Freely Volunteering

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1 Chronicles 29:17 I know also, my God, that You try the heart and delight in uprightness. In the uprightness of my heart I have freely offered all these things. And now I have seen with joy Your people who are present here offer voluntarily and freely to You.

As summer time is in full swing we are seeking to bring God’s House into order. As Haggai 1:9 reminds us: You looked for much [harvest], and behold, it came to little; and even when you brought that home, I blew it away. Why? says the Lord of hosts. Because of My house, which lies waste while you yourselves run each man to his own house [eager to build and adorn it]. As I mentioned in a previous blog our connections truly are indicators of our relationship with God. They symbolize our relationship with God. If the House of God, we worship in, is in neglect and we don’t notice – could it be that the same is true of our spiritual lives? Again the Biblical principle conveys the thought that physical truths point to greater spiritual truths. All of that to say many thanks to those who have volunteered freely of their time and resources: Mary Quinn and her friend Carolyn, Lisa Drogan, Kent Lee, Vic Medlin, Jake Denofrio, Charlotte Price and the girls, and then those who have cared for Cass Thompson, Sherlyn Medlin, Lisa Drogan, Kristen Wagenmaker, and Mary Quinn. If I left anyone out please forgive me. Im saying all of this to say thank you to those who do the behind the scenes – unnoticed things that contribute to our church family becoming a home. God bless you! Our Church Home is getting into shape and I’m pretty sure it’s a reflection of our spiritual lives also.

Raise the Roof!

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“How often do you get a chance to reach deep into history and bring something back?”  –Rick Brown

“Raise the Roof” was a PBS documentary regarding the reconstruction of an 18th century, Polish wooden synagogue by acclaimed artists/educators Rick and Laura Brown, in the country of Poland. After working for ten years with hundreds of students, educators, scholars and craftsmen, the Browns’ Gwozdziec synagogue reconstruction project has become the iconic centerpiece of the new POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews in Warsaw. “Raise the Roof” is the story of this epic journey.

But closer to our hearts a similar project began in Acts 15:16: “After this I will come back, and will rebuild the house of David, which has fallen; I will rebuild its [very] ruins, and I will set it up again,…” James, the Pastor of the Church in Jerusalem, was quoting from Amos 9:11. Responding to a division that had occurred in the newly born church of Pentecost fame –  Gentiles, Goyim, or Peoples other than Jews were coming to faith in Jesus Christ as their Messiah – presenting a conundrum to the newly birthed Christianity which was still very Jewish. Should these “Goyim” be expected to observe the Mosaic Law, the Feasts and Festivals, and be required to have circumcision? Some believed, “Yes,” others like Paul believed in God’s grace and that the standards held by the Jewish people should not be imposed upon these baby Christians. Thus James alludes to a prophecy regarding the fallen Tent of David. What is the fallen Tent of David? The prophet refers to a time in the history of Israel – in which the Ark was brought up to Jerusalem to sit in a tent David had pitched for it. This was unprecedented in that the Ark had always remained with the Tabernacle of Moses, and it could only be seen by the High Priest once a year. David broke all of those rules by removing the veil that had been positioned to separate the Holy from the common. When that veil came down – King David himself would position himself in front of the Ark, or symbol of the Throne of God, for communion. Not only did David sit before it and interact with the Godhead, he would make sacrifices of praise, clap and lift his hands all to the worship of God before the Ark of His Presence. He would shout, dance, play instruments, seeking the Lord – encouraging others to do the same. None of these things had occurred in the worship of God in the Mosaic Tabernacle. But David knew something of the Mercy of God and his desire and longing to be in God’s Presence was unequalled or paralleled since the days of his Great, Great, Great Granddaddy – Enoch. But this should have never surprised the priests or the people of David’s day, for even Moses had taken his own tent and pitched it far outside the camp of Israel so that people could have the opportunity to pursue, seek and interact with the Living God. In fact the writer of Hebrews refers to this by stating: Let us then go forth [from all that would prevent us] to Him outside the camp [at Calvary], bearing the contempt and abuse and shame with Him. Hebrews 13:13 

