Bible Teaching

Calvary Temple Teaching Library

Ruth

Hallelujah! Amen. I see we have some visitors this morning. This is a time that we're going to have--this is going to be primarily for family this morning. We welcome those that are visiting with us. Just looking forward to seeing the Lord glorified in our midst. He's doing great things among us! Praise God.

There's been in all of the lives of the pastors--we've been talking about just sensing in our spirit. Some of you may be aware of this, just a sense that God's doing something in our midst. The cloud's getting ready to move. It's an exciting time as we've been preparing our hearts to really hear what the Spirit of the Lord has to say to us. I just want to thank all of you for the prayer support as we've been grieving and yet rejoicing in Janet's victory of going home to receive her reward. Praise God. We're just so excited! Thank you for your prayers over these last months. It's been a rough six months for all of you. You've lifted up our hands and we know that you've encouraged one another and we just rejoice in that. Praise God! Aren't you thankful for the family? That's what it's all about.

As I've sought the Lord to see what's really ahead for us, the fellowship, and myself personally, one of the things that the Lord's put upon my heart is in Leviticus 21. If you'll turn there, we want to talk a little bit about that aspect and share some things with you that the Holy Spirit is obviously doing in our midst. Leviticus 21; this is talking about the priesthood and the special anointing that's upon them, primarily the high priest. As you read through this context, you'll see that the priesthood was required to mourn differently than everybody else in Israel. Among the priests, the priests were allowed to mourn the closer relatives if they lost a mother, a father, or if they were to lose children. They were allowed to mourn as you read the context of this 21st chapter but not to the extent of the average society would involve themselves in the mourning, and surely not to the extent that the heathens did. They would cut themselves, shave their foreheads and all of these different aspects. A very interesting thing that was upon the high priest, however, he couldn't mourn anyone. He wasn't allowed, as you read this, to mourn mother, father, children, and as you read into this, even, the implication being, the wife. As it talks about the aspect of responsibility of relating to the renewing of that part of their lives. As you study this out, you say, "Well what is mourning?" As you study the context of this, let me read to you starting at verse 10. It says, "And he that is the high priest among his brethren, [Now catch this, this is the key to the whole thing.] upon whose head the anointing oil was poured, [upon] and [he] that is consecrated to put on the garments, shall not uncover his head, nor rend his clothes." Uncover his head, you see, this is the high priest. This is the miter of the high priest. This is the garment of the high priest. This is what it's saying: The ministry goes on. You can't mourn to the place where you can't function in ministry because of the anointing. There's a grace that goes with that. It's not saying that you don't have emotional moments. It's saying that--the key--your life is different than everybody else's. I think that's obvious. It's a very interesting thing to anybody who's ever hung around the ministry. It is surely unique. It's not what you think it is. It takes the call and the gifts to affect it. It's interesting. Look what he goes on to say. He said that these cannot be put off. The ministry must continue to function. "Neither shall he go in to any dead body, nor defile himself for his father, or for his mother; Neither shall he go out of the sanctuary, [You can't forsake the ministry. You can't forsake what it is that you've been called to do.] nor profane [Look at it! Nor profane] the sanctuary of his God; [Why?] for the crown of the anointing oil of his God is upon him: I am the Lord" (verses 11-12).

I believe your prayers have sustained us in being able to do that through the months of the battle that we were involved in. Sleeping on hospital cots and up through the last days of being able to have the privilege of caring for Janet at home. The anointing, the grace of God, the grace that transcends natural thought. I have emotional moments, but there's a grace that you know is provided according to Scripture. When you find yourself in that situation, its sufficiency is overwhelming. We rejoice at the goodness of our God and what He's doing in our lives! We ask that you would continue to pray for us.

For He says, "...I am the Lord. And he shall take a wife in her virginity" (verses 12 and 13). He talks about the high priest and He says if you've lost a wife, you take a wife. It has to be one that's a virgin, it has to be one that's out of your midst, out of your presence. He said the priest couldn't do that. He said the priest however excuse me, were allowed to. They could marry other than a virgin. They could marry widows who had been married to priests (Ezekiel 44:22). Now what's this all about? What are we saying? It's talking about the sanctity, or the holiness of the office and what God preserves for that. As we share these things we're really looking at the ministry going on.

