verticallife

“How I long for the months gone by, for the days when God watched over me, when his lamp shone upon my head and by his light I walked through darkness! Oh, for the days when I was in my prime, when God’s intimate friendship blessed my house.” (Job 29:1-3)

Job longed for the past. He wanted to go back to a time when he not only enjoyed close relationships with his family members – He also longed for the close walk with God he once enjoyed. What is by far one of my favorite passages in all of Scripture, Job desperately wanted to go back to a time when his house was blessed by an intimate friendship with God. It’s what our Father wants to have with us.

Job’s thoughts sound a lot like one song writer. “These things I remember as I pour out my soul: how I used to go with the multitude, leading the procession to the house of God, with shouts of joy and thanksgiving among the festive throng…” (Psalm 42:6)

“I used to…” Those can be some very difficult thoughts, but they don’t have to be. The past, no matter who you are or what you’ve done, does not have to be the best time of your life. After asking him, “why so downcast, o my soul?” that Psalm writer continued,

“Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls; all your waves and breakers have swept over me. By day the LORD directs his love, at night his song is with me—a prayer to the God of my life.” (Psalm 42:7-8)

Was there a time when you enjoyed a closer friendship with God? Do you remember a time when you were deeper in your relationship with Him? If you feel like your friendship with Him is shallow, don’t stay there. Go deeper. “Deep calls to deep.” We’re wired for a deeper friendship with God. We’re wired for deeper friendships with one another.

Don’t stay in the shallows. Don’t remain in the past. Let your memories of the past drive you deeper in the present.

These thoughts are from A History of Israel by John Bright © 1972, 1981 The Westminster Press. Bright uses two words that need some clarification – cult and league. By cult he means “a particular system of religious worship, especially with reference to its rites and ceremonies.” He does not mean “a religion or sect considered to be false.” Since I’m a sports junkie the only definition for league I knew of to this point was “a group of athletic teams organized to promote mutual interests and to compete chiefly among themselves.” The definition can also include “a covenant or compact made between persons, parties, states, etc., for the promotion or maintenance of common interests or for mutual assistance or service.” Also, “an association of individuals having a common goal.”Here are Bright’s quotes regarding Israel’s tribes. Reflect on whether there are connections with building the kingdom of God.

It was “within her tribal structure that Israel’s sacred traditions, beliefs, and institutions developed and achieved normative form.” (144)

What held them together was a covenant relationship with God. “According to the Bible, Israel responded to Yahweh’s favor by entering into covenant with him to be his people and to live in accordance with his commandments. It other words, it was through covenant that Israel was constituted as Yahweh’s people.” (149)

“The existence of Israel as a people thus rested in the memory of a common experience as handed down ultimately by those who participated in it, who were the nucleus of Israel.” (150)

“From the beginning of her life in Palestine down to the rise of the monarchy, a period of some two hundred years, Israel existed as a loosely organized system of (traditionally twelve) tribes. Through all this period she had no central government or machinery of state.” Israel’s “tribal system persisted” and “provided the framework within which her sacred traditions and characteristic institutions achieved normative form.” (162)

“Early Israel seems in fact to have existed as a sacral league of tribes founded in covenant with Yahweh… the Bible traces the descent of all the tribes to the ancestor Jacob (Israel).” (163)

“Individual tribes were again and again forced to take concerted action in times of common emergency. Such emergencies were frequent enough; and the memory of help given and received may have lingered for generations, and must have done much to strengthen feelings of closeness among the tribes immediately affected.” (164)

“The constant threat of common danger no doubt intensified Israel’s feeling of unity, but it cannot of itself have created it. Indeed, the twelfth-century Song of Deborah (Judg. Ch.5) tells us of one occasion when tribes that already had bonds of unity with those most immediately threatened, and were for this reason felt to be under obligation to send help, nevertheless failed to do so.” (164)

