Max your Worship Experience This Sunday at Phos ...

If you've stopped praying because it seems like God just isn't there or you limit your prayers to 'little things' like 'thanks for the grub' then this is YOUR Sunday to be at worship for sure!  

Prepare by diving into these scriptures.  You can read the chapter that the 'Sun Stand Still' Story comes Joshua 10.

Here's the scriptures I'll be zeroing in on this Sunday found over in Joshua 10:7-14

 7 So Joshua marched up from Gilgal with his entire army, including all the best fighting men. 8 The LORD said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid of them; I have given them into your hand. Not one of them will be able to withstand you.”

 9 After an all-night march from Gilgal, Joshua took them by surprise. 10 The LORD threw them into confusion before Israel, so Joshua and the Israelites defeated them completely at Gibeon. Israel pursued them along the road going up to Beth Horon and cut them down all the way to Azekah and Makkedah. 11 As they fled before Israel on the road down from Beth Horon to Azekah, the LORD hurled large hailstones down on them, and more of them died from the hail than were killed by the swords of the Israelites.

 12 On the day the LORD gave the Amorites over to Israel, Joshua said to the LORD in the presence of Israel:

   “Sun, stand still over Gibeon,
   and you, moon, over the Valley of Aijalon.”
13 So the sun stood still,
   and the moon stopped,
   till the nation avenged itself on its enemies,
 

as it is written in the Book of Jashar.

   The sun stopped in the middle of the sky and delayed going down about a full day. 

14 There has never been a day like it before or since, a day when the LORD listened to a human being. Surely the LORD was fighting for Israel!

 15 Then Joshua returned with all Israel to the camp at Gilgal. 

Listen to Max McLean share the scripture from Joshua 10 ... what a great story.  [Thanks to the folks at Bible Gateway for providing so many great resources for digging into the Bible online]

By the way, to understand what's going on in this passage you have to remember that this is the story of Joshua leading God's chosen people, the Israelites of the Old Testament days into a promised land filled with little kingdoms dominated by all sorts of idol worship.  So, when God whoops up on a king He is demonstrating power of that kingdom's idols and way of worship.  He is establishing a new order built on worshiping the one true God.  No doubt that this warrior side of God and the rawness of the Old Testament is shocking to us in 2010.  But, remember that God is God and we are not.  His ways are higher than our ways and because He is God we don't get the honor of questioning is ways.  God is a jealous God who intends for all people to follow Him and worship Him on His terms and not our own.  He does so because as our creator He knows exactly what we need, when we need it and how we need it to be delivered.  He wouldn't be a very good or great God if he settled for anything less in our lives than complete allegiance because then we'd live below our ordained potential and outside of His order for our lives.  So, when you set your imagination as you read / listen to this story imagine an epic battle between kings of old -- fighting for territory, a way of life and in honor of their 'gods'.  It helps me to remember the epic battle scenes in the Lord of the Rings movies as I read this sort of passage.  There is a war for the souls of men and God will be victorious.

Hope you've picked up a copy of "Sun Stand Still" by Steven Furtick and are digging into that as well.  There's so much more to the stories we talk about on Sunday than we have time for in the live setting that I sure hope you'll do some 'homework' on your own to grow your faith.  

Another book that I'll be using as background material for the message this week is by N.T. Wright called, "small faith  GREAT GOD"  -- absolutely soul-food for those who want to live full out BIG lives as Christ followers.  Easy reading with BIG impact.  

Build YOUR Faith Muscles at Worship with Phos this Sunday over at OCHS 10 AM.

Posted by Jeff Fuson
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