Stay On Mission – 2nd July 2018

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3. Concentration.

Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:12-14

For the Apostle Paul, who wrote this letter to the church at Philippi, there was nothing more important than Jesus and His mission! Because he was so committed, living for Jesus grabbed his whole concentration and everything that he did was a ‘living out’ of his commitment to Jesus. If you have been continuing to watch the world cup finals, you will have heard the phrase ‘kept his eye on the ball’ numerous times. This was how Paul continued to live out his faith and stay on mission with Jesus. He did not allow the things of this world to distract him, his concentration was on Jesus.
How else would he have been able to say these words to the church at Philippi just a few verses before the passage above:

Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel. As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. And because of my chains, most of the brothers and sisters have become confident in the Lord and dare all the more to proclaim the gospel without fear. Philippians 1:12-14

Paul was in prison because of his commitment to the mission of Jesus! Yet his response was not to bemoan his situation – on the contrary, he is pleased that his being in prison has ‘served to advance the gospel’. This is what he lives for and because of this he does not get distracted by a longing for comfort or ‘an easy life’ as he says a little later to the Philippians:

I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength. Philippians 4:12,13.

Staying on mission with Jesus is not easy! There are so many things that easily distract us. As followers of Jesus we live in a world that is filled with temptations and that offers us a life with ‘me’ at the centre. It is so easy to concentrate on these things and to always want the circumstances of life to be to our benefit and, if we are honest, to expect God somehow to always make sure that we are ‘doing fine’. He never promised that!
This week, as you consider what it means to follow Jesus, take some time to think and pray about this question:
“What are the things that are the focus of my concentration?”
As you do this you may need to spend time in prayer and renew your commitment to Jesus and His mission.

Stay On Mission – 25th June 2018

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1. Determination.

Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:12-14

Not long after the world cup finals in Russia began, there was a remarkable 3-3 draw between Spain and Portugal. As the match came close to finishing Spain were leading 3-2 and then Portugal were awarded a Free Kick within shooting distance of the Spanish goal. As the crowd roared their team on, up stepped Christiano Ronaldo – he would take the free kick at this critical moment.

As he placed the ball and then looked up to face the goal his face was a picture of absolute determination, he, perhaps the world’s greatest player, had an opportunity to rescue his team from defeat and the look on his face said it all – ‘he would not fail them’.

Immediately he struck the ball there was no doubt where it would end up – in the back of the net. He struck the ball perfectly and it bent around the wall and went into the top corner of the goal. It was a brilliant piece of skill but what I remember most was that look of determination – failure was not an option.

In the words that Paul wrote to the Philippians, he said: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on…..
Paul did not rest on wnere he had reached as a Christian, he wasn’t content with what the Lord had already done in and through him, he was determined to be used by God to bring victory as the Kingdom of God spread across the world.

So deeply I wish that the church of Jesus Christ consisted of millions upon millions of Christ followers possessing the same determination. Christians who would not settle for the fact that they have never shared their faith or led a person to Christ. Followers of Jesus who would continually ‘strain toward what is ahead’ even if this means discomfort and opposition.

If we are to stay on mission with Jesus we cannot be half-hearted and willing to so easily accept defeat. We must be determined!
This week, I encourage you to spend time with the Lord and ask Him to fill you, once again, with His passion, To replace indifference with commitment and acceptance of a comfortable and safe life with a determination to join Him in His Mission whatever!

Stay On Mission – 17th June 2018

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1. Preparation!
Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:12-14
If you live anywhere on planet earth you can hardly have failed to notice that the football (or as some say, soccer), world cup finals are now taking place in Russia. The world’s best have all flown in and are competing for the prize of being crowned as champions of the world.
If, like me, you have watched any of the build up to the finals, you will have seen that each team was spending all of their time in preparation. This included fitness, tactics, penalty taking (especially for the England Team), team bonding, etc etc. No team would ever turn up to the world cup without being as fully prepared as possible and, if they did, they would be flying home pretty quickly.
Paul, in his letter to the church at Philippi, talks about ‘winning the prize’ that awaits him in heaven. He is pressing on in anticipation of this prize because this, above all else, is his motivation. As he ‘strains toward what is ahead’ it is clear from his writings that he is constantly living for Jesus and making Him known – he is an effective member of Jesus ‘team’.
Tragically there are many Christians who are not so effective, we want to receive the prize but we are not actively engaged in being part of the team that is ‘Joining Jesus in His Mission’ and making Him known to the world. I want to suggest one simple but enormously significant reason that many Christians are not participating fully in Jesus’ mission: It is because we are not prepared!
Churches are filled with Christians who openly admit that they do not know how to talk about Jesus with others, and who do not know the gospel in such a way that they could tell it to somebody else. The antidote to this would be ‘preparation’, there are countless books, resources and materials available, free of charge, that will equip Christians to do this but, in spite of this, so many are not prepared.
This week, I encourage you to reflect on these words written by Paul and consider the question: “Am I prepared?”

