We had an awesome Sunday at Forest Hills Community Church. Once again, the attendance started off "rock bottom" with the cold temps, a holiday, and a holiday weekend, but since when has church and an experience with God been about attendance numbers?? Man, we had a blast this week as we worked through Genesis 25:7-18: the Genealogy of Ishmael.Why, oh why, do so many preachers skip the genealogies? Some of the greatest and most powerful lessons of Scripture are given inside of these passages, because inside of them we see people. People with wild names for sure, but people, nevertheless. And if we are dealing with people, then we are dealing with individuals just like you and me. This week's passage focused on the blessings by God (Isaac) vs. blessings by the world's standards (Ishmael). So many people, including Christian, seek wealth, fame and secular favor, yet forget it is a fleeting and demonic vice capable of turning our love for God into a love for self. Ishmael was blessed with the world's greatest gift (descendants), yet he was rejected by God and lived in hostility with everyone. Isaac, on the other hand, was a mild mannered, submissive home-boy who only father 2 children and had only one wife. By the world's standards, Ishmael was the man, and Isaac was a loser. But, that is the world's opinion, not God's truth....
This Sunday several people gave their hearts to Jesus, and many more repented of worldly fame, identity, and ambition. God worked through a Geneaology passage, because all Scripture is God-breathed! Pastor, Christians, etc: PREACH the WORD! God saves when His word is preached without compromise.