I've been as open with you as I know how in the ordeal that we've gone through with Janet. So that hopefully, if some of you are ever there, maybe you can have some reference points. What a privilege to watch such a warrior go out victoriously! What a privilege to have her in your arms when her spirit leaves to go home and be with the Lord! Prior to that victory, she gave me some counsel a couple of weeks before she went home; her mind was still functioning. The last few weeks, there was really no real grip on reality for any extensive periods of time. There would be flashes. While she was still cognizant, we got to spend a lot of hours just lying in the bed. It hasn't been just these last couple of weeks; it was six months. She was bedridden for probably eighty-five percent of the time for the last six months. She just was not able to function. We got to spend a lot of good time together. What a privilege to have been married thirty-four years, thirty-five October sixth, in just a couple of days. What a gift to be able to look at each other and not say, "I'm sorry, I wish we could have done this better. If only we had, if only we hadn't." Nothing but thanksgiving and rejoicing in the goodness of God! Is that a great gift or what? As we were having one of our discussions, she looked at me and she said--this is around that period of time when she asked me, "Am I dying?" Now she knew. What she meant was, "Where are we? What are you sensing in your spirit?" It was funny when one of the nurses came in one time. The nurse came in, she was talking about these different things and Janet made this comment. This is just classic Janet. The nurse was saying something and Janet says, "Well, I don't know how to die." The lady said, "Well there's a better place..." Janet said, "No, no you don't understand. I know where I'm going." She said, "I'm going to be with the Lord. I'm not telling you that. I don't know how to die. How can I die, because they have to get going on with their lives? I don't know how to do it. I'm sitting here. I'm trying, but I can't get this thing done." She was literally saying, "They need to go on. They can't be spending all of their time here with me, Lord." It was interesting, I said, "You're going to get to go home, be with the Lord, see the Lord and get to see your mom and dad." She said, "Oh, there's plenty of time for that! I don't know how to die." That was just a few weeks, it was right at that period of time. At that juncture, as we were having one of those great moments together, she took my hand and--I'll try and get through this--She said, "If I'm going home..." She said, "I spent thirty-five years keeping you safe; don't you blow it!" She said, "As soon as God puts His person in your life, you take a partner and you finish the race." I said, "Fine." She's always given me good counsel.

Out of the clear, like a lighting bolt Thursday, a few days ago, God spoke to me and He pointed out in our midst one of the virgins among us that's to become my wife. It's an interesting phenomenon and you'll understand how the word, "phenomenon" fits into this. It's the criteria. As Janet and I discussed, she said, again classic Janet, she said, "We could make a list; let's see who's available." Knowing the Leviticus principles that it has to be someone out of our midst. You can't--nobody can come in and be taught this doctrine in a few minutes. Nobody can come in here and be touched with the heart of this ministry in a few minutes. No one can come into our midst and imbibe the spirit in a few minutes. As this thing came to me, what I was looking at in reality is the number one criteria was the call of God. There has to be a call on this person's life. It has to be a person that the Holy Ghost has separated into their midst. It has to be someone who has a commitment to the ministry; just a hundred fold commitment to the ministry; to where the ministry is their life and their desire. Someone who's willing. Ready and willing to pack up on a moment's notice and head to Africa or India or wherever else we find ourselves going. Not a domestic. You know God's created you ladies with that nesting instinct. That's good that's how God made you like that. Janet never had that. Lovely home. Most wives and many wives are content to go with their husbands but you know their mind--there's the nest. Janet's nest was wherever I was. We were about Father's business. We were out laboring in the vineyard. None of the other stuff mattered. It was there; but the call of God. There has to be a call. It's not just a domestic. You can hire a maid. That call of God that's so real. As I shared with you, the grace was so phenomenal that I almost wondered if there was something wrong with me. I was so content, more so than I could have imagined. Like I said, not without emotion as you know. It wasn't something that was being looked toward, it was something that spoke as I heard this based upon Janet's admonition. Based upon the principle of David. You remember when he had the child and he mourned and they said, "Dear Lord, when the child dies what's his condition going to be then?" When the child died, of course, he rose up, anointed himself and he said, "The will of God's been done. He can't come to me but I can go to him." Amen? There's no bringing him back. Leviticus 21, there's no bringing that back. You can't take off the miter. You can't rend you're garments. You continue to move. This is the counsel Janet was giving me. This was, as so often the case, right on, beyond my expectation.

