SHEPHERD & SHEEP - FOLLOWING INSTRUCTIONS OF GOD’S SERVANTS

Pr. Geoffrey Kibombo

Joshua 6:1-20 (NLT)

But the Lord said to Joshua, “I have given you Jericho, its king, and all its strong warriors. 3 You and your fighting men should march around the town once a day for six days…………………...6 So Joshua called together the priests and said, “Take up the Ark of the Lord’s Covenant, and assign seven priests to walk in front of it, each carrying a ram’s horn.” 7 Then he gave orders to the people: “March around the town, and the armed men will lead the way in front of the Ark of the Lord.”……………16 The seventh time around, as the priests sounded the long blast on their horns, Joshua commanded the people, “Shout! For the Lord has given you the town! 

One of the things that have hindered progress in our lives is our failure to follow instructions. As Christians we don't have any difficulty in trusting God and his word, however, our challenge is; not believing the servants God sends us and not following their instructions. Jesus told His disciples in John 14:1 (ESV) that; 

“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in Me.”

In the scripture above Jesus was urging His disciples to believe in God  and in him too. It is very easy for people to believe in the Almighty God - the Creator of heaven and earth who is all knowing and able, and even the demons too believe as well. James 2:19 (NKJV) says; 

"You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble!" 

But the same people find it hard to believe in the messengers or servants of God - the  evangelists, pastors and prophets who are God's vessels. Jesus assured us in John 13:20 (NASB) that; 

“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who receives whomever I send receives Me; and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me.” 

As Christians - sheep, we must have a Joshua - pastor or shepherd and our role is to follow the instructions of our Joshua because he is the one to cause us to inherit the land. Sheep by nature tend to wander off the path and also have poor vision – they can’t see very far ahead. That’s why they need a shepherd. God made the sheep in a way that they could not be able to see into the future no matter how much they try. Why did God do this? He did it so that they would depend on the shepherd. 

The word "pastor" derives from the Latin noun pastor which means "shepherd" and relates to the Latin verb pascere - to lead to pasture, cause to eat; so to us it means the spiritual feeding of human beings, just as the bible teaches in Jeremiah 3:15 (NASB) that; 

"And I will give you shepherds after My own heart, who will feed you on knowledge and understanding."

Many people have leaders who they serve but their problem is that they do not submit or follow instructions yet the latter if done is the origin of establishment, and prosperity. Deuteronomy 3:28 (NKJV) says; 

“But command Joshua, and encourage him and strengthen him; for he shall go over before this people, and he shall cause them to inherit the land which you will see.”

In Joshua 6:1-5, God gave Joshua instructions to follow regarding the possession of Jericho. Having received those instructions, Joshua had to send the exact instructions to his men and how they were to be carried out because their victory was embedded in following  the instructions God had given him.

In Joshua 6:6-21, when the Children of Israel followed the instructions Joshua had given them, they were victorious. Sometimes you don't need to use your brainpower or expertise, because if you do, you will surely see destruction and defeat. We don’t overcome with our own intelligence but by following God’s instructions - faith combined with obedience.

Let us look at it from our everyday perspective; for example, if a person is sick, the doctors will prescribe the medication for that specific disease and specific instructions are given on how the medicine should be administered for instance 2×3. The instructions thereof should not be executed in reverse order, and thus if not followed a person can suffer from adverse effects of the medication which can even lead to death. Therefore following instructions of God's servants is very key in our lives. 

Psalm 44:1-3 (NLT) says; 

“O God, we have heard it with our own ears—our ancestors have told us of all you did in their day, in days long ago: 2 You drove out the pagan nations by your power and gave all the land to our ancestors. You crushed their enemies and set our ancestors free. 3 They did not conquer the land with their swords; it was not their own strong arm that gave them victory. It was your right hand and strong arm and the blinding light from your face that helped them, for you loved them.” 

