Missions Paul

The Bible is full of God who loves as a shepherd.

Joseph described God, “God who has been my shepherd all my life” (Genesis 48:15)

Isaiah prophesies, “He tends his flock like a shepherd: he gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young.” (40:11)

And of course David says, “The Lord is my Shepherd.” (Psalm 23:1)

^“Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, ²¹ equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.” (Hebrews 13 v 20-21)

Lean into Jesus your shepherd today:-

1. He is speaking to you through His Spirit, listen to Him.
2. He is leading you, follow Him.
3. He lays down before you during the night to protect you, trust Him.
4. He knows everything there is to know about you, relax in His love.
5. He has all authority, be confident.

When we are the sinner we cry for mercy. But the natural response when we are sinned against is to cry for justice.

The blood of Abel in Genesis 4 cried for justice. It was a prayer of ‘Get him God.’

The blood of Jesus is not ‘Father get these murderers’ but “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” (Luke 23:34)

^“Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, ²¹ equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.” (Hebrews 13 v 20-21)

What has the blood of Jesus done for you?

It has forgiven you.  “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace” (Ephesians 1:7)

It means God will never be angry with you. “Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. “ (Romans 5:9)

It gives you a relationship with Jesus. “Then Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you.” (John 6:53)

It gives you a close relationship with Jesus. “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.” (Ephesians 2:13)

I am cleansed now and tomorrow. “But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.” (I John 1:7)

I can silence the voice of my enemy. “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony, and they loved not their lives unto the death.” (Revelation 12:11)

I am good in God’s sight.  “being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed…” (Romans 3:24-25)

Never lose sight of the power of the blood of Jesus.

The only time in this whole letter does the author refer specifically to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus is here.

“Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, ²¹ equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.” (Hebrews 13:20-21)

It is the centre of what we believe. It is the offence of the gospel. It is why there is only one way to heaven through Jesus Christ. It is why Jesus is more than a prophet. It is why Jesus is the Son of God, God himself. It is why those who put their trust in him will never die but be raised to new life.

This one thing, the resurrection of Jesus.

It is what unites and divides.

Resurrection, it is not only the foundation of our faith but the true essence and meaning for our faith.

Why so?

If Jesus Christ was not raised then he lied about his own resurrection (Mark 9:31).

If Jesus Christ was not raised then the cross has no power to save (1 Corinthians 15:3).

If Jesus Christ was not raised then there is no hope that anyone be raised (1 Corinthians 15:18-19).

If Jesus Christ was not raised then God who raises the dead has not vindicated him (1 Corinthians 15:20).

If Jesus Christ was not raised then sin and death cannot be defeated (1 Corinthians 15:55-57).

If Jesus Christ was not raised then there is no new life in God now (Romans 6:4).

You speak to people today and many will hold to a nice thought that people are still alive after their death. But it is the resurrection of Jesus Christ and all of the effects of that amazing act which changes everything.

1. Every mistake, every failure, every regret needs to be brought to look at the empty tomb of Jesus. The resurrection of Jesus makes everything okay.
2. All your question marks, the decisions for your future, wondering which way to go and what to do needs to be brought to look at the empty tomb of Jesus. The resurrection of Jesus gives purpose to your life.
3. Every challenge, every obstacle, every enemy needs to be brought to look at the empty tomb of Jesus. The resurrection of Jesus gives power to you to overcome whatever you are facing.
4. All your fears, perhaps even life-threatening diseases, infirmity and old age creeping in, they all need to be brought to look at the empty tomb of Jesus. The resurrection of Jesus gives eternal life to you no matter what you are carrying or however old you are.

No need to rely on your own strength because Jesus has been raised by God!

If you have never seen the clip from America’s Got Talent show and a man called Archie Williams then you must search for it on Youtube!

Archie sang “Don’t let the sun go down on me.” It is hard to watch without tears. He went onto the stage and opened up with this sentence: “I was just incarcerated for 37 years for somebody else’s crime. DNA freed me.” He later explained, “On the morning of December 9 of 1982 a 30-year-old white woman was raped and stabbed in her home. I was arrested on January 4. I couldn’t believe it was really happening. I knew I was innocent. I didn’t commit a crime. But being a poor black kid, I didn’t have the economic ability to fight the state of Louisiana.”

He continued: “At the trial, none of the fingerprints at the scene matched mine. Three people testified that I was at home, but they wanted somebody to pay. I was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole or probation.  Days turned into weeks and into months and into decades. It was like a nightmare.”

He concluded with these words, “Freedom is of the mind. I went to prison, but I never let my mind go to prison. This is how I got peace from praying and singing”

“Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, ²¹ equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.” (Hebrews 13 v 20-21)

However you would describe your situation today. In your pain; with all your mixed emotions; perhaps distractions and even your failings. This morning you can either wake with those thoughts the most prominent or with this truth if you begin with God: He is your God of peace.

