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Acts 1:23-26: The heart of the matter. (Please click for today’s passage)

I’m grateful to a friend for pointing out a further thought about the church’s prayer for a leader to replace Judas. It relates to the words:

‘’Lord, you know everyone’s heart’’ (24).

The point, so rightly made by my friend, is that leadership is fundamentally a matter of the heart. You can look shiny and impressive on the outside; you can appear all gifted and talented; you can wear a lovely polished sheen. But what have you really got ‘under the bonnet’? It’s an important question.

‘’But the LORD said to Samuel, ‘’Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.’’ ‘’ (1 Samuel 16:7). Put simply, David would not have become king based merely on image. Others of his brothers would have appeared in ‘Hello’ magazine. But David was a man ‘’after God’s own heart’’, and God could see beyond the surface of things.

The heart of a leader is so important: ‘’What you say flows from what is in your heart’’ (Luke 6:45, New Living Translation).

‘’For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him’’ (2 Chronicles 16:9).

How’s your heart? Christianity is above all else a matter of the heart. As we make final preparations for Christmas day 2016, I ask the question, ‘Has Jesus been born in your heart?’ Is there ‘room’ for Him there? Does God fully have your heart?

PRAYER: ‘’O Holy Child Of Bethlehem, descend to us we pray. Cast out our sin, and enter in, be born in us today.

Acts 1:15-26: Spiritual leadership.  (click here for todays passage)                                                                                                     In this short section at the end of Acts 1, there is an insight, reflected in the example of Peter, as to how spiritual leadership works.

1. Spiritual leadership is immersed in Scripture (16, 17, 20-22). It knows that whatever is in the Bible is ‘’necessary’’ (21). Spiritual leadership is willing to learn anything which is true from all kinds of leaders, but its primary textbook is the Bible.
2. Spiritual leadership stands up (15). It steps up. It doesn’t hide. It shows courage when courage is needed. Leaders stand up among the group, even though this makes them visible, and highly ‘hittable’ targets. You risk getting shot, but you stand up anyway. You sign up for flak, and shrapnel wounds when you embrace the call to be a leader.
3. Spiritual leadership leads to prayer. It is not ashamed to admit that it ‘’lacks wisdom’’ (see James 1). It is convinced that God will give generously to all who ask in faith. Prayer isn’t always saying ‘’give us’’. Sometimes (in fact often) we have to say, ‘’Show us’’ (24).

PRAYER: Lord, where my path is dark, please shine your light on my way.

 Acts 1:12-14: Known to God.(please click for todays passage)                                                                                                        God knows the names of those who pray! To my mind, this looks like a kind of roll of honour (13, 14). It is true that not everyone attending this (rather lengthy) ‘prayer meeting’ is named. There were, after all, ‘’about a hundred and twenty’’ of them (15) That would make it a very long list. What is obvious is that God knew the names of all the people in that upstairs room, even if only a few are named. Because prayer meetings in general are not all that popular (sad to say it) those who do faithfully show up can feel like an insignificant minority. But the other morning, this truth leaped out of the page of the book of ‘Acts’, and pounced on me like a lively Labrador pup. I can feel its paws on me even now: God knows the names of those who pray.

Those who pray are used by God to change history. Pentecost was a history changing moment. Between the ascension of Jesus and the coming of the Holy Spirit, there stands (or should that be ‘kneels’?) a united, committed, praying people. Walter Wink wrote that ‘’History belongs to the intercessors.’’ I listened to a talk given by an American pastor, Ben Patterson, in which he said there is not enough teaching in the church that prayer gets things done. We’re a very busy, activist church in the West. We want to be getting on with stuff; making things happen. Well, prayer is where the action is. Someone said, ‘’We can do more than pray after we have prayed. But we cannot do more than pray until we have prayed.’’ I’m not against activity, but I feel averse towards prayerless activity; towards work that has been substituted for prayer. Prayer is work. The kind of prayer reflected in (14) is work of the hardest kind.  People of faith pray the promises of God into experience. Jesus had promised the coming of the Holy Spirit (4, 5 and 8). Between the promise of the Spirit and the reception of the Spirit there lay the believing prayers of the Christian community. The promises of God do not make prayer obsolete. Rather, they act as fuel for prayer’s fire.                                                                                                                                                       I had another thought. I have a list of names written down. Here are people/needs I will bring to God most days of the week. Sometimes it looks to me like just a list of names. But passages like today’s remind me that lists are of value to God. There are plenty of lists in the Bible.

