Here it is...Sunday again!! And today we had a very important reason to "get up and go!"....My hubby was the guest speaker for today's sermon!! It's kind of funny...late last night, when we were just about ready to fall into bed, my hubby asks me what shirt should he wear for church...and that began quite a scramble....Why we didn't think about it until bedtime last night I don't know...could have been because all week long we had a lot of other things on our minds...like no air conditioning in the house during a very hot, muggy week, lots of rain and other "issues", like tummy aches and lack of sleep, you know, just the usual normal kind of week for two retired people with nothing else to occupy their minds....and a proper dress shirt and tie for church just totally slipped our brains.
You see, most of the time he doesn't wear a "proper dress shirt and tie" to church anymore...things are just a little more casual here as seems to be the "norm" in most churches these days, at least here in this part of the south/country. And since my hubby retired from the ministry several years ago, he really hasn't needed to wear "a proper dress shirt and tie" very often...so, there we were, at 10:00 p.m., searching through the "other closet" where the other clothes are that we don't wear very often, hoping to find a "proper dress shirt and tie" that still fit and didn't need washing/ironing. It was really rather funny... When we finally found one that would do the job properly, it definitely needed to be washed/refreshed and hopefully if we could remember to get it into the dryer and out of it again, it wouldn't need to be ironed...(Guess who was getting up to remove said "proper dress shirt" from the dryer at 2:00 a.m.?...not the preacher, that's for sure. He needed to sleep if he was going to "get up and go" on time this morning...)
Genesis 12:1
"Now the Lord had said to Abram:
"Get out of your country,
from your family and from your father's house,
to a land that I will show you."
God is saying to Abram, who later became known as "Abraham", "Get all your stuff together...all the people, servants, camels, donkeys, sheep, goats, and all their possessions...and all you have to do is say good-bye to your family and just go...and I (God) will show you where to go..."
How do you prepare to go when you don't know where you are going?
Abraham listened to God, said good-bye to his father and his family (except for his wife Sarah and Lot, his brother's son and his family) and he just got up and went as God had told him to do.
He affirmed his faith in God by following God's orders...
Every time God told him to do something Abraham would do it, and he would make an altar to the Lord and make a sacrifice to Him (see verses 4-7), virtually saying to God, "I believe in You".
Abraham had an open heart and an open mind to hear God's message...an open channel.
Like the English Channel...if it is kept open the ships can get through, but if it is closed they cannot...sometimes the enemy (during the war) would block the Channel and battles were fought and many people died in that Channel.
The enemy of our soul also throws up problems that block our open channel to God, and we don't hear His voice or allow Him to work in our hearts when we allow the enemy to gain access.
God may be saying to you or to me to get up and go...and to trust Him to lead the way.
If God wants you to do this, He will sanctify you, through the blood of Jesus Christ and your faith in Him...
God is saying about those whom He has chosen, "He is holy to me...She is holy to me..."
Abraham's heart was prepared for a mission by faith in God.
We must also prepare to serve in God's army...
We must get over the hurdles that the devil throws up in the way...saying to us "How can you serve God?"
God does the qualifying.
God takes the soul who is humble and uses him to serve Him.
Remember Simon Peter? He was not a learned man, just a fisherman...he even denied Christ to save his own neck...But Simon Peter, when he got his heart right... ended up reaching many souls for Christ with the Gospel. Because of his faith in Christ the Gospel was spread throughout the whole world.
Abraham's heart was right......God said, "Go, I'll tell you where it is..."
In Genesis 12:1 we have "The Call" of God. God was saying to Abraham, "I choose you."
God says you are worthy because He makes you worthy...
The things that we do here affirms our faith in God...singing praises to God affirms our faith...
Welcoming others into the house of the Lord affirms our faith...
Coming forward to observe Communion is a wonderful privilege...and this affirms my faith that Jesus Christ is my Savior...unworthy as I may feel...His blood was shed for me.
Kneeling at the altar, praying and thanking the Lord...affirms our faith in Him.
And because of Christ's blood that was shed for us, and our faith in Him, we will one day be enjoying the bliss of heaven...we have that to look forward to...