Don’t be tortured by your ‘prison’ today. Don’t allow this ‘prison’ to be the place you live in. Bring your God back into the centre of your ‘prison’. He is the source and the giver of peace. He creates peace and He makes peace. In the worst of disasters your God is in the middle making peace even if it is you that has created the disorder. If today you lay down your weapons of judgment for others and for yourself and invite your God of peace to come to you, He will.

“Morning Paul – praying for you today as you carry the burden of all the churches under your care …”

That was the text I received yesterday morning from one of my ministers. It was unexpected but not only was I immediately encouraged I understood that the ancient practice of praying for each other had not lost its power.

In these closing remarks the author is asking for prayer. They have looked back to their ancient heroes of their faith, leaders in their past but they are being pointed to their present generation of leaders who need prayer.

 ^“Pray for us. We are sure that we have a clear conscience and desire to live honourably in every way. ¹⁹ I particularly urge you to pray so that I may be restored to you soon.” (Hebrews 13: 18-19)

How many times do you say or have it said to you, “I’ll pray for you”? We all know that it is either a) often used out of a sense of care and because we love that person; b) it is focused on getting the person out of the situation, we want them to be healed immediately, we don’t want them to suffer or c) it means nothing!

“Pray for us” is the request.

1. There is a belief that prayer works.

When a person goes on being filled with the Spirit of God in their lives that God who is actually Spirit, Breath, like a Wind, resides in Christ followers. It is then when prayer (which is simply a conversation with God) becomes not only understandable but believable. That prayer does work. Prayer impacts our world. For God is here.

• There is a specific request.

There seems to be some constraint upon this leader. They want to be restored soon. Simply meaning they want to return. Every Tuesday morning a Pastor calls me asking for any prayer requests. What a lovely thing to do? Never be afraid to ask. But if you are a leader never be afraid to ask for specific prayer either.

• It is in the context of faithfulness.

Not every leader is wholesome, healthy and safe. There are a few rotten apples. But the majority are and most probably your leader can say, “we have a clear conscience and desire to live honourably in every way.” The leader was saying ‘I am trying my best’. That’s all we can ask for isn’t it?

I sat with a Pastor this week and simply asked, ‘Are you happy?’ I’m not sure he was ready for that question. I asked it because he didn’t look it. Not that he was at fault for not looking happy it was what was happening in the church. I think without being unrealistic an unhappy leader is an unhappy church.

“Have confidence in your leaders and submit to their authority, because they keep watch over you as those who must give an account. Do this so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no benefit to you.” (Hebrews 13 v 17)

Next week my denomination will see a major hand-over of leadership when one General Superintendent steps down after 8 years leading us and another takes the baton. I along with the Ministers of the denomination will commit ourselves to not only a willing acceptance of their leadership but to the placing of our confidence in their appointment by God as our leader.

It is what happens throughout the denomination when people become members of our churches. When I was a Pastor I stood with the new members of the church with a short ceremony of accepting them into the church. These are the instructions and the details of that welcoming ceremony:-

Reception into membership

You will be given the opportunity for a “few words”.

Here we would encourage you to declare your submission in 3 ways:

1. To God – to acknowledge that He has led you into this church.
2. To the Pastors/Eldership.
3. To the Fellowship of believers present.

The membership will be asked to stand, the eldership will gather around you and the Pastor will make a commitment to yourselves. These words will be said:-

“In responding to your trust, and in submitting to you as your Pastor, on behalf of the eldership, we receive you into the membership of the church. In doing this we acknowledge our commitment in:

Instruction: First, I commit myself as Pastor to teach and feed you the Word of God, with the aim that you fulfil the plane the Lord has for you as a man or woman of God.

Correction: Second, in that same regard, I am committed to counselling or correcting you, should you ever drift from the truth of God’s Word. I am committed to doing everything possible to keep you in obedience to the Lord Jesus Christ.

Intercession: Third, we commit ourselves to pray for you. We will uphold you in regular intercessory prayer as we, the eldership, continually bring the church to God’s throne.

Protection: Fourth, we commit ourselves to standing by you in any time of need, burden or personal crisis. You will never be alone if you will let us know when hard times arise.

Devotion: Finally, we commit ourselves to loving you. Jesus said that this trait should mark His disciples, and we intend to live out that divine order of love. Its essence is not so much in affection as in commitment. Regardless of how close socially we may or may not become, we are always personally committed to you. Should you ever feel you have been hurt, neglected or misunderstood, you will know it is unintentional, because we will never do anything to violate you in any way. Our total commitment is to love, serve and help you become the person God created you to be.

Reception: We embrace you, and in Jesus’ name receive you into this fellowship. Please know that you are loved and received.

In your church you will have something similar. It is a beautiful moment when the member says ‘God has led me, you are my Pastor and this is my church.’

