Author: missionspaul

On Mission, part 8

 

Luke 10: 17 – 21 “The seventy-two returned with joy and said, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.” He replied, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do.”

 

Can you imagine the reunion of the short-term missionaries? Everyone was filled with stories of what they had seen and what they had done. Great joy. Laughter. Exuberance and noise filled base camp.

Jesus joins in that joy. He is laughing and rejoicing, beaming at his disciples.

No one fully knows whether Jesus had a vision whilst the disciples were out on mission of Satan falling like lightning, his empire collapsing under the work of his team or whether Jesus was referring to the fall of Satan from heaven. But whatever it was, I read it imagining Jesus smiling!

I am not sure how many times you have imagined Jesus being happy with you, but I think that may be way more times than we actually appreciate and acknowledge.

Snakes and scorpions were well known in that desert-parched land. They were hazards on everyone’s journey. But since the beginning of Bible history are seen as symbols of demonic power. Jesus reaffirms the authority and power he has given them and creates the imagery of his disciples trampling on every snake and scorpion they can find, like some children’s activity, little ones dancing on the head of the enemy. Wonderful!

Jesus is so happy. As he stares at his disciples mingling with one another, giving one another high five’s and sharing stories, he is thankful. He is praising his Father that these are just ordinary people, children, they are not special in the world’s eyes and they represent the generations of unknown people to come who have done great things in his name, people like you and me.

So what is the lesson?

LEARN TO CELEBRATE MORE. Rejoice in what has happened. Be happy with what you do for Jesus in this life. Laugh loud. Testify the good that you do.

LEARN TO CELEBRATE YOUR SALVATION. You are not only known on earth. You are known in heaven. Let the joy of your salvation overwhelm you. The power of His relationship with you is more powerful than the power He has given you over Satan.

LEARN TO CELEBRATE AS CHILDREN DO. Dance more. All that you have achieved has come about because you received as a child would do. You didn’t approach it with all the intelligence you could muster, you said, ‘pick me, choose me, I want to be on your team’.

 

On Mission, part 7

Continuing to give his lessons of mission to the 72 short term missionaries, I think this is probably the most important.

Luke 10: 16 “Whoever listens to you listens to me; whoever rejects you rejects me; but whoever rejects me rejects him who sent me.”

CHRIST IN YOU

The apostle Paul would understand this and asked the Church, “Do you not realise that Christ Jesus is in you?” (2 Corinthians 13:5)

Christ is in you Amen!

“He who listens to you listens to me”. So we can’t become proud. Not really. It is Jesus who is speaking through us.

“He who rejects you rejects me”. So we can’t feel a failure. Not really. It is Jesus who is being rejected.

And now for the incredible thing. As you share the gospel if they accept what you say then they accept God, if they don’t, they reject God. The severity of their decision to accept or reject is huge in that there isn’t anywhere else they can go other than God. How is it possible that your words hold such eternal consequence? Christ in you!

• In case you still may not have realised the brilliance of this lesson of Jesus then try this:

Whoever listens to (now insert your name) listens to Jesus; whoever rejects (insert your name) rejects me.

This is more than you being an agent of Jesus or his representative, “Jesus couldn’t come today so he has sent me”. It is so much more than that. When you speak, Jesus speaks. When they listen to you, they listen to Jesus.

(Galatians 2:20) I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.

(Colossians 1:27) To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

• In case you still may not have realised the brilliance of this lesson of Jesus then think on this:

Your responsibility to choose words to use.

(Proverbs 16:24) Gracious words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.

Choose your words carefully today. Slow your mouth down. Don’t type so fast on your social media feeds. What will flow from you today? Angst? Pessimism? Hate? When they listen, they listen to Jesus! Now that is a huge responsibility!

Christ in you!

On Mission, part 6

Luke 10: 13-15

“Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. But it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you. And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted to the heavens? No, you will go down to Hades.”

