Missions Paul

Investing in eternity

Luke 16 v 1-9 “Jesus told his disciples: “There was a rich man whose manager was accused of wasting his possessions. ² So he called him in and asked him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your management, because you cannot be manager any longer.’ ³ “The manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do now? My master is taking away my job. I’m not strong enough to dig, and I’m ashamed to beg— ⁴ I know what I’ll do so that, when I lose my job here, people will welcome me into their houses.’ ⁵ “So he called in each one of his master’s debtors. He asked the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ ⁶ “‘Nine hundred gallons of olive oil,’ he replied. “The manager told him, ‘Take your bill, sit down quickly, and make it four hundred and fifty.’ ⁷ “Then he asked the second, ‘And how much do you owe?’ “‘A thousand bushels of wheat,’ he replied. “He told him, ‘Take your bill and make it eight hundred.’ ⁸ “The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly. For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light. ⁹ I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.”

In an unusual parable Jesus addresses his disciples and instructs them not to be dishonest. That is not what he is praising but the shrewdness. This manager was clever.

I tell you … this is what he is getting at:

One day we will have to give an account for the money and assets that we have gained in this life.

Just as the manager gained himself a future by taking care of the present of people’s lives (their debts) so also we should invest in others for our own eternal good.

People are always more important than possessions.

If we use our money to alleviate suffering and influence lives, then those lives will welcome us home.

Let us live our earthly lives in the light of our eternal home.

What is your view of the Father’s house?

Luke 15

The third parable Jesus tells in answer to the Pharisees grumbling of him welcoming sinners. The parable of the lost sheep, the lost coin and now the lost son. In this parable Jesus turns his attention back to the religious, to those who do not think they are lost. We know nothing of the 99 sheep or the 9 coins that are not lost but here Jesus describes the son who wasn’t lost in detail and the finger is definitely pointed to the religious in answering who is the eldest son? More importantly, if the Pharisees are grumbling because heaven rejoices over the ‘sinners’ coming to Jesus, what is the relationship like between the Pharisees and heaven?

 

1. He has a faulty relationship with the Father based on works.

 

v11,v25 Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons…Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing.”

 

He was the greatest servant on the farm. Why was this wrong? He was a son.

All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders.

He makes it sound like hard work. He was living in the Father’s love at the beginning, he knew the Father loved him, but he had never received that love for himself. He was too busy. A great servant makes for a lousy son.

Jesus loves me this I know

For the Bible tells me so

Little ones do Him belong

They are weak but He is strong.

The Pharisees needed to become children again, not workers.

We also need to learn how to embrace the Father’s love without working for it.

 

2. He is in the Father’s house but he is not experiencing it.

 

v25-26. “Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on.”

 

He heard people having a great time. As a son why didn’t he just go in? Why did he go and call a servant to find out?

He wasn’t relaxed in his own home.

The Pharisees did not understand that in the Father’s house there is rejoicing.

The Church should be free to party. In the Father’s house are emotions, sometimes tears of love and comfort, sometimes joy and laughter, sometimes dancing and celebrations.

 

3. His hurt keeps him from experiencing the Father’s love, v

“But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends.”

 

You may long for a blessing from your Father but deep and unresolved hurts are preventing that.

The Pharisees hearts had become hardened like a fortress, but these defensive walls prevented the Father’s love being experienced.

Are you hurt?

 

4. His expectations of his Father’s love are way low so he refuses to ask.

 

v30-31. “But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’  “‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’”

 

 

How sad that the Pharisees could have experienced all that the ‘sinners’ were experiencing and more!

They had the attitude that still exists today in that ‘If the Father is going to bless me, heal me, touch me then He’ll do it’.

No He won’t.

V31.

The Father is saying you never asked, you never put yourself in the position to receive.

 

What a waste of a life to have been religious, believing you are better than most, keeping some rules, going to Church, singing songs, saying some prayers and yet never knowing the Father and his love and his house of joy!

