Angels, Pt.4

In the Temple area he saw merchants selling cattle, sheep, and doves for sacrifices; and he saw money changers behind their counters. Jesus made a whip from some ropes and chased them all out of the Temple. He drove out the sheep and oxen, scattered the money changers’ coins over the floor, and turned over their tables. Then, going over to the people who sold doves, he told them, “Get these things out of here. Don’t turn my Father’s house into a marketplace!” Then his disciples remembered this prophecy from the Scriptures: “Passion for God’s house burns within me.” (Joh 2:14-17 NLT)

We are all tempted to walk into God’s house with our own personal agenda, political campaign, and pet program. Sometimes we want to manipulate the pastor into acting a certain way, leading a certain way, or preaching a certain way. Sometimes we want the worship leader to sing a certain way; whatever it is we are hoping to make some kind of personal gain off of it.

When we seek to do this we are actually so far from God that we might even be deceived into thinking that we are promoting God’s work, but in fact it is really just “selfish gain and ambition”. My heart is to make this church about THE SUCCESS OF JESUS AND NOT MY OWN SUCCESS. I get caught up in this all the time, I try to find ways to squeeze a little glory out for myself, a little credit out for my own hard work. Someone gives me a compliment and I want to keep it all for myself – I want to feel recognized, appreciated, and noticed (boo-hoo, poor me:). Don’t get me wrong, I believe that we should honor the honorable, and I do believe in encouraging one another in the Body (that is certainly biblical) – but my job is to bring all the glory back to Jesus – He alone is worthy of our worship!

Here is the phrase that kills me, JESUS MADE A WHIP FROM SOME ROPE AND CHASED THEM ALL OUT OF THE TEMPLE. (Imagine, if I came in one day with a whip, I bet I could get some of you to take a step spiritually in the right direction; although I know many of you are a lot stronger than me so I wouldn’t dare :p) Do you know how much time it takes to make a whip? Imagine, Jesus sitting there and really letting this righteous anger percolate. (We should get angry about the things that make God angry.) Jesus is about to open up a can of whip-aspirin all over these guys.

JESUS IS THE ULTIMATE WARRIOR AND HIS ANGELS ARE WARRIORS TOO. If you want to be a WARRIOR FOR GOD THEN LET THIS RING TRUE IN YOUR HEART – “A PASSION FOR GOD’S HOUSE BURNS WITHIN ME”. Every encounter you have with JESUS & HIS ANGELS should ultimately lead you toward this same warrior’s heart – A PASSION FOR GOD’S HOUSE BURNS WITHIN ME. Does this passion burn within you? What is keeping you from resonating with the warrior’s heart? What is keeping you from synchronizing with the heart beat of Jesus Christ and fanning the passion of God’s house?