Holiday Past

It's Saturday, and the holiday week is almost over. The kids are back, and I'm facing the typical, penny-pinching January. It's been a great week off. I removed my kitchen cabinets (again), rewired and rocked three walls, installed the cabinets with new counter tops and new light fixtures, and new paint and extras (thanks to Sandie Runyon) in the kitchen and bathroom.

It really looks good. I can say this not because of the craftsmanship, but because anything was an improvement. You see, for the past six months or so, we've been without all our counter tops, operating with one bare bulb hanging form the ceiling, exposed plumbing and electrical in the walls, etc. It does save on groceries when the kids don't want to go in the kitchen, but I don't recommend the strategy.

The week was good inspite the messy house, the kids being gone, failing to supply constant power to the fridge, and battling my first case of pink-eye (There's a story in and of itself).

I noticed my eye was real red, so I asked my medical-sauve friend, Oleta, "What's up with my eye?" She immediately diagnosed it as Pink-eye. So I got online to see what kind of home remedies I could find. The results were encouraging and yet...equally disturbing: sleeping with wet tea bags on your eyes, rinse eyes with peroxide, rubbing alcohol, breast milk, or even seminal fluid. Most reported substantial progress overnight. It seemed like this would be a simple challenge. Granted, the only one I tried was the tea bags, but there was no real benefit. After a day or two, I found myself at the pharmacy purchasing antibiotics.

Anyway, My eyes are much better and the house looks good...to us, and if I may add a spiritual insight to all this, I have this chronological Bible I like to read. It gives suggested readings for each day of the year, and while the rest of Christendom is looking to the Gospels for the Christmas story, this week, the chronological Bible simply sees it as the end of the year, and therefore, the suggested reading is in Revelation, about the end times. Today, I read about the woman who gives birth and how the elders around the throne tell God that the time has come to begin His reign on earth (Rev. 12&13). What a cool parallel to the Christmas season!

eace on earth

So Heidi and Kendra were having it out the other night (half playing; half venting). Heidi came to the kitchen at one point to complain about Kendra not doing her share of the work. I pointed out that if she was in there with me she wasn't working either. Heidi, in a weak defence and a half smile, declared, "I am working...my... finger."

Due to age and personality, Heidi tends to be quicker to the draw in a word exchange, or else she can at least smother the competition in word volume. Kendra happened to be unusually vocal this particular night (yes, it happens, believe me). She tried for a bit to put Heidi in her place, but the only line that I really caught was how she articulated her final point in a ...Christian context...she tried to make it understandable.

She yelled, "NIV version -'SHUT UP!'"

Well, I guess I've taught them one important thing; the translation you use affects the understanding and the impact.

Get'n emo about Christmas

We're "having Christmas" in the morning...Oh, wait, it is morning. We're having Christmas in a few hours, and I just put the presents around the tree. It's beautiful.

I need to take a moment and give God and His servants some props. You see, those gifts really are gifts. I didn't buy them. They were given to us. Money is tight this year, with me in school, and I had to leave Christmas in God's hands (boy that sounds shallow; as if it wasn't before).

Anyway, around Thanksgiving, someone gave me a check to shop for the kids. I'm not a shopper, so I passed it on to some friends, who bought presents for each of the kids. They even wrapped them for me.

Then, I got a call the other day from another friend. He had a bunch of gifts for the Menefees from an anonymous donor. My pride wanted to say no, but they were already purchased, wrapped, and labeled for each of the kids.

It's all just so beautiful, the big bows and gift bags...and the love of family and friends that they represent.

We are so blessed...God is so good. I just went outside, and it's snowing! Can it get any better.

Merry Christmas, everybody!

We all have to manage our resources

Heidi was invited to the mall. I explained that it was going to have to be a spectator sport because I was not going to give her any money. Her face dropped; she took it well. Then, see lit up again, "I found a tooth in my back pack!"

The phases of life are clear; it's the transitions that get blurred.

Found it and looking for more

So I sent out this email to family and friends asking them to pray for the summer trip. I've been collecting the responses, so that I can keep those people informed. I also intend to pray for those supporters in return. It's so encouraging to get emails from people saying that they are prayer for you (even if it is per your request).

One response has really been echoing in my head. It was from a wise and articulate friend from high school. She said, "I hope and pray you find what you're looking for in life." (!?) What I'm looking for!? My thoughts went, "I'm studying missions because I already found something, and I want to share it." Then, I had to check myself. I am still looking; I haven�t arrived, yet. Yes, I have purpose and direction, but the more I travel down the road, the farther, I realize, there is to travel. The more I learn, the more I find I don't know. This is not a depressing fact, but it's a truth that inspires me and drives me. The adventure of learning (about myself, God, others, the world, faith, history, etc.) brings so much color and sound to the adventure of life that, once you taste it, you start looking for more. I'm a truth addict. Give me another hit.

I, too, hope I find what I'm looking for, but I won't settle for anything until I'm with Christ.

Skipping Church

Kendra got sick last night, so I'm home on a Sunday morning. It's weird.

Keen and I put up the tree this week. It's the same 7 foot tree we've always had. As we were working on it, we realized that he's 9 and it's older than him. It still looks pretty good though.

But we haven�t put the ordainments on yet. We've been waiting until for an evening when all four of us are here at the same time. That�s been rare lately. They've opened and rummaged through all the tubs of stuff, so the living room looks like Christmas exploded. Things like this used to stress me out, but I'm cool. In fact, a lot of things pertaining to order and control used to stress me out, but even though many would think my life is crazy and a mess, the thought that keeps coming to mind this week is, "life is perfect."

I'm still not comfortable saying that out loud, because I don't want my contentment to be based on emotion or circumstances, but rather from faith and proper perspective. As I gain an eternal perspective and study other cultures, I realize that so many of the things that used to bother me are petty and isolated.

Planning

There been some rumors going around that the Menefees are moving back to KY, and I'm sorry to disappoint you, but it looks like we're going to be staying in KS for several more years.

It's my fault the rumor got out. I've been weighing a number of options over the past few months. I was thinking about moving back and going to Asbury College and Seminary, but this is the latest plan.

I hope to:

• Finish my Associates Degree in Missions (KCCBS) this spring ('08)
• Take an internship to Asia this Summer ('08)
• Complete my Bachelors in Management and Human Relations (MNU's evening classes one night a week) the following spring ('09)
• Then, on to Master of Arts in Intercultural Studies (NTS, and God only knows how long that will take).

I don't have all the details, and not everyone agrees with me. But I'm okay with that. I feel like I'm going in the direction God wants, and I would be wrong to do anything different. I don't mind that the goal is unclear.

I used to have no desire to go to seminary. One of my excuses was that I would spend years learning to separate myself from the world when I could be working a secular job and reaching the lost without a lofty education. But a friend said something the other day that killed that excuse. He was quoting someone that said if he knew Christ was coming back in ten years, he would spend the first five years training to make the last five profoundly more productive.

There you have it.

Well, there you go. That's the last is the last of the sermon manuscripts from Dr. Wood's Homiletics class. I'm so glad that's over.

It was a very healthy experience for me, I must say, and I would encourage others to take a preaching class, whether or not that is your gift and calling. It helps with Bible study, communication skills, and how you hear other sermons. It will change you.

II Timothy 1:8-18 - If your life is fully submitted to God, you don�t need to be ashamed.

II Timothy 1:8-18

Thesis: If your life is fully submitted to God, you don�t need to be ashamed.

This is my last scheduled chapel. Before I get into the text, I feel like I should address an issue and explain my observation. I�m not scolding or judging you, but How many of you have your Bible with you? How many have a pen?

