The Pilgrim's Progress

As a young man, I was zealous for Christianity. This got me into Bible college, church leadership and world travel. I was trained to preach, teach and evangelize.

When I went to Southeast Asia the first time, I had to begin to come to terms with the fact that I really didn't know what I was preaching. I was assigned to go with a group of girls, and because of the culture, I was forced to be the lead spokesmen. No longer would my simple Sunday School answers work. Silly skits and self-help-love-your-neighbor-motivational speeches just don't have the same impact cross-culturally, and they lack the depth of truth needed to pull someone out of ingrained paganism and idol worship. What was I preaching? What was my message? What is the Gospel? Was it that the creator made a bunch of rules that none of us can follow, so He sent His Son to suffer and die to set us free from His own instructions!? How does that work? Is the Son working against the Father? Did the Son accomplish what the devil could not, allowing guilt-free braking of the Father's instructions in righteousness?

I remember confessing to the leader, “I have nothing to say.” To which she retorted, “That's a lie!”

I managed to preach the sermons like I knew what I was talking about.

When I returned to Thailand the next year, I felt like G-d was telling me to just shut up and listen. This seemed strange as I was supposed to be a missionary, sharing Christ, evangelizing, ect. I thought, “Salvation is found in knowing the Savior.” But even the demons know who the Savior is, so it can be just knowledge/education. So I thought, “It's about selflessly loving your neighbor.” But nearly every religion teaches love. Are all religions the same with different packaging? That's certainly not what the Scriptures say. “Do not worship the L-RD your G-d in the way these pagan peoples worship their gods.” Deuteronomy 12:4

I realized that I needed and wanted to know the message of the Messiah.

One day, over tea, a close missionary friend confided in me that he couldn't reconcile the G-d of the Old Testament with the G-d of the New Testament. The first seemed to be about laws, judgment and wrath while the latter seems to be about peace, love and forgiveness. How can this be? How does this work?

I was disappointed with myself that I could not give him an answer.

Meanwhile, I was doing an independent study trying to finish my Bible college degree. One of the assignments was to interview someone from a different religion. So I met with a Islamic professor. During the interview, she asked me, “Do you follow the teachings of Paul; or do you follow the teachings of Jesus?” That was a curve ball I wasn't expecting. I hadn't made the comparison, so I denied that there was a difference.

Again, I was disappointed at my ignorance.

Another year or two passed, and I was back in the states. One day, while reading my Bible I found myself in Leviticus 23. There G-d is explaining His annual holidays, and He repeatedly says (in various ways) “...it shall be a statute forever throughout your generations in all your dwellings”. I thought, “I have never done these.” So I walked across the street to the seminary student center. I explained that one of the biblical holidays is coming up, and I would like to be involved if anyone is acknowledging it. The lady looked at me a little puzzled and said, “I don't think anyone is dong anything for that.”

I walked away thinking, “Some-thing's wrong. Our scriptures repeatedly say to do this forever, and the place that trains our spiritual leaders doesn't follow the instructions.”

So I got on craigslist and found a family that celebrates according to the Scriptures. They came over, and we had a good visit, but they lived too far away to fellowship regularly. The man recommended I watch some teachings by Jim Staley with Passion for Truth Ministries. I watched some of the teachings, but replied by email to my new friend, “If you're trying to bring back the Law, no thank you.”

I was willing to obey by having more holidays, but I didn't want the responsibility/obligation of real lifestyle change. I thought, “Didn't Jesus change all that, so we don't have to follow all those rules anymore?”

Meanwhile, my mom was exposing the paganism in Christmas and Easter. It didn't take much research at all to see that she was right, and those are some disgusting holidays. But my conscience began to bother me about Sunday. Again, it wasn't hard to find that Sunday really isn't the Sabbath. Yet I always understood that Christians are still responsible to follow the ten commandments, so what do we do about the 4^th?

