Originally recorded on February 12, 2012 at SuburbsChurch by Pastor Michael Williams.

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A Breakthrough of Perspective

When the king of Aram was at war with Israel, he would confer with his officers and say, “We will mobilize our forces at such and such a place…

- II Kings 6:8-23 (NLT)

The situation is this: Elisha and his servant are in a house surrounded by a big army, but within this situation the servant’s eyes are opened revealing the armies of God surrounding them.

This story is a story of a type of breakthrough. You see, the breakthrough here wasn’t a miracle in the sense that a person was healed, or a need was met – there was a different type of breakthrough that took place here but it was equally as powerful. A man’s eyes were opened to a greater reality that had been there all along but which he couldn’t see in his day-to-day life. There was a breakthrough of perspective. As his eyes were opened, he realised straight away that God was – even in when he was surrounded by his enemies, even when he felt like there was no hope, even when he was panicked and afraid - with him.

He realised that the God that was with him was infinitely bigger than anything that was against him. Even his circumstance was a providence from God to bring him into a place of breakthrough. The circumstance was a tool in the hand of God.

There’s a kind of breakthrough that we all need – the knowledge that within our current situation God is already there, that he’s not coming into rescue us but that he’s already with us. He wants you to see him, trust him, and allow him to give you a greater joy and peace that comes through him regardless of the situation.

The Bible tells of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, before he was taken away to be crucified, kneeling in praying. It says that this was the moment of Jesus’ greatest angst and stress – he was sweating drops of blood. Jesus experienced fear and he prayed. And then when the men came to take him away, he was cool, calm and collected. “Peter, stop fighting, they’ve come to take me away and I’m going with them.” Now the circumstance didn’t change, but something changed within Jesus because of a prayer. Because he looked higher than the circumstance. If he had only looked at the cross he would never have been able to go through with it, but because of the hope set before him he endured.

Sometimes I’ve viewed my circumstance as a hindrance, but with God it’s always worked out as his providence.

The result of this breakthrough is not peace, not panic. Like Paul, you can be content in any circumstance.

Where is your view? Do you have a low view on life? God wants us to lift up our eyes and have a higher view on life because it builds faith in us. Even if we don’t see our immediate situation change, it just means that there’s something deeper God wants to do through me. But I always expect him. I always seek him. But God’s not a tool in my hand to use when I need him, I let him work out the circumstances. See the glory, not just the trial.

A Miracle Breakthrough

When Jesus returned to Capernaum several days later, the news spread quickly that he was back home…

- Mark 2:1-12 (NLT)

This is a story of a breakthrough. There were problems – the main one: paralysis. There was literally no movement in his life. He was unable to change. There were obstacles: it was too busy, there was a crowd and a roof in the way. They made a decision – they were going to find some space and break through. And the result? An encounter with Jesus and a miracle. What a story!

Sometimes you have to break through your own ceiling to get a miracle. The ceiling is your limit: the limit to how far you will go for God, how far your response is to God. There’s a limit to your commitment, the time you’ll pray, what you’ll fast. There’s a limit to what you’re expecting from church. There’s a limit to the effort you’ll put in. We all have limits. But some of those ceilings are real low. Some of us have slightly higher ones. And sometimes you need an event in your life to push the ceiling higher, or, better still, break a hole in it so that something from Heaven can get through.

Often we live relatively paralysed because we can’t break through a ceiling or a limit in our faith life. We don’t move anywhere, things don’t change and we stay the same. And if we’re very lucky, or blessed, friends might come around us and say, “I think we need to get you back to Jesus, and we’ll carry you if that’s what it takes.” That’s what we do in church – maybe I’m playing the part of one of those four friends today. The reason that you often don’t receive is because you don’t expect. Because you’re paralysed and your ceiling’s too low. Can I encourage you to push the limits, break through the ceiling, praise harder, seek more fervently, open yourself wider to response and throw yourself at God because the ceiling will crumble and the Devil’s grip will loosen.

