Missions Paul

Be sent always

Acts 17:10

“As soon as it was night, the believers sent Paul and Silas away to Berea. On arriving there, they went to the Jewish synagogue.”

I am sure they didn’t want Paul, Silas and the team to leave. This was not a commissioning service. There was still so much more that the fledgling church of Thessalonica needed. Paul would have to mentor them by letter because he couldn’t stay.

Sometimes you cannot stay. Sometimes you have to leave. Others need you to exit because if you stay it will become untenable for them to continue. There are times you have to leave people behind. Your heart may be with them and you may still write letters (or email!) to encourage, but you have to go.

Paul and Silas sneaked away at night, out of sight from the enemy. There was no grand ceremony, they just said goodbye and went.

Today I wake to day 2 of our missionary conference. These delegates know what it is to say goodbye. Missionary work is a life of goodbyes, sometimes a party is held, other times it is just a decision that has to be made quietly.

What happened to Paul and Silas? They went to the synagogue as was their way of life. They started there again. They continued in the work. They were not phased nor were they sulking that their time had been cut short. They continued.

So say your goodbyes and keep moving. Be sent always.

 

There is no bail!

Acts 17:9 “Then they put Jason and the others on bail and let them go.”

Bail: The temporary release of an accused person awaiting trial, sometimes on condition that a sum of money is lodged to guarantee their appearance in court.

Jason and the others are released but only temporarily, they will be hounded in the future, it is not over for them.

You may know this experience yourself. It cannot be an easy one.

Some today are only partly free because there is no bail once you are in the kingdom of God! Just total freedom.

The enemy of your soul has nothing on you. He cannot hold you once Jesus has freed you. He cannot put you out on bail saying he hasn’t finished with you yet. John 8:36 “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”
You are free from trying. Free from the lists and rules of man. Galatians 5:1 “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.”
You are free to approach God as you are not how you should be. Ephesians 3:12 “In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.”
So don’t let the enemy of your soul put conditions on your freedom. He has no authority in your life. He is defeated. There is no bail. You are not out temporarily waiting for further investigation. You are out totally.

Hiding from the mess.

Acts 17:8 “When they heard this, the crowd and the city officials were thrown into turmoil”

Jason and some of the other new converts were before the city officials hearing a charge that they had shown hospitality to Paul and his team who were advocating another king other than Caesar.

On hearing this, the city and the officials went into panic mode. What would Caesar think when he got to know that Thessalonica had allowed a declaration of another King? More importantly, what would he do?

They are in turmoil because Paul and his team are in hiding. They cannot find them. They just see the evidence of them being there.

Hiding is the right decision at times.

Jesus hid. John 8:59 “At this, they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple grounds”

This may apply to only a few today. But maybe you have been on the front-line for too long and you need time out. Maybe actually it is dangerous for you and for others if you remain on show. The Spirit does call us at times to come aside and hide.

Psalm 17:8 “Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings.”

Psalm 143:9 “Rescue me from my enemies, Lord, for I hide myself in you.”

Come aside from the mess and hide today.

Jesus the King

Acts 17: 7

“These men who have caused trouble all over the world have now come here, ⁷ and Jason has welcomed them into his house. They are all defying Caesar’s decrees, saying that there is another king, one called Jesus.”

There is another king. They were right. It was a correct accusation. The believers were announcing this. There is another king! His name is Jesus!

Philippians 2: 9-10 “Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth.”

Sing we the King who is coming to reign, Glory to Jesus, the Lamb that was slain; Righteousness, peace then His empire shall bring, Joy to the nations when Jesus is King.
	Come let us sing: Praise to our King, Jesus our King, Jesus our King: This is our song, who to Jesus belong: Glory to Jesus, to Jesus our King.

 

Colossians 1:14-17 “In whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. ¹⁵ The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. ¹⁶ For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. ¹⁷ He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.”

 

Jesus is the redeemer, the creator and the sustainer of life!

Jesus has power over nature.

He has power over demons.

He has power over sickness.

He has power over sin.

He has power over death.

Today storms can be stilled, demons can be cast out, sicknesses can be healed, sins forgiven, death can be overcome.

The Old Testament speaks of God as:

Jehovah-tsidkenu (Jer 23:5-6 God our righteousness) = This name reveals how only He can restore mankind to Himself. This name is found in Jesus.

