If you are spiritually dry, spend the day  talking to God and asking Him to refresh you through the presence of the Holy Spirit

Matthew 17:1-4. John 7:

Read Deuteronomy 16:13-17

Can you picture seven days of feasting and rejoicing and praising and celebrating? For the typical Aussie male, that would mean a week of drinking, intoxication and partying, partying hard at that. But for Israel, the children of God it was a week of holy celebrations. It was a week filled with joy, the joy of the Lord and a week of being in His glorious presence.

During this harvest festival, Israel was to live in hand made booths or tents to remind them that God had delivered them from Egypt and that Israel had wandered in the desert for 40 years, effectively living in tents.

This harvest feast looked forward to the time that Messiah would reign and would bring the nations into the Kingdom of God. Zechariah 14:16-19 pictured such a time when the nations would come to Israel and celebrate the feast of Booths.

Jesus also made great claims during the Feast of Booths/Tabernacles. On the last day of the feast, after the 70 bulls had been sacrificed Jesus made a great claim.  To understand His claim, we need to remember that on each day of this feast a priest would go to the pool of Siloam with a golden pitcher and fill it with water. A crowd of palm branch waving pilgrims would be marching behind praising God with chants of “Hosanna!” The priest would walk once around the altar and then pouring it out he would pray that God would provide what only He alone could provide. On the 7th day he would walk around the altar 7 times before praying and pouring out the water.

What did this outpouring symbolise? Read Isaiah 44:3, Ezekiel 39:29 and Zechariah 12:10.

Now picture Jesus at this feast. It’s the last day of the feast and by far the greatest day. The priest has marched around the altar seven times and has prayed, pouring out the water from the golden pitcher. The crowd is in somewhat of a frenzy, waving palm branches and crying out to Messiah to save them (Hosanna! Hosanna!).  There Jesus stands up and cries out, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.”

Jesus was not only claiming to be Messiah and the one who fulfils God’s promise of pouring out of the Holy Spirit but He was also making you and I a promise. Are you spiritually dry? Are you weighed down with sin and temptation? Are you marching through a desert wilderness? Are you feeling the weight of the world upon your shoulders? Do you need refreshment from the Lord.  You can go to Jesus and drink. Streams of living water will well up abundantly from within you. You will be refreshed. You will be nourished. You will be quenched of your thirst. Jesus is there for you 24/7 to quench your thirst, to provide you with grace and mercy, to give you all that you need in your time of need.

Prayer:

¥ Pray for the work of Shiloh Church ministries. Pray that they would continue to see people coming to Christ in faith and that they would be able to disciple all the new believers. Pray that we would be able to support them financially, prayerfully, and trough practical and material help.

¥ Pray that we would see our church grow as individuals share their faith and speak of Jesus in their relationships with non believers. Pray that God’s Spirit would be powerfully at work in us and through us in the lives of non believers.

Spend today seeking to live by the Spirit. That means the Word must be in your head/heart and you need to be listening to His voice.

Read Deuteronomy 16:9-12;  Acts 2

Imagine having a birthday that was not actually marked off with a date in the calendar. Imagine for example, if your birthday was 68 days after the day uncle Eddie had his infamous car crash. Every year you would be compelled to remember that infamous crash Uncle Eddie had. You would never forget it because on the day of that crash, you’d start counting for 68 days and then you’d celebrate.

The feast of Weeks or Shavuot (which means ‘weeks’ in Hebrew) has no date set to it. It was counted off seven weeks plus one day or 50 days after the Sabbath of Passover. Traditionally this was the same time that the Law or Torah was given. Israel could easily fall into believing that this was the true birth of the nation. But Shavuot would always remind them that the true birth of the people of God was at the Exodus and redemption by God through the plagues. Every year she would be compelled to remember the Passover because Shavuot was counted off 50 days from Passover.

Interestingly, during feast of Pentecost (ie the Feast of Weeks, Pentecost meaning 50) the Holy Spirit was poured out on believers and the church was born. Luke tells us in no uncertain terms that here, with the pouring out of the Holy Spirit, the feast of Weeks was fulfilled. Literally, vs 1 reads,‘When the day

of Pentecost was fulfilled…’  The word for ‘fulfilled’ means to be filled completely. The Old Testament celebration, 50 days after Passover was fulfilled by the pouring out of the Holy Spirit.