God saw you through the challenges of whatever may have been blocking your channel to Him.
Be an open channel...let God work through you to do His will...
At the close of this message hubby and I sang a duet: Please prayerfully sing along...(some of the verses in the video may be a little different than the words printed below. What is printed below is what we sang, but either version is good.)
Channels Only
"How I praise Thee precious Saviour,
That Thy love laid hold of me,
Thou has saved and cleans'd and fill'd me,
That I might Thy channel be.
Chorus:
Channels Only, blessed Master,
But with all Thy wondrous power
Flowing through us,
Thou canst use us
Every day and every hour.
Just a channel full of blessing,
To the thirsty hearts around,
To tell out Thy full salvation,
All Thy loving message sound.
(Chorus)
Emptied that Thou shouldest fill me,
A clean vessel in Thine hand;
With no pow'r but as Thou givest
Graciously with each command.
(Chorus)
Jesus, fill now with Thy Spirit,
Hearts that full surrender know;
That the streams of living water
From our inner man may flow.
Chorus:
Channels Only, blessed Master,
But with all Thy wondrous power
Flowing through us,
Thou canst use us
Every day and every hour.
(Channels Only, by Mary E. Maxwell, tune by Ada Rose Gibbs)
Will you be an open channel for God to work through? Will you be willing to "get up and go" when He calls you?
(Sermon Notes from FUMC, Interlachen, FL, 6-3-2018, John F. Steiner)
Please Note : I want to repeat this disclaimer here...the notes, outline, and content included here are based upon my own personal understanding of the message that was being given. I am not attempting to completely quote or reproduce this message or any other message I've shared previously. Just as each person reading these notes may glean insights and thoughts that seem to directly apply to one's own situation and interpretation, my own delivery of these messages is skewed by my hearing and translation of what is being said. Some may read my notes here and wonder if they were hearing the same message as I...and I say, God speaks to each of us as He wills...there are things He is trying to get across to each individual that may be entirely different than what the person sitting next to you in the pew is needing to hear... That is how the Holy Spirit works! He knows what we need to hear and how to apply it to our hearts. So it is with that understanding that I present these sermon notes to you.
Thank you for your continued prayers for our Pastor. He is improving day by day, and is hoping to return to the pulpit next Sunday, Lord willing. Praise God!
"Get up and go!" Oh, yes, Pamela, it sounds like you and hubby were living that out even before he delivered this all important message today. Honestly, I don't know if I'd have been up at 2 in the morning to dry clothes, so I admire your tenacity and faithfulness toward your husband's immediate needs. And such an important message he shared! We do need to clear those channels so we can hear the voice of the Lord speaking to our hearts, guiding us as to where He wants to lead us. May we keep our ears open to hear His Word.
ReplyDeleteLove and blessings to you both!
Thank you, Martha. I'm not even sure HOW I woke up at 2 a.m., but apparently some little inner nudge woke me up...and I was so glad...hung up the shirt, and there were NO wrinkles in it when it was time to get dressed this morning. God is good!!! Yes, we do need to keep our channels open to the Lord so that He can use us for His glory in any way He chooses. He will not lead us astray. Be blessed today dear friend.
DeletePam: You lived the message beforehand. Like Martha O., I don't think I would have been able to dry clothes at 2:00 A. M. I have to really be inspired to 'get up and go' a lot of days. I love the words of the hymn. Thank you for sharing them. Peace and Blessings.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Cecelia. I believe God gave me that special nudge during the night to wake me up...and the best part was, I went right back to sleep! That had to be the Lord!!! Yes, I understand the part about needing the inspiration to "get up and go" a lot of days too. I had several of those days this past week... So thankful God got us up and going today. He is greatly to be praised.
