Bibledoorajar: Leadership

Bibledoorajar is in Dallas this week supporting hundreds of young leaders from fellowships across the Southwest. Young people that willingly spend time doing bulletin boards, scrapbooks, speeches, poems, art mediums, puppeteering, Bible readings, signing for the deaf, song leading, choruses and more, meet to be judged by their elders. It is really quite a production. The events are designed to assist the youth in becoming more comfortable as they think of taking on leadership roles within the Christian community. The hope is that they will desire with all their hearts to continue to be as good attendants to Jesus as Joshua was to Moses. Many have prayed for, encouraged and assisted them in making their presentations possible but each young person has had to meet strict criteria for their age group on their own. May they always be willing to serve Him. One thing is for sure. He is in control and someone will. Below is a picture of the mighty group from our small fellowship. The care and concern that they have for each other makes the heart swell. Each will find out what medal they won in each of their categories when they get back home. Thank you, Lord, for every one of them and for their courage and sacrifice!

"Lord of heaven and earth. Lord of all creation. Lord of heaven and earth. Lord of all creation, of water, earth and sky, the heavens are Your tabernacle; glory to the Lord on high.
 God of wonders beyond our galaxy. You are holy, holy; the universe declares Your majesty. You are holy, holy; Lord of heaven and earth, Lord of heaven and earth...."
                                                     Lyrics by Marc Byrd

Bibledoorajar: About That Name

When the new generation was complete and the old had passed away God looked to Joshua, Mose's attendant to complete the job of leading the unique and now self- contained people into Canaan. It begins the most distinctive part of their life to date----a new generation, out of Egypt entering a completely new realm under new leadership. They have been through the wilderness of sin and trembled at the demands of the Law and have now put their trust in Joshua. This was God's provision--Joshua would lead them in. But first, back up and remember a few things about Joshua before we start that process. The first thing we learn about Joshua was that his name of origin was Hoshea which means salvation. Remember, this is the man who went up to the mountain with Moses to receive the Law and who stayed in position for 40 days and nights without wavering. And when he came down from the mountain with Moses he did not speak badly about the noise he heard with the calf debacle. He expected the best.  Further, he was one of the two spies who believed the land could not only be taken but was excellent and for which they should be striving. This man was going for God! Salvation is a great name but it could lead to the belief that a man could accomplish salvation alone. At any rate, God had Moses change the name to Joshua which, though similar in how it is written in Hebrew, denotes a great difference;  GOD is salvation. If I had been Joshua even though I had believed in strength coming from God I would have felt truly blessed and encouraged by that name change. Moses could already see that Joshua trusted God and now his name would reflect it ever more clearly.
      I once went to a Bible study in a private home in another state. The only people I knew were the hostess and the two sisters with whom I had attended. The brother who was teaching had never met me. At the second meeting the brother referred to me by an attribute that he had sensed. I smiled politely not exactly knowing what to do when just then the two friends spoke up and said that is exactly right---you have her pegged! It was a nice thing to be blessed and encouraged to know that the body has such giftings and that God graces us to share them as He wills. Here's the lesson: if we Christians are going to call names lets at least use the ones that express what God plans to give the body through another rather than concentrate on the weaknesses we all have.

Bibledoorajar: The Attendant Leader

 “Now, My servant Moses is dead.” This is an interesting comment since the Camp had been mourning the death of Moses for thirty days. However, the forward word in the sentence is the “now” or as some translations put it “and”. In other words, God’s work is going to continue on and the man to lead the way is going to be Moses’s attendant or his great supporter, Joshua. The man who had worked alongside Moses was to successfully conclude all that Moses had done before for the people by leading them out of bondage and successfully through the wilderness wanderings.  But NOW, Joshua would lead the people into the land. What a great honor it was for Joshua to carry the people into the promised inheritance. And He was to do it courageously and with great strength bringing the people in according to all the law. “The book of the Law shall not depart out of thy mouth, but thou shall meditate on it day and night” (Joshua 1:7-8). “Do all that my servant Moses commanded”.
There were commandments and requirements. This was still the will of God. Joshua was to magnify the law and lead by it. Remember the people had told Moses that they did not want to talk to God directly. And remember that God had declared that they were right. They could not do it because they did not have a heart for God. They had a terrible weakness and God understood it and He bemoaned the fact that such a heart was not there. But that did not mean that the Law did not stand and that is why God made so many just and holy provisions for the faithful to seek cleanness.

