Set apart and prepared for ministry

 

 By faith
Moses’ parents hid him
for three months
after he was born,
because they saw
he was no ordinary child,
and they were not afraid
of the king’s edict.
Hebrews 11:23

 

Moses' ministry preparation had been put in motion centuries before his birth. His ancestor Joseph had been sold into slavery in Egypt by his brothers. God provided opportunities for him to rise through the ranks until he became second only to Pharaoh and administered Egypt's food distribution program. (Genesis 39-47)

A worldwide famine caused Joseph's father and his entire clan to emigrate to Egypt, where they were welcomed by Joseph and Pharaoh. He told his brothers, “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today” (Genesis 50:20.)

The Hebrews (Joseph's people) prospered and grew in number, while maintaining their language, culture and religion. A change in government led to the Hebrews becoming slaves. Their continued growth led Pharaoh to order the death of all male children at birth. When the midwives did not comply with his decree, Pharaoh ordered all male babies to be drowned.

“By faith Moses’ parents hid him for three months after he was born, because they saw he was no ordinary child, and they were not afraid of the king’s edict” (Hebrews 11:23.)

Then, they placed Moses in an ark and floated him down the river where Pharaoh’s daughter rescued him. Knowing the child to be a Hebrew, she ignored Pharaoh's decree and adopted him. Moses' sister Miriam had secretly followed and offered to find a Hebrew wet nurse for the infant. Thus Moses’ mother was the one who nursed him. She would return the child once it was weaned but, for two or three years, Moses was nursed by his mother. She sang lullabies and told him stories that planted the seeds of faith in him. Paul reminded Timothy that his faith was first kindled by his mother and grandmother (2 Timothy 1:5.) The Bible tells us, “Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it (Proverbs 22:6.)

Following his early education in the faith at his mother's knee, “Moses was educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and was powerful in speech and action” (Acts 7:22.)

God had plans for Moses to lead, govern and give laws to a nation. Towards that end, the first 40 years of his life were spent in the courts of Pharaoh but the Bible tells us, “By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter” (Hebrews 11:24.)

Moses thought he could help his people by his own power, prestige, and position but God had another plan. Moses murdered an Egyptian who was beating a Hebrew slave and had to flee to the desert. This brought about the next phase of Moses education.

In the desert, Moses became accustomed to hardship and poverty, learning how to live in want as well as how to live with plenty. Those whom God intends to exalt he will make humble first (1 Peter 5:6.)

His life in Egypt made him as a scholar, a gentleman, a statesman, and a soldier. Moses now learned about quiet deliberation and patience. He would come to know what its like to live close to God through the solitude of a shepherd’s life.

Moses needed to learn that it would be God who would deliver the Hebrews. God did not need Moses' military powers. He had to be weak and humble enough for God to use.

God is in control. He chose the date and place of your birth according with the mission he desires for you to accomplish. God uses the experiences of your life to prepare you for the challenges ahead. His timing is perfect.

Regardless of who you are or where you have been God desires to do great things through you. It can be difficult to understand or see the role that God has called you to but, if you remain faithful, it will eventually become clear.

Our past does not disqualify us from God’s service. There are no wasted experiences. God will take our past mistakes and use them to prepare us for what He intends to accomplish through us. God give us the ability to rise above our past and to accomplish great things for Him.

There is not a minute when God is not present. He is present in the birth of Moses. He is present in his Mother and sister and the woman who rescued him from the water.

Moses' biography reminds us that even in the darkest of times, God has a plan. The Hebrews were slaves under a cruel and corrupt leader at the time of the birth of Moses. At the darkest moment, God was already at work. God has a plan for you. God has a plan for His church. God has a plan for your community. No matter how dark the days or how confusing the world is, God has a plan. 

For we are His creation,
created in Christ Jesus for good works,
which God prepared ahead of time
so that we should walk in them.
Ephesians 2:10

Working with government agencies

Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for 

there is no authority except that which God has established. 

The authorities that exist have been established by God... 

the one in authority is God’s servant for your good.  

Romans 13:1-4

When it came time to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem, Nehemiah asked the leader of the government in power for help. King Artaxerxes, though not a believer, gave Nehemiah leave, travel documents, and letters of credit. God had worked in the heart of this pagan ruler to show favor to Nehemiah.

In Genesis (39-47) we read that God had arranged for Joseph to become head of a government feeding program that saved not only Egypt but, also, Israel and the rest of the region. The Apostle Paul made full use of his rights as a Roman citizen to preserve his life and gain an audience with the emperor. God has established government authorities to fulfill His purposes.

Churches today are beneficiaries of many government programs. These include police and fire protection, safe roads and building codes. Some churches also partner with the government in summer feeding programs, day care vouchers, and senior adult and veterans' services to name a few.

In fact, urban churches provide services to their community that would otherwise need to be provided by a government agency. Examples include emergency food and clothing distribution, counseling, support groups, recreation, etc. More than 80% of the recipients of these services are not members of the church providing them.

A government of the people, by the people, and for the people works with churches and other local, faith-based groups for the common good. One such endeavor is the Faith-Based Initiative of San Antonio. The Initiative was created by the city council in 2016 to facilitate relational collaboration, active partnerships, and networked services between the San Antonio faith community, government agencies, non-profit organizations and community groups.

The Faith Liaison for the Initiative, Ann Helmke, helped to organize a group of churches in District 3 to work with Councilwoman Rebecca Villagran to tackle the issues of hunger and homelessness. Within a year we had four new food pantries and an ID recovery program in the areas of greatest needs.

As God “makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust (Matthew 5:45),” So teamwork builds God's Kingdom for all, even, with the help of people who may not see the world as I do.

Everyone Has Something to Offer

Joseph's welfare plan helped people in need while preserving individual dignity and the economy. (Genesis 41)

God revealed to Joseph that Egypt would face seven years of bumper crops followed by seven years of famine. Joseph's plan was for the government to buy grain at low prices and store it for the hard years that were sure to follow.

When the famine came, Joseph sold the food that had been stored by Egypt. It was not a give away plan. The people weren't destitute and had something to offer in exchange. Furthermore, Joseph preserved the value of the grain by selling it. He believed that free things have no value to the person receiving it.

Many poverty relief efforts magnify the superiority of folks with abundant resources and create a sense of helplessness among the poor. People will not take charge of their own lives when they know that, if they wait long enough, we will take charge. The poor have been trained to see themselves as consumers not producers. If your church is known as a place to go to for free food, it might have difficulty convincing people that they need to start working to earn their daily bread.

Poverty can be the result of personal sin, unjust systems or a calamity. Looking past the economic realities, our aim is to help people become fully devoted followers of Christ.

We need to affirm people's dignity and contributes to the process of overcoming their poverty of being. Although it is easier to provide food, clothes, shelter, and money, this is not sustainable and increases the feeling of helplessness and inferiority.

People and communities are full of God-given possibilities. We need to identify resources within the community and mobilize the people to free themselves from root causes of their poverty. Then, we can truly help people without short-circuiting the economy or creating dependency.