Numbers 14:24: But because my servant Caleb has a different spirit and follows me wholeheartedly, I will bring him into the land he went to, and his descendants will inherit it.

What’s in the name?

The Bible is littered with sidekicks: David had Jonathan; Elijah had Elisha, Moses had Aaron, Paul had Barnabas, Jesus had those 12 fellows.

Of all the sidekicks we can recall, somehow Caleb is usually missed out. Joshua’s influence over the Old Testament is so large, that he looms over most of the other characters in his time. God often labels His servants, such as “Man after God’s heart”, “Friend of God”, “The Rock”. Caleb’s label was a “man with a different spirit”.

Caleb is a compound word in Hebrew from COLEV, meaning wholehearted. There are some who would interpret it as CELEB, which means dog; but somehow, I don’t think his mom would think that’s a very endearing name to name a kid.

IN comparison, Joshua means Yahweh Saves. So, I’m guessing there’s not a trend to name your kids after animals during those days.

From the name we can derive their character. While Joshua was the spiritual leader, Caleb was perhaps the greatest servant of all, he served God and Josh WHOLEHEARTEDLY.

Growing Pains

We can imagine how Joshua and Caleb grew up in Egypt. About 5-6 years apart, I would imagine they grew up as peers, supporting each other and helping each other overcome the lost childhood and difficult times of being a slave. They were likely beaten and pushed beyond their strength, we know that the Israelites were oppressed at the start of the Exodus. (Exodus 1:14)

I’d imagine that at night, they would listen to the elders talk about their heritage as Israelites. While Joshua would light up whenever Joseph was mentioned, as he belonged to the tribe of Ephraim, Joseph’s son; Caleb would proudly listen to his heritage as being part of Judah, the largest tribe of all Israel. Of course, from the line of Judah came David, and many years later, the saviour of the world. Not a bad family line.

They would also likely wonder when and if the Abrahamic covenant would ever come to pass. You know, about the descendents being like stars? (Genesis 15:5) I think it would have been pretty difficult to say that, with an Egyptian beating you senseless and spitting into your face.

And then, over the horizon, a lone ranger called Moses comes in view, with his sidekick Tonto aka Aaron, and news spread that the Lord has heard their cries and the Exodus would begin. Within a few months, Caleb would witness these powerful signs:

Seeing the 10 plagues ravage Egypt but not the Israelites

Pillar of fire, pillar of cloud leading the Israelites

Parting of the Red Sea

Manna from Heaven

Water from the rock

Presence of God in Mount Sinai

The Battle of Rephidim with the Amalakites – They were slaves probably not armed, yet defeated the Amalakites, a warring nation!

In 4-5 months, about a million Israelites reached Kadesh Barnea, overlooking the land of their forefathers. Remember, Abraham, Jacob and all the patriarchs used to live in this land, and even had friendly relations with the Amorites, until famine forced them to go to Egypt. (Genesis 14:13) So it wasn’t that Israelites were homeless and wanted to war with other peoples, but they were just returning to where they belonged, and to the land owned by their forefathers.

Kadesh Barnea means Consecrated/Holy and I suppose Caleb thought it would be appropriate to launch the largest battle campaign of all time. His faith level would have been at an all time high.

The 10 other spies who did not have faith were the ones that turned the tide.

Caleb spoke out against them in Numbers 13:30. So great was his authority that he silenced the people. However, it was in vain and the Israelites continued in their disobedience.

Due to Israel’s unbelief, he had to waste 40 years in the wilderness and was 85 years old before they entered the Promised Land.

What spirit is different?

a) Spirit of Submissiveness/Humility

He was the leader of Judah, the largest tribe of Israel. From Judah will also come the line of David and the messiah, the Lion of Judah (Hosea 5:14).

He was outspoken, yet from the start, Moses have favoured Joshua as his successor, and made it official in Deut 31:23.

He was probably someone everyone looked up to and probably given much responsibility or hope that he would lead.

From the time of wandering, he became submissive to Joshua’s leadership.

In church sometimes we want to be recognized. Sometimes we want to be seen, and heard. Sometimes we think we can lead better. But leaders are chosen by God. In church, leaders who think they are chosen because of their own strength isn’t depending on God. God SELECTED Joshua. (Numbers 27:18)

Caleb recognized God’s selection and submitted to the divine authority. He was made a great leader because he submitted. It is different in today’s world where submission is seen as weaknesses, and today’s leaders lead with aggressiveness and with a perpetual frown on their mug like Donald Trump. Joshua’s style of leadership was beyond his time, leading by example, and Caleb recognizes that. On the other end, we have people who would complain that the church doesn’t appreciate them, that they are being used and they would leave, under appreciated. Caleb was never given titles and accolades. He just went about doing the toughest job there was to do without any complaints and without seeking any reward, except for the promise that Moses gave to him. And that too, he had to work for it.

b) Spirit of Faith/Patience

If someone sent you to jail because one of your friends was caught stealing, and it wasn’t even your fault, would you feel wronged?

