Obeying Jesus's Commands

Preached at Christ church, Billericay, 5 May 2024

Readings: Acts 10v44-48; John 15v9-17

Recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6TJUEYWakkU from 20:00 to 35:50

Introduction

Last week we looked at the story of Philip and the Ethiopian Eunuch, a man who was excluded from worshipping in the temple. We saw how easily Philip follows the Holy Spirit's instruction to speak to the Ethiopian. The Ethiopian was baptized and went on his way, rejoicing in the Lord Jesus. This week, we see Peter speak to a household that is most definitely excluded from everything Jewish, and people that the Jews are not allowed to associate with.

Peter’s Struggles

This was a struggle for Peter, and today we have only heard the outcome. This short passage is sometimes known as the ‘Pentecost of the Gentiles’ because it is the first time that the Gentiles are recorded as having received the Holy Spirit.

Holy Spirit prepares the way

Let’s have a look at Acts 10 to see how Peter was prepared and how Cornelius was prepared.

Cornelius, a Roman Centurion, was devout and God-fearing. He prayed regularly and gave generously. An angel told him to send for Simon, who is called Peter.

Peter in Joppa

Meanwhile, Peter was in Joppa, dozing on the roof while lunch was prepared below. He sees a vision of all kinds of 4 footed animals, reptiles and birds. They are all on the prohibited foods list, but Peter is told to “Kill and Eat”. He really can’t do that, he says, “I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.” (Acts 14:10). The voice replies, “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.” The vision is repeated three times. Peter is baffled.

Travelling

Then, the men sent by Cornelius arrive, and Peter is told by the Holy Spirit, “Do not hesitate to go with them, for I have sent them.” Peter is a good host, and puts them up for the night. The next day, Cornelius’s men, Peter and some of the brothers from Joppa, travel to Cornelius’s house. It’s about a day’s travel, and it gives Peter time to think. Even so, when he gets there and goes inside, he feels it necessary to say:

“You are well aware that it is against our law for a Jew to associate with a Gentile or visit him. But God has shown me that I should not call any man impure or unclean.”

It seems Peter and perhaps the brothers who came with him are still less than sure that they are doing the right thing.

Peter’s Sermon

Peter even starts his sermon with “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favouritism but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right.”

Then he talks about Jesus’s death and resurrection, and that he and the others are witnesses of that. He gets to “everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins through his name”.

Interrupted by a sign.

He is then interrupted by the Holy Spirit as all the assembled Romans begin speaking in tongues.

It is a sign to Peter and the brothers that they have done the right thing in following the promptings of the Holy Spirit. God has given the gentiles the gift, just as he has the Jews.

It is not quite the same, though. If you remember back to the day of Pentecost, the gift of tongues was given specifically to allow the many assembled foreigners to hear and understand the Gospel. Here, it is probably more like the gift of tongues that Paul describes in Corinthians – not earthly languages, but heavenly ones. This is because it has been given with a different purpose in mind – proving to Peter and the brothers that the Holy Spirit is acting. He’s going to need as much evidence as he can get, because there’s not going to be a friendly welcome when he returns to Jerusalem.

Baptism

The new gentile converts are now baptized with water. Caesarea is a port city. Looking at the map, it doesn’t seem to have a river, but it did have an aqueduct. The baptism, may not therefore have occurred in a river, and the sea would be a very unlikely choice. Perhaps it was more like our baptisms.

Stay with them

Amazing things have happened, and they need some time to take it all in. There is also lots more to teach about Jesus. So Peter stays with them for a few days.

Peter

Peter has been obedient to the call of the Holy Spirit. He has understood his master’s business, just as John tells us Jesus said we should.

15¹⁵ I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.

They are Jesus’s friends because they are doing what He requires of them.

Lay down your life

Of course, they haven’t gone the whole way yet and laid down their life.

WWI story

This story was in one of the sermons I read during preparation:

A soldier in the First world war, asked his officer if he could go out into “No Man’s Land” between the trenches to bring in one of his friends who lay there seriously wounded.

“You can go,” said the officer, “but it’s not worth it. Your friend has probably died, and you will throw your own life away.” But the man went. Somehow, he managed to get to his friend, lift him on to his shoulder, and bring him back to his own trench. The two of them tumbled together and lay in the bottom of the trench.

