The Blessing of Meeting to Conquer Canaan (Joshua 2:1-14)
We will share the grace of God today with Joshua 2. It was a situation where, after Moses, God raised up Joshua as the leader to conquer Canaan. Why does God have to tell us things like this? Within this time schedule, God has to do this because it is within God’s absolute plan. Jesus Christ will be born in the land of Canaan and they are preparing for that. In order to prepare for Jesus Christ’s coming, they need to have a designated location. It cannot be within Egypt; it has to be outside of Egypt. It cannot be within the wilderness, it must be within the land of Canaan that is already populated with many people like the Amorites.
The mission during that age was given to Joshua to lead millions of Israelites to conquer the land of Canaan. The people who lost hold of the mission of the age during that time just died in the wilderness. I’m sure among those people there are people who have great and renowned personalities, and some who were very intelligent. God doesn’t use people like that, but God uses people who are aligned with God’s mission and heart, so He uses these two spies to survey the land of Canaan.
During the age of Moses, God sent 12 spies, and back then and now are two different stories. Back in the age of Moses, the 12 spies went in to see what the land was like, and now the 2 spies are going in with the actual plan to strategize the conquest of Canaan. Before they waged the war of conquest, God had already given them this Word, “I will give you all the land on which you set foot.” Even in the wilderness, the area of land that each of the 12 tribes must settle in was already determined.
We need to plan all of that in prayer in order for us to easily design that in the evangelism field. First, God allows this region through His Word, and that must become edited within us. Then, we need to continue to plan that through prayer. If we don’t plan that through prayer, we lose hold of it. If it is correct that it is God’s plan and Word, we must plan it through prayer. Then, the design of the evangelization will become actualized.
If the mission that God gives us through HIs Word is not edited in us, then we cannot pray about it. That kind of prayer becomes something that only we desire; it is not a prayer of what God desires, so our prayers must be planned based on the Word God gave us. We need to have a plan in order to raise a building. The work of God is the same back in the biblical times as it is today. If there are people who are wandering around without a region designated, I hope you will choose a region today. If you’re just wandering around without a region, you’re just wandering. There are the 70 regions God has given to me, and it is not just a theory or a concept, it is actually what God has prepared for us.
If you continue to plan that through prayer, then one day you will go into that land to analyze it. It says in today’s passage, “Go, look over the land, especially Jericho.” The layout of the land is like this. Right now they are in the east of the Jordan river in a land called Shittim, and the first fortress they see is the fortress of Jericho. The people of Jericho had already heard of the works of Exodus, the wilderness, and the parting of the Red Sea, they had already heard about the wars, and they are preparing for war themselves. There are these millions of people who have just gathered and rumbling and making a fuss on the east side of the Jordan River. Of course, the people in Jericho see that and are waiting.
Overnight, they somehow traveled across the Jordan River and arrived in Jericho. The important thing here is that if the spies had no faith, then they could not cross over. It says in 1 Cor. 10 that crossing the Red Sea symbolized the salvation of the Israelites. However, when they passed the Jordan River, it is something that only the people who had true faith in the conquest of Canaan could do. If you truly have the region to evangelize designated, then you need to go there to analyze it and spy upon it in faith.
Both Satan as well as the people in your field will know if you are serving your land in faith. You are not just blindly going there, but you must have the assurance that God has sent you there. If you just wander around the regions without assurance that God has given you that region, then one day, you will fall in your disbelief, because even if you go into that region, nothing is happening, and ultimately, because you didn’t have faith and you didn’t have the covenant, you will one day start, and then stop.
It’s the same with your business and everything you do. If you do any work without the assurance that is God’s mission given to you, you will just do it like any nonbeliever and you will stop doing it. Without a doubt, God’s Word must be within you first. Then in Joshua 12:3 it says, the king of Jericho already knew that the spies had come in, and he sent some people to capture them. Because they were waiting in Jericho for the spies to enter in, of course they saw the spies, and I think they went into the walls of the fortress of Jericho. I think right where they crossed the wall of the fortress of Jericho is where Rahab was living.
Rahab’s occupation was a prostitute. Right along the wall of Jericho fortress, where many people come back and forth, they do a lot of business and sell alcohol there. That is the best location for her because there are a lot of people who are crossing back and forth, it is also the best place for her to hide bodies, and it is also the best location for them to receive information.