That’s what happened to Caleb.

Imagined his excitement to take the land. Years as a slave! Now, he is entering into the land of promise, of milk and honey, after years of eating Egyptian slave porridge.

Now, because of 10 other people who were faithless, he was also punished alongside. Instead of entering into his destiny at the age 45, he had to wait to 85 years old and watch all his friends and family suffer. 40 years! The trip from Egypt to Kadesh was only 4 months over 400 miles, but they had to walk around for another 40 years, the promised land tantalizingly out of reach.

His best years was 45. He was strong. Imagine how his heart broke when he found out that he wouldn’t be able to enter the land. How he must wonder, what can he do at 85? At 85, he’s probably looking for retirement, spending his remaining years next to the Jordan sipping ice lemon tea with a little umbrella. If I were Caleb, I’d go into a fit of rage and start dunking the heads of all of those 10 spies into the toilet bowl.

Yet, there was no mention of any complaint from Caleb. Instead he endured and toiled, year after year, fighting the other tribes along the way, no doubt leading the success of beating King of Sihon, King Og and building up Israel’s reputation. (Numbers 21:35) We can see when they launched their second campaign into Canaan 40 years later, the tide was turned. The Israelites were sending fear into the hearts of the defenders. (Joshua 2:9) The grasshoppers are now the invaders and this time, they were serious. 40 years of wandering had toughen up these weak willed Israelites and years of warfare had made them into a nation disciplined in ranks and fearsome in reputation.

Caleb also endured the sins of Israel, when they fell to the Moabite women in Shittim, (Numbers 25:1) but he persevered to stand beside Joshua, supporting his leader in all things.

c) Spirit of Courage/Confidence

One the most enduring stories was the asking of Hebron by Caleb in Joshua 14:6.

The land was being allocated to the tribes. However, Caleb took possession of his own land: Hebron.

1) He approached Joshua. It was not an act of rebellion but an act of familiarity, he brought up the promise Moses gave them. (Deut 1:36) They were the only 2 people alive from Kardesh, and the only 2 people alive who remembered first hand what old Moses had spoken.

2) He was still as strong as before and he wanted Hebron. “Give me this mountain and I will drive them out.” Joshua must have been a little surprised. He probably said, “Why not I give you Pleasantville at the Jordan river banks, where there’s fertile ground and no resistance? We’ll let these young fellows work Hebron out.” To which, Caleb says, “I’m as strong as I was 40 years ago, mate. So pass me Hebron.”

3) He took the toughest assignment. Hebron was where the people of Anak (the giants ) were. There were fortresses there and it was a hill country. Hill countries are notoriously hard to invade. Caleb and his gang would have to march across mountains and the fortresses would have been such a pain to assault, located at the higher plateau, the advantage of the higher ground. Obviously having to face 13 feet high giants wasn’t that fun either.

4) He remembered how the giants frightened his peers 40 years ago, how they slaughtered the first Israelite invasion. (Numbers 14:44-45) I can imagine Caleb striding into the first fortress tapping his broadsword in his palm, saying “It’s payback time.” The Terminator 2 kind of payback. The Die Hard kind of payback.

5) Hebron in particular was special. It was here that God made the covenant with Abraham regarding the inheritance of the land, where the promise of a son by Sarah was made. (Genesis 15). It was the place where Sarah, Rebekah, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob was buried. (Genesis 23:19, 25:9, 35:27, 50:13 ) Here also, the covenant with Isaac and later Jacob was made. Hebron was the birthplace of the house of Israel. It was the most important part of the campaign.

6) At 85, he took the toughest part of the fight.

Was Caleb successful?

Joshua 15:14 says

Caleb drove out the three Anakites—Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai—descendants of Anak.”

Judges 1:20 tells us, “As Moses had promised, Hebron was given to Caleb, who drove from it the three sons of Anak.” And Judges 1:10 says, “They advanced against the Canaanites living in Hebron . . . and defeated Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai.” Caleb’s faith was fighting faith, bold faith, conquering faith. Such faith will move the mighty mountain.

The book of Judges states that there were some people the Israelites could not drive out: “But Manasseh did not drive out the people of Beth Shan or Taanach or Dor or Ibleam or Megiddo and their surrounding settlements” (1:27); “Nor did Ephraim drive out the Canaanites living in Gezer” (1:29); “Neither did Zebulun drive out the Canaanites living in Kitron or Nahalol” (1:30); “Nor did Asher drive out those living in Acco or Sidon or Ahlab or Aczib or Helbah or Aphek or Rehob” (1:31); “Neither did Naphtali drive out those living in Beth Shemesh or Beth Anath” (1:33) and so on.

Why were God’s people unable to drive these Canaanites out? Unbelief. Because the Israelites did not believe in God’s promise, they did not put up a fight. They were seeking peace and affluence, while Caleb understood God’s commandment and total possession and followed it wholeheartedly.