“Tribal society was patriarchal, and it lacked the stratification characteristic of the feudal society of Canaan. Though elders of the clans, by virtue of their position, adjudicated disputes in accordance with traditional procedure and were looked up to for the wisdom of their counsel, anything resembling organized government was lacking. The league had its focal point at the shrine shich housed the Ark of the Covenant, at least by the end of the period located at Shiloh. There the tribesmen would gather on stated occasions to seek the presence of Yahweh and renew their allegiance to him, and also to adjust matters of controversy and mutual interest among the tribes. Each tribe was presumably represented by its head, very probably the nasi, who by virtue of this position,, stood under especial divine protection (Ex. 22:28)
“The tribal system was probably not altogether unique. Though analogies with the Greek amphictyonies should not be pressed to far, tribal confederations of one sort or another were common in the world of the day, and had been for centuries.” (166)

“How the Israelite league operated may best be learned from the book of Judges. Here we see the tribes maintaining a precarious existence surrounded by foes, but without organized government of any sort. In times of danger there would arise a judge, a man empowered by ‘the Spirit of Yahweh’, who would call out the clans and repel the foe. Though Israel must have had some customary military organization, there was no standing army; battle strength rested solely on the rally of the clans. The clans could not be compelled to respond, but they were obligated to do so and were roundly cursed if they did not (Judg. 5:15-17; 23), for the call to arms was the call to fight the divine Overlord’s wars. Though his victories won him prestige, the judge was in no sense a king. His authority was neither absolute, nor permanent, nor in any case hereditary; it rested solely in those personal qualities of leadership (the charisma) that gave evidence to all that Yahweh’s Spirit was upon him. Indeed as Gideon’s brusque refusal of a crown (Judg. 8:22f) and Jotham’s biting fable (ch.9:7-21) show, the whole notion of monarchy was rejected as improper. The authority of the judge was of a type perfectly expressive of the faith and constitution of early Israel: the God-Kings direct rule over his people through his Spirit-designated representative.” (167)

“It is clear from the Song of Deborah (Judg. Ch.5) that the tribal league was in full operation, with at least ten members, in the twelfth century.” (167)

The focal point of the life of Israel “throughout its history was the shrine housing the Ark of the Covenant, the throne of the invisible Yahweh… The Pentateuchal sources refer to the desert shrine as ‘the Tent of Meeting’…where Yahweh met with his pepole and made known his will – or simply as ‘the Tent, the Tabernacle’… with stress upon the presence of Yahweh ‘tenting among his people.” (168-9)

But “the central shrine was not, to be sure, an exclusive one, for other shrines existed and were freely tolerated. Because of this fact, and because the Tabernacle is scarcely mentioned through the period of the Judges, it was once commonly assumed that Israel had no central cult at the time. This is scarcely correct. Not only were great pilgrim shrines the rule in most ancient Oriental countries, but Israel’s tribal organization – as was true of similar organizations elsewhere – required a focal point at a central sanctuary. Though worship at other places was not excluded, the shrine of the Ark was the official shrine of the tribal league and the heart of its corporate life.” (169)

“Early Israel’s cult, however, did not center in a sacrificial system, but in certain great annual feasts.” (171)

“Regarding actual judicial procedure, we may assume that justice was normally dispensed by the village elders in accordance with tradition. The priests were called on to settle hard cases by oracle or by ordeal (cf. Num. 5:11-31; Deut. 17:8-11)…Many have believed that the so-called Minor Judges (Judg. 10:1-5; 12:7-15) were officials of the league whose function it was to administer the law for all Israel and to adjucate cases of controversy between the tribes.” (173)

Here is the audio version of the book, Tribal Leadership. The authors are getting this version out for free through www.zappos.com. It really is free and you do not have to buy anything or sign up for something they’ll charge you for one month from now. Listen to the book or buy it and tell me how you think it might apply to the Jesus Tribe.

http://www.zappos.com/tribal.zhtml

2008 Award of Merit from Religion Communicators Council
Christian Century’s Top Ten Practical Theology Books of 2008

Many churches are seeking ways to reach out to younger generations. Unfortunately this often manifests as either a “come be just like us!” attitude-suggesting an unwillingness to change in order to be inclusive of young people-or as a slick marketing campaign that targets young adults in much the same way secular advertising does. Both of these approaches often leave young adults feeling that their particular spiritual gifts and needs are unwanted by the church. “We only want you for your demographic” is the message given.

