Seek The Lord and Live - message

Seek The Lord and Live

Yes! It really is that simple!

Amos may seem a rather grim prophetic book and even a little scary but it is no less relevant than anything else God has to say. We often like to avoid that which is uncomfortable and thus, fail to see how amazing God is and how great His message is.

“Seek me and live” The LORD says, in Amos chapter 5. 

In fact, He repeats it twice in the same passage, as well as in countless other passages of the Bible…

The first thing that The Lord put on my heart was the use of repetition, particularly as they are so close together.

So, why? Is it just for emphasis, maybe? Or, does God repeat this phrase to reassure His people that this is still the way to life, to His Kingdom?

I believe it is all of the above and more. 

As beautiful and simple as these four words may be, let’s jump back a chapter and find out the main reason that God keeps repeating Himself again and again to us, His people…

The phrase, “yet, you have not returned to me” is used not once, not twice but five times in chapter 4 of Amos!

Five times, that's incredible! 

The Lord is repeating Himself because His people were not seeking Him. They had not returned to Him despite all the good He had done for them and all the punishments He brought upon them for wavering in their Faith.

However, they just weren’t getting the message and unfortunately, a great deal of the time, neither do we!

Let's do a heart check.

We are no less ignorant to God’s hand in our lives, at times, than they were in the time of Amos. Sometimes we forget to turn to God in thanksgiving for His Blessings and even in our troubles, we seek advice from others before Him.

Some of us pray more so when we want something and miss the soaking time in prayer where we can truly connect with The Father. 

We often have expectations for God to meet in our lives. 

We take a childlike tantrum when we don’t get the thing we wanted, when we wanted it… What about what God wants? What about the one major thing He has asked us to do since the dawn of time? Seek Him. Followed by: and LIVE!

So simple, yet evidently challenging.

Eventually we cry out when we don’t get what we want, what we feel we deserve and wonder why God ‘doesn’t answer’. Maybe because we shut Him off as soon as our wish-list is complete... Or, often His silence is as clear an answer as any. 

I asked myself when I read this passage: are you still truly seeking Him or the things He can give you? Did you get side tracked? 

You see, it is always in our nature to be selfish, even greedy, at times but we need to reel our ego back in regularly and be firm with it. It is a trap that we can all fall into and we do - repeatedly.

When things don't work out the way we had hoped, don't ask 'why isn't He answering me', instead; ask 'Am I truly seeking Him? Have I returned to Him? What is my communication block?'

It is not a sin to be blessed, pleased don’t get confused, but your intention is important as it comes from your heart. Christ told us that it is out of our heart that we sin and defile ourselves.

Find out if your intention is to have a closer relationship with your true Father or is it to look good to those around you? There are only two who know that which is truly in your heart... that's you and Him. Be honest with yourself and then rebuke, where necessary. Seek Him in all that you do.

Ask yourself, have you returned to Him after the last time you strayed or is it just a matter of keeping up appearances? Who do you fear, the LORD or the people? His judgement or theirs?

Have we become complacent in this comfortable ‘Christian’ life we may have created and come to love?

There will be times when we may waver, we may become weak in Spirit or Faith but if you seek The LORD your God with all your heart and soul, you will find Him.

Are you open to all that God is saying to you today, this very day? He has a message for you and for me every day. He wants to talk to you and to be with you in all the areas of your life. 

Do you repent daily of any moments of doubt? Do you want to know Him? And, I mean to truly know Him personally.

Return to your Dad, brothers and sisters, seek His love and live. 

He wants you more than you could ever imagine.

“Seek me and live."

Given to Aiysha Jebali

Should Christians be creative?

As Christians, can we be creative and glorify God?

Firstly, The Lord inspired me to share this with you after speaking on this topic at Sárospataki Református Kollégium Gimnáziuma’s bi-annual literary convention of 2013.

This event was an opportunity for talented young writers from local Hungarian Christian high schools to compete in the fields of poetry translation and short story writing from a given stimulus.

The subject of humans being creative is sometimes a grey area for many young Christians because it can easily be confused with ‘Christian bad words’ like idolatry and self-glorification. 

