Kids of the King, Arise!

Jason a Christian songwriter shared on a DVD how he was talking with his young son Samuel one day. Samuel asked him, can I write a song with you? His dad said sure so…he started with “Hey Jesus”…and after awhile this is what resulted.

Hey Jesus,
Are you still on the cross
Or are you feeling better?

Hey Jesus,
Come play with me
I’m ready and willing

Won’t you come
Down, down, down,
Down to the ground

To the next to me place
With a smile on my face
And a song in my ear

Around and around
and around and around
and around we go

Hey Jesus,
When I wave at you
Do you wave back too?

Hey Jesus,
When I’m feeling sad
Do you feel sad too?

Won’t you come
Down, down, down,
Down to the ground

To the next to me place
With a smile on my face
And a song in my ear

Around and around
and around and around
and around we go

Hey Jesus,
If we throw these books
Do you think they will fly?

Hey Jesus,
Can I touch the moon
Throw me into the sky

And then I’ll come
Down, down, down,
Down to the ground

To the next to me place
With a smile on my face
And a song in my ear

Around and around
and around and around
and around we go

Is there another step of repentance that we need concerning money? What about tithing? I don’t like that word you say. How can I give 10% of MY money to God when I don’t even have enough for myself? What does He need ‘my money’ for anyways?

Well He really doesn’t but He does want your heart and your obedience. Do you remember the story of Abraham and Isaac? (Gen. 22) God asked Abraham to offer up his most precious treasure…Isaac. Human sacrifice happened in many nations at that time as they believed that their ‘gods’ wanted that. I guess Abraham figured that God wanted that as well. But he must have had many confusing thoughts. How can I give up my son, my precious child, especially as God told me I was going to be the Father of nations? I didn’t think God was like this. BUT Abraham obeyed God and prepared to sacrifice his only son. God was testing Abraham to see if he would put God first and obey Him no matter what. God however had already prepared a sacrifice (Gen 22:13) and Abraham called the place where the provision was made “Jehovah Jirah”…or God will provide. No God DIDN”T want a human sacrifice.

It is the same thing with us and tithing. Will we trust God to provide and obey Him? Will we give 10% of ‘our money’ to God for use in the Kingdom or will we hang onto it just in case we don’t have enough to pay our bills or buy that one thing that we were looking forward to having?

In Malachi there is a pretty strong statement about how we actually rob God. Have you ever thought of that?

Malachi 3:7-10 NIV Ever since the time of your forefathers you have turned away from my decrees and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you,” says the LORD Almighty.

“But you ask, ‘How are we to return?’

“Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me.
“But you ask, ‘How do we rob you?’
“In tithes and offerings…

Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the LORD Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.

Once there was a green dress that I REALLY liked, but I didn’t have the money for it. So I walked away and sighed. I had been faithful in giving my offering but it would have been so easy just to hold some of it back just to get that dress. The next day after I had seen the dress we received a check and the amount was what we had expected PLUS the exact cost of the dress! So guess what I did…Bought the dress of course. Ever since that when we are concerned about money we say “God is still the God of the green dress!”

1) Do you think this is realistic nowadays? God says to test Him in this. Do you receive an allowance? Do you have a job or chores you get paid for? When you receive this money take 10% of it and put it into the offering at church, or give it to missions. See if God comes through for you. Ask Him to open your eyes to the truth of this Kingdom principle and be prepared to tell some amazing stories.

2) Check out the story of how Elijah was fed in 1Kings 17
Discussion:

• How do we normally get our food? Our parents usually go to the store and by the food. Then they prepare it for us. Elijah got his food a different way. God sent ravens to bring him food.
• How do you think Elijah felt knowing he had no food? a little helpless, worried
• How do you think Elijah felt when God sent him food through the ravens? amazed, thankful

1 Kings 17:6 “And the ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening; and he drank of the brook.“

Kathleen

Have a look at these Lions to give you an idea of a lion’s ROAR!

Worry vs Trust

Today as we explore some more in the Kingdom of God, we see what looks like a “giant” blocking our path. This “giant” is called the god of “Mammon” or money as we would call it. Right now especially it seems that money, or the lack of money is a BIG focus. You have probably heard the news that there is a problem these days with money. A lot of people all over the world have lost money and are very worried.