Faith is the air that we breathe as Christians. You will come away feeling a little bit taller, a little bit bigger and with a little bit more space around you because of faith – trusting in God, believing is his word and willing to praise him. Out in the world there’s a different air – cynical and negative, a low view on life. But let’s walk out of here with a high view, looking to the God who provides, who protects, who is sovereign, who’s purpose will prevail and who will bring you into his joy.

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You can’t help but put on the TV and hear bad news. If it’s not the ecology, it’s the economy! And I understand the pragmatism of telling people that there’s trouble ahead – that’s wise – but I don’t like the driving message that’s coming through and creating a tension within us. Whether it’s the financial institutions or the political and global unrest the things that we used to rely on to help us are slowly eroding. Do we trust our politician anymore? Do we trust our banks anymore? We’re having our foundations exposed. If all this bad news is causing us to panic, then it’s crumbling our foundations. If our thoughts are geared towards that aspect of the news, then that has become our foundation.

Let’s try a little closer to home: when a married couple come to see me because there relationship is in trouble, and say “‘Cause we’re a bit bored, not getting on with each other, and sex isn’t fun anymore,” what it exposes is where their foundations truly lie! So when the pressure’s on, it exposes foundation. When someone winges about something they don’t like and then clouds it with religious mumbo jumbo, it actually exposes where their foundations truly lie. We’re gathered here in church for one common purpose: we believe God. That is our common denominator – that’s our foundation! But with everything around us we can often forget our foundations and construct our futures on sand.

So when you’re looking at the bad situations, when you’re looking at the catastrophes on the screen, remember this: I believe God. When reassessing your budget, “I believe God.” When looking at your marriage, ”I believe God.” When looking at your family, ”I believe God.” When looking at your diary, ”I believe God.” When looking at your commitment to mission and the community, ”I believe God.” When looking at your health, ”I believe God.”

You will never see breakthrough in these areas if your thinking does not match your confession. But moving on:

The Seed Towards the Harvest

He also said, “This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground…

- Mark 4:26-32 (NIV)

Here we see a basic principle of how the Kingdom of God can work in your life. Many people hope, many people pray, many people even fast. And what they’re after is a harvest – “God, this what I want to see you do in my life.” People even dance and run around the room to see these things happen. But you will never see a harvest if you haven’t got a seed. The seed is the incorruptible word of God! The seed of God is truth, when God says it it will happen. Where’s your seed?

What are you facing right now and what is the seed? What is your specific seed? Growing apples? Sow apple seeds! You need to plant some specific seed. The Bible’s as good as a packet of carrot seed so long as it remains unopened. What seed is required for healing?

Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering,
yet we considered him punished by God,
stricken by him,
and afflicted…

- Isaiah 53:4-5 (NIV)

That is a seed! I want healing, there’s my seed! And that seed won’t just stay in a nice, brown, leather packet full of power and potential. So long as it remains in the packet it’s just a story for someone else, but it’s now my story.

What seed is required for financial breakthrough?

Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously…

- II Corinthians 9:6-9 (NIV)

That’s my seed! And with it you can reproduce more seed through this seed to sow more seed again.

You Have to Plant the Seed

It’s not just about grasping the seed. Even as you finish reading this, seed has already been snatched. That’s because we are lazy! We have to sharpen up in what we’re doing. Attending church on a Sunday is one thing, digging into the Word yourself and finding your own seed because you know what you’re after is better.

You can hear this message and then fall straight back into your bad habits. And the seed that was once in your hand you’ve just thrown away. You can focus on things that are lesser. It takes effort, endeavour and guts to take that seed and plant it into the ground.

Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop—some thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times what was sown.”

- Mark 4:20 (NIV)

How you care for your seed will determine the outcome – and that’s a message in itself. You can listen to that message on here on One Church Gloucester’s website. Memorise that seed, own it, see it. It’s not just “some nice scripture” but you can visualise the outcome of the harvest this seed is sown to be! The Farmer knows the principle that if he works really hard, keeps the birds away and fertilises the seed then he reaps the harvest.