You need a Joshua - shepherd in your life. The challenges and obstacles you meet will be easy to overcome because God has entrusted the solution for those hurdles with your spiritual father. You don't need to worry or struggle, just stand-still in your rightful place! 2 Chronicles 20:20 (NKJV) says; 

"..............Hear me, O Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem: Believe in the Lord your God, and you shall be established; believe His prophets, and you shall prosper.”

You need a servant of God who speaks in your lifeo; for you to be established and prosper, you need to believe in God and to follow the instructions of His servants because he reveals Himself to them. Numbers 12:6 (NKJV) says; 

"Hear now My Words: 

If there is a prophet among you, 

I, the LORD, make myself known to him in a vision;

 I speak to him in a dream.”

Let’s be obedient sheep and follow instructions of the shepherd!

SILENT YEARS

Pr. Geoffrey Kibombo

When God speaks or sends His word, in any way (through His servants, dreams or prophesy), there is a time frame – silent years, till fruition. This time frame between when God speaks and fulfillment of His promises can be a day, month, year or decade; it’s the manufacturing process of that promise – God at work. When maize grains are planted, they go through a process of; germination, pollination and ripening. You don’t plant today and reap overnight. What you think are wasted or unproductive years, are in fact preparatory years; the time when God is at work in you, preparing and nurturing you to be ready to receive that which He promised or you prayed for. 

What usually happens during the Silent years?

1 Character Transformation
God promised Moses to lead the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt to the Promised Land. Exodus 3:10 (NLT) - “Now go, for I am sending you to Pharaoh. You must lead my people Israel out of Egypt.”

Because of his short temper, Moses killed an Egyptian who was persecuting the Israelite which caused him to run to the desert of Midian where he spent 40 years (Exodus2). For God to fulfill what He had spoken unto Moses, it took 40 years, because the Moses God wanted to use, was short tempered and wanted to do things his way not God’s way. It wasn’t God’s will for him to kill the Egyptian.  Exodus 2:11-24 (AMPC) says;

“One day, after Moses was grown, it happened that he went out to his brethren and looked at their burdens; and he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of [Moses’] brethren. 12 He looked this way and that way, and when he saw no one, he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. 13 He went out the second day and saw two Hebrew men quarreling and fighting; and he said to the unjust aggressor, Why are you striking your comrade? 14 And the man said, who made you a prince and a judge over us? Do you intend to kill me as you killed the Egyptian? Then Moses was afraid and thought, Surely this thing is known. 15 When Pharaoh heard of it, he sought to slay Moses. But Moses fled from Pharaoh’s presence and took refuge in the land of Midian………………......…23 However, after a long time [nearly forty years] the king of Egypt died; and the Israelites were sighing and groaning because of the bondage. They kept crying, and their cry because of slavery ascended to God. 24 And God heard their sighing and groaning and [earnestly] remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob.”

You may wonder, why did it take 40 years for God to use Moses? God was transforming Moses; molding his character from a short tempered man to a humble leader thus he turned out to be the most humbled man. The bible says in Numbers 12:3 (NASB) that; “Now the man Moses was very humble, more than any man who was on the face of the earth.” Before going to the desert, Moses was short tempered and couldn’t wait upon the Lord’s instructions. For God to use Him, he had to get rid of his short temper.

It took God forty (40) years to work on Moses and after that time-frame; He went back to lead God’s people out of Egypt, who along the way turned out to say very annoying things against the Lord but in all, Moses kept his cool. Even when the people rebelled and turned against God in the desert, Moses never took matters in his own hands (Exodus 32:7-14), He went back to the Lord for instructions. God even testified and defended him when Aaron and Miriam rose up against him (Numbers 12:5-9). God’s work of 40 years, made a humbled Moses. He was able to lead the children of Israel in humility because God had done a good work in Him

2 Spiritual Growth 
God called John the Baptist; he was tasked to announce the coming of Jesus Christ. The assignment was big and required spiritual maturity. John dwelt first in the desert to grow in the spirit till his time. Luke 1:80 (ESV) says; “And the child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the wilderness until the day of his public appearance to Israel.”

