Sky's the Limit

Learning about God through Rice and Oil

By Pastor Adam Fox

Sometimes in life there are truly wonderful, incredible and amazing movies. Movies that capture our all and enthrall us for every minute, that move us to tears or joy or both. We could spend hours debating these remarkable movies and why they are so perfect for us as individual and as a collective. 

However, the Punisher is not one of them.  

In 2004, Thomas Jane became the crime fighting vigilante anti-hero known as The Punisher or Frank Castle. Castle becomes the Vigilanty to avenge his murdered family and since the comic has been around for decades so it is a viable story to make a movie from. But this movie was terrible without debate. Do not believe me? The villain was played by John Travolta. 

In this terrible movie, The Punisher wages war against the Saint Crime family led by Howard Saint (Trivolta). In in this pile of poo there was a line that stuck with me, "Pray for Peace, Prepare for War".

What an odd sentiment but it did stick with me. Should we live our lives hoping for greatness but knowing that there are limits in place to control us? An attitude in which we do not limit ourselves, we allow people or structures to dictate what we cannot do. Or should we not be so optimistic and more guarded?

Society has built in limitations for us, we cannot deny this. Our jobs have requirements for what is needed to work there in education and physical requirements. When we drive our cars, there are limits of in how we drive and the speed to operate them. It is not like we can get on State St. and blow through the red lights at a speed of 87 mph. That is illegal and dangerous. 

Limits are there and limits are everywhere in life, the most obvious being our spending. Every human being on the face of this Earth has a budget. We get amount of money and are forced to pay what is needed first before spending or saving the rest. An example is the government (just kidding, they spend money like they print it - WAIT!)

Limitations are there in life for us so that we can grow and live safely. But what about limitations in our faith as Christians? Should we limit God? ABSOLUTELY NOT. 

For arguments sake, let ask a rhetorical question to help us learn this important point about our God. "If you had unlimited resources - what would you try to accomplish?" How would your life be different if you had no limitations? 

Would you still be at the same desk or position at work? Same house? Same car? Same bank account?...  If it were me, there would be subtle changes that only Andrea and I could notice but there would be changes.  

If we would make these hypothetical changes, whatever they are - then why aren't we chasing after them? Why are we letting these dreams stay dreams? Shouldn’t we be making them our goal and try instead of telling ourselves and God no? Why are we dictating to our God what we cannot do or what He is not allowed or able to do in and through us? 

We serve the Almighty God in that knows us well and created us. Our God is so amazingly powerful in that He created the seasons, time itself, the smallest atoms to the largest giraffes. There is no limits to our God - just the ones we have for Him. 

And grieved Him in the desert!
41 Yes, again and again they tempted God,
And limited the Holy One of Israel.
42 They did not remember His power:
The day when He redeemed them from the enemy, Psalm 78:40-42

Two great examples of serving a God without our self-made limits are oil and rice. 

In 2 Kings 4, we have the story of Elisha and the Widow's Oil. This is a perfect example of having great faith in God, a faith without limitations. 

1 A certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets cried out to Elisha, saying, “Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that your servant feared the Lord. And the creditor is coming to take my two sons to be his slaves.”

2 So Elisha said to her, “What shall I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the house?” And she said, “Your maidservant has nothing in the house but a jar of oil.”

We have the prophet Elisha meeting a wife of one of the other prophets in Israel and her coming to our man Elisha with a specific problem. Her husband the prophet is dead, her family now is with no income and we all know that things in life need money. If she did not come up with some money quickly, she would lose her children as well. 

This is a problem that we can all relate to, not having enough money as well as Bills and debtors. This widows only possible source of income was selling a lone jar of oil. Could she have sold this single bit of oil for money and then scramble for the next fix? Yes but Elisha has a different idea. 

3 Then he said, “Go, borrow vessels from everywhere, from all your neighbors—empty vessels; do not gather just a few.

She is commanded by Elisha to go house to house, neighbor to neighbor and collect empty vessels and get as many as possible. If this were you how many would you get? How many is enough? Would 20 be enough? When would you stop? 40? 100? 

4 And when you have come in, you shall shut the door behind you and your sons; then pour it into all those vessels, and set aside the full ones.”

Elisha told her that she is take her lone jar of oil and use it to go and fill up the borrowed vessels. And so she does – all without a questioning of God or the prophet as to how this will work.

5 So she went from him and shut the door behind her and her sons, who brought the vessels to her; and she poured it out. 6 Now it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said to her son, “Bring me another vessel.”

And he said to her, “There is not another vessel.” So the oil ceased. 7 Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, “Go, sell the oil and pay your debt; and you and your sons live on the rest.”

God provided a miracle. Each one of those vessels were miraculously filled so that she can sell them and not have to lose her children to slavery. PRAISE GOD!

