A Kagy Farewell

 I always thank my God as I remember you in my prayers, because I hear about your love for all his holy people and your faith in the Lord Jesus. I pray that your partnership with us in the faith may be effective in deepening your understanding of every good thing we share for the sake of Christ. Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of the Lord’s people. (Philemon 4-7 - NIV)

Over 3 years ago, Sam, I, Brian Henderson, and our 8-month baby girl showed up to check out this church with the weird black sign and way too many black curtains. And come to think of it, even a black soundboard case…and a black cart for loading equipment…like I said, weird. Anyway, we had been searching for the right place for over 5 months. After our first Encounter Worship Gathering, the search was over. It changed our lives. And you, Encounter Church, have not only changed our lives with your love—but you’ve changed what we know about church. 

I have been actively serving the Lord in ministry for over 15 years with 13 of them serving as a minister in the local church. During that time I was confronted (often and in a myriad of ways) with one overwhelming problem—the American version of the New Testament Church is failing. Sam and I would dream, plan and some times even plot what church could or should be. Even while attending seminary here in Louisville, we were still dissatisfied.

When God called us to Encounter, He showed us what the Church can be and was meant to be. He didn’t show us a perfect church or a convieint church with bells and whistles or a cushy church where we were catered to. He showed us a Christ-centered church that stretches to reach out to people. Encounter has spoiled us. Or more accurately, God has spoiled us with the people of Encounter Church—and we'll never look at the New Testament Church in the same way.

For those of you who haven’t heard, God has called our family to move to my hometown of Sarasota, Florida. This Sunday, the 21^st will be our last. For those truly hurt by how quickly things went down, its Sam’s fault. She’s just terrible, I am doing my best with her. Sorry.   

So like the above verse in Philemon, we have been refreshed by your love. And we praise God for our Encounter Church. And like the verse, we are Partners of and with Encounter and we will always be. (We should be good for a while at least: Michael, Mike and Kerry haven’t invented a “We-just-kicked-you-out Procedure.”)

I’ve said it before and I will say it again. Before Encounter Church, our closest family was almost 1000 miles away. Once God showed us our place, we found we had family less than 10 miles away. You have loved us, watched our kids, helped us, prayed for us, worked with us, and cooked for us (which is saying a lot for as often as these kids keep showing up.) Thank you.  God Bless you. And we will miss each of you more than you will ever know.   

Here is the Steve & Sam Kagy Version of Philemon’s greeting:

We will always thank our God as we remember you in our prayers, because we know about your love for all his holy people and your faith in the Lord Jesus. We pray that your partnership with us in the faith may be effective in deepening your understanding of every good thing we share for the sake of Christ. Your love has given us great joy and encouragement, because you, brothers & sisters, have refreshed the hearts of the Kagy’s. (Philemon 4-7 - S&SKV)

Many Hands...

Thanks to many of you, the construction work passed our inspection this week! You're hard work has been much appreciated these past several weeks. Huge PROPS to the YWAM team that came and cleaned the space before the inspection. The first thing one of the inspectors said upon arrival was, "Wow! I love a clean job site." The architect, as well, was very impressed with the cleanliness.

The team from Ohio arrived late last evening and will be starting the drywall process early this morning! I'm excited about what these 7 men will be able to accomplish in just a couple of days.

On Saturday morning, a team from Indianapolis will be arriving to help with the drywalling as well. This team of 10 will be rolling up their sleeves and adding an extra boost to the team from Ohio.

Even though we've got teams from out-of-state, your help is still needed at any point today and tomorrow. Today's work will begin at 7:30 and Saturday's work will begin at 8:00. There is much yet to be done and many hands will help us make great progress. I know that Henry will have jobs lined up that need to be done.

God is using each of you to transform a building so that many more lives may be transformed.

See you soon at Encounter Church's International Headquarters. ~MB

Building Progress Update

Encounter Church, we are ahead of schedule on our building project.  

Those of you who have been rolling up your sleeves are to be congratulated for the excellent job you’ve done thus far. Thanks for getting involved. God has blessed Encounter Church with talented, hardworking and generous individuals.  

Earlier this morning the electrician and his crew arrived to the job site and began the process of wiring the space. Their work should take about 3 days. Once the electrician has completed his work, the local building inspector will be coming to inspect the work that has been done. Upon passing the inspection, we’ll then begin the drywall process.

On Friday, November 5, and Saturday, November 6, two work teams from Ohio and Indiana will be coming to hang and finish drywall. Even though there will be work teams from out of state, we still need a lot of volunteers from Encounter to take part in these two long days of drywall work. Make plans to be involved.

