Listening to the Word

Exodus 28-29; Acts 7   “’After you put these clothes on your brother Aaron and his sons, anoint and ordain them. Consecrate them so they may serve me as priests…Take the anointing oil and anoint him by pouring it on his head.’” Exodus 28:41; 29:7 When the Lord pours out his Spirit on our lives, he is anointing us for service, consecrating us to serve him as priests. We are a “royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God” (1 Peter 2:9). The pouring of anointing oil ran onto the beards and clothing of Aaron and his sons (Psalm 133). This picture of an overflowing abundance of God’s presence is also captured with the term ‘baptism of the Holy Spirit.’ When we are baptized, we are completely immersed in the realm and presence of the Holy Spirit. This consecration, or setting apart, is not only for our empowerment, equipping, or effectiveness, but for the Lord’s glory first. We serve the Lord first before any service to others. Have we been anointed unto the Lord? “Lord Je...

Exodus 25-27; Acts 6 “’Command the Israelites to bring you clear oil of pressed olives for the light so that the lamps may be kept burning…Aaron and his sons are to keep the lamps burning before the Lord from evening till morning. This is to be a lasting ordinance among the Israelites for the generations to come.’” Exodus 27:20, 21 The seven channels of the lamp (menorah) burned olive oil and were to be continuously burning throughout the night. The oil represents the Holy Spirit, and it is the presence of God’s Spirit within us that makes us the light of the world (Matthew 5:14-16). The lampstand represents the Church which supports and contains its many members (Revelation 1:20). This lampstand with its seven continuously lit lamps stood next to the table on which was the bread of the Presence. Jesus is the fulfillment of that bread which gives life. The lampstand is to illuminate or point to the table and the Bread of Life. This beautiful picture of the anointing Holy Spirit, the Ch...

Exodus 23-24; Psalms 14; Acts 5   “They arrested the apostles and put them in the public jail. But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the jail and brought them out. ‘Go stand in the temple courts,’ he said, ‘and tell the people the full message of this new life.’” Acts 5:18-20 Imagine being arrested for sharing the gospel. A natural response would be intimidation and fear. However, the angel’s instruction to the apostles was clear; “Go stand in the temple courts and tell the people the full message of this new life.” Don’t hide, be bold. People need to hear about this new life. It is more than ‘fire insurance’ from hell; it’s a whole new life in the Spirit. What ‘jail’ are we confined in out of fear or intimidation? What does “standing in the temple courts” mean in our context?   What have we experienced in our new life in Christ that is good news to those around us? Will we pray for freedom, boldness, and opportunities to live on mission where we are? “...

Exodus 21-22; Psalms 12; Acts 4   “On their release, Peter and John went back to their own people and reported all that the chief priests and the elders had said to them. When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God. ‘Sovereign Lord,’ they said, ‘you made the heavens and the earth and the sea, and everything in them. You spoke and by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of your servant, our father David: ’Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain?’” Acts 4:23-25 When the religious authorities in Jerusalem opposed, rebuked, and threatened Peter and John, what did these disciples do? They immediately turned to God in prayer and reaffirmed his sovereign authority over their lives and the sovereign authority of his Word. The presence of the Lord and the Word of God guided the early church through the persecution, tests, and challenges of this new movement. With our tests and challenges, where do we turn to find perspective, encouragement, and new str...

Exodus 17-20; Acts 3   “’Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, and that he may send the Christ, who has been appointed for you – even Jesus. He must remain in heaven until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets.’” Acts 3:19-21 Repentance of our sins with humbleness before the Lord brings times of refreshing and renewal in the presence of the Lord. Our sin is a barrier to communion with God. Through the sacrifice of Jesus, God has made a way to draw near to him. God called the Israelites at Mount Sinai to consecrate themselves before the Lord so his presence could descend on the mountain. This became was a pattern that was followed for centuries in both the Tabernacle and the Temple.   As those who desire times of refreshing in the Church today, are we calling each other to repentance, or are we praying for renewal without understanding the ways...