Jehovak-m’kaddesh (Lev 20:8 The Lord who sanctifies) = He lives within us to empower us to live holy lives. This name is found in Jesus.

Jehovah-Shalom (judges 6:24 God is Peace) = God has brought peace and contentment and satisfaction between Himself and us. This name is found in Jesus.

Jehovah-Rophe (Isaiah 53 God heals) = He cures or heals not only in physical terms but spiritual and moral. This name is found in Jesus.

Jehovah-Jireh (Genesis 22:14 The Lord who sees) = He knows our needs and makes provision. This name is found in Jesus.

Jehovak-nissi (Exodus 17:18 God my banner) = God is our battle deliverer. This name is found in Jesus.

Jehovah-rohi (Psalm 23 God my Shepherd) = He feeds, leads, protects and cares for us. This name is found in Jesus.

All these names are found in Jesus. Yes, He is another king. But the truth is, He is the only King. He is the King of Kings. And you wake to His presence every day!

Chaos

Acts 17: 6 But when they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some other believers before the city officials, shouting: ‘These men who have caused trouble all over the world have now come here …

Can you imagine this?

It just sounds chaotic doesn’t it?

It’s not exactly seeker-sensitive.

Here is Paul and his team planting a church in Thessalonica and here they are causing mayhem. They would be on their way soon but those new believers, converts to Christianity, would remain to form churches which had their foundations based on persecution. How they would have needed Paul’s letter of encouragement to them later where he commended them for their faith.

We are introduced to Jason. We do not know him except he with others had become believers of Jesus. Their houses were searched, they were manhandled and dragged before the authorities, they were shouted at. Did they sign up for this when they gave their lives to Christ? Yes they did.

I received a text yesterday from one of our Pastors in India: “Amidst great opposition and challenges we had an overwhelming meeting the last two days. The Spirit of the Lord moved mightily and people were delivered instantly.”

Today, as you read this blog, some of our church planters from an Islamic nation who had been arrested last week are being tried for apostasy.  Please pray for them.

I have come to see more and more that God can be found in chaos. In fact He works powerfully in that place.

To those in trouble today, God is with you and we on the banks of safety pray for you.

 

Jealousy

Acts 17:5 But other Jews were jealous; so they rounded up some bad characters from the marketplace, formed a mob and started a riot in the city. They rushed to Jason’s house in search of Paul and Silas in order to bring them out to the crowd.

Be careful of Jealousy.

Jealousy can make you the odd one out. Everyone else can be happy but jealousy means you are not one of them.

Jealousy can leave you needing to make plans for pain. Jealous people do not necessarily know they are jealous and their plans are often seen as just but they bring hurt.

Jealousy can direct you to mix with people you wouldn’t normally be with. Jealousy blinds character.

Jealousy doesn’t mind how much damage it does. The more damage the better because it reflects on the riot within the heart.

Jealousy makes you react quickly. In a short time they had formed a mob, started a riot and rounded up the accused.

You won’t be affected by all of the above but we all get jealous at some point in our lives and it would be good to protect yourself from the above.

 

Seasons of success

Acts 17:4 “Some of the Jews were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a large number of God-fearing Greeks and quite a few prominent women.”

Some … a large number … quite a few.

Our days are like that aren’t they?

Days where we have some success.

Days when we have big breakthroughs.

Days when it is somewhere in between … quite a few.

The sooner we settle in our minds that this variety is actually okay, the better.

Revival-victory-miraculous-divine-exchange breakthroughs do not happen every day.

In 2 weeks I will be attending my denominations annual conference which I have done so every year since I became a Pastor in 1992. Throughout those years I remember well being prepared to give the answer to people who would hail me down like they were perhaps stopping a taxi cab, ‘how many are in your church now Paul?’ and ‘how many have you seen saved this year?’ Well intentioned questions maybe but it often caught me fumbling between ‘some’ and ‘quite a few’. Often I was tempted to throw a curve ball by lying and saying ‘Haven’t you heard? A large number, too many to count!’ But I didn’t.

You see, the truth is, I didn’t like ‘some’ nor ‘quite a few’. I wanted to be ‘large’. Because that’s success, right? In the eyes of man, yes.

Don’t let man define your success in life. Today may only be a ‘some’ day but it can be a great day nevertheless!

Don’t let man tempt you to exaggerate just so they feel comfortable in your presence.

