Exodus

Championing Commandments

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The 10 Commandments. Should Christians see them as archaic and useless, fulfilled and pointless, or timely and necessary? The 10 rules that provided direction for the nation of Israel still maintain a worldwide impact. How should we respond? It’s time to go the 2nd mile in championing commandments.

Golden Distractions

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“They have turned aside quickly out of the way that I commanded them. They have made for themselves a golden calf…” (Ex. 32:8) God’s miraculous deliverance was short-lived in the minds of the Israelites. As Moses lingered in the presence of the LORD on Mt. Sinai, their impatience led them to idolatry [You can read to see what happens in Exodus …

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Silence, Solitude, and Sabbath

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In our fast-paced society and our continuously-loud distractions, our eyes, ears, bodies, minds, hearts, and souls need margin.

The disciplines of silence, solitude, and Sabbath are meant to provide renewal for the disciple.

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Settling for Golden Calves [When God Appears to Take Too Long]

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When Moses met with God on the mountain to receive the commandments, all of Israel waited to hear the divine directives. The problem is they didn’t wait that long.  They grew impatient and took matters into their own hands. The baffling thing about this narrative is how good God had been to them. God didn’t prescribe commandments until after he …

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Impatient Idolatry

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The Word Impatient Idolatry (Ex. 32) Even though the people had gotten out of Egypt, Egypt hadn’t gotten out of the people. Growing impatient with God’s timing, the people used a gift from God as an idol for God. This passage focuses on the Israelites’ formation of the golden calf and God’s judgment of their actions. CONTEXT After Joseph died, …

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The Subtlety of Idolatry

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You’ve probably heard of the 10 Commandments.  You might even be able to cite some of them from your memory.  One thing I have noticed is that not many people understand the difference between the first two. Exodus 20:3 “You shall have no other gods before me. Exodus 20:4 “You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of …

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The Sin of Idolatry

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Idolatry is putting something or someone in the place of God. Not too long after their exodus from Egypt, the Israelites are caught up in sinful idolatry.  The proper response to God’s activity is worship, but they responded in abandonment. Notes from Exodus 32 Their hearts turned to Egypt long before their hands made a god (Acts. 7:39-40).  Idolatry is a …

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The Wilderness Test

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Exodus 17:1-7 is a wonderful portrayal of God’s wandering people and his unwavering commitment to them. After the exodus from Egypt, the people demand water from the LORD.  They don’t ask, they don’t pray, they demand.  God commands Moses to strike the rock and water flows out. Paul taught us (1 Corinthians 10:5-6) that we are to learn from Israel’s …

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The LORD Will Fight for You While You Keep Silent

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As the children of Israel left Egypt and crossed the Red Sea, God reminded the people of his power.  When it seemed as if there was no way out, God showed up and delivered them yet again.  The incredible story is recounted in Exodus 13:17-14:31.  Exodus 15 is the first worship song recorded in the Bible and it is simply …

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The Pharaohs of This World Are No Match for the Great I AM

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God is God alone.  He demonstrates his glory by comforting his people and confronting those who oppose him. When Moses confronts Pharaoh, this ruler believes he is more powerful than the great I AM.  He pridefully states he doesn’t know who this God is.  He is about to find out. Here are some notes: Pharaoh is about to get a front-row …

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Moses, a Bush on Fire, and the Almighty’s Plan

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As we continue going through the Bible, we have now approached Exodus. God responded to Israel’s terrible plight by listening to the prayers of his oppressed people, revealing his character to Moses, and promising to deliver and redeem them. Here are some notes: Moses attempted to deliver God’s people but tried through his hands (Ex. 2:12). “I am the God …

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Honor Your Father and Mother Is Not Just a Commandment for Children

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There are 613 commandments contained within the books of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.  Out of those 613, the 10 Commandments have served Jews and Christians for the ultimate standard of right and wrong.  Within those 10, we view 1 of those commands as the commandment for children: Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in …

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The Glory of the Lord

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I ain’t scared. I’ll bring back “Sanctuary” and “Better Is One Day” on the spot any day. Such great treasures

Looking Back

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After sending them a picture of prayer groups praying for them, the Wolfes were appreciative that “North Side is not behind us but you are actually with us.”

