Then Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, which faces Jericho. And the LORD showed him the whole land—from Gilead as far as Dan, all of Naphtali, the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the Western Sea, the Negev, and the region from the Valley of Jericho (the City of Palms) all the way to Zoar. And the LORD said to him, “This is the land that I swore to give Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob when I said, ‘I will give it to your descendants.’ I have let you see it with your own eyes, but you will not cross into it.” (Deuteronomy 34:1-4)
I am drawn back to memories of my first visit to Mount Nebo when I stood on the windswept precipice, seeing the same view as Moses. It’s hard to describe the awe and wonder I felt as I scanned the wilderness vista with a gleaming Dead Sea near Jericho just below and the barely visible sun flare reflected from the Dome of the Rock at the Temple Mount in Jerusalem in the distance. Moses would have seen the Negev Desert that borders Egypt to the South and he could trace the Jordan River snaking north to the Sea of Galilee and Mount Hermon, though haze obscured my view.
We, too, are on the brink of a new land as Shiloh Church of Jasper. Like the Israelites who cast off the bondage of pagan oppressors and then refined their faith in Yahweh in the wilderness, we find ourselves reduced in number, leaner, and more efficient. The haze of myriad distractions and noise of endless media can obscure our view, but the land of God’s promise is still before us. There is a place where the Shiloh family will be God’s people and He will be their God. It is a place within the Kingdom of God’s Son who conquered sin and death for our sake so we can be a new people in a new land. We only have to trust and obey Him.
The Israelites inhabited the land as instruments in God’s hands. When they tried to conquer their enemies in their own strength, they failed. But, when they simply did what the LORD told them to do, the battle belonged to the LORD of glory. We must do the same as we press into the promise. What is the promise? For Christian Believers it is the Word of Jesus Christ, whose promise comes with a command, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19-20)
Our mission then, is to make disciples, first, of ourselves, then everyone whom the LORD puts before us. The same dynamic experienced by the Israelites is a play for the Shiloh family; trusting the LORD of glory and leaning not on our own understanding, we will inhabit the community with Christian virtue, gospel truth and love, words, and deeds worthy of our King, so that a new generation will know Him.
Your faithfulness to God’s vision and mission through Shiloh Church, especially with your wealth, time, and talent is like confidently marching around the walls of Jericho as you wait to see the LORD break down earthly strongholds. Your regular giving, attending to worship and learning, and participation in the Christian community make you part of the Body of Christ, the new chosen people of God. When you walk by faith, not by sight, you rely upon Christ to direct your path, seeing that you do not stumble. (2 Corinthians 2:5) Therefore, I thank God for you and look forward to witnessing His glory in and through you in the coming months and years. Thank you for supporting the vision and mission set before us.
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