We will begin priming and painting walls the week of November 8. On November 13, we’re planning for a big day of painting.  

As soon as the painting is complete, the process of staging and setting up the building will take place.  

The plan is to have our first Worship Gathering in the new location on Sunday, November 28. Our Grand Opening Worship Gathering will take place on Sunday, December 5.  
  
Take time to pray for the following requests…

• Pray for the continued safety of the volunteers and workers. 
• Pray for the upcoming inspections. Pray that we would pass the inspection without any delay.
• Pray for unity during this time of transition. 
• Pray for greater opportunities to engage the culture with God’s Love and Truth through this new location.
• Pray that God would not allow us to lose our focus of reaching people.    

 God is just getting started with Encounter Church. ~MB

And the Winners Are...

Thanks to all who participated in Tool Belt Sunday this past week. The purpose of Tool Belt Sunday was to kick-off Project:Transform, the build-out construction of our new location in Jeffersontown. The winners of the $15 gift cards are...

Sharon Reynolds

Sharon "the tool woman" Neely

Cloud Bell

Based upon the winners of the gift cards, the ladies are going to be taking a very active role in the construction process!

It's Hammer Time!

Dust off the hammer, stretch the muscles, pull out the tool belt and stock up on the pain reliever – Encounter Church is getting ready to transform a building to transform lives. 

Earlier this morning I met with the architect and building inspector and received a good report from both of them. The architect has provided the needed information for the permit process and the building inspector said that he would work hard at being able to issue a permit to us by mid-next week. The construction manager is planning on arriving to Louisville on Wednesday! 

What does this mean? If the permit is indeed issued, it means that we will be able to start the build-out on Saturday, October 16!  

So, cancel any other plans you’ve set for Saturday, October 16 and plan on spending the day hard at work. It will be like a big kick-off work party. Stay tuned for more exciting details about our kick-off work party tentatively set for October 16. Be sure to invite your friends to take part. This is even a great way for you to introduce Encounter Church to those that you’ve wanted to invite.

This week, swing by the new location and peek in the windows. The place is cleaned up and ready for us to get started. While you’re there, take some time to pray and ask God to help us to effectively engage the culture with His Love and Truth through our new location.  

Also, don’t miss this Sunday’s Worship Gathering. Tool belts will be a welcome part of the Sunday morning attire! Word on the street is that there may be a Home Depot gift card giveaway to make sure that you're well equipped for the upcoming build-out! ~MB

More than Sunday Morning.

The depth of your Encounter Church experience is directly related to the depth of your involvement and investment. Encounter Church is so much more than simply meeting at a Worship Gathering on Sunday mornings. The Sunday morning Worship Gathering is merely the tip of the iceberg. If attending the Sunday morning Worship Gathering is all you're doing then you're really missing out.

Consistently, those individuals whose lives are being changed by the ministry of Encounter Church are those individuals who are willing to roll up their sleeves and get involved outside of the Sunday morning Worship Gathering. God never intended for His Church to simply be focused on what happens on Sunday morning. 

If you’ve struggled to get involved with Encounter Church outside of the Sunday morning, allow me to suggest a handful of ways to increase your involvement and investment. Trust me, you’ll be happy you did! 

Join an Encounter Group – this semester there are 3 Encounter Groups meeting. These groups provide relaxing atmospheres to build relationships and deepen your understanding of God’s Truth. 

Volunteer for the new location build-out – relationships are built through serving together. Give your time this October and November by taking part in this exciting opportunity. It will take all of us getting involved to successfully get the new location ready for our use. Contact Michael Boehm for more details and to sign-up.

Serve within Encounter Church – discover the joy of serving. There are many opportunities available. Contact Mike Grine to get the process started. 

Become an Encounter Church Partner – take your involvement with Encounter Church to the next level by becoming a Partner. Don’t miss the upcoming Partnership Dessert on October 15. Contact Mike Grine to learn more about Partnership. 

Pray for Encounter Church – on the first Sunday evening of every month, a group gathers to pray for Encounter. The next Prayer Gathering is this Sunday evening at 6 PM at the KYANA building. 

Invite your friends – don’t keep Encounter Church a secret! As Encounter Church grows, so does the excitement.

Finally, if we all roll up our sleeves, get involved and invest more...we will become even more effective in engaging our culture with God’s Love and Truth and continue to see lives changed! ~MB

Project: Transform

During the months of October and November, Encounter Church is launching an exciting build-out expansion that will allow us to move into a larger facility geared toward engaging our culture with God’s Love and Truth.

