Obedience Even in the Midst of Questions

Ever since I went to Pharaoh to speak in Your name, he has brought trouble upon this people, and You have not rescued Your people at all. - Exodus 5:23



Have you ever felt like you have been obedient to the Lord for something He called you to do and all you get are more roadblocks? This is the way Moses felt. When Moses went to tell Pharaoh to release the people because God said so, Pharaoh simply got angry and made the people make bricks without straw. Moses caught the blame for this from the people. Moses was just learning what obedience really means in God's Kingdom. You see Moses had not even begun to release plagues upon Egypt. He hadn't even gotten started yet in his calling, and he was complaining about his circumstances. There were many more encounters with Pharaoh to come, and many more plagues with no deliverances in sight. Why would God tell Moses that He is going to deliver them and not do it?

It was all in timing. God never said when He was going to deliver. He just said He would. In the next chapter, we find Moses arguing with God about not being capable of the job God had called him to:

But Moses said to the Lord, "If the Israelites will not listen to me, why would Pharaoh listen to me, since I speak with faltering lips?" Now the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron about the Israelites and Pharaoh, King of Egypt, and He commanded them to bring the Israelites out of Egypt (Exodus 6:12-13).

Do you get the feeling God was losing His patience?

God had a good reason for His delays. He said, "And the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord when I stretch out My hand against Egypt and bring the Israelites out of it" (Ex. 7:5). God not only wanted the people of Israel but also the Egyptians to know Him. It would be the greatest show of God's power on earth.

God often causes delays in our lives that we cannot understand. Sometimes it seems our obedience is not getting rewarded. Jesus said He learned obedience through the things He suffered (see Heb. 5:8). Imagine that - Jesus having to learn obedience. What does that say for you and me? Sometimes God's delays are simply because He wants more glory in the situation, more recognition, more Christ-likeness in you and me through greater patience and obedience.

Faint not, for the fulfillment promise is yet come

Hear the Voice? Is it the giant or the giant slayer?

All around us are a multitude of voices calling out our name. So many are trying to give us the advice and direction that will grant to us the tried and true answer. Society seems to have the right solutions at all times, but yet there is such a variety of answers for the same questions.

We are called to be tolerant and inclusive of all people. If we hold to only one solution, we are considered close-minded. If we hold to the fact that Jesus is the only way to heaven, we are considered as be exclusive of other people and are not relevant. If we take offence to the fact that certain religions declare war against Christianity, if we take a stand against this then we are being hatefully and not Christ like (see some of the post-links on the left for some of these thought lines. You'll have to read some the comments under the posts).

Are we too busy in deciding if we are relevant or not and then actually become un-relevant due to lack of action? Do we spend too much time in debate as to what the world needs to hear from us and fail to even tell them the simple gospel message? Do we spend too much time in "Aim, Target, Aim, Target, Aim, Target" and never finish the routine by firing? Are we too concern about what or how it will effect people's emotions and feelings that we have become a watered down functioning church? Do we spend too much time in debate among ourselves and fail to hear the voice of God? Are we too wrapped up in "what it can be" and fail to make it what it should be? Are we listening to the voices of giants and fail to hear the voice of the giant slayer?

Remember, the giant slayer who is calling out our name, only sees our giants as grasshoppers.

Let’s paint a picture in your mind. Picture a football game. The teams are stacked against each other on the field of play. Each is battling against the other for the score which will make them the winner.

You are the quarterback, the team leader on the field with the great responsibility of leading the team to the goal. All around the playing field, supporters of each team are sitting in the crowd. Those you know along with scores and scores of others you don’t are aggressively voicing their insights and proclamations. Through the many voices, you have trouble in finding that one voice, that one sound that one familiar proclamation that will give direction.

Your opposing team is taunting you with jeers. They try to paralyze you, to cause you to freeze so to be unable to complete the duty assigned. You look into their eyes and see an in-depth determination that causes you to shutter. An eeriness of insecurity begins to penetrate your soul. The front line seemingly begins to grow even larger. Your personal defenders in-like manner, get smaller, as like now you’re grasshoppers against giants.
Then you pause. You glance around. Then there it is. That one thing you were wondering if it was still available. That time and object which in the past has brought you clarity and surety. You now have it. It, being that familiar voice of your coach gently speaking in your ear through the direct connection that you share with him. This connection allows you to filter through all other voices. Allowing you to shut out and shut down the voices of taunting. It lifts and restores. It secures your resolve to win.