Now. Here we are all these years later and how are we to apply this lesson to our lives in these New Testament times? Well, if you want to understand the importance of the Law, read Galatians. If you want to understand God’s redo for needy people who deserved His wrath read Ephesians. If you want to understand why a great apostle could boast in all his weaknesses read Paul’s testimony (1 Corinthians 11). If you want to read about The Truth becoming apparent in the earth read the book of John. You will find that the grace given by Jesus Christ was not opposite the Law but was complimentary. The law stands but the Leader named Jesus whom God sent understood(stands) the weakness of the human heart. He died to give a new one to all who would believe. This new heart can be recognized by one that appreciates and desires to speak to our Holy Father in all HIs rightness and Law. In our weakness, our new hearts can do all things through Christ who strengthens us.  The triumph of the Gospel lives in the hearts of believers. We serve Him, not in any way we please, but truthfully with joy and gladness because Jesus fulfilled ALL of the Law. Praise God for the Great Attendant of the Law and all that He made possible for you and for me. Every time you have a successful victory over some sin contrary to God’s law you can boast in Him. For every struggle not yet bested you can boast in Him for the privilege and position you have through His grace and mercy. It’s the truth; He is Truth. We take the land with Him and Him alone.

Bibledoorajar: Wait, Just One More Thing

     I cannot let us go into the Land without discussing one more great Levitical ceremony that was given by God. We discussed the Pascal Lamb that took away sin and we discussed the Scapegoat that got away while the other goat paid the price for sin. But God also instituted another great gift when He gave the Levites the responsibility of the slaying of the red heifer. The red heifer was the only female sacrifice in the Levitical system. It is thought that she was selected by God to represent the ability to give life. She had to be perfectly red, eyelashes, nose, hooves, all. If they thought they had bred one but found as little as two non-red hairs, she was not a candidate. This emphasis on red hair and body was so that the dehydrated blood at death could not be easily seen. Further, she could never have been yoked or worked.
     When the heifer was killed for the good of the people, the Levite priests had to take it outside the camp. There the blood was collected and the priest would take the hyssop and soak it in the blood. He would return to camp and sprinkle it before the Tent of Meeting seven times. This obsolved the nation as a whole from guilt. That priest would have to change clothes and clean his body. Another priest would burn the body of the heifer completely until only ashes remained. The ashes would be mixed with water (living) and individuals needing purification would be anointed. The priest would completely dispose of the ashen water outside the camp and would change clothes and clean his body. The priests, having cleaned themselves ,would remain unclean until dark. The death of the heifer, a giver of life, was needed to take away the guilt of sin that destroys individual conscience and that of nations. The historian Josepheus says that no one but Moses really understood the efficaciousness of the red heifer ceremony. It was a mystery. But Jesus makes the mystery known through His death. As He hung on the cross He was able to tell the thief that he would be with Him in Paradise because He hung there until dark and became clean for believers. The thief's guilt was gone. It was a miraculous dark that could not be explained by solar or lunar events. It was the work of God.
     And so, on Sundays when I share the Lord's Supper with my Fellowship, I am also atONEment with the Father who miraculously over time cleans me up and sanctifies me. Do I have regrets about some of my actions in my past? Yes, but I have no guilt because my Saviour saw to it that that would not  happen to His disciples. I can serve the Lord with gladness. My works will not be dead (useless). Hallelujah !!!

For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been defiled sanctify for the cleansing of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?  Hebrews 9:13-14

"GOD MOVES IN A MYSTERIOUS WAY, HIS WONDERS TO PERFORM" 
                                                              William Cowper, 1773