So, the king of Jericho sends some men to capture the spies, and he sends them to the place where Rahab is working. I realize that being a prostitute, Rahab was in the lowest occupation where many people would point their fingers at her. In Joshua 2:4, these men came to Rahab’s house and demanded she release them, but she had already hidden them up on the roof under stalks of flax.
What this means is that God has already prepared the people in the field to conquer the region. It doesn’t matter how much we prepare; if there are no people prepared in the field, we cannot conquer. Even before they went into the land of Canaan, God had already moved the hearts of people whom He had prepared in the field, and so God is truly preparing everything and is just aligning His time schedule. This is the evangelism God carries out.
But if we don’t know this and we just go in randomly, then I have to commend your bravery, but it’s not going to work out. People think we can just do it randomly, but we cannot; we must receive God’s guidance, we must receive God’s Word, first. Without receiving God’s Word first, we think we can just do it randomly, and that’s why evangelism is so hard. If you say evangelism is hard, then it means your business is hard. Because you don’t know the work God is doing, you have to do it on your own strength, then of course it’s hard.
Look at the spies, when they looked into the field, they already saw the person prepared, and it seems like a coincidence, but Rahab hides them. Rahab is an Amorite, meaning she is someone who worshiped idols and demons, but her heart had already changed to believe in the Jehovah God, and I am someone like that as well. Even before I accepted Jesus Christ, God was moving my heart. The actual acceptance of Jesus Christ happened at one moment in God’s time schedule, but even before that moment, God was working on my heart, and if you don’t understand this, you don’t understand evangelism. God has already moved these people’s hearts, so if you just give them the Word, they will accept it.
From Rahab’s perspective, God had already given her the grace to believe in the God Who had brought the Israelites out of Egypt, split the Red Sea, and won all of their wars for them, and is now coming to their land. She is already in a state to prepare to accept that God into her heart. She hadn’t actually done anything at that point, but her heart was already turning from the idols and gods of her land to this. There are people like that in your field.
In the land of Philippi, God had already moved the heart of someone named Lydia, and the Lord opened the heart of Lydia, it says. You should not misunderstand evangelism. It is the work God is doing, but if you don’t know that and you don’t have God’s Word, you don’t have God’s guidance, then it is the hardest thing, but actually, going to the person who has already been prepared is the easiest thing. The real issue is, am I able to meet these people or not?
Even if there was a five minute difference between Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch, they would not have been able to meet each other. The Ethiopian eunuch was taking a horse-drawn carriage to his destination, so even a two- or three-minute difference would have caused the two to miss each other. God is the One Who aligned that moment so perfectly, so this is something only a person receiving the guidance of the Holy Spirit can do. It is never possible with my hard work; one day, I will become tired. It’s the same thing today. It doesn’t matter how much the two spies prepared if they didn’t have that person prepared in the field.
In Joshua 2:5, the woman actually lies. First, she assures the men, “Yes, the men came to me, but I did not know where they had come from. And when it was starting to get dark, they left.” Then, she actually misleads them with a lie, “If you go after them quickly, you may actually catch up with them before they cross the Jordan.” That is the kind of person she is. In Acts 17, there was someone named Jason and in his house. In Philippi, in Lydia’s house. In Acts 18, the business location of Priscilla and Aquila. This is the way God prepares the people and aligns His time schedule. Only the person who receives the guidance of the Holy Spirit can have that aligned time schedule.
If you learn about the diligence of the world, it will never work. You can never do this by being smart; you have to completely be led by the Holy Spirit. We don’t just receive the guidance of the Holy Spirit; first we must receive God’s Word. “Oh this is true? This is the land God gave me.” If you don’t have this, then you don’t have life and have no meaning in living. You are just living blindly and you don’t even have the guidance of the Holy Spirit because you don’t know which land is yours. Especially for church officers, you guys have your 12 tribes. But if you live your life without even your tribe, then you’re irrelevant to the bible.
With what tribe am I entrusted with? With what tribe am I associated in the church? But if you look at the church officers, they just go back and forth in the church with their thoughts. The fact that you are raised as a church officer means you are raised as the leader of this tribe, so the church officer is not alone. There is a specific group within the church you must serve, it may be the group of remnants, it may be the group of young adults, or it may be the group of young children, or the elderly. There is a tribe I must serve. But if you don’t know this and you’re just going back and forth between the church, then you’ll have no answers.