Oh how precious it is to hear that voice.


We too are in the game. It is the game of fulfilling the mission, securely and confidently given to us. The mission, you ask? It is: “To fulfill the Great Commission and to live out the Great Commandment.” The mission produces within us a vision of what can be and will be. It develops within us a resolve that governs and empowers all that we do. It brings us an urgency in which we can not rest until the game is over. We are set to do it. We are ready to take on the Giants.

Four Attributes of a Life God Blesses

This is a devotional that I received from Prime Time With God, written by O.S. Hillman



"So this is what the Sovereign Lord says: "See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation; the one who trusts will never be dismayed." - Isaiah 28:16


Whenever God calls us into a consecrated life, it is made up of four distinct stages. Christ often compared this process to building a house.

First, we must prepare to build by laying a foundation. That foundation is none other than Jesus Christ Himself. Any foundation other than Christ will not stand.

Second, as we enter a walk of faith with God, He allows each of us to experience trials, testings, miracles, and challenges in life that are designed to provide "faith experiences" that demonstrate tangible evidences of His work in our life: Moses' burning-bush experience, Peter's walk on the water, Joshua's parting of the Jordan River. These experiences built the faith of these people. The depth and width of our calling is directly proportional to the faith experiences He allows in each of our lives. If God plans an international ministry with you, chances are you will experience a higher degree of faith experiences compared to another. The reason being, you will need to look on these to ensure your calling and provide testimony to His work in your life.

The third stage deals with motives. "All a man's ways seem innocent to him, but motives are weighed by the Lord" (Prov. 16:2). What is the motive behind my actions? Is it only financial accumulation? Is it to gain control? Is it to create independence? The primary motive must be God's leading you to take such an action - it must be obedience. These other factors must be by-products of the decision.

Finally, we are prepared to take action. Here we must ask, "Do we have the skill, quality, and ability to enter into this activity?" So often we have not trained ourselves adequately to be successful in our endeavor. You would never want someone working on your teeth who had not been trained and certified as a dentist.

Before you begin your next project, ask yourself these four questions. What is the foundation this project is based on? What experiences has God demonstrated in my life that indicate His involvement? What is my motive for entering this activity? Do I have the skill, quality, and ability to accomplish the task? Answering these questions will tell you whether God will bless your activity.

Here Is God

This is an article that I place in our last monthly newsletter for our church. It is exciting to see God working among and through us. As you read through this, think of areas in your life in which you may be experiencing the unknown or new borders of new territority. Places of testing or the stretching your faith. Remember, "Here is God".

An interesting map is on display in the British Museum in London. It's an old mariner's chart, drawn in 1525, outlining the North American coastline and adjacent waters. The cartographer made some intriguing notations on areas of the map that represented regions not yet explored. He wrote: "Here be giants," "Here be fiery scorpions," and "Here be dragons." Eventually, the map came into the possession of Sir John Franklin, a British explorer in the early 1800s. Scratching out the fearful inscriptions, he wrote these words across the map: "Here is God."

Ahead of us are days and territories in which we have not been entered before. They have the potential to scare us away from processing what God has in store for us, as they did to the Israelites when they approached the Jordan River the first time. But let us remember that in these new places that God leads us into, “Here is God”.

We will be called to invest ourselves, our time, our talents and materials as we possess the new land. We will question our selves at times, wondering if we can do it. Will we be able to go beyond the known and walk beyond the boundaries into the unknown? We hear the voice of God calling us, but yet uncertainty rests in our minds. But let us remember that in these new places to which God calls us to enter, “Here is God”.

New opportunities will develop to share the glorious message of the Gospel. We will be called into new places of ministry and service. Lives will come across our paths that are looking for hope. Brokenness will be displayed. We will be challenged to show them the love of Christ in ways that will cause us to step outside of our comfort zone. Each time, the calling out of the church by the issuing of the Great Commission rings powerfully in our heart, yet fear will seem to try to paralyze us. But yet let us remember that in these new opportunities of service for the Kingdom, “Here is God”.

