Author: missionspaul

Thoughts on sowing

Mark 4: 1-9 “Again Jesus began to teach by the lake. The crowd that gathered around him was so large that he got into a boat and sat in it out on the lake, while all the people were along the shore at the water’s edge. ² He taught them many things by parables, and in his teaching said: ³ “Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed.4 As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. ⁵ Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. ⁶ But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. ⁷ Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain. ⁸ Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, some multiplying thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times.” ⁹ Then Jesus said, “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”

• The farmer is carrying seed, the life-form, small yet powerful, he will receive a harvest, this is why he is sowing, there is expectation and desire.
• The farmer scatters indiscriminately. Not in neat rows. The strategy is to throw the seed not to first think where it is going. There doesn’t seem to be much mapping of the area going on: paths, shallow soil, thorns and weeds, good soil, they all got the seed. A committee would have highlighted where not to throw the seed and that is where the farmer threw it.
• The farmer seems wasteful of the seed. He seems to have more seed than he needs; there is an abundance of seed. He hasn’t counted it out. It is a picture of a farmer’s hand sowing liberally and almost carelessly.
• The farmer isn’t perturbed by the failure of the seed to grow or by the birds, the sun or the thorns that act as enemies against the growth of the seed. Everywhere gets the seed. There is no failure in the scattering.
• The farmer yields a harvest. Sometimes it is 30%, 60% and even 100% of what is sown. They are all called a crop. There is no disappointment in the size of the crop.
• The farmer is Jesus and it is us. The seed is the gospel, the Word of God. We need:
  • To have expectation in the seed
  • To be indiscriminate with who receives the seed.
  • To be liberal, large, extravagant (fields not patio pots!)
  • To keep going at all costs.
  • To be happy with the harvest that comes.

 

 

The problems of family

Mark 3: 31 – 35 “Then Jesus’ mother and brothers arrived. Standing outside, they sent someone in to call him. ³² A crowd was sitting around him, and they told him, “Your mother and brothers are outside looking for you.” ³³ “Who are my mother and my brothers?” he asked. ³⁴ Then he looked at those seated in a circle around him and said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! ³⁵ Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.”

 

We have seen these last few days how very early on in his ministry Jesus faces challenges from relatives and friends, the obvious religious teachers but now in these verses from his own immediate family. Mary and her other sons, Jesus’ brothers arrive. They are of the same opinion of his relatives and friends, ‘He is out of his mind’ and they are worried for him and for the disgrace on their family.

They cannot enter into the house because the crowd is too large. They stand outside and send someone in with a message for Jesus to basically come out to meet them. They were looking for him in order to stop this ministry that is becoming out of hand.

Before the scene closes Jesus invites all those in the house to be part of his family.

There is a family outside and a family inside.

3 differences

1. There is a difference between looking for Jesus and pursuing him.
2. There is a difference between waiting for Jesus to come to you and pushing through the crowd to be with him.
3. There is a difference between the family that want to preserve their name at all costs and the family who want to honour God’s name by doing His work.

 

When people judge you

Mark 3: 22 – 30 “And the teachers of the law who came down from Jerusalem said, “He is possessed by Beelzebul! By the prince of demons he is driving out demons.” ²³ So Jesus called them over to him and began to speak to them in parables: “How can Satan drive out Satan? ²⁴ If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. ²⁵ If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand.26 And if Satan opposes himself and is divided, he cannot stand; his end has come.27 In fact, no one can enter a strong man’s house without first tying him up. Then he can plunder the strong man’s house. ²⁸ Truly I tell you, people can be forgiven all their sins and every slander they utter, ²⁹ but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; they are guilty of an eternal sin.” ³⁰ He said this because they were saying, “He has an impure spirit.”

He has been misunderstood and accused of burning out by his own people and now come some know-it-alls from the city. Teachers of the law who have purposely been sent to discredit and misrepresent his work; to say the good he is doing is actually coming from a bad place. It looks good but it is coming from a heart that is wrong, in fact, a heart that is controlled not only by a demon but satan himself.

With Jesus delivering so many people from the demonic he was getting a reputation of his ministry being categorised with a supernatural activity that they had not seen before. It was outside of their reference and experience. People continue to want to control what they do not understand and one of the ways to control is to categorise and put it to one side and say it is not of God warning people not to go near. It happens today as with Jesus. “That is not of God, it is a deception.”

How do you deal with the accusation that you are a misrepresentation and what you do is from a bad heart? How do you cope when you have been judged and sentenced? How do you recover?

