stuff and you can't stop us.  But if you help us out, you can come along with us.  We'll pay you twice what Micah pays you.  And isn't it better to be the priest to a whole tribe than just one family?"  And Levite kinda likes that idea.  It's a great job opportunity.  More money. More important.  Micah sort of gets the short end of the stick, but religion is a pretty good tool for the Levite to get what he wants.  It going places!

            The main point of this message is this:  we must decide if God is the point or is He just the means to an end?  Are we going to be like the Levite who served God for some silver and a robe? Are we going to serve humanity in the name of God, rather than serve God?  You see, the Levite used God to get what he wanted and he did quite well.

Humanism

            In order to understand what this all means to us today, we have to understand a little bit of history.  A subtle shift took place around the 1700-1800s in the way people thought about life.  Up to that point, most everyone accepted the existence of God.  Then humanity entered a period known as the "enlightenment" when people looked more to reason and science than faith to answer life's big questions.  Charles Darwin proposed life came to be the way it is by evolution and not a divine creator.  And people began to argue that God was not real or as important and we should focus less on God an more on humanity.  And it wasn't long before humanism became the most prevalent philosophy among educated people.  Humanism is a philosophy that declares the most important thing in life is the happiness of humanity, that the reason for existence is our happiness.

            Well, happiness for humanity doesn't sound so bad, does it?  It probably sounds familiar as we get ready to celebrate the Fourth of July.  What was it our founding fathers declared?  That all men have the right to “Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness…”  Well, our nation was founded in the midst of the Enlightenment and humanism was the philosophy of the day.

            How did humanism affect religious teaching?  Well, the more foreword thinking, liberal professors and theologians of the day began to question if we had put too much emphasis on God and not humanity.  Some, because of science, even began to question if God really existed or if heaven and hell were real places.  Yet, they made their living by religion so they couldn't just send everyone home and tell them not to go to church.  So they reasoned, “We don’t know about God and heaven and hell, but we want to make people’s life happier while they’re alive.  And we believe that religion can help improve things for humanity.  We can get rid of alcoholism and poverty and war; and religion can help people get along and live good, happy lives.”

            Well, another more conservative group of Christians didn't like that and they reacted by saying, "No!  We believe in the fundamentals of Christianity!  We believe in Heaven and Hell!  We believe in God and Jesus Christ his son who died on the cross, was buried in a tomb, and rose from the grave."  And they began insisted people needed to repent and believe in Christ so they could go to heaven when they died.  They said, "This life only last a short time--maybe 70 years if your lucky--but eternity is forever.  And you don't want to spend eternity in Hell.  Don't you want to be happy for eternity in Heaven?  Then you need to believe in Christ!"

            The problem is this:  liberalism and fundamentalism are motivated by humanism.  The liberal wants to make people happy while they're alive.  The fundamentalist wants to make people happy when they're dead.  But both are focused on making people happy!  And this is not real Christianity!

            True Christianity says, “The end of all being is the glory of God.”  Humanism says, “The end of all being is the happiness of man.”  Humanism was born in hell, turning humans into gods (in their own eyes). True Christianity was born in heaven, the glorification of God.  Humanism is a Levite serving Micah for some silver and a robe.  Christianity is a heart that is unworthy yet serving the living God because it is the highest honor in the universe.

            Paris Reidhead said, “Humanism is, I believe, the most deadly and disastrous of all the philosophical stenches that has crept up through the grating over the pit of hell. And it has penetrated so much of our religion. And it is in utter and total contrast with Christianity. And, unfortunately, it is seldom seen.”

            And in our Scripture reading, we see Micah wants to have a little chapel and he wants to have a priest and he wants to have prayer and he wants to have devotion because he says, “I know the Lord will bless me.” And it’s a nice little plan. And along comes the Levite and falls right in with him because he wants something too. He wants some silver and some clothes and to make a nice living and to be important.  And so in order that the Levite can have what he wants and Micah can have what he wants, they sell out God! --------- for 10 pieces of silver and a robe. 

