We opened in worship by Pastor Alvin & Ma’am Beth. They sang classics, that Pastor Marco eventually appreciated – My Life Is In You Lord, It Is Now, I’m Your Beloved, I Stand In Awe to How Great Thou Art.
Pastor John opens with a reminder of our calling. He reminded the congregation of our theme: Seek (with emphasis on Psalm 46:10: Be still and know that He is God). In our seeking, we realize that when we receive once, it’s automatic that we will continue to receive. And apparently, it’s a process of sorts: As you receive, it’s encouraged that you proclaim. If that’s not motivation enough, we are brought to remember: Every time that you stand before God, Christ guaranteed that you have been put into right standing. We DO receive, because we are in right standing; and the other way around holds true! We ARE in right standing, so we receive! Whatever comes first, the other inevitably follows… but however it turns out, we automatically proclaim.
Jesus is the King of the Church, and He reigns over His kingdom // His Kingdom is His Body //; Kings aren’t voted into power, but they are brought into power by right and by proclamation. Through Christ we’ve been brought into the same royal family – and we pray and proclaim in His name. And while we are able to be vocal about it, it’s really because of our love for one another that we are truly known. We may not like each other, but through Christ we still love one another.
It’s not a matter of the titles we are given, but more of remembering what Christ has told us to do. // I’m holding back on the word ‘Obedience’ but I’d rather just say we enjoy Christ and the movement follows. The movement just flows naturally. Maybe it’s just more of us remembering what Christ has told us. // We remember what Christ has told us, what Christ has commanded us, and we have peace in every circumstance, knowing that the infinite and eternal Christ is with us – ALWAYS with us.
Pastor Marco: Theme: Leadership In Genesis // He wasn’t sure if it was Leadership in Genesis or Genesis in Leadership.
Brought up the word Serendipity: chance, happy chance, accident, happy accident, fluke, luck, good luck, good fortune, fortuity, fortuitousness, providence, coincidence, happy coincidence, but more emphasis/attention to providence.
He recalled his providential initial meetings with Pastor Oscar. There were times he encountered Pastor Oscar, and there were times he called Pastor Oscar to join him. The serendipitous meetings led to an exchange of ideas and learnings and perspectives, and they had the relationship take off from there.
Then the LORD God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.”
Genesis 2:18
While this is commonly quoted in weddings and we think of husbands and wives, it’s also emphasis placed on the first part. It’s not good for man to be alone. This is why we naturally seek fellowship. And when leaders continue in what they do, the Lord is faithful to provide helpers fit for them.
And sure, He provides, but Pastor Marco also tells us that we need to seek some of these helpers out. And this involves accountability – Vertical Accountability, to be precise. We recall the authority demonstrated by the Centurion and his conversation with Christ. One who was under power and authority recognized Another who was under the power and authority of His father. He recognized Christ’s Vertical Accountability. We need to be accountable to others as well – avoid folks who say that they’re only accountable to God. When we understand our vertical accountability, those above us in particular, we find those who are under us as well.
We also seek other helpers out by way of taking Horizontal Accountability. There’s the story of Abel and Cain, and the quote of the latter, ‘Am I my brother’s keeper?’ There’s the other story between Paul and Peter – particularly when the latter was compromising, and when Paul had to confront him as an equal. This is where our ‘buts’ get in the way – we refuse horizontal accountability.
And God said, “Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind, on the earth.” And it was so. Genesis 1:11
And God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds—livestock and creeping things and beasts of the earth according to their kinds.” And it was so.Genesis 1:24
We’re not only to seek helpers, but as leaders we also produce after our own kind. And this is where discipleship comes to play. We’re reminded that if we don’t disciple our followers, we become insecure of them. The point is, the more we disciple our people, we naturally impart something of ourselves into them.
