2020 Vision

Today I’m standing in for Sean who is in Paraguay for the football mission, they arrive back on Friday morning. We are looking forward to hearing about their experience. One of the best things I’ve seen so far was the worship service at the drug rehabilitation centre in Florianopolis, the singing from the people there was really moving, transcending the language barrier. It was a reminder that it’s not by the power of human reason that people are won to Christ and changed, but by the Holy Spirit who doesn’t need our words to break through into someone’s life.

I have to confess that I didn’t get much time in the last few weeks to delve down into today’s topic as much as I’d like. However the good news is that the Holy Spirit is never too busy and he can help us to understand the truth better than I can explain anyway. It has been in the forefront of my mind though that even though things are happening so fast in the world, we mustn’t lose sight of the most important thing the Lord wants us to do and be.

We are nearly at Christmas which is one of the great times in the Church calendar, recognised not just by us but also recognised by the world. So we have an opportunity to reach out with the Gospel as we will be after church today when we go carol singing.

I was talking with my brother in the US and he was telling me that Thanksgiving at the end of November is his favourite time of year, more so than Christmas where unfortunately the message of Jesus is distracted by all the commercialism. He said the best thing is that everyone gets together as families where the only thing is that - being together. There are no gifts given, it’s just about spending time together.

Last weekend we were down in Martinborough for our anniversary and we enjoyed a sample of life in small town New Zealand. Martinborough has a population of under 2000 and a square just like Palmerston North where we lived for a couple of years in the 90’s. The town square gives the people a focal point for gathering in the weekend a little like a church at the centre of town can. There was always some resistance in Palmerston North to the tower at the centre of the Palmerston North square because it had a cross on the top of it and the witches didn’t like it. While we were living down there, we were told that there were quite a few covens operating in the area but the churches were very strong and the mayor was also a Christian so we never felt the oppression. When the Cross was perhaps suspiciously blown down in 2006, a new lantern was added to the top of the tower with a Cross inside. A victory over the witches !

Well while we were travelling in and around Martinborough we visited the nearby French influenced Greytown, and afterwards decided to visit Stonehenge Aotearoa which is about 11 km away.

It was mainly my idea because in Brittany near the town where we go, they have constructions very similar to Stonehenge in England and there is a lot of mystery attached, so I thought it would be good to go and learn about it. Mhairi was much more hesitant and with good reason. It was certainly a strange place, the stone circle could not be seen from the car park nor the reception building and only appeared in plain sight when you got very close. We decided not to walk through the entrance gates into the centre of the circle as we thought that would just invite trouble. When we left there was no way back except by the reception where the woman was crouched down behind the front desk and she didn’t stand up to say goodbye. Stonehenge UK is 5000 years old and there’s mystery around how the stones were moved there and what was it’s purpose. Same in Brittany, where the culture is steeped in Celtic mythology and the influence of the Druids. There’s this fascination with magic and having power over nature and the gods that is really dark and goes back to Ancient Babylon. You might think that is all ancient history. Well at Stonehenge Aotearoa you learn that all of that practice is still going on today. Yes, the witches, the Wizard of New Zealand and other druids will soon be gathering at Stonehenge Aotearoa for the Summer Solstice and conducting their services just like we do for Christmas. No wonder the spiritual battle in New Zealand heats up at this time of year. We need to be alert and praying against the darkness because they are praying as well !

And darkness is advancing in New Zealand there is no doubt about it, with Euthanasia, Abortion and legalisation of Marijuana advancing through the parliamentary system. We also see the redefinition of marriage as an attack on the Lord’s way and on all married Christians no matter what anyone says. So we need to be alert at what the Devil is trying to do especially now he knows his time is very short. As elders we are conscious of the spiritual battle and are seeking to be trained because we know in this time we are living in we need to be especially equipped for spiritual battle as Bob has been teaching from Ephesians 6 recently. In the Catholic Church they are training more exorcists because of what is going on in the world and it is only going to increase as we near the hour of Jesus’s return.

Standing at Stonehenge last weekend, it was easy to discern the light from the darkness, to see that there are really only 2 ways you can go. Either you trust the Lord as your Saviour or you go your own way which is what this nation has been doing.

Therefore, since through God’s mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart. Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God. And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ. 
2 Corinthians 4:1-6

The Devil confuses the world with many religions but the Gospel is the only message that tells you you need a Saviour because you are a sinner. Jesus died on the Cross for your sins and not just yours but the whole world. Think about it, Jesus is on the one side and all the other religions are on the other, they all depend on us rather than God.

For a start, many people don’t believe they need a Saviour, they think that if there is a Heaven they will go there because they are basically a good person. Have a close look, you don’t see a cross on top of a Mormon nor a Jehovah’s Witness church. The Hindus and Buddhists believe in reincarnation, that they will eventually reach a better state if they are good. The Spiritualists believe something similar except they believe their evolution will be in the spiritual realm after death, they don’t see a need for the Saviour either. That is why we should be very sceptical about some of the NDE’s. The Muslims don’t believe anyone else can pay for their sins, they must pay by doing more good than bad. The Jews are closer but they reject their Messiah and so are also awaiting the judgement of God. The Catholics really are sitting on the fence, it was too hard to add them to my illustration ! They believe in Purgatory, in that way they are sitting on the fence unable to decide whether it’s by grace or works. They need to abandon that belief, fully crossover and put their faith in Jesus alone, not Mary, not the Pope, not the Rosary, not the Confession either. There is nothing we can do to save ourselves.

OTHER SINNER
It was so interesting to follow what happened to Israel Folau when he spoke out. Most sinners ignored his message because they didn’t believe it. However one group did react very strongly. People do get offended at being told they are a sinner, that they are not a good person but in fact wicked and need to repent and put their faith in Jesus or else they will die in their sins and go to Hell. The only reason most people didn’t react is because they didn’t believe it. The Church has stopped talking about Hell, we are only preaching about Grace. So unless the Church persists in preaching the truth, then no wonder people don’t react because they have no reason to ! When people do react it’s because deep down they are disturbed that they may be in danger, they want to shut their ears and not listen ! This is the time for the Church to be a light in the darkness, working on the night shift not discouraged and asleep.

180 DEGREES
The basic Gospel is you need to repent, turn 180°, come to Jesus who is the Gate for the sheep. You certainly don’t see a Cross at Stonehenge Aotearoa, it’s a circle. I’m not going to repeat the Spiritualist doctrine here, why should I advertise for the Devil ? Suffice to say that it appears good on the surface but just look a little bit closer and you can see the truth that it is the same old Babylon religion with blood on it’s hands.

I was reminded of the PCC statement of Faith, it is very important what a Church says it believes and of course how it acts to prove it’s beliefs !

We believe: -

1. The unity of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit in the Godhead. 
2. The sovereignty of God in creation, revelation, redemption and final judgement. 
3. The divine inspiration and infallibility of Holy Scriptures as originally given and their supreme authority in all matters of faith and conduct. 
4. The universal sinfulness and guilt of human nature since the fall, rendering humankind unable to save itself by its own efforts and making it subject to God’s wrath and condemnation. 
5. Redemption from the guilt and penalty of sin only through the death of Jesus Christ the Son of God, who was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. His death on the cross, as our representative and substitute, was once for all, a full, perfect and sufficient sacrifice for the sins of the whole world.
6. The bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead following His crucifixion and burial and His ascension to heaven, and the resurrection of believers in Him to eternal life. 
7. The work of the Holy Spirit in conviction of sin and righteousness in individuals and bringing them to repentance towards God and faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour. 
8. The indwelling and sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit in every believer. 
9. One holy universal Church which is the Body of Christ and the priesthood of all true believers.
10. The expectation of the personal return in glory of the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge both the dead and the living.

I hope you have signed on the dotted line, it’s basically the Apostle’s Creed that every Christian Church has. We don’t talk very often about our PCC statement of Faith, perhaps it seems like a legal document, very dry and dull. But if we knew it off by heart, we won’t ever be fooled by the all the other religions that the Devil has on offer, one to fool every type of person.

As Paul said But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God’s curse! 
Galatians 1:8

That speaks against the Angels of Muhammad and of Joseph Smith, people who follow those religions are under a curse, strong words indeed.

