LESSONS FROM JOSHUA—PART III #18

(From my column “Looking Forward and Glancing Back” in the SGT monthly newsletter, June, 1988.)

In the symbolic pilgrimage to our “Promised Land,” we, like the Israelites, have been poised on the banks of the Jordan. We, too, have been called to preparation and purification. Now it is time to cross the Jordan—no turning back.

Last month, we looked at the first part of Joshua 3:5 (purification) and, as promised, this month we want to focus on the second part of that marvelous verse. In that verse, Joshua told the people to purify themselves, “For tomorrow, the Lord will do a great miracle.” The New American Standard translates it, “the Lord will do wonders among you.” That is truly exciting—“a great miracle”—“wonders among you”! But the question is, do we believe it? Yes! Without a doubt! The Lord is faithful!

Along with the many miracles God has shown us over the last three years, He has taught us many lessons—lessons about the power of prayer, the power of faith, the power of obedience, and the power of hard work. God’s Word is full of stories in which the above ingredients were essential in the completing of His will. If we do our part, God does His—“wonders among you.”

When the children of Israel crossed the Jordan, they crossed on dry land. That was their “miracle.” But what of our Jordan, what river must we cross? I believe our river Jordan has been the “halfway” mark in our sixty-thousand-dollar goal. After $30,000, all we raise is on the downhill side. It’s like every long journey we take, the road seems so much shorter once we’ve made it halfway.

Yes, we’ve been camped on the banks of the Jordan a long time as that elusive $30,000 mark has loomed before us much like a roaring river blocking our hopes of victory. But now we, too, have had our miracle from God! Praise the Lord, we have topped the hill, reached the peak, crossed the Jordan! We’re now on the other side of that halfway mark, and it is time to praise God from whom all blessings flow! Thank You, Father! Praise Your Holy Name! We give You all the praise and glory!

Crossing the Jordan wasn’t the end of the road for the children of Israel. No indeed, it was only the beginning. There were still many battles to be fought before they could truly occupy the land. Their first battle was Jericho—a city surrounded by a high, seemingly insurmountable, wall. We, too, have our wall. It is the wall of financial need that is still before us. As I shared with you eleven months ago, when we began our quest for a new home, God gave me a vision of our “Promised Land” surrounded by a wall with corner towers topped with dollar signs. We have been chipping away at the financial wall for the past eleven months, and now is the time to make an all-out assault—to prya, to work, to march around that figurative wall and shout praises to our Lord as the wall crumbles and victory is ours! Praise the Lord!

COMING NEXT: MARCHING TO VICTORY

As certain as life itself, the Lord is with us and will help us to win if we fight—by His rules!                                                  

LESSONS FROM JOSHUA—PART II #17

(From my column “Looking Forward and Glancing Back” in the SGT monthly newsletter, May, 1988.)

This article is intended more for the leaders of Stained Glass Theatre and those who work directly in and with this ministry than for our patrons who will also be receiving this newsletter. However, that which I believe God would say to us here at SGT is printed openly in this article for all to read so that our friends and supporters can join with us in praying for a ministry that will continually strive for righteousness within as we reach out to others in the months and years ahead. Please pray that the thoughts below will be received in a spirit of love and encouragement and not in condemnation.

In Joshua chapter three, we find the people of Israel camped on the banks of the Jordan River, poised and almost ready to cross over into the Promised Land. Almost ready, but not quite, for there was one thing left to do. In verse five, “Joshua told the people to purify themselves.” This was the final step before crossing the Jordan.

As we have tried to apply God’s principles to our “Promised Land,” I feel we have reached the banks of the Jordan; and from the centuries past, Joshua once again cries out, “purify yourselves.” It is a cry that cuts through pretense and right to the heart. I’m not suggesting that in the ministry of SGT there is any great or blatant sin either individually or corporately, but the Lord would have us remove all sin, no matter how small, from our midst. He would have each of us look deep within and allow the Holy Spirit to reveal to us any sin, that we may repent and, if necessary, take corrective action. Remember that to repent means to turn away from or put aside.

I have heard the call to purification in my own heart. I hope you hear it in yours, for I believe the Lord would have us seek Him together as members of His ministry. We are on the banks of the Jordan, so let us together begin the purification process God desires as he prepares to bless us greatly. For each of us, the process may be different, but we all need the cleansing. Joshua did not call some to purification, he called all.

