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While our approach to God through Jesus Christ is much different from how Old Testament saints enjoyed the presence of God, there are attitudes we can learn from their devotion. One outstanding attitude we find in Exodus 33 has vital elements we can learn from.
“Now Moses used to take the tent and pitch it outside the camp, far off from the camp, and he called it the tent of meeting. And everyone who sought the Lord would go out to the tent of meeting, which was outside the camp” (Exodus 33:7). Generally, the tent of meeting represents a place away from distractions and the common activities of people that work against the enjoyment of time with the Lord. Can you identify places and things in your life that are distractions? Notice what happened in verse 9. “When Moses entered the tent, the pillar of cloud would descend and stand at the entrance of the tent, and the Lord would speak with Moses” (Exodus 33:9). The pillar of cloud was the glory of God in a form that Moses could see and enjoy. In addition to this glory, the Lord spoke with Moses. I can’t think of anything more appealing to my soul than spending time with the Lord, hearing Him speak to me through His Word, and seeing His glory! Is that important to you?
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Carefully consider this invitation…
“Then He said to Moses, “Come up to the Lord, you and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, and worship from afar. Moses alone shall come near to the Lord, but the others shall not come near, and the people shall not come up with him.”” (Exodus 24:1–2). What was it about Moses that caused God to give him this special invitation? According to Hebrews 11:23-28, he was a man of faith, but also “He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward” (Hebrews 11:26). Notice that Moses had a standard for values that very few have, because he looked beyond what was temporary to what is eternal. He knew that the things of this world could not reward him what the presence of Christ would do and mean. Though our access to God is not limited as it was to Israel and their leaders, I do not think most of us treasure being in His presence nearly as much as Moses did. Why is this true? What do you think hinders us from putting the right value on God’s presence? How would you make changes in your life to place greater value on being frequently where you see His glory and enjoy fellowship with Him? Two days ago, I introduced the subject of “Intimacy with God” and quoteD J. Oswald Sanders who said, “We are at this moment as close to God as we really choose to be.”
As a leader of Israel, Moses had the privilege of inviting the people to Mount Sini where they could meet with God. But there were limitations to this event. “The Lord said to Moses, “Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their garments and be ready for the third day. For on the third day the Lord will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people. And you shall set limits for the people all around, saying, ‘Take care not to go up into the mountain or touch the edge of it. Whoever touches the mountain shall be put to death” (Exodus 19:10–12). In addition to this event with its limitation, only the High Priest could enter the Most Holy place ONLY ONCE A YEAR with a sacrifice for his sins and the people’s (Hebrews 9:7). Think about this and how it stands in contrast with the access we have through Jesus Christ. “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16). Do you know this access? One of our Timothy’s in S. E. Asia has been reflecting on the years he has worked with us and what the Lord has done.
“Thank you for remembering me in prayer. God let me go home in peace before Typhoon Ragasa made landfall. The rain continues to soak the north causing mud slides. Many people hope that I will return to the villages in November or December. September 26th to 29th is a training course for 10 pastors in places where we have trained before. I have just completed the 241st course and the Lord is continuing to take me to new locations to do His work. I am very happy to return to this place for the second time since starting in 2017 to train 12 pastors. They are leaders of churches in several districts and provinces. Five teachers disciple children, which causes us to go away in joy, while they hope we will return. The teachers of GPHC in 2014 came to train us. Through their work with us, now we go to train the Hmong brothers who live in many other places. We are seeing the Word of God develop these men into good leaders. Not only they come to train us, but they are also helping print books. In addition, they continue to accompany us in prayer. Many on the NFI team, and many others, prayed for us, especially for me and our family. We are very grateful to God and grateful to all the teachers who trained in many places. They have helped me a lot and provided what I needed to continue this work. The Lord has been so good! I give Him all the glory.’ In this blog, I want to invite your careful attention to a quotation from Enjoying Intimacy with God, by J. Oswaldo Sanders. It is the premise of his whole book which I believe is both challenging and inviting.