It lifts your faith and it exposes your sinful intention. Sometimes we’re just greedy, but caring for the seed takes time. You need to become pregnant with the word of God. The seed is like the sperm of the word of God – it comes into us to conceive within us.

Preparing for Breakthrough Means Change

At receive level, it’s a battle: Satan’s trying to steal the seed. At conceive level, the Devil cannot stop it – he can only stop you. He’s not after the seed anymore but he can stop you. The problem is this: people talk about breakthrough but they don’t want it! They don’t want to change from where they are.

With harvest comes change: you cannot get around this. When a couple prepare for the birth of a child, they change. They start looking for things in preparation of the change they know will happen. The spare room becomes the nursery! The prospective grandmother starts knitting!

In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee…

- Luke 1:26-33 (NIV)

Mary the Teenager, the virgin, finds out that she’s going to give birth to the Son of God. If there’s one thing that can abort your breakthrough, it is fear. If it can’t get to the seed it can get to you. Some of us have stopped sowing seeds because they know it brings harvest, and that harvest means change. And if we’re honest, we don’t want to change. But to live the Kingdom of God, you follow the Bible pattern or you become a commentator of the Word of God and tell others how to live their lives.

The day you stop sowing is the day you stop growing and you’re done. The reason why people leave church is that they’ve stopped sowing. They’ve stopped believing in the future.

Fear not. The seed of God is incorruptible. It will always grow! For nothing is impossible with God.

Then Mary said, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

- Luke 1:38 (NKJV)

This is what we do every day until the day we die – we plant our seed, gather the harvest, plant more seeds. Once you start hanging onto your seed, you’re saying “I’ve got enough seed for me, nobody else can have it.” But the potential of the church is not to just impact the surrounding area but to impact the city! That’s what I’m buying into: that Jesus is here. Don’t just be a commentator, sow something today and be prepared for change. Be prepared for a breakthrough.

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“So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’…

- Matthew 6:31-33 (NLT)

I see the New Year as a great chance and opportunity to seek God’s kingdom first for the year ahead and to set the pace for the year. It’s a new year of opportunity for this church and in your life.

A way we are going to seek God’s Kingdom is by, as a church, having a 21 day fast. This is something that is new to us as a church but as I’ve been studying the Bible, I’ve realised as something that is very important. Through fasting, God answers prayer, brings joy, and fills us with his Spirit.

What is fasting?

Basically it’s going without food for spiritual purposes. It’s not giving up the Xbox, TV or a certain hobby; these things can be good for you but not related to fasting – fasting is abstaining from anything that you eat or drink.

Jesus replied, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty”

- John 6:35 (NLT)

It’s talking about food! Food gives us the energy, carbs and protein to live a healthy life; it’s what gives our physical bodies substance. Food and water is a symbol from God to help us realise that our true substance is our Creator.

As the deer longs for streams of water, so I long for you, O God.

- Psalm 42:1 (NLT

I like to think that food and water for our bodies is like a picture of what truly can give us substance. It helps us understand the thing that truly gives us substance is God and that if we thirst and hunger after him he will fill us with his everlasting joy which will cause us to bring him glory. The substance is having more of God in our lives.

What does the Bible say about fasting?

In the Bible it talks about fasting in the same light as giving and praying. In Matthew 6, Jesus says in verse 2, “When you give.” In verse 5, Jesus says, “When you pray.” Then in verse 16, “When you fast.”

It’s interesting that Jesus says, “When you fast” – it’s not “if you choose to fast” or “if you feel like fasting”. It’s a spiritual discipline that’s an essential part of our lives.

Jentezen Franklin links it to the verse in Ecclesiastes where it speaks of a three cord bond that is not easily broken: praying, fasting and giving. I believe that we will see more of God if we put all these disciplines into action.