Just one final thing…for today…Jesus knows the pain of having unbelieving family (see John 7:4,5). But things changed (Look again at 14b). His unbelieving brothers came to faith. So let this encourage you; don’t give up hope; and keep on praying.

Acts 1:9-12: Cloudy days.(click here for todays passage)

I know this story is about the ascension of Jesus into heaven, and the reference to the ‘’cloud’’ is full of rich theological significance and Old Testament resonance. But the simple thought crossed my mind recently that there can be ‘clouds’ that drift across our skies, obscuring our view of Jesus. We know that we’re supposed to ‘’fix’’ our ‘’thoughts’’ and ‘’eyes’’ on Jesus (Hebrews 3:1; 12:2), but clouds, as the song goes, get in our way.            It may be a cloud of doubt – you just can’t shake it;                                                                                            It may be a cloud of fear;                                                                                                                               It may be a cloud of disappointment; of anger; of jealousy; of bitterness…and so on. Like in our every day sky-scape, these ‘clouds’ come in different shapes and sizes.                   Cloudy days vary too. There are grey days where the very sky seems to feel ‘down’; it’s almost touching the earth. Everything appears dark and gloomy and bleak.

But yesterday morning I looked out at a huge sky, filled with clouds. However, the sun was shining through the gaps and the cracks in those fluffy masses. The clouds were illuminated – especially around the edges. They looked beautiful.                                                 I have known cloudy moments where everything was just grey and I could see no light at all. No doubt you have too. But I’m grateful to say that I have often been given eyes to see cloudy skies floodlit by the ‘’sun of righteousness’’ (Malachi 4:2). I’ve had glimpses of the Divine Artist producing masterpieces out of such raw material. There can be a beauty about the clouds He blows into our lives. He sets His bow in them.

When you lose the sight and sense of Jesus it’s best not to stand staring into the sky. Don’t be paralysed by the experience. Of course it is always important to look up; to be prayerful. But don’t become a reclusive mystic, hiding away from the world in your closet. The best thing you can do is to get on with the work the Lord Jesus has given you to do. Return to Jerusalem! (12). There are important things to do there. As you carry out your duties, eventually the clouds will blow away. But even if they don’t, you are being obedient to your Master, and that is of paramount importance.

I read an article, written by a pastor, who said that in a time of crisis in his church, he found it helpful to go about his routine pastoral responsibilities. That resonated with me. I remember a period in my life when I felt so hard-pressed; so exhausted, I could barely put one foot in front of the other. But it really helped to have to – to have to go and lead that meeting etc.

If today seems a bit cloudy, just get on with what you know you ought to be doing. I think you may find that there will soon be a change in the weather.

Prayer: Thank you Lord for the beautiful things you do on cloudy days. Please give me eyes to see; faith to believe.

Acts 1:6-8: ‘’It is not for you to know…’’(click here for todays passage)

In this life there will inevitably be some mysteries. Not every ‘I’ will be dotted, or ‘t’ crossed; not every question will be answered; not every puzzle will be solved. It may even be that there will be mysteries in the next life too. But when we are with God in heaven, what we do know will be enough. ‘’The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law.’’ Deuteronomy 29:29.  In the ‘New Living Translation’’ this reads: ‘’The LORD our God has secrets known to no one. We are not accountable for them, but we and our children are accountable forever for all that he has revealed to us, so that we may obey all the terms of these instructions.’’

