A Very Messy Gospel

‘It’s not how you begin - it’s how you end’. Have you ever heard that quote?  (Or some semblance of it!).  A pertinent thought as we approach the end of the year. 

Above is a map of the route taken by the Israelites, led by Joshua, to  enter the land promised to them by God. Now this isn’t your cue to yawn and switch off! There are some fascinating pointers to highlight here! 😆

First, take a look at that starting point, just above and to the right of the Dead Sea. It’s called ‘Shittim’. (You can read the whole story in Joshua chapters 3-6). On delving into this place, I discovered it was a place frequented by those visiting prostitutes. If you know the story of Joshua sending out two men to spy out the land ahead of his conquest, you’ll know that this was the very first place that these two spies headed for on their arrival. When I realised this, the whole crossing Jordan story suddenly felt far from holy. Where were these polished, courageous spies of this story which I heard multiple times growing up, who always appeared to be so unblemished  as they pursued the commission given to them by God? 

The next place I would like to point out is ‘Gilgal’. It’s directly above the Dead Sea on the map. In Joshua 5: 9,  after the miraculous crossing of Jordan, God commands Joshua to set up a memorial for the Israelites to remember and recount the story of His miraculous deliverance, for future generations. They were commanded to draw stones from the Jordan River and place them in Gilgal in remembrance.  God then speaks these remarkable words: ‘Today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you’. The “ reproach” refers to the suffering experienced by the Israelites under Pharaoh’s tyrannical leadership. “Egypt” also links to our sin and immorality before a holy God. But check out how this links to Christ: the reproach was “rolled  away“ – just as the stone of Christ’s tomb was rolled away. Our sins, through Christ, have been forgiven! No matter where we’ve been, or what we’ve done, when we accept Christ, we accept His forgiveness! Now that is good news! 

Speaking of this Jordan river , let’s just pause right here to think about it’s significance. That was one stinky river! It was known for its filth. And yet it was the same river that a high ranking and noble army officer called Naaman was instructed to go and wash in SEVEN times to be cleansed of  leprosy. (Read it in 2 Kings:5). When I call this blog a “very messy gospel“, this is the reason why: very often, the only way out is through. Many times, deliverance comes in ways we would never dream of. God’s ways are above our ways but one thing is for sure – following his instructions to completion is crucial to secure our victory. Have you noticed the number seven that has occurred both in the Jordan River Crossing, and in Naaman’s Cleansing? Seven is God’s number of completion. If Naaman Had become disillusioned after the sixth time, he would not have seen his miracle. If the Israelites had grown weary after marching around Jericho six times, they would not have seen their miracle.

And finally, we arrive at Jericho, where we know that the Israelites secured further supernatural victory. God gave specific instructions to Joshua, for the Israelites to follow. The fear and dread of the Israelites, following the parting of the Red Sea had already fallen on the inhabitants of Canaan. They could easily have taken Canaan at this point with their own physical efforts.  But God had given instructions which I believe, if they hadn’t followed they would not have achieved success. After what I like to call a praise and worship session, where the trumpeters were required to blow their trumpets and the people were required to shout, those formidable defence walls of Jericho, miraculously fell flat.

So as we’ve seen, the Bible is full of individuals who God has used mightily, but who often have a murky backstory like the spies. This reflects our own lives. We all have a story to tell. But whatever we’ve done in our past, God has already rolled away the stone of our reproach. It’s already settled it in Christ.

Whatever your experience of Christianity is, it’s time to leave the bystander’s position and recognise that the gospel is very messy and there are no super- holy Christians who follow God perfectly. 

So what’s your excuse? It’s time to walk free. Acknowledge God’s gift to you - Jesus Christ - and walk into your victory. Your ‘stone’ has already been rolled away.

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Peacebrown