How a brothel became a church

Two weeks ago, Mark Dickson preached at church on Joshua Ch 2. It was a ripper. Mark holds the C.S.Lewis Chair of Christian Thought at GWC. I've massaged some of his sermon into a post. I know it's a bit longer than usual, but do yourself a favour and give it a read. Joshua Ch 2 is a great story of rescue and intrigue. Was Rahab’s rescue a result of her quick thinking and ingenuity? Absolutely. But there’s more. Rahab’s rescue was because God had been preparing her heart to receive the good news. (“I know that the Lord has given you this land and a great fear has fallen on all of us . . . We have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the red Sea . . When we heard of it our hearts melted and everyone’s courage failed because of you, for the Lord your God is God of heaven above and on the earth below . . .”) Out of everyone in the city, he picked a hooker. What it boiled down to was that Rahab was given 2 big realizations. 1. What was unfolding around her was the work of the true God 2. And anyone who stands against this God is doomed. Mark got us to ponder how the Kings soldiers managed to find their way to her brothel to look for the spies. Could it be that Rahab herself was the one who sent word to the king after hiding the Israelites? Why would she do that? By her own mouth, Rahab testifies that God had been softening her heart to receive him and his people. By dobbing them in, she could then create a situation where she could ‘rescue’ the spies and win their favor. In that way she would also win the favor of their God. There is no doubt about it, Rahab takes risks. She is full of cheeky gumption and uses every means at her disposal because she wants to be on the right side of God. God’s kingdom was bearing down upon her and she wanted in. It kind of reminds us of that story Jesus told of a man finding treasure in a field. He sees it’s value, and realizes that when compare to his life as it is, he would be a fool not to throw caution to the wind and do whatever he could to buy that field. Of course, there is always risk in that course of action. What if the plan went wrong? (Rahab would certainly die, either by an angry betrayed king or the marauding Israelites.) But as it turns out, Rahab’s house becomes an ark. A brothel becomes a place of rescue. So if God can turn a brothel into a church, what can he do for you? The kingdom of God is also bearing down on us and it is just as urgent as it was for Rahab in the city. Have you taken a risk to make sure you are counted as a friend of God’s and not an enemy? Did you once take that risk (at conversion) but have since been living a life of quiet ease? What risks can you take for the kingdom now?

Scott