DO YOU EVER NEED A REFRESHING?
DO YOU EVER NEED A REFRESHING?
Sunday, September 29, 2013, the Year of Our Lord
Pastor Carolyn Sissom
Since the first of this year, I have been doing all the things I knew to do to hit “my refresh button”.
But I couldn’t “get there”. I wasn’t quite myself and I knew it.
It has been an awesome year in the Lord with rebuilding the church building after the move; a wonderful trip to Orlando in January; my daughter’s wedding and the love of family and friends in April; the annual trip to Washington D.C. for the N.D.P in May; the July conference; and now a trip to Europe in Oct. In between these events, I am doing what I love the most, preaching and teaching the Word of God to a wonderful church; visiting family and friends; preaching as venues open; hosting ministries and family; and in all my ways blessed with God’s love, favor and provision.
What could possibly be amiss with such a blessed and fulfilled life?
I have prayed, searching my soul and my sins, seeking the Lord for a fresh passion of His Love. Phm 1: 6-7: “That the communication of your faith may become effectual by the acknowledging of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus.”
I knew that a vacation was not the answer. I have been to conferences and meetings in the City and “yes” blessed and temporarily “refreshed”, but there was still something missing. In my life quests, I have been blessed to enter the “rest” of God; and discovered, “the meaning of life”. However, life was again shifting or maybe even “shaking” and I needed to regain my “peace of God that passes all understanding”.
When we cry out to the Lord even when we don’t know what is amiss, He will answer us in His mysterious and awesome way.
He touched me and “refreshed me” this past Friday.
Sonya and I drove to Texas City to attend the funeral of a dear saint at a Missionary Baptist Church. She was the grandmother of one of our church members.
The church is a typical, red brick, Baptist church. It has stood strong against the storms and heat of the Gulf Coast for 128 years. This area in Galveston County was settled in the 1800’s by four black cowboys. However, it is not my story today to tell of the history of La Marque, Texas, but to tell how I was touched and “refreshed” by the “touch of the Lord” by the spirit present that day in the church.
We were there to show our respect to the family and the Godly heritage through the children, many of whom I have been blessed to meet.
Sonya and I sat quietly observing the humble but “quality” furnishings of the sanctuary. We observed the quaint saints as they gathered in to show honor to their “Sister” in Christ. We admired the dignity and grace of the beautiful hats and elegant attire.
Then came time for the processional of the clergy and family; It appeared that every member of the extended family had come to show honor and respect to this beloved mother, grandmother, aunt, and cousin.
Then it happened! The spirit of this lady’s life permeated the atmosphere energized by the eternal Holy Spirit of God.
It wasn’t the songs –though they were good!
It wasn’t the expressions of Love by the family –though that was very nice!
It wasn’t the Eulogy by the Pastor, ---though the message was eloquent describing the faithfulness, loyalty, honor and respectfulness of the deceased and his respect for her!
The congregation stood. The recessional of the clergy and family began to file out of the sanctuary. Tears filled my eyes. I could graciously say the spontaneity of the tears was partly because I was weeping with the family, but that was not the real reason for my tears.
The Holy Spirit, Jesus, and Father God with the angels of Heaven were showing their respect and honor to this woman of God by their presence. It was her faithfulness, her resoluteness of steadfast respect and honor to all that was Godly; her belief in the Sovereignty and faithfulness of Jesus; and her respect for the saints (her neighbors).
Matt. 22: 37-40: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
The honor and respect shown this woman of God by her family, the congregation and the clergy was the same honor and respect she had shown to others throughout her life. The Spirit gave a “witness” of her testimony.
As a Pastor and Minister, I could become discouraged if I look around, and see all of the ambition, pride, competition, pre-eminence, greed, materialism, false-hope, self-promotion and man-made systems in not only the Body of Christ, but in the ministries of the Universal Church. This is part of the nature of human existence and the human dilemma.
The bones of this lady and her Spirit clearly spoke and cleared my mind of the false worship of the man-made system that cries out “refresh yourself and I will give you a reward”. The Word of God charges us to not go back into that which is not “real”, but go forward into all that is “pure in heart”. This “refreshing” cannot be found in foreign trips, conferences, platforms, materialism, the pride of life, houses, cars, boats, bank accounts, planes, or fame. I would not have anyone think that I ever sought it in those places on my life journey. I have not.
There is a story in 1 Kings 13 that spoke to me clearly today of “my way forward” regardless of what I see round about me, and why my Spirit was troubled by the condition of the extended church in the City of Houston and probably in the nation. The soul of our nation is in moral and spiritual decline. That is because the apostate church is also in moral and spiritual decline.
1 Kings 13: There came out of Judah “A Man of God” unto Bethel, and King Jeroboam stood by the altar to burn incense. The Man of God prophesied against the altar. He named the yet unborn Josiah who would offer the ungodly heathen priests upon Jeroboam’s altar!
