After the party, we invite you to caravan to worship with the Jacob's Well crew. Service starts at 6:00!
Monday, October 21, 2013
UPCOMING EVENTS
Next weekend will be filled with fun for the kids of Jacob's Well. Together with Maples UMC, Getwell Road UMC, and Memphis Athletic Ministries (MAM), we will be hosting a Fall Festival! You can find all the details at our Facebook invite page (CPB Fall Festival).
After the party, we invite you to caravan to worship with the Jacob's Well crew. Service starts at 6:00!
After the party, we invite you to caravan to worship with the Jacob's Well crew. Service starts at 6:00!
WHO DAT!? - Young King Josiah
Who me? Become king? I would, but...
I'm too busy.
I wouldn't do a good job.
I'm too old.
People won't listen to me.
I'm not smart enough.
You don't want someone like me.
That's too much work.
For Josiah, this sentence ended with "I'm only 8 years old". In his time, however, becoming King wasn't something you could run away from. You couldn't opt out of taking the throne. You were born in. Sworn into the royal family at your conception. Think about the magnitude of what happened here. Josiah, at 8 years of age, was plucked from the playground and placed on the throne. This wasn't just any throne. It was in Jerusalem, the holy city, reigning over God's people and the kingdom of Judah.
As the story goes, the people had rebelled against God in the years leading up to Josiah's reign. His father, King Amon, had driven the country to their spiritual deathbed. The temple was in shambles. There were idols of bronze and silver scattered throughout the kingdom. Altars dedicated to other gods were prominent in their cities.
When Josiah's servant, Hilkiah, found the Book of God's Law in the temple and Josiah read of God's commands, he was overtaken with sorrow for the sad state of his nation. Josiah, as stated in 2 Kings 22:2, "always obeyed the Lord, just as his ancestor David had done." Imagine his surprise when he found that what he'd always known to be right was truly counter to what God desired.
This has happened in all of our lives.
We wake up one day and see that the lifestyle we've been living does not line up with God's kingdom vision. But it's what our family does. We're successful and loved and accepted. But we see that it's not what we're called to be.
We realize that the movies we watch, the music we listen to, and the books that we read are not edifying to God. But they're popular. They help us to fit in with our neighbors, friends, and coworkers. It would affect our social lives to change it.
We fight our children's changing attitudes, as they conform to what is socially acceptable among their peers. The words they use, the attitudes they don, and the trends they follow are simply those which are cool among peers. They may be outcasted if they attempt to follow a different path.
For Josiah, revelation came through the uncovering of the Book of God's Law. And he refused to stand stagnantly in his country's sin. Three things happened:
So how does this relate to us? We're not actually being called to become Kings and Queens of nations. You won't find statues of golden calves sitting on our shelves or altars to Astarte, Chemosh, or Milcom (23:13) lining our streets. And you definitely don't see us sacrificing our children to such gods (23:10).
But we are called to be a part of the royal family. God has called us to join the Kingdom movement. To claim our portion of the land of Judah. Our inheritance. But many of us are blind to what that truly means. Like Josiah, we must ask for an awakening of our hearts to God's desires and pray for the courage to clean up and rebuild our own portion of the kingdom.
Josiah began his reformation at 8. When will you begin yours?
Until next week...Kenbe fo. Keep strong.
C.
I'm too busy.
I wouldn't do a good job.
I'm too old.
People won't listen to me.
I'm not smart enough.
You don't want someone like me.
That's too much work.
For Josiah, this sentence ended with "I'm only 8 years old". In his time, however, becoming King wasn't something you could run away from. You couldn't opt out of taking the throne. You were born in. Sworn into the royal family at your conception. Think about the magnitude of what happened here. Josiah, at 8 years of age, was plucked from the playground and placed on the throne. This wasn't just any throne. It was in Jerusalem, the holy city, reigning over God's people and the kingdom of Judah.
As the story goes, the people had rebelled against God in the years leading up to Josiah's reign. His father, King Amon, had driven the country to their spiritual deathbed. The temple was in shambles. There were idols of bronze and silver scattered throughout the kingdom. Altars dedicated to other gods were prominent in their cities.