Cool story but it shows us the limitations we set-up for God. "Notice that the abundance of the miracle the widow and her sons experienced was in direct proportion to the number of jars they were willing to gather. The number of jars they were willing to gather was a reflection of their faith." Gina McClain from Don’t Quit.

We are that widow. We may not be in the same place, having the same needs as her but we end up doing the same things to God. Detailing to Him what we can and cannot do and what we allow Him to do for us. Just like Israel of Old.

How often they provoked Him in the wilderness,

And grieved Him in the desert!
41 Yes, again and again they tempted God,
And limited the Holy One of Israel.
42 They did not remember His power:
The day when He redeemed them from the enemy, Psalm 78:40-42

Israel like us, had a history of frustrating God and telling Him what He is allowed to do. Think about it. We as believers, tell the Creator of Everything, the Author and Sustainer of the faith what He is allowed to do. The One who knows every detail about us and our lives and we have the gumption to tell God what He would not be able to do. 

What fools we are.

Why do we set limits for God? God knows what is best and is in control of all things. We need to trust Him for that. Trust Him like the Widow and her last jar of oil or like Hudson Taylor and his last bag of rice.

James Hudson Taylor was a legendary missionary to the country of China. He was one of the first and did many great and wonderful things by faith – one of which was overtaking a hospital ministry without a regular source of funding for it.

Taylor took over this ministry “relying solely on the faithfulness of a prayer-hearing God to furnish means for its support.” Taylor decided to write a letter asking for help in showing the need because Taylor realized that “Had not God said that whatever we ask in the name of the Lord Jesus shall be done? And are we not told to seek first the kingdom of God.” A letter of this magnitude to his supporters would take months to arrive – 10 at the earliest.

With supplies for this hospital running low, Taylor redoubled his prayers. It was then that he was informed that the last bag of rice was opened and is disappearing rapidly.

With an attitude of great faith in our God, Taylor believed that the Lord’s time for helping us must be close at hand. Taylor knew that god as a loving Father, always responds to his children’s needs. While He seldom shows up early, He is never too late.      ( a sentiment copied by author J.R.R. Tolkien)

Before the last of the rice was eaten, a check had arrived for 50 pounds or around $3600. Boom. God worked in the heart of a man who wanted to help this ministry EVEN BEFORE he knew of the great need.

Unlimited. Not letting our own ideas of what God could do for us limit in how or what we ask God for. Look at Hudson Taylor as the what-if example. If Taylor let his own presumptions dictate what God could do, would he have ever taken over this hospital? Would he have sacrificed another part of his ministry to help the sick?

Live without Limiting God, trusting that God knows best and will act at the right and perfect time. As Hudson Taylor said, “as a loving Father, always responds to his children’s needs. While He seldom shows up early, He is never too late.”

God will do great things, we just cannot let our own concepts and ideas limit how God will work in our lives. C.H. Spurgeon summed it up perfectly, “The Word of God is like a lion. You don’t have to defend a lion. All you have to do is let the lion loose, and the lion will defend itself.”

Limitations are a part of life and there to help us but limitations on our God are a stupid thing. Limitations of God our like the Widow who only collects 5 jars and says good enough.

Let us do more than good enough and let our faith in God guide us. Trusting God without abandon, without limits can be challenging to us. It means opening yourself up and that is not always easy for us to do – even to God. But IF we do, it means we can grow closer to the God who created us and loves us. Like a man and his rice or a widow and her oil. Sky’s the Limit y’all.

Cheers and Excelsior!

Pastor Adam

Knockin' on Heavens Door? Just ring the Door Bell!

Take Me Home Country Roads...

Understanding what Heaven is really about

By Pastor Adam Fox

As a society, it seems we enjoy talking, looking, reading, singing and watching about Heaven - even though not all of us as a society believe in it. If you think about it, Hollywood in all its forms of media loves using Heaven in its books, songs, television shows and movies. Don't believe me? How about these examples for ya. 

• Heaven is For Real (Book and movie)
• Stairway to Heaven (song)
• The Good Place (TV)
• Take me Home (Song)
• Field of Dreams (Movie) 
• Supernatural (Television)
• Miracle from Heaven (Book and Movie)
• Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey (Movie)

Just a few great examples. We love the comforting nature that an afterlife brings us as a society. West Virginia and its Mountain Mama claim to be Heaven. Led Zeppelin claim there is a stairway to Heaven and heck, even Iowa is jumping in with the claim that there state IS Heaven. 

But is any of this true? Why are we as a society so eager to learn all about Heaven? For answers, we do not have any one person we can ask as in having first hand experienced it, since you must be dead to get to Heaven. So we must depend on what the Bible tells us. And friendo, there is a lot of information about Heaven in the Word of God that will quickly separate fact from fiction. Here is a brief glimpse of what the Bible tells us about Heaven.  

