One Tribe
Noah Manyika
February 2012
1st
Daniel’s faith so impressed Nebuchadnezzar and his successors that one King Darius was left with no choice but to declare: “I make a decree, That in every dominion of my kingdom men tremble and fear before the God of Daniel: for he is the living God, and stedfast for ever, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed, and his dominion shall be even unto the end. He delivereth and rescueth, and he worketh signs and wonders in heaven and in earth, who hath delivered Daniel from the power of the lions” (Daniel 6:26-27). Does your faith, and the testimonies thereof, so shine the light of God’s glory into your Babylon that the Dariuses of your time feel compelled to acknowledge that God is the living God and Lord of all?
There is indeed a cause.
2nd
Most people find it much easier to start than to finish anything. The Apostle Paul was not just committed to finishing, but finishing with joy. He writes in Acts 20:24: “But none of these things move, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God”. There is much the enemy will throw at us to try to stop us from obeying God or to ensure that we finish without joy. Like Paul whose joy knew no bounds in all his troubles (2 Corinthians 7:4), we must refuse to be stopped, distracted or embittered and finish our course with joy.
3rd
Jesus did not make it easy for anyone to be on His leadership team. Many who tried simply could not make the cut. Offended by His radical message, “many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with Him” (John 6:66). Why did Jesus raise the bar so high, and why does He expect today’s Christian leaders to meet those high standards? Because “from the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been subjected to violence, and violent people have been raiding it” (Matthew 11:12). The issues at stake are too important to be put in the hands of weak-kneed leadership, people who will quit when the battle intensifies, handing victory to an enemy that is determined to kill, steal, and destroy
4th
When Jesus fingered Judas as the disciple who was going to betray Him, the rest of the disciples reacted with the convenient confusion and indifference of those whose loyalty to one seemed more important than discerning the true nature of Judas’ heart. Jesus would have been justified to react with anger to their indifference. Indeed the betrayal and indifference of His disciples worked together to complete His isolation at Gethsemane. We hear Him cry out in agony by Himself as His disciples slept: “…O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me.” (Matthew 26:39). Thankfully that was not where Jesus stopped. He continued to declare (His pain and isolation notwithstanding): “nevertheless, not as I will, but as Thou wilt”. Your agony must not stop God’s will from being accomplished in your life.
5th
King Saul prophesied with the company of the prophets at Gilgal (1 Samuel 10:10), but still made foolish decisions that cost him his kingdom and ultimately his life. Prophesying at Gilgal was not necessarily a sign of a deeply transformed character, even though it was an impressive performance that did not go unnoticed (1 Samuel 10:11). The tragic reality is that the consequences of Saul’s character flaws were not felt by him alone, but extended to the whole nation of Israel which for years had to endure a king on the throne who God had already rejected, and face emboldened enemies who seemed to sense Israel’s weakness and disorientation.
6th
In a world where significance is measured in complexity, and the simplicity of the mission of the church has often become lost in the complexity of vision, it will take much courage to be simple, and to simply obey. When Jesus called His disciples with the simple words “follow me”, they simply obeyed and ended up turning cities upside down and laying the foundation for the global spread of the Gospel. When we have exhausted ourselves from brilliant but mind-bending ideas and projects that hardly advance the Kingdom, we will invariably return to the realization that simple obedience is not only God honoring but the most effective weapon against the kingdom of darkness.
7th
As Jesus was trying to prepare the disciples for what was coming (His betrayal by Judas and ultimate death on the Cross), they were engaged in an inappropriate squabble over who was going to have the highest rank after He was gone: “and there was also a strife among them, which of them should be accounted the greatest” (Luke 22:24). How many pointless squabbles preoccupy God’s people today at a time when we must redeem the time because the days are evil?
8th
How did Jesus deal with the disciples who were suddenly possessed of a warrior spirit when Judas led the arresting party to him (Luke 22:49-50)? Remember these were the same disciples who had been indifferent when Jesus had revealed that Judas was a traitor. How would you have dealt with their belated zeal, or the repentance of Judas (Matthew 27:3), both of which came too late to save Him the pain? Should Jesus have said: “I am not going to die for mankind until they apologize to me for all the wrong they have done to me”? Too many of us are waiting for apologies that will never come and delaying –or worse still – completely passing up the fulfillment of God’s purpose for our lives because we were hurt by people. It’s time to get over it and obey God.
9th
God does not call us because we are indispensible or because He lacks anything. If He can cause rocks to sing His praises (Luke 19:40) and transform donkeys into prophets, then there is a reason other than our indispensability why He needs us. God calls us because He chooses to need us. What an awesome thing it is to be needed by the Lord of Lords. If we understood who it is that is calling us, we would not refuse Him.
10th
It took me until my forties to learn to swim because of a near-death experience in a pool when I was a little boy. After jumping into a river a few years later and almost drowning again, I made sure that for almost thirty years thereafter I stayed out of any water that was higher than my ankles. I was shamed into learning to swim when my young daughter almost drowned and was rescued by someone else who could swim. How could I allow my fear of the water to be greater than my love for my daughter? I was not a pretty sight at the pool as I fought the water, swallowing an unholy amount of chlorinated water in the process. I endured the humiliation and grew my fins…FOR THE CAUSE! What will you do for the cause? What will you do for God?
11th
The good news for the young Joshua as he took over from Moses was that God was as committed to his success as He had been to Moses’. Hear God’s promise to Joshua: “Every place that the sole of your feet shall tread upon, that I have given unto you, as I said unto Moses” (Joshua 1:3). The last five words of that promise (“as I said unto Moses”) suggest that God’s servants also inherit the promises God made to the leaders that preceded them! When you are obedient, you become a formidable force because you are backed not just by the word of God concerning you, but the ammunition of God’s prophetic promises to the giants of the faith that went before you! You can go into battle knowing that the blessings of Moses, Abraham and their counterparts in this century are yours.