Well also in the last few weeks I have been doing some work for Family First to update a Church directory for the whole of New Zealand. There are about 3000 we would recognise as having pretty much the same doctrine as PCC, even the Catholics. As I said before, the Catholics just need to abandon their works based doctrines and trust in Jesus alone. But as my friend said to me once, we’re all a bit screwed with our theology ! Just believe in Jesus, ok ?!

As we are going through the churches, often one by one, searching for their contact details, viewing their websites, I have been encouraged to see all the work going on in all the towns and cities around New Zealand to present the Good News about Jesus, the simple message of the Son of God coming into the world, going to the Cross for our sins, his resurrection to life and the coming of the Holy Spirit. We are blessed to live in a land whose foundations have been set right. Truly in New Zealand, no one has an excuse. But the churches need to wake up because many have fallen asleep and we are losing the fight on really important issues. If the Churches would only work together then New Zealand would be transformed in just a few weeks. But we need to prepare for battle because it’s only going to heat up from here. Already in Sweden they are micro chipping people, within 10 years it will be all over the World.

At the Elders Retreat in November this year, we heard from the Lord that as Elders he wants us to take care of the sheep and the lambs. You need to be in church at this time in history, don’t think you can go it alone and survive as a Christian. Don’t wander off and become a lost sheep. There are many ravenous lions and wolves ready to devour the lost sheep. When we come back from the holidays in February we will shortly after be going into a teaching series on 40 days of Community in the 6 weeks leading up to Easter. It’s going to be a very important time for PCC. We want to ensure everyone is part of what the Lord will be doing in our community and in New Zealand in 2020. More on that later.

But I think we need to pray for all the churches in Papatoetoe and in New Zealand. We need to pray for the ones like St Matthew in the City that they will rediscover a ministry of truth to go with grace. We need to pray for our Churches because they are under attack especially at this time of year. We pray against all works of darkness at this time. Against the prayers of the witches and wizards that there power will be reversed and that the name of Jesus will be lifted up. In Whangarei you know all the churches meet once a month and they get more than 200 to their city prayer meetings. We need to pray that right through to April and Easter 2020 that there will be a spiritual awakening and repentance in this country and that Easter will be a time of transformation not seen before.

At the Foot of the Mountain

Way back in May 1997 when I was working for Nestlé, I had to travel down to Oamaru to help my colleague Russell Marsh set up a system for the confectionery factory down there. Mhairi came with me, we hired a car at Christchurch and drove down the East Coast to get there. It was brass monkeys down there and we were listening to Dunedin band the Chills all the way matching the weather perfectly. It was a successful work trip but the best things we did were all non-work related like visiting the penguin colony and watching them all arrive back from their daily excursion at sea on the dot at 5pm and travelling to Dunedin with Russell to watch Otago play. On Russell’s recommendation we took a detour home via Central Otago where he told us the lakes are as blue as the sky. He especially recommended us to go see the Church of the Lonely Shepherd at Lake Tekapo with the view of Mt Cook across the lake.

It is of course the Church of the Good Shepherd and it is one of the most beautiful places in New Zealand, if not the World for seeing the Southern sky. At certain times of year you can see the southern lights colouring up the sky just like the Northern ones in Alaska.

If anyone asks me my favourite place in New Zealand, it is there.

10 years ago this very week I was at the 2009 Promise Keepers event at the Vodafone Events Centre when the Lord gave me a picture of The Church of the Good Shepherd for my ex-colleague who had recently returned to France.

There were 3 parts each to follow the other in order. The essence of it was a journey but really I had no idea how long it would take my friend - the lake, representing enjoyment in life, the 2nd representing belief in the Gospel - a critical point in the journey, and the 3rd representing ascension to the mountain of God, that comes to all believers later. I wrote underneath John 3:16 to show that belief, which is represented by the Church, is the critical decision point in the journey.

So began my own journey that has lead so far to the purchase of a small apartment in Vannes, Brittany and my hope to fulfil the Church of my vision - the Church of the Good Shepherd.

“Very truly I tell you Pharisees, anyone who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.” Jesus used this figure of speech, but the Pharisees did not understand what he was telling them. Therefore Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.”
John 10:1-18

Jesus tells the Pharisees he is the Good Shepherd who lays down his life for all the sheep, not just the Jews but for the whole world and they didn’t like him saying that. In the same way, it is easy to think once we’re Christians that we’ve got life right and get comfortable with our Church friends ignoring the need for the Gospel outside our own 4 walls. Here in Papatoetoe, Jesus looks after our little community flock but he also will go to another location where another flock needs to be brought home. Jesus laid down his life for the sheep, that’s what it took. He is the Good Shepherd, anyone who wants to be a pastor or missionary has to realise that’s what it takes. All the apostles were killed except for John. Sheep are not smart, they are stupid, they are stubborn, they are jittery and they run off in the wrong direction into the wolf’s domain very quickly.

Here’s another picture from Tekapo, I think this could be why Russell called it the Church of the Lonely Shepherd, he was thinking of one man and his dog. There is quite a contrast between a wolf  and a dog isn’t there !

When we first came to New Zealand one of the most popular shows on TV was A Dog’s Show. After being accustomed to the excitement of Match of the Day in London, I couldn’t for the life of me work out the top New Zealand Sunday night sports entertainment. There were the sheep in one corner of a field, there was the dog standing still at a distance waiting for the farmer’s whistle. There could be very interminable pauses while the dog stood completely still, fur bristling in the wind, then he would move suddenly at the farmer’s command and the sheep would inch a couple of meters towards the gate. If one sheep ran off suddenly, all the others would follow and the whole exercise would start again. I often think of this programme when I imagine my futile attempts to get the stubborn Breton sheep though the first gate.



During last year’s English summer, my brother was visiting his boys and while there reconnecting with some of the family including my Auntie Jackie who we hadn’t seen for many years. Colin had spoken to her about the vision of the Church of the Good Shepherd at Tekapo and the connection to Brittany and had commissioned her to do a painting. She was inspired by what Colin had said and by January this year it was finished, all I had to do was go and collect it from London ! After Colin died, the painting became more poignant to me. It is inspiring me to keep going to finish the work that was started all those years ago.

In September we went to London to see my Aunt. We had breakfast at an old courthouse called the Verdict and then we went to see the painting, here it is and I love it ! I realised some time ago that I cannot conquer the mountain by staying in the little Church. I have to prepare and take risks if anything will be achieved. I look at Brittany like the great mountain and wonder how will I ever get up there, but I know I must try.

Notice in the picture how small the church is ! I don’t suppose you can fit much more than 50 people in there. Jesus describes himself as the Gate, he is the only way to salvation, you must enter there. It is very narrow. I’m sorry to say there is no other way. Not Buddha, not Mohammed, not Allah, not Krishna, not your own Religion. All roads may lead to Rome, but we are not going to Rome. There is only one way into Heaven, that is Jesus. Many times Jesus used something small to describe the beginnings of the Kingdom of Heaven.
He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.” He told them still another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into about sixty pounds of flour until it worked all through the dough.” 
Matthew 13:31-33

My favourite parable;
“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.
Matthew 13:44

The pearl of great price. The picture my Dad gave to us when we got married telling us that a Pearl is formed around an intruder between the 2 shells such as a grain of sand with great irritation to the Oyster !
“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it. 
Matthew 13:45-46

The point that Jesus was making in all these parables is that the Kingdom of Heaven has small beginnings that require patience to see it come to fruition. You don’t see the fruit until the last season but then you must not delay the harvest. Many of us want to leave a great legacy but that is not necessarily going to happen in a short space of time. It is a true saying that Rome wasn’t built in a day and neither is God’s will for our lives fulfilled in an moment. I imagined I would give the Gospel to my friend, they would believe it and be transformed and many in France would come to faith as a result. That may well be but not on my imagined timeline I can tell you after 10 years.

Jesus said
He replied, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” 
Matthew 17:20

You may wonder how you can do the thing that God is calling you to. Jesus said you only need the faith of a mustard seed to move a mountain. Our faith can move the hand of God.

Therefore we can persevere knowing that God is at work. The Lord has promised;
As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. 
Isaiah 55:10-11

When we teach Kids Church or LinC, or preach a sermon, when we share a verse with a colleague at work or write a post quoting scripture we are sowing a seed into the persons life that the Lord has promised he will bring to fruition.

Do not worry about small beginnings. Don’t worry about teaching an audience of 2 or 3. Don’t worry whether you’ve said enough in witnessing to a friend.

