How God Calls

When you look at how God called Ezekiel, there are a couple of conclusions you can come to.   One thing that I like about the story of Ezekiel’s call is that it was completely initiated by God.   Ezekiel wasn’t looking for a calling or wanting to be a prophet or actively looking for God.  God came along while Ezekiel was in exile and called him.  The whole thing was initiated by God.  The second thing is that God was able to make his mission to Ezekiel very clear and personal.  Ezekiel didn’t have to try and figure God out.  God came him the words to say, which is symbolized in Ezekiel 3 as God giving Ezekiel a scroll that he would eat.

    “and He said to me, “Son of man, feed your stomach, and fill your body with this scroll which I am giving you.” Then I ate it, and it was sweet as honey in my mouth.” Ezekiel 3:3

     God also told Ezekiel that his mission would be difficult.  Yet, God was with him and made him able to hold up and even be victorious over his adversaries.    He told Ezekiel that most would not listen to him “yet the house of Israel will not be willing to listen to you, since they are not willing to listen to Me. Surely the whole house of Israel is stubborn and obstinate. Behold, I have made your face as hard as their faces, and your forehead as hard as their foreheads.”

     This seems very similar to what Jesus would tell his disciples in John 15:18-27 also in 1 John 3:13.  Jesus said that the world has hated him.  And if the believer speaks the words of God to the world then we can also expect to be hated.  This is because the world loves the darkness rather than the light.   Light exposes lies.  Light shines the truth on what is wrong.  Light reveals absolute truth.  Light calls people to account.  And some people don’t like that.  They didn’t like it in Ezekiel’s day and they don’t like it today.

     Not everyone is called to the ministry of an Ezekiel or Jeremiah, who was called the weeping prophet.  It isn’t always necessarily going to be a ministry where confrontation is almost a daily occurrence.   But, what we can take some comfort in is that when God calls people to a particular ministry then he enable and equips them to do that task.   One other thing that I will mention is that even though God knew that the ministry would be largely unsuccessful in terms of numbers he sent Ezekiel anyway out of love.  But, he also told Ezekiel what to expect because he loved Ezekiel also.  He wanted Ezekiel to know that he was with him and to not be afraid of what others might think.  That is the one thing that should be remembered is that we don’t do ministry for God, but with God.

     Another thing that I will mention is that God's call to Ezekiel was unique to Ezekiel.  None of the prophets had exactly the same vision or calling.  Moses had the burning bush.  Samuel had a small quiet voice in the temple.  Job had a whirlwind and a voice.  Jeremiah had a voice that told him he knew him when he was in his mother's womb.  Elijah had a still small whisper.  Ezekiel had wheels within wheels.  His vision was different in some ways.  It is important for the person not to compare your calling with others and say this is exactly how God calls a person.  God know who you are and what you will respond to.  He knows how to get your attention.  He knows your passions and your drive.  He know what you need in order to be completely confident that it is Him speaking with you.

God Calls the Prophet

In Ezekiel 2, we see God reach out to Ezekiel and speak a calling into his life. Ezekiel was from a family of priests. He wasn’t a prophet by birth which is a very different calling. But Ezekiel apparently had a heart for God and was open to being used by God in whatever way God wanted to use him. In this day and time it was rare since the idolatry of Israel was so great that it caused God to exile them to Babylon.

There are a couple of things that I noticed about this passage. One is that God says over and over again that he is sending Ezekiel to a rebellious house. God uses the world rebelled or rebellious 7 times in the first 8 verses of chapter 2 of Ezekiel. He also used the words or phrases, “obstinate children”, “stubborn” and “transgressed”. Right from the very beginning, God wants Ezekiel to know that he is sending Ezekiel to a people who have failed to live up to their calling.

The second thing is that Ezekiel was to share God’s word with them whether they listened or not. Some would end up listening to Ezekiel, but it was a small minority. When I say small, I mean less than 10 people. I mean 40 years of ministry with only a hand full of people to show for it. Ezekiel’s calling wasn’t about numbers, it was about being faithful to do what God told him to do. God said to him, “but you shall speak My words to them whether they listen or not, for they are rebellious.” Ezekiel 2:7. This was symbolized by Ezekiel eating a scroll that contained words of mourning, lamentation and woe.

