Called to Persevere

Good morning. Let's just bow our heads in prayer for a moment. Heavenly Father, we thank you for your word.

! We thank you for this series looking at Christian character.

! We pray that you would pour out your spirit upon us, that our characters would be moulded and

shaped, that we might become more like you. In your precious name. Amen.

Well, this morning, as you're all aware by now, we're continuing with our series on Christian

character. We've looked at living holy lives, showing compassion, resisting temptation,

and last week, being humble. Today, we're thinking about being called to persevere. I wonder what

comes to your minds when we think about the word persevere. The dictionary describes its meaning as

to continue in a course of action, even in the face of difficulty, or with little or no indication of

success. I wonder if some of you are persevering with something at the moment, or perhaps you can

remember a time in the past when you had to persevere. We all, at some time in our life,

we'll be called to persevere if we want to grow in our relationship with Jesus and become more like him.

In James chapter 1 verse 12, it says,

James 1:12

Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial, because having stood the test, that person will receive the

crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.

I don't know about you, but I find it quite easy to persevere when life is comfortable, and quite easy.

But it's when life is difficult that persevering becomes difficult. It's the very nature of the thing.

And as James says, it becomes a test of our faith. Are we going to keep going, or are we going to give up?

James also tells us in chapter 1 verses 2 to 4,

Consider it pure joy whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith

produces perseverance. James encourages us to allow perseverance to finish its work in us,

to achieve spiritual maturity and completeness.

I'm sure we all of us here this morning would say we want to achieve spiritual maturity,

but we don't really want to persevere.

We want life to be comfortable and easy.

We don't really want to struggle, do we?

When the title of this week's sermon was given to me,

I was praying and thinking about the word persevere,

and I was reminded of a particular time in my life when I had to persevere,

which I would like to share with you,

in the hope that it will encourage you in your relationship with Jesus,

and times in your life when you have to persevere.

I was in my 20s when I came to faith,

and I immersed myself in the life of the Anglican Church where I came to faith.

I worked during the week as a full-time personal assistant to a sales director,

which I loved doing, and I loved all aspects of church life.

I even became the Deanery Synod representative for a period of time,

which was something else.

I was very enthusiastic about my newfound faith,

wanted to share it with everyone,

and wanted to grow in my faith, or so I thought.

After approximately five years,

one evening when I was helping with the church youth group,

somebody came to speak from the Christian organization called Oasis Trust

about their work in India.

I was completely gripped.

The man mentioned the verse in James 2, verse 17,

James 2:17

which says,

Faith without action is dead.

At the end of the evening,

I wanted to put my faith into action

and go to India and work with Oasis Trust.

They had a six-month project,

working in a team in Bombay,

it's now of course called Mumbai,

and in Bangalore.

I talked to my vicar,

my parents,

and applied to the project,

and I was accepted to go to Mumbai in October 1994.

I was thrilled,

and couldn't wait to go

and put my faith into action.

Everything was great at first.

We arrived in Mumbai one afternoon.

The airport was like something I'd never experienced.

So many people.

This was crowded on a new level.

When we left the airport,

it was another new experience.

The roads,

the sounds,

the sights,

the smells,

were all overloading our senses.

It was like being in a different world.

There were 12 of us,

six in Mumbai

and six in Bangalore

with two leaders overseeing us

who were such lovely, godly,

caring people with a strong faith.

There were three of us in my team,

Simone from New Zealand,

Mariana from Holland,

and myself,

who was to be the team leader.

We arrived at our church

in the north of Mumbai,

and we met Pastor Shindi and his wife,

who we were going to be living and working with.

They told us that, sadly,

the accommodation we were to have

was no longer available,

so temporarily,

we were to stay in a small room

on the ground floor of the church building.

Our three beds just about fitted in,

but we did have an en-suite shower.

That is to say,

a tap that was high up

and a large bucket.

It was challenging,

but manageable,

and we soon settled in.

Little did we know

we would end up staying in that room

for the whole six months

as the other accommodation

never materialized.

We spent our days

planning our involvement

in the church services,

planning our time

with children's and youth work,

and visiting people

with the pastor.

We met a lot of people

who had very little materially,

but who had such a lot spiritually.

It was a very humbling time.

Our little room that we shared

soon became quite sufficient.

Once a week,

we met the rest of the team

and spent the day together,

sharing our experiences,

praying,

worshipping together,

and generally encouraging each other.

And we followed a Bible series

on faith.

I woke up one morning

after a couple of weeks

and felt completely overwhelmed.

It was baking hot.

I was sleeping badly.

Some of Simone's behavior

was inappropriate.

She was flirting

with some of the young Indian lads.

Marianne was missing

all things Dutch

and became incredibly grumpy.