In my ignorant zeal, I began to follow the Lunar Sabbath. This is a theory that teaches that the weekly Sabbath is based on the New moon, and therefore changes each month. One month the 7 day cycle may start on Tuesday; the next month it may be Wednesday, and so on. My employer was very compliant with my confusing calendar, but it was rather silly. I later realized that Yeshua affirmed the Saturday Sabbath cycle that the Jews were and still are honoring.

It was during this time that Heidi and Kendra (my daughters) moved out, and I moved back to KC to be with Keen (my son, who was attending a private Christian school). We then attended my grandfather's church on Sunday's, but I was secretly (halfway) honoring a different Sabbath.

One day, an old friend invited me to meet him for coffee at McDonald's. I was really into End-Time prophecy, and I was always hungry to find another piece to the puzzle. He asked for my thoughts on Isaiah 65 and 66. “What do you think about this?” he asked pointing to the first few verses of 65. This is the end of Isaiah's prophecies. G-d is giving a list of things (or people) that have Him infuriated enough to bring judgment on all flesh with fire and bring about a New Heaven and New Earth. End-Times... hasn't happened... right up my alley... bring it... and then I read, “...A people who provoke Me to anger continually to My face;...Who eat swine’s flesh, And the broth of abominable things is in their vessels;” And later He mentions it again in 66:17, “'Those...Eating swine’s flesh and the abomination...Shall be consumed together,' says the L-rd.”

It was like a light came on. I thought, “If the dietary instructions still apply, maybe all the instructions still apply.” I argued with my Torah observant friend for a couple weeks, but all my arguments fell flat under the wealth of Scripture against me.

Of course, I went to Peter's vision. But Peter and the elders both interpret the dream as an invitation to Gentiles. With two interpretations of the vision, no one mentions food after Peter's confusion is settled.

I went to Yeshua's declaring “all foods clean,” but in both passages He is talking about the tradition of hand washing (although good for health and hygiene, it's not a Torah commandment). Just because I'm ceremonially unclean (because I had an adult occurrence, a fun night with the wife, touched a dead body a couple days ago, etc) doesn't mean I have to fast until I'm in proper standing again, nor does the hand washing make me or the food extra sanctified. And pig (for example) was never food anyway; the Torah tells us what is food and what is not food. So declaring all foods clean changes nothing.

I realized that there is one thing that the Messiah said not to think. He said, “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.” I have learned that when a Jew talks about doing a commandment (giving to charity for example), it is referred to as fulfilling the command. He obeyed (fulfilled) all of Torah, and we are to live like He lived and fulfill the Torah also. He said, “If you love Me, keep My commandments.”

I even tried the argument that the Torah is just for the Jews. But that fell apart terribly. To begin with, it was a mixed multitude that came out of Egypt and received the Torah. Then, He says, “One ordinance shall be for you of the assembly and for the stranger who dwells with you, an ordinance forever throughout your generations; as you are, so shall the stranger be before the Lord. One law and one custom shall be for you and for the stranger who dwells with you.” Numbers 15:15-16 Even Paul says, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Yeshua the Messiah.” Galatians 3:28

Then the excuse came up that those instructions are only for when the people are in the land, and we are a long way from Israel so they don't apply to us in this place. But this is a terribly weak point in light of passages like: “Now it shall come to pass, when all these things come upon you, the blessing and the curse which I have set before you, and you call them to mind among all the nations where the L-rd your G-d drives you, and you return to the L-rd your G-d and obey His voice, according to all that I command you today, you and your children, with all your heart and with all your soul, that the L-rd your G-d will bring you back from captivity, and have compassion on you, and gather you again from all the nations where the L-rd your G-d has scattered you.” Deuteronomy 30:1-3

I began to read the Scriptures with new eyes looking for evidence of the eternal commandments, and I began to feel like it was on every page. Why hadn't I seen this before? There was no longer a disconnect between the Old and New Testaments. Its one story with one unified message.

