Author: missionspaul

Head down and get on with it.

Luke 9: 6-9 “So they set out and went from village to village, proclaiming the good news and healing people everywhere. Now Herod the tetrarch heard about all that was going on. And he was perplexed because some were saying that John had been raised from the dead, others that Elijah had appeared, and still others that one of the prophets of long ago had come back to life. But Herod said, “I beheaded John. Who, then, is this I hear such things about?” And he tried to see him.”

The Twelve are experiencing a move of God. Sent, moving from one place to the next, this was a successful mission! People were listening to the parables that they had memorised from Jesus, they heard a new kingdom, a powerful and influential kingdom and above all lives were changed forever.

All this can be going on and yet …! It is incredible to think but it is true that you may be in the middle of a move of God and yet others nearby have totally got the wrong idea.

Some were saying that John the Baptist had resurrected.

Some were saying Elijah had resurrected.

Some were saying one of the old prophets had been resurrected.

Herod the Tetrarch was perplexed and tried to see Jesus. He had John killed because he feared him but it seems he feared him more now he had been killed. Had John come back to torture him? He was anxious and desperate to see Jesus to deal with the matter. All because some were saying…

You can be doing exactly what God wants you to do. You can be elevating Jesus in all you do honouring and glorifying God. And yet some will be saying whilst you do that something quite opposite.

Just because some are saying doesn’t mean it is true.

Sometimes some that are saying amounts to only 2 anonymous people! Other times it may be many more.

It does not matter what people are saying. It is what you are saying and doing that is important. Head down and get on with it!

Gospel hospitality

 

Luke 9: 4 “Whatever house you enter, stay there until you leave that town.”

I was on the border of India and Nepal and I had just checked into my hotel at 5 dollars per night. It was a bargain I thought until I opened my bedroom door to find 2 monkeys sat on my bed. I went down to the reception and after asking if I had paid extra for the monkeys demanded they be removed. They had entered through an open window. It was then I did think about moving hotels.

We were in Burkina Faso and had stayed the night in a Pastors home, 3 men all so tired (that was my excuse) and we laid down to sleep in the same room on straw mats. It wasn’t ideal but we were glad for somewhere to stay and we were soon in dreamy land. In the morning we were woken by the children laughing as 3 white men were laid on their floor snoring louder than the cockerels outside. The children had never seen white men and they had never heard such a noise!

The stories could continue! I am sure you have many stories too of staying in strange and yet wonderful places. Thankful for the hospitality offered to you.

Jesus and the Twelve were living at a time and culture when hospitality gave the opportunity for refreshing the dusty feet, receiving scented oil, food, shelter and friendship. Jesus had demonstrated to them on numerous occasions just what could be achieved in hospitable homes. Healings, teachings and even resurrections could happen!

When the gospel is everything then sometimes we find ourselves in places that though hospitable are far from being luxurious. You may be in a situation today that isn’t ideal but you are where God wants you to be for the gospel. That may be more than a home, it could be your work or friendship group.

Don’t start looking around at other situations and thinking of jumping from one place to the next, stay where you are, the gospel is needed there.

You don’t need to think about holding Gospel films and start evangelistic meetings, handing tracts out etc. Just stay. Be normal, enjoy the hospitality. Establish friendship. Help within that community. You will soon be working with a Person of Peace who will be the entry point into the hearts of many people.

All because you stayed. All because you accepted hospitality.

 

 

Take nothing

Luke 9 v 3 “He told them: “Take nothing for the journey—no staff, no bag, no bread, no money, no extra shirt.”

 

Yesterday I attended a pastoral interview which I often do between Church leaders and a prospective Pastor. This potential leader if coming to this Church is going to have to be bi-vocational in order to supplement his income. One Church leader suggested that he consider getting the train to the city which is a short journey away for more opportunities for himself and the candidate replied that he would prefer if possible to get a job in the small town where the Church is so that he could meet the locals and interact with them. I thought what a great answer and I reflect on that this morning as I read this verse.

Jesus giving instructions to the Twelve not to go and buy extra stuff for the journey is not only indicating the need to get going and not to be weighed down by stuff. But it also reveals that they are to depend on other people to help them along the way with food and accommodation. Jesus was creating the opportunity for interaction between them and the people they go to in the villages and towns.

We often think it is rude to rely on people and so we go it alone living as independent as we possibly can. But think of the gospel opportunities.

