The Willing Heart
Pastor Thomas P. Schaller graduated in 1975 from Northeast School of the Bible, based then in South Berwick, Maine. He began serving as pastor for a missionary team to Helsinki, Finland, that same year. He spent more than six years in Finland, made a brief stop in Stockholm, Sweden, and then returned to the United States for nearly a decade. In 1990, he began leading the Greater Grace World Outreach team in Budapest, Hungary. He served there until he returned to America in 2003 to assist in the work at GGWO’s home base at Baltimore. Since April 2005, Pastor Schaller has served as Pastor of GGWO in Baltimore and ministers with a team of servant-leaders who compliment the vision and work of GGWO churches worldwide. He is also a teacher at Maryland Bible College and Seminary. Steve Andrulonis entered full-time ministry in 2006 after spending more than 25 years as a journalist, including nearly 20 years with the Baltimore Sun newspaper as a reporter, editor, and page designer. He has been a teacher with Maryland Bible College and Seminary since 2001. He is also the assistant to the senior pastor of Greater Grace World Outreach and GGWO’s editorial director. He and his wife, Jean Marie, live in Baltimore. They are the parents of two sons and one daughter and have one grandson. All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise noted, are from the King James Version. Italics for emphasis are ours.
Grace Publications 6025 Moravia Park Drive BALTIMORE, MD 21206 Printed in Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.A. Copyright © 2010 From a message preached in July, 2010 Grace Publications is a ministry of Greater Grace World Outreach, Inc. www.ggwo.org ISBN # 1-57907-573-8
Table Of contents
Chapter 1.....................................................5 The Captive Heart Chapter 2 ................................................... 9 The Stirred Heart Chapter 3................................................... 14 The Wise Heart Chapter 4................................................... 18 The Empowered Heart
Chapter One
THE CAPTIVE HEART God called Moses and the people of Israel were led out of Egypt. During their march through the wilderness, the Lord called Moses to the mountain and instructed him. Part of this instruction included detailed plans for the Tabernacle, a worship center for the nation. This nation, though very small in comparison to the other peoples on the earth, was chosen by God to receive His oracles and to demonstrate His praise. In speaking to this people and taking this nation as His own, God had a message for the world. What would be used to set this group apart from all the rest? The Word of God and the worship of God. Moses heard God and communicated His message to Israel. It was not a message that Israel took to heart. Doubt and stubbornness characterized this group then and now. Sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ with a Jew today remains a definite challenge. Then, remarkable demonstrations of the Lord’s power accompanied the words spoken by Moses. Egypt, a civilization of wealth, power, intelligence, and influence, experienced a series of plagues that left it in ruins.
God used these plagues to break the cruel yoke of slavery Egypt had put upon Israel. The plagues also should have served as vivid testimonies to Israel that her God was the God of His Word, the God who cannot lie, and the God who abides faithful and who is mighty to save. Israel, however, was captivated on the inside. Delivered from slavery in one sense, God’s chosen people remained chained to Egypt in another sense. Their bodies were free, but their hearts were not. This reality first becomes clear at the pool of Marah at the end of Exodus 15 when the thirsty multitude murmured over their lack of water. Just days before, songs rang through the crowd after God opened the Red Sea for Israel to pass through and then closed the waters to swamp the chariots of Egypt. A work of God sunk one of the greatest military forces ever assembled. But just a little way up the road, a small pool of bitter water brought out bitter feelings. And so began the complaints. Moses cried to the Lord, God answered and showed Moses a tree that made sweet the bitter waters and solved the crisis. He also gave Moses a message for the nation: “There he made for them a statute and an ordinance, and there he proved them, And said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight,
and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the Lord that healeth thee” (Exodus 15:25-26). In Exodus 16, the problem was hunger and the stubbornness of the people showed itself again: “And the whole congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness: And the children of Israel said unto them, Would to God we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the flesh pots, and when we did eat bread to the full; for ye have brought us forth into this wilderness, to kill this whole assembly with hunger” (Exodus 16:2-3). God again answered His people’s need, raining manna from Heaven to feed them. The free food came with clear instructions from the Lord: Don’t keep the manna overnight for it will breed worms and don’t look for it on the Sabbath for it won’t be there. Some in Israel refused to heed the Word of God and wound up with wormy dough and a stern rebuke regarding the sanctity of the Sabbath. This pattern of unbelief reached its high point in Exodus 32. While Moses spent 40 days with God on Mount Sinai, the people pestered Aaron to make them gods. He wilted under the pressure and used his graving tool to fashion a
golden calf. An altar was made and a feast declared. This was the activity of those who had displaced the Lord who had delivered them from Egypt. The people of Israel reached a real low just as God gave Moses the Ten Commandments. “And they rose up early on the morrow, and offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play” (Exodus 32:6). The calf pictured Israel’s attachment to the ornaments of life. Lust, sensuality, selfishness, and materialism bedeviled the nation. Moses brought the stone tables of the Law down the mountain and broke them at once before Israel, now corrupted and confused. Free bodies, chained hearts—Israel was creating the wrong kind of legacy for herself. Many today are in the spiritual captivity as Israel was. They live ornamental lives. They are in search of dignity, value, and significance. Ornaments are the decorations, the surface things, the natural human skills we use to make ourselves look good.
