Impossible yet Possible

Have you ever been in an impossible situation? The account of Elijah and the widow of Zarephath shows us a lot about how we should respond when placed in difficult or truly impossible circumstances.

            

Looking for Lunch          

In the account of 1 Kings 17:8-16, Elijah was fresh out of water because the brook he was drinking from dried up. It dried up because he, Elijah, pronounced a 3 ½ year drought on Israel. “And Elijah the Tishbite, of the inhabitants of Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the Lord God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, except at my word.”” 1 Kings 17:1. Then God sends the prophet to stay by the Brook Cherith to have a source to drink from and to be fed by ravens, by whom He sent food for Elijah. Of course because of the drought the brook dried up. It was then that The Lord directed him to the widow saying, “I have commanded a widow there to provide for you.”

Hunger, Meet Hopeless

I wonder if Elijah was shocked to see the woman who, along with her son, was starving to death. The man of God did not seem to be phased. He told her to bring him a piece of bread and she said, “As the Lord your God lives, I do not have bread, only a handful of flour in a bin, and a little oil in a jar; and see, I am gathering a couple of sticks that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it, and die.” 1 Kings 17:12.

If you were Elijah what would you be thinking? “God told me to come here and get food. This woman is obviously in complete despair without any provisions. She’s given up and is backed into a corner with no one to help her and no supermarket to run to. Why am I here again?”

To hear her act out in frustration is totally understandable. The widow had a physical and a spiritual need. She’d lost hope for herself and her son. Death to her would be better than the struggle they were enduring.

A Hidden Blessing

In 1982 when I was called to the Bible Speaks’ mission team in France. The team leader, Pastor Louis DeMeo, was promised by one of his contacts the use of a house in Auxerre France for a year. The team was to rendezvous in the south of France for two weeks to evangelize with a church group there, and then return to Auxerre to begin church planting.

On his way to the south Louis decided to stop at Auxerre to check out our new home. To his surprise someone was living in what turned out to be a 2 room house, and they had no plans to leave! We truly felt like the Lord called us to France but when we got there the comfort we had expected quickly disappeared.

God still had a provision for us. What seemed like a handful of flour and a slow death turned into a mighty provision that sustained us. With the help of gracious French Christians we got our footing in France . We were given a place to live for free for several months and then we were able to rent a large house for what amounted to about $200.00 per month. I don’t recall hearing a word of complaint to God for putting us in a situation where we had to trust Him and His people. Both came through when we needed them.

Just the Facts

These are the facts that confronted Elijah:

He was given a precise command to go to and live in Zarephath.

A widow there was to provide food for him.

The widow he was sent to was starving and had but a few ounces of flour and a few drops of oil.

The promised provision was not out in plain sight but hidden.

The situation seemed hopeless.

The Just Shall Live By Sight?

 A big problem in the 21st century church is spiritual starvation because of a lack of dependence on God. We’re used to having what we need and having it when and where we want it.We can’t miss our coffee break let alone experience famine! Many walk by sight and not by faith, appreciating the professionalism of the church and the nice amenities it has to offer. Like the Laodicean church of Revelation chapter 3, many are rich in Christian platitudes but lukewarm in their faith.

As  disciples we have to be careful not to fall into a life that never experiences need. Much of the Christianity we see on TV, hear on the radio and live in our congregations seems to be religion without a cross, where we are not God’s servants, but He is ours. Some churches have monetized faith, exhorting believers to speak material blessings into being, as if The Lord was a genie waiting to grant our every wish. And why not think that way? Huge ministries abound, advertising all the answers we need from how to raise the perfect child, to experiencing an awesome sex life, to never lacking money to pay a bill, or growing a mega-church in three easy steps.

This is why we can’t get too caught up with celebrity ministers; as good as they look and sound. They are all about their ministry, whatever that is. I mean, they are good! They look good and sing well and are phenomenal preachers. Some are so cool their messages are like Ice Cream Sundaes with whipped cream and a cherry on top.

