Making a Differencewith Pastor Phil Erickson

Feb 24th A Strong Message

Today’s Passage – Numbers 25 – 26

(Second Milers also read – Acts 25 – 27; Proverbs 24; Psalms 116 – 118)

Scripture Memory for February – Psalm 100

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Isaiah 51:11

In Numbers 25, we have a very strange story. It seems that as the people of Israel were sojourning in the land of Moab on their way to the Promised Land, some of the men began to get cozy with the women of Moab. God had a big problem with this for several reasons; but the main reason is that these women were not Jews by birth or by conversion. They were an idolatrous people, having entirely different standards of morality as well as an idolatrous system of worship. It wasn’t long before the people of God began to participate in the sacrifices to these false gods. This was a violation of God’s sternest warning to the people when they left Egypt. The Israelites were to be a separated people. God didn’t want them to fellowship with any other people because He knew that they would eventually turn the Jews away from Him.

God was furious with the people; and He wanted Moses to do something in order to purge this idolatry out of the camp of Israel. Eventually, a strange thing happens. A man took a Midianitish woman into his tent in the sight of Moses. I do not think they were going in there to have a Bible study. Anyway, this was also witnessed by one of the priests: a man named Phinehas; and he, in his zeal for the Lord, went into the tent and thrust a spear through both the man and the woman at the same time. At first glance, we might think that God would not support this kind of action; but on the contrary, He is very pleased with it; and He rewards Phinehas, and his family for doing it. Why? Because what Phinehas did served two purposes. First, it appeased the wrath of God; and secondly, it sent a strong message to the people of Israel to stay away from the inhabitants of the land. God is a jealous God.

By the way, these people were from the land of Moab. Remember yesterday’s blog about Balaam. Balak, the king of Moab wanted Balaam to curse the children of Israel. Balaam was unable to do this because God would not allow it, but it appears that the people of Moab were able to as much damage to Israel by fellowshipping with them as they could have done by fighting them. We really need to be careful who we fellowship with. My preacher used to say: “we are now, or we soon will be, who we hang around.” I believe that is a true statement more often than not.

I believe that today our churches are being inundated with sin and compromise. Most of God’s people, including many preachers, are looking the other way. We have almost given up the fight against sin. We need a Phinehas today, that will stand up and send a strong, yet loving message against it. We need some bold Christians that will stand against the incoming tide of immorality and cultural idolatry that is flooding the lives of the people of God.

Feb 23rd Which One Is The Jackass?

Today’s Passage –Numbers 22 – 24

(Second Milers also read – Acts 22 – 24; Proverbs 23; Psalms 111 – 115)

Scripture Memory for February – Psalm 100

Listen to this morning’s Scripture Song – Isaiah 40:31

“And God said unto Balaam, Thou shalt not go with them; thou shalt not curse the people: for they are blessed.” (Numbers 22:12)

“And the LORD opened the mouth of the ass, and she said unto Balaam, What have I done unto thee, that thou hast smitten me these three times?” – (Numbers 22:28)

“Which have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness; But was rebuked for his iniquity: the dumb ass speaking with man’s voice forbad the madness of the prophet.” – (2 Peter 2:15 – 16)

Feb 21st The Earth Opened Her Mouth, and Swallowed Them Up

Today’s Passage – Numbers 16 – 18

(Second Milers also read – Acts 16 – 18; Proverbs 21; Psalms 101 – 105)

“Seemeth it but a small thing unto you, that the God of Israel hath separated you from the congregation of Israel, to bring you near to himself to do the service of the tabernacle of the LORD, and to stand before the congregation to minister unto them?” – (Numbers 16:9)

“And it came to pass, as he had made an end of speaking all these words, that the ground clave asunder that was under them: And the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them up, and their houses, and all the men that appertained unto Korah, and all their goods. They, and all that appertained to them, went down alive into the pit, and the earth closed upon them: and they perished from among the congregation.” – (Numbers 16:31-33)

In chapter 16, we see a group within the congregation of the children of Israel who were rebelling against the God ordained leadership. One of the leaders of this insurrection was Korah, who was a Kohathite. The Kohathites were part of the tribe of Levi, but their specific responsibility involved transporting the ark and the other pieces of furniture and instruments that were used in the service of the Tabernacle. They were not priests, but they were servants for the Lord in the Tabernacle. In the verse above (v 9), Moses rebukes Korah for not being content with the job that the Lord had given him. Korah wanted more. He wanted to grab some of the glory that he saw Moses and Aaron getting. It reminds us of Lucifer, who was not content guarding the holiness of God. He wanted more too. This rebellion resulted in the death of Korah, along with the other men involved and their families. Further, many more people from the congregation perished the next day after they complained about the death of Korah and his bunch.

