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Be the Voice
So the people served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, who had SEEN all the great works of the Lord which He had done for Israel. Now Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died when he was one hundred and ten years old.
When all that generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation arose after them who did not KNOW the Lord nor the work which He had done for Israel. Then the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord, and served the Baals; and they forsook the Lord God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt; and they followed other gods from among the gods of the people who were all around them, and they bowed down to them; and they provoked the Lord to anger.
— Judges 2: 7–8; 10–11
I’ve always wondered what happened between the period of the passing of the previous generation and the coming of the next generation... How come there arose a generation who did not KNOW the Lord despite the experiences of the older generation?
What happened between the passing of the previous generation and the birthing of the next? Here’s what happened.
There was a knowledge gap…
The older generation saw first-hand all the great works the Lord had done for them; the children of Israel, they experienced it. They saw the mind-blowing, jaw-dropping, impossible miracles that God wrought in their midst. They saw the consequences and punishments for disobedience, they saw the rewards and recognition for obedience. They saw everything!
They had all the experience but without knowledge. They saw the mighty works and acts of God but didn’t become acquainted with His ways.
These elders SAW the mighty acts in the times of Moses and Joshua, but it did not translate to the knowledge of God. Now, until an encounter or experience has produced knowledge that is validated by Scripture, it is impossible to transfer it to the next generation. Because at the end of the day, experiences may not be replicable, but the knowledge that is birthed as a result of the experience will produce even more experiences in a different context. All the previous generation had were their experiences, but you can’t pass down experiences because they are unique to you. However, you can pass down knowledge.
Because of the knowledge gap, the generation after them did not KNOW God. After their passing, a generation arose who did not KNOW God and, as a result, did all kinds of evil.
An experience should birth a knowledge of God that you can then testify about. It should birth a dimension of God that will outlive that experience, one you can lay hold onto and run with.
The people that had the most remarkable experiences in God were the farthest from Him.
Experiences don’t automatically confer knowledge. They are an invitation into a dimension of revelation that will then birth knowledge.
The knowledge of Who God is — His Sovereignty | His Love | His Name | His Word | His Person
He made known his ways unto Moses, His acts unto the children of Israel. — Psalm 103:7 KJV
That you saw his acts is no guarantee that you know His ways. His ways produce His acts. It’s actually an interesting cycle. Sometimes God invites you into an intimate relationship with an encounter, an act of benevolence, an unforgettable experience: Then the experience will lead into a deeper intimacy with God that will birth even more encounters. The act isn’t intimacy, it’s only an invitation. The Burning Bush was an invitation from God to Moses. Moses saw it and drew near, and he had an experience with God and a revelation of God as the I AM — Exodus 3
When the disciples were going to testify to the Body Who Jesus was in 1John 1: 1–3 ( TPT), they said;
We saw him with our very own eyes. We gazed upon him and heard him speak. Our hands actually touched him, the one who was from the beginning, the LIVING EXPRESSION OF GOD. This LIFE-GIVER was made visible and we have seen him. We testify to this truth: the ETERNAL LIFE- GIVER lived face-to-face with the Father and has now dawned upon us. So we PROCLAIM to you what we have SEEN and HEARD about this LIFE-GIVER so that we may share and enjoy this life together. For truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus, the Anointed One.
They had a revelation of who Jesus is, they knew Him to be the Eternal Life-Giver. They had handled that knowledge of Jesus so much so it validated their experience, and they boldly proclaimed that same knowledge to all.
If the previous generation had handled a dimension of God via the knowledge of His Person, they would have been able to pass it down to the next generation. You can only proclaim what you know.
You have the responsibility of milking encounters of the knowledge inherent in them. If you say you know God, then proclaim Him!
Be the Voice in your Generation that would testify of God’s Goodness so that a Generation will come into the knowledge of God through you. We have a responsibility to testify.
What are the experiences God is taking you through that ought to birth a knowledge of God in your heart? Don’t waste them! There was a way John presented his relationship and fellowship with Jesus (1 John 1) that was so compelling. He was almost saying, “this was not handed down to me, I have handled The Eternal Life Giver Himself!” God is in need of such testifiers.
There is so much evil being perverted in this generation more than ever; people following other gods, forsaking the Lord God of our Fathers, people doing right in their own eyes and ignoring the promptings of God — More of God’s Knowledge needs to enter the mainstream. We shouldn’t be having encounters in private when the marketplace is barren of the knowledge of God.
Don’t casualise experiences in God, and don’t take them for granted, Press in for more!
What are those past experiences that you didn’t think too hard about — but God was right there waiting on you to draw nigh?
There is a generation that needs to be saved, a generation that needs to be delivered from the shackles of confusion and deep distortions. There is a Generation waiting on you to enter into a dimension in God via your experiences.
And God is waiting on you to grab hold of that which he is revealing to you, that when He asks, “Whom shall I send? Who will go for us?”
Your response will be, “Here I am, Lord, Send me.”
Just like God did with Moses for the Children of Israel, let Him do with you for this Generation! Be ready to proclaim with every ounce of strength in your voice, the person of Jesus!
Be the Voice!
Aby Oguntunde
@abisolaoguntunde
Push Buttons is a weekly devotional of The Powerpoint Tribe.
