Stay on Mission – 21st May 2017

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2 – The Holy Spirit is at work.

John 16:7

But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.

 

I think that the reaction that I have most often seen among Christians that are encouraged to share their faith is fear.  Phrases like ‘I could never do that’, ‘That is just not my gift’, ‘I am too nervous to talk to people about Jesus’ may be a true representation of how the person feels but they also demonstrate a widely held understanding, or perhaps misunderstanding, of how we should approach sharing the message of Jesus with others.

 

The thing that makes faith-sharing such a daunting prospect for most Christians is that we think that this is something we have to do alone.  We imagine that to be effective we have to know the Bible from cover-to-cover, have learned every bible verse, in the right order, that is needed to present the gospel, and know the answer to every question that might be thrown at us.  It is all about my ability!

 

The thing that we have not learned, primarily, if we are honest, because we have not tried it, is that sharing the message of Jesus is not something that only works for the experts!

 

In John 15:26 Jesus said to His disciples:

 “When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father—the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father—he will testify about me.

 

Jesus is making it abundantly clear that it is not our words and abilities alone that get the message of Jesus across.  The Holy Spirit ‘will testify’.  Put most simply this means that it is the Holy Spirit who is already at work in people, opening their eyes to the truth of the gospel and guiding them to see their need of Jesus, even before we say a word.  We can’t make people see the truth but thankfully we don’t have to because the Holy Spirit is already doing it.   He invites us to join in with what He is already doing.

 

And so, as you enter another week, my question to you is not ‘will you evangelize this week?’ It is, instead, will you go through this week with your eyes open to see what the Holy Spirit is doing in the lives of the people that you meet and then TRUST Him enough to Join Jesus in His Mission?

Stay on Mission – 15th May 2017

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With Him Not For Him

John 16:7

But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.

 1 – the Holy Spirit is with us

As we seek to join Jesus in His Mission and make Him known to people who are beyond the walls of the church many of us immediately feel inadequate.  Fear, uncertainty, embarrassment at not doing or saying the right things all conspire in our heart and mind to make us feel that joining Jesus in His Mission is beyond our ability and make each of us feel that ‘I could never do that!’

You are absolutely right, this is something that you can’t do! The good news is that God doesn’t expect you to do it for Him.  He wants to do it through you.  Joining Jesus in His Mission is not something that we do FOR Him it is something that we do WITH Him.

In John 16 Jesus has told his disciples that he will soon be leaving them and, as a consequence, they were filled with grief.  They thought that they were going to be left on their own and expected to achieve things that are beyond their ability.  Jesus had told them:

“All this I have told you so that you will not fall away. They will put you out of the synagogue; in fact, the time is coming when anyone who kills you will think they are offering a service to God. (John16:1-2)

For the first disciples, as for many disciples living across the world today, joining in Jesus’ mission was at best a risky enterprise and at worst a threat to their very lives.  Who would ever agree to an assignment like that?

Then Jesus said to them the same thing that he says to you and I!  That you are not alone!!  He will send the advocate, who is the Holy Spirit so that Jesus will be with us in every situation and consequently we will never be expected to do this on our own.

Four chapters later, in John 20 following his death and resurrection, Jesus appeared again to his disciples.  They were locked in a room because they were afraid of what the Jewish leaders would do to them.  They felt alone and afraid.  Then Jesus appeared came and stood among them and said:

 “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. (John 20:21-22)

 

This week – as you consider how you may join Jesus in His mission ask Him to give you the Holy Spirit – you are not alone!

Thought for the Week 7th May 2017

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4.   Be a Neighbor – We need to be a neighbor to everyone, not choose who we would like to be our neighbor.          

Luke 10:25-37

On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”  “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”

He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.” But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’ “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”

A long time ago a Christian leader said something to me that I have always been challenged by.  He said ‘if you truly love God you will love the things that God loves’. 