There is another place in scripture where the analogy of a book is used. In Revelations 10:8-10. It says that it made the stomach of John bitter, but it was sweet as honey in his mouth. It was sweet because they are God’s words, but it was bitter because the end result was God’s wrath. Ezekiel’s message was one of wrath and judgment also since it is described in three different ways: mourning, lamentation and woe.

God sent many prophets during the time of Ezekiel and before. Some of the major prophets of the Old Testament lived during or before the time of Ezekiel. Jeremiah and Daniel both lived during this time. Daniel in the throne room of Babylon and Jeremiah in Jerusalem. Other prophets worked up to this time to warn the people and had been martyred for their faith. The people simply didn’t want to listen, but God kept sending these men to a “rebellious house”. This is because God wanted to warn the people out of love for them. He wanted them to repent and turn back to Him so that he could bless them.

This is the same reason that he send missionaries to far places and pastors out today. This is the same reason he gave us the great Commission to tell people about him. Our mission is the same today because love warns. Love also waits. It is waiting for people to repent. IN 2 Peter3:9-10 “The Lord is not slow about His promises as some count slowness, but is patent toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass with a roar and the elemtns will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up.”

The Glory of God Ezekiel 1

    Today, I was studying in Ezekiel 1 and wanted to share some thoughts with you about what I read.  The story of Ezekiel begins when he was in exile in the land of Babylon.  He was sitting by the river Chebar, with some of the other exiles when this vision appeared to him.  It is not necessary since it is a vision to believe that the others around him saw this vision.

     Ezekiel sees the glory of God that surrounds his throne.  These beings are the seraphim and cherbim that were around the throne of God.  In this chapter, the throne is not mentioned until verse 26.  There is an expanse between the cherb and the throne.  There is a rainbow of emerald around the throne Revelations 4:3.  Compare this to what is said in Revelatons 4:7-11.  These creatures that Ezekiel is seeing are worship leaders day and night near the throne of God.  We can see them as literal beings, but there is a lot of symbolism here as well.

     The creatures are describes as having human form, yet they do not turn or walk like we do.  They go straight ahead and don't turn.  They have four faces and eyes all around.  It describes them as like burnished bronze and like having a coal of fire in the midst of them that darts back and forth between the beings.  They have wings that cover feet and that touch one another.  The vision must have took Ezekiel's breath away.  You see something similiar in Isaiah's call in Isaiah 6:2-3.  Bronze was typically symbolic in the Bible as the judgment of God.

    You should notice how many times the number four is used here.  Four is symbolic in the Jewish faith of representing the creative work of God.  How many different times do we see four used in creation.  There are four seasons, four directions on the compass, there are four angels keeping watch over the earth Rev 7:1,  there was four rivers flowing out of Eden.  You should notice that there are four faces.  These faces represent the eagle (flying creatures), the bull (domestic creatures), lion (the king of all wild animals) and mankind (all humans).  Again, showing God's dominion over all of his creation.

    You should also notice the eyes.  The eyes were all over the creatures and represent how God sees everything.  Matthew 10:26 says that there is "nothing covered that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known."  Psalm 44:21 tells us that God knows the secrets of the heart.  God knows motive and judges correctly based on facts and not spin.  There are no secrets with him.

     Why is all this important?  I think it begins to reveal the righteousness and holiness of God.  That God is someone who is not like us.  That God is holy and demands that his people be holy.  I also think that this is a picture of pure power.  Ezekiel was in exile and needed to be reminded that the final word for things did not rest with the Babylonians.  The Babylonians don't even exist any more.  God's still on his throne however.  For a people who felt rejected and abandoned it was important to remember that God saw what was going on and had the power to do something about it.  That despite all the lies and spin in our society that God sees, knows and judges.  That God will make it right one day.

      This is the way that God begins to reveal his glory to Ezekiel as he calls him to mission.  He wants Ezekiel to remember this vision so that he isn't afraid when trouble comes Ezekiel 2:6.  In Ezekiel 1:26-28 we finally get to the throne and the one on the throne and he looks like fire.  If you compare this vision with the others in scripture the similarities are there such as in Revelations 1:13-16 and Revelations 4:2-3.  God is a consuming fire and a jealous God (Deut 4:24).  He jealously desires the love and attention and devotion of his people. 