God had brought His people together as one. And by His Spirit, He gave birth to the Church.  But just as with the feast of weeks, the pouring out of Holy Spirit was constantly tied to the death and resurrection of the Lamb of God, the Messiah. Believers should always look back to Messiah’s work at Calvary as the foundation of their faith and salvation. We should never forget that we have the Spirit because of what Messiah achieved for us on that day when He died and rose again.

Prayer:

¥ Pray for a filling of the Holy Spirit for your leaders, your elders and for those who teach in the congregation. Pray that God would grant these people great wisdom, skill in teaching and a deep knowledge of the Word and how it applies to our lives. Pray that we would be a people holy to the Lord our God.

¥ Pray that believers in Vietnam would continue to be holy amidst harsh treatment, economic sanctions and harassment by the authorities. Pray that their holiness would draw others to the Lord in repentance and faith.

In Hebrews 10 we are called to spur one another on to love & good deeds. How can you do this today?

Read Deuteronomy 16:1-8;  Exodus 11-12

The month of Abib was the start of the Jewish near year, even though they celebrate Rosh Hashannah (the head of the Year) later on in the year. They had at least two new years! How is this possible?

While the Israelites endured exile in Babylon and were eventually released, they took on Babylonian culture and marked the start of the year towards the middle of their traditional year. The Passover Feast marks the anniversary of the day when God led his people out of an earlier exile, namely in Egypt.

The Israelites kept both as their new year!

Passover was a special celebration for the Israelites for another reason. It was in this month that the Lord brought the final and worst plague upon the Egyptians. It was the night that God freed His people and began to complete their redemption. That night, the first born of every household was slain by the Destroyer. Anyone who trusted in the blood of the lamb was spared the judgement of the Lord. Anyone who trusted in God’s provision was led out of captivity into freedom.

It’s not hard to see the New Testament parallel, is it? Paul writes to the Corinthians

Get rid of the old yeast that you may be a new batch without yeast–as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.

Therefore let us keep the Festival, not with the old yeast, the yeast of malice and wickedness, but with bread without yeast, the bread of sincerity and truth.

Christ, the Lamb of God, has been slain and everyone who trusts in His spilt blood will not face the wrath and judgement of God. Anyone who trusts in the Lord’s provision will be freed from captivity to sin and will enter the glorious freedom of the children of God. And for those who do trust in Him, God calls us to get rid of all the yeast in our lives. Biblically yeast pictures sin. We are called to be a holy people because we, like Israel, have been saved by a holy God.

We are called to live in sincerity and truth. That means we are not to speak deceitfully to each other. We are not to swear falsely nor are we to use false measures and scales in our dealings with each other. Put simply, we are to love each other as Christ has loved us. We are to be a holy people because we are saved by a holy God.

Prayer:

¥ Pray that God would continue to dwell with His people, the church and do great and awesome things in them and among them. Pray that the non believing world around us would see the greatness and majesty of our God and be drawn to worship Him.

¥ Pray that we would not sin wilfully but rather would strive to be all that Christ has saved us to be. Pray that there would be a deep desire for holiness in all your brothers and sisters in Christ.

Give to God from the first of your income this week. Don’t hold back on God.

Read Deuteronomy 15:19-23

Generosity in giving is not often preached about let alone talked about. But here in Deuteronomy 15 we see that Israel was to be generous in her giving back to God. God saved Israel from slavery in Egypt through the death of the first born sons of Egypt. When the Lord passed over Egypt that fateful night,  the first born son in every household with out the blood of the lamb painted on the door posts was slain.  In return, God asks that the first born of all cattle and herds and flocks be given to Him.  First born sons were to be redeemed at the set redemption price. Sons and unclean animals could be redeemed but oxen and cattle and the flock could not. They were given over to God.

As an Israelite dependant upon your livestock and agriculture, it would be very advantageous if the sickly first born or the diseased and the dying were given to God. It would be helpful if those beasts that were going to die anyway could be given to the Lord.  But God wanted the best. He wanted the firstborn no matter how costly it would be. God would not accept second best.

While we do not redeem our sons nor sacrifice animals to the Lord, the principle of giving to God is still applicable. God neither accepts nor wants second best. He wants us to give to Him our first and our best.

