The Josiah Generation
Well, it's been a few weeks since I last wrote--being newly engaged is a lot of work! Our wedding plans are moving along smoothly, and Robin and I will be married on June 7, 2008.
I've been spending most of this last month seeking God and praying about direction, so it's been time well spent! The trouble for me, though, has been trying to figure one little thing out: When you've been gone for a few weeks, what do you write about? People are looking for something profound after a time of prayer and meditation. Well, in the midst of these past few weeks of seeking God's face, He has placed a renewed burden on my heart for something He revealed to me a few years ago, and I've finally gotten around to writing about it.
On April 14, 2006, the Lord spoke to me that He is raising up a "Josiah Generation." At the time, the only thing I actually knew about Josiah was that he was the youngest king of Israel at only eight years old. But as I read into the story, I began to see the full ramifications of this prophetic promise.
Let me first say that when God speaks of a "generation," He isn't always referring to a group of a certain age. On the contrary, He may be referring to everyone who is currently alive. "This Generation"—in the context of this blog post—refers to every living person in today’s Church. I feel from the Holy Spirit that there is not one person reading this who is exempt from being part of this "Josiah Generation." So take everything in and see what changes you might need to make in your own life in order to be swept into this move of God!
As you read the story of Josiah, don’t worry about catching all the details—just pay attention to the major events that take place:
In the Old Testament, the "Temple" was a brick and mortar building where the presence of God dwelt; but in the New Testament, the "Temple" is built out of people! Paul said, "Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that His Spirit dwells in you?" Peter said we're living stones, built into the house of God. And get this: When Jesus talked about tearing down the "Temple" and rebuilding it in three days, He was talking about His own physical body. Today, we are the Body of Christ!
We're not just God's Temple, we're Christ's Body. A restoration of the Temple is a restoration of His Body! Therefore, if we are going to be a "Josiah Generation" then we must be a people who are pursuing a restoration of "The Body of Christ." We need to learn what it is to walk in fellowship and the gifts of the Holy Spirit! We need to practice unity with Christ on both an individual and Church-wide level. Christianity will only spread like wildfire among a people who are truly experiencing and representing Jesus Christ in this way!
Unearthing Ancient Truths
What I find so interesting about Josiah is that he didn't just rebuild the temple—he also succeeded in unearthing ancient truths. In the process of trying to rebuild the ancient place of worship, a long-forgotten scroll was uncovered; and upon hearing its contents, Josiah cried out, "The Lord's anger is burning against us because our ancestors have not obeyed the words in this scroll. We have not been doing what this scroll says we must do!"
Based on what I've witnessed in the past couple years, this is also true of the Josiah Generation. As we search the Scriptures and try to restore "Body Life" in the Church, we constantly come across verses that surprise us. You’ll see so many things that have grieved my heart because our ancestors haven't been doing these things, and neither have we! I believe you’re part of this generation, so be prepared to be amazed at the things we've forgotten over the last two millennia.
The tendency is to recognize these things and then just be frustrated. I couldn't hope to guess how many dissatisfied people sit in our churches from week to week, annoyed that they're not experiencing everything the Bible says should be happening when Christians gather. They've unearthed the truths, but they haven't done anything with them. Josiah, however, didn't stop with a mere realization that his ancestors had slipped up! On the contrary, he took action!
How to Take Action
The verses that follow Josiah's discovery of the scroll are exciting! Josiah runs throughout the land tearing down all the man-made idols: smashing them, burning the pieces, grinding the charred remains into powder, and scattering the powder over the common graves! Josiah didn't just repent and leave the old dead structure hanging around for decoration—he took radical action and saw his nation transformed as a result! If we're going to transform our nation and our world, then we need to be people of deep repentance and radical action like Josiah!
Now, let me be clear about something—as king of Israel, Josiah owned all those idols, so they were his to demolish. I'm not suggesting that you go burn down a mosque or Kingdom Hall—that would be foolish and illegal, not to mention absent of the love of Christ. However, you can certainly burn up and put to death every "idol" in your own life (provided they're yours to destroy)!
