Apostle Paul's Mission Mentality.

Did Paul do missionary work all by himself or just with one or two helpers? Of course not! As you read the book of Acts and his letters it is apparent there were many long-term and short-term co-labourers. Across a ministry covering approximately 32 years there are listed at least twenty eight fellow workers. There are also nine others who could conceivably be included in the list, plus the Philippian and Antioch churches.  Over the next few weeks I’d like to share some devotional thoughts around some of them. The first out of the list of faithful men and women is Aristarchus.

Aristarchus appears ‘out of the blue’ at a riot in Ephesus. He and Gaius were part of Paul’s team and were accused of defaming the local goddess, Artemis. The Gospel was having a serious affect upon the icon industry and Demetrius a silversmith planned the protest.

This could have been life threatening. Did it make Aristarchus rethink his faith, commitment or service with Paul? The other accounts mentioning this man indicate it made him more resolute to follow Jesus and assist the apostle Paul. We find him as a member bringing relief money from the Gentile churches to Christians in Judea. As such he and others preceded Paul to Troas, presumably to finalise arrangements in the city.

The next reference tells us he was travelling on the boat to Rome, with the team leader. Was Aristarchus a prisoner along with Paul, or a travelling assistant? The term used in Colossians implies the former. One thing is for certain, you never could foresee what may happen when you travel with a Paul in the Lord’s service. When the ship endured the storm and was run aground did he think “here we go again!”

Aristarchus, if a prisoner was set free before Paul we don’t know. He was however commissioned to travel with Tychicus and Onesimus to Colosse. He also was to bring Paul’s greetings to Philemon, and I would think, support Onesimus’s rehabilitation. When you consider the background of these men you appreciate the unifying power of the Lord Jesus. Aristarchus was from Thessalonica, Tychicus from Ephesus and Onesimus was a slave from Colosse. Others such as Timothy came from Lystra and of course the strong minded Jew, Paul. Then there was Silas and Dr. Luke the gentile from Troas. As Ephesians 2:13-14 puts it, ‘He (Christ) is our peace; in his flesh he has made both groups [Jew and Gentile] into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us.’

This man’s name means ‘good prince’ ‘best ruler’. Is there a sense of an aristocratic heritage in his family? If there was, how did they respond to his becoming a Christian? What did they think of his experiences? One thing we do know it didn’t deter him from obedience to Christ. He probably wore the title ‘prisoner of
Christ’ with a sense of honour. He is a fine example of a faithful person unconcerned by playing ‘second fiddle’ to the leadership of Paul. Aristarchus understood the reality undergirding team ministry and fulfilled that which he was called upon to do.

The description of the Church as the Body of Christ is very appropriate. It means we are all an essential part and need to be in good health and a sound relationship with other members of the Body. 1 Corinthians 10-14 goes into great detail on this matter. The eyes of the children and the ears of their parents, guardians and friends will be focused on how well we act as a team. They will also judge the Body of Christ by our service to Him and our care to each other.

Acts 19:29. 20:4. 27:2. Philemon 24.  Colossians 4:10. – Aristarchus  the Un-phased.

©Ray Hawkins August 28^th 2016.

Good enough for God!?

Good enough for God?

We tend to think so. This arises from out of our own construction of who we think he, she, it, is. God could not keep us out of Heaven because we have fashioned him, she, it. God may keep others, less nice or naughtier than us from entering for we are the ‘good enough ones.’ How then is it possible for those not up to our standard to have any hope of entering the Celestial city? Are they without hope, locked into fatalism and despair?

There is a historical record of two men considered the worst of their kind. From all accounts they had no chance of receiving a pass into Heaven. One was a king, the other a prominent religious figure of his day.

Manasseh was king over Judah for 55 years. He violated Judah and Yahweh’s covenant, placed idols around the country, in the Temple and worshipped the stars. This man sacrificed his sons to Molech and practiced witchcraft and sorcery. All this corrupted the spiritual and moral life of the nation. His story is in 2 Chronicles 33 of the Bible. Most would write him off. Not the Lord God of Glory who is revealed in the Christian Bible. This true and living Lord God caused Manasseh to be humiliated by Assyria, and terribly afflicted. Sorcery and power could not help him. The affliction did, however, wake up his dormant realisation of the holy and everlasting God. The king cried out for mercy. He repented of his ungodly reign, He sought forgiveness. He made restitution to his people and to Yahweh. He removed the idols and sorcerers. In all this Manasseh was supported by God’s true servants.

The other ‘un-good enough’ for God was religious, devout, moral and intent upon protecting his religion from corruption. He was intent on proving he was worthy of a free pass to Heaven. Paul the Pharisee saw it as his duty to destroy those who were disciples of the crucified Jesus of Nazareth. Surely, he would have been acceptable. Paul was sincere, scrupulous in religious observance and an aggressive defender of his belief system. However, in his words recorded in the book of Acts and Timothy he was the chief of sinners. Paul was on rock bottom. No one was under him. He was the worst possible person according to God’s estimation.

Something happened to him on the Damascus road. His self-righteousness and sense of receiving an entrance into Heaven was shattered. How? He came into contact with Jesus. Paul realised this Jesus was the standard demanded for Heaven. This Pharisee knew he was doomed. Was there any hope for the worst of sinners? His testimony in 1 Timothy 1:12-17 is awesome in its simplicity and powerful in its message of grace. Here is a part of it: ‘This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the chief. However, for this reason I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show all longsuffering, as a pattern to those who are going to believe on Him for everlasting life.’

These two men weren’t good enough for Heaven – yet they’ll be there! Manasseh and Paul actually demonstrate the fact that Heaven isn’t for good people. It is for ‘the un-good’ the failures in being worthy, sinners so defined. That means there is hope for all of us when we recognise we will never get a free pass to the Celestial City on our merit. We need something, someone to deal with our failures, un-goodness, and sinfulness. The Bible says that has been dealt with by Jesus on the cross. He forgives when we cry out for mercy. He cleanses when we confess our need for newness. He gives us the quality of life demanded by Heaven’s ‘gate-keeper.’ Therefore, when we admit we are not good enough for glory but are failure we actually open ourselves up to the grace of God. All of that is found in Christ Jesus and becomes ours when we claim Him as our Lord and Saviour.

As Christ Jesus on the cross was able to reach back to Manasseh (and beyond him) and

forward to Paul, He can reach you. The question is ‘will you let Him?’

©Ray Hawkins Jan 4^th 2016.