• Heavenly Bodies: There are also celestial bodies and terrestrial bodies; but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another. 1 Corinthians 15:40
• New Earth: Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. 2 Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. Revelation 21:1-2
• Peace: The wolf and the lamb shall feed together,
  The lion shall eat straw like the ox,
  And dust shall be the serpent’s food.
  They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain,”
  Says the Lord. Isaiah 65:25
• No more sadness or death: And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” Revelation 21:4
• Co-heirs with Jesus: He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son. Revelation 21:7
• A place to worship God:  But I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. 23 The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light. Revelation 21:22-23

These are just a few of the promises about Heaven that are in the Scriptures. Even with these promises that are all over the Bible, we still want to add our own narrative to Heaven. That is where we get the idea of Heaven being a giant cloud or Heaven being this create-your-own-destination type place. While I would love to have an afterlife where I can lay next to the cheeseburger tree and Diet Coke Waterfall, that is not it, nor is that the point of Heaven. The point of Heaven is to worship God at every moment and never grow tired or bored of doing so. (Revelation 4:8-11)

One of the problems with our fascination with Heaven and the afterlife is the eagerness. The Bible tells us that Heaven is a wonderful place. It is wonderful not for the streets of Gold or for the Saints of old or even the mansion built for me. It is wonderful because of one thing and one thing alone and that is because of God the Father is there. 

God the Father and the Lord Jesus are in Heaven and as John 14 tells us He is preparing a place for each one of us.

Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. 2 In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. John 14:1-3

We can be eager about getting to Heaven, maybe even excited. There is nothing wrong with that, I get excited for many things including getting to eat pie for breakfast. (#adulting)

But I think we have this desire as believers to get to Heaven for a few reasons. The first being the desire to be in the presence of our God and Savior. There will be nothing more scintillating or enjoyable than to be in the presence of the one who made us, of the God who set forth the planets and the stars, who made time and the seasons as well as each one of us. It is something to look forward about but not something to gloss or miss the now over. 

Another reason to be eager about Heaven could be being tired of this sinful world. I get it. We are living in a sinful society that promotes sin and hates and opposes the truth that comes from the Bible. This is the world we have to live in and the Bible tells us to not love the World but to live here and love God. "Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. 17 And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever." 1 John 2:15-17

Living in our society, where the morals and biblical values are trodden upon. Values like sanctity of life, importance of marriage between a man and a women, sex inside marriage only, honesty and so forth. Being around all of these twisted values makes you feel like you want to go home, to be with God in Heaven. 

But let me remind you of something. God has called us to live here, to be the salt and light to this world. If God had designed us to be taken to Glory as soon as we come to a relationship with Him it would be awesome but problematic. The problem is if we are taken home ASAP, how would others know if they are not told? That is why we are here, to tell others about God and to grow in our own relationship with Him. May not always be easy living in this sinful society, but God has a plan for us. 

One final reason to be eager to go to Heaven would be those already called home. To be surrounded and welcomed into Glory by those of old. I can relate to this greatly. That one day when I die, I am pretty sure it wont be for another 150 years - give or take. But I want to be welcomed by those saints that have gone before me, to party with Jesus forever with them. 

It is natural to miss our loved ones. Even though it will we will see them again if they knew Jesus as their personal savior and because of that, we know they are free, happy, and without pain - we can still miss them. I know I do. I have days when I miss being with and eating with my Papaw and Grandma Fox. Then there is my Uncle Dennis. Uncle Denny went to be with the Lord suddenly in 2015. Uncle Dennis was a lover of life, his family as well as making others smile. He would have a diet mountain dew in one hand and always try to make me smile, if it is hassling me about the Bears or giving anyone who needed help his help. He is missed. 

Another person I want to highlight of those saints passed is Kyle Lowry. Kyle went to be with the Lord 3 years ago this past month. I had the privilege to attend Olivet Nazarene University with Kyle. Kyle was one of those people who had the God given gift to make you smile and feel like a hundred dollars. He was a Pastoral major with me and became my graduating classes Student Body President. I spent many a day with Kyle talking hockey, making each other laugh and the struggles of a college graduate and Pastor.  Kyle was the best of us unfortunately though depression and other problems led to him taking His life. He is missed. 

There are many reasons to be eager and excited for Heaven most importantly because it is where God is. To be with our God is something where words cannot express how special that will be. We just need to learn how to be content with waiting on God's time. I know that each one of us has our own circle of people that we are looking forward to seeing. 2018 was a challenging year for us as a local church, but I know that all of those saints who passed on who knew Jesus as their savior are in Glory with their God and loving every minute. 

Heaven will be a fantastic, indescribable and wonderful place of perfection filled with our Lord. It is something that is filled with believers long gone where we all worship God. It sounds perfect because it is. That is why we need to keep showing the love of God towards everyone, keep sharing and teaching about God. There is always room for more. 