Carol Howard Merritt, a pastor in her mid-thirties, suggests a different way for churches to be able to approach young adults on their own terms. Outlining the financial, social, and familial situations that affect many young adults today, she describes how churches can provide a safe, supportive place for young adults to nurture relationships and foster spiritual growth. There are few places left in society that allow for real intergenerational connections to be made, yet these connections are vital for any church that seeks to reflect the fullness of the body of Christ.

Using the metaphor of a tribe to describe the close bonds that form when people of all ages decide to walk together on their spiritual journeys, Merritt casts a vision of the church that embraces the gifts of all members while reaching out to those who might otherwise feel unwelcome or unneeded. Mainline churches have much to offer young adults, as well as much to learn from them. By breaking down artificial age barriers and building up intentional relationships, congregations can provide a space for all people to connect with God, each other, and the world.

Since the dawn of civilization people have formed tribes, and research demonstrates that humans are genetically programmed to form into groups. Within every company there are tribes, often several, consisting of 20 to 150 people who know each other and work together.  But while everyone tribes, the culture of each tribe is different, as is its effectiveness.  Improving a tribe’s culture-and its chances for greater success-requires a tribal leader who not only understands the tribe but can leverage its collective assets to build a greater team.

In TRIBAL LEADERSHIP: Leveraging Natural Groups to Build a Thriving Organization, management consultants Dave Logan, John King, and Halee Fischer-Wright show leaders how to use the tribes within their organization to maximize productivity and profit. Based on a ten-year study of nearly 24,000 people in more than two dozen corporations, and with insights from such leading and diverse figures as Brian France, CEO of NASCAR, Reed Hoffman, Chairman of LinkedIn, Scott Adams, creator of Dilbert, and Mike Eruzione, captain of the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team, TRIBAL LEADERSHIP is not only a fascinating look into the nature of organizations and human behavior, but an invaluable guide to understanding how today’s top companies perform, how to develop both personal and team excellence, and why the success of any company comes from the strength of the tribes within.

As the authors explain, top tribal leaders excel at getting their groups “unstuck” and moving forward by putting the tribe members (rather than themselves) first.  Using the strategies outlined in TRIBAL LEADERSHIP, leaders can build on the tribe’s culture by enabling people to harness their individual strengths, talents, and interests for the good of the group.  The result is increased loyalty, hard work, innovation, and collaboration. “The goal is to give you the perspective and tools of a Tribal Leader,” the authors write.  “The result is more effective workplaces, greater strategic success, less stress, and more fun.  In short, the point of this book is for you to build a better organization in which the best people want to work and make an impact.”

The authors explain exactly what Tribal Leadership is, and offer a wealth of “technical notes” which explain how to implement the leadership system in any culture.  They also offer coaching tips and a “cheat sheet” that provides the key action steps to building great tribes-including how to identify a tribe’s language and customs, how to move yourself forward while moving your people, and how to build a support network.
 
TRIBAL LEADERSHIP details each of the five tribal stages and helps readers identify which actions affect it and which strategies will enable the tribe to upgrade to the next level.  The authors discuss how each stage has a unique set of leverage points and why it is critical to understand them-more than three quarters of the organizations they studied have tribal cultures that are adequate at best. The five stages include:

• Stage One: The stage most professionals skip, these are tribes whose members are despairingly hostile-they may create scandals, steal from the company, or even threaten violence.
• Stage Two: The dominant culture for 25 percent of workplace tribes, this stage includes members who are passively antagonistic, sarcastic, and resistant to new management initiatives.
• Stage Three: 49 percent of workplace tribes are in this stage, marked by knowledge hoarders who want to outwork and outthink their competitors on an individual basis. They are lone warriors who not only want to win, but need to be the best and brightest.
• Stage Four: The transition from “I’m great” to “we’re great” comes in this stage where the tribe members are excited to work together for the benefit of the entire company.
• Stage Five: Less than 2 percent of workplace tribal culture is in this stage when members who have made substantial innovations seek to use their potential to make a global impact.

