Citizen Link Magazine - The Christian worldview can be summed up in a single phrase: "Jesus is Lord" -- which is the first creed of Christianity. Understanding Christ’s lordship over all of life is no easy task. Yet, once we begin to understand that all of life--not just "church" life--is of intense interest to God, we are able to bring a renewed sense of purpose to our lives and faith. The Lordship of Christ does not allow us to ignore art, politics, or literature, any more than it allows us to ignore the lost, hungry, sick, or the poor. Only by seeing the world through God’s eyes, or what we call "thinking Christianly," will we understand our mandate to redeem the fullness of our culture and reach out to a dying world.
1Ch 12:23 And these are the numbers of the bands that were ready armed to the war, and came to David to Hebron, to turn the kingdom of Saul to him, according to the word of the LORD.
1Ch 12:24 The children of Judah that bare shield and spear were six thousand and eight hundred, ready armed to the war.
1Ch 12:25 Of the children of Simeon, mighty men of valour for the war, seven thousand and one hundred.
1Ch 12:26 Of the children of Levi four thousand and six hundred.
1Ch 12:27 And Jehoiada was the leader of the Aaronites, and with him were three thousand and seven hundred;
1Ch 12:28 And Zadok, a young man mighty of valour, and of his father’s house twenty and two captains.
1Ch 12:29 And of the children of Benjamin, the kindred of Saul, three thousand: for hitherto the greatest part of them had kept the ward of the house of Saul.
1Ch 12:30 And of the children of Ephraim twenty thousand and eight hundred, mighty men of valour, famous throughout the house of their fathers.
1Ch 12:31 And of the half tribe of Manasseh eighteen thousand, which were expressed by name, to come and make David king.
1Ch 12:32 And of the children of Issachar, which were men that had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do; the heads of them were two hundred; and all their brethren were at their commandment.
1Ch 12:33 Of Zebulun, such as went forth to battle, expert in war, with all instruments of war, fifty thousand, which could keep rank: they were not of double heart.
1Ch 12:34 And of Naphtali a thousand captains, and with them with shield and spear thirty and seven thousand.
1Ch 12:35 And of the Danites expert in war twenty and eight thousand and six hundred.
1Ch 12:36 And of Asher, such as went forth to battle, expert in war, forty thousand.
1Ch 12:37 And on the other side of Jordan, of the Reubenites, and the Gadites, and of the half tribe of Manasseh, with all manner of instruments of war for the battle, an hundred and twenty thousand.
1Ch 12:38 All these men of war, that could keep rank, came with a perfect heart to Hebron, to make David king over all Israel: and all the rest also of Israel were of one heart to make David king.
1Ch 12:39 And there they were with David three days, eating and drinking: for their brethren had prepared for them.
1Ch 12:40 Moreover they that were nigh them, even unto Issachar and Zebulun and Naphtali, brought bread on asses, and on camels, and on mules, and on oxen, and meat, meal, cakes of figs, and bunches of raisins, and wine, and oil, and oxen, and sheep abundantly: for there was joy in Israel.
MELVIN M. NEWLAND- The word "chronicle" means? It means an "account," a "record," a "history," a "story of" whatever is being written about. And that is what the O.T. books of 1 & 2 Chronicles are - an account of some of the events that took place in the history of the kings of Israel.
The first king of Israel was Saul, who disobeyed God & whose reign ended tragically. The second king was David, the one who killed Goliath, author of many of the Psalms, the one who ushered in the golden years of Israel.
Well, in the 12th chapter of 1 Chronicles, there is a list of the 12 tribes of Israel who came to ally themselves with David, to make him their King.
Ron Luce - Something on the order of Hurricane Katrina is about to hit our whole nation of young people, and the aftermath will no doubt last over 50 years. Just like we saw on the Doppler radar warning that Katrina was on the way, we can see clear signs that this ‘storm’ is approaching as well. Many chose to ‘ride out the storm,’ hardly realizing what their lack of belief in the Doppler would cost them. May God deliver us from such foolishness as we face the gathering storm before us.
The percentage of Bible-based believers (Evangelicals) has been steadily decreasing since the Builder generation:
(2006 study) Builders 65%, Boomers 35%,Busters 16%,Bridger’s (or Millennials) 4%
This decline has never happened in the history of America. Our Nation is at a crossroads.
Our nation has the privileged heritage of being founded on Christian principles with so many of our founding fathers being Godly men. For two centuries we have enjoyed a society that, while all people are not Christian, many of the moral imperatives from Scripture have kept some restraints on our lifestyles. With the erosion of our population away from core Bible-based beliefs, standards and guidelines as a society have moved. There is no longer a potent majority who screams out loud when traditional biblical values are violated in our tolerant society.
Let’s just look at the Boomers, born from 1945-1961, and the society we have now that they have authored:
• Hollywood TV and movies
• Music industry perversion
• The Internet with garbage that used to shame our society (more than 4.2 million porn websites)
• Gay marriage being fervently defended
• Taking down the 10 commandments
• All signs of Christianity being taken out of public holidays and city/county logos and places
• 50% of marriages ending in divorce
If these are the struggles we face now, what will it be like if our whole nation becomes just 4% evangelical?
1Ch 12:32 And of the children of Issachar, which were men that had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do; the heads of them were two hundred; and all their brethren were at their commandment.
Do you really understand the Times we are living in?
Scott Chambers - these men from Issachar realized that changes were taking place in their nation & they needed to respond to those changes. Not only that, but they were the kind of men who could make the right decisions.