Here is God. What a glorious proclamation and reality. So what if there will be giants, fiery scorpions or dragons in the days ahead, God is there and we are in His hands.

Living Sacrifices

The apostle Paul gives an urgent plea to believers in Christ “to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship” (Rom. 12:1). Paul makes such a plea based upon “the mercies of God.”

We are objects of His saving grace; therefore we are to put our lives at His disposal. Paul uses the sacrificial word for the Jewish Levitical offering of sacrifices. The body of the believer is to be a “living sacrifice.”

How do you become a “living sacrifice”?

It begins in a once and for all being set apart to God. The Christian is set apart for God’s use in the sense of being for pure and righteous purposes. Why such an urgent plea? The philosophy of the world system does not satisfy. The longer you life by the humanistic philosophy the emptier your inner person becomes. However, the will of God is good, acceptable and perfect.

Being a living sacrifice is often not easy, or pleasant. It is self-denial, self-sacrifice, self-crucifixion of the whole person. But remember the problem with living sacrifices is they want to crawl off the altar. For the Lord Jesus Christ being a living sacrifice meant oppressive burdens. It brought Him in conflict with evil. He offered Himself as the perfect Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world. However, as He conducted His Father's business He found it to be good and acceptable and perfect. A living sacrifice for Him means He humbled Himself and became “obedient to death—even death on a cross” (Phil. 2:8). Should the disciple of Jesus expect anything different?

Only spiritual things will last through eternity. Jim Elliott said, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.” Jim gave his life in reasonable service, to gain a spiritual inheritance that will last forever. How many saints of God have died possessing nothing of earthly value, but a living sense of “no retreats and no regrets.” They were living sacrifices to the living God.

We are living sacrifices because God is at work in us now. He is continuing to work in those whom He has brought to a saving faith in Jesus Christ. We are living sacrifices because He is at work in us changing attitudes, destroying destructive habits, forming new ways of thinking that pleases God. God does not start a new work and abandon it. He always finishes what He begins. The only reasonable worship is to join Him in what He is doing.

It is our privilege to glorify God with our bodies (Rom. 6:13; 1 Cor. 6:19-20; Phil. 1:20-21). Therefore, Paul admonishes us to present our bodies once and for all to God as living sacrifices. A living sacrifice involves yielding the body, mind and will to God. It is a privilege to give God our mind (Eph. 4:17-24; Col. 3:1-11) because He wants to transform it by releasing His power from within by using His Word. “If God controls your thinking you are a transformer.” It is a privilege to give Him your will. It is not by will power that we are transformed, but as we yield to the will of God that His power takes control of us.

Is the “living sacrifice” worth the cost? If we are living sacrifices we will not look back at the end of our lives and be disappointed or feel life is all vanity. We will be able to hear our Master say, "Come, enter into your rest."

We have only two options. We can choose to be conformed to this world system and its values or be transformed by the renewing of our minds.

Culturally Relevant Gospel

There is a story about two boys, and each was given a block of wood and a knife. They were instructed to begin whittling. Both set off with great determination to complete the task given them. They were aggressively making the wood chips fly. When they finished the given task, they were asked to present their final product. The first handed over a nicely carved boat and the second handed over a pile of wood shavings.

What was the difference for the outcome? One had a vision within the task and the second only saw the task. This is a reflective illustration of how we, the church, often approach the journey of the task. We hear the presentation, and receive tools to do it then set off aggressively in getting it done. Then when we are asked to present the result of the process there is a wide variety in the end product.

To have a “Culturally Relevant Gospel” it requires visualizing what the end of the journey can and should look like. Time must be spent in “seeing the boat” before starting. All of the tools and materials have been previously given to us. We the church have been given the knife, “When the Holy Spirit comes upon you” and the block of wood, “Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the far ends of the earth” and the task “Be my witnesses”. We do not need to change the tool or find a new block of wood. The task has not changed.

So what do we need to do to have a culturally relevant Gospel? In my experience in wood working, there are different types of wood and an equal amount of requirements to work with wood. Just as the scripture above depicts different groups of people, we must realize, no, we must deeply comprehend that people (and situations) are vastly different and requires different handling. Think with me. Instead of only looking at the listing of the people groups of Acts 1:8 as different regions, let’s look at the listing as different personalities, make-up and styles of people. Just as different regions must be ministered to at a culturally relevant way, so local people must be ministered to relevantly based upon their socially, mentally, educationally and economically make-up.

