Church is Family: Learning from the Book of Ruth

In a bid to give their family security during a famine, a man and his wife relocate themselves to a well-to-do country that was relatively unscathed. Children are born, a house is built, weddings blossom and life is good when suddenly, as if the zip around their careful lives becomes undone, one by one, the father and both sons fall ill and die. The women, who were previously in a whirlwind of worry, bustling Doctors, and round-the-clock nursing suddenly find themselves inexplicably abandoned. The beds are curiously empty, the house silent. The neighbours look askance at them.

This is the situation Naomi, Orpah and Ruth found themselves. In a culture where husbands and sons meant security and protection while widows begged for food, were bullied and forgotten, Naomi and her daughter in laws were suddenly of the latter category. It was a disaster. How could it be?

Naomi's heart turned bitter as she thought about the bleak future she now faced. Who could blame her? Her daughter in laws must remarry to give themselves a secure life so she tries to ensure that by letting them go. However, Naomi herself was too old to remarry; she would not know that kind of security ever again. The years stretched before her as a yawning chasm. She would return to her people. At least she would be among her own in the twilight of her life, even if she would sit alone in a silent house until the end.

After all those dark months of clinging to one another, Orpah and Ruth would not hear of parting. They were all they had left of the memories of their husbands. Must the women also part and let time scatter these remnants of a once happy family to the wind?

And they said to her, “Surely we will return with you to your people.”But Naomi said, “Turn back, my daughters; why will you go with me? Are there still sons in my womb, that they may be your husbands?Turn back, my daughters, go—for I am too old to have a husband. If I should say I have hope, if I should have a husband tonight and should also bear sons, would you wait for them till they were grown? Would you restrain yourselves from having husbands? No, my daughters; for it grieves me very much for your sakes that the hand of the Lord has gone out against me!”(Ruth 1:10-13)

Meditate then on the ramifications Ruth was bringing upon herself when she clung to Naomi and said:

“Entreat me not to leave you,Or to turn back from following after you;For wherever you go, I will go;And wherever you lodge, I will lodge;Your people shall be my people,And your God, my God.17 Where you die, I will die,And there will I be buried.The Lord do so to me, and more also,If anything but death parts you and me."

The Lord do so to me... these are the words of an adamant vow that cannot be broken, since they were made in the name of the God of Israel. But Ruth was not an Israelite. She was a Moabitess, a stranger to the covenant of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. She was from a line produced by incest from Lot's family, Abraham's nephew. Lot's daughters had thought that they and their father were the only beings left on the Earth after the catastrophic destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. Her people had always been at war with the Israelites.

Yet, after life with Naomi and her family, Ruth was willing to adopt and be adopted to the most complete degree posssible, despite the grief she had experienced with them. Here, we learn our first point about family: family is life-long commitment to each other through thick and thin. A commitment that is held by the strength of the name of the God of Israel. Ruth somehow still saw grace and hope in this God while Naomi only saw punishment in her pain.

'Naomi' means 'pleasant' but she could not see anything pleasant about her life and instead asked to be called 'Mara' which means 'bitter'.

“Do not call me Naomi; call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. I went out full, and the Lord has brought me home again empty. Why do you call me Naomi, since the Lord has testified against me, and the Almighty has afflicted me?”

Here is our second lesson: family is the lending of strength. We lean on each other in times of need but sometimes when life is difficult, we can to push people away. Ruth was wise and knew to lean in and lend her strength although Naomi clearly did not appreciate her in the beginning, saying that she had come back 'empty' even while Ruth had stayed by her side unconditionally at great price. Bitter hearts don't need nagging; they need sacrificial love to help them heal.

Ruth threw herself into caring for her mother-in-law. In the culture of those days, daughters no longer belonged to their father's house once she becomes married. She becomes members of her husband's family. Ruth could have returned to her own people but she left all that was familiar, all that was dear from her pre-marriage life because now Naomi was all the family she had, and this family bond was the most important thing to her.

