Author: missionspaul

Two-thirds of the 2.5 billion Christians in the world live in dangerous places for the practice of their faith.

“Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me.” (Matthew 24 v 9)

The Open Doors World Watch List for the 12 months of 2020 reported that 4,488 Churches were attacked; 12 congregations and 5 Christians every day faced the nightmare of kidnapping; every month 356 Christians go through the trauma of persecution; 340 million Christians suffer high levels of persecution right now.

It is horrendous for us to read of these statistics.

Look at the verse again however. What stands out to you? To the persecuted it is not what we in the West focus on. We only see the first part of the verse and not the last 3 words. For them it is definitely, ‘because of me.’

The cost of discipleship is being paid. But it is worth it. The persecuted don’t often talk of their persecution but they do talk about Jesus, ‘because of me’.

I have been many times to a certain nation in West Africa. Only a few years ago everywhere was safe to travel except the northern part. It was known as the red zone. Now the whole country is the red zone. My friend who is a Church planter sent this message last week:

“Our church hired a Christian roof patcher to fix again with some tar and the use of fire (gas), the holes in the corrugated iron roof of the village mosque today. Last time we did it was 4 years ago as a result then, 8 members of the chief family decided to follow Christ and we baptised them. Also the 3rd wife of the Imam decided to follow Jesus.

Today we prayed and fasted the whole day while the roof patcher was up on the roof of the mosque working and praying and then he fixed also the roof of the house of Imam. Please now pray with us for a greater harvest of souls this time. For all the people coming to pray at the mosque to reconcile to God through Jesus. For dreams and visions leading to sincere, authentic and determined decisions to follow Jesus.”

‘Because of me’ is worth the persecution. When Jesus is everything then the price is worth paying, even if it costs your life.

Ever asked yourself why God didn’t stop Covid-19? Or any other disease for that matter?

When He sees so much pain and suffering why is He silent?

“You will hear of wars and rumours of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains.” (Matthew 24 v 6-8)

The answer is in a very short word I have been thinking of this week: Dei. A short word but powerful. It means ‘it is necessary’. “You will hear of wars and rumours of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come.”

Luke 17:25 “But first he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.” – Struggles are eased when you know there is purpose.

Acts 14:22 “We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God” – We long for the rule and blessing of God in our lives but there is only one way to that place.

Acts 23:11 “The following night the Lord stood near Paul and said, “Take courage! As you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome.” – The Lord has plans that are definite for our lives.

When you hear of wars, nations and kingdoms rising against each other, famines and earthquakes, this isn’t the end, it is just the beginning of the end. Those who are actually going through it must think it is the end of all ends. But it isn’t.

As the world progresses there will be times when God doesn’t step in and bad things seem to happen. Where is He? Why is He silent? Dei.

The temptation to follow a Messiah at that time will be with us; the temptation to be alarmed and fearful will be with us and the temptation to think this is the end of the world but Jesus tells us to resist.

Dei.

“Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many.” (Matthew 24 v 4-5)

There have been many since Jesus spoke these words.

I hadn’t realised till this morning that actually I have missed the big return! I think perhaps you have also! March 28^th 2021 on Palm Sunday YiChen Messiah revealed the forecast and solutions for the future of the world. Just tap in his name into a search engine if you actually have time.

Every day over 10,000 subscribers will watch Rabbi Matityahu Glazerson reveal more of his findings from deciphering the code in the first 5 Old Testament books. He has predicted that the end of the world will happen in 2021.

Of course we could go on as it’s not difficult to find someone claiming something.

But maybe these ‘Messiahs’ are not going to deceive you. Do you really know you are deceived if you are?

Perhaps we just need to be careful with the human personalities that we can so easily follow.

It is easy to follow people with huge personalities and over inflated egos. Confidence is a magnet but do not follow the ones who draw people to themselves and not to God.

Not everything that you see and hear is what you think you see and hear.

Look out for the signs of leaders that point away from Jesus and not to Him.

More than we realise we need to have that private conversation with Jesus which brings assurance to us over many situations of our lives.