Small Screen Faith

Your call is to your neighborhood, city, state and country, your continent and to parts of the world you’ve never been to. You aren’t called to serve a personality on a screen. You are called to love your neighbor and lay down your life for your friends. Don’t trust the purveyors of Big Screen Churchianity. They seem more interested in flying their private jets, speaking about the positive influence the Bible can have on your health, or how God doesn’t want you to struggle in life. The message usually lacks commitment and sacrifice and minimizes sin. We can’t make light of sin because in doing so we diminish the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit.” 1 Peter 3:18.  Never devalue His sacrifice, for without it we are all lost. If we don’t tell people the truth, who will? Ours is a small screen faith; meeting people at the place of their need and teaching them to depend on Jesus.

You’re Kidding Right?

What went through the mind of the widow when Elijah spoke to her?  “Here I am ready to eat my last piece of bread with my son and along comes this so called Man of God asking me to feed him first. Earth to Elijah, what part of “a hand full of flour” don’t you understand?” It’s not that the widow wanted to die, or didn’t want to believe, she just needed a reason to believe. She needed a word spoken to her that would nourish confidence.

When God comes to us and asks for something we don’t have, what do we do? What kind of God would ask me for a third of my last dollar? What kind of Lord would tell me to share something when I don’t have enough for myself?

Ministry calls us to faith. Our need is what we need most. The widow feared until she began to walk in obedience to the words of the Man of God. Ultimately Elijah needed to be put in a place of faith, and the woman needed to see his faith in action. A little water and a piece of bread sounds like nothing, except when it’s all you have.

“And Elijah said to her, “Do not fear; go and do as you have said, but make me a small cake from it first, and bring it to me; and afterward make some for yourself and your son.  For thus says the Lord God of Israel: ‘The bin of flour shall not be used up, nor shall the jar of oil run dry, until the day the Lord sends rain on the earth.’” 1 Kings 17:13-14.

“Do not fear,” Elijah said to the woman. Here’s a lady that was barely holding onto life, and the Man of God said “do not fear.” What is the Man of God saying to you today? Are you willing to be obedient to the words of a man who is obedient to the Word of God?

A History

Elijah was obedient to God to go to Zarephath

He met a widow who had given up hope for her and her son and wanted to die.

The widow was asked to give and to trust that God would give her back what she needed.

The Lord made a promise through Elijah to the woman that she would have all she needed.

She acted in faith, trusting the words of the prophet, and God kept His promise.

The Giver Gives

God gives us what we need when we need it. We may feel thin in the gifts department. We may not be confident that the time we spent on earth was useful. You might even think you can’t affect the world. The truth is that you need to give God some of what you’ve got and let him make it into an everlasting source of nourishment for you and those to whom you minister the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

None of us have all the gifts. Some of us don’t even know what our gift is. It doesn’t matter. If you are questioning your call and are ready to quit, reflect on the promise Jesus made to the Samaritan woman, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.” John 4:13-14.

The widow, though she objected at first, obeyed and served Elijah. As a result she was blessed with bread for as long as the drought lasted.  “So she went away and did according to the word of Elijah; and she and he and her household ate for many days. The bin of flour was not used up, nor did the jar of oil run dry, according to the word of the Lord which He spoke by Elijah.” 1 Kings 17:15-16.

Your Turn

One day someone was obedient to God and came to you with a message. At that time you were dead in your trespasses and sins. You were instructed to believe the words of the Man of God. Jesus made a promise that if you gave Him your trust you would receive what you needed. You did, and you acquired His gift of everlasting life.

Now it’s your turn. The world is waiting for a real prophet to come with words of hope that will spur people to trust and obedience. Be that prophet.

Kim Anthony Shibley

Real World Bible

The Bible contains many accounts of people like us. You would think that those written about in the Bible would be people with no faults who overcame every temptation and obstacle in their path. The truth is that from the third chapter of Genesis, where Eve and Adam fail to obey God’s command, to the book of Revelation, a large portion of the Word is about people, or groups of people, whose lives crashed and burned. Scripture is full of accounts that describe those who could not get along without help from God. These were real people like us, not fictional characters.

A Great List of Failures

Noah obeyed God and was saved from the waters of the flood, but then planted a vineyard and got so drunk that he lay exposed at the door of his tent.

Abraham offered his wife twice to two different kings to try to save his own skin.

Jacob conspired with his mother to steal his brother’s blessing.