As in our reading today, we have to say that there are certain things kept from our knowledge. (God in His Sovereignty knows why.) But let’s get on with doing something about the revealed knowledge we do possess. God will always empower us to do His will. We can’t legitimately claim that we are unable. Truth comes to us with accountability built in. We are expected to live it; to do it. Fulfilling the ‘Great Commission’ will keep our hands occupied until Jesus returns. As someone said, ‘’It’s not the parts of the Bible I don’t understand that bother me; it’s the bits I do understand.’’ There’s enough in these pages to be getting on with.

PRAYER: Lord, whenever I read your Word, help me to see what you want me to do, and then put it into practice. May I never allow truth to lie fallow in my mind.

Acts 1:1-11: A meal with Jesus.(please click for todays passage)

After Jesus rose from the dead, He ‘’showed himself’’ to his apostles and ‘’gave many convincing proofs that he was alive’’ (3). One of these compelling evidences lay in the fact that He ate with them (4; see Luke 24:36-43). Ghosts don’t join you for a meal.

• Consider the place of table fellowship in the ministry of Jesus. It would be a profitable exercise, I believe, to read all four gospels, noting everything Jesus said and did around the meal table. Following His resurrection, Jesus continued ‘’to do and to teach’’ (1). That included eating with the disciples and saying important things to them in the context of food. A central ordinance of the church: the Lord’s Supper, was initiated around a meal table;
• Consider what we might still profitably do around our tables – giving the gift of ourselves, our food and our time; and all done from love of Jesus and with the awareness of His presence. In some ways it can cost, but it is such a blessing to share leisurely time with others. People will often open up in this more intimate setting; barriers can come down, and meaningful conversation be shared. Not every Christian has the gift of hospitality; but we can all give We can choose to be hospitable, rather than dig a moat around our lives and pull up the drawbridge. I think we should all keep under prayerful review who we should be inviting to share meals with us. The basis should never be, by the way, whether or not they will invite you back! When I was a young, single pastor in Lancaster, a couple in the church, Nic and Jean, had me over for a meal twice a week. It was about more than food. They shared love. They wanted fellowship. Whenever I thanked them, their reply was, ‘’We do it for the Lord.’’ I will always bless them for their kindness to me in otherwise lonely days. You do not forget that kind of strategic ministry. They took their young pastor under their wing, and did what they could;
• Consider the spirit in which we ought to eat all our meals. Saying ‘grace’ should not be cursory. It’s a time to pause and thank the Lord for His wonderful provision of ‘’our daily bread’’. As we turn our hearts towards Him in thankfulness, may we also be asking Him to speak to us at this meal time, around this As I read the gospels, I see that Jesus ‘does’ and ‘teaches’ at meals – before and after His resurrection. May we know His presence here today, over this good food; let us hear His voice. Eat thankfully; prayerfully
• Consider the ‘meal’ Luke prepared for ‘’Theophilus’’ (1). Luke wrote his gospel and the ‘Acts’ for this one man. It seems he may have been a high ranking Gentile official. Luke spread a ‘feast’ for him, telling him about the life and ministry of Jesus; His death and resurrection; and then the unfolding of the story of the early church. Still today we are invited to Luke’s ‘banquet’. Let’s eat heartily, for we do not live ‘’on bread alone.’’

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, as you are so generous to me, help me to consider prayerfully and carefully who I may serve at my table.

John 21:18-25: Tailor-made.(please click for todays passage)

God has a plan for your life, and it is tailor-made for you. If you try to ‘wear’ someone else’s destiny, it just won’t fit. It will be too big for you, or possibly too small.

When Jesus re-commissioned Peter, he not only spoke to him about his life’s work, but also indicated ‘’the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God’’ (19). (According to tradition, Peter was crucified in Rome. His hands were ‘stretched out’ in death. But he asked to be crucified upside down, because he didn’t feel worthy to die in exactly the same way as his Lord.) But then, Peter looked round from this conversation and saw John. Perhaps knowing that there was a special bond between Jesus and John, he wanted to know what was the blueprint for the ‘beloved disciple’. Effectively, Jesus told him to mind his own business. It was Peter’s job to keep his eyes on Christ. ‘’…what is that to you? You must follow me’’ (22).  A song by Marilyn Baker says: ‘’God has a plan for you; it’s something only you can do. You are so valuable to Him.’’