We see this same type of behavior today in our local churches. God puts in place leadership for the congregation, but there will always be some Korah’s within the congregation who will attempt to gain control. The process usually begins with murmuring and complaining about the job that the pastor, and, or deacons are doing. They will often grab the ears of other disgruntled people and try to bring them in with them. Before you know it, there is a group of people within the congregation who are gaining power, working against what the leadership is trying to do. It won’t be long before it comes to a head. Somebody will have to go. Sometimes it’s the pastor. Sometimes it will be Korah; but when he leaves, he usually pulls a bunch of people out with him.

Why can’t we just trust the leadership system that God has set up. He calls a man to a ministry. That calling is then confirmed by a vote of the congregation. The congregation still has the power to remove the man if there are serious enough issues in his ministry. But unless there is something immoral, heretical, or seriously unethical, the congregation should rally behind the pastor, pray for him, and work with him as he leads the congregation in the fulfillment of the Great Commission.

Don’t be a Korah. Support your pastor, and the other leaders that God has placed in your church. Work with him. Help him as he tries to win souls and disciple the converts. Pray for him and his family. Love him.

Feb 20th Fear Not

Today’s Passage – Numbers 14 – 15

(Second Milers also read – Acts 13 – 15; Proverbs 20; Psalms 96 – 100)

Scripture Memory for February – Psalm 100

Listen to this morning’s Scripture Song – Psalm 121

“If the LORD delight in us, then he will bring us into this land, and give it us; a land which floweth with milk and honey. Only rebel not ye against the LORD, neither fear ye the people of the land; for they are bread for us: their defence is departed from them, and the LORD is with us: fear them not.” – (Numbers 14:8-9)

Perhaps the most often repeated commandment in all of Scripture is the little phrase, “Fear not”. Humans are very fearful by nature. Let me ask you, what do see when problems or trials come your way? Do see the trial, or do you see the God Who is much bigger than your trial. How about obstacles? Is your God bigger than your obstacles? In Numbers 13 and 14 we see the twelve spies going into the land of promise to check it out. It is amazing how that all twelve witnesssed the same things, but only two of them saw that God was bigger than the obstacles. Ten of the spies came back with nothing but negativity. It is too difficult; the giants are too big. We can’t do it. Joshua and Caleb, on the other hand, didn’t pay too much attention to the giants, because their God made the giants look like little children in comparison. They saw nothing but victory, and the goodness of God in the land that they were to receive.

Let me ask you he question again. What do you see. Do you see the Christan life as something too big or too difficult? Do you see God’s will for your life as impossible for God to do through you. Let me share some verses with you:

“I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” – (Philippians 4:13)

Feb 17th The Voice of God

Today’s Passage – Numbers 7

(Second Milers also read – Acts 4 – 6; Proverbs 17; Psalms 81 – 85)

Scripture Memorization for February – Psalm 100

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 92:1 – 4

Read “The Humility Question” by Pastor Paul Chappell

“And when Moses was gone into the tabernacle of the congregation to speak with him, then he heard the voice of one speaking unto him from off the mercy seat that was upon the ark of testimony, from between the two cherubims: and he spake unto him.” – (Numbers 7:89)

“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:” – (John 10:27)

Chapter 7 of Numbers is certainly a long chapter, and not exactly what I would call great devotional reading. However, as with the rest of the Bible, this is a very important passage. Here we see the heads of the tribes of Israel all presenting to the Lord their offerings at the dedication of the Tabernacle. Each tribe had to offer the same thing which includes some gold and silver; incense and flour; and an assortment of animals. We certainly can see from this passage, and from many other recent chapters that the Israelite were certainly dedicated in the area of giving; but they not only gave what was required, they also gave over and above what was asked of them.

The last verse of this long chapters tells us that after the offering was made, Moses went into the Tabernacle to speak with God, and he heard the voice of God coming out from between the cherubims on top of the mercy seat in the Holy of Holies. I cannot imagine what it must have been like to hear the audible voice of God; to actually hear Him speak personally to my physical ears. I can, however, hear the voice of God today as much as I desire to because He speaks to me through His Word. The Bible is God’s voice. He spoke to me this morning about this dedication offering. He also gave me some wisdom from Proverbs 17. And then he motivated me and stirred me as I read about Peter and John and the other apostles and deacons from Acts 4 – 6. By the way, if you also read that passage from Acts you saw that there was a special offering given there as well. Unfortunately, two of the people giving offerings, Annanias and Saphira, decided to lie to God about their offering and as a result were put to death.

