Issues facing Christians in Sudan today. Leadership section. by James Dema Marchello Leadership is one of the most critical issues faced by generation after generation. Everything rises and falls with the kind of leadership that is in place. Many of the woes on the continent of Africa are attributed to poor leadership. The Christian Church is called upon to demonstrate the godly leadership that transforms present society and gives hope to the next generation. A brief definition and explanation of godly leadership: Among the many definitions of leadership, I submit a few to address the subject under consideration: "A leader is one who influences a specific group of people to move in a God-given direction”. Robert Clinton “Leadership is influence: nothing more, nothing less”. John Maxwell Leadership is “the capacity and the will to rally men and women to a common purpose” and “the character which inspires confidence”. Bernard Montgomery No-one can lead unless he can influence! But influence can be both positive or negative. The Old Testament mentions ten unfaithful tribal leaders who used their influence to lead people astray. This negative influence ended up in disaster both for themselves and many thousands of people. Numbers 13 and 14. Godly leaders should use their influence to add value to others. A leader who uses his influence for personal gain is unfaithful! The ten spies used their influence to frighten the people by telling half-truths. In the same event, Joshua and Caleb used their influence positively. They motivated their people in the direction God desired. This should always be the attitude and agenda for a godly leader. A godly leader desires to be used by God to influence and lead others towards God’s purposes! From a biblical perspective leadership emphasises character more than anything else. Leadership and leadership ability are not primarily questions about skill. They are questions of heart. God wants to equip leaders with skills and give talents for effective leadership. A leader without a character that reflects the values of Christ will certainly fail in the long run. How can we cultivate today’s godly leadership who will inspire and positively influence the next generation? 1. Set an example – be a role model. Leaders set the pace and set the example for the church and, to some extent, the wider community. “Example is not the main thing in influencing others, it is the only thing”. It has been said over and over again that there can be no strong church without strong leaders. There can never be a prayerful church without prayerful leaders. There can never be a visionary church without visionary leadership. It is also true there can never be a growing church without growing leaders. If the leaders are weak, the church will be weak. But if the leaders are strong, the church will be strong. What is true for the church is equally true in secular society. There cannot be good governance nor the management of resources to the benefit of all citizens without good leaders. Leaders in church and in society must set examples for the rest. Let people know that they can trust you, believe in you, and follow you, just as you follow the Lord. To be an example or a role model calls for transparency of lifestyle. Someone said that to be a leader is to be put in a box made of glass – people can see you from all sides. Leaders are to model the lifestyle to which all members should aspire. We have many leaders today but not enough role models. If today’s leaders are going to make a difference and positively influence the next generation for Christ, they must become role models that people can emulate. They must be able to say like Paul: “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ”. 1 Corinthians 11:1. Christian leaders should seek to leave a lasting legacy of godliness for those who come behind them. 1 Timothy 2:1-3; 4:8; 6:6; 6:11-12. That is only possible by constantly maintaining a godly character and conduct. Your character will impact generations to come. According to research conducted by Richard L. Dugdale. this generational impact is illustrated by the stories of two people: A man by the name Max Juke did not believe in God and cared even less. He got married to a girl of the same conviction. From this union came 1,026 descendants. Studies showed that 300 died prematurely, 100 were sent to the penitentiary, 190 sold themselves to vice, 100 were drunkards, and the family cost the state of New York over a million dollars in medical expenses. A second man, Jonathan Edwards, believed in God and in his Christian training he married a girl of like character. From that union 729 descendants were studied and they discovered that 300 were preachers, 65 were college professors, 13 were university presidents, 6 were authors, 3 U.S. Congressmen and 1 was vice president of the United States. The way we live our lives has a profound impact on people around us and on generations to come. This is not only true in families, but is also true in leadership circles. The writer of Hebrews underscores the matter of generational impact by saying, “Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith”. 2. Grow and mentor godly leaders. Another important factor in cultivating godly leadership is the crucial need for growing and mentoring other leaders. Mentoring is one of the key tools in developing new and old leaders. The crucial question any leader should ask is, “Am I raising up potential leaders?” The most important leadership principle, according to John Maxwell, is that those closest to the leader will determine the success level of that leader. Usually leaders fail to develop other leaders. This could be because they lack training to do so, or because they have wrong attitudes about allowing others to come alongside them. Often leaders wrongly believe that they must compete with the people close to them rather than working with them. One disturbing issue facing the African nations is government leaders who refuse to leave office at the right time. They do all that is in their power to eliminate potential successors. Unfortunately this attitude is true to some extent in church circles. It is a challenge to us all. Effective leaders view leadership selection and the development of others into leaders as priorities in their ministry. They see this as partnering with God to raise up future leaders. A work of God cannot last long unless it produces new leaders. Leaders often forget that they are replaceable not indispensable! Growing up other leaders (that is developing them) is not a recent discovery. At the time of Moses, Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, realised that a leader could not operate without help. So he took Moses aside and gave him timeless and valuable advice. Exodus 18:13-26. Later Moses needed to have his arms held up and supported by others. Exodus 17:8-16. Moses knew what he wanted to accomplish. He also knew he was unable to do it all by himself. Good leadership should bring out the best in other people. Lead to enable them to develop their full potential. The goal of leadership development is to improve productivity, efficiency and effectiveness. As a good leader begins to retire, people want to see his good principles perpetuated. Developing leaders leaves behind a significant leadership legacy. It provides for a wider ministry coverage. This leads to team work. Teamwork brings more ministry productivity. “If you study the history of governments, corporations, and “religious” organisations, the effect of the concentration of power in one individual can range from ineffectiveness to corruption and ruin”. Why do incumbent leaders find it difficult to groom other potential leaders to succeed them? Among many common reasons one finds the following: Fear of losing control is the number one factor that hinders grooming potential successors. Most leaders have the view that to be a leader is to be in charge or in control. We forget that leadership is influence. You can be a leader without necessarily being in charge or holding any position. Leaders who want to be in charge should listen to this wise counsel: "To lead people, walk beside them. . . . As for the best leaders, the people do not notice their existence. The next best, the people honour and praise. The next, the people fear; and the next, the people hate ... When the best leader's work is done the people say, “We did it ourselves!”" A false sense of oneself – Indispensability. Some leaders have a tendency to believe that they are irreplaceable. We forget that we are human beings. We forget that we are what we are only by the grace of God. We also forget that we are mortal. We are passing away with time. This issue about the indispensability of leaders raises the age old question: Are leaders born or made? One of the popular assumptions has been that leaders are born and not made. According to this view, leaders are those who are born with the innate tendency to lead others. Included in this persuasion are some Christians who believe that leadership exclusively belongs to special individuals who are naturally endowed to lead others. With reference to the development of others, leadership does not exclusively belong to the so-called “natural” leaders. The best leadership is that which is “acquired” not that which is inherited. Great leaders, from royal families, have given birth to heirs who did not achieve the same level of performance as their parents. From the many examples it is apparent that “more than genes determine the extent of one’s leadership capabilities.” Mistrusting potential successors. Trust is crucial in developing the potential in others. People tend to bring out their best when they are trusted. No one started as a champion no matter how good they are today doing the things they are doing. Everyone learns through experience. We need to let go and trust others with responsibility. Even when they fail, it is part of their learning process. The element of trust in grooming potential leaders is evident in the New Testament. Our Lord Jesus demonstrated a tremendous amount of trust in developing the apostles who appeared, at the time He called them, just a bunch of hooligans. At the end of three years, they were mighty men of God who turned their world upside down and had done exploits for God. Matthew 4:18-22; Matthew 9:16-38; Mark 3:13-19; Acts 2:42-47; 1 Corinthians 15:1-11; Ephesians 2:19-22. 3. Inspire Vision “Where there is no vision the people perish”, Proverbs 29:18 KJV. What is a vision? A vision is a dream based on today’s reality – the preferred future. As a leader you have got to have vision – a God given vision. Helen Keller was asked once “What would be worse than being born blind?” to which she replied “Having sight without a vision.” What a profound statement by a girl who was born into this world deaf, dumb and blind. She could not help how she came into this world, but she certainly could help how she left this world. What insightful vision she had. The Bible is full of examples of leaders who had God-given visions and lived to pursue those visions. In the Old Testament one sees Moses with a vision of leading the people of Israel to the freedom of the Promised Land – from slavery in Egypt. Exodus 3:7-12. Young David killed Goliath and freed Israel from disgrace by the uncircumcised Philistine. 1 Samuel 17:20-50. King Solomon built the Temple; and Nehemiah rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem. 1 Kings 6 and Nehemiah chapters 1-6. In the New Testament: Peter ministered to large crowds. Acts 1:15; 2:14; 3:11-12; 4:8; 4:29; 4:33; 5:12-16; 5:21; 5:42; 10:34; etc. Paul saw possibilities in pagan cities and planted churches wherever he could. Acts 13:1-4; 13:16; 13:43; 14:1; 14:3; 14:14-15; 14:21-3; 16:10; 16:13-15; 17:1-4; 17:11-12; 17:17; 17:32-34; 18:4-5; 18:7-11; 19:26; 20:1-2; 20:17-21; 20:25-32. A vision is bigger than the leader. A vision outlives the leader. A vision that is within the reach of a leader by himself is not challenging enough and is not worth pursuing. Since a vision outlives the leader, the challenge is to pass on the vision to other leaders. Effective leaders pass on their vision to the next in line. “The final test of a leader is that he leaves behind others with the conviction and will to carry on." Leaders are challenged to pass God’s vision to the next generation. That is only possible through communicating the vision and by personally living the vision. Without the ability to communicate, a leader travels alone. No one will catch your vision unless you have the passion to live your vision, giving a picture of it to others. Remain true and faithful to the God-given vision. It is one thing to have a vision, and it is another thing to relentlessly pursue it to fulfilment. This is the most challenging and frightening leadership issue. Biblical leaders who were not obedient to God in the vision He gave them, led their followers to suffer the consequences. Pastor Eugene Harder sums it all up when he says that God expects us to pass a torch of righteousness that inspires future generations to walk in His ways. It does not really matter whether we are remembered by succeeding generations. What does matter is that each of us passes on a godly vision with a passion that inspires and impacts leaders of the next generation. Maintain an ardent (passionate) desire to please God. Henri Nouwen challenges us to seek this central and defining characteristic of Christian leadership. "The central question at the heart of Christian leadership is, are the leaders of the future truly men and women of God, people with an ardent desire to dwell in God's presence, to listen to God's voice, to look at God's beauty, to touch God's incarnate Word, and to taste fully God's infinite goodness?". Nouwen then suggests that the greatest tool for effective Christian leadership may be a mirror, and a group of friends to make sure you are looking into it with clarity and focus. Men and women of God should never forget that before God can do a great work in an organisation, that work must first be done in the heart of the leader. This is especially true in Christian leadership. Unless God has taken our hearts captive, all of our good ‘doing’ will lack spiritual integrity and Christian authority. Our work will expose the absence of God’s anointing. It is at the exact moment that we think we “have it all together” that we cease to be useable in the work of God’s kingdom. Keep a clear conscience before God. The goal of the Christian leader must be to go to bed every night with a clear conscience and a heart right with God. God only asks one thing of leaders: that we seek Him with all our heart, to know and to do His will. The quality of our life is in direct proportion to our commitment and relationship with God. As a leader always strive to be a man or a woman that God can trust. A leader’s word is the measure of his character. People extend trust to the limit of truth. To trust someone who does not tell the truth is to trust a lie. The spiritual quality of the shepherds affects the spiritual health of the local church. The church is a barometer of the spiritual life of its shepherds. It is very difficult for church members to grow beyond immature spiritual shepherds. God’s passion is for each of us to love Him and seek Him. The spiritual shepherds of any flock should be examples of men who know that God greatly loves them and who, in turn, deeply love and desire to know God as one would love a very close friend. When the spiritual shepherds love God, the church will be dynamic and vital. After the resurrection, Jesus asked Peter three times,” Simon son of John, do you truly love me more than these”, John 21:15-17. God is seeking men who really love Him and who desire to shepherd God’s flock God’s way. Effective leaders become convinced of a sense of destiny. They recognise that God has His hand on them in a special way for special purposes. This sense of destiny deepens as God begins to unfold more clearly the life purpose and role for the leader. They gradually recognise, and then partner with, the destiny-shaping activities God is orchestrating to move them toward their God-ordained purpose in life.“ Characteristics of Godly Leadership The following summary based on the Leadership Model of Joshua, by unnamed author, is insightful. Godly leadership is influencing other people toward God's purposes for them, primarily by setting the pace and showing the way. A godly leader is one who demonstrates Christ-like character and empowered competence. A godly leader is a person of genuine vision, who sees with the eye of faith what God wills to do. Godly leadership is serving those we are called to lead. The formation of a godly leader involves the lifelong development of godly character, leadership skills and strategic Christian values. Godly leaders have a proper estimate of their own strengths and limitations. They are confident but not arrogant in their calling and equipping for spiritual leadership. Godly leadership involves developing team relationships, working to achieve tasks, while inspiring and motivating the people who are being led. May we be the Christian leaders who are credible and not just clever. May we be the kind of leaders that God can trust; the kind of leaders Sudan and South Sudan are waiting for. May we be the kind of leaders that will impact the next generation and propel them in pursuit of God’s purposes for their lives and communities. May we earn the right and respect to be heard by those that follow us. And may the words of our mouths and the meditation of our hearts be pleasing to God forever. Amen. Discussion guide Using this chapter and Scriptures quoted: 1. Suggest your own definition for godly leadership from examples you personally know. Briefly evaluate all definitions offered by your group. (If on your own use the three from the opening of this chapter). 2. “Leadership ability … is a question of the heart”. From Numbers 13 and 14 explain how the hearts of Caleb and Joshua differed from the hearts of the other spies. 3. What are the practical implications for today’s leaders of Paul’s statement, “I urge you to imitate me … Timothy will remind you of my way of life in Christ Jesus, which agrees with what I teach …”, 1 Corinthians 4:16-17? 4. Why is it important to “leave office at the right time”? In what ways can “your” ministry continue, even when “you” are not there? Consider 2 Timothy 2:1-3; 2 Timothy 4:1-8; Philippians 1:12-18. 5. Which of the three difficulties in grooming successors (mentioned above) do you think is the most common? Why do you think this is? What can be done to change this? 6. Why is it necessary for the leader to have a vision, and to share it so other people catch it? Give examples from Scripture, and from Sudan today. 7. Why should a leader keep a clear conscience before God? What happens if they don’t? Consider 1 Corinthians 4:1-5; 1 Corinthians 10:23-11:1.

Leadership, Integrity and Nation building. - by Alex Bolek Abuk Nations are born by calling of political leader(s). There is no nation under the sun that has started and been run without a strong leader. Whenever a nation is mentioned, we find it mentioned side by side with a leader. We always hear that nations have one who is called “the father of the nation”. The father of the nation is the one who led the nation’s struggle into independence and freedom. For instance, when the time came for God to set His people free from the slavery in Egypt, He called Moses to lead them out from Egypt into the Promise Land, the land of Canaan. In this regard, Moses is the nation-father of Israel because he and his brother Aaron led the people of Israel out of Egyptian slavery. Strong leaders are not only needed for a time of armed struggle and liberation, they are also needed for building strong and resilient nations post-independence. The big question always is “What next after liberation and independence? Will the leadership be strong after that to build the nation they have liberated?” Political leaders are either a blessing, if they build up the nations and the people they rule, or a curse if they fail to build their people and nations. Nations stand or collapse depending on the type of leadership in place. Moses who was successful, led the liberation struggle. Yet he could not enter the Promised Land but would die on the way as God told him, leaving Joshua to take over the leadership from him and lead the people into the Promised Land. So Moses being a God-chosen and successful leader called for a farewell meeting with other leaders and people of Israel in which he delivered his final address to the nation: “These are the words Moses spoke to all Israel in the wilderness east of the Jordan…In the fortieth year (that is just before they entered the Promise Land), on the first day of the eleventh month, Moses proclaimed to the Israelites all that the LORD had commanded him concerning them… On that same day the LORD told Moses “Go up into the Abarim Range to Mount Nebo in Moab opposite Jericho, and view Canaan, the land I am giving the Israelites as their own possession. There on the mountain that you have climbed you will die and be gathered to your people, … Therefore, you will see the land only from a distance; you will not enter the land I am giving to the people of Israel”, Deuteronomy 1:1-3 and 32:48-50, 52. Moses wanted to put his house in order before he passed on. Since God is a God of order and not of confusion, He always wants things done and left in a fitting and orderly manner, 1 Corinthians 14: 40,32, and He (God) always wants us to leave our houses in order when we die. For instance, one time God told King Hezekiah “Put your house in order, because you are going to die”, Isaiah 38:1. This applies to all, politicians, any leader, family heads, etc. We must all put our houses in order before we leave this world. We should not leave things in chaos behind us. As such, Moses called the house of Israel together to put his ‘political house’ in order before he departed. Moses delivered his farewell speech to the nation. One of the most important things Moses emphasised in his farewell speech was the future leadership for the people of Israel. The biggest challenge for any leader intending to leave is always about who will take care of things well when he/she is gone. In his farewell speech, Moses told the people of Israel that when they arrived in the Promised Land and they needed a king to rule over them like the rest of the nations around, that king should have certain qualities in order to rule the people and lead the nation in a proper manner. In a short paragraph from his speech he summarised the qualities of any king that comes into office to rule in Israel. This is what Moses said: “When you enter the land the LORD your God is giving you and have taken possession of it and settled in it, and you say, “Let us set a king over us like all the nations around us”, be sure to appoint over you a king the LORD your God chooses. He must be from among your fellow Israelites. Do not place a foreigner over you, one who is not a fellow Israelite. The king, moreover, must not acquire great numbers of horses for himself or make the people return to Egypt to get more of them, for the LORD has told you, “You are not to go back that way again.” He must not take many wives, or his heart will be led astray. He must not accumulate large amounts of silver and gold. When he takes the throne of his kingdom, he is to write for himself on a scroll a copy of this law, taken from that of the Levitical priests. It is to be with him, and he is to read it all the days of his life so that he may learn to revere the LORD his God and follow carefully all the words of this law and these decrees and not consider himself better than his fellow Israelites and turn from the law to the right or to the left. Then he and his descendants will reign a long time over his kingdom in Israel”, Deuteronomy 17:14-20, (emphasis mine). In this short paragraph we see seven qualities, characteristics and conditions that a godly ruler (king, president or any leader in nation or church) should have in their lives. What are they? 1: The king should be chosen by God and his people 2: The king must be a fellow Israelite 3: The king must not acquire many horses 4: The king must not make the people go back to Egypt 5: The king should not have many wives 6: The king must not accumulate large amounts of silver and gold 7: The king must have and properly use a copy of the law (God’s word) Quality 1: The king should be chosen by God and the people “Be sure to appoint over you a king the LORD your God chooses”, Deuteronomy 17:15. This is the first challenge that every nation faces; to have a leader who is chosen by God and by the people (in a democratic manner). As already said, success and collapse of a nation depends largely on its political leaders. Today, many factors act in the background to bring leaders into power. God in His divine wisdom allows political leaders and regimes, both good and evil, to come into power. But God’s primary plan is always to have the right leadership in place. From the Biblical times to this moment we see two types of political leaders: those who are chosen and called by God or at least democratically elected (though not all who are democratically elected are God-chosen since people can manipulate and rig the voting process to bring into power whoever they want) and others who come into power by imposing themselves or through coups. Leadership crisis is a big challenge worldwide, especially in Africa. The emeritus Bishop of Cape Town Desmond Tutu says in this regard: “Africa faces mammoth crisis in leadership, especially in politics”.