After Jacob worked for seven years for the right to marry Rachel, his father-in-law Laban substituted Leah for her sister Rachel on the wedding night so that Jacob would be wed the oldest daughter first. He then made Jacob work another seven years to pay for his union with Rachel.

Reuben slept with Bilhah, one of his father’s wives.

Judah sold his brother Joseph into slavery and slept with his deceased son’s wife who was masquerading as a prostitute.

Moses murdered a man and hid him in the sand.

David lusted after Bathsheba, got her pregnant, had her husband killed, and then took her as his wife though he already had multiple wives.

Paul persecuted Christians and cheered on at the stoning death of Stephen.

Peter denied the Lord in the face of fear.

All the disciples forsook Jesus in His time of greatest need.

Then there was Samson and Job and Gideon to name a few of our best-known losers.

The Bible is replete with the woes and sins of men and women in their relationship to one another and to God.

Failure, a New Beginning

What speaks to us is that many of these misadventures don’t end in complete fiasco. Some individuals came to understand that the grace of God was greater than their sin and its resulting defeat.

An old hymn puts it this way:

“Grace, grace, God’s grace,

Grace that will pardon and cleanse within;

Grace, grace, God’s grace,

Grace that is greater than all our sin.”

Grace Through the Work of the Cross

God’s grace is the one thing that we can count on. Bigger than our weakness is Jesus Christ. He is the one who took all these characters and placed them at the foot of the cross to receive a new life and forgiveness for their personal sins. Was it because they were able somehow to redeem themselves by paying back the debt of their sin through their positive actions? No, they became winners because in the end they did not let their sin control their relationship with God. They overcame their own failures through receiving grace and forgiveness, allowing them to have an impact on their generations. They believed God. They trusted in His unfailing love for them.

Down but not Out

If you’ve been defeated remember God’s grace. He died for us when we were still sinners. He didn’t wait till we cleaned ourselves up. Many try to get sanctified before they get justified. The problem with a religious frame of reference is that we feel we must make ourselves presentable to God before He will accept us. We need first to accept Christ’s payment for all our sin and repent.

Then allow Him to change us through the power of His shed blood. Just as He forgave and then used the men and women of the Bible for His purposes, He wants to use us to be reflections of His marvelous grace. Ephesians 2:4-7 says it well, “But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.”

Non-religious truth

The Bible then is different from other religious texts in that it recognizes and condemns sin, but gives mercy and a way out for the sinner. The sins that the people committed were indeed grave, but so are ours. God’s work of mercy continues in us. He doesn’t require perfection on our part, just dependence on Jesus’ work for us. The Bible then is not just a religious text that gives us a goal to shoot for, but a book that has answers for the real problems of real people in a real world.

Kim Anthony Shibley

Jesus Takes Care of Our Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow

“Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today, and forever.”

Hebrews 13:8

The more I get to know who Jesus is, the more I see that He’s the same. The consistent nature of the Savior is the thing I can hold onto when all that’s around me is changing.

Life is constant change. It changes biologically, relationally, emotionally, and spiritually.

I know that Jesus’ blood shed on the cross paid for my past. My sins were forgiven the moment I believed. That’s a truth I can hold onto. I don’t need to pay for the things I did, the words I said or the thoughts I thought.

What about now? Now I am a Christian what happens when I sin and make a mess of things and fail to put into practice the things I’ve learned?

Jesus is still the same. His love is the same. His mercy is the same His compassion is the same. His forgiveness is the same. He is the same Savior now as He was then. I may change, but Jesus doesn’t.

The future is before us.  We look forward anticipating marriage, kids, tuition payments, supporting a family, retirement, health issues, loss of loved ones and we naturally worry. What are we going to do? We will trust in the One Who never changes. His plan includes all these things in our lives. We need to experience them and trust in Him along the way that He will never leave us or forsake us.

Seeking

Seeking the lost is what Jesus came to do as He descended to the world below leaving his majestic throne. I once lost my keys and looked everywhere but couldn’t find them. I realized at one point that I must have thrown them in the trash with some things from my car when I got home. I went out to the trash can and started looking in the filth to find my lost keys. There they were! I was so happy. This is what Jesus did when He came here. He looked for us in our heap of trash and found us. He was so  pleased that He rejoiced with everyone.

