|
 It's
been a long, hard journey across dry wilderness. Moses and
the throngs of Israel are nearing the Promised Land with a
history of nominal faith that wavers in the wind of
circumstances and emotions. One day, they encounter God and
praise Him. The next day, they encounter trials and reject
God. They are blessed in every way and human in every way.
Here they stand on the threshold of their dreams - ready to
take hold of that for which God took hold of them. Ready to
return to the land of their fathers (Abraham, Isaac and
Jacob). Ready to return to the full promise of their
heritage - a people chosen and blessed by God to be a
blessing to the whole world.
They send twelve
spies into the land. For 40 days the spies journey through
the land, scouring the hills, studying its fruitfulness,
watching its people. Then they come back to the anxious
throng.
So the people staged
a revolt, like they'd done many times before. They swim in
fear. They cry out in anger, they wallow in self-pity. (Numbers
13:26-33).
Only two out of
twelve come out of those 40 days with an informed,
confident, purposeful, God-honoring determination. Ten come
out of those 40 days even more entrenched in their nominal
faith. Giants in the land. Risks too great. Cost too much.
Faith too little. (Numbers
14:3-4, 6-9).
So after their 40 day
expedition, those ten stir up and steer a 40-year holding
pattern of nominal faith and a prolonged existence. God
determined that none of them, except Joshua and Caleb, would
live to see the promise fulfilled.
Now, I don't mean to
load up these next 40 days with so much drama. But I see a
relationship. For 40 days we get to enter into a discovery
process - scouring the scriptures, studying God's purposes,
considering the risks and benefits of living God's way, the
most promising way, according to God's revealed purposes.
There are giants in the land. There are risks and costs.
This isn't an easy way (Jesus called Christianity the hard
and narrow way that leads to life).
My hope is that, at
the end of the 40 days, we'll have more than 2 out of every
12 who are ready to go in and take hold of that for which
God took hold of us. My hope is that all of us will go on
this journey of discovery, and my hope is that all of us
will come out of it with an informed, confident, purposeful,
God-honoring determination.
So what should we
pack for the journey?
| 1. |
A map. The Bible.
"All scripture is God-breathed," says 2
Timothy 3:16. "It's useful for teaching,
rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness,
so that [we] can be thoroughly equipped for every good
work." |
| 2. |
A compass. Prayer. Philippians
4:6 says "Do not be anxious about anything,
but in everything, by prayer and petition, with
thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the
peace of God which surpasses all understanding will
guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. (Living
Bible version: "Don't worry about anything.
Instead, pray about everything.") If nothing
else, I hope we'll be praying more after 40 Days. |
| 3. |
A good travel guidebook.
Rick Warren's book, The Purpose Driven Life, isn't the
only guidebook, but it's a good one. It highlights key
stops and sights that we need to capture along the
road, and it gives a sense of priority to our journey. |
| 4. |
Little tents for small
groups to gather and share and tell stories and laugh
and cry and help each other and nurse each other and
encourage each other. We're asking everyone to be in a
small group. |
| 5. |
One big tent, for us to
all meet together as a church, compare experiences and
spur each other on with songs and chants and prayers. |
| 6. |
A guide. The Holy Spirit.
Keep in step with the Spirit, says Galatians
5:25. The Holy Spirit will help us, direct us,
comfort us, empower us. Every trip is more enjoyable
with a companion who knows exactly where we need to go
and what we need to do. |
| 7. |
Food. Jesus said "My
food is to do the will of my Father in heaven."
The degree to which this experience nourishes us will
likely be based on the degree to which we really want
to do God's will. Even for those of us who feel as if
this journey is a review session, we will feel
nourished by the miracle of seeing others walking
closer to God. I'll never understand the irony of
seeing Christians who claim maturity who take so
little delight in seeing others journeying toward it.
The more we mature, the more we feel big
brotherly/sisterly, and almost parental about our
hopes for others. For all of us, if we really have a
heart for doing God's will, I believe He'll show it to
us with clarity and purpose. If we don't have the
heart for it, get ready for another exercise that
leads to nothing (the difference between a body
builder, projecting an image of strength, and an
athlete, strength, flexibility, functionality). |
| 8. |
Leave some pockets in the
backpack empty and ready to see and gather some
unexpected treasures. I don't really know what God
wants to show me in this season, but I'm trying to
stay open and receptive. |
Why a 40 day journey? It's just one of those good
biblical numbers, like twelve. Noah was rained on for 40
days. The spies were in the Promised Land for 40 days. Moses
was on Mt. Sinai for 40 days. Goliath challenged the armies
of Israel for 40 days until David stepped up. God gave
Elijah 40 days of strength from one meal. Nineveh was spared
after 40 days of repentance. Jesus launched his ministry
after 40 days of temptation in the wilderness. The disciples
enjoyed 40 days with the resurrected Christ before He
returned to the Father. So, we're going to spend 40 days
asking God to speak to us about our purpose in this world.