• Jesus found the question to ask which made their accusation look stupid. Basically, are you saying there is a civil war in the kingdom of satan? v23-24.
• Jesus rose above the accusation and wasn’t slow at letting people know. He was setting people free from one life to life (house to house), this was the truth, v27.
• Jesus was being judged and his response was to judge his judgers, v28-30

Burn-out

Mark 3: 20-21 “Then Jesus entered a house, and again a crowd gathered, so that he and his disciples were not even able to eat. ²¹ When his family heard about this, they went to take charge of him, for they said, “He is out of his mind.”

His ‘family’ were his relatives but also friends of the family as some translations have it. It could be that his immediate family had sent them to him.

The ones closest to you can sometimes because of their love for you try and pull you away from what God has purposed in your life.

It had become obvious that the work of Jesus was now mushrooming out of proportion. His job description was getting too big. Reports of him leaving early in the morning whilst everyone was asleep, spending whole nights awake in prayer, crowds pressing on his time again and again and now they are hearing he is not even having time to eat. It all left his ‘family’ concerned for his physical and mental well-being. They thought he was going to burn-out. He needed time out. The Lord of the Sabbath needed a sabbatical.

There has to be balance and I believe strongly in rest and working out from a good relationship with God. Much is being said about working from your rest these days instead of resting from your work.

The truth is that some of those who are so-called experts at spotting possible burn-out in people are actually bone-idle. They wake up late, they do a few things during the day and they spend every evening in front of the television. They are tired from not doing much. Their mental strain is because they have no mental activity that is stretching them.

My advice is:

• Never let the idle stop you from working hard.
• Doing the work of God may mean your sleep and eating patterns are affected, that is okay. Fasting isn’t wrong for example.
• Don’t let people who love you the most make the decision for what is the norm for you, they will always err on the easy side.
• You can get tired from doing nothing so you may as well be tired from a good day’s work.
• Get ready to make some adjustments, weigh up all the voices and make a response.

 

Wear your own shoes

Mark 3: 16-18 “These are the twelve he appointed: Simon (to whom he gave the name Peter), ¹⁷ James son of Zebedee and his brother John (to them he gave the name Boanerges, which means “sons of thunder”), ¹⁸ Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot ¹⁹ and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.”

Last night I attended the induction of Lloyd and Jo Cheshire as they began a new life in the Elim Church in Barking, London. It is a church that has a history of well-known preachers and pastors. It has been a daunting thought for Lloyd to think he has been passed the baton. But last night Dave Campbell who preached used a true illustration of a church secretary who told a newly appointed Elim Pastor that “they have big shoes to fill” meaning they were following prominent leaders. But the incoming Pastor said, “It is okay I have brought my own shoes.” It is a great illustration for all of us to hold on to who we are and to remember who we belong to.

Well now can you imagine following on from the 12 disciples that Jesus chose?

But of course we know the good and the bad of most of them. Let us take a very brief look …

Simon Peter known for one thing, the denial, but was used in many ways for example in receiving revelation from heaven: “Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed), the Son of the living God.” Matthew 16:16

James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who desired promotion to have the best seats in Heaven: Mark 10:37 “Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory.”

Andrew who struggled to see what Jesus was wanting him to see: John 6: 9 “There is a little boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish; but what are these for so many people?”

Phillip who struggled to do the math of faith: John 6:9 “It would take more than half a year’s wages to buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!”

Bartholomew also known as Nathanel was spotted by Jesus even before he knew about him: John 1:48 “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.”

Matthew also known as Levi was quick to leave everything and follow Jesus, Luke 5:27-28 “After this, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector by the name of Levi sitting at his tax booth. “Follow me,” Jesus said to him, and Levi got up, left everything and followed him.”

Thomas had courage but lacked faith, John 11: 16, John 20: 25, “Then Thomas (also known as Didymus) said to the rest of the disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him… So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!… But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”

James son of Alphaeus is also known as the less, the lesser or the younger, Mark 15: 40 “Now some women also were watching from a distance, among whom were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the Less and of Joses, and Salome.” But nothing more is said of him.

Thaddeus also known as Jude who wrote the epistle has nothing said of him in the gospels

Simon the zealot listed but no more information on him either.

Judas Iscariot known for one thing alone.

The more you know these first 12 disciples the more you realise how human, sinful and actually how small their shoes were! You see it is often our rose-tinted glasses that make people bigger than they actually are.

Jesus chose these men, imperfect, ambitious, faith-less people that they were. They all had good attributes but for some we will never know what they were as no-one decided to write anything about them!