And according to the pastor's wife,

who I shared with,

well, it was my problem

as I was the team leader,

and I had to sort them out soon.

I decided to go home.

It was all too much.

I have to be very honest

and say I wasn't actually homesick.

I just felt I couldn't cope

with the challenges

I was confronted with in Mumbai.

I wanted to go back

to my familiar, comfortable job

and the home that I left in England.

I rang the project leader,

Andy Matheson,

and arranged to visit him.

He and his wife,

a lovely, faith-filled, godly people

who I'm still in touch with to this day.

I was sure they would agree to my request

and we would sort a flight home.

I went to their home.

It was as though I saw them yesterday

as I recount this.

And I put my request to them.

Their response and advice

and care of me that day

has stayed with me

for the 33 years since

and influenced my ministry

in so many ways.

I've had similar conversations

with many people

throughout my Christian life.

They completely understood

me being overwhelmed.

But in a nutshell,

they said the best place

for me to be

was the place

that God wanted me to be.

and that wherever he was,

he would equip

and help me to cope.

And I needed to put my faith

and trust in him.

I realised at that moment

my faith was quite weak.

Andy and Joan prayed

and as soon as they started praying,

I knew deep in my heart

that God wanted me to stay in Mumbai.

I had to put my trust in him

and give him all my struggles

and allow him to help me.

It was a test of faith.

He was calling me to persevere.

After they prayed,

Andy and Joan asked me

what I thought God was saying.

And I said I believed

God wanted me to stay in Mumbai.

They said the same.

Of course they knew

without praying.

They were just so wonderfully God,

so spirit-filled

and God led

in the way they handled it.

And they said

they would help me stay

and support me.

And they really did.

I left them

to return to my small room

and all the challenges.

I was encouraged

by their response

and support

but still felt

completely overwhelmed

and over-challenged.

I wanted to put my faith

in action

but it was quite clear

that God wanted

to strengthen my faith.

Of course our faith

is strengthened

when we fully rely on Jesus.

Corrie Ten Boom said

you can never learn

that Christ is all you need

until Christ is all you have.

I took it day by day.

Some days I took it

hour by hour

putting my trust in God

knowing I was where

he wanted me

and asking him to help me

with each and every task.

The feelings

and desire to leave

and go home

were very strong

and the enemy

was having a field day.

Not least

when Simone

started a relationship

with the dear

pastor's son.

That was a real challenge.

The pastor's wife

really had it in for me

then

because anything

that my team did

I was responsible for.

A few days after

I met with Andy and Joan

I received a letter.

Nothing unusual about that.

We're in the time

when there weren't emails

of course.

But this particular letter

was quite different.

I didn't recognise

the handwriting.

I opened it

and it was from a woman

called Nancy Gowdy

who I had met

through a friend

just before I left

from Mumbai.

I was at the friend's house

and Nancy

came round.

I told her about

my forthcoming trip

to India

and she asked

to pray for me

and she did.

And she prayed

in a very discerning way.

It was very powerful

and it was though

we had known each other

for years.

In her letter

she said

she had continued

to pray for me

and God

had told her

to write to me

and encourage me

because I was struggling.

I couldn't believe it

that firstly

God would be bothered

to prompt Nancy

to write to me

and secondly

for Nancy's commitment

in doing just that.

What she told me

in the letter

has really stayed

with me since as well.

She said that

whatever problems

I had

and however large

they were

God was bigger

and that in my mind

I had to get

a big picture

of God

and give him

each of the problems

I was facing.

It was just

what I needed

to hear

and it really

encouraged me

to remember

God's bigness

and focus on him

and not my circumstances.

She also encouraged me

to get with God

on my own

praise

and worship him

and read my Bible.

Our reading today

was from Timothy

and is of course

part of Paul's letter

that he wrote

to Timothy

to encourage him

in his ministry.

Never underestimate

the power

of encouragement

and being obedient

to encourage those

that God

puts on our hearts.

Just as Nancy

was obedient

in writing to me

her letter

encouraged me

to persevere

and again

trusting God

and not my feelings.

So from then on

I spent more time

with God

to get a big picture

of him

in my mind.

I looked to him

more and more

and ignored

my feelings

of wanting

to go home.

I shared my faith

with the Indian people

we were ministering to

and this helped

to increase

my faith

as we saw

prayers answered

wonderfully

on a daily basis.

I also asked

God each day

to fill me

with his Holy Spirit

aware

that we are

like buckets

with holes in

as we go about

each day

his Holy Spirit

leaks out of us

so we need

to be refilled

and I learned

God has

an endless supply.

I also read

God's promises

in the Bible

which increased

my faith.

I have chosen

four verses

that I believe

God wants me

to share

with you today.

