Missions Paul

Glory Glory Hallelujah!

The word ‘glory’ in the Bible means ‘weighty, heavy’ and refers to the presence of God.
Nothing can change the presence of God. Nothing can effect His glory. It is unchanging. He will be where He wants to be. However His glory is not what is under scrutiny, it is our glory.

JEREMIAH 2 v11, “my people have exchanged their glory.”

Our glory is the original condition mankind was created with.
Adam lost it because he wanted to be somebody else instead of being happy with who God created.
Adam lost it for us and Jesus gave it back to us but we keep on losing it because we want to be somebody else other than who God made.
We want to be and we want to have and we pursue this at all costs even if that cost is our glory.
We exchange our glory by choosing to speak a certain way, or by our certain actions, or the way we spend and the way we give, what we use and what we keep. We do all those things for the image of somebody in our mind.

The question is always this: is that image the image of Jesus? If it is not, then you are in danger of losing your glory.

Keep your glory: it is who you are created to be.

What on earth is He doing?

So says the sick person, the rejected applicant, the abused partner and every other person who has experienced disappointment in God. What are you doing? Where are you when I need you?
JEREMIAH 1
Here is the tremendous call from God to the prophet and after an initial few uncertain responses from Jeremiah God presents him with his first vision.
What did he see? Was it thunder and lightning representing God’s judgment? Was it multitudes coming to God in worship showing he would be successful in ministry? What did he see? He saw a tree branch. He saw more than that though. He was seeing a branch of an almond tree, v11.
Some people only see what is dying? They only see the ordinary, a branch. But those that God uses are the ones who are able to see more than that. We need to be able to see all that is truly before us. For when we are able to do that then we will be able to see what on earth He is doing!
Almond means ‘watching’ and God showed the prophet the tree so he could see that He was watching over Jeremiah’s world.
In Jeremiahs world it looked like God was not alive in it. God was saying I am. He was active within it. He was carrying out His purposes in it, v12.
The circumstances of your world may suggest God is not here. But look again. Learn to see all that you can see in the circumstance. You can see more than a branch. You can see a God who is watching over you, who has spoken His word into your life and who will accomplish that word through your life.

It’s not a performance.

Recently I was sitting on the front row next to a lady during a communion service. The servers had received the communion emblems and then turned to serve the church. They came to the front row at which point the lady next to me closed her eyes and occupied the position of “You are going to have to tap me on my shoulder for me to realise you are there in order to take the bread because I am lost in wonder love and praise.” She also started to murmur a few ‘Amens’ and humming sounds in a deeply meaningful way. Sure enough the server tapped the lady on the shoulder a few times and she awoke from her vision to take the bread. She then had a little chat with her friend sitting next to her almost like a commercial break before the wine (juice) came and the scene was repeated. A performance worthy of a golden globe!

ISAIAH 66

How can we sum up this book?
There is no performance needed. It is a waste of time.
God esteems humility and those who respect His word in their life not those who perform.

A 5-year-old was observing his mother taking communion. He watched intently as she received the elements and bowed her head to pray.
A few seconds later, she stole a peek at her unusually quiet son to see what he was up to. He was by then intently watching his daddy at prayer after taking communion. She was delighted that he was observing the solemnity of the occasion. “Good parental example,” she thought.
Her gratification was short-lived as her son leaned toward her and whispered: “What’s in that stuff? You eat it and go right to sleep!”
A fun story and yet the sad part is that many are fooled by the performances of a few. Some get elevated to stardom status. The saddest part however is that God knows the truth and judgment will come on the performance and everyone will fail.

That’s the summary. So keep it real.

It’s all in a name

ISAIAH 65:15

In October, 2011, a deeply moving story was circulating in the press about a name-changing ceremony for girls in Mumbai, India. At birth the 285 girls had been named Nakusa or Nakushi, which means Unwanted in the primary Indian language of Hindi. The name Unwanted is widely given to girls across India where families often value sons much more than daughters. As a result, female babies have been aborted or neglected at an alarming rate.
But the renaming ceremony was an attempt to give the girls a new identity. The article reported, “The 285 girls—wearing their best outfits with barrettes, braids and bows in their hair—lined up to receive certificates with their new names along with small flower bouquets.” Some of the girls chose new names that mean prosperous, beautiful, good, or even “very tough.” One girl who had been named Nakusa by her grandfather who was disappointed in her birth said, “Now in school, my classmates and friends will be calling me by this new name, and that makes me very happy.”