Conclusion

The Great thing about the bible is that there is a message for everyone. God uses the young like David. God uses the ones that is older like Caleb. Whatever you are, in any ministry, God can use us. Someone once told me, the fear he had wasn’t the fear of getting old, it was the fear of not being useful.

God uses all of us in different ways. We just have to serve him wholeheartedly and allow him to use us and give us a ‘different spirit’ – Humility, Patience, and Courage.

Sue Kheng’s Birthday

I managed to share at the senior’s meeting on Thursday, which initially I thought would be cool. It’s one of those scatterbrain ideas that makes you wonder what possessed you in the first place. Not because of who they are, but rather at how inadequate I was in addressing 60-70 people who have obviously experienced a whole lot more than me! Sharing in missions is one thing: I don’t see those fellows for half a year and by then they would have forgot how bad I was if I were to mess it up. Here, some seniors knew me since I was a toddler! An aunty came up to me reminiscing how I used to run around when I was a little kid. It’s hard to keep an embarrassed smile up for too long.

Anyways, I didn’t really know what the age group would be, I expected maybe 55-60, like my dad’s age. After all, a definition of a senior would be retirement age or something. Instead, I found out they were more my grandmother’s age (if she was still alive), around 60-80. I mean we had someone 88 years old there and still going strong.

My sharing was originally about Caleb going out to conquer the land, and my message was that even retiring, there’s more time to be more gung ho for service. Obviously that ain’t gonna work for a group who has been on a rather prolonged retirement. So I changed it to more of a story form and reverting back to Caleb.

Oh, the seniors have breakfast at 9:30 am on Thursdays, and then they go for their exercise at Kairos. As in, really stretching exercise, not those kind of tai chi stuff you see in the padang. They were going at it Jane Fonda style! Well, ok, maybe without the mats, you know. And most of them with a helpful walking stick.

Some of them wore those quaint chinese dresses that my grandma would wear. Not cheongsam I think but those traditional chinese outfits I always picture my Ah Ma to wear when we take her out for dinner or during New Year. Boy, I really miss my Ah Ma.

Anyways, It was pretty fun having to share with them. I caught some of them dozing off with several nods of their head before coming to. Some were completely gone into dreamland even before I cracked my first joke. In Cantonese!

Later after the altar call, a senior member came to shook my hands. He was the guy who, throughout my sharing, would interject with a loud, “Amen!” or “Hallelujah!!” or “Preach it, bru-ther!” I made the last one up, but he was quite encouraging. He told me (in Cantonese), “In life, keep eating, keep learning.” or something of that sort, since my cantonese has really degenerated to a primary one standard. Either that, or he’s just telling me there’s a booger on my chin. Either way, I was encouraged and we shared a hug on stage, like in the Oscars. I even received a present, ironically a clock (which I thought was quite humorous, given the context I was speaking in) and with many pats on my shoulder, they sent me off, requesting a future return.
I think it’d be cool.

Hi hi!

Fyi, we at the creative arts ministry have a blog of our own at http://www.dancing-aunties.blogspot.com

One of our members have been aspiringly and diligently updating this site as a tool to minister and encourage those who have a heart and passion for dance etc. So, please support us by visiting the blogs for udpates of our ministry and other dance info.

I know some of you may not have the burden in this area but it’ll be great if you just uphold us in prayer as there are a lot of commitment involved and trying to encourage people to join us is not an easy task (and we seriously are in need of guys!).

Hope you will find it fun browsing through the many dance clips and articles posted there and be as encouraged as it has been for the dancers!

Stevie, is it ok it this blog is linked to Threeds?? 

The truth behind this exercise sensation

Sarah E. Pavlik

Yoga has changed my life,” my friend Beth gushed as she twisted her body into a gravity-defying pose. Her newfound agility impressed me. Beth continued, “Yoga’s centered me; it’s relieved a lot of stress. Just try one class with me.” She did seem calmer, so my curiosity was piqued. Besides, I could use the exercise. And yoga classes seemed to be popping up everywhere—the local university, my gym, even at a couple local churches. One class couldn’t hurt,I reasoned. So I decided to give yoga a try. 

Once in the class, I scanned the room, curious as to what type of people take yoga. The class was comprised of an unlikely bunch: hefty, construction crew-type men, white-haired grandmas, and people such as me, wearing Nikes and t-shirts. I didn’t spot any lime-green hair, or a single pierced nose. Suddenly my attention was drawn to the front of the room. There she was, the instructor—a bit larger than I expected. She looked nothing like those leotard-clad yoga instructors on TV. Her wiry blonde hair blended with her wire-rimmed glasses, giving her an all-around bland appearance. She spoke softly but with intimidating authority. 