Emergency love

 

Luke 15: 8-9 “Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Doesn’t she light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? ⁹ And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbours together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.’ ¹⁰ In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

 

In 2006 the church where I served held a building fund offering day. On the given Sunday morning, just over £35,500 was given, a remarkable offering that was the largest in its history. As I closed the morning service and inviting people to come to the evening service I told them to go looking for coins down the sides of their chairs, under the bed, in their clothes, all the hidden places in their houses. In effect sweep the house clean for the coins! That evening we saw the offering rise to £36,000!

Lost coins are all around us, we just don’t go looking for them.

Remember, Jesus is telling this story because the religious were murmuring at him welcoming sinners.

Jesus reveals just what ‘welcoming’ sinners really means to him. He doesn’t just welcome them, he goes looking for them. He turns on the light, cleans the house thoroughly and searches carefully. He is meticulous in his search. Joy waits until the search is over and the sheep and the coin are found. For now it is the emotion of desire. This is emergency love. This is industrial grace. The coin must not stay lost. Whether or not this was part of the woman’s jewellery (they would often have coins on a necklace around their head indicating they were married) what is clear is that this woman cares. Her life is agitated not by the 9 coins that she still has but the 1 coin that is lost. She is not comforted by the 9 that are left. The 9 only remind her that the 1 is lost. But when she finds it then the party begins. How can she party with the 9 when 1 is lost?

May our churches rejoice again! Not because of the great music and the powerful words we sing. But because of the lost people that have been found that week.

 

 

Keep an eye out on the small numbers

Luke 15: 3-7 “Then Jesus told them this parable: ⁴ “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? ⁵ And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders ⁶ and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbours together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ ⁷ I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.”

You have 99 sheep. You have only lost 1.

Why be concerned about the 1?

The 99 never strayed away, they never got lost and they never gave you any problems.

But this one sheep not only got lost, but you lost it. It may be its own fault for getting lost but you assume the responsibility for it.

If you can apportion blame then you don’t need to do anything, you don’t need to go searching, it is not your fault.

If you can blame it then you can focus on the larger number that is left.

But you don’t.

This sheep is no longer in the safety of the flock.

It began to drift.

It stopped coming to the home-group.

It reduced the Sunday attendances.

Finally it dropped off completely.

Weeks have gone by.

Are you bothered? It is only 1 member, you still have 99.

It is just 1 widow.

1 young person.

1 poor person.

1 not very gifted person.

Are you concerned about the small numbers?

If you want to see growth then don’t be tempted by the largeness of 99 that you forget it is made up of 99 individuals who could all get lost.

To get back to 100, you have to keep an eye on the smallness of one.

This is mission.

Lost people and the Church

Luke 15

V1 Now the tax collectors and “sinners” were all gathering round to hear him.

V2 But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners, and eats with them.”

V3 Then Jesus told them this parable …

V8 “Or suppose …

V11 Jesus continued …

 

The religious saw those around Jesus as sinners and they had probably just reason for doing so. There were people who collected taxes for the Romans who were oppressing God’s people and making a living out of it. Then there were others who were so distanced from ever being able to be accepted by God either because of their lifestyle or background.

The religious were offended and angry not only with the lost but with the One who was seemingly enjoying being with them and at the same time claiming to be sent from heaven to do so. They were in fact protecting God from such incredulous impure connection. God is holy.

 

Three stories from Jesus.

Sheep, coin and a son. All three were lost and all are found in different ways. Jesus is responding to the criticism of being focused on the lost with these parables. Jesus doesn’t say they are not lost. He is not just welcoming everyone into the Kingdom without the need to follow him. The parties, celebrations and rejoicing come after the repentance. They are lost and he has come to lead them.

The challenge for the Church and Christians who are trying to be like Jesus today is this:

Who is gathering around us that results in such criticism?

Who are the ‘lost’ today?

What stories do we have to tell that explain why we spend more time reaching lost people than spending time with those who think they are righteous?

 

 

 

Don’t hang out with grumblers

Luke 15:1-2 “1 Now the tax collectors and “sinners” were all gathering round to hear him. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners, and eats with them.”

Who surrounds your life?

Who is wanting to hear you?

Who are you welcoming?

Who do you eat meals with?

It’s probably a whole lot more enjoyable if it isn’t the religious mutterers and grumblers of this life.