Chapter Two
THE STIRRED HEART “And they came, every one whose heart stirred him up, and every one whom his spirit made willing, and they brought the Lord’s offering to the work of the tabernacle of the congregation, and for all his service, and for the holy garments.” “The children of Israel brought a willing offering unto the Lord, every man and woman, whose heart made them willing to bring for all manner of work, which the Lord had commanded to be made by the hand of Moses” (Exodus 35:21, 29). “And he reared up the court round about the tabernacle and the altar, and set up the hanging of the court gate. So Moses finished the work. “Then a cloud covered the tent of the congregation, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. “And Moses was not able to enter into the tent of the congregation, because the cloud abode thereon, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle” (Exodus 40:33-35). Desire and hunger for God in the willing heart adds godly motivation to our lives.
The Spirit makes us willing. Internal devotion springs forth. The tangible result is represented in the offerings. The people brought the silver, the brass, the gold, the linen, the skins, even the goat hair. Women donated their earrings, their bracelets, and their mirrors for the work and the structure of the Tabernacle. Sacredness is the characteristic of the willing heart. It longs to pour out what it has for the service of the Lord. This is a work of grace. God does it all. His Spirit sheds love abroad in the heart and we choose to do things that are contrary to the ways of the world. The system of our society focuses people on getting and having and keeping. It’s a big trap. The gods of the hour promote the material and the temporal. The ornaments are the important things. This is the message and, sadly, it is taking hold of so many people. The worldly wise are noisy. They distract from the real issue by speaking on these terms and saying these things: “You need a new car … You need a new house … you need a new wife … you need a new philosophy.” The Tabernacle has been called the only perfect thing made by man. A moveable worship center, the Tabernacle became the heart of the nation as it wandered through the wilderness. Moses received the dimensions from God while on Mount Sinai. The details were communicat10
ed. Moses then instructed the people in how the structure would go together. One tribe, the descendents of Levi, was dedicated by God to its transportation, its assembly, and its operation. Where did the other members of the nation fit in? God gave them the responsibility of offerings. He put it in their hearts to give. The materials came in an exceedingly abundant way. Finally, Moses had to say, “Enough!” In this day when many churches conduct capital campaigns and fund-raising projects, we don’t read stories about pastors getting up to tell his congregation, “Stop giving!” God seems to have it that His churches continually operate in faith obedience. The budget seemingly is always on the brink and the needs are constant. “And all the wise men, that wrought all the work of the sanctuary, came every man from his work which they made; “And they spake unto Moses, saying, The people bring much more than enough for the service of the work, which the Lord commanded to make. “And Moses gave commandment, and they caused it to be proclaimed throughout the camp, saying, Let neither man nor woman make any more work for the offering of the sanctuary. So the people were restrained from bringing. “For the stuff they had was sufficient for all 11
the work to make it, and too much” (Exodus 36:4-7). Really, the offering time in a church represents an opportunity for willing hearts to express worship. We categorize worship as something related to singing and praises. However, worship is better defined as concentration on what God is doing at a particular time. At a certain moment in most church services, the Lord schedules an occasion for practical obedience to the Word. Objective faith is practiced by everyone who tosses a coin, a note or a check into the basket as it goes by. He has commanded that the congregation bring the tithes to the storehouse. Some promote an idea of giving that is more subjective, saying the work of Jesus Christ should remove the need for offerings. Well, Jesus said the tithe should not be left undone (see Matthew 23:23; Luke 11:42; Malachi 3:8-10). Paul spent much time in his second Corinthian letter talking about an offering that was being sent to support the Judean believers during a time of famine. To make an offering is to honor God and His Word. Also, it is a chance to participate in the work God is doing through His churches. Not all are called to preach, not all are called—or gifted—to minister in music, not all are called to teach Sunday school. All, however, can bring an offering. Each one can contribute. This object les12
son helps each member see himself as a part of something bigger than he is.
