glory

What God Has Done

March 10, 2015December 29, 2016pjimgallagherLeave a comment

Numbers 23:23
“For there is no sorcery against Jacob,
Nor any divination against Israel.
It now must be said of Jacob
And of Israel, ‘Oh, what God has done!’

Once we get past the fact that God allowed a man as carnal as Balaam to speak some of the Old Testament’s most poetic and amazing prophecies, we can begin to appreciate what was being said. In addition to looking forward to the coming of the Messiah, Balaam also looked back at the Lord’s accomplishments in the nation of Israel. His commentary on all of it was that God worked in such a way, when it was all concluded, people would have no other choice than to declare “Oh what God has done.”

This seems to be a pattern with God. Not only does He want to work in and through the lives of His people, but He also desires to do it in a way that He alone will receive the glory. We see this concept declared in both principle and practice throughout Scripture. The principle is declared in 1Corinthians 1:27-29 “But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence.”

When God wants to accomplish something, He chooses people who are less than qualified, so when the task is achieved, it is clear they were guided and gifted by His Spirit. We see this principle carried out time and time again, within the pages of Scripture. In fact, there is not a generation that goes by where this principle is not practiced. Moses will face the Red Sea, Joshua has his Jericho, Gideon has only three hundred men, David goes before Goliath, Solomon is a young man with no experience, taking over a kingdom, Nehemiah has his wall, the Apostles are sent into a hostile world, armed with nothing more than the Spirit and the Word of God. Within every generation, God is looking for men and women who will trust Him enough to respond to His call, regardless of the obstacles that we might face. When we live like that we will find that:

“For there is no sorcery against Jacob,
Nor any divination against Israel.
It now must be said of Jacob
And of Israel, ‘Oh, what God has done.'”

Pastor Jim

Beginning Of Miracles

March 10, 2015December 29, 2016pjimgallagher1 Comment

John 2:11
“This beginning of signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory; and His disciples believed in Him.”

John tells us, the miracle of turning the water into wine was the first of Jesus’ miracles, and its purpose was to make His glory known. The word “glory” is used synonymously in the Bible with the word “name” and speaks of a person’s character. When Moses longed to know God more, he asked God to “Please, show me Your glory.” (Exodus 33:18) God responded, saying, “I will cause My goodness to pass before you and declare My name.” It is in that passage we learn much of the merciful and gracious character of God. Here, at this wedding feast, John tells us that we are to learn something about the character of Christ.

John also tells us, this was the first miracle Jesus accomplished. Think about it. The Son of God, who came to save the world, is going to accomplish His first miracle, and He chose to provide refreshments at a wedding reception. Why? I think it is because He wants us to learn that He did not come for the masses, but the individual. He wants us to understand, He loves and cares about each of us. In the grand scheme of things, a family being embarrassed by running out of refreshments at the reception does not mean much, but it would mean a lot to them, and so it meant a lot to Jesus.

What a blessing to know that Jesus never loses sight of the individual. He knows and cares deeply about each of us and the struggles we are facing. I think it would be wise of us to take the advice of Mary and “Whatever He says to you; do it.”

Pastor Jim

Glory Of The Lord

February 14, 2015December 28, 2016pjimgallagher2 Comments

Exodus 40:34
“Then the cloud covered the tabernacle of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.”

IMG_1474-0 What the church needs today more than anything else, is a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit; like the one received on the day of Pentecost, and the day the Tabernacle was erected. For both, Israel and the church, divine power and direction were directly related to the presence of God. While we cannot manufacture a work of the Spirit of God, we can learn a valuable lesson from the events that transpired on the day the Tabernacle was first constructed.

Exodus 39:42
“According to all that the Lord had commanded Moses, so the children of Israel did all the work.”

God gave detailed instructions regarding how the Tabernacle would be built and operated. When Israel followed those instructions, it resulted in the outpouring of the presence of God. The same was true of the early church. Jesus instructed His followers to wait on the Lord, and pray for the baptism of the Spirit. When they did, God responded by fulfilling His promise. This is not a formula or a recipe, as much as it reveals that God has designed His church to function in a particular way. When we decide to trust the promises of God, and seek Him for a work of he Spirit, He will fulfill those promises.

Take some time to pray that God would pour His Spirit out on you and your church.

Pastor Jim

February 11, 2015December 28, 2016pjimgallagher1 Comment

Exodus 33:18
“And he said, ‘Please, show me Your glory.’”

