Joining Jesus – 11th February 2019

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4. ‘Choose Life!’
From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.
Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!”
Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”
Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done. Matthew 16:21-24

As He engaged in His Mission, Jesus invited people to follow Him. His invitation confronted the first disciples, and all of us with an enormous and eternal choice:

For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.
The choice is between seeking to ‘save’ our life or being prepared to ‘lose it’ for the sake of Jesus. There is so much that could be said about this challenge but I want to go straight to what I believe is the core of what Jesus is saying here. His words ‘whoever wants to save their life’ mean – ‘Whoever wants to stay in control of their life and still think of it as ‘my life’. People who make this choice will lose their life because they have never become the kind of followers that Jesus is seeking. The phrase ‘lose it (their life)’ refers to the ‘kingdom life that Jesus came to bring’. The life He offers cannot be received by people who want to carry on living their own life and somehow make Jesus a part of it! The result of us continuing to live our own lives is that that we will not truly know Jesus in this life and in eternity!

On the contrary, Jesus continues, ‘whoever loses their life for me’, these words mean – ‘whoever surrenders their life and submits to Jesus as Lord’ These people will ‘find life’ because the new life that Jesus offers is a ‘replacement’ for the life that we live when we stay in control. As Paul writes in his second letter to the church at Corinth:
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! 2 Corinthians 5:17
A follower of Christ is, in the words of Jesus and Paul, a new creature whose old life ‘has gone’ and who is living a ‘new life’ with Jesus at the centre.

The challenge of these words of Jesus and Paul, is that Jesus never offered what passes for ‘being a Christian’ in many churches. Jesus never offered eternal life to people who would continue to live their own lives and turn up at church on Sunday for worship gatherings. He offered a new life to those who would be willing to surrender their life to Him, and join Him in His mission.

As I write these words I am personally, deeply challenged, by the uncomplicated yet radical choice that Jesus presents us with. I find myself wanting to look for a less challenging choice that will make it easier for me, and for others, to follow Jesus. But as hard as I look I can’t find one, Jesus didn’t offer ‘an easy road’ Rather, He said:

“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. Matthew 7:13,14.

As I conclude this short series on what is means to be a disciple of Jesus, I ask you, and indeed myself, to look at some other words that were written by the Apostle Paul and to ask the Lord, in the power of the Holy Spirit, to help us to reach the place where these words can be our living testimony:

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Galatians 2:20

Joining Jesus – 4th February 2019

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SPECIAL NOTE
On 1st March 2019, I will be beginning the ‘Joining Jesus’ Podcast and be launching a new ‘Joining Jesus’ discipleship process that will be available at The Rooftop Academy www.therooftop.org

As such, to avoid having too many, and possibly confusing ‘titles’ I thought it would be best for the weekly email that I send to have the same title. Therefore, ‘Stay On Mission’ from now onwards will be titled ‘Joining Jesus’.

If you are being helped by these emails, from 1st March, please feel free to find out more about the podcast and discipleship process.

Here is this weeks article.

3.  It has to be ‘SUPERnatural”.

From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.

Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!”

Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done.  Matthew 16:21-24

Jesus laid down His life so that His mission could be completed, and this mission is at the very heart of God. Luke records Jesus’ words:

“I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent”.  Luke 15:7

And a little later:

“In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”  Luke 15:10

It is clear from these words of Jesus that God’s priority is that sinners will repent, is was for this reason that Jesus came to earth, leading sinners to repentance was His Mission:

After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!”  Mark 1:14,15

In order for the ‘good news of God’ to reach the ends of the earth, Jesus calls people to follow Him.  In the New Testament, the word used to describe these followers is ‘disciples’ and it is really important to note that the word ‘disciple’ doesn’t just apply to a select group of followers who are ‘super-committed’ followers of Jesus.  If we are to truly follow Jesus and join Him in His Mission we must take serious note of the words that He spoke to His followers:

“Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.

These words are challenging to the very core because they speak of something that none of us can do on our own strength.  What Jesus requires of a disciple can only happen as a result of God’s supernatural intervention.  Left to our own devices we, like Peter, miss the point of what Jesus is calling His followers to do.  He is passionate about the mission that He came to complete and He wants people to follow Him, share in His passion and tell the ‘Good News of God’ to the world.