It doesn't matter where you are today or what mess you’ve gotten into. Jesus loves you more than you can imagine.

“And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham; for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.””

Luke 19:9-10

Rahab Was His Mother

The stories in the Old Testament are some of the most interesting the world has ever known. The people described are so treacherous, evil, thieving, jealous, hateful and selfish, you would think they were our contemporaries.  
The truth is that sin is in everyone’s heart. Different ages and cultures, rather than revealing how different we all are, show instead how much we’re the same. The ancients were no better than us, and we are certainly no better than them. The constant for mankind since the day Adam fell is spiritual death, which causes a relentless search for fulfillment and meaning.
Another thing we see through these narratives is that God proudly displays His purposes in sinful people.
When the Israelites in the book of Joshua wanted to defeat Jericho, the center of idol worship of its day, they sent some spies to check things out. The men were discovered and hid in the house of a harlot, a prostitute, a hooker if you like. The woman’s name was Rahab. She risked her life to save them and asked in return that she and her family be spared from the destruction to come. She said, " Now before they lay down, she came up to them on the roof,  and said to the men: “I know that the Lord has given you the land, that the terror of you has fallen on us, and that all the inhabitants of the land are fainthearted because of you.  For we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were on the other side of the Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom you utterly destroyed.  And as soon as we heard these things, our hearts melted; neither did there remain any more courage in anyone because of you, for the Lord your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath.  Now therefore, I beg you, swear to me by the Lord, since I have shown you kindness, that you also will show kindness to my father’s house, and give me [c]a true token,  and spare my father, my mother, my brothers, my sisters, and all that they have, and deliver our lives from death” Joshua 2:8-13. The spies agreed and she was saved. She and her family, Canaanites all, integrated into the nation of Israel. This woman of disrepute became a believer in the Lord. She was accepted as part of the redeemed of God.
Rahab even got married to an Israelite by the name of Salmon. That fact would just be a small part of history were not the son of Rahab a man named Boaz who married a Moabite convert named Ruth. Why is that important? Ruth and Boaz had a son named Obed who was the grandfather of famous King David. The Messiah would be born from one of David’s descendants.
Some may ask, “How could it be that the lineage to Jesus would be through people so tainted by sin?” The very point of the Bible is to show how redemption is only possible through the saving work of grace. One common denominator with every person involved in Jesus’ line is that they were sinners. Everyone is not just tainted by sin but totally depraved by it.
In the business I used to work in we are called to replace drainage systems below floors in basements. The stones and pipes get “mudded up” over time with sediment and eventually clogs the system. Often when I recommend to the customer that our company needs to remove and replace the system with all new components they say, “No that costs too much, just replace that parts that are leaking water now.” In this case the problem is that even the areas we replace will eventually clog again because they are connected to the parts contaminated with mud. That same mud will eventually pollute the new system because the source of the problem has not been removed. Man in his natural state is completely hopeless and destined to failure without the loving actions of God.
Rahab’s life is a picture of how God saves us, includes us and uses us for His divine purpose in Grace. Why would Matthew mention not just that Boaz was one of Jesus direct ancestors but that Boaz’s mother was Rahab, if it were not to make the point that all who come to Him by faith are accepted?
This is why Ephesians 2:4-5 says, “But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved).”
The constant nature of man is sin and failure, but the eternal nature of God is love, forgiveness, redemption and inclusion into His family.

Who Hasn't Touched Him

Who Hasn't Touched Him?

Mark 5:24-34

This disciples seemed a little perturbed that Jesus would ask, “Who touched me?” when there was such a large crowd pressing in on Him to get a closer look and get something from Him. The question should probably have been, "Who hasn't touched me?"

This woman was very weak it seems and the narrative tells us she had a blood disease that no doctor could heal for 12 years. She had spent all her money and was in a place of terrible weakness. She had no money. She was by law isolated from the society and even her family. She could not in her condition even enter the place of worship, The Temple. She did what she could do to make herself well but nothing worked, all her strength was gone and all her hope with it. But then there was Jesus. This man who everyone talked about good or bad who it was said could heal all sorts of diseases. Despair brought her to the Messiah, nothing else. She finally realized that there was nothing she could to get well so she put what little trust she had in Him.