Therefore, you can do it, you can wear your own shoes, you may have many reasons to disqualify yourself but these are no more or less than the 12 men above. If Jesus wanted them then he sure does want you. So get your shoes out and do some walking today.

The Call

Mark 3: 14-15 “He appointed twelve that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach ¹⁵ and to have authority to drive out demons.”

It sounds exciting doesn’t it?! Going out as a preaching team and to be given authority to drive out demons; this will be the action that everyone dreams of. To do the works that Jesus had been doing.

But the most exciting part is that the 12 were appointed to be with him. Everything else stemmed out of that fact and it still does.

Many ponder what God would have them do today or where He wants them to go etc but forget that the call is a call to Him. The journey to Him is the most important of all. Everything flows from that.

A friend died this week. I talked with him on Wednesday and on Thursday and yesterday he died. In our conversations we talked about many things, one of which was that he felt God calling him to be with Him.

Forty years ago today 9 Elim missionaries and 4 of their children were massacred on a school playing field in the Vumba mountains where they were serving. In horrendous circumstances God called them to be with Him.

The Call never ends. Whether you believe He is calling you into close fellowship, to pray, to meditate on the Bible or ultimately the final call to be with Him in eternity that call is very real and personal. The truth is God wants you.

Whilst you have the luxury of choice then let us draw near to Him today.

What happens if you are not picked?

Mark 3: 13-15 “Jesus went up on a mountainside and called to him those he wanted, and they came to him. ¹⁴ He appointed twelve that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach ¹⁵ and to have authority to drive out demons.”

Last year at the check-in desk of Emirates, I asked the attendant what my chances were at getting a flight upgrade. “Not great” was her reply. Apparently because of the type of flight ticket I was using I was actually the 35^th likeliest to be chosen for an upgrade that day! In all my flights over the last 12 years of working for Elim Missions I have only been picked a few times for that much longed-for upgrade. But when I was picked oh my goodness how amazing I felt!

On a far greater scale there are people from all walks of life, church members, leaders and Pastors today who are struggling with great difficulty because they were not picked. The feeling of being overlooked is something that penetrates the soul and can damage it for a very long time. There are unhappy people today trying to get through their day and it is tough because last year, 3 years ago, 10 years ago they were not chosen.

How do you respond when you are not picked? I am sure we all have had that experience.

Here are some responses:

1. Stop following/participating.
2. Choose a different rabbi/leader to follow.
3. Lose hope of ever achieving what you think is success.
4. Become cynical to the work that others are doing.
5. Commit less as more obviously didn’t work for you.

We are not sure what happened to those who were not picked on that mountainside?

We are not told what concessions Jesus made for them if any.

However, I like to think that some held themselves together and kept their heart right.

I like to think that they continued to follow, that they made Jesus their leader and Lord, they kept the faith and their heart soft and continued to work hard at following Him.

I like to think some of them were in the 70 disciples team of Luke 10 and the 120 team of Acts 1.

I like to think this because what I know is that you may not be picked today but that doesn’t rule out tomorrow.

 

3 ways to pastor momentum

Mark 3: 7 – 11 “Jesus withdrew with his disciples to the lake, and a large crowd from Galilee followed. ⁸ When they heard about all he was doing, many people came to him from Judea, Jerusalem, Idumea, and the regions across the Jordan and around Tyre and Sidon. ⁹ Because of the crowd he told his disciples to have a small boat ready for him, to keep the people from crowding him. ¹⁰ For he had healed many, so that those with diseases were pushing forward to touch him. ¹¹ Whenever the impure spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried out, “You are the Son of God.” ¹² But he gave them strict orders not to tell others about him.

The meetings are going really well! Large crowds are gathering from many regions, they are travelling to Capernaum because of the news of people being healed and delivered from demons and incredible practical teaching that has not been heard before.

But even in the best of moments problems can occur and if they are not dealt with then it will prevent the effectiveness of what is happening. And so for Jesus he was being pushed further to the water’s edge, things were getting out of hand and he needed to think of something.

I think the one thing that we all need to know is how to take care of the momentum you are in.

1. Step ahead: Keep creating space for people to be impacted by your ministry. You always need to be at least a step ahead of your followers. Jesus asked for a small boat. What must we do to be a step ahead of those we are leading?
2. Be creative: For a boat to become a pulpit takes good eyesight. What or who can help you in this situation? What changes will they have to make in order to best help you? How creative can you be?
3. Control the publicity: The reasons why Jesus didn’t want them to tell about him was because:-
   1. Demons are not entirely reliable!
   2. He was following His Father’s plan and no-one else’s.