This powerful and delightful story pales into insignificance with the identity change that Jesus Christ brings to people who put their trust in Him. those who reject Jesus, their names are cursed. But for those of us who may have been cursed by man but who accept Christ receive new identities and new names in God’s sight. We have a new beginning!

Today, you are more than what others call you. You are what He calls you which is always loved.

OH

He has seen the throne of God.
He has seen His glory.
He has received a touch from the King.
He will never be the same again.
Surrounded by a nation walking away from God.
He needs God. He wants Him.
The vision begins with a burden.
And what comes from within is a cry, ‘OH’.

ISAIAH 64

Let us not be satisfied.
How can we when there are family members who need Christ?
How can we when the Church is asleep during prayer?
How can we when the Bible is carrying dust?

We need people to become dissatisfied with the status quo.
There are few conversions and fewer are commissioned.
We need God to come down.

It’s such a small word, “oh”.

Whatever you are facing today, is there hope?
Oh God is there hope?
Yes, “when you come down there is hope.”
“Come down to my world, to this problem.”
“And when you do all things become possible, even the mountains will tremble!”

OH!

What’s coming out of your mouth?

John Ortberg in his book “If You Want to Walk on Water, You’ve Got to Get Out of the Boat” sites a medical study in which 122 men who had suffered their first heart attack were evaluated on their degree of hopefulness and pessimism: “Of the 25 most pessimistic men, 21 had died eight years later. Of the 25 most optimistic, only 6 had died!… Loss of hope increased the odds of death more than 300 percent; it predicted death more accurately than any medical risk factor, including blood pressure, amount of damage to the heart, or cholesterol level.”

ISAIAH 63

When all around you is bad news. What comes out of you?
Isaiah was witnessing destruction of 10 tribes of Israel and in time the final 2 would be destroyed. He saw how the people were drifting from God. So what does he do?
“I will tell of the kindness of the Lord”, v7.

He specifically spoke of the past, “all The Lord has done for us”.
No doubt he was thinking of the Exodus through the Red Sea, how God cared for them in the wilderness and then the Promised land.

If we have a past with God then we will get through the future with God.

He specifically spoke of a Saviour, v8. Let’s never forget the impact of the cross which was a day blood, v3; a day of vengeance, v4; a day of being alone, v5; a day of wrath, v6; but Jesus won for us what we could not win and the angel helped Him, v9.

He specifically spoke words of kindness. We need to encourage fellow-Christians reminding them they are redeemed. They are owned by God. They do not belong to that what is bringing them low. They are not owned by satan but by God! Or what about the word ‘carried’? He carries us through our troubles. He lifts us up into His arms when we can walk no more. Isaiah uses so many more positive and empowering words.

Be optimistic today despite circumstances around you. Speak well.

Have you been in the boiler room?

“For years Christians have known that every great spiritual awakening is born in a remnant committed to prayer. Countless books call people to prayer and emphasise the importance God places on His people’s praying. Yet we must answer one sobering question: If prayer is so important, why do most Christians and churches do so little of what God deems essential? We have more money, more buildings, more ministries, more media, and more people but less power than at any time in church history.
We measure the success of our churches in comparison to others, saying “we are making a difference,” but on our best Sunday our combined attendance is dwarfed by the number of unchurched people. Every great spiritual awakening, in our nation and around the world, has had as its foundation a people who were committed to prayer.
We stand at the door of a passing opportunity at a critical hour in our history. Our response to this call to prayer could determine if we as a people see the glory of God and experience an outpouring of His Spirit on us or if we continue with business as usual: great churches with great fellowship and great people but with little power.”
Watchman by L.Thompson.

Charles Haddon Spurgeon (1834-1892) was a Baptist minister in England who saw thousands came to Christ through his preaching. Some of services drew as many as 10,000 people at a time! What was the key to his success? It was to be found in the basement of his church which he called his ‘boiler room’. During the services there would be 100 people on their faces in prayer.

Have you been in the boiler room today?

ISAIAH 62

In ancient cities, built into the walls were huge watchtowers and watchmen were posted there day and night, v6-7.

The ‘boiler room’ people:
Have heard the call from God to pray.
Are the protectors, they see dangers as God reveals to them in prayer.
Do not rest till they see God establish His kingdom.

MY RIGHTS!