Our giving is mainly from our income.  He wants us to give at least a tenth to Him before any other expenses are taken out. God wants us to make Him the priority in our budgets and spending. He wants us to be committed to Him and His Kingdom above and beyond anything else. When you give this weekend, give to God from the first of your income without holding back on God. Give to God generously and cheerfully. Don’t rob God of what is His anyway.

As one person once put it, ‘God only asks for a tithe’.

Prayer:

¥ Pray that Mustard Seed Orphanage would continue to provide for poor and needy orphans and widows. Pray that they would have wisdom in using their finances and resources. Pray that God would continue to provide for them.

¥ Pray that we would see Christianity flourishing in areas where there is oppression and suppression. Pray that the love of Christ would melt hard hearts, change strict and unfair laws and bring peace to war torn lands.

Be prepared to invite someone out to lunch this Sonday or to a coffee.

Read Deuteronomy 15:12-18

The year of cancelling debts also applied to Hebrew slaves. Such slaves were not like the oppressed slaves we are accustomed to in US history. In Israel, a person could voluntarily sell himself or herself as a slave and use that to pay off debts and even to grow in wealth and prosperity. At the end of 7 years, the slave was set free and was to be generously supplied from the master’s flocks and herds.

As a general rule, the children of God were called to be  generous in every area of life. They were to be open handed in all their dealings with others, even their slaves, their employees, their servants and so on. Christians too are called to be generous in every area of life. We are to be open handed in all our dealings with people, especially the people of God.

Generosity communicates love. It communicates love in a way that few other actions can.

If your cell is on morning tea be generous with what you provide. If your cell is on greeting and welcoming, be generous in the way you greet people. If your cell is having a meal together soon, be generous in the food you bring along.

If your church is giving to the poor and needy give generously. If your church is helping people practically give generously of your time and talents. You as a church can be generous. As an individual you can be generous with the time you give people at church. Rather than setting aside one or two hours for church, make a day of it and be generous. Invite a new family or person around for lunch or out for coffee. You can be generous in your tithes and offerings. Rather than jiggling a few coins into the plate, give to God sacrificially and generously. Give Him a tithe (1/10th) plus a bit extra. You can be generous with your talents. Offer to use your talents in your local church and be a blessing to those around you.  You can be generous as a cell, as a congregation and even as an individual.

Your generosity will communicate love in enormous ways far beyond the reach of mere words.

Prayer:

¥ As churches prepare to meet this Sonday, pray that we would see the people of God being exceedingly generous. Pray that churches would be able to support the poor and needy through the generosity of their members.

¥ Pray for your youth group tonight. Pray that the youth would learn more of Christ’s love, experience that love and submit their entire life to Him. Pray that the leaders would be wise and creative in the way they teach and guide the youth. Pray that youth group would expand as the youth share the love of Christ with their friends and family.

If you find yourself being greedy for something     today, give it away completely.

Read Deuteronomy 15:9-11; Colossians 3:5-14

Greed, according to the New Testament, is idolatry. When we are greedy or want something selfishly we are putting that thing above God and above other people. We are loving something greater than God and greater than others. The first two commandments are being trashed by our greed.

When we are forced or compelled to give, our minds can easily think of millions of reasons why we shouldn’t give and why we should hold back. Such thoughts, according to Deuteronomy 15, are to be avoided. We are to be open handed and generous towards the poor.

The Christian in this world is to be constantly transformed by a renewing of his/her mind (Romans 12:1-2) and by the substitution of good in place of evil. When we see evil practices and greed in our lives, we are to consciously replace these with holiness and generosity.  But don’t be fooled! This is hard work. This is meat for the mature. This is tough going.  To rid ourselves of things like anger, malice, greed and selfishness can be a slow process that demands patience, perseverance and a willingness to look inside at the ugliness of our self-centred sinfulness.

If you find yourself being greedy for money, give more money away. If you are greedy for your time, give up your time and volunteer to help the poor and needy. If you find yourself being greedy for anything, fight fire with fire and get rid of what ever you were greedy for. Even more so, give it away to a good cause with a cheerful and joyous heart.

Prayer:

Pray that God would use our cell groups to grow the church and to share the love of Christ with those in surrounding areas. Pray that every cell church would be sharing the love of Christ in practical every day terms.

