A DYNAMIC YOUNG LEADER

Reading II Chronicles 34 is a delightful change from its surrounding chapters because it finally presents a king of Judah who was thoroughly faithful to God! His name was Josiah and he became king when he was twelve years old.  Although it doesn’t say so, he was surely mentored by the priests.

When he had been king for eight years – he was still only a teenager – he began to seek the God of David his ancestor. [v.1]

Four years later, the twelfth year of his reign, he set out to cleanse the neighborhood of sex-and-religion shrines, and get rid of the sacred Asherah groves and the god and goddess figurines, whether carved or cast, from Judah. He wrecked the Baal shrines, tore down the altars connected with them, and scattered the debris and ashes over the graves of those who had worshiped at them. He burned the bones of the priests on the same altars they had used when alive. He scrubbed the place clean, Judah and Jerusalem, clean inside and out. [vs4-5]

Then he turned his attention toward the Temple and had it cleaned out of all its profane false gods and offensive items! His cleansing of the nation extended not only throughut Jerusalem but to the other cities of Judah!

Throughout Israel he demolished the altars and Asherah groves, pulverized the god and goddess figures, chopped up the neighborhood shrines into firewood. [v.7]

It was at this point that the men working on The Temple found the Book of God’s Revelation! It was brought to Josiah and as his servant began reading it to him – he ripped his robes in dismay. [v.19]

He immediately sought prayer from his associates who consulted the prophetess, Huldah,, to see what the king should do. 

It’s always interesting to me that God was willing to use female prophets in the Old Testament, yet some question the use of female pastors today.

Her immediate response was to remind them of how angry God was with the people of Israel and Judah because of their horribly offensive turning to other gods!  She reminds Josiah’s messengers that God had already pronounced judgment against His people for their chronic sinfulness.

Then she proceeded with a message specifically for Josiah:

 “And also tell the king of Judah, since he sent you to ask God for direction, God’s comment on what he read in the book: ‘Because you took seriously the doom of judgment I spoke against this place and people, and because you responded in humble repentance, tearing your robe in dismay and weeping before me, I’m taking you seriously. God’s word. I’ll take care of you; you’ll have a quiet death and be buried in peace. You won’t be around to see the doom that I’m going to bring upon this place and people.’” [vs.26-28]

The chapter ends with the following:

Josiah did a thorough job of cleaning up the pollution that had spread throughout Israelite territory and got everyone started fresh again, serving and worshiping their God. All through Josiah’s life the people kept to the straight and narrow, obediently following God, the God of their ancestors. [v.33]

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I keep reporting a truth that Christian teachers need to incorporate into the closing of their lessons!

We must always end our lessons asking our students what we can learn from what we’ve studied today!  This is essential! What’s the value of knowing all of the details of the Bible unless we unpack its meaning for us TODAY?

I’ve had many good teachers in the churches that I’ve served, but few who understood this principle!

 

WHAT CAN WE LEARN FROM II Chronicles 34?  Some suggestions:

·         Young people need mentoring if we hope for them to turn out healthy, balanced and with good perspective!

·         Maintaining a strong, consistent, meaningful relationship with God assures us of His presence and blessing on our lives!

·         Surrounding ourselves with wise, godly, faithful advisors assures us of a worthy legacy!

·         Godly advisors [even female] can be God’s way of directing our path and assuring us of His continuing presence!

·         Our spiritual impact is larger than we realize! God used Josiah’s innocence to direct the soul of the whole nation of Judah!

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Kind and gracious God,

Father, Son and Holy Spirit:

Thank You for Your faithfulness in watching over us!

 

For those of us who had godly direction in our younger years – WE ARE SO GRATEFUL!

 

For those who did not have that direction – but still found Your Way,

WE ARE SO GRATEFUL THAT YOU ARE THE HOUND OF HEAVEN

AND SOUGHT THEM OUT TO ENJOY ALL OF YOUR BENEFITS!

 

Give us the wisdom to seek out models – like that of Josiah –

to order up our lives in ways that will be pleasing to You!

 

Magnify our witness on Your behalf so that others may be directed – by our example –

to Your great and marvelous grace! We SO want to be a fruitful branch!

