March Messenger

Joshua 3:3,4
“And they commanded the people, saying, When ye see the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, and the priests the Levites bearing it, then ye shall remove from your place, and go after it. Yet there shall be a space between you and it, about two thousand cubits by measure: come not near unto it, that ye may know the way by which ye must go: for ye have not passed this way heretofore.”

When the time had come for the children of Israel to cross over into the promise land, God gave clear direction for their journey. He could have simply said “There it is.” But, God had a lesson in mind for Israel. He had pattern for them to follow that would show not only His path but His priorities for life in the promise land. In chapter three and four of Joshua, God gives detail instruction for crossing the Jordan's river. The ark, the symbol of God's presence, had to go before them and open the way for them to pass through. (Joshua 3:14,15) Once Israel crossed over, Joshua appointed twelve men to carry stones for a remembrance of what God had done. (Joshua 4) This obedience to the voice of God is what brought success that day, Joshua heard the voice of God and obeyed and that allowed Israel to go forward into their promised land.
Do Christians of our day have a “promise land”? I believe we do, but it is not physical piece of land, it is a strong fortress in our spiritual life. This is a place of Peace, Joy and Power, a life of walking in the Spirit. For our church it will mean seeing lost souls coming to Christ, fear being cast out, families and community being strengthened. To “crossover” as a church or as an individual God still has a pattern. We must be lead of the Spirit, we must follow the guidelines of His word and we must be willing to share our faith to others. Read Chapters three and four of Joshua. God sent the ark ahead of the people and gave them detailed instruction on how to follow, then commanded them to share the event with generations to follow. Our own faith is not alive without the Spirit (the ark) the word (the direction) and a willingness to share the message (the twelve stones for remembrance).
Crossover in your life!
Pastor Colton