The Tabernacle

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Our God is with us. Are there greater words to celebrate?  We focused on the tabernacle today and what a joy to celebrate the presence of God. We began our services by singing “Lay Me Down” and “Cornerstone.” After a prayer time led by Jeff, we were reminded about the Project Love Christmas drive, and took a vote of affirmation …

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The Golden Calf & the Glorious Savior

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Powerful day in the Word as we focused on The Golden Calf and the Glorious Savior. In addition to some eclectic and powerful worship music (We Exalt Thee, No One Like Our God, You Are Good, My Jesus I Love Thee, Almighty), we got to highlight our Homes for Hope meeting and the announcement of the recommendation for our new …

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The Covenant

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Incredible services today.  I don’t know all the causes, but we had a bunch of new faces around North Side today.  I know some were people who came back after the Fall Festival on Friday, so that is great news!  But there were so many people and new faces and I pray that we can help you get connected to …

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No Coveting

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We finished up the 10 Commandments today in our “Exodus” study.  As we approached the “No Coveting” service, I prayed about how to lead worship in light of this command.  I thought about how I fight against a consumeristic tendency in my heart and how I try to steer that away for others.  As a result of that, I decided …

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No Lying

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We continued through our Exodus series and made it to commandment #9 this week: You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.  -Exodus 20:16 Since I was out-of-town for practice, I sat out this week and got to be led by an incredible group of worship leaders.  They didn’t need me up there a bit!  The gang did a …

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No Stealing

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The Agnews took a vacation this week and so we got to watch Sunday’s service on my phone as we were driving down the interstate.  It was so incredible to be led by such a great crew and to hear the Word proclaimed in so many ways. Powerful times! I love getting encouraging emails (even when I wasn’t the one …

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No Adultery

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You shall not commit adultery.  -Exodus 20:14 Powerful day as we commissioned some of our own and continued through the Ten Commandments. We began our time together singing “Go” and ” I Will Follow” for a mission focus. After that, we watched an interview video with Taylor and Jessica Wolfe, some of North Side’s family who are leaving this week …

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No Murder

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We focused on the sixth commandment today, and I was simply overwhelmed at the presence of God among us today. The sixth commandment commands us not to murder but also implies that we should give life.  Jesus reveals the heart nature of the issue and leaves us all in need of evaluation. We started our time together by singing “Lay …

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Honor Your Father and Your Mother

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The first commandment with a promise attached to it is “Honor your father and your mother.”  This message will examine what such honor looks like and how it is to be carried out today. Such a great joy to start our services with baptism again!  Loved hearing the stories of how God is changing lives.  Even while today’s message was …

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The Sabbath

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Jesus taught that man was not made for the Sabbath, but that the Sabbath was made for man. This message will examine not only the fourth commandment, but the great blessing that comes from keeping it. Today was a great day as we focused on the faithfulness of our God.  We started our services with baptism.  I love watching fathers …

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Keep His Name Holy

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One of the greatest treasures God has given us is his name.  God’s name is an expression of who he is.  How we use God’s name is an expression of what we think of him. Today’s services were so special from the beginning to the end!  My heart is so full on what Jesus is doing among us!  He is …

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No Other Gods

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The Ten Commandments are a revelation of the very character of God. They reveal His righteousness and His expectations of His people in how those people relate to Him and to each other. The first commandment is the basis that the other nine are built upon. We are to have only one God. Today was such a special day of …

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Does Anybody Tremble Anymore?

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One gets the impression that when God met with His people at Mt. Sinai, that it was a dangerous time.  Out of fear and respect for God, there was a prevailing sense of reverence and awe.  The people probably did actually tremble!  Does anybody still do that anymore?  Do you? We began our time together focusing on living according to …

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Defining the Relationship

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Before God goes any further with His people, He makes sure that they understand how He sees their relationship. God’s relationship with Israel then defines His relationship with the church today. We started the service by singing “Declare Your Praise,” “Awesome God,” and “Humble Yourselves.”  This set was meant to show how we are called out to be a kingdom …

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Get the Word Out

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God’s people are most at peace when they live according to His word and His wisdom. Making sure there is an effective way to get God’s word to His people is the focus of our time today (Exodus 18:1-27). After missing last Sunday due to Family Camp, it was great to be back at North Side!  I was thankful that the …

