Great God, Great People, Great Expectations
Jeremiah 10:6, I Chronicles 16:23-25, Exodus 6:5-7, Leviticus 26:1-13, I Peter 2:9 and I Corinthians 2:9
Happy New Year to the most precious people in the world, the saints of the most high God! Though a few weeks late, I must acknowledge that we have been blessed to see a New Year and experience new and greater things in God. As many of you know, I seek the Lord every year for a theme for our local church. I never know when or what the Lord is going to tell me. And while I try to remain in a position of readiness to hear from God, I never know when He’s going to give me instructions. I really depend on God to lead, guide and direct me. This year God has led me to emphasize a message that is not necessarily new, but needs to be re-emphasized and stirred up in the minds and hearts of the people of God. This year our theme at Holiness Tabernacle is Great God, Great People, Great Expectations!
The Lord impressed upon me to remind His people just how great He is. We say it time and time again, “…God is great!” However, if we are honest, some of us might admit that we have fallen victim of speaking church lingo. You know what I mean. Someone stands and says, “Praise the Lord church!” and the congregation responds, “Praise the Lord!” I suspect many of us have fallen into the same pattern of thought when people say God is great. Well, the scriptures emphasize over and over again, God is great! Not only is He great, but He is greatly to be praised!
My wife and I were talking not long ago and she made a comment that hit me hard. She said she has stopped referring to people in the Bible as characters because many now see the stories, not as real life events, but as mere fiction. If we are not careful, we will put God in the category of a fictional character: not with our mouths, but in our hearts. Saints, I want to remind you, we serve a Great God!
God really did create the sun, moon and stars. He really did part the Red Sea and drown Pharaoh’s army. But if we really believe that, why do we fear and respect our supervisor more than the man of God who watches over our souls? I ask you, did God really provide for Elijah and the widow of Zarephath (and her son)? If we believe that, why do we fail to tithe and give sacrificially? Preachers will even say to their congregations, “Give and it shall be given unto you,” and “You can’t beat God’s giving,” but then turn around and complain about supporting the Presiding Bishop in a laity report. If we really believe God provided for the woman who gave the prophet her last, why don’t we believe God for ourselves? The question extends to all of us. If God reprimanded Aaron and Miriam for murmuring against Moses (Numbers 12), punishing Miriam with leprosy and stripping Aaron of his priestly garments, doesn’t God hear you complaining about your pastor? Saints, God is the same yesterday, today and forever. If God punished Sodom, Gomorrah, Rome and Pompeii for their abhorrent lifestyles and abominations, can America be that far behind? Well, this year God has inspired me to emphasize His greatness. “God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?” (Number 23:19). Saints and friends, God has not changed. If God made a way for Abraham, He will make a way for you. If God protected Daniel in the lion’s den, God will protect you in your den. If Jesus calmed the storm for the disciples, He will calm your storm! We serve a Great God!
If you speak to any of the members of Holiness Tabernacle, they will tell you that for the past several months I have been consistently reminding them that we are a great church. If you have visited any of our services, you have experienced how awesome the Spirit moves. By now you are probably aware that our Home and Foreign Missions Department leads all of Prince William County in food distribution. We have received recognition from our national church for our community involvement and other compassionate works. But despite all of this, that is not what makes us great. What makes Holiness Tabernacle – or any other child of God – great is the fact that God willed it so.
Throughout the Bible, God performed awesome acts and miracles on Israel’s behalf. He even said that He chose Israel, not because they were the biggest or strongest nation. He chose them because He loved them. In Isaiah 43, God told Israel that He ransomed Egypt for them, giving Ethiopia and Seba in their place. God destroyed nations to defend and protect Israel. Why did He do this? Because He made a covenant with Israel through Abraham’s obedience. Through the apostle Peter, God tells us that we are to be peculiar people. We are a chosen generation. We are called to show forth the Lord’s praises. Moses made a major mistake when he listened to the ten spies who acknowledged that the land was great, but they were like grasshoppers in their eyes (Numbers 13:33). Let me encourage you not to listen to people who want to tell you who you are in God (including you). Listen to what God says about you. God says we are a Great People!
Finally, God encouraged me to tell the people of God to expect great things in 2014. Already we at Holiness Tabernacle have heard testimonies of healings, new careers and new homes. But our blessings are not only limited to material benefits. We started the year with our Annual Consecration and climaxed with our first Prayer and Shut-In service. The power of God was unbelievable! But the Lord has assured me that we should expect even greater. “Eyes have not seen, ears have not heard, neither has it even entered into the hearts of man…” (I Corinthians 2:9). I expect God to really show off and show out this year. Too many of us always expect the worst. We look at someone’s blessing and are grateful for them, but we don’t see ourselves being blessed in a similar way. We even tell our friends, “…the Lord is going to bless you,”, but we do not believe the same thing for ourselves. But not so anymore! We must have Great Expectations!
Friends, I want to encourage and remind you that we serve a Great God, we are a Great People, and we should have Great Expectations.
I bless you in the name of the Lord!
Pastor Eddie B Pruitte, Jr.
Pastor and Founder, Holiness Tabernacle COGIC