Author: missionspaul

Who is Jesus?
Hebrews 1
Here are 10 things regarding who Jesus is. Meditate on one of these today …
God, v3,8
Purifier, v3
Relational, v5
Worshipped, v6
Eternal, v8,11
Joyful, v9
Creator, v10
Unchanging, v12
Rest, v13
Victorious, v13

Growing old for good
Philemon

So this incredible moving letter from Paul to Philemon calling for him to receive Onesimus not as a slave (he had left Philemon as such) but as a Christian brother also contains an interesting admission.
“I’m an old man” v9
Of course we all grow old. But we should do all we can to grow old for good.
Paul could say I’m old but:
I am someone who prays for others, v4
I have a positive outlook on life, v7
I am careful not to offend, v8
I approach in love, v9
I know hardship, v9
I am a father to the younger generation, v10
I believe in turning things round for the better, v11
I try and see the bigger picture, v15
I am willing to pay whatever it costs for the good, v18
I believe in grace, v25

Ten things that every old person could do well pursuing. Ten things that I will pursue whilst I wait to be old!

Do you know what time it is?
Titus 3
As soon as I send Artemas or Tychicus to you, do your best to come to me at Nicopolis, because I have decided to winter there, v12.

There is a time to change personnel.
Paul was sending 2 workers to take over from Titus. There are times for a fresh pair of legs, different perspectives. There are times when we need to make a substitute and get people off the field before they get burnt out or injured. Maybe it is time for you to change?

There is a time for extra effort.
Paul was asking Titus to do all he could to come to him at Nicopolis. That means don’t give up at the first obstacle. It won’t be a smooth path perhaps but adjust, tighten your belt, work smarter, dig in deep and just finish what needs finishing. Get where you should be. Maybe it is time for you to give it one big final effort?

There is a time for quietness.
Paul says he is wintering there in Nicopolis. It is a time to come aside, to dig deep, to ascertain the journey. Paul was not at that place yet. He had decided to winter there. Where will you winter? Do you have such a place to go to? Have you scheduled into your seasons of life a time when there is no loud activity, nothing much to report on, it is winter? Maybe it is time for you to plan for winter?

How much does doctrine direct your life?
Titus 2
Have you ever thought of that question?
Here’s another:
Is doctrine just about what you believe or about what you become?
Titus teach doctrine:
The Word of God, v5
God being Saviour, v10
The grace of God, v11
The return of Jesus Christ, v13
Redemption, v14
And why teach these doctrines?
So that whether you are an older man or woman, a younger woman or man or a worker you become nicer people.
Doctrine should direct you to being a better person.

No one can do everything
Titus 1
The Apostle Paul held his dear friend, Titus, with high regard. Titus had been his missionary partner and they had both run successful evangelism campaigns in Crete together.
Look at verse 5

1. Paul admits to leaving things unfinished, half-done.
Not even if you are a super-apostle can you do everything. You cannot spin all the plates successfully. The work will always outweigh your availability. So give yourself freedom. Don’t set yourself up to fail simply because your expectations are way too high for yourself.

2. Paul knows what is left to do and knows he is not the person to do it.
There had to be elders appointed to the churches in every town where the campaign had been. Paul had advice and guidance. Just because you know how doesn’t mean you should be the one.

3. Paul appoints the right person and commissions Titus for the task.
If you are a one-man band then you will achieve very little. Take someone with you in life, always. Share the load. Delegate. It is called team.

5 things about people
2 Timothy 4

You will lose some people:
Demas couldn’t cope any longer and wanted out so he left. Crescens and Titus left for their own reasons. Paul didn’t ask them to go, but they went. Paul sent Tychicus to preach. Onesiphorus had probably died as Paul greeted his household. Erastus had an important job in the city of Ephesus (Romans 16:23) so didn’t go into Paul’s next chapter of his life. Not everyone gets healed and Trophimus had stay behind.

You will keep some people:
Luke was the writer, he’d seen it all, a fellow journeyman. Eubulus, Pudens, Linus, Claudia and others who are nameless, who knows who these are, except they were friends. Your friends may not be well-known but they can be highly valuable.

You will gain people:
Mark returned after that earlier fall-out.

You will be hurt by people:
Alexander is handed over to God, and Paul makes sure he doesn’t give a good reference.

You will remember people:
Paul probably stayed at the house of Carpus, he had left his winter coat there and his books. He greets the great couple, Priscilla and Acquila.

People and the greatest of all is in the last verse, The Lord. He is with you!!