We’re calling it Project: Transform – transforming a building to transform lives.

Over the last several years, Encounter Church has seen lives challenged, relationships restored and family trees changed.

This new facility will provide us with more space to continue to see life transformation take place.

We invite you to be involved in Project: Transform.

If we all roll-up our sleeves and get involved, we believe that Project: Transform can be completed in short order.

So whether you can give a day, a weekend or even a week, your help will be greatly appreciated.

Some of the skill-sets needed: Whether you’re an expert electrician or a novice painter, your skills are needed. Regardless of when you help, we’ll have opportunities for all skill-sets.

- Carpentry – wall framing and finish
- Electrical
- Drywall – hanging and finishing
- Painting 

For our Encounter Church partners and attenders, we need help in providing meals and housing for our out-of-town volunteers! If you would like to be involved in this, be sure to contact Michael Boehm as soon as possible.

When to help: We’re establishing the Thursday-Saturdays of the week as full days of work. These days will start early and end late. Much of our major progress will take place on these days. Our out-of-town volunteers are encouraged to take part on these days.

Of course, the work is not limited to just these 3 days each week. Work will be taking place on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday as well. We’ve just tried to set-up major days to accommodate those taking days off work to help with Project: Transform.

No matter when you can help, we’ll appreciate your time and work.

Pick up your hammer, dust off the paint brush, call up your friends and come and join with us in transforming a building to transform lives. ~MB

Family Camp Details.

The cool mornings and crisp air makes me want to go camping. I’m excited that our annual Encounter Family Campout is near and wanted to give everyone a little more information.

Those who are camping: We can start arriving at Cedar Ridge Camp anytime after 2PM on Friday, Sept 24th. We have an area just for us reserved called Hill Top Area. It has a large pavilion that does have electricity and a refrigerator (not sure how big). The pavilion will bring us closer together to share meals and play games.  A bathroom/bathhouse is close by. (Only tent camping is permitted. No campers or RV's.)

We will not have any organized meals other than the Saturday evening meal (although I am up for making plenty of pancakes Saturday morning for those interested). Maybe someone can bring some bacon. Chadwick has volunteered to bring supplies for S'mores and claims to be the King of S'mores. We’ll see if he’s up for the challenge. 

During the day on Saturday there are no planned events. In past years we've ended up playing corn hole and flag football. Jeremy, no injuries this year please. There are hiking trails and also a small lake for catch and release fishing. You do need to bring your own pole or borrow one. Ray and I will bring some gear to share. You do not need a fishing license. Please bring along a corn hole set or other games. Even if you aren't camping, you are more than welcome to come spend the day with us.

For all: The Saturday shared meal will start at 6PM and the outdoor service will start about 7:30.   Those who signed up to bring a non-perishable food item need to bring it to the Worship Gathering this Sunday, Sept 19, so we can make sure we have everything we need. Encounter will be providing hot dogs and hamburgers. All families are asked to bring a side-dish or something from the sign-up sheet located at the Information Table. 

Directions: Cedar Ridge Camp is located at 4010 Routt Road outside of Louisville, Kentucky. To get there, take the Gene Snyder Freeway (Hwy. 265) to Exit 23 (Taylorsville-Jeffersontown). Go East approximately 2 miles (turn as if going to Taylorsville Lake). At the stoplight, turn right onto highway 155 (Taylorsville Lake Road) and go about one mile. Turn right (will be 1st right) onto highway 1531, also called Routt Road. Go two-tenths of a mile, turn right onto highway 2265 (Old Routt Road). We are one-half mile down the road on the left hand side.

I’m sure I’ve forgotten something, so if you have any questions email me at p.rough@insightbb.com or comment on this blog post. I look forward to seeing everyone there.

P.S. Sorry, but no dogs are allowed at Cedar Ridge. We didn’t know it when we registered. ~PR

Scattering Seed.

Growing up on a farm, I am very familiar with the process of planting seed, cultivating the soil and harvesting the crop. 

Every spring my father would plant the seed. 

Every summer my father would cultivate the soil. 

Every fall my father would harvest the crop. 

My father worked very hard on the farm. 

Even in the midst of the long days of hard work, as a farmer, there was only so much my dad could do to bring in the harvest. 

A farmer is limited to the planting, cultivating and harvesting. 

The actual growth of the seed is outside of the farmer’s control. 

The Bible compares evangelism to the role of a farmer. We find this comparison made in 2 separate passages of the New Testament. 