Moses is saying it repeatedly. For example: “You shall not add to the word which I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the L-rd your G-d which I command you.” Deuteronomy 4:2

“‘Cursed is the one who does not confirm all the words of this law by observing them.'...” Deuteronomy 27:26

The Psalmist says it over and over. For example: The longest chapter in the Bible, Psalm 119, is dedicated to the topic.

142 “Your righteousness is an everlasting righteousness,

And Your law is truth.

143 Trouble and anguish have overtaken me,

Yet Your commandments are my delights.

144 The righteousness of Your testimonies is everlasting;

Give me understanding, and I shall live.”

160 “The entirety of Your word is truth,

And every one of Your righteous judgments endures forever.”

The Messiah even says, “...For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth...” (John 18:37) And a chapter earlier He defines Truth as He prays with, “Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.” (John 17:17 granted, I don't understand how John got record of these two conversations, but that is for a deeper study).

All the Prophets are talking about it. “Yet the L-rd testified against Israel and against Judah, by all of His prophets, every seer, saying, “Turn from your evil ways, and keep My commandments and My statutes, according to all the law which I commanded your fathers, and which I sent to you by My servants the prophets.” 2 Kings 17:13

“Remember the Law of Moses, My servant,

Which I commanded him in Horeb for all Israel,

With the statutes and judgments.

Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet

Before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the L-rd.” Malachi 4:4-5

The Apostles affirm it. For example, Peter says, “[H]aving been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of G-d which lives and abides forever, because

'All flesh is as grass,

And all the glory of man as the flower of the grass.

The grass withers,

And its flower falls away,

But the word of the L-rd endures forever.'

Now this is the word which by the gospel was preached to you.“ 1 Peter 1:23-25

The other writers make it clear (with perhaps the exception of Paul, but again, we can get into that later). “For I give you good doctrine: Do not forsake my law.” Proverbs 4:2

“Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter:

Fear G-d and keep His commandments,

For this is man’s all.” Ecclesiastes 12:13

In contrast to the signs of who is included in the Kingdom and how we ought to walk, we also find many disturbing passages defining who is not and why. “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘L-rd, L-rd,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘L-rd, L-rd, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’” Matthew 7:21-23

“One who turns away his ear from hearing the law, Even his prayer is an abomination.” Proverbs 28:9

“To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.” Isaiah 8:20

I realized that, as I taught children religion apart from the Torah, I was one of the wolves in sheep's clothing that Yeshua was warning about. Because the prophet Ezekiel defines a leader who is a wolf, “Her priests have violated My law and profaned My holy things; they have not distinguished between the holy and unholy, nor have they made known the difference between the unclean and the clean; and they have hidden their eyes from My Sabbaths, so that I am profaned among them. Her princes in her midst are like wolves tearing the prey, to shed blood, to destroy people, and to get dishonest gain.” 22:26-27

I found a ministry (119ministries) that helps Greek-minded westerners like us better understand how the Torah is lived in todays world and why. I loved it and ate it like candy. I was so hungry for answers. Their motto seemed to be “Test everything”, and they encouraged their viewers to test their teachings with the scriptures.

After I repented and began my walk in the Way, the Truth and the Light (not that I have arrived or have it all figured out), I was so excited about this new insight, and I was concerned for my loved ones who where outside of Truth. So I somewhat threw it in their faces, and quoted scriptures like,

“...The Gentiles shall come to You

From the ends of the earth and say,

'Surely our fathers have inherited lies,

Worthlessness and unprofitable things.'” Jeremiah 16:19

This is not what parents and grandparents like to hear. Go figure. Its kind of like the proverb, “A brother offended is harder to be won than a strong city: and their contentions are like the bars of a castle.” 18:19 I didn't know how to present it to them, and I thought that if they would just watch 119ministries' teachings they would understand. This made it look like Brian found some website and joined some cult. The poor poor man...yada yada.

