Exodus 4:10 where we find these words:
Then Moses said to the LORD, "Please, Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither recently nor in time past, nor since You have spoken to Your servant; for I am slow of speech and slow of tongue." (NASB)
What is this? It is one of the first biblical accounts of an excuse. Dare I say that if Christians have learned anything well from Moses, we have learned the art of making an excuse. You’ve done it, I’ve done it, and frankly we have gotten good at it. Seriously, as a group of people, Christians are as good as anyone at making excuses. You don’t believe me, listen to this conversation that really happened:
“Carl (not a real name) can you teach that Sunday School class again this year?
“Well pastor, I surely would love to teach it again this year but I’m so covered up right now with little league that I just don’t think I’d have the extra couple of hours in the week to study.”
Still don’t believe me? Listen to this conversation that really happened and see if we aren’t an excuse-making group of people.
“Meredith (not a real name), are you still going to be able to go on the youth trip that the senior adult paid for you to attend?”
“You know, I’ve been praying about it and I feel like God is telling me that I couldn’t possibly benefit from going to this retreat.”
Hmmmm….you’re saying to yourself that these couldn’t possibly be real conversations. I heard them with my own ears from people who tell me that they are saved to this day. I asked the person who was asking the question in each case, “Why didn’t they just be obedient?” He was a pastor from who I learned much. He simply looked at me and said these words: “It’s easier for them to make an excuse than it is to be obedient.” I learned a good lesson that day, one that I will carry with me throughout my ministry.
Go back and read the parable of the dinner where Jesus tells of the master who sent his slave out to invite his friends to a dinner. Each time the slave approached a friend and asked them to attend, they made some sort of excuse. The master was furious and told the slave to fill his house with anyone in the highways and the hedges. He intended to fill his house and we see a valuable lesson there.
God is aiming to fill His house too. There is coming a day when God is going to have a big dinner and the invitations are going out now. The problem is not necessarily with the guests turning in the excuse; no it’s much, much deeper than this. Right now we have the people responsible for asking the guests to attend offering the excuse; the slave in the story is not being obedient to the master. In those days the slave was obedient or there was a consequence that was far from pleasant that he would suffer. Today there is an unpleasant consequence that comes when we offer excuse rather than extending the invitation. Also unfortunate is the fact that we are not the only ones who will suffer this consequence.
There is a new movie coming out called “The Box.” I’m not sure what it is about but the preview piqued my interest. The lady in the movie could push a button set before her and win $1 million. On the other side of the deal, someone dies. Now I don’t know enough from the previews to see “WHO” dies, but what if it were her infant child. What if the person that was to die was her elderly mother? What if the person who was to die was the child of her best friend who is dying from leukemia? There was a serious consequence that was to be paid for her comfort.
Today we are trading our comfort for the eternal residence of children, our friends, and our dearest family members that we know are lost. God is calling us to celebrate the kingdom of heaven, amen; there is no argument from me on this point. However, He is also calling us to “push the button” and extend the invitation to these people so they do not have to die and we can celebrate eternity with Christ and with these as well.
In my last post I felt God challenged us to be ready to give a testimony of His goodness in our lives. Today, at 3:30 A.M., I’m awakened to write and tell you that we have been sleeping far too long as Christians. The time has come for us to wake up and be obedient. This past week we lost two great men in our community: Ray Blackwell and John Webb. These two men were living testimonies of God’s grace and goodness. There was no doubt for their families that these two men were saved, and there is a great peace in the knowledge of this. Today we all know someone who, if they died, there family could not possibly be at peace by looking at the fruits of their life. God beckons us to reach out to them to change their families’ perspective and their eternal residency.
Today, will you be obedient? Will you be the one to “push the button” God sets before you? It’s as easy as talking about the weather when you think about it. God has been working on their heart already, He’s spoken to their heart already, and He’s giving us the strength to reach out to them if we’ll but accept it. It’s our calling and our privilege to be used of God, be obedient today.
Pray for each other and your staff as we reach out to our community without prejudice or regard for any social-economic status. Pray that we will all have the attitude that says “we don’t care who you are, we want to see you won for Christ today.” That’s a church that’s on fire, and that’s who God calls us to be. Help me be there as I pray for you to be there with me.
Love you guys!
Bro. Phil