The first passage is in 1 Corinthians 3:5-6 where we are told…What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. 

Then, in Matthew 9:35-38, we see the harvesting… Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field." 

As we share the message of Jesus, we must be reminded that, just like we can’t make a seed to sprout and grow, we cannot force someone to follow Jesus. 

There are times when, within evangelism, we think we are responsible for someone’s decision to follow Christ. The truth is, we can’t force someone to receive the message of Jesus. 

No strangleholds. 

No noogies. 

No full nelsons. 

Our only responsibility is to scatter seed, cultivate the soil and to bring in the harvest. 

The question then, is what does this look like in practical terms for us in our daily living? 

What does it look like for us to scatter seed? 

What does it look like to cultivate the soil? 

What does it look like to bring in the harvest? ~MB

Building Update.

The Landlord is hard at work getting Encounter’s new location ready for us to take possession on October 1. Even though we are taking possession on October 1, there is still much we need to do before we actually move in. 

During the month of October we will be building the space out to suit our needs as a church. This means there are walls that will need to be torn down and lots of walls that will need to be built. This build-out will require all of our efforts. Whether you can swing a hammer, use a paint brush or provide snacks…we need you! 

Detailed information will be shared at this Sunday’s Worship Gathering on how you can get involved. Sign-up sheets will be available. 

The blueprints for the layout of the space are in process. If all goes well, there will be a large copy of the prints for you to see this Sunday at our Worship Gathering. These prints will help all of us be able to grasp a better vision for the space. Don’t miss out on this viewing opportunity! 

We believe that, if we push hard and everyone gets involved, there is a good chance we could have our first Worship Gathering in the new space on November 14!

Keep praying that God would helps us to effectively use this new location as a tool for engaging the culture with God's Love and Truth. ~MB

Fall Encounter Groups.

Get ready for the fall semester of Encounter Groups to begin the week of September 19. Listed below are the three Encounter Groups being offered. 

Modern Parables
Topic: The parables of Jesus.

Description: Modern Parables is an original film-based Bible study curriculum on Jesus’ parables. Through the use of short films and an in-depth study, you’ll be driven into a deeper understanding of the Bible and how it applies to your daily life.

Facilitators: John Thurman & Kerris Wright

Day & Time: Mondays from 7:00 to 8:15 PM

Location: John and Lisa Thurman’s home

Phone: 502-263-8225

Childcare: No

Cost: None 

In the Beginning – Part 2

Topic: A study of the Old Testament book of Genesis.
Description: We’ll be traveling back in time…all the way back to the beginning! Last semester we covered the first half of the book of Genesis. This semester we’ll be covering the second half. Our discussion will focus on the life of Joseph. Join in on this group even if you were unable to join with us for the first of the study.
Facilitator: Margo Davis & Michael Boehm
Day & Time: Wednesdays from 7:00 - 8:15 PM.
Location: Ignacio and Marcella Guarin's home
Phone: 502-649-3031
Childcare: Yes
Cost: None

Establishing Order in Your Life
Topic: Organizing your life.
Description: Learn how to bring order to your personal life by inviting God's control over every segment. Through this semester of hands on training, you’ll discover how to live on mission, live according to your roles and giftedness, manage your time wisely and even set-up systems for living that will help you to know where you are headed in the future. While Mike Grine doesn't admit to having it all together, he has had great success in getting his own life ordered and wants to help you to do the same. (This group is limited to 10 participants.)
Facilitator: Mike Grine
Day & Time: Wednesdays from 7:00 - 8:15 PM.
Location: Mike and Jenni Grine’s home
Phone: 502-851-7717
Childcare: No
Cost: None

Growing through August!

What a month August was in the life of Encounter Church! Check out the details...

1) On August 1 we concluded an exciting week of VBS and outreach opportunities with a Community Picnic. This exciting week was led by Kerris Wright, Sharon Neely, David Ayers and a bunch of teenagers from Ebenezer Mennonite Church (Bluffton, OH). Thanks to the Thurmans and Hamiltons for opening up their homes for the teenagers to stay.

2) The month of August was the first month in Encounter Church’s history that we averaged over 100 people in weekly attendance at our Worship Gatherings! This was our largest growth month in over 16 months.

3) The giving for the month of August was up by 11% over August of 2009.

And finally…drum roll please…

4) On August 31 we signed a lease for the available space near the intersection of Galene Dr. and Stonybrook! This new location will provide us with 14,588 sq. feet of ministry space that will serve as a tool for engaging the culture with God’s Love and Truth. If all goes well and the Landlord agrees to our proposed improvements, we will take possession of the space on October 1 to begin the build-out process. There is much to do and many opportunities for you to be involved. Stay tuned to our blog to keep current on the progress.

