Today we worshiped at The Bible Chapel in Robinson, (at Pittsburgh Technical Institute,) 1111 McKee Road, Oakdale, PA 15071, 724.941.8990, www.biblechapel.org, Mike McCormick, Campus Pastor.
Scripture: Exodus 3:9-4:15 (NIV)
“And now the cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them. So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.”
But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?”
And God said, “I will be with you. And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain.”
Moses said to God, “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?”
God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’”
God also said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers – the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob – has sent me to you.’
“This is my name forever, the name you shall call me from generation to generation.
“Go, assemble the elders of Israel and say to them, ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers – the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob – appeared to me and said: I have watched over you and have seen what has been done to you in Egypt. And I have promised to bring you up out of your misery in Egypt into the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites – a land flowing with milk and honey.’
“The elders of Israel will listen to you. Then you and the elders are to go to the king of Egypt and say to him, ‘The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us. Let us take a three-day journey into the wilderness to offer sacrifices to the Lord our God.’ But I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go unless a mighty hand compels him. So I will stretch out my hand and strike the Egyptians with all the wonders that I will perform among them. After that, he will let you go.
“And I will make the Egyptians favorably disposed toward this people, so that when you leave you will not go empty-handed. Every woman is to ask her neighbor and any woman living in her house for articles of silver and gold and for clothing, which you will put on your sons and daughters. And so you will plunder the Egyptians.”
Moses answered, “What if they do not believe me or listen to me and say, ‘The Lord did not appear to you’?”
Then the Lord said to him, “What is that in your hand?”
“A staff,” he replied.
The Lord said, “Throw it on the ground.”
Moses threw it on the ground and it became a snake, and he ran from it. Then the Lord said to him, “Reach out your hand and take it by the tail.” So Moses reached out and took hold of the snake and it turned back into a staff in his hand. “This,” said the Lord, “is so that they may believe that the Lord, the God of their fathers – the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob – has appeared to you.”
Then the Lord said, “Put your hand inside your cloak.” So Moses put his hand into his cloak, and when he took it out, the skin was leprous – it had become as white as snow.
“Now put it back into your cloak,” he said. So Moses put his hand back into his cloak, and when he took it out, it was restored, like the rest of his flesh.
Then the Lord said, “If they do not believe you or pay attention to the first sign, they may believe the second. But if they do not believe these two signs or listen to you, take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry ground. The water you take from the river will become blood on the ground.”
Moses said to the Lord, “Pardon your servant, Lord. I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue.”
The Lord said to him, “Who gave human beings their mouths? Who makes them deaf or mute? Who gives them sight or makes them blind? Is it not I, the Lord? Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.”
But Moses said, “Pardon your servant, Lord. Please send someone else.”
Then the Lord’s anger burned against Moses and he said, “What about your brother, Aaron the Levite? I know he can speak well. He is already on his way to meet you, and he will be glad to see you. You shall speak to him and put words in his mouth; I will help both of you speak and will teach you what to do.”
Bob’s thoughts:
I clip any notice I see of churches in the general area and see if God leads us there.
The worship is held in a room at PTI, and although some additional signage would have been helpful, we followed traffic in; getting out was a little tricky.
We were welcomed by people who asked if we were visitors and first-time visitors. A woman guided us to seats and sat with us.
There was an exquisite wooden cross with a drape and crown of thorns in the front. I noticed a good age mix among the congregation and, like most contemporary services, a lot of people straggled in after the singing started. Efforts were quickly made to accommodate with extra chairs.
It was interesting that even a new song was sung with passion and I got through with no ear plugs although the bass almost overwhelmed me.
Just before it came time to play the streaming sermon, some of the power went out. The on-site pastor deftly handled things while the crew hurried to string extension cords.
The message was for Mother’s Day and dealt with the fear of inadequacy. He reiterated some of the traps moms are led into where they question their value and their God. I liked his comment that “on the few days that you are feeling good about yourself, your children will quickly remind you of your shortcomings.”