 

Christ was Betrayed

            Can’t you see? This is an absolute betrayal of God! And it is the same betrayal of God that plays out all around us all the time!  My calling into ministry has been to help people grow closer to God, but in 17 years of ministry I find most of the time is people are not much interested in growing closer to God.  If they want a relationship with God it is in order to have prayers answered or to receive a blessing or to have a happy life.  People want God to bless them.  We even sing:  God bless America, but why should He?  So few Americans are in love with God.  They only care about what God can do for them.  And we must repent.  And we should sing America bless God!  America live for God!  If we want God to bless America, if we want God to revive us, then we have to repent and turn back to real Christianity and not religion we practice just to get what we want.
            There are some benevolent people in the world who care about others besides themselves; there are even some willing to make great sacrifices to help others.  But even this too is a form of humanism—working for the happiness of man.  Paris Reidhead realized this as a  missionary.  He wrote:

“I went out there [as a missionary in Africa] motivated by humanism. I had seen pictures of lepers. I had seen pictures of ulcers. I had seen pictures of native funerals and I didn’t want my fellow human beings to suffer in hell eternally after such a miserable existence on earth. But it was there in Africa that God began to tear through the overlay of this humanism. And it was that day in my bedroom with the door locked that I wrestled with God. For here was I coming to grips with the fact that the people that I thought were ignorant and wanted to know how to go heaven and were saying, “Someone come and teach us,” actually didn’t want to take time to talk with me or anybody else. They had no interest in the Bible and no interest in Christ and they loved their sin and wanted to continue in it. And I was to the place at that time where I felt the whole thing was a sham and a mockery and I had been sold a bill of goods. And I wanted to come home.  And there, alone in my bedroom as I faced God honestly with what my heart felt it seemed to me I heard him say, “Yes, will not the judge of all the earth do right? The heathen are lost and they are going to go to hell not because they haven’t heard the gospel. They are going to go to hell because they are sinners who love their sin and because they deserve hell. But I didn’t send you out there for them. I didn’t send you out there for their sakes.” And I heard as clearly as I have ever heard—though it wasn’t with physical voice, but it was the echo of truth of the ages finding its way into an open heart—I heard God say to my heart that day something like this. “I didn’t send you to Africa for the sake of the heathen. I sent you to Africa for my sake. They deserved hell, but I love them. And I endured the agonies of hell for them. I didn’t send you out there for them. I sent you out there for me. Do I not deserve the reward of my sufferings? Don’t I deserve those for whom I died?” And it reversed it all and changed it all and righted it all. And I wasn’t any longer working for Micah and 10 shekels and a shirt, but I was serving the living God. And I was there not for the sake of the heathen, but I was there for the Savior that had endured the agonies of hell for the heathen who didn’t deserve it. But he deserved them because he died for them.”

Byproducts & Prime Products [Slide – Beautiful Sunset]

            Some would say, "What you mean God doesn't want us to be happy?  God doesn't want us to go to Heaven?"  Yes God does want us to be happy and you will be happy and you will go to Heaven if you surrender to God, but as a byproduct and not the prime-product.  Paris Reidhead said, "There is only one reason, one reason for a sinner to repent and that is because Jesus Christ deserves the worship and the adoration and the love and the obedience of his heart, not because he will go to heaven. If the only reason you repented, dear friend, was to keep out of hell all you are is just a Levite serving for 10 shekels and a shirt. That’s all. You are trying to serve God because he will do you good. But a repentant heart is a heart that has seen something of the enormity of the crime of playing god and denying the just and righteous God the worship and obedience that he deserves. Why should a sinner repent? Because God deserves the obedience and love that he has refused to give him, not so that he will go to heaven. If the only reason he repents is so that he will go to heaven, it is nothing but trying to make a deal or a bargain with God. Why should a sinner give up all his sins? Why should he be challenged to do it? Why should he make restitution when he is coming to Christ? Because God deserves the obedience that he demands."

A Call to Repentance

            I think many of us need to repent--and authentic repentance.  Friends, let us not try to make a a deal with God--serving Him for the sake of Heaven or happiness.  No!  Let us instead say, “Lord of All, I repent of my sins and will serve You and only You from this day forward.  I give You the absolute first place in my heart even if I go to Hell at the end of it all, because I’m not trying to make a deal with You.  I realize You ARE Lord and deserve my whole-hearted commitment.”
            Would you make this commitment today?  Would you repent on these true terms?  Then go ahead and speak to your Lord.  Amen.