Do our decisions in life mean we meet more people who do not know Jesus? If the Gospel is the most important thing then maybe a job with a smaller income and less prospects but with greater connections is better than something that provides more income.

Maybe going on a bus instead of taking the car creates more opportunity to meet people.

I think Jesus wants us to connect with more people in this journey.

So perhaps take nothing or do something which means more people will be interacting with you along the gospel road.

Why do you think they were given?

Luke 9:1-2 “When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.”

They were primarily for outside the Church.

They were not given to create a hierarchy.

They were always for mission.

They certainly were never intended to make charisma the king.

When these 2 gifts never leave the Church community then they evolve into something they were never created to be.

The purest form of them can be seen facing headlong the kingdom of darkness, the broken people of this world and those who cannot fix themselves and need Jesus.

Power and Authority were given by Jesus for mission. When mission is missing so is Power and Authority and what you have in its place is something ugly.

 

 

Power and Authority to do.

Luke 9: 1-2 “When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.”

Many are ‘called’ to do many things. Many of those callings are individual ones. To be the leader, the preacher, the ‘voice of one calling …’ and in the course of time to be able to teach a seminar on how the ministry is a lonely place.

There is only one Messiah. You and I are not it.

So they group together, the 12 of them, circling around Jesus and he gave them what he had, what they had seen demonstrated as he scattered the seed from town and village. The same ability to do what he had been doing and the same right to do it. Their brief was simple:

1. Drive out all demons.
2. Cure diseases.
3. Preach the Kingdom of God.
4. Heal the sick.

1 and 3 are linked and so are 2 and 4.

1 and 3: The Twelve have witnessed how with certain people Jesus didn’t speak to them, not really. He spoke to the one who was holding them bound in a spiritual stronghold, a mental torture and a broken identity. Jesus spoke to demons and the Twelve were going to do the same thing. They no doubt would copy exactly how Jesus spoke but words were not enough they had the same power and authority to see the demon(s) flee from the person.

But they also were called and sent to speak to people the same parables, the same message, to teach and preach about the Kingdom Jesus had spoken of. They were sent to convince, persuade and impact minds and hearts with the gospel. Were they able? YES. What right did they have to speak in such a way? Their qualifications, their credentials were from the school of Rabbi Jesus.

The point is that we need to not only speak the good news to people we also need to speak to the bad news that is within them and get it out.

2 and 4: The Twelve had seen Jesus cure every disease that had inflicted a person. The curing of that body meant the eradicating of the disease. One moment it was there and the next it wasn’t. Jesus gave them the ability and the right to go and do that same thing.

But people who are cured are not necessarily healed. They had seen Jesus not only cure the disease of the woman who was bleeding but he didn’t leave her cured. He also healed her of the psychological impact of being an outcast in society by raising her as a Daughter of Israel again. They had seen Jesus offer his healing hand of restoration to raise up the man from the floor, to tell the person to present themselves at the Temple, to go home etc. The healing of Jesus made the person renewed, whole and the person they had always been created to be.

The point is that we are called to do the quick-fix cures of all kinds of diseases but also the longer route of restoration of the whole person back into their community.

We do all this with the same power and the same authority that Jesus has. The ability and the right of Jesus to do such things was given to the Twelve and is given to us.

Share your life, it is better that way.

Luke 9 v 1-6 “When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal those who were ill. He told them: ‘Take nothing for the journey – no staff, no bag, no bread, no money, no extra shirt. Whatever house you enter, stay there until you leave that town. If people do not welcome you, leave their town and shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.’ So they set out and went from village to village, proclaiming the good news and healing people everywhere.”

 

They came to Jesus together. Maybe community is more important to Jesus than it has been for us. Maybe our calling and our destiny is better discovered and expressed through community than trying to convince a community of our individual, personal revelation of the ministry Jesus wants us to do.

 

They received from Jesus together. Maybe ‘bless me’ should be changed to ‘bless us’ and ‘fill me’ changed to ‘fill us’ and so on. Perhaps if we are singing songs together then we should sing songs more about us rather than me. There is a place for personal worship but perhaps the powerful moments are also in the understanding that Jesus wants to pour out His Spirit on us.

 

They were sent out to proclaim and to heal together. Maybe we were never meant to go it alone. Maybe proclaiming and healing is just too much for an individual anointed one man/woman band. Maybe there are too many temptations for stardom. If the team conquer Everest it’s not important which foot got there first, the team did. Could it be the gospel was meant to be shared together and when we pray for the sick that it should be done at least with another?