12th
For the children of Israel, the route out of Egypt prescribed by God (Exodus 14:1-2) led them to what seemed like a deadly trap. Moses did not panic, but turned to the people and spoke boldly: “Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord” (Exodus 14:13). This was not a moment of crisis, but an opportunity for the Lord’s glory to be revealed. Your obedience might lead you to what looks to everyone like trouble, but your faith in every circumstance is pleasing to God who will respond to it by showing His strength on your behalf.
13th
The flooded Jordan that Joshua and the children of Israel encountered as they journeyed to the land of promise was a real physical challenge. Yet they crossed by faith, not by boat. The fortifications at Jericho were not spiritual walls. Yet they succumbed to the shout and trump of faith of God’s people. The threat of the Midianites during Gideon’s time was real. Yet God instructed Gideon to lead a faith army of 300 against a Midianite and Amalekite army described in the Scripture as being “like grasshoppers for multitude” (Judges 7:12). Great leaders understand that true faith is a great force-multiplier and that no barrier (physical or spiritual) can stand in its way.
14th
After John was born, his parents’ neighbors and relatives were quick to suggest the new born be named Zechariah after the father. The child’s parents, knowing God had already picked the name John before the child was even conceived (Luke 1:13), and that the name and God’s plan for their child were inseparable, went with God’s choice. When Zechariah who had been dumb throughout Elizabeth’s pregnancy confirmed God’s instructions, his tongue was miraculously loosed, and he was able to speak. Witnessing the miraculous reward of simple obedience, “fear came on all that dwelt around them” and they asked: “what manner of child shall this be?” (Luke 1:65-66). The Kingdom would advance greatly if we understood clearly what He desires of us and simply obeyed, even if our obedience goes against our culture, traditions and the suggestions and desires of our loved ones.
15th
Every so often events will conspire to set fire to our hiding places, making it impossible for us to run away from the responsibility of frontline leadership. Lately the assault on Christian and family values has set the jungle of political correctness ablaze, leaving no place of retreat for those who may be tempted to go back to a benign and politically correct gospel. We cannot afford to keep the sharp edges of the Gospel hidden when the enemy has unsheathed his own weapons. As Satan continues his onslaught on the Kingdom of God, each generation must take the cue from the Davidic actions of the few who insist on raising the banner of Christ high.
16th
In II Samuel 4:1 we read about the effect of the news of Abner’s demise on the son of Saul who he was protecting in Israel: “And when Saul’s son heard that Abner was dead in Hebron, his hands were feeble, and all the Israelites were troubled”. When the children of Israel were advancing on Jericho, the hearts of the people of Jericho melted with fear, “neither did there remain any more courage in any man” (Joshua 2:11). There is nothing that saps our strength like fear. When we remember that God did not give us a spirit of fear, then we respond to bad news and trouble the way God wants us to respond. It is as a result of that appropriate response to bad news and trouble that visions are birthed, movements are launched and heroes are made.
17th
The post-modern generation lives as if the cure to sin and evil is getting a better job, or starting a business or being drafted into the NFL or NBA. Because this is a generation that did not conspire in the great social iniquities of yesterday on which the word “evil” hangs (slavery, segregation etc.) and from which some of the inequities of today derive, it is driven neither by guilt nor a sense of righteous indignation to put things right. It pays just enough attention to the events of our times to extract what the business of the day demands without being bothered by the moral decay all around us. It’s hard for this generation to come to terms with the fact that what looks beautiful to us stinks to God.
18th
The apostles were unstoppable in the book of Acts because they were not running for honorable mention, but to finish and win the race. They understood that they could ill-afford to waste precious spiritual resources going on endless rabbit trails at a time of war. So they focused on what God had called them to, and worked like there was no tomorrow and everything depended on them.
19th
Satan works overtime to convince us during our wilderness experiences that we have been forsaken by God and have lost our way. The children of Israel were neither forsaken nor lost. He responded to their need with appropriate provision. They ate their fill and experienced His faithful presence throughout their journey. His glory cloud and the pillar of fire were present to lead them in the way by day and by night. Often His illumination will be just sufficient for us to see the few steps we need to take in the present. Even this is for our own good as it forces us to rely on Him and to walk in His ordering of our steps.
20th
When Barak the commander of Israel’s army refused to go to war without Deborah the female judge of God’s people (Judges 4), she heard the unmistakable call of duty and went. Lapidoth her husband did not stand in her way. It was more important for his wife to obey God above everything else. Those who are yet to marry or be married owe it to themselves to believe God for the kinds of spouses who will fear God enough not to stand in the way of their response to the call.
21st
When Elijah complained in 1 Kings 19:10 that he was the only one left who was serving the Lord with zeal, the Lord corrected him, telling him there were seven thousand others “in Israel, all whose knees have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him” (1 Kings 19:18). Elijah had come to the wrong conclusion because the Lord required him to walk and fight alone. God’s requirements of the seven thousand had nothing to do with Elijah. It would not have helped him in any way to try to compare his “conditions of service” with those of the others God called. What he needed to focus on were God’s expectations of him as an individual so that he could work on his own obedience.
22nd
David did not bring more of what Israel perceived she lacked onto the battlefield. He was neither a bigger giant than Goliath, nor more experienced at handling the instruments of war. What made the balance swing in Israel’s favor was the fact that David came in the power of God’s name and not in the pride of experience, training and technology (1 Samuel 17:45). David knew whom he represented. His trust rested not in the carnal weapons fashioned by men (“And all this assembly shall know that the Lord saveth not with sword and spear…” 1 Samuel 17:47) but in the Lord whose cause he stood.
the Challenge of Leadership