The officer looked very sympathetically on the would-be rescuer, and then he said, “I told you it wouldn’t be worth it. Your friend is dead, and you are mortally wounded.” “It was worth it, though, sir,” he said. “How do you mean, ‘worth it?’ I tell you your friend is dead.” “Yes, sir,” the soldier answered, “but it was worth it, because when I got to him, he was still alive, and he said to me, ‘Jim, I knew you’d come.’”

It shows us what laying down your life for your friend means. Friendships amongst soldiers in WWI were closer than most of us experience today, largely because of the shared horror that they lived through. Jim risked his life and gave it up to bring comfort to his dying friend.

Jackie Pullinger

Sometimes, though, laying down our life for our friends doesn’t have to mean imminent death. Jackie Pullinger was a young woman when she left her home, boarded a boat, and waited for the Holy Spirit to tell her where to get off. At the eighth stop, she left the boat and entered Kowloon. It was a city full of heroin addicts and run by triad gangs. Not a safe place for a young woman. After much heartache and difficulty following the Holy Spirit's lead, she saw many released from their addiction, and perhaps even more surprisingly released from the gangs they had made a lifetime commitment to.

Jackie does not like to be called a missionary, or to talk about her ‘calling’. She says that she simply wants to have a good story to tell when meets Jesus. Unlike many missionaries who spend a short time working for God, Jackie really did give her life to the work she was doing.

Hudson Taylor

There are others too. Hudson Taylor, founded the China Inland Mission, but before that he had a lot to learn about faith. He also had a lot of preparation to do. He was teaching himself to live on very little, to be ready for life in China. So he had given away most of his wages. One evening he was asked if he could go and pray for an Irish labourer's wife who was close to death. When he arrived by her side, he found that her weak state was a result of childbirth and severe hunger. He knew he should do more than pray, but he didn't have the money - only half a crown (equivalent to less than £10 today) which he needed to live on. Yet he was aware that God had sent him to help this woman and unless he did what he could how could he expect God to take notice of his prayer. So he gave his money to the husband to buy food and trusted God to provide for his own needs. The following day, the Lord provided half a sovereign through a gift from someone. His trust in God proved to be completely justified.

Risks

The Apostle Peter, Jackie Pullinger, Hudson Taylor and many others have taken huge risks as they attempted to follow the lead of the Holy Spirit and to obey Jesus’s commands and so remain in His love.

Chosen

Jesus has chosen each of us. We see from the gospels how Jesus chose his first disciples, that process continues, even though we may not see it so easily now. We are chosen for specific tasks, or to reach specific people. Peter was chosen to establish the church, Hudson was chosen to bring the good news to China, Jackie was chosen to save people from addiction and gang membership.

What are we chosen for?

Do you and I know what we are chosen for? To be sure, we have to spend time dozing on the roof as it were – time dedicated to listening to the Holy Spirit. Once we hear a message, at least one that we are capable of understanding, we must simply obey, just as Peter did when told to go with the gentiles who were asking for him (a scary prospect for a Jew). Just as Jackie did when she believed it was time to get off the boat. Hudson heard the voice of God and realized that he needed to be ready for what was ahead. That, too, is obedience.

Do you and I know what we are chosen for? Whatever it is, we must be sure to obey all that Jesus commands us, and remain in His love. Most of all though, love one another as He has loved us, because it is this that makes us stand out from all those others around us.

Amen.

 

References

https://pastorsings.com/2018/05/06/astounded-by-grace-sermon-on-acts-1044-48-for-easter-6b/

 

https://www.workingpreacher.org/commentaries/revised-common-lectionary/sixth-sunday-of-easter-2/commentary-on-acts-1044-48-2

https://www.workingpreacher.org/commentaries/revised-common-lectionary/sixth-sunday-of-easter-2/commentary-on-acts-1044-48-4

http://stmichaelsgideapark.org.uk/sermons/gods-love-our-love-john-159-17/

 

https://www.workingpreacher.org/commentaries/revised-common-lectionary/sixth-sunday-of-easter-2/commentary-on-john-159-17

https://www.britannica.com/place/Caesarea

 

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Caesarea,+Israel/@32.5487314,34.9068465,13.13z/data=!4m6!3m5!1s0x151d0cf83a10b203:0x4ac5521593cfcdcb!8m2!3d32.5154686!4d34.9062798!16zL20vMDlqdDFs?entry=ttu

https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/currency-converter/#currency-result

 

Follow Jesus

Preached: 9 May 2021 at Christ Church, Billericay (recorded version for video service: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97AR7n8TQMA&list=PLAiDlfqEeOxU0tFmOCQCTiNQ0518mL2bQ at 11:55 into the video)

Readings: Acts 10v44-48; John 15v9-17

Purpose: to see how the Holy Spirit led Peter away from his traditional view to change the world.