When Josiah's servant, Hilkiah, found the Book of God's Law in the temple and Josiah read of God's commands, he was overtaken with sorrow for the sad state of his nation. Josiah, as stated in 2 Kings 22:2, "always obeyed the Lord, just as his ancestor David had done." Imagine his surprise when he found that what he'd always known to be right was truly counter to what God desired.
This has happened in all of our lives.
We wake up one day and see that the lifestyle we've been living does not line up with God's kingdom vision. But it's what our family does. We're successful and loved and accepted. But we see that it's not what we're called to be.
We realize that the movies we watch, the music we listen to, and the books that we read are not edifying to God. But they're popular. They help us to fit in with our neighbors, friends, and coworkers. It would affect our social lives to change it.
We fight our children's changing attitudes, as they conform to what is socially acceptable among their peers. The words they use, the attitudes they don, and the trends they follow are simply those which are cool among peers. They may be outcasted if they attempt to follow a different path.
For Josiah, revelation came through the uncovering of the Book of God's Law. And he refused to stand stagnantly in his country's sin. Three things happened:
- Josiah asked God to change his heart. He wanted to understand the ins and outs of what was expected of his people
- Josiah cleaned up his act. He removed all idols and altars from the kingdom that were dedicated to other Gods. He tore down buildings where pagan events were held. He met with pagan priests and demanded that they turn their lives over to the Lord. And he decreed that the land of Judah would, for the first time in many years, would communally celebrate Passover.
- Josiah rebuilt the temple. Funds were raised, workers were recruited, and plans we drafted. The temple, the central location for worship, was brought back to life. Josiah was planning for a future of dedication to the one true Lord.
 |
| Alex removes the dirt to reveal God's message: "We are ALL a part of God's family." |
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| Cameron, Terrell, and Diamond work together to rebuild the temple of God. |
But we are called to be a part of the royal family. God has called us to join the Kingdom movement. To claim our portion of the land of Judah. Our inheritance. But many of us are blind to what that truly means. Like Josiah, we must ask for an awakening of our hearts to God's desires and pray for the courage to clean up and rebuild our own portion of the kingdom.
Josiah began his reformation at 8. When will you begin yours?
Until next week...Kenbe fo. Keep strong.
C.
Tuesday, October 15, 2013
WHO DAT!? - Baalam's Talking Donkey
Silence.
It's foreign to us.
There's always something.
Coworkers talking. Children playing. Traffic noise. Computer noise. The TV. Radio. Dishwasher.
With all this noise to distract us, it's a wonder we ever expect to hear God's voice at all.
In the Bible, we hear of a man named Baalam who failed to hear God's voice and was enlightened by a very unique experience. "Who dat!?" you ask. Well, here's the story...
(summarized from Numbers 22) Baalam was a prophet recruited by a gang of Moabites to put a curse on God's people. The recruitment process was initiated by the king of Moab, King Balak, in response to the Israelites setting up camp in the plains of Moab. The king felt threatened by their presence, as the land of Moab was not rightfully his to begin with. His army was also not any match for the Israelite army. And, to top it all off, the Israelites had God on their side. Maybe cursing them would give Balak the edge he needed to defeat the Israelites and drive them out of the land.
You would think that responding to a request to hex the people of God because they settled in a land that belonged to them in the first place would be simple.
Nope. Not a chance. No can do.
Not so easy for Baalam. Baalam, you must understand, was highly motivated by fame and fortune. And that is exactly what the King used to lure him in. Like a dog who knows he shouldn't, but jumps up on the counter for that steak hot off the grill, Baalam joined the motley crew.
To give him a bit of credit, he did pray to the Lord before embarking on the journey. The Lord just happened to give him a big "Do not pass go" on the topic of cursing his people, and Baalam sets out, intent on cursing the people anyway.
Thankfully, our God doesn't give up so easy. As they set out on the road to the plains of Moab, the Lord sent not one, not two, but three angels to stop Baalam from doing something he would most certainly regret. Baalam, however, distracted by the task at hand, did not see the angels.
His trusty steed did, though! (Alright, "steed" may be a bit of a noble name for a donkey, but listen to what this one did!). For each time the donkey saw an angel, he stopped, dropped, or rolled in obedience to the angel's instructions to abandon the effort.
