The Holy Advocate

God Instructs the People of God

God's People Learn from Prosperity:

God Reacts to Disobedience

John 16:4-11

The Message

John 16

 ^1-4 "I've told you these things to prepare you for rough times ahead. They are going to throw you out of the meeting places. There will even come a time when anyone who kills you will think he's doing God a favor. They will do these things because they never really understood the Father. I've told you these things so that when the time comes and they start in on you, you'll be well-warned and ready for them.

The Friend Will Come

 ^4-7"I didn't tell you this earlier because I was with you every day. But now I am on my way to the One who sent me. Not one of you has asked, 'Where are you going?' Instead, the longer I've talked, the sadder you've become. So let me say it again, this truth: It's better for you that I leave. If I don't leave, the Friend won't come. But if I go, I'll send him to you. ^8-11"When he comes, he'll expose the error of the godless world's view of sin, righteousness, and judgment: He'll show them that their refusal to believe in me is their basic sin; that righteousness comes from above, where I am with the Father, out of their sight and control; that judgment takes place as the ruler of this godless world is brought to trial and convicted.

For Reflection
The time of greatest temptation to deviate from the rules is when one is confronted with terror.  Jesus knows that things are going to get rough for the disciples.  He indicates that until He ascends, his role as Paraclete (spirit, counselor, advocate) cannot begin.  The fact that he references a new role in the Kingdom of God indicates that we individually will be able to call upon his name and know that justice will prevail.

How does this make the kind of justice God delivers in Joshua different.  What is new here?  Are we free to do as we want or are we still governed by God's rules.  How does Jesus fit into your ability to avoid breaking the covenant you and God enjoy?

Pray
quietly so that you can hear Christ.  Ask for guidance.  Ask for strength to follow your faith.  Pray for supreme trust in the Lord.

Quick Justice

God Instructs the People of God

God's People Learn from Prosperity:

God Reacts to Disobedience

Joshua 7:16-2, 24-26

The Message

 ^16-18 Joshua was up at the crack of dawn and called Israel up tribe by tribe. The tribe of Judah was singled out. Then he called up the clans and singled out the Zerahites. He called up the Zerahite families and singled out the Zabdi family. He called up the family members one by one and singled out Achan son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah of the tribe of Judah.
 ¹⁹ Joshua spoke to Achan, "My son, give glory to God, the God of Israel. Make your confession to him. Tell me what you did. Don't keep back anything from me."
 ^20-21 Achan answered Joshua, "It's true. I sinned against God, the God of Israel. This is how I did it. In the plunder I spotted a beautiful Shinar robe, two hundred shekels of silver, and a fifty-shekel bar of gold, and I coveted and took them. They are buried in my tent with the silver at the bottom."

²⁴ Joshua took Achan son of Zerah, took the silver, the robe, the gold bar, his sons and daughters, his ox, donkey, sheep, and tent—everything connected with him. All Israel was there. They led them off to the Valley of Achor (Trouble Valley).
 ^25-26 Joshua said, "Why have you troubled us? God will now trouble you. Today!" And all Israel stoned him—burned him with fire and stoned him with stones. They piled a huge pile of stones over him. It's still there. Only then did God turn from his hot anger. That's how the place came to be called Trouble Valley right up to the present time.

For Reflection
It's easier to see these passages from Joshua as metaphoric.  A single act of disobedience carries grave consequences to the whole nation.  The whole nation takes responsibility for quick action to purify itself.  As a metaphor it carries a strong lesson.

As a description of a real event it carries authenticity.  Even if you think the punishment did not fit the crime,  the process of justice is not to far from our own contemporary values.  Justice is not easy. In this case God was the accuser and the deliverer of justice.  It was not the Israelites decision it was God's.

Pray
for the forgiveness of sin.  Pray that you give justice matters to God.  Pray that you place your soul in the hands of Jesus Christ.  Pray in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost.