Anyway, it's been (and still is) an exciting journey, and I'm happy to go on and give more details, but hopefully this gives you a little better understanding of the changes I have made in my life lately. I love the Torah. Moses was right; in it you will find Life. It's the primary message of the sermon on the mount. We have a rock we can build our lives on. It is the foundation that our entire value-set and world-view should be based. When we detox bad doctrine, misguided cultural priorities and personal opinions about how to love/serve G-d and others, and we in-turn reprogram our minds and hearts around what He says is important and how He says He wants to be loved / served, our walk goes to a much deeper level (if we were even walking to begin with).

A couple moments from the morning routine

One of my responsibilities is to be the adult in the back of the truck each morning. Instead of school buses we use small trucks with padded bench seats, a roll cage and roof over the bed. My truck has 14 children mostly from the hostel.

It's a beautiful drive through the mountains, but sometimes it's nice to just close my eyes and listen to the girls sing. Usually it's in Thai, and I don't understand, but it doesn't matter. The voices of these half-dozen upper-elementary school girls are the perfect sound track to the setting.

A few days ago, I was surprised to hear them sing in their broken English,
"Make a difference in me, make a world of difference. From the
inside out let it show.
Make a difference in me, make a world of difference. Change me
so the world will know.
Change me Jesus, let your love shine through. Change me Jesus,
make me more like you..."

These Christian children are taken each morning from the safe, positive environment of the Outreach to Buddhist schools where they are criticized and discriminated against for their faith. They were probably taught this song by a short-term missions group from the states. Thank you to whoever that was. You touched the heart of this white boy.

Maybe you just had to be there, but it was "a moment" for me. So beautiful, so inspiring.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A few days later, on the same routine drive, we happened to be passing the market at the same time the monks were there making their morning rounds. We stopped at an intersection next to a row of five monks and their "caddie." They stood with their backs to the street, just inches from our truck, waiting for handouts from the shopkeepers. I noticed that a number of market workers had left their work to bow down and worship before the monks in the middle of the morning rush.

It was disturbing to me on two levels. First, I was struck by how lost this culture is spiritually. Then, as we drove on, I began to compare their devotion to that of the American Christian. How many of us would take time out of our busy morning routine to make a humbling statement of faith for several minutes on a crowded sidewalk?

God help us all, the lost on the streets and the found that are sleeping.

God has already called us; now we need to call on God

The AG magazine, "TPE," published a great article of an interview with Greg Mundis, the Assemblies of God Regional director of Europe.

"We need a sovereign act of God, an outpouring of the Holy Spirit,... These things are not generated out of a strategy room in some missions agency, but out of the very throne room of God."
"[Such a move] must come from God, but man works together with God as He moves. We need a church that is praying, a church that is humble, and church that is repentant, and a church that is reaching beyond its own paradigms and borders to touch the lost."

the breastplate of Patrick

I know, it's not very upbeat, and it seems I have my holidays mixed up, but I found this today as well. ~~Good Stuff~~

"He [St. Patrick] was ordered to appear before the King, and as he made his way there, began to chant a hymn now known as the breastplate of Patrick, or the lorica or Deer's Cry..."
http://www.faculty.de.gcsu.edu/~dvess/ids/medieval/celtic/celtic.shtml

St. Patrick's Breastplate

( the Lorica or Deer's Cry)

For my shield this day I call: A mighty power: The Holy Trinity! Affirming Threeness, Confessing oneness, in the making of all Through love ... For my shield this day I call: Christ's power in his coming and in his baptizing, Christ's power in his dying On the cross, his rising from the tomb, his ascending; Christ's power in his coming for judgement and ending. For my shield this day I call: strong power of the seraphim, with angels obeying, and archangels attending, in the glorious company of the holy and risen ones in the prayers of the fathers in visions prophetic and commands apostolic in the annals if witness ... For my shield this day I call: Heaven's might, sun's brightness, Moon's whiteness, Fire's glory, Lightening's swiftness, Wind's wildness, Ocean's depth Earth's solidity, Rock's immobility. This day I call to me: God's strength to direct me, God's power to sustain me, God's wisdom to guide me, God's vision to light me, God's ear to my hearing, God's word to my speaking, God's hand to uphold me, God's pathway before me, God's shield to protect me ...