[1] Why is it important to have a God-chosen political leader? A godly political leader according to King David brings blessing on the nation and vice versa. Listen to the last words of King David and his observation at the end of his life: “These are the last words of David: … “The Spirit of the LORD spoke through me; his word was on my tongue. The God of Israel spoke, the Rock of Israel said to me: “When one rules over men in righteousness, when he rules in the fear of God, he is like the light of morning at sunrise on a cloudless morning, like the brightness after rain that brings the grass from the earth””, 2 Samuel 23:1-4 (emphasis mine, and in all references onwards). A rule of evil leaders, like kings Ahab and Jeroboam son of Nebat, brought disaster and destruction upon Israel. A time came when King David was too old and was not able to rule. This time there was an opportunity for one of his children to take the throne. But because God is not a God of disorder but of peace, 1 Corinthians 14:33, He already had in mind by name the ‘would be’ king from among David’s children! “But you will have a son who will be a man of peace and rest, and I will give him rest from all his enemies on every side. His name will be Solomon, and I will grant Israel peace and quiet during his reign”, 1 Chronicles 22:9. But strangely enough we see a wrong prince trying to take the seat! Adonijah! “When King David was very old; ...Then Adonijah, whose mother was Haggith put himself forward and said, ‘I will be king’. So he got chariots and horses ready, with fifty men to run ahead of him”, 1 Kings 1:1,5. How many leaders in our time today behave like Adonijah? They exalt themselves into offices and positions that are not theirs. This is seen not only among political leaders but sadly even among church leaders who know the Bible very well! As we have seen political fights over a seat, we have as well seen church leaders dividing God’s flock and fighting over a seat for instance of a Bishop in the church! Very unfortunate! Apostle Paul speaks of such people who push themselves forward by every means possible! “In fact, you even put up with anyone who enslaves you or exploits you or takes advantage of you or puts on airs (pushes himself forward - editor) or slaps you in the face”, 2 Corinthians 11:20. How many ‘Adonijahs’ do we have today in our nations, in our offices, and even in our churches? Others are not even qualified to occupy those places. Wrong people in wrong places! Even if Adonijah is qualified and competent does this qualify him to over-rule the divine appointment of Solomon? There is a vast difference between being qualified and being called. The question is: Does Adonijah know that the throne is for Solomon? I strongly believe that he does. I believe that their father David told them about what God said in 1 Chronicles 22:9, that Solomon is chosen of God to be his successor on the throne of Israel. Kings always share the affairs of the kingdom with the princes. But Adonijah in his stubbornness defied God and his father King David by exalting himself saying ‘I will be king’! Praise God, Adonijah did not succeed. Later he testified: “As you know,” (Adonijah) said, “the kingdom was mine. All Israel looked to me as their king. But things changed, and the kingdom has gone to my brother; for it has come to him from the LORD”, 1 Kings 2:15. Hallelujah! It is my prayer that all Adonijahs will not succeed even if they have all Israel (all the people) behind them! Even those who manipulate their ways to succeed may not succeed unless God in His mysterious divine wisdom allows them to. Although this is a common ‘Adonijah phenomenon’ all over the world, it is worse in Africa. And this is the root of all troubles we have in our African politics. Many presidents who lose elections do not relinquish power but decide to remain against the will of the people. As a result, brutal demonstrations and counter actions result and countless lives are lost, just because of ‘Adonijah-type’ leaders who exalt themselves and who refuse to leave even after losing elections. Innocent civilians become victims of political confrontations. This happened in Israel when Tibni and Omri were struggling for the royal seat after the death of King Zimri: “Then the people of Israel were split into two factions; half supported Tibni son of Ginath for king, and the other half supported Omri. But Omri’s followers proved stronger than those of Tibni son of Ginath. So Tibni died and Omri became king”, 1 Kings 16:21-22. In a two-party political system like in the United State of America, when we hear that the Democratic Party had an election victory over the Republicans or vice versa, we rest assured that there are no losses of life. But in Africa, the price of political victories is often great loss of lives. In the above text, Omri won, but the Bible says that Tibni died! I ask in wonder, what was the cause of his death? Did he die a natural death, of shock, cardiac arrest, high blood pressure and stroke….? We do not know the answer for sure as the Bible has not mentioned anything about the cause of his death. But based on the circumstances, one can make a good guess that he was killed! And if Tibni was killed, what happened to his followers? You can also make a good guess on that! In the autobiography of Nelson Mandela he says: “Political assassination is … a primitive (emphasis mine) way of contending with an opponent”.[2] A decent political leader should love and respect his/her opponents, and even enemies. Truly great political leaders like Nelson Mandela and others have insisted that they were fighting oppressive regimes and not individual politicians. In this way they were great and they received international recognition and respect because they avoided assassinations of political leaders from the opposite side adopting dialogue as the means of fight. According to Nelson Mandela, “the purpose of the armed struggle (against the apartheid regime) was always to bring the government to the negotiation table” because it refused to attend to their peaceful demands. [3] A similar character to Adonijah is Absalom son of David who conspired to overthrow his own father king David. “In the course of time, Absalom provided himself with a chariot and horses and with fifty men to run ahead of him. He would get up early and stand by the side of the road leading to the city gate. Whenever anyone came with a complaint to be placed before the king for a decision, Absalom would call out to him, ‘What town are you from?’ He would answer, ‘Your servant is from one of the tribes of Israel’. Then Absalom would say to him, ‘Look, your claims are valid and proper, but there is no representative of the king to hear you’. And Absalom would add, ‘If only I were appointed judge in the land! Then everyone who has a complaint or case could come to me and I would see that they receive justice’. Also, whenever anyone approached him to bow down before him, Absalom would reach out his hand, take hold of him and kiss him. Absalom behaved in this way towards all the Israelites who came to the king asking for justice, and so he stole the hearts of the people of Israel. At the end of four years … Absalom sent secret messengers throughout the tribes of Israel to say, “As soon as you hear the sound of trumpets, then say, ‘Absalom is king in Hebron’”, 2 Samuel 15:1-7,10. What happens when a nation is ruled by leaders that impose themselves like Adonija and Absalom? What happens when ‘Adonijahs’ and ‘Absaloms’ are on the throne? This is a real disaster. The Bible has a lot to say about the disasters and calamities that result when the ‘Adonijahs’ and the ‘Absaloms’ are on the throne. Here is some of it: “When the wicked rule the people groan”, Proverbs 29:2 “When the wicked thrive, so does sin”, Proverbs 29:16 “When the wicked rise to power, people go into hiding”, Proverbs 28:12, 28 “A ruler who oppresses the poor is like driving rain that leaves no crops”, Proverbs 28:3 “Like a roaring lion or a charging bear is a wicked ruler over a helpless people”, Proverbs 28:15 “A tyrannical ruler practices extortion”, Proverbs 28:16 “Woe to the land whose king is a child and whose princes feast in the morning”, Ecclesiastes 10:16. ‘Adonijahs’ and ‘Absaloms’ most often do not come to satisfy the people but only themselves. So the people suffer. The Bible says: “Righteousness exalts a nation but sin condemns any people”, Proverbs 14:34. When a nation is ruled by ‘Adonijahs’ and ‘Absaloms’, leaders who are not chosen by God but who come into power through crooked ways, the people groan, go into hiding, and sin increases in the land! Please read my chapter “When the Citizens Groan”.[4] This is why it is important to have a godly, God-fearing leader on the throne for a nation to enjoy God’s blessing. What is the role of the church in keeping out ‘Adonijahs’ and ‘Absaloms’? ‘Adonijahs’ and ‘Absaloms’ are common and are always power hungry. It is therefore the church’s responsibility to pray whenever there is a national election that ‘Adonijahs’ would not succeed and in peaceful times that ‘Absaloms’ will not succeed in planning coups to bring instability and suffering. In elections, the church must also vote prayerfully for the right leader to come into power. I have seen many ‘good Christians’ not voting in elections! That is not good. Christians must vote as one vote can change and shape a nation’s destiny. Plato the Greek philosopher reputedly said that “If the wise do not want to be involved in politics, let them not complain when fools rule over them”. Christians must vote the right people into power. The renowned world evangelist Dr. Billy Graham is reported to have said that “Wrong leaders have come into power through good Christians who refuse to vote”. What happens when a God-chosen and righteous leader is in power? While the wicked and evil rulers bring terror, suffering and pain to the people, as we have seen above, the righteous bring great excitement, happiness and firm foundations to the nation: “When the righteous triumph, there is great elation”, Proverbs 28:12 “When the righteous thrive, the people rejoice”, Proverbs 29:2 “By justice a king gives a country stability”, Proverbs 29:4 “If a king judges the poor with fairness, his throne will be established for ever”, Proverbs 29:14 Those are good and strong reasons to want to have a God-chosen leader on the throne. “The Spirit of the LORD spoke through me; his word was on my tongue. The God of Israel spoke, the Rock of Israel said to me: `When one rules over people in righteousness, when he rules in the fear of God, he is like the light of morning at sunrise on a cloudless morning, like the brightness after rain that brings the grass from the earth’”, 2 Samuel 23:2-4. According to King David, a godly leader who rules in the fear of God righteously, brings light and not darkness upon a nation. He brings the prospect for a bright and shining future, like a sunny morning. This hope inspires the nation’s population. “The path of the righteous is like morning sun, shining ever brighter till the full light of day”, Proverbs 4:18. A godly leader brings showers of blessing and a positive hope for the future to a nation. This is why the first condition for leadership is to have a leader chosen and approved by God and his people. The most challenging issue and need for nations today is to find a wise leader who rules in righteousness and in the fear of God. Righteousness and “the fear of the LORD which is the beginning of wisdom”, Proverbs 9:10, are the most deficient qualities in today’s politicians. How wonderful it is when possible to have a godly and God-chosen leader on the throne! Quality 2: The king must be a fellow Israelite “He must be from among your fellow Israelites. Do not place a foreigner over you, one who is not an Israelite”, Deuteronomy 17:15. The second quality for a God-chosen political leader is that he should be one of the people. This should not be taken or interpreted in tribal terms as the text speaks about the people and nation of Israel and not about a specific tribe in Israel. It therefore does not matter from which tribe of the twelve tribes of Israel the king comes. What matters is that he is an Israelite. This means he should not be a foreigner or from another people. This is important because a foreigner would not care or mind about what the people are facing. Foreign rulers mostly milk what the people and the land have. To quote one politician who was speaking about the land of a certain nation he aspired to occupy: “We need the land not the people”. To him, the fertile land of that nation would make a big farm to produce food for his own people. He was not mindful about the people (natives) of the land. Foreign rulers have their eyes fixed on the nation’s natural resources and not on the indigenous people. They are not up for the welfare of the people. A ruler from the people who is truly ordained by God is concerned about the welfare of his people because he is one of them. Whatever affects the people directly affects him/her. Let us see two examples from the Bible: Example 1: Nehemiah “The words of Nehemiah son of Hakaliah: In the month of Kislev in the twentieth year, while I was in the citadel of Susa, Hanani, one of my brothers, came from Judah with some other men, and I questioned them about the Jewish remnant that had survived the exile, and also about Jerusalem. They said to me, ‘Those who survived the exile and are back in the province are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire’. When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven”, Nehemiah 1:1-4.Because Nehemiah was one of the people, when he heard that those people were in great affliction and reproach, and that the wall of Jerusalem was ruined and its gates burnt, he was deeply and personally affected by the message. He prayed, fasted, wept and mourned for he was identifying with his own national people. Suppose Nehemiah was not a fellow Jew and he heard that same message, would he be troubled? Probably not, though we do not rule out the fact that there are good people out there with humanitarian hearts, who are moved with compassion when they see any people suffering and are ready to help people who are in trouble regardless of their nationality, religion or race. Nehemiah was troubled into action because those in affliction were his own people and his own city was destroyed. Nehemiah in the end was able to challenge his people with the facts and mobilised his people to build the wall of Jerusalem: “Then I said to them, ‘You see the trouble we are in: Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned with fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and we will no longer be in disgrace’”, Nehemiah 2:17. When Nehemiah started the project of rebuilding the wall his objective was to remove the disgrace. Removal of disgrace from people should be the sole object of any political leader and government. To Nehemiah this was important and although there were many opponents with challenges to disrupt this project, he was determined to complete the wall and restore his people’s dignity. Like in any project, there are external and internal challenges that may cause project failure. Because of his love for his people, he undertook the project with determination. He faced all the challenges with boldness and did not give up until the rebuilding of the wall was completed. “So the wall was completed on the twenty-fifth of Elul, in fifty-two days”, Nehemiah 6:15. When the wall was completed the reproach is removed. Nehemiah is a true national figure. If all political leaders worked like Nehemiah with the objective of removing people’s reproach, how would the life of citizens in our communities be? Nehemiah had a reputable job as the king’s cupbearer when he was in exile with some of his people. He had 101 good reasons not to care about the remnant back home or the city of Jerusalem with its broken walls. But he left his comfort zone and journeyed to Judea to rebuild his fathers’ city. All this goes back to our subject: Nehemiah did what he did because he was one of the people and therefore Jerusalem with its national people were precious to his heart. This is what he said to the king when the king asked him why he was sad at work: “Why should my face not look sad when the city where my fathers are buried lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?”, Nehemiah 2:3. Is this not a good reason for God wanting a fellow Israelite leader, one who genuinely feels with his people? Example 2: Queen Esther “For how can I bear to see disaster fall on my people? How can I bear to see the destruction of my family?” Esther 8:6.These are the words of Queen Esther when her people were facing the danger of annihilation. She, like Nehemiah, was equally moved and took an initiative to save her people when Haman threatened to destroy them. “Then Haman said to King Xerxes, ‘There is a certain people dispersed among the peoples in all the provinces of your kingdom who keep themselves separate. Their customs are different from those of all other people and they do not obey the king’s laws; it is not in the king’s best interest to tolerate them. If it pleases the king, let a decree be issued to destroy them”, Esther 3:8-9. The most terrible and disturbing image is seeing your own people (in fact any human beings) humiliated, suffering, and under a threat of destruction. If you and I see this happening and do nothing, I put a big question mark on our Christian faith and humanity, leave alone nationalism and patriotism. Queen Esther said she was not able to bear that image in her mind and heart. What about us today? Her uncle Mordecai told her at the beginning of the story: “For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?”, Esther 4:14. His meaning was ‘if you keep quiet and do not act now, you and your fathers’ house will be destroyed and God will raise deliverance for the Jews from someone somewhere else. Because God is sovereign, if we forsake our role, He can raise another ‘somebody’ to do the job He requires. We should always try to be aware that God strategically places us where we are for such a time as this. Esther stood in the gap for her people and God brought a great deliverance through her because she understood her calling and her role. She brought salvation, celebration and joy to her people. “The Jews in Susa, however, had assembled on the thirteenth and fourteenth, and then on the fifteenth they rested and made it a day of feasting and joy. … as the time when the Jews got relief from their enemies, and as the month when their sorrow was turned into joy and their mourning into a day of celebration. He wrote to them to observe the days as days of feasting and joy and giving presents of food to one another and gifts to the poor”, Esther 9:18, 22. Surely it is a good thing to have a fellow Israelite, with a heart of nationalism, on the throne? But a fellow Israelite who does not have a heart for his people may be worse than a foreigner who has a heart for humanity? Quality 3: The king must not acquire many horses “The king, must not acquire great numbers of horses for himself”, Deuteronomy 17:16. Why would a king want to acquire many horses? Horses in the Old Testament were used to pull war chariots. King Solomon in the book of Proverbs says: “The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but victory rests with the LORD”, Proverbs 21:31. This is why the Lord Jesus as the Prince of Peace did not use a horse but a donkey and colt: “As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, ‘Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me’, Matthew 21:1-2. It is important to note that the Lord did not say the king should not have any horses. Our God is a wise and balanced God. It would be unwise to say that a nation should not have any weaponry and defence system. God is saying that although it might be necessary for a nation to have some defence (horses) it should not depend on them for protection. It must trust in Him. The mistake nations commit is that they become dependent on what their own hands have made (weapons) rather than on God. So national security should first be based on God’s protection and this comes as a result of having godly and God-fearing leaders in power. Accumulation of horses could make the king and the nation dependent on themselves for protection, removing trust in God. This is why God told the people of Israel through Moses that when the people want to set up a king for themselves, he should not have a lot of horses. The Lord wants to be the protection over the nation, Exodus 14:14. King David said: “Unless the LORD watches over the city, guards stand watch in vain”, Psalm 127:1. A nation that depends on the Lord for protection is a blessed nation: “Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people he chose for his inheritance”, Psalm 33:12. National protection from enemies, results from trust and walk with God. When a nation chooses the LORD who is their life, Deuteronomy 33:29, then it enjoys a handful of privileges and blessings a major one of which is protection. Where is God in our national agenda for South Sudan and Sudan? Many nations which claim to be Christian nations have even excluded prayer from the opening of their parliamentary sessions. Where is God in our finances? A nation is blessed when the Lord’s tithes are brought to His house, Malachi 3:7-12. Remember Solomon? The first thing he did was for the Lord and His people, 2 Chronicles 8:1-6. In our churches today more emphasis is put on personal and individual relationship with God. Although this is obviously important, we seem to have forgotten that in the Bible God is called “The God of Israel”. Since He is the God of Israel, He is a community God and a national God. Our God loves to enjoy a relationship with an individual believer as well as with communities and nations. Accumulation of arms or big numbers of soldiers cannot protect any nation but righteousness does. When King Zedekiah did evil in the eyes of the LORD, his army could not help him. “Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem for eleven years. His mother’s name was Hamutal daughter of Jeremiah; she was from Libnah. He did evil in the eyes of the LORD …Then the city wall was broken through, and the whole army fled. … They fled towards the Arabah, (or the Jordan Valley) but the Babylonian army pursued King Zedekiah and overtook him in the plains of Jericho. All his soldiers were separated from him and scattered, and he was captured”, Jeremiah 52:1-11. King David knew this pretty well so he said he would not trust his arms (bow and sword) but trust the LORD. “Through you we push back our enemies; through your name we trample our foes. I put no trust in my bow, my sword does not bring me victory; but you give us victory over our enemies, you put our adversaries to shame. In God we make our boast all day long, and we will praise your name forever. … No king is saved by the size of his army; no warrior escapes by his great strength. A horse is a vain hope for deliverance; despite all its great strength it cannot save. But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in His unfailing love, to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine. We wait in hope for the LORD; He is our help and our shield. In Him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in His holy name”, Psalm 44:5-8 & 33:16-21. In these two psalms (Psalm 44 & 33), King David is speaking as the head of state (king) not just as an individual believer or citizen. That is why he used the word ‘we’ several times, meaning ‘we’ the nation of Israel and ‘we’ your (God’s) people. So when he refers to his bow and sword, he is referring to the national weaponry. Weapons are not all that it takes for a nation to be safe. King Uzziah of Judah made perhaps the first kingdom on earth to have a military industry and the most sophisticated weapons, like the USA today. But each time they sinned against the LORD, enemies came and defeated them. In the reign of King Uzziah, the Bible says: “Uzziah had a well-trained army, ready to go out by divisions according to their numbers as mustered by Jeiel the secretary and Maaseiah the officer under the direction of Hananiah, one of the royal officials. The total number of family leaders over the fighting men was 2,600. Under their command was an army of 307,500 men trained for war, a powerful force to support the king against his enemies. Uzziah provided shields, spears, helmets, coats of armour, bows and sling-stones for the entire army. In Jerusalem he made machines designed (devices invented) for use on the towers and on the corner defences so that soldiers could shoot arrows and hurl large stones from the walls. His fame spread far and wide, for he was greatly helped until he became powerful”, 2 Chronicles 26:11-15. This was a huge and probably the best equipped army for no army of that time was known to have engines made to shoot arrows and great stones (artillery!). Yet even these weapons in Judah could not protect or save the land from foreign invasion. King Uzziah knew that it was God who helped him to have that military power. King David in Psalm 44 (above) is speaking out of experience. “An old man is a library”, says one African song. David knew what it was to be under God’s protection as somebody who had fought many great wars, 1 Chronicles 22:8. King David one time was moved with the spirit of pride and decided to number his fighting men in order to know how powerful he was. He should have been depending on God. This decision was displeasing in God’s eyes and invited discipline from God. “Satan rose up against Israel and incited David to take a census of Israel. So David said to Joab and the commanders of the troops, ‘Go and count the Israelites from Beersheba to Dan. Then report back to me so that I may know how many there are’. … This command was also evil in the sight of God; so He punished Israel”, 1 Chronicles 21: 1-2,7. As we have seen many horses and a huge army cannot protect a nation. Only the Lord can protect a nation. If the king is not to multiply horses, how will his nation be protected? National security (protection) “… Unless the LORD watches over the city (or the nation), the guards stand watch in vain”, Psalm 127:1. Although nations manufacture and buy arms for their protection, no nation on earth can say it is 100% protected by its arms. What human hands produce cannot give full protection. King David knew that human hands could not protect so he said to God: “Give us aid against the enemy, for the help of man is worthless”, Psalm 60:11. A nation that depends on God for protection is truly well protected. In the Bible we read many stories where God has in miraculous ways saved His people from their enemies. Listen to this testimony from God’s people about how God intervened and saved them when they were attacked: “If the LORD had not been on our side — let Israel say — if the LORD had not been on our side when people attacked us, they would have swallowed us alive when their anger flared against us; the flood would have engulfed us, the torrent would have swept over us, the raging waters would have swept us away. Praise be to the LORD, who has not let us be torn by their teeth. We have escaped like a bird out of the fowler’s snare; the snare has been broken, and we have escaped. Our help is in the name of the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth”, Psalm 124. In this Psalm of David (for national protection) the nation of Israel acknowledged the difference God made for them: that if the LORD was not with them when they were attacked, the enemy would have swallowed them up alive. But it has not happened. God has always kept an eye on Israel, not because it is perfect but because of His promises to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The fact that Israel exists today as a nation is a miracle. For instance, one of the heads of states in the region said in 1967: “Our basic aim will be to destroy Israel”.[5] But Israel was not destroyed because God in a miraculous way intervened. It is not the size of the army or the weaponry a nation has that determines deliverance, but God’s involvement. God’s people in Psalm 124 also acknowledged that God did not allow them to be crushed by the enemies’ teeth. God’s promise stands forever: “I broke the fangs of the wicked and snatched the victims from their teeth”, Job 29:17. What brings defeat on a nation? It is not lack of weapons or small army size, but sin! When king Joash sinned, he was defeated by a small Assyrian army: “They (the people of Judah) abandoned the temple of the LORD, the God of their ancestors, and worshipped Asherah poles and idols … At the turn of the year, the army of Aram marched against Joash; it invaded Judah and Jerusalem and killed all the leaders of the people. They sent all the plunder to their king in Damascus. Although the Aramean army had come with only a few men, the LORD delivered into their hands a much larger army. Because Judah had forsaken the LORD, the God of their ancestors, judgment was executed on Joash”, 2 Chronicles 24:18-24. The Aramean army came with only few soldiers but God allowed them to defeat the much larger army of Israel because Israel turned their backs on God. We therefore can confidently conclude that it is not the number of horses and size of army that save. It is complete dependence on God. That was why God said that the king who comes to throne of Israel should not multiply horses to depend on them for his protection, but to trust God alone. Horses might also speak of cars in our days. Although this is not a strong argument about horses, it might be true. In our days political leaders accumulate a lot of expensive cars for the sake of luxury and not necessity, all taken from national resources. A God-chosen leader would not waste national resources for his own and his family’s luxury. One head of state of a very poor nation in Africa is reported to have bought a car fleet worth US$1,000,000 when his people are dying from hunger and going without proper health services.