When the Ten Commandments say, "You shall have no other gods before Me," the literal Hebrew translation could be rendered, "You shall have no other gods (or anything else) between your face and Mine!" Idols, then, are anything that comes between God's face and yours, thus inhibiting your relationship with Him. If it's obscuring your view of God the Father, then you need to get it out of your life!
Furthermore, if we're to truly be a Josiah Generation, then we can't just avoid these things or practice moderation. We need to respond like Josiah and outright cut them out of our lives! We need to take radical steps. For some, this will mean severing some friendships or family relationships. For others, this will mean changing jobs or schools. For still others, this will mean throwing away your television, computer, iPod, or anything else that distracts you (or maybe selling these things and giving the money to the poor).
A few years ago, I had to completely cut television out of my life for about seven months. The TV belonged to my parents, so I couldn't very well throw it away; but the principle needed to be the same. I refused to watch TV anywhere. My bank had TV sets suspended from the ceiling, and I would keep my eyes set on the floor. My friends would have a TV on, and I'd purposely sit somewhere that I couldn’t see it. Even when stores had televisions on display, I would overt my eyes. For times when I was in a waiting room, like at the doctor, I always carried a pocket New Testament so I'd have something to do instead of looking at the TV.
I was practicing what the Bible calls "consecration." This word means to completely set something apart for a holy purpose. It means to be radically different from the world. It involves purity for the sake of intimacy with God. It's not an action done to impress anyone, but it cannot be compromised simply because people are looking. The attention of people should be completely disregarded in matters of consecration—your decision should be carried out no mater what.
Most importantly, these actions must be genuine. I didn't just avoid TV religiously—I did it because I knew I needed to set my eyes apart for a holy purpose. Every time I looked away from a television, it drove me to prayer. I did it because I knew the TV was consuming all my time and attention. Not only that, but I was in the process of being set free from an addiction to pornography and lust, which the television was not helping.
For you, television may not be a big deal, so you'll have to let the Holy Spirit show you something else. A friend of mine is currently moving and decided to give his computer to someone else because it was a distraction and an enabler of his own addictions. Still another friend of mine just decided to give up watching basketball and playing basketball video games. Whatever it is that has come between your face and God's, you need to take drastic measures to expel it from your life.
Perhaps you're looking at your life, though, and thinking that there isn't anything separating you from God. No problem! You can still sacrifice something else for the sake of living a consecrated life. A good friend of mine just gave up drinking iced tea as an act of consecration. Someone else I know fasted from six in the morning until six at night for forty days. He lost a lot of weight, but it was one of the most spiritually awakening times of his life. Whatever the case, we need to be set apart! We need to take drastic measures to live differently from the world!
So let's take action! Let's unearth the ancient truths! Let's repent radically and embrace the Biblical necessities that even our forefathers may have forgotten. Let's consecrate ourselves and live our lives passionately for Jesus Christ and His Kingdom! Now is the time to be a part of this Josiah Generation!
I've been spending most of this last month seeking God and praying about direction, so it's been time well spent! The trouble for me, though, has been trying to figure one little thing out: When you've been gone for a few weeks, what do you write about? People are looking for something profound after a time of prayer and meditation. Well, in the midst of these past few weeks of seeking God's face, He has placed a renewed burden on my heart for something He revealed to me a few years ago, and I've finally gotten around to writing about it.
On April 14, 2006, the Lord spoke to me that He is raising up a "Josiah Generation." At the time, the only thing I actually knew about Josiah was that he was the youngest king of Israel at only eight years old. But as I read into the story, I began to see the full ramifications of this prophetic promise.
Let me first say that when God speaks of a "generation," He isn't always referring to a group of a certain age. On the contrary, He may be referring to everyone who is currently alive. "This Generation"—in the context of this blog post—refers to every living person in today’s Church. I feel from the Holy Spirit that there is not one person reading this who is exempt from being part of this "Josiah Generation." So take everything in and see what changes you might need to make in your own life in order to be swept into this move of God!