From evil enticements, from failings of nature, from one man or many, that seek to destroy me, anear or afar .. Around me I gather these forces to save my soul and my body ... Against knowledge unlawful that injures the body, that injures the spirit. Be Christ this day my strong protector against poison and burning against drowning wounding through reward wide plenty Christ beside me Christ before me Christ behind me Christ within me Christ beneath me Christ above me Christ to the right of me Christ to the left of me Christ in my lying, my sitting, my rising Christ in heart of all who know me Chirst on tongue of all who meet me; Chirst in eye of all who see me; Christ in ear of all who hear me. For my shield this day I call a mighty power: The Holy Trinity! Affirming Threeness, Confessing oneness, in the making of all Through love ...

the journey inward

A friend recently suggested I Google "Celtic Monasticism." I'm glad he did, and though it has put me to sleep several times today, I'm finding the study quite intriguing.

"...the Celtic saints were travelers who journeyed far and wide, leaping into their tiny coracles and setting sail on the sea, often without oars or sails, and often without a specific destination, content to let God take them where God would...

Their love of travel was motivated by their love of God; their journey was undertaken in order to come closer to God. Theirs was a journey in which oars or sails were not necessary, for that for which they were searching was to be found not without, but within: It has been said that, "The longest journey is the journey inward" (Dag Hammarskjold). The peregrinations of the Celtic saints were ways of expressing outwardly a journey which they wanted to undertake inwardly...

This journey was a journey in which one achieved stability of soul, a constant striving after God in which one might remain in a single place while nevertheless being constantly on the move. On the other hand, one might stay in a single place and nevertheless be on a journey of intense transformation. Celtic monasticism is a world in which journey and stability of place are not at odds at all, but expressions of one spiritual ideal...

...the constant peregrinations of the saints were not an effort to find God, as the hymns tells us that if you can't find God where you are, there's no need to go anywhere else looking for him. The Celtic saints were deeply aware of the omnipresence of God, beside us, beneath us, above us, all around us and within us and all creation. Celtic monasticism full of such peregrini who, in their constant wanderings, spread monasticism throughout Ireland, to Scotland, and Northumbria, and later to continental Europe."

http://www.faculty.de.gcsu.edu/~dvess/ids/medieval/celtic/celtic.shtml

The loss of George

The study of missions has made me more aware of cultures and cultures within cultures. It's really interesting to watch how people interact. It's particularly eye opening when you step out of your own for a season and then return.
I have recently been amerced in to the Kentucky blue-collar world, and I find it quite amusing. I stopped to listen to a couple of men talking at the job site today. They thought I was interested in the conversation, and I was to a degree. But what really intrigued me was the fact that one of them was speaking English with such a country slur I had to make an effort to follow. It was like another language.

One dear friend invited me to his "place" for lunch. He owns quite a bit of land a long the river with a number of rental properties, but he's living out of several tents and a RV trailer. He's planning on turning his "new" box truck into living space as well. His house burnt down about 5 months ago, and He's working on rebuilding, but the kicker for me was the lumber delivered today, not for the house, but for the new deck he wants me to help him build over the river.
How people determine priorities and lifestyles is fascinating. He loves his simple, debt-free living, and even his wife seems happy.

This Thanksgiving brought a bit of a downer for him though. He had befriended a couple of wild, white geese. They knew his voice. As he would walk down toward the river and call, "George!...Lucy!" And they would start honking.
He went to visit his daughter for Thanksgiving, and when he returned, Lucy was alone and honking inconsolably. These sort of geese mate for life. Someone must have shot George for their family feast. My friend was so angry the next time I saw him, he said, "I hate people." He took time off to make Lucy a home on the bank out of bails of straw.
Today when we went to lunch, he made sure to feed her. "I gotta' keep her eating through her morn'n."
One of his friends was there and asked about her mate. He seemed upset as well to hear of the loss and agreed to help get her a new partner.