Another lesson: Demand a response from the investment you give.

A quick look at these cities/towns:

Chorazin – There are no recorded miracles in the Gospels here.

Bethsaida – The man born blind was healed and Jesus fed the 5,000 just outside this city.

Tyre and Sidon – well known cities in the Old and New Testament, now known as Lebanon, pagan, famous for being rejecters of God.

Capernaum – Peter’s mother in law is healed and a man is set free from a demon amongst many other healings and miracles.

Jesus mentions Bethsaida and Capernaum where the Gospel writers record his miracles, Chorazin where nothing is recorded and Tyre and Sidon who everyone knew were doomed historically.

Have you ever wondered at people who encounter a healing, maybe even their own healing, they attribute it to God, but they never surrender their lives to Him?

If Christ has done a work in you or in front of you then the mission lesson is this: what are you going to do now after witnessing what He has done for you? If you do nothing then it is worse than doing nothing prior to witnessing what He has done.

Jesus Christ is not some nice magician floating around. If you reject Him, God, then where do you go? Who else can do anything for you? If witnessing God won’t turn you around in surrender then nothing will.

This is not a nice message. It is unpopular with parts of the Church who would never want to offend in anyway. But the truth is Christ expects a return on His investment and as we follow Him on mission so must we. If there is no response then we too may choose like the Gospel writers with Chorazin not to even mention the good that Christ did there, the city was completely forgotten.

Speaking up when you are not getting a return for your investment is a hard lesson perhaps. But Jesus demands our all and that is for all not just a few.

On Mission, part 5

Luke 10: 8

“When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is offered to you.⁹ Heal the sick who are there and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ ¹⁰ But when you enter a town and are not welcomed, go into its streets and say, ¹¹ ‘Even the dust of your town we wipe from our feet as a warning to you. Yet be sure of this: The kingdom of God has come near.’ ¹² I tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town.

Further lessons from Jesus to those being sent out:

EXPECT THE SUPERNATURAL

Jesus didn’t tell them to go and pray for people to get well but to go and heal the sick. That’s not to say we shouldn’t pray for the sick, not at all, we should. But he gave them tremendous expectancy that they would do what he had been doing.

Let that settle for a moment.

In our Western culture if someone is sick we automatically think of a Pharmacy and medicines that are so freely available and we know that in the vast majority of cases if they take the medicine they will get better. We don’t think twice about it. It is almost a guarantee.

But what did Jesus say? Heal the sick. It was an instruction that sounded like a guarantee.

Those in parts of the world without Pharmacies need such guarantees, they certainly need the faith and expectancy of the Church.

He demonstrated this himself. Jesus healed the sick. He told the Twelve to do it. In Mark’s Great Commissioning Jesus instructs them that as well as driving out demons they will place their hands on sick people and they will get well.

Jesus shows us that God wants people well.

The Church needs to focus more on its healing ministry. The Church stands in every city, town and village as a symbol of healing for that community. Wherever you are placed the expectation is for you to reach others with healing, setting those bound, free and those broken, restored. The outcome is wholesome people. That’s what we need. A nation healed by God.

EXPECT DISAPPOINTMENT

This is not advocating not aiming for anything or failing before we begin.

But there are times where you’re going to be disappointed and you need to deal with it. We need to recover from hurt quickly.  Time is running out on you for all this, ‘oh I feel hurt’, you don’t have that luxury anymore, this is a life of mission. So if you get hurt easy sort it out, grow thicker skin and realise that that’s just life. We are on the mission of the One who was crucified so we should not be surprised when it isn’t easy for us either. You may not feel welcome, you may not feel appreciated, If you don’t deal with disappointment it will remove you from your appointment.

On Mission, part 4

Luke 10: 5-7 ““When you enter a house, first say, ‘Peace to this house.’ If someone who promotes peace is there, your peace will rest on them; if not, it will return to you. Stay there, eating and drinking whatever they give you, for the worker deserves his wages. Do not move around from house to house.”

