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Monthly Archive for January, 2008

Chronological Bible Storying

Published

on Thursday, January 31, 2008

. 1 Comment

My friend and mentor, Grant Lovejoy, sent me a link this morning to the new website for Chronological Bible Storying. The website offers the methodology, research, and reports from the field into this powerful way of preaching to oral and indigenous cultures.

According to the website, "Chronological Bible Storying (CBS) is the process of encountering God by telling the stories of the Bible. In CBS we tell Bible stories without interruption or comment and we tell them in the order that they happened in time. Afterward we discuss each story and its significance for our lives. Each story builds on those that came before; as a result, the overarching message of the Bible becomes clear and we discover our own place in God’s story."

The oral nature of communication within many of the people groups of the world is a major motivator for those championing CBS. "Though literacy has developed and spread its reach around the globe, a majority of the world’s people still live day to day by the spoken word, by orality. Some people live by oral communication out of necessity; their language may not have a written form or they may not have acquired literacy in school."

When people live primarily by means of orality, memory becomes a major feature in everyday life. People in oral cultures prefer the familiar and are slow to accept new information, especially when it does not come in a memorable format. Chronological Bible Storying is a way of communicating the truths of Scripture in a format that is both memorable and familiar to the recipients.

The good news is that this format is an effective way of training locals to communicate the gospel. The opportunity for the spread of the gospel is exponential. In a report from South Asia, for example, training in CBS is multiplying its impact. A missionary reports, "The 48 men who have now finished their first year of training say that they are formally training another 553 storytellers. Of these, 439 have 10-15 men and women each to whom they are telling the stories. So every story we teach is perhaps being taught to 5,000 people immediately–most of whom are not yet believers. You can imagine the potential for God’s Word to work in these thousands of lives!"

Other helpful websites on this theme include oralbible.com and wycliffe.org. Chronological Bible Storying is an initiative of the International Mission Board.

Snowflake Prayer

Published

Dr. Lyle Schrag

on Wednesday, January 30, 2008

in Prayer

. 2 Comments

I was intrigued by a comment that I overheard some time ago to the effect that “prior to the age of Sunday School, the most influential instrument used to instruct Christians was Worship.” It was through the liturgy of worship that people learned theology – as they recited the Apostle’s Creed or Nicene Creed from week to week. It was through the liturgy of worship that people learned to read and make sense of the Scripture as it was read, week to week. And, it was through the liturgy of worship that people learned the language of prayer as together they prayed prayers of confession and shared litany’s of request and thanksgiving.

In recent years, as I’ve sensed a decline in Sunday School for adult education, I suspect that we have returned to the place where the burden of instruction is to be found in worship. And that troubles me, especially when it comes to prayer. Too often the prayers I’ve experienced in evangelical worship have not reflected careful thought, nor have they drawn out the voice of God’s people – which only makes me value the treasury of prayer that I’ve been collecting over the years.

Years ago, I began to collect what I discovered to be significant prayers. A significant prayer being one crafted with care, able to give voice to the depth of heart, and one that stimulates even greater expression of prayer as it is prayed again and again and again.

Some of the prayers are quite simple. One that I’ve included in my cycle of daily devotion I discovered in an old tattered used book simply titled Pray by Charles Francis Whiston. It was called the “snowflake” prayer, a title just odd enough to capture my imagination. As Whiston explained, an isolated snowflake melts quickly. But, when joined by other snowflakes over time, a snowflake becomes a glacier – able to carve channels through the hardest rock. It was a way to describe the discipline of prayer, especially commending the practice of using the outline of one prayer as a template for each day. The outline of this prayer has, over time, gained a glacial weight in my life. And, for that reason, I find my self commending it to anyone who wants it. It’s my adaptation:

Gracious Heavenly Father, in obedience to Your claim on my life, I surrender myself to You this day. All that I am, all that I have, to be wholly and unconditionally to You and for Your using. Take me away from myself, and my sinful preoccupation with self, and use me as You will, when You will, and with whom You will. Take away by loving force all that I will not give to You. And help me to know that having been crucified with Christ, I no longer live but that He lives in me, so that the life I love today, I would live by faith in the One who loved me and gave Himself for me. This I pray in His name, and for His sake. Amen

We’re Rich?