I want to take a moment and give you some instructions. You see there�s a difference between preaching and teaching. I was asked to preach in chapel. But I don�t consider myself to be a preacher, a teacher maybe, so from that light let me teach you something about preaching.

I used to think that perhaps preaching was antiquated, you know, out of date. I thought, perhaps it was an oral custom that became popular in a time when the majority of the population was illiterate and needed someone to read and explain the scriptures to them.

But now we live in the information age, where we�re accustom to a movie screen that changes every seven seconds. There are thousands of books and videos on doctrine, application and spiritual growth.

Why and how do we expect people to come, sit and attentively listen to one person stand and speak for 20-60 minutes? Wouldn�t it make more sense for us to just have worship and pray and perhaps watch a spiritually, motivational video and share some recommended readings?

I was wrong. In I Timothy, when Paul talked about Timothy�s spiritual gift he mentioned preaching, and I don�t think spiritual gifts are limited by time. They are timeless.

Preaching the Word is a timeless command from God, but the distinction I want to make here is the difference between preaching and teaching. I�m a little slow , so this has taken quite a while to surface. But this is what I�ve concluded thus far.

Teaching is a person explaining his or her thoughts.

Preaching is God explaining His thoughts through a person.

Which do you think is more important to take notes on, the thoughts of a man or the thoughts of God? You take notes in class because you want to remember the important stuff. Well, what could be more important than the Word of God spoken directly to you.

(pass out pens)(fold paper twice)

I want to challenge you to never go to church or chapel without a pen for notes and life�s text book.

Now, as far as the tendency to go to sleep, if anyone can relate to you that would be me. I have a sleeping disorder called narcolepsy. It�s like the opposite of insomnia. I can go to sleep just about anytime, anywhere and often involuntarily. Friends from the past used to refer to me as �Nark-boy.� So I�m not passing judgment on you for that, but the voice of experience is telling you that a pen and paper can help keep you awake.

The speaker will usually have a main idea and at least three points to back it up. See if you can figure out what those are, and more importantly, write down any interesting ideas that stand out to you and figure out what thoughts God might have for you specifically.

With all that bit of teaching out of the way, let�s see if we can get to some preaching.

We�re looking at II Timothy.

Shhh� We�re listening for Bible pages turning.

I found II Timothy to be a sad book. Paul seems to be really hurting, not just physically, but emotionally. He�s been abandoned by many people he thought were friends.

Now, frankly, Paul used to annoy me, how he seems to brag about his sufferings, and accomplishments, and it seems that anyone who opposes him has turned to Satan.

�No wonder you don�t have friends, Paul.�

But I have to understand that his seemingly offensive personality has to be filtered through the difference in cultures and my own worldview.

Paul was a self-sacrificing servant, simply trying to do the lord�s work, and his friends were ashamed of him.

As I read the second half of the first chapter, I want you to listen for references to being ashamed.

2 Timothy 1:8-18 (New International Version)

8So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord, or ashamed of me his prisoner. But join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God, 9who has saved us and called us to a holy life�not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, 10but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. 11And of this gospel I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher. 12That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet I am not ashamed, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day.

13What you heard from me, keep as the pattern of sound teaching, with faith and love in Christ Jesus. 14Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you�guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us.

15You know that everyone in the province of Asia has deserted me, including Phygelus and Hermogenes.

16May the Lord show mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, because he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chains. 17On the contrary, when he was in Rome, he searched hard for me until he found me. 18May the Lord grant that he will find mercy from the Lord on that day! You know very well in how many ways he helped me in Ephesus.

Do you hear his loneliness and hurting? If you flip a couple pages over to the end of the book, he talks about this person deserted me; this one left; and this one� It�s like he�s writing to Timothy to say don�t be ashamed of me or our message.

Shame defuses power and effectiveness. God wants us to be humble, but not ashamed of ourselves. We�ll get into that in a little bit. But, if your life is fully submitted to God, you don�t need to be ashamed. And there are particularly three things that you shouldn�t be ashamed of:

your friends,

your faith, and

yourself.

Now, when I was putting this together, I typed up a quick rough draft of my outline, and I handed it to Dr. Woods. I moment later, I noticed the room was awkwardly quiet, and I looked over and he was staring at the wall behind me, with his mouth open. For those of you who don�t know how to read doctorate-level body language, that either means you did something profoundly insightful or total heresy. As is my tendency, I struck on the latter.

He read, �When you give everything to God, you have nothing left to be ashamed of. Such as: friends, faith, and self. You�ll have no friends and no faith and so on.�

Friends

So let me clarify. Surrendering everything to God does not mean giving up your friends. I would hope that, as you mature and grow, all your relationships will mature and grow. They should get deeper.

(Lollipop story)

I want to tell you the story of the giant lollypop. You see I have this friend; her name is Sharron. She�s the worship and arts pastor at my church. And you see, at my church I am considered a conservative, and she would probably be accused of being a liberal Christian. I really enjoying spending time with her because she sees things from such a different perspective than I do, and often she exposes flaws in my thinking. And the giant lollypop tragedy did just that.

She was given this giant lollypop. And she kept it in her office, which is just off the sanctuary and usually unlocked. One day she found me upstairs and she was holding her lollypop, still in the clear plastic wrapper but broken into a bunch of pieces. This was before church, and there weren�t many kids there yet, so it was likely that my kids knew something about it. She wasn�t upset about the lollypop; she was upset that someone didn�t care enough to apologize. I tracked down the kids, and all the stories lead to one mischievous second grade boy. Evidently, several of them were in her office and found the lollypop in plane sight. His comment was, �I wonder what will happen if I dropped it.� When it hit the floor, everyone scattered. I explained it to Sharon, and I encouraged the boy to apologize. Sharon warmly accepted his humble apology, but noticed that he was still upset about something. She asked, �What�s wrong? I forgive you.� He said, �Nobody wants to be my friend anymore.�

When Sharon told me about it, I was like, �Trouble tends to follow him, and there�s guilt by association. So I�m glad my kids are smart enough to stay away.�

Well, this lit the fire in Sharon�s compassionate heart, and she racked me over the coals.

Christ became like the lost in order to save the lost. How are we going to reach the world unless we�re willing to get our hands dirty and associate with them?

Paul had so-called friends that were abandoning him when he needed them the most. Don�t ever be a so-called friend. As a Christian, you should always be a faithful friend, especially to those that are dangerous or hard to love.

If you�re ashamed to be associated with someone, you either have the wrong motives or a self-absorbed heart.

Faith

As far as being ashamed of your faith, Paul is not the fist to warn against this.

Can I get a volunteer to read?

Mark 8:38

38If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father's glory with the holy angels."

Now this same quote is found in Luke, but because Mark is so short and simple, I like to give him some credit when he competes with the big gospel books. Anyway, this was important enough to be mentioned twice, and Paul says it a couple more times.

Can I get another volunteer?

Romans 1:16

16I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.

Yesterday, I met this guy at church that was a first-time visitor. I made an obvious effort at small talk. I sat with him before the service and tried to make it clear that he was welcome and I was glad he came.

I used to be apprehensive about coming across too strong or appearing as though I have an agenda. But you know, I do have an agenda. I want people to come to church and hear the gospel, and if necessary, I�ll tell them myself.

God loves you, He suffered for you, and he wants you to love Him back and share that love with others.

I�m not ashamed of that agenda.

8So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord, or ashamed of me his prisoner.

But join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God, 9who has saved us and called us to a holy life�

Self

A holy life is a life surrendered to God, and surrendered does not mean defeated. Being ashamed makes you defeated. Being surrendered makes you more than a conqueror.

