In this final talk on Moses, we look at how Moses passes leadership on to his successor Joshua. We, like Moses, are called to do all we can to help the next generation of leaders emerge, and to do all we can to help them succeed. And, like Joshua, we’re called to develop both our gifts and character so that we can best step up into leadership when the opportunity and God’s call come. The challenge for all of us is like Moses - to find younger leaders we can invest in; and like Joshua - be the sort of person more mature leaders want to develop. The kingdom of God is, fundamentally a kingdom of people. So when our attitude is, ‘How can I best develop my gifts to serve others, whilst working to help others thrive so they can best serve too?’ God’s kingdom grows.

By Ed Flint

Moses risks everything to pursue God’s presence. Even though God promises to deliver his people, to protect them from their enemies, and to bring blessing, that God’s presence won’t go with them is not enough for Moses. This never-ending desire for more of God is at the heart of what it is to be a leader. We follow Moses in this by admitting where we’ve lost God’s presence and doing everything we can to regain it. The reward is nothing less than the felt experience of God’s goodness.

By Ed Flint

In the 22 Days - by best guesses - that the Israelites took to travel from the Red Sea to Mount Sinai, a number of memorable events took place. Moses led the people through hunger, thirst and military attack - and God met their needs every time - before finally reaching the mountain. These are vignettes we may be very familiar with but it’s so good to remember God’s patience with us on the journey, his protection, his ongoing call to his people, and what these stories always pointed to!

By Hannah Flint

We were delighted to welcome guest speaker Bill Dogetrom to speak and continue our series on Moses and the marks of a great leader. Bill brings all his years of experience to help unpack the famous episode of God delivering the Israelites across the Red Sea. Moses learns there are times when we need to be still in prayer, and others when when we need to move forward prayerfully. When we are grounded in God through prayer we can be a non-anxious presence when all around is chaos. And we’ll know when it’s time to stay still, and when it’s time to go.

By Bill Dogterom

Great leaders learn from failure. Moses fails both by the world’s standards - he gives up all the riches of Egyptian royalty to be with his downtrodden people; and, he fails by God’s standards - he takes God’s justice into his own hands and operates from his flesh, murdering an Egyptian. Both failures lead him to the desert. But it’s in the desert that God does his redemption. It’s in Moses’ isolation that God works wonderful things for good. The same is true for us. Our desert experiences are often the time God teaches us and develops us in ways we could never experience normally. And his promise is never to leave us there.

By Ed Flint

One of the things the world is most in need of is great leadership. So, how can we know what godly leadership looks like, and how can we grow as leaders? Moses is one of the greatest leaders in the Bible. In his birth story we see the foundations on which great leaders stand. They know that, despite the turmoil of the world, God is good and God is in control. When you truly believe this you see that you’re no accident, there is a purpose and calling to your life; you won’t be surprised by what might happen, because nothing is a surprise to God; and you’ll know that in the end everything will work out well because Jesus has defeated all that might come against you. It’s these foundations that enable us to grow into godly leaders who impact and influence our environment for Jesus and his kingdom.

By Ed Flint