Missionary to Nevada

   For some reason, I guess because I am graduating again from school, I have been thinking about my days at Sam Houston State lately.  I was involved during my time there with Campus Crusade for Christ, the Baptist Student Union and Intervarsity Christian Fellowship.  A group of us tended to go to either one or the other.  The BSU's Wednesday lunches were popular because they were only $1 and usually a good meal and Intervarsity was popular for a time and even had a Bible study that met in our dorm for a while.

   The best part, in my opinion, was the trips to different convention sites that we took. One year in particular our BSU took a trip to Waco.  It was during that trip that I felt impressed that God was encouraging me to go on summer mission trip.  I interviewed at the BSU, but that year I couldn't go because of my grades.  So, after getting my grades up, the next year I decided to try again.  I interviewed at the BSU and was officially "sent" by what was called the Home Missionary Union, which means it was a domestic, not foreign mission board.

    In 1988, we went to Reno, Nevada to go to orientation.  It was approximately 9 weeks of traveling to different church 8 of those weeks.  We spent about 2 days in Reno and then went out into the field.  My site was with a guy from Mississippi named Kevin, who I could barely understand.  Kevin and I did about 5 VBS's and several backyard bible clubs and I preached about 5 times that summer.  Although there was some points of it that I enjoyed, I was horribly home sick most of the time and hated being out west.  Kevin and I didn't get along well to the point that one other missionary said to me that he fully expected that we would come to blows at some point in the trip.

    I really didn't pray about it after that first year of finding out I couldn't go because of my grades.  The logic being, that I didn't think God had changed his mind.  To me, it wasn't a question of if it was God's will, but rather a question of timing.  I don't doubt that line of reasoning now either.  I think that sometimes God can close doors through natural means such as the opportunity not being what it should be to move us in another direction.  God, being sovereign, can use all sorts of methods to move us where he wants us to be. 

    Nor was it that great of an experience for the most part that summer.  While I think the people's intentions were clear, I love for things to be organized.  If you do something, I want it to be done well.  I don't respond well to doing something at the last minute and want for things to be organized.  I hate it when someone is wasting my time.  Well, often things were not organized.  A whole week of backyard bible club was planned each night before the club met the next day.  Nobody in the church had planned anything and just expected me to know what to do.  In another case, the pastor asked me Sunday morning if I wanted to preach, never having preached before.

   So, you either suck it up and go with it or you miss the opportunity.  Life's opportunities often don't come wrapped in a bow ready made for our enjoyment.  You stand up and give it your best shot and hope and pray that is enough. My first sermon was a painful experience for me and for the congregation.  I remember the pastor saying that I said "uh" about 50 times and kept looking out the window.  Fortunately, I was in Yerrington, Nevada at the time, so possibly expectations were low.  But, still, God worked and used me because he uses the tools that make themselves available to him.

    Some people think that they must know this or that or be this kind of person or that before God will use them.  The fact is, that God made each of us unique.  He gives us each unique tasks in his body.  He knows what he made and to say that your not good enough or able is kinda insulting to God.  Your saying that God isn't able to use you?  Of course he is.  In fact, there are things in the body of Christ he has uniquely gifted you to do that he hasn't given me or anyone else the ability, desire or hope of doing.  He uses our abilities, our weaknesses, our mistakes, our joys and victories to bear fruit for him.  The question is not if God is able.  The question is whether or not your willing for him to use you?

Do not be anxious. . .

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”  Phil 4:5-7, NIV

       This is one of my favorite passages about anxiety.  I think it gives us a lot of clues about how to overcome anxiety.  One thing that it says is that we should pray in a spirit of thanksgiving.  This tells me that even as we are praying, that our expectation should be that God is going to act.  We should not pray expecting that nothing will happen.  Or that while God is sympathetic that he cannot do anything.  We should pray knowing that God hears and cares.  And that at the right time that He will respond.

        Praying in an attitude of thanksgiving also tells me that even as I pray, my heart and mind should be reminded of past times when God has answered prayers.  I should recall them to mind and express thanksgiving for them.  If for nothing else, I can always thank God for the cross, his great love and mercy, the power of the resurrection, his merciful forgiveness and the gift of His Holy Spirit.  I can be thankful that he is going to come again and that he came the first time.  Focusing on these things puts me in the right frame of mind and helps to build my faith for the future.