Naomi and Ruth had returned to Bethlehem at the beginning of the barley harvest and it happened that a wealthy man named Boaz was in the process of harvesting his fields. It seemed that the whole town knew who Ruth was, but none had taken any steps to welcome her. Like any new immigrant in an unfamiliar garb and pronunciation of speech, it was likely that she stuck out like a sore thumb. Yet, when Ruth found herself gleaning in Boaz's field, she came face to face with kindness.

Then Boaz said to Ruth, “You will listen, my daughter, will you not? Do not go to glean in another field, nor go from here, but stay close by my young women. Let your eyes be on the field which they reap, and go after them. Have I not commanded the young men not to touch you? And when you are thirsty, go to the vessels and drink from what the young men have drawn.”

At the lunch hour, he made sure she felt at home.

Now Boaz said to her at mealtime, “Come here, and eat of the bread, and dip your piece of bread in the vinegar.” So she sat beside the reapers, and he passed parched grain to her; and she ate and was satisfied, and kept some back. And when she rose up to glean, Boaz commanded his young men, saying, “Let her glean even among the sheaves, and do not reproach her. Also let grain from the bundles fall purposely for her; leave it that she may glean, and do not rebuke her.”

Boaz knew who she was but didn't leave it at that: he decided to treat her like family. Learn from him as we watch how he reached out to her:

• You will listen, my daughter, will you not?
  Family is adoption
• Do not go to glean in another field, nor go from here, but stay close by my young women.
  Family is taking you under my wing
• Have I not commanded the young men not to to touch you?
  Family is to look out for your well being
• And when you are thirsty, go to the vessels and drink from what the young men have drawn.
  Family is making sure your needs will be met
•  Come here, and eat of the bread, and dip your piece of bread in the vinegar
  Family is giving the right to belong
• He passed parched grain to her
  Family is to make meaningful contact
• Boaz commanded his young men, "Let her glean among the sheaves, and do not reproach her..."
  Family is making sure others see you as family too

There are many people around us without family, or who are disconnected from community in one sense or another. They may be in our classes, workplaces, Church halls, in the same shopping aisle as we pass each other. We may notice that they are down, disconnected, or in need, but are we reaching out like Boaz did for Ruth, who was new to the town and had not yet found her feet?

Church is family, the family of the One who paid the price for our freedom, gave us His Name and gave us a place in His house. We need to look out for each other. However, God not only paid the price for our freedom, but also for all who will trust Him. Our Heavenly Father calls us to go to the highways and by-ways and compel those we find wandering to come in so that His house may be full (Luke 14:23).

How will you be a Boaz today, and everyday?

Source: http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevinwax/files/2012/06/waiting-for-a-harvest.jpg

Anointed

We tend to only look at ourselves through the lens of our abilities and limitations but we would realise how much more is available to us if we would look through the work of the Cross.

Ephesians 5:29-30
For no one has ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the Church. For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones.

So there it is - we all know in our heads that we are His children but did you realise that God, when He created in us new spirits in the image of His Son (2 Cor 5:17; Rom 8:29) made us part of Himself? We are "of His body, of His flesh and of His bones" which is a very Jewish way of saying "you are part of me. I am yours, and you are mine". 

When we became part of the family through Jesus' redemptive work on the Cross, we were not just adopted: God took the old you, put it out of the way and created in you a new spirit, a brand new creation (2 Cor 5:17) filled with His Spiritual DNA. This expression first came about when Adam realised that Eve was made from his rib and pronounced, "This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man."(Gen 2:23). The saying 'of His flesh and of His bones' in Ephesians has the same intimate meaning.

Here's something else: if you have the Spirit of God residing within you (1 Cor 6:19; 2 Cor 6:16), if you have opened the door of your heart to Jesus the Christ (Rev 3:20), then the same power that raised Jesus from the dead and did all those mighty miracles in Old and New Testament is available to you. Why? "For I am the Lord, I change not" (Mal 3:6) and 'Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever' (Heb 13:8).