Many have asked the same question that I did at one time or another about whether or not our gifts are acceptable to God, whether or not we should use them and how to use them in an acceptable way.

For example, I love to dance! I love having a really deep rhythmical drum beat to get lost in and to dance until I drop to the floor with happiness and a feeling of being connected. 

However, when I first became a Christian, I was lead to believe, by some of my Christian friends, that dancing was taboo and unacceptable. It was a worldly hobby that real Christians do not yolk themselves with as it is ungodly and it only attracts the attention of the opposite gender…

I agree that it is very possible to attract attention through dance – but that is not its only purpose! 

Unfortunately though, as a new Christian, I did not have the Biblical knowledge to support what The Spirit told me. So, from then on I stopped dancing as much as possible because I didn’t want to offend other Christians and on top of that, I stopped dancing in front of most people, in general.

Time passed and I became acquainted with King David and so, I would like to tell you that not only can you dance for The Lord but you can create in any and every way for God.

Let’s take a look at how this world began, going right back to Genesis. The world came into existence because God said let it be so. The world was made because our Father created it. Then, if we look at how people came into being: Genesis 1:27

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 God made all of us in His image, both men and women. We are a small shadow-like reflection of Him. 

We cannot and never will be able to have and be everything that He is but each one of us can reflect a small part of His glory through the creativity that He gave us. 

Do you know what Adam’s first job was in the Bible? What was the first thing that God gave Adam to do? He called him to create names for all the animals and all the birds of the sky. It is clearly written in Genesis 2:19:

God didn’t tell Adam what to name them. He just took each animal to Adam “to see” what he would name them

So, Adam’s first task from God involved creativity. Can you imagine having to think of so many names for such a multitude of animals? Or, trying to remember them all after you finished naming them? It was no small task…

The other jobs given to Adam and indeed, Eve too were things like caring for the garden and nurturing all that God had created in it. They were the keepers of the garden and that involved decision making, planning, application and so on. These are all very much a part of the creative process and they were crucial to the keeping of God’s commands to them.

If we move forward and start thinking about what happened to God’s people after the fall, we can see that they were continuously expected by God to be creative. Although their works would never have the same value as they did in the garden – nonetheless, they continued to be creative as humans and they were regularly commanded to create, by God. For example, in Exodus 31:1-6:

<<< Now, this particular passage is overflowing with spiritual gold, in my opinion. There is just so much to work with here but I will try to pick out just a few of the main points:

1)      God carefully chooses and appoints people to be creative for His special purposes.

If He has given you a gift – he wants to use it for Him.

2)      In the description of the Spirit of God, we see what it means to have it. It means that if we have the Spirit of God – we can have His wisdom, understanding, knowledge and creativity. The scripture then lists a long but non exhaustive list of types of creativity that God wants this particular man to use.

He does the same with us. He chooses exactly how much of each type of gift to give to each individual. That’s why we have strengths in some areas and weaknesses in others.

3)      He doesn’t force Moses or Bezalel to do it all alone either. He says no, rest assured, I have also chosen others with strengths where you have weaknesses and they will help you complete my mission for you.

This tells us that God never tells us to do something that’s truly impossible. With God, all things are possible in His name. God prepares us and he prepares those around us to do all that He wants us to do. He empowers us and blesses our hand in ways beyond our imagination.

You see, God is the source of our creativity. 

We are just an imitation of Him and a mere glimmer of what He can do. Through us, He can show us how amazing He truly is. The things that we may say are impossible are as easy as tying your shoe laces for God.

It may be easy to say that these scriptures don’t apply to you or your gift because you are not a builder or a painter but believe me, you are an artist. 

You are an artist in whatever area of gifts He has chosen you to have.

Here, are some examples:

11)      Creative writing – there are many Christians that struggle with what or how to write, and if they have the right to write as ambassadors of God. If you want some fine examples of literary platinum or gold, read Songs of Solomon or the Psalms for some of the most exquisite poetry known to man. Then, if you are more into the imagery that can be built up through written codes, metaphors, symbols and so on – you will find no better than the book of Revelations! After reading just one chapter, you will need time to ponder the meat from it. Outside of the Bible, you have such writers as C.S Lewis who were called to write fiction and nonfiction.

