Missions Paul

Not everyone walks the journey with you. Some leave and for all kinds of reasons. They decide not to walk any further with you. Some want to but they cannot. There are times when you have to leave people behind. You never saw it coming but the schism was too wide to cross. I’m not speaking of those who have died and left you. I am speaking of those who are still very much alive but you now know longer do life with. You no longer talk. We have all got that experience and there is a gap in our life in such a way that when it happens it does feel like grief.

Why do I say all that?

What I have come to know about this letter is that Paul and Barnabas had visited the churches in Pisidian Antioch, Iconium, Lystra, Derbe, the cities of South Galatia in their first missionary journey (Acts 13-14). Not long after this there was a confrontation involving Peter (we will get to that in chapter 2) and Barnabas moved from Paul to stand with Peter on the matter. Hold that thought.

“Paul, an apostle—sent not from men nor by a man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead— ² and all the brothers and sisters  with me, To the churches in Galatia” (Galatians 1 v 2)

This is definitely a personal letter from Paul but he recognises the family of God that are around him. He would have mentioned Barnabas for sure. But at this moment in time Barnabas is not there.

In our western world an individual Christian journey is common place. Yes we are in churches but for many the relationships we have are not close enough to hold each other accountable. However in other parts of the world community is hugely important and living out faith without community is not even thought of. This is the world of Paul. ‘Brothers and sisters with me’ is important to Paul and it should be to us too. Look around at the people you do faith with. Let them encourage you to live out the faith in Christ. You do the same for them.

Barnabas who had originally brought Paul into the discipleship community is now not with him. It wasn’t over a doctrinal issue it was over a personal decision. An opinion.

If only more arguments were about doctrinal issues but the Church today know more about their personal desires and opinions of how a church should be run and how people should be than what the Church believes. People walk from community all the time. It hurts for those who walk and it hurts those who stay. Paul and Barnabas never walked together again but it is clear that they both made sure their response to one another did as little damage to the gospel mission as possible.

If it has happened to you, don’t worry, it happens. Even if you can no longer say the person is still with you then you should still be thankful for the brothers and sisters that are. There may be a huge gap in your life and the adjustment is huge but the beauty of the church is that they do more than fill that gap. Make sure you stay within the family of God. Living out your Christian life has to be done within community. They will challenge you, provoke you, cheer you on and encourage you to be the best version of yourself. Do all that you can to stay in such a community for these are your brothers and sisters in God, they will fill the gap in your life. Try not to lose your friends. But if they walk then you will know there are others that God has given you.

It’s a strange way of starting a letter. We are left with no doubt that the Apostle Paul wrote it because he says he did. But the strangeness is that he begins with a defence of who he is, his calling, the work that he is involved in. Why is he beginning this way? We are going to find out.

“Paul, an apostle—sent not from men nor by a man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead” Galatians 1 v 1

Paul is clear. No one other than Jesus Christ and God the Father has raised him into the office and the work that he does, that of an apostle. He’s not one of the twelve but that does not matter. He doesn’t need to be. He has a Divine calling. Not only that. He has a definite message, the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead by God the Father. We don’t know in this opening sentence why he feel he has to defend himself. Were people belittling him? Had he received accusations of compromising the gospel and of presenting something of an easier standard to live by? We will find out. But this opening defence is of a man who is not swayed by that. He is robust in who he was. It doesn’t matter what people said about him, he knew who he was and he knew what he was called to do. Yes, he was definitely called.

This is so important for us. Can you see what Paul was saying? “There is a story to my life, it was written by God and no other and the axis of it is the message that God raised Jesus from the dead.”

That’s not bad is it?

You can say the same. Though you may have been helped by other people throughout your life. They were not the ones to have orchestrated your life. It was Jesus Christ and God the Father. God has called you. God has sent you. God has worked through you.

Paul is obviously referring to his Damascus Road experience of the risen Jesus Christ. That is his credential. His encounter with Jesus was what authenticated him. Even if others were not convinced it didn’t matter. This was his confidence.

