Praising Power

Do you remember your reaction when "The Dominator" blew an engine pulling to the finish line in last weekend's tractor pull? While I admit this is definitely a Western NY summer reference, there is a certain element that I believe you can appreciate wherever you live. We love power! Especially raw, unbridled, explosive power! We are men! (insert appropriate Tim Allen-style grunting/growling here) We love "Binford Power Tools", we love stock car racing, we love tractor pulls, we love bone-jarring football; we love power.

As I read Luke 10:17-24 this morning I realized that the seventy that were sent out by Jesus came back to the debriefing circle excited. They had just seen raw power -- the kind that made demons fall flat on their backsides! Jesus was excited with them, for their ministry efforts had toppled even Satan himself! But Jesus' warning in v. 20 was what captured my attention.

"Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are recorded in heaven."

The temptation was to say "WOW! lookie, lookie what I did! I am an amazing servant of God!" Jesus was suggesting that the word order was important. The word order should have been "WOW! lookie, lookie what God did! I serve an amazing God!" He said that first of all the biggest activity of power was the rescue of sinners, not casting down of demons. He said that the salvation of the servants, not the subjection of the enemies was the best cause for spiritual partying.

Then Jesus did a very important activity -- He led them in Spirit-ual worship. He was demonstrating to the seventy disciples that the power for ministry comes from a person (the Father) by His intentional ministry of revelation to the ministers first. Jesus, being in tune with the Spirit, started a praise session at the debrief time. I have seen this happen first hand a number of times -- it is awesome! But I dare not praise the power of praise/worship, as great as it is, for it is small in comparison with the fact that I can praise a personally known God at all!

May I suggest a few things that we need to do in light of this passage?:

1. Tap into the power that God has to do the best ministry; "so, forget about yourself and concentrate on him, then worship him"
2. Remember to include a time of debriefing after ministry and lead it into praise and prayer time celebrating a great God of power, not the power of our great God
3. Thank God every day for the revelations that He brings to you through His Word and His people; keep living, serving, being by that kind of power

Power-up by the All Powerful One's power for ministry of the gospel,

Mike

This is Only a Test

Have you ever fallen asleep watching that all-night John Wayne Movie Marathon and been wakened in the wee hours of the morning by the annoying sound of the emergency broadcasting system check? Drool running from the corner of your mouth, contacts dried onto your bleary eyes, and ears still ringing with that annoying tone (beeeeeeeeeeeeeeep), you wonder to yourself and maybe say out loud "What was that all about? Why did I need to go through that painful experience? Can we get back to the Duke here?"

No one likes to get into painful situations. However, painful situations will happen as you journey. The Israelites hit such a bottom point only three days out from the Red Sea. At the end of Exodus 15, they came to a spot on the map where they were without water and they found a shallow, small hole in the wilderness called Marah. Marah means "bitter" and this drinking hole was the reason for the name on the sign. As the Israelites got to this low spot in their spiritual walk, a couple of things happened:

1. They lost faith in God -- 14:31 said that they had faith in God and in Moses. then 15:24 declares that they complained against Moses. They couldn't see past the bad taste in their mouth. Moses fortunately doesn't join in on their chorus; he prays and talks to God about the situation.
2. God did something miraculous -- 15:25 says that God helped Moses know what to do next in this low spot of intense trouble. And Moses obeyed, thereby opening the floodgates for a miracle to occur.
3. God used this hardship to teach the Israelites a valuable lesson -- This place, Marah was a test point. It was intended to strengthen faith. The faith that was dropped as soon as the way became bitter was not genuine -- it was "blue skies and sunny" faith. The "blue skies" faith is a common commodity -- lots of people have that. The "bitter water" faith is fairly rare. The only way that you get it is at the low, hard spots of life.

The lesson that God was instructing the Israelites on was the standard by which God blesses or chastens his children:

"If you will give earnest heed to the voice of the LORD your God, and do what is right in His sight, and give ear to His commandments, and keep all His statutes, I will put none of these diseases on you which I have put on the Egyptians; for I, the LORD, am your healer." Ex. 15:26, NASB

One of the parts I love about this verse is that the LORD gets a new name -- Healer. He is saying that this test will determine whether I have to spank you or not. And if I do have to spank you (you failed the test) I will work to restore you and forgive you and make it whole again. He wants to heal us after He does the surgery necessary. He exposes the needs we have for surgery at the Marah test sites. He shows us that we are still immature or even diseased and then He sets about to bring correction and healing. What a great Physician!

Are you in a Marah location right now? God wants to use it to expose the bitter and make it sweet. He wants to heal the junk that you are carrying inside. Let him make the corrections so that the next time this comes up, you pass the test! Don't be like King Beltshazzar who was weighed and found wanting!

Do your work and then heal me, LORD,
Mike