Here is the little Church of the Good Shepherd and there is the Great Mountain and how could you have one without the other. But you may have to leave the safety of your little church if you want to conquer the great mountain.

If I think back to the vision, the story seems like it has only just concluded part 1. We are now starting Part 2 to build a little Church so the hard work begins. It’s a blank canvas as you can see in these photos...

Legacy

Gideon Part 3

First a recap from last week.
Recap Part 2 - The Preparation and the Battle

• Gideon was called from the poorest tribe and was the least thought of in his family to save Israel, but he was not like David excited at the prospect of defeating a giant, he was KFC 
• God loves to choose the weak, the nerds, the least qualified - so that no-one can boast - stay humble
• Apart from the Lord, you can’t do a thing
• Build to the standard and don’t take shortcuts !
• Be firm and trust the Lord that he will do what he’s called you to

We left the battle scene with the Devil on the run, trying to escape what’s coming to him, a preview of Armageddon
Then Gideon sent for the troops of Naphtali, Asher, and Manasseh and told them to come and chase and destroy the fleeing army of Midian. Gideon also sent messengers throughout the hill country of Ephraim summoning troops who seized the fords of the Jordan River at Beth-barah, thus preventing the Midianites from escaping by going across. Oreb and Zeeb, the two generals of Midian, were captured. Oreb was killed at the rock now known by his name, and Zeeb at the winepress of Zeeb, as it is now called; and the Israelis took the heads of Oreb and Zeeb across the Jordan to Gideon. 
Judges 7:23-25

They killed the generals, it was checkmate of the men at the top - the kings... Rousing music, The End, fade out... Suddenly the words 40 years later appear on the screen...

The Legacy
Do you like those movies such as The Usual Suspects, Slumdog Millionaire or Titanic where the end is at the beginning and then you see how the ending came about in flashbacks.
That is the true account of how Midian was subdued by Israel. Midian never recovered, and the land was at peace for forty years—all during Gideon’s lifetime. He returned home and eventually had seventy sons, for he married many wives. He also had a concubine in Shechem, who presented him with a son named Abimelech. 
Judges 8:28-31

Gideon finally died, an old, old man, and was buried in the sepulcher of his father, Joash, in Ophrah, in the land of the Abiezrites. But as soon as Gideon was dead, the Israelis began to worship the idols Baal and Baal-berith. They no longer considered the Lord as their God, though he had rescued them from all their enemies on every side. Nor did they show any kindness to the family of Gideon despite all he had done for them. 
Judges 8:32-35

Just winning that one battle had brought peace in Israel for 40 years, the remainder of Gideon’s lifetime. Letting the Lord be King in our lives brings peace. But the conclusion to Gideon’s story leaves us with a question of why. Despite 40 years of peace after the battle Gideon won over the Midianites, why did the Israelites immediately abandon good for evil. I’m sure our forefathers who fought in World War II would ask the same question of our generation. How can we avoid the next generation going to waste ? What lessons can we learn from Gideon’s story that will help us leave a better legacy.

Give careful thought to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways.
Proverbs 4:26

Remember in the first week we recalled that in New Zealand we used to give God his due respect In our law, in our culture and at least we tried to keep to his path. Split Enz used to sing -
"Don’t look to the left, don’t look to the right, just follow that straight old line"
That was us in NZ.

Well a wrong turn here or there and by the end of the day we are well off the main track and lost in the bush. Care must be taken to stay on the main track. It can be difficult in places but it is the only way to get to the destination and if we miss a marker or try another way we are putting ourselves in danger, and could end up fighting for survival.

So in this final episode, we start with a flashback to the closing battle scenes with emphatic victory in sight. Everyone wanted a piece of the action, here come the glory boys...
But the tribal leaders of Ephraim were violently angry with Gideon. “Why didn’t you send for us when you first went out to fight the Midianites?” they demanded. But Gideon replied, “God let you capture Oreb and Zeeb, the generals of the army of Midian! What have I done in comparison with that? Your actions at the end of the battle were more important than ours at the beginning!” So they calmed down. 
Judges 8:1-3

The guys from Ephraim had been practically useless, they did very little to contribute to the victory but they wanted to share in the glory. Sometimes it is wiser to hold your tongue, blow some smoke and play to the gallery otherwise you may jeopardise the whole mission. Gideon leaves them standing there patting themselves on the back.
Gideon now crossed the Jordan River with his three hundred men. They were very tired, but still chasing the enemy. He asked the men of Succoth for food. “We are weary from chasing after Zebah and Zalmunna, the kings of Midian,” he said. But the leaders of Succoth replied, “You haven’t caught them yet! If we feed you and you fail, they’ll return and destroy us.” Then Gideon warned them, “When the Lord has delivered them to us, I will return and tear your flesh with the thorns and briars of the wilderness.” Then he went up to Penuel and asked for food there, but got the same answer. And he said to them also, “When this is all over, I will return and break down this tower.” 
Judges 8:4-9

Still just the valiant 301. Gideon took note.

Often there are just a few fighting the great battles, we have some in our Church at PCC fighting here in Papatoetoe, in South Auckland, in New Zealand and in the Pacific Islands. They need support. As Jesus said to those he sent on a Mission;
The Lord now chose seventy other disciples and sent them on ahead in pairs to all the towns and villages he planned to visit later. These were his instructions to them: “Plead with the Lord of the harvest to send out more laborers to help you, for the harvest is so plentiful and the workers so few. Luke 10:1-2

Completing the Mission is so much easier with more workers, this is something Jesus said to plead about, if we want to leave a legacy, we don’t want to leave unfinished business. When we go to Brittany this time, its my hope we will be an answer to some Breton Christians prayers !

By this time King Zebah and King Zalmunna with a remnant of fifteen thousand troops were in Karkor. That was all that was left of the allied armies of the east; for one hundred twenty thousand had already been killed. Then Gideon circled around by the caravan route east of Nobah and Jogbehah, striking at the Midianite army in surprise raids. The two kings fled, but Gideon chased and captured them, routing their entire force. 
Judges 8:10-12

Armageddon. All the enemy dead, except the 2 kings who were now captured.
Later, Gideon returned by way of Heres Pass. There he captured a young fellow from Succoth and demanded that he write down the names of all the seventy-seven political and religious leaders of the city. He then returned to Succoth. “You taunted me that I would never catch King Zebah and King Zalmunna, and you refused to give us food when we were tired and hungry,” he said. “Well, here they are!” Then he took the leaders of the city and scraped them to death with wild thorns and briars. He also went to Penuel and knocked down the city tower and killed the entire male population. Judges 8:13-17

You cannot sit on a fence watching a war. Choose you this day.
Then Gideon asked King Zebah and King Zalmunna, “The men you killed at Tabor—what were they like?” They replied, “They were dressed just like you—like sons of kings!” “They must have been my brothers!” Gideon exclaimed. “I swear that if you hadn’t killed them I wouldn’t kill you.” Then, turning to Jether, his oldest son, he instructed him to kill them. But the boy was only a lad and was afraid to. Then Zebah and Zalmunna said to Gideon, “You do it; we’d rather be killed by a man!” So Gideon killed them and took the ornaments from their camels’ necks. 
Judges 8:18-21

There’s only so much a leader can delegate. Some times you need the Executive Decision to finish the job. Gideon’s Mission had been a complete triumph, all the Midianite army including their leadership was wiped out. 300 trumpets were ready to announce a new king.
Now the men of Israel said to Gideon, “Be our king! You and your sons and all your descendants shall be our rulers, for you have saved us from Midian.” But Gideon replied, “I will not be your king, nor shall my son; the Lord is your King! 
Judges 8:22-23

Israel had not had a central leader since Joshua. Gideon had mobilised Israel to defeat the enemy and was the obvious candidate. When the people wanted to make him King, Gideon declined saying that the Lord is King.

This for me is the key moment in the story. Gideon was not ambitious for power, he preferred to stay in the background. It’s true, he probably didn’t want the pressure of leading the country and he was wise to say the Lord is King. Gideon recognised that it was not him who had won the battle and he maintained his humility. Never forget that our success comes from the Lord, it is not us who does it !