He is one the few people in the bible that did a powerful ministry in a very short time because of the silent years he went through. The silent years help us to grow spiritually – develop our spiritual muscles. We learn not to think or behave carnally.

3 Attitude or Mindset Transformation 
Let’s look at Jesus’s life. Jesus was born as per the Prophesy in Isaiah 9. After 8 days he was taken to the temple to be dedicated (Luke 2:22). The scriptures talk about Him again when he was 12 years old (Luke 2:42), and after a long hiatus he is seen again when he is 30 years old for three years during his ministry. The scriptures don’t show or talk about Jesus between 12 and 30 years. So in total, there are 18 silent years of Jesus which are not accounted for or scripted. 

What was happening in the 18 years of Jesus? Paul got a revelation of what happened in Philippians 2:5-6 (NLT);

“You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. 6 Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. 7 Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, 8 he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.”

We all know and believe that Jesus is God. For God to become Jesus, it took him 18 years to take out the attitude of God and adopt that of human beings i.e.18 years of attitude transformation, as seen in Philippians 2 above. Jesus was God in human form, so he had to change his mindset to resemble that of the people he was going to redeem.

He came on earth resembling us in order to overcome our challenges. In having the same body like us, he too was tempted, insulted and hurt, so he knows all that we go through, that is why he won’t allow you to be tempted beyond what you can bear. 

Why can’t God just allow big things to just come into our lives? Because he appeared in flesh and experienced what it is like to be human. He knows our challenges, limitations and faults that’s why He perfects that which concerns us.

4 To Humble Us 
For you to admit and say I am what I am because of God not by my strength, it takes a humbled heart. God hates pride. Many times God does things for us and instead of returning the glory and honour unto Him, we exalt and credit our efforts, connections and education. It takes spiritual maturity to acknowledge the greatness and might of our God. He led the Israelites through the wilderness to humble them and make them trust him. Actually, the journey which would have taken them about 4 years to get to the promised land ended up taking 40 years because of their rebellious minds.  
Deuteronomy 8:2-3 (NLT) says;

“Remember how the Lord your God led you through the wilderness for these forty years, humbling you and testing you to prove your character, and to find out whether or not you would obey his commands. 3 Yes, he humbled you by letting you go hungry and then feeding you with manna, a food previously unknown to you and your ancestors. He did it to teach you………”

5 To revitalize us 
For Easter to become Queen, she had to go through 12 months of vigorous preparations. Esther 2:12 (NIV) says; “Before a young woman’s turn came to go in to King Xerxes, she had to complete twelve months of beauty treatments prescribed for the women, six months with oil of myrrh and six with perfumes and cosmetics.”

When she finally appeared before the king, she was favoured and crowned queen. Twelve months of preparations triggered instant favour. Esther 2:17 (NKJV)  - “The king loved Esther more than all the other women, and she obtained grace and favor in his sight more than all the virgins; so he set the royal crown upon her head and made her queen.” 
Had she appeared before the king as soon as she was brought from her home, she would not have made it.

Silent years are transformational years! God wants to bless and lift us to greater heights but in order to do so, he has got to first prepare us; He won’t lift you to kingly levels when you still have a slave mentality.
There is something God promised you, but time has elapsed without seeing a cloud. Don’t let the devil manipulate your mind to think that God has forsaken you, but in all that time-frame, God is transforming you into a person he wants you to be so that what he places that which he promised in your hands, it is established and used to benefit his kingdom.

There is a saying which goes; easy come, easy go. Things which come easily are lost at the same speed because our character and mindset have not been prepared to handle that which has come. As you wait for God to give you what you prayed for or He promised thou, He is preparing you to be able to hold that which he is going to give you so that it is established and sustained

God bless you!

REDEEMING TIME

Julie. K Nsubuga

Psalms 39:5 (NIV)

“You have made my days a mere handbreadth; the span of my years is as nothing before you. Everyone is but a breath, even those who seem secure.”