What does the King of the Kingdom have to say about all of this? Look up Matthew 6:25.

Let us start by looking at Matthew 6 starting at verse 24. “No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and mammon.

So you say but I’m not SERVING Mammon or money! What does it mean to serve mammon anyways?

For myself, when I was young, I grew up in a home where we really had to watch everything that we bought. We didn’t have money for vacations like other kids did, and my mom made all of our clothes and we lived in a poor area of town in a small basement apartment. We didn’t have a car, or even a phone. So I learned to be very careful with money, never to spend it unless I REALLY needed it. When I grew up I was afraid that we would not have enough so was really good at saving. I had a hard time giving because, “What if we didn’t have enough left?” Money or the lack of it was often on my mind. Maybe you are in a similar situation or maybe you are the opposite where you have all the money you want.

Money is not bad. It is a tool to help us buy the things we need and treats too. BUT the LOVE of money is wrong. We can love money when we think having enough or not having enough is the answer to our porblems. When we love money;

· we covet what others have, and so sometimes buy what we cannot afford.

· it can also lead to stealing and gambling.

· We think about ourselves and what we can do if only we had a little more! Can you think of some more examples?

Commercials on T.V. don’t help one bit. Think about it. Often they say things like… You need this or you owe your self this, or you are not one of the cool kids if you don’t have this and so you are pulled to think that way.

O.k. so what is the answer to this problem? We live in a world where we need “money” to buy food and clothes and our parents have to pay bills etc. In Matthew 6:25 our King says:

“Therefore I tell you, DO NOT WORRY about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?

Then it goes on to say in verse 32 and 33

For the pagans run after all these things but your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek FIRST HIS KINGDOM and HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS, and all these things will be given to you as well.

That’s easy for you to say you think but God KNOWS that we need food and clothes and cares for us! After all He made us without fur and knows we need food to live. So how do we seek first His Kingdom?

First I guess we need to repent, or change our way of thinking that we need money to survive. We need to believe that God is the one who is really our provider, and trust Him to take care of us.

Are you or your family worried about money these days? Talk about it or write down your thoughts. On a piece of paper write down all your concerns.

1. Come together as a family and take these papers and lay your fears at the foot of the cross.
2. Repent of believing the lie of the enemy that money is your source of provision.

The next post of Keys of the Kingdom we’ll look at what else the Lord has to say about money. First we need to repent of our attitude and trust God. The Bible is very practical and the King wants us to know the Kingdom secrets about handling money.

Jessie Robitaille,
Ottawa

Jessie, a few years ago in a time of prayer saw a picture of God’s hand coming down. He put all sorts of cars on a football field and they all fit (she was a bit surprised at that) and everyone in the cars opened the doors, got out and began to praise God.

Then God’s hand came down once again and this time He put all the churches that worship Him on the field and then He brought them all together and made ONE church. Everyone praised God without eating or sleeping for two days.

The next impression she had came while she was eating Cheezies. She saw God’s hand again come down onto the field. This time He was holding one Cheezy straight up and everyone (probably in Canada) ate from it and there was enough for all.

O.K. this is not quite the right picture but you try and find one large enough that LOTS of people can eat of it.

Anyways….

In each of the pictures that Jessie saw, people came together and praised God, and God took care of them.

This sounds like a picture about unity doesn’t it? It also sounds like God is taking care of His own. ( we’ll talk about that later)

Lets Read Psalm 133. It is called “A Psalm of ascents” that the Jewish people would read when they went to Jerusalem to celebrate the feasts of the Lord. You can read about these feasts in the book of Numbers.

When you read this psalm you may wonder at the picture that it brings. “It is pleasant when someone pours oil all over you?” OKAAAY….

However to a Jew these were powerful pictures. It would be like me describing a scene to you:

The scene is one of you coming home in a Corvette, or a Porsche Boxter, on a cold winter day. You go in, and your mom or dad greets you with a cup of warm apple cider and has ordered your favourite pizza. They carry your books for you to your room. as you settle down to watch your favourite video, in a comfy lazy boy, toasting your toes by an open fire.

