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

God is always at work around you

Experiencing God: Reality 1 

When a missionary enters a “pioneer” area they tend to think that they are bringing God into a “godforsaken” land. I was a Marine attending a very mission minded Southern Baptist Church in North Carolina when I received orders to NAS Patuxent River, Maryland. In my mind, the north was the realm of atheism and I saw God's hand in providing me an opportunity to bring the gospel to a sinful people.

I was surprised to find Christians in Maryland and a new church start in the community where I had moved. I quickly found a home there and was licensed, mentored and ordained by a people who were mission minded and eager to train a young man with a call to ministry. I learned that God was at work in Maryland long before He arranged for me to arrive.

From Maryland, I went to New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. I had pictured myself as a youth pastor in an outlying rural community. Apparently, so had every other ministry student. I found myself, instead, the pastor of an inner-city new church start just outside the French Quarter.

God had been at work in advance of my arrival. There were seminary students who had arrived at NOBTS for reasons unrelated to my church who partnered with me in this God-sized adventure. They were sojourners on a quest for their own God-driven destinies.

Looking back I can see how God had been at work in my life and in the life of Baptist Temple to create the wonderful ministry that has emerged. I know that He has been at work carefully selecting who would be a part of the future and who would not. Even now He is developing leaders who will lead Baptist Temple into the future.

God is always at work around us. We must open the eyes of our heart to see what he is doing. 

Praying Under Pressure

Mark 14:32-42

Jesus' prayer in Gethsemane shows how to respond to anxiety and stay within God's will. Jesus was under great pressure. He said, "My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death.” (Mark 14:34)

Have you ever experienced that level of stress; waiting for the results of a medical test or facing the aftermath of a life changing event? Physical symptoms include loss of sleep, weakness, and inability to concentrate. Stress can ruin your day.

Anticipation – even with an assured outcome – brings stress. Jesus was distressed even though he knew he would rise in 3 days. He turned to our heavenly Father in prayer.

This was not a casual chat with God about a concern or desire. It wasn’t a polished, formal prayer. It follows the pattern of laments in the Psalms when one would pour out emotions and complaints. It’s the prayer we pray when we’ve run out of options; with our lives turned upside down and headed in a bad direction.

Jesus cried out “Abba, Father...” (Mark 14:36)

This is an informal way of addressing one's father. It isn’t a sign of disrespect, but of trust that God hears and cares. Some might think it a little disrespectful to address Our Father Who Art in Heaven as “daddy” but, when we are in a Gethsemane-like experience, we need to pray as a child to a loving father.

We’re so used to “doing” things to solve our problems that prayer seems a waste of time. Praying doesn’t often look like its doing anything but we need to wait on God. “They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” (Isaiah 40:31)

Jesus was strengthened by supernatural power. Three times Jesus asked the Father to find another way for Him to do His mission but he ended His prayer: “Yet, not what I will, but as You will." (Mark 14:36)

Jesus submits entirely to the Father’s will. Luke tells us that an angel from heaven strengthened Jesus. (Luke 22:43) For every Gethsemane there is an angel to come along side and strengthen us. God sent ravens to feed Elijah. He provided manna for the Israelites in the wilderness. He will take care of you.

If you're going through a Gethsemane experience, you can still experience God's presence and comfort. Prayer will transform our pain into spiritual growth through supernatural strength.

Spy v. Spy

Mark 14:12-26

This part of Mark’s gospel reads like a spy novel.

THE BAD GUYS

The religious establishment is plotting to murder Jesus. They liked things the way they used to be and did not care that God had a better way. Judas was their inside man. One of the closest to Jesus told the enemy where he could be found. He walked up to Jesus in the darkness and marked him for death with a kiss.

THE GOOD GUYS

Jesus' people are everywhere. Remember the ones who gave the Apostles the donkey colt? They heard the right phrase and provided Jesus' ride into Jerusalem. (Mark 11:1-6)

Jesus told the Apostles to look for a man carrying a pitcher of water. They would get the location for the evening's passover observance from him. This would have been an uncommon site, as getting of water was considered woman’s work but, in the hustle and bustle of passover, no one would have paid much attention to the man carrying water. On the other hand, for the Apostles, it was a secret sign.