[6] What a waste! Quality 4: The king must not make the people go back to Egypt. “The king must not … make the people return to Egypt to get more of them (horses), for the LORD has told you, ‘You are not to go back that way again’”, Deuteronomy 17:16. It is sad and shameful to see liberated people going back to where they have been in captivity and bondage – Egypt! It would be a disgrace for the people of Israel to go back to Egypt. People would laugh and despise the God of Israel who had liberated them to walk with their heads held high. “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt so that you would no longer be slaves to the Egyptians; I broke the bars of your yoke and enabled you to walk with heads held high” Leviticus 26:13. Pharaoh and the Egyptians would also ridicule Israel’s leaders like Moses, Aaron and Miriam (Micah 6:4) whom God used to liberate the people. God’s warning therefore was that the people should not return to Egypt again after He delivered them from Pharaoh’s captivity. Egypt in the Bible is a symbol of bondage. Why would the king send the people back to Egypt when God has given them “a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey”, Exodus 3:8? It is sad to see liberated people forced to return to where they have been previously held in slavery. It is a normal thing for bilateral relations to return and normalise after separation. People can still exchange normal visits as they are brothers who have been parted. These normal visits after separation are not a return to bondage as the people exchanging visits are free and they have their dignity. What I am talking about is when people who have left are forced to return to slavery, to be under the yoke from which they have been set free. What would make the people go back to Egypt if they have all they need? What would cause the people to return to the land of bondage from where they were set free? This is what The LORD told the people if they would not listen to Him or observe His laws and statutes: “The LORD will send you back in ships to Egypt on a journey I said you should never make again. There you will offer yourselves for sale to your enemies as male and female slaves, but no-one will buy you”, Deuteronomy 28:68. Now let us look at specific reasons that make the people go back to Egypt, military, economic and security: 1: Military Reasons The Bible says the king might send the people to Egypt to bring him horses. The king might send the people to buy horses from Egypt for defence purposes. This is a trap King Solomon fell into. Although God warned him not to send people back to Egypt to buy horses, Solomon never paid any attention. He imported his horses from Egypt. “Solomon’s horses were imported from Egypt. … Solomon had four thousand stalls for chariot horses, and twelve thousand horses,” 1 Kings 10:28 and 4:26. “Look! It is Solomon’s carriage, escorted by sixty warriors, the noblest of Israel, all of them wearing the sword, all experienced in battle, each with his sword at his side, prepared for the terrors of the night”, Song of Songs 3:7-8. 2: Security reasons A second reason that could make the people return to Egypt is to take refuge from wars (insecurity in the land). Our nations may vomit their people into neighbouring countries, Leviticus 18:25, either because of atrocities exercised on them by their own governments or as a result of civil wars or wars with other neighbouring countries. For instance when the Babylonians invaded the land of Israel, the people fled to Egypt for safety. “At this, all the people from the least to the greatest, together with the army officers, fled to Egypt for fear of the Babylonians”, 2 Kings 25:26. In the last few years many of our South Sudanese people have been forced to return to Sudan because of civil unrest in our land. Peace in a nation helps keep its children at home. When there is danger and insecurity, people cross international borders to seek refuge. 3: Economic reasons The third reason that takes people back to Egypt is economics. Economic crises in any country makes its citizens vulnerable to crossing borders. Badly suffering citizens will never hesitate to go down to Egypt. When there was starvation in the land, Abraham went down to Egypt, Genesis 12:10, and later Elimelech and his family went to the land of Moab, Ruth 1:1-2. Sadly today many African youths die each year, drowned in the Mediterranean Sea while trying to cross to Europe in search of a better life.[7] For any king, president, or other leader not to drive his people away back into bondage in Egypt, he must first prioritise making peace with economic stability back home. Quality 5: The king should not have many wives “He must not take many wives, or his heart will be led astray”, Deuteronomy 17:17. The fifth condition for a God-chosen public leader is that he should not have many wives, because many wives would lead his heart astray. King Lemuel of Massa had a great mother. She taught her son lessons that are ignored today by many leaders in government positions. She taught her son when he was already a king, but this might have started earlier enough when he was a kid. In chapter 31 of Proverbs, she advises him as a king, not teaching him as her teenage son. Mothers never give up teaching us no matter who we are and what we become in life. Even if we become kings, presidents, government ministers, pastors or bishops, etc. – whatever position we attain – our mothers still consider us as their kids and they therefore never hesitate to teach us. Are we ready to listen to them or are we swallowed up by the pride we acquired through classroom education? Many of us today consider our parents ‘ignorant and old-fashioned people’. In our African Culture, any elderly person is a parent and has the right to rebuke, counsel and teach you even if he/she is not your close relative or even known to you. King Lemuel is different from most of us. He was willing to sit and listen to his mother’s wisdom. King Lemuel was a humble king. He received and treasured those lessons from his mother and because they helped and benefitted him, he passed them on to us and other leaders. As if King Lemuel is saying: ‘Look, here are deep lessons I learned from my mother many years ago when I was the king of Massa and they helped me a lot. Would you like to try them?’ What are this mother’s lessons? Listen to what she said: “The sayings of King Lemuel — an inspired utterance his mother taught him: Listen, my son! Listen, son of my womb! Listen, my son, the answer to my prayers! Do not spend your strength on women, your vigour on those who ruin kings. It is not for kings, Lemuel —it is not for kings to drink wine, not for rulers to crave beer, lest they drink and forget what the law decrees, and deprive all the oppressed of their rights”, Proverbs 31:1-5. What are these warnings about? According to King Lemuel’s mother, two things ruin kings: women and wine (beer). This is why God commanded the kings of Israel not to multiply wives. A political leader who runs after women is given to downfall. Solomon the wisest king on earth fell into this trap. It is interesting to note that King Lemuel’s mother did not use the word ‘wives’ but ‘women’ in general, perhaps highlighting a leader can easily be tempted to go into illegal relationships with other women. “King Solomon, however, loved many foreign women besides Pharaoh’s daughter — Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians and Hittites. They were from nations about which the LORD had told the Israelites, ‘You must not intermarry with them, because they will surely turn your hearts after their gods’. Nevertheless, Solomon held fast to them in love. He had seven hundred wives of royal birth and three hundred concubines, and his wives led him astray. As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to the LORD his God, as the heart of David his father had been”, 1 Kings 11:1-4. Here are few dangers that might arise from having many women: Danger 1: Many women lead leaders astray from following God As it was with King Solomon, many women stray leaders from the right path. In this sense leaders would not be able to hear or follow what God is saying. Their sense of judgement is ruined. Solomon started his rule as a king who wanted to do God’s will. Because he wanted to rule the people in a right way the first thing he asked for was wisdom for governing God’s people. And this pleased God, for when we ask anything according to God’s will He gives it, 1 John 5:14. “At Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon during the night in a dream, and God said, ‘Ask for whatever you want me to give you’. Solomon answered, ... ‘give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?’ The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this. So God said to him, … ‘I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be. Moreover, I will give you what you have not asked for —both riches and honour — so that in your lifetime you will have no equal among kings. … God gave Solomon wisdom and very great insight, and a breadth of understanding as measureless as the sand on the seashore”, 1 Kings 3:5-13 and 4:29. God was pleased to give Solomon a wise and a discerning heart, all he needed to govern the people well. Importantly he could distinguish between right and wrong. These two requirements (wisdom and a discerning heart) are two top priorities for every leader in any public sphere even today. But supposing God comes to each leader today with that short statement: “Ask for whatever you want me to give you.” What would modern rulers ask of Him? There were other options before Solomon. He could have asked for long life, wealth or the death of his enemies (things the human heart may be after). Solomon started off well with God by asking for the right things. But good beginnings do not guarantee good endings. Many leaders in the Bible have started their lives well with God but ended in a bad shape. Solomon is one of those leaders who strayed from the right path and the reason was women! Lack of discipline and self-control are deadly sins. Apostle Paul speaks of leaders as people running in a race who, without discipline and self-control, can easily get disqualified and lose the prize: “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly (recklessly, without purpose); I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. No, I strike a blow to my body (discipline) and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize”, 1 Corinthians 9:24-27. Solomon lost his fellowship and his perspective with God. As I was studying the life of King Solomon, I realised that two words are repeatedly used when describing God’s relationship with Solomon. The two words are ‘appeared’ and ‘said.’ In the beginning God used to appear to Solomon: “At Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon during the night in a dream, and God said, ‘Ask for whatever you want me to give you.’ … When Solomon had finished building the temple of the LORD and the royal palace, and had achieved all he had desired to do, the LORD appeared to him a second time, as he had appeared to him at Gibeon”, 1Kings 3:5 and 9:2. But towards the end of Solomon’s life a different word was more commonly used: The LORD ‘said’ to Solomon! “As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to the LORD his God, as the heart of David his father had been. He followed Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and Molech the detestable god of the Ammonites. So Solomon did evil in the eyes of the LORD; he did not follow the LORD completely, as David his father had done. On a hill east of Jerusalem, Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the detestable god of Moab, and for Molech the detestable god of the Ammonites. … He did the same for all his foreign wives, who burned incense and offered sacrifices to their gods. The LORD became angry with Solomon because his heart had turned away from the LORD, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice. Although he had forbidden Solomon to follow other gods, Solomon did not keep the LORD’s command. So the LORD said to Solomon, ‘Since this is your attitude and you have not kept my covenant and my decrees, which I commanded you, I will most certainly tear the kingdom away from you and give it to one of your subordinates”, 1 Kings 11:4-11. So what difference does it make if God ‘appeared’ or ‘said’ to Solomon? Are the two words not describing the same relationship? I would say a big NO! ‘Appearing’ denotes a warm fellowship. In the beginning when Solomon was in the right path with God, God used to appear first then speak to Solomon. May I suggest, ‘face to face’ contact? “At Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon during the night in a dream, and God said, ‘Ask for whatever you want me to give you’”, 1 Kings 3:5. Later, when Solomon was led astray by his many wives the fellowship with God was lost, the word ‘appeared’ disappeared while ‘said’ remained. God did not appear again to Solomon. He only talked to him. “So the LORD said to Solomon, ‘Since this is your attitude and you have not kept my covenant and my decrees, which I commanded you, I will most certainly tear the kingdom away from you and give it to one of your subordinates’”, 1 Kings 11:11. Talking can still continue even in a bad relationship. If your son becomes stubborn and rebellious you still love him and continue talking to him, but that warm fellowship where there is laughter, hugging, sharing about things to be done, etc. may not be there. King Solomon, the wise king who was ordained before he was born to be king, the first king to build God’s temple and the great king who brought services to all his people, carelessly yet deliberately by his choices, lost his fellowship with the Lord! The bottom line is that many wives (or other women) make leaders stray from following God. They disrupt any leader’s fellowship with Him. When this happens, a leader is no longer sound to rule. The people’s confidence in him is lost. People need to ask when casting a vote: ‘How many wives does the politician I am giving my vote to have?’ Would this be an interference between his public and private life? Or is it a godly Christian question? Danger 2: Many women ruin leaders’ reputation According to King Lemuel’s mother, many women ruin kings. Most specifically their reputation as leaders is ruined. When the vertical relationship with God is disturbed, all the horizontal relationships become disturbed as well. In modern times presidents and prime ministers of many countries have been accused of sexual promiscuity. The first thing that a leader should guard in both his personal life and career life is against falling into sexual immorality. In the Bible leaders like Samson, King David, and Solomon all fell into the trap of women so that their careers and public lives after that were disturbed and ruined. David because of his repentant attitude was restored by God. King Solomon in his last days gave this warning about getting along with other women. Here we follow the Egyptian saying: “Ask the tempted not the doctor”! “My son, keep your father’s commands and do not forsake your mother’s teaching. Bind them always upon on your heart; fasten them round your neck. When you walk, they will guide you; when you sleep, they will watch over you; when you awake, they will speak to you. For this command is a lamp, this teaching is a light, and correction and instruction are the way to life, keeping you from your neighbour’s wife, from the smooth talk of a wayward woman. Do not lust in your heart after her beauty or let her captivate you with her eyes. For a prostitute can be had for a loaf of bread, but another man’s wife (the adulteress) preys upon your very life. Can a man scoop fire into his lap without his clothes being burned? Can a man walk on hot coals without his feet being scorched? So is he who sleeps with another man’s wife; no-one who touches her will go unpunished”, Proverbs 6:20-29. Danger 3: Many women bring too many dependents “… Jair of Gilead, who led Israel for twenty-two years. He had thirty sons, who rode thirty donkeys. They controlled thirty towns in Gilead, which to this day are called Havvoth Jair” (settlements of Jair), Judges 10:3-4. Let us look at Jair’s family described above. I believe that those 30 sons are not from one wife although it is arguable that one woman can give birth to 30 sons. But in Israel’s tradition as seen in the Bible, sons are more often counted than girls. So, if Jair had thirty sons, how many daughters did he have? Let’s say he had 11 daughters among the 30 sons. That would total to 41 children. But if the number of daughters was more than the number of boys as it happens, the number of children would be more than 60. Look at the example of King Rehoboam’s family: “Rehoboam…had eighteen wives and sixty concubines, twenty-eight sons and sixty daughters”, 2 Chronicles 11:21. But let us just keep to the 41 for the sake of our example. Are all those 41 children from one wife? If we assume that he had 7 wives. What would be the number of people in that household? 48! Again let’s suppose that Jair is an African, say a South Sudanese ‘big man’ who had 7 wives and 41 children, how many other dependents would he be taking care of (nephews, nieces, brothers, sisters, in laws, etc.)? That house will have a modest minimum of 60-75 people. In Africa, such a big man’s family would be a centre of gravity for many dependents. One man I heard about was surprised by the sudden arrival of his nine nephews and nieces from the countryside, sent to him by his sister and brother-in-law without informing him! That day became a mess. There was not enough sleeping space leave alone food! If, for instance, Jair is caring for another 15 relatives, his household would be 63 people! I am not criticizing people who have many children, because children are a gift from God, Psalm 128. I am not talking here about controlling family size. What I am trying to underline is that many wives bring many dependents whom a husband cannot feed from his own means (salary). So he looks towards government finances. A leader in this situation is tempted to put his hands on government finances to meet obligations in feeding his huge family. For how could he let family people go hungry when he is well known as a ‘senior government official’ or a ‘big person’? This is indirectly a reason for financial fraud and all sorts of corruption. We should not be surprised when this happens! We have been warned in the Bible. Danger 4: Many women drain leaders of finances ‘Many women’ in King Lemuel’s mother’s words do not necessarily mean ‘legal’ wives. Many women may include ‘concubines, prostitutes, or other extra-marital affairs’. This class of women destroys the financial system of leaders and brings instability into their family lives and career lives. “A man who loves wisdom brings joy to his father, but a companion of prostitutes squanders his wealth”, Proverbs 29:3. A decent leader should stick to one legal wife or husband. This will keep him/her sound and with a clean reputation as a leader. The problem is that once one becomes a government minister, the first thing to think of is to bring in a new wife. Polygamy in Africa is a disease associated with promotions and/or assuming new offices. The theme is often: ‘With each promotion and new appointment, a new wife.’ I wish our leaders would give heed to this warning from the Bible and chose to live the only God-honouring way. Quality 6: The king must not amass for himself large amounts of money “He must not accumulate large amounts of silver and gold”, Deuteronomy 17:17. Silver and gold speak of money. There is nothing wrong with money in itself, but the love of money is what derails people into sinning. “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs”, 1Timothy 6:10. According to this Bible text, we can draw two lessons: 1: Love of money is the root of all kinds of evil All kinds of bad attitudes and actions grow out of the love of money. It is the root cause of violence in any society on earth. “What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet, but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight”, James 4:1-2. This can happen at all levels, individuals, groups and governments. Individuals steal, cheat and embezzle money. Families and friends fight or quarrel over material things. Groups form gangs and break into houses or banks to rob. Governments fight over natural resources! It also happens within all socio-economic levels, from the poorest of poor to the richest of rich, and from the illiterate to the well-educated. So the love of money does not exclude any human being, including kings, presidents, government and church leaders. Anyone given trust over finances can be tempted and may give in to it. This is because of the fallen nature of humanity. Kings who fall in love with money give chances to all kinds of evil to sprout into their lives and in their kingdoms. 2: People who are in a hurry to become rich face two dangers Firstly, if they are believers they may wander away from the faith. This means if they are Christian believers, they abandon their Christian faith and witness, and immediately lose their salty influence for good, Matthew 5:13. It also means they become lukewarm in their Christian life, objectionable even to the Lord Jesus, Revelation 3:16. Secondly, they pierce themselves with many griefs. Because they have given up their faith and walk with Christ, which are their protection from God, they are given over to all sorts of temptations like sexual immorality, acquiring money in wrong ways, amassing or abusing power, and domination over any opposition, etc. Because of this, they fall into traps that ruin their reputations and may end up throwing them into prisons (when tried after their rule finishes). How many politicians who wander from the right path have ended up thrown into prisons and have completely lost their political careers? With this background information, we can see why God warned kings away from accumulating large amounts of silver and gold. To avoid the perils of wandering away from faith and piercing themselves with many griefs, God put down a condition that the king who comes to rule his people should not accumulate large amounts of money from his role. Again God is a wise God and He never said the king should never acquire any silver or gold. He knows that money is important for our everyday needs. God rather said the king should not accumulate large amounts of cash, land, businesses or valuables. ‘Large amount’ is what God is warning responsible leaders about. Still the argument is: how much is a ‘large amount’? Money is never satisfying. ‘The more you have, the more you want’ goes the English proverb. The answer to the above question is simple. It can all be summarised in one word: ‘contentment’. He who is not satisfied with little will never be satisfied with much. The example of King Solomon As we saw, Solomon started his rule by asking God for wisdom. So God gave him wisdom and also what he did not ask for, riches. At the beginning of Solomon’s rule the order of things God gave him was ‘wisdom then riches’. “God said to Solomon, ‘Since this is your heart’s desire and you have not asked for wealth, riches or honour, nor for the death of your enemies, and since you have not asked for a long life but for wisdom and knowledge to govern my people over whom I have made you king, therefore wisdom and knowledge will be given you. And I will also give you wealth, riches and honour, such as no king who was before you ever had and none after you will have”, 2 Chronicles 1:11-12. This is the right order that God intended for Solomon: wisdom and knowledge first then wealth, riches and honour. In our times many leaders do the opposite. They run after wealth and riches soon after they come to power, never stopping to ask God for wisdom and knowledge. As years passed by, riches began to flow into Solomon’s life: King Hiram sent him 450 talents of gold (about 16 metric tons), 2 Chronicles 8:18 This was followed by the visit of the Queen of Sheba who brought him another 120 talents of gold (about 4 metric tons), large quantities of spices and precious stones, 2 Chronicles 9:9 The kings of Arabia and the governors of the land also brought gold to Solomon, 2 Chronicles 9:14 Each year, Solomon was receiving 666 talents of gold (about 23 metric tons)! 2 Chronicles 9:13 The king grew very rich and there is nothing wrong with riches if we keep our hearts right with God. After all God had promised him wealth, riches and honour. Now let us see if the order of the things God gave him remained the same after many years of accumulating wealth, “King Solomon was greater in riches and wisdom than all the other kings of the earth”, 2 Chronicles 9:22. Look at that! Riches has displaced wisdom and has become first with wisdom only second! Someone may say: ‘I do not see any difference in that. Solomon is still fine! If I say ‘wisdom and riches’ or ‘riches and wisdom’ it is the same thing’. Well this is good argument and it would be correct if that were in any other book. But not in the Bible. Arrangement of the words in the Bible was done by God the Holy Spirit; the true Author of the Bible, 2 Peter 1:21, and the Holy Spirit knows which word comes first, which comes second, and why, etc. Bible words are not random words; they are well arranged by the Holy Spirit. So when the Bible says that after many years the order changed from ‘wisdom and riches’ to ‘riches and wisdom’, it means the Holy Spirit is pointing to the fact that riches have started taking a bigger space in Solomon’s life. They have displaced wisdom. Now after riches displaced wisdom, 1,000 women came in! “King Solomon, however, loved many foreign women besides Pharaoh’s daughter — Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians and Hittites. He had seven hundred wives of royal birth and three hundred concubines, and his wives led him astray” 1 Kings 11: 1-3. How far has wisdom been displaced? Not only displaced but completely deleted. For the Bible did not mention that Solomon had riches, many women and wisdom. Never! God is all knowing when He says the king should not accumulate large amounts of silver and gold. Political leaders who accumulate large amounts of silver and gold might also be exploiting the people. Solomon received silver and gold as gifts from other kings. In our time leaders accumulate wealth taken from the citizens or from national resources that could (and probably should) have gone on projects for the citizens. King Saul was one of the kings who robbed the people of the resources due to them. Prophet Samuel told the people of Israel that King Saul, because of his love of money, would exploit them of their human and natural resources, “This is what the king who will reign over you will claim as his rights: he will take your sons and make them serve with his chariots and horses … He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive groves … He will take a tenth of your grain and of your vintage and give it to his officials … the best of your cattle and donkeys he will take for his own use. He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his slaves”, 1 Samuel 8:11-22. Many of our African leaders are like King Saul, ‘they take’ what belongs to the country, to the people. As I said earlier, billions of Africa’s moneys lie hidden in Swiss bank accounts deposited by our political leaders while their people go hungry and struggle without services. “A ruler who oppresses the poor is like a driving rain that leaves no crops”, Proverbs 28:3. Will our leaders bother themselves to learn from this? Only as we hold them properly to account. Quality 7: The king must have a copy of the law (God’s word) “When he takes the throne of his kingdom, he is to write for himself on a scroll a copy of this law, taken from that of the Levitical priests. It is to be with him, and he is to read it all the days of his life so that he may learn to revere the LORD his God and follow carefully all the words of this law and these decrees and not consider himself better than his fellows”, Deuteronomy 17:18-20. This seventh quality, and the most important condition in my opinion, is that the king must have his own copy of the law or the word of God. The first six conditions are great and wonderful but would be incomplete without the remainder of the word of God. Without the reference book (the Bible), how would the king know that it is wrong to accumulate large numbers of horses, silver and gold? How would he know that many women ruin kings? George Washington the first US president, who was a Christian believer, may have said: “It is impossible to rightly govern the world without God and the Bible”.