Worship

This morning I went to a Nepali church with Menuka, our househelper. As is custom for any church in India, the visitor is asked to share a word with the church. Since I knew I would be coming, I had been praying about what to share. Because Puja (Hindu festival starting late Sept. and into October) is about to start, I really felt led to talk about worship.

God led me to tell the story about Elijah and the prophets of Baal in 1 Kings 18 and 19. King Ahab was a really evil king b/c he worshipped the false god Baal instead of the LORD, leading the Israelites to do the same. So God sent Elijah to show everyone He was the one true and living God, and that the gods they were worshipping were dead. But more than that, God wanted to bring his people's hearts back to himself. So he gathered the people and said,

How long are you going to sit on the fence? If God is the real God, follow him; if it's Baal, follow him. Make up your minds!

So 2 altars were built: 1 to Baal and 1 to the YAHWEH. Whichever god answered by fire would be proved to be God. So the prophets of Baal and Asherah spent the entire day shouting, cutting themselves, and dancing in order to summon Baal. NOTHING HAPPENED.

All the odds are stacked against the God of Israel...his prophet (Elijah) was outnumbered by 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of Asherah (850:1 ratio. Wow). Elijah ordered that 12 huge vats of water be poured on top of the altar and sacrifice to the LORD. Imagine all these prophets who have just been humiliated and hundreds of thousands of Israelites watching this altar. And Elijah walked up to this drenched sacrifice, pleading that the LORD, the God of Israel, would make himself known to these people, that they would know he is leading their hearts back to him, and so they wouldn't think Elijah was a lunatic. God answered immediately. With fire that burned up

EVERYTHING...THE BULL, ALTAR, STONES...EVEN THE WATER.

So who do you think the people worshipped? The gods who never showed up? The gods who never heard their cries? The gods who could never love them or have mercy? NO WAY! They chose YAHWEH. Who hears the cries of his people. Who loves with an unfathomable love. Who is merciful. Who is ALIVE.

*Pray for the believers of India (who are outnumbered, just like the prophet Elijah that day) during this season of Puja, that they would remain committed to worship of the one true and living God, not swayed by their old way of living (that even we, non-Indians, would have boldness in sharing during this time).

*Pray that God would specifically lead men in that village to Himself (there were 2 men in a congregation of nearly 30). If the man of the house becomes a Christians, it is likely that the whole family will then follow Jesus as well.

WHO WILL YOU CHOOSE TO WORSHIP?