Sometimes our strength and self-sufficiency can be our greatest weakness. We do things for the Lord instead of praying to Him. Our abilities to work and figure things out seems endless. Men especially are the great fixers of things, the figure-outers, and the puzzle solvers. That is of course until life stumps us. We run into the one puzzle we can’t solve, the relationship we can’t fix, and the sickness we can’t figure out. . How many of us spend our time around the things of The Lord but never really touch Who He is?

When we get to that place, like the woman in the story, we begin to understand the importance of weakness. Just as strength may be our greatest weakness, weakness can be our greatest strength.

Where was everyone else in the story? They were all around Jesus. They were looking to hit the Jackpot. But even though they were in the presence of God Most High, they seemed to have missed the meaning of the moment. The woman had only one focus, “If I can just touch his robe, I will be healed.” (Mark 5:28). She knew that everything she tried to do ended in failure, but the One who could heal her was close by and wild horses couldn’t keep her away.

I see Christians who have problems in their lives shy away from the Lord and avoid the people of God and the assembly of the church. They don’t seek help or direction yet He is the One Who commands, “Come unto Me.” The Word tells us, “Let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.” (Hebrews 10:25).

Why don’t more people touch Jesus with the attitude of this woman? Ask yourself “Do I need Him, His direction, His Word, His healing, His love, His forgiveness and His mercy? Shoot through the crowd and be the one who truly touches the hem of His garment.

Who Do You Say He Is?

Jesus, speaking to the disciples decides to ask them a question, “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?” Matthew 16:13. Why do you think He asked them this particular question? Certainly Jesus knew what people were saying about Him and for that matter what His own disciples were saying; Then why the question?

So they said, “Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” Matthew 16:14.

It’s kind of easy to talk about what others think. You have nothing personally invested; you’re more of a reporter, gathering the facts. History is full of people who claim to know who Jesus is.

Mormons believe Jesus was a god. An important one no doubt, but a god.

Jehovah’s Witnesses believe Jesus was the son of God, but not God.

Islam believes Jesus was a prophet.

Some Buddhists believe Jesus was a Buddhist teacher.

Baha’i teaching says that Jesus is one of a series of Manifestations from God.

The list goes on

Good Moral Teacher

Moral Man

Jesus then brings it home, “But who do you say that I am?” Matthew 16:15.

That’s the real question isn’t it? Not what everyone else believes, but what you believe. It doesn’t matter if my parents are believers in Christ if I’m not. What do you believe? That’s the question. That’s the question Jesus asks over and over again through the scriptures. What do I believe?

The disciples of Jesus did not have the advantage of history on their side like we do. The Old Testament was their Bible and they didn’t have a grasp of exactly what it said about who Jesus was. They must have had their own thoughts like everyone else, but they were not sure. Could He be a resurrected prophet? Maybe. One thing they knew for sure was that Jesus was very special and very different. Could He be the Messiah?

No one dared say what they thought. What if they were wrong? Have you ever failed to answer a question because you weren’t sure and didn’t want to be embarrassed?

I can imagine Thomas saying after Peter gave the correct response; “That’s what I was going to say!”

But Peter said it, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Matthew 16:16.

There was great boldness there. Peter was the one to blurt it out. I don’t really know if they were all reluctant or if everybody knew the answer like on Jeopardy and the first one to hit the button got to speak. Either way Peter knew the answer.

Peter was the winner. Jesus calls him blessed because he received this revelation from God the Father not from his own meanderings or deductions. God told him.

Jesus then makes a play on words when He says, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.” Matthew 16:17.

He calls Peter a rock (Petros in Greek) and says upon “this rock” (Petra in Greek) I will build my church. Petros means a rock or small rock, whereas Petra means a cliff or a ledge according to Thayer’s Lexicon. The Rock that Jesus will build on is not Peter and his successors, but upon the rock of a statement that Peter made.

Who is Jesus to you? Just a name, or the Name above all Names?

Jesus continues the conversation saying, “The gates of Hell shall not prevail against it.” Matthew 16:18.

When our faith is planted firmly on the Rock – Jesus Christ – nothing can prevail. We are the church that matters because our faith is not one that just serves us, or changes when things get tough. It’s a faith that stands firm on the rock of Christ, the Son of the living God.