OT DAY 180 - Enough! Stop Your Offerings! (Please click here for English podcast)

Please click the link below to my new 40 days Break.Build site any time you like to having a 40 days "Break.Build" daily devotion with one to two people as a discipler to help those Jesus prepares for you to disciple. You need to know that the call and purpose of my Break.Build and this Discipler123 blog/podcast is for you to become a discipler to help more people to have a daily intimate relationship with Jesus and then they can become disciplers too:
http://www.breakbuild.blogspot.ca/

Silence

1.   Put on your “brakes” and stop for a moment of silence

2.   Wait for God. Breathe deep for God's peace. Exhale your worries.

Praise and Thanksgiving

1.   Think through your day, all the times that made you smile

2.   Thank God for all those moments, and for all those people

3.   Open your heart to praise the Lord

       Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised
                         in the city of our God!
        His holy mountain,

                             Psalm 48:1

                                                                       

Confession and repentance

1.  Pray for the Holy Spirit to work in you:

     “Dear Holy Spirit, shine your light into the places of darkness in my life. Show me my sins, everything that blocks me from encountering God. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.”

2.  Through the Holy Spirit, examine yourself for a short silence and then pray:

     "Dear Lord Jesus, thank you for dying on the cross for our sins and being victorious over death and sin. I confess my sin to you(pause, to tell Jesus what the Holy Spirit has shown you). Forgive my sins by your blood and help me follow you. Holy Spirit, fill me that I may be able to receive your gift to love God and His people. In Jesus Name I pray, Amen."

The Word (Exodus 35:30-36:7)

English(ESV): https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Exodus 35&version=ESV

And Moses called Bezalel and Oholiab and every craftsman in whose mind the Lord had put skill, everyone whose heart stirred him up to come to do the work. 3 And they received from Moses all the contribution that the people of Israel had brought for doing the work on the sanctuary. They still kept bringing him freewill offerings every morning, 4 so that all the craftsmen who were doing every sort of task on the sanctuary came, each from the task that he was doing, 5 and said to Moses, “The people bring much more than enough for doing the work that the Lord has commanded us to do.” 6 So Moses gave command, and word was proclaimed throughout the camp, “Let no man or woman do anything more for the contribution for the sanctuary.” So the people were restrained from bringing, 7 for the material they had was sufficient to do all the work, and more.

                                              Exodus 36:2-7

Let's have a time to be still and give the Holy Spirit space to speak through the passage of scripture we have just read. Offer this time up to Jesus as you listen to him, while listening to "Gabriel's Oboe"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jmax47l2hLU

My Listening
       This is an unusual passage. When have you heard a senior pastor of a church tells his parishioners, "Enough! Too much money now, stop your offerings!" Moses said that in today's passage. Is that impossible? No, it is just rare. 

       In fact, it is a natural result from yesterday's message. When people experienced the three steps the Israelites had, this is just a natural result from that three steps. Do you remember what are those three steps? 
1. They witness the presence and power of God 
3. Their hearts are being moved by God to do so
3. They are willing to do so

       There are lots of churches and Christian organizations have been always worrying about their financial stability, fearing of deficit. So, leaders use up most of their time to think strategies and fund raising ideas. Well, why not use more time to help the people to experience the three steps. 

        Then, you'll have enough gifted people to serve because they are called to serve. You'll have enough money to do God's work because people will bring in more than enough until you say, "Enough! Stop your offerings!" 

        Do you want this to happen to you and your church? 

Dear Lord Jesus,

      Only you can tell us that today's situation will happen one day in our life if we choose to help our people to experience your presence and power.  In Jesus name we pray. Amen.

Reflect on these questions:

1.  Does your church have problems of shortage of manpower and financial resources? What is the strategy of your church to deal with this kind of problems?

2.  What do you think should be the right direction after reading yesterday and today's message? 

  

Praise and Thanksgiving

Let's give thanks for God with us. Let us praise Him:

10,000 Reasons

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXDGE_lRI0E

Please click this link to the app. Andy Ng wrote. You really need to use that if you have an Android cel. Andy said he is going to do the App. for iPhone later:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ideal.rec.app

You may choose to follow my other daily blog:

Daily Devotion on Fire: http://bishopsilas.blogspot.ca/

Daily Devotion on Fire 2: http://bishopsilas2.blogspot.ca/

Break.Build: http://www.breakbuild.blogspot.ca/