Some would argue that these folk have their priorities messed up and need to change their lifestyles, and how this all meshes with my Christian views of priorities and such is up for debate. But I'm gleaning some insight from the riverbank and learning a bit about love from this culture within my culture.

Heidi's Thoughts About Honor vs. Justice

I personally think that honor is better than justice; because well if you honor someone you usually respect them and put them first. It says in the Bible, put others first; love your enemies ,treat them with love and care just like you would your son, daughter, or even a pet that is very dear to you. It says pray for those who persecute you. It also says commandment num. 5- honor you father and your mother like kings and queens.

So I have to say I respect that command; and I try my best day by day to follow that command. As I was told by my dad, friends, pastor, and many of my grandparents.

Justice I’m not that sure about. Some people say that when someone is about to get someone back for hurting them they sometimes say “justice is served…” or something like that.

Some people are in the army or in the marines; they sometime just do it for the justice of their country or maybe because their close friend is in it; but quite frankly I can’t see God holding a gun and shooting at men, women, and children. The people they are fighting against need to be taught how to love. Not only that but they are very thirsty for the word of God. They may not show it but you should know in your heart that they do. If you don’t know that; that’s fine but don’t point a gun at them.

People have been fighting in Iraq so much that they have killed so many men. So now they are fighting for justice, even though they are running out of men. So they are recruiting children; and women. Soon they won’t have anything to fight for.

So no offence to those who I am talking about; the whole war thing pretty stupid. If you’re fighting for justice of your country, just stop fighting period.

Why not show some honor to them. Like I said in my first paragraph; love your enemies. Pray for those who persecute you. So if they (the people we are fighting as of now) are considered enemies then don’t kill them, don’t even hold them hostel. Let them live their life how it is; and if you can try to help make their lives better.

Its called changing the world. So if you want to be famous. Love, learn, and live try to change the world. Don’t join the army and the marines because its cool; in fact try not to do it at all. Try to make honoring people your goal in life.

Life with out honor would be a catastrophe. We (us kids) would probably not be here this very day if we didn’t honor the law, our parents, ect. What if we didn’t honor police authority? What if we didn’t follow the lights? This world would be a disaster. When all we have to do is honor authority.

So my vote has to completely go to honor.

We are so there

10/16 Film Fundraiser: "The Ordinary Radicals"

WHAT:

The Ordinary Radicals: A Conspiracy of Faith on the Margins of Empire

a fundraiser for Kentucky Refugee Ministries

WHEN:

7 p.m. - 10 p.m. Thursday

October 16th

WHERE:

Kentucky Theater

214 East Main Street

Lexington

Tickets are $7.50 each. Purchase tickets in advance by calling 859.231.7924 or 859.231.6997

DETAILS:

This full-length documentary film is a fundraiser for Kentucky Refugee Ministries to help with their work settling refugees in central Kentucky. The film's director, Jamie Moffet, will be present for live interview and Q & A after the showing.

Click here to view the film's trailer.

In the margins of the United States, there lives a revolutionary Christianity. One with a quiet disposition that seeks to do 'small things with great love,' and in so doing is breaking 21st Century stereotypes surrounding this 2000 year old faith. 'The Ordinary Radicals' is set against the modern American political and social backdrop of the next Great Awakening. Traveling across the United States on a tour to promote the book 'Jesus for President', Shane Claiborne and a rag-tag group of 'ordinary radicals' interpret Biblical history and its correlation with the current state of American politics. Sharing a relevant outlook for people with all faith perspectives, director Jamie Moffett examines this growing movement.

