For those of you who know my travels very well, you would probably say that New Zealand is like a second home for me. Well, it is…and began 20years ago. Then, as a single man, it would be the only other place I felt at home – it is where David Cowie is based, the man whom I now call a spiritual father in my life. The first 8 years of my life on the mission field were formed under him – and so a huge chunk of what I know now on missions, were formed under the covering of Marine Reach International (founded by David & Linda Cowie). Apart from the Cowies, the only other people on earth who have come close to having immense impact on my life would be the Jinadus (to whom I am deeply thankful to God for, for the healthy marriage I now have with my wife). All that said, I remain thankful to God for my biological parents, my siblings and some churches (like Kensington Temple & Grace Family Church) through whom I first began to rehearse for the life I now live for God.
Often hidden between the pages of my life are these men and women of God who saw (then) what I now see today. Back then, I made a lot more mistakes than I am making today. They have given me access into their marriage, allowed me into their living room and conversed with me over coffee about very sensitive areas of their own inner weakness. They did so at no cost to me – just like someone had done for them from the generation before them.
In the 18years I was privileged to start and lead BTBAB, many people came and left (mostly for good reasons). But there was always a group of people who stayed on long enough to establish the work of BTBAB. They are known as the Joshua Generation – it is the generation that were just old enough to see what God did with the Moses generation but yet were also just young enough to foresee the gathering of the wind of God.
In Exodus 33: 1-11, a young man by the name of Joshua stayed behind at the tabernacle of meeting watching every move of his spiritual father, Moses, knowing that one day he would be needed to help navigate the next generation into the next move of God. For every church to keep growing, for every organisation to keep making impact, they must never lose the Joshua generation – because they are the bridge into the next wind of God!
Exodus 33: 1-11
1 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Leave this place, you and the people you brought up out of Egypt, and go up to the land I promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, saying, ‘I will give it to your descendants.’ 2 I will send an angel before you and drive out the Canaanites, Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. 3 Go up to the land flowing with milk and honey. But I will not go with you, because you are a stiff-necked people and I might destroy you on the way.”
4 When the people heard these distressing words, they began to mourn and no one put on any ornaments. 5 For the Lord had said to Moses, “Tell the Israelites, ‘You are a stiff-necked people. If I were to go with you even for a moment, I might destroy you. Now take off your ornaments and I will decide what to do with you.’” 6 So the Israelites stripped off their ornaments at Mount Horeb.
The Tent of Meeting
7 Now Moses used to take a tent and pitch it outside the camp some distance away, calling it the “tent of meeting.” Anyone inquiring of the Lord would go to the tent of meeting outside the camp. 8 And whenever Moses went out to the tent, all the people rose and stood at the entrances to their tents, watching Moses until he entered the tent. 9 As Moses went into the tent, the pillar of cloud would come down and stay at the entrance, while the Lord spoke with Moses. 10 Whenever the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance to the tent, they all stood and worshiped, each at the entrance to their tent. 11 The Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend. Then Moses would return to the camp, but his young aide Joshua son of Nun did not leave the tent.