Another excerpt: “Even when you have your mom suit on” the pastor, like me, wonders if you will ever hear a story on a local Christian radio station that doesn’t work out? From personal experience I would say that sometimes when you place your child in God’s care, He takes him home. Not your choice, but a new normal begins.
One of the most encouraging things I heard today was from the pastor after the service, that the church, for now at least, is not burdened with a building so there is no confusion about what/who the real church is.
Jan’s thoughts:
I appreciated the signs leading toward the parking and entrance at the Pittsburgh Technical Institute, but would suggest directional signs to exit the building also since first time visitors can get lost easily.
In a church with several services – not to mention several campuses – I was surprised at the number of people who asked if we were visitors. We were greeted warmly almost from the time we arrived and candidly engaged in conversation before and after the service. As we entered the worship area we were invited to sit with some folks at the back wall, which was perfect for us with our hearing issues, and we truly appreciated the invitation as things like that are often not forthcoming.
As in most contemporary services, many folks arrived during the first song. I witnessed one group of several enter and a woman sitting in the back row immediately gathered her belongings and waved her hand to the new arrivals indicating they could sit there. Almost immediately 10-15 more people arrived but there simply were not enough seats by that time, so several male members jumped into action and quickly and efficiently set up enough seating for the new group. It’s always nice to have such an issue, but what tells the tale is how it’s handled, and this was handled very well.
The music was excellent although, as is almost always the case for me, on the loud side. I always marvel that it sounds so loud to me but everyone else seems to be handling it just fine… I know it’s my ears, and there is nothing I can do about it. I appreciated the words on the screen in yellow, making them very easy to read.
I caught a glimpse of a woman interpreting the service in sign language, which touched me as it reminded me of when our daughter used to do that.
The message series is entitled “Fear: What Are You Afraid Of?” and this week the focus was on the fear of inadequacy. He pointed out that this particular fear is epidemic among mothers: whether they stay at home to raise their children or they are employed outside the home, many moms feel just plain inadequate.
Moses believed 40 years prior to his call that he would be the one to deliver Israel out of slavery, but his first attempt was based on his own power so he failed. However the pastor pointed out that “yesterday’s failure is never an excuse for today’s calling.”
He examined fear of inadequacy as exhibited by Moses when God called him to deliver Israel out of Egypt and came to the following conclusions:
1 – Fear of inadequacy causes us to question our value, to ask “Who am I?” Since God agreed with Moses that he was inadequate for the task at hand, it seems that is the wrong question. Since God promised to be with Moses, the question to ask is, “Who is my God?”
2 – Fear of inadequacy is fueled by belief in an inadequate God. God is more than adequate; since He is with us, we cannot be inadequate for a task to which He has called us.
3 – Fear of inadequacy continually asks the question, “What will people think?” Fear of inadequacy causes parents to want to be their kid’s friend, facilitator, enabler, and taxi driver, but moms/parents sometimes make decisions that are unpopular with their kids as well as with their kid’s friend’s parents.
4 – Fear of inadequacy produces a feeling of incompetence. We feel weak but do not want to admit it so we blame God, our parents, or anyone else we can think of. But Scripture tells us that only when we confess our weakness to God and lean on Him are we (finally) strong.
5 – Fear of inadequacy will lead us to places of unhealthy disobedience. We reach the point where we have no choice but to admit to God, as Moses did, that we simply don’t want to do what He is asking of us. But God is not happy with disobedience, and our fear of inadequacy is addressed when we admit it.
He then had a message for the women of the church: we need to step it up…we are called to be more than we are; the “mature women can’t just slide for home,” we need to disciple younger women and help them learn what it means to be a woman of Christ; he instructed us to guard our hearts and tend to our marriages.
This was a powerful message that addressed a topic I’ve been focusing on for quite a while in my personal devotions. I believe fear is a favorite tactic of our true enemy, Satan, who will whisper fearful reminders of mistakes past, echoing messages of foreboding joy that steal our happiness. The next time I begin to feel the weight of this fear as the Enemy tries to use it against me, I pray I remember to confess and recall that Christ is always more than enough.
Our prayer for this church:
Dear Lord, we pray You quell the human “fears.” May the faith of this congregation grow that they will trust You completely. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