As we seek purification under the leadership of the Holy Spirit, my prayer is that a new love will flow forth from all. Though the cleansing may be painful at times, in the end we will be stronger. God’s ways never change—true repentance brings restoration and blessings. So my brothers and sisters in Christ, together, let us do that which God would have us do.

COMING NEXT: LESSONS FROM JOSHUA—PART III             

No turning back!

LESSONS FROM JOSHUA—PART I #16

(From my column “Looking Forward and Glancing Back” in the SGT monthly newsletter, April, 1988.)

[NOTE on January 7, 2014: This article was written more than 25 years ago, but it is still true today. SGT is now further in debt than the total amount we raised during that important year. We have virtually stopped asking for help, and donations to reduce the debt have diminished to nearly nothing. We believe God would have us be debt free once again, so to all of you who love SGT, consider this article as if it had been written today.]

In Joshua 1:2, God told Joshua, “Lead my people across the Jordan River into the Promised Land.” Later He said, “be bold and strong” and “you need only to be courageous and to obey.” Joshua told the people to “get ready to cross the Jordan,” to “go across and conquer and live in the land which God has given us,” and to “purify themselves.” Ever since God showed Stained Glass Theatre our “Promised Land,” we have felt God speaking to us and leading us through the book of Joshua. We have tried to listen and be sensitive to God’s principles. We desire with all our hearts to proceed exactly as God would have us to go—to do all in His timing.

As we study the beautiful words and wisdom in the book of Joshua, this special book to us, we can see a wonderful plan of action—God’s plan. First was the call for bold, courageous, and obedient leadership; second was the call for preparation; and third was the call for purification. As we have sought God’s will for SGT, we believe that He has shown us His expectations and will by revealing to us in His Word principles that never change and never fail. Those principles would seem to be:

         —bold, courageous leadership requires Faith

         —preparation requires Work and Obedience

         —purification requires Cleansing through Repentance

         —the reward is Victory and Blessings

We believe that God would have us follow these principles, remembering that the call was not to just a few but to all of Israel. So, too, now the call is for all, for I am certain the “Promised Land” God has shown us is not just meant to be a great blessing and challenge for those of us who work directly with the theatre. It is rather for all who love and share the vision of the SGT ministry: our faithful friends, supporters, laborers, and patrons. Yes, it is a dream, a promise, for us all. I am also certain that to release God’s power, revealed in His Word, we must apply His principles and truths to our own lives and situations. That is what we are trying to do at SGT. We know that God has shown us our “Promised Land” and that He has called us to provide bold and courageous leadership and that He has given us our time for preparation and our time for purification.

In dealing with the first principle, bold and courageous leadership, all I can say is that those of us who are in leadership positions are trying. We are praying and seeking to be sensitive to God’s direction. We ask you to pray for us daily.

What about the second principle—or time of preparation? I sincerely believe that the year the Lord has given us to raise the $60,000 we need in order to move into our new home debt free is our time of preparation. It is not a time to wait and do nothing. God has given us time that must be used wisely so that when the moment comes to “cross over,” we will be ready—we will have the funds required. So how are we doing in our time of preparation? Good, but not good enough. I feel we got off to a good start but in recent months we have “slacked off” expecting God to do miracles without us doing our part. We must change this and get back to work! I have no doubt that God will do His part if we do ours. And what is our part? We must seek His guidance, and we must be obedient to the prompting of the Holy Spirit as He leads us. When I felt God speak to my heart that He was going to give us one year to raise the $60,000 and go into our “Promised Land” debt free, I never for one moment sensed God telling us to sit on our hands for one year and expect Him to drop the money from heaven like manna. Indeed, no, I knew He was saying WORK and I will guide you and bless you. Have we been working? Yes! Has God guided us? YES! Has God blessed us? YES. Abundantly! But He has blessed us in accordance with our work.

I know that many times God directs us to pray and wait upon Him. Other times God directs us to pray and move into action. I believe the latter was God’s mandate to SGT. And what is the work we are to do? That’s simple—we are to ask! Ask whoever and whenever God prompts us. We must pray for God to lead us to people who will give. And, also, pray that God will give us the boldness and courage to ask those whom He reveals to us. It’s not easy to ask for contributions. I know, for I hate it, too. It has been hard for me to ask and I’m sure we have not received some gifts that God had for us because at times I’ve lacked the boldness and courage to be obedient to God’s prompting and ask. As I’ve asked less in the last few months, God has blessed us less. The message is clear—waste not the time given you! I must, we all must be obedient if God is to bless us. And so I must ask you, our friends, to join with us. Please help!

