Judges 1:1-11

¹ After the death of Joshua, the Israelites asked the Lord, “Who of us is to go up first to fight against the Canaanites?” ² The Lord answered, “Judah shall go up; I have given the land into their hands.” ³ The men of Judah then said to the Simeonites their fellow Israelites, “Come up with us into the territory allotted to us, to fight against the Canaanites. We in turn will go with you into yours.” So the Simeonites went with them.

⁴ When Judah attacked, the Lord gave the Canaanites and Perizzites into their hands, and they struck down ten thousand men at Bezek. ⁵ It was there that they found Adoni-Bezek and fought against him, putting to rout the Canaanites and Perizzites. ⁶ Adoni-Bezek fled, but they chased him and caught him, and cut off his thumbs and big toes. ⁷ Then Adoni-Bezek said, “Seventy kings with their thumbs and big toes cut off have picked up scraps under my table. Now God has paid me back for what I did to them.” They brought him to Jerusalem, and he died there.

⁸ The men of Judah attacked Jerusalem also and took it. They put the city to the sword and set it on fire. ⁹ After that, Judah went down to fight against the Canaanites living in the hill country, the Negev and the western foothills. ¹⁰ They advanced against the Canaanites living in Hebron (formerly called Kiriath Arba) and defeated Sheshai, Ahiman and Talmai. ¹¹ From there they advanced against the people living in Debir (formerly called Kiriath Sepher).

Introduction

What is the purpose of ‘church mission statement?’ A ‘church mission statement’ defines the leadership’s vision of congregational purpose and tells you if their vision is in line with God’s purposes for your life.

Our ‘church mission statement’ is “To reach out to people for Christ, nurture and disciple them to Christ-like maturity, equip them for their ministry in the church and mission in the world, for the glory of God.” This is our guiding instruction or principle individually and as a church in our approach to ministries. Our activities or ministries as a church should not oppose to but synchronize with our ‘church mission statement.’

When Israel was freed from Egyptian slavery, did God say, “Alright! You’re free to do whatever you wish or please you?” No! He instructed them what to do. Similarly, as believers freed from the slavery of sin, the Lord also gave us the ‘Great Commission.’

The Lord gave many commands on how the Israelites live their lifestyle. But as a nation, the Lord commissioned them in Deuteronomy 1:6-8, ⁷ Break camp and advance into the hill country of the Amorites; go to all the neighboring peoples in the Arabah, in the mountains, in the western foothills, in the Negev and along the coast, to the land of the Canaanites and to Lebanon, as far as the great river, the Euphrates. ⁸ See, I have given you this land. Go in and take possession of the land the Lord swore he would give to your fathers—to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob—and to their descendants after them.”

Joshua led them to conquer the land of Canaan but there were still pieces of land occupied by Canaanites after Joshua died. During his farewell speech, Joshua encouraged them in Joshua 23:3-5, ³You yourselves have seen everything the Lord your God has done to all these nations for your sake; it was the Lord your God who fought for you. ⁴ Remember how I have allotted as an inheritance for your tribes all the land of the nations that remain—the nations I conquered—between the Jordan and the Mediterranean Sea in the west. ⁵ The Lord your God himself will push them out for your sake. He will drive them out before you, and you will take possession of their land, as the Lord your God promised you.

The command of God to conquer the land served was observed until they have totally occupied the entire territory of Canaan that the Lord allotted them.

1. Allot

¹ After the death of Joshua, the Israelites asked the Lord, “Who of us is to go up first to fight against the Canaanites?” ² The Lord answered, “Judah shall go up; I have given the land into their hands.” ³ The men of Judah then said to the Simeonites their fellow Israelites, “Come up with us into the territory allotted to us, to fight against the Canaanites. We in turn will go with you into yours.” So the Simeonites went with them.

‘Serve the Lord’ was Joshua’s legacy that influenced the Israelites’ lifestyle. To the Israelites, to serve the Lord was to obey God’s instruction, which was to ‘conquer all the lands of Canaanites.’ They have already received their allotted tribal inheritance but there were still Canaanite remnants living among them that they had to drive away.

Did the Israelites feel discouraged after their leader Joshua died? Interestingly, their desire to serve the Lord inspired them to keep on. They expected possible troubles, and they sought the Lord’s guidance, and the Lord instructed them what to do.

