TRANSITION

With Pastor Scott Olin, Washington

 

 

There are, I imagine, many catch phrases in the body of Christ today.  One word that keeps coming up over and over again is the word “transition.”

 

Webster defines transition as such: 

§        "A passage from one state to another” 

§        “Change.” 

§        “A movement, development or evolution from one stage or style to another." 

 

I don't necessarily believe transition is a catch phrase but rather a word that God in heaven has been speaking through, and to many people in the day we're are living in. 

 

Transition is what God is up to in my life and I would venture to say in yours as well.  You don't have to look hard to find it in the church and in the world today.  God is changing us, evolving us, growing us into something different; something that looks more like His Kingdom and more like His son.

 

In I Chronicles 12 - we see transition, huge transition.  The Kingdom and its King are no more, both are changing, evolving, emerging with a different spirit and a different flavor.  Saul, the first King of Israel is dead, his sons, along with him.  The Kingdom is being handed over to David, according to the word of the Lord. 

 

As you go through this chapter you find that God is seemingly looking for something special, something different. He's got His King (David), now He's looking for some folks to surround this new King of His.  In chapter 12 of I Chronicles there are some very special people God has sent to David to help with this transition.  We want to talk about some of the characteristics and qualities of these people, a little later on.  Please know, as it was in David's time, so it is in ours.  There is huge transition going on through out the church!

 

There is so much in this chapter; we won't have time for all of it.  Remember, these are men that GOD sent to help David in this transition. I might add: not all of the church today is going to be able to embrace the things that are transitioning today. 

 

There is something special about the heart and make up of the many thousands that were coming to make Him King.

 

¨      First off - note:  VS. 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." 

 

These men could have taken the kingdom, and there may have been little to nothing David could have done about it.   However, these men knew what they were NOT suppose to do, as much as they knew what they were suppose to do. They knew they were wired for war and that David was to be the King. 

 

¨      A good character trait: Knowing where you fit in the body of Christ; knowing how to stay in and under that anointing. 

 

Let's add to this thought of examining the type of people that God sent to David to help in this transition.

 

¨      VS. 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."

 

There are four things we want to quickly discuss in this one verse.  REMEMBERING AGAIN! These are they God chose to be involved with the change and transition that was happening in the kingdom.  It's a great picture and example for us to consider as we are presently in transition in our live. 

 

1.  They were MEN OF WAR!      Worship, praise, intercession, prayer have always been equated to spiritual warfare.  If I'm going to be a man of war, I've got to have the intimate relationship with Jesus we've been hearing about for the past several years.  It's obviously much more involved than this, but that's where we start.  If I'm going to war - I've got to hang out with the captain as much as possible.  We are getting ready to move into a spiritual warfare - where all of us are going to be stretched.

 

2.  THEY WERE MEN THAT COULD KEEP RANK!

 

§        To break rank is to go off on your own, and do your own thing; to not submit to your commander.

§        Understanding my place and how I'm wired keeps me moving forward.  If I don't understand my place in the kingdom and what God has called me to do, I'm dangerous.

 

3.  Look at one Greek word in II Thess. 3:6-7  "Disorderly." In the Greek it means "to break rank!" 

§        Listen to it in the literal Greek: “Not at all working, but working all around.  To bustle about uselessly, bust ones self about trifling, needless, useless matters.”

§        THAYER'S: “A person who is officiously volunteering ones services where not needed; Meddlesome, inquisitive of others affairs.

 

It is imperative to know where you are called and anointed, and to stay there.  That personal vision for your life will help you make this transition.

 

4.  THEY HAD A PERFECT HEART! 

 

The word “perfect” means mature, complete, perfect and whole. 

It's doubtful that any of us will have a PERFECT HEART as it relates to no mistakes this side of heaven.  But David was "A man after Gods own heart." 

 

David fractured the law with that whole Bathsheeba thing!  That statement doesn't mean that David was like God or even close to it; rather, that David was constantly seeking after the heart of God.  God’s heart was ever before David, and that's what David was chasing after.

 

I must understand that I may have a lot of plans for my life, but scripture tells me that it is God’s purposes prevail!  Proverbs 19:21

 

God is looking for some folks who long for His kingdom and His purpose more than their own.  That's the heart God is wanting today.

 

Please understand my heart here.  We are commanded to grow in grace and in the knowledge of Jesus.  We are to strive to be perfect as our Father is perfect.  I just hate when people feel God can't use them because of their imperfections.  We ALL sin and fall short of the glory of God. If God could only use those who were mistake-less, He couldn't find a one of us to co-labor with Him.  My shortcomings don't mess him up.  He can deal with that.  What he's working on is my surrendered heart to His plans.

 

5.  THEY CAME TO HEBRON!

In the Hebrew the name Hebron means: “Community; alliance or CONFEDERACY.” 

 

A confederacy is something of mutual support or common action or common purpose.  It's a place of oneness and unity. 

 

In Psalms 133 the psalmist says that this place, this place where brothers dwell together in unity is the place where the oil flows. 

 

We, the church of Jesus Christ, have got to allow God to bring us to the place of oneness and unity - to fulfill the prayer of Jesus in John 17. We also, for the purpose of the Father releasing the oil of his spirit over us, in a new and fresh way.

 

We will never see every verse of scripture the same.  We may never worship or do communion the same way.  I don't believe unity means we all are under the same roof on Sunday morning, or even if we meet Sunday morning.  Jesus in a big enough common denominator to hold us together if we just believe in Him.  He loves the diversity and creativeness he has inspired in each community.  He has not made us a bunch of clones.  We are not supposed to be alike in every avenue of Christianity.  He has never commanded us to think alike, but to think like Him.

 

Each group of believers expresses the Kingdom in a different creative way; God is the one who did that! 

 

To come to the place of Hebron simply takes our belief in the Son of God and our ability to quit putting each other in boxes.

 

Transition: There is something new arising; something in the air; change and evolution.  Gods on the move!  Are you going with him?

 

 God bless you!

Pastor Scott

 

 NewHopeCityChurch.com

 

 

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