Many people in the bible fasted. Daniel fasted for three weeks eating only vegetables and fruit. That’s pretty hardcore! No chocolates, meats or dairy. Without relying on your caffeine to get you through the day, you have to push into God for your sustenance.

Moses fasted for forty days and forty nights, twice back-to-back, without food or water! The first, immediately before he received the tablets on the mountain with God. The second after coming down seeing the Israelites practicing idolatry, and breaking the tablets in anger.

And most tellingly, the greatest example. Jesus fasted in the desert.

Why fast?

We fast to become closer to God bringing glory to him. And it’s in response to the perfect love he has shown by giving his son as the perfect gift to save our lives. It’s saying to God, “I want more of you!”

One day the disciples of John the Baptist came to Jesus and asked him, “Why don’t your disciples fast like we do and the Pharisees do?”…

- Matthew 9:14-15 (NLT)

This speaks about the need to fast because we physically do not have Jesus with us. When we see him there will be no need to but now we are to fast as a gateway to know more of Jesus.

“And when you fast, don’t make it obvious, as the hypocrites do, for they try to look miserable and disheveled so people will admire them for their fasting. I tell you the truth, that is the only reward they will ever get…

- Matthew 6:16-18 (NLT)

This passage talks about how some people would fast for some sort of performance based thing, to show off how good their works were –  ”if I fast God and people will love me more’. You know what, it’s impossible for God to love you anymore that he already does; he has given up everything already. He loves you perfectly.

Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love.

- I John 4:18 (NLT)

The Pharisees thought the discipline of fasting was the end, but in fact it is the means. It is a means to getting closer to God. Fasting in itself will not get you anywhere; neither will praying or reading the bible. They are spiritual disciplines/commands in the Bible. Obeying them will not get you into heaven.

Fasting and the Gospel

From JD Greear’s book, Gospel:

The laws of God are like railroad tracks, pointing us in the direction to go. Trains need tracks to run on but those tracks do nothing to power the engine. Laws in themselves are unable to give us the power to do them – the Gospel is the power of God for salvation.

- JD Greear, Gospel (pg. 193)

Tracks are there to direct us to God, but they don’t have any power themselves. That’s why we can feel so guilty. But that’s why spiritual disciplines can help us move closer to God! God is about freedom, but he is so great and sovereign it’s hard comprehend him that God has given us these methods to direct us to him. It’s still within our choice whether we want to.

Fasting can look terribly legalistic on the outside, which is maybe why people stay away from it- they don’t want to feel forced into anything. But in fact it’s a great way to seek God.

How does depriving your body of food produce true, spiritual fruit? It doesn’t by itself. Going without food certainly doesn’t make you more pleasing to God. But if you train your soul to use the absence of food to feast on the glories of the gospel, fasting becomes a pipe through which the power of the gospel can flow.

- JD Greear, Gospel (pg. 200)

In other words, fasting gives us the opportunity to exercise more effective faith in the gospel. Fasting creates a great opportunity for us to lean on God for our sustenance. As we become closer to him we will receive more of his joy and cause us to bring more glory to his name. When I have more of God in my life, I can face the troubles of this life with confidence.

Religion tells you to go and change, the gospel changes you on the spot.

- Timothy Keller

These things in themselves tell you to change, but don’t do anything unless we recognise the sacrifice of Jesus. Obedience comes out of a response of love for God because of what he has done for us. We see the love of God the most at the cross which is what we call the gospel message. The meaning of gospel is good news. It’s used to declare victory,  and we have the greatest victory. Declare the gospel of Jesus.

Our life is not moving past what God has done for us once we are saved but falling deeper into it.

We are to fall deeper and deeper in debt with the grace of God

- John Piper

We are to have a gospel centred life.

That’s the one debt I want to get into! That’s what transforms and changes our lives. The gospel is bigger than we can imagine. Only the power of God and his love change our lives.

When we move past what God has done for us we will then turn to what we can do for God which is not what it’s about. That can only lead to pride or insecurity. But our performance is based on what God has done for us, not our lives.