 

Proverbs Day 3

Read Proverbs 3
There is more than one way to skin a cat (but who would ever want to skin a cat!) There is often more than one way to do things, but wisdom is doing the right thing at the right time in the right way.  We often know how to do something (or can figure it out on our own), but the truly wise person seeks and follows God's way because it is always the right way. It takes humility to admit that your way is not the best way, but there is great wisdom in laying aside your own plan in favor of God's will. Listen to my paraphrase of Proverbs 3:5-6.

Don't depend on your own understanding. Instead, trust the Lord completely at the very core of your being. Always seek to follow God's plan and give Him credit for everything and He will lead down a clear path.

Prayer
"Lord, help me to be humble and set aside my own plan in favor of Yours. Show me Your will and give me courage and wisdom to trust You and do things Your way. Amen."

Proverbs Day 2

Read Proverbs 2
God offers wisdom to those who want it and ask for it.  But true wisdom is not for the casual seeker.  It is for those who search after it with all their heart, soaking up God's Truth like a sponge, diligently applying what they've learned.  Listen to my paraphrase from Proverbs 2:1-5.

If you listen to what I say, child, and hold on to these truths in your heart, if you pay attention to my wisdom and really want to understand, if you beg for more insight and really try to get it, if it’s as important to you as silver, like going on a treasure hunt, then you'll get to know God and be awestruck by the Lord.

And this from verses 6-8.

The Lord makes us wise; He gives truth and understanding.  He fills good people with dependable wisdom.  He protects the innocent and maintains the road to justice, keeping his dedicated, godly people safe.

If you want to be wise, seek God with all your heart. As Jesus said in Matthew 7:7, "Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you."

Prayer
"Father in Heaven, make us hungry for wisdom that we may be persistent and determined as we seek You and the wisdom You want us to have.  In Jesus name we ask, amen."

Proverbs Day 1

I need more wisdom. Don't you? Surely, God's Word can help. Don't you think? Yes! There is a special book in the Bible specifically designed to teach wisdom!  Proverbs. And since I think we all need more wisdom, I've decided spend the whole month of July studying Proverbs. Won't you join me?

The Plan:

There are 31 days in July and 31 chapters in Proverbs. Ok. Great! So let's read one chapter each day. I will also post something on my blog each day about the chapter for the day. So, let's get started!

Read Proverbs 1

What is wisdom? It's more than being smart. Wisdom is doing the right thing in the right way at the right time. It transcends intelligence and education. Wisdom starts with the Lord and is deeply spiritual, but it is far from naive.  Listen to my paraphrase of Proverbs 1:1-6.

These are the wise sayings of Solomon, the king of Israel, the son of David.  Their purpose is to teach wisdom and self-discipline, and offer understanding and insight so people can learn the disciplines of wisdom, right living, good judgment, and fairness.  These sayings also serve to teach the naive street-smarts and give young people the knowledge to succeed.   Even those already wise can learn a lot.  Listen and get even more wisdom--the more the better; it helps you understand people’s strange ways.

And this from verse 7:

Knowing the way things really are starts with deep awe for the Lord; but fools turn their backs on wisdom and refuse to learn.

It all begins with a deep awe for God and the deeper your relationship with Him, the more wisdom available to you. For the next month, focus on your relationship with God as you read through Proverbs on chapter per day. You will build more wisdom.

Prayer
"Father, help me to gain more wisdom that I may always do the right thing at the right time in the right way that I may serve You well and bring You glory. Amen."

5 God's Heroes Have Hope

Introduction
            There is a wonderful hymn we like to sing at church that goes:

My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus blood and righteousness!

I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus name!

 

            These are great lyrics and it's a wonderful tune people love to sing, but I wonder if our attitudes and actions really live up to these beautiful sentiments.  I think they often do not.  Unfortunately, we put our hope in all the wrong things.  If we are honest, we would admit our actions sing a different tune.  Something like: 
 

My hope is in the game I play, my big high scores will make a way!