Then, what is it that the leaders of the tribes must do? They need to take the Word that God gives through Joshua and relay it in great detail to their tribe. Whatever work or administrative work we’re doing, it’s just that; it’s not the main point. The main point and first priority of the church officers is to take the Word of God they have received and relay it to their tribes, so the administrative work is not the main goal, that’s just something we can do. But if the church officers think their administrative work is everything, then they’re not aligned with the Lord. That’s just something we have to do, but that’s not the goal.
To whom will I relay the promise of the covenant God has given to me? I’m not talking about opening some kind of regional forum group; I’m saying there is a tribe I must serve within the church. It may be the group of new believers. You need to continuously relay the Word of God that you have received, because they don’t understand it, so you have to tell them about it, and if you’re not able to do that, then you cannot conquer your field and the church officers will suffer until they know this.
The church officers wonder why they’re suffering and why things aren’t working out for them, but it’s because the Word of God must be continuously relayed through them but it’s getting stuck with you; it means they don’t know why they’re church officers. They think just because they’re a church officer, they can flaunt their position. Or they say, “Because I’m a church officer, I should volunteer some of my time,” that’s just some administrative work. “Inside of the church, I will relay and serve these people with the Word.”
It’s the same for remnant leaders, “As a remnant leader, I will serve this kind of people.” All these church officers are raised up so that the Word God relays through the pulpit may be relayed to every single person in the church. Then you pray for the region you’re working in, the business field of God. Just do this and see how great of a blessing God gives you. That’s what happened in the Old testament. Everything else you’re doing, you can just do it at the common level; everything you do in church may be done at the level of common sense, but you need to restore this true blessing.
It is possible there is a newcomer who has been coming for multiple weeks, but you have no interest in whether the Word of God is going into them or not. That is why at the very least, you need to designate a certain region, “If anyone is from this region, I will relay the Word of God to them and take interest in that.” And the assistant pastors must help the church officers do that; otherwise there’s nothing to do, you just have to rest. You need to help the other people so they can do this, isn’t that right?
Joshua 2:6-7. This means the game is already over. The people who are living in the field know the situation of their field the best. You need to find the disciples like this within your field, and even in your job, you need to find this person. So, there is someone who has been moved by God, and someone who is perfectly aligned with my business. If they’re not aligned with God, it doesn’t matter how well they’re aligned with my business because they’re with Satan and one day, that will go astray.
Evangelism and your job are not separate; they go together. If you don’t understand evangelism, you don’t understand the biblical business, and you’re just going to run a business which nonbelievers do. The remnants need to know this and draw this image while they study. Through my academics, I will build up my specialization, and this is the kind of business I will run. This is the image you must draw and that is how you go into the field to conquer. At that point, the 4th, 5th industrial revolution or AI is not going to matter because nobody can compete with you. Because AI is not the goal; God is moving everything being centered on the gospel being relayed to all nations. But if you’re not aligned with that, then you’re bound to lose to AI because humans are not as capable as AI, but if somebody has the covenant of God, then God will move them. The way God will move you will be appropriate to that age and situation.
In Joshua 2:8-9, Rahab says, “I know the LORD has given you this land.” How did she know this? She hadn’t met anybody but this is the work God does. Just after hearing the rumors, the Holy Spirit worked upon her. Everybody in the land of Canaan heard those same rumors, but the person whom God has prepared will go over in faith. Then she said that “a great fear of you has fallen so that all who live in this country are melting in fear because of you.” Even in the state of living like a nonbeliever, they are completely in despair, and they have gone into a state wondering, “What am I doing, worshiping these idols and religions?”
After they caused the Red Sea and had won multiple wars, they’d seen how God works. It is possible that in your field currently, by the Work of God, there are people like this prepared, and God has already begun the work of salvation upon this person. Accepting Jesus Christ just comes after that. Even before that point, they have already prepared in their heart to receive EJesus Christ.