 

Above all:

Help us to live honorably before You 24/7/365!

We don’t want a record spotted by inconsistency and periods of back-sliding!

 

Give us the wisdom to seek You daily – even hourly!

To let our light shine persistently!

 

Day by day, dear Lord,
of thee three things I pray;
to see thee more clearly,
to love thee more dearly,
to follow thee more nearly,
day by day.

 

AMEN!

A SECOND LOOK AT JACOB’S DREAM!

I have written about angels before. I’ve been mildly fascinated by the role they have played in scripture from the very beginning.  It’s clear that they were already in existence when God created the world because after Adam and Eve were expelled from the Garden of Eden, God drove the man out; and at the east of the garden of Eden He stationed the cherubim and the flaming sword which turned every direction to guard the way to the tree of life [Genesis 3:24 NASB].

Since childhood I wondered about this:

·         Why just the east side?

·         How is one angel going to guard an entire garden?

·         Where is the garden of Eden today?

Sorry! I still can’t answer all of the questions about this passage, but I can help a little.

The word used in the Hebrew language is transliterated ‘kerubim’ [ כְּרוּבִים], and it is the plural form of the word ‘kerub’. So, for our understanding: God appointed many angelic beings to guard the garden’s eastern side. It is possible that the western side didn’t have to be guarded since it was likely bordered by the Mediterranean Sea.

But that’s not why I decided to start writing about angels. 🤭

They make many appearances throughout scripture and all of them deserve to be consulted for a full understanding. But that’s not my purpose today, either.  🤭

So, what are we going to look at today, Hal?

Good question! 

I was fascinated today while reading the II Chronicles account of Hezekiah’s kingship over Judah [the southern kingdom]. He was a good king!

He reopened The Temple of God, had it thoroughly cleaned out of obscene and evil items and then reopened it for worship. He renewed the worship of God and the observation of Passover – which no one living could remember celebrating!!!! 

God was pleased with Hezekiah.

However, sometime later, the king of Assyria – Sennacherib – decided to attack Judah!

By the way, the more observant readers may wonder if his name included the Hebrew word kerub. It did not! His name is a given name in the Assyrian language, and it means: ‘sin multiplied brothers’.

Sennacherib was arrogant, mean-spirited and bullyish! He mocked Hezekiah and sent his men daily to harass the people of Jerusalem by standing at the wall and hurling threats and insults at them. 

Hezekiah rallied the people, saying, “Be strong! Take courage! Don’t be intimidated by the king of Assyria and his troops—there are more on our side than on their side. He only has a bunch of mere men; we have our God to help us and fight for us!” [II Chronicles 32:7-8™ All references from The Message Bible unless otherwise noted.]

Sennacherib also mocked Yahweh! 

Do you have any idea what I and my ancestors have done to all the countries around here? Has there been a single god anywhere strong enough to stand up against me? Can you name one god among all the nations that either I or my ancestors have ravaged that so much as lifted a finger against me? So what makes you think you’ll make out any better with your god? Don’t let Hezekiah fool you; don’t let him get by with his barefaced lies; don’t trust him. No god of any country or kingdom ever has been one bit of help against me or my ancestors—what kind of odds does that give your god?” [vs.13-15]

King Hezekiah responded to this and Sennacherib’s other threats:

 King Hezekiah, joined by the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz, responded by praying, calling up to heaven [v.20].

Hezekiah decided not to talk to Sennacherib, but rather, to talk to God!

Do you know ‘the rest of the story’?

God answered by sending an angel who wiped out everyone in the Assyrian camp, both warriors and officers. Sennacherib was forced to return home in disgrace, tail between his legs. When he went into the temple of his god, his own sons killed him.

Notice that God sent “an angel”.  It only took one angel to defeat ALL of Sennacherib’s army!  One angel! 

This is what triggered my thoughts to write today.  I was reminded of reading [back in the winter] about Jacob’s dream in Genesis 28:10-12 [NASB]:

Then Jacob departed from Beersheba and went toward Haran. He came to a certain place and spent the night there, because the sun had set; and he took one of the stones of the place and put it under his head, and lay down in that place. He had a dream, and behold, a ladder was set on the earth with its top reaching to heaven; and behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it.

