Blog Archives

NOT FOR SALE!

4/10/2019

"BEHOLD, I AM SENDING YOU OUT AS SHEEP IN THE MIDST OF WOLVES, SO BE AS WISE AS SERPENTS
AND AS INNOCENT AS DOVES."
Matthew 10:16

"There is nothing new under the sun..." The words of Solomon ring truer than ever this morning as I write. I have continued reading through Daniel this week. Prideful Nebuchadnezzar has learned to honor the Most High King of Heaven after being stripped of his reason and forced to live like an animal for a time.  Below are his last words recorded in Scripture:

                             "All His works are right and His ways are just;
                         and those who walk in pride He is able to humble."

In chapter five Nebuchadnezzar's son Belshazzar now reigns in his father's place. Unfortunately Belshazzar has not learned from his father's mistakes. He hosts a feast for thousands of his lords and subjects.   We might assume he has had one too many glasses of wine when he orders his servants to fetch the gold and silver vessels (Holy to the Lord) which had been taken from the Temple in Jerusalem.  Belshazzar and his concubines drink wine from the holy vessels and 'praise the gods of gold, silver, bronze, iron, wood and stone.'

Suddenly a hand appears, writing a cryptic message on the plastered wall. The king pales, knees knocking. He cries out for someone to interpret the 'handwriting on the wall.' Only Daniel can deliver. He is brought before the king, who promises wealth, power and prestige in exchange for the interpretation.

Daniel's response caught my immediate attention:

                                               "Let your gifts be for yourself,
                                          and give your rewards to another."

Daniel made it perfectly clear that...

    THE GIFTS AND SERVICES OF GOD ARE NOT FOR SALE!

Let's take a look at a few more passages. In 1 Kings 5, Naaman, the commander of Syria's army has contracted leprosy. He seeks Elisha the prophet, desperate for a cure. The prescription is not as sensational as Naaman has hoped. He is merely told to go and wash himself in the Jordan river seven times. After throwing a tantrum he relents and dips himself in the river as instructed. His flesh is restored to that of a little child. Understandably grateful, he gives glory to God and offers Elisha a gift for his services. In the words of Elisha:

                "As the Lord lives, before whom I stand, I will receive none."

In Acts chapter eight Peter and John have been sent from Jerusalem to Samaria to pray for new believers there. As Peter and John lay hands on their new brothers and sisters the Holy Spirit descends on them. There happens to be a well known magician standing nearby. His name is Simon. He offers to pay for the gift of the Spirit:

                                                 "Give me this power also,
                                      so that anyone on whom I lay hands
                                              may receive the Holy Spirit!"

Peter's retort echoes for us today and we would be wise to take heed!

"May your silver perish with you,
because you thought you could
obtain the gift of God with money!"

As the Apostle Paul is on his way to Jerusalem (Acts 20), he calls for the Ephesian elders to meet with him in Miletus. He has serious words of warning for them:

"Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with His own blood. I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock, AND FROM AMONG YOUR OWN SELVES will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away disciples after them..." (Acts 20:28-30)

Brothers and sisters, there are countless 'ministries' today that are peddling what they claim to be the power of God for HUGE profit! I will not name names or draw conclusions for you, but beg you to evaluate these 'ministries' through the lens of God's Word!
Yesterday I did a bit of research on a 'supernatural' ministry/school located on the West Coast of the U.S. whose influence is spreading far and wide. According to their website their aim is to teach students to:

          1) EMBRACE THEIR ROYAL IDENTITY
          2) LEARN THE 'VALUES' OF THE KINGDOM
          3) WALK IN THE AUTHORITY AND POWER OF THE KING

This school typically enrolls 1,300 first year students and 650 second year student each year. Tuition per student, per year (which does NOT include room and board) is $5,250.00 per year. I did the math.

The total amount of tuition collected each year, just from first and second year students is...ARE YOU READY FOR THIS???

$10,237,500.00

Read it aloud:
TEN MILLION-TWO HUNDRED THIRTY-SEVEN THOUSAND FIVE HUNDRED
(dollars per year)

One cannot help but ask whose 'KINGDOM VALUES' they are peddling! I suspect the craving for the sensational is rather an indictment on this generation:

"An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign,
but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah..."
Matthew 16:4

"BEHOLD, I AM SENDING YOU OUT AS SHEEP
IN THE MIDST OF WOLVES,
SO BE AS WISE AS SERPENTS
AND AS INNOCENT AS DOVES."
Matthew 10:16

P.S. For clarification I AM NOT saying that those who serve the Lord are not worth their wages! We must not muzzle the ox that treads the grain. My grave concern is for naïve and unsuspecting sheep who may not recognize a wolf then they see one.

1 Comment

Image Bearers

4/7/2019

1 Comment

Spring in Orkney is a fickle creature. One moment the sky is blue and the sun hints at warmer days to come. Then, without much warning, the wind kicks up, the clouds roll in and it feels like winter again. The Rosa Rugosa is bravely putting forth her brand new chartreuse leaves. I decided she needed a bit of encouragement, and tucked a cluster of mini-daffs and a purple primrose in the moss beneath. I can see them from my desk and they make me smile.