For this to happen, Jesus says that something miraculous needs to take place in “Whoever wants to be my disciple”.    The miracle will require that every disciple must “deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me”.

Self-denial and the willingness to suffer are contrary to our natural instincts and each of us will avoid these things if we can.  Self fulfilment and comfort are far more attractive to us!  Even as Christians, it is possible that we view Jesus as the one who blesses us and ‘makes our life better’.  However attractive this may seem, it is not what Jesus offered!  He knows that if we are to ‘Join Him in His Mission’ we will have to step outside of our comfort zone and, like Him, seek and save the lost.  This will require sacrifice and suffering.

The choice we face every day of our lives as we live among people who Jesus came to seek and to save is ‘will I put Jesus Mission before my desire for comfort?’  To be able to say yes to this we need a supernatural intervention, or, as the word of God says, we need the Holy Spirit.

This week, I encourage you to reflect on the verses below from Paul’s letter to The Romans.  As Christians we are not left to ‘do the impossible in our own strength’ but to recognize who we are in Christ and allow Him to do a supernatural work in us!

The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.”  Romans 8:15

‘Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory’.  Romans 8:17

Dennis

Joining Jesus – 27th january 2019

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SPECIAL NOTE
On 1st March 2019, I will be beginning the ‘Joining Jesus’ Podcast and be launching a new ‘Joining Jesus’ discipleship process that will be available at The Rooftop Academy www.therooftop.org

As such, to avoid having too many, and possibly confusing ‘titles’ I thought it would be best for the weekly email that I send to have the same title. Therefore, ‘Stay On Mission’ from now onwards will be titled ‘Joining Jesus’.

If you are being helped by these emails, from 1st March, please feel free to find out more about the podcast and discipleship process.

Here is this weeks article.
2. Have you missed the point?
From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.
Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!”
Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”
Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done. Matthew 16:21-24
The Jesus who asks us to follow Him and join Him in His Mission is the one who ‘died for us’ as Peter writes:
‘For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God’. 1 Peter 3:18
The mission that Jesus asks us to join Him in is something that is far more urgent than merely filling up empty seats in church buildings. It is not a mission that is intended to give people a better life – it is a mission that is fulfilled when people surrender to Jesus and receive a new life, al life that begins in this world and will continue forever.
Having spent several years travelling to many parts of the world and visiting churches in a variety of different situations I have reluctantly reached a sad conclusion. The conclusion that I have come to is that the vast majority of Christians have lost, or maybe never had, a deep passion for a mission that is about saving people from an eternity without God! Somehow, it seems we have missed the point!
Remarkably, in the scripture we are looking at, we discover that we are not the first people to completely miss the point!
Immediately after Jesus had explained His mission to the disciples, Matthew records:
Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!”
Peter had missed the point and not understood that Jesus’ Mission was not just something that made life better here, it was a mission with an eternal perspective, hence the enormously challenging words from Jesus in response to Peter:
Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”
Jesus now rebukes Peter and at the heart of this rebuke is that Peter only has in mind ‘human’ concerns not ‘the concerns of God’. As a result, Peter was a stumbling block because while he saw things from this perspective he would get in the way of the true mission of Jesus!
This can easily happen to us as churches and individuals, we can become so focused on ‘human concerns’ – our own problems and issues as individuals and, as churches, keeping things the way we like them to be and ensuring that we are ‘on budget’. These human concerns can mean that we completely miss the point and see our mission as ensuring that our needs are met – this can make us a stumbling block!
For us, as for Peter, there is a rebuke from Jesus if our focus is on ‘merely human concerns’.
This week I encourage you to take some time to read through the scripture verses above and ask the Lord to reveal to you whether you have in mind ‘the concerns of God’ or ‘merely human concerns’.

Joining Jesus – 23rd January 2019

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SPECIAL NOTE
On 1st March 2019, I will be beginning the ‘Joining Jesus’ Podcast and be launching a new ‘Joining Jesus’ discipleship process that will be available at The Rooftop Academy www.therooftop.org

As such, to avoid having too many, and possibly confusing ‘titles’ I thought it would be best for the weekly email that I send to have the same title. Therefore, ‘Stay On Mission’ from now onwards will be titled ‘Joining Jesus’.