Stay On Mission 11th June 2018

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1. At your convenience?
But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” Luke 15:2
A few years ago, I was speaking at a conference at the Lifeway retreat center ‘Ridgecrest’ in North Carolina. During one session I raised the question ‘what are some of the things that prevent us from sharing the message of God’s love with sinners?’ In an open question time at the end of this session a lady asked if she could say what she thought the problem was. I said ‘of course’.
She then explained that reaching people who know little about Jesus and who live lives that are very different from what God intends takes a lot of time and energy. She continued to say that if we are to reach the kind of people that Jesus reached then we must invest in their lives and this will cost us something. It may cost us time, energy, and mean that we can’t do some of the things that we would like to because we are focusing on the needs of these people rather than on our own. She finished by saying “we don’t reach out to these people because it gets in the way of our lives – it is just not convenient!”
I remember that when she said these words there were lots of nodding heads across the group of people that were gathered in the auditorium. In one-on-one conversations with many people following the session people spoke to me about their take on what she had said and most agreed with her and added things like: “I know that if I take time to get to know a person who needs Jesus it will take a lot more time to try to lead them to faith – I don’t have that time”, and “I’ve got so much going on in my life already, I just couldn’t cope with adding another thing to do”.
I am not sure if you can hear yourself in any of these comments that were made? If you can then there is a challenge that it is important to consider. When Jesus called us to follow Him and go and ‘make disciples’ He made it quite clear that joining Him in His Mission would never be accomplished ‘at our convenience’. His words were, as always, an expression of His actions and he certainly did not do what was required to save us from our sins ‘at His convenience’ it cost Him His life!
I encourage you, this week, to spend some time with the Lord and be honest with him about what it is that you are ‘investing in’ with your time and energy. Ask Him to fill you with His passion so that you will begin to invest in what matters to Him!

Stay on Mission

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1. Grace is Amazing!

But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” Luke 15:2

It has to be one of the most loved hymn across the world! It begins with words that many Christians can recite without looking at the hymn book or large screen!

‘Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me’ and then the next line:
‘I once was lost, but now am found, was blind but now I see’.

While many of us know these words by heart, it is so easy for us to forget how amazing grace really is.
In his letter to the church at Ephesus, Paul writes:

As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. Ephesians 2:1-5

Grace is amazing because people who are deserving of wrath are made alive and this is because of God’s great love and mercy – we deserve wrath but receive life!

The aspect of grace that we seem to most easily ‘forget’ is that the great gift of eternal life we have received is only because of God’s mercy and not as a result of anything we have done, as Paul says a little later to the Ephesians: ‘For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.’ Ephesians 2:8,9.

What we can ‘forget’ is that the most sinful person imaginable is no more or less in need of grace than we are. We can begin to ‘boast’ in the fact that we are no longer like the people in society who do bad things and we can begin to see them as those who are deserving of God’s wrath. It is true that they are deserving of God’s wrath – just as we are!

If we are to stay on mission with Jesus we must constantly reflect upon the truth that we are recipients of an amazing gift that, far from causing us to be disapproving of others, should ignite in us a desire to share with them the ‘good news’ that God is rich in mercy and can give them a gift they don’t deserve. We have received the greatest of all gifts and we don’t deserve it, the same gift is available to them!

This week I encourage you to take some time to reflect on the amazing grace of God, to thank Him for the gift you have received, and to ask Him to fill you with His passion for those that you know who have not received this gift.

Dennis

Stay On Mission – 28th May 2018

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2. Welcome sinners!
But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” Luke 15:2
The Rooftop in Uganda has launched a ministry that I find really exciting!
It is exciting because it is reaching the kinds of people that Jesus spent His time with and the Christians are ‘welcoming sinners and eating with them’. In an area of Kampala is a community of ladies who, as a result of their circumstances in life, are prostitutes. These ladies, along with their children are living in a part of town that is viewed as ‘unclean’ both by the community and also many of the churches!
As a result of the ministry of our National Pioneer in Uganda, Richard, ministry was begun among these ladies and their children. Richard was prompted by the key principle of The Rooftop movement that God wants us, like Jesus, to be reaching people who are beyond the walls.
The ministry began by meeting with the ladies in a safe place and providing food and water for them and then sharing the message of God’s love and forgiveness for all sinners. Many of the ladies are coming to faith in Christ and we are now taking steps towards providing a base for these ladies and their children to be discipled as followers of Jesus who will be equipped to make disciples of other ladies. The base, which will also provide training for employment and education will be called ‘Friends of Jesus House’. This name, first suggested by Richard really excites me because it underlines the enormous truth, for which EVERY human being should be grateful, that Jesus welcomes sinners – He is their friend.
Friends of Jesus is now likely to spread into Kenya and then into several other countries across Africa. It began with a realization that Jesus welcomes sinners and that God’s love reaches out to everyone.
Where you live, is there a person or are there some people, that need to know God’s forgiveness but, if you are honest, you tend to stay away from?
I encourage you, this week, to ask the Lord to do something in your heart, to give you His vision of these people so that you will see them as He does, feel his compassion for them and then ‘welcome them’.