For the first time, I saw those final words – and they impacted me! 

Jacob saw a vision of the entrance from earth to Heaven and he observed angels ASCENDING AND DESCENDING!!!!

It occurred to me that this was just a common night while Jacob was sleeping. Yet there was traffic on that ladder [or stairway].  Could this be a glimpse of the constant response by God to the prayers of His people on earth!

We pray.  God listens.  God responds by sending His angels to assist us in whatever situation we find ourselves in!

If nothing else, it’s an interesting way to view this passage from God’s Word. 

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AN AFTERTHOUGHT:

If you’d like to read of the night that I spoke with my guardian angel, follow this link:

Hal-lelujah!: HAVE YOU EVER TALKED WITH AN ANGEL?

GOD RESPONDS TO EVIL LEADERS

I Chronicles gives the report on a very evil king of Judah [the southern kingdom]. His name was Ahaz and he was twenty when he became king. His father, Jotham, had been a weak leader who tried to do right and accomplished some things of significance, but he failed to restrain or impact the people who pushed right on in their lives of corruption. [II Chronicles 27:2 ™]. However, In God’s eyes he lived a good life… [II Chronicles 27:2  -  All quotes from The Message Bible unless otherwise noted].

A REMINDER:

Leaders bear responsibility for all who are under their influence! And God sees it all!  And sometimes, God responds! 

This is true for leaders at ALL levels: presidents, ambassadors, chairpersons, foremen, superintendents, pastors, executives, and even group leaders.  When we step into a role that impacts other people’s lives directly, we are held to a higher standard.

 II Chronicles 28:1 reports: He (Ahaz) didn’t live right in the eyes of God. His bad choices include:

ü  Casting metal figurines for worshipping the pagan Baal gods

ü  Burning incense inappropriately

ü  “passing his sons through the fire, a truly abominable thing he picked up from the pagans GOD had earlier thrown out of the country [v.3].

ü  He also joined in the activities of the neighborhood sex-and-religion shrines that flourished all over the place

God saw all of this and responded by allowing the king of Aram to beat Ahaz’s forces badly – taking many prisoners back to Damascus. This defeat caused the king of Israel [northern kingdom] to also attack Judah. Their armies killed 120,000 Judeans in one day all of them first-class soldiers, and all because they had deserted GOD [v.6]. In addition, Ahaz’s son, also the palace steward and the king’s second in command were killed! Then, to add insult to injury, the Israelites carried off 200,000 men, women and children along with cartloads of plunder!

But – as we said earlier – God sees it all!

As the Israelite army crossed back into Israel, God had a prophet in the neighborhood who met them at the border with a message from God:  [vs.9-11]

God’s prophet Oded…met the army when it entered Samaria and said, “Stop right where you are and listen! God, the God of your ancestors, was angry with Judah and used you to punish them; but you took things into your own hands and used your anger, uncalled for and irrational, to turn your brothers and sisters from Judah and Jerusalem into slaves. Don’t you see that this is a terrible sin against your God? Careful now; do exactly what I say—return these captives, every last one of them. If you don’t, you’ll find out how real anger, God’s anger, works.”

A number of Israelite elders also responded: Don’t bring the captives here! We’ve already sinned against GOD; and now you’re about to compound our sin and guilt… [v.13].

As a result, Personally designated men gathered the captives together, dressed the ones who were naked using clothing from the stores of plunder, put shoes on their feet, gave them all a square meal, provided first aid to the injured, put the weak ones on donkeys, and then escorted them to Jericho, the City of Palms, restoring them to their families. Then they went back to Samaria [v.15].

After all of this, Ahaz asked the king of Assyria for help, but instead, he came and humiliated Ahaz even more. Ahaz raided the Temple of God and paid it to the king of Assyria. In addition, the Philistines captured cities in the south and west of Judah!

BUT IN SPITE OF ALL OF THIS TROUBLE, Arrogant King Ahaz, acting as if he could do without God’s help, unleashed an epidemic of depravity…at the very time that everyone was turning against him, he continued to be against GOD [v.19]!