The Israelites exemplified how to serve God. To serve God is to obey His order. We need God’s guidance to be more effective in the ministry He allotted for each of us.

Dwight

A believer named Dwight was a talented basketball player. Early in his basketball career, he was determined to use basketball as avenue to spread the gospel. Luxury and popularity overwhelmed him, and he neglected his mission to make disciples.

Fast-forward, his basketball career has turned downward, and he contemplated to retire. During his down moment, his pastor-friend encouraged him. As he revived his basketball career, he recommitted to spread the gospel in the basketball world.

Worldly lifestyle can influence us in many ways. Re-commitment is significant to our spiritual growth. God has placed us in particular situations, work places, or events to share with others our faith in Christ. We have to be spiritually alert in this world.

It says in 1 John 2:15-17, ¹⁵ Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. ¹⁶ For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. ¹⁷ The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.

Regularly check your lifestyle. How are we advancing in our spiritual life?

2. Advance

⁴ When Judah attacked, the Lord gave the Canaanites and Perizzites into their hands, and they struck down ten thousand men at Bezek… ⁸ The men of Judah attacked Jerusalem also and took it. They put the city to the sword and set it on fire. ⁹ After that, Judah went down to fight against the Canaanites living in the hill country, the Negev and the western foothills. ¹⁰ They advanced against the Canaanites living in Hebron… ¹¹ From there they advanced against the people living in Debir…

When the Israelites asked the Lord who should initiate the attack against the Canaanites it displayed awareness to their mission. The Lord told them to follow Judah. The Israelites were victorious in their battle because the Lord gave them victory after they obeyed His instruction. They advanced and defeated their enemies accordingly.

As a nation, the Israelites obeyed God’s instruction. They advanced and occupied the land of Canaan. Likewise, the Lord gave the Great Commission. Our leaders wrote our ‘church mission statement’ as instruction to fulfill the Great Commission. Individually, as church member, we are expected to abide by our ‘church mission statement.’

We are also expected to prepare for spiritual battle. Be ready anytime, anywhere.

In Ephesians 6:10-12, ¹⁰Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. ¹¹ Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. ¹² For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

To be ‘strong in the Lord’ is to grow mature spiritually, to completely submit to His Lordship, and to seek the filling and empowerment of Christ’s Spirit. As the full armor of God manifests in our life, we grow strong in our faith in the Lord. Just as soldiers wear their battle gears, we are expected to cover ourselves with spiritual armor.

It continues in Ephesians 6:13-18, ¹³ Therefore, put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. ¹⁴ Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, ¹⁵ and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. ¹⁶ In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. ¹⁷ Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. ¹⁸ And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.

When we put on the full armor of God, sharing the gospel becomes spontaneous.

As Christ’s disciples, the Great Commission ‘to go and make disciples’ is our spiritual mandate that we have to abide with as long as we live in this world until Christ take us home to our heavenly dwelling.

Making disciples is a spiritual battle.

We need to take it seriously and intentionally prepare for it every single day.

Anytime, anywhere, the Lord would bring to our attention the person He chose for us to disciple. The Lord may bring to us believers who need to be strengthened, or encouraged to keep on. At other times, the Lord may arrange events for us to meet non-believers who may not have heard the gospel yet.

Are you called to share the gospel to non-believers?

Are you called to help young believers grow spiritually?

Road Construction

How do you appreciate driving around during summer?

Road constructions are normal occurrence that may slow down traffic flow. Double lanes are merged at some point. Drivers are expected to give in to others.

If you are not aware of road constructions ahead, you’ll be caught by surprise. If you are not familiar with the area you are in, you may be frustrated if there’s obstruction in your path. To reach your destination, you should know which way to divert.

Similarly, many believers are frustrated when their life is interrupted by concerns of life. We heard it preached that the Bible is our spiritual manual, map or GPS (Global Positioning System) but we need the Holy Spirit to teach us how to use the Bible more accurately. It teaches us in Proverbs 29:18 (NLT) ¹⁸ When people do not accept divine guidance, they run wild. But whoever obeys the law is joyful.      

Our church mission statement:“To reach out to people for Christ, nurture and disciple them to Christ-like maturity, equip them for their ministry in the church and mission in the world, for the glory of God” is our guidance as a church for us not to run wild in our approach of our ministries individually or as a congregation.

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