Managing our time is vital because of our years in this world. Our time in this world is limited. Time is the only thing that God gave us in common, therefore what we are or not is because of how we have managed our time because our time on earth isn’t everlasting. It is important we make the best possible use of our fixed time.

In Psalms 90:12 (NIV) David prays; “Teach us to number our days that we may gain a heart of wisdom”. A good way to gain wisdom is to learn to live each day with an eternal perspective knowing that we will have to give accountability to God who gave us this opportunity.

The burdens of this world cry for our attention, dragging us in different directions, making us waste this valuable gift called time on none or less important things. We forget the purpose we were created for. Ephesians 5:15-16 (NASB) says; “Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, 16 making the most of your time, because the days are evil.”

How do you redeem your time?

1. Planning: You must plan better, focusing on priorities, what do you want to become in the next 1-5 years? What do you need to get there? Who do you need to work with to get there? How will you measure success?  All these issues must be well documented

2. Positioning: To achieve your plan you need to work with some people or do certain things.  How have you positioned yourself with the right people? Where and who do you spend your time with?  You may have to drop some friends, some businesses, some jobs etc. to get to where you want to be. You may have to get out of your comfort zone and start networking to meet the right people that will help you succeed hence helping you use your time well

3. Value: Do you know your value or are you allowing people decide what your value is? You are a child of the most high King and should start believing and living like one, the Bible says He who is in us is stronger than he who is in the world. Are you living like one who has the strong God or one who is listening to the world’s weak statements about you and the weak price the world puts on your name, business etc.

4. Destiny: What is your destiny? Our ultimate goal should be to live in paradise with Christ Jesus. Paul says in Philippians 3:14 (NLT); “I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us”. Therefore whatever you do should be in line with achieving this goal not pleasing or compromising with the world for the sake of money or friends.

5. History: Forget the past, where you were born, married, went to school, do not look at your present situation but design a future basing on the word of God. God promised us a future and long life, he has good plans for us, to prosper us not to harm us so we need to work towards that and not be intimidated by what our current situation is.

Our prophetic message this year is “New World / Harvest Time” (Isaiah 60:17). Let’s stand on that word for the rest of the year, let’s go to him and remind him to create a new world for us, and usher us into our harvest. In fact Pastor clarified that this year - 2015, marks the beginning of the Harvest season for this church. Some will Harvest this year, others next year and some the other year. He hasn’t forgotten; he never lets his word return to him without accomplishing what he sent it to do.

God Bless you all

HOLDING UP THE HANDS OF GOD’S SERVANTS

Winifred. L Kakumba

Exodus 17:8-13 (NKJV)

“Now Amalek came and fought with Israel in Rephidim. 9 And Moses said to Joshua, “Choose us some men and go out, fight with Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in my hand.” 10 So Joshua did as Moses said to him, and fought with Amalek. And Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. 11 And so it was, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed; and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed. 12 But Moses’ hands became heavy; so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it. And Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. 13 So Joshua defeated Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword”

Holding up someone's hand, simply means; offering support to that person’s hands. Support can be defined as; assistance given, help, aid, or a thing that bears the weight of something or keeps it upright. As Christians, we are not only supposed to support the gospel and  church but we are required to support the men of God that do a good work in us i.e. morally, spiritually and financially, to  enable them to be fully dedicated to God's service steadily. This is an area that we often neglect and do not consider yet they have families and operate in the same economic environment like us.

Our guaranteed Victory is embedded in supporting the servants of God. Every time their hands remain raised up in prayer, we overcome and defeat all challenges before us. Like in the war between Israelites and Amalekites in Exodus 17 above. Supporting the servants of God requires that you stand with them in their day to day responsibilities, welfare and overheads. Just like Ruth told Naomi in Ruth 1:16 (NLT) that: “Wherever you go, I will go; and wherever you live, I will live; Your people will be my people, and your God, and your God will be my God.” That is how we should stand with the men of God; supporting their visions and following them unquestionably.