As you read the story of Josiah, don’t worry about catching all the details—just pay attention to the major events that take place:
Josiah was a man of restoration and action. First of all, he was seeking to rebuild the temple of God. The "Josiah Generation" begins with men and women who are not satisfied with their current mediocrity. They are a people who long for a restoration of the presence of God and true worship. Just as King Josiah was having the temple rebuilt, this present generation will be comprised of those who are actively trying to get back to the true roots of our own faith. They'll look for clues in the pages of the New Testament. They'll dig through the words of Christ and the Acts of the Apostles. They'll devote themselves to prayer and listening to the voice of the Holy Spirit. And more than anything, they'll put into practice the truths they discover!2 Kings 22:1-13—Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem thirty-one years…He did what was pleasing in the LORD’S sight and followed the example of his ancestor David. He did not turn aside from doing what was right.
In the eighteenth year of his reign [at twenty-six years old], King Josiah sent Shaphan…the court secretary, to the Temple of the LORD. He told him, "Go up to Hilkiah the high priest and have him count the money the gatekeepers have collected from the people at the LORD’S Temple. Entrust this money to the men assigned to supervise the Temple's restoration. Then they can use it to pay workers to repair the Temple of the LORD. They will need to hire carpenters, builders, and masons. Also have them buy the timber and the cut stone needed to repair the Temple. But there will be no need for the construction supervisors to keep account of the money they receive, for they are honest people."
Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the court secretary, "I have found the Book of the Law in the LORD’S Temple!" Then Hilkiah gave the scroll to Shaphan, and he read it.
Shaphan returned to the king and reported, "Your officials have given the money collected at the Temple of the LORD to the workers and supervisors at the Temple." Shaphan also said to the king, "Hilkiah the priest has given me a scroll." So Shaphan read it to the king.
When the king heard what was written in the Book of the Law, he tore his clothes in despair. Then he gave these orders to [his officials]: "Go to the Temple and speak to the LORD for me and for the people and for all Judah. Ask him about the words written in this scroll that has been found. The LORD'S anger is burning against us because our ancestors have not obeyed the words in this scroll. We have not been doing what this scroll says we must do" (NLT, edited for readability).
In the Old Testament, the "Temple" was a brick and mortar building where the presence of God dwelt; but in the New Testament, the "Temple" is built out of people! Paul said, "Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that His Spirit dwells in you?" Peter said we're living stones, built into the house of God. And get this: When Jesus talked about tearing down the "Temple" and rebuilding it in three days, He was talking about His own physical body. Today, we are the Body of Christ!
We're not just God's Temple, we're Christ's Body. A restoration of the Temple is a restoration of His Body! Therefore, if we are going to be a "Josiah Generation" then we must be a people who are pursuing a restoration of "The Body of Christ." We need to learn what it is to walk in fellowship and the gifts of the Holy Spirit! We need to practice unity with Christ on both an individual and Church-wide level. Christianity will only spread like wildfire among a people who are truly experiencing and representing Jesus Christ in this way!
Unearthing Ancient Truths
What I find so interesting about Josiah is that he didn't just rebuild the temple—he also succeeded in unearthing ancient truths. In the process of trying to rebuild the ancient place of worship, a long-forgotten scroll was uncovered; and upon hearing its contents, Josiah cried out, "The Lord's anger is burning against us because our ancestors have not obeyed the words in this scroll. We have not been doing what this scroll says we must do!"
Based on what I've witnessed in the past couple years, this is also true of the Josiah Generation. As we search the Scriptures and try to restore "Body Life" in the Church, we constantly come across verses that surprise us. You’ll see so many things that have grieved my heart because our ancestors haven't been doing these things, and neither have we! I believe you’re part of this generation, so be prepared to be amazed at the things we've forgotten over the last two millennia.
The tendency is to recognize these things and then just be frustrated. I couldn't hope to guess how many dissatisfied people sit in our churches from week to week, annoyed that they're not experiencing everything the Bible says should be happening when Christians gather. They've unearthed the truths, but they haven't done anything with them. Josiah, however, didn't stop with a mere realization that his ancestors had slipped up! On the contrary, he took action!