When you see fasting is a means to go back to what God has done for us through Jesus, it will cause us to live for him and bring him glory. Fasting will be a waste if you feel up the time you would be eating with other ‘important’ things like watching TV. If you choose to fast, fill that time spending it with God, praying and reading his word, to see more of Gods power. When we fast, God will answer prayers and bring breakthrough.

What fasting brings.

We have a great and powerful God. When we fast it creates that chance to spend more time seeking him. It pleases God when we abide in him, which is spending time with him, being in awe and thanksgiving. As we seek to please God he then will start to reveal more of himself which will bring us greater joy.

When people in the bible fasted, God saw their heart for him and answered specific prayers.

I believe…

• God will show a path for your life – Ezra fasted for him and his nation and God revealed the path he should take.
• It will reveal sin in your life – as you lean to God you’ll love the things God loves more, and you’ll hate the things that God hates more.
• It will give you a greater heart for the lost – because God’s heart will rub off on you!
• It will bring victory over bad habits and situations – King Jehoshaphat proclaimed a fast throughout all of Judah for victory over the Moabites and Ammonites who were attacking them, and God granted victory to them!
• It brings healing/miracles.

Our God is sovereign over all things, so why not go to God. I love Shadrach, Meshach and Abendago ‘s faith in Daniel 3. They said about God, ”He will deliver”. Approach God like that! But don’t worry if things don’t get answered straight away, because they also said, “But if not”. God also uses you in your situation to bring you glory where you’re at now. People were healed in the Bible, but people were also persecuted. But through both, you can have ultimate joy in God.

Practically, this January at Church

I want to give you a chance to respond by choosing whether you want to join us in the 21 day fast. This is not something we want you to feel you should do, but something you feel in your heart you that you want to do.

So here’s what you can do to get involved….

We have at the back three options for fasting – a sweet tooth fast where you sacrifice sweets, fizzy drinks, teas and chocolates. The second one is a partial fast where you give up lunch or dinner. The third is the Daniel Fast where you only eat vegetables and fruits. You can see more information on the Fasting Resources page.

If you mess up, don’t worry. Take a day to recompose yourself and then carry on again tomorrow. God will still answer your prayers when your heart is committed to him.

Maybe you’ve never heard the amazing gift before, that Jesus taken on all our wrongs so that God would see us perfectly. Maybe you have been living as a legalistic Christian, rating yourself and others out of 10 for the spiritual disciplines, your either to prideful or feel too bad about yourself. God now judges our lives not on our performance but by the perfect performance of Jesus. We can have peace that we need do nothing but abide in Jesus. Let’s take this time to go back to the gospel!

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If I was to ask the question, “Who are you?”, I can guarantee I’d get some of the following types of responses:

• My name is…
• My marital status is…
• I have this many children…
• I do this for a living…
• I used to do this for a living…
• But I really want to do this for a living…

And you would begin to describe yourself. And although those things are correct, God said, “I knew you before you were born.” All of those things are what happened after you were born, but God already knew you before then. The things from the list are external, incidental factors but God knew you before that. God loved you before you were born.

Some people’s whole sense of worth comes entirely from what the mirror says, or what the media says, but the real you is found in the Bible.

The LORD said to Samuel, “How long will you mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and be on your way; I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem. I have chosen one of his sons to be king…

- I Samuel 16:1-13 (NIV)

What was so significant about David being the one? “People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” We often judge ourselves and make assumptions of ourselves based on outwardly things. We even more often do the same about other people.

We need a heart that is right with God. This we cannot achieve by our own means, but was accomplished on the cross by Jesus Christ.

We need a heart that is fully committed to him. Love the Lord your God with all your heart.

We need a heart for prayer, according to God’s unfailing love.

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God is unbelievably good. Now that might sound like a contradiction in that we’re a faith that relies on believing! But we have to have help from the Holy Spirit to understand how high, how wide and how deep his love is and how good he is.