Peter’s Character

Peter has been being prepared for this very carefully. In him, God has chosen someone who is not afraid to speak out and to say what he is thinking. This quality, that has got him into difficulties before – remember he told Jesus that going voluntarily to his death was not the way to go, and Jesus responded “Get behind me, Satan.” When Jesus was arrested, Peter was the one who was most scared of what was happening and denied ever knowing Jesus.

Both those sins have been forgiven now, and Peter is doing the job he was chosen to do. He is leading the church, and learning on the job.

Flashback to Pentecost

We are not following the story as it happened, we will celebrate Pentecost in a few weeks time, but for Peter, in our reading today, it has already happened. There they all were in the upper room, scared to make any sort of move at all, but knowing that something very special had happened. Then the Holy Spirit arrived. “A sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house” and “They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.”

It caused a commotion, as all the foreigners present heard their own language and wondered what was happening. So Peter got up and told them. As a result, the church was born.

That day about 3000 were added to the church, and each of them was baptised. All of them were Jews, so at this point, a new Jewish sect is formed.

Church takes shape

Peter is, of course, a Jew (and always will be) so his focus is on the Jewish nation. He is doing the right thing and the church begins to take shape. They begin to understand how people should live together under God, not holding on to possessions, and praying and healing people.

They soon come to the notice of the Jewish authorities, who thought they had cured the ‘Jesus problem’ by crucifying Him, so they suffer some persecution, but undeterred continue with their mission.

Peter like Jesus

Peter has asked himself the question “What would Jesus do?”, and is now, travelling around the country, preaching and healing people, he’s also in the habit of taking time out of his busy schedule, away from the people he’s ministering to, and spending it in prayer - just as Jesus did.

Vision on the Roof

He goes up on the roof, because roofs in their houses are flat, there are usually steps up the side of the wall, and it’s a good place to get some privacy. While he’s up there, he falls into a trance and sees a vision.

It’s disturbing, he’s being told to violate the Jewish food laws and eat unclean animals. He doesn’t like the idea, but the vision occurs three times. The Holy Spirit is preparing Peter for the next step that he is to take in building the church.

Visiting Cornelius - with a team

Then he’s told by the Holy Spirit to go with the three men who’ve just arrived. They’ve come to take him to see a Roman Centurion - Cornelius. He hasn’t even worked out the meaning of the vision yet, but ever obedient, he gets a few of the believers together and off he goes the next day. That he takes a team with him is important for what happens next, the team will be his witnesses and will back up his story to a sceptical church in Jerusalem.

Jewish restrictions

The journey to Joppa is a day’s walk. It, no doubt, gives Peter time to reflect on the vision on the roof and to make some sense of what the Holy Spirit is saying.

When they arrive, there is quite a gathering at Cornelius’s house, he has invited friends and family to hear what the young prophet has to say.

Peter enters the house. That may not sound strange to us, although in these times perhaps it does. Just by stepping across the threshold, Peter has changed things forever. He says, “You are well aware that it is against our law for a Jew to associate with a Gentile or visit him. But God has shown me that I should not call any man impure or unclean.” Now we can see what Peter has made of the vision, and how he has applied it to his ministry.

Important Act

For us, as gentile believers - because that’s what we are, this is the most important thing that Peter has done so far. Without being inside the house, Peter would have had no opportunity to speak the message God had taught him in the three years he had spent with Jesus.

Peter makes sure his host is aware of this and ends with “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favouritism but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right.”

Message

He then goes on to tell them about Jesus and all that He did, and especially His death and resurrection. That all who believe in Him receives forgiveness of sins.

Holy Spirit Arrives - Baptised

While he is saying all this, the Holy Spirit arrives and the hearers begin speaking in tongues and praising God. Because of this, Peter orders that they be baptised, as they have received the Holy Spirit, just as he and his team have.

Second important act

This is the second important act that Peter does, and by this he has opened the church up to all gentile believers everywhere. The followers of the way are no longer exclusively Jewish - but they are all exclusively already sympathisers and have some belief in God.

