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The Greatest God

This week in our readings for our Sunday School Bible Class we read the story of Moses and Aaron standing before Pharaoh.  In Exodus 7:10 these two men go before Pharaoh with the command of the Lord to let His people go.  Pharaoh’s heart was hardened and refused God’s command and the challenge started.  What is interesting about this challenge is found within a bad translation of the word “serpent.”

In most modern Bibles we read that Aaron threw his staff to the ground, it turns into a snake (just like Moses staff at Sinai) and then the magicians do the same thing.  Aaron’s snake/staff then eats the other magicians snake/staffs and God is shown as more powerful.  However if you look at the Hebrew translation of the word for serpent you find something completely new and amazing.  The Hebrew word for serpent in Exodus 4:3, when Moses’s staff turns to a snake, is “nachash” which translates to snake.  However in Exodus 7:10 when Aaron throws his rod down the Hebrew word “tanniym” is used.  This hebrew word is translated as “dragon or crocodile.”

The ancient Egyptians believed in many different gods.  One of their gods was Sobek, a half man / half crocodile god.  Sobek was believed to have placed crocodiles in the Nile River to patrol it, and keep the Egyptians safe.  After Aaron’s rod turned into a crocodile, the other magicians performed the same “trick” but Aaron’s crocodile ate the others.  I believe that this was God demonstrating to Pharaoh that everything he knew about how his god’s worked and protected Egypt was about to be shattered.

When Moses was sent to Pharaoh, God told him to let everyone know “I AM” had sent Moses.  God is the ultimate authority, the greatest God.  So often we build walls around areas of hurt and unforgivness in our lives because we think we are protecting ourselves.  However, It doesn’t matter what we put our protection in; money, idols, homes, cars, or family God won’t let anything stand in His way.  He wants our whole hearts sold out to Him, and only trusting in His protection and provision for our lives.  He is the greatest God.

-Marshall Ochs

Heart Burn

I love the story of the Emmaus Road.  Jesus died, rose from the grave and then appeared to a couple of average guys walking down the street.  They were talking about Jesus and Jesus walks up.  The Bible says “their eyes were prevented from recognizing Him” (John 24:16).  I believe that they were kept from realizing it was Jesus for one reason, so that He could ask them the question he asks everyone…”who do you think I am?”  Now He doesn’t come out and phrase the question that way, but when Jesus walks up He asks the men what they were talking about.  Their response is “Are you the only one who is unaware of what has happened with Jesus?”  Then, Jesus says, “What things?”  He is basically asking the men to give an account of what they think about everything.

It’s not enough that you know about Jesus.  It’s not enough that you talk about Him or even wear shirts with His face on them.  It’s not even enough that you go to church and call yourself a Christian.  Sooner or later you will have to give an account to Jesus Himself of “What you think about Him.”

The men continued their conversation down the road with Jesus as He explained to them from Moses, everything that was foretold and was supposed to happen to Jesus.  The Bible says that as they entered their house Jesus almost walked on until they invited Him in.  This reminds me of when the disciples were on the boat in the storm.  In Mark 6:48 it reads “He intended to pass them by.”  Whether it’s a couple guys just talking about Jesus, if you are stranded on a boat and need help, you are drinking coffee at home alone, or feeling bored in a worship service; Jesus is going to walk by and wants to see if we can recognize when the Holy Spirit is moving.  This leads me to my last point.

After the men in Luke 24 go home and sit down to eat with Jesus, He breaks bread and as he is about to serve them, they recognize its Jesus and The Lord disappears.  The men then went bonkers.  And they say (vs 32) “Were not our hearts burning within us while He was speaking to us on the road?”  Oh man!  When you choose to recognize the Lord in your daily life and your response to His question of “Who am I” is “MY LOVE” then your heart will surely burn within you.

A burning heart melts away cold sin.  A burning heart keeps the fire of love warm between you and God.  A burning heart is contagious to others.  My encouragement to you is to make time for the Lord; not just talking about Him, but talking to Him.  Let Jesus walk you through His Word and give you the best case of “heart burn” you’ve ever had.

Love God And Love People

In Genesis 32, Jacob has an encounter with God that changes everything for him.  This story is a great example of how important it is to have an encounter with God.  Most people seek God when things get difficult and expect God to answer their prayer with some kind of miracle that deals with a temporal situation that they are in.  When in fact, God loves to show up and deal with the real heart issue.  We think we know best and ask God for a specific prayer to be answered and God says, “There are way bigger things that I want to deal with in you.”  God is a master at not just fixing your situation, but fixing you in the process too.

