CYPRESSWOOD CHURCH OF CHRIST
March 9, 2008
25424 Aldine-Westfield, Spring, TX. 77373
www.geocities.com/adon77373/cypresswoodbulletin.htm
www.cypresswoodchurchofchrist.com
CONTINUE IN PRAYER:
Our congregation Our nation, military and leaders
Various relatives, friends, and co-workers The persecuted church
DON’T FORGET, CLOCKS MOVE AHEAD TODAY, SO IF YOU ARE READING THIS LATE,
YOU ARE LATE FOR THE ASSEMBLY!
STRONG AND COURAGEOUS
“Now Joshua son of Nun was filled with the spirit of wisdom because Moses had laid his hands on him” (Deuteronomy 34:9).
He was a spy and a general. He stood along side his leader for forty years. In battle he was undefeated. He would stand for what was right even when in the minority. Joshua was a man of faith and that can be seen throughout the writings of Moses. When Moses went up Mt. Sinai to meet with God, Joshua waited the forty days at the foot of the mountain. When others prophesied who were not around Moses, Joshua pleaded with Moses to stop them. Joshua led the army in the first battle against the Amalekites in the wilderness and as Israel headed to the promise land at the end of forty years. He was one of two spies who stated that God would give Canaan into Israel’s hands and only one of two men over twenty who would enter the promise land, Caleb being the other.
But something changed. Moses is dead and now Joshua is the leader at the age of eighty. He is now in control of a people who are stubborn and rebellious at times. We know he was courageous before but now it is different. Remember, when we read Joshua, we know what happens. But when Joshua was standing on the east bank of the Jordan River with the nation, the Jordan had not been crossed on dry ground, the walls of Jericho had not yet fallen down, the sun had not stood still, and the Achan affair had not occurred. It is one thing to be given orders by Moses, who had the power of God with him and another to be the one to give orders to that nation.
When leadership changes, it can be a traumatic experience. All types of things can happen. There will be comparisons to the former leader. “Why are you not like him?” Or “why do you not do things the way he did?” Challenges will be made. “He did it this way.” This happens with political leaders like Presidents. Many compare the present or perspective President with someone from the past. The new preacher is compared to the former preacher, and the longer the former was with a congregation, the greater the comparisons; people are use to how he did things. The same could be seen in elderships, business leaders, sports teams, and almost all areas.
Understanding this, God gives encouraging words to Joshua as the new leader of Israel. Even though we know that Joshua was strong and courageous, three times God tells him to be strong and courageous. First, God tells Joshua to be strong and courageous “because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give them” (vs. 6). Joshua is reminded by God that as He was with Moses, so He will be with Joshua in the next step of establishing the nation in the promise land.
Sometimes we forget that God is always with His people. It might be because we become complacent. Things are moving along smoothly, there are no problems, and so we begin to think that all is well. God told Moses that when they entered the promised land, they would be tempted to forget that God had brought them there and had blessed them (see Deuteronomy 8). No wonder that Joshua would read the entire law aloud after they entered the promised land. They needed to be reminded over and over that it is God working through them. We too can forget that God is working in and through us to accomplish His purposes. Sometimes we do not see it. We wonder if God is really active. Others fear the activity of God thinking that by just having the Bible, that is all we need. Prayer becomes a means of obedience but nothing else. We ignore the power of God in His Spirit and depend on human reasoning and tradition. Rather than being dependent on God, we become independent in our own power. We forget what God has done through those who have gone before us.
Secondly, God tells Joshua to be strong and very courageous, being “careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go” (vs. 7). Joshua needed to hear that because he would be challenged in a short period of time by those who ignored the word of God. In chapter seven, after the battle of Jericho, a man named Achan took and hid some of the booty that was meant for God. When a small force of Israelites attacked a little town called Ai, they were defeated. Joshua faced his first challenged and was told by God that there was sin in the camp. Joshua found out that it was Achan who had sinned and he and his family paid with their lives. Israel went on to conquer the land.
Many of us need to be strong and very courageous in the challenges of, to and with the word of God today. Sometimes traditions blind us to the word. We have always had this view or that so it must be scriptural. When someone presents a different interpretation, rather than examine it, we feel threatened and attack the interpreter. There are numerous illustrations of this. I have been attacked because I stated that the word kingdom means rule and not church. N.T. Wright will be challenged with his view of eternity (1). Jim McGuiggan complained once about an article that appeared in a publication that stated that if one did not see Isaiah the way the author saw it, then that person was wrong. Jim did not see it the way the author saw it and thought that it was wrong to make such a condemnation. Unfortunately, far too much of this is happening.
There are other ways in which we are challenged by the word. We might realize that we are not living in a radical way. We might be challenged to help someone, to pray for our enemies, to change our attitude and language, to see that we are more like the older brother of Luke 15 than the prodigal. We might look at our traditions and realize that though one time they were beneficial, they are no longer that way. In all of this, to change, to question, to draw different conclusions means we will have to be strong and very courageous. And there could be a price to be paid for such decisions. Jesus challenged the traditions of the religious leaders who then thought He was crazy and loony, and eventually put Him to death, even though that was God’s plan. Paul likewise face similar challenges and was beat up over the years.
Finally, God tells Joshua to be strong and courageous. “Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go” (vs. 9). Interesting that God mentions fear and discouragement. These are two major problems for leaders. John York states that there are three seasons of ministry: Hope/Enthusiasm, Despair/Cynicism, and Selling Real Estate (2). Dealing with people with different opinions and sometimes stubborn can be difficult and frustrating. Sometimes you have to let things slide by and sometimes you have to stand up. When the day is done, the leader often sits by himself, discouraged by various events and frustrations. While attempting to do what is right and what is best for others, he finds himself the object of ridicule and blame, even betrayed. Rather than trust that others are doing their best, they are seen as trying to change things or to teach things that are not according to the accepted interpretations.
Joshua had a whole nation that was prone to stubbornness and rebellion. He saw it personally in the wilderness when they challenged Moses again and again, wondering why they were in the desert and missing the food of Egypt. Not much has changed over the years. Stubborn people with power want to control others. The attitude of some is it is my way or the highway. I’ve preached moving sermons; after I preached them I moved. Christians become satisfied and do not wish to change. They become comfortable and feel threatened with any new thoughts. While not all are legalistic in this, that certainly has a role to play.
Constant criticism takes it toll on leaders. Moses was so frustrated by this that when God told him to speak to a rock to get water, he struck it with his staff. The water came but Moses paid a price; he was not allowed to enter the promised land for disobeying God. Joshua saw all of this. No wonder God has to tell him to be strong and courageous in the face of fear and discouragement. We all need to hear that.
At the end of his life, after Israel had conquered the land, Joshua offers one more challenge to his people. He states that they need to make a choice; serve idols or serve God. As for his family, they will serve the Lord (chapter 24). Today, we too must make the same choice. But serving the Lord brings with it the struggles of such a decision. Jesus, Paul and others paid heavy prices to serve God. Polycarp at age eighty-four refused to recant Jesus and died in fire. Others leave the comforts of America as missionaries only to face dangers and death, some never returning home. We need to hear the words, be strong and courageous. God is with us. May we bring glory to Him and live in His strength.
George B. Mearns
(1) see N.T. Wright, “Christians Wrong About Heaven, Says Bishop,” www.time.com
(2) John York, “I am With You: Jeremiah 1:4-12,” Leaven, vol. 15, no. 4, p. 178. Preachers who leave the ministry often become insurance salesmen or real estate agents to make money to provide for their families and retirement or end up working in retail to make ends meet.