Proper Place

Exodus 17:^9-10 “Moses commanded Joshua, “Choose some men to go out and fight the army of Amalek for us. Tomorrow, I will stand at the top of the hill, holding the staff of God in my hand.” So Joshua did what Moses had commanded…” emphasis added).

We thank God for all that He is doing and teaching us this season. For the next few days, we will turn our focus from Exodus 19 to Exodus 17:8-16 (please read). You may be familiar with the story, but I believe God is going to cause it to come alive in a new way. I am trusting that God will breathe upon us and teach us His Word Himself in Jesus Name. Years ago, I was in a car and the conversation on the radio was, why are we building a hundred thousand capacity churches when there are no factories in the land? It is an interesting theme to lend your mind to. And of course, I was asked ‘Pastor, do you think is right for us to be building bigger auditoriums?’

After giving it some thought, I said, ‘Could it be that our visionaries and our builders are behind the pulpit instead of at the seats of power? Is it possible that the great minds that exist are within the walls of the church instead of the parliamentary parlance of the nation? Is it possible that the productive minds are not in the places we think they should be? That is on one hand. On the other hand, is it possible that there are people in ministry that are not supposed to be in ministry? They are supposed to be in government, or in the marketplace? Is it possible that until Christians recognize that their authentic calling does not have to be behind a pulpit, that is when we will begin to see the liberation of the nation? These things should challenge our thinking.

And it is because everyone that feels a sense of a call assumes it is behind the pulpit. Erroneously sometimes, the people that should be building factories are maybe building churches. However, it cannot be the sole responsibility of the church to build factories. It must be the responsibility of the church to build churches. And the responsibility of the government to enable an environment that fosters the building of factories. There is a constant tussle between the spiritual, the physical, and the practical. Between going on the mountain top and fighting battles in the valley low. Between rising early to hold unto the altar of heaven, and getting into the grind to make things work in the factories on earth. Until Martin Luther King Jr., for instance, got off the pulpit and hit the streets, we did not see the liberation of the black movement.

He was a preacher, but the fullness of his destiny was not behind the pulpit. Until Pascal left leading house fellowships, he did not develop what we know as the Pascal Laws. Sometimes, change does not happen until ‘saviours’ from the church infiltrate.

Prayer: Father, reveal to me what is written in the volume of the Books about me, that I might take my proper place and do Your will Lord, in Jesus Mighty Name. Amen!