“Take off your shoes and socks,” she said with a whisper. Reluctantly I removed them, hoping nobody else in the room could smell my feet. She explained that we needed to be barefoot so we could sink our feet into the earth. Funny, this earth looked a lot like carpet to me. But I complied, imagining my feet squishing into the soft, fertile ground. 

“Now we need to get acquainted with our breath. Americans generally breathe through their mouths and miss the benefits of breathing fully,” she informed us. I forced the air in and out, trying to make friends with my breath. It felt good. 

“Yoga is thousands of years old, and as of late, has been accepted by modern medicine as a remedy for back pain and stress reduction,” she said between breaths. Thousands of years old? Accepted by the medical community? It must be a good thing, I rationalized as I prepared to stretch. We moved quickly into what she termed poses. 

First I was a tree. Then she coaxed us into bending our limbs and planting our right foot onto our inner thigh. That wasn’t all that difficult until she asked us to squat and twist our torso 90 degrees. She called it the “twisted chair.” How appropriate. I looked like a pretzel in blue sweatpants. 

Next we began “sun salutations.” With our hands raised over our heads, we quickly dropped them to our feet. Finally, we brought our entire bodies to the floor, prostrate. It was obvious this was an ancient form of sun worship. Now not only was my body contorting, my mind was too. God’s first commandment to not have any other gods before him sprang to mind. I was getting uncomfortable. 

After several repetitions of sun salutations, she brought us back into “mountain pose.” I glanced at the clock and was shocked to see all but five minutes of the hour-long class had slipped by. It was time for the relaxation exercise. My muscles were ready, but my spirit was a bit more cautious. 

I lay down on the carpeted earth. She encouraged us to shut our eyes and go to our quiet place. Being a mother of two boys, I wasn’t sure if such a place existed, so I decided heaven would be my quiet place. “It’s time to let go of the stresses of the world, your job, your home, your deadlines, and just be at peace,” the instructor said soothingly. The twing-twang of the music seemed to blend with everyone’s breathing. Then she instructed us to start squeezing the muscles in our toes, then our feet, on up our legs, abdomen, and finally our faces. What a sight we all must have been lying there, our bodies rigid and our faces forced into Jim Carrey-like contortions. “Now fall back into the earth,” our instructor commanded. We repeated this bizarre exercise about three times, and then, the instructor told us to come back into our body. 

It was not a happy reunion. My body ached from the wicked chair—or was is it the twisted chair? And my spirit was out of sorts. Scenes of saluting the sun and leaving my body played in my mind as I drove home. Would I be able to stay in yoga without compromising my Christian beliefs? I wondered.

 Yoga’s Hidden Agenda 

I did some research before I attended another class. I learned that yoga, practiced predominantly by Buddhists and Hindus, has become one of America’s hottest trends. While the variations of yoga are endless, one overriding principle pervades them all: the goal of obtaining oneness with the Universal Soul, known in Hinduism as Brahman, or in Buddhism as Nirvana. Every thought, every muscle movement, every breath I took in that class was designed to bring me to the feet of a false god. 

Yoga actually means “union with god” or “to yoke.” This union is accomplished by disciplining the flesh through difficult postures and the mind through meditation. Even chanting “Om” during meditation is meant to unite your spirit with the Universal Soul; “Om” is a sacred Hindu sound symbolizing the “Absolute.” According to eastern religious thought, once you’ve mastered these elements, your spirit’s no longer bound to your body; it’s free to roam the netherworld, guided by a spiritual entity. It’s then, according to cult expert Bob Larson, that practitioners believe they “possess all powers, psychic abilities, and sinless perfection.” The breathing exercises (pranayamas) are also said to promote psychic abilities. 

In light of such findings, I realized yoga was more than a harmless exercise regime. I also was troubled by the fact Beth decided to become a Buddhist after only three months of her hatha yoga class, one of the most commonly taught forms of yoga touted by yoga teachers and many physicians as the least religious variation. I wasn’t surprised by Beth’s decision when I considered what one of today’s most influential yoga leaders has to say. According to Swami Vishudevanadar, hatha yoga “prescribes physical methods to begin … so that the student can manipulate the mind more easily as he advances, attaining communication with one’s higher self.” Regardless of Beth’s original intent, yoga had designs on her spiritual life the moment she removed her shoes. 

The more I researched it, the more it became obvious yoga is a false gospel, claiming mental and physical disciplines bring about union with God. Just read what Yogi Maharishi Mahesh says about sin and redemption: “[Meditation] brings us more ability for achieving something through right means, and very easily a sinner comes out of the field of sin and becomes a virtuous man.” But the true gospel tells a different story: “Since we have now been justified by [Jesus’] blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him” (Romans 5:9). The only union with God we can ever experience is through the saving blood of Jesus.

 The Lure of De-stressing 

Like many, I was originally intrigued by yoga’s promise to manage the overwhelming stresses of my life. That’s how my friend Michael’s three-year struggle with yoga began. When I met Michael, he was a devoted Christian and Bible study teacher. On the advice of a physician, he began a yoga class to relieve the stress of his high-pressure job. 