Know that whatever season of success you are in, it is just that, a season.

 

 

What kind of Messiah do you have?

Acts 17: 3 “… on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and proving that the Messiah had to suffer and rise from the dead. “This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Messiah,” he said.”

Paul, Silas and Timothy are persuading the Jews that they missed Jesus when he was here because they were looking for the wrong Messiah. Their Christ was political and would powerfully remove the Roman oppression. Jesus Christ came to suffer and die and this was prophesied in their Scriptures but they were blinded to them. The team use those Scriptures to prove Jesus was the Messiah, he was God’s Son and he was before all time. This Jesus HAD TO suffer and rise from the dead. Importantly, this Jesus is alive today.

This was such a difficult teaching to hear because for the Jew their Messiah is not what we understand as a Saviour who lays his life down.  It is impossible that in one sentence the words Messiah, suffer and rise from the dead are together!

Their Messiah is: A political leader descended from King David. A professional of the Jewish law and the commandments within it. A charismatic leader. A military leader. A great judge.

The most important thing is this. The Jewish Messiah is a human being, not a god or a demi-god. He has certainly not come from heaven and once he is dead he doesn’t rise again.

The team were demonstrating from the Jewish Scriptures that Jesus was their Messiah but that he was indeed eternal and so is alive today because he rose 3 days after he died.

The most important thing they were demonstrating was the aliveness of Jesus. He is eternal.

Everyone needs to discover what kind of Messiah they have or are searching for?

Even the Christians! Some are so earthly focused that they have reduced their relationship with Jesus to all about what happens here and now. But the offer of Jesus is to discover and live your life through the filter of eternity.

Jesus had said many things to the Jews that had got him into trouble but his claim of pre-existence was the one they balked at the most. Especially when he said he was alive before their ancestral father, Abraham, was born.

John 8:58 “Very truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!”

This was the most incredible, confrontational and boldest statement Jesus ever made.

We cannot contain Him to a time and a place and a nation. We cannot hold on to Him, He is beyond our grasp, we cannot understand all that there is to know about Him, He is beyond our capability to think. He is pre-existent, before Abraham was born, I am!

There have been no accidents in your life, neither your birth, nor your death, nor anything in between. He knows the beginning and the end for each one of us.

We can invite Jesus into our existence – but there is a far greater invitation: for us to live our lives in His pre-existence in knowing that He knows everything there is to know about us in the big picture of life. He left His pre-existence to enter our existence so that we can live our lives in the light of our own eternal existence with Him.

That is the Messiah we explain and prove by words and our life.

Strategy needs intentional practices.

 

Acts 17:2  “As his custom was, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures”

 

What ways do you have? Why do you do the things you do? Some people don’t know they have customs. They don’t know they have routines. But they do.

The key for strategy is intentionality.

Habits are formed randomly and often without intention. Customs are formed with purpose.

Paul would always go to the synagogue first. It was the Jew first. This is why he went there in Thessalonica, because he always did.

 

What customs do you have? Why do you do what you do? Ask someone to name a few of your customs. Then see how surprised you are. You should be able to name some of them yourself because if you are being strategic in life then you have set customs in place intentionally.

“In order for me to do that I need to regularly do this”

 

 

Strategy

Acts 17:1 “1 When they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue.”

 

Today I am in Chennai with colleagues who have been training Pastors and leaders. Over the last few years we have trained thousands of leaders. There are thousands still waiting. We have been talking how best to do this with limited resources of personnel and finance. We have been talking strategy.

 

Recently I was talking with a missionary who was struggling with the passion needed for where they were placed. It happens. Thankfully at the end of the Skype call the missionary was already beginning to be energised again. How? We talked strategy for the next 12 months.

 

We move into a new chapter today and we read how Paul, Silas and Timothy travel over 100 miles to Thessalonica. They pass through 2 cities which were apparently beautiful and significant. Nothing happens in these 2 cities. They seem uninterested to do any gospel work there. Why? I believe because of strategy. Thessalonica was the capital of Macedonia, a major seaport and trade route. It was here where the gospel could be taken to the whole province.

The point is sometimes you have to walk past what is beautiful and significant in order to be strategic for what is best.

How far and how wide can you see? Look further. How will you impact your world? How will you fulfil your Father’s will? How can you do more? The answer is always strategy. Find some paper and pen and get a plan today.