Exodus 14-16; Acts 2   “Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven…Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs…All the believers were together and had everything in common.” Acts 2:5, 9-11, 44 The Church was birthed at Pentecost as a multinational, multicultural mission. Jews and God-fearers from many regions around the Mediterranean basin were in Jerusalem and received the gospel in the power of the Spirit. As these new disciples of Christ repented, were baptized, and filled with the Holy Spirit, they radically sacrificed, served, and worshipped together. Some stayed in Jerusalem to receive more teaching before returning to their home-areas with the gospel. Their experience of salvation and the person of the Holy Spirit upended their lives and gave them...

Exodus 12-13; Psalms 21; Acts 1   “So when they met together, they asked him, ‘Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?’ He said to them: ‘It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.’” Acts 1:6-8 Earthly kingdoms and nations are still a significant distraction for Christ’s disciples. We pray for our political leaders to follow God’s ways and even send Christ-followers into government positions. However, Christ’s kingdom is very different from the kingdoms of this world. Jesus promised his disciples if they waited in Jerusalem and waited on the Lord, he would pour out his Spirit on them, empowering them to be witnesses of the reality of the gospel to transform hearts. He doesn’t happen to mention budgets and strategic plans. Christ’s kingdom is within us...

Exodus 9-11; Luke 24 “And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself…’Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?’” Luke 24:27, 32 The same Holy Spirit, who inspired the Prophets and writers of Scripture, opens our eyes and understanding of the Word of God. Like the two disciples on the road to Emmaus, we need Jesus to give us revelation as to who he is and how the entire Bible points to him. When we are being taught by the Holy Spirit from God’s Word, we, too, will testify “our hearts (were) burning within us.” These two disciples were so impacted by Jesus’ revelation to them that they walked seven miles back to Jerusalem, in the dark, to find the eleven disciples and share what they had just experienced. We, too, will be moved to share with others what we have experienced of Jesus and learned from his Word. When our hearts are on fire with the liv...

Exodus 6-8; Luke 23   “’…I will free you from being slaves to them, and I will redeem you with an out-stretched arm…I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God…I will bring you to the land I swore with uplifted hand to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.’….Moses reported this to the Israelites, but they did not listen to him because of their discouragement and cruel bondage.” Exodus 6:6-9 God’s extraordinary promises to Israel fell on deaf ears because of their discouragement. Jehovah God promised to free his people, redeem them, and make them his own by bringing them into the Promised Land. What has God promised us in the New Covenant sealed by Christ’s blood? Are we able to hear and receive God’s promises of deliverance from the strongholds of sin, a new identity in Christ, and the empowerment of his Spirit? Discouragement robs us of our inheritance and capacity to listen to the Word. Will we take our eyes off our circumstances and place them on the Lord? Today,...

Exodus 3-5; Luke 22   “…’The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who exercise authority over them call themselves Benefactors. But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves…But I am among you as one who serves.’” Luke 22:25, 26, 27 The world uses authority to control and dominate. Jesus calls his disciples to use authority to serve and empower others. Jesus has conferred (given) us his kingdom where he is our King. Authority in Christ’s kingdom is expressed in humility, love, forgiveness, generosity, encouragement, and service. In our context, “Benefactors” can use money to exercise influence or even control over kingdom ministry. Jesus exposes the dark power of money when misused for personal gain. We are not to be like that! We are to serve through how we lead. Instead of fueling GOAT-type (Greatest of All Time) thinking, consider ourselves as those who are always learning...

Exodus 1-2; Ps 88; Luke 21 “Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with dissipation, drunkenness, and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you unexpectedly like a trap. For it will come upon all those who live on the face of the whole earth. Be always on the watch and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man.” Luke 21:34-36 Be careful, watch, and pray, so that you may be able to escape and stand before the Son of Man. Jesus taught that living with a daily expectation of his return would keep us from sin, strengthen our prayer life, and prepare us to give an account for our lives before his throne. It is healthy to live in the light of eternity. Jesus is returning soon. This expectancy focuses our lives on that which has eternal value. People matter to God. Invest in sharing the gospel. Holiness matters to God. Repent daily and resist temptation. Those who live this way have light heart...