We are well on our way of reaching our IMPACT130 goal by the end of 2010! (IMPACT130 is the goal of having 130 people in regular weekly attendance and $3,000 in regular weekly offerings.) Be sure to set your phone alarms to 1:30 PM everyday to be reminded to pray for lives to be changed and God’s continued guidance.

MOST IMPORTANTLY, while the numbers and new location are all exciting, the MOST EXCITING news is that lives are being changed! Encounter Church will continue to live out her mission of engaging the culture with God’s Love and Truth. ~MB

Move-Up Sunday

This Sunday is Move-Up Sunday for the Children’s Ministry of Encounter Church. 

What is Move-Up Sunday you ask?

Move-Up Sunday is the Sunday when we promote our children to the next grade level.

One exciting and significant addition to our children’s ministry is the addition of a second elementary class. This second class allows us to make the learning environment even more specific for the various ages. 

At Encounter our children's classes are established based upon the JCPS guidelines. These guidelines are as follows...

2's - 3's Class - the children must be the age of 2 or 3 on or before October 1.  

4's - K Class - the children must be the age of 4 or 5 on or before October 1 or entering Kindergarten this fall. 

1st - 3rd Grade Class – the children must currently be in 1st, 2nd or 3rd grade. (This class will be meeting downstairs.)  

4th - 6th Grade Class – the children must currently be in 4th, 5th or 6th grade. (This class will be meeting in the upstairs classroom. We are asking that the students remain in the auditorium until after the singing portion of the Worship Gathering is complete.)  

Encounter has been blessed with incredible teachers and we are thankful for the important part they play in engaging the younger culture with God’s Love and Truth!

Job's Confession of Faith.

I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand upon the earth. (Job 19:25)

Previously in this chapter, Job was wallowing in self pity with the realization that his servants no longer answer his call, his family and friends want nothing to do with him and even his wife is detested by the mere sight of him. 

The desperateness of his circumstances turns Job from his current thinking to the comfort of his Redeemer.

We should remember that through troubles and during times of celebration, our Redeemer (Jesus Christ) lives and continues to love us daily.

Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the Lord. (Psalm 31:24) ~KW

Fear or faith?

(A summary of this past Sunday's lesson on the unlikely hero of Gideon.)

In a culture where there are hand sanitizer pumps everywhere (and we are encouraged to use them!) we are in fear of contact with germs. We wear bike helmets, because we fear getting in a wreck and hitting our heads. We don’t eat French fries very often for fear we will clog our arteries and have a heart attack. We are a society controlled by our fears. We look toward fear more often than we look toward God.

This past Sunday we learned about a man named Gideon who was (by most standards) a very unlikely hero. Gideon was hand picked by the Lord to lead the Israelites into victory against the Midianites, Amalekites and other eastern peoples, who had consistently raided them every harvest for seven years. Gideon, who also looked toward fear, questioned God’s choice and pointed out why he was the worst man for the job.

Gideon used the excuses that he was from the smallest tribe, from the least of the families and the youngest in his family

Still God wanted Gideon, because he had big plans for this unlikely hero. God showed Gideon in many ways how he would defeat the Midianites, Amalekites and other eastern peoples. God patiently walked with Gideon from a life of fear to a life of faith.

Fear is defined as the distressing emotion we experience when we realize that the circumstances are beyond our control.

We experience fear (just as Gideon did) when we experience situations over which we have little control or when we are forced to step outside of our comfort zones. Living in fear is safe – but boring.

Conversely, faith is looking to God and living in response to Who He is.

The great theologian, A.W. Tozer once stated that faith is a redirecting of our sight, a getting out of the focus of our vision and getting God into focus. Sin has twisted our vision inward and made it self-regarding. Unbelief [fear] has put self where God should be…Faith looks out instead of in and the whole life falls into line.

God was in the process of proving Himself to Gideon by whittling down his army and his resources to less then ten percent of that of the Midianites, Amalekites and the other eastern peoples. God wanted Gideon to realize that the only way victory would come to the Israelites was through their faith in Him. God was removing any of Gideon’s advantages and self-reliance and forcing him to have faith in God as the army moved forward to defeat their adversaries.

Gideon’s 300 men who had faith in God were more powerful than the other 31,700 who were looking toward self and only found fear.