I was reminded of a story recently about a judge. He turned up to court everyday, listening to the cases and making his judgements. But one day was different because this day a young man came into the dock and the judge recognised him. He remembered that this was the child of one of the judge’s best friends – someone he even used to babysit. So the judge has to listen to the evidence, and as it’s produced it becomes very clear that the young man is guilty. The jury reach their verdict and so it comes to the judge to decide what must happen. The judge looks at the young man he once knew and says, “I find you guilty. And you will have to pay a very, very large fine.” But then, to the young man’s surprise, the judge stood up and wrote a cheque for the amount the young man owed.

God in his holiness and his justice has to look at everyone of us and say, “Guilty.” We all owe a great debt. We’ve all done wrong. And yet, this is what God does in his goodness: through Christ Jesus he pays the price that was meant for us. God isn’t just fair, he’s more than fair, he’s good. He sits on a mercy seat, and goodness flows from his throne to everyone of us. Today, though you are guilty, you can thank God because he is unbelievably good.

This church believes that there is a Heaven, and also that what we do on Earth now does matter because it has a bearing on what happens to us before God one day. If everyone of us responds to the love and grace of God we will have nothing to fear on that day. But in the meantime we’ve turned this gift of the gospel into just a choice between Heaven and Hell when the gospel is so much bigger than that. The Good News is better than getting into Heaven and getting out of Hell. It’s about getting God! It’s not just a ticket out of one place and into another. You get to start eternity not when you die, but today. God isn’t something you get one day in the future but something you have right now.

And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.

- Romans 8:28

God is a fair judge. And he is completely on our side. He’s going to make sure that at the end of the day you and I win. He is totally committed to making sure you. He’s put his whole kingdom behind it – he paid the price for us. Some people think we need to play the game well enough to get the result we want. In the Bible we call that, “living by the law” – if you’re just good enough you’ll make it to Heaven. But the way it works is that the referee is on your side.

That means there’s no other outcome other than one where we win. It also means that he’s going to give some ridiculous decisions sometimes. Even though you’re going to fail, even though you’re going to make some stupid mistakes, he will stick up for you. And hopefully what it will produce in you is praise and worship.

Here’s a parable of a ridiculously unfair judge:

To illustrate the point further, Jesus told them this story: “A man had two sons. The younger son told his father, ‘I want my share of your estate now before you die.’ So his father agreed to divide his wealth between his sons. “A few days later this younger son packed all his belongings and moved to a distant land, and there he wasted all his money in wild living. About the time his money ran out, a great famine swept over the land, and he began to starve. He persuaded a local farmer to hire him, and the man sent him into his fields to feed the pigs. The young man became so hungry that even the pods he was feeding the pigs looked good to him. But no one gave him anything. “When he finally came to his senses, he said to himself, ‘At home even the hired servants have food enough to spare, and here I am dying of hunger! I will go home to my father and say, “Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son. Please take me on as a hired servant.”’ “So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him. His son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son.’ “But his father said to the servants, ‘Quick! Bring the finest robe in the house and put it on him. Get a ring for his finger and sandals for his feet. And kill the calf we have been fattening. We must celebrate with a feast, for this son of mine was dead and has now returned to life. He was lost, but now he is found.’ So the party began.

- Luke 15:11-24 (NLT)

This seems as first glance to be ridiculously unfair and stupidly good. The young man squanders the inheritance but the father runs to meet his son and embrace him.

We are not what we’re meant to be. We’re not how we began. We’re just dirty. It would be fair for us to go to God and say, “We’re not worthy, God. Let us serve you if you want us to but we are unworthy.” And yet God runs to us. He embraces us and kisses us.

Even though we don’t deserve it, God is unbelievably good.

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Jesus replied with a story: “A Jewish man was traveling from Jerusalem down to Jericho, and he was attacked by bandits. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him up, and left him half dead beside the road…

- Luke 10:30-37 (NLT)

What is a Christian? Fundamentally it is someone who lives like Christ lived, or who’s goal is to be like that in our actions, behaviour and attitude. It isn’t someone who turns up to church on Sunday but someone who looks to Jesus as a role model to imitate. A follower of Christ. “What he says, I do. How he lived, I will live.” Jesus is showing us a model for life.

