I watched him sweat over the engine of a dying truck. On the phone with buddies who run a local junkyard, he was trying to find the cheapest yet most uncompromised replacement parts. In the last two weeks, he has saved Genesis Hope hundreds of dollars on labor and parts that until now have been outsourced. In the last two weeks, I have spoken with over a dozen people from all walks of life who have been spiritually rerouted to Christ or missions because of what God is doing through Genesis outreaches. I watched Sam labor this Saturday morning over this truck and I knew I was watching a beautiful thing.
I have read about similar happenings in Exodus...about a time when the Lord called His people together to make their own unique contributions to build His tabernacle. I read about how every skillful woman spun yarn with her hands, how men and women brought anything the Lord put on their heart to donate, how men came to engrave and design the interior of God's dwelling place, how men brought acacia wood to be used for a holy building. I watched him work and I thought of these things, how we have been called to this place to serve with these people and under this church, how everyone is working together to contribute his or her craftsmanship as a love sacrifice back to God so that He may be bountifully worshipped by those who know Him and so that He may be found by those who don't. I thought of those who have sent us and how I wish I could explain all of these things in earnest at their dining room tables in Iowa, California, Minnesota, etc. For what He is orchestrating is great and the choreography of His grace, our senders, our labor, our collective worship, and the hearers is one I can't wait to retell in Heaven. The labor is happening, both with the sweat of the brow as well as the praise of the mouth, and I am seeing people's hearts become alive in ways He purposed long ago.
Exodus 35:20-35
20 Then all the congregation of the people of Israel departed from the presence of Moses. 21 And they came, everyone whose heart stirred him, and everyone whose spirit moved him, and brought theLord's contribution to be used for the tent of meeting, and for all its service, and for the holy garments.22 So they came, both men and women. All who were of a willing heart brought brooches and earrings and signet rings and armlets, all sorts of gold objects, every man dedicating an offering of gold to theLord. 23 And every one who possessed blue or purple or scarlet yarns or fine linen or goats' hair or tanned rams' skins or goatskins brought them. 24 Everyone who could make a contribution of silver or bronze brought it as the Lord's contribution. And every one who possessed acacia wood of any use in the work brought it. 25 And every skillful woman spun with her hands, and they all brought what they had spun in blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen. 26 All the women whose hearts stirred them to use their skill spun the goats' hair. 27 And the leaders brought onyx stones and stones to be set, for the ephod and for the breastpiece, 28 and spices and oil for the light, and for the anointing oil, and for the fragrant incense. 29 All the men and women, the people of Israel, whose heart moved them to bring anything for the work that the Lord had commanded by Moses to be done brought it as a freewill offering to the Lord.
30 Then Moses said to the people of Israel, “See, the Lord has called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah; 31 and he has filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, with intelligence, with knowledge, and with all craftsmanship, 32 to devise artistic designs, to work in gold and silver and bronze, 33 in cutting stones for setting, and in carving wood, for work in every skilled craft. 34 And he has inspired him to teach, both him and Oholiab the son of Ahisamach of the tribe of Dan. 35 He has filled them with skill to do every sort of work done by an engraver or by a designer or by an embroiderer in blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen, or by a weaver—by any sort of workman or skilled designer.
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