Missions Paul

The Bible will hold you during your cross.
Mark 15:34
If only the religious had not been so blind to God’s Word.
Jesus in his greatest trial knew and recalled the Word.
Psalm 22:1
He is still my God.
Though I feel abandoned and punished because of the sin, I still trust Him.
And I know that later in this Psalm ( a Psalm prophesying about me) that there will be vindication after the suffering.
The Bible is holding me now.

Do what you can
Mark 14
You know where to go
You have what you need
You can give
V3
If we all just did what we can then our story would reach the world, v9

She did what she could, v8. Let us also.

Are you watching?

Mark 13
Are you aware of the deceptive Messiahs, v6?
Are you following the news of the wars, v7?
Do you see the natural disasters around the world, v8?
Are your praying for the persecuted, v9,11?
Are you involved in praying, giving and going to overseas work, v10?
Can you see the breakdown of families today, v12?
Are you understanding the happenings in Israel, v14?
Keep watching, He’s coming!

Who are ya?
So the English football fans chant to belittle the opponents: We have no idea who you are, you are nothing, you are not important.

Mark 12

I think a little bit of this attitude is needed in our hero-searching, hero-worshipping Christian culture.

The accusation towards Jesus was that he didn’t stand in fear of man, v14. The way of God and the truth is for everyone no matter who they are.

The warning of Jesus was to be cautious with the heroes, the stars, the crowd-pullers and those who get all the attention, v38-39. Those who desire such treatment will be dealt with.

The behaviour of Jesus was to see what people were missing, v42-43. The Kingdom of God is found more in poverty than anywhere else.

Who are ya?

Exits are as important as entries.
When evening came, they got out of the city, v19.
Mark 11
The day will come to an end.
Evening will come, people will back off, the attacks will cease even for a short while. The sun will fall, the light will fade and when it does, leave.
Many only focus on the entry points.
But we need exits in our life and strategies for those exits.

COMING SOON
Missionary Apprentice programme: To celebrate Elim 100 we are launching our Missionary Apprentice Programme (MAP). We are seeking to release young people from around the UK into their mission, as they journey alongside Elim Missions and discover how they can live with a missional focus. Register your interest http://elim.im/summer2015
http://ow.ly/i/6DAXi

So who do you want to be?
Mark 10
The rich young man wanted to be all that he could be (v21)
But one thing he lacked, there was no lack.
We need to give God room to move in our lives.
We need to be empty.
We need to be hungry.
We need to be thirsty.
There needs to be lack.
Many are focused on being someone they have stopped lacking.

So who do you want to be?
Mark 9
Someone who doesn’t see anyone except Jesus? (v8)
Someone who knows the value of prayer and fasting? (v29)
Someone who is last? (v35)
Someone who keeps their reward? (v41)
Someone who is salty? (v50)
How will today show your decision?

No one has it all sorted.

Mark 8

Not one has the whole truth and nothing but the truth.
In fact when we think we do it’s only as we get a little bit older that we realise we don’t actually believe that FACT anymore, well maybe, but not exactly.
We can become even more unsure when we look at the happenings of our life. Why did that happen to me? We haven’t got a clue. We peer through a glass darkly.
We do well to accept that. We need to give ourselves a break from trying to be the fountain of all truth and knowledge and we need to give others a break who are fed up of hearing such comments perhaps.
Not sure, I am thinking about that, one day I will know… Its got a nice sound to it, hasn’t it?

The disciples had misunderstood about bread and yeast. Jesus asked them why they still had not understood. They could see what Jesus had done with the feeding of the multitude and they could hear what he had said about the Pharisees but at the same time they could not see and they could not hear. They were like the blind man caught between seeing but not seeing.
And that’s why this miracle is placed into this context. The point being we are all like the disciples at times and we are all like the blind man. We have part-vision. We do not see everything. We do not possess the perfect understanding. We at times see trees that walk.
However, by staying connected to Jesus we have a far better chance of getting perfect sight!
That’s the point of the journey.
So, if today it’s all a bit cloudy then that’s okay. Hang in there for with Jesus it will become clear in the end.

Mark 7

v1 they gathered around Jesus.
Today around the world there are many gathering around the body of Christ looking for salvation, for a healing, for love.
But there are equally many gathering around the body of Christ for other reasons.
This week I talked with a European Missions team leader who had just returned from Georgia. Her team of young people had been chased out of one of the towns as they were helping the local Christians with their faith. Who did the chasing? The main town church leaders! Their crime? They were giving out Bibles!
The situation in Iraq and Syria is beyond desperate for many Christians. Churches have been destroyed. The religious have gathered around the body of Christ to destroy it and it looks destroyed.
You may know the experience of being gathered around. Those of other faiths and no faith may press in against you with their many objections and opinions.

When they gathered around Jesus He referred to the Scriptures in Isaiah.
He showed that he had studied their practices, their beliefs, he had placed himself into a place of knowledge to speak with authority.
He then walked away from them.
The hypocrites will always be with us.