Missions Paul

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!

Rules

Mark 2: 23-24 “One Sabbath Jesus was going through the grainfields, and as his disciples walked along, they began to pick some heads of grain. ²⁴ The Pharisees said to him, “Look, why are they doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?”

In one chapter we have the Pharisees just not leaving Jesus alone and they will as we know continue to do so. Questioning him over healing, over eating with sinners, over fasting and now they are objecting over his disciples eating some heads of grain in the fields on the Sabbath. The Pharisees are protecting their culture, they are crying out for purity, they campaign against sin. Why? Because it was sin that cast God’s people out of the garden, it was sin that caused them to die in the wilderness and sin was breaking the rules, law codes, sacrificial offerings that are mentioned in the memorised Torah (first 5 books of the Old Testament).

Without Jesus, rules become very important and worth the effort to protect them. But when you follow Jesus then your attraction for Him may mean you cause offence to those who do not see Him like you do. Following Jesus means you will have to let go of pleasing man and the rules that protect your status with God.

Fasting, fabrics and fermented wine.

Mark 2: 18 – 22 “Now John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting. Some people came and asked Jesus, “How is it that John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees are fasting, but yours are not?” ¹⁹ Jesus answered, “How can the guests of the bridegroom fast while he is with them? They cannot, so long as they have him with them. ²⁰ But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them, and on that day they will fast. ²¹ “No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment. Otherwise, the new piece will pull away from the old, making the tear worse. ²² And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins.”

Fasting, fabrics and fermented wine.

Why are you not fasting?

Throughout the Old Testament the prophets spoke of God being the husband, the bridegroom of the bride, Israel. For Jesus to speak of himself as the bridegroom was his way of revealing in a veiled way his identity. He was God here on earth. Why should there be a longing, a spiritual hunger, an aching heart for God to come and lift off the oppression on their lives when He is here already?! This is amazing. He is here in front of you! All fasting is now cancelled, for now! But there will come a time when Jesus is no longer physically here on earth, then you should fast. This is now. This is for us. We should fast for moves of God.

Why are you sewing good cloth onto an old garment?

The good cloth is new. When Jesus came and then ascended He didn’t leave us alone. Through His victory He sent His Spirit who birthed a new kingdom of the presence of God here on earth. Something new took place. We are in the new period of time. It is incompatible with the old way of life. The new way of grace will not connect with the old way of law. Don’t take something old to build something new.

Why are you pouring new wine into old wineskins?

Similarly don’t take something rigid, tight, unmoveable and inflexible like an old wineskin to hold a new move of the Spirit of God. The foundations of our life need to change to accommodate the Spirit.

This is a new day and we need to treat it so.

 

Are you in need?

Mark 2: 14-17 “As he walked along, he saw Levi son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” Jesus told him, and Levi got up and followed him. ¹⁵ While Jesus was having dinner at Levi’s house, many tax collectors and sinners were eating with him and his disciples, for there were many who followed him.¹⁶ When the teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw him eating with the sinners and tax collectors, they asked his disciples: “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?” ¹⁷ On hearing this, Jesus said to them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

 

Jesus calls those in need.

Levi was a hated man. Having paid all the taxes to Rome himself he then collected taxes from the people and hiked them up with huge interest which gave him a very good living. He was greedy, wealthy and selfish. Yet he was ready to leave it all. There was no pull to stay. He needed a new life. He needed to get out. He needed a better purpose to live for. He had many friends like him. They stayed together in some sort of exclusive despised club. But he felt the need the strongest. He would lead them all into a new way of life if it be possible. He was ready. He needed to change.

Jesus calls those in need.

The Pharisees were righteous men. They were teachers of the law, they knew the Torah better than anyone else and they knew that fact. They had further interpretations of the Torah which acted as their own laws, more rules on top of the basic big rules on how to please God. Only they seemed qualified to keep these rules and they knew it. They looked the part. Appearance was everything. They would sneak into private dinner parties and snoop around looking for ‘sin’, wanting to demonstrate how righteous they were. They were the cleaners and evictors of sin. They spoke confidently. They were not in need. Jesus didn’t call them. There was in fact no need.

Jesus calls those in need.

If you are in need today He calls you. It doesn’t matter how you got into that need or whether you are responsible for it. You may be to blame or you may be innocent. He doesn’t come to sort it all out and put the sinners into one corner and the victims in another. He calls those in need for whatever the reason and actually those he dines with seem to be the ones no one would want to dine with.

Do you need Him today? He is calling you!

 

 

Let us get near the crowds

Mark 2: 13 “Once again Jesus went out beside the lake. A large crowd came to him, and he began to teach them.”

I began reading this and wondered how peaceful that must have been, choosing to go and walk by the lake. My first thought was ‘do I have a place that I like to go that is peaceful?’ That could have been my devotional blog this morning, until the large crowd comes along! It certainly is true in my nation that if you said to someone you are going to walk by the lake they would have a picture in their mind of time alone where you can be with the Creator and to meditate on the beautiful and solitary place. This is not that picture. Neither is it a picture of disruption. ‘It was peaceful and then the enemy sends distractions’ is not what happened.

Jesus purposely went to the lake to meet people. It was the place of activity. The Sea of Galilee was like a bus terminus, a railway station, every imaginable picture of workers, fishermen, buyers, sellers. There were no tourists basking in the sun on the sea shore. This was where people gathered for a purpose. It was where he had called the 4 disciples. Capernaum is on the side of the lake where he had his home base. Jesus lived by the lake and he chose to live amongst the crowds.

Isn’t that a wonderful thought? God’s Son didn’t come as Immanuel to stay in the desert or a mountain top and to call us to him. He didn’t build a building and make it look lovely so that crowds could on a day off from their busy lives visit it to find him. No. He came amongst us. He lived amongst the crowds. Yes there were times when he needed to get to a solitary place to be with God the Father but mostly he lived and moved amongst the crowds. The good news was in the pressure cooker of people’s lives, in their work place, homes, neighbourhoods, where they gathered. It was there that Jesus began to teach them a different perspective to life.

Let us make sure that today the church/us are where people are doing their life. Let is make the good news accessible for everyone.