Effect of the Message

Peter’s acts have paved the way for others, who spread the belief in Jesus across the world. Many taking His name to difficult to reach people in various situations. Here are a few examples:

Hudson Taylor, who went to China and founded the China Inland mission. To help the Chinese know Jesus, prompted by the Holy Spirit, he abandoned western dress and dressed like a local. This was a radical thing to do at the time.

Jackie Pullinger, who, again prompted by the Holy Spirit, went to Kowloon Walled City to minister to those who were in the grip of Heroin. She saw many miraculously healed without any withdrawal symptoms.

Peter and Alison Roots, who, prompted by the Holy Spirit, spent many years in Tanzania, bringing the word of God to the people there and supporting the church to make their world a more Godly place.

There are countless other missionaries who, prompted by the Holy Spirit, visited remote areas in Africa and South America, many giving their lives in the process, so that the Gospel was spread and Christianity became the largest religion in the world.

Everyone

Each one of us, who has been involved in church life in any way, will have received the prompting of the Holy Spirit, many in small ways that are never recorded, but all in ways that will have brought someone closer to God, or closer to a commitment to follow Jesus.

The Holy Spirit’s promptings never end, while we remain in His love. We just have to make time to listen and be receptive to what He is saying and, loving the people around us, act on those promptings.

We may not change almost the whole world as Peter did, but we may change almost the whole world for someone else.

Joining in with Jesus

Introduction

At first glance the two readings do not appear to be that closely related, but there is a link. As I read through the Gospel two phrases stayed with me “Love each other” (twice v12 and 17) and “you are my friends” v14. I had read Acts first, but if you read them in the order they appear in the Bible, you can see that the commands that Jesus gives in the gospel reading are being carried out in Acts.

Jesus came from heaven and was born as a man to die on the cross so that he could restore the broken relationship between humanity and God. He came to the place where there were already some who were doing what they could to keep the relationship alive. Jesus came to the people that God had chosen to bring the news of his love to the world. They (the Jews) had not succeeded in their mission so far, indeed they had hardly succeeded in staying faithful to their God. Now though things were to change. Instead of the followers being servants they would be friends. That way they could bring Gods love to others who are yet to know him in a more remarkable and successful way.

We are going to look at the difference between being a servant and spreading Gods love that way, and being a friend and spreading God's love that way. We will do this by looking at some of the stories of incidents in the lives of biblical characters, famous Christians from the past and present, and some ordinary people around us.

As I tell these stories I will mention the love that they show for God and the people around them.

Jonah

Lets first look at the old Testament model – where specific people are chosen as servants of God and given specific things that they must do. We'll look at the story of Jonah

We do not know that much about Jonah. The first two verses of the book are “The word of the LORD came to Jonah son of Amittai: 2 "Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me." “ and as to his family and where he was from that is all there is in the Bible. (There's 2 Kings 14:25, but that doesn't tell us anything new). There is other evidence but now is not the time for that. We already have the start of our story.

The word of the LORD came to Jonah "Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me."

God wants them to repent and change their ways. He does not want to destroy them. That is exactly what Jonah is afraid of. “I'll go up there, make all this fuss, they will repent, nothing will happen, and I'll look stupid” He's thinking about himself, not the people of Ninevah. From where Jonah is Ninevah is in the east. Jonah decides to go west – To Tarshish (probably Spain)

He boards a ship– a cargo vessel was the only option in his day as there wasn't a tourism industry. He makes friends with the crew, and settles down to enjoy the journey. A bad storm arrived and Jonah was nowhere to be found. The sailors were praying to their Gods, and wanted Jonah to do the same. They found him asleep at the bottom of the ship. The sailors then cast lots to see who is responsible – and the lot falls on Jonah. If he didn't already know it, he does now – God is on his tail! He volunteers to be thrown overboard. Is Jonah thinking, “I won't be able to go to Ninevah when I'm dead”? The sailors are reluctant to throw him off the ship, but they're scared for their lives, so they do. The storm subsides, and Jonah descends to the deep. He is swallowed by a big fish. In the fish Jonah prays, and again recognises God as the ultimate authority, and kind of promises to carry out his task. The fish takes him to land. This time Jonah keeps his promise and goes to Ninevah. He gives them the whole of God's message, that destruction is to come on them for their evil ways. They repent, nothing happens, and Jonah is very upset “I told you so”.