One evening, Michael shared with my husband and me his passion for yoga. “With each class I feel as if a new burden’s lifted, a new muscle’s softened. I don’t know how I lived without yoga.” But his wife, Leigh, shared the other side of the story with me. Michael’s once-a-week class had turned into an everyday obsession, and their conversations had grown strangely mystical. “He keeps saying he can reach the God of the Bible through the body positions and meditations he’s learning in class. He says God is somewhere on earth today as an avatar.” The Sanskrit word “avatar” means “the descent to earth of a diety.” According to the Bhagavad Gita, a sacred Hindu text, and other eastern holy books, God comes to earth and dwells in human form once every age. Buddha, Muhammad, Christ, and Krishna are all considered avatars. In an effort to justify his increasing involvement in yoga, Michael began to mix biblical truths with eastern philosophies—behavior God doesn’t tolerate. In the book of James, God makes it clear both fresh and salt water cannot flow from the same spring (3:11-12). Neither can Christians follow God’s teaching while following other religious beliefs.

 Biblical Alternatives to Yoga 

Thankfully, I discovered some biblical alternatives to yoga, which I gladly passed to Michael. Once he modified my suggestions to fit his personality and advanced stretching skills, he discovered all the stress-reducing benefits of yoga could be achieved through his relationship with God. 

Relaxing with God. God showed me yoga doesn’t have a monopoly on relaxation techniques. I now set my alarm an hour early so I can spend time alone with God. Before I go to bed, I choose a Bible verse, then write it on an index card. I use a Bible concordance to help me search for a subject relevant to my life. For example, when my husband opened his own business this year, I exhausted all the verses under the heading “fear.” 

Each morning I immerse myself in the verse during a simple 15-minute stretching routine I adapted from the yoga class. While I stretch, I ask myself these questions: What is the main point of this passage? What does God want me to learn from it? How can I apply it to my life today? 

I try to keep the stretches simple—no more pretzels for me. I start by focusing on the most troublesome areas, specifically tight or painful muscles. Experts suggest you include at least one stretch for each major muscle group—the arms, shoulders, neck, back, abdomen, lower back, buttocks, and legs. You’ll want to keep the following points in mind as you develop your personal routine: 

• Always warm up a few minutes before you stretch. 

• Never push the stretch to the point of pain. 

• Hold each stretch for 10-20 seconds. 

• Complete 1-3 repetitions per stretch. 

If you don’t feel comfortable putting together your own routine, check with your local church. Many now offer stretching classes. Just make sure they’re not influenced by eastern religions. Simply ask the instructor which program they base their class on. If their answer is yoga or tai chi, for example, you’ll want to find another class. 

Exercising with God. Once I’m done stretching, I spend the rest of the hour in what I term “prayerful exercise.” Exercise is a perfect time to pray if you choose activities such as walking, biking, jogging, or hiking. I like to start with a worship CD to get my praise juices flowing. Listening to the lyrics prepares my spirit to connect with God. Sometimes I find it helpful to bring a list of prayer requests to refresh my memory, but usually the praise music, time alone, and natural surroundings are sufficient inspiration. Regardless of the exercise I choose, my time alone with God renews my mind and the exercise fuels me for another busy day. 

Meditating God’s way. Aside from stretching, another one of yoga’s primary promises is to calm your mind through meditation. The difference between yoga meditation and the type God commands in Scripture is twofold: the object of our meditation and the result. Yogi philosophers urge followers to empty their mind. This empty mind, they claim, is the doorway to communion with the Universal Soul. But cult expert Bob Larson warns that yoga mediators “should not be deceived into thinking they have communed with the Lord.” What they have done instead is “left [their] mind open to an evil invasion by the spirit being associated with the particular discipline employed.” 

God, on the other hand, should always be at the center of true meditation. While prayer and Bible study tend to be proactive, meditation is your time to listen to God. I meditate by focusing on a single verse. You may prefer meditating on one of God’s characteristics, one of his names, or an aspect of his creation. As you do this, over time you’ll grow closer to God, because you’ll have learned how to “cast all your anxiety on him” (1 Peter 5:7). 

Looking back, I’m amazed at how God used my yoga experience to teach me to be more discerning. The apostle John warns, “Do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God” (1 John 4:1). It wasn’t until after my yoga adventure that I began practicing this advice. Now I use my Bible to test whether the latest trends, personal habits, or beliefs truly belong to God. Characteristically, God took what was meant for evil and turned it into good (Genesis 50:20). 

He also used the yoga class to introduce me to Christian meditation. Through this practice, I’m getting to know him more intimately. I’m learning to rely on him when I’m anxious, and to be quiet so I can hear him speak. For the first time I understand what it means to be still and know that he is God (Psalm 46:10). Besides my personal spiritual growth, I also have more energy and feel healthier. 