So, why it is that two churches placed in the same region experience different results? They are handed the same block of wood, receive the same tool and given the same task, but the results are so vastly different. I have trouble believing that God desires one over the other in completing the journey. I have trouble that God desires to bless one church and not the other. I have trouble accepting that God wants one church to have more and higher quality results. I refuse to accept that God provides a better tool to one over the other. But why are there different results? Can I suggest that maybe we, the wood workers are just whittlers and not cravers. Maybe we do not stop and visualize what the block of wood can be. I think of when Jesus approached Jerusalem and the scripture says that He beheld the city, He began to weep. He beheld … He visualized the status of the city and realized just what they could become. He stopped and looked at the block of wood and saw the boat. Let’s stop and see the boats in our blocks of wood and take the necessary steps to release the boats thus we become carvers instead of whittlers.

One additional thought. Consider the knife. Just in carving, the proper use of the tool makes all of the difference regardless of the vision you have. Use the knife the wrong way you’ll destroy the final outcome. Use the tool the wrong way, and you run the very high risk of causing grave bodily damage. A dull knife is more dangerous than a sharp one when it comes to carving. (Our knife when it comes to craving for the Church will never go dull).

Having a culturally relevant gospel does not mean changing the gospel to fit the region, but the changing the ways in which we get the boats out of the blocks of wood we have been given. Are you; am I, a whittler or a carver?

Caught By the Hand of God

Caught By the Hand of God
Psalms 37:23-24


It was a cold and dark winter night when the phone rang, awaking me from a peaceful sleep. The initial thought that passed though my mind was “not what?” The day leading up to this greatly sought after rest was filled with many tasks that ran from encouraging a grieving family, to sermon preparation then onto the monthly board meeting that seemed to have lasted beyond any reasonable length of time. When I finally made it to bed, sleep quickly and gratefully came.

As the phone was answered, I quickly recognized the sound of distress and fear. On the other side was the voice of Alice. Through the sound of tears and scrambled words, I heard her say, “Pastor, we need you to over here right away. Jim is threatening me and the kids again and I am afraid that he is going to hurt us.” A river of thoughts passed through my mind from, “Why me?”, “Can this wait till tomorrow?” to “Do I need to call the police?”

I splashed some water on my face and pulled myself together. As I stepped out into the cold Michigan winter night, the sleep quickly left my eyes. I did not fathom that within the next 5 minutes I would be face to face with death. I entered Jim and Alice’s humble mobile home to find Jim standing there with a handgun pointed at his wife’s face as the 3 children cowardly huddled behind her. You talk about 911 praying, I found myself doing just that. Not a large amount of words, but very sincerely crying out to God “You got to take care of this!” At that point, I did not even know if I would see my wife and children ever again. However, as I approached Jim and Alice, I sensed the very powerful company of the Spirit of God with me. I stepped in front of the gun and began to intervene in behalf of that family. After a few minutes, Alice and the children left and headed over to her family. But yet, I stood there with Jim and his gun.

I do not remember all that was said that night, but I remember very clearly the end. For the next few hours, with the gun pointing at me, I began to share with Jim the story of the wonder, amazing and freeing power of the grace of Jesus Christ. To be there was a terrifying experience though it was a very empowering. To know that I was in the hand of God that night has repeatedly brought great strength to me since then. However, the greatest awareness was by the end of that night, to know that Jim was caught by the hand of God. As the hours waned on, the loving embracing of God was being extended to Jim. To watch Jim come to the realization that God loved him is beyond words. As Jim invited Jesus into his life, was and is, one of the greatest moments in my pastoral experience. There are several more details that took place that night that adds beauty to it. And the follow-up with the family … well let’s just say it required a tremendous amount of work.

Caught in the hands of God. Wow … what a powerful and beautiful thought. As we travel down life’s pathway, both as individuals and as a church, let’s remember that the outstretched hand of God is available. He catches. He holds. He protects. He hugs. Oh the wonderful hands of our Father. Are you there?