He:

o   began to worship the Assyrian gods since they had led to his defeat

o   he cleared out anything of value from The Temple and boarded up its doors!

o   he set up pagan shrines all over Jerusalem and throughout the country

THE RESULT?

And was GOD ever angry  [v.25]!

HOW DOES THIS ALL END?

When Ahaz died, they buried him in Jerusalem, but he was not honored with a burial in the cemetery of the kings.

IS THERE ANY GOOD NEWS HERE AT ALL?

Only this, His son Hezekiah was the next king…he was a good king; he kept to the standards of his ancestor David [v.27 and II Chronicles 29:2].

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WHAT CAN WE LEARN FROM THIS HISTORICAL LESSON?

For whatever reasons, Ahaz was evil from the start and never repented or softened toward God!

1.    Utterly rejecting and opposing God can only end badly!

2.    If a leader openly and rebelliously opposes God, s/he will suffer as will all those who are under their direction!

3.    God is ALWAYS WATCHING! Nothing can be hidden from His sight!

4.    God advocates on behalf of those who suffer because of poor leadership! He loves His people and comes to their aid!

Perhaps you made even more observations from this horrible man’s life…

SPIRITUAL DRIFTING - A PROBLEM WE ALL MUST ADDRESS!

I just finished reading the account of Judah’s King Uzziah in II Chronicles 26. He became king at the age of sixteen. He was mentored by his pastor and teacher Zechariah to live in reverent obedience before God. As long as Zechariah lived, Uzziah lived a godly life.  “And God prospered him” [v.5].   [All quotes from The Message Bible unless otherwise noted.]

He led a fight against the Philistines and won. He built new settlements in the Philistine areas. Out of fear, the Ammonites also paid enormous annual tribute to Judah. “…his reputation extended all the way to Egypt” [v.8].

“Uzziah constructed defense towers in Jerusalem. [and] cisterns out in the country. He had herds of cattle down in the foothills and out on the plains, had farmers and vinedressers at work in the hills and fields – he loved growing things” [vs.9-10].

“Uzziah had a well-prepared army ready to fight…307,000 with 500 of them on constant alert – a strong royal defense against any attack. [They were] well armed with shields, spears, helmets, armor, bows, and slingshots. He also installed the latest in military technology on the towers and corners of Jerusalem for shooting arrows and hurling stones” [11-14].

“But then the strength and success went to his head” [v.16].

“…he walked into The Temple of GOD like he owned it and took over, burning incense on the Incense Altar. The priest Azariah, backed up by eighty priests of GOD, tried to prevent him…But Uzziah, censor in hand, was already in the middle of doing it and angrily rebuffed the priests” [vs.17-18].

“He lost his temper; angry words were exchanged – and then, even as they quarrelled, a skin disease appeared on his forehead. As soon as they saw it, the chief priest Azariah and the other priests got him out of there as fast as they could. He hurried out – he knew that GOD then and there had given him the disease. Uzziah had his skin disease for the rest of his life and had to live in quarantine” [vs.19-21].

When he died he was not buried with the other kings because of his skin disease.

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“Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it” [NIV].

Apparently, after his mentor – Zechariah – died, Uzziah lost his anchor.

Uzziah is described earlier as having “…behaved well in the eyes of the GOD…”, but then his accomplishments – which were significant – went to his head and he lost track of God!

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A year ago I shared the following as a FB post. It ties in well with today’s blog.

Leo Tolstoi [1828 - 1910] was a Russian writer - regarded as one of the greatest and most influential writers of all time! The following is one of his fables:

"It was as if I had suddenly found myself sitting in a boat which had been pushed off from an unknown shore, as if I had been shown the direction of the opposite shore, and given a pair of oars and left alone. I ply the oars, I row ahead; but the further I go, the stronger the current becomes carrying me out of my course.

I meet other people afloat, also carried away by the current; some have thrown their oars away, a few are struggling against the stream, but most of them glide with it.