Published

Dr. Brian Rapske

on Tuesday, January 29, 2008

in Bible Study and Conversion

. 0 Comments

This Sunday marked the second installment in a four part series that our pastor is preaching through entitled "LO$T." The dollar sign in the title is purposeful. The series is all about the dangers of becoming lost as a result of things and the pursuit of them.

He began with a question, "Why do you have more than you need?" There were a few snickers in the congregation. Many were thinking, "If the pastor only knew how tight things are in our house with finances, he’d know how ludicrous the question is."

What followed was a shock to us all.

The pastor informed us that 92% of the people in the world don’t own a car. Many in our church have one, some two or three cars in the family, and a few have more than that.

He continued that a billion people don’t have access to clean water. We not only have drinkable water from the tap, we make it more pure by filtering it. We bathe in drinkable water and sprinkle it on our lawns and go to community centers and other facilities to play in it.

800 million people won’t eat today and 300 million of them are kids. I have a weight problem. All talk of metabolism aside, its because I eat too much. I’m not alone by a long shot.

"The bottom billion plus people in the world live on less than $1 a day." our pastor said. He then took us for a quick visit to www.globalrichlist.com. You can put your annual wage into a box to get an automatic calculation of what percentile of the population you fall within and how many people have a wage below yours in the world. An annual wage of $37,500 puts you in the top 5% of the richest people in the world. What we call a low wage and "poverty line" earnings, when scaled this way, is very sobering.

As the pastor brought the message to a conclusion, he invited us to reconsider the question with which he began. His answer to us was this, "The reason we have more than we need is so we can share with those who are in need."

So we are rich beyond the rest of the world’s wildest dreams and imaginations.

Luke 19:1-10 does make it clear that people can be lost when it comes to accumulating stuff. Getting saved, this passage teaches, should reach right down to the depths of my bank book and not just my soul. It was a great sermon: What does "saved" look like for me?

Church Talk: Discerning New Ministry Leaders

Published

Dr. Larry Perkins

on Friday, January 25, 2008

in ChurchTalk, Leadership and Seminary

. 0 Comments

In 2007 Amal Henein and Francoise Morissette published Made in Canada Leadership. Wisdom from the Nation’s Best and Brightest on Leadership Practice and Development. They argue that "in each of us rests the potential for leadership, but the response and measure depend on us….We are all called to lead"(58). They discovered that parental influence and leadership identity are linked. Parents can model what leadership looks like — making it visible for their children.

They also discovered the some "have a passion and disposition for leadership early on", but in contrast some individuals "stumble upon leadership by accident"(61). Those who enter leadership by accident tend to be reluctant participants, but, motivated by a desire to serve, they step forward, often when things are in crisis and no one else is willing to do it. The innate leader, however, instinctually grasps leadership opportunities. Over time both kinds of experience result in effective leadership.

What I found surprising is that two thirds of current leaders placed themselves in the accidental category and only one third in the innate group.

I think their results have significant implications for our understanding of ministry leadership development in the church. Every believer is called by God to exercise influence for the Gospel, i.e. to be a leader. The Holy Spirit within us empowers us to grasp and accomplish this leadership. Some will exercise leadership in the church as pastors or missionaries or youth directors. Others will express a quieter leadership, mentoring others one on one, parenting their families, leading a small group, being responsible for maintaining good facilities — there are countless ways.

What we need to grasp is that ‘accidental leaders’ must learn "to see themselves as leaders through others’ eyes first"(64). Someone else has to awaken them to their potential and encourage them to try. "For accidentals the challenge is to turn leadership on"(67). If this dynamic is operative within the church setting, then ministry leaders need to understand this reality. If we only respond to innate leaders, those with a surging creativity to express leadership, then we run the risk of ignoring 66% of the potential, gifted leaders that God has placed within the body of Christ, the accidental leaders.