The authors also offer an in-depth look at Tribal Leadership strategies, and discuss how leaders can identify the tribe’s core values and the noble causes to which they aspire.  They then explain how to use those principles along with the tribe’s inherent assets and behaviors to foster success based on the tribe’s goals and objectives.  As the authors explain, once the tribe sets its strategy based on these factors, a palpable sense of excitement begins to emerge.  “Every member of the tribe knows exactly how to succeed and what each person must do to make the tribe effective,” they write.  “That’s the promise of tribal strategy.”

A groundbreaking and important guide to understanding the true source of exceptional leadership, TRIBAL LEADERSHIP can help leaders maximize productivity and growth while bringing their tribes to unprecedented levels of success and achievement.

There are some guys in my life I have been compelled to build into. Some may call this group their “12″ – picturing Jesus pouring Himself into His 12 disciples. Lately I’ve been thinking about it in terms of my “tribe.”

A tribe is “any aggregate of people united by ties of descent from a common ancestor, community of customs and traditions, adherence to the same leaders, etc.” (Dictionary.com) Wilson’s Old Testament Word Studies says the word literally means a branch; a rod, a staff. The tribes of Israel were explained in this way because a branch comes from the same stem. The expression is metaphorical. It’s derived from a plant from whose root spring up several sprouts, shoots, stems; thus the founder of a whole race is compared to a root (Isaiah 11:1), while the ancestors of the several subdivisions or tribes are called stems.

Tribes are found throughout Scriptures:

• Remember the people you purchased of old, the tribe of your inheritance, whom you redeemed. (Psalm 74.2)
• That is where the tribes go up, the tribes of the LORD, to praise the name of the LORD. (Psalm 122.4) 
• It is too small a thing for you to be my servant to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back those of Israel I have kept. I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring my salvation to the ends of the earth. (Isaiah 49.6)
• He who is the Portion of Jacob is not like these, for he is the Maker of all things, including the tribe of his inheritance-the LORD Almighty is his name. (Jeremiah 51.19)
• With your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. (Revelation 5.9)
• After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. (Revelation 7.9)
• He had the eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth-to every nation, tribe, language and people. (Revelation 14.6)

People from every nation, tribe and language will be gathered around the throne to worship the Lamb. God purchased us for Himself. We are His inheritance. As a tribe, I’m calling us as men to a life of radical obedience to Jesus Christ, to be God’s men. We’re united by a common Ancestor. We have all been born again into the family of God through the blood of His Son Jesus Christ.

As a pastor I’m shifting the way I lead. Instead of simply teaching and preaching, I want to build into guys as a father would a son (1 Timothy 1.2; 2 Timothy 1.2; Titus 1.4). Paul said once, “”But you know that Timothy has proved himself, because as a son with his father he has served with me in the work of the gospel.” (Philippians 2.22) If Timothy was like a son to Paul, Paul was like a father to Timothy.

At this stage in her life, Christina doesn’t need my help quizzing her in how to spell vocabulary words. That’s where Rebecca is. The ways I am involved in Sierra’s life is different from how I’m involved with either Christy or Rebecca. Why is that? My girls are all at different stages of their lives. There is no cookie cutter approach to how I build into them. There will never be a day I won’t be developing them as people. Some day I will be there when they need counsel on raising their own kids – my grandchildren.

The same is true of how we develop people as spiritual children. The men I’m close to are at different stages in life. There is no cookie cutter approach. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to developing disciples, much less a one-size-fits-all approach to raising children. I cannot think that simply putting them in a class and teaching them some head knowledge that they will develop into men who will raise their own ”kids.” Plus, at no point do we cease being discipled.  We have to continue growing. John Maxwell said it this way. We need to develop the leader within us as we develop the leaders around us.