The further I go, the more I watch the long line of boats floating down the current, and I forget about the course pointed out to me as my own. From every side cheery voices shout to me that there can be no other direction. I believe them; as men drift down the stream or glide with the current, I let myself drift along with them, until at last I hear the roar of the rapids. Already I can see their boats broken up, and I know I myself must perish.

Then I come to myself.

Before me I can see nothing but destruction; I am hurrying fast towards it. What must I do?

Looking back, I notice a number of boats now struggling to make headway against the current; and then I remember all about the opposite shore, the course, and the oars. I begin at once to row hard upstream to reach the opposite side.

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The shore is God;

the current is tradition;

the oars are free will,

given that I may gain union with God.

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Kind and Gracious God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit,

Drifting is easy and comes natural to us.

It is the path of least resistance!

Yet, it's destination is not determined by Your will!

We must be wise enough to discern Your will and way.

We must be convinced enough to know that You and You alone are Truth!

We must be dogged in following Your Truth - even if there be few who find it!

We must persistently resist the temptation to just go along with the crowd!

We must stay focused on Your will and Your way!

And by doing so - we will gain eternal life on Your shores!

If, by chance, we've been drifting - WAKEN US TO YOUR CALL TO A DISTANT SHORE and enable us to paddle hard to achieve Your eternal joy!

AMEN!

 

SHOULD WE KEEP HAVING CAMP?

I have always loved Family Camp! I’ve attended regularly since BEFORE I was born!

There’s a picture taken in July, 1951, hanging in the hallway at camp that included my mom and dad. Whether she knew it yet or not, she was pregnant with me since I was born in late January, 1952.  😊

Debbie and I have moved to camp even during the thirteen years that we lived in East Liverpool! We knew how important it was to be immersed in camp, so we hauled all our stuff to camp – even though we only lived a mile away!  I directed the Family Camp for quite a few of our ‘Oakland years’ [1982-1995].

Our kids loved camp! Troy and Missy still attend. Troy is a trustee – following in the footsteps of his Grandpap Whippo and Grandpap Haire! Scott Iachetta is my nephew and he also has supported camp strongly through the years [including serving on the Camp Council] – even though he lives in Holly, NY. His contributions of service over the years have been a huge blessing to Tri-State Camp!

The benefits of Family Camp are:

o   Ten+ days of fellowship.

o   Family fun with age-appropriate classes for our kids and youth!

o   Valuable worship experiences every evening in the tabernacle!

o   A morning class for adults that is stimulating and Bible-centered!

o   Three delightful meals are prepared for us every day for ten days!

o   We connect with friends that we may only see at camp.

o   We make new friends.

o   Children have a lot of freedom and fun!

o   There were 10-20 individuals who visibly sought spiritual help during this year’s camp.

o   this list could go on….

THERE ARE LOTS OF POSITIVES…

BUT THERE ARE ALSO NEGATIVES!

• Our financial goal has been relatively frozen around $30,000 for a number of years – in spite of significant inflation!  We have not reached our goal several times in recent years.  [This year’s goal is $32,000].
• Attendance is down significantly! Not too long ago, we would see evening attendances of 200-250. This year’s average was less than 150 [not counting the last Sunday morning the average attendance was 125].  The high was recorded Monday evening – 165].
• It has been increasingly difficult for the Camp Council to find willing workers to staff the necessary jobs to make camp work!
• Our camp is aging seriously! Keeping the Dining Hall Dorm, the Youth Dorm, and the tabernacle painted is becoming increasingly challenging. Other issues like rotting windows are rarely even addressed! Many cabins are in very poor condition, making our camp an eye-sore to the community!
• Clearly, the camp roads need major attention, but the funds to address this issue are VERY SIGNIFICANT, and currently beyond our reach.
• Our camp base of support is aging! No one wants to admit this, but the younger generation has already voted to close the camp by virtue of their non-attendance.

This year’s survey asked if we would consider changing from 10 days [which is actually 11 days – counting the first Thursday evening] to a week-long camp. I assume that will fuel some discussion for our Camp Council this year.

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FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Churches ultimately close due to a lack of finances! When they can no longer pay the pastor or the electric bill or the pension fund – they close the doors!