It is true that God can take care of his anointed, however, if you don’t obey to be used, he will use someone else and you will miss out on a great blessing, for you and many generations to come. Let us therefore accept the administration and leadership they put in place to help them fulfill God’s commission.

If they delegate someone responsibility, let us receive them as we would receive God’s servants themselves. If we do so, we receive all the benefits we would receive from the men of God themselves because the delegated persons come in the name of the leader. If we do this, we are able to free their hands from other responsibilities and they will be able to dedicate more time in prayer and hence our success. However, this doesn't mean that we completely replace them with the people that they have delegated to help us and cut them out of our lives. We should keep our hearts open to them so that the next time they are available they will be able to come to us or help us themselves. The senior Pastor may not be available today to attend to you but instead sends someone to attend to you, that person comes in his/her name and therefore take it in good faith, the next time he is available, he will attend to you.  

Philemon 1:8-20 (MSG) says;

 “8 In line with all this I have a favor to ask of you. As Christ’s ambassador and now a prisoner for him, 9 I wouldn’t hesitate to command this if I thought it necessary, but I’d rather make it a personal request.  10 while here in jail, I fathered a child, so to speak. And here he is, hand-carrying this letter-Onesimus! 11 He was useless to you before; now he’s useful to both of us…………………..………17 So if you still consider me a comrade-in-arms, welcome him back as you would me. 18 If he damaged anything or owes you anything, chalk it up to my account. 19 This is my personal signature-Paul-and I stand behind it. (I don’t need to remind you, do I, that you owe your very life to me?) 20 Do this big favour, friend. You’ll be doing it for Christ, but it will also do my heart good.”    

In the book of Philemon above, Paul was in prison, held up and could not come to the people in person but he sent Onesimus, however he had hope that he would be out of jail at some point and therefore requested them to welcome and accept him with open arms. It's very possible for someone to be tied up with other responsibilities especially since the body of Christ is big, there many people who demand their services and may not be available at a time you need them.  It doesn't mean they will never be free, therefore keep your hearts open. In Philemon 1:22 (NLT) he says;  “One more thing—please prepare a guest room for me, for I am hoping that God will answer your prayers and let me return to you soon.”     

Serving and supporting His servants is not in vain, there inherent blessings in what we gain in the kingdom of God when we support the men of God:

1. The men of God remember you and always pray for you. 1 Thessalonians 1:2-3 (NKJV) “We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers, 3 remembering without ceasing your work of faith, labor of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the sight of our God and Father". Every time they keep us in prayer then victory is assured

2. Through them, we are blessed. God told Abraham that through him all nations would be blessed. Abraham is the patriarch of our faith likewise the men of God are God's representatives.  Genesis 12:3 (NLT) says; “I will bless those who bless you, and curse those who treat you with contempt. And all the families on earth will be blessed through you.” They therefore bear our blessings

3. You will never lack your reward if you welcome a servant of God (Prophet) because by receiving him/her, you receive God himself. Matthew 10:40-42(NKJV) “He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me. 41 He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward. And he who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward. 42 And whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple, assuredly, I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward.”

4. So that we receive what may abound to our accounts, and when we provide for them, then their God supplies all our needs. God is able to take care of his servants because He owns everything. Psalms 50:12 (NLT) - “If I were hungry, I would not tell you; for the world is Mine, and everything in it.” Paul acknowledges in Philippians 4:15-19 (NKJV);
“Now you Philippians know also that in the beginning of the gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, no church shared with me concerning giving and receiving but you only. 16 For even in Thessalonica you sent aid once and again for my necessities. 17 Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that abounds to your account. 18 Indeed I have all and abound. I am full, having received from Epaphroditus the things sent from you, a sweet-smelling aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well pleasing to God. 19 And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

5. They cause us to inherit or enter into our blessing. The bible says in Joshua 1:6(AMP) “Be strong (confident) and of good courage, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land which I swore to their fathers to give them.”

When you hold, you will surely see victory!