Here are some lessons for his disciples when they entered into homes to stay:

BE A BLESSING

Imagine a world where the primary task of each of us was to be a blessing wherever we went. To bring peace not strife. Not to antagonise or be judgmental but just to bless. Not to criticise or try and get the upper hand but just to bless. Not to bring down or bring into line but to bless. Can you imagine that?

FIND THE PROMOTER OF PEACE

This verse has been the instrumental verse for the discipleship making movements around the world. One of my friend leads one of these movements in West Africa. He has seen planted 71 churches in his country which is an Islamic nation, he follows the model of going into a place where there is no church and finding a person of peace, a spiritual person who is not yet a Christian.

The promoter of peace is a person who is spiritual, open and happy to talk about what you believe in.  These are people who have got great influence, family influence and tribal influence. For example, the village chief or the mayor etc.

RECEIVE WELL DON’T BE PICKY

Eat what is set before you. I generally have 2 rules for myself; 1) it has to be dead and 2) it cannot be looking at me! So no fish heads or little chicks in their egg shells!

This is Incarnational mission. Some things are obvious. Like drinking only from bottled water. You have to take care of yourself on mission otherwise you won’t be doing any mission! But if you’re going on mission and all you say to your host is, ‘all I eat is an apple’, then that is hardly incarnational. If you go to India or Pakistan then you must eat curry!

Jesus said to his followers when you go into the Samaritan towns and villages you may not eat what you normally eat, but you will eat it. Further, don’t refuse for any reason, you deserve to be paid.

On Mission part 3

Jesus is giving 72 of his followers some fast-track Missions training prior to sending them out for a short term trip.

Here is the next lesson:

Luke 10 v 4 “Do not take a purse or bag or sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road”.

1. Be totally dependent on God. God with what you are standing up in then rely on God providing for you.
2. Be minimalist in desire. Don’t be weighed down with cumbersome possessions that you think you are going to need. This is not a holiday.
3. Be urgent and expedient. Without being rude don’t get caught up with slow formalities of social etiquette. Some customs have very long greetings that can take many minutes just simply to bring a greeting.
4. Be careful with your purpose. If on meeting everyone on the road towards your purpose you tell them and then they ask questions and make suggestions you may never arrive at your purpose. If you do arrive then those you have met may have infiltrated your purpose so much that it has become something completely different. Or they may have praised you so much that you desire the praise more than the purpose. But on top of this the greeting could lead to confrontation about their purpose especially since the disciples were being sent into Samaritan towns and villages.

On Mission, part 2

Luke 10: 2-3 “He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves.”

 

It is PLENTIFUL

The aim of mission is that individuals come to know Jesus as Lord and Saviour. But that happens in a variety of ways through medical missions, education, reaching the poor, the orphans and the widows, social justice, helping business enterprise, evangelism and church planting. Even where you are right now without going overseas there would be a variety of ways to reach many people with the message of God’s love. The harvest is indeed plentiful. Let’s be creative. But also let us not be blinded to the many hidden and sub-cultures within people groups all over the world. The harvest is plentiful. It is not enough to say ‘God has called me to reach the Jews’. The Jews in the UK, Russia and in Israel may share the same history but they don’t share the same language and problems. Every nation will have a caste system of some kind, recognised or not, which cuts through language and ethnicity. I have a friend who is church planting in London. All his churches are Chinese. They all speak Chinese so I think. But one church I am translated in to speaks Mandarin and another Cantonese. They don’t understand one another. Even though I just think they are the same people. The harvest is plentiful. Then we can look at the unreached people groups defined by the fact that there is no movement within which can adequately reach the people without outside cross-cultural help. The hidden, lost people groups. Then there are the least evangelised people groups. 25% of the world population still have little or no access to the gospel. The harvest is plentiful.