 I sometimes shake my head in wonder when I consider my life’s journey so far. It is not a script I could have written. But that has never been my job. I’m just here to act it out and not fluff my lines. I need to pay attention what the play’s Author has written and is writing, and play my part. The point is not to compare yourself with anyone else. Keep your eyes on the Lord. Follow Him.

John 21:15-17: The indispensable qualification.(please click for passage)

Love for the Shepherd matters much more than love for the sheep.                                        Loving the Shepherd is so much more important than loving shepherding.

All our ministry must flow from love for Jesus. Without this we are nothing. We have nothing (1 Corinthians 13). When you boil it all down, Christianity is about loving God and loving people. But we are to love God first, and love Him most. It is possible to love preaching and teaching – feeding ‘’sheep’’ and ‘’lambs’’ – and other aspects of Christian ministry, more than we love Christ Himself. It’s a danger to be aware of and to try and avoid.  A friend went to visit a very sick person in intensive care. He realised, as he walked towards the man’s bed, that it was the very spot where he had watched one of his own relatives die. In this case, several years had intervened, but it was like the recreation of scene he’d ‘acted’ in previously. It triggered sad memories and strong emotions.           Peter must have vividly remembered being around a charcoal fire in the recent past.          At that fireside he had denied knowing Jesus three times. Now it was like the Lord had deliberately recreated the situation to graciously help Peter move on. Three times Jesus quizzed His frail disciple about his love for Him. Three times Peter confessed his love. Three times Jesus commissioned him.It was as if, with each charge to feed His flock, Jesus was wiping out the denials; wiping the slate clean. How we should take encouragement from this. How merciful our Lord is.

Tom Wright tells a story of how one night, after a dinner party, a guest was eager to help with the washing up. He and his wife kept encouraging the man to go and sit down, but he was insistent about helping. In his excitement, a crystal glass got broken. He was upset; Tom Wright and his wife were pretty devastated. Afterwards they talked about what forgiving this man might look like. The next time he came for dinner, they gave him a tea towel!  To my mind, that smells of grace.

PRAYER: Thank you Lord Jesus for your grace and mercy expressed towards me.

John 21:15-17: The greatest is love.(please click for passage)

As you read the first half of John 21, you can’t miss Peter’s love for Jesus. He had many faults and failings, as do we all, but his great heart for Christ burst out of his chest. That plunge into the water, once he realised the stranger on the shore was Jesus (7) ,was powered by love. It’s sheer love you see eagerly splashing towards the shore. It reminds me a little of the breaking of the alabaster box of ointment. I see a reckless, extravagant devotion.                                                                                                                                                     Later on, however, around the fire, Jesus questioned Peter about his love. He didn’t deny that Peter loved him, but he did challenge him about his love. He probed his heart. His first question was, ‘’Simon son of John, do you truly love me more than these?’’ (15). ‘More than what?’ This question inevitably comes to mind. Maybe it was, ‘’Do you love me more than the fishing equipment?’’ It symbolised an entire way of life. Having been called out of it, he had recently gone back to it. Or it might be, ‘’Do you love me more than these your fellow disciples?’’ He had implied a greater love, and had boldly said that if everyone else denied the Lord he wouldn’t. But what did he think now, after the cockerel’s crow? Then again, Jesus could have been asking, ‘’Do you love me more than you love your           fellow-disciples-this band of brothers?’’                                                                                                             It remains a valid question for us: ‘’Do you truly love me more than…?’’ Fill in the gap. What do you love most? Jesus calls us to love Him more. But you can never out-give God. So often, people who give sacrificially find their ‘silver’ back in their ‘sack’. More comes back than they ever give. This is the testimony of many. The truth is also that the more you love Jesus, the more every other love is enhanced and lifted to a higher plane. So you end up loving your family (for example) more richly than ever you would if Jesus were not first in your life. You don’t lose by putting God first.

PRAYER: ‘’Lord it is my chief complaint, that my love is weak and faint. Yet I love thee and adore, O for grace to love thee more.’’