If you are ashamed of yourself, how can you lead others to Christ. Being humble and being ashamed are not the same things. We can be ashamed of who we used to be, used to be being even two minutes ago, and we can be a humble servant, but you should live with confidence knowing that your strength and value comes from God, not your past and any talents you may or may not have.

Sharon once said, �I�m good, I know.� And it wasn�t like a bragging, �yah, I�m good, uhuh, You know that�s right.� It was just a matter of fact.

And I looked at her as if, �That was rather bold of you.�

And she explained that we should acknowledge our talents and use them as much as we can provided we keep in mind where the source of our talents is. Give God the credit, and be bold in service.

I have another friend that has made some stupid mistakes, and she continues to trip over herself because she lives in the regrets of the past. She basis her self-worth on the past and not on the present love God has for her.

It�s new every morning. Better yet, I see it as new every minute.

12That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet I am not ashamed, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able

Andrew Murray once said, �God is ready to assume full responsibility for the life wholly yielded to Him.�

So remember, If your life is fully submitted to God, you don�t need to be ashamed.

Not of your friends;

not of your faith; and

not of yourself.

Christ has taken away all guilt and shame, so that you can live confident and free in His grace and power.

2 Timothy 1 - Always remember what God has given you. (thanksgiving)

2 Timothy 1

Thesis: Always remember what God has given you.

Thanksgiving is coming up. The time when we stop and consider our many blessings.

Did you know that the first American Thanksgiving was not a feast, and it wasn�t where a group of Pilgrims met with a group of friendly Indians, and it wasn�t in 1621 like we normally think. The first recorded thanksgiving took place in Virginia more than 11 years earlier. The winter of 1610. Jamestown had gone from a group of 409 settlers down to 60. The survivors prayed for help, without knowing when or how it might come. When help arrived, in the form of a ship filled with food and supplies from England, a prayer meeting was held to give thanks to God.

Today in the Word, July, 1990, p. 22.

That was one of the first American thanksgivings, a real thanksgiving marked by prayer.

God doesn�t just want our thanksgiving, He expects it. In the Old Testament He established the sacrifice of thanksgiving.

And in the New Testament, Luke 17 gives a glimpse into Jesus� thoughts on the matter.

Luke 17:11

11Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. 12As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy^[a]met him. They stood at a distance 13and called out in a loud voice, "Jesus, Master, have pity on us!"

14When he saw them, he said, "Go, show yourselves to the priests." And as they went, they were cleansed.

15One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. 16He threw himself at Jesus' feet and thanked him�and he was a Samaritan.

17Jesus asked, "Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? 18Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?"

It�s like He expected more.

So why did only one cleansed leper return to thank Jesus?

They might have all had their own different excuses.

Perhaps the second one waited to see if the cure was real.

Another waited to see if it would last.

Another said he would see Jesus again sometime later and settle up then.

Another said he would have gotten well anyway.

Another gave the glory to the priests.

Another said, "O, well, Jesus didn't really do anything."

Another said, "Any rabbi could have done it."

Another said, "I was already getting better before Jesus showed up."

Another decided that he had never really had leprosy.

Charles L. Brown, Content The Newsletter, June, 1990, p. 3.

We don�t know, but we do know that we fail to go back and give credit where credit is due.

The truth is, we cheat God out of so much praise. Always remember what God has given you.

I read a story recently about an author and teacher by the name of H.A. Ironside. He was in a crowded restaurant, and just as He was about to begin his meal, a man approached and asked if he could join him. Ironside invited him to have a seat. Then, as was his custom, he bowed his head in prayer. When he opened his eyes, the other man asked, "Do you have a headache?" Ironside replied, "No, I don't." The other man asked, "Well, is there something wrong with your food?" Ironside replied, "No, I was simply thanking God as I always do before I eat."

The man said, "Oh, you're one of those, are you? Well, I want you to know I never give thanks. I earn my money by the sweat of my brow and I don't have to give thanks to anybody when I eat. I just start right in!"

Ironside said, "Yes, you're just like my dog. That's what he does too!"

Ray Stedman, Folk Psalms of Faith.

When we stop and consider our many blessings. It requires us to consider who gave us what we have, and how we got where we are.

I, for one , am thankful, but I don�t like looking back. I�m getting better. But we all have memories that hurt, that we wish we could forget. There are times or even just moments that we wish had never happened.

Here�s an entry from my personal journal from some years past that maybe some of you can relate to.

(Journal)

About a year ago, I was talking to my cousin, and she made a comment about once when she came to KC for a couple weeks to take care of my kids for me. I didn�t know what she was talking about. She was like, �Don�t you remember, about 5 years ago, when I helped you?�

The fact is, there are a lot of things I don�t remember from that time of my life. I was so consumed with my own hurt and survival that I failed to note the sacrifices made and the gifts given by those around me.

Remembering helps us to be thankful.

We finished I Timothy last week, so Today we are starting II Timothy. And I�m just looking at the first seven verses here. And I want you to notice all the references to remembering.

Here we go, II Timothy 1:1-7

1Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, according to the promise of life that is in Christ Jesus,

2To Timothy, my dear son:
Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.

3I thank God, whom I serve, as my forefathers did, with a clear conscience, as night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers. 4Recalling your tears, I long to see you, so that I may be filled with joy. 5I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also. 6For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. 7For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.

Paul is remembering his forefathers and thanking God as they did. He is remembering Timothy and his tears, and he�s remembering to pray for him.

But there are three things here that he is reminding Timothy to remember. He wants him to remember the molding of his faith, He wants him to remember the gift he has been given, and He wants him to remember the spirit that should drive him.

(The Molding of His Faith)

Let�s look at the how his faith was molded.

5I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also.

Timothy had Lois, Eunice and Paul to learn from. If you have a Christian heritage, you are blessed.

In our American culture, we are taught to have independent thinking, be an individual, find yourself and your own way. That�s all fine and good, but don�t throw away the wealth of life experience and wisdom your family has to offer.

If I want to reach the roof of the dorm, I need the whole ladder. I can�t throw away the bottom half of the extension ladder. Build off of the tools God has given you.

And one of the greatest tools you have, whether you like it or not is your heritage. Learn from their successes and failures, and seek their wisdom with a humble heart.

Now some of you my not have a Christian heritage, but if you have accepted Christ as your savior, you have been adopted into His family. This (the Bible) is now your heritage and this (the congregation) is some of your family.

Let�s look at the next thing Timothy was to remember.

The Gift He had been Given

Timothy�s gift, as we mentioned a couple weeks ago, was public reading of Scripture, preaching and teaching.

Whatever yours is, remember that spiritual gifts are intended to produce spiritual service and to operate externally.

I Corinthians 12:12 says,

12The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ.

God has put you right here right now for a reason. You are a part of this body, and if you aren�t using your gift to bless others, the body is incomplete, handicapped.

Several years ago, two students graduated from the Chicago-Kent College of Law. The highest ranking student in the class was a blind man named Overton and, when he received his honor, he insisted that half the credit should go to his friend, Kaspryzak. They had met in school, when the armless Mr. Kaspryzak had guided the blind Mr. Overton down a flight of stairs. This acquaintance ripened into friendship and a beautiful example of interdependence. The blind man carried the books which the armless man read aloud in their common study, and thus the individual deficiency of each was compensated for by the other.

Gary Inrig, Life in His Body.

Paul says

6For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God,

Remember your gift, and use it.

So how do we fan into flame the gift of God?

(The Spirit that should Drive Him)

We must remember the spirit that drives us.

7For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.