Featuring Interviews with:

Shane Claiborne - Author, "The Irresistible Revolution" and Co-Author of "Jesus For President"

Chris Haw - Co-Author, "Jesus For President"

Tony Campolo - Author, "Red Letter Christians"

Jim Wallis - Author, "God's Politics" and "The Great Awakening"

Brian McLaren - Author, "Everything Must Change" and "The Secret Message of Jesus"

John Perkins - Author, "Let Justice Roll Down" and "Beyond Charity"

Jonathan Wilson Hartgrove - "New Monasticism" and "Free To Be Bound"

Donald Kraybill - Author, "Amish Grace", "The Upside-Down Kingdom" and "The Riddle of Amish Culture"

Bruce Main - Author, "Spotting the Sacred"

Ron Sider - Author, "Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger" and "The Scandal of Evangelical Politics"

Brian Walsh - Author, "Colossians Remixed: Subverting the Empire"

Zack Exley - Writer, "Revolution in Jesusland" and the pioneering organizer for Moveon.org

Leroy Barber - President of MissionYear and featured in the book "unChristian"

Peter Illyn - Contributor, "The Revolution: A Field Manual for Changing Your World" and featured in: "The New Conspirators"

Becky Garrison - Author, "Red and Blue God" and "The New Atheist Crusaders"

Rick Perlstein - Author, "Nixonland"

Lisa Sharon Harper - Playwright, and Executive Director of NY Faith & Justice

SPONSORS:

Communality

One Horizon Foundation

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:

Bill Kenney
(859) 233-9777

A house of cards

My theology of holiness instructor explained that the flesh is not sinful. God created the physical world and it was good.

I pointed out that at the fall, sin and death entered the world. Thus, the physical world was changed.

He asked if a gun was sinful, or a knife.

I said, no, but a gun doesn't have a mind that seeks self-gratification.

What's bugging me is that he's telling these young students that, if only they were sanctified soul and body, they would not be bent toward sin. Excuse me, but our bodies are selfish, and no matter what our circumstances, we still have to restrain the flesh. This body is a temporary tent. The real me, the eternal me, is my spirit, that wants to serve and honor God. The body has a chemical make up that is selfish. "Feed me. Scratch me. Satisfy me." Selfishness is self-destructive when it stands alone, so the spirit has to keep it in check. "Yes, I'll feed you, but no, you can't have that extra candy bar." The spirit has to call the shots, stay in charge at all times. As long as we are in these temporary tents, we have to keep pounding the pegs down tight. Just because we are sanctified, does not mean that the body is going to sit back and say, "Don't mind me. I'm fine. I don't need or want anything." I fear we are setting these students up for failure if we lead them to believe that their bodies will be holy, sinless, --sanctified with one more trip to the alter and a sincere heart.

Can the fence be considered a road?

I spent another five hours today reading. This time I finished Defence of Christian Perfection by Daniel Steele (not to be confused with the smut author of a similar name). Steele is another Methodist writer from the 1800's. The man seemed to be quite educated, but he was so much in defence that at times he seemed argumentative, which in my understanding, is not becoming to sanctification or Christian perfection. Perhaps it was a holy anger; I should not judge.

Though I am still unsure in which field of theories I should place my foot, I was impressed by this statement by Steele (page 107):

"Experiences are God's work and are always orthodox; theories are of man's devising and are sometimes erroneous. The doctrine of Christian perfection in this life, 'the formal principle of Wesley's theology and the inmost spirit and essence of Methodism' (Dr. Warren), may be erroneous, and the doctrine of successive partial sanctifications never extinguishing depravity may be true. By their fruits let them be judged. Let the latter theory be substituted for the former when it has raised up more saintly men and women, and has communicated a mightier upward impulse to our common Christianity throughout the whole world."

Phoebe Palmer

I got the flu bug again, so I didn't get out much today. I spent a good bit of the day finishing a book called Entire Devotion to God by Phoebe Palmer. I have been grappling with the doctrine of entire-sanctification for sometime, and some may say, "Just let it go," but I do want to find peace with this. Is it possible to live, as many claim, sinless?

One reason I chose this book to study was that I knew Phoebe was a radical, but isn't that what "entire" sanctification is? I told an inspirational friend, a seminary graduate, about the book I was reading, and she said, "That'll mess you up." Great, so how is one to find truth without wading through the false teachers? And is there any guarantee that you won't be influenced by them?