And each time, deaf and blind to the presence of the Lord, Baalam beat the donkey and attempted to be on his way.
At this point, I envision the Lord rubbing His temples, wondering why Baalam has to be so stubborn (As an aside, aren't donkeys supposed to be the stubborn ones...?). He's at His wits end (obviously only in a matter of speaking, because God's wisdom is infinite and has no end). How will he ever get this hard-headed man's attention.
"What have I done to you that you have you beaten me these three times?" asks the donkey.
Did that donkey just speak?
The shock factor of the scene opens Baalam's eyes to the angel of the Lord, who reveals the evil of his actions.
I wish we could say this is the last we hear of Baalam and his ignorance, but that is just not the case. Another story for another day.
But there are a few important lessons to be learned from the story of Baalam. As we taught them to the kids this week, they go like this:
Our activities this week didn't warrant the kind of quiet attitude needed for listening to God's voice; however, they sure were fun. Take a look!
It's foreign to us.
There's always something.
Coworkers talking. Children playing. Traffic noise. Computer noise. The TV. Radio. Dishwasher.
With all this noise to distract us, it's a wonder we ever expect to hear God's voice at all.
In the Bible, we hear of a man named Baalam who failed to hear God's voice and was enlightened by a very unique experience. "Who dat!?" you ask. Well, here's the story...
(summarized from Numbers 22) Baalam was a prophet recruited by a gang of Moabites to put a curse on God's people. The recruitment process was initiated by the king of Moab, King Balak, in response to the Israelites setting up camp in the plains of Moab. The king felt threatened by their presence, as the land of Moab was not rightfully his to begin with. His army was also not any match for the Israelite army. And, to top it all off, the Israelites had God on their side. Maybe cursing them would give Balak the edge he needed to defeat the Israelites and drive them out of the land.
You would think that responding to a request to hex the people of God because they settled in a land that belonged to them in the first place would be simple.
Nope. Not a chance. No can do.
Not so easy for Baalam. Baalam, you must understand, was highly motivated by fame and fortune. And that is exactly what the King used to lure him in. Like a dog who knows he shouldn't, but jumps up on the counter for that steak hot off the grill, Baalam joined the motley crew.
To give him a bit of credit, he did pray to the Lord before embarking on the journey. The Lord just happened to give him a big "Do not pass go" on the topic of cursing his people, and Baalam sets out, intent on cursing the people anyway.
Thankfully, our God doesn't give up so easy. As they set out on the road to the plains of Moab, the Lord sent not one, not two, but three angels to stop Baalam from doing something he would most certainly regret. Baalam, however, distracted by the task at hand, did not see the angels.
His trusty steed did, though! (Alright, "steed" may be a bit of a noble name for a donkey, but listen to what this one did!). For each time the donkey saw an angel, he stopped, dropped, or rolled in obedience to the angel's instructions to abandon the effort.
And each time, deaf and blind to the presence of the Lord, Baalam beat the donkey and attempted to be on his way.
At this point, I envision the Lord rubbing His temples, wondering why Baalam has to be so stubborn (As an aside, aren't donkeys supposed to be the stubborn ones...?). He's at His wits end (obviously only in a matter of speaking, because God's wisdom is infinite and has no end). How will he ever get this hard-headed man's attention.
"What have I done to you that you have you beaten me these three times?" asks the donkey.
Did that donkey just speak?
The shock factor of the scene opens Baalam's eyes to the angel of the Lord, who reveals the evil of his actions.
I wish we could say this is the last we hear of Baalam and his ignorance, but that is just not the case. Another story for another day.
But there are a few important lessons to be learned from the story of Baalam. As we taught them to the kids this week, they go like this:
- God's people are special to Him. Don't mess with them. (Which we earlier learned that we are a part of. Yes! God has out backs!)
- We must stop and listen for God's voice.
- Sometimes listening to God means giving up things we really want. (In Baalam's case, and many of ours too, this meant the possibility of fame and fortune.)
Our activities this week didn't warrant the kind of quiet attitude needed for listening to God's voice; however, they sure were fun. Take a look!
Thanks for reading! Check back in a few days for this week's lesson update! Until then...
Kenbe fo. Keep strong.
C.
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