 

The need to PRAY for WORKERS

A prayer movement began in England in 1782 led by the Nottingham Baptist Association. Every month churches would meet solely to pray for mission and expansion. It wasn’t long into those meetings that a man drew a map of the world and joined in the prayers, pouring out his own life in prayer for the lost. This man, William Carey, known as the father of modern missions rose into the work of reaching the lost from the place of prayer. We need such movements again. We are living in a new season where for over the last decade at least the Church has been reawakened to the call to pray for the people of the world. New ministries and movements of prayer are emerging. A fresh burden to pray for a release of workers is being seen right across the globe. This is not a movement in the UK to send workers to the four corners of the world. No, this is a world-wide desire and call to pray. Movements of prayer are taking place in Africa and Asia to raise up workers for the harvest. The world is poised for global mission like never before.

 

DANGEROUS MISSION

The most dangerous places to be a missionary is definitely within the following nations but it is also within the communities of the people groups from these nations and that may be across your street and within your town and city, whichever nation you are in:

North Korea, Somalia, Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Maldives, Pakistan, Iran and Yemen. There are many others of course.

Jesus describes mission as Lambs amongst Wolves. Suddenly the vocabulary changes the price.

There are missionaries today who are lambs among wolves. Yesterday someone from Saudi Arabia read my blog about Mission. I don’t know who they are. A secret believer? But Jesus knows them and loves them and is Immanuel, God with US for them today. Jesus-followers in these places are lambs trying to dodge the attacks, praying God protect me today, get me through today, don’t let me fail you, don’t let me back down, turn back, deny you, I will have succeeded today if  I’ve not denied you. Can you imagine that prayer? If you’re praying that prayer every day of your life? Can you just put that into your thinking?

It’s really important to realise that being part of the mission of God involves this.

If you as a Christian do have a difficult time because of your faith in Jesus and perhaps you do get some form of persecution then under that kind of attack remind yourself that there are people in your family of God where leaving is not an option, one day you’ll stand with them in heaven an they’ll say to you. ‘It was tough down there wasn’t it? It was tough’. And they’ll ask you a question, ‘How was it for you?’ I want to be able to respond and say ‘well, I don’t understand why I didn’t have the same persecution, but like you I never backed down when it got tough’.

On Mission, part 1

Luke 10:1 “After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go.”

Last night I listened to a testimony of a lady well into her 80’s who has served God as a missionary for over 50 years in Mulita, in the DRC. Her name is Maud Kells. Her passion and love for Jesus and the people of the DRC was inspirational. Mission is her life for sure. It has consumed her.

This morning I wake to this first verse of chapter 10 in Luke. It is an exciting chapter as Jesus sends out 72 disciples on a short term mission that will most probably lead for the majority a life time of service in mission to God. They didn’t go overseas, being a missionary is to go where HE sends you and that may well be locally. (The further you go then everything just becomes magnified especially the sacrifice). But they went. I love reading about missions, biographies of missionaries, past and present, cross-cultural understanding, nations and extreme tribes, the unreached people groups etc. However, I am totally ruined by what I see of the sending God in the Bible. It seems He is on every page! And as I read this wonderful verse my mind is filled with these thoughts:

COST

‘After this …’ We already know that Jesus has just spoken about the cost of following him and that no one who puts his hand to the plough and then gives up  is fit for the kingdom of God.  Being a missionary will cost you. When you buy something it costs you, but actually it doesn’t because you’re getting something and so when you sit down and you watch your television you’re not thinking ‘oh this costs me’, no you’re just enjoying your television. On mission its 100% continual cost. And you may not realise the benefits that’s going to come to you but the benefit that perhaps some will look for is not the benefit you’ll get. It will cost you financially, your time, it will ruin your life, it will change the course of your life, you’ll never be the same again, and you will become a pain to those people who don’t understand missions. There’s only a very small minority that ever come back and say do not ever put me in a mission context ever again. The majority say ‘I’ve just got to go again; I’ve just got to be there again’. They’ve caught something. They are willing to pay the cost.