Luke 4:18-21 tells us that when Jesus first began His ministry in Galilee, He visited His home town's synagogue and read Isaiah 61:1-2a, saying:

the Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because the Lord has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor, He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound, to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord... Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.

Jesus was proclaiming Himself to be Saviour, Healer, Deliverer. If you have Jesus as YOUR Lord and Saviour, He is still fulfilling that same mission statement through the members of His body. He is still healing, saving and delivering, but are you working with Him, or shying away?

The word 'anoint' in Hebrew means to smear, anoint or spread a liquid but in the Old Testament, when someone was anointed to become a priest, or king, being anointed did not mean a ceremonial dab - it meant a drenching.

The first time the same Hebrew word for 'anointed' was used in the Old Testament was in Genesis 31:3 where God reveals Himself to Jacob and said:

I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed the pillar and where you made a vow to Me.

If we go to Genesis 28:18, this is how Jacob anointed the pillar:

Then Jacob rose early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put at his head, set it up as a pillar, and poured oil on top of it.

When Elisha instructed one of his pupils in how to anoint Jehu the son of Nimshi to be King, he was told to take a flask of oil and pour it on his head (2 Ki 9:1-3).

This anointing was symbolic of their consecration for service, and the power they were endowed with to fulfill their calling. This means that when Jesus declared Himself to be the Anointed One of Isaiah 61, He was also saying, "the Spirit of God has poured out on me the power to do these things."

Paul's prayer for the Ephesian church (among other things) was:

...that you may know...what is the exceeding greatness of His power towards us who believe according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. (Eph 1:15-23)

John 3:34 tells us that God does not give His spirit by measure, or with a limit. ALL His Spirit and power has been given to us without limit, without holding back. He is able to do mighty things today just as He did for Israel in the days of Moses, Joshua, David, Daniel and for the believers in the Early Church. The only thing stopping Him, as it was in Jesus' day (Mark 6:5-6), is us.

Can you see yourself drenched with the same anointing that He has as you spend time with the One who loved you so much He died in your place on the Cross, then rose again to give you the power to overcome every difficulty set before you? What holds you back now if God tells you to go pray for that friend who's not feeling well? To send that message of encouragement to someone you haven't seen for so long? To start that organisation you've been dreaming of but don't know how to? Nothing is impossible to him who believes.

All of heaven and God's power is ready and able to work on our behalf when we know how to walk with God, hear from Him and step out in obedience. However, while we all have the same level of power available to us as part of our Sonship and God's spiritual DNA in us, we are not all called with the same giftings. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Teachers or Evangelists? The answer is no, and therefore we also cannot compare our abilities to another's.

Be faithful with the giftings and opportunities YOU have been given by being:
1) available
2) willing
3) obedient to God's promptings

Step out in obedience and let God do the work - after all, it is Christ the Anointed One in you who lives and does the work. It's not up to what you can do - it's up to the power of Christ in you, and He can do exceedingly abundantly above all that you ask or think. Let the adventures begin!

Getting Ready for Summer

We live in momentous times. As we move towards Easter, it is also coming to the time of Passover. This year and in 2015, the times of Passover and Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles) coincide with solar eclipses that will result in the moon taking on a fiery shade of red. They call this a 'blood moon'.
Joel and Revelations both talk about blood moons as one of the signs of the Day of the Lord. Blood moons are relatively common but rarely do they coincide smack-bang on Passover and Sukkot. Just as a great star heralded the birth of the Messiah, could these signs be saying something to us today? Jesus said that just as people of His day could read the sky and foretell what kind of weather was on its way, or notice the fig tree sprouting for summer (Matt 24:32-33 in context of 24:3-44) and that we are to likewise watch the signs of the times to know the season of His coming.

Our Pastor has called our Church to prayer and fasting as we move towards this significant season so I asked Enoch to explain a bit more about these signs in the sky and what they mean for us. Here is his offering. I hope that we take it prayerfully and prepare ourselves dilligently to draw nearer to God and live lives pleasing to Him.