The signs indicate that our camp is dying a slow death. Is it best to maintain it until the inevitable occurs?

The following is valuable history to consider that is very relevant to the development of ‘camp associations’:

“It should be noted that the establishment of one conference superintendent [in 1976] signaled massive change for the Pittsburgh Conference district camps!  The districts were inadvertantly dissolved. Churches were no longer aligned with the ‘camp meetings’ since we no longer had districts; all churches belonged to the Pittsburgh Conference. Where district assessments, assignments and mandatory attendance and support by pastors had formerly prevailed – these were subtly but persistently ignored!  This was the beginning of a major period of change and struggle for the Rochester District Camp [East Liverpool, OH], the Kiski Area Camp [Apollo, PA] and the Fairmont District Camp [Fairchance, PA]”  [Quote from Hal’s blog: Hal-lelujah!: PITTSBURGH CONFERENCE HISTORY: A Personal Perspective]

Today, some of the churches that were formerly part of the Rochester District, no longer support – or even advertise Tri-State Family Camp!

Each church that withdraws support from the camp makes it increasingly difficult for the camp to survive!

Consequently, our operating base has diminished SIGNIFICANTLY in recent years! The adjustments to this reality are challenging us in MAJOR WAYS – financially and in terms of willing workers!

We cannot afford to simply give an emotional response!  Yes, many of us are the loyalists who love the camp and have sacrificed time and money to keep it operating; but can we keep this up? When do enough of the older supporters pass on, and then we simply can't pay the bills?

It seems to me - as one of the camp's strongest supporters - that the time has come to at least begin this discussion!

WHEN FEAR STRIKES - PRAY FIRST

Jehoshaphat was king of Judah from approximately 873 to 848 B.C.  His father, Asa, had been a good king who made some bad decisions toward the end of his life.

All-in-all, Jehoshaphat was a good king. According to II Chronicles 17:3-5 ™,

God was on Jehoshaphat’s side because he stuck to the ways of his father Asa’s early years. He didn’t fool around with the popular Baal religion—he was a seeker and follower of the God of his father and was obedient to him; he wasn’t like Israel. And God secured the kingdom under his rule, gave him a firm grip on it. And everyone in Judah showed their appreciation by bringing gifts. Jehoshaphat ended up very rich and much honored. He was single-minded in following God; 

Unfortunately, like his father, Jehoshaphat made some poor choices along the way and disappointed God.  For a season, he aligned himself with the evil king of Israel, Ahab.  God sent a prophet to reprimand Jehoshaphat and from that point on, he determined to remain faithful to God!

TO BE FAIR – Isn’t this true for all of us?

Some time later the Moabites and Ammonites, accompanied by Meunites, joined forces to make war on Jehoshaphat. Jehoshaphat received this intelligence report: “A huge force is on its way from beyond the Dead Sea to fight you. There’s no time to waste—they’re already [near].”

Shaken, Jehoshaphat prayed. He went to God for help and ordered a nationwide fast. The country of Judah united in seeking God’s help—they came from all the cities of Judah to pray to God.

Then Jehoshaphat took a position before the assembled people of Judah and Jerusalem at The Temple of God in front of the new courtyard and said, “O God, God of our ancestors, are you not God in heaven above and ruler of all kingdoms below? You hold all power and might in your fist—no one stands a chance against you! And didn’t you make the natives of this land leave as you brought your people Israel in, turning it over permanently to your people Israel, the descendants of Abraham your friend? They have lived here and built a holy house of worship to honor you, saying, ‘When the worst happens—whether war or flood or disease or famine—and we take our place before this Temple (we know you are personally present in this place!) and pray out our pain and trouble, we know that you will listen and give victory.’  [II Chronicles 20:1-9  ™]

Let’s observe Jehoshaphat’s response to this impending threat:

1.   He prayed!

2.   He called his people to prayer and fasting!

3.   He went to the Temple and led the nation in public prayer! 

NOTICE:

He didn’t panic!

He didn’t call for his military leaders!

He didn’t begin to fortify the city!

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I need this reminder as much as anyone else!

