Fatherly Talk 7.20 Migration in the Bible part 2

As we consider the issue of the Major Exodus that is coming forth in this end time, especially during the period of the second set of seven years, we had looked in the Bible at the migration of Abraham and his descendants into Egypt, followed by the Exodus under Moses. In the New Testament, we note that Jesus also had moved and lived in various places. Some of the places Jesus lived in were decisions made by his parents through the guidance of the Holy Spirit and angels. Jesus was born in Bethlehem and his parents were led by the angels to take Him down to Egypt (Matthew 2:13-15). According to secular history, King Herod died a short while after slaying the children in Bethlehem, which means that Jesus’ time in Egypt was either a few months to a year or so. Several dreams were given to Joseph as to when and where to take Jesus after Egypt (Matthew 2:20, 22-23). Through a series of dreams given to Joseph, Jesus ended having his home town in Nazareth in the region of Galilee. Since Abraham and Jesus’ parents had supernatural leadings in where they live, it would mean that in our modern world, God still can speak in visions, dreams or other methods where to migrate.

When Jesus began His ministry, He made a conscious choice by the leading of the Holy Spirit to make Capernaum His home town and centre of His ministry (Matthew 4:13). Jesus who had already been anointed by the Holy Spirit after His baptism, had kept His public ministry private and moved to Capernaum after John was in prison. He knew that it was time for His public ministry to start and was led by the Holy Spirit to migrate to Capernaum which became the centre of His Galilean ministry. Jesus visited Jerusalem a lot and when He was there, stayed in Bethany which was the home town of Lazarus, Mary and Martha. Could it be that some ministries or businesses never take off because a person is not sensitive to the Holy Spirit in knowing which town or city they should based their ministry or businesses?

The Apostle Paul was from Tarsus but he must have been schooled in Jerusalem, at the feet of Gamaliel (Acts 9:11l 22:3). When no doors opened for him in ministry, Paul went back to his hometown of Tarsus. If Paul was converted in Acts 9 (about AD 35) and went to Tarsus after Acts 9:30, it would be about 3 years (Acts 1:38) after he was born again. Then he would have been in Tarsus at least seven years before he was called by Barnabas to help out the church (Acts 11:25, around AD 45). Acts 9 to Acts 11 is about 10 years. Paul’s decision to be in Jerusalem during his training days must have been because he wanted to be under Gamaliel and this might have been his parents decision, too, and not just his decision. The decision to be in Antioch, from which Paul launched three missionary journeys came about through the intermediary of Barnabas who opened a door for him. Paul made a decision where he was going to stay based on open doors to the ministry and also where he could participate in the revival that was going on in the early church in the book of Acts. Perhaps in our modern times, God might lead people to uproot themselves to flow to where God opens a door of ministry or where they could participate in revival and church life. In the end the apostle Paul called every place where God called him ‘home’ as he stayed in many places sometimes six months, sometimes a few years and in Ephesus at least three years (Acts 20:31).

Another aspect of migration is migration caused by persecution. We see in the book of Acts that when things got unpleasant in Jerusalem, many Christians left and were scattered throughout the whole region (Acts 11:19). This was involuntary and although it look more natural and physical, the Holy Spirit was behind it all, causing the gospel to be preached by these travelling Christian migrants. The great persecution scattered the Christians throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria (Acts 8:1). The apostles did not leave Jerusalem as God protected them and they had their calling to Jerusalem which they had to fulfil. Everyone has to hear God for themselves, to stay or to go. For those without a spiritual reason, perhaps natural reason, too, to remain in Jerusalem, they uproot themselves and migrated to another region and re-established their homes and families there. The apostles and the common people who were persecuted made different decisions on migration: some stayed whilst other abandon Jerusalem. We read later in the epistle of Peter that he was in Babylon1, which means that he must have been led by the Spirit to visit these places (1 Peter 5:10). Reasons for migration in the New Testament can ranged between natural reasons like famine or persecution to God’s divine spiritual call upon a person. All directions as to when and where are directed by God indirectly and directly.

Considering all the Old Testament and New Testament accounts of migration, we summarize major principles to pray through when God stirs the heart to prepare for moving to a new place, especially during the coming Exodus.

1. Everyone has a place in which one grows up which may differ from the place in which one launches into ministry or business or professional life.

For some people, it might be the same place but for Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Our Lord Jesus, Paul and many others the place where one grows up and the place of training or launching is totally different. In fact, for Jesus, His home town would not be the place to launch His ministry for they were too familiar with Him to accept Him. No matter how anointed He was, they will always see Him as the son of Joseph or just a carpenter (Mark 6:1-6). No matter how much they hear of His mighty works of His teaching, they cannot see past the natural and recognized that the Messiah had lived in their midst and grew up there. For Abraham, perhaps there was too much idolatry in his father’s house or that his loyalty and filialness to his father might have hindered him from doing God’s work (Genesis 11:31; Joshua 24:2). Even Moses had some problems with sibling rivalry when his older sister, Miriam and older brother, Aaron, see themselves as equal to him in ministry and looked down on his Ethiopian wife (Numbers 12:1-3). Moses’ wife had nothing to do with whether they were equal in prophetic ministry or not but the unhappiness of accepting his Ethiopian wife led to spiritual pride and dissension in their family. Joseph will also probably never rise to his fullest ability if he was not separated from his older brothers. Though it was painful for him, he grew in his skills and ability under Potiphar and some where along the line in prison, he developed the gift of interpretation of dreams (Genesis 39:2; 40:1-23; 41:12). The environment of being nurtured and the environment of entering a new phase can sometimes require two separate geographical places with different challenges.