[8] However, we know the word of God is: The lamp that lights the path of life, Psalm 119:105 The source of wisdom and understanding, Psalm 119:130 Where we find warning when we deviate from the right path, 1 Corinthians 10:11 The source of teaching, rebuke, correction and training in righteous living, 2 Timothy 3:16 The source of the peaceful life, Proverbs 1:33 And many more blessings! Therefore it is so important for all politicians and other leaders to have and to use a Bible. Let us examine closely what God said about the word: “When he takes the throne of his kingdom, he is to write for himself on a scroll a copy of this law, taken from that of the Levitical priests. It is to be with him, and he is to read it all the days of his life so that he may learn to revere the LORD his God and follow carefully all the words of this law and these decrees and not consider himself better than his fellows and turn from the law to the right or to the left. Then he and his descendants will reign a long time over his kingdom in Israel”, Deuteronomy 17:18-20. The above text brings to light important facts about the relationship between a political leader and the Bible that should be underlined: 1: The king must possess a copy of the law (the Bible) This is the first step. The politician must first have a copy of the word with him at home, in his office, or in his/her handbag. How many politicians today have Bibles? Many of them seem to think the Bible is a book for priests and pastors and that it has nothing to do with politicians. This is contrary to what the Bible is saying. They think this because they have never read Deuteronomy 17 where God ordered the politicians to treasure a copy of God’s word (Holy Bible). The root of all political scandals is the lack of God’s word. 2: The copy of the law (the Bible) is to be always with him It is not just possessing the Bible, but also carrying it with him. In other words having a fellowship with God through it. This means the Bible must become part of the politician’s life just like his wrist watch which is with him most of the time. If a politician is for instance travelling, the Bible should be the first to go into his/her handbag or suitcase. He must be developing a relationship and falling in love with God’s word, finding pleasure in God through it. Today, the most detestable thing for many politicians is the word of God. It challenges them and they know it. Who of the politicians dares carry the Bible with him/her since it is offensive to them? “To whom can I speak and give warning? Who will listen to me? Their ears are closed so that they cannot hear. The word of the LORD is offensive to them; they find no pleasure in it”, Jeremiah 6:10. 3: The king is to read his copy of the Bible all the days of his life Is finding time daily to read the Bible of any importance to politicians in our days? Many politicians think they have other more important things to do. The affairs of the government! A king who does not have time for God’s word has no time to receive wisdom, counsel, guidance and spiritual nourishment from God. If a king seeks the counsel of God from His word, his throne will always be secure and established. But those who have rejected God’s word have rejected heavenly and earthly wisdom. “The wise (in their own eyes) will be put to shame; they will be dismayed and trapped. Since they have rejected the word of the LORD, what kind of wisdom do they have?”, Jeremiah 8:9. God wants the wise political leader to read and think seriously about the Bible all the days of his life. All the days of his life? Yes, all the days of his life! Because the mouth of the Lord has spoken, it must be so. It is a decision for every individual politician to make. “Whoever listens to me will live in safety and be at ease, without fear of harm”, Proverbs 1:33. Specific importance of God’s word (the Bible) to kings It is important for kings and all other leaders to have and use the Bible for the following reasons: Importance 1: The word of God observed will make the king revere the LORD his God “…he is to read it all the days of his life so that he may learn to revere the LORD his God”, Deuteronomy 17:18-19. To revere God means to hold Him in highest regard. People often want to give God the reverence and the worship due Him but do not because they do not have the right knowledge as to how to worship Him. Apostle Paul for instance says Israel had the zeal for God but not based on knowledge: “Brothers and sisters, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved. For I can testify about them (Israelites) that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge”, Romans 10:1-2. The word of God helps everyone to give God His right place in life. A person who tries to worship God independent of God’s word is a hypocrite. They worship only with their own ideas. This is why God instructed that the king who comes to govern His people must have a copy of the law and learn to respect God with due reverence. Politicians who go without the word cannot revere God for they do not have the instruction book, the ‘how to’. Importance 2: The word of God will make the king carefully follow God’s law and decrees “He is to read it (the word) to … follow carefully all the words of this law and these decrees”, Deuteronomy 17:19. The Bible is the operational manual that helps everyone deliberately follow all of God’s decrees. But why would God want the king to follow the words of the law carefully? Because any slight deviation from the path of righteousness leads to national disaster. King David for instance did not follow the words of the law carefully when he committed adultery with Uriah’s wife, 2 Samuel 11, breaking the 7th and the 10th commandments: “You shall not commit adultery. … You shall not covet your neighbour’s wife”, Exodus 20:14,17. One act of folly usually leads to a chain of problems that affect not only the sinner but his family, his community and even his nation. “One sinner destroys much good”, Ecclesiastes 9:18. The act of adultery David committed led to an act of killing. When David came to know that Uriah’s wife was pregnant from him, he decided to subject Uriah to battle in the front line so that he was killed. He tried to cover his sin. This brought disaster to David’s family. We all know the story and the consequences. Here is the bitter list of David’s four children who died because of that one act of adultery: The child he had with Bathsheba, Uriah’s wife, 2 Samuel 12:19 Amnon, 2 Samuel 13:28–30 Absalom, 2 Samuel 18:15 Adonijah 1 Kings 2:23-25 More calamities also came upon David’s family and kingdom to fulfil the word of God spoken by Prophet Nathan. Listen to the strong message God sent David through Prophet Nathan: “Why did you despise the word of the LORD by doing what is evil in his eyes? You struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and took his wife to be your own. You killed him with the sword of the Ammonites. Now, therefore, the sword shall never depart from your house, because you despised me and took the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your own. ‘This is what the LORD says: “Out of your own household I am going to bring calamity upon you. Before your very eyes I will take your wives and give them to one who is close to you, and he will lie with your wives in broad daylight. You did it in secret, but I will do this thing in broad daylight before all Israel’””, 2 Samuel 12:9-12. His son Amnon committed incest with his step sister Tamar, 2 Samuel 13 Absalom his own son rebelled against him, 2 Samuel 15-18 To fulfil the word of God, Absalom, David’s son, lay with his father’s concubines in broad daylight before all Israel! 2 Samuel 16:22 King David was cursed, insulted and stoned openly in the eyes of all Israel, 2 Samuel 16:5-7 David was rejected and deserted openly in the sight of all Israel, 2 Samuel 20:1-2 David made a wrong decision (about the military census) that brought God’s wrath and discipline upon the whole nation. Whenever there is sin, the sinner cannot make sound decisions, 2 Samuel 24:1-5 What disasters David brought upon his own family and his kingdom! From the moment he committed the sin of adultery, his life, family and kingdom never experienced peace and stability but only problems one after another including all kinds of humiliation. Why all these? Because David was far from God’s word. He thought he knew better than God. When God’s word is with us all the time, God the Holy Spirit reminds us of all the temptations that come our way. If David had read and heeded Exodus 20 that morning in his quiet time, it would have saved him, his family and his kingdom, from long painful times. This is why God wants politicians to have a copy of the law so that they, their people and their nations may live in peace. When the word is absent or not very carefully followed, disaster is around the corner. Importance 3: The word of God will keep the king humble. He will not think himself better than others “To read the word…and not consider himself better than fellow Israelites and turn from the law to the right or to the left”, Deuteronomy 17:20. The third importance of the word is that it keeps the king humble, and when he is so, he will never consider himself superior in any way. Sadly, the common phenomenon is that politicians become so proud the moment they become presidents or ministers, they think: ‘Who is like me in this world?’ Remember when Haman was promoted above his colleagues? He boasted about it: “Haman boasted to them about his vast wealth, his many sons, and all the ways the king had honoured him and how he had elevated him above the other nobles and officials”, Esther 5:11. An official who knows God and what His word says would not act like Haman. We should be humbled when God honours us and promotes us to higher positions. It is a favour from Him and is not because we are better than our fellows. This is why God says a godly king, president or governor should have the Bible so that he does not become haughty and full of self-importance. The position he has received is a place where he serves the people. It is not meant for pride. Moreover the seat (office) where he is placed does not belong to him but to the people. It is interesting to know that the seat of King David was called three names: “The throne of … David”, 1 Kings 2:12 “The throne of Israel”, 1 Kings 8:25 “The throne of (the kingdom of) the LORD”, 1 Chronicles 28:5 and 29:23. Have we seen that? Today’s officials have rooms called ‘The President’s office, ‘the Minister’s office’, ‘the Director’s office’, ‘the CEO’s office’, ‘the Ambassador’s office, ‘the Manager’s office’, etc. These names are true. But have people forgotten that their seats and offices are from God and for the people? Although King David’s throne was popularly known as ‘The throne of David’ it was also known as ‘The throne of Israel’ and ‘The throne of the LORD’. My point is that no-one should forget that any office given, even if we are called upon to serve in it, actually belongs to the nation and therefore to the people and most importantly to God. We are just servants God sent to execute His purposes through those offices. When politicians keep this in mind, they will not consider themselves better than their fellow brothers. For if the office is Israel’s and the LORD’S why would one consider himself better than others because he/she is running it? This is the reason God wants politicians to have a copy of the law, to remind them to keep humble knowing that they are only servants placed in that role by God, Romans 13:1,4-5. Different kings’ attitudes towards the word of God: Before I conclude this point on the ‘importance of God’s word for kings’, it is prudent to see how kings in Bible days reacted to the word of God. The Bible has a sample for us. The Holy Scriptures recorded this sample to reflect the attitude of past, present and future kings and political leaders towards the word of God. There are two categories of kings in the sample that we find in the Bible. Kings that have regard, respect and reverence for the word of God and those who treat the word of God with contempt. 1: King Jehoiakim, a king who threw God’s word into the fire “Whenever Jehudi had read three or four columns of the scroll, the king cut them off with a scribe’s knife and threw them into the brazier, until the entire scroll was burned in the fire. The king and all his attendants who heard all these words showed no fear, nor did they tear their clothes. Even though Elnathan, Delaiah and Gemariah urged the king not to burn the scroll, he would not listen to them”, Jeremiah 36:23-25. The Bible says that the king and his officials who heard the word read to them showed no fear, nor did they tear their clothes (a sign of repentance). None of them was moved by the word they heard. Many people today seem to have become immune to God’s word. They ignore the Bible’s wisdom, or neglect it even if they know what it says. God esteems those who are sensitive to His word and are rightly fearful when He speaks. “These are the ones I look on with favour: those who are humble and contrite in spirit, and who tremble at my word, Isaiah 66:2. King Jehoiakim threw God’s word into fire! As a politician, what is your relationship with God through His word, the Bible? Neither the fire nor your ignorance of God’s word will destroy it. 2: Rehoboam, the king who abandoned God’s word after he became successful “After Rehoboam’s position as king was established and he had become strong, he and all Israel with him abandoned the law of the LORD”, 2 Chronicles 12:1. Who is Rehoboam? He was the firstborn son of King Solomon, the wisest king ever on earth. After his father died, he took office as the king of Israel. “Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel for forty years. Then he rested with his fathers and was buried in the city of David his father. And Rehoboam his son succeeded him as king”, 2 Chronicles 9:30-31. King Rehoboam was also a grandson of King David, the man after God’s heart, Acts 13:22. Having a great family background does not guarantee a godly life for oneself. One can be a king’s son (prince), government minister’s son, pastor’s or bishop’s son…but that will not determine your holy life. We have all seen children born into great and noble families who ended up leading filthy lives. Remember the prodigal son? He ‘wasted his life’, ‘squandering’ his opportunities, Luke 15:13. King Rehoboam started well with God, walking in the ways of his grandfather David and his father Solomon supported by all Israel. “They strengthened the kingdom of Judah and supported Rehoboam son of Solomon for three years, walking in the ways of David and Solomon during this time”, 2 Chronicles 11:17. But after Rehoboam’s kingdom became established and he became strong, he turned his back on God and God’s word and all Israel followed him. Beware, the most common thing people mishandle is a blessing. As a politician, how do you deal with success? Will success make you turn your back towards God and His word or will you consistently remain loyal to God? Rehoboam after his kingdom became established and he became strong, recklessly abandoned God’s word. This is why it is important to thank God for whatever promotion God gives to us in our careers. Thanking God is a confession of the fact that the promotion and blessing received have come from Him and not from personal strength. Will our leaders learn from Rehoboam’s mistake? “It was not by their sword that they won the land, nor did their arm bring them victory; it was your right hand, your arm, and the light of your face, for you loved them”, Psalm 44:3. 3: King Josiah, the reverent king who trembled at God’s word “Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem for thirty-one years. … When the king (Josiah) heard the words of the Book of the Law, he tore his robes. He gave these orders to Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam son of Shaphan, Akbor son of Micaiah, Shaphan the secretary and Asaiah the king’s attendant: ‘Go and enquire of the LORD for me and for the people and for all Judah about what is written in this book that has been found. Great is the LORD’s anger that burns against us because those who have gone before us have not obeyed the words of this book; they have not acted in accordance with all that is written there concerning us’”, 2 Kings 22:1,11-13. Now here we see the opposite side of the coin! King Josiah! The king who has proper living reverence for God’s word! King Josiah became king when he was a young lad of eight years. Spiritually speaking, he came from a very bad family background. His grandfather Manasseh did evil in the eyes of the Lord and led Israel astray, 2 Kings 21:1-2,9. Likewise, his father Amon was also evil, 2 Kings 21:19-20. With this bad family history, the exact opposite of Rehoboam, it would be natural to expect Josiah to follow the evil ways of his grandfather and father. But Josiah had a different spirit. So God said, ‘I will neither link your spiritual background to your grandfather Manasseh nor to your father Amon but to your great grandfather David, the man after My heart’. God linked the living faith of Josiah with that of his great grandfather David because the living cannot be joined to the dead! Life without God is dead. “Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem for thirty-one years. … He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD and walked in all the ways of his father David, … not turning aside to the right or to the left”, 2 Kings 22:1-2. Compared to Jehoiakim and Rehoboam, Josiah was so, so different. Josiah had a living faith and his heart was set on things of God. Because Josiah was a God-fearing king, he trembled at God’s word. Upon hearing that word, the king acted immediately and made an enquiry about what God was saying to His people in the word read to him. He then sent a delegation to a prophetess, who was in the town of Jerusalem, to enquire of the Lord for him, the people and all of Judah about what was written in the book that was found, 2 Kings 22:12-14. The prophetess Huldah gave the delegation a word from the LORD to bring back to King Josiah. He wanted to know what the LORD was bringing on Judah. “She said to them, … “Tell the king of Judah, who sent you to enquire of the Lord, ‘This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: concerning the words you heard: because your heart was responsive and you humbled yourself before the LORD when you heard what I have spoken against this place and its people, that they would become accursed and laid waste, and because you tore your robes and wept in my presence, I have heard you, declares the LORD. Therefore I will gather you to your ancestors, and you will be buried in peace. Your eyes will not see all the disaster I am going to bring on this place.’ So they took her answer back to the king”, 2 Kings 22:18–20. What a unique person King Josiah was! According to what God said to him, he had a responsive heart, that is listening to and learning from the word of God. If God compares hearts of many kings and presidents today with that of God-fearing King Josiah, how many hearts would be found similar? Yet that is the heart God wants every one of us to have. A mouldable heart made of flesh and not of solid impervious stone. “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws”, Ezekiel 36:26-37. Josiah also humbled himself and wept before the LORD when he heard that God was going to discipline the nation of Judah because from the time of their fathers they had left the LORD. God will never despise a humble heart. “My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, God, you will not despise”, Psalm 51:17. Because Josiah had a responsive and humble heart, and wept before the Lord when he heard God’s word, God was pleased with him and spared the nation from the immediate rod of discipline He (God) was about to bring. He promised not to bring any disaster on the people during Josiah’s lifetime and rule. “… because your heart was responsive and you humbled yourself before the LORD when you heard what I have spoken against this place and its people, that they would become a curse and be laid waste – and because you tore your robes and wept in my presence, I also have heard you, declares the LORD. Therefore I will gather you to your ancestors, and you will be buried in peace. Your eyes will not see all the disaster I am going to bring on this place”, 2 Kings 22:19-20. A humble and godly king will enjoy peaceful times because he is like a protective salt to his people, Matthew 5:13. Prophet Micah tells us: “And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly (or prudently) with your God”, Micah 6:8. Josiah also tore his robe and wept in God’s presence when he realised the implications of words of God. Tearing of one’s robe in Jewish tradition was an expression of repentance, helplessness, attraction of attention (the people’s or God’s or both) to something important, like looming danger. This is why God told his people not only to rend their clothes but also their hearts. Tearing of cloth is an external expression which could be false. “Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity”, Joel 2:13. My prayer is that we have kings, presidents, prime ministers – name the leaders you can – like Josiah. May the thrones of our nations and regions be seats only for honouring God. Reward for having and rightly using a copy of the law of the LORD (the word of God) Because the king is revering the Lord his God, following carefully His laws, walking humbly and not considering himself better than his fellow brothers and sisters; which are all fruits or the effect of God’s word upon his life, God promises to bless and reward him by giving him and his descendants a long time to reign over His people. This is the reward the king receives from the law he chooses to consult. “Then he and his descendants will reign a long time over his kingdom in Israel”, Deuteronomy 17:20. Reigning for a long time may come as a result of a heartless oppressive dictatorship, where the ruler (president, king) and his children decide to rule a nation forcibly forever as witnessed in many countries. Lots of kings and presidents in our time prepare one of their children to inherit the throne for a family dynasty. But the scripture above is not talking about this type of rule. There is a type that comes as a reward from God. How does this happen? God brings politicians and church leaders who revere Him back into office time and again because they have a good reputation and they have the people’s confidence. This is a rare blessing seen in but a few rulers. In the Bible, the king that God blessed with longest reign is Azariah, (also known as Uzziah). He ruled in Jerusalem for fifty-two (52) years. “In the twenty-seventh year of Jeroboam king of Israel, Azariah son of Amaziah king of Judah began to reign. He was sixteen years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem for fifty-two years. … He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, just as his father Amaziah had done”, 2 Kings 15:1-3. What was the secret behind this long reign? The Bible says he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord. He inherited a legacy of the fear of God ruling in righteousness before him. Will kings, presidents and all those in authority learn from him? I pray that they will take on his legacy. Many kings in the Northern Kingdom of Israel came and went while Azariah was there on the throne of Judah for fifty-two years! The reason? The Northern Kingdom was ruled by wicked kings like Ahab. The wise King Solomon said: “When a country is rebellious, it has many rulers, but a ruler with discernment and knowledge maintains order”, Proverbs 28:2. In a rebellious country the people try to rule themselves. What happens when a nation’s king is rebellious to God and does not revere Him? He tries to rule with his own wisdom. Such leaders are the biggest obstacle to their own proper leadership. But how wonderful it is when the king on the throne has the seven qualities mentioned in this chapter. A nation is truly blessed when its king carries these out. It is our prayer that God brings into power godly leaders for our nations, states, people-groups and churches, etc. As these people maintain their God-honouring lives and leadership style may we all enjoy long and peaceful times full of God’s blessings, with economic development, social respect and cohesion, good education, proper health care and infrastructure, underpinned by religious practices that bring pleasure to God Himself. Discussion guide We are taking each of Alex’s ‘seven leadership qualities’ one at a time. Using this chapter and Scriptures quoted explain and apply your answers 1. Why must the leader be chosen by God and the people? 2. Why must the leader be ‘a fellow Israelite’, that is one of the people? 3. Why must the leader not ‘acquire many horses’, that is rely on military power? 4. Why must the leader not ‘make the people go back to Egypt’, that is become his/her slaves? 5. Why must the leader not ‘have many wives’? How does this apply to a female leader? 6. Why must the leader not accumulate great wealth for himself/herself? 7. Why, how, where and when must the leader use God’s word, the Bible? [1] Emmanuel Ngara: Christian Leadership – A challenge to the African Church (Pauline’s Publication: Nairobi) 2004, p.5. [2] Nelson Mandela – Long walk to Freedom (Little Brown & company: London) 1994, p.431. [3] Nelson Mandela Ibid. p.586. [4] See chapter 2 p.24. [5] Hal Lindsey: The Late Great Planet Earth quoting Egyptian President Gamel Abdel Nasser, 26 May 1967, (Zondervan: Grand Rapids, MI) 1970. [6] http://www.herald.co.zw/police-acquire-1m-vehicles/ . [7] http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/03/hundreds-feared-dead-mediterranean-sea-170323192911495.html . [8] The factuality of this quotation is hotly disputed by both sides.