Or

My hope is in the girl I love! She makes me feel so high above!

My hope is in my cool boyfriend, he says his love will never end!

Or

My hope is my bank account! I have such a large amount!

Or

My hope is in the grade I make! I will succeed for goodness sake!

Or

My hope is in my the work I do!  It shows that I am worthy too!

Or

My hope is in the way I look! If people stare, then I am good!

            We must never forget, Our only hope is in Christ!!  God's heroes have heart, courage, power, wisdom and God’s Heroes Have Hope.  Jesus teaches that we can have hope because good things are coming.  Let's look at one of Jesus' most famous sermons, The Sermon on the Mount.  In it, Jesus teaches how we have hope, not despite the troubles we face, but because of them.  I want to read the passage and share some comments as we go through it together.

Matthew 4:23 – 5:12

²³ Jesus traveled throughout the region of Galilee, teaching in the synagogues and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom. And he healed every kind of disease and illness. ²⁴ News about him spread as far as Syria, and people soon began bringing to him all who were sick. And whatever their sickness or disease, or if they were demon possessed or epileptic or paralyzed—he healed them all. ²⁵ Large crowds followed him wherever he went—people from Galilee, the Ten Towns, Jerusalem, from all over Judea, and from east of the Jordan River.

·       The people of Jesus’ day were filled with despair.  Most lived impoverished, lives and struggled to make it through each day. In addition to these, many struggled with health problems (as we often do today, but without the benefit of modern healthcare).  Jesus fame as someone who could offer hope spread far and wide and people came to Jesus desperate for help.  It is often that our greatest hope is revealed when we realize we are in desperate need.

 

5 One day as he saw the crowds gathering, Jesus went up on the mountainside and sat down. His disciples gathered around him, ² and he began to teach them.

·        Jesus decides to teach what real hope is.  The greatest hope comes not from the miraculous healings and feedings and exorcisms. The greatest hope is found in some unlikely blessings we call "beatitudes."  Beatitudes is just a fancy word that means "supreme blessings."  These supreme blessings or beatitudes are admired by people the world over--even by non-Christians.  Let's examine each beatitude very briefly, one by one.

³ “God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him,  
    for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.        

·       This is the key to understanding all of the beatitudes.  Each Beatitude trades current troubles for a future blessings, but it all starts with the idea of poverty.  Traditional translations render this poor in spirit, but I think the NLT makes it more clear (even if it is more wordy).  It's not talking about poverty in the sense of not having enough money.  What we are saying is those who realize how spiritually impoverished they are are blessed.  Do you realize how desperately you need?  Do you realize that without God you are absolutely lost?  I had a friend who served as a missionary for 3 years in a third world country where they didn't have adequate food safety and refrigeration.  It helped her realize that when she said the blessing for her food, she was literally asking God to bless it so it didn't kill her, but would nourish her.  Do you realize that we are the same?  Yes, we have adequate food safety and refrigeration in the USA.  However, all of that means noting unless God blesses the food to nourish us and not harm us.  We are blessed when we realize that we are utterly at the mercy of God.  It is the beginning of all other blessings.

⁴ God blesses those who mourn,
    for they will be comforted.

·       This is not about mounring for those who have died.  God blesses those who mourn for their sin.  Are you broken hearted for your sin?  Do you realize that all the evil that has occurred since Genesis is in part a result of your sin?  Does it break your heart to think of how you have wasted the beautiful gift of life God granted us?  If so, you are blessed, because it may lead you to the next blessing:

⁵ God blesses those who are humble,
    for they will inherit the whole earth.

·       When we realize our utter desperation for God's mercy and mourn for our sin, we are blessed when we humble ourself and repent.  This is what it means to become a Christian believer.   We fall down on our knees and humble ourselves before God and ask for mercy.  "Lord," we cry out, "Forgive me!  I have sinned against you!  And my sin and selfishness have damaged, destroyed, and brought evil into the world.  Forgive me!"  And those who truly repent like this in their heart will begin--with the help of the Holy Spirit--to live a righteous life.  And then a new blessing is available as verse 6 explains.

