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 ?