So, I believe that God spoke to me. As I looked, the choice was obvious. God's put His hand upon Greer to assume that role. (The audience is totally silent.) Yeah, me too! Let me give you the scenario as to how this thing happened. As the Lord spoke on this particular day, the first thing that came to my mind was this young lady has so much life to live. There's no way you can take that youth from that individual and the things that are part of that segment of our lives. Then the Lord spoke to me and said, "Let Me ask you a question." You're always in trouble when God says that, aren't you? "Let Me ask you a question. What if I told you today to send her to Africa to be a part of the missions team in Africa?" You know, she was going to go for about a six-month stint in Africa. "What if I told you today to have her go join the others in Africa and if at that time, what if I put upon her life the call to receive the gift and maybe stay there for thirty years, laboring, winning souls, no husband, no children, no common peers? Just separated to go preach the gospel in Africa with the call of God on her life?" He said, "What would be your analysis on that?" I said, "That's admirable." What a call. How many of you would think that's admirable for someone to fulfill a call like that? Isn't that where our hearts are? You say, "Look at this young person, they've given their lives to missions." I said, "Okay, yeah, that's admirable." He said, "So, then, what's the difference?" I said, "Well, okay, I can understand that."

There was still a period where some things were on my mind. So I said, "I need help." I sat down with all of the pastors. I said, "Here's what I believe I'm hearing. Is anybody here ready to call the guys in the white coats?" As I began to share, you could see the light bulbs going off. A number of years ago, we handed out thirty thousand fliers for people to come and share in the ministry here. One family came. Esther, for such a time as this. In my spirit, as I've meditated--and the pastors--I'll share with you their hearts. For such a time as this. It's come up in my spirit, as I've looked at these things, almost like a little Samuel that was raised in the temple, to affect that ministry. The more the Lord began to unfold these scriptural principles, the more excited I became in seeing the hand of God in this. So as all of the men--as we sat around for hours, asked questions and shared our hearts with one another, everyone without hesitation was, "Amen! This sounds like God."

The only thing was that at this time Greer didn't know about it. So I shared with Kimberly, I said, "Why don't you share with Greer where we are at, at this juncture? Share with her the ease of knowing how simple it is to say, 'I don't think so' and know that nothing changes. In fact, no one at that point would have known. It would have been mute and there had been no changes." Something interesting happened that blessed me. It confirmed my heart in what I was seeing, as Kimberly spoke to her and they went over a number of different things. Kimberly began to speak to her and say, "Something's going on and it's big." Greer said, "Okay." Kimberly said, "No, it's really big." Greer said, the first thing that came to her mind was, "They're sending me to Africa and they're not bringing me home." Well, she is going to go to Africa, but she's going to come home. Then she said, the very next thought that entered her mind was, "Pastor needs a wife." She said she didn't have a clue where that came from. Now, here's the thing that blessed me. "All of the pastors"--this was presented to her. "All the pastors, there's been counsel, there's been discussion; all the biblical principles have been gone over, everyone's at peace." That's why I didn't want to approach her myself at that time and put any additional pressure. "Everyone's at peace." How easy it would be to say, "Well, if everybody's at peace." The response was, "I've got to hear from God. I know that the Lord speaks through the leaders, but I need to hear a word from the Lord." She went away to pray. Adele, that's why she didn't sleep that night in the tent. She woke up the next morning and still hadn't heard. I talked to her on the phone, she called, and I talked to her on the phone. She said, "Could you come out and talk to me?" I said, "Sure." I ran out to the retreat. I sat down and I said, "I want to tell you something. I'm here to answer any questions and to also let you know that I'll help you transition out of this thing so that there's no hurt, no scars, nothing, depending on what the Lord says to you." I said, "Don't worry at all about any of that. We'll help you through any of the transitions." Well, I had spoken that when I arrived, but probably about thirty minutes, I guess it was, before I got there--and she can at sometime share her own testimony--but the peace of God, she said, just came over her like a wave. She was very searching and looking at different things. It was an interesting thing that happened as God was sought. The peace was there. She knew it was the will of God. I told her, "Well, we have to talk to your dad. He's the man. He's the authority." We went and sat down with Greg, and Greg said, "You know, every father wants for his daughter a good covering. Someone that'll take care of them." He said, "I knew that God's hand is on my daughter that she was going to be in the ministry somewhere. God was going to open a door." Nobody had any idea of how big the door was that was opening. Greg was thrilled with what God had afforded.