I love the lengthening of days this time of year! The first light arrives around 5:30 am, making it so much easier to get up early and spend time with the Lord (after putting the kettle on and quickly checking F-book). This past week I have been reading through Daniel.

Several things caught my attention in chapter two.   Nebuchadnezzar demands of his magicians and sorcerers something that is humanly impossible. He commands them to tell him what he has dreamed, as well as the interpretation. He threatens to tear them 'limb from limb' and leave their homes in ruins if they do not comply! Thankfully for them, Daniel intervenes. The God of Heaven grants him wisdom to tell Nebuchadnezzar both the dream and the interpretation. God is glorified!

The subject of Nebuchadnezzar's dream is an idolatrous figure representing the kingdoms of men. Daniel assures the King that he and his kingdom are represented by the illustrious head of gold. Nebuchadnezzar appears to be initially humbled, falling on his face before Daniel and declaring: "Truly, your God is God of gods and Lord of Kings, and a revealer of mysteries."

As I reflected on Nebuchadnezzar's dream, I couldn't help but wonder if the descending value of the materials in the image (top to bottom) reflects the degeneration of the human race through the ages. Gold > Silver > Bronze > Iron > Iron mixed with clay. These will all be shattered at the end of the age, when God  establishes His Kingdom, which will never be destroyed. It would appear that man has gradually abandoned that part of himself which is made in God's image, replacing it with a self-aggrandizing, increasingly worthless man-made image.

As I continued reading in Daniel 3, I realized that Nebuchadnezzar's initial display of humility before God was shockingly short-lived. We soon find him commissioning the creation of an image of gold (his image, of course). It is ninety feet tall! He orders it set up on the plain of Dura. Every person in his kingdom is now required to bow down and worship this image whenever they hear his music playing.

We don't really know what this giant statue looked like, so I did an image search. I imagine the picture on the right to be a fair representation. I was astonished when it called to mind for me another golden image, shown below. An image more contemporary, but perhaps equally as idolatrous! Modern man has perfected the art of self-worship.

Genesis 1:27 tells us that God created man IN HIS OWN IMAGE! Man was not long content to remain an 'image bearer' though. By Genesis 3 the Lord's original, perfect intentions for the human race were derailed. Adam and Eve succumbed to the enemy's lying temptation:
"YOU WILL BE LIKE GOD!"

We in the church have been quick to judge the worship of 'idols'. We scoff at the impatient Israelites who stooped to create for themselves a golden calf to worship in the wilderness. We laugh at the seemingly silly (and sometimes suggestive) objects of worship found in archaeological excavations. We may quietly dismiss those from different cultural background who have altars in their homes for the worship of Buddha and/or their ancestors. I am NOT condoning these activities, but suggesting that we take a much closer look at our own practices.

Years ago, when I was a fairly new believer, I had a strikingly vivid dream. I knew it was prophetic, but am only now realizing how frighteningly relevant it is. In my dream I was walking, alone in a dusty old town that appeared to be deserted. My heart was heavy and I was desperate for guidance and encouragement. I looked ahead and saw an old stone church on the corner. "I'll go there," I thought.

I walked to the church and realized, upon arriving, that it had no door. I stood in the open doorway of the vestibule and noticed there were five or six clergymen standing around a table in the middle of the church. They were clothed in white robes. The church was completely empty otherwise. Bare beams supported the roof. The walls were of undressed stone. There was no floor, only dirt. As I watched, the church leaders busied themselves with their task. I looked intently at them until they finally looked up and acknowledged me. I communicated my need without speaking (such a peculiar thing, dreams!). They hesitated for a moment, then clearly decided to ignore me completely and resume their activity. After watching for several minutes I realized they were helping each other make plaster masks of their own faces.
THEY WERE FAR TOO BUSY PRESERVING THEIR OWN IMAGES
TO TEND TO THE NEEDS OF OTHERS!

We in the church have allowed ourselves to be 'conformed' to the ways of the world, rather than being 'transformed,'  and 'changed from glory to glory.' When did we begin abdicating our own responsibilities as members of the Body? We often look to mere men (rather than God) to meet our needs and  we elevate our pastors and other leaders in the church to an unhealthy degree.   In this culture of celebrity I fear we are feeding egos and creating stumbling blocks for those tempted by power and prestige.

No wonder the  Church in the West is increasingly powerless! Mimicking the world, she is slowly devolving into a cheap, man-made substitute that caters to fleshly needs for experience and excitement, signs and wonders. Is she worshiping her own image, rather than the Lord who bought Her?

         Perhaps it's time for a bit of individual and collective soul searching!

"I am the Lord;
that is my name!
I will not yield
my glory to another
or my praise to idols."
(Isaiah 42:8)

1 Comment

NOT FOR SALE!

Image Bearers

Anne Reitzug

Archives

Categories