Offer to Reconcile

God Instructs the People of God

God's People Learn from Prosperity:

God Reacts to Disobedience

Joshua 7:12-15

The Message

 ^10-12 God said to Joshua, "Get up. Why are you groveling? Israel has sinned: They've broken the covenant I commanded them; they've taken forbidden plunder—stolen and then covered up the theft, squirreling it away with their own stuff. The People of Israel can no longer look their enemies in the eye—they themselves are plunder. I can't continue with you if you don't rid yourselves of the cursed things.
 ¹³ "So get started. Purify the people. Tell them: Get ready for tomorrow by purifying yourselves. For this is what God, the God of Israel, says: There are cursed things in the camp. You won't be able to face your enemies until you have gotten rid of these cursed things.
 ^14-15 "First thing in the morning you will be called up by tribes. The tribe God names will come up clan by clan; the clan God names will come up family by family; and the family God names will come up man by man. The person found with the cursed things will be burned, he and everything he has, because he broke God's covenant and did this despicable thing in Israel."

For Reflection
The rules of this covenant are there for a reason.  This is about God's power, justice and reputation.  Taking land in Godless Canaan is justifiable.  The Israelites are not taking land for personal gain but rather as a witness to God.  God offers a path to reconciliation.  Just get rid of the cursed things (and here comes the tough part.) and the person who is responsible for disobeying the covenant rule.

This is the same God as in the New Testament.  This is the God of love and peace. 

But what fate awaits those who break the rules today?  To be sure there is grace and mercy.  What about the unrepentant sinner?  What cursed things do you need to get rid of in order to face your enemies?

Pray
lead us not into temptation.  God lead us to understand the power and the responsibility of becoming a witness to you.  Offer prayers of confession and ask for forgiveness.

One Bad Apple

God Instructs the People of God

God's People Learn from Prosperity:

God Reacts to Disobedience

Joshua 7:1-9

The Message

 ¹ Then the People of Israel violated the holy curse. Achan son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah of the tribe of Judah, took some of the cursed things. God became angry with the People of Israel.
² Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai (The Ruin), which is near Beth Aven just east of Bethel. He instructed them, "Go up and spy out the land." The men went up and spied out Ai. ³ They returned to Joshua and reported, "Don't bother sending a lot of people—two or three thousand men are enough to defeat Ai. Don't wear out the whole army; there aren't that many people there."
 ^4-5 So three thousand men went up—and then fled in defeat before the men of Ai! The men of Ai killed thirty-six—chased them from the city gate as far as The Quarries, killing them at the descent. The heart of the people sank, all spirit knocked out of them.
 ⁶ Joshua ripped his clothes and fell on his face to the ground before the Chest of God, he and the leaders throwing dirt on their heads, prostrate until evening.
 ^7-9 Joshua said, "Oh, oh, oh...Master, God. Why did you insist on bringing this people across the Jordan? To make us victims of the Amorites? To wipe us out? Why didn't we just settle down on the east side of the Jordan? Oh, Master, what can I say after this, after Israel has been run off by its enemies? When the Canaanites and all the others living here get wind of this, they'll gang up on us and make short work of us—and then how will you keep up your reputation?"

For Reflection
What is the value of one man's sin? Achan's sin individual disobedient act aroused God's anger.  It would not have mattered a whit if the whole army joined in this battle the loss would have resulted.  Achan's looting was in direct disobedience to God's instruction.  In reaction to the disobedient Achan, God withdrew his support.

For many modern Christians the result of disobedience is at least distasteful and difficult to accept.  In this case many were punished for the act of one.  Clearly Achan broke the covenant.  Why do you think Joshua had such a severe reaction to the news?  

Pray
that you will follow the Lord obediently.  Pray that you will be able to avoid disobedient action in the face of stress.  Pray for strength and guidance in the face of temptation.

Help is on its Way

God Instructs the People of God

God's People Learn from Prosperity:

God is Victorious

Psalm 20

The Message

A David Psalm

 ^1-4 God answer you on the day you crash, The name God-of-Jacob put you out of harm's reach,
   Send reinforcements from Holy Hill,
   Dispatch from Zion fresh supplies,
   Exclaim over your offerings,
   Celebrate your sacrifices,
   Give you what your heart desires,
   Accomplish your plans.

 ⁵ When you win, we plan to raise the roof
      and lead the parade with our banners.
   May all your wishes come true!