If you are being helped by these emails, from 1st March, please feel free to find out more about the podcast and discipleship process.

Here is this weeks article.
1. A new life
From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.
Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!”
Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”
Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done. Matthew 16:21-24
I have chosen to begin the new series under the title ‘Joining Jesus’ with some of the most challenging words that Jesus spoke during His ministry. The words above are also included in the gospels of Mark and Luke and they challenge us to the core. But in this first article I want to focus on Jesus’ actions before we look, over the coming articles, at His words.
Matthew writes:
From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.
These words may be very familiar and the problem with familiarity is that it can lead to us failing to let the truth of what is being said really impact us.
Jesus is about to share with His disciples that there is a huge cost involved in following Him. But what is about to happen to Him makes it clear that the price He is will pay is even greater. The words that stand out from the verse above are: ‘suffer’, ‘be killed’, and ‘raised to life’. The outcome is going to be glorious, He will be raised from the dead!! But this will not happen without Him suffering and being killed, as Paul writes to the church at Philippi:
And being found in appearance as a man, he (Jesus) humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross! Philippians 2:8
Jesus suffering and death were not as a result of Him being overpowered against His will, it was an act of obedience which was necessary for His mission to be accomplished. This is seen in His explanation to his disciples that ‘he must go to Jerusalem….’ He chose to do what would result in pain and even death because He knew this was required for His mission to be completed. He was obedient to the purposes of God in the face of the most terrible torture that man has invented – the cross!
Obedience is a characteristic that seems to be out of vogue for many within the church. We like to speak of ‘blessings’ that will bring benefits but not so much about obedience that will cost us something.
However, as with Jesus, the blessing follows the obedience, Paul continues in the letter to the Philippians:
Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Philippians 2:9-11
This week, I encourage you to reflect on the vital role that obedience played in Jesus being able to fulfil His Mission with the result that He was ‘exalted to the highest place’. What does this mean for you as a follower of Jesus as you seek to join Him in His Mission?
Dennis

Stay On Mission – 17th December 2018

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3. Humility and cost!
But after Joseph had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”). When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus. Matthew 1:20-25
I know many people who were given a name at birth but who, for one reason or another, never use the name in later life. The result of this is that many people never find out what their original name was. My Grandfather’s name was Isaac but everybody called him Mick. My wife’s grandmother’s name was Violet but everybody called her Betty.
The name ‘Jesus’ that was given to Mary’s child was used throughout his life. But there was another name that the child was given that is seldom used as a name:
All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).
The name that people would call the child born of the virgin was ‘Immanuel’ because this too describes the most remarkable and mind-blowing truth. In order for God to save us He had to come to be with us! As John records in his gospel:
‘The word became flesh and made His dwelling among us’ John 1:14
It is so hard for our minds to fathom the enormity of this truth!
What we celebrate at Christmas time is an act of complete selfless humility that is demonstrated by the creator of the universe. His mission was so important to Him that he was prepared to become a creature and lay down His life.
Paul, in his letter to the Philippians expands on this remarkable truth and, this Christmas, as you thank God for what He has done, can I encourage you to reflect on the words that Paul wrote, copied below, as you spend time with the Lord and ask how you can join Him in His Mission:
In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:
Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross! Philippians 2:5-8
Saving us from our sin cost Jesus His life! What are you prepared to lay down that will enable you to join Jesus in His Mission?

Stay On Mission – 10th December 2018

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2. Jesus –  The rescuer!

But after Joseph had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”  All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).  When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.  Matthew 1:20-25

We all have a name, and our name has a meaning which may, or may not, describe something that is true about us.  My name is Dennis and by looking on the internet, I discovered:

In English the meaning of the name Dennis is: Dionysius is the mythological Greek god of wine responsible for growth of the vines and the originator of winemaking: (equivalent to the Roman god Bacchus.).

Clearly, my name doesn’t describe me at all!  It is just a name that my mother chose because she liked the name, or, maybe it was popular at the time.

In the case of Jesus, His name was no accident, it was a name that fully described the whole purpose of His life on earth.