Joshua 2:10. Rahab says this. The two tribes in the wilderness had already been destroyed, and by hearing news about this, they had faith. All of these people are ones who worship idols and religions and other gods; there must have been an exchange of that culture across the Jordan River. So, as the people crossed back and forth to the Jordan River to trade goods, of course, they heard about what happened. Either way, the Word must be relayed. It’s so good to evangelize lately . You can just be sitting still and still evangelize. You can evangelize just sitting in your room by sending messages to other people, and whether they listen and move is according to God, so you can do the evangelism that is appropriate to this age. You just spread the seeds.
If there’s good political news in Korea, there are some pastors who spread it to everybody, whether they like it or not. But shockingly enough, for the people who are already in God’s plan, God will move their hearts. Around the time when I received Jesus Christ, I heard one of Reverend Ryu’s tapes in the Philippines, and that is how God worked upon me because that was the situation then. If there was someone around me who was evangelizing fervently, I would have heard it through them, but I heard it through a tape, so you need to set a plan. “I must relay this Word to the people who are related to me,” while you pray, and if they cut you off as their friend, they just cut you off. They’re not someone who has a big effect in your life. Because in this moment and life, you’re giving them the mystery to eternal life and if they cut you off, they are irrelevant to God.
The reason I’m telling you that is to tell you there’s nothing to be afraid of. If you truly knew how the nonbelievers are suffering, then you wouldn’t be afraid of things like that. It means you don’t really know what the states of the nonbeliever are like. I think you think that they’re in the same state as you are, because you’ve believed for a long time. Every single day, they are seized and afflicted by Satan, and they are tormented by Gen. 3, 6, and 11 with a heavy burden. And even though they wear makeup and wear very cool clothes on the outside, on the inside, they are suffering. Because they don’t have the strength to overcome, they are seized by depression to the point where they cannot swallow their anger. They are in a state where they have no choice but to do drugs and alcohol.
This culture of Gen. 3 has painted alcohol as a glamorous thing, but it’s really not, it’s great suffering. People pay to drink drinks at a fancy bar as something heroes do, but it’s not; that’s just suffering. It may seem like people who take the plane to travel back and forth to places have something in life, but actually they are very empty. I went to Hawaii and there were a lot of people who were there for vacations. It seemed to me like they were trying to forget everything in their life and just enjoy paradise for a while. But the face I saw in Hawaii and the face I saw of them waiting for the plane to go back was very different. There was a very big difference between the face they had while on the beach versus the face they had waiting for the plane to head back home. Now, at that airport, they are getting re-oppressed by the problems of their jobs, family, and home. So you shouldn’t be deceived by all the faces you see in Hawaii. If you don’t have the gospel of God, you are bound to suffer like this.
In Joshua 2:11, “When we heard of it, our hearts melted and everyone’s courage failed because of you.” if it is to that extent, everything is finished. Forget about fighting, they cannot react because they’re already dead. Then she confesses, “For the LORD your God is the God of heaven above and on earth below,” meaning that this is the Creator God and the god we serve is not the true God. If you relay Jesus Christ, then amazingly, they understand and agree. But if they don’t react like that and you keep trying to persuade them, then it is not their time schedule yet.
The people whom God has already prepared, if you relay it to them, then they will accept it as if they have been waiting for it. That’s why evangelism is easy. On the other hand, you’re trying to touch people who are not ready and that’s why it’s so hard. Of course, it’s possible God is allowing you to go through people who are not ready in order to meet the people who are. The people who are prepared are already different by their talk and posture. This is what God does for your business as well. If you don’t know evangelism, then you don’t know your job. Then that’s so hard, because God runs businesses through people. Of course, you need skill.
Last week, there was a member of the church who opened up an academy for math tutoring, and she said, “I’m going to make it very big,” and in my heart, I was afraid because everyone has the intention of making it big. But when I go there to give worship, I’m afraid of when that business may close, because physically they might not be prepared. Most people are just starting with a very brazen faith, “All I need is God’s grace.” But then when I heard her explanation, it seemed like they could actually be okay. Of course I cannot be sure, but this is something that kids, especially in the terms of math, really need. In other words, it’s her “only, uniqueness, and re-creation,” otherwise you cannot give influence.
So, depending on how this person is holding onto the covenant of proclaiming the gospel, God will allow her meetings. For example, she needs to raise up a disciple, like herself. A disciple who teaches, just like her. A disciple who has the gospel. These are the people whom God allows them to meet, and then she allows these disciples to do the same, region by region. When she begins, she might make an investment with them by splitting the profits 50-50. That is how all the franchises began, because first, your product or service must be good. And that’s what I mean when I talk about the 70 regions and 70 nations for the businesspeople, the 70 disciples must go into the 70 regions because the product or service is good.