“As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” (Matthew 24 v 3)

The disciples link the 2 questions: the Temple’s destruction and the second coming of Christ as the same event. In Luke’s account he seems to focus on the AD70 destruction event whilst Matthew covers the end-time which accounts for the 2 linked questions.

It was playing on their mind, they were probably discussing it amongst themselves and so they approach him in private.

The response of Jesus in this long passage reveal that what was on Jesus’ mind was definitely certain difficult events that would happen in history towards God’s people; how we should live in the waiting period of His return and then what would happen at that end-time coming.

These words have proven to be of enormous comfort to those who have faced constant persecution and suffering as followers of Jesus since the resurrection.

On the day of Stephen’s martyr in AD34 a great persecution broke out against the Christians but it certainly wasn’t the greatest. In AD64 Rome had a huge fire break out that lasted nearly a week and burned three quarters of the city. The people blamed the Emperor Nero for the fire and he in turn blamed the Christians. The Romans rounded them all up and in a savage and brutal way killed them. But the persecution and destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple was the pinnacle. Can you imagine how these words of the gospel would encourage the believers?

But the instructions contained within the prophecy have comforted and encouraged many throughout the persecuted history of the Christian Church, not just the Jesus’ generation but even today.

What’s the worst thing that has ever happened to you?

The Bible, the Gospel, the words of Jesus have and still bring great strength into our darkest days.

Go to Jesus privately today, take your questions, take your Bible and let Him comfort you even today in 2021. You may be going through a difficult season or you may be fearing tomorrow. Have that private conversation right now. He knows the end from the beginning.

“As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately.” (Matthew 24 v 3)

He spent a lot of time on this mountain and as he was sat there on this day I wonder what he was thinking? It has been a Jewish cemetery for over 3,000 years and at the centre of conflict many times. From this vantage point the vista over Jerusalem is breath-taking.

From this moment he would begin to prophetically warn the disciples of what is to come. But take a step back a moment before they arrive. The Son of God is sat on this mountain again. We know from Luke’s gospel that it was here that he had previously wept over the city. It would be here that he would be left alone as even his closest friends left him. This would be the place where he would descend into a personal dark hell that he had never experienced before and he did it to take our place.

One thousand years previously, King David had made the journey up the same mountain. The story can be found in 2 Samuel 15. This broken man who had sinned before God and whose sin had been passed down generationally within his own family was a king in need of a Saviour. “But David continued up the Mount of Olives, weeping as he went; his head was covered and he was barefoot. All the people with him covered their heads too and were weeping as they went up.” (2 Samuel 15 v 30)

David was rejected as king, pursued by his own favourite son, betrayed by his close friend who would later hang himself (sound familiar?). The whole story is a sad one.

Today, we all escape up a mountain at some point in our life. Rejected, heartbroken, pursued and in fear we look to some higher place, a vantage point of a new perspective that we might understand or gain perspective. We all need a Saviour.

He is here. He came and sat on that mountain for you and me. He is waiting. It is easier now than for King David because not only did Jesus sit on the Mount of Olives, he descended down it for all of us.

“Jesus left the temple and was walking away when his disciples came up to him to call his attention to its buildings. “Do you see all these things?” he asked. “Truly I tell you, not one stone here will be left on another; everyone will be thrown down.” (Matthew 24 v 1-2)

If you have ever visited the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem then you catch a glimpse of the reaction of the disciple in verse 1. In AD 70 Titus and the Roman army totally destroyed the temple and yet this 150 foot long wall was preserved under all the debris. Jews from all over the world go there 24 hours a day to ‘wail’ for the lost glory of the temple and for the peace of Jerusalem and the nations of the world. When I was there I saw many posting their own personal prayers into the crevices of the wall. The wailing is the constant noise of people praying.

The Wailing Wall tells me:

Life is filled with magnificence but it doesn’t last forever so enjoy and appreciate every moment, every relationship and even every conversation. Slow your life down, go to a vantage point and breathe in the magnificence.

