Bible blog
Filled with the Holy Spirit and with Skill (Exodus 35:30-35) • • • 2011-03-03
By Christine Miller
The other week I got a word from God! (How?? Well, I ask Him to give me a verse and I soon I will have a verse come into my head! Sometimes I get it wrong, but mostly it’s awesome what verses God says to me…so cool!)
Anyway….. I heard God say Exodus 35:30-35. It’s a bit long so hang in there…
‘“See the Lord has chosen Bezalel….and has filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, ability and knowledge in all kinds of crafts- to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver, and bronze, to cut and set stones, to work in wood and to engage in all kinds of artistic craftsmanship. And he has given both him and Oholiab, the ability to teach others. He has filled them with skill to do all kinds of work as craftsmen, designers, embroiderers in blue, purple and scarlet yarn and fine linen, and weavers- all of them master craftsmen and designers.”’
How totally excellent would it be to be ‘The one’ God chose to build his tabernacle, and then to be given His Holy Spirit to do the job with outstanding excellence!
Well here’s the good news! We’ve been given God’s Holy Spirit. That happened because of what Jesus did on the cross. So now, we can do all that we do ‘with skill, ability and knowledge’; whether it’s playing an instrument, singing, designing web sites, or working with fine linen.
So here’s what I know. When God calls me to do something, His Holy Spirit comes with me. I find my ideas, enthusiasm and outcomes are all taken care of!! My learning and my future all fit to meet his plan. Sometimes we need to be patient, (it takes time and work to build your skills) however, at each stage God’s Spirit fills us and empowers us. How good is that!!
Christine Miller
Creative Ministries Director
The DNA of a giant killer. • • • 2009-05-18
By Dave Dennis
This morning I received an email of "The Word for Today" which I thought was worth sharing.
It centres around the idea that we reproduce "according to our kind", not just as humans (der...), but as christians, as leaders, and as a team. In determining what our church or team culture should be we need to consider what we desire to see raised up in the future.
Consider this, when Goliath first showed up to challenge Israel how many giant killers were in Saul's army? None! King Saul was not a man who made a habit of trusting God. He set the standard by which Israel's army fought (and suffered).
Along comes David, whose life experience had taught him that God was mightier than any giant. David was outraged at the insults being directed at God and His people, and decided to do something about it. Everyone knows the story.
But are you aware of what followed? in the time of David's reign we read
'...Then Sibbecai...killed Sippai, one of the descendants of the giants, and they were subdued. And there was war with the Philistines again, and Elhanan...killed Lahmi the brother of Goliath the Gittite, the shaft of whose spear was like a weaver's beam. Again there was war at Gath, where there was a man of great stature who had twenty-four fingers and toes, six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot; and he also was descended from the giants. When he taunted Israel, Jonathan the son of Shimea, David's brother, killed him. These were descended from the giants in Gath [Goliath's home town], and they fell by the hand of David and by the hands of his servants.'
(1 Chr 20:4-8 NAS).
Now we see a multiplication of "giant killers" under David. As David exercised faith in the strength of his God so he taught and encouraged other to do the same. David's "mighty men" became great heroes in thier own lifetimes.
It challenges me to ask what culture, what DNA we are fostering at CCH. Are we "giant killers" for the name of Jesus?
Justice and Judgment • • • 2009-05-13
By Dave Dennis
Last Tuesday night I spoke to the team about a powerful little truth I found in the Psalms. So often we as Christians shy away from thinking about Christ as the Judge. We struggle to equate Jesus being our friend with him also being the Judge of all creation. In our society we only ever hear of Jusges dealing with miscreants and criminals so we miss the full meaning of the title "Judge".
Psalm 9 v7-10 says
"The LORD reigns forever;
he has established his throne for judgment.
He will judge the world in righteousness;
he will govern the peoples with justice.
The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed,
a stronghold in times of trouble.
Those who know your name will trust in you,
for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you."
In ancient times a judge was the leader of the community, and did not just deal with the "bad guys". The Judge was responsible for the well being of the whole community. What we see in Psalm 9 is intimate tie between judgement and justice. In 2nd Samuel Ch.24 King David, after sinning against God, says "Let us fall into the hands of the LORD, for his mercy is great; but do not let me fall into the hands of men." As the king David understood that the Lord was his judge (sovereign authority) but he knew that mercy also was found there at the throne of heaven.
Jesus will govern the peoples with justice. He defends and upholds the oppressed. To have justice we cannot do away with judgement. We just need to remember that to have him as our judge does not mean we are condemned. It means we are his and we can trust in him.