2. God does specifically reveal the exact place to go to enter the next phase.

God was precise in telling Abraham to go into the land of Canaan (Genesis 12:1, 7). He was also precise in telling Isaac where not to go and where to go (Genesis 26:2-3). Jeremiah the prophet told the Israelites that they will live a long time in Babylon, so they were to build houses, plant trees, marry and have children (Jeremiah 29:4-6, 28). But the false prophets oppose him, first saying that Jerusalem will not be conquered and then telling the people that their sojourn in Babylon is short (Jeremiah 28:1-4). The false prophets claim that it would only be two years but Jeremiah told them it will be seventy years (Jeremiah 28:3, 10; 29:10). Such contradiction causes confusion amongst the people but those who listened to Jeremiah prospered in the land of Babylon. When Paul was seeking where to go in his second missionary journey, God eventually told him to go to Macedonia (Acts 16:9-10).

3. Sometimes the method which God choses to go to a place is not the method expected but the yielded vessel will always be in the place of God’s perfect Will.

Joseph never expected that he would be sold as a slave in entering the land where he will become the chief minister. Paul never expected that he would go to Rome as a prisoner, even though he had indicated his desire to visit the Christians in Rome (Romans 15:23-24). Paul had nurtured a desire to be in Rome for many years before the writing of the epistle to Rome.  Even feeling that he feels like he ‘no longer has a place in where he was writing from’ though he was still successful in his ministry in Corinth. In the end after many years, Paul went to Rome as a prisoner (Acts 27:1). Jesus appeared to Paul and told him that he will testify in Rome (Acts 23:11). It took more than two years before Paul, as a prisoner, could be transported to Rome (Acts 24:27). Jesus told Peter that in his latter years of ministry, he will be taken to a place where he does not want to go (John 21:18). God will always answer every prayer and every desire born of His Spirit but God may answer in not in the way we expect nor in the time that we think. Living in His perfect Will is enough not matter where we go and no matter how long it takes. The only safe place in the whole planet is to be in the perfect Will of God.

4. Sometimes circumstances or people might be instruments that lead us to go to another place.

It was always God’s Will that the gospel be preached in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and to the end of the earth (Acts 1:8). Much time past, nearly ten years before a persecution arose that literally drove the Christians out of Jerusalem (Acts 8:1). Some preachers considered the fact that the persecution arose because the church was disobedient to the command to go forth and preach the gospel, so God allowed persecution to arise to drive them out. Perhaps this might be the case but we know that even if they had been obedient, persecution would still arise. God allowed Abraham to go to Egypt to live out the famine (Genesis 12:10). Isaac also had to leave his home to go to the land of the Philistines, being forbidden from going into Egypt (Genesis 26:1-3). Ruth had to leave her homeland of Moab in order to be with Naomi, to care for her (Ruth 1:16-19). It was her determination that persuaded Naomi to let her follow her (Ruth 1:18). Sometimes it is our fierce determination that dissuade people from stopping us from moving on to a new place. For Paul, it was the kindness of Barnabas in seeking him out that opened a door of ministry for him to move from his home town, Tarsus to live in Antioch (Acts 11:25-26). Barnabas probably never expected that the man, Paul, whom he helped, would be the same person that God linked him with for many years of ministry together (Acts 13:1-2). Who would have thought that when Barnabas helped Paul, that Paul would be the key to his future ministry, too?

5. In any place, anytime, anywhere, it is still the steadfastness of the individual heart and life that helps a person succeed and prosper where they are planted.

Daniel was taken at a young age to Babylon and his steadfastness in following the Lord righteously opened a door of favour and grace into the highest courts of the Babylonian empire (Daniel 1:1-6). Exceptional love and righteousness brought forth exceptional favour and grace towards Daniel (Daniel 1:8-16). God is always watching our lives twenty-four hours and notices our expressions of love towards Him. Exceptional obedience brought forth exceptional blessings. On top of all these, Daniel and his friends were gifted with wisdom ten times more than the wise men in the land and he was even given the gift of interpretation of dreams (Daniel 1: 17, 20). Joseph worked hard in the household of Pharaoh and did not stop being righteous and hardworking when he was wrongly accused and lost everything he gained in Potiphar’s house (Genesis 39:2-5, 19-23). The apostle Paul did not waver in his love and commitment to Jesus and the ministry despite going through much suffering and persecution (2 Corinthians 4:8-12; 11: 22-29). There is no substitute for hard work in high pressure circumstances. Those who give up easily would never succeed no matter where they are planted or where they live. In the end, the individual heart must be sold out to God and give the best to our Master, our Lord Jesus Christ. Those who seek God diligently with faith are those who will ultimately be rewarded (Hebrews 11:6).

As each of you consider the coming Exodus, consider these principles and let our Heavenly Father led you and guide you to the town or city to live, to the country He wants you to be a witness in. It is God who opens doors which no man can shut (Revelation 3:8). Prayer can also be made for God to open a door (Colossians 4:2). Also, when God opens a door, there might be Canaanites or adversaries, so open doors still need people of boldness and of great faith to take it (1 Corinthians 16:8-9). Open doors are no use to cowards who dare not take the step of faith. It also takes spiritual discernment to know that God has opened a door and flow into it (2 Corinthians 2:12). Be blessed in following Jesus through every city, every country and every place He leads you. Where He leads we will follow. Amen.

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