Stay On Mission – 21st May 2018

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1. A Godly Passion
But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” Luke 15:2
A phrase that I have used more times than I can count, in many parts of the world is this:
‘If we are going to reach the vast numbers of people who are beyond the walls of the church, there is as much need for us, within the walls, to change as there is for those outside”.
You may wonder what I mean by this, so let me explain.
I will begin by referring to the bible verse above. These brief words expose an enormously significant reality: ‘It is possible to say that we love God and yet be opposed to the very things that God passionately wants to happen’.
The Pharisees and teachers of the law thought of themselves as God’s people and yet, when God appeared in the flesh and engaged in His Mission, they did not join Him, they did the exact opposite, they opposed Him!
It is very easy to read a verse like this and think something like: ‘those awful Pharisees and religious leaders, how could they have been like that?’ and yet, at the same time, miss the fact that we ourselves can so easily share the same view that they had. We may not be so aggressive in our opposition, but we can so swiftly make judgements about people that we know, or even people that we just see as we go through our daily lives.
These judgments can lead us to conclude that ‘these are the kind of people that we should stay away from’ or ‘we wouldn’t really like those kind of people at church’.
Yet here is the enormous challenge that leads me to frequently make the statement I have mentioned above. The challenge is that the Jesus who’s mission we join spent almost all of his time expressing God’s love towards the kind of people that most of us find it difficult to like.
I want to dig a little deeper into this over the next few weeks but, this week, take some time to be open with the Lord about your feelings and attitudes towards people who live lives that are not as He intends! Ask Him to move in your heart so that you will see them as He sees them.

The Rooftop in Panama

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This picture shows some of the pastors and leaders who gathered at the recent event in Panama City where Dennis Pethers, the International Pioneer for The Rooftop presented the vision of The Rooftop 2020 Vision and invited Panama to become one of the 100 countries that will join this movement.

The response was very positive, especially as The Rooftop materials are very soon to be available in Spanish, Dennis writes:

“It was so encouraging to speak with so many pastors following the presentation of the vision, repeatedly their comments were: ‘We need this movement in Panama, churches must learn how to reach beyond the walls’. ‘This is God’s perfect timing, we are ready!’ ‘Yes, we long for an awakening and want to part of this movement’.

The visit to Panama is part of a new focus for The Rooftop with future visits being planned to Argentina, El Salvador and Mexico as the movement begins to expand across Latin America.

The Rooftop enters D.R. Congo

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Over the past week, The Rooftop movement has taken a key step into D.R. Congo – Safari Akili writes:

“Thank you for your prayers, I have now cast the vision of The Rooftop in D.R. Congo and the program was really good. Yesterday I talked to about 200 people in the church and then in the youth conference and today to key pastors in the city of Goma”.

It was great to hear this news and to be informed that the reception was very warm and there is now an open door into this country.

Over the past few days we have also begun to explore doors that are opening in Sierra Leone and Nigeria.

Joining Jesus in His Mission is an adventure!

 

Stay On Mission 6th May 2018

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4. Rejoice!
Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel. As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. And because of my chains, most of the brothers and sisters have become confident in the Lord and dare all the more to proclaim the gospel without fear.
It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill. The latter do so out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains. But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice. Philippians 1:12-18

What do you like to do in order to be happy? For many people, even I guess many Christians, the things that we like to do to become happy are, for the most part, things that we get enjoyment from doing. This usually includes things like: A meal, a vacation, having nice things, often fare more than we need.
We live in a world where we are constantly bombarded with messages that tell us that the pursuit of entertainment and material things is the way to happiness.
As I read these words from Paul, it appears that there is something very different that causes him to ‘Rejoice’ or ‘be deeply happy’.
He is clearly not writing this letter from an exotic coastal location, he is in prison! As a prisoner there cannot have been much in the way of entertainment and he would have owned no ‘nice’ things. Yet, he says: And because of this I rejoice. You may have read these words from Paul many times and become familiar with the fact that he wrote them from a prison cell but we shouldn’t forget just how amazing this is.

The thing that caused him to rejoice was that Christ is preached.

Paul’s life was a life that was dedicated to the mission of Jesus, to him the thing that mattered more than anything else was not his own personal happiness and satisfaction, it was that the gospel was being preached and that people were receiving the gift of eternal life. He had no distractions and no ‘things’ to weigh him down.
It would be very convenient if the Bible told us that it is possible to stay on Mission with Jesus and then live a life that is the same as the lives that are lived by people who don’t know Jesus. The reality is that when we make the things of this world our primary focus, then we find it almost impossible to join Jesus in His Mission because other things become more important to us.

As I write these words I am enormously challenged because they challenge so much of what is assumed as the ‘normal’ way for a follower of Jesus to live in the part of the world where I am from. I can offer no easy solution to this but feel that the only way we can be changed it to be open and transparent before God about the things that are most important to us. If these are not in line with His will then it is vital for us to be prepared to refocus our priorities.
To help you, this week, spend time with God and meditate on these words from a Psalm of David:

Test me, LORD, and try me,
examine my heart and my mind;
for I have always been mindful of your unfailing love
and have lived in reliance on your faithfulness. Psalm 26:2,3