In the midst of humanly impossible circumstances that were outside of the control of Gideon and his men, they marched forward with faith. If they had allowed fear to control them, they would have gone back home to their caves and their holes in the mountain. Instead, their faith in God drove them forward to victory!

So what can we learn from all of this?

Take Away 1: Fear blames God while faith obeys God. 

Take Away 2: Fear is self-reliant while faith is God reliant. 

Take Away 3: Fear will paralyze while faith will mobilize. 

Take Away 4: Fear turns us into control freaks while faith allows God to have control. 

Take Away 5: Fear stunts growth while faith produces growth. 

Take Away 6: Fear keeps us safe while faith takes us to dangerous places.

Max Lucado has stated that when fear shapes our lives, safety becomes our god. When safety becomes our god, we worship the risk-free life. The worship of safety emasculates greatness. 

Gideon was an unlikely hero because he moved from a life of fear to a life of faith. We wouldn’t know anything about him if he had continued to live a cowardly life in fear.

As Christians, we will go through troubling, uncertain and difficult times. Make no mistake, we should not ignore fear, but we should also not let it control us. As followers of Christ, our lives are not defined by the absence of such circumstances. Instead, our lives are defined by how we respond in such circumstances…

Either give into fear, or turn toward faith. ~MP

A Dog Named Benny and Sin.

I have the greatest dog ever. I am not one of those sappy, love is blind owners. I really have the greatest dog ever. Benny is about 100 lbs and gentle as a bunny rabbit—but scares the crud out of anyone looking at him or hearing him. I leave the family every night for work, thankful for Benny. Benny has never messed in the house. Benny knows not to beg at the table; he’s not even allowed in the kitchen if anyone is eating, and knows it. Benny has never had fleas. This last summer, both of our girls rode a horse at Grandmas. Benny barked at the horse and followed every step—he wasn’t going to let that horse hurt his girls. My only complaint with Benny is the likelihood of replacing him; every dog after him will never be as good.

A while back, I took a metal chain and choked Benny about as hard as I could. It strangled him. He was coughing and shaking it off for quite some time. Hours later, his bark still didn’t sound right. He couldn’t believe it and (I think) was thinking about fighting back. He avoided me for some time; didn’t want anything to do with me. I am glad I did it. If given the chance, I’d do it again with no hesitation.

Now to 2 Kings 23:12-16. This is some classic Old Testament. Good guys kill the bad guys….and kill them a lot. People get wiped out all over the place in the OT.

(Take some time right now to turn in your Bible and read 2 Kings 23:12-16. Go ahead. This blog post will still be here when you get back.)

To put it in context, Josiah is the King of Judah trying to return to God who has forbidden any worship of any other false gods. He is the One True God and He is jealous. Josiah, is cleaning house. And literally cleaning his family’s house—its his dad and grandfather who instituted these “vile” and “detestable” religions. And if you didn’t catch it, he’s breaking their altars, sacred places, and killing the leaders. To top it off, he’s even digging up old dead guys that followed these pagan gods, and throwing their bones on top of the old sites. Something tells me that ole Josiah may have even set up some port-a-lets on site….like I said, classic OT.

I think one of the biggest problems with our understanding the Bible is that everything is so far away. Stories like this are in another part of the world. They come from an entirely different culture. And they are even in a whole different era of time. And because it’s the Bible and everything is not only far away, but far away in so many different ways, it’s easy to write off the people in the stories as crazy or just alien.

The followers of these other religions were not just people with different views or opinions. The cult of Ashtoreth forced every woman to offer her body at the high place, whether she was young, old, married, or single. The god Chemosh only asked for human sacrifice on big events or for favor.

And Molech was the worst. The followers of Molech were told the only way to right their wrongs was by offering their children to Molech. Molech was always a bronze statue with a hollow bottom. Sometimes the arms were outstretched in a cradling form or the chest was hollowed out. A fire was built in the lower half and fed until the statue was red hot. Then the children were put in the “loving” arms of Molech—to sear to death, not just burn, but sear and scald. Ceremonies were always incredibly loud. They played music loudly to drown out the screams.

Father, God, I pray that Josiah wiped out every priest of Molech. God I pray not another sacrifice ever be made. God I pray for a complete extinction of Molech.

So, at first reading, Josiah comes off a little crazy, a little violent, and a tad unforgiving. He falls in line with the violence of the OT and the extremeness of it all. What is there here for us? I have a couple thoughts:
 

Thought 1: God will one day judge everything and right every wrong. If you have been on this little mud ball called Earth for any time, then you’ve had that ache, that weariness of the world. This is an ugly place and praise be to God, that He will one day take us away from all the ugly, nasty things. The longer that I’ve walked with God, the more I’ve ached for His return. Let’s get out of this nasty place, grab the kids and go home to Our Father.

