My desk is the kitchen table. The only sounds are the ticking of the two clocks on opposite sides of the room.
My family sleeps soundly in their beds. They have been a sleep a few hours now.
Outside, it is quiet too. I can hear the occasional passing car only between the ticks of the clocks.
Tonight, I wonder.
I wonder about the future. The future of a nation, our friendship, our families, the economy and the church.
Foremost, I said “wonder” not “worry.” There is a difference.
Wonder is where your minds travels to heights and places unknown. It takes glimpse beyond the present condition and finds itself in the world of imagination.
I wonder.
Have you ever wondered?
Tonight, I wonder about one thing, the future. Tomorrow, it will be something else.
Let me tell you why…
Several years ago, a man made a choice. He had the world at his feet, but he still made a choice. He could have done nothing, but he made a sound choice.
His choice would lead him through a world of pain, turmoil, travels, a major life change, and much loss.
It does not sound like a choice many of us would make, but he made it. The story is he made it pretty quickly.
Why did he make the choice that would change the direction of his life so quickly?
Why didn’t he just do nothing and enjoy his life of luxury?
The reason…
…He knew where he came from.
While he might have been enjoying the greatness of an exceptional physical life, he needed more. He knew more.
He had been taught from a young age where his family had lived. He knew of their heritage, their trials, their good times and their bad times. He knew their legacy.
He knew where he wanted to go and who he wanted to be near. He knew the right choice and he made it.
In taking the actions of his decision, he had to leave where he was living, leave his belongings and find a new home in a distant land.
I would imagine he did not understand where he would go, but he had to go. He had to escape. He must.
Years later, this man would reflect on his heritage. He would hear of his legacy. He would understand. It was his turn to bring it all to the right way again.
It was he that would change the course of his people’s history… with a little help.
For the past two weeks you have watched both political parties duke it out in the National Spotlight. Watching the volley of this political tennis match is daunting, but necessary to me. I am concerned with the state of our country and the future of my children from a national standpoint. The Bible is clear that we should pray for our leaders and I am sure people are praying every day. Lately, I have been praying for a leader like Josiah. I believe we need more “Josiah Leadership” than a leadership which pleases the masses.
We need Josiah!
“And he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD and walked in all the way of David his father, and he did not turn aside to the right or to the left.” (2 Kings 22:2; ESV)
While the beginnings of Josiah may not be known to everyone, it should be known that he became king at 8 years old (2 Kings 22.1). A greater point to Josiah’s legacy should be the Biblical fact that he did what was right in the sight of God. (2 Kings 22:2). He lived in the spiritual heritage of his forefather David (2 Kings 22:2). What a powerful statement of heritage because we know that David was a man after God’s own heart. (Acts 13:22)
We Need Leaders to Stand Like Josiah!
“And the king went up to the house of the LORD, and with him all the men of Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem and the priests and the prophets, all the people, both small and great. And he read in their hearing all the words of the Book of the Covenant that had been found in the house of the LORD.” (2 Kings 23:2; ESV)
In the eighteenth year of Josiah’s reign, the book of the Law was found (2 Kings 22:8). Take special notice of Josiah’s emotions when the book of the law was found. (2 Kings 22:11). He knew the history of the nation and how his forefathers were evil in their acts (2 Kings 22:13). As the nation’s leader, He took a stand of dedication to the Lord more than his fathers (2 Kings 23:2-3).
Did you notice that Josiah stood before the people and read the Book of the Covenant? Josiah did; not the priests, not the king’s servants, but the king! We need more leaders reading the Bible instead of talking about the Bible.
We Need a Leader to Stand!
“And the king commanded Hilkiah the high priest and the priests of the second order and the keepers of the threshold to bring out of the temple of the LORD all the vessels made for Baal, for Asherah, and for all the host of heaven. He burned them outside Jerusalem in the fields of the Kidron and carried their ashes to Bethel.” (2 Kings 23:4; ESV)
Here is where Josiah stood: The idols to the false gods from the temple were removed (2 Kings 23:4), the false priests that were ordained were put down (2 Kings 23:5), the wooden image was burned (2 Kings 23:6), the booths of perverts were tore down (2 Kings 23:7), Josiah defiled the place of Molech. (2 Kings 23:10), horses dedicated to the sun were removed, and chariots burned. (2 Kings 23:11) and He commanded the people the people to keep the Passover. (2 Kings 23:21)
We Need Leaders Like Josiah!