Jannes and Jambres.
2 Timothy 3
These 2 men opposed Moses according to Paul. However, you will never find their names in the Old Testament, They are just not there, I checked.
Now I am sure there are many who have their own theories on who these two were exactly, however Paul knew about them, he did know their names. Whether they were recorded in some Jewish writing or maybe their names were passed down generationally. I am not focused on that right now. My point is this: can you imagine being known for generations as being an opposer, a blocker, someone who discourages and gets in the way? We all know someone who opposes not promotes and we give them a wide berth.
Don’t be known as a Jannes and Jambres. Don’t let your name be used in the generations to come as someone who was known for their opposing qualities rather than their supporting ones!
For that to happen I think it’s fairly easy: make sure today someone gets encouraged and makes sure today you don’t discourage anyone.

The beauty of one verse.
2 Timothy 2
Verse 1

My son. He wasn’t his son. Not biologically. But Paul was his spiritual father. We are short of such fathers. We have fathers but not spiritual fathers. The ones that demonstrate Christlikeness. The ones that cheer on, applaud and have a desire that the son goes further, does more, than the father. The ones who say “keep going”,v3; “keep focused”, v4-6; “keep looking to Jesus”, v8-13; “keep leading”, v14 onwards.

Be strong in the grace. We must find our strength not in our achievements and our status, our titles and accomplishments. We must find strength not in the plaudits and praise of man. But we are strong in a love that is not based on whether we are good or bad, whether we are successful or have failed, but in grace. Grace that seems unfair. Grace that covers and clothes. Grace that never dies because He died to release it. You will let many people down, you will disappoint, you will not be popular all the time. But be strong in Grace. By doing so you will realise you are not perfect, you need Grace. You probably agree with your critics, but Grace disagrees. You do not take yourself too seriously, you know you will always need Grace. You can survive your humanity because of Grace.

This is Grace not from man. Man can never deliver such Grace. Man wants conditions. They want a win-win. You get something from them but they want something from you. Man can not let you fail and get away with it. They won’t let it pass. They must speak up. Thank God it is not this Grace we need. But the Grace that makes us strong is found in Christ Jesus. Remember Him, Jesus, raised from the dead … This is my gospel, v8.

It’s worth reminding ourselves.

You’re just like your mum!
2 Timothy 1
Eunice’s name means ‘Good victory’.
We all want a good victory at some time in our lives!
Her victory came about through her sincere faith.
What did it mean for her to have a sincere faith?

* It was tested with the ‘why’ question?
In Acts 16 we are told that Timothy’s dad was a Greek, not a believing Jew like Eunice. There is no evidence that he ever converted. It takes faith to live with an unanswered prayer. Many do. Why God are you not answering my prayers for my husband?
Are you being tested by illness?
Are you being tested by unanswered prayers?

* The genuineness was seen by her sharing the faith.
And who did she share it with? To Timothy her son.
We will read in chapter 3 how Paul reminded Timothy he had learnt the Scriptures as an infant.
Even before she became a Christian, as a Jewess she was sharing her Abrahamic faith and the Old Testament stories with Timothy. She made known the Holy Scriptures till Timothy owned them himself.

* Open hands are always the sign of sincere faith.
Eunice released her son to join Paul’s missionary journeys. Generosity reveals the genuine. Faith is always in the letting go.

These are the keys to a good victory.

Why Mission?

It is when I am with the church planters in Asia that I understand what it means to flee the trappings of this world and the indulgent emphasis on material gain, v7-11.

It is when I am in the church in Swaziland that I begin to notice the beauty of Christlikeness within the honourable life, v11.

It is when I am reading as I did last night an email from a friend whose colleague, a Pentecostal Pastor in Niamey, Niger, who a few days ago has seen his church and house burnt to the ground by Muslims and who has lost everything he owned that I begin to understand what it is to fight the good fight of the faith, v12.

It is when I am sitting with the traumatised raped women within the DRC that I know what it is to hold on to eternity, v12.

This is why Christians like us in the western world should have a hand stretched out to the world beyond.
We are full for being with the empty.
We are nicer people for knowing the honourable.
We are stronger when we are with the weakened.
We have better perspective when with the broken.

This is the benefit for every Christian and every Church to hold a hand out to the world.
This is missions. They are waiting for us, for our prayers, for us to go and for us to give.
Please do something today. Let them know their life is worth something. They need to know it’s not wasted. That before they pass from this life they have impacted us here in our castles.