Thought 2: God is not afraid to take extreme measures to save us from sin. In Mark 9 Jesus tells us its better to cut off a sinful hand or pluck out a sinful eye, than to lose your whole body to sin. He is using hyperbole to make His point: if SIN = DEATH, then we must avoid sin at any and all costs. When God saves us, it’s not always gentle.

Earlier, I choked Benny because he had stepped off the curb into the path of a car moving at 45 mph. He had no idea what was coming. He had no way of knowing what would or could happen. And I did not have the luxury of sitting him down and calmly explaining everything. I yanked him by his collar as hard and fast as I could. At this point in my life, I know that God rarely explains why He yanks us. But I have the promise that He does it out of love and for my own good.

Thought 3: Realize that SIN BLINDS. Alcoholics don’t realize how bad it has gotten. Gamblers just know that eventually they will win—and that will make everything ok. Liars think their lies are harmless. We all start out with a conscience; we all have the Holy Spirit telling us right from wrong. But sin severs our connection to God. And the longer a sin festers in our hearts and lives, the more and more we get off base from God’s standards. You have a gauge. Sin will break your gauge. It’s easy to see this in others. I know a guy who has looked at porn most of his life. It’s no surprise to me that he makes lewd jokes that go too far—his gauge is broken. What looks like “pushing the envelope” is a sign of a deeper issue. He has no idea that a hidden sin has spilled out into his day to day life. There is a lot more of this than you would think. A Godly person using discernment sees this often.

Crazy and outlandish as worshiping Molech sounds, it made sense to those people. They were so far off, so far gone, they bought into it. We turn our eyes from atrocities everyday. We turn up the music nice and loud so that we don’t have to hear the screams.

It is so easy to take their dramatic example of sin and pat ourselves on the back for how evolved we are. But I could make a strong argument about our abortion laws and what we allow in our own town but a blog seems a bad venue for such a sensitive topic. I think I can guess Josiah’s opinion of what we do.

What to do: Do a sin inventory. What do YOU struggle with? What sin has had root in your heart for an extended period of time? How has that affected your gauge? Ask God to show you where your gauge is off. LOOK HARD. Addictions like sex, gambling, drinking, and drugs are easy to see and easy to critique. What about your anger or bitterness towards others? What about your compassion? Are you a servant of God or a servant of yourself? Sin is like a weed: it can die, but it like to grow back again and again, if given the chance. Only two things can remove it: Christ’s power on the cross and your wiliness. ~SK

31 Days of Proverbs - Day 31

Today is our last Proverbs reading. Read the passage below and take time to digest it, turn it over in your mind and think about it. What life applications do you receive from this scripture? What questions do you have? Please take a moment to share your comments below. Thank you for reading along with Encounter church during these 31 days of Proverbs.

Proverbs 31

Sayings of King Lemuel

 ¹ The sayings of King Lemuel—an oracle his mother taught him:

 ² "O my son, O son of my womb,
       O son of my vows, 

 ³ do not spend your strength on women,
       your vigor on those who ruin kings.

 ⁴ "It is not for kings, O Lemuel—
       not for kings to drink wine,
       not for rulers to crave beer,

 ⁵ lest they drink and forget what the law decrees,
       and deprive all the oppressed of their rights.

 ⁶ Give beer to those who are perishing,
       wine to those who are in anguish;

 ⁷ let them drink and forget their poverty
       and remember their misery no more.

 ⁸ "Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves,
       for the rights of all who are destitute.

 ⁹ Speak up and judge fairly;
       defend the rights of the poor and needy."
       Epilogue: The Wife of Noble Character

 ¹⁰ A wife of noble character who can find?
       She is worth far more than rubies.

 ¹¹ Her husband has full confidence in her
       and lacks nothing of value.

 ¹² She brings him good, not harm,
       all the days of her life.

 ¹³ She selects wool and flax
       and works with eager hands.

 ¹⁴ She is like the merchant ships,
       bringing her food from afar.

 ¹⁵ She gets up while it is still dark;
       she provides food for her family
       and portions for her servant girls.

 ¹⁶ She considers a field and buys it;
       out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.

 ¹⁷ She sets about her work vigorously;
       her arms are strong for her tasks.

 ¹⁸ She sees that her trading is profitable,
       and her lamp does not go out at night.

 ¹⁹ In her hand she holds the distaff
       and grasps the spindle with her fingers.