1 Ki. 13: “He cried against the altar in the word of the Lord, and said, O altar, altar, thus says the Lord; Behold, a child shall be born to the house of David, Josiah by name; and upon you shall he offer the priests of the high places that burn incense upon you, and men’s bones shall be burned upon you.”
The burning of human bones was a fearful desecration, so the oracle spoke at once of the complete doom of Bethel and the survival of David’s house.
The prophet then gave a sign that the altar would be rent and the ashes poured out. Then King Jeroboam put forth his hand (ministry) against the prophet, “saying lay hold of him”. But his hand dried up and the altar was rent and the ashes poured out from the altar according to the sign which the man of God had given by the word of the Lord. King Jeroboam relented and repented, “Pray for me, entreat now the face of the Lord your God, that my hand may be restored to me again”. The man of God sought the Lord. The King’s hand was restored to him again and became as it was before.
The invitation for death of the prophet is given, “The king said to the man of God, Come home with me, and refresh yourself, and I will give you a reward.”
The man of God said to the king, if you will give me half your house, I will not go in with you, neither will I eat bread nor drink water in this place: for so was it charged me by the word of the Lord, saying, “eat no bread, nor drink water, nor turn again by the same way that you came.”
So he obeyed and did not return the way that he came to Bethel.
God would not give any place to the man-made system, and had given orders to his man concerning the Way.
Now there was an old prophet in Bethel. His sons came and told him all the works that the man of God had done that day in Bethel. The old prophet saddled his donkey and went after the man of God.
A true prophet could not have stayed there! The Hebrew word for “prophet” here means “false prophet”. His sons (sons of the false prophet) shared with him the events of that day. “Ass” i.e. “donkey” (Ishmael nature) was saddled. The old order (false prophet) rode and found the man of God sitting under the Oak. “Come home with me and eat bread”. The true prophet repeats his charge from the Lord. But the old false prophet replied (and lied). “I am a prophet also as you are, and an Angel spoke unto me…”
The Man of God disobeyed God and went back to the house of the false prophet. To eat and drink of the old order is spiritual death!
While eating, the real word came forth, “For as much as you have disobeyed the mouth of the Lord, and have not kept the commandment which the Lord your God commanded you, But came back, and have eaten bread and drunk water in the place of the which the Lord did say to you, eat no bread, and drink no water; your carcass shall not come to the sepulcher of your fathers.”
After eating, he saddled the donkey that carried him to his judgment. A lion met him and slew him; and his carcass was cast in the way (a lesson for all of us not to trifle with the Lord and His ministry).
The ass stood by the body and the lion also stood by the body. Now this is a sign from the Lord. These represent our two enemies:
(1) From within, the old man
(2) From without, Satan.
This scene was unusual to say the least.
The Old prophet came and brought the body back to the city. He laid the carcass in his own grave, and said, “Alas my brother!”
This is a warning to all of the ministers of God who have been called by the Holy Spirit of Truth and have allowed the “old order” to destroy the life out of your ministry and destroy the move of God. The “old order” always comes against the next move of God.
1 Kings 13: 31-32: “…After he had buried him, then he spoke to his sons, saying, When I am dead, then bury me in the sepulcher wherein the man of God is buried; lay my bones beside his bones; For the saying which he cried by the word of Lord against the altar in Bethel, and against all the house of the high places which are in the cities of Samaria, shall surely come to pass.”
The bones and spirit of the righteous live and speak beyond the grave. Not as ghosts or familiar spirits, but as part of the life of the Holy Spirit that is eternal. We have the eternal Spirit dwelling within us. Even the Word and Life are shut up in our bones. Our spirit is eternal in the Heavens as we are one with the Spirit of God.
After this incident, Jeroboam continued in his evil ways. Whosoever would, became one of his priests (man’s choice). It is God and not man who determines the appointment of ministry. Jeroboam’s ministers were after the manner of the nations of other lands.
This thing (democracy in choosing ministry) became sin unto the house of Jeroboam, even to cut it off and to destroy it from the face of the earth.
I had become discouraged and was grieving about the abuses, backsliding, and wrong motives of so many ministries. I could not see my way forward in the “jungle” of pride, prestige and ambition dominating Christians. I didn’t want any part of it. I don’t want any part of it.
By the grace of God, I have landed on my feet “one more time”, sink or swim--- I was refreshed.
Phm. 1: Hearing of your love and faith, which you have toward the Lord Jesus, and toward all saints; that the communication of your faith may become effectual by the acknowledging of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus. For we have great joy and consolation in your love, because the heart of the saints are refreshed by you, brother.”
I salute this woman of faith as being a righteous woman of God whose love and faith is a testimony and witness of the love of the Lord. Jesus Christ.
Carolyn Sissom, Pastor
Eastgate Ministries, Inc.
Scripture from K.J.V. For the story of the Old Prophet in 1 Kings, I entered into the labors of Principles of Present Truth from 1 Kings by: Kelly Varner. Comments and conclusions are my own and not meant to reflect the views of Brother Varner.