THOUGHTS FOR CONSIDERATION: Greetings again my friends. Okay this month we will finish up this sub-section of “As a Servant” looking at the Prophet if God. This month, as I said last month, we will look at having a “perfect heart” in the walk of fellowship. In Genesis we read of Enoch. A man who did not do anything great in God, but just a man who just walked with God. We read, “And Enoch lived sixty and five years, and begat Methuselah: 22And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters: 23And all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years: 24And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.” (Genesis 5:21-24) My friend if you want to do something great in God just walk with Him. Today everyone seems to be trying to do great things for God by working their way to Heaven, but God is not too interested in all of our good works. I know of a Christian who is trying to take an on-line Bible School and make it into something God can use to save the world. But guess what, God is not trying to save the world, oh no God is trying, through evangelism, to share the wondrous Gospel message with people in the world so that they would not be lost when the world is destroyed. My friend the world is not the earth, but an ungodly system that is contrary to God’s will and ways. It is antichrist, not the “Antichrist” as told in the Book of Revelations, but is antichrist or another Gospel, it is a counterfeit message, another message that is not taught in the Word of God. I often call it the message of Satan and someday the world’s system will be totally destroyed and God will set up a new and glorious system of righteousness. But that is another teaching. Here in verse 24 we read Enoch walked with God, “and he was not; for God took him.” WOW! God took him! Now that is something great in God. Enoch is one of two, the other man being Elijah, who many people believe will come back to earth, I guess from Heaven and be one of God’s two witness in the Book of Revelations. John writes, “And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.” (Revelation 11:3) Since Enoch never faced a physical death that we of know according to the Bible and Elijah was taken up into Heaven by a Chariot of Fire; Enoch and Elijah are believed to be the two witnesses. Moses is often named as one of the witnesses, but you know when it is all said and done it does not really matter. God’s plan will be executed no matter who the two witnesses are. When we think of Enoch we like to focus on his age of 365 or maybe his son Methuselah who lived 969 years. Moses writes, “And all the days of Methuselah were nine hundred sixty and nine years: and he died.” (Genesis 5:27). But, to me these facts are gee-wiz and neat, but the fact that God took him really makes a statement for me. My friend can you image the walk with God he had to have to have God just take him from this earthly life to a spiritual life? In the 11th Chapter of Hebrews what many call the “Hall of Faith” or the “Hall of the Faithful” Paul talks about Enoch. Paul writes, “By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God.” (Hebrews 11:5) WoW! “By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death.” Now I do not know if God had a later plan for his translation, but the Bible says he was translated by faith and not found. This means people were looking for him, but he was not found. I wonder how long they looked for him? The end of the verse really answers all of these questions, “for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God.” His “testimony, that he pleased God.” I remember a long time ago in Church we use to do a testimony service. Some people would go on for 30 minutes maybe an hour telling everyone how Jesus saved their soul, and how Jesus changed their lives, but you do not hear of these testimony services anymore. I guess what people figured out about our testimony is not what we say about our walk with God, but what people see and hear of our life. Now, that my friend is our real testimony. But God said of Enoch, because He knew His life, that his testimony pleased God. Oh to God, that my life would be such a testimony as Enoch had. That my life would please God so much that He would take me, He would translate me. Now I do have one question. It says, “By faith.” Did Enoch have so much faith in God he was translated or did God tell Enoch He was going to translate him and Enoch believed? I guess when it is all said and done even my question does not matter. Enoch was an amazing man who believed God and walked with Him
Next month we will start looking at the “Prophet of God” and As A Servant of God who must learn how to abound. Are you a Prophet of God? To be a Prophet we must be able to hear His voice. Listen closely and you will hear. Written by David Stahl