Acts 14vs21-28; 16vs11-40. Church Growing Pains. There is one sense in which the title of this chapter is not true. There is only one Church that Jesus Christ is building upon Himself as the chief cornerstone, Ephesians 2vs20. What I am drawing attention to here is how Paul and his friends, under the direction of the Holy Spirit, propagated expressions of that Church in different towns and cities almost wherever they went. I enjoy gardening, and I particularly enjoy propagating new plants from established ones. I have grown coleus, fuchsia, Christmas cactus, begonia, forsythia, hydrangea, blackcurrants, loganberries and other varieties of flowers and fruit in this way. The means of propagation may give us some insights into reproducing churches. Perhaps the most basic method is to let a plant go to seed and then plant some of the seeds to produce more plants. As an alternative a piece may be broken off an existing plant and either rooted in water or a hormone compound before planting out separately. The right temperature and humidity should be maintained. For different plants you can make what is called a layering, which means that you bend a low stem or branch into the ground and bury the slight cut or crease you have made in it while still keeping it attached to the main plant. A stone is helpful for weighing the branch down. In a year or so you should be able to sever the links with its parent and plant the new shrub in its own location. One further method is also to dig up the entire plant (as in rhubarb) or clump (as in Iris), and divide it by a swift stroke with a sharp spade before replanting the two (or more) newly created individuals. Most of these four methods can apply to creating new Christian fellowships. 1. Churches have started from sowing the seed of the gospel with some bearing fruit. 2. Others have been the deliberate, or otherwise, breaking off of a few people who move to a different location. 3. Alternatively an existing fellowship will parent another on the edge of itself for a period until both are ready for the severance. 4. Sadly sometimes there are factions and divisions which result in a lot of uprooting that sets the growth of everything back by a year or two before most parties resettle and begin to grow. There may be an example of the latter in the division of Paul and Barnabas over Mark, Acts 15vs39. The usual method employed in Acts is evident in the missionary journeys of Paul and Barnabas, Acts 13vs1-14vs28, and Paul and Silas, Acts 15vs40-21vs26. During this period people were converted to Christ and gathered into congregations in many places, including Paphos Acts 13vs12; Pisidian Antioch Acts 13vs43, 48, 49; Iconium Acts 14vs1; Lystra and Derbe Acts 14vs21; Philippi Acts 16vs15, 34, 40; Thessalonica Acts 17vs4; Berea Acts 17vs12; Athens Acts 17vs34; Corinth Acts 18vs8; Ephesus Acts 19vs10, 18, 20; 20vs1; Troas Acts 20vs7; and also many of the surrounding towns and villages. The missionary evangelists "proclaimed the forgiveness of sins through Jesus" Acts 13vs38, "spoke boldly for the Lord, who confirmed the message of his grace by enabling them to do miraculous signs and wonders" Acts 14vs3, "preached the good news" Acts 14vs7 etc. There was always some positive reaction and these new believers were gathered together geographically. In more detail let us examine what happened first in Iconium and then in Philippi. The church in Iconium began when God put His missionary call to the church leaders in Antioch, Acts 13vs1-3. As the leadership listened the Lord showed the way ahead. If they had said 'No' at any time the chapter would have closed. Paul and Barnabas sent by the Holy Spirit, saw conversions in many places, encountered some opposition, but persevered in spreading the Word of the Lord. They had their strategy as you can see by looking at a map of their travels, but they also followed the Holy Spirit's promptings. These two things are not mutually exclusive as some Christians seem to think. They are rather mutually endorsing as God's Spirit confirms, or confronts, the strategy that is submitted to Him and then acted upon in faith. In Acts 13vs51 the evangelistic enterprise arrives in Iconium, In the passage, Acts 14vs1-7 and 21-25, we can learn six steps frequently involved in establishing an independent Christian witness in a town. 1. There was preaching and teaching that effectively communicated the life-changing message of Jesus Christ, Acts 14vs1. Not all preaching and teaching communicates what we want it to communicate. Sometimes our media or methods shout against our message. In the Iconium synagogue Paul would have read the Old Testament Scriptures and reasoned with his hearers that Jesus Christ was indeed the One sent from God to be their Saviour. 2. There were some conversions. The verse continues "they spoke so effectively that a great number of Jews and Gentiles believed." Not everyone responded positively, but everyone responded! Such a clear line was drawn by the preacher that, "the people of the city were divided, some sided with the Jews, others with the apostles", Acts 14vs4. 3. There was, inevitably, conflict. Those who would not accept that the message was legitimate and preferred to remain entrenched in their own tradition expecting no more, became abusive as they incited the crowds and prejudiced them against Paul and Barnabas. By 14vs5 the violence has become physical and the evangelists' lives were in danger. Paul reminds Timothy about this in his letter, 2 Timothy 3vs10-11 "You know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, persecutions, sufferings - what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, the persecutions I endured. Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them." 4. Notice that the whole enterprise was not a one night stand. "So Paul and Barnabas spent considerable time there, speaking boldly for the Lord ..." Acts 14vs3(a). Every gardener will tell you that the results of gardening do not become evident overnight. We know Paul spent a year and a half in Corinth, Acts 18vs11; over two years in Ephesus, Acts 19vs10, and three months in Macedonia, Acts 20vs3. We must be ready to invest considerable time in our evangelistic endeavours to see substantial results. 5. There was a gracious confirmation from God over and above all the opposition. "The Lord confirmed the message of His grace by enabling them to do miraculous signs and wonders" Acts 14vs3(b). Just as God had testified to Jesus Christ in this way, Hebrews 2vs4, He also put His seal of approval on the Iconium ministry. The miracles pointed to Jesus Christ. They acted as directional signposts. The wonders made people aware that there was so much more than a material side to life. Precisely what they were we do not know, but "God" was the only explanation. 6. Finally, those who instigated the events showed special care for the folk who were converted and took a stand for Jesus Christ. Although they fled from a plot to kill them, Acts 14vs5, 6, they returned at the earliest opportunity for specific reasons. Four things were on their hearts when they returned to Iconium as well as Derbe, Lystra and Pisidian Antioch. They wanted to strengthen, encourage and warn the believers, Acts 14vs22, and they wanted to set up a system of responsible people to lead each meeting. "Paul and Barnabas appointed elders for them in each church and, with prayer and fasting, committed them to the Lord, in whom they had put their trust", Acts 14vs23. They taught the lessons that needed immediate teaching, they formed a local leadership to take on responsibility and then they left them to God - a positive act of reasonable faith. (Revisits did occur later on, see Acts 15vs36 and 16vs1-5). By encouraging the believers to remain true to the faith Paul showed he was convinced God's truth could look after them. By raising a leadership through prayer and fasting Paul showed he was prepared to let the church be a true local expression. By committing them all to the Lord he showed that his trust was in God rather than in his own work. So the church in Iconium came into being through communication, conversions, conflict, considerable time being allowed, confirmations from God and positive aftercare. These are good steps for us to follow. For just one more example move to Acts 16vs6-40. Philippi was contacted for Christ after the human plans to go to Asia and Bithynia were laid aside and the team agreed to follow the vision Paul had of a man calling them on to Macedonia. Philippi would probably have been the first Christian church in Europe. Its establishment followed the vision of a person, a place and a plea, "During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, 'Come over to Macedonia and help us'", Acts 16vs9. The missionaries' method involved prayer. The first place they went to was "the place of prayer" by the riverside. There were not enough Jews for a synagogue in Philippi. As well as prayer Paul, Timothy, Silas and Luke needed to mix with people in order to evangelise. It was one of those people who heart was opened by God's Spirit as Paul spoke. The preacher was working in partnership with God. Lydia made a personal commitment to Jesus Christ and was baptised as a sign of her new found faith, Acts 16vs15. The almost routine opposition soon followed except this time it was from the city's business community and not the synagogue! Paul and Silas ended up in prison after a near riot caused by the exorcism of a fortune teller and the consequential rage of her owners. Called by God. Commissioned by the church. Clapped in jail! Not what they would have chosen. Yet God was still in control. He was going to draw the jailer and his family to Himself and so He arranged for the preachers to be in the prison where they could not go off and do anything else. The jailer took his job conscientiously and put the prisoners in the innermost cell, Acts 16vs24. He turned his back on their Christian testimony by going to sleep even while Paul and Silas sang songs of joy and praise, vs25. When the earthquake struck and the doors broke open the jailer became terrified of personal failure. He was about to commit suicide, vs27. Then God turned him around, vs28-32. He saw living testimony of the unexpected way Christians lived in that crisis and he heard the word of the Lord explaining the reason. Finally he testified to receiving new life by being baptised as a believer, vs33, 34. Although the Bible does not say it I am sure Paul put the jailer and family in touch with Lydia and her household. Two converted families! It seems there were others too. "After Paul and Silas came out of the prison, they went to Lydia's house, where they met with the brothers and encouraged them. Then they left", Acts 16vs40. Paul developed a loving relationship with the Philippians. The letter he wrote to them shows something of their care for him before and during his time in a Roman prison, Philippians 2vs25, 4vs14-18, and his care for them, Philippians 1vs3-8. He was sure that God would look after them although he could not be there himself. "Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Jesus Christ", Philippians 1vs6. We are not aware of other personal visits Paul made, but he wrote to them, he prayed for them, Philippians 1vs4, and 9; he sent emmissaries to them, such as Timothy, Philippians 2vs19-24. He warned them about troublemakers and he encouraged them to "stand firm in the Lord", Philippians 3vs2 and 4vs1. The church at Philippi was founded on a businesswoman and a jailer both soundly converted through personal, situational, evangelism. In a fairly hostile environment, Philippians 1vs29, 30, the church grew into having "overseers and deacons", Philippians 1vs1, a missionary vision, Philippians 4vs15, and they were urged to have a characteristic joy in the Lord, Philippians 4vs4. God's method for world evangelism is His church. He still propagates where He can find people willing to listen to His voice and learn His directions. It is impossible to have too many churches in a town. By that I mean that a housegroup in every street is an excellent goal. In the early eighties three times I visited a church in Jakarta, Indonesia, that made a lasting impression on me. It had then about 7000 members. Five or six services were held on a Sunday, each one packing seven or eight hundred people in, but where were the others? Every member was in a housegroup and the church goal was a housegroup in every street of their section of the capital city. If a few new members came from a different street they were encouraged to start a group. The meeting I enjoyed ministering to most with them was last thing on a Sunday night when all the leaders came together and told what God had been doing in their groups of six to sixty persons throughout the city while the main congregation had been in this building. Wherever we are we can plant the life of Jesus Christ in our village, town or city, or in a neighbouring one, if we will follow His call. Discussion questions If you could choose a method for starting a new church, what would you choose and why? If you have new housegroups developing locally based and with new Christians in - how do you relate them to the "mother" church? Do they need to be so related?

Readings throughout from the Bible's book of Acts. My life (put) alongside God's word, volume 1. I enjoy sharing these Bible lessons with you. I hope some of you have been blessed as you have read them and shared them on email since 2006. In this book form I pray they will reach and help even more people. I know that those of you who have received them are in many different ministry circumstances, mostly in Sudan or South Sudan, with a few elsewhere. The same will be true of readers of the book. The New Testament was written to people in a similar variety of life circumstance. The new Christian church, immediately after our Lord Jesus Christ’s death, resurrection and ascension, suffered as it spread. It was faced with many challenges. The fact that we live as Christians today is evidence that God helped His people to succeed. What often seemed failure to the human eye was victory in the sight of Almighty God. Notice how God works even through persecution.[1] 1. God’s power in persecution read Acts 4:13. Peter and John were seized and jailed because of the crowd’s huge response to a healing granted to a crippled man. Their accusers “took note these men had been with Jesus”. Jesus was made visible through His followers. Outsiders could see a difference. 2. God’s pleasure in persecution read Acts 5:41-42. The apostles had been strictly ordered not to preach in the name of Jesus. Jewish leaders were afraid of being blamed by the majority for killing Jesus. God was surely pleased when His chosen apostles gladly suffered for the Name (above all others!). 3. God’s perspective in persecution read Acts 7:54-60. Stephen, the daring deacon of the early church, was killed by an angry mob. As he was dying, and praying for his executioners, heaven opened to show our Lord Jesus standing ready to welcome Stephen home. We Christians do not live for this world. 4. God is personally persecuted by persecution read Acts 9:4-5. All of the accounts in Acts agree that when Saul met the risen Lord Jesus, the voice from heaven’s glorious light said, “Why are you persecuting Me?” 22:7-8; 26:15. Whenever a Christian suffers persecution, his or her Lord Jesus suffers with him. We can lean on Him for comfort and strength far beyond our own. 5. God’s plan in persecution read Acts 11:19-21. Unnamed men and women shared the truth everywhere. They spoke about ‘Jesus, Son of God, Saviour’, as they were scattered from their homes by violent threatening and attacks. Share Christ wherever you are! 6. God’s providence[2]in persecution read Acts 12:1-3. King Herod, while Peter was miraculously rescued from the same prison cell, executed the apostle James. We do not always know why God reacts differently to similar situations, but every Christian can be absolutely confident in God’s complete sovereignty[3] over all. 7. God’s purpose through persecutions read Acts 13:49-52; 14:1-7; 14:19-20; 16:19-24; 17:6-10; 17:13-14; 19:28-34. In these later chapters of Acts, trouble follows the Christians almost wherever they go. This is because the Christian gospel is divisive. It should not surprise us. Often the leading believers simply moved on to another place – we could even say they were running away. Running can sometimes be God’s will for us. Actually they were running in the way God wanted them to, so that more and more people heard the good news about Jesus. Thousands were given the opportunity to meet Him for themselves. 8. God’s promise within persecution read Acts 18:9-10. In the Corinth home of Titius Justus, Paul was given a clear vision for the next steps of his own ministry. In spite of opposition he was to keep on going. No one would attack or harm Paul unless and until God allowed it to happen. Then, at worst, heaven waited! 9. God’s presence in persecution read Acts 23:11. In a Jerusalem barracks Paul gained courage from the Lord, Who shared with him that he would soon be able to testify to the Roman authorities at the heart of the Empire. Perhaps the best words from Paul and Barnabas for us are the ones they spoke to the newly formed churches of Asia minor, “We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God”, Acts 14:22. Going “through” is not avoidance. We must experience hurt on our Christian journey. We can let it loosen our grip on all this world’s passing things. Our hearts can be securely in heaven long before we get there! “Everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted”, 2 Timothy 3:12. Do you still want to live that godly life in Christ Jesus? Like me, I hope and pray that you do. It takes really strong men and women to stand up for our Lord Jesus Christ. Discussion questions: 1. Why should Christians not be surprised by persecution? See Matthew 5:10-12, John 15:18- 21, Romans 12:14, 1 Peter 4:12-14. 2. Peter was rescued from prison, while James was executed, Acts 12:1-3. How do the providence and sovereignty of God help you accept two different outcomes for two good disciples? 3. What is the significance of the word “through” in Acts 14:22? The word means “from one side to the other, during the whole period of time until the end of it”.[4] 4. What does this mean in your life? [1] In the United Nations High Commission for Refugees handbook there is no universal definition of persecution. They see what constitutes a “persecuted person” as indefinable. However, my study Collins English Dictionary reveals “to persecute” as “to oppress, harass or maltreat, especially because of religion or race”. Persecution is often systematic and carried out by one group against another. (Harper Collins: Glasgow) 1994. [2] “God’s guiding of all things to His purposes and His using the freewill of human beings to carry out His purposes.” Debbie Dodd Dictionary of Theological Terms in Simplified English (EMIS, Evangelism and Missions Information Service: Wheaton) 2003. [3] “Being in control of everything. He has power over and rules everything.” [4] Macmillan School Dictionary (Oxford) 2004

Christian theology in a Sudanese context. The essential nature and character of God. The Mercy of God ‘Mercy’ in English means ‘the compassionate treatment of an offender’, ‘patience and forbearance towards those people in one’s power’. The main New Testament word (Greek – eleos), assumes the person who gives mercy has enough resources at their own disposal to meet the needs of the person who is to receive it. God has very, very large amounts of mercy towards humanity (Ephesians 2:4,5). We are individually invited to receive mercy from the holy God (Hebrews 4:13-16). God is mercy. He does not merely have mercy. He will never lose it! He is merciful in His very self-being and He always has been. In the Old Testament God’s mercy is often spoken of (Exodus 33:19; Deuteronomy 4:31). In some translations different words are used ‘compassion’, ‘pity’, ‘love’, ‘kindness’, ‘patience’ – see Psalm 103:8-17 in the New International Version, and compare to the Good News Bible or the King James Version. At the start of many Muslim actions, the phrase is used “Bismillah ar-Rahman ar-Rahim”. Muslims frequently remind themselves that Allah is ‘all merciful and all compassionate’, or ‘most gracious and the giver of grace’. These are important names (or attributes) of God to Muslims, emphasised by the repetition of this phrase at the beginning of almost every surah in the Qur’an. But we’ll see that their understanding of how God gives us mercy is very different from ours. Mercy demonstrates the goodness and love of God in action. Christians believe we all stand guilty before God. But He does not forget us, as if we were in the condemned cell of Kober prison, Khartoum Bahri, awaiting execution any day now. God sees us as in urgent and desperate need of His own divine help! We do not deserve His help. We cannot earn His help. We cannot buy our release through a collection of money or good deeds from our friends. Our own goodness will never outweigh our badness! So, think about these next five words - and if you want to shout ‘hallelujah’ it may be a great time to do so - God’s mercy gave us Jesus! (1 Peter 1:3-5). Thinking it through. (a). List as many of the natural mercies of God you can think of – the ones that He gives to everyone. (b). Why does everyone need God’s mercy? (c). Why is it important to understand, ‘God’s mercy gave us Jesus’?

