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Haves and Have-Nots

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1 Samuel 1:2 He had two wives, one named Hannah and the other named Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah had none.

Tony Evans once preached that: Debt has become a way of life. There are now three groups of people in our nation: The Haves, the Have-Nots, and the Have-Not-Paid-For-What-They-Have. Instead of living for the future, people are now paying for the past. Debt has become the new addiction.

Hannah was barren physically. For whatever reason she could not bear children. She was a have not. Unfortunately she failed to see what she had: 1 Samuel 1: 4-5, 8 When the day came that Elkanah sacrificed, ….But to Hannah he gave a double portion, for he loved Hannah, but the Lord had given her no children….Then Elkanah her husband said to her, Hannah, why do you cry? And why do you not eat? And why are you grieving? Am I not more to you than ten sons?

Hannah focused on the “haves” and the “have nots” – rather than focusing on what she had. Unfortunately, her focus on the “haves” seemed to lead to an offense with God: but the Lord had given her no children….Psalm 119:165 states: Great peace have they who love Your Law and NOTHING shall offend them. John 5 recounts the story of a man who had been an invalid for 38 years. Although Jesus knew of his condition He had not healed him, yet. In Acts 3 Peter and John entered through the Beautiful Gate, or Eastern Gate – Jesus, and all Jews would have passed through in order to pray three times a day. Jesus would have passed by this lame man – without healing him. How many times have we failed to see where God is at work because of our offense at where He wasn’t?

Making matters worse, Hannah had a “sister wife” who added to her offense: [This embarrassed and grieved Hannah] and her rival provoked her greatly to vex her, because the Lord had left her childless.7 So it was year after year; whenever Hannah went up to the Lord’s house, Peninnah provoked her, so she wept and did not eat. (1 Samuel 1:6-7) Beware of anyone who seeks to aid you in your offense – whether it be yours or there’s. Oftentimes, we are led to believe that we need to find a commiserator – one who will share in our offense. Truth be told nothing good comes of it.

Peter and John proceeded through the Beautiful Gate to worship – not stumbling over any offense. The interesting thing about the word Beautiful is that in the Greek it carries the sense of “at the right time,” thereby signifying “ripe” or “perfectly developed.” Peter, John, and Hannah’s faith, perfectly developed, overcame their possible offenses at barrenness and pressed in to God: 1 Samuel 1:10-13 And [Hannah] was in distress of soul, praying to the Lord and weeping bitterly.11 She vowed, saying, O Lord of hosts, if You will indeed look on the affliction of Your handmaid and [earnestly] remember, and not forget Your handmaid but will give me a son, I will give him to the Lord all his life; … And as she continued praying before the Lord, Eli noticed her mouth.13 Hannah was speaking in her heart; only her lips moved but her voice was not heard. So Eli thought she was drunk. In that moment of faith, Hannah moved from the have nots – to living in the future Hall of Faith. She ceased being a debtor to the past – breaking her addiction to it. Her faith moved God. She became intoxicated with trust in a God Who could be moved. Scripture says, We have not because we ask not. Yet, it adds, Ask, Seek, and Knock.

A.W. Tozer once said, Behold how these Christians die, they say. And I repeat, they only died well because they’d lived well. And a man who hasn’t lived well will have a tough time getting in.…So, remember it, that a Christian dare die if he’s lived right, and he’s got his hope alive and he’s been born of the Spirit and walking with God. But he doesn’t dare die if he hasn’t. A man who’s only a church member doesn’t dare die, and yet he has to, and there’s a tragedy of it. Forced to do what he morally doesn’t dare to do. They said to old Uncle Tom, tell me where she is. He said, I can’t, Master, I can’t. Tell us where she is. I can’t, Master, I can’t. Tell us where she is or we’ll kill you. Well, Master, I can die. He couldn’t betray a friend, but he could die. So Christians dare to die.”

Followers of Christ will eventually have to choose to follow Jesus to their own death. But the death will not be physical but spiritual. Often Jesus will invite us to surrender our offenses yielding to faith in the unseen. He will invite us to worship through our times of asking, seeking and knocking. During these times will others be able to say of you, Behold how these Christians die? If you consider Jesus your friend, or truly want to be, can you lay down your life for Him?

Space Cowboys

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There’s an old leadership quote: “You cannot lead people where you have never been.” But it’s usually accompanied by another famous quote by Aristotle: “He who cannot be a good follower cannot be a good leader.” Jesse Jackson said it another way: You can’t Teach what you don’t know, and You Can’t Lead where you won’t go!”

This year I’ve been asking the Lord to allow me to experience this one Scripture so I can teach others how to go there. It has intrigued, challenged and puzzled me for years. It’s mysterious and seems to be out of reach. Yet, there it remains lodged as a “splinter in my mind.” The first time I heard that quote from a character named Morpheus in the movie The Matrix: What you know you can’t explain, but you feel it. You’ve felt it your entire life, that there’s something wrong with the world. You don’t know what it is, but it’s there, like a splinter in your mind, driving you mad.

What is the Scripture? Revelation 1:10-12 I was in the Spirit [rapt in His power] on the Lord’s Day, and I heard behind me a great voice like the calling of a war trumpet,11 Saying, I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last. Write promptly what you see (your vision) in a book and send it to the seven churches which are in Asia—to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea.12 Then I turned to see [whose was] the voice that was speaking to me,… 

I was in the Spirit [rapt in His power] on the Lord’s Day,…This is my “splinter.” I have prayed to have more understanding of its meaning. I have been praying for the experience – yet it stands removed and distant from me – like a distant planet I have only seen pictures of. Yet contrary to popular, Christian theology, the Bible was written as a testimony – a witness of what others have experienced; a testimony for future space traveling, cowboys who are willing to “boldly go where no man has gone before.”

Now don’t get me wrong I have prayed “in the Spirit” and I believe I have worshipped “in the Spirit” – but I’m still curious what lies beyond the door of being in the Spirit. Jesus said in John 4 that the Father is seeking for these kind of worshippers – so it must be pretty important. Which adds another piece to the puzzle. The book of Genesis, the first book of the Bible, is chocked full of mystical references to doors: entry to the Garden, sin crouching at your door, Noahs’ ark door, and Abrahams’ door. The book of Revelation, the last book of the Bible, has references to doors of time and space, or multi-dimensional portals. Whatever you want to call them they usher you into a dimension that is not your own. And Jesus is asking, seeking, and knocking – for someone to overcome the Laodicean Church Age and answer the Call. Isn’t it interesting the similarities between these actions of Jesus and His teaching on prayer in Matthew 7:7-8 Ask and it will be given to you. Seek and you shall find. Knock and the DOOR will be opened to you…. It’s as if Jesus’ “secret coded message” to anyone who will listen is that what the Father is searching for – Jesus is praying. Are you an answer to Jesus’ prayer? Referring back to The Matrix. Is Jesus like Morpheus and we are His “Neo’s?” Can you “see” the “Voice?”