You can see from the words I used that I believed the importance of being a shepherd (they keep watch over you as those who must give an account).

The NIV doesn’t translate brilliantly in my view when it says not to make the leader’s work a burden. The Greek is to do all you can so that they are not ‘groaning’. I am thankful to God for the people I have had the joy of shepherding and I still do that role in a different way. They do bring me joy and I feel I have their confidence.

This is what I will commit to next week (actually I already have).

What about you? We all have a leader of some sort? Will you take this verse today and do something now or plan to do so when you can? Let their work be a joy. Make sure you have a happy leader for what you sow you reap.

Don’t turn away from what you have found. Don’t let go of the truth. We also have an altar (the cross) and we have our own High Priest (Jesus) and so there is no need to return to Judaism. That is the message. “Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name. ¹⁶ And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.” (Hebrews 13 v 15-16)

Whatever you are going through right now there are things you can implement immediately that will help you come through. Here are the 5 things.

1. Be thankful for something. (offer to God a sacrifice of praise)

Whatever difficulty is before you it is limited in its grasp of your life by the power of the praise you give to God. You can silence the voice that is against you by praising Jesus. Be thankful for who He is and what He has given you.

• Live in the awareness of Christ. (let us continually offer)

Give yourself to abide in Christ, to remain, to continue, to stay and to wait. Keep your confidence that your sins are forgiven, don’t let go of the truths you have been taught, love how He loves you.

• Be vocal. (the fruit of lips that openly profess his name)

What is limiting you today? What is trying to silence you? Is it insecurity, fear, emotional coldness or spiritual exhaustion? Decide now you are going to remove whatever it is that stops you calling on Jesus. Yesterday and today may be taken as a day of insignificance, of failure and maybe limitation. But not today. Do not be silenced. Shout even louder. You are never too loud.

• Do something good to someone. (do not forget to do good)

…. And start with someone who doesn’t deserve your goodness.

When you question whether it was worth it; when you ask whether you have been taken for a ride; when you see nothing from your acts of kindness it is then when you are bordering on the entrance of Goodness.

Goodness is a life where you look like God, especially in front of your enemies. They may be ungrateful and they may not recognise what you do but He sees. God can see you identify with Him for this is who He is and what He has done and does today.

So if today you meet that awkward, self-centred, seemingly unavoidable person then be kind. Be like God and then step into Goodness.

• Give. (to share with others)

People are never convenient. If you wait till you feel like it, you will never have genuine fellowship, nor if you wait for things to be perfect. There can be a fantasy of what community should be like.
“He who loves his dream of community more than the Christian community itself becomes a destroyer of the latter … If we do not give thanks daily for the Christian fellowship in which we have been placed, even when there is no great experience, no discoverable riches, but much weakness, small faith, and difficulty; if on the contrary, we keep complaining that everything is paltry and petty, then we hinder God from letting our fellowship grow.” Bonhoffer. a German pastor who was martyred for resisting the Nazis
We have no claim to anything except we are a child of God, a servant to the King. We have no claim on anything we have or title we have gained. All that we have all that we possess belongs to Him. We do not own a penny. But He owns it all. So when we give we give what is His.
You want to please God today? Then focus on the above 5 things …” for with such sacrifices God is pleased.”

The invitation for us all remains. Leave the camp. That is what we have focused on these last few days. It is what the author has been writing about the whole of the letter to these Jewish Christian community. Linking the Day of Atonement with Christ’s death on the cross in that the High Priest took what remained of the animal sacrifice outside the camp and Jesus was crucified outside the city gates of Jerusalem.

^“Let us, then, go to him outside the camp, bearing the disgrace he bore. ¹⁴ For here we do not have an enduring city, but we are looking for the city that is to come.” (Hebrews 13 v 13-14)

As followers of Jesus we accept His invitation to leave the camp of sin.

Yesterday we looked at how their ancestors had rejected God in the camp of Israel and so He manifested His presence outside. Now in Jesus God had again been rejected in the camp of Judaism and so laid His life down for the world outside that camp.

As followers of Jesus we accept His invitation to leave the camp of safety.

These were insular Jewish Christians who were keeping the gospel to themselves. They were living too much in the Jewishness of their Christianity for they were in fear of the persecution that was before them. They were ignoring God’s commission and the call to these reticent believers is to become courageous. If they follow Christ they must be prepared for hardships. One day we will look back on our life and have regrets. But the greatest regret will be when we remember the idea that was never tried, the potential that was never fulfilled because what was chosen was the comfort of safety rather than having a go at something new. Miracles of provision happen outside the camp of safety. No record exists of anyone ever walking on water without a storm, wind and a whole lot of risk. The territory between the boat and Jesus is miracle territory. To walk in that area you must leave trusting what others hold on to and trust Him whom you are following.