Jacob spent his entire life living a lie.  He even went as far as stealing the first born birth right from his older brother Esau.  Jacob then runs from home, marries multiple women, and is tricked into spending 14 years of his life working for a deceiver like himself.  Finally Jacob yearns for home and decides its time to face his past.  On his way home he rests for the night in preparation to meet his brother Esau.  He sends his wives and children away and then starts to seek an encounter with God.  Jacob goes to God with one request, “bless me” so this situation with my brother can be fixed.  This prayer may sound similar to most people because humans love to pray “God fix this mess that I got myself into.”  When the angel shows up (spoiler alert: the angel is actually Jesus) they wrestle, which is a symbol of the struggle Jacob has had with God his entire life.  By the end of the night Jacob is still crying out to God for a blessing, and God responds with “I want to fix your situation, but more importantly I want to fix your heart.”

God touches Jacob’s hip and dislocates it, causing him to walk with a limp for the rest of his life.  However God also changes his name, He says, “You shall now be called Israel.”  Jesus is still doing this today.  When He took the cup of wrath with your name on it and was hung and killed on a cross, anyone who accepts the gift of salvation is touched by Jesus and their walk will never be the same.  You are given a new name (2 Cor 5:17) and, you become a completely new creature.

The amazing part doesn’t stop there.  Jacob realizes through this encounter that is was always God’s desire to bless him.  Jacob didn’t need to steal the birth right from Esau, God chose him before that ever happened.  In Genesis 25:23 the prophecy clearly states that, “The elder shall serve the younger.”  This was before they were born and God had the intention of great things to come through Jacob.

The next morning when Jacob finally meets Esau he says, “Accept my present from my hand, for truly to see your face is like seeing the face of God” (Gen 33:10).  Through this statement we see all that God has done for Israel with the encounter.  Israel was changed into a new man who made God his Lord.  Israel was a man who finally understood that he didn’t have to lie and steal to get ahead, God already favored him.  Finally, Israel learned that when looking into the face of your brother, or sister, or neighbor its like looking into the face of God.  Loving your neighbor is like loving God himself.  This truth is very much linked to the understanding of how Israel saw the blessing of God.

This is the same message that Jesus brings when He speaks to the religious folks.  The two greatest commandments are love God and love people (Matt 22:37-40).  Having an encounter with God means everything changes.  You change, your situation changes, and how you see people changes.

Believe Before You See

I am always amazed at what God shows me in familiar scriptures.  I’ve read the story of Abraham numerous times but if you slow down, and let the Word sink into your spirit God speaks amazing things.  For example, I paired up reading Genesis 15-23 with Romans 4 to see what Paul had to say about Abraham and it was so rich.

Romans 4:13-15 Message

That famous promise God gave Abraham—that he and his children would possess the earth—was not given because of something Abraham did or would do. It was based on God’s decision to put everything together for him, which Abraham then entered when he believed. If those who get what God gives them only get it by doing everything they are told to do and filling out all the right forms properly signed, that eliminates personal trust completely and turns the promise into an ironclad contract! That’s not a holy promise; that’s a business deal. A contract drawn up by a hard-nosed lawyer and with plenty of fine print only makes sure that you will never be able to collect. But if there is no contract in the first place, simply a promise—and God’s promise at that—you can’t break it.

That whole chunk of scripture is life changing, but there is one part that stood out to me.  “That promise was not given because of something Abraham would do…” Abraham simply became a part of what God was already doing by simply believing.  It was his faith in what wasn’t seen that made him justified! God had a whole story to tell.  It involved all peoples from all over the world and Abraham had an opportunity to play a part, and by saying yes the “promise” was entered into.  Abraham only had to say yes!  That is so encouraging because on most days I feel like all I can do is say yes.  I don’t have the capacity or emotional drive to do anything “amazing” for God other than just say yes to His plan that is already in action.  This takes so much pressure off of us.  We don’t have to come up with some plan to make things “work out.”  We just say yes to His plan.

Genesis 15:1-12

After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision, saying,

“Do not fear, Abram,

I am a shield to you;

Your reward shall be very great.”

