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Here I Stand or There We Go?
22 October 2008
The celebration of Reformation Sunday takes us back to the 16th century when the Protestant tradition was birthed. One of the primary reformers was Martin Luther. (I encourage you to Google Martin Luther to gain a perspective on his historical significance.) The concept of reformation, however, was not born in the 16th century. In fact one of the great Reformation stories took place in 622 BC, 2000 plus years before Martin Luther was even born.
This Sunday we will gather around the story of King Josiah. King Josiah was one of the great reformers in our history. You will need to read the story for yourself (take a few minutes to read 2 Kings 22:1 – 23:30) but King Josiah wanted to repair and renovate the temple. The first thing he did was instruct the people to get money so the house of the Lord could be renovated. As the people were getting the money they stumbled onto a far greater treasure; “The high priest Hilkiah said to Shapahan the secretary, “I have found the book of the law in the house of the Lord.”
And the story changed, it went in a new direction and it was no longer just about repairing and renovating the house of the Lord. It was all about redefining everything according the Word of God! It no longer was just about money – how many congregations in North America have turned this into an idol – but it became about MISSION. The main mission for every human being and congregation is the same; find out the will of God and do it! When Josiah heard the words of the book of the law he repented and gathered a leadership team to REFORM EVERYTHING! The Word of God became the catalyst for reform. Every idea, thought, word and action was captive to the Word. Read the story and you will get a glimpse of power and influence of the Word of God, i.e.
· Removal of temple objects used in Baal worship and Assyrian worship
· Closure of shrines
· Deposition of priests
· Numerous habits, traditions, norms and values were dismantled and destroyed
· Child sacrifice was eliminated
· And the list goes on an on….
And what does this have to do with us who will worship on Sunday, October 26, 2008? It has everything to do with us! We are a family that knows the most important thing we can do is to listen to and be led by the Word of God. The Bible is to be embedded in EVERYTHING! One of the tragedies of my generation (I am 55 years old) is that we have been indifferent to the Word of God and have managed our little lives according to our words and ideas.
A friend recently told me that one of the gifts of the Word is like the lifeguard blowing the whistle when the swimmers play too far from the shore, the Scripture issues warnings. Are we any different than the people of Josiah’s day? I don’t think so! Listen to the political debates and public conversation. Our idols might not be named Baal or Asherah BUT be assured we have idols. Humanity has a pathetic habit of churning out idols, making something we prefer in place of the true God – and the Word reminds every society “You shall have no other gods.”
To stand under the Word can be a fearful and frightening experience – at the very least it causes us to tremble at the prospect of idolatry – the elevation of anything, any endeavor, any nationality, and any agenda to divine status. God must grieve when God’s name is so easily attached to our agendas. As individuals, as congregations and as a nation we have a tendency to elevate our preferences and assume God must want whatever it is that we happen to be doing! Charles Marsh, in Wayward Christian Soldiers: Freeing the Gospel From Political Captivity writes; “We have baptized our prejudices in the shallow waters of civic piety. We have grown accustomed to speaking of God by speaking of our own preferences in a loud voice. We would rather talk about our country, and our way of life; and although we might think we are playing tribute to God, we are only flattering ourselves. We have organized our needs with the confidence that God is our side, now and always. In our promiscuous talk we have humiliated the Word of God.”
May God deliver us from such a way of life!
And may God lead us to His Word!
Paul
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P.S. You are invited to gather around the story each week on Tuesday at 6:45am or at noon. We read the story for the upcoming Sunday and then prayerfully ask the Spirit to teach us. Welcome!
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The goal of Financial Peace University is not just information—we're looking for transformation. More than one million familieshave attended FPU with amazing results. On average, they pay off $5,300 in debt and save $2,700 in just 90 days.
This Week @ Central
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21 May
MOPS
06:00 PM to 09:00 PM -
21 May
The Hope Connection
06:30 PM to 09:00 PM -
21 May
Revelation Class
07:00 PM to 08:30 PM -
22 May
Moms In Touch - VandenBerge & Salk Middle Schools
08:15 AM to 09:15 AM -
22 May
Staff Prayers
09:00 AM to 09:15 AM -
22 May
Men's and Women's Coffee Hour
10:00 AM to 11:00 AM -
22 May
Staff Meeting
01:30 PM to 03:00 PM -
22 May
Prayer Worship
06:30 PM to 07:00 PM -
22 May
The Lord's Prayer Class
07:15 PM to 08:30 PM -
23 May
Women's Bible Study at Panera
06:45 AM to 07:45 AM -
23 May
College and Career Moms in Touch
08:00 AM to 09:00 AM -
23 May
Fresh Food Distribution
08:30 AM to 10:00 AM -
23 May
Central Assembly Group
08:30 AM to 11:30 AM -
23 May
Staff Prayers
09:00 AM to 09:15 AM -
23 May
Fresh Faith
09:00 AM to 10:00 AM -
23 May
Little Lambs Chapel Time
09:30 AM to 10:00 AM -
23 May
The Lord's Prayer Class
11:00 AM to 12:30 PM -
23 May
Weight Watchers Meeting
12:00 PM to 02:00 PM -
23 May
echo Studios (Art & Music)
03:30 PM to 05:30 PM -
23 May
echo Leader Party at Braley's
06:30 PM to 08:00 PM
21 May - 22 May
22 May - 22 May
22 May - 23 May
23 May - 23 May
23 May - 23 May