DeletePamela, I am so thankful you shared this today. Go. Go where? How? What? :-)
ReplyDeleteFunny about the shirt. I just had an episode like that with my oldest son who was looking for shorts to wear to a fun church event. I just got him shorts. He outgrew everything but one pair suddenly. So we were frantic for a minute! :-/
So is your husband back in the pulpit or was this just a one time thing? You seem very calm, cool, and collected for a pastor's wife. (Ha ha!) I've known some pastor's wives who are stressed and frantic...well, like me with those shorts, and I am not even a pastor's wife. ;-)
Thankfully I'm on the other side of stress and frantic after over 30 years of it...today was kind of sweet and special...kind of like getting back on a bike.... This was just a fill in for our pastor who has been out sick for a few weeks. Different people of the church have taken turns speaking, which has been really nice to see. Laymen getting up and preaching the Word shows that they have been properly equipped by God for service...and the Pastor has done a good job of encouraging the flock to serve.
DeleteLoved your sharing this wonderful post with us Pamela. Enjoyed listening to the video. Your hubby shared a beautiful sermon. Have a blessed day ahead my friend.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Toni. I am glad that you could join us here for this message. I pray that it was a blessing to you...perhaps even God was speaking to you?! We all need to have that "get up and go" message now and then. I know I do. Have a blessed day.
DeleteWhen something doesn't come out of the dryer ready to wear, a damp washcloth and five or ten minutes back in the dryer with it usually does the trick. Good for you, getting up at 2:00 to rescue the shirt!
ReplyDeleteBe an open channel...let God work through you to do His will...
Yes and AMEN!! Thanks for this post which I am reading on Monday!
This message is good for a Monday too...we often need that extra kick to get up and go on a Monday...although now that we are retired, it really isn't that different of a day...
DeleteGirl you are good to rescue that shirt at 2 am. But I probably could have gotten up at 2 as it seems this old check most often looks at the clock every few hours here lately. CRAZY I tell ya! Oh I would have loved to have you both sing. Get up and GO! What a great title. Thanks for sharing Pam. Hugs and blessings, Cindy
ReplyDeleteWish you could have been there too...you could have come up and joined in the singing! Or shouted hallelujah! Yes, I check the clock way too often in the night...it's a thing that happens to "older women" I think...Ha Ha, although I believe I am a bit older than you...that "get up and go" has more than one meaning...LOL. Have a blessed day my friend.
DeleteThank you for sharing your thoughts here. Yes, getting up and going...going to what God has planned for us. It's scary and exhilarating and more!
ReplyDeleteOne note: Abram's father went with him and was thus delayed for a time--once his father died, he was able to truly get up and go.
Blessings!
Yes, it can be scary and also exhilarating to follow the call of God...but we can rest assured that He will never lead us where He will not go with us every step of the way, so we need not fear. I believe Terah, Abram's father,went as far as Haran, and then he died...and Abram, Sarai and Lot , etc. and everything they had acquired in Haran (verse 5), departed for the land of Canaan... I guess he had to take care of his father until he died. That is what happens often in this life. But then God says, get up and get a move on!! Time's a wasting!! Have a blessed day my dear friend.
DeleteIn Hebrew the protion of the bible is called lech lecha which means get yourself going or go for yourself. I always took it to mean go for your own good.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed hearing about the shirt and tie situation. Very funny.
Its odd how often we have to rush around to get things ready at the worst times.
That is a good translation. I imagine God was telling Lot and his family the same thing when they had to flee Sodom and Gomorrah. "Get a move on"...for your own good! And don't look back...but Lot's wife just couldn't help herself...she just had to look...and now she's a pillar of salt...
DeleteI'm glad you liked the shirt story. I actually thought for sure he had a shirt ready to go hanging in the closet...but upon closer inspection it had a slight stain on the front, probably from an iced tea drip...and that had escaped my earlier notice. So...the search for the great white shirt escapade was on...Thankfully it ended well. And he looked great and did a wonderful job, praise God!
All the photos of your church are so beautiful. I love the contrast of the white siding with the golden stained glass windows.
ReplyDeleteWhile we are generally dressing more casually for church these days, church architecture isn't what it used to be, either. Your photos are refreshing.
I totally understand what you mean about church architecture. That is one thing that drew me to this little church in the first place...it was where our son got married last fall...and then when we met the people inside...it was just as wonderful as the architecture....even better...wonderful, sweet, godly people and pastor...and we knew we'd found a new church home. God has been blessing our time there ever since. Shirt and tie notwithstanding...
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