⁶ God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice,
    for they will be satisfied.

·       Once you are a Christian, you truly hunger and thirst for righteousness.  Now many may try to do good--even non-Christians.  But Christian righteousness is more than philanthropy.  It is hunger and thirst for righteousness that is deeper than the way we hunger and thirst for food.  It it is a hopeful yearning, because we know it will be fulfilled when God makes all things right in the end.

·       We often dream about heaven and what it will be like.  We like to dream of how wonderful it will be.  But what kind of reward will eternal life really be if you do not hunger and thirst for righteousness.  Maybe you are thinking heaven will be a place where all your selfish desires are finally fulfilled.  But if that is your deepest dream, you will be greatly disappointed.  Eternal life will be where God's plans for righteousness are completely fulfilled.  And then,all those who now hunger and thirst for righteousness will be satisfied.  And those who hungered and thirsted for something else...  well, they just might find that heaven is a lot more like hell than they expected…

⁷ God blesses those who are merciful,
    for they will be shown mercy.

·       We are so thankful God forgives us our Great Sin.  Yet we also must remember what Jesus taught us to pray in the Lord's Prayer:  "Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us…”  And we remember he also said those who refuse to forgive others will not be forgiven.  So we are blessed when we show mercy to others, for then we shall also receive mercy.

⁸ God blesses those whose hearts are pure,
    for they will see God.

·       Christ has saved us by his blood shed on the cross, but that's not the end of it.  Now we must grow towards perfection.  Christian perfection is something we strive for--not just in the afterlife, but--now!  Christian perfection doesn't mean we will never make a mistake.  However, as we enable the Holy Spirit to work with us and as we grow and mature in our faith, we hope to come to a place where every thing  we do is purely motivated by love.  And God blesses us to the degree that our actions are motivated by love.  For the more we love, the more we see God.

⁹ God blesses those who work for peace,
    for they will be called the children of God.

·       So often when we think of peace, we think just of everyone getting along.  Maybe, in our world, peace means everyone gets along because everything stays the way it is--the status quo.  But it most certainly is God's will to take things as they are right now and shake them up quite a bit in order to get us to a place where true peace is possible.  No, God's peace is not the status quo.  God’s peace equals inner peace, assurance, and resolve; it is an unshakable state that persistence within us despite the storms and trials and troubles that rage around us.  I think of the disciple named Stephen who was martyred in the 7th chapter of Acts.  He was at peace--even when the Jews stoned him to death for sharing his testimony about Jesus Christ.  As the stoned were crashing down upon him, he looked up and saw Jesus and in heaven and commended his spirit to him, even as he prayed for God to forgive his murderers.

¹⁰ God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right,
    for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.

·      Jesus promises the more you are persecuted, the more blessed you will be.  When we truly follow Jesus with our whole heart, we will face resistance--perhaps even down right persecution.  If you are not facing any persecution, resistance, trouble, you may not really be living as a Christian or are not pushing hard enough.   Jesus said in John 16:33 – “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”  If you are not having trouble, it may be that you are not pushing hard enough.

¹¹ “God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you and say all sorts of evil things against you because you are my followers. ¹² Be happy about it! Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, the ancient prophets were persecuted in the same way.

Where Do You Find Hope?

            In superhero stories, the superhero always seems shows just when all is lost.  Perhaps a bus full of school children is about to fall off the bridge and then it falls, but at the last minute Superman catches it and flies it to safety.  You may feel like you’re about to fall off a bridge (or you are already falling).  Do you believe and are you certain Jesus will save you?
            Jesus gives us hope.  And the hope we have is more than wishful thinking; it is the assurance that Jesus Christ will save the day.  We sing a great hymn that reminds us of the certainty of our hope.  We sing:

 

O God, our help in ages past, our hope for years to come,

Our shelter from the stormy blast, and our eternal home!

