COMING TO THE TABLE

Karen and I just spent three wonderful days up in Penhook, VA at an old fashion camp meeting. Now do not go to the camp meeting in Penhook if you do not know your Bible. I have never met a man (I include myself) that has a greater love for the Scriptures than Elliott Scott (Scottie to his friends) and with his charming wife Debra “the Red Head” who completes a couple of great generosity, wisdom, and love. For the last seventeen years they have had a Thursday night service and once a year they have a week-long camp meeting. Scottie converted his fertilizer warehouse into a meeting place (not a church because he knows the truth we are the church) in which to hold a non-denominational service. Folks from all walks of life come together to just lift up the name of Jesus in song, the preaching of the word of God, and after the service in a meal. I had the gracious opportunity to minister two of the six days and our special friend Pastor Niki Markov and his family from Bulgaria shared one night. What a wonderful time it was to go back to the old fashion ways that our lives have seemingly forgotten in our hurry up and cannot wait world. Jeremiah said, “Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein.” (Jeremiah 6:16) “rest” is what God desires for us far beyond faith and trust. Now do not think the church is immune from this break neck life style of ours where we are told bigger is better and faster and flashier is of God; oh no my friend for those who believe this lie they have been conformed to this world and are deceived in their heart. Did you know if you spend more time on face book (or any other social media) than you do reading your Bible or time spent waiting before the LORD you have been conformed to this world? If your life is run by a hand held electronic gadget you have been conformed to the world. I will even bring it down further, if you pack your cell phone around in your back pocket you have been conformed to this world. How subtle this conforming can be in our lives. Please do not get me started on Christians with their bodies covered by tattoos and body piercings. Our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit and is not a canvas to express our feelings and desires. I have found those people (Christians included) that are heavy into the arts have been conformed by the world. Oh I know you will say he is judging us and you would be right, but how else can I tell my brothers and sisters they are wrong according to the Scriptures and need to take heed to themselves before they get carried away and out of God? This non-judging attitude in the church has opened the church up to an anything goes thinking and life style that lacks the anointing, authority, and the power of the Holy Spirit. No wonder there is little to no Holy Spirit power in the lives of most Christians these days it has been replaced by a religious self-seeking, selfish, unteachable know-it-all spirit of non-judgment. Yes pray for people by all means, but for the love of God please tell them also of the error (according to the Scriptures) in their lives before it is too late. Then let them judge for themselves your words, but do not break off friendship with them be there for them. At the heart of our conforming to the world is a deep love for the world that is greater than our love for the LORD. I have pastor friends that have sworn by “God Almighty” they would never be on face book, twitter, etc., but today they recommend contacting them exclusively through the many social media sites. Everyone is using face book and twitter they tell me, you need to get onboard with social media, step up into the year 2013, everyone is using it . . . well, as Karen always says (words from her wonderful mother) if everyone jumped off the Empire State Building would you? Maybe I am just speaking for myself, but the more I go towards technology the less of God is in me. On second thought I know I am speaking for all of mankind. How can we be so plugged into the ways of the world and expect to hear from God and be used in ministry by the Holy Spirit when we have no ear for Him? Solomon said it this way, “There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.” (Proverbs 16:25) Sadly Solomon would know because he did not listen to his own advice. To me this is the greatest lesson from the Books of Proverbs and Ecclesiastes Solomon failed to heed his own words and in the end he was conformed to the world and lost it all in God. Let us not follow after Solomon it is not God’s intention for us to, but let us follow after the example of Jesus Christ which leadeth to life. John tells us, “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. 17And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.” (1 John 2:15-17) Again “love not this world neither the things that are in the world” that means our favorite TV programs. I remember in 1968 Howard Reckley (I believe he is with the LORD now oh I loved him so) the pastor of the Assembly of God (AG) church we attended was strongly against TV, now it was not the position of the AG Church just his. Sadly he lost that argument, but now I see the wisdom in his position we are not better today. Maybe that is why the power and influence of the church over the years has dwindled down to just feeding and clothing people when people need hope and a purpose that is only found by coming to know a Holy God. We will never come to know a Holy God if we are conformed to this world because “the love of the Father is not in him” no love no power. In Romans Paul taught the Church at Rome and us, “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. 