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Chapter Three
THE WISE HEART The people of Israel clearly were touched by the call to make the Tabernacle. Perhaps, some were remembering the toil they were under in Egypt. The bricks they made as slaves no doubt went into the construction projects erected to false gods. Now, Israel had been shown something from the Lord. His mind elaborated a different kind of structure, but a structure nonetheless. At last, the God of Israel had a meeting place among His people. Egypt had her temples and pyramids, the Lord now gave Israel her place to celebrate and rejoice. As Moses gave definition, a stirring went on in many hearts. Soon, the precious metals, the fine linens, and the sturdy timbers were coming in. On another level, skillfulness and artistry were given a sphere of influence. Men and women with wise hearts employed themselves in fashioning the things needed for this “great tent.� The highest form of worship is focus on the Word of God. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. To worship the Lord best, we need to let Him teach us how to think with Him. Thinking with God requires Bible 14
concentration. Concentration, the attention to detail in the work of God, makes way for the glory of the Lord. Willing, wise hearts exercise themselves in the Truth. Being in their presence brings a sense of love and encouragement. Exodus 35 and 36 introduces a couple of men to us—Bezaleel and Aholiab. These apparently were craftsmen, skilled in cunning work. There were a lot of instructions to follow in the making of the Tabernacle and these men of God carried out their duties with willingness and wisdom. Reading through these chapters of Exodus provides a look into the meticulous attention required. Maybe the work assigned to these men seems mundane. Would it be something that you would want to be tasked to do? These men and the others called by God to assist them had something in them. There was conviction and this consecrated all that they did. It is written that they worked “with the spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship� (Exodus 35:31). To Bezaleel was given the precious duty of fashioning the Ark and the other pieces of furniture that were set up in the holy places of the Tabernacle. What an honor and what a challenge. The measuring, the casting, the overlaying, the making of these things were committed 15
to him. And, he did it knowing that these items would be hidden behind curtains. Few would ever see his handiwork. The Tabernacle was no museum. These things would not go on display before the multitudes in Israel. Only the priests set apart for this work would come into contact with these items. The Ark with the Mercy Seat would occupy the most holy place within the veil, an area closed to all but the High Priest who went in once a year to sprinkle the blood of Atonement before the Lord. Bezaleel’s artistry would not win him the accolades and the wealth that accompany other masterpieces. Yet, he worked on, his willing heart and wise spirit guiding him. How much went into the project? We find out at the close of Exodus 38. There a sum is taken of the gold, silver, and brass used in the work. Here, we see just what willing hearts offered and what wise hearts made. It was the production of a great team ordained for an eternal purpose. Every member of the nation had their part either in the giving or in the building. Each contribution counted. Each decision for God’s work made a difference. “Thus was all the work of the tabernacle of the tent of the congregation finished: and the children of Israel did according to all that the Lord commanded Moses, so did they… 16
“According to all that the Lord commanded Moses, so the children of Israel made all the work. “And Moses did look upon all the work, and, behold, they had done it as the Lord had commanded, even so had they done it: and Moses blessed them” (Exodus 39:32, 42-43). The obedience pleased the Lord and He made this obvious to Israel by filling the Tabernacle with His glory: “Then a cloud covered the tent of the congregation, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. “And Moses was not able to enter into the tent of the congregation, because the cloud abode thereon, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle” (Exodus 40:34-35). The presence of the Lord fell upon the scene. What a moment this was for the people of Israel. They made something and God made this thing His habitation. When God’s people choose to let the Spirit give them willing hearts and then do His work with His wisdom, this is the result. God makes Himself at home. There is glory. There is power. There is love.