I am sure that there is no stopping Hollywood or the music industry from stopping there use of Heaven. So that means we cannot fall into the fiction narrative that they create for what they want Heaven to be. Instead we rely on the truth found in the Bible and wait till it is our time to be called Home to see it ourselves. Until that glorious day when we will Fly Away, we grow in our faith and share our faith to all we can as God directed us to do. 

18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen. Matthew 28:18-20

Cheers and Excelsior!

Pastor Adam

High Hopes!

Keep Hope Alive

Grabbing on to Hope and never letting Go

By Pastor Adam Fox

Since early December I have been waiting eagerly and anxiously. Major League Baseball opened there Free Agency Period then and allowed the players who have no contract to join the team of their choice. 

As an unashamed White Sox fan, this year's free agency period gave me some hope, hope for a winning season and a World Series title.  I and the faithful few of us Sox nerds have been desiring two players to sign with the White Sox, Manny Machado and Bryce Harper. Both Harper and Machado can pick any team and earn hundreds of millions of dollars to play a game. 

But I want them. Harper roaming the outfield on the Southside of Chicago, and Machado on the hot-corner. Is it likely for either of the players to sign with the Chicago White Sox for hundreds of millions of dollars? No. Do I want them and see a good fit? Yes. But that is why I can hope. 

Hope is a fun thing. But what really is hope? Hope can be defined as "a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen." And that is exactly what I am enjoying about this feeling. I can desire and expect things for my baseball team but I am not sure that this hope in a baseball player is sustainable or foundational for my life

I can have hope in plenty of things in my life. That I will drop these 15 pounds. That our elected leaders will put the needs of the people above business. When I sit down - the chair will not break. Hope can be in a lot of things, but none of these will drive me or motivate me - let alone sustain me. 

I believe that we should be hoping for more, in a greater or more worth while things. While some put there hope in justice (looking at you Batman) or hope in love, the sciences or the kindness of strangers. But to me, while these are admirable and things for us to believe in and do often, they are not great enough. 

We should instead be putting of hope and faith in God above our desires to hope in baseball, or congress, or other men. But let's be honest, the things or people we hope in sometimes fail. Harper may sign with the New York Yankees (ewwwww) congress does not always do what is best for the common Joe, bad people get away with literal murder. And so on. Being hopeful can be disappointing, frustrating even. But no matter how difficult or frustrating things of this world and life maybe - God will never disappoint us. 

Why are you cast down, O my soul?
And why are you disquieted within me?
Hope in God;
For I shall yet praise Him,
The help of my countenance and my God. Psalm 42:11

Hoping in God is something that will never disappoint us. John Bunyan said "Hope has a thick skin and will endure many a blow". Hope is resilient and nearly indestructible, which is why people can be disappointed night after night (looking at you Bulls basketball fans) and still believe in things to come. 

That should be us as Christians! Having a thick skinned hope in God and the promises of the Bible, just like Abram did. "Father Abraham" was called by God to leave his comfort zone, his family, his everything because God called him to do so. In Genesis 12, God makes a promise with Abram who was childless and landless in order for him to be the founder of the nation and people of Israel - God's people. 

Was this a frightening calling? Yes to me it was. But through his life God blessed him and his family and so many others greatly because of the hope and trust in God. 

 Now the Lord had said to Abram:

“Get out of your country,
From your family
And from your father’s house,
To a land that I will show you.
2 I will make you a great nation;
I will bless you
And make your name great;
And you shall be a blessing.
3 I will bless those who bless you,
And I will curse him who curses you;
And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

4 So Abram departed as the Lord had spoken to him, and Lot went with him. And Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran.

Abram later to be called Abraham, is someone that I find so fascinating. At the age of 75, he broke from the comfort of his family and lifestyle to do as God said. Because God told Him to do so, to start a nation. And there is where the great hope comes from, a promised family. God told them that they would be the father and mother of a great nation meaning that they would start one.

Could you imagine, being a parent to an infant at the prime age of 100? The oldest two mothers on record are both 55 years old, this would blow the record off by decades. But God made them a promise, a covenant, and God has yet to disappoint. They could hope and not be disappointed because God was with them and fulfills his promises and that goes for us too.

As modern Christians, we have plenty to hope for in things still to come. God is coming back (amen and amen) and soon I hope. And because of this great hope that exists in our risen Lord and Savior, we can look at our circumstances and not crumble. Because God is alive and reigning in Heaven, we as Christians are instilled with hope. A hope that exists in this life and the up and down parts of life as well as hope in the afterlife. So we can confidently place our hope in what God has written to us in Revelation will come true.

¹² “And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work. ¹³ I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last.” Revelation 22

While I can put my hope in congress or in a baseball team trying to sign a player, these will not always end well. Instead, hoping in God and the truths in His word will never disappoint you.

Cheers and Excelsior!

Pastor Adam