 

They set out together. Going on a trip together makes the trip reach its fullest potential. I went for petrol the other day and a group of men were buying drinks and crisps and chocolate and they were in high spirits as their car was being filled for the journey. The shop assistant asked where they were going and they said, “A road trip to the city” and they were the happiest people I saw in that petrol station. Why? They were setting out together.

 

I know I have posed a lot of maybes.

However, maybe, together is super important.

How are your horizontal relationships? Who are you walking with? Who is holding you accountable and who is laughing with you? Share your life, its better that way.

 

 

Luke 8: 55 “Her spirit returned, and at once she stood up.”

“It will get easier, you will get over it.”

“Time will heal; it won’t be like this forever.”

But what happens if it doesn’t get any easier? What happens if we don’t get over it?

The Apostle Paul said:

We’ve been surrounded and battered by troubles, but we’re not demoralized; we’re not sure what to do, but we know that God knows what to do; we’ve been spiritually terrorized, but God hasn’t left our side; we’ve been thrown down, but we haven’t broken. What they did to Jesus, they do to us—trial and torture, mockery and murder; what Jesus did among them, he does in us—he lives! (2 Cor 4: 8-10)

The Church needs Christ to live in us!

Galatians 2: 20  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.

Luke 8: 55 “Her spirit returned, and at once she stood up.”

The very core of her being came back.

A person may lose many things but if they lose the spirit the battle is over.

Paul said, “We are hard pressed; perplexed; persecuted; struck down … but the life of Jesus is revealed in us.”

It’s not your circumstances that determine who you are but whether or not Christ is living in you.

I pray for the Church in the UK whose spirit has returned and who is standing in Christ and that Christ is seen in each member.

1. Wasted years will be returned. The mourners were wailing because of the girls lost potential. You may feel you have periods of your life when you lost people or opportunities and they appear wasted. ”I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten.” Joel 2:28
2. Faith will be returned. “Don’t be afraid; just believe and she will be healed.” Don’t become an unbelieving believer. Faith is believing that God can and He can do it for you.
3. Miracles will be returned. It is time to believe for miracles of many kinds. “My child get up.” It is time to believe for the works of God, for divine interventions, for things to happen that cannot happen.
4. Joy shall be returned. The world may laugh at you, “They laughed.” The enemy of your soul may be laughing this may lead to a decline of joy in your life. David said “Restore to me the joy of your salvation.” Psalm 51:12
5. Family blessing will be returned. Proverbs 3: 33 “He blesses the home of the righteous.” Don’t let Satan steal what is yours. You may have already seen things taken but you are saying NO MORE. Today you can start and build on that relationship. Recover everything. Bring everything back.

May the Spirit of the Church return!

Knowing the times that you are in

Luke 8 v 51-56 “When he arrived at the house of Jairus, he did not let anyone go in with him except Peter, John and James, and the child’s father and mother. Meanwhile, all the people were wailing and mourning for her. “Stop wailing,” Jesus said. “She is not dead but asleep.” They laughed at him, knowing that she was dead. But he took her by the hand and said, “My child, get up!” Her spirit returned, and at once she stood up. Then Jesus told them to give her something to eat. Her parents were astonished, but he ordered them not to tell anyone what had happened.”

 

There are some situations that you are facing today and you need to choose carefully who you permit to walk with you. You don’t need a crowd of voices or onlookers, you may only need 5 people. They may not take too long to choose. Three of them are always there. The go-to people. Others will want to come but you have to say NO. You have to close the door on people. You have to say goodbye even if it is just for a short time, but you cannot take everyone. The quality of leadership is the choices you make.

There are times you have to lean out the window and stop the mourning that is taking place from people who think they know what is going to happen. The sound is not conducive for a miraculous provision. Walking in the right atmosphere is so important for what is going to happen. What music are you listening to? What books are you reading and what films are you watching? What words are flowing over the coffee tables? What is in your inbox? What are on the facebook comments? Change the sound.

There are moments that only serve the bigger purpose of your life, they are not the main deal. The miracle of Jairus’ daughter was not the real reason why Jesus had come. If it was then now was the time for the whole world to know. It was of course the cross. The triumphal entry announcing his kingship was the moment and not before. There are times when the book tour should not commence and what has happened is just another chapter in that book. What is your purpose and destiny? Keep to it and don’t let people rush you into that before time.