I'm going to read

them

and I'd encourage

you to really

listen to them.

You might want

to close your eyes

because I believe

there are people

here this morning

who God

specifically

wants to hear

these verses.

Joshua

Joshua 1:9

chapter 1

verse 9

Isaiah 43

Isaiah 43:2

verse 2

Acts chapter 1

Acts 1:8

verse 8

Isaiah 55

Isaiah 55:8

verse 8

for my thoughts

are not your

thoughts

neither are

your ways

my ways

declares the

Lord.

The Bible

is full

of promises

and I really

would encourage

you to make

the time

to read them

and commit

them to your

mind

and your

heart.

I don't

think it's a

decision

in you

deciding to

do that

if you

went home

today

and started

reading God's

promises

it's probably

the best thing

that you can

do in your

relationship

with Jesus.

You won't

regret it.

If you want

to argue

with me

about that

please do

see me

after the

service.

I'm happy

to discuss

it further.

Gradually

the desire

to leave

India

decreased

and I can

remember

waking up

one morning

again it

I can

picture it

so well

and I

felt a

new person.

The anxiety

and stress

of being

overwhelmed

had disappeared

the desire

to leave

had gone

and Simone

had ended

her relationship

with the

pastor's son

and was all

out for Jesus.

What an answer

to prayer

that was.

I had a

fresh peace

and joy

like I had

never known

and God's

presence

was just

so tangible.

I wanted

to praise

and worship

God out

loud.

I didn't

because I

was sensitive

to my team

and I knew

singing was

not my

top gift.

I felt

so full

of the

spirit

and so

thankful

to God

for his

faithfulness

and love

and I

was so

pleased

that he

helped me

to persevere

and to

stay.

I didn't

know

at that

time

but 33

years later

I can see

that God

did a

powerful work

in me

in India

and in

helping me

to stay.

There were

many times

in my life

afterwards

in going

to Bible

college

being ordained

in the Church

of England

having a

curacy

in Gloucester

and my job

as a team

vicar

that I

know

God

called me

to all

of those

things

but sometimes

I wanted

to leave

but being

obedient

to him

and persevering

in what he

called me

to do

always

won the

day.

That time

in Mumbai

laid the

foundation

for me

to put

God's

will

above

my

feelings.

I would

always

encourage

you

to do

the same.

Be

obedient

to God's

call

give him

your best

and he

will do

the rest.

Just before

the end

of my

time in

India

the six

months

Andy

Matheson

asked to

meet

with me

and again

I remember

the meeting

as if it

happened

yesterday.

It was a

divine meeting.

He basically

asked me

to come back

to India

to be the

secretary

to the

director

of Oasis

India

in

Bangalore.

I was

thrilled

to be

asked

after all

that had

happened.

We both

and my

church

family

back in

England

agreed

that God

was calling

me to

do this

and so

when the

six months

was completed

I returned

home

and raised

money

to return

to India

for 12

months.

I was

and am

to this

day

so thankful

to God

for calling

me to

India

and for

helping me

to stay

there.

I'm

thankful

to Andy

and Joan

for their

wise counsel

and support

of me

and thankful

to Nancy

for her

wonderful

encouraging

letter.

They all

helped me

to get

with God

on my

own

and build

my personal

relationship

with him

which in

turn

helped me

to persevere

in staying.

It strengthened

my faith

enormously

and enabled

me to be

obedient to

him.

I want

to close

with some

questions for

you to

consider

to perhaps

pray through

and reflect

on.

Firstly

where in

your life

is God

calling you

to persevere?

Now

is the

time to

spend more

time with

God

asking him

to fill

you with

his spirit

to strengthen

and equip

you to

persevere?

Do you

need to

read your

Bible more

to be

reminded of

God's

faithfulness

and promises?

If so

when are you

going to

make the

time to

do that?

Secondly

is there

someone you

know who

is struggling

with perseverance

at the moment

who you can

encourage with

a letter

with a text

a phone

call

an email

or even

a visit?

Who is

God calling

you to

encourage to

persevere at

this time?

Just as Paul

encouraged Timothy

with his letter

and Nancy

encouraged me

with hers.

let's just

have a

moment's

quiet as

we think

about these

questions

and

everything

else

that I've

shared

this morning

and then

I will

close in

prayer.

I will

Heavenly Father, when life gets tough and you call us to persevere,

help us to remember that we are not alone.

You are with us and your love surrounds us.

May we also remember that your Holy Spirit strengthens and upholds us

and your promises will never fail.

Help us to be obedient to your call on our lives and allow you to strengthen our faith.

Please help us to be an encouragement to others who are struggling to persevere.

May we encourage them to put their faith in you and be obedient to you.

We ask all these things in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour. Amen.