22)      Music – we are continuously reminded to play loud exalting music for God. God loves music and being praised by it, that’s why he created so many instruments for us to build on them with musical genres – all of which can be used to glorify Him when used correctly and for His purpose. Look at Psalms 150:3-6:

“Praise Him with the sounding of the trumpet, praise Him with the harp and lyre, praise Him with the tambourine and dancing, praise Him with the strings and pipe, praise Him with the clash of cymbals, praise Him with resounding cymbals.”

Almost every category of musical instrument is mentioned here and the genre in which we apply them is irrelevant – it is the state of our heart while using them to praise him that is of the truest importance.

33)      Singing – I have many Christian friends that loathe Churches that are a little louder or have people singing out at the tops of their voices. I absolutely disagree. Although, personally, I am not the best singer nor do I enjoy it as much as some – but we are commanded to sing with joy to our King. We are allowed to clap our hands as we sing praises to Him, so long as it is Him that we are clapping for. Look at Psalms 47:1:

“Clap your hands, all you nations; shout to God with cries of joy.”

44)      Dance – as I’ve mentioned, look at King David – He is truly inspirational in terms of his audacity when dancing. He danced in front of God, half dressed while crowds were gathered! And, to make matters worse - he was a King! He had certain expectations to live up to; there were just things that a royal should and shouldn’t do. His behavior was simply unacceptable and irresponsible according to many at the time. Miriam, a God fearing woman, was actually punished for her lack of faith in that situation.

I would also like to add that you shouldn’t pick a fight with God. Don’t argue with Him in regards to your gifts of creativity! 

He gave you these gifts for a purpose that He will reveal to you in the correct timing. 

Heed the scripture, “Woe to those who quarrel with their Maker.” Isaiah 45:9

He knows best… Just praise Him in any and every way you can because of that fact! Praise Him with every fiber of your being because He is God alone!

Amen!

Written by Aiysha Jebali

Magyar / English - Skóciai utazás - Scotland Mission

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„Féljétek az Istent és Néki adjatok dicsőséget!”

Február 28-án útnak indult kis csapatunk izgatottan, ugyanakkor kicsit félve. Sokunk akkor repült először életében, de ez csak még érdekesebbé tette a kirándulást. A legfőbb célunk az volt, hogy új kapcsolatokat alakítsunk ki, szolgáljunk, valamint az ott élők támogatását kérjünk, azonban sokkal többet kaptunk utunk során, mint ahogy azt gondoltuk volna.

Londonba érkezésünk napján, mikor lepakoltunk a szálláson és belekóstoltunk az első „fish’n’chips”-be, tudatosult bennünk, hogy már nem Magyarországon vagyunk. 

Egy napot városnézéssel töltöttünk, majd szombaton inkább a csapatépítésre fordítottuk az időnket, illetve a prezentációnk tökéletesítésére. Vasárnap reggel egy francia istentiszteletre indultunk, de mikor odaértünk, kiderült, hogy egy másik gyülekezet alkalmára érkeztünk. Számomra ott vált nyilvánvalóvá, hogy mennyire áldottak vagyunk és hogy Isten velünk van. Aznap este repültünk tovább Skóciába, Aberdeenbe. 


A befogadóink már vártak ránk, mikor megérkeztünk. Mindenkit örömmel fogadtak és hazavittek meleg otthonaikba. Hétfő reggel találkoztunk a csapattal, majd szétváltunk, mivel hárman a csapatunkból hangfelvételeken dolgoztak, míg mi várost néztünk egy kicsit. 

Este egy Biblia órán vettünk részt, melynek keretében úgynevezett imasétára mentünk. A város főutcáján sétálva imádkoztunk az ott lakó emberekért, a városért, Skóciáért, Magyarországért, Sárospatakért, a Refiért és a keresztényekért világszerte.