 ⁶ That clinches it—help's coming,
      an answer's on the way,
      everything's going to work out.

 ^7-8 See those people polishing their chariots,
      and those others grooming their horses?
      But we're making garlands for God our God.
   The chariots will rust,
      those horses pull up lame—
      and we'll be on our feet, standing tall.

 ⁹ Make the king a winner, God;
      the day we call, give us your answer.

For Reflection
There you are, tied to the railroad tracks and the train of calamity is bearing down.  it is not the AFLAC duck who will rescue you.  He who answers your prayers is not the banker, or the employer or the counselor.

"God answer you on the day you crash..." The prayer is said -- the call made.  But, in fact, is not your call alone.  It is the call of millions of God's people praying for you. Some praying generally and some praying directly in your name.  Polishing your car, painting your house, or even sucking up to the boss will not save you.  Only God.  Your car will wear out. Your house will always need a new paint job.  Your boss will always disappoint you.

But not God.  When all in this world fails you, you will find yourself the last one standing because you put your faith in God and let God do his thing. You will be victorious in this world because you are protected by the God-of-the-Angel-Armies.

Pray
that your faith is strong -- that you believe so deeply that what troubles you face are of little consequence.  Pray that you seek God's response first.  Pray that you have the confidence in your faith that brings the peace God offers.  Finally, pray for all who suffer that they may know the peace God brings.

The Victory of Faith

God Instructs the People of God

God's People Learn from Prosperity:

God Has Expectations

1 John 5:1-5

The Message

 ^1-3Every person who believes that Jesus is, in fact, the Messiah, is God-begotten. If we love the One who conceives the child, we'll surely love the child who was conceived. The reality test on whether or not we love God's children is this: Do we love God? Do we keep his commands? The proof that we love God comes when we keep his commandments and they are not at all troublesome.

The Power That Brings the World to Its Knees

 ^4-5Every God-begotten person conquers the world's ways. The conquering power that brings the world to its knees is our faith. The person who wins out over the world's ways is simply the one who believes Jesus is the Son of God.

For Reflection
We are children of God.  Are God's commandments troublesome to you?  Perhaps not philosophically.  But what about behaviorally?  Isn't it always easier to believe than it is to act in ways that are consistent with your belief?  Keeping God's commandments is not a head thing.  It is a body thing -- faith in action.

Pray
that you have the courage to follow your faith. Pray for "The conquering power that brings the world to its knees..."  Pray that you action is consistent with your faith.

Victory Through Christ

God Instructs the People of God

God's People Learn from Prosperity:

God is Victorious

1 Corinthians 15:50-57

The Message

 ⁵⁰I need to emphasize, friends, that our natural, earthy lives don't in themselves lead us by their very nature into the kingdom of God. Their very "nature" is to die, so how could they "naturally" end up in the Life kingdom?
 ^51-57But let me tell you something wonderful, a mystery I'll probably never fully understand. We're not all going to die—but we are all going to be changed. You hear a blast to end all blasts from a trumpet, and in the time that you look up and blink your eyes—it's over. On signal from that trumpet from heaven, the dead will be up and out of their graves, beyond the reach of death, never to die again. At the same moment and in the same way, we'll all be changed. In the resurrection scheme of things, this has to happen: everything perishable taken off the shelves and replaced by the imperishable, this mortal replaced by the immortal. Then the saying will come true:

   Death swallowed by triumphant Life!
   Who got the last word, oh, Death?
   Oh, Death, who's afraid of you now?
It was sin that made death so frightening and law-code guilt that gave sin its leverage, its destructive power. But now in a single victorious stroke of Life, all three—sin, guilt, death—are gone, the gift of our Master, Jesus Christ. Thank God!

For Reflection
Remember in Christ we receive a wonderful gift.  We are invited to die.  Become dead to the material world.  Become unresponsive to those natural earthy seductions.

We are also invited to be reborn into a transformed person.  A person who leaves his earthly self behind and responds to his God centered self. The leverage of guilt is gone.

Pray
that the Lord will fill you with the Holy Spirit.  Pray that you believe deeply that you have been transformed, reborn daily as a God centered person.  Say thank you for your immortality.