Another trusted friend, with a doctorate in theology, referred to Phoebe as a mystic. I looked up the term and found: "a person who claims to attain, or believes in the possibility of attaining, insight into mysteries transcending ordinary human knowledge, as by direct communication with the divine or immediate intuition in a state of spiritual ecstasy... a person initiated into religious mysteries." Yes, that about sums her up.

So, Phoebe, if I were entirely-sanctified, body and soul, as you claim I can be, would this flu bug not make me so grouchy and impatient?

Theology of Holiness

Classes start back up again this week, and it looks like I'm taking Theology of Holiness- Grrrrr. I really have to check my attitude on the subject. Pastor Tom tells me that I need to not get angry but listen, so I'm trying to go in with a humble spirit. He has tried to explain this doctrine to me, which is shared by the Wesleyan church, but I haven't embraced it yet (that's putting it lightly).

My statement of faith is that I am a sinner saved by grace. No matter how "holy" of a life I live, I am only made righteous through the work of Christ. All my good deeds and "clean" living are filthy rags, but Jesus Christ alone paid the ransom and made me acceptable to God. I attempt to live a holy life out of loving obedience as one recruited to a team that loves his Savior and neighbors and must work within the rules to help the team be successful.

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Comment:

Chris Sumpter (unverified)Jan 12, 2008: Just out of curiosity, where did you get the phrase "sinner saved by grace"? Because it's not from the Bible. I just did a little search of the New Testament to see if I could find any references to Christians being referred to as sinners. The closest I came was when Paul said that Christ came to save sinners, of whom he is chief. I don't really think Paul was saying that, at the time he was writing, he was the chief of sinners. It seems to be clear that he is talking about his past pre-conversion life. Then I did a search for the word "saints." Christians are referred to 60 times as saints. That doesn't count the times that they are referred to as righteous, sanctified, etc. So, is it more scripturally accurate to say "I am a sinner saved by grace" or "I was a sinner, but am now a saint, by grace"?

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Chris, good observation, but what about...?

Luke 18:9-10

9To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable: 10"Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector...

Philippians 3:8-10

8What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. 10I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,

Rom 3:10

10As it is written: "There is no one righteous, not even one;

Rom 3:23 (notice that fall is in the present tense)

23for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God

Rom 7:14-20 (Was Paul not sanctified?)

14We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin.15I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.16And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good.17As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me.18I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out.19For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do-this I keep on doing.20Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.

Rom 7:25 (It seems that as long as we are in the flesh, we are bent toward sin.)

23but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members.24What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? 25Thanks be to God-through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God's law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.

Isa 64:6

6All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away.

Rom 3:9

9What shall we conclude then? Are we any better? Not at all! We have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under sin.

Phil 3:12-13

12Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.13Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead

The phrase "sinner saved by grace" may not be directly stated in scripture, but you will also not find terms such as: regeneration, Christian perfection and second blessing.

Yes, the believers are the saints, the chosen, the holy preisthood, but we are still battleing the sinnful nature, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in [us] will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus (Philippians 1:6).

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Comment:

Chris Sumpter (unverified)Jan 13, 2008: Luke 18--Was the tax collector a Christian? No, but when he admitted that he was a sinner in need of mercy, he was justified. Philippians 3--Paul doesn't say that he's not righteous; he just says that he could not have achieved righteousness on his own, but that he is pressing on toward complete holiness. I have no disagreement with that. Rom. 3--In their unjustified state, no one is righteous. But, thank God, when one is born from above they are made righteous, not just had righteousness imputed to them. Romans 7--There are so many different interpretations of this passage that I'm not going to use it to prove one doctrine over another. I can only read it in the light of the general message of Scripture and Paul's particular teachings on holiness elsewhere. I think it is fair to say that Paul was not always sanctified. I don't read verse 25 ff. to say that we must always have a leaning toward sin. I'm not arguing against the phrase "sinner saved by grace"; I don't think the concept exists in the NT. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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.