How does this make you feel? Well that is what this psalm did for a Jew.

As they journeyed to Jerusalem, they would be glad for the company of their fellow worshipers; both to pass the time in conversation, and for protection on the way. When they arrived in the city, they would see the place packed out, and they would enjoy meeting their friends from outlying areas again. It would have a holiday, camp-like feeling to it all. They would look at all this and say, “How good and pleasant it is for brothers to live together in unity.”

The metaphor (remember from language arts… a comparison of two things using like or as) of oil goes back to Exodus 29. Aaron and his sons were anointed with oil to be priests for Israel. To anoint someone with oil was a common practice in those days. It was a bit like a coronation (when someone becomes a King) ceremony today. It marked a person set apart for a special task.

Do you know what the Oil is a symbol of ? It is a symbol of the Holy Spirit, of God’s presence being upon the person.

It would also symbolize the softening and perfuming of the person. As God’s Spirit works upon us, he softens our hard hearts, and brings a new fragrance to us. Can you think of an example of how the Holy Spirit can help us change some of our rough edges? Look up Gal. 5; 19-23

What is another use of Oil?What about in a car, what is oil used for?
Right, it is for lubrication, or to help things run smoothly.

Anointing someone with oil would be done to mark someone as priest. It set them apart to serve the Lord. Normally, when someone was anointed, they would pour just a little oil on their head. But this is a picture of them pouring a large amount on Aaron, so much so that it ran down his beard, down onto his clothes, and all over him. In this case it would mean the oil running over him from head to foot. It symbolized a great amount of God’s blessing.

Now what is interesting, Aaron as a priest would wear a breastplate with stones representing all the tribes of Israel whenever he would do his duties as a priest. This was a reminder that he was bringing the people of Israel before the Lord. So when the oil was poured over him it would also go over these stones, and symbolize a blessing for Israel as well.

The “dew of Herman” in this psalm paints a picture of life brought to dry areas. Herman was the highest mountain in that area, some 9,000 ft. with a snow capped peak, there was heavy dew on the slopes of the mountain, and things grew lush and green. (A bit like the rain forests in British Columbia.) Mt. Zion was in the south where it was drier and rockier. So the picture here is of a dry region receiving the benefits of cool, fresh water, bringing life, and quenching thirst.

ACTIVITY:

1) Make a ‘breastplate ‘ like Aaron would have had. Use construction paper and:

• find a picture of all the flags, or flower emblems, or shields of each of the provinces of Canada if you live in Canada for example.
• Or ask God to highlight some different nations that he wants you to pray for this month and find their flags. You may like to go back to the previous post to check out some of the nations that Matt danced in for ideas.

Glue these on the construction paper that you have made into a rectangle about 4 inches by 6 inches. tack the “breast plate” on your bulletin board, or beside your bed. Over the next while keep your ears open to the news about and see if there is anything happening in these nations or provinces or states that you can pray for. Ask the Lord to lead you as you pray for these places.

2) Whenever you see disunity, pray God’s peace into these situations. For example, “Dear Jesus, please help me not to fight with my brother, help me to do my part and not hang onto my ‘rights’. Please fill me with your love and peace right now.“

3) Pray for the peace of Jerusalem. That is a command in the Bible. Right now there is a war going on in Israel and we need to pray that:

• God’s peace and unity, justice and truth would come out.
• protection for all the people in the land of Israel
• Pray Your Kingdom come Your will be done in Israel.
• We also need to pray that the people in Israel would seek the God of Abraham Issac and Jacob…and Ishmael…and desire to follow God and walk in His ways.

Sorry that I have not posted anything for a while My internet access was down so I couldn’t post anything.

At the start of the New Year I found a U-tube video that reflects God’s joy and His love for all the people of the world and His desire that everyone come to know Him. A young man Matt had the idea to go around the word and invite people to dance with him. The result is awesome. As you watch the video point to all the places on the map that he visited. Did he dance in your country? Why not join him in the dance… wherever you are!

*Where is Matt 2008 was 14 months in the making, 42 countries, and a cast of thousands. Make sure to click “watch in high quality” right underneath the video