“Before him there was no king like him, who turned to the LORD with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his might, according to all the Law of Moses, nor did any like him arise after him.” (2 Kings 23:25; ESV)
We need leaders to take a stand on the ultimate code of law and morality – the Bible. The Psalmist understood the power of following God (Psalm 33:12). Our country needs leaders to read and see what the Bible says about life.
“Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people.” (Proverbs 14:34; ESV)
The Choice Begins with You!
The choice to build dependable leadership is by building dependable people of morality, conviction and truth. Each of us must make the change in our lives to begin changing the world. Are you making the change?
Will you put away false gods? (Those things taking the place of God)
Will you put away from you those false teachers? (Those teaching what God does not want?
A few years ago I ran across a small article on the California Redwood trees that intrigued me. Here is one statement form the article:
“The huge redwood trees in California are considered the largest things on earth and the tallest trees in the world. Some of them are three hundred feet high and over 2,500 years old. One would think that trees so large would have a tremendous root system reaching down hundreds of feet into the earth. The redwoods actually have a very shallow system of roots, but they all intertwine. They are locked to each other. When the storms come or the winds blow, the redwoods stand. They are locked to each other, and they don’t stand alone, for all the trees support and protect each other.”
The church is like the redwood trees; or maybe, better still, the redwood trees are like the church. When the storms of life rage against us, we reach out to one another to help bear the burden of the storm. Like the intertwined roots of a redwood tree, our lives are connected by the Savior, Jesus Christ.
As Christians, we want to follow the pattern of the early church because they were the starting point to where we are as a family. When they met on the first Pentecost after the resurrection of Jesus, they bonded instantly. They saw a need to assist one another as well as continuing in the apostles teaching (Acts 2:42-47).
The early church grew because of the continuation of the early church in the things the apostles taught them and I believe one of those things was the unity of the church. Jesus prayed for unity, because He wants everyone united, but also, because the bond of Christians is what helps us to achieve the peace that passes understanding.
Let us unite together to begin to change the world!
The spiritual life of a Christian is never stagnant; if it is not growing, then it is decreasing. There is no middle ground where a Christian’s spiritual life can remain at one point, there must be movement. This movement is determined by our actions. Peter writes of the spiritual maturing process…
“For this very reason, “make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (2 Peter 1.5-8; ESV)
As a member of the body of Christ, when we are growing spiritually it will naturally affect others. When we grow we begin sharing the burdens of others (Galatians 6.1; Romans 15.1), we edify one another (Hebrews 3.13), we teach others (Titus 2) and we begin sharing the word with others because we cannot help but speak of Jesus (Acts 4.12).
Because our spiritual growth affects others, here is a list below of “Four Marks of a Maturing Congregation” for your consideration.
What would you add to the list?
Four Marks of a Maturing Congregation:
Fellowship – Members know each other outside of Sundays and Wednesday.
Assistance – Because the members are bearing one another’s burdens, have knowledge of each other, and progress towards the same goal, assistance is given without a shocking announcement to the congregation. (Galatians 6.1; Romans 15.1)
Attendance – The numbers game is a difficult one to play with attendance, but a maturing congregation will have high attendance based on membership because people are coming (1) to worship and study God’s word, (2) to edify the brothers and sisters and (3) to continue on their spiritual process of growing closer to God. (Note: Hebrews 10.24-25 – Remember verse 24 is the beginning and reason for verse 25)
Finances – The church in Macedonia gave “beyond their means of their own accord” (2 Corinthians 8.3). The church in Macedonia knew how much they could give and they gave beyond it. I believe this is a sign of maturity because the Macedonians knew there was a greater purpose to finances than physical stuff.