In the conversation that led to Jesus telling the parable of the Good Samaritan we see this connection being made abundantly clear.  Jesus asked the expert in the law what it is that is at the very heart of the law.  The expert replied by saying “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”

It is clear from this that loving God means loving the people that God loves because God loves them – you can’t have one without the other!

Yet the expert in the law, just like we do, wanted to put a limit on the people that he had to love as a result of God loving him.  He wanted to be selective and not inclusive of all people so he asked the question “And who is my neighbor?” essentially, ‘Who do I have to love?’

 

A number of years ago I was on a rooftop with around 40 pastors looking across the community and asking Jesus how we can join Him in His mission.  One of the pastors shared with the group that as he looked across the community he asked God why he was doing this because anybody who crossed the entrance into his church building was welcome.  God spoke to Him and reminded the Pastor that His welcome doesn’t begin at the entrance to a church building. It is not just for those that will come to us.  We must go to them and where they are and as they are share the love of God with them.

 

By telling the parable of the Good Samaritan, Jesus turned the expert in the laws question upon its head.  Jesus said ‘don’t ask who is your neighbor but instead be a neighbor to everybody!’

 

As you go through this week ask God to help you to be a neighbor to all those that you are among.  God loves them!

Thought for the Week 30th April 2017

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1.      Crossing Barriers – We may need to cross barriers that we prefer to have in place if we are to reach people that God loves.

Luke 10:25-37

On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”  “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”

He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.” But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’ “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”

 

Last week, I mentioned that the parable of the Good Samaritan is both remarkably simple and extraordinarily profound.  It is simple to read and understand the message that Jesus wants us to hear but putting it into practice is a whole other thing.  If we are to join Jesus in His Mission it is vital that we allow Him to replace our ‘natural’ response to what we see around us with His ‘SuperNatural’ compassion for people who, just like us, don’t deserve God’s love and forgiveness.

And there, for me, is the ‘profound’ piece of the jigsaw puzzle.  I know that I am only saved because of Grace and yet when I look at other people I can so easily dismiss them as being people that God would not be interested in.  I can even find myself thinking things like ‘I don’t like the look of that person, so God probably doesn’t either’.  Then it hits me, ‘Who on earth do I think I am? 

This deeply profound truth ‘who do we think we are’ is at the heart of this simple parable.  The man who cared for the victim of the robbers attack was a Samaritan, an enemy of the Jews, a person who ‘naturally speaking’ should have hated him and, as the Priest and the Levite had done, crossed the road and passed by on the other side.  The one’s who thought they were something in God’s eyes did nothing!  Yet the Samaritan did exactly what God wanted.

Do you see it?  The most surprising person does the very thing that those who called themselves God’s people fail to do!

 

So, here is a challenge as you begin this week.  Do you think of yourself as a follower of Jesus and yet avoid the people that He has placed in your daily life or will you ask Him to open your eyes so that you can see Him at work and then Join Him in His Mission?

Thought for the Week 23rd April 2017

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1.      Up close and personal – we need to get close to people if we are to see them as God sees them.

Luke 10:25-37

On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”  “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”

He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.” But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’ “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”

  

Whenever I read the parable of the Good Samaritan I am always amazed at how it is both remarkably simple and, at the same time, extraordinarily profound.  In some ways, joining Jesus in His mission is like this.  Not a difficult concept at all, but something that we will never be able to do on our own, we need to do it WITH him not FOR him.

Look at the simplicity of what Jesus says when different people saw the man beaten up and left on the road:

First, the priest passed by on the other side, then the Levite passed by on the other side.  It doesn’t take a lot of imagination to picture these two people, both of whom considered themselves religious.  You can so easily picture them, wearing their flowing garments and making their way along the street and then, as they see a person in need, passing by on the other side!  They crossed the road to avoid him!  They went out of their way not to have to go close to this unfortunate man.  And then, in just as simple a fashion, Jesus says that a Samaritan walked by and came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. 