I was shocked Friday night, as the deacons heard this just like you. Cold turkey. Bam! Interesting. So I shared with the deacons and we wanted to see their response. I was overwhelmed! I didn't get to tell you guys at that time. Chuck hung around afterwards and I talked to him for just a second; but it wasn't an acceptance of "Yeah, that's God." It was an excitement and a joy! It blew me away! We had Friday night a real time of celebration and excitement about what God was doing in our lives. It blessed me to see the love of these men. Steve Robinette had some keen insight. He'd come over to watch the football game with me Monday night, he and Kevin O'Connor. Kevin had come over another time to watch a ball game. Steve said, "I can figure what it is right now." He said, "I know why you moved when you did." I said, "Why" He said, "Two times of Kevin coming to my house would be enough too!" That wasn't what precipitated the timing in this...totally. Kevin said as we sat and interacted watching the football game, he thought, "This isn't right." Leviticus 21, this isn't right. The ministry has to go on. The anointing has to be fulfilled.

Traditionally, we have the proximity of time to wait, to show respect for somebody. There's no written rule. Six months, a year. All the reports show the happier married someone was, the sooner they marry again. Like I do, I calculate everything. I looked at this traditional waiting period of six months, or a year, or whatever it is and I tried, in my own thinking, to think, "what is that all about really?" Why would that be? Is it to show respect? I don't think it's to show respect. I think it's people trying to make up for the disrespect they had when they were married. Anybody who knew Janet and me, can't in any way question the respect, and the admiration.

You know what is so neat about this? Yesterday we stopped by--Janet's headstone is up. Greer, Greg, Kimberly and I went up, and here's someone that's not going to be jealous but mourns alongside because of the love. She said, "There's no way I can fill Janet's shoes." I said, "You don't try to fill her shoes. You have your own shoes." She said, "I remember when she would sit down with me and every time the opportunity arose she would tell me how to be a good wife. She'd sow into my life for whomever God would provide. Just sharing the generic things." Those are the things that stick out in her mind. What a privilege to be able to have someone that's not in competition, someone that's not jealous, but someone that loved and is able to now come and take up the same ministry and burden. In the natural, like I said, you can look at all kinds of things that make the ministry work, the commitment to the ministry, the call of God, the ease of transition. I mean it's already a knowing. There's going to be no awkwardness or uncomfortable dealings with family and purpose and all of these different things. We just rejoiced with that! I just told Kimberly the other day, "I was just so dreading going to Disney." I'm excited, you know, Haley's birthday and the babies are there to spend time with. It's those other times; going out to Tahoe, but I'm excited now! There's nothing like seeing a good sunset and not having anybody to share it with. Hope, joy and life have been inserted into grief. I thank God for it!

As we share along different lines and I've tried to write down just the chronology of some of this. Star and Kimberly were in the deacons' meeting Friday night. Both aware of that call and excited about what God's doing. The grief's there, the transition's there, but an excitement. For such a time as this.