the message of God's prophet Hosea, 3:1. God Rules, O.K.? No other prophet is so close to the New Testament revelation of the Love of God as Hosea. The reason is bizarre. Hosea experienced, at God’s command, a life of absolute heartbreak and betrayal by the one he loved. The consistent, unbreakable love of God for His beloved yet wayward and disobedient people is revealed. Hosea, like other prophets, preached God’s Law – Genesis to Deuteronomy. They were ‘Covenant Law Enforcement officers’ rather like traffic policemen here blowing their whistles, drawing attention to the colour and meaning of red/green traffic control lights. The lights themselves should be obeyed by everyone. Because they are not, the policeman is sent to remind drivers and enforce, where possible, the law of the road. Yet still many ignore them. Just as God’s people of old ignored God’s prophets. It is possible this is a collection of Hosea’s speeches, made after his own violent death. The key question to ask when reading is, ‘What does this teach me about God?’ Succinctly put, I summarise the lesson of Hosea thus: ‘Just as a husband or wife would suffer terribly over their partner’s unfaithfulness, so God suffers over the unfaithfulness of His people to Him’. The book is in two parts: 1. Chapters 1-3 The acted parable of the prophet. (Later). 2. Chapters 4-14 The awesome love of the Lord God. The prophecy is dated in 1:1 – for about 25 years citing four kings of Judah and one of Israel. Their stories are in 2 Kings 14-18 so you can set them in context by parallel reading. King Uzziah’s name may also remind you of Isaiah who was a contemporary of Hosea, as was Micah. God sent 3 messengers at the same time, such was His loving concern for His people! (In Kings, King Uzziah is known as King Azariah). Briefly summarised from the Kings chronicle – these rulers “did evil in the eyes of the Lord and did not turn away from sins …” 14:24; or they “did right in the eyes of the Lord … but the (false) high places were not removed.” 15:34, 35. This is incomplete devotion to God. At times they “followed the detestable ways of the nations the Lord had driven out of the land.” 16:3; influenced by local neighbourhood traditions, not God’s word. Or they “did evil in the eyes of the Lord, but not (as bad as some).” 17:2. Compared to other people they were OK, but not when compared to what God wanted. “Hezekiah did right in the eyes of the Lord” 2 Kings 18:3 – and brought a delay in God’s using the Assyrians to judge His own people. 1. The Acted Parable of the Prophet 1:1-3:5. God means Hosea to live out publicly a parable of what God Himself is going through with His people. God’s man is asked to do a very difficult thing, by God! “Go (and marry) an adulterous wife.” 1:2. Not the usual adjective used when describing a bride at her wedding! Dictionary meaning: “Voluntary, intimate sexual intercourse with person or people other than the legal spouse.” And Hosea obeyed 1:3. What a lesson to all: God’s call is not always easy. But He gives grace to those who will obey. Hosea remained faithful to God’s call – and to “Gomer” throughout this book – remaining confident in God’s call on his life. Perhaps that alone is a challenge to you and me? Three children followed their marriage – only one of which is attributed to Hosea as father, the first, 1:3. Application: You will get the lesson of this passage by answering this question: Why are we who read this story more shocked by what God asks Hosea to do – than we are saddened by the unfaithfulness of God’s people to God? I’ll tell you why! We have come to accept that God’s people – including ourselves – will be and are being unfaithful to God. We accept that. But we don’t accept that God would call His spokesperson into a life of heartbreak, where his reputation would be sullied, and even his calling questioned. Application: The fact we accept the unfaithfulness of God’s people shows how terribly backslidden – and therefore how tragically content with second best Christianity – we modern Christians have become. Chapter 2 fulfils God’s judgement on Israel, attempting always to win the people back to “acknowledge the Lord” 2:20. Hosea is told in chapter 3 to go to his wife again. By now she has sunk to being a slave prostitute for sale to the highest bidder. And Hosea publicly buys her back to live with himself once more, 3: 2, 3. A picture of Jesus buying back sinners? The parable’s meaning is clearly stated: “Love her as the Lord loves the Israelites, though they turn to other gods …” 3:1. The acted parable of the prophet. Application: Is your life, calling and ministry tough? Don’t forget Who you serve. Jesus Christ suffered to bring you to God and you and I are both called to follow in His steps. 2. The Awesome Love of the Lord God. As a brief summary of chapters 4-14, I can find seven charges God brings against His people, Israel. 4:1 “Hear the word of the Lord, you Israelites, because the Lord has a charge to bring against you who live in the land:” God accuses His people of seven sins – sins which will bring God’s judgement. Application: We all had better check our lives for these things. God loves us enough tonight, to warn us where we are heading, revealing where are lives are presently taking us! (i) You are not faithful to Me, 4:1. To make these easier to remember, think of learning to drive a car. The key words all begin with ‘L’. No Loyalty. 5:7 challenges similarly. In your unfaithfulness to God – your taking of other lovers in place of God – you have conceived illegitimate babies! (ii) You do not love only Me, 4:1. No love. See 4:12 “a spirit of prostitution leads (you) astray.” 5:4 “a spirit of prostitution is in (your) hearts.” 9:1 “You have been unfaithful to your God; you love the wages of a prostitute.” Assimilating the many fertility gods of Canaanites around them. Have you given yourself to God alone? Or are there other loves in your life that make you into a whore? Prostitution = pleasure with no commitment. Blessings, not responsibilities. (iii) 4:1 You do not acknowledge (Me) the Lord God. You do not fear Me. You do not reverence or respect Me. There is no living under My authority. Too many Christians (as well as others) worship their own concept of God rather than the true and living God revealed in creation, in the Bible and in His human image, Jesus. For example He is swapped for an academic God, a disinterested God, a frustrated God, an unable God. The result of all such false worship is idolatry. (iv) 6:1-6 You do not live by what you profess. There is no life of worship. “Your love is like the morning mist (that quickly vanishes).” Vs4. Isaiah prophesied like this, concurrently. See 58:6, 7. God doesn’t want empty words. He is not so much interested in our Sunday Worship Service – with singing, praying, giving, preaching, responding. He is more interested in our Daily Service: “Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loosen the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter – when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood.” Too many Christians have a life of worship only in church or with other Christians: not in the daily decisions and actions of the workaday world. God accuses such people of leaving Him. (v) No looking for God. Hosea 7:10, 14, 16. Proudly we serve Christ outwardly, knowing inwardly we are far from Him and we seem content with that hypocrisy! God charges: “You do not return to Me: search for Me: cry out to Me from your hearts: turn to the Most High.” We say “I know I should, but I’m so busy.” We say “I really must”, then we forget. (vi) No law keeping. 8:12. God’s provided rules are ignored. Buy an electronic item, or a mechanical item: want instruction book. This KIC piano, had one but it got lost in Port Sudan customs! It tells us how to work the piano properly, but we now have to guess! (vii) No listening to God. 11:1, 2. Sad verse 2, God is speaking: “But the more I called Israel, the further they went from Me.” 11:7 “My people are determined to turn from Me.” Application: Do you hear God’s charges against you tonight? No loyalty. No love. No living under authority. No life of worship. No looking for God. No law keeping. No listening to God. You say to me: ‘I thought we were going to hear about God’s faithful love’. ‘We only seem to have been criticised for every one of seven failings I can see in my own life’. But that is the point where God’s faithful love is best expressed. How different from man!! Illustration: He doesn’t endanger peace talks by violent selfish-action. He doesn’t walk out of peace talks on violations. You’ve ignored Him – He has not ignored you. He still faithfully loves even you. Chapter 14:1, 2 “Return to the Lord your God.” Reject your sins – the cause of your problem. Chapter 14: 9 The choice is yours: “Righteousness or rebelliousness?” God’s love will accept you, will forgive you, will teach you, will help you. His hand and heart are outstretched to you tonight. Will you accept them now? God Rules, O.K.? Khartoum International Church 15th September 2002.

Issues facing Christians in Sudan today. Leadership section. by James Dema Marchello The process of leadership change is a big problem in any society and particularly in Africa – be it in the political or religious arena. Few things create more anxiety for an organisation or a community than having to find a new leader. People find it hard to think about transition, especially when they are used to some leaders who have been in place for many years. This makes many people unable or unwilling to plan: “How do we change our leader?” However, changes are inevitable, whether we like it or not. The leaders we love and admire, or those that we hate, will eventually depart – whether they move to a new assignment, retire or die. Being unprepared for that day can cause chaos for those charged with finding a replacement. It can create a difficult time for whoever assumes office after the departure of a predecessor. It can even endanger the stability of a successful church or nation. Just a year after the signing of the Sudan’s Comprehensive Peace Agreement (C.P.A.), John Garang died in a tragic plane crash. The biggest fear was finding and installing his immediate replacement. Thank God this replacement was largely peaceful, contrary to the fears of many. The violence and killings immediately after the death are regrettable. Even though change is inevitable, our experience in Africa is that incumbent leaders are die-hards. People in leadership, even when they are no longer performing, find it difficult to relinquish power or to groom others to replace themselves. It is rare to find leaders who are in office preparing their successors. If it actually does happen it is by default not by design. The common practice is that potential successors are deliberately sidelined or even eliminated altogether. Some military coups in Africa, though unfortunate, are precipitated by the fact that no one knew when the incumbent would leave office. In the light of Biblical revelation, the church should show the right way through any transition situation. Unfortunately, the church has often copied the leadership style of the world rather than influencing the world with Christian principles. There are abundant examples of leadership change and transition in the Scriptures. The classic example in the Old Testament is that of Moses and Joshua. Please read Numbers 27:12-23 and Deuteronomy 31-34, especially 31:1-8; 31:14; 32:34; 34:9. Moses was aware of the challenges of leadership change and transition. For that very reason he began to prepare his people for a change in leadership. He knew that after his death, it would be difficult both for Joshua and the people. This precedent set by Moses is inspiring and challenging at the same time. There are a number of lessons the church and the wider community in Sudan can learn from the example of Moses and Joshua. How to Foster, help to develop, Smooth Leadership Transition: 1. Remember that No Leader is Indispensable This is a fact any human leader has to reckon with. No leader, no matter how skilled and charismatic he or she may be, is indispensable in any given time –all are replaceable. Moses was not consumed by his position as leader of the community of Israel. He knew that his time was drawing near and he embraced the reality of change. Moses demonstrated readiness and willingness to accept the reality of change and transition. Read Deuteronomy 31:1-2. Change is inevitable and we all need to be ready for when it happens. One Sudanese bishop is fond of saying, “if you do not change, change will change you”. Although Moses was still strong and in good health, he wisely realised it was time for a change of leader. He was well aware that he would not cross the Jordan into the Promised Land. The Lord had told him. Numbers 20:12-13; 27:12-14. There are many reasons for leadership change. It may be age or death or the need for a new direction with new skills. What is important to understand is that, as change is inevitable and we are dispensable, we should be prepared for when change happens. This example of being prepared for the inevitable is clearly demonstrated in many Sudanese communities. For example, an ageing father will prepare one of his trusted sons or daughters (in some communities) to assume responsibility when the inevitable happens. Unfortunately this valuable example is not emulated by our churches or government when it comes to leadership transition. I repeat, leadership transition in our religious and political contexts is by default rather than by design. Those aspiring for leadership have to elbow their way in rather than being properly and adequately prepared in good time. Democracy in Africa would be unique and stable if our incumbent leaders prepared their successors as practised in many parts of our societies. We do not see a community struggling for a new village chief when the present chief dies. Someone was already groomed to replace him, paving the way for a smooth transition. A proper procedure is put in place which everyone knows and respects. We have learned that Moses’ primary thought was for his successor. As the saying goes, “There is no success without a successor.” Moses did not moan about his own loss. He prayed for and prepared the next leader, Joshua. We are likely to have smooth and stable leadership transitions only when we keep succession constantly in mind. 2. Root All Leadership in the Word of God The second important lesson from Moses and Joshua’s leadership transition is that whatever we do must be in line with God’s Word, Deuteronomy 31:9-13. We're not sure exactly what Moses had in mind when he used the expression "the law," but he is probably referring to Deuteronomy chapters 5-28. He was making sure that though the people were encouraged to follow Joshua's leadership, they were even more committed to follow the Lord's teachings. The subsequent history of Israel demonstrates that leaders do not always honour the Lord. Leaders change with time and they change themselves. Yet the words of God are timeless. Transition should always be met with careful attention paid to our covenant relationship with the Lord, His teachings and promises. A leader may be born with the potential to lead, but it is God who works with that leader and encourages him so that his potential is realised. Whoever wishes to see the anointing and blessing of the Lord upon their leadership tenure must obey and follow God’s Word. Paul admonishes young Timothy to watch his life and doctrine closely as it is a crucial key to his salvation and that of his followers, I Timothy 4:16. Taking heed to God’s Word will help shape the kind of leaders that God wants. Letting the Word of God be our standard helps us escape some negative cultural hindrances. For example, when tribal allegiances override Christian brotherhood. We see this danger during leadership selections in churches. Someone is elected into a leadership position, not because he or she is spiritually and suitably qualified, but because of the tribe they are from. This is wrong. May God have mercy on us when we water down the Word of God for the sake of our own traditions. 3. Give Leadership Away Moses and Joshua both show a readiness to accept new leadership, Deuteronomy 31:7-8. Details of Joshua being entrusted with new leadership responsibilities are in Numbers 27:18-23. Note that God realised the importance of Moses' role in making Joshua a success. The retiring leader (Moses) helped make the new leader (Joshua) what God wanted him to be. Leaders of all walks of life, including bishops, pastors, civil leaders, youth leaders, women’s group leaders, all need to accept this responsibility as they handover to their successors. Many of today’s leaders are afraid of losing their own authority by handing over responsibility. We often see elderly leaders afraid of young leaders coming up. There could be several reasons for this: jealousy towards the new leaders who might be more educated, fear of the new leader discovering errors in current leadership, or fear of young leaders soon becoming better leaders than the present leadership. Yet for the work to continue, a leader must raise up other leaders. If we do not, the work will die! Recently, (2007-2008), the Episcopal Church of Sudan has witnessed key leadership transitions where elderly bishops (leaders) hand over to younger ones in a spirit of prayer, of trust and with transparency. This is a good precedent that our civil and political leadership, plus other sister churches, should emulate. Moses learned an important lesson for us all: how to give leadership away, Numbers 11:1-35. It is sobering to note that Joshua, who was privileged to receive Moses’ mantle of leadership, tried to stop other gifted people from standing before the community, verse 28. Moses responded, “Are you jealous for my sake? I wish that all the Lord’s people were prophets and that the Lord would put His Spirit on them!”, verse 29. That is the kind of godly attitude that God’s chosen leaders need to display all the time. In the work of God there is no competition when we operate according to our gifting and God’s timing. 4. Publicly Recognise What God is Doing in Lives Moses publicly brought the emerging leader Joshua on to the platform and gave him authority, compare Deuteronomy 31:1 & 31:7. In front of all the Israelites, Moses summoned Joshua and made him the peoples’ new leader. In a sense, Moses got out of the way, allowing Joshua to stand before God and before the people. Joshua stood with visible authority as a leader of the people. Today’s leaders are expected to act in the same manner. When the moment arrived, Moses laid his hands on Joshua and publicly commissioned him, Numbers 27:22-23; Deuteronomy 34:9. He gave Joshua part of his authority and Joshua received positive recognition. Joshua was a leader approved and accepted. Moses expressed faith in him. After the death of Moses, no one questioned Joshua’s leadership authority or legitimacy. One would wish to see such smooth and peaceful power sharing and delegation in our communities today. Moses’ laying of hands symbolised the transference of covenant authority and responsibility. This is similar to ordination today. One important thing to note is that it was not just his laying of hands on Joshua that caused the Israelites to follow him. It was the spirit of wisdom evidenced in Joshua’s life that made the difference, Numbers 27:18; Deuteronomy 34:9. Mere ordination does not necessarily make you a man or woman of God. There must be clear evidence of God’s touch in your life. Leaders must prove themselves worthy of a genuine following. People will be attracted to follow godly leaders who evidence the presence of the Spirit of God in their lives. This enables everyone to explore new directions for their lives and ministry. 5. Respect God as the Ultimate Leader Of course we must always keep uppermost in our minds that God is the leader of us all. He was in Moses’ time and He is now. Any human leader has only a delegated authority from God. Every leader should be careful not to usurp what rightly belongs to God. A careful reflection on the Judges and the Kings in the Old Testament reveals that every one of them was called into leadership to guide their people as God directed them. God directed when each one was called into power and when each leader relinquished power. Some served well, in a faithful manner, following God’s directives and plans for them. Others, unfortunately, followed their own plans. They did much harm, often being removed from power forcefully or by an untimely death. Consider the good transition of power between Elijah and Elisha, 1 Kings 19:19-21; 2 Kings 2:1-15. Reflect on Jesus handing over the ministry to His disciples when He ascended back to Heaven, Luke 24:25-27; Luke 24:45-48; Acts 1:4-11. Consider the countless men and women that Paul and the other apostles raised up in various churches to preach and lead the people locally as they continued to travel on missionary journeys. Acts 14:21-25; Acts 20:1-6; Acts 20:17-38; (Acts 13:4-5; Acts 13:13; Acts 15:36-41; Timothy 4:11). Give Others Opportunities to Gain Experience Moses gave his successor Joshua both experience and opportunity. Moses shared his life and his responsibilities with Joshua. He allowed Joshua to prove his leadership. Trace this through Exodus 17:8-10; 24:12-13; 33:11; Numbers 11:28; 13:8; 14:6-9; 27:15-23; 34:16-17; Deuteronomy 1:37- 38; 3:21-22; 31:7-8; 34:9; Joshua 1:1-116. This mentorship is a wonderful way of grooming new leaders. If you want to raise leaders you walk with them, you share your experiences with them, you simply share your life with them! There is no other way you can raise a leader who will share your vision. Moses gave encouragement and affirmation to Joshua his successor. Moses affirmed his trust in Joshua by taking him along on journeys that no one else participated in. They shared a unique intimacy and Moses encouraged him throughout the transition period. Because Moses spent the time necessary to reproduce himself in Joshua, his dream of Israel entering the Promised Land came to pass, even though he did not personally see it happen. Many of the ways we mentor leaders today are quite different from the example of Moses. We offer lectures and organise seminars and just relax, thinking this will do the job. Workshops and seminars have their place, but lives are more impacted when we mentor others through our exemplary lifestyle. Paul told Timothy that the things he has seen and heard he should put into practice, 2 Timothy 1:13; 2:2; 3:10-14. (See also 1 Corinthians 11:1; Philippians 3:17; 2 Thessalonians 3:7). In turn, Timothy himself should set an example to those he sought to lead, 1 Timothy 4:12. The leader encourages the successor. The leader leads him or her through challenges. The leader gives the successor his time, his insight, a learning environment, and opportunities to prove himself. The old leader shares a strong belief in the new leader’s future. Practical Suggestions In the light of the above lessons, what practical steps are needed to foster a smooth leadership transition? The following insights are gleaned from John Maxwell’s Leadership Bible: 1. Look for those that have proven themselves Joshua had already proved himself from time to time. He displayed the right attitude as Moses’ assistant. He demonstrated a conviction to follow God. He had the courage to fight for his beliefs. He showed willingness to obey both God and Moses his mentor. This made him a good candidate for further leadership development. Joshua had an attitude that made him a potential leader! 2. Develop and equip the emerging leaders Leaders who mentor others should bear the responsibility for providing emerging leaders with the things they don’t have on their own. The following steps might start you in the right direction: Don’t only spend time with emerging leaders – be strategic! Think of your interaction as an investment based on vision. Give feedback on progress to the emerging leaders. Let them know how they are doing! Your relationship is like the glue that holds you and the people you are mentoring together. The greater the challenges during the process, the more solid the relationship must be. Work at it! Encourage the emerging leaders even though they make mistakes and fail. Your positive words will offer the only thing of value they can count on during these most difficult times. Without encouragement, they may lack the will to persevere and keep moving forward. Approach emerging leaders as you would your dearly loved children, with patience, perspective and a positive attitude. 3. Give space for the emerging leaders to develop their own vision Investing in new leaders begins by inviting them to share and participate in your vision. But there has to come a time when you release the new leaders to develop their own vision. They must either internalise and be convinced of your vision, so that they own it, or they must develop it with their own vision. We all know that no one can borrow a vision. Each person must possess his own. As a mentor, your prayer should ask God to bless the people you mentor with godly vision. It is vision that will sustain them as they become leaders. To conclude it is important to highlight the practical implications of this teaching on three common practices. Otherwise only tradition will effect leadership transition in a Sudanese cultural context: The practice of kin groups. In the different regions of Sudan one finds traditional clan structures function differently. In some regions, one clan holds all positions of leadership. In others, authority is delegated among various clans and sub-clans. Kinship ties are reckoned through connections on both the mother's side and the father's side, although the paternal line is usually given stronger consideration. As already alluded above, while as Christians we appreciate our close kinship connections, church and civil leadership appointments must be the prerogative of God in accordance with His revealed Word. God’s will transcends all human kinship. The division of labour by gender. In many Sudanese societies women take care of all domestic tasks including child rearing. In rural areas it is traditional for women to work in the fields as well. While a woman's life in town was traditionally more restricted, especially among the northern Muslim majority, it is increasingly common to see females employed outside the home in urban areas. However, statistics show that about 29 percent of the paid workforce is female. In many of our churches today, the role of women in church leadership is still a hot debate. Some have gone ahead and ordained women in key leadership roles. May we tread carefully in this path. God's will both respects and transcends gender. We must follow the promptings of the Holy Spirit in accordance with a good understanding of the Word of God. The status of men and women in society. To a large extent, Sudanese society is a patriarchal society, in which women are generally accorded a lesser status than men. From the age of forty or so a woman’s life becomes less constrained. For example in some tribes only when a woman becomes of age (symbolised by grey hair) is she equal to a man. The Bible teaches the equality of man and woman. Like a lock and a key woman and man are different to each other. But also like a lock and a key woman and man need each other, with their differences, in order to fully function. 1 Peter 3:7; 1 Corinthians 12:22-25. Men and women live largely separate lives, and tend to socialise primarily with members of their own sex. Men often meet in clubs to talk and play cards, while women usually gather in the home. This is reflected in child rearing and educational practices. In many communities boys and girls are largely raised separately. Both sexes are divided into age-specific groups. There are celebrations to mark a group's graduation from one stage to the next. For boys, the transition from childhood to manhood is marked in some societies by a circumcision ceremony, while in others it is with tattoo markings. Whatever a person’s status, the church must ensure that God’s Word is above culture and judges culture. Christians recognise and respect culture, but where culture clashes with Christian principle, the Christian principle must take precedence. All cultural practices must be evaluated in the light of scripture. Christians are called to be different people. 1 Peter 2:11-12; Matthew 5:13-16; 1 Corinthians 9:19-22. Leadership, how it is executed and transferred, plays a vital role throughout the scriptures. The transition from Moses to Joshua is one biblical model of successful leadership transition. There are few leaders who finish as well as Moses and Joshua. May God help us to prayerfully follow their example: remaining true to God’s Word and relevant to cultural context, (in that order!). Discussion guide Using this chapter and Scriptures quoted: 1. What are the weakness in churches/groups that fail to plan for a change of leadership? Why is it essential that they should plan for change? 2. “If you do not change, change will change you”. Explain your understanding of this quote. 3. What leadership transition examples from family life or from traditional society could be copied by the church/Christian organisation today? List the strong and the weak points of each example? 4. Compare and contrast your answers to Question 3 with examples from the Bible of leadership change. 5. How do Bible passages like 1 Timothy 4:11-16; Titus 2:6-8; 1 Timothy 6:11-21; Titus 1:5; 1 Peter 5:1-11 impact on young aspiring leaders and also on older established leaders? In a transition conflict which side can appeal to Scripture? Which Scriptures should be considered? What are the dangers in using only some passages and not others? 6. When Paul called Timothy to join his team “the brothers at Lystra and Iconium spoke well of Timothy”, Acts 16:1-5. What do you think this phrase means? What would Paul be looking for in a new recruit? 7. From the gospels consider how Jesus enrolled and prepared successors. List as many points for today’s Christian leaders to copy as you can, with Bible references.