History shows us that Hugh Lattimer was not a timid preacher. Once after he preached before King Henry VIII. Henry was greatly displeased by the boldness in the sermon and ordered Lattimer to preach again on the following Sunday and apologize for the offence he had given. The next Sunday, after reading his text, Lattimer began his sermon: "Hugh Lattimer, dost thou know before whom thou are this day to speak? To the high and mighty monarch, the king's most excellent majesty, who can take away thy life, if thou offendest. Therefore, take heed that thou speakest not a word that may displease. But then consider well, Hugh, dost thou not know from whence thou comest--upon Whose message thou are sent? Even by the great and mighty God, Who is all-present and Who beholdeth all thy ways and Who is able to cast thy soul into hell! Therefore, take care that thou deliverest thy message faithfully." He then preached the same sermon he had preached the preceeding Sunday--and with considerably more energy.

M. Cocoris, Evangelism, A Biblical Approach, Moody, 1984, p. 126.

Now, upon further research I found that Lattimer was burned at the stake, but he was also remembered for this great quote on the day of his execution,

�We shall this day light such a candle, by God�s grace�I trust will never be put out.�

Fan into flame your gift with a spirit of power and love.

So, speaking of power, I want to share with you another story about a new missionary, Herbert Jackson. He was assigned a car that would not start without a push.

After pondering his problem, he devised a plan. He went to the school near his home, got permission to take some children out of class, and had them push his car off. As he made his rounds, he would either park on a hill or leave the engine running. He used this ingenious procedure for two years. The Jackson family was later forced to relocate, and a new missionary came to that station. When Jackson proudly began to explain his arrangement for getting the car started, the new man began looking under the hood. Before the explanation was complete, the new missionary interrupted, "Why, Dr. Jackson, I believe the only trouble is this loose cable." He gave the cable a twist, stepped into the car, and to Jackson's astonishment, started it right up.

For two years needless trouble had become routine. The power was there all the time. Only a loose connection kept Jackson from putting that power to work.

If you want the Spirit of power, fix any loose connection in the cable of prayer.

So, I want to encourage you, not just in the thanksgiving season, but always, everyday, remember what God has given you.

Sometimes we need to stop along life's road and look back (refer to journal), and see how God directed us by His faithfulness, even when it might have been winding and steep.

Now, I understand that for some of you, it�s been a short trip; you�re only a teenager. Perhaps, not a lot has happened; You haven�t gotten very far. But your life and the molding of your faith didn�t start at your birth or even nine months before. It goes all the way back to the beginning of time. We can look beyond our lives and that of our parents and see God at work

The deliverances the Lord gave (Deut. 5:15).

The way He led (Deut. 8:2)

The blessings He bestowed (Deut. 32:7-12).

The victories He won (Deut. ll:2-7).

The encouragements He has given (Josh. 23:14).

When we face difficulties, we sometimes forget God's past faithfulness. We see only the detours and the dangerous path and our own hurt. But look back and you will also see the joy of victory, the challenge of the climb, and the presence of your traveling Companion who has promised never to leave you nor forsake you.

So, my challenge to you is this.

Learn from others� past successes and failures, and seek wisdom with a humble heart.

Put your gift to use right here right now to make the body complete.

Fix any loose connection through a strong prayer life.

Always remember what God has given you, and fan it into a flame that can never be put out.

IIII II

Leftover notes:

The African impala can jump to a height of over 10 feet and cover a distance of greater than 30 feet. Yet these magnificent creatures can be kept in an enclosure in any zoo with a 3-foot wall. The animals will not jump if they cannot see where their feet will fall. Faith is the ability to trust what we cannot see, and with faith we are freed from the flimsy enclosures of life that only fear allows to entrap us.

John Emmons.

Improving one's memory is not all that difficult. Most of us simply don't expend the time or effort required. "The true art of memory," wrote an English historian, "is the art of attention." We can improve our memories by simply putting our minds to it and by following a few simple rules: 1) Remember to remember. Telling yourself that you want to remember this or that fact and concentrating on it will improve your memory immediately. We remember what we WANT to remember. 2) Sharpen your observation. Pay close attention to what you see and hear. Use images. Shut your eyes and try to SEE it. Notice details. really LOOK at things. Few people actually do. 3) Practice recall. Forgetting is most rapid soon after learning. It helps, therefore, to make a deliberate effort to repeat and review immediately. Repetition will help fix the fact or image in our minds. 4) Concentrate. Eliminate distractions. The mind is at its best when it is centered on one thing at a time. Avoid such things as fatigue, noise, and competing visual images during the time you are trying to learn.

Bits and Pieces, October, 1989, p. 8.

A wise lover values not so much the gift of the lover as the love of the giver.

Thomas A Kempis.

But we also need to keep proper perspective on the road ahead. If our rearview mirror is the size of our windshield, we�re going to crash.

The Detroit News carried a humorous little story about Bill Cosby's aged mother that illustrates how useless gifts are unless they are used. She had been raised in poverty, and the family had very little money as Bill was growing up. As a result, she never had modern conveniences and had gotten accustomed to doing things the hard way. When the children were old enough to get jobs, they often gave their mother appliances as Christmas gifts to make her life easier. But she wouldn't use them. Bill especially remembered that after a while his mother had two or three toasters. But she left them in their boxes and put them on top of the refrigerator. At breakfast she would still do the toast in the oven. If the boys protested, she would say, "Leave them on the refrigerator. I'm used to doing it the old way."

Daily Bread, March 4, 1990.

remember walking to church one winter evening to preach on the words, "He will glorify me" (John 16:14), seeing the building floodlit as I turned a corner, and realizing that this was exactly the illustration my message needed. When floodlighting is well done, the floodlights are placed so that you do not see them; in fact, you are not supposed to see where the light is coming from; what you are meant to see is just the building on which the floodlights are trained. The intended effect is to make it visible when otherwise it would not be seen for the darkness, and to maximize its dignity by throwing all its details into relief so that you can see it properly. This perfectly illustrated the Spirit's new covenant role. He is, so to speak, the hidden floodlight shining on the Savior.

(author unknown)

I Timothy 6 - God wants you to build more than a sandcastle.

I Timothy 6

Thesis: God wants you to build more than a sandcastle.

I was reminded this week of a trip I took to Cancun once. I assume you have all visited a beach, or at least played in a sand box as a kid, and built a sandcastle.

Well, one day we were playing on the beach, and of course, we decided to build a sand castle. So I found this big rock that was well up on the beach, and I built my castle off the back of it, away from the ocean to keep it safe from the tide. It was a typical castle with a mote and a wall and such. But as evening approached, so did the tide. The waves would roll in and slid out, roll in and slid out, each time a little closer to my rock, and my castle, like it was teasing me saying, �It�s only a mater of time.� With rhythm like a clock pendulum, it got closer and closer. Eventually, it reached the rock. And then, I stood back to watch it fill my mote and washout my castle.

There�s something about sand that makes us want to build and shape it. I wonder if that is part of God�s image showing in us, the artist, the creator. I think God likes it when we work with our hands and make beautiful things.

I heard a story once about a rich man who desperately loved a woman, who desperately loved chocolate. So He made her a beautiful castle all out of chocolate. You can probably guess how the story ended. The sun came out, melted the castle and all was lost.

There are a lot of things in life that we invest time, energy, and recourses in to, and they just don�t last.

We fix our cars up and they break down or rust out. We buy the latest tecky gadget or CD and in a few weeks it�s outdated or out of style. We save up a bunch of money and in a moment of weakness or crisis, it�s all gone. Everything physical that we base our hope and happiness on in this world is like a sandcastle, that will eventually be washed away. But God wants you to build more than a sandcastle.

Today, we�re looking at the last chapter of I Timothy. Here, Paul is giving Timothy some final thoughts and advice about greed vs. contentment. This is an especially appropriate topic as we enter into the greediest and most generous time of the year, the Christmas season.