Every Church Needs Knowledgeable Elders – The leadership must not stop growing because they are called leaders, they must continue to grow because they are leaders. (2 Peter 3.18)
Every Church Needs Leading Elders – Leaders need to Lead! Just because a title is gained, leadership does not quit. The continual leading of others to a high plain is vital in the development of their lives. Leader must keep leading!
Every Church Needs Seeking Elders – Leaders need to be actively seeking others to develop and step up to take a leadership role. The development of future leaders is a now concept, it cannot wait until a problem arises. The vision cast by the leader needs to take the team to the next level.
Every Church Needs Prepared Elders – If a leader is actively leading, very few problems within in the congregation explode and cause a major dilemma. As long as the leaders are preparing the church, his work and his future, the situations of the future are being grasped and prepared for as well. Be assured that an active leader is one who is getting to know the team and the goals. He is working with them to seek achievement.
Every Church Needs Loving Elders – Without love, leading is worthless. Yes, you can lead a congregation without loving them, but the results will not be one of greatness. Leading out of love allows the leader to practice the Golden Rule – “Do to others what you want done to you.” Leaders leading out of love find a genuine concern and care for those following them. They are able to reach down and pick them up to the next level because they care about the success of the followers!
The church today needs strong leaders.
The church today also needs the sheep to encourage the shepherds.
When I see him, he is an 85-year-old man looking to the prize set before him. He is standing looking off in the distance and asking for the prize, he was promised 45 years earlier. He says he is as strong now as he was 45 years ago, and I would not test him one bit. His speech is domineering and sincere; he has waited for this day. He has fought battles, wars and people to get here and now he wants what is his.
On this Earth, I will never meet my favorite veteran. He has long since passed, but the words of his life become a beacon for mine. He had a desire so bold and so powerful, he lived up to one of the meanings of his name, “bulldog.” His words bring motivation centuries later; we just need to read them.
His name is the same as my son. In fact, I was insistent that my son have the same name. So, what is his name – Caleb!
Caleb should not just be remembered as the one with Joshua telling the people they could take the land, he should also be remembered as one who obtained his inheritance!
Then the people of Judah came to Joshua at Gilgal. And Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite said to him,
“You know what the LORD said to Moses the man of God in Kadesh-barnea concerning you and me. I was forty years old when Moses the servant of the LORD sent me from Kadesh-barnea to spy out the land, and I brought him word again as it was in my heart. But my brothers who went up with me made the heart of the people melt; yet I wholly followed the LORD my God.
And Moses swore on that day, saying, ‘Surely the land on which your foot has trodden shall be an inheritance for you and your children forever, because you have wholly followed the LORD my God.’ And now, behold, the LORD has kept me alive, just as he said, these forty-five years since the time that the LORD spoke this word to Moses, while Israel walked in the wilderness.
And now, behold, I am this day eighty-five years old. I am still as strong today as I was in the day that Moses sent me; my strength now is as my strength was then, for war and for going and coming. So now give me this hill country of which the LORD spoke on that day, for you heard on that day how the Anakim were there, with great fortified cities. It may be that the LORD will be with me, and I shall drive them out just as the LORD said.”
Then Joshua blessed him, and he gave Hebron to Caleb the son of Jephunneh for an inheritance.
Caleb knew what he wanted, but he knew he must be a man of action. Over 40 years he waited. He walked the wilderness with those who kept him out of the promise land and everyday he waited for his inheritance.
Even while in his elderly age, Caleb wanted the gift, even though he would have to drive out the inhabitants of the land. His faith in God was working each day knowing the promise was ahead. Do you and I have the convictions of Caleb to press on to the prize which is ahead?
Let us remember the words of Paul,
“Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3.12-14; ESV)
Also, remember the words of the Hebrews writer,
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12.1-2; ESV)
Notice the Hebrews writer makes two distinct points: (1) there are weights (things that slow us down) and (2) there are sins. Normally, our focus is on avoiding sins, but what about those things that slow us down? Are there things, circumstances, situations, or choices that are hindering you in your spiritual life?
