Virtual Church Consulting

We are in a series called “Sword Sharpening,” looking at how to make the most of our time with the Bible. We are currently breaking the Bible’s storyline (His Story) into eight sections. This week we will look at the fifth section, 1 Chronicles – Malachai, and call it the ‘Kingdom Coming.’

Last week in ‘Kingdom Foreshadowed,’ we saw Israel reach its temporal peak under Kings David and Solomon, but we also saw that mess and brokenness were still rampant. After Solomon died, his son caused the splitting of the nation into two kingdoms-the Northern (Israel) and Southern (Judah).

The leaders of Israel run the nation into the ground even though God warns them repeatedly to turn back to Him. Gentile enemies take over both kingdoms. The northern kingdom is taken into captivity by the Assyrians around 721 BC. The Southern Kingdom is forced into 70 years of exile in Babylon around 590 BC.

During the Babylonian exile, God raised prophets to announce the coming Kingdom, where God would again restore His Son David (fulfilled in Christ) to the throne.

We saw last week that Solomon built the temple and prayed, and the presence of God came and filled the temple. Unfortunately, the people go their own way again, and just before the Southern Kingdom is exiled, the Bible records the presence of God leaving the temple.

Ezekiel 10:3-4 (NIV)
3 Now the cherubim were standing on the south side of the temple when the man went in, and a cloud filled the inner court. 4 Then the glory of the LORD rose from above the cherubim and moved to the threshold of the temple. The cloud filled the temple, and the court was full of the radiance of the glory of the LORD.

Ezekiel 10:18-19 (NIV)
18 Then the glory of the LORD departed from over the threshold of the temple and stopped above the cherubim. 19 While I watched, the cherubim spread their wings and rose from the ground, and as they went, the wheels went with them. They stopped at the entrance to the east gate of the LORD’s house, and the glory of the God of Israel was above them.

Ezekiel 11:23 (NIV)
23 The glory of the LORD went up from within the city and stopped above the mountain east of it.

Then the Babylonians arrive on the scene. Not only do they destroy Jerusalem, but they destroy the temple, which means there is no place on Earth where heaven and earth still meet. The people of the Southern Kingdom were deported to Babylon and were there for 70 years.

And that’s when many of the prophets start talking about returning to Jerusalem and building a new temple.

Jeremiah 29:10-14 (NIV)
10 This is what the LORD says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my gracious promise to bring you back to this place. 11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12 Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you,” declares the LORD, “and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you,” declares the LORD, “and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.”

After 70 years in Babylonian captivity, Cyrus tells the people in exile they can return to Jerusalem and rebuild the temple.

Ezra 1:1-3 (NIV)
1 In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the LORD spoken by Jeremiah, the LORD moved the heart of Cyrus king of Persia to make a proclamation throughout his realm and to put it in writing: 2 “This is what Cyrus king of Persia says: “‘The LORD, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and he has appointed me to build a temple for him at Jerusalem in Judah. 3 Anyone of his people among you–may his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem in Judah and build the temple of the LORD, the God of Israel, the God who is in Jerusalem.

The people return from exile, and the temple is rebuilt, but God’s presence, the shekinah glory of God, doesn’t return to the temple. The last prophet in the Old Testament, Malachi, says, “He’s coming back, but it’s going to be a lot different than we thought.”

Malachi 3:1 (NIV)
1 “See, I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come,” says the LORD Almighty.

The messenger who prepares the way is John the Baptist. And he prepares the way for Jesus. We will get to that next week in ‘Kingdom Incarnate.’ We will also be looking at a fascinating story this week about one of the prophets in exile, so make sure to attend in person or watch online.

Steve Lawes is a Church Consultant and also provides coaching for pastors, churches, ministries and church planters.

We are in a series called “Sword Sharpening,” looking at how to make the most of our time with the Bible. We are currently breaking the Bible’s storyline (His Story) into eight sections. This week we will look at the fourth section, Exodus – 2 Kings, and call it the ‘Kingdom Foreshadowed’.

Last week as we finished the section ‘Kingdom Covenant,’ we had the nation of Israel in Egypt. After a while, new pharaohs came into power who didn’t continue to bless Israel, and eventually, Israel found itself enslaved. As a nation, Egypt embodies all that’s gone wrong with humanity: idolatry, worshiping false gods, injustice, slavery, and giving in to evil.

His Story continues as God raises a descendant of Abraham named Moses, and God partners with Moses to rescue His people from slavery and bondage in Egypt.

Exodus 3:5-10 (NIV)
5 “Do not come any closer,” God said. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” 6 Then he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.” At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God. 7 The LORD said, “I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. 8 So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey–the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. 9 And now the cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them. 10 So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.”