¥ Pray that the work of Student Life and Uni Impact (NZ) would continue to bring disciples into the Kingdom of God. Pray that we would see many people being confronted with the gospel and many coming to Christ in repentance and faith.

Experience the blessedness of giving by giving something special to someone today.

Read Deuteronomy 15:6-8;  2 Corinthians 9:6-12

Every Christian I’ve ever met that feels blessed has been a generous giver. I’ve never met a generous believer that is grumpy and down. Yet I’ve met many, many, many believers who seek to cling to this world and to keep what they have and that are down right miserable. Interesting isn’t it?

Jesus said that it’s more blessed to give than to receive (Acts 20:35). When we give generously and with a grateful heart, we find that blessing that nothing else can replicate. Not only do we receive thanks from another person (which is always a blessing) but we also receive blessing from the Lord. I know this to be true even though I cringe when health, wealth and prosperity preachers pervert this truth!!! Even though I cannot give $10 to a needy person in the expectation that God will multiply that back to me 30, 60 or even 100 fold, I can give and share and be generous, knowing that God will bless me.

God will make all grace abound to those who are generous and these blessed souls can continue to be even more generous on every occasion. Their harvest of righteousness will overflow.  The Macedonian churches pleaded with Paul to be able to be generous with him as he took an offering to other needy churches. Their poverty welled up in rich generosity as they gave even above their means and ability. And the result for them was overflowing thanks to God. Can we receive a greater reward than hearing people praise God and turn to Him in adoration? Is there any greater joy than knowing that our one act of generosity has caused more people to praise and adore the one, true living God?

Prayer:

¥ Pray that our cell leaders would be wise in the way they lead and conduct cell. Pray that we would see more cell leaders be raised up and that every single person in your congregation would be joined to a cell group. Pray that cells will grow in trust, in adoration of God, in knowledge and in their reaching out to the surrounding community.

¥ Pray for the work of Shiloh Church ministries. Pray that God would bless them with all their needs – financial, material and personal, so that they can continue to bring the blessing of salvation to those they serve.

Make it your goal  today to give something to someone worse off than you

Read Deuteronomy 15:4-5;  Acts 4:32-35

I remember well challenging a group of elders about poor relief in their church. Between this small number of men, they had agreed to give $40,000 towards the rebuilding of the church. Feeling confident of their generosity, I asked them to pledge funds towards the poor relief that the church was involved in. Can you guess how much money was raised from that group of elders? $0.

At another group of church goers, I suggested that we provide housing for the  homeless – a ministry that was developing rapidly within that church. Houses were available. Rooms were there, ready to use. But the discussion turned to teaching the homeless and guiding them so that they don’t need a home from the church. The group quickly refused to give homes and rooms for the needy because it would perpetuate their lifestyle or ‘irresponsibility’.

At still another church, I suggested that the church feed the poor in the streets and parks. The leadership was adamant that such a ministry was in conflict with the ethos of the church and would not be productive. It was, they said, effectively a waste of time. Praise God the ministry started anyway.

It’s sad that for every 1 story of church generosity I can think of 5 or 10 stories of church non-generosity. Yet in the newly formed church we see the people so in love with Jesus that those who are able to sell land or houses or things, do so and give the money to the Apostles to distribute as they see fit. There was a no strings attached policy to their giving. There were no needy persons among the church. People were in love with Jesus. They were not in love with things.

Imagine what a message of love and Christ-likeness such a church would send out to the world today. Imagine what a church that practically and financially cares for its members will communicate to the world. Imagine how

many people will see us as Jesus’ disciples as we love each other as Christ has loved us. Imagine how many people might come to know Jesus as Lord and Saviour as you and your church live in Jesus-affirming generosity.

Prayer:

¥ Pray that God would be using our generosity to bring many to Christ Jesus. Pray that the world would see the church as its meant to be seen – a group of people who love Jesus more than they love things and money.

¥ Pray for our brothers and sisters in Laos and Vietnam – they face economic sanctions, expulsion from villages, fines and even jail terms for believing in Christ. Pray that Christians would be generous towards these believers in prayer and support. Pray that God would continue to use these men and women and children to grow His kingdom.

Make it your goal today to be generous with everyone you meet.

