I was thinking about all the new gimmicks modern day preachers and churches are employing to attract people. Our old flesh is much more interested in gimmicks than the gospel. In the vernacular of the day, they are trying to “reinvent the wheel.” The wheel remains as one of the most important inventions in history.
The first mention of the wheel in scripture definitely pertains to our subject and is found in Exodus 14:13-29. Pharaoh and his Egyptian army were chasing Moses and the Israelites. The Israelites came to a dead end…the Red Sea in front of them; Pharaoh’s army behind them…either way is death. God instructs Moses to use his rod to divide the Red Sea; the sea opens up and the Israelites go across on dry ground with the Egyptians in pursuit. We read in Exodus 14:24-25:
“And it came to pass, that in the morning watch the Lord looked unto the host of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and of the cloud, and troubled the host of the Egyptians, And took off their chariot WHEELS, that they drave them heavily: so that the Egyptians said, Let us flee from the face of Israel; for the Lord fighteth for them against the Egyptians.” (caps mine)
The first mention of the wheel in the Bible pertains to God’s love and hate; His grace and His justice. He saved the Israelites; He slew the Egyptians. He didn’t lecture the Egyptians; He didn’t put the Egyptians on probation; He didn’t incarcerate them…God killed them!
“God judgeth the righteous, and God is angry with the wicked every day.” Psalms 7:11
You won’t get this picture in the new age churches using new age bibles.
Yes, I know…that’s God of the Old Testament. Do you think He has had a change of character? Listen to His testimony:
“For I am the Lord, I change not…” Malachi 3:6
Do you think that Jesus Christ came to change the world’s view of God; that somehow God was bad, but Jesus was sweet and kind? Jesus Christ was God in the flesh (1 Timothy 3:18) and He didn’t come to change men’s conception of God,
“Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.” Hebrews 13:8
The new “Emerging Church Movement” would be apologizing to the Egyptians and blaming Israel for the whole mess! They want to apologize for the God of the Old Testament…He is too straight, too narrow, too honest, too just. As the sons of the prophets told Elisha:
“…Behold now, the place where we dwell with thee is too strait for us.” 2 Kings 6:1
We are exalting sinful man and attempting to accommodate his desires and attitude toward God. If we think for one minute that God is “God as I understand Him,” we are going to be in for a real awakening. God is God…and it makes no difference how you or I understand Him. He is Who He is, not Who you or I might think He is. The only place you are going to find out Who He is, is in His word. He put in writing everything you and I need to know about Him. We have turned to psychology instead of the Bible, looking for the goodness in man that God said did not exist.
Pharaoh mistreated God’s people and refused God’s pleas through Moses. God had given Pharaoh ten chances to let His people go and Pharaoh had refused. Some of you need to learn a little more about God. Look at how He negotiated with Pharaoh…turned the water to blood; sent frogs into every household; brought lice to man and beast; sent flies (with their diseases;) brought pestilence upon all of the Egyptian livestock; afflicted them with boils; brought hail and lightning to affect crops and livestock; sent locusts to devour all vegetation; put cold black darkness over Egypt for three days, stopping all work and transportation. The tenth and last plague instituted one of Israel’s greatest feast days, the Passover and the Egyptians greatest horror. God killed (Exodus 12:29) every firstborn in every home where no blood was spread over the doorposts.
What God tells man to do, he better do it. We do not get to make the rules. We are to bow to His authority; He does not bow to ours. When He sends pestilence in our lives we ignore them, blame them on nature, call them accidents or bad luck.
“Howbeit thou art just in all that is brought upon us; for thou hast done right, but we have done wickedly.” Nehemiah 9:33
Remember what happened to Ananias and his wife, Sapphira, (Acts 5:1-10) just for telling a little white lie? That’s New Testament, by the way. God gave us a plan for His church. He has not faxed us orders to delete that plan and draft another one. It doesn’t make any difference how many more bibles are printed to sell, believe me, God ain’t changing!
Keep Looking Up!
Leland Maples
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