I digress. My intention is not to focus on offerings this morning, but talk about God’s voice. God speaks to me in other ways also besides the Bible. This morning as I was walking and praying God spoke to my heart about a few of the things that I was praying about. Now, we have to be careful about these “still small voices” that we hear in our heads and our hearts. We need to be sure that it is God that is talking to us. Sometimes our flesh and even the devil will put thoughts in our heads that are not of God. One way you can tell if it is actually God talking is if the thing that He tells you is in agreement with the Word of God. He never goes against His Word. It always disturbs me when people tell them that God had told them to do something that was a complete contradiction to His clear revelation from the Bible.

Have you listened for His voice today? Did you open up your Bible this morning, along with your heart and mind, and hear what God has to say to you? Have you waited on Him today in your prayer closet to hear Him speak to you about specific areas of your life? It is not that God is not still speaking today as much as it is that His children are not listening.

Feb 15th The Ministry?

Today’s Passage – Numbers 3 – 4

(Second Milers also read – John 21; Proverbs 15; Psalms 71 – 75)

Listen to this morning’s Scripture Song – Psalm 89:1

“Bring the tribe of Levi near, and present them before Aaron the priest, that they may minister unto him.” (Numbers 3:6)

In chapters 3 and 4 of the Book of Numbers we see God’s instructions to the families of the tribe of Levi. They were placed in charge of the ministry of the Tabernacle. Aaron and his sons were the priests, and they were put in charge of the service of the other families. The Gershonites were responsible for the setting up, taking down, and transportation of all of the curtains and coverings of the Tabernacle with the exception of the vail. Only Aaron and his sons were to remove the vail, and it was to be placed upon the Ark of the Covenant. The Kohathites were responsible to transport all of the furniture in the Tabernacle, though they were not permitted to touch any of the “holy things”, or even be present when they were being covered by Aaron and his sons. The Merarites were responsible to set up and transport all of the boards and bars that served as the framework of the Tabernacle. Each family had their responsibility; and each family had their place where they were to camp around the Tabernacle.

The thought I had this morning regarding this passage is this: what if one of the Merarites didn’t want to transport bars and boards? Maybe he wanted to transport coverings instead like the sons of Gershon. The point is that these people were not given the choice about what they wanted to do. They were assigned a task by God and were expected to do it. It is sort of like the military. They don’t really care about what you want to do; but they are going to assign you a duty, and you will be expected to do it.

It is not at all like this in the local church today. We tell people that they can do whatever they want to do. We tell them that they have the liberty to choose where, why, and how they can serve the Lord. But should it really be that way? Shouldn’t we still be seeking to discover what the Lord’s will is regarding who will serve, and in what capacity. There are many guidelines given in the Bible regarding service within the local church, and that certainly is where we should start the process; but we also ought to be very careful that we are very prayerful about what each person is given to do within the body. We also need to be careful about just sticking people in positions simply because there is nobody else to do it. We see a perceived need, so we place anybody we can find in the position. I believe that if the need is genuine, God will supply the right person. Maybe we are creating needs and positions that are not of God. I remember at one church we were serving in years ago, I felt that it was my duty to fill every perceived need that was present. I was working with the youth, junior church, bus ministry, Sunday School, and much more. The problem was that it wasn’t God’s will for me to be doing all of those things, so I began doing them in the flesh, which profited nothing. And maybe somebody else was missing out on their true calling because I was doing too much.

I believe that God has got a job for everybody to do within the local church; and also believe that God has got the right person for every need within the body. Leaders need to be admonished to pray earnestly about finding the right, biblically qualified person to do the job; and the people need to be willing to fulfill God’s will for their lives, whether it be teaching people or cleaning toilets. Every task within the church is important, and every worker within the church is equal in the sight of God, as long as they are doing what God has called them to do. The ministry is much more than just preaching and teaching the Word of God. In order for ministry to take place in a local church there are a lot of tasks that need to be performed. God has gifted certain people to perform each of these duties. I believe that all ministers need to be willing to do whatever is necessary in order for the ministry to function; but we also need to be constantly on the lookout for people who will be willing and able to do all of the things that need to be done. Every duty is important, and every person that performs these tasks is also important to the cause of Christ. The janitor that does his job well is just as much in the center of God’s will as the preacher who prepares, prays, and preaches.

What is your job within the local body of believers? What has God equipped you to do? Find your niche within the church, and help your church fulfil the Great Commission.