SUNDAY IN GENESIS

Today is Sunday!  Glorious Sunday!  I am in Mahattan, Kansas preaching at Harvest Baptist Church.  I am rarely away on a Sunday unless I am out of the country, but this church is four and a half years old and they started using principles I wrote in a book on starting a church and so I wanted to help them in their conference on Planting Churches around America.  About six other couples are here that are starting churches around the country and it has been nice to meet them.  Here are some thoughts in Genesis: 1) GOD HEARS THE CHILDREN PRAY- In Gen. 21:17 the Bible says:  "for God hath heard the voice of the lad where he is."  This is Ishmael, the son of Hagar.  Just a young man, but God hears his prayer.  Notice this:  Abraham had taught him to pray!  Abraham loved this boy and even asked God to let him be the son of promise before Isaac was born.  He taught him to pray, and here is the reason.... God hears prayer!!  What prayers do you need to pray?  Do you need any help from an all powerful God?  I do!  I need so much to take place in my life and ministry that I am helpless and hopeless without God!  I need the land next to our church paid off.  I need a large building built to house an ever expanding ministry.  I need room, funds, souls, soul-winners, workers, the blessings of God to shower down upon us as never before.  Oh, we are experiencing the blessings of God right now, but I always have a longing for more.  "Mercy drops round us are falling, but for the showers we plead."  Teach your children to pray.... because God hears their prayers! 2) LEAH- We know the story of Rachel and Leah.  Jacob loved Rachel, and got Leah, and then worked seven more years for Rachel.  Two sisters!  What problems this caused, but the Bible says in Genesis 29:31- "And when the LORD saw that Leah was hated, he opened her womb:  but Rachel was barren."  Leah had Judah born to her and Judah would be the tribe from which Jesus would come.  Rachel was favored, but Leah was blessed!!  Which do you want to be?  One has the limelight, but the other has the blessings of God!!  That's what I want.... the blessings of God!! Well, Sunday School starts in two minutes and I'm already at the Church.  May God bless you this morning!  Have a blessed day in the Lord and for my good people who read this, I miss you and will see you this Wednesday evening.  Love you dearly!!  Pastor Mike Mutchler

GENESIS

It's a lovely Saturday morning in Mahattan, Kansas.  I'm going to spend some time with other men who are starting churches today.  We will do an activity together while the wives go shopping.  It looks to be a good day.  The service was over about 11:00pm last night but the last sermon was great and enjoyable.  Bro. Richard King from Oklahoma preached, and I'm going to be asking him to fly to Oregon and preach for us as well.  I know my people would enjoy so much his preaching.  Tomorrow is Sunday!!  I love Sundays!!  But, I will not be with my people so I will be a little sad.  I remember the first Sunday I spent away from my people years ago, I cried when I thought about it because I missed them so much.  I know it will be a good day in Beavercreek, and a good day for Harvest Baptist Church here in Kansas.    Today, I've started reading through the Bible again.  I begin with the first twenty chapters of Genesis.  So much is covered in these chapters that I cannot ever begin to do them justice, but I want to point out just a few things:   1) IT ALL BEGINS WITH GOD! Chapter one of Genesis, tells us how it all begins with God.  "In the beginning God…"  God is the solitary subject of Genesis chapter one and we must focus on God if we are to see creation and its purpose clearly.  Notice these phrases in chapter one: "God created"; "God moved"; "God said"; "God saw"; "God divided"; "God called"; "God said"; "God made"; "God called"; "God said"; "God called"; "God saw"; "God said"; "God saw"; "God said"; "God made"; "God set"; "God saw"; "God said"; "God created"; "God saw"; "God blessed"; "God said"; "God made"; "God saw"; "God said"; "God created"; "God created"; "God said"; and "God saw".  All of these phrases are found in the very first chapter of the Bible.  Maybe God is telling us that everything is to center around Him!!  Dear Christian, focus upon the LORD today and let Him have control of your life!! 2) ISHA AND ISH.  Gen. 2:23 says: "she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man."  Woman is ISHA (out of man); and Man is ISH (man).  Woman came out of man, but the Savior came out of woman!!  The virgin birth is the miracle of God that gave to us our Savior.   My time is gone and I'm just getting started!  See you tomorrow, but let the thought be for today that our focus is to be upon the LORD!!  May God bless you!!   Pastor Mike Mutchler