 ²⁰ She opens her arms to the poor
       and extends her hands to the needy.

 ²¹ When it snows, she has no fear for her household;
       for all of them are clothed in scarlet.

 ²² She makes coverings for her bed;
       she is clothed in fine linen and purple.

 ²³ Her husband is respected at the city gate,
       where he takes his seat among the elders of the land.

 ²⁴ She makes linen garments and sells them,
       and supplies the merchants with sashes.

 ²⁵ She is clothed with strength and dignity;
       she can laugh at the days to come.

 ²⁶ She speaks with wisdom,
       and faithful instruction is on her tongue.

 ²⁷ She watches over the affairs of her household
       and does not eat the bread of idleness.

 ²⁸ Her children arise and call her blessed;
       her husband also, and he praises her:

 ²⁹ "Many women do noble things,
       but you surpass them all."

 ³⁰ Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
       but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.

 ³¹ Give her the reward she has earned,
       and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.

Source: www.biblegateway.com (NIV)

31 Days of Proverbs - Day 30

Proverbs 30

Sayings of Agur

 ¹ The sayings of Agur son of Jakeh—an oracle:
       This man declared to Ithiel,
       to Ithiel and to Ucal:

 ² "I am the most ignorant of men;
       I do not have a man's understanding.

 ³ I have not learned wisdom,
       nor have I knowledge of the Holy One.

 ⁴ Who has gone up to heaven and come down?
       Who has gathered up the wind in the hollow of his hands?
       Who has wrapped up the waters in his cloak?
       Who has established all the ends of the earth?
       What is his name, and the name of his son?
       Tell me if you know!

 ⁵ "Every word of God is flawless;
       he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.

 ⁶ Do not add to his words,
       or he will rebuke you and prove you a liar.

 ⁷ "Two things I ask of you, O LORD;
       do not refuse me before I die:

 ⁸ Keep falsehood and lies far from me;
       give me neither poverty nor riches,
       but give me only my daily bread.

 ⁹ Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you
       and say, 'Who is the LORD ?'
       Or I may become poor and steal,
       and so dishonor the name of my God.

 ¹⁰ "Do not slander a servant to his master,
       or he will curse you, and you will pay for it.

 ¹¹ "There are those who curse their fathers
       and do not bless their mothers;

 ¹² those who are pure in their own eyes
       and yet are not cleansed of their filth;

 ¹³ those whose eyes are ever so haughty,
       whose glances are so disdainful;

 ¹⁴ those whose teeth are swords
       and whose jaws are set with knives
       to devour the poor from the earth,
       the needy from among mankind.

 ¹⁵ "The leech has two daughters.
       'Give! Give!' they cry.
       "There are three things that are never satisfied,
       four that never say, 'Enough!':

 ¹⁶ the grave, the barren womb,
       land, which is never satisfied with water,
       and fire, which never says, 'Enough!'

 ¹⁷ "The eye that mocks a father,
       that scorns obedience to a mother,
       will be pecked out by the ravens of the valley,
       will be eaten by the vultures.

 ¹⁸ "There are three things that are too amazing for me,
       four that I do not understand:

 ¹⁹ the way of an eagle in the sky,
       the way of a snake on a rock,
       the way of a ship on the high seas,
       and the way of a man with a maiden.

 ²⁰ "This is the way of an adulteress:
       She eats and wipes her mouth
       and says, 'I've done nothing wrong.'

 ²¹ "Under three things the earth trembles,
       under four it cannot bear up:

 ²² a servant who becomes king,
       a fool who is full of food,

 ²³ an unloved woman who is married,
       and a maidservant who displaces her mistress.

 ²⁴ "Four things on earth are small,
       yet they are extremely wise:

 ²⁵ Ants are creatures of little strength,
       yet they store up their food in the summer;

 ²⁶ coneys are creatures of little power,
       yet they make their home in the crags;

 ²⁷ locusts have no king,
       yet they advance together in ranks;

 ²⁸ a lizard can be caught with the hand,
       yet it is found in kings' palaces.

 ²⁹ "There are three things that are stately in their stride,
       four that move with stately bearing:

 ³⁰ a lion, mighty among beasts,
       who retreats before nothing;

 ³¹ a strutting rooster, a he-goat,
       and a king with his army around him. 

 ³² "If you have played the fool and exalted yourself,
       or if you have planned evil,
       clap your hand over your mouth!

 ³³ For as churning the milk produces butter,
       and as twisting the nose produces blood,
       so stirring up anger produces strife."

Source: www.biblegateway.com (NIV)