Like many Christians, I was ignorant of yoga’s underlying force. What appeared to be a healthy exercise alternative really harbored a more insidious agenda. Yoga is designed to lead you into the arms of a false god. The question every Christian considering yoga must ask is: Can I still worship the true God if my body’s reaching toward another?

Thought this was rather interesting…

For many Christians in the West who don’t understand the history behind it, yoga is simply a means of physical exercise, and strengthening and improving flexibility of the muscles. However, the philosophy behind yoga is much more than physically improving oneself. It is an ancient practice derived from India, believed to be the path to spiritual growth and enlightenment.

The word “yoga” means “union,” and the goal is to unite one’s transitory (temporary) self with the infinite Brahman, the Hindu concept of “God.” This “God” is not a literal being, but is an impersonal spiritual substance that is one with nature and the cosmos. This view is called “pantheism,” the belief that everything is God, and that reality consists only of the universe and nature. Because everything is God, the yoga philosophy makes no distinction between man and God.

Hatha yoga is the aspect of yoga which focuses on the physical body through special postures, breathing exercises, and concentration or meditation. It is a means to prepare the body for the spiritual exercises, with less obstacles, in order to achieve enlightenment. The practice of yoga is based on the belief that man and God are one. It is little more than self-worship disguised as a high level of spirituality.

The question becomes, is it possible for a Christian to isolate the physical aspects of yoga as simply a method of exercise, without incorporating the spirituality or philosophy behind it? I don’t believe so. Yoga originated with a blatantly anti-Christian philosophy, and that philosophy has not changed. It teaches one to focus on oneself instead of on the one true God. It encourages its participants to seek the answers to life’s difficult questions within their own conscience instead of in the Word of God. It also leaves one open to deception from God’s enemy, who searches for victims that he can turn away from God (1 Peter 5:8).

Whatever we do should be done for God’s glory (1 Corinthians 10:31), and we would be wise to heed the words of the apostle Paul: “Fix your thoughts on what is true and honorable and right. Think about things that are pure and lovely and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise” (Philippians 4:8, NLT).

Taken from http://www.gotquestions.org/Christian-yoga.html 

In line with the study we’re doing on Joshua, I just thought of posting up a novelisation of Joshua 2 - 6 I did when I was in university. I had a project to write short stories based on the stories of the bible and added in some dramatisation of the main plot lines. (It shows how much time we had back in those days!)

Anyway, I wrote some short stories on Gideon, Samson, David and of course, Joshua and the promised land. “The Fall of Jericho” is written from the viewpoint of the two spies sent to scout the fortress, as well as the viewpoint of Rahab. I’ve added in some villians and other characters along the way, most imaginary, others based on Jewish tradition (tradition was that Rahab married one of the spies) that I researched. I had a lot of fun writing it almost 10 years ago, lots of grammar errors, but have fun reading it if you got time =)

FallOfJericho.pdf

Cell Meeting – 13 July 2007

Book of Joshua – Chapters 1 to 6

Introduction
* Joshua, in Hebrew means, “Jesus saves” and translates into Greek/Aramaic as “Jesus”

*Book of Joshua sometimes referred to as Victorious Christian Living because it is a story of God making good on His promises to Abraham 1) great nation, 2) possession of the promised land and 3) blessing on all nations through salvation of Jesus – Book of Joshua fulfils the 2^nd promise

*Story of Joshua began in Numbers when Joshua, who was an assistant to Moses, and Caleb were called upon to spy on Canaan. Joshua and Caleb returned with the good news that the land was good and habitable (flowing with milk and honey) but the other spies reported that the cities were formidable

* As a result, the Israelites were fearful to enter the promised land and spent the next 40 years wandering around the wilderness before another opportunity present itself

*Chapters 1 – 6 deals with Joshua leading the Israelites to enter the promised land, the story of Rahab, the circumcision of the young Israelites men who were born during the 40 years in the wilderness and the successful invasion into the city of Jericho

1. A call to be courageous (Chapter 1)

* Upon the death of Moses, Lord called upon Joshua to lead the Israelites in crossing the Jordan River and enter the promised land

* From the beginning, there is a deliberate literary arrangement in respect of God’s charge to Joshua – this is known as chiasm – which means “crossing” or “intersection”, between two points

* Verse 5 -9 - No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. 6 “Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them. 7 Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. 8 Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”

* A simple chiasm will read as follows:

- I went to Denmark alone, Alone to Denmark I went

* In the context of Jos 1:5-9, the literary chiasm is as follows:

- I will be with you (v5);

- So be strong and courageous (v6-7);

- So that you may have success (v 7);

- And to have success, you need to pay attention to the Book of Law (v 8 );

- Book of Law is important so that you may have success (v8)

- And because you will have success, you can be courageous (v9)

- And you can be courageous because the Lord your God is with you (v9)

* The stress here is on obeying the Word of the Lord, in order to have success in life

* So Joshua gathered up all the Israelites to cross the Jordan river into the promised land

* Chapter 1 shows that God may at times call us to do things which we feel we are unqualified to do. But Chapter 1 starts off strongly by asking all of us to be “strong and courageous”. Obedience in the Lord brings teachings and blessings. God will not forsake us.