While most of Israel seemed satisfied with their present experience of God, Moses had a longing for more. His past experiences of being commissioned directly by God at the burning bush, seeing the miraculous hand of God work through the plagues, watching the Red Sea part, tasting Manna from heaven and water from a rock, hearing the voice of God from the mountain, and seeing the Shikinah glory abide in his own tent, were not enough to satisfy the longing in Moses’s heart for more of God.

He desired a deeper and fuller experience of God than he ever had. He is illustrating the words of Jesus when He declared, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled” (Matthew 5:6). Moses is not alone in his desire for more of God. We read that Joshua did not depart from the Tabernacle. Later, David would cry out, “One thing I desire of the Lord and that will I seek; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord forever. . .” (Psalm 27:4). And again, “As the deer pants for the water so my so longs after You, oh God.” (Psalm 42:1). Elisha would cry out for a double portion of the Spirit of God that was on his predecessor (2 Kings 2:9), and Paul declared that his greatest desire was to know Christ, even if that meant great suffering (Philippians 3:10).

Oh, that our hearts would long to know Christ better. That the experiences of the past would only work as fuel to drive us closer to Him, that we might see His glory. For Moses, the longing to experience the glory of God, began with a desire expressed in prayer, but it did not stop there. To truly encounter the Lord, he must go from prayer, to the Word. It was through His Word that God revealed Himself to Moses. He did not see Him, but heard Him. The same will be true of us. If you are yearning for more of God, the place to go is His Word. There He reveals Himself as the merciful, gracious, patient, true, good, forgiving and just, Lord of all.

Pastor Jim

Glimpse Of Heaven

January 17, 2015January 11, 2017pjimgallagher1 Comment

Matthew 17:1
“Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, led them up on a high mountain by themselves; . . .”

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This event had a tremendous impact upon Peter. Years later, when writing his first epistle, Peter recounts this event and how amazing it was to witness. I think some of its value is in the fact that it is a portrait of what awaits the child of God in heaven.

First, we read Jesus was “transfigured before them”. In other words, they saw the veil of humanity taken away and were able to see something of the deity and glory of Christ. We know heaven will be filled with glorious sites: streets of gold, gates of pearl, spectacular angelic beings, and so much more. But truly, heaven’s heaven, the great glory of eternity, will be the presence of Christ. There will be no need for the sun, for the glory of Jesus will illuminate heaven. The disciples got to see a glimpse of the glory of God.

Next, we read that Moses and Elijah appeared and were recognizable. Peter, James and John had never seen a picture or video, yet had no trouble recognizing these men. Moses represents, to some degree, those who will enter eternity through death; Elijah, those who will enter through the rapture. Upon arriving, we see that they are fellowshipping with each other and Jesus. Another of Heaven’s glories, is the fact, that we will fellowship together with all who have gone on before us. What a great joy it will be to gather with our longed-for loved ones, and together,enjoy the presence of Jesus.

Finally, we read that they heard God speak. We know from other texts, the voice of God is like the sound of roaring thunder, or the waves of the sea, or even of a multitude. But for most of us, all we have ever heard is that faint, still whisper. There is a day coming, in heaven’s glory, where we will hear the voice of God speaking loud and clear.

It is no wonder Peter wanted to build tents so he could have this experience daily.

Pastor Jim

Above The Heavens

June 22, 2014June 22, 2014pjimgallagherLeave a comment

Psalm 113:6 “Who humbles Himself to behold The things that are in the heavens and in the earth?”

A few years ago my wife and I were window shopping at an outdoor mall in southern California when we stumbled onto a crowd of people huddled around a large telescope. We decided to stand in line and see what they were looking at. When our turn came to look through the view finder we were stunned. From the courtyard of the mall we were able to see the rings around Saturn. We took advantage of the moment and allowed the young man who owned the telescope to point out distant stars and even a distant galaxy. Technology has provided us with things that were unthinkable during most of human history, and there in the mall we were able to observe the heavens. I was struck both by the majesty of the heavens and by the advances of science that would allow the casual shopper a glimpse into the heavens. But I did realize that this was only possible because of the highest reaches of human development. Centuries of studying the stars had come together at that moment to provide a telescope that could view the heavens.

I often think of that when I read the psalmist words;

“Who humbles Himself to behold The things that are in the heavens and in the earth?”

What takes the height of human development to glance at, God has to bow to look into. As majestic as creation may ever seem the creator is much more magnificent. His glory is above the heavens.

Pastor Jim