Leadership, Integrity and Nation building. – by Joseph Noel Sati Being Christian in our modern times increasingly becomes more challenging. It is difficult to live out our Christian faith not only in the Western world, but even in here Africa or in Asia. Therefore keeping our Christian testimony shining in whatever context we live becomes a hard choice. I remember as new born again Christian I was one of only two Christians in my class at secondary school in Khartoum Sudan. I found myself everyday faced with questions. Why should I continue to remain Christian among the many Muslims living around me? Living my Christian testimony was not in doubt but issues of thinking about it were daily tested. However, God gave me the grace and the courage to be able to live out my Christian testimony, even though there were times I failed to give a good testimony. The most important part was to learn from failure and continue to keep growing in my faith. Writing on how should a Christian keep his testimony in secular role became an issue of concern to me. Especially when some people became very vocal in our South Sudanese context saying, ‘we are secular country where religion is rightly pushed to the periphery’. The understanding of how to live our Christian life in the secular context, as many of us are assuming roles or jobs in this environment, raises this question. How can I live my testimony? Is it by having a Bible on my office table, or by playing Christian music in my office, by preaching in conversation to my colleagues or neighbours? These are all good things in their right situation but by themselves they are not enough to make our testimony for Jesus Christ known to those people who are around us. In this chapter we seek to discuss this issue of how I can keep my Christian testimony wherever I am, especially out in the workaday world. We will see the Biblical model of Daniel from the Old Testament, and briefly mention a few others who were able to do that in their time. We will seek to understand the usage of the terms ‘secular’ and ‘Christian testimony’. What do we mean by them? We will seek to draw applications for our lives today so we can shine the truths and the love of God to those God has put around us, so they can have the opportunity to accept and follow Christ as a result. We must understand that we live in a real world; a world which is becoming more and more hostile to Christianity and the Christian testimony, under different names. What are our ways and means that will encourage all Christians to remain firm and continue to shine their light of the gospel of Jesus Christ everywhere, and in particular where we are in secular roles? I pray this is what will discover together. 1. What do we mean by Christian testimony? This is the personal experience of a born again and committed Christian with the Lord Jesus Christ. He witnesses by telling how he met the Lord Jesus, how the Lord answered his prayer, or delivered him from dangerous situations. Testimony also covers the way he lives his life among non-Christians, where his life visibly reflects his beliefs and Christian values. Life is one of the effective tools for witnessing in our secular context or world around us. It makes the witness of the churches more effective in a secular context as Jesus said in Acts 1:8 “You will be my witnesses … to the ends of the earth ...”. This witnessing is within whatever career or profession one might have. We are called to witness by the power that is given to us as Christians from the Holy Spirit. Keeping our clear testimony while in secular roles is one of the ways of witnessing because this where the love of God is reflected to others as we translate our love for God into acts of love for and among people outside the Christian churches. 2. What do we mean by secular? This has to do with the squeezing of the religious to the periphery of life. “It is the process that progressively removes religion from the public arena and reduces it to the private realm. Secularism is the stance that endorses and promotes such a process. Religion making a view on public issues is considered a threat and even intolerant”.[1] Vinoth Ramachandra wrote explaining secularism, “The modern western culture is the dominant global culture of our time. The origin of the term secularism: was first used in Europe as a term to describe the legal procedures where by ecclesiastically owned property translated to ‘worldly’ ownership or use. It evolved into a description of a process whereby religious beliefs cease to be widely accepted and religious institutions cease to have social, economic or political influence”.[2] Therefore, talking of how we keep our Christian testimony in a secular role is very important to our lives, especially knowing how to do it. What are the ways that can help one to remain faithful to his faith in such an unfriendly context which considers anyone keeping his Christian faith is uncivilised, intolerant and the list continues. Many names are given to those who seek to continue to remain faithful to Jesus in their faith. A biblical model of one man who kept his faith and testimony: Daniel. The Bible has not left us to wonder much on how people kept their testimonies of faith in their non–Christian contexts, whether it was secularism, paganism or animism. They all have similarities and agree on one thing, (along with more recent Communism), being all anti–Christian living, against showing active faith in the living God. The model we will be writing about is Daniel in the Old Testament. His context was not secular but anti the true God and living by faith in Him. The principles Daniel followed remain the same for Christians to keep their faith in today’s South Sudan and Sudan. We will look at the characteristics that will help any Christian who is in a secular role or any anti-faith-in-God context. a) Daniel made a commitment not to defile himself, Daniel 1:8 The first thing Daniel did was choose not to defile himself with the food and drinks that had been offered to pagan gods. He did not follow the crowds nor was he interested in just pleasing people. He knew himself as loyal follower of Jehovah God. The temptation for him to throw away this faith in God was so high because of his career opportunity, but he did not give in. That probably goes back to his upbringing and how he was trained by his family in how to keep his commitment to Jehovah God. This what is expected from every true disciple of Christ. Every true Christian must pledge his allegiance to Christ. That is our first step in keeping our testimony in pagan or secular roles where Christianity or faith in God are not recognised. The commitment that we live is not simply a chance to impress people or please them. It might have consequences over our lives like being mocked or given names to our faces or behind our backs. However, everyone will know our stand when it comes to the matter of Who have we committed our lives to? This commitment should be done with the full awareness of the cost, like in the Daniel case. He was not afraid of what might happen to him as result of his decision. b) Daniel exhibited excellence in spirit, work and integrity, Daniel 6: 1-4 When it came to the issue of his work and integrity Daniel had proven to be the best. His testimony was not only reflected or seen in his spiritual life but also in how he did his work. His spirituality affected everything he did. When times of promotion came he was found to be the best, with an outstanding spirit. He had wisdom, was a highly skilled person in project management, people management and financial management. When his competitors looked for any fault in his life, for example being lazy in doing his work or not having the required skills or participating with others in corruption, they could not find anything of this kind to accuse him of. In our current context, especially in Sudan and South Sudan, tragically many Christians fail to maintain their testimonies in these areas of maintaining excellence in their daily work. They wrongly think that lives are divided into ‘more spiritual’ and the ‘so-called secular’ roles. It is not high in their minds to have top class Christian testimony before those they work with. As a result they give wrong pictures of both Jesus Christ and the Christian. For us to keep our testimony clear and attractive for Jesus we must excel in our work, sharpening our skills, developing our projects, giving value for money. Whether you are an engineer, teacher, doctor, accountant, civil servant, whatever you do, do it to the Lord, Colossians 3:17. By maintaining an excellence in your work and integrity in your character, you keep your testimony clear and clean. Later this will attract those around us to know and accept Christ the Lord whom we follow. That solid testimony is exactly what happen with Daniel. His enemies could not find a fault with him or his work of keeping the money of the government that he worked for. c) Daniel maintained his relationship with God, Daniel 6:10-11 Here is another aspect of how Daniel continued to keep his testimony in that pagan world. His life of prayer and devotion was not affected by the decision of the king to ban it, nor the conspiracy that was going around among peers to cost him his job (perhaps even his life). He maintained his relationship with God in prayer and reading the scriptures. Many a time we think we are too busy to pray or even read our Bibles and when conspiracy comes our way it finds us not ready. We might think this is my private life and it will not affect my public life. From this case we see how this was not true. Daniel’s private life did affect his public life. His colleagues knew that Daniel would never compromise his relationship with God for anything. Many a time we find ourselves in such a situation where we are tempted to compromise our relationship with God, perhaps our times of prayer and devotions, at the expense of not looking foolish or uncivilised among our colleagues. We can think that we are too busy to do that or we do not want to be seen as a religious person or a committed Christian. God sees us in secret with Him. And this does come out in our public testimony, Matthew 6:6. d) Daniel never compromised the truth, Daniel 5:10-11, 17, 26-28 Daniel never compromised the truth. When the king had a dream and asked Daniel to interpret it, the interpretation was difficult for it was probably not what the king wanted to hear. Daniel could easily lose his position, but he chose to tell the truth to the king face to face about his bad governance and how God was going to judge him for that. The temptation for us is to compromise truth so that we can be accepted by other colleagues or our senior bosses. That will affect, for sure, our Christian testimony. We must keep our testimony by telling the truth in love with no compromise, even to our seniors, Ephesians 4:15. That is exactly what Daniel did. If in your current context you are put in position where you have to speak the unwelcome truth to your boss or other senior officials, how will you act? To keep your Christian testimony you have to tell the truth without any compromises, even it means you lose your job. Such Christians are badly needed in both Sudan and South Sudan, and I am sure even elsewhere. Too often Christians have been silent about so many issues like atrocities, corruption, duplicity and other crimes. As result we have lost our testimony, or it has become horribly weak and insipid. We became not very different from others in our society, almost the same. We learn from Daniel’s life that all these possible sufferings did not matter to him when it came to telling the truth and standing firm in his faith testimony. It is the same with us today. It might cost us many things but we must say truth in love to whomever needs to hear it, and keep our testimony sound and clear in Christ Jesus. The Christians in South Sudan and Sudan, especially those who have the opportunity of secular roles, need to speak out the truth and bring godly wisdom before our government leadership, our business communities, financiers, education leadership, developmental planners, medical practitioners, journalistic producers, all tiers of the judiciary, and responsible political leaders at every level. The application for life today Learning from Daniel’s life helps us to understand his faith had great effect influencing all parts of his life. And it is not only Daniel. We see the scripture talking of other godly people who rise to the top of society while they live their Christian lives: The slave Joseph managing the house of Potiphar, Genesis 39:2-6 David using his music to sooth a troubled King Saul, 1 Samuel 16:17-23 Nehemiah using his administration abilities to inspire a nation in rebuilding, Nehemiah 2:4-5ff. Aquila and Priscilla opening their home and their work to advance and train future leaders, Acts 18:2-4, 24-26; Romans 16:3-5 Lydia using her resources to help the early Christians, Acts 16:13-15, 40 Paul the apostle supporting his ministry by hard work in his business of tent making, Acts 20:34-35; 1 Corinthians 4:12;1 Thessalonians 2:9-10 Each of them used their excellent, God-given abilities. Never hide that fact that you are a follower of Christ when you succeed. It is God’s doing. He can and should be praised. Lynne M. Thompson expressed this clearly, “Living a transparent and authentic life means allowing your relationship with God to illuminate every environment you enter, even the workplace. The place to work out your faith isn’t just at church. What people do in the workplace is their ministry, just as much as singing in the choir is at church”.[3] Christ the transformer of culture is about using the ability of our Christian testimony to affect all the cultures around us. He wants influence through conduct and conversation. John Wesley is said to have viewed the Church as a holy community here on earth, which serves as a testimony and a model of what the world could be. We must remember the Church is visibly set apart from the non-Christian culture and yet it engages with and serves it to be a positive influence for her Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. We note the emphasis on how our testimony should be kept in the secular role, knowing that secularism is spreading like wildfire all over the world. This is part of the globalisation movement where the whole world is moving towards becoming one village, with the same cultures, norms and traditions everywhere. Rebecca Nganga wrote, “Jesus’ disciples are to be intentional in going to the world and being totally uncomfortable with the acceptance of beliefs that make people limp between world lines and religious rituals”.[4] Conclusion As Christians living in a secular world, and taking roles of any levels in it, we have to be intentional about keeping our testimony. If we ask ‘how?’ the principles that Daniel lived by within a pagan nation apply to all contexts. Here is a summary of these principles that will help you in your secular role to keep shining the light of Jesus that is in you. Commit yourself to a holy life, by keeping undefiled by the things of this world or thoughts of secularism. Keep on doing this – once is not enough! Seek to excel in your work and maintain personal integrity. This means sharing your testimony by your deeds not only by words. Many times Christians are viewed as lazy, not doing their paid work properly but pretending to be busy with their Christian ministry. Remember work colleagues see more than they hear Keep nurturing your relationship with God through prayer, devotion, meditation on the word of God, and fellowship with other believers. Do this every day you can Never compromise the truth. Always seek to tell the truth and live it out. In Matthew 5:13-16 our Lord Jesus Christ describes the Christians as salt and light. Of these two elements one is tasted and the other is seen. They cannot be escaped or missed. Since they reflect our Christian testimony it should be evident they can be seen and tasted by everyone. It is a command of Jesus for Christians to make our faith evident everywhere we will be. Our light should shine brightly. This light is our Christian testimony which people will see before praising our heavenly Father. We need to understand that the tools we use in the churches or among Christians may well not apply in the secular environment. We have to be creative in how we want to communicate our testimony to those people we mix with in our secular roles. May I urge you to go out and be the Christian salt and the Christian light in whatever secular role you have now. Keep your Christian testimony clear and may you attract many to the love of Jesus Christ just as the early Christians did and many are still doing today in different contexts and environments. Discussion guide Using this chapter and Scriptures quoted 1. Discuss possible answers to Joseph’s raised question: “How can I live my testimony?” Share good and bad examples you have seen, giving reasons why you see them good or bad. 2. Do you think your environment is “becoming more and more hostile to Christianity and the Christian testimony”? Why? How? 3. How did Daniel “dare to be” different? Give examples from the Bible’s book of Daniel. 4. How could Daniel tell the king a message the king probably did not want to hear? What earned him the hearing? Daniel 5:1-30. Consider the personal cost of copying him in your place of work. 5. What are the best ways to “seek to excel in your work and maintain personal integrity”? Consider Ephesians 6:5-7 and Colossians 3:22-23. Be very practical. [1] D.A. Carson Christ and Culture Revisited (InterVarsity Press: Westmont, IL., USA) 2008, p.116. [2] Vinoth Ramachandra Faith in Conflict? Christian Integrity in a Multicultural World (InterVarsity Press: Westmont IL. USA) 1999, p.141. [3] Lynne M. Thompson Making an Impact in the Workplace http://www.focusonthefamily.com/faith/faith-in-life/living-in-hd-overview/making-a-difference-in-the-workplace (accessed 21st September 2017). [4] Rebeccca Nganga Might the Christians be the Determinants of the Shape Their Nations Take Weekly devotional http://www.beckyjohn.org/ (accessed 11th September, 2017).