2. Faith in God produces works (Chapters 2 – 5)

* In Chapter 2 – we read how Joshua sent two of his spies to Jericho to reconnoitre the city

* The two spies stayed with Rahab, the prostitute, who hid them from the soldiers. But the King of Jericho found out and wanted Rahab to surrender the spies

* Rahab said (in verse 4 -7), “Yes, the men came to me, but I did not know where they had come from. 5 At dusk, when it was time to close the city gate, the men left. I don’t know which way they went. Go after them quickly. You may catch up with them.” 6 (But she had taken them up to the roof and hidden them under the stalks of flax she had laid out on the roof.) 7 So the men set out in pursuit of the spies on the road that leads to the fords of the Jordan, and as soon as the pursuers had gone out, the gate was shut.

* Rahab lied to protect the location of the men because she knew that the land belongs to the Israelites and the Lord intended for this to take place – re verse 9 -13. “I know that the LORD has given this land to you and that a great fear of you has fallen on us, so that all who live in this country are melting in fear because of you. 10 We have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red Sea ^[b] for you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to Sihon and Og, the two kings of the Amorites east of the Jordan, whom you completely destroyed. ^[c] 11 When we heard of it, our hearts melted and everyone’s courage failed because of you, for the LORD your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below. 12 Now then, please swear to me by the LORD that you will show kindness to my family, because I have shown kindness to you. Give me a sure sign 13 that you will spare the lives of my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all who belong to them, and that you will save us from death.”

* In return, she asked that her life and those of her family members be spared

* The story of Rahab tells how faith produces works (James 2:14-18). She was justified by her works (James 2:25). She was saved by faith (Romans 5;1) but she proved her faith was real by her works. It means taking a stand for your faith.

* God remembers Rahab because of her faith, not because of her profession. She was also one of the only two women listed in the Hall of Faith in Hebrews 11 (the other being Sarah, Abraham’s wife) – Heb 11:31 “By faith, the prostitute Rahab, because the welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient”

* In Chapter 3 -5 deals with the crossing over the Jordan river, the memorial stones and also the circumcision of the young Israelites men

* Chapter 3 is also the 2^nd time that the Lord causes a body of water to separate in order for the Israelites to cross through (the first being the crossing of the Red Sea from Egypt)

* The priests carrying the Ark touched their feet to the water edge and just as the Lord had promised, the Jordan river stopped flowing in order for all the Israelites to cross over

* In Chapter 4 – the Lord asked Joshua to gather 12 men from each tribe to collect a stone each from the middle of Jordan River as a memorial to the people of Israel together (verse 4 -7) So Joshua called together the twelve men he had appointed from the Israelites, one from each tribe, 5 and said to them, “Go over before the ark of the LORD your God into the middle of the Jordan. Each of you is to take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites, 6 to serve as a sign among you. In the future, when your children ask you, ‘What do these stones mean?’ 7 tell them that the flow of the Jordan was cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD. When it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. These stones are to be a memorial to the people of Israel forever.”

* Similarly, we must also remember the good works that God has done in our lives

* Once all the Israelites had crossed over, they later camped at Gilgal – east of Jericho city. Here Joshua set up the memorial of stones which were taken from the Jordan river. This is the 2^nd memorial of stones being set up. The first one was placed in the middle of Jordan River where the priests carrying the Ark had stood. The purpose is the same as the first.

* In Chapter 5 – we read about the circumcision of the Israelites at Gilgal. These were the men that were born while the Israelites were wandering in the desert for 40 years. This is a symbolic event because it was the Lord’s way of renewing the lives of the Israelites. In verse 9 - Then the LORD said to Joshua, “Today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you.” So the place has been called Gilgal ^[b] to this day.

* Circumcision is also a cleansing process so that the Israelites can now start anew in the promise land. Gilgal was also the place where the Israelites first celebrated Passover in the promised land. Circumcision was taken as a sign of cutting off old life and beginning a new life with God (re Gen 17:13)

* At Gilgal, the Israelites also began to eat the produce from Canaan land - unleavened bread and roasted grains and stopped eating manna, which was the food provided by God during the Israelites 40 years in the desert.

3. Claiming God’s victories (Chapter 6)

* This is an important chapter because it deals with how God orders the steps to Joshua in conquering Jericho

* Verse 2 – 5 - Then the LORD said to Joshua, “See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands, along with its king and its fighting men. 3 March around the city once with all the armed men. Do this for six days. 4 Have seven priests carry trumpets of rams’ horns in front of the ark. On the seventh day, march around the city seven times, with the priests blowing the trumpets. 5 When you hear them sound a long blast on the trumpets, have all the people give a loud shout; then the wall of the city will collapse and the people will go up, every man straight in.”