Whatever you are facing today the confidence you need is found in your story of God and the message of the resurrection. Jesus is alive. You know it because you have experienced Him.

Go into your today with that message loud and clear in your mind.

The Nigerian Gospel singer, Sinach, has written a beautiful song, I know who I am.

We all need to be able to say that lyric genuinely, I know who I am. In the face of perhaps lies against who you are or maybe you have been mistaken by others. Of course some of the greatest battles are those we have with ourselves. Doubts flood our minds and our souls rise with a self-reflection that disturbs our spirit. Life contains seasons when you simply have to defend yourself against others and even yourself. You can only do that if you are confident in who you are. “My name is x; I am here not because of others but because of God and my central message of my life is Jesus is Alive.”

And we close this letter of James and in particular his appeal to the community of believers to use their words for God.

“My brothers and sisters, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring that person back, ²⁰ remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins.” (James 5 v 19-20)

There are times when disciples fall away from the church for all kinds of reasons and often it is too late because they had not drawn into their lives proper accountability partners to help them from falling.

This has nothing to do with getting even nor about someone dealing with their hurt or anger, venting and seeking vengeance.

This is all about reconciliation back into the community of believers.

This is all about taking responsibility for each other.

This is all about spurring one another on, iron sharpening iron, accountability and making sure disciples don’t fall away.

May the Disciples of Christ remain in position! That must be our prayer and focus of activity. This is not about what to do if you get your feelings hurt but rather about making sure no more fall away.

Who are you walking with?

We don’t need to hang around people who tickle our ears and who sympathise with our lack.

We need friends who will not deceive us but who are not afraid to speak the truth to us.

Western Christianity is so individualistic. We have our own walk with God, we hear God individually and we make decisions alone. But not so in other parts of the world where community is powerful and decisions are made as a group. Perhaps this is the way it should be. Maybe there would be less mistakes made if others advised us.

It is never too late to bring into your life accountability partners who will continually ask you “Why do you think, speak and behave this way?”

An unchecked, unquestioned person is not a strong person. Strength is not in what you can amass, or the people around you, it is not in a title or a position. It is whether or not you have been bridled.

If you see a destructive flaw in your friend’s life and say nothing then you are no friend.

A friend continues to reach out to save spurred on by a Saviour who covers over a multitude of our sins and theirs. If there is one letter in the whole of the N.T. that is focused on practical Christianity then it is James. He doesn’t say farewell. He doesn’t sign off. He stops writing in the middle of an activity. That of helping to save our fellow believers from falling away. Practical. Very important and needed as much in 2024 as when it was first written.

Here is a Bible example of someone like you, James will say. He prayed just like you do. The power of our words given to God is what James is wanting us to see.

He is closing down his letter and he does so by looking at the words we use. He has called us to pray, to sing, to call upon the leaders of the church, to confess your sins and to pray for each other. Now he gives us the example.

“Elijah was a human being, even as we are. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.” (James 5 v 17-18)

You may still be trusting God for something that is close to your heart; a desire of your heart; a sickness to be healed; some trouble to lift. Sometimes we begin to lose hope. But the “prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective” and James speaking to a Jewish audience brings in the 4^th of their Old Testament heroes- Elijah.

We find this amazing story in 1 Kings 16: 33 and 17:1 – “Ahab also made an Asherah pole and did more to arouse the anger of the Lord, the God of Israel, than did all the kings of Israel before him … Now Elijah the Tishbite, from Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, whom I serve, there will be neither dew nor rain in the next few years except at my word.”

Elijah, James and the people hearing this letter also knew the following: “So if you faithfully obey the commands I am giving you today—to love the Lord your God and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul— ¹⁴ then I will send rain on your land in its season, both autumn and spring rains, so that you may gather in your grain, new wine and olive oil. ¹⁵ I will provide grass in the fields for your cattle, and you will eat and be satisfied. ¹⁶ Be careful, or you will be enticed to turn away and worship other gods and bow down to them. ¹⁷ Then the Lord’s anger will burn against you, and he will shut up the heavens so that it will not rain and the ground will yield no produce, and you will soon perish from the good land the Lord is giving you.” (Deuteronomy 11: 13-17)

God had promised it but it did not automatically happen. It was waiting to be activated by prayer.