A hét hátralévő részében eljutottunk a tengerpartra, az egyetemvárosba, és megnézhettük az „igazi Skóciát” a zöld dombokon egy várat a tengerparton: a fel- felcsapó hullámok zajában és a sirályok társaságában úgy éreztük magunkat, mintha egy filmben szerepeltünk volna.

Szerdán megtartottuk az előadásunkat, amit az emberek érdeklődéssel hallgattak. Utána ismerkedtünk, beszélgettünk: leírhatatlan sok támogatásról biztosítottak minket és valóban éreztük a törődésüket.

Pénteken, a hazaindulásunk napján, tudtuk, hogy sikeres volt az utunk. A felvételek hihetetlenül jól mentek, és éreztük, hogy valamit elindítottunk. Megalapoztunk számos kapcsolatot, melyeket ápolni kell, de gyümölcsözőnek ígérkeznek.

Miután hazatértünk, rájöttünk, mennyi mindennel gazdagodtunk kint, mindössze röpke 10 nap alatt. Nem csak gyönyörű tájakat csodálhattunk meg, de annyi szeretet, kedvességet és törődést kaptunk emberektől, akikkel azelőtt soha nem találkoztunk. Egy életre szóló élménnyel lettünk gazdagabbak, mely sokunk életébe hozott változást. 

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Mission to the United Kingdom

As the plane took off; we were all in a euphoric state of excitement and anticipation, for our journey. It was on a sunny Thursday afternoon, a beautiful day for flying, when we started our trip. For some, it was their first flight but for others, they could barely count how many times they had flown. 

The Sun set long before we managed to arrive at our hostel, we were exhausted! However, it was there that we had our first fish’n’chips meal which made us realize that we were truly in London. 

We went sightseeing on Friday and then worked on our presentation. Saturday came and was filled with team building and our time in the capital was almost finished. On Sunday we had time to go to Newcourt Elim Pentecostal Church service before taking off to Scotland and personally, that was the time when I felt how blessed we were and how blessed our trip would be. God settled all our fears during that fellowship.

On our way to Scotland we were filled with excitement and as we arrived at Gilcomston Church, our amazing host families were waiting to take us home. 

On our first day - we split up; three of the team went to a recording studio while the rest of us had a little exploration around town. We were amazed by the beautiful buildings, old churches and Marshall College, which is the 2nd largest granite building in Europe. 

In the evening, we went to a prayer group at Aberdeen Elim Church, where we were able to go on a prayer walk up and down the main street. We prayed for people in Scotland, in Hungary, for Aberdeen, for Sárospatak, for our school and for Christianity in general – it was such an eye-opening and uplifting experience. 

Although, we were deeply shocked by the fact in the town there are churches which are now used as casinos, bars and restaurants. To see this with our own eyes was probably the creepiest thing we’ve ever experienced. 

On Tuesday morning, we had some time to bond as a team as we wandered down to the beach and just played, took photos, enjoyed the sunshine and laughed until our stomachs hurt. 

Then we took to the streets to invite people to the lunch time service at Gilcomston and later, we served a little by helping with cleaning up the church. 

During our time in Aberdeen we made countless new friends and connections. This continued on Wednesday when we were shown around Old Aberdeen and the University of Aberdeen, while part of our group was, again, in the recording studio. 

Some of the team assisted with Café Plus, for the elderly and enjoyed fellowship with them. Our entire group was reunited and attended a Bible study in the evening, at Gilcomston. Afterwards, we gave a presentation about our school which went very well and we all felt we were understood and genuinely cared for. 

On Thursday, in the morning, we were invited to one of the Y.M.C.A.’s sessions with elderly and while we could relaxed, we enjoyed the company of a different generation for a little while. 

Later on, we were shown the ‘real Scotland.’ The beautiful landscape, the ocean, and the castle on the coast just amazed us. It is safe to say that time we were absolutely overwhelmed with all the love and everything that we’d been given from practical strangers - we were just overjoyed!

As I fondly recall the events of this trip, I realize how blessed we were during it from start to finish. So many people helped us, prayed for us and took care of us. We thank you all for the support that you gave us. This trip was a real life changing event for many of us. Praise God.