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Chapter Four
THE EMPOWERED HEART What is the real secret of a willing heart? It is the power of God. Israel had heard the commandments and ordinances. Yet, in many of the people, there was lacking the will to do of His good pleasure. At the Red Sea, Moses said, “Stand still and see the salvation of the Lord.” Too much natural activity – physically and intellectually – left Israel confounded and confused. The testimonies should have taken hold in the hearts of this people. Remembrances of God’s working for them and through them fell out of practice. Their hearts became withered and weak. “[The people of Israel] believed they his words; they sang his praise. “They soon forgat his works; they waited not for his counsel: “But lusted exceedingly in the wilderness, and tempted God in the desert. “And he gave them their request; but sent leanness into their soul” (Psalm 78:12-15). Rather than willing, courageous hearts, Israel became a people of lean hearts. Their casual attitude toward the counsel of God resulted in 18
emptiness. It happens in subtle ways. Church services missed; Bible reading neglected; prayer practices abandoned. Faith falters. The stresses of environment weigh down and stunt the growth of plants that have weak root systems. Heat and drought bring blight. In the same way, the stresses of life can hinder believers whose faith roots remain shallow. Too many of us go searching for things within ourselves. Things such as love, kindness, forgiveness just aren’t there to be found. Statements such as “If you could you just find it in your heart …” should cause Christians to cringe. We know the desperate wickedness that resides at the center of our natural, carnal selves. “Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is. “For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit. “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? “I the Lord search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings” (Jeremiah 17:7-10). 19
There is a power, an effectual working of God. It is more than potential. It is actual, real, living. The willing heart senses this as the apostle Paul sensed it. Paul wrote of this power he saw at work in his life and in the lives the Christians he met during his travels. “Whereunto I also labour, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily” (Colossians 1:29). “But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: “From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love” (Ephesians 4:15-16). The world is saturated with measurements related to size and strength. So much of our imagery related to power comes from military might. Engines are rated according to horsepower. God warned against trusting horses: “He delighteth not in the strength of the horse: he taketh not pleasure in the legs of a man” (Psalm 147:10). The help of man is vain. “Woe to them that go down to Egypt for help; and stay on horses, and trust in chariots, because they are many; and in horsemen, because they are very strong; but they look 20
not unto the Holy One of Israel, neither seek the Lord!” (Isaiah 31:1). There is energy in the willing heart given by the Spirit. It is the working of God. We can see it in the blade of grass that splits through a crevasse in a concrete sidewalk. Something in the blade pushes it toward the sunlight. It draws on the moisture from the soil and organically it prospers. It is like this in our hearts of faith. We hear, we heed, and we hold fast to the Word of God. We know there is the mystery of iniquity all around us. The charged atmosphere of our cosmic society touches us. Satan and Hell are at work with aggressive, destructive force. But we draw on the doctrine. The Lord said, “My doctrine shall drop as the rain, my speech shall distil as the dew, as the small rain upon the tender herb, and as the showers upon the grass” (Deuteronomy 32:2). As with the small shoot of grass, we soak in the flow of God’s life. It refreshes us and reinforces us. It draws us higher and higher. Christ is greater than the one who deceives and manipulates the world (1 John 4:4). In John 16, Jesus told the disciples at the table, “I have overcome the world.” Wait! This statement is made the night before the Cross. The overcoming was still to come. Yet, the Son of Man was certain of how it would go. No doubt that victory would 21
be accomplished. The effectual working of God would triumph. Jesus Christ absolutely trusted that power of the Father and the Spirit would see His humanity through to the finishing of His work. Resurrection was just days away and it would come. Resurrection! Quickening life from the Lord is ours. Revival can be a daily reality through our times in the Word, in prayer, in evangelism, and in world mission. The edification of love we enjoy speaks to others. Churches grow. People discover true power from God. They come to find what we have and they want it. We have quite a lot really. We carry in our willing hearts the exceedingly abundant hope of eternity. We know our place. We are in Christ and He is in us. This gentle, irresistible power is growing. We sense it. The Spirit is affecting changes in us, in our cities, and in our nations. The almighty God is. And, He is effectually working out His perfect plan. Let us rejoice and be glad.
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