Let�s take a look, I Timothy 6, starting with verse 3.

3If anyone teaches false doctrines and does not agree to the sound instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ and to godly teaching, 4he is conceited and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy interest in controversies and quarrels about words that result in envy, strife, malicious talk, evil suspicions 5and constant friction between men of corrupt mind, who have been robbed of the truth and who think that godliness is a means to financial gain.

6But godliness with contentment is great gain. 7For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. 8But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. 9People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. 10For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

Paul's Charge to Timothy

11But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. 12Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses. 13In the sight of God, who gives life to everything, and of Christ Jesus, who while testifying before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, I charge you 14to keep this command without spot or blame until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15which God will bring about in his own time�God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords, 16who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see. To him be honor and might forever. Amen.

17Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. 18Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. 19In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.

20Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to your care. Turn away from godless chatter and the opposing ideas of what is falsely called knowledge, 21which some have professed and in so doing have wandered from the faith.
Grace be with you.

Money poses a strange paradox. On one hand, it�s highly dangerous and can destroy families, lives and reputations and on the other hand, we must have it to function in this world.

Jesus dealt a lot with money matters because money matters. For some of us, though, it matters too much. How we handle money reveals a lot about the depth of our commitment to Christ and our faith. That's why Jesus talked a lot about money. One-sixth of the gospels, including one out of every three parables, touches on stewardship.

Our Daily Bread, August 26, 1993.

Now, I understand that most of us in this room are not managing huge incomes, and some of you may not even have an income yet, but this still applies to you.

I don�t know how many of you are familiar with the Dave Ramsey teachings. He�s a popular Christian financial advisor. Well, my dad was telling me about how my brother and his wife were getting help through the Dave Ramsey program, and Dave Ramsey this, and Dave Ramsey that, Whoohoo. Well, in my typical flawed financial reasoning, I said, �I don�t get into the Dave Ramsey teachings. As I see it, it�s like he�s teaching us how to be a rancher and how to manage cattle, and unless I have a head or two, that doesn�t do me any good.� Almost as soon as I said it I realized how foolish it was, because whether you have a little or a lot, whether it�s today or tomorrow, you will still have to manage money. A friend of mine said the other day, �you can be as poor as a church mouse and still have the love of money.�

And that�s the premise of our text.

What do you value?

What do you invest your life in?

What are you investing today in?

If it�s anything but Kingdom work, it�s a sandcastle, and God wants you to build more than a sandcastle.

Let�s talk about two reasons. First,

Your sandcastles won�t last, it�s temporary.

Outside of relationships, primarily your relationship with God, everything is temporary.

Let�s take a look at Matthew 6:19-21

19"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

And Luke 12:21talks about laying up treasure for yourself vs. being rich toward God.

So what does it mean to be rich toward God, or lay up treasures in heaven?

Well, verse 18 says to be rich in good deeds, to be generous, and willing to share. In other words, live for others. Love God; Love others.

One day an old, rich man, who was terribly depressed, visited a rabbi, who took the rich man by the hand and led him to a window. "Look out there," he said. The rich man looked into the street. "What do you see?" asked the rabbi. "I see men, women, and children," answered the rich man. Again the rabbi took him by the hand and this time led him to a mirror. "Now what do you see?" "Now I see myself," the rich man replied.

Then the rabbi said, "Behold, in the window there is glass, and in the mirror there is glass. But the glass of the mirror is covered with a little silver, and no sooner is the silver added than you cease to see others, but you see only yourself."

Source Unknown.

The love of money will buy you no treasures in heaven.

Contentment, not greed, will buy you treasures in heaven.

Verse 6-8 says,

6But godliness with contentment is great gain. 7For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. 8But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.

Paul is again reinforcing the teachings of Christ that we find in Mathew 6:25-34.

25"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life^[b]?

28"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

I was looking at these verses with an advisor, a Bible college professor, recently. It says, �do not worry about your life�do not worry about tomorrow.�

And I asked, half jokingly, so what about all these college students, preparing for the future? Doesn�t this verse discourage that? We should just live in today, right? Don�t worry about tomorrow. And he didn�t answer me. He just kinda shrugged and seemed to agree with my question.

So what does a guy do with that?

This is what I found.

Be content with what you have, never with what you are. Did you catch that? Be content with what you have, never with what you are.

Always be growing, always learning. Always peruse knowledge and wisdom.

Proverbs 8:10

10 Choose my instruction instead of silver,
knowledge rather than choice gold,

A group of the world's most successful financiers met at the Edgewater Beach Hotel in Chicago. The following were present: The president of the largest utility company, The greatest wheat speculator, The president of the New York Stock Exchange, A member of the President's Cabinet, The greatest "bear" in Wall Street, The president of the Bank of International Settlements, The head of the world's greatest monopoly. Collectively, these tycoons controlled more wealth than there was in the U.S. Treasury, and for years newspapers and magazines had been printing their success stories and urging the youth of the nation to follow their examples. Twenty-five years later, this is what had happened to these men:

The president of the largest independent steel company, Charles Schwab, lived on borrowed money the last five years of his life and died broke.

The greatest wheat speculator, Arthur Cutten, died abroad, insolvent.

The president of the New York Stock Exchange, Richard Whitney, served a term in a Sing Sing Prison.

The member of the President's Cabinet, Albert Fall, was pardoned from prison so he could die at home.

The greatest "bear" in Wall Street, Jesse Livermore, committed suicide.

The president of the Bank of International Settlements, Leon Fraser, committed suicide.

The head of the world's greatest monopoly, Ivar Drueger, committed suicide.

It�s been said that all of these men had learned how to make money, but not one of them had learned how to live.

Source Unknown.

But you might say, �I want to be wealthy so that I can give more.� There�s some credibility in that, very little, but some. The problem is that a life or a ministry based on money will be empty. Look at verses 9&10.

9People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. 10For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

Now, I�m not going to go into detail here on all the temptations and traps he might be referring, but this leads us to the second reason God wants you to build more than a sandcastle.

Your sandcastles won�t ever get big enough

Have you ever seen a sandcastle big enough to live in? I doubt it.

I used to day dream about what I would do if I ever was given or won a million dollars. An ironic thing about this sort of daydreaming is that I don�t even play the lottery. But I saw a comic once where this guy is looking at the newspaper, and his friend asks him what section he�s reading. He says he�s checking the lottery winners to see it he won. He�s friend says, �But you don�t play the lottery.� �Ya� the guy agrees, �but I figure I have just as many chances of winning.� So I figure, God can do anything, I could inherit it or win it somehow.

Anyway what if?

Perhaps I would give it to my church. What would they do with it? Maybe build a new building. Would a building be the best investment of God�s money?

Perhaps I would give it to some relief effort for the starving of the world, but how far would my one gift go to curing poverty?

Perhaps I would invest it and bless the Lords work through the interest it would accumulate.

One day I was day dreaming about this while I went door to door passing out fliers for a small church. And it dawned on me; hello, I�m daydreaming about money while trying to do God�s work. That just didn�t seem right, so I figured I needed to get focused on the task at hand. So I started praying for each house as I visited it. It wasn�t but two or three houses later, there was a man outside, and out of the blue he asked me, �What size of pants do you where?� I told him. He reached in the back of his truck and pulled out about a dozen pair of pants, just my size.

And he just gave them to me.

As I walked away, God and I laughed inside. It was like He said, �Get your mind and heart in the game and on others, and I will take care of your needs before you ask.�

John G. Wendel and his sisters were some of the most miserly people of all time. Although they had received a huge inheritance from their parents, they spent very little of it and did all they could to keep their wealth for themselves. John was able to influence five of his six sisters never to marry, and they lived in the same house in New York City for 50 years. When the last sister died in 1931, her estate was valued at more than $100 million. Her only dress was one that she had made herself, and she had worn it for 25 years.