Do you see the utter simplicity of it?  He ‘came where the man was and saw him’.  He didn’t cross the road and ignore Him!

Joining Jesus in His Mission means drawing close, looking at people and asking Jesus, who is with you by the Holy Spirit, to help you to see what He sees, to have His compassion!

What is so difficult about that?

Unless, like the Priest and the Levite, we like to look as though we are religious but are not really seeking join Jesus in His mission.

This week, don’t pass by on the other side but draw close to those around you who need Jesus.

Thought for the Week 16th April 2017

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Joining Jesus in His Mission – ‘Don’t stay away’.

Luke 10:25-37

On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”  “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”

He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.” But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’ “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”

 

If you are serious about joining Jesus in His Mission that will mean that you have to be, or become, serious about seeing people as Jesus sees them rather than with your ‘natural’ eyes.   The truth is that left to our own devices we ‘naturally’ want to be and spend time with people who we find agreeable.

We can so easily choose to stay away from people that we don’t find agreeable.

At the heart of the famous ‘parable of the good Samaritan’ is Jesus’ emphasis on what it means to be in His Kingdom and what our heart and attitude should be towards people that He came to save and yet we often would rather stay away from.

I will look at a few of the key things that Jesus teaches in this parable over the next few weeks but want to start with a confession.  I was once in this parable!

 

I was at the Port Authority bus terminal in New York City and watching as hundreds of people kept exiting by the entrance door.  They didn’t realize it was the entrance door because it was open all the time and the ‘exit’ sign couldn’t be seen.  A nun, who was in a hurry, was rushing to exit and, as she did, she tripped an elderly short-sighted man with her bag that she was pulling along behind her.  He fell forwards and splattered his nose on the concrete floor.  She looked over her shoulder, pulled a face that showed her disapproval and then rushed onwards.  Immediately, a young man covered in tattoos and piercings ran to the elderly man, took his handkerchief from his pocket, wiped the blood away from the man’s nose and then picked him up and carefully walked along, half carrying the man, to the medical area. 

As I watched I thought how good it was for the young man to run to his aid and how bad it was for the Nun to have just left him there and done nothing, and then it hit me!!  I didn’t do anything either!

Joining Jesus in His Mission requires that we do more than just agreeing that the gospel is for everybody!

What opportunities are there around you to Join Jesus in His mission this week?

Thought for the Week 2nd April 2017

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4.         Joining Jesus in His Mission – ‘knock’

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.  (Matt 7:7,8)

 

Have you ever been to visit somebody, gone to the door of their house and then stood there just hoping that they will come and let you in?  I doubt it.

 

It is much more likely that you wanted them to know that you had arrived so you knocked on the door so that would come and let you in.

 

Having told people who want to live for Him to ask God for the Holy Spirit and seek first His Kingdom, Jesus adds that we should knock because ‘the door will be opened’.

 

There is a way into the fulfillment of all that God has for us and wants to do in our lives but to receive this we need to ‘knock’ and then we can enter in.

 

As I ponder the things that God wants to do to change me more into His likeness I am aware that I have a choice to make.  I can stand there and do nothing, or I can decide to act upon what I know is the right thing to do and I can knock on the door and enter into what He has for me.

 

The same choice faces all of us as Christians.  We can choose to be satisfied with living a life that is partially surrendered to God and through which there is little witness to the world around us or, we can choose to enter into all that He has for us, allow Him to transform us and then, through us to transform the world.

 

To enter in we have to knock.

 

This week, I urge you not to be ‘satisfied’  – but to ask, and to seek and to knock – God WILL respond!

Thought for the Week 26th March 2017

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3.         Joining Jesus in His Mission – ‘Seek’

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.  (Matt 7:7,8)

To those who want to join Jesus in His mission and live a life as a ‘living witness’ to the transforming power of Jesus – we need SUPERnatural help.   Jesus tells us to ask for this and then he adds ‘Seek and you will find’ because ‘the one who seeks finds’.

