"Razzle-Dazzle"

"They showed his signs among them, and wonders in the land of Ham. He sent darkness and made it dark; and they rebelled not against his word." (Psalms 105:27-28)
I know what you might be wondering, but I have a plan; besides, these two verses are suited together quite nicely. I was thinking about something that speaks very much into the signs and wonders movements going on in our larger churches today, and the second verse goes very much in line with the word being taught in those types of churches. People love to be shown things that stimulate their hunger for entertainment, but they hate to be made to feel uncomfortable or to be taken out of their comfort zone. I pray that our church never becomes one that is all about entertainment, but remains a church focused upon teaching God's word. It is when God's word is taught, properly, that people will become uncomfortable and feel the need to be changed. If God's word is not taught properly, then they will feel like they are okay, and for the most part, they will remain in their sins, and they will feel comfortable being there. That is why I love Calvary Chapel churches; they pretty much try to stick to making the teaching of God's word the primary focus of their ministry. That was what Jesus spoke into Peter's life, when He said three times, "Feed my sheep." We need to be feed the Word of God, and the Word needs to change us! Signs and wonders will come and go, but the Word of God, when administered correctly into our lives, will make us whole. In the first part of this second verse, it says, "He sent darkness and made it dark," which is really not something that will draw people out of the darkness, but will only make them feel more comfortable in their sin. Is it any wonder, "they rebelled not against his word," because His word did not threaten their comfort zone. If you only tell people what they want to hear, then they will not rebel against anything that you tell them. Throw a little razzle-dazzle into the mix, and you have the makings of a place where people are comfortable and entertained. Besides, Ham pretty much means black and hot; two things which need to be shared and spoken about a little more often...
"But there were also false prophets in Israel, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will cleverly teach destructive heresies and even deny the Master who bought them. In this way, they will bring sudden destruction on themselves. Many will follow their evil teaching and shameful immorality. And because of these teachers, the way of truth will be slandered. In their greed they will make up clever lies to get hold of your money. But God condemned them long ago, and their destruction will not be delayed. For God did not spare even the angels who sinned. He threw them into hell, in gloomy pits of darkness, where they are being held until the day of judgment."
(2 Peter 2:1-4) NLT