When bad news arrives, we must train ourselves to turn to God FIRST!

HE IS OUR SOVEREIGN GOD!

ü He is all powerful!

ü He is everywhere present!

ü He is all-knowing!

Who better to guide and advise us in the midst of trials and difficult times? 

But how quickly we worry and fret as though we did not serve the Lord and Master of the universe! 

We need more than a string tied around our finger! 

We need to be diligent in training ourselves daily – even hourly – to turn to the Lord and trust Him to see us through whatever the world [or our spiritual enemy] throws at us! 

When Jehoshaphat prayed before his people, he included this reminder: 

‘When the worst happens – whether war or flood or disease or famine – and we take our place before this Temple (we know You are personally present in this place!) and pray out our pain and trouble, we know that You will listen and give victory.’  [20:9 ™] 

Jehoshaphat applied two principles: 

     I.        PRAY!

   II.        AGREEMENT PRAYER! 

We need to train ourselves to do the same! 

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Now I know that some of you want to know how this situation turned out. 😊

First, in response to all of the prayer, God sent a prophet to speak to Jehoshaphat:

He said, “Attention everyone—all of you from out of town, all you from Jerusalem, and you King Jehoshaphat—God’s word: Don’t be afraid; don’t pay any mind to this vandal horde. This is God’s war, not yours. Tomorrow you’ll go after them; …You won’t have to lift a hand in this battle; just stand firm, Judah and Jerusalem, and watch God’s saving work for you take shape. Don’t be afraid, don’t waver. March out boldly tomorrow—God is with you.”  [20:15-17 ™]

 Second,

Then Jehoshaphat knelt down, bowing with his face to the ground. All Judah and Jerusalem did the same, worshiping God. The Levites (both Kohathites and Korahites) stood to their feet to praise God, the God of Israel; they praised at the top of their lungs!  [20:18 ™]

THIS IS IMPORTANT! They rejoiced and thanked God BEFORE they saw the arrival of God’s promised deliverance!

Third,

The next morning, Jehoshaphat prayed over his people and deliberated with them about how to go into battle.  Corporately, they decided to put a choir out in front of their forces to sing and give praise to God as they marched into battle!

Think about it! Would you have volunteered to be on the worship team for this special event? 

As this praise gathering marched ahead of the troops shouting and praising God,

 God set ambushes against the men of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir as they were attacking Judah, and they all ended up dead.  [20:22 ™]

GOD IS GOOD FOR HIS WORD! HE DELIVERS!

HE DELIVERED JEHOSHAPHAT AND HIS PEOPLE!

AND HE’LL DELIVER YOU – IF YOU PRIORITIZE PRAYER AND YOUR TRUST IN HIM! 

TAKE THOU AUTHORITY TO PREACH THE WORD

I’ve learned a lot about differences in the ways that ordination are observed across various denominations just by being part of the Bethel Evangelical Presbyterian Church for the past seven years.

Actually, it hit close to home for us as a couple. Several years ago, Debbie was ordained as a ruling elder in this church. She served for three rather explosive years as a member of the ’session’.  She felt the burden of leadership throughout this experience. One interesting caveat was the fact that the ruling elders serve Holy Communion to the congregation. So, for the first time in our lives, she served me communion – instead of the vice versa!  I am proud of the respect she has garnered as a result of her leadership investment.

In the Wesleyan movement, elders are ordained by bishops and are enabled thereby to lead local churches, marry, serve Holy Communion, and hold a vote in their annual conference.

When I was ordained, the Free Methodist Church practiced an ordination of submission that included a first step of being ordained as a ‘Deacon’. After a minimum of satisfactorily serving in this role, one could then be fully ordained as an ‘Elder’.  I was fortunate to receive both ordinations by a bishop that I highly respected and admired: Bishop Paul N. Ellis. 

I must admit that I don’t recall much of the specifics of those events. The one memory I do have is negative. Debbie was invited to stand [and kneel] with me during this rite of passage. When the service concluded, my conference superintendent congratulated us and told us that it would have been better if Debbie had not worn that flashy, beaded necklace! He was NOT one of my favorite leaders.