 

 

 

12 years

Luke 8 v 41 –50 Then a man named Jairus, a synagogue leader, came and fell at Jesus’ feet, pleading with him to come to his house because his only daughter, a girl of about twelve, was dying. As Jesus was on his way, the crowds almost crushed him. And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years, but no one could heal her. She came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped. “Who touched me?” Jesus asked. When they all denied it, Peter said, “Master, the people are crowding and pressing against you.” But Jesus said, “Someone touched me; I know that power has gone out from me.” Then the woman, seeing that she could not go unnoticed, came trembling and fell at his feet. In the presence of all the people, she told why she had touched him and how she had been instantly healed. Then he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace.” While Jesus was still speaking, someone came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue leader. “Your daughter is dead,” he said. “Don’t bother the teacher anymore.” Hearing this, Jesus said to Jairus, “Don’t be afraid; just believe, and she will be healed.”

 

12

 

12 years of family stories are now fading away.

12 years of hope as her father but now all he has is despair.

 

12 years and she has now reached the accountability age where her Bar Mitzvah at the synagogue would take place and she would lead part of that service.

12 years and from that moment of the special service she would step out of the control of her father. It doesn’t look like she will be attending that service.

 

12 years losing blood and not being able to stop it.

12 years of searching for help but finding no one could.

 

12 years.

The synagogue ruler.

The daughter of the synagogue ruler.

The other was restored as a daughter of Israel.

But there is another link.

The woman with an issue of blood was unclean (Leviticus 15:19-27) and possibly an outcast, this could have been for the whole 12 years.

The father has been a father all the time the woman has been unclean. But even more importantly he has been the synagogue ruler responsible for making sure this woman and others did not enter and make it unclean. Maybe he has been responsible for the whole 12 years that this woman could not enter his synagogue to worship God.

 

So here is the story:

Jairus policing his synagogue and having Scripture to support him is preventing impurity entering.

His daughter not able to come to her father’s synagogue, not able to step into a new season of life.

This woman rejected by society and this synagogue because of what she had become.

 

2019:

Discussions are being had with Scriptural guidance on who can come to Church and if they come what they can do when they get there. Jairus is still alive. What is your position on LGBTQ? What is your position on Islam? What is your position on …? The list goes on.

But at the same time the younger generation have left and those who haven’t are dying spiritually and will leave soon because Jairus’ daughter is still here but only just.

And the woman? Yes she is definitely still here! Who will help the outcasts? They have tried to fix their lives. They have nowhere to go.

This is quite a mess. 

My position is this: the man on the cross. Jesus is a healing river that is not afraid of ethnic, gender or sickness boundaries. It takes courage to carry the cross through a divided world. No Fear is his message. Just believe. Jesus redeems, restores and transforms our lives. No matter who we are. Whether a religious person who has been ungracious, a child who is dying or a woman who is not welcome. Jesus is here for them all. I have a better position once people have found their Saviour, the Lover of their souls, the Healer of their bodies and who becomes the Orientation of their lives. Nothing is fixed until then. But let’s not take 12 years to have a move of Jesus in our land.

 

 

 

Jesus will return

Luke 8 v 40 “Now when Jesus returned, a crowd welcomed him, for they were all expecting him.”

They were waiting for Jesus. They had seen him leave for the other side. They knew he would come back they just didn’t know when that would happen. But it would be soon. They needed him back. He had touched their hearts and transformed their lives. They wanted more of him. It was hard to dance without Jesus. He had changed the landscape of their homes. He had given them hope for a future. He had spoken of a Kingdom to come and they wanted to be people of that kingdom.

When would he be back?

They didn’t know but they lived their lives waiting. Some people wait and die but others who wait for Jesus’ return wait with expectant hearts. He will be hear real soon. Living with waiting expectation was like living with Jesus present. Their plans changed. This was not the time to go for an excursion. This was not the time to live unruly, selfish lives. This was the time to let the light that Jesus gave them shine like a lamp on its stand. This was the time to make sure their hearts were that of good soil, to deal with the desire for riches and the stronghold of worries. To be different. To be ready.

Then they saw him and they ran to meet him. The biggest crowd that anyone had seen before. Every eye upon Jesus, hands raised in joy, welcoming him back to them.

He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus. (Rev 22:20)

Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. (Matt 24:42)

And now, dear children, continue in him, so that when he appears we may be confident and unashamed before him at his coming. (1 John 2:28)

He will return. Will we welcome him? Are we expecting him?