(Genesis chapter 38)

How would you feel if your brother died and you had to conceive a child with your sister-in-law because of your culture, custom and law? How would your wife feel? Onan's brother had died because his own evil leaving him with the responsibility of conceiving a child with Tamar who was childless in the untimely death of her husband. Onan fulfilled his obligation but spilled his semen on the ground preventing conception. It aroused the anger of God to the extent that Onan was put to death. Unless you can see what is happening in this story it looks like an episode of Desperate Housewife's on the network.

Onan was appearing to do the right thing but in reality doing something quite opposite leaving Tamar who was desperate to conceive in an impossible situation.

• Tamar represents everyone in our church who is desperate to give birth to what God has promised desperate for a great church. She longs and aches for what is promised to her.
  
• Onan represents people who appear to say 'Amen' gaining the approval and appreciation of others but at the same have no intention to fulfill what God wants. Onan does not want to 'seed' a great church for fear of loosing his own power base. That power base is not position but an idea of how things should be done. (v9) "But Onan knew that the offspring would not be his…" Onan will always spill his semen to protect himself. He does not have the courage to openly refuse to fulfill his obligation but he does something far worse, he gives the impression he wants to with no intention to. The mentality of Onan is never to 'seed' what he cannot control himself because his world will be changed.

I have been sharing vision for a number of years to a mixed crowd of Onan and Tamar. Onan will casually walk in late and stand there with arms folded during a time when hands are lifted up in worship. He will sit with arms folded a look of disapproval. Tamar is on time and engages in fellowship and refused to idle at the back but ready to receive. She is desperate to birth what God wants to birth.

I have met him, struggled with him, suffered under him but prevailed over him. Onan will never let God's people have what God has for them. He will hold them to ransom over something that will give him control in something theological or philosophical. In any vision a degree on confrontation in inevitable. You cannot let things go unaddressed and let things slide just because you are uncomfortable with confronting a situation. You cannot hold ransom the future of Tamar because of your own limitations and fear of letting things go.

• Some clients in business hold business people ransom who have no intention of putting another contract you way. They have no intention of seeding your business.
  
• Husbands hold their spouse ransom, wives do the same, and children are especially good at it. An appearance is staged that looks like its happening but in reality nothing is conceived.
  
• Church is famous for overlooking the pretense of flaky people who act out on a weekly basis who have no intention of seeding vision.

I have helped my children through difficult situations encouraging them to confront tough situations from sports to school bullies. They are afraid and tearful but when they confront a situation it is like watching your kids walk out of the lion's den. The lion's no longer have control over me. Have you seen a wife that is intimidated under her husband eventually put her foot down and confront what should have been addressed years ago? She is now free to love him. When you are delivered from people or situations you are free to serve them. Paul stood before King Agrippa and recalled the story of his own conversion and call of God. (Acts 26:17) "I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them…" What God was saying to Paul was 'I will deliver you from the people I want you to minister to because unless you are delivered 'from' them you can never minister 'to' them. You cannot hear from God while at the same time be thinking what people will think of you. You cannot set out in vision and soften, altar or postpone anything for the sake of what people will think. If you don't stop allowing people to take possession of your own life it will terrorize the next generation that come from your seed. Your children will never dare initiate anything for God in fear of what people will say. Until your life in disengaged from the control and possession of people you cannot serve them. You will end up serving the whims of people instead of a divine purpose in you. You will look for people to do for you what can only come from God. (1 Corinthians 9:19) "Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible." Paul was saying, 'no one owns me therefore I can serve anyone.' When you are delivered from people you can truly serve them.

Tamar represents people who want to become the church we are becoming but feel abandoned by Onan and will go to any length in pursuit of the seed. There were three brothers who should have been enough for the will of God.

• Er was her husband but he died through his own wickedness. (v7) "But Er, Judah's firstborn, was wicked in the Lord's sight; so the Lord put him to death."
  
• Onan was her brother-in-law who spilled his semen. (v10) "What he did was wicked in the Lord's sight; so he put him to death also."
  
• Shelah was her unmarried brother-in-law that Judah selfishly controlled as his father. (v11) "Judah then said to his daughter-in-law Tamar, 'Live as a widow in your father's house until my son Shelah grows up.' For he thought. 'He may die too, just like his brothers." Judah was acting like his son Onan in giving every appearance of conceiving with Tamar through his youngest son Shelah but in reality had no intention of letting Shelah conceive with Tamar.

Tamar went to Er, Onan and Shelah putting her trust in them as authorities in her life but was badly let down and deeply dissapointed. But Tamar knows the promise that she will conceive and give birth. There is one man left that was legitimate in her father-in-law Judah. She pretended to be a prostitute and enticed her father-in-law Judah. Tamar will go to any length to get the seed that is rightfully hers. She was fed up with semen spilling men. (v18) "…and she became pregnant by him."

• John Wesley was one of 19 children. The Anglican Church were ready to bring charges against him for spending three hours attempting to change the book of prayer. Clergy and magistrates printed damning editorials in the newspaper about him. Mobs would look for him and beat him. But the Anglican Church was spilling its semen appearing to do what God wanted. Wesley was like Tamar who would go to any length to conceive. Because of his relentless life the Methodist church birthed in almost every nation.
  
• William Booth was raised in the same city I grew up in. He moved to London as a pawnbroker and a Methodist preacher. He took his preaching to the streets as an evangelist but the Methodist church did not recognize him. He was barred and banned from the church. The Methodist church were spilling their semen. Booth birthed the Salvation Army in over 100 countries today.

(Genesis 38:27-30) "When the time came for her to give birth, there were twin boys in her womb. As she was giving birth, one of them put out his hand; so the midwife took a scarlet thread and tied it on his wrist and said, 'This one came out first.' But when he drew back his hand, his brother came out, and she said, 'So this is how you have broken out!' And he was named Perez. Then his brother, who had the scarlet thread on his wrist, came out and he was given the name Zerah." Zerah and Perez are the terrible twins that will ruin conservative Christianity. They are rough and ready who will literally come out fighting. In the belly of Tamar they will wrestle with each other "…so this is how you have broken out…" As it was with Isaac's twins Jacob and Esau the younger receives the blessing of the firstborn. Zerah was about to be like his uncle Onan as a seed spiller who would not have the courage to carry the vision so his twin brother Perez pulled him back in the womb taking the blessing from him. His name means 'breaking out.' When God births something its messy business (Matthew 20:16) "So the last will be first, and the first will be last."

• What you say is weak God says is strong
  
• What you say is poor God says is rich
  
• What you say is uneducated God says is wise
  
• What you say is too young God says is mature beyond their years
  
• What you say is too old God says is Caleb who wants a mountain
  
• What you say is retired like Ezra God builds a pulpit for him to preach
  
• What you say is 'men only' God says is Debra who leads men
  
• What you say will never happen God will always take that bet - all in!