James says Elijah prayed earnestly. A Jewish way of saying he prayed hard. He prayed and prayed. He prayed intensely. He prayed powerfully. He prayed directly.

Elijah a) knew God; b) knew God’s promises and c) knew God’s will for this occasion. These are the keys for the power of prayer.

“And Elijah said to Ahab, “Go, eat and drink, for there is the sound of a heavy rain.” ⁴² So Ahab went off to eat and drink, but Elijah climbed to the top of Carmel, bent down to the ground and put his face between his knees. ⁴³ “Go and look toward the sea,” he told his servant. And he went up and looked. “There is nothing there,” he said. Seven times Elijah said, “Go back.” ⁴⁴ The seventh time the servant reported, “A cloud as small as a man’s hand is rising from the sea.” So Elijah said, “Go and tell Ahab, ‘Hitch up your chariot and go down before the rain stops you.’” ⁴⁵ Meanwhile, the sky grew black with clouds, the wind rose, a heavy rain started falling and Ahab rode off to Jezreel. ⁴⁶ The power of the Lord came on Elijah and, tucking his cloak into his belt, he ran ahead of Ahab all the way to Jezreel.” (1 Kings 18:41-46)

You may be a king, but you are certainly going to obey the prophet who calls down fire from heaven and has killed 850 false prophets.

You may not hear a thing, but if the prophet says he’s heard a sound of heavy rain, then that’s good enough for you.

Who heard the sound? Not the king. Not the servant boy. It was just Elijah.

Elijah heard the sound in his spirit. God was speaking to him of what He was going to do. Why did Elijah pray? Because he heard the sound of rain coming.
It wasn’t because the king and the boy had faulty hearing. Elijah heard within.
He heard in his spirit. He knew God was moving again. It was then he began to pray and pray.
Have you heard the sound? Do you believe God is moving in your situation and life? Then this is now the time more than at any other time, to pray. It may be a promise in God’s Word that He has given you or a sound in your spirit that won’t go away. But you know you know you know! God is moving and so now more than ever is the time to pray!!

Yesterday after the service had ended I saw a small group of people gathered around a man who clearly was not well. In fact he has outlived the time the doctors had given him to live. The church attribute this to prayer. This group were fervently praying for this man. They want him to live. They were speaking words to God. It was a reminder that prayer works. Words to God can be powerfully effective.

James is closing down his letter and he does so by looking at the words we use. He has called us to pray, to sing, to call upon the leaders of the church, to confess your sins and ‘to pray for each other.’

“Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. ¹⁵ And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. ¹⁶ Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” (James 5 v 14-16)

“Poverty-stricken as the Church is today in many things, she is most stricken here, in the place of prayer. We have many organizers, but few agonizers; many players and payers, few pray-ers; many singers, few clingers; lots of pastors, few wrestlers; many fears, few tears; much fashion, little passion; many interferers, few intercessors; many writers, but few fighters. Failing here, we fail everywhere.” (Leonard Ravenhill)

The greatest need for the Church today is not a move from God but a move to God in prayer.

The world is not waiting for the Church to become modernised and slick with its presentations but it is waiting for the Church to discover the ancient paths of presenting itself in front of God. Great communication is only successful if there has been communication with a great God.

Never stop praying. If you have, start it up again. Make a determined effort to pray every day and throughout the day. Stay up late and pray. Get up early and pray. Spend the night in prayer. Fast things so you can pray more.

For when you are praying you are hoping. You are waiting. You are expecting God to answer. When you are praying you are focused on Him. Prayer keeps your eyes lifted upwards even when your heart maybe heavy. When we pray we are acknowledging that we are not alone in this life but there is another presence, the Living God.

