Astonished...

Ezekiel 1:1
Now it came to pass in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, in the
fifth day of the month, as I was among the captives by the river of Chebar, that
the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God.

then three chapters later....

Ezekiel 3:12-15
Then the spirit took me up, and I heard behind me a voice of a great
rushing, saying, Blessed be the glory of the LORD from his place. I heard also
the noise of the wings of the living creatures that touched one another, and the
noise of the wheels over against them, and a noise of a great rushing. So the
spirit lifted me up, and took me away...then I came to them (people of
Israel) of the captivity at Telabib, that dwelt by the river of Chebar, and
I sat where they sat, and remained there astonished among them seven days.

ezekiel saw God! actually he saw the pre-incarnated Christ! i never thought of what Jesus was like before He became a permanent human being, but ezekiel sees Him. he gets a revelation of the "mobile" throne room. read it for yourself...lol. he sees chariots, wheels, seas, fire, angels, creatures, winds and so many other things. it takes him an entire chapter to just talk about Jesus' escort service! then after it all, the revelation ends and he sits around ASTONISHED for SEVEN DAYS!!! (what!!!!)

when was the last time we (cause i'm talking to myself too) were astonished by ANYTHING for seven days? the best movie i've seen i talked about for a couple days, it blew my mind for a couple hours...but nothing i have seen has made me speechless for a week! Paul says (like Pastor Randy quoted) in ephesians 1:17 that God desires to give us a "spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him." the visions/revelations that john, isaiah, ezekiel, moses (etc) had, God desires to give to us. it is a breath away. we were made to be fascinated by God. so what keeps ME from entering into that realm of divine vision? what is filling up my soul that i can't eat of the bread of revelation? what is keeping me from God fascinating me with Himself?

can you see ezekiel on the 2nd day, taking the whole day just pondering why the "chariot of God" needed "wheels" and then on day 3 wondering why there was a "wheel inside a wheel"? most of us would just brush right past it...but ezekiel knew that if it was on the chariot than God must of wanted it there and there was a reason...and it was a puzzle piece to understanding God better.

i pray that we all start thinking about God in a way that will leave us astonished for days and weeks on end.

just another thinker,
Matthew

A Prayer

Today I am praying for the whole Worship Department to continue pursuing God. I pray that a passion for His Presence will bring us all to a unity that will shake the platform!

Ephesians 1:17-23

”asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you might grow in your knowledge of God. I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the wonderful future he has promised to those he called. I want you to realize what a rich and glorious inheritance he has given to his people. I pray that you will begin to understand the incredible greatness of his power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God's right hand in the heavenly realms. Now he is far above any ruler or authority or power or leader or anything else in this world or in the world to come. And God has put all things under the authority of Christ, and he gave him this authority for the benefit of the church. And the church is his body; it is filled by Christ, who fills everything everywhere with his presence.”

Pastor Randy

We Are Called

What an awesome responsibility we bear! We represent the Creator of the Universe. He actually dwells within us. Everywhere we go, whether to the store, the job, or at home, our identity does not change: We are His, He is ours, we bear His NAME. The Word says in Matthew 12:21,

"And his name will be the hope of all the world."

We have the "hope" of the world in us! That makes me feel at least three things: 1. Joy! 2. I want to grow closer to Him. 3. I want others to know Him.

I believe what will make us a really great Worship and Arts Department is somehow grasping who we are in Him and realizing our true calling! We are called to honor Him! We are called to grow in Him! We are called to get better at acting like Him-every day! We are called and commanded to spread the gospel. I believe as we grow in our passion towards Him, we will be a light, the salt that does not lose its flavor! It will make us want to do better at everything!

The best choir and worship team will not be the ones who sing or play beautifully, but the ones who are sold out to Him and ready to commit to serving Him with the best they can give! Every time we are together, the passion for God will be evident to all who come to the services. Dedication to rehearsals as well as services will never be a question!

Because we have been called by Him, we have joined the worship/arts ministry. We serve with joy, with desire to grow close to Him, with full awareness that others are "watching" and we want them to know HIM and to show the excellence of His great Name! As we truly grow in our passion towards Him, we will catch fire ("burn") and others will watch and respond!

When I first came to this wonderful church, I was compelled that God was going to do great things among us! I shared Psalm 67. The last three verses say,

" May the nations praise You, O God. Yes, may all the nations praise You. Then
the earth will yield its harvests, and God, our God, will richly bless us. Yes,
God will bless us, and people all over the world will fear Him."

I still believe He is going to do great things!

Pastor Randy