Hi all,
In
what seems like a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, I owned 2
pizza delivery stores. At one of them I had a manager who was well
liked, got along with everyone, and was polite with customers....but
just couldn't understand the concept of showing up for work on time.
On numerous occasions I went to the store at 11am
(opening time) and the phones were ringing wildly, drivers were
standing outside wanting to be let in so they could go to work...and the
manager wasn't there.
Furthermore,
for example, our large (16"/40.6cm) pepperoni pizzas were to have 16
ounces of cheese (453 grams) and 52 pepperoni slices, but he put 18
ounces and 62 slices on. And, he liked talking so much to employees,
that when business slowed after the lunch or dinner hour, he couldn't
bring himself to have them clock out. As a result, his food and labor
percentages were $2000 too high each month.
But
I was witnessing to him, so starting in January continuing through
September I kept giving him warnings and talking to him. Each month or
pay period that went by I would make a deadline and goal for him to
meet, and when he failed he sincerely apologized and had what were to
him legitimate excuses for what happened on x night to make the
percentages off...so I relented.
On October 3 I
was complaining to Barb yet again how he was costing us $2000 per month
in food and labor, and he had failed every goal I'd set with some
excuse or another, and she said: "You love him more than you love me,
because if he is costing us at least $2000 per month like you said, that
is money taken away from me and our children's mouths and you're giving
it to him." She was right.
I fired him the next morning.
I had ended last week talking about how Steven told us in Acts 7:42
God reached a point when He decided He would not go on giving Israel
chances to repent. He said, "...and God turned and gave them over to
worship the host of heaven."
Israel refused God 10 times
Upon
hearing God had turned and would not give them another chance, but
would make them wander in the wilderness 40 years, a year for each day
they had spied out the land and decided against going into it, the
people mourned and repented - but their repentance was too late*.
To
show the Lord how sincere they were they gathered an army without Moses
or Joshua and entered the Promised Land and attacked the Amalekites and
Caananites who lived there, against Moses' advice. He had told them not
to go for 'God is not with you'; but they attacked anyway and were
soundly defeated, retreating
back into their camp. *Numbers 14:39-45
Israel is the manager...
In my example above we could make Israel the manager and my position as owner, as God was to Israel.
God
reached a point with Israel He decided to let them experience the
ramifications of their words and actions. Parents reach those points
with their children. Teachers with students. At some point giving them
grace becomes enabling them to continue in dysfunction or sin or
laziness, and there comes a point they must experience the consequences
they'd been warned about. That is what God did to Israel. Their actions
caused Him (and us) to do things we don't want to do, but must.
Joshua and Caleb were allowed to enter the Promised Land
Consider Joshua
and Caleb's perspective for it is ours, as Christians no matter in what
nation we live. Joshua and Caleb were a remnant who saw their nation
falling away from God's ways.
A
remnant is a small piece of cloth that remains when the rest of the
cloth has been sold or used - it is a left-over piece. That word
'remnant' is used 540 times in the Bible and often means 'that which is
left over after a community or nation undergoes a disaster or
catastrophe'.
It
was used to describe left over food or oil, and 'leftover' people. That
is the position of believers in the midst of a nation and culture that
doesn't serve God. It describes Joshua and Caleb who were remnants of
their generation, and it describes the 7,000 knees that refused to bow
to Baal in Elijah's time.
Think
about what the remnant saw going on around them when Israel as a whole
started following other gods and goddesses. How they must have mourned
and prayed, and even feared what might happen to them and their nation.
Are we any different today no matter what nation is your home?
There
is always a remnant who watch in horror the things befalling their
country due to the evil practices of the ungodly - but it happens to
their nations anyway.
Troublemakers?
When Ahab first met Elijah he asked in I Kings 18:17,
"Are you the one troubling all Israel?" To the evil, it is the
followers of God, the remnant, who appear to be the troublemakers, and
to them, they must be stamped out.
That
spirit giving evil people that perspective has been seen throughout
history - from the rulers of Babylon who were against Daniel and
friends, to Hitler thinking the Jews and Christians were troubling
Germany, to in the US and other nations in a continually increasing
boldness among liberals who blame conservatives, Christians and Jews for
the troubles of their nation.
From
their perspective, we are causing their agenda from being implemented
so we are the troublemakers, and if only they could be allowed to do
what they want, the country would be at peace.
People have asked me...
I
often get asked when I travel if I feel evil spirits over a city. And
if I turn my attention to it I can often sense areas of particular
demonic activity or what 'big' spirits rule an area, but to tell you the
truth, I am so aware of Christ in me and God's presence in and around
and with me, and look for what He is doing in an area, that I only see
and feel and sense Him. I just don't naturally look for what the devil
is doing.
Jesus
said in Matthew 24:14 "And this good news of the kingdom will be
preached in all the world with a witness (signs/wonders), and then
the end will come", THAT is my measuring stick for where we are in
world events - what God is doing - not what the devil is doing.
I
find it fascinating how the Ezekiel 38 alliance between Russia, Turkey,
Iran (Persia in OT times so could easily include Iraq) is taking shape
daily right before our eyes, even as I write this we see news of Russia,
Iran and Iraq forming Russian bases in Iraq and Syria - amazing days!
BUT...on a personal level my focus is to listen to the One voice: Christ in me, the hope of glory.
Many,
many Christian voices are actually spirit of fear driven - from
conspiracy theories to world economic collapse, many Christians have
reached a point they don't care anymore because they are just plain
tired of all the voices. Many are mere breakfast cereal: Fruits, nuts,
and flakes.
When
Jesus said in John 10:3 that His sheep know His voice and He calls each
by name, that was only the first part of His statement. He concludes
saying in v5: "And a stranger they will not follow for they don't know the voice of strangers."
Too
many believers are listening to other voices than the Good Shepherd who
is in them. We need to hear His voice in us, for we are in the days God
when God has turned, and is allowing all nations to walk in their own
ways while we as remnants watch with fascinated horror the world
dissolve around us. And as has happened before, we will get the blame...
I've run out of room - next week - tying it all together, why the rapture didn't happen, what God is doing.
Blessings,
John Fenn
www.cwowi.org and email me at cwowi@aol.com
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