So Gideon made a good choice to choose the family life over wealth and power. Some time ago, I read one of the Man in the Mirror books where Patrick Morley drew a chart. On one scale was wealth and the other family. They were mutually exclusive. The more you pursued the wealth, the less time for family and vice versa. It says in Proverbs;
If you must choose, take a good name rather than great riches; for to be held in loving esteem is better than silver and gold. 
Proverbs 22:1

Many Christians take the low road and decline opportunities of worldly influence. Power is an aphrodisiac and a trap for many. In the film Amazing Grace, William Wilberforce is an MP who becomes a Christian and decides to leave politics to study theology. His friend the future Prime Minister William Pitt persuades William Wilberforce to continue in Parliament to bring about the abolition of Slavery and thank God he did.

There is another side to Gideon’s story. What if he had risked it all and not taken the early retirement. Even though the Midianites were defeated, there were still the other occupiers like the Philistines. There were still parts of the Promised Land to be won. Gideon was the Mighty Warrior, he could have done it and left a greater legacy. It’s interesting to consider what would have happened if Gideon had accepted the opportunity, he would have created a new dynasty from him and his sons that would have changed the course of history to this day. No Saul, no David. So perhaps this is why it couldn’t happen. Gideon was from the tribe of Manasseh, where as the Messiah was prophesied to come from Judah.

So the Lord’s hand was over the situation and despite our weaknesses and failures to grasp opportunities the Lord sends, the Lord is very patient and gracious and will bring about his purposes.
However, I have one request. Give me all the earrings collected from your fallen foes”—for the troops of Midian, being Ishmtaelites, all wore gold earrings. “Gladly!” they replied, and spread out a sheet for everyone to throw in the gold earrings he had gathered. Their value was estimated at $25,000, not including the crescents and pendants, or the royal clothing of the kings, or the chains around the camels’ necks.
Judges 8:24-26

The Midianites were descendants of Ishmael the older brother of Isaac. What a strange army they were with their gold earrings and gold chains around their camels necks. The bling bling army who were just a bunch of pretty boy bullies. When their enemy fought back, they ran away in terror to the sound of their rattling gold chains and earrings.
Gideon made an ephod from the gold and put it in Ophrah, his hometown. But all Israel soon began worshiping it, so it became an evil deed that Gideon and his family did. 
Judges 8:27

The ephod was something the priest wore and had a prescribed design and purpose as given in the Lord’s instruction to Moses. The priests were from the tribe of Levi, Gideon was from Manasseh, he had no business with a gold ephod. The Lord had not told Gideon to make a gold ephod, why did Gideon do it ? The people of his hometown had been worshipping idols so placing a gold ephod in the town was akin to building a bar at the home of an alcoholic. It was simply a bad idea. This was the very sin that had led to God’s judgment in the first place and sadly became part of his legacy.

Gideon’s motivation was also dubious. We need to be careful about building monuments to our successes. We need to be more like John the Baptist if we want the next generation to succeed, preparing them for the handover;
John replied, “God in heaven appoints each man’s work. My work is to prepare the way for that man so that everyone will go to him. You yourselves know how plainly I told you that I am not the Messiah. I am here to prepare the way for him—that is all. The crowds will naturally go to the main attraction —the bride will go where the bridegroom is! A bridegroom’s friends rejoice with him. I am the Bridegroom’s friend, and I am filled with joy at his success. He must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less.
John 3:27-30

We have arrived at the place where we began, 40 years pass peacefully;

Gideon won a great victory and he obtained hero status and had many wives and sons and they loved in peace for 40 years. But our happy ever after is waiting when we die, we can endure a little hardship now. Gideon still had a good 40 years left. Why rest on our laurels when there is a greater legacy we can leave behind. Don’t take the early retirement ! Our greatest victory will be to prepare the next generation to carry on the Lord’s work. It’s not about us.
But the godly shall flourish like palm trees and grow tall as the cedars of Lebanon. For they are transplanted into the Lord’s own garden and are under his personal care. Even in old age they will still produce fruit and be vital and green. This honors the Lord and exhibits his faithful care. He is my shelter. There is nothing but goodness in him! 
Psalm 92:12-15

To finish, I’d like to share one legacy, the kind we’d all like to leave behind 😊 Jonathan Edwards the great preacher during the First Awakening of the 1700’s was married to Sara. The Edwards were blessed with 11 kids. Every night Mr. Edwards was home, he would sit in his chair for one hour with his kids. Every night, the Edwards gave their children a small devotion, had conversation and prayed blessing over their children. In 1900, A.E. Winsup tracked down 400 descendants of Mr. & Mrs. Edwards to find:

1. 285 college graduates 
2. 300 preachers 
3. 13 noted authors 
4. 13 college presidents 
5. 65 professors 
6. 100 lawyers 
7. 1 dean of a law school 
8. 30 judges 
9. 56 doctors 
10. 1 dean of a medical school 
11. 80 holders of office 
12. 3 U.S. Senators 
13. 1 Vice-President of the U.S 
14. 1 Controller for the U.S. Treasury 

The spiritual seeds Jon & Sara planted into their kids blossomed into a family tree, producing numerous generations of spiritual fruit.

Vegas or Bust !

First the recap from last week.

• Joshua had died and there was a new leadership structure of Judges 
• The Mission to fully drive out the heathen nations was incomplete although this was planned by the Lord. 

These people were a test to the new generation of Israel, to see whether they would obey the commandments the Lord had given to them through Moses. 

Judges 3:4

• Six Northern tribes had compromised all of Israel 
• Israel came under judgment suffering the consequences of making peace deals with the enemy and worshipping false gods. A lot like Western Democracy which thinks we can win the war against crime by being best friends with the criminals. 
• Gideon was chosen from the poorest tribe and was the least thought of in his family.
• Gideon was KFC, hiding when the Lord sent the Angel to him. Life had taught him to be afraid and to expect the worst.  
• Gideon made a start on his mission motivated by his fear of the Lord 

So we’ve had the Call of Duty and now we need to do the Preparation for the Battle. Before we even start our Mission the Lord asks us to count the cost to be his disciple. We need to look at our resources in comparison to what is being asked of us.
 “Or what king would ever dream of going to war without first sitting down with his counselors and discussing whether his army of 10,000 is strong enough to defeat the 20,000 men who are marching against him? “If the decision is negative, then while the enemy troops are still far away, he will send a truce team to discuss terms of peace. So no one can become my disciple unless he first sits down and counts his blessings—and then renounces them all for me. 
Luke 14:31-33

 Gideon got together an army of 32,000 men, some considerable organisation and a big achievement on his part. Remember he is from the poorest tribe and is the least thought of in his family. Remember he was terrified by what he’d seen the Angel of the Lord do to the goat and bread offering 😊 Isn’t it amazing how the fear of the Lord can motivate you. Something else had shifted though. Gideon had gained a reputation from destroying the family altar to Baal. The Nobody suddenly caught everyone’s attention. God used the perceived courage of one lone man to challenged the men of Israel. Big doors swing on little hinges.

Knowing his pessimistic view of reality, Gideon may have reasoned his chances were about 25% since there were 32,000 up against 135,000 Midianites. Help me Lord, I need more troops ! This looks very familiar. We look at what the Lord is asking us to do and we pray, Lord I need more finances. I’ve managed to scrape together about 1/4 of the target and I don’t dare ask my parents again. Ok Lord, it’s Vegas or bust just don’t zap me like that meat.
Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon—his other name) and his army got an early start and went as far as the spring of Harod. The armies of Midian were camped north of them, down in the valley beside the hill of Moreh. The Lord then said to Gideon, “There are too many of you! I can’t let all of you fight the Midianites, for then the people of Israel will boast to me that they saved themselves by their own strength! 
Judges 7:1-2

The Spring of Harod is in the Jezreel Valley not that far from Megiddo where the Battle of Armageddon will be so pay attention for it’s future implication. I’m sure Glenn would like me to add that it’s not too far from Mt Tabor either which we shall discuss next time.

If you remember, Gideon’s nickname Jerubbaal means "Let Baal take care of himself", which is a mockery of Baal who is stone dead 😂. But the true Lord our God is alive and doesn’t need any help! There isn’t anything of value that we can bring to the Lord’s Mission other than our faith and obedience. He’s the one who’s going to do it, all we really need is to believe him and act on his instructions. I had to pause after I re-read my own words because that is easy to say but does that mean all that we do, our service, our prayers, our projects don’t amount to anything ? No it is not saying that. It’s not that we should do nothing and just wait on the Lord. It’s saying that we need to stay humble. We need to realise that for all our efforts, finally the Lord can hit the reset button so don’t become set on our agendas. Keith Green sang ;
"You just keep doing your best, pray that it's blessed and Jesus takes care of the rest".