This is why I’ve called this message “Get Off Your Donkey” – it’s because if you stay on your donkey you will miss your purpose. Somehow I think what this story’s trying to tell us, and what Jesus is saying through this story, is that in essence your purpose in life is connected to brokenness. You have a man who is in need of mercy, a man who is broken and beaten down and Jesus is connecting the man on the donkey to the brokenness and in his message he is trying to tell us something about our very reason for being here.

It’s to be with the broken.

This man, beaten down and broken, is representative of so many people in the world today who need compassion and mercy. And you and I are the hands and the feet of God that bring mercy to a bruised world. People hurt my circumstances, by sin, broken without help and needing someone to connect them to the grace and mercy and God. Therein lies you, me, and our purpose.

To put someone on your donkey you’ve got to get off of it first.

The Samaritan had to see the need, the people around him, and that there was a broken man lying on the floor. And he couldn’t just see it, but then actually get himself off of his donkey. He lays down his agenda, gets off of his donkey, and puts this broken man onto it.

You may be thinking, “But I’m busy! I’ve got so much to do. I’ve got a destination to get to.” I think that getting to the destination may not be the most important thing. This story teaches us that it’s what you do with your neighbour on the way there that counts. Our purpose isn’t in the end, but in the journey. It’s how you treat the person to the left and your right. It’s how you treat the broken in the world and how you show mercy. That is where you find true purpose.

Certainly the priest and the temple assistant were of that mindset. They saw the brokenness and passed by. But the Samaritan got off his donkey.

Here’s another thought: all of us have the tendency to default to being with the people we’re comfortable with because it takes effort to put someone else on your donkey. And I’m not just talking about the world’s broken, but even within the life of the church! The reason we include some people and exclude others is because it’s difficult to lift up someone else. But whether it’s difficult or challenging, it’s not about the destination but the journey, so stick with it and take the effort! You may think, “I don’t want to carry other people’s challenges – I’ve got my own!” I want to encourage you to think less selfishly. Put yourself aside, because that’s where you find your true purpose. It’s not about what you can get but what you can give.

The Struggle of Inclusion

Jesus’ vision for the Kingdom of God often includes the people that we struggle to get on with, so we should engage with the struggle to get on with them. The Samaritans were despised by the Jews, and so through this story the Jew’s idea of what the Kingdom of God is about is being blown apart. So the Jews are thinking: this Kingdom of God is for us and not them. But Jesus says, “My Kingdom is for everyone!”

The Samaritans were despised because, years before, they had abandoned God and abandoned true worship by turning to idols and to the Jews that was an unforgivable thing worthy of being stoned to death. They had intermarried with other nations and brought other idolatrous people into their mix. And just a few years before this story, they had committed an act of terrorism against the Temple, slaughtering people. This is the people that Jesus uses in his story as an ambassador for his Kingdom.

Jesus’ vision for the Kingdom is so much bigger than what we think it is, and includes people we may even despise today. Therefore, we should engage in the struggle to get along. And through that struggle we become more godly. I once heard someone say, “God puts just enough annoying, irritating people in your life so that you learn love, patience and kindness.”  You wouldn’t be mature and godly if there was no struggle. It’s our inclusion that fulfil’s Jesus’ vision for the Kingdom.

For some people, they’ve bumped up against a few challenges and had some arguments and now they’re slowly begginning to exclude themselves because they’re no longer comfortable. And it very much becomes about them and their donkey and their destination again. But Jesus’ vision is massively, incredibly inclusive. If you’re to be Christ-like, you must have an inclusive spirit.