In this letter James has taught on double-mindedness, humility, perseverance, temptation, deception, hearing and exercising God’s Word, favouritism and love, faith and works, controlling the tongue, divine wisdom, a pure heart, submission to God and each other, slander and gossip, knowing God’s will, the dangers of money and living in the light of His coming again. Why? His Churches were righteous but the evidence was lacking. James was saying be who you are, be righteous.

The key to effective prayer is a close relationship with God and His Word. This is not a reward for obedience. No. The righteous prayer is powerful not necessarily because it is related to the nature of the one praying but because they are able by their close relationship with God to discern how to pray.

Pray today for someone and if there is a prayer meeting at church this week then go to it.

A recent study of those suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder found that 88.3 percent of those who participated in group therapy no longer exhibited PTSD symptoms, versus just 31.3 percent of those who received minimal one-on-one interaction.

There is also evidence that the act of confessing one’s faults to a few safe people—enshrined in AA’s fifth step—helps in changing addictive patterns. According to researchers, “Revealing one’s deepest flaws and hearing others do likewise forces a person to confront the terrible consequences of their alcoholism—something that is very difficult to do alone.”

Conversely, some research studies have shown how friendships can also lead us to adopt negative behaviours. For instance, a paper published in the Annals of Internal Medicine found that a person is 50 percent more likely to be a heavy drinker if a friend or relative is a heavy drinker. Also, a study concluded that a person’s odds of becoming obese increase by 71 percent if he or she has a same-sex friend who is also obese.

The Church continually needs to ask the question: what do we do with sin? Simply because it is inside and outside the Church. Politics, private agendas, whisperings, plans, stubborn refusal to move forward, to listen and learn, to change, criticisms, manipulative abuse, I see it every week and so do you. Worse, we have partaken in this.

James is closing down his letter and he does so by looking at the words we use. He has called us to pray, to sing, to call upon the leaders of the church and ‘to confess your sins’.

“Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. ¹⁵ And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. ¹⁶ Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” (James 5 v 14-16)

See how the whole point of confession is to be healed. The result is that you are free from that what you have confessed about.

I know someone who had an old life-time friend but only hears from the person every few years when that ‘friend’ has sinned badly. They will phone up and confess and ask for prayer. However, they will then continue to live their sinful lifestyle as usual and that will be the last this person hears from them for a long time. This is not the confession James speaks of.

The need to find people you can walk with is huge. Those you find make sure you can be as open as you possibly can. If they knew the very worst of you, your deepest flaw, would they still be your friends? If you can find such a friend, then walk openly and honestly before them and then not only will you survive but you will thrive and be healed of that which is the burden of your life. This is the power of confession.

It seems every day we are hearing of someone struggling with their health. It happened again yesterday as I was told of someone critically ill.

What is coming out of the mouths of the sick today?

James has a response to this. He is closing down his letter and he does so by looking at the words we use. He has called us to pray, to sing and also to call upon the leaders of the church:

“Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. ¹⁵ And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. ¹⁶ Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” (James 5 v 14-16)

The word translated ‘sick’ is a word used elsewhere in the Bible to mean a want of strength, weakness, distress, suffering and so ill health is just one meaning of the term. The word is covering all kinds of weakness, weariness, personal inadequacy, both spiritually and generally linked to a sense of rejection, powerlessness, incapacity, anxiety and demoralisation.

So what we have James saying is this:

In a period of suffering due to your faith – use words to pray for endurance.

In a time of happiness – use words to rejoice with singing.

In a time of weakness whether physical or spiritual then use words to ask for prayer.

Oil was regarded by the Jews as symbolising a number of characteristics that may have influenced and encouraged the one who was to be anointed. It indicated the presence of the Holy Spirit. Anointing was linked with restoration and strength. It occurred when a person had been healed of leprosy; such an act proving their cleansing and they were welcomed back into society. On other occasions oil was used to demonstrate that a new situation had come into being. This aspect would have been most encouraging to a sufferer about to be anointed, for it would fill them with a hope that their suffering would soon be over. Anointing was also linked with joy, with the granting of eternal life and with goodness and purity. These features would fill the person receiving prayer with positive feeling of hope. Anointing with oil is more than just symbolic. It can result in the sufferer feeling secure, knowing that they are in the presence of a God who does restore.