King Saul was an unfortunate example of the failure behind a lack of discipleship. Pastor Marco mentioned that had he discipled David, he wouldn’t grow so insecure of him. // I’m reminded of Angelo, and how Ann mentioned I shouldn’t give up on him. //
Now the whole earth had one language and the same words. And as people migrated from the east, they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there. And they said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks, and burn them thoroughly.” And they had brick for stone, and bitumen for mortar. Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth.”Genesis 11:1-4
Finally, say we seek and find helpers, or we produce of our own kind… The next thing for us to think about is unity. Growing pains will come as churches increase in number, but it’s always something for us to encourage and foster unity.
Oftentimes, it’s an issue of communication. Miscommunication, lack of communication, lack of connection, and so on and so forth. We need to speak the same language, and we need to speak often. We’ve come to a point when we can do anything and create more than we could ever have imagined to create, centuries ago. The only difference, as is indicated in the verse – it’s seen in the motives. The folks in Babel had the new technology, but they had the motive of making a name for themselves.
Here’s the thing – where are we using our resources? Is it to make a name of ourselves, or is it to make it all about Jesus Christ?
And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of man had built. And the LORD said, “Behold, they are one people, and they have all one language, and this is only the beginning of what they will do. And nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them. Come, let us go down and there confuse their language, so that they may not understand one another’s speech.”Genesis 11:5-7
God’s saying it Himself – when people come together, ‘nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them’. The battles nowadays are not the dramatic ones we see painted in cathedrals, but they are battles for and against unity.
Let the nations stir themselves up and come up to the Valley of Jehoshaphat; for there I will sit to judge all the surrounding nations.
Put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Go in, tread, for the winepress is full.
The vats overflow, for their evil is great.
Multitudes, multitudes, in the valley of decision!
For the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision.
Joel 3:12-14
With the increase of knowledge and technology, we’ve seen how lines have been blurred, and more and more gray areas have been created. However, in the last days, it’ll be clear – People will need to make a decision // And God has mentioned through the generations for us to choose Life //
However, when we talk about making a decision, especially as leaders, we need to make them corporate decisions, by way of consultation – just like Jehoshaphat apparently consulted with the people (2 Chronicles 20:21) before authorized the worship team being placed in the frontlines. Another demonstration of unity.
The LORD roars from Zion, and utters his voice from Jerusalem, and the heavens and the earth quake.
But the LORD is a refuge to his people, a stronghold to the people of Israel.
Joel 3:16
When people unite, the battle belongs to the Lord. And the battle, really, is the battle for unity. When God’s people decide to work as one, the battle belongs to the Lord. We remember Christ’s own prayer in John 17:20-21 – “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.”
We’re challenged – How will the world believe our message if we are not one? Only mentally challenged people will not unite. It’s our nature to unite – it’s only a question of the motives behind them. // And our motives are given life… Through nobody else, but CHRIST! // Mind-founded messages are forgettable. It’s the Spirit-grounded messages that are remembered. That’s the solution to disunity – Christ, and the Holy Spirit.
When we start looking at what’s wrong with other people, we’re doing the work of the devil that inevitably results in disunity. // We need to remember that in Christ we have been reconciled, and our mindset, our being needs to be infused with this divine reconciliation. //
There is withdrawal and loneliness in pain. Wars rise from disagreement and pain. There is safety in unity… There is healing in unity.
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”Luke 4:18-19
Post message thoughts (but to be honest, Pastor Marco was closing as I was doing this reflection):
It is NOT good for man to be alone. As leaders, we seek fellowship. If we aren’t seeking out helpers and companions, we’re also producing after our own kind through discipleship. But wherever we are in the process of celebrating out not being alone, we are inevitably drawn to start and continue… in unity. Because we are reminded of how God would not let us go, with such conviction that He sent Christ for us to be reconciled – THIS is the motivation for us to stick together.
After all, this is why we’re called the Kingdom of God, or the Body of Christ. Through Christ we have been created, and in Christ, we are held together. We may not like each other, and that’s okay – in fact, we’re actually brought to realize, that’s normal, at least in this fallen world. We may not LIKE each other, but this does not stop us from loving each other…
AS CHRIST LOVES US, SO WE LOVE ONE ANOTHER. That’s what brings us to do what the rest of the world would consider insane – love our enemies, love one another. The other side of the coin:
Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.
And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so. And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. Genesis 1:26-31
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