Genesis 49-50; Psalms 8; Luke 20   “O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens. From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise because of your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger.” Psalm 8:1, 2 The mighty power of our Creator-God is contrasted with the frailty of an infant. Yet even this tiny expression of God’s creation gives our Creator praise through the wonder of how we are made. Jesus quoted this text in the temple courts as the children shouted, “Hosanna, to the Son of David” (Matthew 21:16). As the Pharisees and teachers of the law mocked and opposed Christ, it was the children who praised God and worshiped him for the miracles they had seen. In the humility of grateful praise to God, we, too, establish a stronghold against the enemy of our soul who came to kill, steal, and destroy the truth of our Creator-God in our lives and in this world. Will we, too, worship our Creator-God this day for...

Genesis 47-48; Psalms 10; Luke 19 “But you, O God, do see the trouble and grief; you consider it to take it in hand. The victim commits himself to you; you are the helper of the fatherless…You hear, O Lord, the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them, and you listen to their cry, defending the fatherless and the oppressed, in order that man, who is of the earth, may terrify no more.” Psalm 10:14, 17, 18 We serve a God who both sees and hears the afflicted and the fatherless. We can cry out to the Lord and commit our lives into his hands. The Lord is the helper and defender of the fatherless. Mercy and justice are part of the nature of God just as in the character of those who are filled with his Spirit. We carry the presence and character of the Lord in his mission of making disciples of all nations. In obedience, followers of Christ have birthed names for the fatherless around the world. We respond to trouble and grief with loving compassion because that is how the Lord has loved ...

Genesis 44-46; Luke 18   “Your servant guaranteed the boy’s safety to my father. I said, ‘If I do not bring him back to you, I will bear the blame before you, my father, all my life!’ Now then, please let your servant remain here as my lords’ slave in place of the boy, and let the boy return with his brothers.’” Genesis 44:32, 33 Judah’s intercession before Joseph for the life and freedom of Benjamin was a testimony to the transforming work of God in his life. Much earlier it had been Judah who was instrumental in selling Joseph into slavery. Now Judah was willing to be enslaved himself, rather than allow any harm to come to Jacob’s favored son. This is a picture of Christ’s intercession for us as he willingly took our sin upon himself, that we might be free from the penalty of sin and death.   As those who have experienced this freedom, are we, like Judah, available to intercede before God for the freedom of others? Are we willing to offer our lives for the lives of others? T...

Genesis 42-43; Psalms 5; Luke 17 “Although Joseph recognized his brothers, they did not recognize him. Then he remembered his dreams about them and said to them, ‘You are spies! You have come to see where our land is unprotected.’” Genesis 42:8, 9 Joseph’s dreams of his brothers bowing down to him caused much anger- and even contempt by his family. By sharing these God-given dreams with his them, Joseph prepared them for recognizing the hand of God at work when the time of fulfillment took place. We serve a prophetic God who prepares us for what is to come. This prophetic nature of God should give us faith that God’s Word is true and will be fulfilled. However, when we, like Joseph, receive a prophetic word through a dream, or the application of God’s Word to our lives, it is meant for confirmation, not direction. Joseph didn’t look for ways to make his brothers bow before him. When the prophetic word was fulfilled, he remembered the dream and God used that dream to confirm God’s hand ...