On that special day in the temple Jesus took the scroll and found Isaiah 61 and then read from it, (Luke 4: 18-19).
This was Nazareth, a settler town in Galilee. Galilee had become known as ‘Galilee of the Gentiles’ (Matt 4:15).
The Jewish plan was to move Jewish settlers from Judea onto the land in Galilee and take Nazareth. Isaiah 61 was their motivating prophecy.
This prophecy of the coming Messiah promised great things.
v 2 there would be a day of vengeance of God
v4-11 = there would be rebuilding and restoring places, places like Nazareth.
v7 = there is the promise of a double portion.
v5-6 = the Gentiles around them will be their servants and they will be fed on their wealth.
But Jesus stops reading this popular and well known passage at the point at which judgment and submission is pronounced on the Gentiles whom the Nazareth settlers were there to displace, places like Zarephath and Damascus.
“Today this Scripture is fulfilled”, Jesus said.
Jesus took a text of judgment and turned it into a text of mercy. The text of judgment was from Isaiah of all people, passed down generationally, steeped in their culture, thought and word life. Yet the revelation of the Messiah turned it upside down into a text of mercy. Mercy offends when you are banking on judgment.
They thought the messianic age would be a golden age for them. In fact it would be all about them. Jesus shifts the text from ‘Here is what you will receive” into “Here is what you are expected to give”.
We need words: the preaching and proclaiming
We need the heart: the justice amongst the downtrodden and the outcasts
We need action: Showing compassion, opening life to those who are bound.
Above all, even though the Bible says we are important to God, this life is never about us. We need to train ourselves to view people through merciful eyes not judgmental ones and to know we laid our rights down at the cross sometime ago.

ARISE!
Isaiah 60
Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you.

To those who once walked in the promises of their God but now wallow in self-pity, bitterness and hurt – YOU CAN RISE AGAIN.

To those who have long since given up the fight, their armour and weapons of war are stored up with dust, their youthful passion for souls and their energy to give up all for one soul to find Jesus is now a faint dream, hear the wake-up call – YOU CAN RISE AGAIN.

To those who couldn’t hold on any longer, something had to give, you gave away your destiny, you broke up your potential, you ruined your desires and were ruined by new ones. You can regain your footing, it’s time to walk – YOU CAN RISE AGAIN.

To those who came under a stronghold that so gripped their life it paralysed them. An area of your life is now not functioning like it used to, you feel a lesser man, as a woman you feel your beauty has been taken, you are tarnished, you are stained and impure. But listen – get up – YOU CAN RISE AGAIN.

It may be that for the shouting it’s all over, your faith is dead, your anointing is dead, that relationship is dead, you cannot pretend anymore, you have got to be realistic and say ‘It’s over’. It’s never over till the Master has touched you and called you to get up. YOU CAN RISE AGAIN.

ARISE!

You will have bad days
I’m not prophesying, I’m just saying what ISAIAH 59:19 says:
“When the enemy comes in like a flood the Spirit of the Lord will put him to flight” (you will probably need to read the footnote in your Bible).

WHEN: This is a guarantee. Bad days are promised! Every successful person had their bad days.

IN: The enemy doesn’t come in to where he already is, but where he is not. He will come into something that is great, righteous, visionary and successful.

FLOOD: “Overwhelming”. What is the effect?
Sin, v2; hate speech, murder, lies, evil, v3; injustice, lack of integrity, v4; production is thwarted, v5; protection is damaged, v6; cascade of unrighteousness, v7; destructive thoughts, plans, desires, v7; no peace nor justice, v8; the light of yesterday is gone, v9; blind, v10; a desire for change but there is none, v11
Post-flood inspection:
v12-15: the enemy is not to blame, we are; we have committed the offence; rebellion, treachery, turning our backs, oppressing, revolted, lied, we have done these things; there is no justice, no truth.
This is a bad day!
Is there hope?

COMES IN: There is hope as he enters, as he gets a foothold in the door. At any minute of that bad day experience there is hope. Our hope is the Spirit.

SPIRIT OF THE LORD: v21 (amplified) “Who is upon you and who writes the law of God inwardly on the heart.” We already know from Isaiah 11:2 that the Spirit of the Lord:
(NIV): Brings wisdom – so we know what to say; Brings understanding – so we can see how the enemy came in.
(Message): Gives direction – so we know what to do; Builds strength – so we are able to do it.
(Amplified) – Instils knowledge – so we know God in and through it; Instills obedience – so we get back on track.

WILL: This is as much a guarantee as the WHEN.

FLIGHT: the enemy is a runner, the good days will be back. The bad day does not win!