As I said before, the challenge is for all who love SGT. Please respond now with a generous gift or pledge! But more, help us by asking others you know, as God leads you, to give. If everyone who received this newsletter responded by giving or raising $50, we would more than have the $35,000 needed to go over the top. Please pray! Please help! Please ask! Our preparation time is two-thirds gone, and we have less than half of the funds needed. We must not fail because we did nothing.

If we are faithful in what God has directed us to do, then we can rest in the assurance of God’s promise to Joshua and to us—Joshua 1:5 “. . . I will not abandon you or fail to help you.” And we say—Rejoice! Rejoice in the faithfulness of our Lord! Thank You, Father! Praise Your Holy Name!

COMING NEXT: LESSONS FROM JOSHUA—PART II              

Leaders at SGT had one final step in their preparation before entering their “Promised Land.”

THE BATTLE . . . PAIN, COURAGE, VICTORY! #15

(From my column “Looking Forward and Glancing Back” in the SGT monthly newsletter, February, 1988.)

“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” (Ephesians 6:12) The reality of these prophetic words from Paul has recently been felt and experienced by all of us at Stained Glass Theatre. We’ve experienced the battle; we’ve come face to face with the power of the enemy. We’ve experienced the fear and the pain, but the love, power, and grace of God, plus the personal courage of so many has carried us through. Praise God! We will win! Victory will be ours! Thank You, Father!

The above is not the kind of thing I enjoy writing. However, when I began this column some eighteen months ago, I promised to keep you, our supporters, informed about what was happening at SGT. I said then that I would tell the bad as well as the good. I feel God wants me to honor those words, so it is with much pain and sorrow that I must now share with you our most recent and potentially devastating struggles. We need your prayers now as never before. As you read the following, please know that our desire is for you to join with us in the battle against Satan, who would surely like to see the ministry at SGT destroyed.

As you are aware from recent newsletters, God has been blessing us in such exciting and miraculous ways over the last two years. That has not changed, and we continue to praise Him for His lovingkindness! So what has happened? We can only surmise. It seems that Satan has launched an attack like we’ve never experienced before. Why? Perhaps to stop THE LORD OF TWO REQUESTS and/or future shows, perhaps to completely shut down the ministry, or perhaps we let our armor slip a bit and Satan saw his chance. We may have dropped our shield of faith, or we may have loosened the breastplate of righteousness. Whatever the reason, all we know for sure is that we have been under attack. Everyone was caught off guard. It was a surprise attack—a bolt of lightning out of the blue. Our previous battles with Satan had been fought along lines we understood: i.e. finances, attendance, business-type problems. But now, suddenly and without warning, we found ourselves in the middle of a devastating attack on the personal lives of the SGT company. I do not believe God would have me discuss the details, for innocent people could be hurt even more than they have been or are hurting now. It is enough to tell you that lives have been devastated, families wounded (if not destroyed), morale temporarily shattered, trust lost, and hurting people left crying out for help. There were days of waiting through agonizing uncertainty. But praise God, when the smoke began to clear, we could see that there were survivors all around us. Yes, it had been a hideous battle, and skirmishes still flare up, but we had survived—we had won! THE LORD OF TWO REQUESTS would open as scheduled! The battle had been bloody, but the band of survivors is stronger than ever! We are resolved to carry this ministry forward in victory! We will complete this Season of Praise! We will continue to praise God with all that is in us, through the bad times as well as the good times! Praise You, Lord! Thank You, Father! Hallelujah!

This has been the most difficult article I’ve ever had to write. We’ve shared our pain that you might pray for us, and to ask all who love this ministry to intercede for us now and daily in the future. But having said that, let me ask you to join with all of us to look beyond the pain of battle and rejoice in good! He is on His throne, and we give Him all the glory! Praise You, Father! Praise Your Holy Name!

COMING NEXT: LESSONS FROM JOSHUA—PART I               

Everyone at SGT had to prepare to enter their “Promised Land.”