“Both Scripture and experience teach that it is we, not God, who determines the degree of intimacy with Him that we enjoy. We are at this moment as close to God as we really choose to be. True, there are times when we would like to know a deeper intimacy, but when it comes to that point, we are not prepared to pay the price involved. We settle for a less demanding level of Christian living” (page 10). Those words may seem too radical for us to seriously consider, but those who want to produce the best fruit for God realize that this statement is true and needs to challenge our deep desires.  In several blogs in the next few weeks, I will give more details about our team as they travel to S. E. Asia and important items to pray about.
“Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the Lord will arise upon you, and His glory will be seen upon you” (Isaiah 60:1-3). Isaiah 60:1-3 promises that the Glory of Christ will bring the light of the gospel to even the darkest of countries, and as you look at the map above, every country except Brunei will be impacted by this trip. In addition to the five countries that Randy will be going to, Tim, Terry D., and Tom will add Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar, and Vietnam. In these days the doors are opening even wider, so please come along in prayer and let’s see what God will do for His own Glory in Southeast Asia! September 27 – 29 Travel & Meetings in Singapore – For the first time Randy will be on the world’s longest commercial flight (JFK-Singapore = 19 hours nonstop flight). Then upon arriving in Singapore, he will try to arrange meetings with a couple of leaders who live there. Please pray for the doors to open as God leads! God is opening a wide door to the Hmong people not only in Vietnam but in many other countries, including the USA. We will be printing the Hmong GPHD in preparation for our October trip (see details below) and preparing to print thousands for a Hmong conference next July 2026. Please be praying for Randy, Tim, Terry D., and Tom, and this tremendous opportunity!!!
Trip Itinerary
Prayer Requests:
“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son” (Romans 8:28–29a). Several months ago, we printed 10,000 God’s Plan for Young Disciples (GPYD) in the Hindi and Oriya languages. They are being sent out all over India to strategic places. Thank the Lord for providing this tool and especially for a key indigenous leader and organization who is like-minded in spreading the Word of God throughout India to help the Church in India be Self-Supporting, Self-Governing, and Self-Propagating.
Already we are hearing of God using these books to advance God’s work in this South Asian country that has so much darkness through unbelief. Often the children in this country live in poverty and oppression. They need our prayers!  It is so exciting to hear how God is inspiring leaders and teachers to invest in the next generations. In many places these leaders do not have tools that are designed to effectively present the gospel and foundational truths of the New Testament to children and young people. As we became more aware of this need, we have put our hearts and minds into developing materials that helps bridge that gap.
The picture above was sent to us and is so inspiring to see our faithful “Timothy” (Jacob) and the orphans he is working with in Ivory Coast. While some folks in home groups and a men’s study helped provide for registration, uniforms and supplies for school for these children, we are providing God’s Plan for Young Disciples (GPYD) in both English and French that will be printed in the destination country. In addition to God’s Plan for His Disciples (GPHD) trainings that Jacob has been doing, he is mentoring and teaching the children in the village where he and his family live. The spiritual growth he witnessed with the adults caused him to think about getting the training started earlier so these children will have a head start in understanding the basic elements of salvation and what it means to walk with the Lord. We encourage you to use spare minutes and table conversations to stir interest in others to pray for this work and possibly get involved in some way. There is a strange paradox in the gospel of God’s grace that is hard for the human mind to understand. How can a holy and righteous God forgive sinful mankind when they have done nothing to deserve His forgiveness? “For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly” (Romans 5:6).
In addition to this, Jesus in His own words said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34). He said this at a moment when unjust suffering was forced on Him by the Romans in crucifixion. That was not all. The wrath of God against sin and our sins was laid on Jesus. In this divine transaction, Paul says that Jesus “for our sake He [God] made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21). He did this for you and me! “Therefore, we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. For since the message declared by angels proved to be reliable, and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution, how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was declared at first by the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard” (Hebrews 2:1–3). Would you ignore this message. |
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