* Imagine marching around the walls of the city for 7 straight days – not fighting and trying to be heroes but simply… marching and sounding trumpets and horns. What a test of patience. God does that to us many times, the solution to our problems is in the process itself. The journey along the way is far more important. It showed how willing the Israelites were to follow God’s instructions; if they had given up at any point during the seven days, they would never have entered Jericho.

* Once the Israelites have entered Jericho, they burned everything in the city, except for silver and gold, which were spared for the Lord’s house. This was important as the Canaanites were worshipped variety of gods, including Baal – they had a materialistic culture and a sensual religion

* However, the Israelites also spared the lives of Rahab and her family as promised

* It was important for the Israelites to destroy all that were contained within the walls of Jericho in order to rebuild their lives again. It’s the same thing with us when we accept the Lordship of Jesus Christ – that we cast away our past in order to embrace the new life in Jesus.

Tags:cell notes

We did a quick survey 2 weeks back and here’s what we’re looking at for the second half of ‘07.

Overall, the retreat was great…as in, everyone pretty much had a good time and one of the feedback was that it was too short. I agree. With a bungalow overlooking a golf course and perfect weather, 3 days 2 nights was waaayyy too short a time!

But come back we must, so with the cell heading down to the second half of ‘07, let’s make whatever we agreed with God up there count!

Here’s the little report and little graphs I am so addicted to creating.

1. Funniest Moment in Cell Retreat 2007:

I think it’s pretty unanimous that the majority thinks the funniest moment was seeing a human being literally tumbling down the hill a’la Jack and Jill, and coming to a stop with his body stuffed into a drain. Or another rolling episode when the same person started randomly rolling around, blindfold to collect tennis balls..and missing a dozen of it (?!) Absolutely brilliant.

2. What do you think you, as an individual need to focus on from here?

Moving on from the retreat, in terms of importance, most of us rate quiet time as the first priority. That’s good. That means we’re not complacent about where we are in our spiritual walk.

I guess we’ve all got our different ways for quiet time. Some do it at night; I’ve personally turned myself into a morning person, simply because I’m just too tired at night. Some use the Daily Bread (I’ve ordered 5 copies for our cell for the next quarter so come get ‘em!), I tend to read through the New Testament, 2 chapters per read. A new way I’m doing is to jot down one verse on a Post-its to take away and memorise it on the way to work. Then I stick it nearest to where I face most battles of the day: The Phone, to remind myself of the love of Christ whenever I feel like jamming the project manager’s head into the nearest sink. Whatever works, you know.

Bible study. This month we’re going to have a look at Joshua. Studying the bible is a lot of personal time in it: as well as diligence. Pslams 119:11 tells us to memorize (not just read) the scripture to keep us from sinning. It’s pretty hard to think of stuffing the HR manager’s head into the nearest tandas, for instance, when we are looping “Blessed are the Peacemakers for they will be called sons of God” in your brains.

This is followed by worship and bonding, which I think our cell is progressing in. The retreat really gave each of us a glimpse of each other in a more natural and relaxed way. Rolling fun, the retreat was.

Then the 4 external looking ministries: evangelism, serving, apologetics and missions, comes on the lower priority. I suppose we will develop more and more in these areas as we move on in our Christian journey. Of course, a quicker way is that I’ll sign all those who put the lowest in missions for the next trip to Philippines!!

3. What do you think the cell should focus on from here?

Cell focus is very similar to our individual ones: Bible study is a number one priority for us from here on. I’m a little surprise openness is second, while bonding is sixth, I didn’t expect such a large discrepancy between what I imagined to be similar issues.

I suppose we do a lot of bonding stuff together, i.e activities etc but we’re still not too comfy talking to each other about our personal issues….well, bonding is a good start, and from observance, we pretty much like to hang out with each other even out of our cell time.

I’m happy evangelism and community works are up there in terms of focus. I think we’ll have plenty of opportunities, together as a group, as well as individuals, where God has placed us.

Building leaders is I guess mid priority for now. I doubt multiplication is in the near horizon, but of course, there’s that goal we plan to head towards. Worship is something I guess our cell is blessed with, but this is tied to building new leaders: worship leaders, musos, cell leaders and all that.

I guess we’ll have to wait a bit before we start interacting with other churches. Kudos though to Allan who had taken time out to organise events that have people from different churches involved. It’s a good way to stamp a mark with other Christians and say, “Hey even if we’re from GTPJ and you from DUMC, it’s pretty cool that we’re all friends and family. Now, stop building your church so near ours and find another place!” Kidding about the last part, I’ve got good friends from DUMC, and it’s truly a church on fire. I’m excited if we have any collaboration together, because they are pretty cool.

So with this in mind, looks like we have quite a lot to work on for the remaining ‘07!