The Wendels had such a compulsion to hold on to their possessions that they lived like paupers. Even worse, they were like the kind of person Jesus referred to in Luke 12:21, "who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God."

Daily Walk, June 2, 1993.

The issue is not if your rich or poor. The issue is what you value vs. what you are willing to give up freely. And that comes from what you put your faith in, God or your stuff. Is your focus on having the latest and coolest stuff or being a link between God and the people around you? You are called to �pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. 12Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called...do good,� be rich in good deeds, and �be generous and willing to share. 19In this way � lay up treasure for [your]selves � so that [you] may take hold of the life that is truly life.� God wants to you to devote yourself to building His kingdom, not your sandcastle.

Problems That Boggle Us

Problems That Boggle Us

Math Problem � math problems are logical / black and white and can be figured out, but life�s problems and especially faith problems -are not always so clear.

When Dr. woods suggested this topic, I doubt he had any idea how appropriate it is for me. You see awnry(sp) skepticism and independent thinking are in my blood.

When my dad was a teen he would study his Sunday School lesson just so he could find questions to stump the teacher. To this day my family seems to enjoy questioning religious and spiritual tradition and teaching simply to cause entertaining debate.

But as for me specifically, I have been sincerely grappling with some tough questions pertaining to doctrine. My pastor says that I�m asking the right questions, but I just wish he would give me the right answers.

In my planning for today I made the mistake of passing by the girl�s dorm and asking them what questions boggle them, and I got things like:

If everyone in the world flushed their toilets at the same time, what would happen?

Why do people water their lawns in the rain?

What happened to Amelia Airheart?

What happened to all the missing ships and plains in the Bermuda Triangle?

So I asked my family:

Why did / How could God harden pharaoh�s heart?

What if Moses had said �No�? Could he?

Why do bad things happen to good people.

Why do good things happen to bad people?

What version of the Bible should we use?

How can you have total faith in unanswered prayer?

Why does God care about us?

Why did Christ care enough to suffer?

Were the nails through his hands or wrist?

When is He coming back?

No matter how young or educated you are, somewhere inside is a question that boggles you.

I want to take a few minute this morning to encourage you. God has given us ways to rise above confusing questions. Winston Churchill once said, �Men occasionally stumble over the truth, but most of them pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing happened.� Let me tell you, Truth is not a rock that trips us up; it�s a mountain that we must climb. We�re going to continue to use that analogy as we talk about truth here. As we climb that mountain, we must never settle on a comfortable peak, but rather always be moving toward the summit. In order to do that you must not look down, stay close to the Rock, and trust your equipment.

1: Don�t look down. (Heb. 12:2-3)

Let me explain what I mean by �don�t look down.� It can be easy to get distracted by the view, or slip on some lose rock, or prematurely think that we have arrived, but you have to keep perspective, keep the main thing the main thing, keep your eyes on the summit; that is the simple truth of the Gospel.

How do we get distracted by the view? That�s when we stop and consider all the other hills people are climbing, and we wonder if maybe they are on a better path.

I once took a worlds religions class at MNU and they had a guest speaker. He was an old Buddhist priest. He explained that all roads lead to God or truth. After he spoke there was a time for Q&A. One man raised his hand and asked, �If all roads lead to God, what about the Satin worshipers and those that reject God and the truth?�

The old Buddhist, using verbage that I can�t quote here, said that some roads are just messed up from the start.

Just because people are climbing other mountains, doesn�t mean yours is the wrong one.

Then there�s the lose rocks. Lose rocks are those questions that really get you hung up. There the ones that make you feel that you just can�t go any farther until you settle it. They may even make you stumble. They take your eye off the summit and change your focus.

There was a baseball pitcher named Tug McGraw. He had a wonderful philosophy of pitching. He called it his "frozen snowball" theory. "If I come in to pitch with the bases loaded," Tug explained," and heavy hitter Willie Stargell is at bat, there's no reason I want to throw the ball. But eventually I have to pitch. So I remind myself that in a few billion years the earth will become a frozen snowball hurtling through space, and nobody's going to care what Willie Stargell did with the based loaded!"

Our Daily Bread, July 26, 1994.

So when you put your question in perspective, how important is your question to your salvation, or your ministry.

Satin loves to use these distractions to make us ineffective and to slow the work of the Kingdom.

Wheelbarrows

There�s another story about when there was a wave of petty theft in the Soviet Union. To curtail this the authorities put up guards around the factories. At one of them, the guard knew the workers in the factory very well. The first evening, out came a man named Petrovich with a wheelbarrow and, on the wheelbarrow, a great bulky sack with a suspicious-looking object inside.

�All right, Petrovich,� said the guard, �what have you got there?�

�Oh, just sawdust and shavings,� Petrovich replied.

�Come on,� the guard said, �I wasn�t born yesterday. Tip it out.� And out came nothing but sawdust and shavings. So he was allowed to put it all back again and go home. When the same thing happened every night of the week the guard became frustrated. Finally, his curiosity overcame his frustration.

�Petrovich,� he said, �I know you. Tell me what you�re smuggling out of here, and I�ll let you go.�

�Wheelbarrows, my friend, � said Petrovich, �wheelbarrows.�

(Quoted in The Devil�s Gauntlet, Os Guiness)

Sometimes when we face the big questions of faith, we only see what Satan wants us to see.

This leads us to the issues that cause us to settle prematurely and think that we�ve arrived. Some people get hung up on various doctrinal issues and start rearranging the pebbles on the mountain.

Picture this: Once the Devil was walking along with one of his cohorts. They saw a man ahead of them pick up something shiny. "What did he find?" asked the cohort.

"A piece of the truth," the Devil replied.

"Doesn't it bother you that he found a piece of the truth?" asked the cohort.

"No," said the Devil, "I will see to it that he makes a religion out of it."

Klyne Snodgrass, Between Two Truths - Living with Biblical Tensions, 1990, Zondervan Publishing House, p. 35.

2. Stay close to the Rock.

Here�s where we realize that we must stay close to the rock. As we grow in faith we learn that the closer we are to God, the closer we are to the safety of the truth. We have something to hold on to.

Ps 40:1-2

1 I waited patiently for the LORD;
he turned to me and heard my cry.

2 He lifted me out of the slimy pit,
out of the mud and mire;
he set my feet on a rock
and gave me a firm place to stand.

My grandfather told me the other day when grappling with tough questions that some things we just have to accept by faith

Now, if you�re anything like me, your reflex is to think, �that�s a lame religious copout�

But on further thought, No, it�s what we�ve been commanded to live by. It is the bases of our hope. Our faith is not empty, blind or unfounded. It�s based on facts, history and experience. Everyone has some form of faith. Even the atheist has faith that there is no God. It�s up to us to put our faith in the right things.

And It�s from that base, that we can face the problems that boggle us.

God has given us ways to rise above confusing questions.

Trust your equipment. (Acts 17:11)

Let�s move on to trust your equipment. A mountain climber has a limited amount of tools he can carry. He�s got to know how to use those tools and he has to be able to trust them. The Bible is the source of truth.

I like the verse in Acts 17: 11. You may turn there if you like.

So here you have Paul and Silas traveling around sharing this new teaching about fulfilled prophecy and a savior of all mankind. They had caused a riot in the last town and had to sneek out by night, and here they arrive in Berea.

11Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.

The Bereans were open to new ideas but they knew where the source of truth was and they �examined the Scriptures every day to see if� the new ideas could stand up to it.