Under the shadow of thy throne, still may we dwell secure;

Sufficient is thine arm alone, and our defense is sure

            God made the heavens and the earth.  When you look up at the night sky and see the stars, do you realize they are thousands of light-years away?  (In other words, it would take you thousands of years to travel to them if you could travel at 186,000 miles per second).  And there are morse stars in the sky than we can even count.  God made all of that and more!
            Has this incredible God not been our help in the past?  can you not think of ways He has helped you?  I you cannot, I can tell you that you would not even be able to read these words if it had not been for God.  He formed you in your mother's womb and put breathe in your lungs and sustained you all your life.  You are here today because of Him; every breath you take is a gift.  And my God gives you hope for the future through Jesus Christ.  Even the difficulties of life are turned into reasons for hope.   

Invitation
            I invite you to put your hope in Christ today.  Start by recognizing how spiritually poor you are and in desperate need of God's help through Jesus.  Mourn because of the ways you have turned your back on God and sinned.  And humble yourself before God.  Fall on your knees ask God to forgive you and save you.  And then cooperate with the Holy Spirit so that you may grow in Christ--seeking righteousness, offering mercy, living and serving with a pure heart, working for peace, and enduring whatever hardships come your way while always hoping in Christ Jesus our Lord.

We're Hiring - Children's Director

Pleasant Grove UMC is Dalton, GA is hiring a part-time children's director to coordinate and lead all church programs for children from birth to 5th grade.  Salary is $7,000 per year.

If you are passionate about helping kids grow a relationship with Jesus, you might be the person for us! Please contact the church office at 706-259-3141 or email ReverendChrisMullis@Hotmail.com.

Pleasant Grove is an outreach oriented, mission-minded Christian church seeking to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. We currently have 15-20 children participating in our Wednesday night programs.  We also have programs on Sunday mornings.  We are looking for the right leader to organize and lead our wonderful volunteers.

Ask Pastor Chris: Can Satan Hear Our Prayers?

Dear Pastor Chris,

            Can Satan hear our prayers?  I ask this because I actually pray silently, in hopes that the Devil can't, or maybe won't, be able to know what I am praying.

Your Inquisitive Friend,

Prayer Warrior

Dear Prayer Warrior,

James 4:7 says, “So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”  Humble obedience to God should be our main concern.  If we keep our focus on God, Satan has no chance.  It’s only when we take our focus off God and his Kingdom that we are in danger.

            Sometimes it feels like Satan is taunting me as I pray, trying to discourage me, but I just tell him to get lost.  I’ve even told him, “Say what you want, Devil, but you already know you lose in the end.”  I think that really drives Satan nuts and it ends my concerns on the matter.

            For me, I think the Devil’s presence (or perceived presence) during my prayer times has more to do with my own insecurities.  When I dwell on my sin or failures or shortcomings, it opens the door for Satan to come taunt me.  Thankfully, my faith in God’s goodness, forgiveness, and love reminds me to kick the Devil back out the door and to lock it tight.  I know God loves me no matter what, in spite of all my flaws.  I believe with my whole heart—“…nothing can ever separate us from God’s love” (Romans 8:38).  So the Enemy’s hateful, hurtful words are just his futile attempt to scare me or depress me or distract me, and I’m just not going to let him.

Can the Devil hear our prayers?  Maybe sometimes, but I think this would be true whether we say them out loud or silently in our heart.  I think Satan is a spiritual being and if and when he overhears our prayers, he can overhear our inner prayers too.  Don’t let that unsettle you though.  Satan has no power over God and he cannot intercept, disrupt, or stop our prayers from reaching God.  I suppose some might be concerned Satan will get a little inside information he could use against us.  I just don’t think God would allow it.  God is too powerful.  Actually, it must be incredibly frustrating to Satan to hear you pray about something, to see beforehand how God is going to answer your prayer, and how God’s answer is going to defeat Satan, and Satan can’t do a thing in the world to stop it.

However, if you still have a concern Satan might be eavesdropping on your prayers, I would just start my prayer by asking God to keep the conversation private.  Pray “Lord, stop up Satan’s ears so he can’t hear what I’m about to tell you.”  Done.  God will answer that prayer and Satan won’t be able to hear a thing you pray—whether you pray in your heart or screaming out loud.  (It’s sort of comical to think about really—everyone within ten blocks being able to hear your prayers because you’re screaming; and Satan is totally oblivious.)

Remember, God love you and so do I!

Pastor Chris