New Wine for New Wineskins June 2022
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How To Take A Real Rest (Part 1)
For a long time I have been really taken by the way the Message Translation puts Matthew 11: 28 – 30:
28-30 “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me – watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”
In particular I have been thinking and meditating on Jesus’ invitation to come and have him show us how to take a real rest and to learn from him the unforced rhythms of grace.
I did consider titling this message “Rest In Peace” which of course is more associated in most people’s minds with death and inscriptions on gravestones, but it is in fact what living a resurrected spirit life is all about – resting in peace.
And so, I have been meditating on what Jesus says regarding how he will show us how to take a real rest.
I believe that the church generally becomes more focused on a gospel of salvation rather than the gospel of the kingdom which Jesus commissioned us to preach – which of course includes the gospel of salvation but also much more in regards to learning from him as disciples and experiencing the fullness of kingdom living. We tend to run with what are considered by many to be the last and ministry-defining words of Jesus in Mark 16: 15:
15 “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.”
Even when we consider the expanded commission given in Matthew 28: 18 – 20 we are inclined to place more emphasis on the first part of Jesus’ instructions.
And so we focus on the GO, GO, GO and wear ourselves out because we forget his first words to disciples, which are his invitation to COME.
Come to me, learn from me.
To be honest I have been preaching and teaching for nearly thirty years the need to recognise that Jesus always says to come to him and learn from him before he ever says to go. People even consider their calling in the context of GO-ing and so they say things like, “I don’t know where God is calling me to go,” whereas the call is always to come, and the commission is to go.
Also, many people miss the command from Jesus in Acts 1 not to go anywhere without the power of the Holy Spirit, which is basically Jesus going with us when we go.
A real rest is more clearly defined in the NKJV translation of Matthew 11: 28 – 30.
28 “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
I believe a real rest is when we are no longer trying to do ministry from the inadequate resources of our soul – doing witnessing for Jesus – but we are drawing from the limitless resources of the Holy Spirit in our born again spirit, and we are being witnesses to Jesus.
To be yoked simply means to be joined together.
1 Corinthians 6: 17
17….he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him.
How awesome is that?
The unforced rhythms of grace. It just sounds so easy, doesn’t it? Well, Jesus did say that being joined to him would be easy and light.
A real rest is living in and from rest – just like Jesus who testified that it was the Father who supplied the words and who did the works.
Themocracy