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March 22, 2023

More Than a Name

What is the name again? Josiah’s adventure? Josiah Venture? Who is Josiah? What is a venture?

Have you ever tried to explain the name of Josiah Venture to your friends, churches or a stranger you just met? I am sure I am not the only one who has received several questions about our name. As a new teammate to this incredible family (with all sincerity), I’ve had to do some research to understand the meaning of our name better.

For starters, the Hebrew meaning of Josiah is: God has healed. Simple enough. Thank you, Google, for helping me, but there is more…

Venture means: a risky or daring journey or undertaking. It is a project or activity that is new, exciting, and difficult, because it involves the risk of failure.

Okay, this is getting a little more interesting! So why Josiah, and how does this all line up?

King Josiah

One could say that King Josiah should receive more outstanding awards of awesomeness than any other figure in the Old Testament. “There was never a king like Josiah” (2 Kings 23:25). He is unsurpassed. This is a bold statement! King Josiah did, in fact, have a powerful impact on the nation of Israel in a way that was unlike any other king before him. Josiah was only eight years old when he became king of Judah. This was a dark time in biblical history, when God’s Word was forgotten and people turned away from worshiping God. In these harsh circumstances stood a young teenager who chose to do right in the eyes of the Lord. During his reign, King Josiah followed the law, rebuilt the Temple, and led the nation to repentance and reformation. God chose to reform a nation through a young leader.

Josiah was one of the most remarkable kings of Judah, unique in the strength of his obedience and commitment. He stands as a wonderful example of what a young leader can and should be. There were other great kings of Judah and the united kingdom of Israel, such as David and Hezekiah. Adam Clarke states, “David was a greater but not a better man than Josiah.” Yet, one thing that made Josiah remarkable was his godliness against the backdrop of a wicked time.

A close look at the structural elements of 2 Kings 22-23 reveals leadership principles in our contemporary world. Josiah’s example of seeking and following God and his response to Scripture is actionable in our disciplemaking efforts.

The writers of 1 Kings and 2 Kings assume the audience has an intimate understanding of the Torah—the first five books of the Bible. Deuteronomy is the backbone to which all the events and characters are measured by. The Book of the Law represented the core written record of God’s gracious covenant relationship with His people. So when the writer of the books of Kings ends the story of King Josiah (2 Kings 23:25) with a head nod to the Shema (Deuteronomy 6:4-5), it is a brilliant stroke of literary wonder:

2 Kings 23:25

“Before him there was no king like him who turned to the Lord with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his strength according to all the law of Moses, and no one like him arose after him.”

Mark D. Wessner, president of MB Seminary in Langley, British Columbia, says it this way, “Not only does 2 Kings 23:25 stand alone in terms of Josiah’s ‘turning to the Lord,’ but it is the only Old Testament record of an individual fulfilling the triple command to love the Lord with all of one’s heart (lebab), soul (nephesh), and strength (meod) as required in Deuteronomy 6:5. By identifying these specific characteristics, the narrator sets Josiah apart as a unique king specifically concerning his extraordinary faithfulness in meeting the requirements of Torah … Josiah is the only character explicitly described as fulfilling the expectations of the Shema (Deuteronomy 6:4–5), of which the first part of Jesus’s Greatest Commandment (Mark 12:29–30).”

King Josiah walked all his days living in submission to the Word of God. His wholehearted obedience, combined with his willingness to use his leadership influence to call others to return to God, was the secret sauce. He turned to the Lord with all his heart, soul, and strength. It was simple—nothing fancy or complicated.

Here is a short version of the “Jesus Shema” which combines the Shema with Jesus’ addition.

Mark 12:29-31

“Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone.
Love the Lord your God
with all your heart,
with all your soul,
and with all your might.
And love your neighbor as yourself.”

Let this sink in.

Take action and pray this prayer daily.

Today, we can learn from Josiah’s example to be deeply and relentlessly loyal to God, at all times and in all situations.

Thousands of young leaders, young Josiahs, are trained each year by our staff, and through those young leaders hundreds of new believers are entering the local church as a result of evangelistic and discipleship efforts.

As we invest in young Josiahs, we recognize the venture, a risky or daring journey, ahead of us.

  • Pray for tender hearts to be transformed by the word of God
  • Pray for renewal and reformation that finds its home in the local church and transforms society
  • Pray for the simple obedience to the Shema and walking it out all our days
  • Pray for bold faith to reach a new generation for Christ

This is why we are Josiah Venture. Join the movement to equip young Josiahs to fulfill Christ’s commission through the local church.

It is such an honor to carry this name, Josiah Venture.