God often works behind the scenes. Rahab was an innkeeper in the city of Jericho. She had heard about God and the miraculous delivery of His people from slavery in Egypt and decided to protect Israel's spies and advance God's agenda. (Joshua 2)

History is often remembered through the stories of kings and generals but God's story is told through faithful followers that are unimportant to the world.

THE SLEEPER AGENTS

There are infiltrators who live among us as normal people. They are loyal to another country and are ready to attack when orders are given. They have the capacity to do great damage because they act like everyone else; they talk the talk and walk the walk. Like Judas, they strike without warning.

One the other hand, even the schemes of the enemy can serve God's purposes. Judas was a key figure in the story of redemption. Joseph's brothers sold him into slavery but God used that event to save the people of Israel. The communist's expelled European missionaries from China but the church continued to grow.

A little is a lot in God's hands

Mark6:30-44

When Jesus is confronted with a crowd of 5000 hungry people he reacts with action-oriented compassion. He recognized both their spiritual and physical needs, seeing them as “sheep without a shepherd.” (v.34)

The disciples are shocked when Jesus tells them to feed the people themselves. They said, “That would take eight months wages! Are we going to go and spend that much on bread and give it to them to eat?” (v. 37)

A God-sized vision like this is impossible for us to carry out on our own strength. Some will turn away from needy and hurting people with the excuse that the need is too great and our resources are too small. However, when God asks us to do the impossible, it is not up to us to point out the cost to him. There are always plenty of resources to God's work. Pioneer missionary, William Carey challenges us to “Attempt great things for God and expect great things from God.”

When Jesus asked, “How many loaves do you have? Go and see.” (v. 38)

It's hard to believe that, out of 5000 people, the disciples were only able to round up five loaves and two fish. It's probably all anyone would share. Jesus focused on what was faithfully offered and was thankful for it. He blessed it and changed the crisis of scarcity into a bountiful blessing. There were 12 baskets filled with leftovers.

In God's hands a little is more than enough. Over the past 4 years Baptist Temple has done so much more than we thought we could because God’s call is always bigger than our resources. You may think that you have little to give for the building of God’s Kingdom but, if we put ourselves--all we are and all we have--into the hands of Jesus, he can and will do great things with us and through us!

Jesus knew what would happen but the disciples acted out of faith. All they had to do was obey. When we act out of faith we release the power of the Holy Spirit. Imagine if no one had contributed the bread and fish.

What if the disciples said no? There are stories of people who said no to Jesus including the rich young ruler and Judas. The gospel continued without them – they lost out on the blessing.

What are you holding back? What resources do you have to offer? What opportunity has God put before you? Don't be surprised by the power of God to multiply our resources and magnify our efforts.

Joshua is conned by the Gibeonites (Joshua 9)

Gibeon was one of the Canaanite cities that God commanded to be destroyed. They feared Israel and devised a plan to ensure their survival. They knew that Israel was allowed to make treaties with cities outside of the Promised Land.

The Gibeonites put together a group of men and disguised them to look like ambassadors from a distant city. They were equipped with worn clothing and shoes and carried moldy bread and cracked wine skins to give the impression that they had been on a long journey from a far-off land. Joshua and the nation of Israel were tricked into a treaty that was in violation of God’s commands.

Joshua and the leaders of Israel did not sin deliberately. They carefully inspected the evidence presented by the Gibeonites and found it to support the story. The Bible tells us that their failure was in neglecting to consult God before making a decision.

When Joshua discovered that he had been deceived, he declared that the Gibeonites would be tasked to chop wood and carry water in support of the Tabernacle worship. The Gibeonites never gave Israel any trouble and came to be called the Nethinim (given ones) and labored as servants in the temple (1 Chron. 9:2; Ezra 2:43, 58; Neh. 3:26).

When the other five Canaanite cities in the region heard of Gibeon’s plan to allay with Israel, they gathered to destroy Gibeon. The five armies, now out in the open, were easy prey to Israel.

We can learn some important lessons from this story. First, Satan sometimes comes as a devouring lion (1 Peter 5:8) and sometimes as a deceiving serpent (2 Cor. 11:3). Our senses can be deceived so we must seek God as we make decisions.

Second, we should make the best of our circumstances. The Gibeonites served the Tabernacle and, later the Temple until the Babylonian captivity.

Third, God can use our mistakes to fulfill his plans. They five kings that gathered to destroy Gibeon were marked by God for destruction. Their gathering in one place, out in the open made it easier for Israel to defeat them.

“And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28 (NKJV)