1 QUOTE

“Noah was so shut in that no evil could reach him. Floods did but lift him heavenward, and winds did but waft him on his way.”

- Charles Spurgeon

1 NOTE

Christian leaders who maintain a vibrant inner-life. I define inner-life around four Kingdom components: (1) Bible; (2) Prayer; (3) Sabbath; (4) Writing. As someone who operates in the teaching gift, I enjoy intimate fellowship with God through study and teaching the Word. The most important thing I learned as a student at UCLA was how to study the Bible for myself. The inner-life habits I learned in my 20s, and built on in my 30s and 40s, give me so much life in Jesus today. And a recent core book study in Genesis helped me see thematics contrasts that jumped off the pages and into my experience as never before.

The first contrast involved the repeated word build. Cain built a city after killing his brother (Genesis 4:17). His parents from God behind trees but Cain hid from God in an urban lifestyle. In direct contract to Cain, Noah walked with God and built an ark (6:14). Cain murdered his family. Noah saved his family. The Babylonians doubled-down Cain’s model. They built a city and a tower to make their name great (11:4). Noah built an altar to worship, praise and honor the great name of God (8:20). The world builds cities, towers and names. Disciples build arks and altars.

The second contrast involved two windows. The first window is in heaven, opened to commence the flood that destroyed the earth (7:11). The technical aspects of how God flooded the earth (reversing Day 2 of creation) is explained HERE. The second window is Noah’s window (8:6). God’s careful manufacturing ark instructions included a window. He wanted Noah to see the destruction and death caused by sin. The world is judged through a window. Disciples are warned through a window.

The final contrast are ravens and doves. The raven flew over the waters, filled with buildings and bodies. The dove flew over the same death and destruction, but found no place to set her foot. The raven had no problem settling down and build a future among decaying bodies. The dove had none of it and journeyed back to the ark. (8:9). The world settles down among the dead. Disciples will never put their foot down into that which God destroys.

There are five covenants (binding contracts) in the Bible. The sign of the first covenant, the rainbow, is both a promise and a warning. We are warned to that city builders and ravens will be judged. And we are given a promise that those who build arks, altars and finish the long, hard, wearisome journey home, will be welcomed into the safety of an eternal ark.

1 QUESTION

Are you building a name for yourself in the city or are you building your future on the altar of worship?

Until Next Tuesday,

John