What I find most challenging in breaking the Bible down into these eight sections is how many things I want to talk about and yet being aware that I need to keep it down to three or four main points. I also want them to be memorable. So far, we have the first three sections of His Story, and the main points look like this:

Kingdom Revealed – Cosmic Temple, Divine Realm/Earthly Realm, God has a heart for family.

Kingdom Rebellion – The Fall, the Flood, the Tower of Babel

Kingdom Covenant – Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph

I have spent a considerable amount of thought this week to come up with these four main points for this section:

Kingdom Foreshadowed – Ten Plagues, Ten Words, Tabernacle, Temple

The people of Israel are rescued from slavery and bondage in Egypt through the ten plagues. The last of the ten plagues is where we get ‘the Passover’ from.

After being rescued, the people of Israel are taught how to live as the family of God by way of the ten words (commandments). God did not give these commandments to people trying to earn their deliverance. He had already delivered them. He had already rescued them. These ten words are all about relationships. Love God and love your neighbor as yourself.

Then we were introduced to the Tabernacle. God wants to make a place for heaven and earth to meet again.

Exodus 40:34-38 (NIV)
34 Then the cloud covered the Tent of Meeting, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. 35 Moses could not enter the Tent of Meeting because the cloud had settled upon it, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. 36 In all the travels of the Israelites, whenever the cloud lifted from above the tabernacle, they would set out; 37 but if the cloud did not lift, they did not set out–until the day it lifted. 38 So the cloud of the LORD was over the tabernacle by day, and fire was in the cloud by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel during all their travels.

The presence of God in the Tabernacle is the culmination of His Story from Genesis 1 up to this point. The Tabernacle is a picture of the heaven and earth connection that God desires.

And then, with Joshua assuming the helm, Israel enters the land God had promised to Abraham. They are supposed to clear the land and drive out those who refuse to worship the one true God. But they fall short again and begin worshiping the gods of the nations around them, which leads to more corruption and injustice. We are introduced to the kings of Israel, and under David and Solomon, we see Israel at its peak, with Jerusalem as the capital with the glorious temple that David prepared for and Solomon built. It is, in some ways, a picture of God’s people living in God’s place, under God’s rule and blessing, and at the same time, we see Israel committing acts of slavery, polygamy, and violence. We also see the people of Israel putting themselves first instead of God. Israel’s continued rebellion will have significant consequences, which we will examine in the next section of His Story, Kingdom Coming.

Steve Lawes is a Church Consultant and also provides coaching for pastors, churches, ministries and church planters.

As a Church Consultant one of the trends we are witnessing is a significant rise of bi-vocational pastors, who simultaneously work in secular occupations alongside fulfilling their spiritual duties. This emerging trend responds to various socio-economic factors, presenting a promising church sustainability and contextual engagement model.

For several decades, the model of the full-time pastor, wholly supported by the church, has been the norm. However, changing economic realities, alongside smaller congregations, have prompted a shift towards bi-vocationalism. Many churches, particularly those in urban areas or smaller towns, struggle to financially support a full-time minister, necessitating that pastors seek an additional source of income.

The dual role helps pastors meet their personal and family financial needs and serves as a bridge to the secular world, leading to increased engagement with the community. Bi-vocational pastors often find themselves more in touch with the real-world struggles their congregation members face, having personally experienced the same trials and triumphs in their secular roles. This shared experience deepens their empathy and broadens their pastoral care and counseling perspective.

Furthermore, bi-vocational allows pastors to influence their secular workplaces positively, putting Christian principles into practice in a diverse environment. As they live out their faith in these settings, they often become more effective spiritual leaders, developing a more practical and relatable approach to preaching and teaching.

This trend also reflects the early Christian church’s model, where leaders like the Apostle Paul were tentmakers by profession and church shepherds by calling. Therefore, the rise of bi-vocational pastors could be seen as a return to early Christian principles of self-support and community involvement.

However, bi-vocational ministry comes with its challenges. Balancing two professions requires immense commitment, resilience, and strong time management skills. It can be a taxing endeavor that necessitates a delicate balancing act between fulfilling secular work obligations and serving the congregation’s spiritual needs. Burnout is a real risk, and the church must proactively provide support and understanding.

To optimize the bi-vocational model, both churches and pastors need to adapt. Churches must embrace flexibility, realizing their pastors may not be available during conventional working hours. Pastors must learn how to delegate responsibilities to lay leaders, thus fostering a shared leadership model. Seminaries and theological training institutions must adjust curricula, preparing future pastors for this emerging reality.

In conclusion, the rise of bi-vocational pastors presents an intriguing development within the Christian ministry landscape. While challenging, this dual role can offer financial sustainability, increase community engagement, and provide a more relatable pastoral care model. With careful planning, sufficient support, and adaptability, the bi-vocational model can survive and thrive in the 21st-century church.

Steve Lawes is a Church Consultant and also provides coaching for pastors, churches, ministries and church planters.