Peter

The story of Cornelius and Peter in Acts 10 is so very different

Cornelius sees an angel

The Angel says send for Peter @ Simon the Tanners in Joppa

Cornelius did

Meanwhile

Peter is having a vision

Animals on a sheet

The Spirit says “Get up Peter, Kill and eat”

Nothing unclean has ever passed my lips

3 times for Peter to understand

It always is

Then the spirit says “Simon 3 men are looking for you” “ don't hesitate to go with them, I have sent them”

Peter doesn't Hesitate

He goes to Cornelius the God Fearer

Its 4 days since Cornelius saw the angel

Peter goes in, that makes him unclean– he's not done that before

Peter explains what God has done through Christ

The spirit comes on Cornelius, and his friends

They speak in tongues

Peter announces their baptism. - a symbol of their Conversion.

Different

See how different the story of Peter is to the Story of Jonah. Jonah as a servant isn't told by God what's going on, just given the word and expected to act. Sure, he can work it out for himself, but that doesn't mean he's fully committed.

Peter, on the other hand, has been prepared by the spirit, and has accepted what God has said to him. He has learnt that the things of God are not 'unclean'. He has managed to extend the vision of the food to allow him to enter the house of a gentile. Cornelius was known as a God fearer, one who was sympathetic to the Jewish belief, and followed them to an extent, but had not yet committed themselves by becoming a proselyte. When Peter spoke to him, his story was told from God's point of view. So Peter explained what “God did through Jesus ….”.

Then the gift of tongues. They may have been speaking in Hebrew or Aramaic, at this time tongues were not ecstatic utterances (or heavenly languages as some call them) Tongues would most certainly have convinced the friends that Peter had with him. Speaking in tongues was the first piece of evidence of the presence of the Holy Spirit they had. They were all Jews at this point. They were part of a Jewish sect known as The Way.

Peter has allowed the fledgling faith to take a mighty step forward. God has shown Peter that there are no races or tribal limitations, no longer is God's spirit restricted to the Jews. It was still Peter's decision though. He could have said at any stage in the process “this is a step too far”. He didn't because he was following God lead through the situations he found himself in. He had been shown that something was going to happen, and by his actions he supported it.

Forget Pentecost. This is the day that you and I should be celebrating. The day God spirit was first given to the a non-Jew. Without this event there would be no Christian church. The name Christian is adopted in the very next Chapter of Acts (11). Peter would be in huge amounts of trouble for this when he got back to Jerusalem. The believers there would insist that Cornelius became a proper Jew before he could join them. But it is a done deal. The Holy Spirit is out and unstoppable.

That is how it has been ever since. God prepares the ground, and the Christians move in and occupy it.

Hudson Taylor

Born May 21, 1832, Died June 3, 1905

The next person I want to look at is Hudson Taylor.

Born into a Christian family, he was moving away from the faith when at seventeen, after reading an evangelistic tract pamphlet, he professed faith in Christ, and in December 1849, he committed himself to going to China as a missionary. This was an answer to his parents prayers.

What is most impressive to me about Taylor is his preparation. He was not in regularly good health, so tried to toughen himself by taking long walks and sleeping on hard mattresses.

He knew that he would need more than preaching once he got to China, so put his background as a Chemist to good use and started training with an uncle who was a doctor in Hull.

It was there in Hull that Hudson first learnt his lessons of personal faith. Having moved out from his Uncle's so that he could learn to live on little, and give most of his wages away, Hudson one evening was asked if he could go and pray for an Irish labourers wife who was close to death. When he arrived by her side he found that her weak state was a result of child birth and severe hunger. He knew he should do more than pray, but he didn't have the money - only half a crown which he needed to live on. Yet he was aware that God had sent him to help this woman and unless he did what he could how could he expect God to take notice of his prayer. So he gave his money to the husband to buy food and trusted God to provide for his own needs. The following day the Lord provided half a sovereign through a gift from someone. This was the start of Hudson's life of faith.

He founded the China Inland Mission, a society dedicated to reaching out to inland China, not just the areas around the coastal towns that the other missionary societies were concentrating on. Hudson's missionaries wore Chinese cloths, and built their churches in the Chinese style. They allowed women to be missionaries (a first), and were non-denominational.

The Mission is supported entirely by the free-will offerings of the Lord's people. The needs of the work are laid before God in prayer, no personal solicitations or collections being authorised. No more is expended than is thus received, going into debt being considered inconsistent with the principle of entire dependence upon God.

