God's Treasure Hunt

 King Saul of Israel had failed miserably. God commissioned Samuel, the prophet and high priest, to find a new king. God sent Samuel on a treasure hunt. He was to find the young man chosen by God and anoint him as the next king.

Where was Samuel sent? Not to Jerusalem and not to a noble family. God sent Samuel to a farm. The farmer had strong and handsome sons.

Jesse had seven of his sons pass before Samuel, but Samuel said to him, “The LORD has not chosen these.” 1 Samuel 16:10 NIV84

The farmer had another son, but he was only a boy.

Then Samuel asked, “Are these all the sons you have?” “There is still the youngest,” Jesse replied. “But he’s out in the fields watching the sheep and goats.” 

“Send for him at once,” Samuel said. “We will not sit down to eat until he arrives.”

So Jesse sent for him. He was dark and handsome, with beautiful eyes. And the LORD said, “This is the one; anoint him.” 1 Samuel 16:11–12 NLT

Samuel was directly led by the Holy Spirit.

Today many of us are so wise in our own eyes. We are taught that we have the whole Bible and theological training. We think we no longer need the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Or else we do what we think is right and assume we are led by the Spirit.

Some Christians are too easily led by emotional impressions, but it is dangerous to rely on our own human understanding of the Bible without the help of the One who inspired it.

And what are the results of this educated Christianity? In many formerly Christian countries, Christians are merely tolerated. The power and glory of God are not found in most churches.

Many churches have excluded the Holy Spirit, just like King Saul, but God is looking for outsiders and children like David who will continue His work with the love and power of the Holy Spirit.

 Agostino d' Antonio, a sculptor of Florence, Italy, wrought diligently but unsuccessfully on a large piece of marble. "I can do nothing with it," he finally said. Other sculptors, too, worked with the piece of marble, but they, too, gave up the task. The stone was discarded. It lay on a rubbish heap for forty years.

Out strolling one day, Michelangelo saw the stone and the latent possibilities in it. It was brought to his studio. He began to work on it. Ultimately, his vision and work were crowned with success. From that seemingly worthless stone was carved one of the world's masterpieces of sculpture—"David!" (cf: 1 Samuel 16:13)

ENCYCLOPEDIA OF 15,000 ILLUSTRATIONS SIGNS OF THE TIMES By Dr. Paul Lee Tan  

 You may be rejected by the world and even other Christians as a worthless stone. God still has good plans for your life.

God Raises Up Children

2020 was not just the beginning of a new decade. The pandemic has caused the conventional world order to fall apart at the seams. Many want to return to the supposedly normal world order, but the world of yesterday is never coming back.

Many of us try to explain the crisis with conventional ways of thinking, but conventional mindsets often lead us astray.

In times when yesterday's ideas are no longer enough, we see in the Bible that God often speaks through children or teenagers.
 
Mary was a teenager when she became the mother of Jesus.

David was also a teenager when he killed Goliath.

Samuel was a young boy when he became a prophet.

A seemingly successful pastor of a large American church attended a charismatic event. A very young girl came up to him, put her hand on his head and spoke with amazing boldness.

‘Lord, take the junk out of him!’

When the prominent pastor returned to his congregation, he was a completely different man. Until then, he had built up an active and well-organised church with his own abilities and spiritual gifts. He himself was the cornerstone of the congregation.

He recognised the pride and self-centredness of his Christian ministry. He began to focus on Jesus and give the Holy Spirit space.

Many members left the church, but in a short time the church was much larger than before.

When we try to solve new problems with traditional approaches, we become like ships without a rudder, sailing helplessly in circles.

The preacher who sparked the Welsh revival in 1904 was a man of only 26, Evan Roberts. He was supported by a team of intercessors, four teenagers, all girls.

Children and young people are often much more open to new ideas and revelations from God. We need this openness.

Very many Christians only want to believe and obey God when they understand God's leading. Children often have an open heart. They can believe and obey even if they don't understand.

Whoever becomes humble like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Mt 18:4 NRSV

but Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of heaven belongs.” Mt 19:14 NRSV

When the children hear directly from God, and explain things differently than our old way of thinking, we must take the children seriously. We must not stand in the way of the Holy Spirit.

One of the countless people who was raised up by God in the Welsh revival was a street preacher who was 15 years old. She preached with such heavenly power that thousands of listeners took her seriously and were blessed. Among them were prominent businessmen and despised prostitutes.

You won't find testimonies like this in many books. History is often manipulated to promote our religious traditions.

Where did I hear that? A few years ago we had a Welsh guest preacher at our church. She told wonderful stories of dramatic Welsh revival.

The dramatic works of the Holy Spirit are often glossed over, but those who seek will find.