Jesus put it this way;
“Yes, I am the Vine; you are the branches. Whoever lives in me and I in him shall produce a large crop of fruit. For apart from me you can’t do a thing. 
John 15:5

Gideon had made some effort to put together an army, now the Lord was going to take almost all of it away in order to win the battle the Lord’s Way. It could have been a little galling for Gideon. It’s as if the Lord is saying, that’s nice Gideon but I don’t need it. That can be a little offensive to our ears. We are not the star of the show. Build a Church as beautiful as the Notre Dame if you like but only the Lord can fill it. He may decide on a tent as he did in the Wilderness for 40 years, when we’re thinking Cathedral.

We can start by humbling ourselves. There is nothing we can do to contribute to ours or anyone else’s salvation. Not a thing.

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith —and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. 
Ephesians 2:8-9

So now the Lord goes about pruning back all of Gideon’s work.

Send home any of your men who are timid and frightened.” So twenty-two thousand of them left, and only ten thousand remained who were willing to fight. 
Judges 7:3

Just like that, two thirds of the army depart. When our work comes under scrutiny it may not be up to much. Sure we have an impressive looking house but are the foundations any good, what about the workmanship ? Those apartments at Sacramento in Botany looked pretty good when they were first built at the turn of the Millenium. We thought about buying one as an investment property. But they may as well have been made of cardboard the first winter when they started leaking water through the walls. Sacramento owners' lawyer Paul Grimshaw said at the time a third of the complex was so rotten that demolition was the only option - "It's beyond repair."

Paul said something similar to the Corinthian Church which looked impressive from the outside but was already rotting.

God, in his kindness, has taught me how to be an expert builder. I have laid the foundation and Apollos has built on it. But he who builds on the foundation must be very careful. And no one can ever lay any other real foundation than that one we already have—Jesus Christ. But there are various kinds of materials that can be used to build on that foundation. Some use gold and silver and jewels; and some build with sticks and hay or even straw! 
1 Corinthians 3:10-12

The foundations were right, the Church had been built on the Gospel, the message of the Cross. But beyond that there had been some building shortcuts. Paul sounds pretty scathing about Apollos’s work. He continues...

There is going to come a time of testing at Christ’s Judgment Day to see what kind of material each builder has used. Everyone’s work will be put through the fire so that all can see whether or not it keeps its value, and what was really accomplished. Then every workman who has built on the foundation with the right materials, and whose work still stands, will get his pay. But if the house he has built burns up, he will have a great loss. He himself will be saved, but like a man escaping through a wall of flames. 
1 Corinthians 3:13-15

Perhaps Paul’s words were the inspiration for the Three Little Pigs. It’s a good lesson.

Do not worry about what people think about the speed of success in your Mission if you are building the right way with the right materials. Don’t spread yourself too thin and have too many projects on the go at once. Take the time to pray and understand exactly what the Lord wants you to do. Don’t rush in all guns blazing. Do the preparations, measure accurately, get quality materials, cut each piece square and use a good technique to hammer the nails. More haste, less speed they say ! Build to the standard. You don’t want the Council telling you to pull it down.

But the Lord told Gideon, “There are still too many! Bring them down to the spring and I’ll show you which ones shall go with you and which ones shall not.” So Gideon assembled them at the water. There the Lord told him, “Divide them into two groups decided by the way they drink. In Group 1 will be all the men who cup the water in their hands to get it to their mouths and lap it like dogs. In Group 2 will be those who kneel, with their mouths in the stream.” Only three hundred of the men drank from their hands; all the others drank with their mouths to the stream. “I’ll conquer the Midianites with these three hundred!” the Lord told Gideon. “Send all the others home!”
Judges 7:4-7

Group 1 sound like the weak group - the dogs. Group 2 use a popular method. But the Lord loves to use the unpopular, the weak, the nerds, the unorthodox, the least qualified. It’s so we don’t become proud. It‘s so it proves that it was him that did it ! 😊 I love those Inspector Clouseau movies. He succeeds in spite of himself.

So after Gideon had collected all the clay jars and trumpets they had among them, he sent them home, leaving only three hundred men with him. During the night, with the Midianites camped in the valley just below, the Lord said to Gideon, “Get up! Take your troops and attack the Midianites, for I will cause you to defeat them! But if you are afraid, first go down to the camp alone—take along your servant Purah if you like— and listen to what they are saying down there! You will be greatly encouraged and be eager to attack!” So he took Purah and crept down through the darkness to the outposts of the enemy camp. 
Judges 7:8-11

Gideon was indeed still afraid. In fact he’s probably more scared now than when he first got his call. A few clay pots and trumpets and 300 men to go to battle against the 135,000 strong fully equipped Midianite army. Gideon is not David. He is not excited by the prospect of beating a Giant. Even if the glass were half empty, it’s as good as empty and broken to Gideon. The Lord has already said he will conquer the Midianites with the 300. This was guaranteed success. The Lord is very kind to Gideon, he knows he is trembling in his boots so he gives him a sign he didn’t even ask for. Remember the New Testament story we recalled last week;
As evening fell, Jesus said to his disciples, “Let’s cross to the other side of the lake.” 
Mark 4:35

Jesus had already said they would be going to the other side of the lake. When the storm came up the disciples were afraid they were going to die. After Jesus calmed the storm and they got to the other side of the lake, the next test of their courage came. They encountered the man possessed by a legion of demons. This wasn’t some small mission they were on, they were up against an army. That wasn’t in the fine print Lord, I didn’t sign up for this ! But again there was nothing to be afraid of. When we are going into battle for the Lord, there is nothing to be afraid of when he has told us what to do and we are doing it. He’s going to win the battle.

The vast armies of Midian, Amalek, and the other nations of the Mideast were crowded across the valley like locusts—yes, like the sand upon the seashore—and there were too many camels even to count! Gideon crept up to one of the tents just as a man inside had wakened from a nightmare and was telling his tent-mate about it. “I had this strange dream,” he was saying, “and there was this huge loaf of barley bread that came tumbling down into our camp. It hit our tent and knocked it flat!” The other soldier replied, “Your dream can mean only one thing! Gideon, the son of Joash, the Israeli, is going to come and massacre all the allied forces of Midian!” When Gideon heard the dream and the interpretation, all he could do was just stand there worshiping God! Then he returned to his men and shouted, “Get up! For the Lord is going to use you to conquer all the vast armies of Midian!” 
Judges 7:12-15

Gideons transformation from Chicken to Mighty Warrior was complete. How did the Midianite soldier interpret the dream to understand little Gideon was the Giant barley loaf coming to wipe them out ? Had even they heard about the Angel appearing to him on the wheat threshing floor and zapping the meat ? They were more scared than he was ! He was suddenly filled with Holy Spirit irrational courage. It’s amazing what encouragement from anyone let alone the Lord can do 😊

He divided the three hundred men into three groups and gave each man a trumpet and a clay jar with a torch in it. Then he explained his plan. “When we arrive at the outer guardposts of the camp,” he told them, “do just as I do. As soon as I and the men in my group blow our trumpets, you blow yours on all sides of the camp and shout, ‘We fight for God and for Gideon!’” It was just after midnight and the change of guards when Gideon and the hundred men with him crept to the outer edge of the camp of Midian. Suddenly they blew their trumpets and broke their clay jars so that their torches blazed into the night. 
Judges 7:16-19

Now for the fun, the Devil is on the Run.

Then the other two hundred of his men did the same, blowing the trumpets in their right hands, and holding the flaming torches in their left hands, all shouting, “For the Lord and for Gideon!” Then they just stood and watched as the whole vast enemy army began rushing around in a panic, shouting and running away. For in the confusion the Lord caused the enemy troops to begin fighting and killing each other from one end of the camp to the other, and they fled into the night to places as far away as Beth-shittah near Zererah, and to the border of Abel-meholah near Tabbath. 
Judges 7:20-22

Everything looks easy in hindsight. We recall Gideon and we might say to ourselves, why didn’t he just trust the Lord from the beginning ? Most of us are more like Gideon than David aren’t we. We don’t think we are Mighty Warriors but we are.

John said
You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. 
1 John 4:4

In this story I see how the kind the Lord is despite our weaknesses. He knows we’re weak. In fact that’s almost certainly why he picked us.