Is there a right time NOT to post on social media because the sources are not reliable and/or you are hearing from God to be quiet?

5 questions about building culture

Mark 3: 1-6 “Another time Jesus went into the synagogue, and a man with a shriveled hand was there. ² Some of them were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal him on the Sabbath. ³ Jesus said to the man with the shriveled hand, “Stand up in front of everyone.” ⁴ Then Jesus asked them, “Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” But they remained silent. ⁵ He looked around at them in anger and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts, said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was completely restored. ⁶ Then the Pharisees went out and began to plot with the Herodians how they might kill Jesus.”

Jesus had said he was Lord of the Sabbath. Now they wanted to test this lordship; will he continue to break the laws that have stood for generations and can be supported Scripturally or will his lordship comply with their beliefs and practices? Some of them believed that Jesus couldn’t resist seeing a sick person; he just had to get involved. Maybe they planted the man with the withered hand? Maybe they went looking for a diseased man and told him to go to the synagogue and they did all this to trap Jesus?

In recent years there has been much talk about building culture. Books, seminars and conference speakers have done well in bringing such an important aspect to our attention. Our church culture is very important and a quick google search will help you in ‘how to define a healthy church culture’, ‘7 steps to a great church culture’ and the ‘8 dangers of church culture’ etc.

This passage today raises some important questions for the culture we want to build:

Does the culture trap Jesus to be a Jesus that complies to the culture; does it create a Jesus that is acceptable to those within it?

Does the culture create new behaviours for people to obey and are these behaviours difficult or easy?

Does the culture use or manipulate people or does it seek to heal people?

Does the culture create inflexibility in the people’s lives, stubbornness against change, a fear for anything new?

Does the culture mean that the ‘drawbridge’ goes up and silence is commanded when it is questioned and challenged?

If yes, maybe you want to offend that culture by being Christ-like. If you do, then that culture will break from you.

 

There no entrance exams to connect to Jesus.

Mark 2: 25-28 “He answered, “Have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry and in need? ²⁶ In the days of Abiathar the high priest, he entered the house of God and ate the consecrated bread, which is lawful only for priests to eat. And he also gave some to his companions.” ²⁷ Then he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. ²⁸ So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.”

I am so pleased there are no exams, hoops to jump through or interviews to be held in order to connect with Jesus. He is here waiting for you …

The response of Jesus to the Pharisees regarding his disciples eating the grain from the fields on a Sabbath day was literally a whole new level.

It was so much more than Jesus saying if it was good enough for David to eat consecrated bread then my disciples can eat on a consecrated day.

Some people will want to tie you down to rules, their rules, standards, opinions, a code of conduct that you have to submit to in order to please them.

Don’t even bother discussing grain from fields and what is lawful and what is not.

It is difficult for us to from a different culture to fully understand this but let’s try:

• When David was fleeing Saul he went to the high priest Ahimelek and lied his way into being provided with the only bread available, the consecrated Temple bread. Everyone knew the story that David had also failed by taking Goliaths sword for himself that had previously been dedicated to the Lord. He ends up at a place called Nothing (Nob) and in a cave hiding. That is the story in a nutshell.
• Jesus purposely used the name Abiathar and not Ahimelek as the high priest. Abiathar was the son of Ahimelek and became the high priest when David became king and he played an important role in his life. Why did Jesus do this when it was Ahimelek who gave David the bread? Whenever we see Jesus in the gospels taking part of the words he said or change the Old Testament story slightly then we know he is trying to communicate something to people who not only knew the story but they knew the finest detail and would therefore be open to hidden messages that Jesus was trying to communicate. And here it is …
  • Just as the transition from Saul to David was seen as a new kingdom the move from Ahimelek to Abiathar was seen alongside this as a new priesthood. They were of course shadows of what was to come. The new Kingdom and the new Priesthood would of course only come with a coming new Covenant that the Messiah would bring.
  • “You Pharisees are dealing with details of behaviour trying to trap people because you yourself are trapped in an old kingdom, an old priesthood and you have not recognised the new day is here.” That is what Jesus was saying and if they didn’t get that he goes on even more bluntly to say …
  • “You are focusing on the law, the rules and the standards of behaviour. This is the old covenant. But the new covenant is here. I am the Lord of all that including the Sabbath. Relationship with me is greater than relationship with the rules.”

Are you not grateful for the relationship with Jesus and that out of that love flows the way of life? Rather than trying to have a perfect way of life to connect with Jesus. I am!