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The Right Learning for the Right Person at the Right Time

Stop and think about the times in your life when you grew the most. What were you doing? What were the circumstances? What did you feel? What were you excited about, and what were you worried about? When I look back on my own life, I notice a pattern. Growth usually happens when the challenge in front of us is outside of our comfort zone or outside of our skill level. It happens when we’re stretched. I remember learning this in a very tangible way in college. I took a class called Experiential Learning, and, throughout the semester, we worked through various team-building exercises. At the end of the course, we went to a ropes course, which culminated in a challenge known as the “Pamper Pole”—a towering 10-meter telephone pole. The challenge was to climb to the top, stand on a tiny platform, and then leap to grab a trapeze bar. My professor had seen me go through most of the challenges fairly easily. Just as I was about to climb the Pamper Pole, he quietly walked up behind me, put something in my back pocket, and said, “Just in case you want a little bit bigger challenge.” I reached inside and found a blindfold. And I decided to put it on. I climbed the pole blindfolded, made it to the top, and then jumped. My hands hit the bar, but I didn’t grab it. Of course, I was strapped in, so I didn’t hit the ground, but that moment has stayed with me. Even though I didn’t “succeed” in the way I had hoped, I chose a harder pathway up, and I learned something important: growth often requires stepping into something beyond what we currently know how to do. The missionary life is a lot like that. When Brooke and I first stepped onto the mission field, we were eager and ready to say yes to whatever God put in front of us. We had vision, enthusiasm, and a desire to serve. But looking back, we didn’t realize how steep the learning curve would be or how much God still needed to form in us. Those early years were full of trial and error. We made countless mistakes and learned by trying something, realizing it didn’t work, and trying again. Over time, the Lord shaped us and grew us, but the learning curve was long. Some of the lessons we needed most came through hard seasons, and they didn’t come quickly. The Josiah Venture Winter Academy was established to help provide the resources necessary to give our staff a foundation for healthy, effective ministry that lasts, grounded in Christ’s strategy, and strengthened by shared language, practical tools, and a community that helps them grow through every season. This year, we gathered 52 Josiah Venture staff at our training center in Malenovice, Czech Republic, for a week of discussion, connection, and spiritual encouragement. Every staff member has the opportunity to participate in Winter Academy within their first year on the team (Year 1 track) and again within their second year (Year 2 track). At its core, Winter Academy is about helping our staff build a foundation that will serve them for the long haul, so they can be steady and fruitful through the ups and downs of ministry. Ministry is full of seasons. There are times of blossoming, when the work feels joyful and full of momentum, and there are times of drought, when setbacks and discouragement threaten to parch the soul. Some seasons even hold those highs and lows at the same time. Jeremiah 17:7–8 reads: “Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.” These verses don’t deny hardship; they assume it. But it also points us to the keys to long-term fruitfulness: staying rooted and drawing consistently from the resources we have in Christ. Winter Academy was created to help staff establish those roots early. We wanted to shorten the learning curve so that new staff would be prepared for the obstacles they would inevitably face, and so they could respond with bold faith, with wisdom drawn from best practices across the team, and with perseverance, knowing they would have a team standing with them. Year 1 focuses on the path of a growing disciple. Our first-year staff get grounded in who we are as Josiah Venture and how Christ’s strategy shapes everything we do. They also learn the Five Challenges of Christ in a way that moves beyond theory into real life and real ministry. Year 2 is focused on ministry coaching through the Five Phases. Year 2 builds on that discipleship foundation and helps our staff grow in how they serve and multiply through others. Participants learn how to evaluate ministry health and direction as well as practice coaching conversations that help leaders take meaningful next steps. 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Home

Sajmir just wanted to belong. As the youngest son in a Muslim family of eight children, he was expected to serve everyone. Sajmir’s family was oppressed in Albania because they were dark skinned Gypsies. On top of that, during the difficult time after the revolution, his father began drinking and beating his mother. “My father never beat me,” Sajmir said, “but he never showed me love. He never hugged me or kissed me. I never saw a father figure. I was afraid of him. Also, outside in the city, people were not very close to me. I spent most of my time alone, playing soccer alone, or basketball alone.” There was only one soccer field in his village, and when Sajmir tried to join a game, the other kids would kick him out. One day, a group came toward the field and Sajmir began to back away, sure they would ask him to leave. “Will you play with us?” they asked. “You want to play with me?” Sajmir replied. For the first time in his life, someone invited him in. After the game, they invited him to church. “What is a church?” he said. Running home, he asked his parents if he could go. “Don’t go to church,” they answered sternly, “you will shame us.” But the next day was Sunday, and he snuck out when no one was looking. “When I stepped into the church, at the door, someone gave me a hug for the first time in my life,” Sajmir said. “They put me in the first row. I felt like a celebrity. Then I heard the story that someone loves you just as you are, that is, Jesus—as I was, dark skinned, rejected. But still, there is someone who died for me.” “I ran and told my family, but their response was: ’If you go one more time, we will tell your brother to beat you up.’ I went again. My brother beat me up. For three months, I was beaten every week. I was loved and accepted in church, while suffering and being beaten in my family. Then my mom said, ‘Let him go.’” Filled with joy, Sajmir fell on his knees and said, “God, I will serve you wherever you want me to.” That was 25 years ago, and today Sajmir and his family are part of our Josiah Venture team in Albania. Through youth ministry, he recently planted a church called “Mosaic,” which has grown to over 100 people. Every day, young people come after school and in the evening for tutoring, children’s meetings, youth meetings, small groups, discipleship groups, and a very lively Fusion choir. The church is open every day, from 9:00 am to 7:00 pm, and there is always something happening. “Our building is a daily home for everyone; it’s a family,” says Sajmir. “I always remember what God did for me in my youth. My heart is burning to see more young people come to Christ and find that they are loved and belong.” During this Advent season, we remember how Jesus left his home to make a home for us. He was sent to find us, where we play our games alone, and to invite us into his family. He found Sajmir, and you, and me. Thanks for helping us share this good news with young people who are still without a home. Dave Patty President, Josiah Venture