What type of Warriors are Needed?
1. Ones who are brave
2. Ones who are prepared
3. Ones who understand the times
1. Ones who are brave
a. 1Ch 12:30 And of the children of Ephraim twenty thousand and eight hundred, mighty men of valour, famous throughout the house of their fathers.
b. 1Ch 12:30 (BBE) And of the children of Ephraim, twenty thousand, eight hundred great men of war, men of great name in their families.
c. Chambers (March 2005) - We need to gain an understanding of the place of the church in our culture.
1. Only forty-one percent of Americans attend church services on a normal weekend.
2. Each generation in our culture becomes increasingly unchurched.
a. The builder generation (Born prior to 1946)—51% attend regularly.
b. The baby boomers (Born 1946-1964)—41% attend regularly.
c. The baby busters (Born 1965-1976)—34% attend regularly.
d. The bridgers generation (Born 1977-1994)—26% attend regularly.
3. Only one person is reached for Christ for every 85 church members in America.
4. America is becoming less Christian, less evangelized and more unchurched.
5. Too many in our churches are oblivious to the moral pit our culture is rapidly descending into.
6. Could it be that we have developed more of a concern for comfort and maintaining the status-quo rather than a concern for the unchurched? LET’S BE BRAVE AND SHOW OUR CONCERN!
Dr. Hans Nikoley - David has been king for some time now, and is making up his army with the mighty men you can read in Ch. 11. Leaders were chosen out of every tribe, and each built up an army of mighty men of valor. These men were not of a double heart v. 33.
The first 22 verses deal with the names and account of those who had come to help in three of David’s crises in the past, and help him in his cause. That is what we need today, some men and women who will join themselves to the man of God and His cause. It was worth while for these men to risk their lives for him, knowing that he cared so much for them.
BEING BRAVE GOES WITH BEING PREPARED
2. Ones who are prepared
a. "Training is the Army’s top priority; it prepares us to fight. As leaders, our sacred responsibility is to ensure that no soldier ever dies in combat because that soldier was not properly trained.
"Training is the cornerstone of readiness and the basis for credible deterrence and capable defense. Training prepares soldiers, leaders, and units to fight and win in war-The Army’s basic mission."
Training is the Army’s top priority and don’t you forget it!"
-General Carl E. Vuono
Forward of Army Field Manual 25-101, Battle Focused Training
b. To be successful in combat, the Army must train continually to develop and maintain combat-ready soldiers...
c. 1Ch 12:33 Of Zebulun, such as went forth to battle, expert in war, with all instruments of war, fifty thousand, which could keep rank: they were not of double heart.
d. JFB - 33. Men of Zebulun ... could keep rank--that is, were more disciplined soldiers than the rest.
e. Not of double heart--Though their numbers were large, all were in a high degree favored David.
f. They were not of a double heart – FBN - Double heart; wavering, inconstant.
Now Is Our Moment
Studies have shown that two-thirds of those who come to Christ do so before the age of 18. Something happens when we humans turn 20 and we think we know it all. If we do not reach this generation now, in 10 years we will have a whole new set of challenges here in America.
We need to focus on having ourselves battle ready. How do we do that? Showing people we love them. Not being afraid to put your arm around someone who maybe doesn’t smell the best and saying I care for you and Jesus loves you. BE WILLING TO SHARE YOUR FAITH
WHEN WE ARE PREPARED WE UNDERSTAND WHAT IS GOING ON AROUND US
3. Ones who understand the times
g. A Scotchman demonstrated the new game to President Ulysses Grant.
Carefully placing the ball on the tee, he took a mighty swing. The club hit the turf and scattered dirt all over the President’s beard and surrounding vicinity, while the ball placidly waited on the tee.
Again the Scotchman swung, and again he missed. Our President waited patiently through six tries and then quietly stated, "There seems to be a fair amount of exercise in the game, but I fail to see the purpose of the ball.
h. We need to try to understand the times we live in and realize our purpose we are here for.
i. 1Ch 12:32 And of the children of Issachar, which were men that had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do; the heads of them were two hundred; and all their brethren were at their commandment.
Luce - ‘Lest we believe one of the commons myths “kids have always had a tough time, they will make it through all right,” we should note the various issues they are facing for the first time in history:
4. Only 4% of them Bible-believing
5. They are oversaturated with media
6. There is an extreme sexualization of our society
7. Point and click porn is readily available
A few years ago, Judge Robert Bork was being interviewed on "Face the Nation." The interviewer, after mentioning a number of depressing current events from White Water to Paula Jones to O.J. Simpson, threw up his hands in mock despair & said, "I don’t understand what is going on, do you?" Judge Bork responded, "Yes, we are on the edge of the decline of Western civilization."
Luce - 1989 was the highest birth year for this generation, so the median age right now is 15-16. We have about 5 years before most of them are in their 20’s. Whatever they are when they get there is what we as a nation become. What we do in the next 5 years will determine the next 50 years of American history, culture, and spiritual direction.
When Dr. David Livingstone was working in Africa, a group of friends wrote him: "We would like to send other men to you. Have you found a good road into your area yet?" According to a member of his family, Dr. Livingstone sent this message in reply: "If you have men who will only come if they know there is a good road, I don’t want them. I want men who will come if there is no road at all."
Are you Committed to Staying Connected to what is happening in our Culture?
What type of Warriors are Needed?
1. Ones who are brave
2. Ones who are prepared
3. Ones who understand the times
WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO IMPACT OUR NEXT GENERATION?