Nothing is ever totally destroyed. Wailing walls can be found in photographs, letters and personal belongings. These can become holy relics which keep us connected to God.

The remnant can be used to spur us on to believe again that there is a future hope to hold on to.

The beauty of today can be the wailing wall of tomorrow. The wailing wall of today can be the hope for tomorrow. Where is your wailing wall?

I was longing for the person to apologise; every ounce of my being for them to show some humility; I had the words for them to say and I wanted to put those words in their mouth; I sat with them and went through the whole story and told them that it would be good to apologise for this and that; and they did, they apologised but a few days later they took it back, they killed the apology.

Do you know this feeling? You are longing for someone to change, to show humility or to come to Christ. How much more does God’s heart ache?

“Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing. Look, your house is left to you desolate. For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. (Matthew 23 v 37-39)

We see the heart of God. The longing of Christ who reveals He is God by saying it was Him who sent the prophets, “how often I have longed to gather your children …”

Jesus is the mother bird, the hen, being driven away from the chicks and the nest, but is refusing to do so. Jesus remains but it is the chicks who are fleeing the nest.

THE ENEMY OF OUR SOUL IS CONTINUALLY TRYING TO DISTANCE US FROM JESUS. HE COULD NOT TEMPT JESUS FROM HIS MISSION SO HE CONTINUES WITH US EITHER THROUGH TEMPTATION OR PRESSURE TO RUN FROM JESUS. THERE IS ONE SAFE PLACE AND THAT IS WITH JESUS WHO LONGS TO GATHER US TO HIM. RUN TO HIM TODAY.

When it all becomes too much. When it looks like the behaviour of your manager, parent, pastor or neighbour is not getting better but worse. It isn’t over.

“And so upon you will come all the righteous blood that has been shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Berekiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. Truly I tell you, all this will come on this generation. (Matthew 23 v 35-36)

Judgment will come to those narcissistic leaders who have abused their position by spiritually, physically, sexually, emotionally, mentally abusing those they were meant to Shepherd. It isn’t over. Their sin will get the better of them and will destroy them. Conflict resolution will not help them.

“You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell? Therefore I am sending you prophets and sages and teachers. Some of them you will kill and crucify; others you will flog in your synagogues and pursue from town to town. ” (Matthew 23 v 33-34)

Prophets, sages, teachers, killed, crucified, flogged and pursued by God’s leaders.

Ever been told which preacher/teacher not to listen to? Or which author not to read? Or even who not to have coffee with? Or which Church you should never go near?

If you have, the person who told you that, were they speaking of themselves or someone else?

There are other messengers.

There are other books.

There are other conversations.

There are other Churches experiencing God’s presence.

We are not the only ones.

Don’t let anyone narrow your experience of life.

When I was a young minister I would drive miles to the other end of the country if I heard that God was doing something. People would say to me that no one should have to do that. I was told that If God was wanting to do something He would do it right here without any need to travel. They were not generous to what He was doing. They had become cynical to His move.

“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous. And you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ So you testify against yourselves that you are the descendants of those who murdered the prophets. Go ahead, then, and complete what your ancestors started!” (Matthew 23 v 29-32)

That generation were more responsible than all simply because the prophets all spoke of this moment when the Messiah would be standing in front of them. But they did not recognise Jesus and would be instrumental in his crucifixion. Further they had elaborate tombs for these prophets and yet do not speak about how those prophets were killed.

The prophet Zechariah was killed by stoning because he spoke against the rebellion of God’s people (2 Chronicles 24). Their ancestors did this. Zechariah not only prophesied Jesus would come but he even prophesied his betrayal by the 30 silver coins (Zechariah 11).

It is easy to be generous towards the past when the past has proven the prophet correct.

But when the prophet is moving in the present and speaking of the future then we are tempted to be less so. We can become sceptical and dismissive; if God was going to speak He would do it through a different person, through me, right?

I wonder how many messages we have missed and how many acts of power we have ignored simply because we were not generous to what He was doing right in front of our eyes.