Mark Saundercock
Rediscovering Your Mojo
‘Mojo is defined as good luck, charm or skill that seems to come from something magical or supernatural.’
Remember when you first met Jesus? The sense of wonder, the awe, the WOW!
I remember when I did. I was standing in a large hall in Christchurch, New Zealand. Frank Houston, Pastor Brian Houston’s father, had just finished preaching and had an altar call for people to respond and come forward to get saved. As I stood at the back watching hundreds of people streaming to the front, I got a burning sensation that started in my stomach and started moving north. ‘What the…’ I thought as the sensation moved up through my chest and finally reached the top of my head, almost blowing it to smithereens like a scene out of the 70’s movie ‘Scanners’. Kaboom! [My wife Kerry will tell you that I’ve been having brain explosions ever since.]
God was letting me know that He was real and that I needed to get on Mary Murphy’s ‘Hot Tamale Train’.
And get on it I did! It’s been fun. It’s been challenging. It’s had its ups and its downs but I’m still on board.
Are you?
There’s a lot of stations that you can get off if you’d like to.
You get on at King’s Cross [literally] but to get to your final destination you have to pass through
Disappointment Station.
Dysfunction Junction. [I was raised there] and
Disillusion City…to name a few.
However you need to stay on board for the duration!
I’ve been lecturing in C3 College and too many former students have disembarked. Hopefully they will get back on, and soon!
For those of us who remain on board,
HOW ARE YOU TRAVELLING?
Are you just hanging in there?
Are you travelling Coach or are you in First Class?
How’s your attitude?
Have you still got that sense of excitement?
The glint in your eye?
In the words of that great theologian Dr Austin Powers,
‘Your MOJO Baby yeah!’
The Church at Ephesus were still on board but they had lost their Mojo, their
FIRST LOVE.
In Revelation 2:2-3 Jesus lists their accomplishments, their hard work, their perseverance, the purity of their lifestyle and doctrine.
But being correct and still on the Train were not good enough.
When the expert in the law asked Jesus which was the greatest commandment in the law, Jesus replied:
‘”Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ’Love your neighbour as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.’ [Matthew 22:36-40]
Back to the Church at Ephesus. Jesus tells them that, while they were getting some of the details right they had missed the core of Christianity [and as Stephen Covey tells us, ‘The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing.’]
Jesus tells them that in spite of their stoicism and their correctness, ‘I have this against you: you have forsaken your first love.’
And that what is what changes the water into wine and gets you back on
(Skip to half way)
THE HOT TAMALE TRAIN.
You fall in love with Jesus all over again!
It’s not a chore, it’s not simply duty and commitment. You become like Jacob, who although had to work for seven years to marry Rachel, ‘… they seemed like only a few days to him because of his LOVE for her.’ [Genesis 29:20]
And when you rediscover that first love you get your groove back, you rediscover your MOJO.
Jesus give the Ephesians 3 ways to hop back on board
Remember
Repent
Restore. [Revelation 2:5]
And then the MOJO, the wonder, the fun, the passion is back…
You’re back!