Thus the true Church, and Christian must sometimes go outside the traditions and expectations of the organizations of men to commune and interact with Jesus. That’s the calling of every true, born-again, blood-washed saint of Jesus. The calling that hungers and thirsts to know Him – to be with Him – to interact with Him – to love Him. David repeatedly stated the same concept and idea throughout his Psalms to God: O God, You are my God, earnestly will I seek You; my inner self thirsts for You, my flesh longs and is faint for You, in a dry and weary land where no water is. Psalm 63:1 Repeatedly Scripture admonishes the believer and sojourner to seek after knowing God; and being with God. Hebrews 11:6 states: But without faith it is impossible to please and be satisfactory to Him. For whoever would come near to God must [necessarily] believe that God exists and that He is the rewarder of those who earnestly and diligently seek Him [out]. These longings of David to know and be with God are shared by the sons of David who, even up to this present time, question the status quo, writing such songs as, “This Is the Air I Breathe, “As the Deer Pants for the Water,” and “I Will Run to You.” The son and daughter of David raises the roof of David’s Tent higher and higher through abandoned worship, praise, prayer and thanksgiving. Moving from more than a song, or an outward expression of physical adoration, to outbursts of passionate, abandoned sacrificial obedience and service. Trapped in the camp they take the journey out from that ordinary, comfortable and expected place to the foot of the cross. Here, at His feet, they find the Living, Loving God. From the dying place they come to know the Living God and can never go back to letting His “Tent” droop to the ground. Rest is not an option for those discontented with the status quo, raising the roof with the Glory and Presence of God.

Are You Making the Connection?

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I don’t know if you’ve noticed the landscaping that has been done around the church lately – but it’s looking pretty good. This did not happen by itself. Last Friday Kent Lee, Vic Medlin, and Jake Donofrio mowed grass and edged for several hours to achieve a look exemplifying our care for God and His house. If you see them this Sunday say a simple thank you for their hard work, service and sacrifice. There are many more things that need to be done which reminds me of a passage of Scripture: Haggai 1:4 “Is it a time for you yourselves to be living in your paneled houses, while this house remains a ruin?” Clearly stated the Prophet Haggai reveals an interesting connection between the physical condition of God’s house and the spiritual condition of the people. A similar connection is made between the messengers of God and Jesus: John 13:20 “I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, he who receives and welcomes and takes into his heart any messenger of Mine receives Me [in just that way]; and he who receives and welcomes and takes Me into his heart receives Him Who sent Me [in that same way].”  Jesus is clearly stating that how people respond to His servants is a direct reflection of how they respond to Him. One more example is stated in 1 John 4:19-20 We love Him because He first loved us. If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? The Apostle John is reiterating Jesus’ words, and I paraphrase their meaning, “How you treat your spouse, family member, brother, sister, neighbor, cashier, or waitress is a direct reflection of how you have been treating Me.” The “Cotton-Patch Version of the New Testament states it like this: “Because He first loved us, we ourselves are practicing love. If someone says, “I love God,” and is hating his brother, he is a phony. For the man who has no love for his visible brother cannot possibly have love for the invisible God.” 

I’ve often wondered what will really happen when I see Jesus face-to-face. Will I see Him as He really is or will I seek to impose on Him the god I made in my own image? The Bible is comparable to a mirror in that if you really look into it you will see yourself as you really are – not as you hope to be. In our narcissistic, self-centered culture, we of all people need to be looking into the mirror of God’s Word seeing clearly how our relationship with God is progressing, or digressing. Over the years I’ve been overwhelmed by the respect, love and generosity of God’s people. All of which I had never earned to receive. God’s people were simply honoring God’s messenger – a response that reflected  their relationship with God. The messenger may not have even deserved the honor, yet their God was more than deserving.

There’s a principle seen throughout Scripture, Physical truth often points to greater spiritual truth. In other words the physical object is actually a symbol of far greater spiritual truths. Mentioned above are several object lessons. Along with these you could add the Bible, prayer, church attendance, worship, etc., etc. Truth is all of these reflect the truth and reality of the relationship. The question is, “What are our interactions stating?” Returning to my introduction, “What does the condition of God’s physical building say about the condition of our spiritual building?”