It has been said of Hudson Taylor that no-one other than St Paul did more to spread the gospel over a large geographical area than he did.

The spirit had prepared the ground in China, the country was opening up to foreigners. Mostly though they had only managed to have any influences around the major ports. Hudson saw what God was doing and ensured he was best equipped to take part.

Jackie Pullinger

Jackie Pullinger on the other hand, was singularly unprepared. She had been trying to be a missionary for a long time, and had received many rejections. Thankfully for us, and for many in china she spoke with a godly Parish priest who saw something of God in her and told her just to go. Can you imagine giving that sort of advice now? - or ever? She had just enough money to get her to Hong Kong on a cargo vessel. So far as I know there were no bad storms on the way. On reaching Hong Kong she was almost turned away. She worked for a while as a primary school teacher in Kowloon Walled City. The city was not policed, and was controlled by the Triads who used heroin to control their members. She started a youth club. Taking heroin is called Chasing the Dragon. Many of the inhabitants barely scratched a living with many in extreme poverty.

She says “I could walk down the street and see a hundred people chasing the dragon. You had to climb over their legs. I wanted something real to offer them… not just treatment in a centre.”

Despite the power of heroin and opium addiction, the boys weren’t only kicking their habit, they were leaving it behind completely. They put this down to their commitment to Jesus. Many addicts who prayed for Jesus’ help found themselves freed of their addiction without going through any kind of withdrawal. Jackie opened a home for those who needed help and was soon inundated with pleas for help and a place to stay.

Not all of the addicts reformed immediately. Jackie started to realise that becoming a Christian didn’t automatically heal you of your addictions, or immediately reform you after a lifetime in the underworld. But the signs were good.

Several reformed addicts joined Jackie in her work. One day she had a meeting with a Triad leader who had offered protection for the house she was in.

She told him simply that she wouldn’t help the boys escape their addictions purely for them to become gangsters again. If they were to be followers of Jesus, they had to leave the gangs altogether. To her astonishment, the gang boss still offered to guard her house, and renounced all claim on those boys who chose to become Christians. It was unprecedented in Hong Kong gang culture, where people were bound to the Triads for their entire lives.

Jackie had decided to be a missionary as a child, before she even knew what a missionary was. She had intended to go to Africa, but after a dream had switched her destination to Hong Kong.

She realised that the people were so desperate that they didn't even know how to ask for help, or that they needed it. When she started she didn't know what to expect – she was just following the promptings of the Holy Spirit.

Jim

All of us as Christian should be following the promptings of the Holy Spirit. Not all of us are called to foreign places, but some are. A friend of mine believed that he was being called to become a clergyman. I agreed, and became convinced that he would leave England at some point – probably for Africa. He went through all the usual channels – first to his vicar. Yes, he too believed that Jim may have received a call. Then to the Diocese. Jim had not been a good student at school and didn't have any qualifications. He had to get 'A' levels before he could be considered. The next step was evening classes. He passed the necessary qualifications. He was accepted by the diocese and sent for training. After training and ordination, he became a curate. Then after serving his time as a curate announced that he would be working with the ex-pat community in France. There, with his young family, in a huge European Parish he lead the church of England, providing a spiritual home for those who were working away from their own home, or those on holiday

He has not spread the gospel to a different race, founded a missionary society, or seen hundreds of miraculous healings, but he has followed the Holy Spirits Lead. He has spread the gospel, to the people he meets, and encouraged them to do the same.

Conclusion - Me

Each of us is called in some way. Tom Wright in his commentaries on these passages suggests that we may only be called for one thing, or one other person. I disagree. We are given gifts and prompts by the Holy Spirit in how to use them. We may have one main mission for our lives, but there are hundreds of little things we can do on the way, or afterwards. As someone whom Jesus calls a friend, I'm always looking for ways to join in with what he's doing. Some of us will need training – I've spent four year of specific training (evening & weekends only) to get to where I am now. Some of us will just go, like Jackie Pullinger.

God is preparing the ground, the Holy Spirit is readying the prompt. We have to listen and decide how best to respond.

Where next Lord?

References

http://www.rejesus.co.uk/site/module/jackie_pullinger/P2/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kowloon_Walled_City

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jackie_Pullinger

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hudson_Taylor

http://www.theologicalstudies.org.uk/article_taylor.html

http://oursharedworld.blogspot.com/2007/10/hong-kong-jackie-pullinger-doesnt-look.html