“Come, see…”

John 4:29

We live in a day when many consider the building called a church as the church… and even perceive that because people are in that building they are the church… however this sometimes is far from the reality.

As my pastor shared this past Sunday, the church in the Greek, is ekklesia, those who are called out… when this word descended into the English language it somehow became a word that was translated to mean lordly house, a designated place. The church was never meant to be a place… but a people.

So just because someone is in a building that we call a church… does not mean that they are the church, that is why we make the call, and proclaim the gospel within the church building.

This is why we invite people to church in hope against hope that they will become a part of the church and when called by God to be His church, they will not forsake the assembly but continue to join with them and study the Word of God and grow in Him.

This month, Sunday August 25th, the church, that meets in the house of Shiloh Baptist, is hosting an event. We are offering an invitation to come and see… we have titled it The Calling.

As the church we are commanded by our Savior to go…

Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you

Matthew 28:19

However, our excitement over this One we know as the Christ, also compels us to cry out “Come and see!“

God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” The woman said to Him, “I know that Messiah is coming (He who is called Christ); when that One comes, He will declare all things to us.” Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am He.” At this point His disciples came, and they were amazed that He had been speaking with a woman, yet no one said, “What do You seek?” or, “Why do You speak with her?” So the woman left her waterpot, and went into the city and said to the men, “Come, see a man who told me all the things that I have done; this is not the Christ, is it?” They went out of the city, and were coming to Him.

John 4:24-30

So sometimes our “Go and Tell” is a “Come and See“

So if you are reading this… I come to you just as the woman at the well came to those in her community so many years ago… that well of living water is for real… I am a woman who left my waterpot at the base of an unsatisfying well and drank of the living water that flows from the side of my Christ… I heard His call, His invitation to drink of Him in a center right front pew in the house of Shiloh Baptist.

It is here that I have grown in the grace and knowledge of God…

It is here in this house that God used His church to make me a disciple and to teach me to obey all that He has commanded me, and to know that my Jesus is with me always… even until the end of the age.

So it would be crazy of me to not run to you and want to bring you back with me to this well where I met my Messiah, my Jesus, the Christ.

When the woman at the well that day went to her town to make her appeal for others to come… she was not doing so in an off-handed casual manner. The word for “come” in John 4:29 in the Greek is deute and it gets the force of an interjection, “Come! Come now!” followed by a hortatory subjunctive. Which means it is a statement urging others to join in some action. It is an exclamatory word.

The woman at the well was not saying, “You know it sure would be nice for you to come with me sometime to see this man at the well… He was just so nice… offered me some water that would never leave me thirsty again… I really think you would like Him if you would just come and try Him”

No she was saying, “COME! COME NOW! I HAVE BEEN AND I AM GOING AND I AM TELLING YOU THAT YOU NEED TO COME WITH ME NOW!“

I am appealing to you now from the place that I met the Christ and have come to know Him more and more… and I am telling you that you need to come!

No, there is nothing special about the house of Shiloh Baptist… some parts of it are under construction, some parts of it have paint pealing, some parts have old paneling, some parts have holes, some parts have missing ceiling tiles, some parts have dirty handprints stained onto the walls, some parts need new flooring… but oh let me tell you, the church in that house… they are wonderful! They are not perfect yet, as all of us are still a work in progress, but I can promise you, that if you are willing to lay it out there, to take the time and effort to build the relationships, the church in this house, will love you unconditionally just as they are loved unconditionally by their God.

Jesus is lifted up and called Lord by His bride in this house… and His bride respects Him in this house… because she knows how very much He loves His bride, the Church, and so the church in the house of Shiloh invites you, compels you, calls you… to come and see. Don’t come just to see us… but come looking for the Christ… to come and see if indeed He is the Messiah.

The Spirit and the bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who wishes take the water of life without cost.

Revelation 22:17

There is a blog post popping up all over the social media world. It is causing quite a stir. I have responded to individuals, but today, well… most of my two cents worth just might come out.

The post: “My husband is not my soul mate”

My first reaction… the dear girl has only been married a year! One year! She writes these words and she is completely clueless.

My second reaction… her opinion is given with zero Biblical backing. It is simply her opinion as a young woman who has been in this marriage thing for ONLY ONE YEAR.

What I know is that this young girl, if she holds to her confession firm until the end, will read this post 15 years from now and shudder at her ignorance. Within this time frame she will experience something she had no clue about… soul mating. I am not writing here to condemn the young girl, she just doesn’t know yet was is to come. She just has more growing to do in her grace and knowledge of God and marriage. I assure you marriage will indeed help her with that… that is, if she keeps her covenant as she says she will.

Unfortunately, I see in her post an under-lying attempt by the enemy of our souls to demean marriage even more than our culture already has. Marriage was the first blood covenant recorded in the Scriptures for a reason. Marriage is used as an illustration of the church and Christ. Let us not forget that.