Should we anoint with oil today? If it enables the sufferer to focus on the Lord and if it fills them with a hope that God will restore then that is good. But it must not become more important than the prayer of faith. The important factor here is the call to pray. It is the words of faith; to ask; to call for help.

It is difficult to try and explain how prayer works. But prayer does work. Prayer impacts our world. For God is here. So don’t be afraid to ask for prayer. Call your elders, leadership team, or your Pastor, your friend, whoever it is call them to come and stand with you and petition God on your behalf and if they use oil then great! Above all believe in it for prayer does work!

It was loud and joyful, the emotion and depth of feeling, every word was sang with feeling, the lyrics were often repeated but they never lost their meaning. I was in church, in a shack of a building in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and I would have done anything to transfer these 300 women to any UK church. I think I was moved because every single one of them had no reason to sing in terms of material blessing or circumstantial blessing. In fact all of them were rape victims from the ongoing rebel-led war and raped many times. But they were happy in the presence of God.

When the suffering sing angels join in and God comes into the place.

“Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise.” (James 5 v 13)

James is saying if you are suffering due to the persecution of being a Christ=follower then pray and if you are cheerful because of being such, then sing!

Let the mouths of the Church be filled with singing because of the good things God has done as well as asking for Him to help us.

Singing is very important to the Christian. It brings God into our thoughts; it lifts us above our struggles; it confirms our belief in the words we sing and it confronts the darkness that we may be facing.

Corrie Ten Boom who with her family helped save around 800 Jewish lives in the Holocaust of World War 2, captured and taken into solitary confinement would begin each day by singing, “Stand up stand up for Jesus ye soldiers of the cross.”

The history of the persecuted church is full of stories of followers of Jesus praising God in the last hours of their life on earth. Emperors were known to put their fingers in their ears and scream “why do these Christians sing as we kill them?” as the gladiators or the lions ravaged their bodies.

David ran away from Saul who was trying to kill him. He hid in a cave and wrote, “I am in the midst of lions; I am forced to dwell among ravenous beasts— men whose teeth are spears and arrows, whose tongues are sharp swords.”

But then he looks outside the cave and something erupts within his heart:

“Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let your glory be over all the earth.” Psalm 57:4-5

It is not the song itself but it is the heart behind the singer. Praise stems from the heart.

“May the praise of God be in our mouths.” Psalm 149:6

“I will sing and make music. I will awaken the dawn.” Psalm 57:7-8

God always does something in you before He does something outside of you. The internal is more important than the external.

There is a song that is sung before dawn, in the night, where there is darkness, fear, terror, loneliness, isolation, God says sing!

“God protect me today, get me through this ordeal, don’t let me fail you, don’t let me back down, turn back, give up, I will have succeeded today if I’ve not denied you.”

Christians who live out the gospel all over the world will pray this kind of prayer and for some they pray it daily. In prison or in hiding, a refugee or spat at in the street, this is their prayer.

James pastorally advises the people, “Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise.” (James 5 v 13)

What kind of trouble? Was it the suffering due to the oppression by the wealthy? Perhaps James was saying, ‘to you Jewish Christians, since you have come to Jesus, is your family rejecting you because of your faith, are you suffering persecution? Is anyone among you in trouble?’

And us?

I was sent a headline of a newspaper recently from an Islamic nation, “Two Christian women face the death penalty in Pakistan for removing a sticker carrying a verse from the Koran from a Muslim colleague’s locker they were asked to clean.” Can you imagine their prayer today?

And us?

