Go Where?

GO WHERE?

Genesis 12:1-4

Now the Lord had said to Abraham: “Get out of your country, from your kindred from your fathers house, to a land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing. 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. 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. Then Abraham took Sarah his wife and Lot his brother’s son, and all their possessions that they had gathered, and the people whom they acquired in Haran, and they departed to go to the land of Canaan. So they came to the land of Canaan.”

I’m sure of one thing, no one jumps up and down when the Lord calls them to a place they have never been, or like me, you go scratching, clawing and crying to hang on to where you are.2.

In fact, I did everything I knew to do to keep from going. Yes, the song says, “where He leads me I will follow,” was the last song I wanted to hear and especially sing.

Don’t get me wrong when I was a lot younger going to another church was exciting because in the denomination I was in, for the majority of the time, you didn’t try out they went by your resume if you even had one.

Even though we told the Overseer we wouldn’t go unless we got 100% of the vote. We did but

He would make the statement to the church where we were going whether you want him or not he’s coming so who will vote for him?

3.

Well that always turns into a holy war of unprecedented proportion for some churches because you thought all of the church were in agreement with you and your family coming to be their shepherd when in fact, they didn’t want anything to do with you even if you were so gifted that the fruits of the Spirit were dripping off your finger tips.

This incident happened to us in a church in Florida. I mean this one woman was fired up and she hardly missed an occasion to corner me and point her bony finger in my face and tell me in no uncertain terms just how much she detested the state overseer and me, just because her husband was the last word on the church council.

I call that the “bony finger syndrome.”

That was the only church we had that experience with and thank God the time came when we were packing up and leaving them in our rear view mirror.

4.

In our text we read of a man called Abram in the beginning and later Abraham. He didn’t have the local overseer to tell him where to go but God told him to pack up his things and head out into a land where he would show him where to go.

Scripture tells us that he obeyed God even though he was raised up a non-believer because he and his family made a living making statues of pagan god’s and selling them.

Did he get into trouble along the way you better believe it. Did we get into trouble you better believe it, and regardless how long you have been pastoring that particular church it’s a continuing education because there are a lot of bony fingers to point at you too.

Understand, Abram had no religious training and much less heard the name Jehovah spoken in respect as far as we know.

So let me share with you the latest testing of doing God’s will for my life. Even though I have relocated to be with my son and his family for a while I have left behind another part of my family as well as Pam who has been a fantastic support and inspiration to my ministry.

What you need to understand doing the will of God or not doing the will of God affects many people in your family as well as your friends.

So on with my story.

Where God was calling me was on the West Coast from the East Coast. Understand God makes no mistakes. (Can I get an Amen on that) but boy we sure think he does many times.

Where I was going there would be love and welcoming. Far cry from Abram, he wasn’t met with love and welcoming arms like I was.

It was worth the crying and driving when I embraced my son and his wife. Then when we started working together on his house for the first time in 30. It immediately felt like we had never been apart.