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Division in the Wilderness

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There is a big difference between trusting God and testing God.  Testing God is a sin and one that is committed when we grumble about our circumstances.  God wants us to know that He will always provide what His children need. I was away at Family Camp today, but I hated being away from our church family! Watch Online Worship …

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Keep Calm and Carry On

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God doesn’t always lead his people down the easiest path. When following the Lord becomes difficult, we can certainly depend on God to fight for us, but we have to keep moving forward by faith. After watching a Shake-n-Shine recap video, Ben recognized Dylan Bailey who was award the Blackmon Scholarship.  You can read his powerful essay here. We then …

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The Passover

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Knee-deep in the Passover today. God showed his power among the Israelites and the Egyptians with the plagues, and yet, in his final plague, he also showed his great mercy as he passed over the people who were covered by the blood of the sacrificial lamb. We began today’s services by singing “Pass Me Not” and “Agnus Dei.”  Someone stated …

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The Plagues

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Thursday, Jeff and I had lunch with a dear friend who is going through some very difficult times.  Looking for encouragement and hope, he said, “I’m coming to North Side on Sunday.  You better have an encouraging word for me!  What are you preaching on?” Jeff and I looked at each other and immediately started laughing. “We are focusing on …

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The Call of God

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Without a doubt, God still calls people today just as sure as He called Moses. In fact, He still calls them to do the same things that He called Moses to do. This service will hopefully help us to recognize that call and respond appropriately. We started our time together by singing “New Doxology” and “Never Seen the Righteous Forsaken” in …

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The Curious Yet Wonderful Ways of God

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Today’s services examined the perfect timing of God, the people who God uses, and the preparation that God often puts people through before He uses them. All of these things can be rather curious at times when viewed from a human perspective, but rather rewarding when seen through the eyes of faith (Exodus 1-2). It was great to be back.  It …

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Faith in the Darkness

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It is not unusual for life to turn bleak and dark, if not even bitter, in a matter of moments. Blessings that God gives, and we are thankful for, can disappear without a moment’s notice. Such times call for a mature faith. This message examines what such a faith look like (Exodus 1:1-14). I hated to be away from North …

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936 Saturdays

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The picture above was taken last Saturday in our backyard.  Amanda and the boys went out to lunch to spend some time together.  I was enjoying some one-on-one time with my little girl, Gloria.

With a list a mile long of things that needed to get done or could get done, I was very tempted to set her in front of something that would occupy her attention while I worked.

As a progress-aholic, I am used to taking such steps.  Last Saturday, the Holy Spirit and Gloria wouldn’t let me.

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The Lord Will Fight for You (While You Keep Silent)

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As Moses approached the Red Sea, a nation of followers anxiously awaited his next move while an army of vengeful Egyptians pursued them ever more closely.  While Israel became uneasy and demanded Moses to do something, his response was a shock then and it is to so many of us:

“The LORD will fight for you when you keep silent” (Ex 14:14).

At that point, Moses stretched out his arms and waited for God to come through and deliver them.

The problem with us is we think we are a better fighter than God.

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Zuckerberg, Lucas, and You

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Something is wrong with the world as we know it.

Facebook has changed yet again, and the Facebook community is in a tizzy.  Disgust and outrage fill status feeds, news reports, and paper headlines.  How dare Mark Zuckerberg keep changing a good thing?

Within days of the Facebook mutiny, global Star Wars fans are distraught that George Lucas has changed scenes yet again in his recent Blu-Ray versions of the Star Wars saga.  Tinkering with some effects is one thing, but when he started changing details in the story lines reopened the scab for those still upset that Han Solo was “provoked” by Greedo.

So, let me get this straight.  Most of the world is hooked on Facebook.  Created by brilliant college student, Facebook is the way people attempt to share life these days and is the most visited website in the world.  It has literally changed how people function in our society.  And we are mad at the guy who made it because he changed it?

George Lucas, who single handedly changed the movie industry, wrote a script that millions of fans have memorized.  When he decides to enhance a story that he wrote, we get mad at him for changing what we like as if he has no rights to the story.

The outrage this week reminded me how we think we are the center of the universe.

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