I once did a “Strength Finder” test on the Internet that companies and businesses use to assess a persons strengths. You answer a bunch of question, and then at the end it tells you your top five strengths. Here’s mine:

1. Good looking Strategic – planning plans, plans for problems that haven’t even happened yet!
2. Relational – good at long-term relationships, loyal and committed.
3. Inclusive – who always has an eye for the disconnected and tries to fix that.
4. Communication
5. Belief – motivated by my values.

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Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice…

- Philippians 4:4-9 (NIV)

What is joy? A better question would be, “What is the joy of the Lord?” The fuel that drives the engine of our worshipping hearts is the joy of the Lord. Our worshipping hearts keep us focussed on the Lord for our fulfilment. As we delight in him, he grows us in grace. This is so much more than simply being religious, this is walking every moment and every day living for his glory. The joy of the Lord both empowers that process and grows from it.

A few weeks ago, Mike spoke on the facets of the Holy Spirit, and one of those was wine. What does that mean? Why the comparison with wine?

When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place…

- Acts 2:1-19 (NIV)

If I’d seen the disciples that day, and I heard that, I’d probably agree they’d had a little too much to drink. Wine is quite an unusual symbol to relate to the Holy Spirit. I think the Bible makes the comparison because both have the power to influence you and control you. See Ephesians 5:18. Wine alters your behaviour and robs your inhibitions. But the Holy Spirit also alters our behaviour. It turned normal men into evangelists.

For Valentine’s Day, Chris took me wine tasting. I thought, “this is a weird present!” I had no idea what to expect. Basically, we sat in a freezing basement with three other couples while Bilbo Baggins explained, with a PowerPoint presentation, wine. We tried four different wines – I didn’t really like any of them – and he told us what made wine a quality wine and the five things to look out for. I’ve taken those characteristics and applied them to the Holy Spirit.

Balance

A wine must be equal or greater than the sum of its parts. No component should dominate. It shouldn’t be too acidic, tannic, fruity or alcoholic. A wine’s balance may be questioned when it’s young, yet still might improve with age. However, fine wines strike a balance even in youth.

Read Matthew 9:16-17. I see Jesus painting a picture of grace: it could never be contained within the old covenant – the law – a new day is coming where I will be grace.

We need a balance between our view of God as Saviour and God as Judge. You can’t be too liberal or too conservative – God is perfectly balanced. If you’re always feeling guilty, remember that God is your Saviour. But if you’re the other end of the spectrum, you need to learn not to take God’s grace for granted.

Depth/Longevity

It is important that the wine experience is not too fleeting. It should linger in a positive manner.

This talks to be about being more than just a surface Christian. When you’re tasting a wine it should last. It should compliment the meal you’re eating it with. If you drink something and you can’t pick it out there’s something wrong – it’s not a quality wine.

You need to have a deep rooted, core faith with Jesus, established in love so that we can grow big lives. The core muscles in your torso are what influence the rest of your body and are the source of our stability. It’s so easy to be a surface Christian, and to only exercise your praise muscle a little bit. To be a rooted Christian, we need to get to the core of our faith in God: reading the Bible, talking to Jesus.

Complexity

It must have many facets to its nose and palette to the overall experience and its not straightforward. Rather it should have a changing, somewhat enigmatic side which makes it more fascinating and rewarding than most other wines.

There’s another level when it comes to quality wine. There’s so many different tastes that you won’t forget it. You’ll never be able to pick out everything that’s going on.

It’s so easy to forget that there’s another level to God, that we can search more. Until perfection comes, there’s always more that God wants for us. It’s so easy to slip into second gear and coast.

See Ephesians 4:14-16. All of us are in it together and we have to keep fighting, serving, seeking the lost. We want to see this community changed by Jesus. Whatever level you’re at, put complexity into your faith and move forward.

Typicity

Personally, I prefer the wine to reflect the highest achievements from within it’s given region and style.

You should be able to feel like you’re from the location where the wine comes from.

Know that you are sons and daughters seated with God, a royal priesthood. Grasp this and there’s no stopping you. Know that all the qualities of the great men and women in the Bible originate from knowing who God was. It all comes from him.