God in a Box

Often I’ll hear people say “don’t put God in a box”, meaning we should never attempt to limit what God can do in a situation. (and incidentally, can we agree to never use that term again?  "Overused" is putting it mildly). But there is another perspective of the metaphor “God in a box,” and that would be to view God as some spiritual resource that can be called upon when needed.

This might look like the person that is going along, doing their thing, perhaps even going through the motions of Christianity, but then when a tough time hits they pull out their “God Box.”  Suddenly they’ll start praying, they’ll break out their bible, go to church more often, even giving a little when the offering plate comes around.  They might go out and buy that new Christian book that promises “seven steps to freedom,” and sign up to get that new daily devotion delivered via text. Their Facebook wall will be covered with scripture posts. And by doing all of these things, and jumping through all these hoops, they’ll expect God to jump out of the box and make their problem go away.

This is what the ancient Israelites did in 1 Samuel 4: They went out to battle the Philistines, and in the first skirmish they lost four thousand men. Not good. So they had an idea:  “Let’s go get the Ark of the Covenant! It’ll give us the edge we need to beat these guys!” Yep, God in a Box.  Just point and shoot, and all those pesky Philistines will be blown away. 

We might look at this event and think “those guys were idiots”, but really are we so different?  How many times have we allowed our spiritual life to slide, and then suddenly when we are faced with a tough situation, we think if we get back into church, start reading our bible again, start praying more, (____ add your favorite hoop to jump through)… that suddenly we’ll have the power of God back in our lives?

Guys, God doesn’t work like that.  Yes, being in church, bible study, prayer, worship, giving, all of these things are important to our spiritual health, but God does not move in our lives because of what we do.  God moves in our lives because of who He is, and who we are to Him.   

God wants to do mighty things in the lives of His people, but the power of His work springs not from our motions of religion or ritual, but from the relationship we have with Him!

Join us Sunday for 1 Samuel 4, “God in a Box.”

Pastor Clay

The Cover up...

Today I posted a scripture from our One Year Bible reading:

He who covers a transgression seeks love, but he who repeats a matter separates friends. Prov 17:9

At first glance it would seem that this scripture is encouraging us that if we see someone do something wrong, we're supposed to sweep it under the rug.  Hide it.  Not talk about it.

Now obviously if WE do something wrong, of course we're going to hide it. Well, maybe we act like we wouldn't hide it, but human nature and 50 years on this planet have shown me that everyone hides their own transgressions.  But when we someone else 'transgresses', we'll that's altogether different, isn't it?  I mean, aren't we supposed to expose darkness?  Eph 5 says it right here:

For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret. But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light.  -- Eph 5:12-13

But there is another thought here - that perhaps the things that are exposed are the things that God exposes, not the things that we decide need to be exposed in the lives of others. 

To me the point of this proverb is to be a guide for our relationships with one another, and instead of looking at each others faults, we should always seek to love and bless one another, and to even overlook each others faults. 

In other words, if I see a fault in your life, it's better that I not point it out, but let the Lord and you work that out in your life.  And the worst thing I can do is to mention it to another person, because now I have tainted that persons perspective of you - FOREVER. Words cannot be taken back.  Once they are planted in a persons mind, they remain.

Perhaps that is why Paul encouraged us to love one another, and told us that love "bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things" (1 Cor 13:7).

We would all do well to overlook the faults we see in others, and ask the Lord to help us love one another, in spite of our faults.

Pastor Clay

Upside Down Sunday

This Sunday is going to be different…upside down!

So what is that all about? Well this Sunday, instead of having a time of worship and then a message, the Lord is leading us in a difference direction.  This Sunday is communion, and also we are at 1 Samuel chapter 3, which is all about hearing from God. So this Sunday we will be doing things a little different.

No announcements – no welcome – no meet and greet:  We’ll open with a few songs, I am going to talk about hearing from God from 1 Samuel 3, and then we are going to go back to worship, and wait to hear from God.  (somewhere in there we’ll take communion!)

Be ready - I expect for God to turn some things upside down.

PC

The Birth of a Prophet

This week we will be opening our study of Samuel with the account of the birth of the prophet Samuel. Samuel was born into the family of a man named Elkanah who had two wives, Hannah and Peninnah.  Hannah, the wife whom Elkanah loved, was not able to have children.  Peninnah, who was apparently the second wife, was what we would call in the south ‘fertile Myrtle!” Peninnah had multiple sons and daughters by Elkanah, and she didn’t hesitate to use that fact to taunt and provoke Hannah. Now on the one hand we can view this as a historical account of an obscure family, but we know that nothing goes into the word of God without an express purpose.  If we look closer we can see the spiritual messages that abound in the picture of this family.

Hannah’s barrenness is a perfect picture of the spiritual state of the nation of Israel. The Israelites, the people to whom God had manifested Himself, had fallen into a state of utter spiritual barrenness. The priesthood which God had set up with the tabernacle and the rituals -- the means by which the people would have access to him – had deteriorated to mere ritual, and the son’s of Eli were using the tabernacle to serve their own selfish desires.

Penninah’s fertility is a picture of the pride and arrogance of man: Confident in his own abilities, prideful in his accomplishments, and seeing no need for dependency upon God. This attitude of arrogance is noted in Hannah’s song:

Talk no more so very proudly, let not arrogance come from your mouth; for the Lord to a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed. The bows of the mighty are broken, but the feeble gird on strength. 

-- 1 Samuel 2:3-4 RSV

That was the problem with Israel. The priesthood was failing, not because there was anything wrong with the priesthood (which was a picture of the ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ), but because the people refused to bow before the Lord. They refused to come for cleansing and to turn from idolatrous worship. As a result, the priesthood had ceased to be an effective means of mediation between the people and God.

And so once again, God moves in the midst of a great need in the lives of His people.  A need that they may not have even been aware of, but a great need nonetheless.

So as we open our study we will be examining this eternal conflict between the proud heart, which finds confidence in itself and its ability to do things, and the humble spirit which looks to God in utter dependence, receiving all the fullness of divine blessing.

Join us Sunday, as we open our study of 1 Samuel.

… till the whole world hears,

Pastor Clay