What does this mean? I want to pray for them daily. I want to call them and write them weekly. I want to get with them face-to-face monthly. It’s life on life.

Are you willing to take the journey with me?

One of the blessings of going to the pastors’ midwinter conference through the Covenant is that I get scads of books free. (You like that word, scads?) One book I received is called “Stories With Intent” by Klyne Snodgrass, professor of New Testament Studies at North Park. He had some great thoughts on the next two pictures of the kingdom.

   My plan last week was to lump all of the parables on planting and farming into one. We looked at how we need to ready our hearts for the seed Christ wants to plant in us. Are we hard and rocky so no seed can take root? Are our lives full of weeds – the worries of this life or the deceitfulness of wealth – choking whatever He wants to do in our lives? Or is the soil of our lives nutrient rich so that we receive what He wants to plant in us, and we see the fruit in the character produced and the lives we touch? We were meant to be fruitful. Jesus said, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5) He said we glorify the Father when we “bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.” (John 15:8)

   We looked at how the kingdom is like a man who sowed seed in his field and how an enemy sowed weeds. We see that even though the kingdom exists in this world, that the “sons of the kingdom” and the “sons of the evil one” exist together. Though the kingdom exists in the field of this world, at times it will not be obvious.

   The third farming story is the parable of the mustard seed, which was the smallest of seeds yet grew to become the largest plant in their gardens. I wanted to tell that story with the rest, but God had a different plan.

   According to our professor friend from North Park and other writers, the parables of the mustard seed and the yeast (or leaven) are to be read together.

   The Mustard Seed story urges us and even warns us that “no one should be put off by what appears unimpressive. Like the tiny mustard seed which grows to a large plant, so the kingdom is present, even if hidden, unnoticed or ignored.” (p.225 Stories With Intent)

   It may be wrong to think this parable is about the spiritual growth of the individual. Yet, “it is not wrong to understand the dynamic of God’s working and apply it to the individual or to other circumstances. It is not only with Jesus’ ministry that things may look small and insignificant and yet yield huge results. We see it later with the crucifixion, and this dynamic seems to be a regular practice of God (1 Corinthians 1:26-31). Like the cross, the mustard seed parable is a challenge to human perception and judgment about smallness and significance.” Please don’t miss this next part. We “too often fail to recognize a seed planted by God. We should expect and implement ‘mustard seed’ thinking, neither disparaging insignificance nor doubting what God can do and does do with small beginnings.” (227-8)

   These two stories put together teach us about those transitions from “the small beginning to the large result.” (226)

   In what ways has your thinking become small? Are you implementing “mustard seed” thinking, praying and believing? Jesus said, “Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” (Matthew 17:20) What mountains aren’t moving because you stopped placing your faith in Christ?

   Jesus said “seek first the kingdom” and then all these things you are worrying about will fall into place. Over the next two months we’ll be looking at these “stories with intent,” giving us a clearer picture of this kingdom we should seek.

Job was caught complaining in chapter 6:2-3. “Oh, that my grief were fully weighed, and my calamity laid with it on the scales! For then it would be heavier than the sand of the sea – Therefore my words have been rash.”

Hey, who doesn’t complain? Don’t you think he would have something to complain about? Who could be optimistic in his circumstances?

It’s extremely difficult to be optimistic without Christ. Some would say, impossible. Job saw things as they were. He could see no good but still believed in God. We have a different perspective. We live in a time after Christ was revealed. We have seen Christ and know God is love. We know God is good because Jesus demonstrated goodness. When people sneer at God because He allows the godly to suffer, the sufferer suffers further. The author of Psalm 42 saw that when the people around him asked, “So where is your God?” Have you ever talked to yourself? That’s what he had to do. “Why so downcast, O my soul? Put your hope in God.”

Instead of complaining today (to God or to someone else), talk to yourself. Talk to yourself based on God’s promises. Job realized he had been rash with his complaining. Find your optimism in the One who promised He would never leave you nor forsake you. Though it may feel like it (Psalm 22:1), in the end we’ll remember what He has done (Psalm 22:31).

Ernie & Johnny