The angel said to Joseph:  “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” 

The name ‘Jesus’ was not chosen by Joseph or Mary, it was the name that they were instructed to give Him because the name described why He had come.  Joseph was told to name Him Jesus because he will save people from their sins.  There is clearly a link between the name the child was to be given and what He would do with His life.

The name ‘Jesus’ stems from the Hebrew name ‘Yeshua’ which means ‘God saves/delivers’.  As such, the angel said to Joseph:  “….you are to give Him the name ‘God saves’ because he will save people from their sins.”

Jesus whole life, as revealed in the name He was to be given, was a rescue mission – he came to SAVE people from their sins.  His only focus was on fulfilling this mission and, as His followers, He invites us to Join Him in His Mission!

As Christmas approaches and you reflect upon all that Jesus has done to rescue you and save you from the consequences of sin, reflect also on the mission that He has invited you to join Him in.  This mission was his entire purpose, how much of a priority is it to you?

Stay on Mission – 3rd December 2018

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1. A Unique Opportunity.

But after Joseph had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”). When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus. Matthew 1:20-25

A couple of days ago, in our local supermarket, I said to the young lady at the checkout, ‘Merry Christmas’. Yes, it is that time of year again, it is Christmas. The day before I passed on my first Christmas greeting of 2018, I had been on the London Underground travelling to the city for a meeting. As I stood on the platform waiting for the train, I was looking at the array of advertising billboards on the wall on the other side of the track. One of them grabbed my attention, it said something like: “Christmas is all about family and friends’ but the words family and friends had a line through them and, over the top was written the word ‘presents’. This was an advert for an online Christmas gift website!

As I looked at this, I reflected on the message that was being presented to the thousands upon thousands of people who will read it. Clearly, the message is that Christmas has nothing to do with Christ!

While I am saddened to see this, and so many other ‘messages’ that leave Christ out of Christmas, I am also really encouraged by the fact that there are still millions of people who do make some time for Jesus during the Christmas period. In the UK where I live, church buildings that are almost empty for much of the year are often filled to overflowing for carol services. In addition, there are so many other places and occasions where the story is told as churches use other buildings and locations as venues for celebrating and sharing the story of the birth of Jesus.

Christmas provides us with a great opportunity to join Jesus in His Mission and it is vital that we make the most of what is still a unique opportunity.
A number of years ago a Christian ministry engaged in a huge national survey in which they asked people across the UK who don’t go to church two questions:

      “When would you be most likely to go to church”?

      “What would be most likely to get you to go”?

The answers were:

      “Christmas”.

      “A Personal Invitation”.

Over the next few weeks I want to draw some important things out of the bible story about the birth of Jesus but, during this week, as Christmas begins to take centre stage, be asking God who you could ‘invite’ to hear the story this Christmas.

Stay On Mission – 20th November 2018

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4. ‘None of the shells is perfect’!
“For the son of man came to seek and to save what was lost” Luke 19:10
After a long time of searching along the beach Lynn had collected an amazing array of sea shells. When we sat down at the end of our walk, she was keen to show me the results of her ‘seeking’ so she laid the shells out on the table that we were sitting at, it was a very impressive collection.
As she began showing them to me, she started to examine each shell really carefully and noticed, to her horror, that not one shell that she had collected was perfect! Each one of them, on close examination, had a tiny peace missing, had a small chip, or was slightly discoloured in one part. Even the best of the shells was imperfect!
In his letter to the Romans, Paul wrote some words that are very familiar to most Christians:
“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23)
This is a verse that is often used in an ‘evangelistic presentation’ and while this is valid it is not what Paul was really pointing to when he wrote his letter to the Romans. His point was that both Jews and Gentiles were sinners who fell short of the glory of God! There is nobody who has a right to God’s mercy and who can consider themselves ‘more worthy’ than anybody else – we all have cracks and imperfections – we were all lost!
To the Christians in Ephesus, Paul wrote:
“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)
Those in the church are no more or less worthy than those outside and, as such, what should drive us as followers of Jesus, is a passion for imperfect people, to hear and believe the Good News that we have received, the message that Peter spells out in his first letter:
For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. (1 Peter 3:18)
As followers of Jesus, every one of us is the recipient of a gift that we don’t deserve and could never earn. We have received a free gift that is indescribably generous! As Jesus said to His disciples when He sent them out to share the gospel with others, we should recognize that:
Freely you have received; freely give. (Matthew 10:8)
From one ‘imperfect shell to another’, can I encourage you, this week, to reflect on the enormous generosity that God has lavished upon you even though you don’t deserve it. Ask Him to fill you with a passion to share the great news of the gospel to the ‘cracked and even broken’ shells that are around you. For the son of man came to seek and to save what was lost!