Davo's Big Break

David - or Davo as his mates called him - was over the moon. After years of patiently developing his business, his business ideas had caught the eye of the prominent Chinese business leader Mr. Wang. Mr Wang had announced that he was going to make a special trip to Australia to see David and find out more - and they had excitedly arranged to meet at the airport.
There was only one catch - they were to meet on Chinese New Year and Davo had no clue what this meant. “I reckon it must be on the 1st of January”, Davo said to himself, “she'll be right mate!”
So on the 1st of January, Davo got up early, put on his best business suit and even combed his usually unkempt hair. “Today's the day”, he thought to himself excitedly. Getting to the airport just in time, Davo was surprised to find no sign of Mr. Wang. Davo waited for hours, looked up and down the different parts of the airport and asked repeatedly at the information desk, but no one could help him. Finally Davo headed home. Disappointed, he thought to himself: “Why didn't Mr. Wang come as he said he would?”
Soon Davo settled back into his ordinary routine and forgot all about Mr. Wang and his appointment. Then one February morning Davo was wakened by his phone ringing. With a sleepy voice he discovered to his surprise that it was Mr. Wang himself. Today was Chinese New Year! Mr. Wang asked with a disappointed tone in his voice: “David, why weren't you ready for my coming?”
We all have an important appointment coming up with THE Mr. Wang Himself - Jesus our Lord and King. He is indeed coming soon! But to be ready for this once-in-a-lifetime divine appointment, we need to make sure that we too are on the King’s calendar.

The King’s Calendar

Many of us have a hard time reading the book of Leviticus, but in it are contained some very important treasures. Leviticus chapter 23 outlines for us the King’s calendar. 

Let’s read verses 1-2: “And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘The feasts of the Lord, which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations, these are My feasts.”
The word translated ‘feast’ here, does not really refer to parties, food and celebrations – although God does indeed through some great celebrations. The Hebrew word for ‘Feast’ is actually better translated as ‘appointment’ – a ‘divine appointment’.  

Note that God describes them as ‘My feasts’. They are not some antiquated Jewish customs to be brushed aside – they are His Divine appointments with us. We will be learning more about the Divine Appointments later this year, but it is sufficient for us to now know that: • There are 7 Divine Appointments and they all prophesy and foretell a future event that is important in God’s calendar • The first 4 Divine Appointments where fulfilled on the Day during Jesus’ first coming in great detail • The last 3 tell us of His Second coming – and warn us to be ready for the soon coming King

The big questions for us to consider are: How close are we to the last 3 Divine Appointments? Will we see them in our lifetime? Are we ready for them?
Signs in the Sky on the Divine Appointments There are many things happening in our world that we should watch – including significant developments concerning Israel, the Nations, and concerning the great harvest of people coming into the Kingdom from every tribe, tongue and kingdom. All this points us to the fact that we are living in a time where Bible prophecy is being fulfilled at a scale that has not been seen in history since the time of the Book of Acts. I believe we are indeed getting closer to the Lord’s return! The Bible tells us to look for signs in the sky as we get closer to the Lord’s return. 

Acts 2:20 says: The sun shall be turned into darkness, And the moon into blood, Before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord.
The most literal way of interpreting this is that there will be solar and lunar eclipses around the time of the Lord’s return.

A Pattern of Signs in the Sky

A few years ago, a Messianic Pastor called Mark Biltz made a startling discovery of a pattern where from time to time 4 consecutive lunar eclipses take place – precisely on the first and last ‘appointments’ or Feasts of the Lord for 2 years in a row. This is an extremely rare event, and what is even more interesting is that it appears to happen at times when there are prophetically significant events taking place on the earth.

Let’s have a look at an overview of when it has happened in the past when these signs have been in the sky:

Around the time of Jesus death there were 4 partial lunar eclipses in a row on the ‘Divine Appointments’ – as if God Himself was signalling to all of mankind the importance of this event!