Chocopie has a great number of sales at home, and it also has great sales overseas. They needed to alter their product for the market, and that is the answer you need to receive first. If you don’t even have the basics down, shouting out the name of Jesus, you’re going to collapse then it will end. That is why God is bound to give the remnants the answer, why? Because of missions and evangelism. Without that goal, there’s no reason God would have allowed that. This is the way you give influence and evangelize in your business.
If somebody doesn’t even have the basics, you are going to collapse because of your lack of the businesses, and if you’re not able to give influence, you’re barely even to make a living, but if there’s something you have, that’s because there are people who will do this. The people need to feel, “This is how it is,” that’s how they must feel.
It’s not enough to study diligently; you must discover evangelism and the people. God will allow you to meet the people who are already prepared, in your evangelism but if you don’t even have this, then no matter how hard you try? I’m telling you not so you may not understand, you might tell your kids but later on, they’re like that, so this is how you must raise them up ever since they are young, and amazingly, there are the works God does and they are taking place.
Joshua 2:12, “Now then, please swear to me by the LORD that you will show kindness to my family, because I have shown kindness to you. Give me a sure sign. There are people like this, they love the gospel so much, they are willing to exchange it with their job, and so that’s why it helps their business. These are the people whom God has prepared. Our brain has limitations, no matter how smart we are, because we don’t even know the region. GBut there is someone who is prepared so they will relay all the information they already have to me.
Joshua 2:13, that you will spare the lives of my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all the people related to them,” save their lives. In Joshua 2:14, the people say they will faithfully repay the work she has done for them. She says, “When you guys conquer this land, then do for us what we have done for you.” There’s nothing the spies really did, they went into the land and stayed there for free. Because they went in with the covenant of the land of Canaan, God moved for them.
Later on, Rahab actually marries someone in the tribe of Judah, because four generations later, David is born. Rahab’s son’s wife is Ruth. So, all these Gentile women are going into the bloodline of the covenantal people. So, God’s method is to bring in even the Gentiles, and people with even the lowliest jobs, and mix them into this glorious bloodline. Heb. 11 says Rahab acted out of faith. It doesn’t matter how much we hear; some people end it with that, but some people turn that into faith.
Designate your field and say, “This is the land where I will receive God’s answers.” Inside of the church, to whom will I relay the words of God’s pulpit message to? Just do those two things in the church and in the field, relaying God’s Word. In your field, relay God’s Word with your job. If you continue to follow that flow, you will meet the person whom God has prepared, and that person may even be a nonbeliever. But even though they’re nonbelievers, they can entirely help the work I’m doing.
Moses’ father in law was a Gentile. Later on, I think they came back but there are even nonbelievers in your field God has prepared, they have hearts completely for His work. If that person is prepared in the field matches with the person with the Word for the field, then conquering will take place. How was the fortress of Jericho broken down? They had to meet with the prostitute Rahab first, then it was bound to collapse in God’s time schedule.
If there’s a problem inside your family, the person causing the problem isn’t a problem; there is a plan within that, and you need to relay that plan of God to them, and God does that work. That is the message. The message is not something I just create or plan out myself; it is the message God wants to relay to this family. If it is somebody God has prepared, they will accept it. That is what I mean that the message is not Bible study. Bible study is just looking up Bible verses and saying whatever you want, but the message is relaying the word God wants to relay to this person. But whenever you meet with someone, you keep trying to give Bible study. “You don’t know this very well, do you?” and you try to teach them the Bible, but both of your heads are going to get bigger and it will end. You need to receive the message and Word God wants to relay to that person and then relay that.
Prayer
May you restore this blessing in your work and in your field. To whom must you relay the Word of God? If there is nobody, you must find them now. If there’s no region to which you must relay this word, I hope you will find it. If you have found it, I hope you will pray to meet someone like the prostitute Rahab. Let us pray.