Conclusion: God has given us ways to rise above confusing questions. Remember, Truth should not a rock that trips you up; it�s a mountain that you must climb. As we climb that mountain, we must never settle on a comfortable peak, but rather always be moving toward the summit. In order to do that you must not look down, stay close to the Rock, and trust your equipment. Because, God has given us ways to rise above confusing questions.

Matthew 10:38 - Christ�s cross made us worthy.

Matthew 10:38

(Come in carrying cross) Good morning. Open your Bibles with me, if you will, to Matthew 10:38. This is a popular verse, and I�m sure you�ve heard it before. This is Jesus talking, �and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.�

Wow, we Christians have a heavy load to bear; don�t we? It�s like what Charles Spurgeon said, �There are no crown-wearers in heaven who were not cross- bearers here below.�

The road to righteousness and holiness is an uphill climb with stumbling blocks everywhere...right?

(put cross down)No! Let�s reboot for a minute. Jesus didn�t come to remove the heavy burden of guilt and shame, just to replace it with a heavier load of a high maintenance spiritual relatiotionship. He says in Matthew 11:30 (The Message)I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly." Christ�s cross made us worthy.

Let�s look at our cross-bearing verse a little closer. In the verses prior to it He says, starting with verse, 35 For I have come to turn " 'a man against his father,
a daughter against her mother,
a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law -
36a man's enemies will be the members of his own household.'^[a]

37"Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; 38and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.�

He�s talking about doing what is right, even if the people around you and closest to you don�t agree with your religious conclusions.

What we, as independent thinking Americans, need to consider is that this is contrary to the most fundamental social values of the people Christ was talking to. They had passed on their religios heritage for gernerations -for centeries.

When you chose a different belief system your may consider you dead.

So when He follows that up with talk about taking up your cross, it takes on a different twist.

Criminals that were about to lose their life because of their choices were forced to suffer public humiliation and ridicule by carrying their cross through the city. He�s making a word picture of how your choice, of surrendering your life to Christ, will come between you and the things you love. And people will question your motives and criticize you. There will be hard times and tough choices.

But remember, Christ did not want his hearers to stress out about their so-called �crosses,� He wanted them to live a life of inner-peace and outward love. Because Christ�s cross made us worthy.

There are two lessons here I want you to post on the sticky side of your brain.

1) Your cross is not a burden.

Galatians 5:1 says, �It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.

Verse 4You who are trying to be justified by law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace.� And the last part of 6�The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.

I was having dinner with a friend last week and he shared with me a comic strip he had come across. Since then at least two others got it in an email, so maybe you�ve seen this lately.

It showed these people struggling under the load of their crosses. Eventually one man stops and says, �Lord, why does my cross have to be so heavy.� and in the next sean he�s got his saw out cutting the end off his cross. After that he seems to be doing better, but he eventually stops again and asks, �Lord, why does my cross have to be so heavy?� And again he gets out his saw and cuts on his cross. Next he�s standing at a great divide, and everyone else�s crosses are big enough to lay across and bridge the gap, but he is left standing distraught with his little cross.

My friend seemed proud of what he saw as a great piece of truth, but I was a bit irritated. And I tried to explain to him that the cross that Christ carried paid the price for our salvation. Christ�s cross made us worthy.

Christ did not come to exchange your heavy guilt load of sin for your heavy guilt load of righteousness.

Again in Matthew 11, now verses 28&29

"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. That�s Matthew 11:29&29.

Samuel Rutherford was noted for saying, �Christ's cross is such a burden as sails are to a ship or wings to a bird.�

When your focus is others instead of your own righteousness, or lack there of, you find purpose and meaning in life. To deny yourself is a freeing experience. This takes us to our second lesson.

2) To follow Him means to put others first.

Let me tell you a story from a devotional book called, Our Daily Bread

Eli Black was a brilliant businessman best know for two events in his life: 1)He masterminded the multimillion dollar takeover of the United Fruit conglomerate, and 2) he jumped to his death from the 42nd floor of the Pan Am building in New York City.

In the book An American Company, an executive described a business lunch he had with Eli Black. When the waitress brought a plate of cheese and crackers as an appetizer, Black reached out and took them, placed them on the table, blocked them with his arms, and continued talking. The executive hadn't eaten for hours and hinted that he would like a cracker. But Black acted as though he hadn't heard him and went on with the business meeting. After a while, Black placed a cracker and cheese on the tips of his fingers and continued to talk. Several moments later, Black placed the cracker on the executive's plate and then blocked the rest as before. It was clear that Black was in charge, manipulating others as he pleased. So let�s compare these tow great men, Black and Christ. Eli Black, for all his power, ended up in suicide. Jesus Christ, in all His humility, ended up the Savior of the world.

Jesus says to follow me. In that day for a rabbi to say �follow me� meant to model his teaching, or �trust me and learn from me.� Christ said a lot about the need to repent and prepare for the day of judgment. But as we follow Christ, let�s see how He sums up the scriptures. Turn a few pages over to the familiar story in Matthew 22, starting with verse 37

This is where a young man is trying to simplify all the teachings in the scripture. He asks, �so what�s most important.�

�Jesus replied:� In verse 37, � 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'^[a] 38This is the first and greatest commandment. 39And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.�� So to follow Christ is to deny yourself and put others, primarily God, first.

I love the next verse, 40, �All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." Love God and Love others.

Because Christ�s cross made us worthy.

Conclusion: So what have we learned? Your cross is not a burden that earns your salvation. Christ�s cross did that, and he is the prence of Peace. And number 2, to follow Him simply means to put others first. Love God and Love others. �The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.�

Because Christ�s cross made us worthy.

So I�m going to leave my cross here at the alter and I encourage you to do the same.

I Timothy 5-6:2 - We need to have health relationships so that God is glorified

I Timothy 5-6:2

Thesis: We need to have health relationships so that God is glorified.

As I was leaving church yesterday, I was standing outside the door talking with someone. And this cute, little seven year old girl with a lisp stepped out the door, put her hand on my shoulder and said �I�m thaying this because I care. Get thome help.� and she walked between us and went on.

It was cute. We all chuckled a bit. I�m still not sure what she meant, and I don�t mean to over analyze it. But as I drove away I thought, �Isn�t that just like us. We are quick to diagnose people around us, but we really don�t care enough to do anything about it.� We�ll give advice, but not love and effort.

We�re over half way through I Timothy, and today Paul is talking about relationships, and how we relate to the people around us.

Now, as much as I don�t want to admit it, the Gospel, Christianity, and everything that matters hinges on relationships. There�s been times when I�ve wanted to go back to Alaska, claim my brother�s land, build a little cabin in the mountains and forget this hopeless, dieing world. But for the sake of eternity, mine and those I might touch, I can�t.

Perhaps you�ve heard the statement, �Christianity is not a religion; it�s a relationship.� It�s a relationship with God that demands proper relationships with others.

God wants to have a relationship with you.

Christ suffered to restore your relationship to God.

You have to build healthy relationships with others to point them to Christ.

So how does all this relate to our text? We are looking at I Timothy chapter 5 and a little bit of 6, and again this is Paul writing a litter to Timothy about issues that Timothy was facing such as how to deal with widows, elders, and slavery. What we have to do is apply these instructions to our modern situations. Widows and slavery are not big issues to most of us, but giving respect and taking responsibility are. Because we need to have health relationships so that God is glorified. Give respect and take responsibility.

Give Respect (5:1&2, 17-21,6:2)

As I read the first part of the text I want you to look at it in light of giving respect.

Chapter 5 verse 1

1Do not rebuke an older man harshly, but exhort him as if he were your father. Treat younger men as brothers, 2older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity.

Now skip down to verse 17. We�ll get back to the rest later.

