Faith and Noah

You know, there are some stories in the Scripture where we have in a sense relegated to the category of Children's Stories. The story of Noah is such a one but it is anything but that. His life of faith is one that is amazing and very unique. I would like to put forward two specific things about his faith.

1. He had faith in God before he knew of the coming doom of the flood

In our day and time many people get what we call "fire insurance" that will help keep them from going to hell. While I believe a fear of hell can lead people to real faith in Christ, only the days and months after that decision will show whether they meant it or not if they start walking and seeking God. Faith in Christ means change. Noah had real faith before there was a fear of believing in God because he needed some "flood insurance". He treasured God before he knew God was angry and was going to destroy the world by water. He alone was found worthy in his generation as the only one who genuinely walked with God. Faith in God is the one thing that can transcend every situation or circumstance. In faith we find that which is most secure - God and His truth.

2. He had faith in God when no one else did in his generation.
Genesis 6:5 The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 6 And the Lord was sorry that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart. 7 So the Lord said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens, for I am sorry that I have made them.” 8 But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.
Can you imagine the reality that never in your lifetime would there be another person or family who would go to church with you? You would have no other members of your bible study but your family. In a culture where everyone at all times in their heart only thought about evil, Noah's faith thrived. He just kept having faith regardless of the reality that no one else was interested in walking and knowing God. We struggle keeping our faith when there is a good church on every corner and we can fill up our calendars with a group of believers every night of the week. We struggle spiritually with so much at our availability and Noah just kept on having a faith that thrived with nothing encouraging his walk except God.

I pray for that kind of mature faith.

Thoughts on Malachi

As a church we are walking through the book of Malachi this summer. I have read it before, we never examined to fully integrate and adjust my life to its truth. What a great little book. Here are some highlights and things I learned in chapter 1.

• The Priests
  

The religious leaders had allowed things in regard to worship to really fall apart. While they were still going through the motions of worship and the sacrifices, they were not doing them as God had instructed. They were offering garbage as a sacrifice and calling it okay. A question for us all: Where are you and I offering garbage to God in our worship and calling it okay? Will we do something about it?

• The Love of God and Loving God
  

We so often ask God, "Do you love me"? We usually ask this when things are not going our way, because if God really loves us then He would see that things go our way. You know, we are the most important thing to him? Do you ever wonder why we so seldom, if ever, ask God the question, "Do we love you, God"? "Is it clear to you God that we love you authentically"? Furthermore, we get mad at Him when we haven't loved Him nor obeyed Him and He is not blessing us. Do you find it as interesting as I do that the Father loved us so much to send us Jesus and to see His one and only Son brutally murdered and we have the gall to ask, "God, do you love me"? He has made it clear. We are so messed up!

• Mediocrity at the Top of Spiritual Leadership

The priests allowed the sacrifices that were garbage and since they did not take serious God's Word, the people eventually did not take God's Word serious either. Mediocrity at the top will drift down, but a passion for holiness will lift the people up to the standard. The problem in the church as a whole today is that we don't value the character of the ministers more than we care enough that they can perform and get it done or that they have a winsome personality. Further proof how we do not get what he is about and what he values. Also, I think that some spiritual leaders do not keep the bar of the truth set high because people complain, talk behind your back, and are simply not wanting to follow God. We as spiritual leaders cannot lower the bar even if it means that it makes you unpopular.

• God does not Accept Mediocrity

As much as it may make us feel good to ignore what God says about the issues of our life in His Word, we need to remember that He does not ignore us when we ignore Him. If our worship is just an afterthought, then we are not offering God our best.


I love that the word of God is still absolutely relevant to our time today after thousands of years. It is further proof that God's Word is eternal.

New Impressions on the Heart

From time to time, God moves in our hearts and gives us a focus either in the area of our prayer, scripture, a discipline, etc. This is happening in my heart right now. Here are 3 things God is moving in me right now in regard to life and ministry.

• Pray for the Holy Spirit to come in power, then things will change.
  

Without a move of the Holy Spirit then everything will stay the same. Nothing changes without the Spirit's presence. Jesus said it in this way about the Holy Spirit in John 16: 8 And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: 9 concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; 10 concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; 11 concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.
We need the Holy Spirit to come and convict, judge, and bring about righteousness in our lives, communities, and in the church.

• Our lives would be marked by a desperation for the Spirit of God.

The western church is desperate for so many things other than pure Jesus and the Word, it is time for a core of believers to be really desperate for the presence of God. Those with this kind of desperation are few in our world, but they do exist. My prayer is that they be fruitful and have many more opportunities to share and run into those who are outside of the faith. My prayer is also that our worship services and small group gatherings would be permeated by those who are desperate for the move of the Holy Spirit.

• Our World is impacted best when we focus on making disciples.

This is the task Jesus left us with in Matthew 28: 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Believers who know God deeply are ones who lives spill out God and seek to see His kingdom established on earth. This task of making disciples needs a much needed new focus.

These are my 3 new impressions that I am asking God to bring about. Join me in the prayer.