Thursday, June 18, 2009

PART TWO OF MESSAGE

WOULD JESUS BE WELCOME IN YOUR CHURCH TODAY --- PART TWO

June 18, 8:36 a.m.

The Good Lord can be very succinct and yet wonderfully deep at the same time. Tell them, "I AM" sent you. What are your needs today? Do you think they are any different than what the children of Israel needed 5,000 years ago? They are not. Throughout mankind's brief history, all of us... i.e., the human-race have the same needs and wants; and the "I AM" of Moses's day is the same for us today and the title is still applicable... "I AM."
Are you lonely? (Lo I AM with you alway) Are you afraid? (Be not afraid I AM with you) Are you cold? (I AM is a pillar of fire by night) Are you hot? (I AM is a cloud cover by day) Has your friends forsaken you? (I AM is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother) Are you in need of salvation? (I AM the way, the truth, and the life) Do you have loved ones who have preceded you in death and you are concerned for them? (I AM the resurrection and the life) Do you hope for an eternal home in Heaven, yet have doubts? (And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I AM, there ye may be also) Are you thirsty? (I AM is a river of living water) Are you hungry? (I AM the bread of life)
In the interest of time, and because of my poor typing skills and speed, I have only posed ten questions that goes to the heart of the needs of mankind. You will notice that the great I AM is the answer to all of them. And you could pose ten times ten thousand questions and the I AM of the Christian's Bible would still be the answer.
Bear with me and soon I will explain why God making Moses understand with His two-word name (I AM) that He alone is all-sufficient and how that ties in with it being wrong to store up "nest eggs." But first, I want to talk to you about "manna."
You will need to read Exodus 16: 14-36 to understand about this food that God gave to His children. I just want to call your attention to one particular fact about it. The provision that God gave to them was for only one day at a time! Each day they were only allowed to gather enough food for that day, with the exception of the sixth day and they could gather two days worth of provisions because they could not gather on the day of rest. (sabbath)
Of course, even like today, when men and women are given clear instruction from the prophets by God Himself through His written word (Bible) there are those who refuse to listen and want to do it their way. Some of the people gathered more than what they needed for the one day only. Now I want you to read what God did to this provision that He had supplied when His children tried to store up more than they needed. Exodus 16:19-20: "And Moses said, Let no man leave of it till the morning. Notwithstanding they hearkened not unto Moses; but some of them left of it until the morning, and it bred worms, and stank: and Moses was wroth with them."
Those children who had tried to hoard what God provided and they took more than they needed, God caused it to rot and breed worms. Remember, God is the same, yesterday, today, and forever, and His principles do not change.
Look, I think it is fine if the lost world tries to build "nest eggs" for their future. It is because they do not have I AM to be their provision and inheritance. It is time for you to do some work on your own. Search the Scriptures and find even one example of anyone laying up future stores for their use, and check to see if God was pleased with them? I'll give you an example. Luke 12:16-21. Here is a story of a "rich fool," so we know he wasn't saved. His example is a bad one because he, not unlike many saved people, and churches, was trying to hoard his provisions that God had supplied. We, the saved, are told in thousands of illustrations and verses to live only one day at a time!
I want to tell you a story about a man I met. Before I do though I also want to say that even though I believe he was the closest person I ever met to fulfilling Matthew 6:11, that I am not endorsing his ministry. I loved their soul-winning zeal, but their stand on the Bible and some other areas was very weak.
His name is not a lightning-rod, like (for example) Peter Ruckman, but in independent fundamental circles you would not want to align yourself with him, else you might be anathema to some other believers. To be honest though, those who would dislike me for admiring certain practices by some Christian leaders, I wouldn't care for their support anyway.
I met Jack Wyrtzen (founder of Word of Life Fellowship) in the early '80's. I count it fortunate to have met him if for no other reason than one thing I learned about his ministry. It has to do with what I am writing about in dispensing with the false notion of laying up money for your future.
There were about a dozen men who were invited to sit at his table and eat dinner, and I felt fortunate to be one of them. We were at Schroon Lake, New York and our youth leader and myself had driven a group of teenagers from our church to see his ministry.
The conversation turned to finances, and this is what Dr. Wyrtzen said. He said that in order to keep their ministry operating they had to have about $30,000 each and every day. Then he said what I thought was the most remarkable thing. He said that from the day they opened, to that present time (though the amount varied as the ministry grew) that they never had more than one day operating expenses in their bank account. ABSOLUTELY REMARKABLE!
Remember, the manna (God's provisions) never rots or stinks when it is consumed in the time-period that God allows... one... day... at... a... time! Later that evening, and here might be more fodder for anyone who doesn't already like me, there were three of us in a hot tub: Ted, (our youth director) Dr. Wyrtzen, and myself. And yes, our shirts were off and we had on swimming trunks, gasp!
I didn't want to let go of what I had heard him say and I asked him further about his finances as it related to his ministry. He said that when more money came in than they needed, they didn't waste it, they just spent it on missions or something else in the ministry. He said that it was almost a selfish reason on his part that he did this... he just loved to feel God's hand of provision upon him. WONDERFUL!
I loved that part of him and his work. However, I did not let that admiration for him affect my own beliefs and the next day I was priviledged to be able to debate with the gentlemen who was the featured speaker that weekend at Scroon Lake. He had not held up the A.V. as God's final authority and I vigorously defended my belief on the subject.
Have you ever really read... the Lord's prayer? More appropriately it is a "model prayer," and it is found in Matthew 6:9-13. It is really not a prayer that we are to necessarily pray... though I have many times read it verbatim and offered it as my own. In reality though it is a template, or a form and order that tells us how to approach God. Example: we are to begin by acknowledging His greatness and power, and majesty. "Our Father which art in Heaven, hallowed be thy name." We can continue praying for His return and His kingdom to come, etc. etc. etc. I think of it like I did when I would prepare all of my messages. I might create a one-page outline for a 45 minute mesage and it would prompt me in all of the areas I wanted to talk about.
(Back in a few minutes, I have to tend to my dogs.)  