      The other thing that this passage reminds me of is that it says “in everything”.  To me, this means that there is nothing too small for God.  The God who created heaven and earth by the power of his word is not too busy to hear about your trouble.   While other people may be tired or busy or on another call, God is always available.  And he commands us through Paul in this passage to bring every care to him no matter how trivial in may seem.  Because he cares about you then he also cares about what is on your mind and heart.

        It is when these two things are done, that the promise is fulfilled.  It is that the peace of God, which goes beyond all understanding will guard our hearts and minds.  It doesn’t guard just our heart or just our mind, but both of these.  It keeps us from chasing after anxious thoughts and it keeps our emotions in check because our hearts are filled with faith and thankfulness.

       There is one other experience that the scripture tells us about that gives me hope.  There are times when my heart is so filled with anxiety and thoughts that I don’t know how to pray.  I don’t exactly know what to say or even what is bothering me.  I may feel tired or worn out or just depressed and I don’t know why.  The scripture is clear in Romans 8:26 that the Spirit then intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.  When I am unclear on exactly what I should say, the Spirit within takes over and the Spirit speaks to the Son who intercedes before the Father.  All three members of the Trinity involved in both helping me to pray, interceding for me and hearing me.  The ultimate prayer team is at my service helping me to effectively pray.  Sometimes I simply need to present myself to God and give him my time and my attention and share my heart with him and let him know my troubles and give God an opportunity to lift those things off of my shoulders and take them away.  My problem is that at times I am too prideful or busy or foolish to take the time to do that.  I may be too busy, but the God who commands the sun to shine is ready to listen and to respond.

   God commands us to give our cares to Him.

A sermon online from Pastor Brian Bill on Partaking of Peace
 http://www.sermoncentral.com/sermons/partaking-of-peace-brian-bill-sermon-on-peace-58735.asp

Sermon by Ray Stedman, Standing While Running Phil 4:1-9
http://www.raystedman.org/new-testament/philippians/standing-while-running

memories of Campus Crusade for Christ

   A few weeks after starting college in the fall of 1985, I was feeling alone and depressed and wandered one night up to the student center.  It was a Thursday night and Thursdays on SHSU is considered the "party night" because many students go home to the Houston area on the weekends.  I've heard that it is called the "suitcase college" because so many people go home on the weekends.  So, I'm sitting there feeling sorry for myself on the top floor of the student center and I watch two ladies walk by with Bible.  Turns out it was Heather and Kim, who were worship leaders for Campus Crusade for Christ.  At the end of the hall, ready to greet them is Scott McMahon and John Cole and some others that would become friends for many years after that.  But, I didn't know that at the time.

   So, I followed the two ladies to the end of the hall and saw some believers greet these ladies in a warm way.  I still didn't know what group it was.  At that point, I was ready to join AA if it would give me some christian friends.  Keep in mind, I've never been a drinker.  But, ready to join anything I walked up and someone asked if I was there for Campus Crusade for Christ.  I had no idea what type of group that was, but I agreed and joined in and from that point enjoyed 4.5 years of involvement in the group.

   Funny, how one decision to wander around campus that night changed my life and led to my making a bunch of great friends.  We had a lot of good times including times when we would go to conferences in Dallas or other places.  One of my favorite memories is going to Dallas and hearing a man preach a sermon about when Jesus cleansed the temple.  It inspired me not only in how he told the story, but the importance that Jesus placed on his Father's temple and the desire he had to have fellowship with us.  He was filled with rage that others would hinder people from coming to him.  It takes rage, to turn up tables, to make a wipe of cords and break down animal pens.  We can try to sanitize it, but make no mistake about it- - Jesus was mad.

    I think Jesus still gets mad when people are hindered by rules and regulations from coming to him.  It reminds me of a church in Texas that I worked near.  A young man came to the church one night and was turned away because he had long hair and piercings.  I know that because our youth minister befriended him and he came to our church.  Our church didn't do much better in greeting him, but I know they didn't shun him.  I think that type of legalistic, stupid thinking makes God just as upset that we would judge people by outer standards.