The salt of discipleship

Luke 14: 34-36 “Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? ³⁵ It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile; it is thrown out. “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”

Luke is obviously writing to the early Christians and using these words of Jesus to the Jews reminds the early Church that it influences the world and that makes it a better place. Salt.

It ends a passage that was difficult to read as much in our present day as it was for the first Church and as it was for the Jew to hear it. Salt.

The Church.

Salt that has become unfit. Manure is better.

Is that possible that we could become like this? Has it happened?

The world has many family divisions, unfinished towers and we live surrounded by fights.

Discipleship, costly obedience, sacrificial Christianity means that we will be right in the middle of our world influencing it for the good. The world needs the Church to be salt.

Between 2000-2018 I increasingly wept over the price Christians around the world are paying right now to be salt in their communities. This last year, in a new chapter of my life, the Lord has taken me to weep new tears. It is tears for my own nation. It is to weep for ‘Christians’ who carry a deep sense of justice for what should happen in Church, for those whose feelings are hurt, for the offended, the greedy and selfish. The world waits. God is waiting. Will the Church become salty again? Can it?

I believe in resurrection. It comes only after a death. The Church needs to stop displaying the cross and instead get on it. Perhaps discipleship then has a chance. Maybe our world can experience salt.

The argument isn’t worth it.

Luke 14: 31-33 “Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Won’t he first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? ³² If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. ³³ In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples.”

To the Jew, it was Rome. That was for sure. That was the enemy they wanted to fight and Rome was ready. But they certainly didn’t know the full might of Rome and Jesus’ warning to them ahead of their destruction in AD70 is poignant, just like Herod’s construction project.

If only we knew the plans and the battles that are in our mind that distract us from being a true disciple of Jesus.

Most days I am walking into someone’s battle. It is usually not with an enemy as such though they have made it so. It is with another Christian, maybe an authoritative figure or just a fellow member of their Church. Often they haven’t counted the cost of their argument. They haven’t considered what they would lose, the damage they would cause to themselves and to others. They neither ask for peace and they never get on to the cross. The one word I never seem to hear is the one word everyone is fighting for, ‘sorry’.

I said to one person who was in a fight with their Pastor, “Do you not realise the damage this is causing you? Even before we think of the people in the Church. If you carry on like this then you will die a sad, old, bitter person with bad memories.”

The person said they had sent a card telling the Pastor they had forgiven him.

I told the person to go and get onto the cross: to apologise to the Pastor and ask for forgiveness.

“But I have done nothing wrong,” the member objected.

I replied, “Neither had Jesus. Sinless Jesus died a sinner’s death for you, so be a disciple and follow him.”

The member had not considered this before.

So my advice is today if you have woken up angry:

Consider the battle you want to have.

Is it worth it?

You may think you can win but what will you lose by winning?

Make peace.

Give up.

Follow Jesus.

The battle is to be a disciple.

He finished

Luke 14:28-30

“Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, saying, ‘This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.’

 

There’s only one who was able to finish.

He counted the cost. He completed the task.

Jesus.

In Haggai’s time the Temple had laid unfinished for 15-16 years because the people had said, “The time has not yet come to rebuild the Lord’s house” (Haggai 1:2).

Only Jesus was able to finish on time.

Herod completed the temple in 19-20 AD, it was destroyed by the army of Titus in 70AD and has never been rebuilt since.

Only Jesus was able to finish and remain complete for all time.

There is a Temple Movement who since 1987 have been working towards a third Temple rebuild believing that it will herald the world’s redemption. It is slow progress!

Only Jesus was able to finish and bring redemption.

We also look unfinished but, “being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 1:6). He finished and he will bring us to the finish also!

The weight of the cross

Luke 14: 27 “And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.”

We have to carry our cross with us because we never know when we will be asked to get on it.

This week a church planters 12 year old boy in Cameroon was set upon by some youths. He was told to deny Christ which he refused to do. The mob so viciously attacked him that he died. He didn’t know that day would be his last day of his short life on this life, but he left his house carrying his cross.

I wonder what decisions or reactions we would make today if we felt the weight of the cross on our shoulders.