How then do we create the right conditions so that the majority of people who fit the accidental leader category will have the opportunity to respond to God’s calling in their lives? Plainly we have to help them discern their leadership potential, be encouraged to step out and test their ability, and be there to support them in their first tentative steps. We have to help them "see themselves as leaders."

I would suggest that we have a huge untapped resource of potential leadership capacity in our churches because we are quite unaware of the accidental/innate leadership distinction. What could you do within your sphere of ministry leadership to help accidental leaders emerge and discover their potential?

Uneasy with Evangelism

Published

Mr. Mark Naylor

on Thursday, January 17, 2008

in Cultural Issues, Evangelism and Missiology

. 0 Comments

It feels impolite and invasive to challenge someone on a personal level

I am uncomfortable with direct methods of evangelism that early on present the hearer with an invitation to accept Christ as Lord and Savior. Part of my unease has to do with my Canadian upbringing. It feels impolite and invasive to challenge someone on a personal level in our cultural context. While my attitude cannot be used as an excuse not to give people the opportunity to become followers of Christ – and many people have become believers because of the “forwardness” of faithful disciples – nonetheless other approaches may be more conducive to certain segments of the Canadian population. Much evangelism training encourages people to becoming bold in calling others to commitment, but perhaps the assumption of an early and direct gospel invitation behind such methods needs to be questioned.

One missiological concern is that while cultural norms do not pre-empt the Great Commission, they need to be taken into account so that the stumbling block of the gospel remains the cross, and not methodologies that may push people away, rather than attract them to salvation in Christ. The currently running Mr. Sub commercial of the two young “missionaries” presenting their message to a young woman at her home is amusing, but also includes a certain “cringe factor” as I listen to the canned approach.

A further concern is that the majority of evangelical approaches with their early presentation of a gospel challenge are geared towards those ready to make a faith profession. While appropriate for some people – as we hear from stories about responses to such programs – to others it feels like manipulation or a proposal given outside of the context of relationship. For these people such an approach may work as an inoculation against the gospel, indicating that a less direct approach could be more effective in the long run.

However, the main reason I feel uncomfortable with direct methods of evangelism is that an early call to faith can undermine the significance of the commitment. A commitment to Christ is analogous to that of marriage (cf. Paul’s admonition to husbands in Eph 5:25-33). I have made two life long vows: one to my wife, and one to my Lord. What we are seeking from people in evangelism is a commitment to Christ on a level with the commitment a person makes to their life partner. If a call to salvation in Christ can be considered on the level of a proposal to a future spouse, then one has to make that presentation when the time is right and in a way that validates the importance of the decision (cf. Jesus’ caution to “count the cost” in Lu 14:25-30).

A commitment to Christ is analogous to that of marriage

In our culture the validity and impact of a marriage proposal is dependent upon a pre-existing close personal relationship; the relationship does not occur because of the proposal but is an important step in the development of the relationship. The courting relationship could last years, the proposal, one evening. Furthermore, a proposal made too early in the relationship could destroy it. In the same way, perhaps we need to think in terms of helping people develop a relationship with Christ before commitment. If we do not help people understand how Jesus is relevant to life, alleviate their misunderstandings, work through their hurts, etc., a proposal to commitment could be misrepresented as a call to religious conformity and control rather than a relationship of joy and release.

help people develop a relationship with Christ BEFORE commitment

My intention is not to disparage direct means of evangelism. There are many people who have come to Christ because of such an approach. At the same time, there are others in our lives resistant to the gospel who need time and patience to work through their perspectives of Jesus and how the meaning to life is found in him. Rather than calling them to commitment, our role is to walk with them in their spiritual journey until their attraction to Jesus matures, so much so that a proposal is not only fitting, but unavoidable.

Does this thinking make sense to you? If so, consider the merits of the SISI system with its focus on learning how to engage others in significant conversations that will bring them into contact with the Kingdom of God.