Every day the Jews say a prayer like this one: “May it be Your will, HaShem, my God and the God of my forefathers, that you rescue me today and every day from brazen men and brazenness, from an evil man, an evil companion, an evil neighbour, an evil mishap, the destructive spiritual impediment [‘Satan’], a harsh trial and a harsh opponent, whether he is a member of the covenant or whether he is not a member of the covenant.” (The Complete Artscroll Siddur)

And us?

If you are in trouble today, whatever you do, please do ask God for help.

Hours from his death, Jesus is preparing his disciples for what is ahead of them. He tells them he is going away but they will see him again. But when they do things will be different. It will be wonderfully different and it will be centred on our opportunity to pray.

We will ask the same person that Jesus asked. We must approach the Father in the same way Jesus did and to ask.

We come to the Father in prayer acknowledging we are followers of Jesus; we belong to him; and the glory of God is the most important result.

Jesus told us trouble is ahead. For those reading this today then you know in your life you have had all kinds of trouble. You may even be in great difficulty now.

James says use words, pray, ask. He only said it because he firmly believed it works. It still does.

I had my fingers crossed! So it doesn’t count!

Words. Our whole lives are full of them. Do we consider them? Is this helpful? Does it build the person up? Am I thinking of their need? Is it beneficial? Am I recognising that they are listening to every word? Everyone can criticise but we are called to construct. Building someone up isn’t to massage ego or tip-toe around issues why they may need building up. What someone wants to hear and what they need to hear can be very different. Sometimes what is needed is not a pat on the back, a sympathetic shoulder to cry on, we need a hard word, a revelatory word, something spoken that hasn’t been said before and we need outside of the box thinking.
We need words that will move us out of a position we may be stuck in. We need words to think the opposite. We need words to dare to believe in the face of opposition that something just maybe true!

Choose your words carefully today. Slow your mouth down. Don’t type so fast on your social media feeds. What will come out of your mouth today?

And so James is closing down his letter and he does so by looking at the words we use.

He will call us to pray, sing, to call for the church elders if we are sick, to confess our sins and to pray for one another.

But first …

“Above all, my brothers and sisters, do not swear—not by heaven or by earth or by anything else. All you need to say is a simple “Yes” or “No.” Otherwise you will be condemned.” (James 5 v 12)

I hope you still don’t cross your fingers behind your back when you are telling a lie! We have come to realise as we have grown up from this childish behaviour that having our fingers crossed behind our back does not protect us like we thought it would!

This picture gives us an idea of what James is talking about.

Have you ever been tempted to make up a story to go along with your NO because you want to let someone down gently? Then this is nearing the truth of what James is saying.

These early believers were making oaths to support whatever promises they might make as they went through hardships. But it seems these were unrealistic promises. James says stop it. Let us not be rash with our mouths, either with half-truths or exaggeration. We don’t need to use God’s name to back up what we are saying, we don’t have to cross our fingers and we don’t have to create which is probably the best picture of what James is saying.

Once again James is using the Sermon on the Mount and the heart of it which was hypocrisy. The Pharisees were constantly pulling the wool over people’s eyes. It seems that the religious would make great promises that they had no intention of keeping. Jesus is not saying that oaths should never be made. But he is telling his disciples in the hearing of the crowd not to be fooled by elaborate words and promises and indeed not to make them.

James is using that teaching of Jesus by telling us that the weight behind our words is our character. A great team is one where you know what one another would say. “That does not sound like her” is said because we know that our team member would not have used those words, we know her character.

Duplicity comes from a Latin word meaning “double”. A duplicitous person is a two-faced person. They are intentionally hiding their true feelings or intentions so as to try to make people believe something that you are saying or doing that is not true.

Do you ever feel tricked? Do you ever feel like you are playing mental gymnastics when talking with someone realising they are trying to trip you up or lead you to believe something that is not true? Do you ever wonder what the hidden agenda behind the comments and questions you are hearing?

Duplicity. Two-faced. Duplicitous people lay traps and the innocent continually fall into them. They exaggerate their speech for gain. They show no integrity with their words.

James says anything other than the simple truth will be judged. So let you YES be YES and your No be NO. Keep it simple but keep it truthful.