As some of you may already know, I am not only a counselor at Crossway Ministries, but a former pastor. I was privileged to minister at the same church for nearly 21 years. I am convinced the only way I could have stayed so long was because of the truths I learned from God’s Word. My education was not from a classroom. It began as I was allowed to fail at the occupation God called me to: preaching. My education did not have a great start. The first church I pastored, I was kicked out after 18 months. That left me, the pupil, bitter, angry and unforgiving.
Before God called me into the ministry, I was a dairy farmer, which I had dreamed of being all my life. But God had something else in mind for me, and it did not include living out my dream. To shorten the story, I am going to fast forward a few years. What God had called me to, I tried to do it on my own. I had no idea that since He called me, it was up to Him to do it through me. This failure was a backdoor to success. Success being discovering that God did not expect me to do it apart from Him. This discovery like most discoveries did not come easy or without a price. I have spent a lot of time allowing God to reveal who He is. Here I am, thirty years later, and privileged to point others to a path where they can find out who God says He is.
A couple of weeks ago, the church that I previously had been with for nearly 21 years, asked me to be their interim pastor. This church allowed me to grow in grace and share the truths concerning the Exchanged Life. God is leading me to share a series titled, “God, Who are You?”
So far, we have discovered from the Bible: God is not prejudice: is not distant or disinterested; IS our source of change; is not fooled; does not ask foolish questions. This week, we begin a two-part teaching about "God is not religious". Together, we are seeking to let God tell us who He is.
Throughout my life, I have unknowingly had “filters” to tell me who He is. Sometimes, it would be a life circumstance, parents, pastors/teachers, and even churches. However, when we depend on these things totally to find out who He is, we may be misled and/or deceived. This can lead us to disappointment, bitterness, and discouragement in our walk with Him. If some don't think it is possible to be deceived about who God is, just read the gospels. When “God became flesh and lived among us”, John wrote, "He came to His own and His own DID NOT RECEIVE HIM". How could that be possible? Because they were deceived from the start. For one thing, they were trying to put God in their box, and Jesus did not fit. He went to Samaria where the so called “rejects” lived. He hung out in Galilee where known rebels congregated. Would "God in the flesh" do that? "Nothing good comes out of Nazareth", one of the future disciples declared. Some even believed Him to be the "son of the devil”!
Because the ones who were supposed to be “in the know” about the Messiah had embraced a wrong concept of Him, these same ones conspired against Him, and ended up having Him crucified. Jesus, God in the flesh, spent countless hours, traveled many miles on foot, and performed many miracles, to prove He was the Messiah. Still, many were not convinced.
How about you? Have you let God Himself tell you who He is from His Word? Please let Him be your source for your understanding of Him. Take off your theological glasses, so to speak, and ask Him to reveal to you who He is for your everyday life. You might be surprised and encouraged all at the same time.
If you have questions about your life and need help sorting through who God really is, please give us a call. We would love to talk with you!