GOD USES THE WILLING

GOD USES THE WILLING

In the days of John Wesley, lay preachers with limited education would sometimes conduct the church services. One man used Luke 19:21 as his text: “Lord, I feared Thee, because Thou art an austere man” (KJV). Not knowing the word austere, he thought the text spoke of “an oyster man.”

He explained how a diver must grope in dark, freezing water to retrieve oysters. In his attempt, he cuts his hands on the sharp edges of the shells. After he obtains an oyster, he rises to the surface, clutching it “in his torn and bleeding hands.” The preacher added, “Christ descended from the glory of heaven into . . . sinful human society, in order to retrieve humans and bring them back up with Him to the glory of heaven. His torn and bleeding hands are a sign of the value He has placed on the object of His quest.”

Afterward, 12 men repented. Later that night someone came to Wesley to complain about unschooled preachers who were too ignorant even to know the meaning of the texts they were preaching on. The Oxford-educated Wesley simply said, “Never mind. The Lord got a dozen oysters tonight.”

THE NATURE OF SIN

THE NATURE OF SIN

 Gary Richmond, a former zoo keeper, had this to say:

Raccoons go through a glandular change at about 24 months. After that they often attack their owners. Since a 30-pound raccoon can be equal to a 100-pound dog in a scrap, I felt compelled to mention the change coming to a pet raccoon owned by a young friend of mine, Julie. She listened politely as I explained the coming danger. I’ll never forget her answer, Richmond said. “It will be different for me.” And she smiled as she added, “Bandit wouldn’t hurt me. He just wouldn’t.”

Three months later Julie underwent plastic surgery for facial lacerations sustained when her adult raccoon attacked her for no apparent reason.

Sin, too, often comes dressed in an adorable guise, and as we play with it, how easy it is to say, “It will be different for me.” The results are predictable. The very nature of sin is destructive – and anyone who is attracted to sin will be destroyed!

HANG IN THERE!

HANG IN THERE

Have you ever been to a rodeo?  I’ve been to several rodeos in my lifetime.  If you’ve never been, maybe you’ve seen rodeos on TV or something.

Perhaps you will agree that bull riding is one of the most exciting “sports” in the world (and certainly one of the most dangerous).  Those bull riders are tough or crazy – and maybe a little bit of both!  Facing down a 2,000-pound bull can certainly be intimidating.

Once a bull rider settles himself on the back of that animal and ties his hand into the rope, one of his buddies will say to him, “Hang in there!”  With that and an affirmative nod from the rider, the chute opens and out into the arena charges the raging bull and rider.  The rider grips the bull-rope with one hand and holds his other hand high in the air.  The crowd of spectators scream, “Hang in there!” as the rider puts forth his best effort to become the master of the eight-second challenge.

It takes more than desire and encouragement from the spectators, however, for that rider to stay on the bull.  Bull riding requires skill, balance, flexibility, coordination, determination, and courage.  In fact, bull riding is where the phrase “hang in there” originated.

I have found that life can be a lot like bull riding!  One HUGE difference, though, is that it is more than a mere 8-second challenge!  Life can buck you around pretty hard; and will oftentimes throw you hard to the ground.  And, like that nasty old bull, life will oftentimes gouge you and stomp you further into the ground upon which you’ve so awkwardly landed!

It is possible that there is no one more qualified to teach us how to “hang in there” than the Apostle Paul. He endured some of the greatest hardships for a Christian that life could conjure up.  Both the Jews and the Gentiles hated him. He was misunderstood and attacked by other Christians. He was shipwrecked three times! He was beaten with 39 stripes six times! He was stoned and left for dead three times!

Paul learned the secret of how NOT to get thrown off this bull we call life! He knew how to “hang in there!” In Verse 1 of II Corinthians chapter 4, Paul says simply, “…we faint not.” 

·     The Amplified says, “…we do not get discouraged (spiritless and despondent with fear) or become faint with weariness and exhaustion.”

·     The New Living Translation says, “…we never give up.”

·     The NIV states, “…we do not lose heart.”

·     The Message: “…we’re not about to throw up our hands and walk off the job just because we run into occasional hard times!”

I’m reaching out to somebody today who just settled down onto the back of that bull called Hard Times in Life and you need to hear the familiar phrase – “HANG IN THERE!”

Don’t get discouraged!

Don’t lose heart!

Never give up!

Hang in there, because we are not about to throw up our hands and walk away from this Christian life just because we hit hard times!  We are in this together!  And, together we are going to make it!

GOD’S THREE STEPS FOR EFFECTIVE ALTAR BUILDING

GOD’S THREE STEPS FOR EFFECTIVE ALTAR BUILDING

In Exodus 27:1-4, God gave three steps for effective altar building.

The first thing God said to do was to BUILD AN ALTAR. 

WHY? Because the only way to build a church is from the altar up!  Without the altar we have no true foundation.  Without the altar we have no church!

A church without an altar is like a car without an engine...It may look good, but it’ll never get you anywhere! There’s no power in the church without prayer in the altar!

Then He said that we are to BUILD THE ALTAR BROAD.

The altar must be broad enough to take in everybody – to take in every kind of person. It must be broad enough to take in...

The drunk

The drug addict

The convict

 The EX-convict

The successful businessman

The doctor and lawyer

The rich AND the poor 

No matter the problem, and no matter the walk of life, the Church’s altar must be broad enough to receive every kind of person known to man!

Finally, the Lord said that we should BUILD THE ALTAR LONG.

It must belong enough to reach into the deepest depths of sin.  It must be long enough to reach into every nation, kindred and tongue.  It must be long enough to reach into every household. Our altars must be longer than AT&T so it cannot just reach out and touch somebody, but it can reach out and touch EVERYBODY!

Church, we must have an effective altar!