A New Year and a New Web Look

Published

Mr. Loren Warkentin

on Tuesday, January 15, 2008

in Website 101

. 0 Comments

You may have noticed the new look to the Northwest website this month. Over the past several months I have been testing a number of new possibilities for our site in order to make it more friendly to navigate, more functional in terms of accessing the information and resources we provide here and hopefully more aesthetically pleasing. I did this by adding some "plugins" and changing the "theme" we were using in WordPress. I have already written a couple of articles on what a church can use for their web site and this is another to continue discussing the web publishing platform - WordPress.

One of the exciting features of using a platform like WordPress for any web site is how customizable WordPress is. WordPress has been designed so that third parties can provide add-on features to make a website look just the way one wants it and do exactly what one wants it to do. This is done through "themes" and "plugins". Here are some ideas for your site:

Themes

There are hundreds of themes that have been developed for WordPress by third parties. Many of them are free to use or to customize to your own liking. If you are interested, the WordPress website features a page where you can view or download and test hundreds of themes in virtually any configuration one can imagine. (click here to go to that site). Most of these themes require very little additional customization other than to change some graphics or logos etc.

Some themes, however, provide a greater extensibility to WordPress itself - offering the web developer many more options for customization. One of these is a theme called K2. This is what I use here on the Northwest. site. Here are some of the advantages of using K2: (view the K2 "About" page)

K2 Advantages

One can develop one’s own style. The K2 theme provides a way to style the site without having to tamper with any of the original coding.
K2 comes with its own sidebar manager which I am using here. It allows for considerable flexibility. A number of other plugins provide sidebar modules that work well in the K2 sidebar system.
K2 comes with prepackaged support for a number of popular plugins.
On the K2 "About" page there is a whole list of features that I won’t duplicate here.

K2 Resources

Here are a few links to sites with resources to work with the K2 theme

The main K2 site. From here you can download the K2 theme.
The K2 support forum
The K2 documentation wiki (lots of good information here)

Plugins

In an upcoming article I will tackle the subject of WordPress and plugins.

Of Family Pilgrimage and God’s Faithfulness

Published

Dr. Brian Rapske

on Friday, January 11, 2008

in Bible Study, Discipleship, Faith and Marriage

. 0 Comments

Over the Christmas holiday, Rita and I received a long distance call from our eldest daughter Trish in Aberdeen, Scotland . With great excitement she announced, "Pete and I are engaged!"

The journey to this moment of family joy has been nothing if not exciting and a challenge to faith.

From their very earliest years, we as parents have tried our best to nurture Trish and her sister Jenn in the faith. Part of that nurture and instruction was the gentle but insistent reminder that best marriages are made where Christ is truly at the center. They should have an eye out for that "good Christian boy."

In 1987, our family went to Aberdeen Scotland where I pursued my PhD. It was, we were convinced, "The Lord’s will for us." We were there for five years. While the doctoral studies were rigorous and demanding, our experience of church family, neighbourhood, school and friends was idyllic.

In 1992, I returned to Canada a "Doctor of Philosophy" with a much grown up family. We celebrated God’s goodness and the family’s achievement and began the process of taking next steps.

Then came the troubles.

There were many difficulties in settling down in Vancouver for each of us: unusual challenges at church, deep troubles for the girls at school and in relationships, mounting tensions at home. We began to wonder whether Aberdeen, notwithstanding its success and many dear friendships, was a reason why things were not going well. If you do what you believe in your heart is God’s good pleasure, shouldn’t things go well?

Had Aberdeen been a mistake?

The road from that place to the present has on many occasions tested Rita’s and my believe in God’s goodness and his oversight through and against crises of various kinds as we careened forward in the haze. How could God be working in what we were seeing and experiencing? I wondered whether this was how Abraham felt, and Joseph, in their troubled times.

Today, I’m standing at a peculiarly high vantage point looking back. Had someone said when we left Scotland that Trish would return some 15 years later and discover the "good Christian boy" of her (and our!) dreams, I would not have believed it. Yet, after taking a course in London this past summer, she did return to Aberdeen, Scotland. She stayed with her friends Morven and Joanna (I remember the Sunday when the three of them each gave their testimony and were baptized). She met Peter, another "preacher’s kid" with stories to tell, who had, like her, come through pain in pilgrimage to a place of renewed commitment and love for Christ.