Read Deuteronomy 15:1-3

A friend comes to you, owing you a couple of thousands of dollars and admits that there’s no way he can pay you back. He humbly asks you to cancel the debt. What do you do? How do you react? What emotions run through your mind? If you’re like me then words like angry, ripped off, not fair come to mind.

And yet the people of God are called to be generous. Generous! Is “generous” a word that describes both you and your church? I hope it is.  Once you have been touched by generosity it’s hard to go back to being non-generous or greedy. And each and every believer has been touched by generosity. In 2 Corinthians 8:9 we read of the immense generosity we have received.

For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.

Christ Jesus gave up everything, even his heavenly throne to save me and you from eternal destruction. He suffered upon the cross, rejected by man and God so that you and I can have all the riches of heaven, our heavenly inheritance.

For Israel being generous meant cancelling all debts in the seventh year. It meant being open handed towards those in need and not harbouring a desire to have wealth at the expense of one’s fellow country men. But I suspect that many would have schemed ways around this command from the Lord. Higher interest rates could be charged as the 7th year drew near. Lesser principle could be loaned as the 7th year approached and repayment terms could be kept under 7 years. It’s amazing how human nature tends to work for selfish gain, effectively seeking to negate the will of the Lord.

What will your generosity look like today and this week? Make it your goal to be exceedingly generous today with everyone you meet. Make it your goal to give generously of your time, your talents and your treasure. If someone wants 5 minutes of your time, give them 10. If someone needs to borrow $20, bless them with $40 and don’t expect to be repaid. When you come to church, don’t settle for a 10% tithe, give 20% or more, just because you want to reflect the Lord’s generosity.

Prayer:

¥ Pray that your church will be an exceedingly generous church. Pray that each person, you included, would be granted a greater understanding and experience of what God has done for them in Christ’s work at Calvary. Pray that the love of Christ would so fill our hearts that generosity oozes out.

¥ Pray that the churches across Australia will be exceedingly generous and committed in their giving to God. Pray that we would see churches equipped and able to pay their bills, support their minister(s) and to reach out to the poor and needy because they have funds available. Pray that a spirit of generosity would sweep across the Christians in this land.

Read Deuteronomy 14:22-29;  Gal 6:6; 1 Cor 9:8-14

We rarely think of our giving as part of our holiness and separation unto the Lord. But here in Israel we clearly see that being holy included their food as well. Not only was a portion set aside for Israel’s God but the way it was eaten was important as well.  As Israel separated her tithe to the Lord and ate in the presence of the Lord  she was declaring her total dependence upon the Lord. It also functioned to remind them to constantly fear the Lord their God and to enjoy His blessings by remaining loyal to Him alone. We don’t give food and grain offerings to the Lord but the concept of eating before the Lord need not dissolve from our church services. Church lunches/dinners are a great way to eat in the Lord’s presence and to declare our total dependence upon Him.

Israel was also to support the poor by her tithes and the Levites were to be direct recipients of the tithe. The Levites had no inheritance in the land and were to be provided for by the people’s offerings.  This system directly parallels the care and provision New Testament Church is called to provide for its ministers. Yet we see all too often churches that cannot pay their bills, let alone feed and provide for their minister. Far too many churches have empty pulpits and are leaderless because tithing and free will offerings are withheld from the Lord. If every person/family in our churches across the land tithed and gave sacrificially, we would have enough funds for the wealthier churches to bolster the poorer churches and most, if not all, churches would be staffed by at least one full time minister. We would probably have surplus funds to support the poor and needy both here and abroad. All it would take is for each person to give sacrificially to the Lord’s work.

Throughout April we have  studied, by and large, holiness and choice. The

bottom line is that you as a child of God have a choice at ever turn to be holy, to live for God or to live for your self.  You are a Holy Spirit filled being and you can make positive choices. You can bring glory and honour and exaltation to the Lord Jesus Christ with every choice you make. Whether or not you do, is up to you.

Go on, make a resolution to continue to live for the glory of your God, today.

Prayer:

¥ Pray that each individual in your congregation would be making positive choices that honour God and bring glory to the Lord Jesus Christ. Pray that we see a revival in holiness throughout the churches across that land. Pray that the holiness shines forth so brightly that outsiders come in to find Jesus.

¥ Pray that our brothers and sisters in persecuted lands continue to walk in holiness even though they are persecuted and deprived and harassed. Pray that nothing would be able to make them deny Christ in word or deed.