Let us not forget that our God is indeed a sovereign God and He weaves our lives… relationships and all. There is a reason you know the people you know. There is a reason you are where you are…

 and He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation

Acts 17:26

As for her father, He may be a Biblical scholar, but maybe, just maybe, he said what he said to get his daughter’s eyes off the things of the flesh and onto the things of Christ. Maybe he was trying to get her to see that if she thought a husband was the answer to all her prayers she was going to be in a butt load of trouble and deep ditch of disappointment.

A husband is just a man. He is not our God, ladies. He will have faults. He will have sin. He will have struggles. He will at times be unkind, unloving, unapproachable. He will say and do things that will hurt. He is flesh, just like you. He needs Jesus, just like you. He needs love, forgiveness, mercy, grace, and redemption… just like you.

Maybe her father just wanted her to know:

A Christian woman does not put her hope in her husband, or in getting a husband. She does not put her hope in her looks or her intelligence or her creativity. She puts her hope in the promises of God. She is described in Proverbs 31:25: “Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come.” 

She laughs at everything the future could bring because she hopes in God.

She looks away from the troubles and miseries and obstacles of life that seem to make the future bleak, and she focuses her attention on the sovereign power and love of God who rules in heaven and does on earth whatever he pleases (Ps. 115:3). 

She knows her Bible, and she knows her theology of the sovereignty of God, and she knows his promise that he will be with her and will help her and strengthen her no matter what. This is the deep, unshakable root of Christian womanhood.

~ John Piper

As for, “does God have a specific person for you?” The Bible clearly states that by all means He very well could! Let the Word of God speak for Himself:

Eve and Adam: Eve was made from Adam’s rib… they are the picture, foundation, root, the mold for every marriage after… Eve was specifically formed for Adam… she was chosen

Sarah and Abraham:  Isaac was to come from Sarah. Abraham could screw around with Hagar if he wanted, and reap the consequences, but Sarah was the one through whom the promised son would come… she was chosen

Rebekah and Isaac: My goodness read the story… it’s breathtaking! Genesis 24 its all there… she was chosen

Ruth and Boaz: The family just happened to travel to Moab, the son just happened to marry Ruth, the son just happened to die, Ruth just happened to end up in Boaz’s field, she just happened to bear the grandfather of David? No, I don’t think so… she was chosen

Mary and Joseph: Have you ever noticed that Mary had a-husband-to-be before she conceived the Son of God by the power of the Holy Spirit. Do you really think God just thought any man could raise His Son? No… this marriage was ordained by God… Joseph was chosen for Mary and Mary… she was chosen 

The Bride and Christ: Oh my, why of course… she was chosen

“You did not choose Me but I chose you”

John 15:16

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who are chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, 

by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, 

to obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood

1 Peter 1:1-2

Now as for the soul mate… Oh yes, dear new bride… he is indeed your soul mate! This is why sex outside of marriage is so detrimental to your inner being. You make soul ties:

“and the two became one flesh”

Genesis 2:24

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“Or do you not know that the one who joins himself to a prostitute

is one body with her?”

1 Corinthians 6:16

Your soul is made by God to be tied to only two others, Himself and your spouse…

A cord of three strands is not quickly torn apart.

Ecclesiastes 4:11-13

When we choose to pull strings off that cord and connect them to those who are not our spouse… then, when we do enter into marriage our cord is weakened. It is not the strong cord God intended it to be and it takes time and effort and pain and repentance and forgiveness and redemption to get those strings back in order to strengthen that cord. Yet, it CAN be strengthened and become that “cord of three strands” with your spouse and God.

That my dear is part of the soul mating.

What this young girl has not yet realized is all the ways that she and this man will come to know one another. The ways she will realize that he can tell and see things about her that only God should be able to see. What she does not yet know, is that God will mate this man to her soul in such a way that she will not be able to see herself even able to breath apart from him. She will have a revelation of a picture of her entire self being ripped apart if ever the thought of calling it quits enters her mind. Her soul will remind her that she is not herself apart from him.

Right now , a year in, she can walk through the house and say this is his and that is mine, but one day she will not even be able to recall what belonged to whose grandmother, because even their pasts have somehow managed to become intertwined.

Now please know that God's Word does not promise us a spouse, there are those who are called to a life of singleness, as Paul was...

Yet I wish that all men were even as I myself am.

1 Corinthians 7:7

but when a spouse is called and chosen... they do indeed become your soul mate.

Even more on God’s sovereignty in marriage…

My children were known by God before they were formed in my womb (Jeremiah 1:5). My children can only be who they are by the unique combination of my and my husbands DNA. Therefore, for my daughters to be here on this earth as my Shelby and Rebekah, my God had to direct my steps to my Patrick. The awesome thing is, He did this when I didn’t even know Him.

The bottom line my dear ones is that either God is sovereign or He is not.

