16/01/2014
on Dec.31st 2013, we closed Camp-meeting in Gerenge. The burden of my oracle at camp-meeting centred on the fact that "we have this treasure in earthen vessels (II cor.4:7).
The feast of Weeks, also called the feast of Pentecost was celebrated, among other things, with the priest waving two loaves of leavened bread (Lev.23).
Now, leaven is symbolic,really of carnality. Hence Jesus uses it to refer to the hypocrisy of the pharisees(MK.8), while Paul uses it to refer to malice and insincerity(I cor.5).
The message of Pentecost therefore, is that God works through frail humanity to accomplish His purposes! You talk about having FAITH!
God believes in me in spite of myself!
And His Faith has really paid off!
But , alas, I must add that on more occasions than we care to recount He has been let down!
And this let down begins in two ways:
EITHER we become so conscious of our "earthenness" that we hinder Him; subscribing to such nonsense as "I need Him but He doesn't need me,"
OR, we get so carried away by the 'Treasure' in the earthen vessel Until we begin thinking we're more than We ACTUALLY ARE!
The Apostle Paul's admonition to "think soberly" should be a tonic to save us from these two disastrous tendencies!
May we have grace in this year 2014 to serve Him more acceptably with Fear and Confidence, for it is He who has made us FIT TO SERVE HIM through Pentecost!