APPOINTED

The Lord appointed. He’s chosen you. You know it doesn’t matter where you go, he’s chosen you. He’s chosen you to himself. Some are chosen for a people group or a nation and out roots down, learning the language, becoming established in that people group, others move all over the world. But I believe what is so important to realise is that 100% of the time that God calls us to himself. He appoints us to walk with Him and we work out of that Presence, we go into missions out of His heart for the world, we go because we have understood His mind for missions, which is to go into all the world. Can you imagine what it must have been like for those 72 people? Jesus came up to them and say ‘it’s you, it’s you. I’m choosing you’. There were hundreds of people he could have chosen, ‘I’ve chosen you’. What were these 72 thinking? Maybe they were thinking how we think now when we feel God has appointed us. “You don’t know me, you don’t know about what I’ve done, you don’t know about how insecure I am, you don’t know that I can’t really speak, you don’t know how nervous I get.” But that’s of course not true! He knows everything there is to know. He knows what you’ve done and He knows who you are and He knows your incapability and He knows what you cannot do and He says,’ You’ll do. You are perfect. I can use you. I’m choosing you’, incredible isn’t it?

WITH ANOTHER

He told them to go two by two. Can you imagine if they tried to swap who they had been put with?! Now of course many today go out on mission alone but the point is that once they arrive they do all they can to build or join a team. Even those in the unreached groups focus on finding the person of peace so that they can move ahead in mission.  Can you imagine if one of the 72 said, “can I go on my own, I don’t like these people?’ Mission is people and actually if you don’t like people there is a problem. Mission is about that, you’ve got to be a people person, you have to love others. Whether or not you are an introvert or an extrovert, it matters not, you must love people enough to desire to engage with them.

SENT

Being sent means you are under orders and we serve better under accountability of the one who sent us.  There are a lot of lone-rangers out there, it seems like everybody wants to do their own thing because they believe that God has spoken to them to do their own thing. If it comes out of the attitude of ‘I just want to be in charge’ then it is the wrong attitude. Sent is not being dismissed nor is it some falling out of Church. Sent is mission with orders that have to be accounted for.

AHEAD OF HIM

Jesus said where he was about to go, you see it’s HIS mission. It is not our mission or whatever name we are connected with who supports us. It is HIS.  He’s been on mission for a redeemed people of God from creation and he’s still doing it. There are amazing stories of people finding Christ. Muslims, Hindus, animists are finding Christ on just sheer revelation of Jesus appearing to them. God is doing this and he doesn’t need us because if he’s doing it he could just do more of it but he invites us to join him because it’s fun. What a lovely way to spend our time in earth, being part of the mission of God. Isn’t it wonderful? Maybe today, wherever you are in the world, it is an invitation you have already responded to. Something happened in your heart, a desire, a connection a while ago or maybe just recently but you just said to the Lord, “I want to join you on this”.  It’s going to be very difficult for you to leave this path of mission. That’s why I use the words ‘I’m ruined’. My story is that when I became a pastor in 1992 I had no interest for missions work. I remember taking my church youth leaders to Manchester airport as they went off on mission to Zambia. It was 1993 and they still remind me today as I said to them on that car journey, “you’ll never ever see me in Africa”. I had no desire.  Then in the year 2000 my friend invited me to join him going overseas on a short mission. Guess where I went? It was Zambia!  I came back totally changed. It’s amazing how God uses people to change you, especially in a different culture. I went and I didn’t realise at the time I was on HIS mission. But when you join him in HIS mission it actually becomes as much about transformation of your life as it does about other people’s lives. It’s his mission.

 

Radical Discipleship

Luke 9: 57-62 “As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” He said to another man, “Follow me.” But he replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” Still another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family.” Jesus replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plough and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”

Three men.