Each time he said, “No. But I am with you; that is all you need. My power shows up best in weak people.” Now I am glad to boast about how weak I am; I am glad to be a living demonstration of Christ’s power, instead of showing off my own power and abilities. 
2 Corinthians 12:9

The Lord will encourage us every step of the way. Just when we think we can’t do it, along comes another gust of wind to push us along. The Lord will give us the signs, we don’t have to ask for them like Gideon did. It’s his Mission, he’s going to do it ! We cannot imagine all that he is going to do, let’s get on with it.

Next time we’ll look at the aftermath of the battle. A great victory had been won but that’s not a good reason to rest on our laurels. Laurels quickly crumple and die. If we’re going to leave a legacy and not just history, what we do next is critical...

Changing of the Guard

Gideon Part 1
The Call

The Bible is full of stories of unlikely heroes. If ever there was someone least likely it was Gideon. Even his own family thought he was a loser. And when you’re told that often enough, every life situation only seems to affirm what everyone else is saying. But as we shall see, the Gideon at the start of the story is not the same Gideon we see at the end of the story.

But let’s backtrack first. After Joshua had lead the Israelites into the Promised Land they still had to conquer the various tribes that had occupied it. The Canaanites, Philistines, Amalekites, Midianites, Moabites, Amorites etc.

And during Joshua’s lifetime they only managed to partially do it.

The book of Judges follows on from Joshua. There is always a danger when a great leader dies. Will their legacy continue after the Changing of the Guards ?

Yes immediately it did continue with the new leadership chosen by God.
After Joshua died, the nation of Israel went to the Lord to receive his instructions. “Which of our tribes should be the first to go to war against the Canaanites?” they inquired. God’s answer came, “Judah. And I will give them a great victory.” 
Judges 1:1-2

The test for leadership always comes when the first real opposition is encountered. Do the new leaders have the wisdom and courage for the fight ? Judah took up the mantle and was very successful in driving out the Canaanites.

But there were some chinks in the armour.
But Manasseh did not drive out the people of Beth Shan or Taanach or Dor or Ibleam or Megiddo and their surrounding settlements, for the Canaanites were determined to live in that land. When Israel became strong, they pressed the Canaanites into forced labor but never drove them out completely. Nor did Ephraim drive out the Canaanites living in Gezer, but the Canaanites continued to live there among them. Neither did Zebulun drive out the Canaanites living in Kitron or Nahalol, so these Canaanites lived among them, but Zebulun did subject them to forced labor. Nor did Asher drive out those living in Akko or Sidon or Ahlab or Akzib or Helbah or Aphek or Rehob. The Asherites lived among the Canaanite inhabitants of the land because they did not drive them out. Neither did Naphtali drive out those living in Beth Shemesh or Beth Anath; but the Naphtalites too lived among the Canaanite inhabitants of the land, and those living in Beth Shemesh and Beth Anath became forced laborers for them. The Amorites confined the Danites to the hill country, not allowing them to come down into the plain. 
Judges 1:27-34

Half the tribes did not persevere with the Lord’s instructions and as a result, if we study a map of the Promised Land, we can see that these six tribes mentioned from Northern Israel had severely compromised the whole of Israel.

After Joshua died, the new leadership was a mixture of courageous and the half hearted. Unfortunately the half-hearted will let the whole team down. Half the tribes didn’t continue with doing what God had said and decided to rather enjoy their new land and make peace deals with the enemy instead. After a while the Israelite men and women began to marry people from the other nations and very soon began worshipping their gods - disobeying the number 1 and 2 commandments and bringing trouble to Israel for their disobedience. Please understand what the Bible is saying. If you fall in love with a Christian from another race or country the Lord will support your marriage. But if you go for someone with no commitment to Jesus, you will end up with exactly the same problems that Israel had.

Sound familiar ? There are also some big lessons in this story for our Nation.

Western Democratic freedom of thinking is split Conservative or Liberal and I’m not a political person but if we don’t fight against liberal thinking, we will go down the same path that Israel went. In New Zealand we used to give God his due respect In our law, in our culture and at least we tried to keep to his path. Split Enz used to sing - “Don’t look to the left, don’t look to the right, just follow that straight old line”. That was us in NZ.



But now the World, the likes of the Netherlands and Richard Branson have convinced us, Chlöe Swarbrick and so on that we can win the war on drugs by legalising them. They sound sophisticated, they look bright and successful but they are making peace deals with the enemy and getting into bed with them. This will not win the war, it will bring trouble from the Lord on this nation.

The trouble will be a consequence of the people disobeying God but even then many people will still have difficulty putting two and two together. It’s not necessarily the Lord who has sent judgment, it can be simply a consequence of our choices. In the 80’s a few Christians said that AIDS was God’s judgment on the gay population. But AIDS is a consequence of promiscuity just like any other STD so let’s be careful how we say our message and back it up with facts.

It says
Then the people of Israel began once again to worship other gods, and once again the Lord let their enemies harass them. This time it was by the people of Midian, for seven years.
Judges 6:1

Notice that God’s judgment was to let the enemies of Israel attack them. God himself wasn’t the one attacking. The Devil sits behind a curtain and if God allows the curtain to be pulled back, the Devil throw his poisonous darts, as many as possible. We sing “God Defend New Zealand” and he does. He is our Father and protects us. But if he steps out of the way, the enemy is ready to attack.

It’s simple. The enemy want what we have. Our wealth. NZ is a very wealthy country. The Devil is like some crooked door-to-door salesman. If we eagerly open the door to the Devil because we think his offer sounds attractive and we sign up for one of his deals, it can be God’s judgment to allow the consequences. Legalising drugs means big business can make money at our cost as a Nation. Our resources will be depleted. There is no win-win deal with the Devil, we will lose big time.

See what the enemies of Israel did. They began destroying their crops and plundering their cattle. The land was devastated. They don’t love Israel, they hate them. Jesus said we will know them by their fruit. Do you have anyone or anything in your life who is against God but is offering an alternate road. I’m not talking about people who come to you or the church in need of help. I’m talking about people with resources who don’t love God. Watch out ! They may have a hidden agenda which will be at you and your children’s expense.

God has different ways of judging. Sometimes it’s the consequence of our actions. Sometimes the Lord just steps out of the way and the enemy attacks. But finally the judgment may be from the Lord himself as in Sodom and Gomorrah or with the Great Flood. In all cases the Lord forewarns, usually with an If and Then. In rare cases like Nineveh, the judgement was already made but God repented of his judgement when the people repented. See how kind the Lord is. He is very slow to anger, he wants to avoid it.

So Israel was sitting under judgment but the Lord is very gracious and merciful. He doesn’t forget his promises, he is faithful even though we are not. He sends an angel to a man named Gideon.

Because of the threat of the Midianites, Gideon was hiding in a wine press, threshing wheat for his starving family on the farm.

When the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, he said, “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior. ” Judges 6:12

People in hard times who are beaten down by life and are in siege mentality often have a whole lot of negative first thoughts in any situation. Life has taught them to be suspicious and prepare for the worst. When the angel appeared, Gideon’s first thought was probably that he’d been caught by a Midianite and was about to die and then the angel spoke and called him “Mighty Warrior”.

I’m sure Gideon would have glanced back over his shoulder to check who was behind him - “Who me ?”

The first thing he actually says expresses his doubts about God. He doesn’t seem to know that the reason Israel is suffering is because they are worshipping idols. Instead he thinks God has let Israel down.

Then the Lord turned to him and said, “I will make you strong! Go and save Israel from the Midianites! I am sending you!”
Judges 6:14

Yes, you’re it ! You might be looking at yourself in the mirror questioning your chance of success in the Lord’s Mission he’s calling you to and you wouldn’t be the first to doubt the Lord.

But Gideon replied, “Sir, how can I save Israel? My family is the poorest in the whole tribe of Manasseh, and I am the least thought of in the entire family!” Whereupon the Lord said to him, “But I, Jehovah, will be with you! And you shall quickly destroy the Midianite hordes!”
Judges 6:15-16

Big job for a little fella. Don’t you love the way the Lord works. He chooses the most unlikely people, those with no chance of success and then He’s the one who does it and everyone benefits especially the person he’s asked.

