Thanks be
to Jesus our Lord for another day in His Kingdom. He blessed us with a wonderful
Wednesday gathering, with good food, sweet fellowship, and inspiring Bible
study. We looked at Acts 2. The word "devoted" occurs twice in the chapter.
There were devoted people gathered in Jerusalem. After the coming of the Holy
Spirit upon the disciples, Peter preached the first sermon to the crowd. The
Holy Spirit began to work in the hearts of those who listened the Good News.
Three thousand put their faith in Christ. The believers devoted themselves to
the fellowship, teaching, and mission of the church. The disciples, who became
galvanized by the Spirit, went on to turn the world upside down. The disciples
gave themselves up totally to the Lord and to His global cause. In the Old
Testament we read about Elijah, who gave all to serve God and to be His prophet
to a lost generation. His story reminds us of how adversity drives each of us
deeper into God and develops us into the man or women God wants us to be.
Bill Hybel wrote in his book, "The Power of a Whisper", wrote, "Throughout history God has spoken. For millennia, he has forged his children’s faith by promising parted waters, empowering unlikely leaders, declaring world-changing prophecies - and imparting last-minute sermons to pastors who questioned whether he really would deliver. In short, our God is communicating God. Always has been, and always will be. And if there is one story in Scripture that goes to great lengths to prove this point, it’s the story of Elijah, the prophet described in 1 Kings as a man who was ‘zealous for God.’ There comes a point in Elijah’s remarkable ministry when his zealotry has fizzled to zero. He is ready to call it quits. “I’ve been working my heart out,” he says to God, and for what? “The people of Israel have abandoned your covenant, destroyed the places of worship and murdered your prophets. I’m the only one left, and now they’re trying to kill me. Elijah felt undone, and perhaps the only thing that could improve his mood was a firsthand encounter with God. As the story goes, Elijah trekked into the desert and eventually collapsed from exhaustion under the shade of a tree…but eventually he ended up at Horeb…On Mount Horeb that day, Creator convened with creation, and one man’s life was forever changed. Regardless of what else Elijah might have later told his friends about this encounter - and about God himself - undoubtedly he had been a witness to two attributes at the very core of who God is: he’s relational and he is near. He is all-powerful, yes. He is righteous and holy too. He is sovereign, he majestic, he is magnificent, he is just. But what stunned Elijah on the side of the mountain-and what will stun you somebody if it hasn’t already-is that the same God who is all-powerful, all-knowing, all everything, yearns to be in relationship with us. The God of the Scriptures is irrepressibly communal, hopelessly familial, and his whispers are still ours to hear” (Hybels, page 40-42).
Bill Hybel wrote in his book, "The Power of a Whisper", wrote, "Throughout history God has spoken. For millennia, he has forged his children’s faith by promising parted waters, empowering unlikely leaders, declaring world-changing prophecies - and imparting last-minute sermons to pastors who questioned whether he really would deliver. In short, our God is communicating God. Always has been, and always will be. And if there is one story in Scripture that goes to great lengths to prove this point, it’s the story of Elijah, the prophet described in 1 Kings as a man who was ‘zealous for God.’ There comes a point in Elijah’s remarkable ministry when his zealotry has fizzled to zero. He is ready to call it quits. “I’ve been working my heart out,” he says to God, and for what? “The people of Israel have abandoned your covenant, destroyed the places of worship and murdered your prophets. I’m the only one left, and now they’re trying to kill me. Elijah felt undone, and perhaps the only thing that could improve his mood was a firsthand encounter with God. As the story goes, Elijah trekked into the desert and eventually collapsed from exhaustion under the shade of a tree…but eventually he ended up at Horeb…On Mount Horeb that day, Creator convened with creation, and one man’s life was forever changed. Regardless of what else Elijah might have later told his friends about this encounter - and about God himself - undoubtedly he had been a witness to two attributes at the very core of who God is: he’s relational and he is near. He is all-powerful, yes. He is righteous and holy too. He is sovereign, he majestic, he is magnificent, he is just. But what stunned Elijah on the side of the mountain-and what will stun you somebody if it hasn’t already-is that the same God who is all-powerful, all-knowing, all everything, yearns to be in relationship with us. The God of the Scriptures is irrepressibly communal, hopelessly familial, and his whispers are still ours to hear” (Hybels, page 40-42).
We have heard
the whisper of the Lord in the midst of the storms of life. That still quiet
voice in the midst of a horrendous day. Life is crashing in all around us but
our Lord is there. That quiet whisper in the midst of despair that says, “I am
here!” Just rest and I will take care of you! In the midst of overwhelming grief
that quiet voice blows into our ears and into our hearts and says, "All is
well".
Maybe we hear it in the midst of a busy street with all the traffic rushing by. We walk by countless people with faces expressing, stress, tiredness, happiness, hurriedness, fear, hopelessness, business-like and emotionless. Maybe it’s in the moment of praise and worship on a Sunday morning. Sometimes, our Lord's whispers come to us in the middle of the night.
Elijah paid attention when his quiet encounter with the Lord occurred. Elijah was renewed. He went back to do as the Lord instructed him and once again confronted Ahab over the stealing of the vineyard from Nabal. He pronounced the Lord's judgment on Ahab that day. Elijah had become a different person because of his encounter that day and, encouraged by a vision of the Lord, he returned to confront the king and queen again over their evil doings. He did not run and hide, because he learned to completely trust in God’s provision.
Maybe we hear it in the midst of a busy street with all the traffic rushing by. We walk by countless people with faces expressing, stress, tiredness, happiness, hurriedness, fear, hopelessness, business-like and emotionless. Maybe it’s in the moment of praise and worship on a Sunday morning. Sometimes, our Lord's whispers come to us in the middle of the night.
Elijah paid attention when his quiet encounter with the Lord occurred. Elijah was renewed. He went back to do as the Lord instructed him and once again confronted Ahab over the stealing of the vineyard from Nabal. He pronounced the Lord's judgment on Ahab that day. Elijah had become a different person because of his encounter that day and, encouraged by a vision of the Lord, he returned to confront the king and queen again over their evil doings. He did not run and hide, because he learned to completely trust in God’s provision.
The Lord,
through the power and the presence of the Holy Spirit, galvanizes us to press on
to finish it well. Blessed be His Name.
In
Christ,
Brown
Super
Summer Music Festival
Saturday, June 30, 2012 at 6:30 PM
Location: First United Methodist
Church
53
McKinley Avenue, Endicott
Sponsored by: Union Center United Methodist
Church
Musicians include: Aric Phinney, Yancey
Moore,
David
Berry, Emma Brunson, Linda Glann,
and
others.
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