Stay on Mission – 5th November 2018

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3. There are lots of different kinds!
“For the son of man came to seek and to save what was lost” Luke 19:10
Welcome to ‘part 3’ of my brief series that was inspired by my wife Lynn as she went looking for shells on Pensacola Beach.
As Lynn continued with her search for shells she began to find some that she really liked and, after a while she had a good collection. She then wanted to show them to me and pointed out that while she had so many shells they were all different, and it was true. Her wet hands were filled with so many shells of all shapes, sizes and colours, but they were all shells!
Lynn was really pleased that her collection was made up of shells that were not all the same and she told me “It would be so boring if they were all the same, the variety makes the collection much more interesting and exciting”.
The simple statement that she made struck me as deeply significant as we consider what it means to join Jesus in His Mission. Naturally, we so often choose to be with people who are very similar to us, but the Kingdom that Jesus came to build, will be made up of all kinds of people. The people that we should be seeking may have different coloured skin, they may be different shapes and sizes and have different cultural backgrounds and other ways of doing things. But, here is a very important truth: The kingdom of God is not made up of people who are all the same and ‘just like me’. The Kingdom that Jesus came to introduce is to be available to all people, every nation, people group – what an amazing ‘collection’ far greater than Lynn’s sea shells!
This week, take some time to ask the Lord to help you to see people who are ‘different’ from you as being ‘made in His image’ and people that He loves and wants to be reached with the gospel. Ask the Lord to help you to see beyond the things that may hinder you from connecting with them and to give you the passion to join Jesus in His Mission as you seek to introduce Jesus to them.

Stay On Mission – 29th October 2018

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2. “I’ll get dirty and wet”
“For the son of man came to seek and to save what was lost” Luke 19:10
You may remember that I began this short series of reflections on ‘seeking’ as a result of my wife deciding to look for sea shells while we were on the beach in Pensacola.
As she did this there were a few things that she said that I found deeply significant as we consider joining Jesus in His Mission.
One of the first things that she said was “All of the best shells are at the bottom of a deep trough of water” she added “and they are not on the surface, you have to push your hands deep into the sand to find them. If I do that I’ll get dirty and wet”.
How amazing that such an innocent comment can help us to see such an amazing truth!
The shells that had made it to the shore were nearly all broken and cracked and she didn’t really want those. The unbroken ones were not quite on the part of the beach where she could walk. She would have to go into the water, get wet and dirty, and step outside of her comfort zone and, even then “I might get all wet and dirty ands till not find what I am looking for”.
I then heard her begin to call out to me “oh no, look there are enormous jelly fish that are all around the shells, and there are slugs and worms…….” She was realizing that finding the shells presented her with some challenges that she was not enjoying!
As with looking for shells so it is with looking for the lost. Those that Jesus sends us to seek are not all turning up at our church services every week. Many of them are in places where it is a little harder to reach them. They may not agree with all that we say and they may not be living the kind of life that we approve of. Finding them may require that we step outside of our comfort zone and, as Lynn said “get all wet and dirty” not literally but the reality is that seeking the lost among people who are beyond the walls of the church is not neat and tidy. We will find people who are often dealing with many issues, their lives are not always ‘together’ and introducing them to Jesus takes time, and effort and sometimes is just hard!
But, isn’t that exactly what Jesus did for us?
To step from heaven into humanity and to die on a Roman cross is probably as big a step outside of a comfort zone as anybody could ever take yet Jesus did it! For you and for me!
This week, ask the Lord to remind you of all that He did to ‘seek and to save you’ and then ask Him to guide you to those that he wants you to seek – even if it may not be comfortable!