 

By telling us to ‘seek’ Jesus is pointing out that Living for Him is something that we need to look for not just expect God to do without our cooperation.  We need to go looking for it!

 

In the previous chapter, Jesus said:

6:33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

 

Seeking first means that living for Him becomes a priority, Jesus is not just one aspect of our life He is our life.

 

This means letting God change us rather than getting stuck and not making progress – which is where many of us are happy to settle – we stop seeking first His Kingdom because we allow other things to be our priority and the result is that we appear no different to people who don’t know Jesus and we have no witness.

 

This week, will you seek FIRST God’s Kingdom and ask the Holy Spirit to work in your life to bring about the change that He desires?

 

Thought for the Week 19th March 2017

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2.         Joining Jesus in His Mission – ‘Ask’

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.  (Matt 7:7,8)

Living the life of a true follower of Jesus is impossible to achieve if we attempt to do it on our own.  The world that we live in has such a powerful pull on us and our own desires are so strong that, left to ourselves, we can never become what Jesus intends, and, our lives cannot be a witness to the transforming power of Jesus.

To become a living witness to Jesus we need SUPERnatural help – that is why Jesus told his disciples, and he tells us to ‘Ask’!   His promise is that ‘it will be given to you’.  The ‘it’ in Jesus’ promise, is the ability to live a life that is being transformed into the likeness of Jesus – a living witness!

Jesus elaborates on His instruction to ask by saying:

 “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake?  If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! 

God, the Father is longing to answer as we ‘Ask’ him.  And the promise is that He will give ‘good gifts’ to those who ask him. 

The phrase ‘Good gifts’ is interesting.  Jesus has pointed out that even evil people give good gifts to their children so how much more will God give ‘good gifts’.  The things that God will give us if we ask are ‘for our good’ He will not give us things that will harm us nor will he just give us things that we would like to have.  He will give what is needed to enable us to live the life of a follower of Jesus. 

This is made abundantly clear in the gospel of Luke.  He records Jesus as saying:

Luke 11:11-13

“Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

The ‘Good Gift’ that God gives is the Holy Spirit!  It is his presence and SUPERnatural power in our lives, not our own efforts, that leads to us being transformed and able to live the life as followers of Jesus.   

This week – ask God to give you the Holy Spirit, to transform you and through you to transform others.

Thought for the Week 12th March 2017

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1.      Joining Jesus in His Mission  – we need Him!

 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened”.  (Matt 7:7,8)

Jesus invites everyone who follows Him to join Him in His mission.  Responding to His invitation requires that we live a life that is different, a life that causes people to be curious about what (or who) it is that causes us to be who we are.  It also requires that we tell people about the Jesus who is changing us.

The challenge for many followers of Jesus is that we allow our lives to be shaped by the world that we are surrounded by, rather than by Jesus. The result of this is that there is no apparent difference between us, and the people that we live among.  As such, they are not curious about our faith, and our words, if we share anything, do not make an impact. 

How can this change?

In Matthew chapters 5-7 Jesus preached the ‘Sermon on the mount’.  This sermon outlines what it means to live life in the Kingdom of God, as a follower of Jesus.  The sermon is filled with numerous challenges to do things that cut against everything that comes naturally to us. 

Among so many other things, Jesus tells us: ‘love your enemies and pray for them’ ‘if somebody takes your coat, offer them your tunic as well’ ‘Don’t worry about having material possessions but trust in the God who provides everything’. 

Each of these things, and the many others that he refers to as key aspects of living as His follower, are enormously difficult and most of us, if we are honest, do not even attempt them.

The first disciples, as they heard Jesus teaching in such a revolutionary way must have felt the same as we do.  They must have been thinking, ‘How on earth can I ever live a life like that?’

To those first disciples and to us, Jesus says:

 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.  (Matt 7:7,8)

As you go through this week, remember that however difficult it may be to live for Jesus…you can ask Him!