Pete’s a wonderful fellow and will make a great husband for Trish and a delightful brother- and son-in-law.

The view that I have just now through the rolling clouds is a gracious gift from God. It seems to me to be something like the view Joseph had as he stood with his brothers humbled before him and second in power only to the Pharaoh of Egypt. From his vantage point, Joseph, reflecting upon the pain and trouble of his life, could say, "God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives." (Genesis 50:20)

As I turn to look ahead into the New Year, it is with a prayer. "Lord, help me to entrust myself to You and to believe in the reality of Your mysterious working as I go forward. Fortify me in the memory of this glorious view from the height."

User Friendly Bibles: When Titles Mislead

Published

Mr. Mark Naylor

on Thursday, January 10, 2008

in Bible, Hermeneutics, Missiology and Translation Issues

. 0 Comments

section headings … can be misleading

I like section headings in Bible translation. They are not part of the original text, but added by the translation team to assist the reader in three ways: “1. to help those already familiar with the Bible to find a passage they know; 2. to help those unfamiliar with the Bible to assimilate the text; 3. to help every reader by breaking up what could otherwise be forbiddingly large slabs of print.” (1) But there are times when the insertion of section headings into a passage of scripture can be misleading. Even when the title itself may be accurate in its identification of the passage, the focus of the message may be distorted. (2) Furthermore the placement of some titles can actually undermine the structural unity and continuity of thought because the presence of the section heading communicates to the reader that the passage before the break is, in some way, disconnected from the passage under the heading and therefore is a “stand alone” passage with a unique message.

the section headings actually disguised, rather than illuminated the overall meaning of the passage

During my trip to Pakistan for Bible translation at the end of 2007, I was involved with a small team of translators and helpers who were reviewing a translation of the New Testament in the Sindhi language. In our study of the Sermon on the Mount we found a number of places where section headings actually detracted from the flow of the passage and obscured the meaning….

Read the rest of this entry in Cross Cultural Impact # 58

A New Principal at ACTS Seminaries

Published

Mr. Loren Warkentin

on Wednesday, January 9, 2008

in ACTS Seminaries and Leadership

. 0 Comments

Northwest is a founding member of a consortium of six evangelical, denominational seminaries called ACTS Seminaries. Together, these six seminaries, form the graduate theological division of Trinity Western University.

Tuesday’s chapel saw the inauguration service for our new principal here at ACTS Seminaries. Dr. Ron Toews was officially inaugurated as the second principal of ACTS Seminaries and the Associate Vice-President of Graduate Theological Studies for Trinity Western University. There were a number of special guests and friends who attended.

Photo Gallery

^{Click on the first thumbnail in the gallery above to view photos of the inauguration celebration. There are [Prev] and [Next] tags embedded into each photo - click those tags [or press P(rev) or N(ext) ] to view the photos. There is a description of each photo at the bottom.}

Church Board Talk: Productive Behaviour

Published

Dr. Larry Perkins

on Tuesday, January 8, 2008

in Board, BoardTalk and Church

. 0 Comments

Behaviour will often make the difference between just being a church board member and being a productive church board member. People may know the rules about playing volleyball and participate in the game, but without passion, concentration, commitment and desire to work collaboratively, they will rarely excel and be productive with the team. Similarly a church board member may know the board rules, attend the meetings, and contribute occasionally, but this does not translate into productivity. To be a positive and constructive influence in the development of a local church requires each church board member to understand and adopt intentionally the behaviour that marks a productive church board member. Let’s consider three behaviours that will help any person become a productive church board member.