3For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.” (Romans 21:2-3) So if our mind is not renewed we can never be transformed and will be conformed to the world. How then is our mind renewed? By displacement. When a battleship sinks into the water the weight and space of the battleship pushes down into the water and pushes away the water that would occupy the very space and weight, so too in our lives we are to replace or displace the things of the world and our loves and desires with, “ that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” We are to think on those things that are pure and of a good report. Paul tell us, “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:” (Philippians 2:5) Will we do this after or before we read the newspaper? We are to fill our mind, heart, and lives up with the things of God and NOT of: the Real Housewives of New Jersey, the Kardashians, and the like, sports programs, cooking shows, the daily news scrawl, and the endless list of worldly entertainments and attractions that most Christians subscribe to so that we CAN come to the table in sincerity and partake of the bread of life. While at Penhook after each service we would sit down and eat supper. What a wonderful time. It reminded me of a church in Koln, Germany, Christliche Gemeinde Koln with Pastor Terry Jones. After each service the entire congregation (Sunday usually around 2,500) present would orderly and efficiently (German style) help convert the warehouse sanctuary space into a restaurant with tables and the chairs from the meeting. What a spread they would put on, what fellowship and the food was good too. Well in Penhook the same was true a meal was served to all in attendance for free after the service. Everyone like one big happy family would bring something to eat, sit down, and enjoy each other’s company and the Spirit in the meal. As I sat there I thought what did I bring to the feast? Oh we brought some cole slaw and potato salad, but I was not thinking about physical food I was thinking about spiritual food. What spiritual food did I bring to the feast? In 1 Corinthians Paul tell us to, “Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.” (1 Corinthians 5:8) We are to keep the love feast with both “sincerity” and “truth” one will not do it, both are required to keep the feast. Sincerity (Strong’s #1505 purity and ingenuousness) without truth leads to an unteachable spirit and selfishness. This was the heart condition of the Church at Corinth. They were sincere in their wanting God in their approach, but it was not mixed with truth the critical element that energizes spiritual growth and maturity in us. How we handle the truth (especially about ourselves) is one of the greatest signs of spiritual growth and development. We can sing, dance, and wave flags all day long, but if the truth does not humble us and bring us down into a low place where Christ is then all we do is for naught. Here is the testimony of Paul about the Church at Corinth, “When ye come together therefore into one place, this is not to eat the Lord’s supper. 21For in eating every one taketh before other his own supper: and one is hungry, and another is drunken. 22What? have ye not houses to eat and to drink in? or despise ye the church of God, and shame them that have not? What shall I say to you? shall I praise you in this? I praise you not.” (1 Corinthians 11:20-22) The Christians here were coming together at church to keep the “Lord’s supper” (probably not the spiritual ritual we keep today, but a dinner like in Penhook), but each was taking their own supper first; they could wait on their brothers and sisters, they could not wait and allow someone hungrier to go ahead and some kept drinking wine to the point they were drunk. You see at the “Lord’s supper” we would prefer others ahead of ourselves. At the “Lord’s supper” there would be restraint and moderation in our habits and actions. At the “Lord’s supper” there would be “simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God,” Thank God for 2 Corinthians. After correction Paul’s testimony of the Church at Corinth was, “For our rejoicing is this, the testimony of our conscience, that in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God, we have had our conversation in the world, and more abundantly to you-ward.” (2 Corinthians 1:12) After the lesson was learned Paul could commend them rejoicing. When we come to the “table” what are we bringing? Are we bringing the unleaven bread of truth and sincerity? What is our heart condition towards our brothers, sisters, our enemies, or ourselves? Just how simplistic is our lives? You know the more I learn of God the more I want to learn of God, but the more I learn of God the less it seems I really understand about God and this is because in the learning we see the vastness of God as compared to our heart. The table is set and the call “come and dine” is given, but what are we bringing to the feast? Written by David Stahl