Since then, it has occurred 7 times – coinciding with:

•        Major Persecution of Jews and or Christians
•        Islamic attempts at conquering Europe (and the World)
•        The Restoration of Israel and Recapture of Jerusalem

As we enter into 2014/2015 it is therefore important to watch and pray for Jews and Christians, for Israel and for the Islamic World.

Returning to the pattern, it is extra interesting to note that the 7^th lunar eclipse cycle happened at exactly the time when Jerusalem was being recaptured by Israel – and 7 is the number of ‘completion’. It was truly a time of Divine completion of ancient prophecies!

The next time this will happen will be in 2014 and 2015!

Check out this exciting video to learn more:

Sounds interesting – now what?

As a Church, we are being encouraged to fast, pray and spend extra time to seek the Lord at this time. Make sure your own life is in order with God. If you are struggling with issues, take them to the Lord and maybe get one of the leaders to stand with you in prayer that you might be able to live fully for the Lord.

Also, please pray for Israel and the Middle East at this time – her sworn enemies would like nothing less than the extermination of Israel and hope and dream for that day to come. Iran seeks to clandestinely build nuclear weapons and recently released a video proudly showing them launching a nuclear strike. At the same time other terrorist networks are seeking biological and chemical weapons to add to their arsenals. Daily anti-Semitic propaganda is being published across the Middle East, and the level of general hatred for the Jews is comparable to the situation in Germany at the time when Hitler came to power.

So, let’s fast a meal when we can and spend extra time to seek God at this crucial time in history. We are called to be history-makers and we have a role in interceding for God’s will to be done on earth as it is in Heaven.

by Enoch Lavender

Enoch Lavender is a graduate from Harvest Bible College (B.A. 2008) and is actively involved with several ministries that have a focus on Israel and the Middle East in the End Times. Enoch is available to share at churches / youth groups and can be contacted via www.shalomisrael.com.au

The Intolerance of Christianity

I've heard people say that Christians are intolerant. I don't know if that's the best description - but if 'intolerant' means 'refusal to acknowledge that other gods and religions could also be the true god', then so be it.

This is why.

The Bible says that there is only one true God. There are plenty of lesser spirits that would masquerade as a supreme deity - but any showdown between them and the Lord will reveal who is infinitely greater. There are some powerful spiritual beings out there but there are none that can stand before Jesus Christ. All bow the knee or flee.

I've experienced the instant obedience of a demonic spirit to the name of Jesus. My parents have been involved in deliverance cases where the power of God prevails. There are lots of reputable people who could give you account after account on the supremacy of Jesus Christ over every other so-called god. There is no Saviour other than the God who first revealed Himself to the Jews, then clothed Himself in flesh to be called Jesus Christ, the Anointed One.

Anyone who misuses the name of Jesus and mocks Him has something coming. They simply just don't know Who they just slandered. They will one day, and it will become painfully clear who is the real fool. The Lord is a formidable foe, and one to be reckoned with.

The whole of salvation and faith in the Word of God all rest on the foundational truth that this God is the one, true God, the only one. If this one point is not upheld, the rest becomes a sham.

C.S Lewis got it right in his book Mere Christianity:

"I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: "I'm ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don't accept His claim to be God." That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic - on the level with a man who says he is a poached egg - or he would be the devil of hell. You must take your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse."

"You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to."

It is both possible to seek Him and personally experience how real God is. He looks upon all those who love and seek the truth of any matter, and He said that He draws near to those who draw near to Him. He is not afraid of our questions or doubts, and He will show Himself to those who sincerely want to know whether He's the real deal or not. He is and He can. Will you?

I love those who love me, and those who diligently seek Me shall find Me.
                                                                                                                        Proverbs 8:17

For thus says the Lord,
who created the heavens
Who is God,
Who formed the earth and made it,
Who has established it,
aWho did not create it in vain,
Who formed it to be inhabited:
"I am the Lord, and there is no other.
I have not spoken in secret in a dark place of the earth;
I did not say to the seed of Jacob, 'Seek Me in vain';
I, the Lord, speak righteousness, I declare things that are right.

                                                           Isaiah 45: 18-19