1. Enthusiastic and engaged: church board members serve primarily as volunteers. Time given to church board activities becomes part of their stewardship, a gift given generously. Many other responsibilities crowd the time available and often church board members face significant challenges to remain enthusiastic and engaged. Making time to read material before a board meeting, keep in touch with church life, educate oneself about board work requires commitment, an energetic giving of self. Being prepared for each church board meeting takes time and effort, but the results will be productive because good questions are asked, consensus is achieved, and the mission of the local church is advanced. Joy flows in the midst of such worshipful work. The church board chair and lead pastor together bear responsibility to encourage each church board member to remain enthusiastic and engaged in the church board’s work.

2. Generating goodwill: church board members are key promoters of the church’s mission and vision. They have many opportunities to speak discretely about the significance of the church’s work and build a positive ethos within the church body. A dispirited, cranky church board member can be a serious hindrance when he or she discloses concerns to the body in general, rather than seeking effective resolution within the church board context. Church board members function as primary advocates for the mission and vision of the church. When a church board member is asked about a sensitive issue, she or he can respond by saying "the Board is handling this and it will soon be resolved," without revealing confidential information. Church board business must be dealt with within the context of the church board meeting and the behaviour of church board members in supporting this principle is very important.

3. Committed to building consensus: each church board member contributes a unique set of gifts, experience, professional competence, and spiritual wisdom. The chair has the significant responsibility to ensure that each member is contributing to discussions through questions, stating opinions, and careful listening. But at the end of the day, some decision will be required. Productive church board members participate with a view to achieving consensus. As discussion proceeds they are praying for the Spirit’s wisdom, they are considering creative solutions to challenges expressed, they are evaluating the proposal carefully in the light of the church’s mission, values and vision, and they are checking for potential conflicts of interest within their own context. Consensus is not compromise; it is achieving a decision that clearly is in the best interests of the church and the Gospel it represents.

Productive church board members know how to behave so that their participation enables the church board to conduct its work effectively, efficiently, and worshipfully.

A Challenge for 2008

Published

Mr. Loren Warkentin

on Monday, January 7, 2008

in 2008 Challenge, Bible Study and New Year

. 4 Comments

I would like to present you with a tough but exciting challenge for 2008 . . . but let me back up a little!

This past two months I have been somewhat restricted in my activities because of a ruptured achilles tendon. After 4 weeks in a fiberglass cast and now another almost 4 weeks in a cast boot I am still using crutches to get around and spending much of my time with my foot propped up on a pile of cushions. At first it was a bit of an adventure to have family and colleagues helping me with such basic things as opening doors or carrying a cup of coffee. But the adventure aspect wore off quickly and I found myself in a complaining mode. I didn’t complain to God openly but in my heart there were the sulky "why" questions - you know what I mean!

I tell you this for two reasons. First, because I have been so restricted I have found myself with much free time on my hands with only a few options available for filling those hours. So I have been taking some of my own advice (found here) and have spent considerable time reading and re-reading the book of Hebrews - aloud. Secondly, the personal result of that exercise has been for me to come to view my torn achilles as a blessing and not a curse. For the past few weeks I have been soaking in the wonder of who Jesus is and what he has done for me (for us). Normally I find I can fill my hours with so many good things that I rarely take the time to meditate on the Word in any more than a passing attempt. Lately I have been "allowed" all the time I need and that has been a blessing.

So back to the challenge for 2008! I would like to encourage you to carve out the time and space necessary and read the book of Hebrews 12 times this year - once a month - and read it aloud. The ideal would be to read it in its entirety in one sitting but if you cannot do that break it into two or three chunks and read it that way. Here is what I would encourage you to do:

Make 2008 a year of coming to know Jesus better. Many years ago when I was a young student at Prairie Bible Institute a visiting speaker, Dr. J. Sidlow Baxter, encouraged us to read the Gospels "pictographically" - in other words with the express purpose of seeing Jesus as the gospelers pictured him. That is the challenge I pass on to you - read Hebrews pictographically - with a view to seeing Jesus anew. The writer to the Hebrews himself speaks of Jesus in this way. In 2:9 he writes, "But we see Jesus…" In 3:1 he enjoins his readers to "…fix your thoughts on Jesus…" and in 12:2 he exhorts, "Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith…" Jesus is the centrepiece of Hebrews. My prayer for you is that you will come to see him afresh this coming year - that you will rejoice in the wonder of who your Savior is, what he has accomplished for you and who you are because of him.
Take your time - don’t hurry. Allow the writer’s passion for Jesus to permeate your soul.
Read expressively. Try to read Hebrews the way the writer intended it to be read. At first you may not find reading aloud the most comfortable thing to do - but try it - I believe you will like it!
Notice how Hebrews weaves a wonderful tapestry of descriptions of Jesus’ person and work, exhortations to live fully in what Jesus has provided, cautions that we not take lightly this marvelous salvation and examples of others - both faith-filled and faith-less.
Don’t give up! This is not an easy challenge - but you will find it very worthwhile!

As the year progresses share with me and other readers of this blog what you have seen. Feel free to add comments to this post. Return here throughout the year and encourage and be encouraged - that is what the writer of Hebrews tells us to do.

But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. (3:13)

…let us encourage one another - and all the more as you see the Day approaching. (10:25)

I will place a 2008 Challenge link in the sidebar (under Special Topics) so that you can return here easily. May God richly bless you this year and may you daily rejoice in the wonder of this Hebrews benediction:

May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

God’s New Year

Published

Dr. Larry Perkins

on Wednesday, January 2, 2008

in God's Power and New Year

. 0 Comments

When God led Israel out of Egypt, he told them to change their calendars. Their year would now begin in the month when the last plague occurred, when Israel experienced Passover, and when Israel left Egypt. In Exodus 12:1 we read "This month is to be for you the first month, the first month of your year." In the days and months that followed Israel witnessed the miracle at the Red Sea, the provision of food and water, victory over the Amalekites, and God’s revelation of His covenant at Sinai. What a year! It was God’s new year for Israel.

As Moses led Israel in celebrating and praising God for some of these wonders, they affirmed, "In your unfailing love you will lead the people you have redeemed" (Exodus 15:13). God drew the map for Israel to follow and provided the navigational aids so they would not get lost. They might have preferred different latitude and longitude, a speedier schedule, less arduous terrain or a safer route. Sometimes they failed to discern God’s "unfailing love" as the journey unfolded. Fear, anxiety, doubt, and anger characterized their response when their water supply was running out in wilderness, when starvation seemed imminent, and when hostile forces attacked. Instead of seeing God’s love in these circumstances, they saw a threat by God to destroy them! In Exodus 16:3 they claimed that Moses, God’s representative, has led them into this wilderness "to starve this entire assembly to death." This was only two or three weeks after their celebratory confession expressed in Exodus 15:13. God’s new year did not unfold in accordance with Israel’s expectations. Yet, at the end of the day, they have water, they have food, they are preserved from their enemies, and they met God at Sinai! Incredible challenges still faced the Israelites, but God demonstrated His complete faithfulness.

What will God’s new year, the year of 2008, hold for His people? It is beginning with rather ominous news — violence, riots, economic recession, threats of nuclear war, imminent ecological disaster, risk of pandemics, rising cost of oil. Will we experience God’s unfailing love in the midst of such dire circumstances? Will we be willing and able to discern God’s unfailing love in all that we experience? Who will explain for us how God is at work? How patient will we be in allowing God to set the timetable? When difficult things happen, how quickly will we begin to complain or become angry with God?

After God led Israel into Canaan and as Joshua was preparing to die, he could look back on all that Israel had experienced and confess "every promise has been fulfilled; not one has failed" (Joshua 23:14). We can enter God’s new year of 2008 with the same confidence. We know that God’s "goodness and mercy will follow us all the days of our life" (Psalm 23:6). May His Holy Spirit enable us to perceive His goodness and rejoice in His mercy, i.e. His unfailing love. May you know and experience this kind of confidence in God in 2008.

Northwest Baptist Seminary

Articles by Northwest
Faculty & Staff

Monthly Archive for January, 2008

Chronological Bible Storying

Snowflake Prayer

We’re Rich?

Church Talk: Discerning New Ministry Leaders

Uneasy with Evangelism