Apostolic Encouragement For The New Year
My dear friends and family in Commission,
I would like to wish you a happy and blessed New Year and assure each of you of our love and prayers for 2022. I am believing God that after such a challenging couple of "winter" years of Covid, we, the church, will emerge into the spring sunshine seeing many new green shoots of spiritual life.
As I was praying for the Commission family at the beginning of the year, my attention was drawn to Matthew's account of the transfiguration in chapter 17:1-13. It was a mountain-top moment that would go on to shape the rest of Peter, James, and John's ministry, and one that I believe speaks to us as we navigate these difficult challenges that Covid has thrown up. Let me share just a few insights to hopefully challenge, strengthen and really encourage you in your walk with Jesus:
1: A year to walk with Jesus. The disciples walked up a mountain with Jesus, carrying the day-to-day challenges of ministry. Suddenly, they see something so staggering, so beautiful, so terrifying… a man's face shining as brightly as the sun!! Majestic glory, eyewitnesses to God's glory: "we have seen his glory" [John 1:14].
Mountain-top moments of encounter are rare - yet so wonderful and exciting - but only come as we put one foot in front of the other, being faithful in the least. Can I say a massive thank you and well done from myself and the UK team, for every faithful step you have made in this past year trusting Jesus; for going to online church, for caring for your neighbour, for enduring the awfulness of death and disease brought about by Covid. Well done, now keep walking with Jesus, "keep in step with the Holy Spirit" [Gal 5:25]. Let us follow our good shepherd wherever he leads us.
2: A year to listen to Him, verse 5. It is interesting to note that the big Old Testament heroes - Moses and Elijah - both with huge mountain-top testimonies and lots to say, are side shows to the big event. Their voices unrecorded, words lost to our human ears. It is laughable how Peter babbles that he wants to turn from fishing to DIY and build a shed, in a moment of not knowing what to say. Peter's words are then silenced by the one voice that they and we most need to hear, the voice of the Father: "this is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased, listen to him." Can I say, there are many voices clamouring to be heard; the voice of mega stars leading mega churches, there are the unguarded words of good intentions, but there is the life-changing eternal word that needs to be front and centre of our walk with God, and central to our churches. We believe in prophecy and need to eagerly desire this wonderful gift, weighing it with the Word and our leaders. Be men and women of one book, one voice, listen to him, and then put it into practice.
3: A year for much more grace. John 1:17 "from his fullness we have all received grace upon grace." The disciples had to come down from the mountain where the glory is now veiled, and they are pitched into a messy, painful, evil pastoral challenge that had reached an impasse (which looks a lot like church!) Jesus brings grace: grace to the distraught father, grace to the poor boy, and grace to the disciples teaching them about faith and prayer. We cannot stay on any previous mountain-top experience, we cannot stay in splendid isolation, we are not called to a monastery away from the world. The story continues, the Commission story, on the downside of the mountain, in a world deep in pain, divided by so many things, where evil triumphs and the enemy oppresses. This is our time, our faith challenge, and I want you to know there is more grace from heaven, grace upon grace to seek and find.
I do believe that the best years are ahead of us. That there will be many more mountain-top experiences. So let this year be one of walking with Jesus, listening and obeying Jesus, and receiving grace upon grace for the next chapter in our lives together.
With much love and prayer,
Guy