The ordination service typically takes place at our annual conference. Our leaders designate the final service of worship to include this sacred time in the lives of our prospective candidates who have been voted on by the entire conference after the answering of the required questions. 

Typically, the worship leads to a message by the bishop who then presides over the ordination service. The candidates are called forward along with their spouses where they publicly respond to the required questions for ordination and are then invited to kneel before the bishop and congregation. Any elders present are also invited to move forward and participate in the ‘laying on of hands’.

The presiding bishop – along with the elders - then lay their hands on the ordinand while speaking the following words:

“The Lord pour upon you the Holy Spirit for the office and work of an elder in the Free Methodist Church now committed unto you by the laying on of our hands.”

Then, the bishop holds the ordinands Bible out to them. As they together grasp the Bible, the following charge is given:

“Take authority to minister the Word of God. Faithfully proclaim His Word, declare His forgiveness, celebrate the sacraments, shepherd His people.”

The service is usually brought to an end by a prayer and an opportunity for the worshipping community to come forward and offer congratulations to the newly ordained elders and their spouses. 

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Debbie and I recently attended a special Tri-Conference event involving the Harvest Conference [Pittsburgh area and West Virginia], the Keystone Conference [Northwestern Pennsylvania] and the Ohio Conference [Nearly the whole state of Ohio]. Bishop Kaye Kolde presided over this special event.

Those who know me and read my blogs will be aware that I have been a lifelong advocate of women in ministry. The Free Methodist Church has been ordaining women since 1911.

Eight individuals were called to the platform during the Tri-conference ordination service: four women and four men – all accompanied by their wives/husbands. One at a time, they were brought before Bishop Kolde.  All elders had been invited to fill the area in front of the platform so that they could participate in the laying on of hands. There were surely one hundred elders crowded across the front of the worship center. At the appropriate moment we all laid our hands on one another’s shoulders bringing us into symbolic contact with the ordinand. 

Surely someone took a picture of this event; I wish I had that picture! I ended up right in front of Bishop Kolde and about five or six feet from the place where she spoke to the ordinands. 

It was surely a powerful moment for those being ordained! You could sense their humility and the responsibility they were accepting as they interacted with Bishop Kolde.

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I have always had a penchant for observing the differences between males and females. It’s a topic that I have written about frequently. 

Although this event took place several weeks ago, I am still contemplating the difference between the ways the men and women responded to Bishop Kolde.  I’m not sure yet what this difference implies.

The Free Methodist Church has MANY women in ministry! 

My first hire while leading a growing church was a young woman – Raeanne Thompson – who had just graduated from college. She was an outstanding ‘Youth Pastor’ and was responsible for growing the Oakland Church significantly over the next several years. She is still active in ministry today!

I also worked for six years with Lead Pastor, Brenda Mason Young, at what was then the Cornerstone Free Methodist Church in Akron, Ohio,  During that time the church grew from an attendance of 400 to over 700. Her exemplary and dynamic leadership was the primary catalyst for that growth! They were the most exciting years of my overall ministry!

In an age when the church is in serious decline and many denominations are having difficulty finding enough pastors to fill their churches – one wonders why they are not turning to the vast number of women who are responding to God’s ‘call’ to ministry!

I’ve wandered…let’s get back to my ordination observations:

In the case of each of the men that Bishop Kolde ordained, the men knelt with the heads bowed. When the bishop offered them their Bible for the second part of the act of ordination, they looked up briefly and then bowed their heads again. 

There was a distinct difference in the way that the women responded. They also bowed their heads while the bishop laid her hands on their heads. However, when Bishop Kolde offered the women their Bible, each of them continued to look up into Bishop Kolde’s eyes! I felt like I could sense the communication flowing between these women!

The bishop drank in their gaze with deep sincerity. They showed admiration, respect and the experiencing of a divine moment as they returned her gaze!

I walked away with the sense that these women – in particular – would NEVER forget that moment!

May each of these new elders follow through with passion and integrity! May they see the churches to which they are assigned flourish with rich, robust and sincere commitments to serve the Lord of the Church!  May they each brng joy to the heart of God!