17The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching. 18For the Scripture says, "Do not muzzle the ox while it is treading out the grain,"^[b] and "The worker deserves his wages."^[c] 19Do not entertain an accusation against an elder unless it is brought by two or three witnesses. 20Those who sin are to be rebuked publicly, so that the others may take warning.

21I charge you, in the sight of God and Christ Jesus and the elect angels, to keep these instructions without partiality, and to do nothing out of favoritism.

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1All who are under the yoke of slavery should consider their masters worthy of full respect, so that God's name and our teaching may not be slandered. 2Those who have believing masters are not to show less respect for them because they are brothers. Instead, they are to serve them even better, because those who benefit from their service are believers, and dear to them. These are the things you are to teach and urge on them.

Give respect and take responsibility.

It doesn�t matter how old or young you are, or if your neighbor seems to want it or deserve it, we must always give them proper respect as one loved by God and made in His image. We�ve talked bout the fact the we are called to love God and love others. Jesus said to love your neighbor as yourself, but He says in Romans 12:10 to honor or respect them above yourself.

Romans 12:10 (New International Version)

10Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves.

And Paul says it again in

Philippians 2:3 (New International Version)

3Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.

Teachers, notice verse 21 of chapter 5

21I charge you, in the sight of God and Christ Jesus and the elect angels, to keep these instructions without partiality, and to do nothing out of favoritism.

Again we find this in

James 2:8-9 (New International Version)

8If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, "Love your neighbor as yourself,"^[a] you are doing right. 9But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers.

In every healthy relationship, teacher to student, student to teacher, child to parent, peer to peer, spouse to spouse, whatever, you must show respect.

If I�m dealing with a first grader at church and I put him down or look over his head while he�s talking. I�ve disrespected him and he�s likely to discredit anything I have to say. Or if I have a boss or an instructor that�s a real jerk, this is completely hypothetical, of course, and I wine or get in his face and tell him what I think, or worse, I tell everyone but him, our relationship will have walls big between us, and my witness for Christ is empty.

Whereas if we give people more respect than they deserve, they will be more likely to respect you in return.

As a teen you may feel the yoke of slavery. You can�t always go where you want to go and do what you want to do with the people you want. And as staff and faculty of a small organization, I�ve been told that it�s not a salary, it�s slavery. So let�s all consider chapter 6 verses 1&2.

1All who are under the yoke of slavery should consider their masters worthy of full respect, so that God's name and our teaching may not be slandered. 2Those who have believing masters are not to show less respect for them because they are brothers. Instead, they are to serve them even better, because those who benefit from their service are believers, and dear to them. These are the things you are to teach and urge on them.

So that�s giving respect, now, as I read the rest of chapter 5 I want you to think about taking responsibility.

Take Responsibility (3-16, 22-25)

Starting with verse 3 of chapter 5.

3Give proper recognition to those widows who are really in need. 4But if a widow has children or grandchildren, these [the children] should learn first of all to put their religion into practice by caring for their own family and so repaying their parents and grandparents, for this is pleasing to God. 5The widow who is really in need and left all alone puts her hope in God and continues night and day to pray and to ask God for help. 6But the widow who lives for pleasure is dead even while she lives. 7Give the people these instructions, too, so that no one may be open to blame. 8If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.

9No widow may be put on the list of widows unless she is over sixty, has been faithful to her husband,^[a] 10and is well known for her good deeds, such as bringing up children, showing hospitality, washing the feet of the saints, helping those in trouble and devoting herself to all kinds of good deeds.

11As for younger widows, do not put them on such a list. For when their sensual desires overcome their dedication to Christ, they want to marry. 12Thus they bring judgment on themselves, because they have broken their first pledge. 13Besides, they get into the habit of being idle and going about from house to house. And not only do they become idlers, but also gossips and busybodies, saying things they ought not to. 14So I counsel younger widows to marry, to have children, to manage their homes and to give the enemy no opportunity for slander. 15Some have in fact already turned away to follow Satan.

16If any woman who is a believer has widows in her family, she should help them and not let the church be burdened with them, so that the church can help those widows who are really in need.

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22Do not be hasty in the laying on of hands, and do not share in the sins of others. Keep yourself pure.

23Stop drinking only water, and use a little wine because of your stomach and your frequent illnesses.

24The sins of some men are obvious, reaching the place of judgment ahead of them; the sins of others trail behind them. 25In the same way, good deeds are obvious, and even those that are not cannot be hidden.

I�ve been accused of avoiding the hot issues, so let me say, The wine, in verse 23, was for medicinal purposes that were physical, not physiological. We have more advanced medicine now.

That�s responsibility for your body, but in a few months a man is scheduled for a parole trial for a crime he committed March 13, 1964. It took place on a New York city street and in to the halls of an apartment building. His victim was a 28 year old woman he didn�t know, Kitty Genovese. He slowly and brutally stabbed her to death. But this is the kicker, when it comes to witnesses, the police report said that approximately a dozen, the The New York Times claims least thirty-eight, of her neighbors witnessed the attack and/or heard her screams and did nothing. In the course of the 30-90-minute episode, her attacker was actually frightened away by one man who yelled at him from a window, then he returned to finish her off. Yet not once during that period did any neighbor really assist her. The implications of this tragic event shocked America, and it stimulated two young psychologists, Darly and Latane, to study the conditions under which people are or are not willing to help others in an emergency. In essence, they concluded that responsibility is diffused. The more people present in an emergency situation, the less likely it is that any one of them will offer help. This is popularly called the "bystander effect." or "Genovese syndrome"(In the actual experiment, when one bystander was present, 85 percent offered help. When two were present, 62 percent offered help. When five were present, then it decreased to 31 percent.)

This truth and these statistics, I would assume, are not only true for emergency situations but most situations that require our voluntary effort. If it�s as simple as picking up someone else�s trash in stead of stepping over it, or if it�s as big as giving your life to a thankless ministry, the bystander effect or "Genovese syndrome" is seen. We think, �That�s not my fault or job,� or �Certainly someone else is addressing it, or will address it, or should address it.�

Hello, if you see a problem, fix it. If you see a gap, fill it.

Back to that little seven year girl old I mentioned earlier, about ten minutes before I went outside, I had a couple of pizza boxes and some paper towels that needed to go down stairs. She was standing at the top of the stairs, so I asked her kindly if she would take them down and put them in the kitchen with the big trash cans. She closed her eyes, through her head back and said, �Why does it have to be me?� Now, in her defense, that�s a typical seven year old response, because they are brave enough to say it out load.

How often does God give us instructions and opportunities to serve and we think, �Why does it have to be me?�

When Queen Victoria was a child, she didn't know she was in line for the throne of England. Her instructors, trying to prepare her for the future, were frustrated because they couldn't motivate her. She just didn't take her studies seriously. Finally, her teachers decided to tell her that one day she would become the queen of England. Upon hearing this, Victoria quietly said, "Then I will be good." The realization that she had inherited this high calling gave her a sense of responsibility that profoundly affected her conduct from then on.

You are an aire to the throne. You are a child of God. You have and will have greater responsibilities. You have a high calling and it revolves around proper relationships. We need to have health relationships so that God is glorified. And our lives and message are creditable.

I like verse 24The sins of some men are obvious, reaching the place of judgment ahead of them; the sins of others trail behind them. 25In the same way, good deeds are obvious, and even those that are not cannot be hidden.

So in every situation, give respect and take responsibility, so that God is glorified.

Lawrence S. Wrightsman, Social Psychology in the Seventies (Monterey, Calif.: Brooks/Coal Publishing Company, 1972), pp. 33-34. quoted in Courage - You Can Stand Strong in the Face of Fear, Jon Johnston, 1990, SP Publications, p. 37.