There's a little bit of an age difference, somebody said. I go to Boaz and Ruth. You have to look at tradition from the writings, the historical writings. It's not in Scripture. History tells us that Boaz was eighty years old and Ruth was twenty-five. As you know the story, as Ruth's husband died, the Moabitess said, "Naomi I'm coming back with you, your people will be my people and your God my God." You all know the story of Ruth. How they came home and Naomi sent her to the house of Boaz because of the near-kinsmanship that the Scripture had set up. If there was no seed that came from Ruth's union with her first husband, then the next of kin was to bring seed so that the name continued on. As Naomi had sent Ruth to Boaz--turn to the book of Ruth for just a second. I'll show you something here that will bless you. There's a passage that's a blessing. Joshua, Judges, Ruth. Chapter 3, verse 10, "And he said, Blessed be thou of the Lord, my daughter: [Check it out.] for thou hast shewed more kindness in the latter end than at the beginning, [Talking about the first marriage.] inasmuch as thou followedst not young men, whether poor or rich. And now, my daughter, fear not; I will do to thee all that thou requirest: for all the city of my people doth know that thou art a virtuous woman." You're not living for yourself. You're doing what the Word says. The Word says it's the kinsman-redeemer. It so happened he was an eighty-year-old dude! But the Word said the kinsman-redeemer. She said, "Your people will be my people and your God my God." What kind of benefits are there to doing the Word, instead of what seems rational? She had a child that came into the Messianic lineage. Her baby was Obed, the father of Jesse, and David's grandfather. A Moabitess, a gentile, who said, "Your people will be my people, your God my God." You see, when you do the Word, it doesn't always fit into what culture thinks or what society thinks or what the natural mind thinks. But it can bring some pretty good dividends like the Messiah; like the privilege of being involved in that aspect of ministry. What a blessing!

All I can say is this, you mourned with us, now rejoice with us. God's doing a good thing! God's doing a good thing in our lives and I thank you for your mourning and covet your rejoicing as God shows His hand in our midst.

Be prayerful. If there are things that might arise in your mind, questions, be sure to ask your deacons. Anything that you would need from a biblical perspective to be spoken toward, we will. If it's other than a biblical perspective, keep it to yourself, because it doesn't mean anything. But, if it is a biblical question in your mind, then, of course, it'll be addressed. I just encourage you that between myself and the pastors, we have thoroughly covered the Scriptures to make sure that everything that's done is done according to the Word of God. Not tradition, we know what tradition requires. Those of you who have been around a long time, do you remember how the missions program changed? (Pastor snaps his fingers.) How many of you remember how the school policy changed? (Pastor snaps his fingers again.) When God speaks, that's what we do. I looked out among us, someone with the call of God, someone with the anointing of God, someone who has been proven in the ministry, someone whose life is wholly for the ministry, and that's how God put His hand upon this young lady. I told her yesterday, "You're going to be loved beyond anything that you could ever imagine!" Because it is the anointing, it is supernatural.

I'd like to introduce to you my fiancée, and soon to be my wife. Praise God! (Congregation applauds as Greer joins Pastor on stage.) Continue to pray and let's believe God for that miracle. You say, "Soon to be? How soon?" Next Sunday. We're going to Disney and I said, "We cannot go to Disney as an engaged couple!" Haley's going to have her sixth birthday at Disney. A week of chaperones is sufficient for me! I've been chaperoned. This is the first time we've held hands; I thought we'd do it publicly. Thank you for loving us. I know how much you love Greer. I know your love for us and we just covet your prayers! Praise God! Amen!

(Pastor Miller) Let's stand before the Lord and just honor Him! Father, we give You all of the praise and all of the honor. We worship You in all that You've done! We praise You Jesus! Let's sing it together, "Here we are in Your presence..."

Oh, Father, praise Your name. We rejoice in Your miracles and all the great works that You do. You are our hope and our boast Lord Jesus! Father, we exalt You! What a great and mighty God You are! Glorious in all of Your works! Father, we thank You for all that You've done! We give You praise and glory Lord Jesus. Amen!

Well, as you go, rejoice with Pastor and we'll see you tonight.

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