WHERE ARE YOU CAMPED ??

We quoted St. Augustine yesterday, who reminds us that the New Testament is in the Old Testament but it is concealed, and the Old Testament is in the New Testament revealed. When we pass much of the Old Testament through the cross and apply New Covenant Principles to the story, it comes alive and applicable to us today in 2014.
In Rom. 4.10 Paul tells we are to walk in the steps of the faith of our Father Abraham. Way back in Gen. 12 Abraham heard God tell him to leave Ur of the Chaldees and go looking for a city whose builder and maker was God. We too were called out of our city of sin to follow the Lord.There are many interesting statements following this experience that we can apply to our lives.
Numerous times it is mentioned :
1. He pitched his tent, a temporary structure, the moment God spoke again, he could quickly pack up and move in obedience to God’s call. Sadly, we can get so bogged down with people and situations, it could take months and even years for us to move.
2. He built an Altar, What does this speak of ?
(a) Sacrifice Rom.12.1 We must be a daily living sacrice.
(b) Worship, WE are called to worship the Father in spirit and in truth.
3. He called on the Name of the Lord, Prayer is so important in the believer’s life if we are to be all that God has called us to be. Remember Prayer is the intimate communication between two lovers.
In Gen. 15 we see the awesome truth of God entering a covenant with Abraham, this is a whole series of teaching in itself.
In Gen. 26: 15-25 we read about the various wells that Abraham’s servants had dug, but the enemy came along and filled them in. WE must remember that as well as Abraham’s family there was Lot’s family, a herd of cattle, a flock of sheep and a bunch of male donkeys that all needed to be fed and watered.
All these wells have important significance in both the life of the believer and can be also in the life of a local church.
The first well was called GERAR v.17, which means circle or rolling, having no direction, being like a piece of clay on a potters whell simply going around in circles, or like being on a rocking horse, much movement but not going anywhere. No vision, no goals, going through the motions, no fruitfulness.
Our enemy the devil, will get things to happen that will block up our well, and we cannot draw water from that well. That is why Paul reminds un in Eph. 6. to be aware of the “wiles” of the evil one.
The next well is ESEK V.20 which means quarellsome, contention, even rebelliousness. All those things that the opposite to unity. The Psalmist reminds us in Ps. 133 that it is only in unity that commands the blessing. Paul says we must work hard at maintaining the spirit of unity in the bond of peace. If you are married, how many hundreds no thousands of times your spouse has said something and you have misinterpreted what was said. In a phone call when you cannot see the facial expression you can misinterpret, when you read a letter you can so easily misinterpret what was written. The enemy loves to use these situations both in our personal lives and in a local church to cause disunity and block up the well, and we lose our joy and peace. This is probably the well where most Christians and local churches has camped at many times, until we start to recognise the enemy’s tricks. It is from this well many people withdraw from a church as well. Sadly, so often it isn’t too long before this well again comes into their life.
The next well is SITNAH which means opposition, accusation, even hatred.which the Bible says is as bad as murder. We have been give a New Commandment to love even as Jesus loved and lay down our life for others. The Bible tells us that we MUST KEEP SHORT ACCOUNTS, we must nip these situations in the bud, and heal any misunderstanding, so the well starts to flow again.The devil loves to rob us of our joy, maybe there has been a situation that naturally, you have every right to react, but remember if you carry a grudge or unforgiveness it it is the same as drinking poison and hoping the other person will die. Our walk with God is too important to let a misunderstanding rob us of our joy.
Is your local church camping at one of these wells, Is. 43.19 says God wants to do a NEW THING, He wants to bring a mighty breakthrough in your church, see people saved and set free, taken to a new level.
The next well is REHOBOTH v 22. The is the well of enlargement, God bringing us into a new broad wide exciting place. Enlargement
(a) In our personal walk with Jesus
(b) In our sphere of influence
(c) In our ministry
(d) In our capacity to know and understand.
(e) In greater blessing.
This is what the Lord wants to do in your local church too,literally it means The Lord has made room for us, and we shall be fruitful.
The sad thing is, that so often we as individuals and local churches vist Rehoboth, but then slip back to one of those negative wells.
We need to move onto BEERSHEBAV.23 which is the well of covenant. That place where we make a commitment (a covenant just like in marriage) that by the grace of God I (we as a local church) are going to camp here at Beersheba, and continually experience the promises and blessings of God as he has promised.
I shared this teaching last Sunday morning in my local church, and it is my intention to preach it again to the congregation that meets at night. I feel it is a word I need to broadcast far and wide. Let us make the decision NOTHING is going to block my well,and I am going to declare “Therefore with joy (continually) I will draw water from the wells of Salvation, and that water will flow out of my being to bless not only a lost and a dying world, but to as many of my brothers and sisters in Christ around the world.
Please let me know if this blog has challenged and blessed you, I am still waiting to hear what the Lord has siad to you in the last few days.
REMEMBER THE JOY OF THE LORD IS OUR STRENGTH.