But Gideon famously asks for a sign. In fact he asked for 3 but we’ll only talk today about the first request for proof because everyone knows about the fleece. It’s gone down in folklore.
Gideon replied, “If it is really true that you are going to help me like that, then do some miracle to prove it! Prove that it is really Jehovah who is talking to me! 
Judges 6:17

Usually it’s better to believe straight away as Abraham did. A lot of people who don’t particularly need a miracle ask for a sign as a proof. I know a few people who’ve done that, God will answer their prayer but still they don’t follow the Lord !

Don’t exasperate the Lord, it is frustrating for him when you doubt and ask for a sign. In fact,
One day some of the Jewish leaders, including some Pharisees, came to Jesus asking him to show them a miracle. But Jesus replied, “Only an evil, faithless nation would ask for further proof; and none will be given except what happened to Jonah the prophet! For as Jonah was in the great fish for three days and three nights, so I, the Messiah, shall be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights. 
Matthew 12:38-39

This is not talking about people who are seeking the Lord for a miracle or a healing out of need. This is talking about someone who the Lord is asking something of. Why does this look so familiar ? There is nothing new under the sun.

Signs waste time like rain stops play
Gideon hurried home and roasted a young goat and baked some unleavened bread from a bushel of flour. Then, carrying the meat in a basket and broth in a pot, he took it out to the Angel, who was beneath the oak tree, and presented it to him. The Angel said to him, “Place the meat and the bread upon that rock over there, and pour the broth over it.” When Gideon had followed these instructions, the Angel touched the meat and bread with his staff, and fire flamed up from the rock and consumed them! And suddenly the Angel was gone! 
Judges 6:19-21

Big mistake by Gideon. Don’t forget there was little food around, he was starving, now the angel had zapped all his food, what a waste. If we stall from what the Lord is asking us to do, we often end up suffering with regret. When we were down in Palmerston North, one of our friends had a call to go to Auckland to be trained for ministry. Very shortly he got a call from his employer that he had a promotion to a main bank in Wellington and he decided to take the job. He probably reasoned that this was the way the Lord was going to provide for his future but this was not what the Lord was asking of him. What followed was a year of misery then finally he decided to go to Baptist College and now he’s been nearly 20 years in the Ministry and Chaplain to the Breakers in 4 winning campaigns. It could have been 5 !

The Lord is very gracious isn’t he ? But he is Holy too.

Gideon placed the bread and meat on the rock as the angel had told him. Just like that he had unknowingly placed it on an altar. Then he poured the broth over it to make it impossible to ignite. A split second later it had disappeared in flames. Flesh gone in an instant before a Holy God. Moses stood before the burning bush which didn’t turn to ash but Gideon was surely the first one to exclaim "Our God is a consuming fire". He thought he was next.

When Gideon realized that it had indeed been the Angel of the Lord, he cried out, “Alas, O Lord God, for I have seen the Angel of the Lord face-to-face!” “It’s all right,” the Lord replied. “Don’t be afraid! You shall not die.” 
Judges 6:22-23

Gideon has a severe dose of hypochondria. Get a grip says the Lord. Same thing Jesus had to tell the disciples in the boat on the stormy seas on their way to their Mission on the other side of the lake. “Don’t be afraid! You shall not die.”

So Gideon started his Mission.
That night the Lord told Gideon to hitch his father’s best ox to the family altar of Baal and pull it down, and to cut down the wooden idol of the goddess Asherah that stood nearby. “Replace it with an altar for the Lord your God, built here on this hill, laying the stones carefully. Then sacrifice the ox as a burnt offering to the Lord, using the wooden idol as wood for the fire on the altar.” 
Judges 6:25-26

First things first. Get rid of the idol, the root of the problem. We can’t do a Mission for the Lord if there is something against him standing in the way, we have to deal with the problem in our own lives first, in this case the family altar to Baal.

That takes courage. Gideon knows there will be a negative reaction from all his family. He is the reluctant "Mighty Warrior". He’ll do it so he doesn’t get zapped like the meat but he is like the secret undercover Christian leaving a tract behind on the passenger seat. He knows someone will get angry if he gives them the Gospel straight so he does it covertly.

So Gideon took ten of his servants and did as the Lord had commanded. But he did it at night for fear of the other members of his father’s household, and for fear of the men of the city; for he knew what would happen if they found out who did it! Early the next morning, as the city began to stir, someone discovered that the altar of Baal was knocked apart, the idol beside it was gone, and a new altar had been built instead, with the remains of a sacrifice on it. “Who did this?” everyone demanded. Finally they learned that it was Gideon, the son of Joash. “Bring out your son,” they shouted to Joash. “He must die for insulting the altar of Baal and for cutting down the Asherah idol.” 
Judges 6:27-30

Gideon was no Daniel. He was KFC - Kentucky Fried Chicken.

Luckily for Gideon his Dad was brave and smart. Dad to the rescue.
But Joash retorted to the whole mob, “Does Baal need your help? What an insult to a god! You are the ones who should die for insulting Baal! If Baal is really a god, let him take care of himself and destroy the one who broke apart his altar!” From then on Gideon was called “Jerubbaal,” a nickname meaning “Let Baal take care of himself!” 
Judges 6:31-32

The Devil was defeated at the Cross. He can only bluff and make loud noises. Do not be afraid, you shall not die !

We make a start on the Mission however feeble and afraid we are. But we do it. Remember it’s the Lord’s Mission not ours. He will see it through we do not have to be afraid of anything. Gideon’s Dad stepped up to the plate and he told the people that if Baal was a true god he would be able to take care of Gideon himself. When we are doing the Lord’s Mission, we have nothing to fear from Allah, Krishna, Buddha, Karma or any other false Messiah, they are all false gods made of wood and stone, they are dead.

And thanks to his Dad, Gideon gained a new status. Gideon’s Mission had lift off !

Next time we will look at the next stage of the Mission - the preparation. Don’t worry about the Lord’s Mission if it seems too big. No one goes straight to into battle. Whoever thought of sending a new recruit to the front line ?

Exodus Journey - (5) Trials and Perseverance

Exodus 15:21 - 18, 33-40

We are reading the Exodus journey for Lent, the 40 days before Easter which mirror Jesus’s 40 days spent in the Wilderness tempted by Satan and the 40 years it took the Israelites to travel from Egypt to the Promised Land.

Timeline of the Journey
17/3 - Slavery - Exodus 1-7:7
24/3 - Deliverance - Exodus 7:8 - 13
31/3 - Baptism - Exodus 14 - 15:21
14/4 - Holiness - Exodus 19-32
19/4 - Trials and Perseverance - Exodus 15:21 - 18, 33-40
21/4 - Promised Land / Resurrection Sunday

Last week we stopped in our journey at Mt Sinai and encountered the Holiness of God. The Lord descended on to the top of Mt Sinai in thick cloud, fire and smoke and we saw the photographic evidence of the blackened top of the mountain.

The Law is comprised of the 10 Commandments plus all the others amounting to 613 laws in the Torah 😊 When Israel Folau quoted scripture listing who would not inherit the Kingdom of God, probably each one of us could identify with at least one of the sinners on the list. Someone commented Heaven will be an empty place if that’s the case.

For some the Holiness of God makes them run back into the darkness. But we will press on in our journey to the Promised Land.

In case you didn’t know, the Lord does not promise your life will be easier when you become a Christian. In fact, following Jesus will lead to your Garden of Gethsemane and your Cross. You may find yourself asking “Why?

Going a little farther, he fell to the ground and prayed that if possible the hour might pass from him. “Abba, Father,” he said, “everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.” 
Mark 14:35-36

Let your will be done. These are perhaps the hardest words to say when we face the biggest trials of life. While we are in control it is easy to be at peace but when life is turned upside down, the Promised Land can seem like it was merely a mirage in the desert.