God is even sovereign over sin. He uses all things to bring about His purpose because He is God. My husband had a child before he was married to me. God used a relationship that was not holy to bring about a beautiful blonde haired girl who was formed and fearfully and wonderfully made for a purpose by her Creator God, not unlike the way He used Judah and Tamar (Genesis 38). Was her mother my husbands soul mate… no she wasn’t. He was always intended to be mine. However, this beautiful blonde haired young woman is indeed here for a reason. She is in my life for a reason, but her life needed to be formed from these two for her to be her. God, in His sovereignty, purposed it and worked it out.

Anyway… there’s some of my two cents.

The Unless Series continues…

The next occurrence of the word unless in the Scriptures (according to the NASB) is in Genesis 42…

 by this you will be tested: by the life of Pharaoh,

you shall not go from this place unless your youngest brother comes here!

Genesis 42:15 

From Genesis 42 until Genesis 44 the word “unless” occurs five times and each time its  related to this same verse. So what’s the context of this verse?

Joseph is now second in command in Egypt. Let us remember that he has gained this position after his older brothers threw him in a pit and then sold him as a slave to Midianite traders. Now in Genesis 42 his brothers stand before him… well no… actually, his brothers bow before him and they are seeking food.

Joseph accuses them of being spies… and does not believe their words… and so he gives them an opportunity to prove their words. This opportunity he gives them will serve a two-fold purpose.

1) It will test the words and character of his older brothers

2) It will give him peace over the concern he has carried for the welfare of his younger brother, Benjamin

The usage of this unless is pretty much an ultimatum. I believe the point of this ultimatum is to remind us that true words come with action backing them. True words can be tested and proved.

You can read these chapters and clearly see the dilemma placed before the brothers by Joseph. You want grain… bring me the brother. If you speak the truth then you have nothing to fear.

There is no need or room for quarreling when our words are true.

Joseph knew this.

Because Joseph spoke truth… and he endured whatever consequences came with it.

Sometimes, God places us in sticky situations to test us. Sometimes He places us in sticky situations as an opportunity for redemption, an opportunity for confession, and opportunity to make a wrong a right.

Here is this unless…

We can see what the brothers did, and how the unless played out in their lives and in the life of Joseph as we read the rest of Genesis.

Today I want you to consider the “unless ultimatum” that may be before you today. Are you in a sticky situation? Is there an unless before you now? An unless that will test you, to see if you are a changed person?

Has God placed an opportunity before you today to do the right thing?

Will you be tested and approved?

Will your words come with action?

I wrote a post not long ago titled Unless… I wrote this after I noticed how many times the word “unless” was used in the Scriptures and the context in which it was used.

This word has continued to run through my mind over and over since that day… so I am going to dig into it. I am beginning  an “Unless Series”. A series of posts on the usage of the word unless in the Scriptures.

The word “unless” is a pretty strong word. According to the online Free Dictionary in its conjunction form it means: except on the condition that; except under the circumstances that and in its preposition form it means: except; but; save, except for.

The first usage of the word “unless” in the Word of God, according to the NASB, is in Genesis 32:26. 

Then he said, “Let me go, for the dawn is breaking.”

But he said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.”

In this verse, the word “unless” in the Hebrew is kiy. It is used as a conjunction in this verse and it means: that, for, because, when, as though, as, because that, but, then, certainly, except, surely, since, that, yea, indeed.

The context of this verse of Scripture is when Jacob has been left alone after sending his family and all his possession across the stream. He was  empty in this passage. He was empty of his family, his possessions, all his earthly wealth… all the things that defined him past and present were across the stream and he stood alone. He was just Jacob… the deceiver.

He stood there empty and for the first time he realized that unless God was with him… unless God blessed him… unless he held on to the heel of God he could not prevail.

In the womb he took his brother by the heel,
And in his maturity he contended with God.
Yes, he wrestled with the angel and prevailed;
He wept and sought His favor.
He found Him at Bethel
And there He spoke with us,
Even the Lord, the God of hosts,
The Lord is His name.
Therefore, return to your God,
Observe kindness and justice,
And wait for your God continually. 

Hosea 12:3-6

From the womb, Jacob was a sinner. He sought his way in this world by the cunning of his wits. He thought he could connive and manipulate and deceive to get what he wanted in this world. It worked pretty good for a while… but eventually he began to reap the consequences.

Finally as he looked to his future  and he looked to his past… he realized that unless the Lord bless him he had no where to go.

Are you there precious one?

The first unless in the Scriptures came from a man who made his lot by manipulating those who were his own family. He used his family instead of serving them. He stole from them instead of giving to them. He lied to them instead of loving them. He was after his own good, not the good of his family…

but finally He realized that it was only by the grace of God that He had what he had.

In this realization he knew that if God did not bless him, he could not carry the weight of his consequences. He realized that having the blessing of God was worth more than having all that he just sent ahead of him across that stream. He realized reality. He was nothing apart from the grace of God.

Are you there?

Have you been there?

If so, what was your unless moment?  What did it take for you to stop and lay everything you ever thought you were, everything you ever thought you wanted, to stop and lay it aside, and stand alone before God and take hold of Him and say “I will not let you go unless you bless me.”