One boasting of his intention to follow. The second needing to make his father’s funeral arrangements before he followed. The third wanted to go back to say his farewells to his family back home.

Jesus could have been a lot more lenient. His responses seem somewhat unfair. But remember Jesus could see the motives and attitudes of the hearts of man. He could see right through their statements. He knew what they were thinking. Therefore, not only was there something wrong with what these men said, there would appear to be something even more wrong with their hearts. Looking at the responses of Jesus, let me suggest this is what Jesus was saying:

1. This is no pleasure trip. I am not the Saviour that you think I am. Do you know where I am going? I am headed to Jerusalem? It will cost me everything and you say you will follow but I know you are not ready to pay the cost.
2. The dead do not come first, the message of life is first. I need you to put me first but before you have taken a step you are talking of others as first. You are not ready to follow me. Let those others of your life who are dead, spiritually dead to who I am, let them be the ones who take care of the physically dead, otherwise you too will be known as spiritually dead, understanding who I am but not willing to follow just yet.
3. The living do not come first, don’t make them the excuse. Following me is like ploughing a field. Once you start you cannot veer off in different directions or turn back. If I am Lord then I must be Lord of your life continually without any breaks.

There is no understanding to personal situations. You cannot sugar coat this. It is radical discipleship.

If anyone of us had suggested such things, if the Church’s response to what seemed like positive responses to Jesus were these then that Church would have been rejected and slandered all over town. I guess just like Jesus was when he was rejected and slandered!

If Jesus is first then nothing else can be first.

Some discipleship today looks rather weak.

If we, others, situations or circumstances come first then Jesus is not in the position he should be for there to be true discipleship.

Make Jesus first today.

Walk on

Luke 9: 52-56 “And he sent messengers on ahead, who went into a Samaritan village to get things ready for him; but the people there did not welcome him, because he was heading for Jerusalem. When the disciples James and John saw this, they asked, “Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them?” But Jesus turned and rebuked them. Then he and his disciples went to another village.”

John, the disciple closest to Jesus was the one who wrote the most famous saying of Jesus, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16). John, the one who would be exiled and have a mysterious Revelation was the man who knew the love of God. He wrote, “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!” (1 John 3:1) What a nice man he was! Well, not in the early days perhaps.

When people reject you, when they say NO to you showing you disrespect and a definite lack of hospitality, what would you like to do if you had the opportunity? Revenge? Or James and John’s way, which was Revenge plus? Before we laugh at James and John too much, their suggestion was not ridiculous, they had a Biblical basis for this. How often have we seen people use the Bible to justify the ridiculous? “The Bible says …”

The Samaritans worshipped the same God as the Jews but they had their own rituals, their own priesthood and sacrificial system and did not recognise Jerusalem as the central holy site. The Jews hated the Samaritans and would avoid going through that region if they could. It was far too pagan and made them unclean for even travelling through it.

The fact that Jesus wanted to travel through this region and sent messengers ahead into a village to prepare accommodation for the entourage indicated the love of Christ for all people.

To call down fire was actually the Biblical story which took place in that very region with a confrontation between Elijah and King Ahaziah. Elijah called fire down and consumed fifty soldiers and then another fifty soldiers that had come to capture him. It is a classic Biblical story and the disciples knew it.

But just because there is Biblical precedent doesn’t mean Jesus agrees. In fact he totally disagreed and though they had hoped for a rebuke towards the Samaritans who rejected Christ, he actually rebuked the disciples. Maybe some parts of the Church need rebuking and not who the Church wants to rebuke today?

So what does Jesus suggest?

Jesus goes to another village where they are welcomed. Let’s move on, we don’t have time to wallow in rejection, I have a purpose to my life and we are headed to Jerusalem.

Are you wallowing in rejection today?

Are you trying to find a Bible verse to back your intention to retaliate?

Walk on. Let it go. This is not what you are created for. Your life is more than that.