Let us pray for the region of the regional church of Yakima. The region of Sedona, the bail was $5000 and we sent that entire amount to them. Whenever possible, I don’t ask for money but the first thought I had was, “There is a brother who is suffering in jail and I cannot turn away,” and the second thought I had was, “This is the missions offering to raise up the bartizan in this region,” and if that is the case, we should do the most we can do. That was the heart God had given to me. We sent the entire amount to them. Pastor Dick Snyder is doing ministry with him while he’s in prison. There are many children there; Tiffany is meeting with one of them.
Pastor’s Wife Laura Snyder says she wants to meet with the mother to relay the Word every Monday or Tuesday. Our ministry has gone to this point. This family doesn’t live in a house; they live in a vacant church. They have a bakery so they wake up at 4am to do that. Next time we go to Navajo, I think we should swing by because they’re close to Phoenix. 50 people can sleep in the church. We usually go on that missions trip on the 3rd or 4th week of June, so we need to pray for the mode of transportation, because we need to do ministry in the Sedona region, too. Let us pray for these two regions, Yakima and Sedona.
There is no such thing as waste when it comes to evangelism. Everything we’re doing for Sedona in the past, there is no such thing as waste because God uses all of that for fruits. It’s the same, because that’s how we met Cameron. So, through these two individuals, we are meeting people and going into areas we could never go ourselves. I think it will be the same in the future as well.
Missions and evangelism have no end. I hope you will know this. I know evangelism can be laborious but all of that comes back as fruits. I think we need to pray for Temple Construction because we need a temple that is like a base camp to do this movement. It must be a Temple where the members of the 237 nations can receive healing and training. A place where they can be raised up as a summit to take charge of their regions. May God allow this kind of Temple for us.
People ask, “Is prayer all we have to do?” Yes, but we must also devote in faith. God only split the Jordan River when they put their feet in the water. For the Red Sea, it symbolizes the baptism of salvation, so if we move, God works through faith. For the works of Jordan, we actually have to move in faith. I hope you will put your faith in offering and give it to God. Let us pray together for Temple Construction.
Starting from April 19, there is the World Missionary Conference, and I will fly out in the evening on April 16. On that week, Pastor Kim will give the second service message, and I believe every church will listen to the same first service message, because it is for the missionaries, so you can participate as well. The message God gives is for the missionaries for the missions field, so it may be a little different, but that is what we’re doing. I hope you will pray together for the missionaries’ conference. Let us pray together.
This Sunday is Easter Sunday, and I said this last Sunday, too, but the second service will be very busy. My intention right now is to pass all the introductory things and start with the Apostle’s Creed. Right now, there’s a plan for two kids in LA to be baptized, Tracy and Steve, and in Yakima, there are three people receiving baptism. The Elder in Yakima is presiding for that. So, if there’s anybody you can think of who needs to receive baptism, please do it quickly, and the translation department must have the responses in English.
Easter in America is a big deal, I hope you will use this as an evangelism camp through the performances. COVID is about to end, so if we need an outdoor service, I hope the worship department will determine that appropriately. The reason is because the outdoor worships have been a good opportunity for evangelism camp, because American culture is to gather and eat, so we can use that as an evangelism opportunity.
Starting the week after Easter, we will start evangelism camp in this region after worship. There’s the message I give at 2:30pm and we will cut it down to 20 minutes, then we’ll go out for about 30 minutes. When we’re creating the teams, if there’s a church officer, then we need someone who can translate to go with them. If there’s a remnant who has never experienced evangelism camp before, we should pair them up with someone who has evangelized, so they can see the work of God.
Especially on Sunday, there are a lot of people on Wilshire and Vermont, and also Southwestern Law School. The elder used to go to the park every week with the kids. If you don’t want to go, you don’t have to come. There’s a lot of good reasons for this, we are shining the light in the region, we allow the kids to experience the evangelism field, and we are giving people who can’t evangelize during the week to join us. I think it’s even possible for Senior Deaconess Choi who evangelized on Saturday to also evangelize on Sunday. I can do this when I’m not here. I think it will be a different flavor of this event. I hope you will be led.
Now may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the unending love of God, and the indwelling, working, guidance, and communion of the Holy Spirit, be upon all the heads of all the people of God, the people of all nations, and the remnants who desire to raise up the 70 disciples in the 70 regions, 70 nations, and 70 tribes, upon all of their businesses, academics, and studies, be with us from now until forevermore always, amen.