How to Take Action
The verses that follow Josiah's discovery of the scroll are exciting! Josiah runs throughout the land tearing down all the man-made idols: smashing them, burning the pieces, grinding the charred remains into powder, and scattering the powder over the common graves! Josiah didn't just repent and leave the old dead structure hanging around for decoration—he took radical action and saw his nation transformed as a result! If we're going to transform our nation and our world, then we need to be people of deep repentance and radical action like Josiah!
Now, let me be clear about something—as king of Israel, Josiah owned all those idols, so they were his to demolish. I'm not suggesting that you go burn down a mosque or Kingdom Hall—that would be foolish and illegal, not to mention absent of the love of Christ. However, you can certainly burn up and put to death every "idol" in your own life (provided they're yours to destroy)!
When the Ten Commandments say, "You shall have no other gods before Me," the literal Hebrew translation could be rendered, "You shall have no other gods (or anything else) between your face and Mine!" Idols, then, are anything that comes between God's face and yours, thus inhibiting your relationship with Him. If it's obscuring your view of God the Father, then you need to get it out of your life!
Furthermore, if we're to truly be a Josiah Generation, then we can't just avoid these things or practice moderation. We need to respond like Josiah and outright cut them out of our lives! We need to take radical steps. For some, this will mean severing some friendships or family relationships. For others, this will mean changing jobs or schools. For still others, this will mean throwing away your television, computer, iPod, or anything else that distracts you (or maybe selling these things and giving the money to the poor).
A few years ago, I had to completely cut television out of my life for about seven months. The TV belonged to my parents, so I couldn't very well throw it away; but the principle needed to be the same. I refused to watch TV anywhere. My bank had TV sets suspended from the ceiling, and I would keep my eyes set on the floor. My friends would have a TV on, and I'd purposely sit somewhere that I couldn’t see it. Even when stores had televisions on display, I would overt my eyes. For times when I was in a waiting room, like at the doctor, I always carried a pocket New Testament so I'd have something to do instead of looking at the TV.
I was practicing what the Bible calls "consecration." This word means to completely set something apart for a holy purpose. It means to be radically different from the world. It involves purity for the sake of intimacy with God. It's not an action done to impress anyone, but it cannot be compromised simply because people are looking. The attention of people should be completely disregarded in matters of consecration—your decision should be carried out no mater what.
Most importantly, these actions must be genuine. I didn't just avoid TV religiously—I did it because I knew I needed to set my eyes apart for a holy purpose. Every time I looked away from a television, it drove me to prayer. I did it because I knew the TV was consuming all my time and attention. Not only that, but I was in the process of being set free from an addiction to pornography and lust, which the television was not helping.
For you, television may not be a big deal, so you'll have to let the Holy Spirit show you something else. A friend of mine is currently moving and decided to give his computer to someone else because it was a distraction and an enabler of his own addictions. Still another friend of mine just decided to give up watching basketball and playing basketball video games. Whatever it is that has come between your face and God's, you need to take drastic measures to expel it from your life.
Perhaps you're looking at your life, though, and thinking that there isn't anything separating you from God. No problem! You can still sacrifice something else for the sake of living a consecrated life. A good friend of mine just gave up drinking iced tea as an act of consecration. Someone else I know fasted from six in the morning until six at night for forty days. He lost a lot of weight, but it was one of the most spiritually awakening times of his life. Whatever the case, we need to be set apart! We need to take drastic measures to live differently from the world!
So let's take action! Let's unearth the ancient truths! Let's repent radically and embrace the Biblical necessities that even our forefathers may have forgotten. Let's consecrate ourselves and live our lives passionately for Jesus Christ and His Kingdom! Now is the time to be a part of this Josiah Generation!
Labels: ancient truth, consecration, Josiah Generation, King Josiah
posted by Art Thomas | Monday, July 28, 2008
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