Jesus is not inside the camp of sin and safety.

As a follower you will leave what was not good and what made you feel secure behind.

That is the call.

The radical life of Christianity is a life that sits outside the gate of comfort and expectations that people have of us. It is what calls the missionary to leave home.  It is to suffer not needlessly or because of our stupidity but because of a cause. But it is also to find ourselves not enjoying our best life right now. It is when the years behind us were better than the ones we are experiencing right now. The self-help world that we live in proclaims a message to consider ourselves, pursue happiness, be the best version of ourselves and find the true you and live out your identity freely. This is not that path. There are many on this path leading away from that world who have no answers, those carrying disability and sicknesses that they never asked for, those with more questions than answers; those persecuted for simply believing in Jesus who suffered outside the city gate. And that is the radical call. How is that possible? Only because of Jesus. Only because of another place.

Jesus died outside for those inside. He did it to transform the holy within the Holy City and open the path to a new city.

“Let us, then, go to him outside the camp, bearing the disgrace he bore. ¹⁴ For here we do not have an enduring city, but we are looking for the city that is to come.” (Hebrews 13 v 13-14)

Jesus is not outside the camp hanging on the cross. He is of course ascended on high! So this instruction is not literal for us anymore than it was when it was written for these Jewish Christians. The once for all sacrifice has been given.

But followers of Jesus do go outside the camp and we do bear the disgrace that He bore for us. This is the radical call. To bear the same disgrace. To realise that this city is not going to last. The best that this world can offer us and much of that can be amazing is only temporary. It pales into insignificance for the life that is to come. Christ did not die so that we can now live confident lives in this world and secure as much as we can from it. But it was to give us a new confidence that we have a future that goes beyond the troubles of our world, the disease and poverty, the pain and trauma and yet instead of trying to sugar-coat those experiences it calls us to do something to help those going through those experiences. It is to commit to a variety of self-less acts so that we can pick others up on this road outside the camp. A Ukrainian friend posted on social media yesterday that it had been 2 years since she was helped to leave Ukraine during the start of the invasion and how the church in Northern Ireland helped her so much. I heard a story this week of a lady who had been traumatised by the sexual abuse she had received as a young person became a successful lawyer to bring to justice those who commit such heinous crimes. I also heard of a Franciscan priest who prays and fasts interceding for others for 2 weeks every month.

I began to leave the camp when I was 8 years of age and gave my heart to Jesus; I continued when I reached 18yrs and began to hear the call of God; when I was 38yrs I heard the call to a 40 day prayer and fasting period and now at 58yrs I am still pursuing the path outside the camp wondering where it will take me. What about you?

Life as a follower of Jesus replaces the efforts of the Old Testament ways of sacrifice and we must turn our back on religion. There is nothing in religion that can do anything for us. This is what the author is trying to convince the Jewish Christians of. He is likening the ways of the old which only pointed to the new and to something better. He has been saying if these heroes of the faith were using the old but looking for the new then why now when we have the new would we return to the old?

“The high priest carries the blood of animals into the Most Holy Place as a sin offering, but the bodies are burned outside the camp. ¹² And so Jesus also suffered outside the city gate to make the people holy through his own blood.” (Hebrews 13 v 11-12)

It is clear the author is thinking of the Day of Atonement when the High Priest offered the blood of the animals as a sin offering. On this occasion the carcases were not used for food but they were carried outside the camp to be burnt. The offering of the animal was totally given to God. The similarities are there with the sacrifice of Christ. But the differences are stark also. The blood of the offering was shed and given inside the camp and the carcase of the animal was burnt outside the camp. Whereas Jesus’ blood was shed and his body destroyed outside the camp. If anyone is to benefit then they have to also go outside the camp. That is the message. Law is inside and Grace is outside.

Jesus died outside the security of the camp. Out of sight out of mind. Outside the beautiful Holy City and the centre of religion. Holiness is not restricted to a place and all that is familiar. Holiness was not the Temple. The Temple inside the camp had become the den of robbers. The true Temple was Christ.

The leaders thought they were cleansing their city of blasphemy by having Jesus crucified outside. However Jesus was taking on their sin on Himself outside their city.

In Exodus 32-33 we have the account of the golden calf and the great sin of the camp. Moses was angry and he interceded for the Israelites. In Exodus 33 v 7, “Now Moses used to take a tent and pitch it outside the camp some distance away, calling it the “tent of meeting.” Anyone inquiring of the Lord would go to the tent of meeting outside the camp.”

Sin creates distance from God, it always has. But Moses, the type of Christ, met with God outside the camp and interceded for the people. Years later Christ in the offering of His life interceded for us by dying on the cross outside the camp.

All our best efforts will not lead to holiness. There is nothing inside that can do anything about that. The miracle is outside the camp. There is an altar outside the camp. It is here where holy exists.