Genesis 39-41; Luke 16   “Joseph’s master took him and put him in prison…’…I was forcibly carried off from the land of the Hebrews, and even here I have done nothing to deserve being put in a dungeon.’” Genesis 39:20; 40:15 Joseph’s enslavement, confinement, and mistreatment were all allowed by God for a future promotion, assignment, and saving of many people. Our confining tests must also be seen as the Lord’s sovereign preparation and refinement of our lives for his glory. We, too, might protest that we have “done nothing to deserve being put in a dungeon;” but our full story has not yet been told. If we will choose to surrender to the Lord in our circumstances, and choose to bless, honor, and forgive those who have confined us, we, too, will live a testimony of God’s saving, transforming power. The tests God allows in our lives can be his greatest gifts to us if we respond with humility. From what “dungeon” does the Lord want to redeem to develop godly character, perseverance, a...

Genesis 37-38; Psalms 7; Luke 15 “O Lord my God, I take refuge in you; save and deliver me from all who pursue me, for they will tear me like a lion and rip me to pieces with no one to rescue me.” Psalm 7:1, 2 David cried out to the Lord to deliver him from the harmful intent of a man named Cush of the tribe of Benjamin. Cush could have been a relative of Saul, or even one of his inner bodyguards who carried Saul’s bitterness. We don’t know. What we know is David’s prayer in response to Cush’s attacks against David. David saw the Lord as his refuge. God, who saved the upright in heart, was his shield and protector. David’s main focus was living each day in unbroken fellowship with the Lord. It was the Lord’s responsibility to save and deliver David. As a young man, David had confronted and killed a lion. He could have done the same with Cush. However, David knew that fighting Cush would open his heart to the same bitterness and anger. Instead, David took refuge in the Lord, and his wea...

Genesis 34-36; Luke 14 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters – yes, even his own life – he cannot be my disciple. And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.” Luke 14:26, 27 We often define discipleship and being a disciple of Jesus by what we know. Jesus defined it first as a radical surrender of our will and heart affections to him. Our love for Jesus is to be far greater than our love for our family. In comparison to this love for Jesus, we would hate our family. These are strong words. Jesus calls his disciples to daily die to self and the life of self-indulgence, take up our cross, and follow him. This is not just for missionaries and serious Christians. This costly life of daily listening to, obeying, and following Jesus is for every disciple of Christ. Our inability to live this way means we don’t make disciples because we ourselves have not yet become disciples in the way of J...

Genesis 31-33; Luke 13 “So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak.” Genesis 32:24 After fleeing in fear from Esau to Laban’s family, Jacob deceived Laban who in turn deceived Jacob. Jacob then returned to Esau with a scheme of pacifying him through lavish gifts. Jacob was at the end of his capacity and strength. Fear had overtaken him. Deceptions were inadequate for what faced him when he returned to his estranged brother Esau. Alone in a confining, fearful, and seemingly hopeless situation was where Jacob found himself as he wrestled with an angel. Wrestling with God will not go well. Jacob’s hip injury and lifetime limp testified to that inevitable outcome. However, this was the breaking point in Jacob’s life when he yielded himself and his will in surrender to God. Jacob’s name and identity changed from deceiver to overcomer. Have we come to the end of ourselves and our capacity yet? “Lord Jesus, you are my sufficiency; in you I put my trust, for your glory....

Genesis 29-30; Luke 12   “…So she said to Jacob, ‘Give me children, or I’ll die!’…Then God remembered Rachel; he listened to her and opened her womb. She became pregnant and gave birth to a son and said, ‘God has taken away my disgrace.’ She named him Joseph, and said, ‘May the Lord add to me another son.’” Genesis 30:1, 22-24 This desperate cry and prayer of Rachel’s, ‘give me children or I’ll die,’ was heard by the Lord. God listened to Rachel, and he is listening to countless parents like her. As those who have been born again into God’s spiritual family, we all have been called to reproduce. How desperate are we to have spiritual children that we conceive through prayer? Spiritual new birth is a miracle that only God can do; however, he is asking us to cooperate with him in the womb of intercession and pray for our ‘Josephs.’ Rachel wasn’t satisfied with one son; she wanted many more. As churches and disciples in the West, many have not had spiritual children. Are we desperate ...