Why was James able to say ?
Dear brothers, is your life full of difficulties and temptations? Then be happy, for when the way is rough, your patience has a chance to grow. So let it grow, and don’t try to squirm out of your problems. For when your patience is finally in full bloom, then you will be ready for anything, strong in character, full and complete. 
James 1:2-4

When something bad happens, the Bible teaches us that God is working for our good and calls us to trust Him;
And God, in his mighty power, will make sure that you get there safely to receive it because you are trusting him. It will be yours in that coming last day for all to see. So be truly glad! There is wonderful joy ahead, even though the going is rough for a while down here. These trials are only to test your faith, to see whether or not it is strong and pure. It is being tested as fire tests gold and purifies it—and your faith is far more precious to God than mere gold; so if your faith remains strong after being tried in the test tube of fiery trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day of his return. 
1 Peter 1:5-7

Happy endings. We all long for them. But life down here is often not like that. Exodus stops short of the 40 year hard slog through the desert. The ending in Exodus has various descriptions of things the Israelites made under God’s instruction that reflected the beauty of Heaven. Amongst it is a description of something the High Priest wore on the chest of his ephod. It was a very beautiful and valuable square design, reminiscent in fact of the materials used in the Heavenly City described in the book of Revelation but obviously with only the earthly materials that the Israelites had taken out of Egypt. It reflects the hope of Heaven that we carry in our hearts.

there were four rows of stones across it. In the first row were a sardius, a topaz, and a carbuncle; in the second row were an emerald, a sapphire, and a diamond. In the third row were a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst. In the fourth row, a beryl, an onyx, and a jasper—all set in gold filigree. The stones were engraved like a seal, with the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. 
Exodus 39:10-14

The city itself was pure, transparent gold like glass! The wall was made of jasper, and was built on twelve layers of foundation stones inlaid with gems: the first layer with jasper; the second with sapphire; the third with chalcedony; the fourth with emerald; the fifth with sardonyx; the sixth layer with sardus; the seventh with chrysolite; the eighth with beryl; the ninth with topaz; the tenth with chrysoprase; the eleventh with jacinth; the twelfth with amethyst.
Revelation 21:18

We can’t always see in the darkest of times that the Lord is weaving something of great beauty into the fabric of our lives. He is clothing us with something beautiful.

"Something beautiful, something good 
All my confusion he understood 
All I had to offer him was brokenness and strife 
But he made something beautiful out of my life."

Everyone was expecting the Messiah to come and rescue them from the Romans. No-one expected that the hero of the story, Jesus, who had only just entered Jerusalem as King as the crowds cheered would be crucified just a few days later at the Passover. And then after his Resurrection would ascend to Heaven leaving the Church to battle through 2 Millenia so far of persecution, trials and temptations before he will finally return. It is exactly as Daniel foretold it would be;

“Know and understand this: From the time the word goes out to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One, the ruler, comes, there will be seven ‘sevens,’ and sixty-two ‘sevens.’ It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench, but in times of trouble. After the sixty-two ‘sevens,’ the Anointed One will be put to death and will have nothing. The people of the ruler who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end will come like a flood: War will continue until the end, and desolations have been decreed. 
Daniel 9:25-26

How is it then that we can endure such sadness, trials and temptations during our lifetimes as we wait for Jesus to return ?

We have to hold on to our final hope that we are not at the end of our story yet and not try to short circuit God’s plan for us by going off down our own way of escape. After Jesus was baptised he was led by the Holy Spirit into the desert for 40 days to be tempted by Satan but he remained perfectly obedient to God. The Israelites were led into the desert but were there 40 years because they grumbled and complained and tested the Lord’s patience.

The purpose of the trials in the desert is so that we will grow in patience more ready to be used by God. He has a great purpose in mind for each one of us. And we are heading for the Promised Land.

In our Red Sea moments of greatest triumph, we can’t anticipate trials ahead even though we realistically should. The athlete spends 99% of his time training and 1% of his time running and winning the Olympic Gold Medal. The majority of life is spent battling for not celebrating victory. It is during these times of trial that God is most able to shape our character. We should rejoice more in the trials than we do.

But to obtain these gifts, you need more than faith; you must also work hard to be good, and even that is not enough. For then you must learn to know God better and discover what he wants you to do. Next, learn to put aside your own desires so that you will become patient and godly, gladly letting God have his way with you. This will make possible the next step, which is for you to enjoy other people and to like them, and finally you will grow to love them deeply. The more you go on in this way, the more you will grow strong spiritually and become fruitful and useful to our Lord Jesus Christ. But anyone who fails to go after these additions to faith is blind indeed, or at least very shortsighted and has forgotten that God delivered him from the old life of sin so that now he can live a strong, good life for the Lord. So, dear brothers, work hard to prove that you really are among those God has called and chosen, and then you will never stumble or fall away. And God will open wide the gates of heaven for you to enter into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
2 Peter 1:5-11

And so after all the victories in Jesus Life and Ministry, he arrives at those final 24 hours of his life in great agony. In the sorrow and hope of that final Communion. At Gethsemane as midnight approached, in the early hours of his trial and condemnation under Pilate, the flogging and finally to be brutally nailed to the Cross, Christ was in mental and physical agony in those final hours of his life.

In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus really suffered sweating blood. It hurts a lot when people you love betray you, reject you, don’t believe you. They all deserted Jesus leaving him totally alone, just like he promised would happen to us. This is an ignored promise of God. Sometimes God goes silent and we need to have faith in the hardest of times.

Gethsemane means oil press. There at Gethsemane, they took the olives from the Mount of Olives and crushed them to produce olive oil. The amount of pressure that Jesus felt, that caused his body to sweat blood was releasing oil for all future generations to help us in our darkest times.

But in the literal and spiritual darkness at the Cross, Jesus was triumphing over Satan.

You were dead in sins, and your sinful desires were not yet cut away. Then he gave you a share in the very life of Christ, for he forgave all your sins, and blotted out the charges proved against you, the list of his commandments which you had not obeyed. He took this list of sins and destroyed it by nailing it to Christ’s cross. In this way God took away Satan’s power to accuse you of sin, and God openly displayed to the whole world Christ’s triumph at the cross where your sins were all taken away. 
Colossians 2:13-15

This is the message of the Gospel. God is the one on the Cross not us. And since God himself has paid the price, what is left to debate after that. Satan has nothing left.

Our faith and Christ’s righteousness. I mentioned my brothers accident last week. Colin had a real faith, he loved Jesus but he also had his struggles which were ultimately what killed him. As I wrestled with that in the few days after he died, I realised that it is not our righteousness that saves us, it is Christ’s. You must have faith and be born again to be saved but no one’s life is perfect. You will never be good enough under the law. Everyone needs the righteousness of Christ and it is the 2 together that saves us (our faith, his righteousness). That is the sure and certain hope that we have and why I now know that Colin is at peace with God.

The temptations in the desert were a step along the way to resisting the Devil at Gethsemane. The Garden of Gethsemane was the preparation for Calvary. Jesus faced his greatest fears in private in prayer. The disciples meanwhile fell asleep when they needed to be praying. Jesus told them to pray lest they fall in temptation. But they didn’t prepare and so they deserted him when the crucial moment arrived. If you want to know how you will face a disaster, consider your prayer life. As for me, this is a major change that is required. I am unprepared liked the disciples in Gethsemane.

In a short period of less than 24 hours, all the disciples hopes of a glorious future were in ashes in apparent defeat, but Jesus was delivering the ultimate surprise victory over all the powers of darkness.

Trials turned to Gold
When we are suffering trials and temptations we can draw strength from Christ;
If you want to keep from becoming fainthearted and weary, think about his patience as sinful men did such terrible things to him. After all, you have never yet struggled against sin and temptation until you sweat great drops of blood. 
Hebrews 12:3-4

When we look at the churches in New Zealand today we see messy church, not a triumphant church. We are a little like the tribes of Israel, with a great history and future but we are a bit of a mess without a common direction.

Anglicans, Presbyterians, Methodists, Catholics, Pentecostals, Baptists, Brethren, Orthodox, Salvation Army, Seventh Day Adventists, Pacific Island, Independents...

If we are to win this war, the tribes must come together and go in the same direction to the Promised Land. If one pulls off, the others get dragged around in circles in the desert while the enemies of God sit on the hills laughing at us.

Only the Lord can do it.

It’s been some Lent this year. There were the shootings in Christchurch. The wedding and funeral of my brother. This week I awoke to the terrible news that the Notre Dame was in flames. Yesterday, the eve of Good Friday, Mhairi heard of changes at work that mean she will probably finish there in the next 3 months. During the week, I recalled the words of Jesus;
“All right,” Jesus replied, “this is the miracle I will do for you: Destroy this sanctuary and in three days I will raise it up!” John 2:19

Jesus can raise a man and even nations from the dead this Easter. Our greatest trial can be turned into it's greatest triumph if we will trust the Lord.

Finally a song that dares us to believe during our darkest times...