Ok, I'm back, but only for a few minutes as I'm on a borrowed computer. I had gone to tend 
to my dogs, especially Virgil... (my big headed boy) because we were experiencing a thunderstorm, and he gets very frightened and trembles quite a bit. When I came back to finish this post my internet was down. They are coming out tomorrow to fix the line, but due to my work schedule it may yet be another day or two until I am able to fully complete this message.

June 29, 4:36 p.m. 

My computer is still down. It wasn't the storm after-all. I have been "spy-botted" and my computer is a mess. I am waiting until one of my sons-in-law has the time to take it down and reboot everything... it could be awhile yet. In the meantime I will try to occasionally type some more of this many part message on a borrowed computer. 
My one day of being down has now turned into 12... and counting. Computers are great... aren't they? This has nothing to do with the message I am getting ready to continue, but today is 15 years since I became a vegetarian... time flies when you are having fun.
The model prayer I was speaking about as it relates to God supplying our needs states: Matthew 6:11 "Give us this day our daily bread." (Of course the emphasis on that verse is my own.) I can only imagine that our friend Dave might pray... "Dear Lord, give us this day our six month nest egg."
I guarantee that I will never in this lifetime have any money to speak of: although I make no pretense about any knowledge in high-finance... that is not the main reason I will not have anything. In fact, my mental acuity as it relates to the ability to make money is probably between the moronic and imbecilic range. Again though, I have known somewhat ignorant people who have earned a lot of money; the main reason for not having any money to speak of is a direct result of answered prayer by the Lord Himself. 
For nearly the last 30 years I have often and fervently prayed Proverbs 30:8-9 "Remove far from me vanity and lies: give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me: Lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, Who is the Lord? or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my God in vain." That folks is why I won't ever be concerned with acquiring a "nest egg." I truly believe and want the Lord to be my "nest egg" and my daily, not weekly... monthly... or yearly... provider. 
Have you ever heard a "preacher story" and you doubt its veracity? If so, here is another one you can doubt, although it still makes a good and valid point. The story was told of a sheik who had many children and he gave them yearly allowances. After many years had passed he realized that he was only seeing them on the day that their yearly stipend was due. So, guess what he did? You guessed it. He divided their yearly allowances by 365 in order that they had to meet him each and every day in order to have their needs met. (I know, it probably never really happened: however, it is a good story and it makes the point that we need to come to God every day to have our needs met so that we too must talk to Him at least one time every single day.)
For I do believe that the heart of man is so callous that if we had no particular needs, such as health, lost loved ones, finances, etc. that we would be exactly like the sheik's children and we would not commune with God unless we had to talk to Him.
And there is another reason that it is wrong to lay up money far into the future, beside the obvious that we are not relying every day upon God. We are being presumptuous that we even have more than the next day of life. Immediately following the very famous verse found in Matthew 6:33 is verse 34 which states: "Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof." 
Remember: The great I AM wants to be your provider. He enjoys meeting your needs and wants. And it is not just individuals who can fall prey to the trap of depending upon the "arm of flesh" and not God... churches can do it also. I have seen it happen many times, especially during building programs. Before I go on to my next sacred cow in churches today I only want to encourage both individuals and church groups to be sure they are not trusting in "certain riches" but they are daily and if need be... hour-by-hour trusting God in all areas of their life.     


posted by Robin Johnson @ 8:32 AM