Acts 20vs17-31. Church Growing Pains. I am well aware that God is able to look after His own children. The Ethiopian eunuch received no human follow up, as far as we know, although we do know he had an interest in the Scriptures and his own copy to read, Acts 8vs28, 39. We have noted earlier in this book how God used Barnabas to care for Saul when he was born again, Acts 9vs27, 11vs25, 26. We have no real clues about how Cornelius matured in his faith. We do know he was a man of prayer and devotion even before his conversion, Acts 10vs2. He also had a great deal to meditate on in Peter's sermon at his house. Barnabas turned the new believers at Antioch into disciples of Jesus Christ through a year long Bible class, Acts 11vs26 and his presence and ministry "...encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts", vs23. We also know God developed a leadership team there at Antioch and they were spiritually minded, judging by their activities in Acts 13vs1-3. Almost all of the letters of the New Testament come under the category of 'follow up'. Although Paul had never seen the Romans he wrote to them a reasoned theological treatise, setting out the clear gospel message and its impact and implications for a Christian lifestyle, Romans 1vs13-15, 15vs23-32. He wrote to the Corinthian Christians concerning problems that arose in the collective testimony: divisive factions, 1 Corinthians 3, gross immorality and resorting to worldly solutions, chs. 5 and 6; and he answered their questions raised to him, 1 Corinthians 7vs1 "Now for the matters you wrote about": also 8vs1, 11vs18. Paul wrote to the Galatian churches, including Derbe, Lystra, Iconium and Pisidian Antioch to deal with the problem he had faced when he was with them. He assumed they still faced it, the Judaisers adding observance of the Jewish law to faith in Jesus Christ's work as being necessary for salvation. Galatians 1vs6 "I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel." The Philippian letter was basically a 'thank you' letter for the gifts given to his missionary team by the Philippian Christians, and sent to him in prison by the hand of Epaphroditus, Philippians 4vs18. In Colosse the church had been founded by the preaching of Epaphras, one of Paul's converts at Ephesus, Colossians 1vs7. The letter argues against the "fine sounding arguments" 2vs4, that others were putting forward for acceptance. He encapsulates the gospel message in Colossians 1vs15-20. If I may quote his four points they are these: 1. All things were made by Jesus Christ, 1vs16. 2. All things were made for Jesus Christ, 1vs16. 3. All things are held together in Jesus Christ, 1vs17. 4. All things are reconciled to God through Jesus Christ, 1vs19, 20. The best defence against error is always to focus on the Person and Work of Jesus Christ, Who is the Truth. The Thessalonian church was left alone without much teaching from Paul as he had had to leave the city after only three weeks, Acts 17vs2. Timothy was sent by Paul as his representative to build on the word of God Paul had been able to briefly share, 1 Thessalonians 2vs13, 3vs2-6. The purpose of the letter was to "instruct you how to live in order to please God, as in fact you are living. Now we ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus to do this more and more." 1 Thessalonians 4vs1. Paul's letters to Timothy were pastoral care for the pastor, helping him so, "if I am delayed, you will know how people ought to conduct themselves in God's household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth", 1 Timothy 3vs15. There are also various personal encouragements given to Timothy, perhaps to combat his feelings of inadequacy, despair and frustration, 1vs3, 1vs18, 1vs19, 4vs12. Titus received a letter of similar purpose, "these, then, are the things you should teach. Encourage and rebuke with all authority. Do not let anyone despise you", Titus 2vs15. Philemon was a personal letter following up two people, Philemon himself and the now converted runaway slave Onesimus. (Paul's prayer life amazes and rebukes me. He prayed for just about everyone he knew, Philemon vs4). Paul wants both men to begin their working relationship again and urges this. "So if you consider me a partner, welcome him as you would welcome me", vs17. Whoever wrote Hebrews, it is a letter to follow up Jewish converts who may suffer doubts about leaving their old beliefs. James wrote his letter to encourage his scattered congregation who were undergoing hard persecution. He urged them to look beyond this life to the promised reward from God in heaven, James 1vs12. Peter wrote in a similar situation urging holy living, 1 Peter 1vs15. And John wrote to expose the errors in some teaching and to underline the truth that a person who has Jesus Christ in their life is living before God, 1 John 5vs12. So letter writing was very important for follow up. One of our ministries in Britain is to share the news of AFC works in India, Indonesia, Sudan and Zambia, the four AFC International works AFC Britain has adopted for prayer, encouragement and support. I have said many times to our Sudanese team that if they do not write their news to us we cannot share it with their prayer partners. I have also said that if the apostle Paul had the same attitude to writing letters as they did then about one hundred New Testament pages in my Bible would be blank! The written word is important even today. John got it right in his gospel. "These are written that you might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name", John 20vs31. We must write where we can to encourage believers in their new found faith. A personal letter can often travel where we cannot go. Use the mail for the Master! The Acts narrative and the letters also show us other ways the apostles used to preserve the spiritual fruit. They made return visits themselves where they possibly could, for example to Lystra, Iconium and Antioch, Acts 14vs21, 22 and 18vs23. They split up their team's human resources on occasions. Paul went on to Athens while Silas and Timothy conserved the spiritual gains in Berea, Acts 17vs14 and 15. Timothy and Erastus went ahead of Paul into Macedonia, Acts 19vs22, and others formed a similar advanced party in 20vs4, 5. Preparation beforehand can really help follow up afterwards. People remember what they are told to look out for when they see it for themselves. The touching final encounter of Paul with the elders of the church at Ephesus, Acts 20vs17-38, is a lesson in follow up principles for us. Firstly Paul initiated the contact with them, vs17. He was in the area, as near as he was going to be to them and so he invited them to meet with him at Miletus. Contact shows that we care for people and everybody wants to be cared for. Secondly Paul reminds them of the events they have shared with each other before, the events recorded in Acts 18vs19, 21 and 19vs1-20vs1. His two and a half years stay is summarised personally in Acts 20vs18-21. It highlights a third follow up principle, example. Paul says "I served ... I was severely tested ... I have not hesitated ... I have declared ..." Paul was not boasting. He knew the value of a role model and so he highlights himself for the ease of their understanding. Fourthly Paul is realistic about the next few months and as far as can be seen in the future. He does not build any false hopes or make promises he cannot keep (even if he were intending to keep them now). When he says "Now I know that none of you among whom I have gone about preaching the kingdom will ever see me again", Acts 20vs25, he is also saying to the Ephesian elders, 'Humanly speaking you are on your own'. He would pray for them from a distance (and he did, Ephesians 1vs16), but he would not be with them. At this point we should notice the fifth follow up principle, specific prayer for particular maturity. Ephesians 1vs16-18 and 3vs14-21 are excellent prayers we could, and should, pray for the babes in Christ who are our responsibility. Pray for the Holy Spirit to make them wise, to draw them into a deep relationship of love for God, to hold the heavenly hope before them, to manifest Jesus Christ in their lives and to work out His ultimate purpose for them. Sixthly, teach as much of God's truth as can be assimilated, trusting God to plant it firmly in their lives, Acts 20vs27. Seventhly, follow up involves a commission. Give the believers something to do. "Keep watch over yourselves", Paul said, vs28. You may be leaders but do not let your concern for the church make you careless for your own walk with God. He was later to warn Timothy that failure at home meant a bar on public ministry, 1 Timothy 3vs5. These men were also to "be shepherds of the church of God", Acts 20vs28, accountable to the One who paid the purchase price in full, with His own blood shed on Calvary's cross. Shepherds feed, guide, protect and mature sheep as they live among them, all good ideas for us to think about and apply to ourselves. Eighthly, Paul warned them to be on guard against predators from outside and inside who would try to lure believers away into potentially fatal positions, Acts 20vs29-31. After prayer together they parted. Acts 21vs1 shows the final ingredient in follow up, deep love, that will do God's will no matter how much it hurts all parties involved. These principles for follow up, contacts, reminders, role models, realism, prayer, truth, commissioning, warning and love are ones that Paul often used. The last meetings he had in a town often contained these same elements. In Pisidian Antioch "Paul and Barnabas talked with them and urged them to continue in the grace of God", Acts 13vs43. At Lystra and Iconium they went "strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith. 'We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God' they said" Acts 14vs22. In Lydia's house, after their own release from prison and before they left the city at the request of the local officials, "they met with the brothers and encouraged them", Acts 16vs40. Acts 18vs23 says "After spending some time in Antioch, Paul set out from there and travelled from place to place throughout the region of Galatia and Phrygia, strengthening all the disciples", while Acts 20vs2 says "He travelled through that area (Macedonia), speaking many words of encouragement to the people, and finally arrived in Greece." All these examples bring together strengthening, encouragement, truth, warning and the urging of a continual walk with God just now begun at conversion. Such follow up is necessary because today, as in those days, there are many voices and vices seeking to lure new Christians away. The Galatians were turning to a perverted gospel, 1vs6-9. The Philippians were battling many hard persecutions and discouragements, 1vs29, 30. The Colossians were confused at least by rules and regulations imposed by others, 2vs16-19. Some of the Thessalonians had given up their jobs and were simply waiting for the Lord Jesus to return, 2 Thessalonians 3vs6-13. A truth pressed to an extreme and excluding references to other truths becomes a reason for error. We must be careful. In the last church I pastored we established a system for follow up that suited our situation at the time. We had five or six mature Christians who were prepared to miss their Bible class and use their knowledge and experience to help new believers or enquirers to the faith. Every week, running concurrently to the Bible Class was a discipleship class led by myself, or later, selected people from the congregation who had been through it. It was informal, in our home, with an opportunity for questions to be asked and discussions to be held as we went through basic Christian truths about God Himself, the Gospel and practical Christian living in the modern world. God granted us, as a small church, just over one hundred people who went through the course over four years. Not all stood for Christ, but a large majority did. We would try to have a Christian of longer standing meet with the new person once a week outside of the class to befriend them and to talk about particular issues relevant to the individual. Others used the course book one to one with their own friends, especially those who were unable to get to the class on a Sunday morning. We put ourselves out to try to preserve the spiritual fruit. The onus was on us to make the effort,, not on the new Christians. Now some of those people are leaders in the church and in other churches too where they have moved away. Follow up is costly in terms of the time taken, the energy exerted, the involvement in the lives of other people, and the hard questions that are raised even to your own faith. But follow up is rewarding. To see mature Christian men and women walking with God in their lives, building Christian homes and families where there was once tragedy and heartbreak is uplifting. To hear of these folk being used to serve God in a variety of circumstances both in the workaday world and in Christian activity helps us to keep going when the going is tough. Paul wrote: "Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that in the Lord your labour is not in vain", 1 Corinthians 15vs58, - and he should know! Discussion questions Discuss the elements necessary in looking after a baby and bringing it up to independence. Can you parallel these with looking after new Christians? Share with the group what helped you most when you first became a Christian.

Bible readings: Matthew 27vs11-26; Mark 15vs1-15; Luke 23vs1-25; John 18vs28-19vs16. My life (put) alongside God's word, volume 1. All four gospels record our Lord Jesus on trial before the Roman governor, Pilate, during the last week of His life on earth. Please do read Matthew 27:11-26; Mark 15:1-15; Luke 23:1-25; John 18:28-19:16. Pilate wanted to release Jesus because he was unable to find any legal reason for His execution. His wife had disturbed sleep, Matthew 27:19. Pilate himself did not believe Jesus had committed any crime worthy of the death penalty, Mark 15:14; Luke 23:14, 22; John 18:38. Our Lord was largely silent before His accusers, Matthew 27:14; Mark 15: 3-5; Luke 23:9. When He did speak, He only confirmed what was true, Mark 15:2; Luke 23:3; John 18:34, 36, 37. Jesus knew what was about to happen. He would soon be flogged, Matthew 27:26; Mark 15:15 mocked, Luke 23:11 rejected, Mark 15:14; Luke 23:18 crucified until death, Matthew 27:22; Luke 23:23 buried, Matthew 27:57-60; Mark 15:43-46; Luke 23:52-53; John 19:38-42 Jesus shows us how to trust confidently in God while confronting awful hostility. When Pilate offered the agitated mob the choice of having Barabbas or Jesus released to them, he unwittingly highlighted the choice all Christians have to make, in all of life’s circumstances. 1. Barabbas, was “a notorious prisoner”, Matthew 27:16. He “was in prison with the insurrectionists who had committed murder in the uprising”, Mark 15:7. [1] “Barabbas had been thrown into prison for an insurrection in the city, and for murder”, Luke 23:19; “Barabbas had taken part in a rebellion”, John 18:40. Barabbas reacted to the wrongs in life, to bad treatment by oppressive forces, with violence. When the Temple guard arrested Jesus in Gethsemane, Jesus reminded His disciples that military weapons had no place in His kingdom, Matthew 26:52-53; John 18:11. It is often right to yield yourself to the powers of this world in order to serve the higher, invisible, mysterious and mighty power of God. Pilate and Jesus spoke about power and authority in this world, Jn. 18:35-37, 19:10-11. Jesus recognised that Pilate’s position was merely a delegated authority – something given to him by God, Jn. 19:11. Pilate could only do what God allowed. Remember, this is true for any human power you or I must face. 2. Jesus was confident in His Father God. Jesus clearly knew His life’s purpose, “for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world”, John 18:37. His kingdom was not about the awesome magnificence of a governor’s palace or large territorial domain. [2] Neither He nor His servants would fight for objects and issues that didn’t really matter to them, John 18:36. Jesus did not live for the things many of the people around Him craved after. Jesus went almost immediately from Pilate to the cross. The incited mob bayed for His blood, Mark 15:11-15. Without knowing it, the crowd were helping Jesus to fulfil His life’s calling. Jesus was bringing the kingdom of God to earth in a mystical and transcendental way. Rome’s power was being invisibly surpassed. The carpenter from Nazareth left a greater impact than the Roman military machine. The Roman Empire has long since vanished. The cross of Christ is still transforming lives worldwide! Jesus is bringing the kingdom of God to earth in a mystical and transcendental way. Obvious human powers seeking to dominate our lives are not what they appear to be. They try to oppress us by fear. They may have military prowess, huge state machinery and seemingly limitless resources. Yet our deliverance comes through faith – God’s gift of our personal faith, deliberately placed in our Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ. We may have to follow our Lord through death. We don’t want to start fighting back in the world’s way. By His grace we will choose not to do so. I know that when the crowds around us are shouting for a different choice, it is extremely difficult to stand alone against the flow. On that day back in Jerusalem could you have shouted, “I want Jesus and His way – I do not want Barabbas”? Would you have? Later, Paul the preacher knew this battle and made his own choice. “May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world”, Galatians 6:14. Discussion questions: 1. How was Jesus standing trial before Pilate an example of Romans 13:1-7? 2. What are the differences between “submission” and “rebellion”? 3. Who are we to “submit” to? 4. In John 19:33-38, what was Jesus’ defence before Pilate? 5. Put parts of vv36-37 into your own words, for your own life circumstances. [1] An insurrection is an act of rebellion against a government. [2] Territory is any tract of land under the rule of a political power

Christian theology in a Sudanese context. The essential nature and character of God. The Faithfulness of God God’s faithfulness means that He will always do what He has said He will do, He will certainly keep His promises (Deuteronomy 32:3,4; Psalm 145:13). ’Faithful’ means ‘loyal’, ‘trustworthy’, ‘certain’, ‘reliable’, ‘true’ and ‘accurate’. God can never stop being Who He is. God will always be true to His own character. God will forever be exactly the same. He can be completely relied upon. My neighbour in Bahri, Ala Eldeen, became a good friend during the time we lived next door. We would sit outside his house some evenings and talk for hours about anything and everything. Sometimes it was world events, other times religion, or perhaps what was happening within our own families. We laughed and we drank many cups of tea together. Just once, for a couple of weeks, our relationship was other than friendly. That was when the American and the British governments led a military invasion into Iraq, in March 2003. At the beginning of that war he said to me in my driveway, “Mr Colin, we have been good friends, but from today we are enemies – we are on opposite sides in this war”. However, once there was a change of leadership in Iraq, our friendship – which I really do appreciate – was resumed. No-one will ever be able to say: ‘God is a different person today than yesterday’. Nothing outside of God influences Him (2 Timothy 2:13). Our sinful disobedience may erect a barrier between us and God, but God will still faithfully do what is best for us. It may not always be what we ask for, but it will always be what we really need. God is always faithful to His higher purpose for our lives. His answers to our questions are the best answers, even if we do not think so! (Romans 8:28-30). Because God can be trusted to keep true to His words, we can confidently put our faith in Him. Such trust would be impossible if God changed. Three clever and good looking young men in King Nebuchadnezzar’s service were so convinced of God’s faithfulness they were ready to be burnt to death if it was His will (Daniel 1:3-5; Daniel 3:16-18). They firmly believed God would do what was best. If we are to be faithful servants to our God, Who is Himself faithful, it may bring big changes to our own plans for our lives. But we can always safely lean upon God. The New Testament shows this is practical in our Christian lives. God will bring us to heaven in spite of our own weakness (1 Corinthians 1:9; 1 Thessalonians 5:23,24). God will give us a way to beat off all temptations (1 Corinthians 10:13). God will keep us from the evil one’s control (2 Thessalonians 3:3). God will forgive us as we admit our sin and turn from our sin to Him (1 John 1:8,9). Our security comes from God’s faithfulness, not from our own. “Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He Who promised is faithful”, Hebrews 10:23. Thinking it through. (a). Since God is faithful to His word, how confident of it should we be? (b). Since God is faithful to Himself, how can we discover if our ‘ideas to serve Him’ come from Him or from elsewhere? (c). How does God’s ‘faithfulness’ help us when we face an unknown future?

the message from God through His prophet Micah, 1:2. God Rules, O.K.? By comparing 1:1’s list of kings with Hosea 1:1 and Isaiah 1:1, we discover Micah lived at the same time as Hosea and Isaiah. Micah was probably younger than Isaiah as there are several reminiscences of prophecies Isaiah gave in the book: including one word for word identical passage: Micah 4:1-3 and Isaiah 2:1-4. At least once Micah acted out his message: The Bahri housegroup may be pleased we acted “The Pit” last week and not Micah! In 1:8 he walks around with no clothes or shoes, distraught with grief like a person mourning the loss of a close loved one – to confirm and reinforce his prophecy of God’s impending, catastrophic judgement on Israel and on Judah. Read 1:1, 2; 2:3; 3:1-3; 6:1, 2, 9 end 6:8. Our reading of selective verses highlighted God’s displeasure with His own people. In an imaginary courtroom scene, God accuses His people of abusing their position. The prosperity of a few brought injustice for many. Power comes from God and is not for selfish benefit. It is to be used for the common good. And God was challenging His people over their abuse of their power. To bring us the big picture of Micah’s message I have lifted 5 themes that recur throughout the seven chapters: 1. Who God is. 2. God’s view of the people’s sin. 3. God’s measured judgement. 4. God’s offer of salvation. 5. God’s securing of a remnant, ending with a final description of who God is. Application: What you think about God is the most important thing about you. More important than your business qualifications and experience. We live in a most educated generation. Many ‘degreed’ pastors – but where is their spirituality? More important than your job title and position. More important than the respect people give you because of who you are and where you live and the car you drive. What do you think about God? Five Themes 1. Who God is? Micah tells us God is the God who speaks. “The Word of the Lord that came …” 1:1. “Hear all you peoples” 1:2. He also tells us God is Sovereign. Illustration: The Queen of England, the President of USA, the secretary general of the UN, the Chinese Commander in charge of the world’s biggest army – do not rule the world. Not one of them or even all together. ‘God is able to do all His holy will’. Only God is infinitely powerful, and He has delegated to mankind responsibility to use given powers in ways that bring to God glory and pleasure. He holds us to account for doing – or not doing – just that. Micah immediately adds that God is sanctified, set apart: distinctly ‘other’ than anyone or anything else. 1:2 “The Lord (Adonai) from His holy temple”. Breath-taking, earth-shaking holiness. 1:3, 4 Micah’s God is set apart, Sovereign and speaking. Application: What about your God? A wrong view of God could mean you end up in hell not heaven! Do not keep your trust in a god who is not God! 2. God’s view of His people’s sin. 1:7 speaks of “idolatry”. This is substituting something – anything – for the living God. “Prostitution” = self-gratifying temple worship, not God-honouring temple worship. 2:6 “Preach what people want to hear, not what God wants to be said.” Attempts to silence God’s voice! Also 2:11 “If a deceiver says: ‘I will prophesy for you plenty of wine and beer’, (God says) he would be just the prophet for this people!” God’s view of His own people – religious, evil, pleasing self in worship, but not pleasing God. 2:8 social evil: robbing the stranger. 2:9 sexual evil: abusing women and children. 3:1 leaders’ who do wrong, not right. 3:2, 3 social abuse of neighbours for selfish gain. 3:9 facilitating making, helping to make injustice happen. Distorting the truth. 3:11 deceiving on spiritual issues – for money - to gain or to save money, compromising true values. 7:3 “the ruler demands gifts, the judge accepts bribes, the powerful dictate what they desire – they all conspire together.” 7:5, 6 No-one trusts anyone, not even other close family members. Application: God sees His people as no different from the others around. They are not ‘set apart’ nor ‘holy’ as He is. God used Israel to drive the Canaanites from the land in His judgement on their sin, and yet the Israelites now sin as the Canaanites did! Is the Church no better than the world? Scandals are often revealed … how many more are still hidden away? 3. God’s measured judgement. Illustration: The other day I saw a man really hitting his donkey for moving the wrong way and almost causing an accident! Perhaps as parents, some of you have lashed out at your children immediately a clash happens – when really a later, cool and calm response would be better. God does not retaliate on mankind’s sin without ensuring a measured and appropriate response. And He warns: using three prophets, Micah, Hosea and Isaiah, even now in this historical moment. Illustration: Sudanese friend Obed recently used an illustration of a car driver going unintentionally the wrong way down a one-way street. The police stop him and warn him. If the driver gets angry maybe the police will take him to the office and charge him. If the driver listens to the warning and apologises, the incident will go no further. (The bribing option is not open to the genuine Christian, of course). Let’s see what God does. 1:2 God speaks against His people. 1:12; 2:3 God sends disaster to them. Covetousness 2:2, defrauding 2:2, ignoring victims 2:4, having judges and prophets in your pocket!! 3:4, 7 God shuts Himself away from their prayers and their worship. 4:6 God causes His people grief. 5:10-15 “In that day … God will destroy … demolish … tear down … uproot … and take vengeance.” God express 5:15 His anger and wrath”. Illustration: I was here in Khartoum when President Bill Clinton sent two cruise missiles and demolished the Shifa factory in angry response to terrorism, in Kenya and elsewhere. I heard them fly in and saw the destruction. Illustration: I was in England at Cliff College, Sheffield University, when our lectures were interrupted by TV news pictures of Osama Bin Laden’s anger at Imperialism, Western Capitalism and Decadence, bias in Middle East and lack of respect for Islam, - bringing down the World Trade Centre, New York. Let me tell you something. Terrifying as those things were and terrible as it must be when the Antonov bombs from the sky, there is worse! The Bible says “It is a dreadful (fearful, terrifying) thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” Hebrews 10:31. That’s where unsaved sinners are going! In Micah 6 God summons creation and history as His witnesses against His own people. Creation & history have seen all of God’s faithfulness and all of God’s people’s failure. 6:6, 7 highlight the financial burden put on the poor to bring Temple sacrifices. In one of the two most well-known passages of Micah, the prophet asks a challenging question: 6:8 “And what does the Lord require of you?” Do you remember when Jesus was asked that in Mark 10? His reply was ‘Do not commit adultery, murder, steal, give false testimony’ etc. The questioner said ‘I’ve done all that’. So Jesus – in measured judgement – puts His finger on the sore spot saying – “One thing you lack. Go, sell everything you have and give it to the poor.” What does the Lord require of you (and me) today? I’ll answer it. Whatever has hold of your heart other than Him. Anything, anyone else. Only when He has all your heart can “justice, and mercy, and humility” flow through your veins and affect all your life! 4. God’s offer of salvation. Woven through this tapestry of God’s judgement of sinners is the prize thread of God’s salvation for repentant sinners. Application: There are only two kinds of people in the world. I’m not talking of the division between black, white; rich, poor; Northerner, Southerner; even Christian, Moslem. God sees just this: Sinners and Repentant Sinners, that is sinners who turn from their sin to their Saviour Jesus. The latter may well find salvation. 2:12, 13 “I will surely gather all of you … one who breaks open the way will go before them” 4:2-5 “God will teach us His ways … God will judge between many peoples … we will walk in the name of our God for ever.” 4:10 God will redeem you, by using the Messiah (the other well-known verse of Micah) 5:2 “But you Bethlehem, Ephrathah, out of you will come for me One Who will be ruler over Israel, Whose origins are from old, from ancient times.” We plan to look at more prophesies of Jesus on December 1st. (Yes, only 80/70 shopping days until Christmas! depending on your Sunday conscience!) Application: Be thankful, Christian. Be glad. Hold up your head high. Say with Micah 5:4 and with the Psalmist “The Lord is my shepherd.” You cannot save yourself. 5. God’s securing a remnant. 2:12; 4:7; 5:3, 7, 8; 7:18, use this word. Illustration: Brenda may be sewing curtains, chairs covers, petticoats, a wall hanging. Often not all the material is used. The piece left over is called ‘a remnant’. God says out of all sinful humans only those who become repentant sinners will survive His judgement! He is gathering some (not all) people to Himself. He wants all, but most won’t come when requested. He gives any person freedom to choose to go to hell. Everyone deserves that. But only those who choose, go. Which brings us full circle. Micah ends, as we should, still awe-struck and amazed at Who God is. 7:18 he asks a rhetorical question, one to which there is only one answer. “Who is a God like you, Who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant? … Who does not stay angry for ever … but Who delights in showing mercy.” Give God delight tonight. Cast yourself on His mercy (there is no safer place). God Rules, O.K.? Khartoum International Church on 6th October 2002.