Abram said, “O Lord GOD, what will You give me, since I am childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” And Abram said, “Since You have given no offspring to me, one born in my house is my heir.” Then behold, the word of the LORD came to him, saying, “This man will not be your heir; but one who will come forth from your own body, he shall be your heir.” And He took him outside and said, “Now look toward the heavens, and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be.” Then he believed in the LORD; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness. And He said to him, “I am the LORD who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land to possess it.” He said, “O Lord GOD, how may I know that I will possess it?” So He said to him, “Bring Me a three year old heifer, and a three year old female goat, and a three year old ram, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon.” Then he brought all these to Him and cut them in two, and laid each half opposite the other; but he did not cut the birds. The birds of prey came down upon the carcasses, and Abram drove them away.  Now when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and behold, terror and great darkness fell upon him.

When you understand the idea that Abraham was entering into what God was already doing and understand how it happened, you start to see why he is the Father of our Faith.  This section of scripture shows that God told Abraham to look up to the sky and “count the stars if you are able to.” Then later the Bible records that the “sun went down…” This means that when God told Abraham to look up to the sky and count the stars like he was counting his descendants it was broad daylight.  Nobody sees stars in daylight.  Abraham was saying yes to God’s plan before he even saw what it was!

When you study Abraham understand this one thing, he was a man who said yes to what he believed before he saw proof of what it was or how it was to happen.  God is still doing the same thing today.  He wants you to play a part in His plan for humanity.  He wants you at the center of revival, prayer, and a pouring out of love that this world has never seen.  It’s something that is hard to grasp now, and maybe for some even impossible to see.  However that is just the way God wants it.  You have to “believe before you see.”

My Thoughts On Rob Bell

I felt like writing a blog about Rob Bell because lately he has been taking some heat about a new book he has coming out called “Love Wins.”  Everyone from Stuart Greaves to John Piper seems to be chiming in on the premiss of Rob’s book.  What I can tell from reading the forward of the book and commentaries from advanced copies (it isn’t released yet) it seems like Bell is making an argument that a truly loving God would never send billions of people to an eternity in hell and that hell doesn’t really exist.  This whole controversy is interesting to me because I’m a big Rob Bell fan.

Now before you start passing judgement let me explain what I mean.  About 4 years ago a friend of mine gave me a book by Rob Bell titled “Velvet Elvis.”  When I finished that book I was extremely impressed.  I then read his other two books “Jesus came to save Christians” and “Sex God.”  I figured out that Bell’s writing style is one that asks questions for the purpose of making you think.  He titles his books, and chapters for that mater, in a racy way so that you will get in a tizzy discussing whatever issues he brings up.  That’s why I like him so much.  He is a master communicator because wether you agree with him or not, you end up thinking about the issue at hand.

In “Velvet Elvis” Bell challenges you to think through what Christianity looks like.  Is it a static expression that we imitate in every culture or is it an outflow of a relationship with the person of Jesus Christ?  In “Jesus Came to Save Christians” Bell makes an appeal to the importance of social justice work.  He gets you thinking about what it looks like to treat others with Christ’s love.  In “Sex God” Bell raises questions about what the world looks like when we try to experience the benefits of intimate relationships (not just sexual) without following through with the commitments of those relationships.  He does this all by asking questions to make you think about things in a different way than before.

I like Rob Bell because he asks questions from perspectives that I’ve never thought of.  Do I agree with everything he believes? No.  Is he really good at creating debate on issues that Christians should discuss more? Yes.  Is he super creative in his thought processes? Absolutely!

However, this is where things get difficult.  When you have a man that is as talented in writing as Rob Bell, and can frame a discussion by asking creative questions, what happens when he starts asking questions that aren’t really up for debate?  Talking about the practical way of demonstrating Christianity, or how should a Christian get involve with injustices in the world, or how to treat women with dignity and respect instead of making them an image is one thing.  But trying to create a debate about something that Jesus was extremly clear about is something entirely different.

In Rob Bell’s new book “Love Wins” he asks questions that point to a conclusion that hell doesn’t really exist.  He even goes as far to say that “People come to Jesus many different ways.  Sometimes they use His name and other times they don’t.”  What?!  Rob…Come on man!

Here’s my point.  I have appreciated something particular about Rob Bell’s style up to this point.  I value his ability to form questions in a way that it challenges my beliefs.  However, not all beliefs have ground to be debated.  Truth is truth and you can’t change it because you have a good argument.  There really is a lake of fire, and you really will burn there for all eternity without the saving power of Jesus Christ.  His name alone is the only way to be saved - Acts 4:10-12

For a really great critique on Rob Bell’s latest book, check out this article…

http://www.challies.com/book-reviews/love-wins-a-review-of-rob-bells-new-book

Being Loved And Being Liked

There is a distance between people knowing they are loved and knowing they are liked.  It seems to me that there has always been a great desire for man to feel both loved and liked, but in Christian circles we are taught that we have to love.  Its not a choice…we just love.  We love our God and we love people.  However, even though we are supposed to love people we don’t always like them.