|
|
What should we
prepare for?
| 1. |
Pleasure. It's a joy to do
things like this…together. It's a pleasure to learn
and discover and pay attention. There are treasures
ready for us along this road. Psalm
34:8 "Taste and see that the Lord is
good." |
| 2. |
Pain. This journey is
going to call us into new levels of discipline that
are painful. It's likely to show us truths about
ourselves that are painful. It's likely to ask changes
of us that are painful. Hey, no pain, no gain, baby!
Few things in life worth having are easy. "No
discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful.
Later on, however, it produces a harvest of
righteousness and peace for those who have been
trained by it." Hebrews
12:11. "Therefore, strengthen your feeble
arms and weak knees." Hebrews
12:12. |
| 3. |
Perspective. We're going
to see life and loves and issues and priorities from a
new or renewed perspective. "Open my eyes, Lord,
that I may see wonderful things in your law." Psalm
119:18 |
| 4. |
Critical thoughts. Let's
think critically and read critically. Let's test
everything we say and hear against scripture, the way
the Bereans did in Acts
17:11. They are described as a people of noble
character who were both receptive and careful to
examine things. |
| 5. |
Change.
Transformation. "Do not be conformed to this
world but be transformed by the renewing of your
minds. Then you will be able to test and approve what
God's will is." (Romans
12:2). If we're willing to change, any healthy
church becomes a marvelously dangerous place. If we
are willing to change, God's willing to change us for
the better. Static, change-resistant notions of
Christianity plague the western church. You could say
that change-resistant notions of church have caused,
in part, our culture to become post-church… Our
unchanging God wants to change us with timeless truth
so we can be transformed and transforming agents in
this desperate world. |
So prepare for pleasure and pain, perspective and
critical thought, change.
What has the
potential to spoil our journey?
| 1. |
Laziness. Hebrews
6:12 urges us to be diligent, not lazy, lest we
fall away and lose our zeal and end up bringing
disgrace to Christ, instead of glory. This season
means reawakening some old practices for me, and
overcoming some laxity that has become habit. You,
too? |
| 2. |
A critical spirit. There
is a cynicism that creeps into our lives; especially
those of us who've read lots of books and seen lots of
seasons come and go. We tend to be skeptical about
campaigns and programs and crusades and mountain top
experiences. That cynicism ultimately has the power to
poison our own faith and steal the pleasure of others.
Jesus urges us to be a shrewd as serpents and as
innocent as doves. |
| 3. |
Resistance to change.
Again, if we don't want to change, why are we here?
Maybe there are a few of us who've attained to a level
of spirituality and godliness that needs no more
growth or tweaking or improvement. Whoever you are,
why am I talking instead of you? |
| 4. |
Isolationism stands in the
way of a full experience. Having lived and pastured
among many types of people in different economic
conditions, this much I can say: wealth buys fences,
wealth grows hedges, wealth affords privacy; wealth
often robs community, and I mean for the one who has
the wealth. Increasingly, privatization and isolation
plague this blessed community, where garage doors go
up and down and neighbors often don't know each other
well. When that carries over into church life,
something crucial is stifled. Ephesians
4 and I
Corinthians 12 call us into active body life where
we need each other, compliment each other and serve
each other, making the whole stronger, like parts of a
body. |
| 5. |
Distractions. So many good
things stand ready to distract us from better things
in the next six weeks. It's less likely that our good
intentions will be hijacked by illness or death, or
tragedy or enemy. It is more likely that our good
intentions will be hijacked by television and soccer,
football and friends, sleep and travel. Good things
that so often (out of proportion or out of context)
stand in the way of the best things. |
Why should I come along?
| 1. |
God wants all of us. For
all of us, God wants all of me. Why? For His purposes,
which are completely good and completely worthwhile.
Let God prove this in the days to come. |
| 2. |
God wants me and you fit
for His purposes - strong, well-trained, highly
focused, in shape, ready for the marathon of faith
walking. |
| 3. |
God came for us first. God
loved us first, saved us first, sacrificed and reached
out first. This is all a response to His goodness and
generosity. |
|