That’s the interesting part.  If we buy into the notion that you can “love something” but not really “like it” then what does that say about our God who is the example of love? What does that say about real love?  Is love just an emotion of tolerance?  So many Christians equate God’s love with their own view of love that it starts to beg the question in their heart “If God loves me like I love people, then does God even like me?”  We have created categories that allow us to fulfill our duties to God, and still keep some form of personal preference and identity.  In reality, we are only doing the latter.

It’s so ironic to me that we have unknowingly put so much emphasis on winning God’s approval when we have had it all along.  God’s delight (or the capacity of His love and fondness of us) is not based on “sacrifices” or things we achieve (Psalm 51:16).  It is simply based on the fact that He loves us, and He likes us.  There is no difference to Him, that’s it.

We are great at saying that we “love people” but then avoid them because of some personality flaw.  We justify our actions by saying “I love them in Jesus name…but they need to get saved,” like its an excuse for us to not like them.  ”I have to love that guy, but he is so self centered, I don’t like him.”  Is that even possible?  God is our example, and if He has the capacity to love us completely and like us too then we should have that capacity as well.  God likes your quirky little laugh, and your crooked nose.  He likes your strange feet, and He even likes how you have to brush your teeth twice every night before bed.  He likes that you still have areas to grow in humility, and He delights in the fact that your love is immature, but real nonetheless.

So stop feeling like every time you mess up in your Christian walk or don’t live up to an expectation you have to spend 6 hours in probation before He forgets about what happened.  God doesn’t just love you because He made a covenant that He had to…He really, really, really likes you.  So remember, you aren’s just loved by God, you are liked by God too.

READ : Psalm 57: 2 | Psalm 51:16-17 | Psalm 34 | Psalm 36:7-9

Leading From Your Title vs Leading From Your Heart

I am a pastor.  I have been a pastor for the past 10 years at the same church, faithfully serving in whatever area needed me.  Being a pastor consumes my entire life, in that I am never really off the clock.  It is what I have wanted to do since I gave my heart to Jesus.  I love it.  The funny thing is, when I meet new people I make a special point to leave out the fact that I am a pastor.  Unless specifically asked what I do, I don’t even mention my line of work.  I have no problem sharing Jesus’ love or even the fact that I go to church but to me, being a Pastor, although an honor, is a huge stumbling block for most people.

I was in a discussion recently with an older pastor who had been in the ministry for many, many years.  In the conversation about meeting new visitors at church, he found it odd that I never introduce myself as a pastor at the church.  He couldn’t understand.  I explained to him that when I extend my hand to a new visitor, or even someone in public and introduce myself as “Hi, I’m Pastor Marshall” an immediate wall goes up.

For some people meeting a pastor is frightening, they feel like all we do is judge people for their decisions.  Like we want a lengthy explanation on why they haven’t been to church.  Or we are just looking for an opportunity to fix their life choices.

For other people, meeting a pastor is a horrible experience.  Maybe they have been hurt by a pastor, or they knew of one who molested a kid.  Their entire view of clergy is based on disappointment and heartache.

There are also people who think meeting a pastor is the best thing that can happen to them.  They want to take advantage of the relationship, use the church to advertise their personal business or ministry.  Meeting a pastor is just the ticket they need to make themselves feel validated.

There was a time when the office of a pastor was widely respected.  It still is by some people, but for most it’s a punchline to a joke.  People have been let down, abused, or heard about scandals so much that when I share my title it only hinders me from building a true relationship, and that is what I am really after.  As a pastor, I only want to build relationships with people to help them along as they grow spiritually.

Let’s say you visit my church and I introduce myself as “Hi, I’m Marshall.”  We have a great conversation about the church or whatever, and later you find out that I’m a pastor.  I have just showed you that having a relationship is more important than some authority structure.  I have shattered your way of thinking about guys who use a title to control groups of people and communicated the importance of a relationship.  Which is part of a bigger picture.  Most people strive for a title because they think that a title carries authority…and sometimes it does.  However if you choose to lead from your heart, which is God given, as opposed to a title, which is man given, you will always see greater results.  The title “pastor” on my business card doesn’t make me a pastor…the fact that I want relationships with people so that I can influence them to grow in God is what makes me a pastor.

So if you are in a position of authority, try introducing yourself as a person instead of a title and watch how much farther the relationship goes.