New Hope

The Compassion of Jesus and Social Responsibility

noreply@blogger.com (Shari) — Sat, 19 Sep 2015 11:32:00 +0000

Sermon Transcript/Article - The Compassion of Jesus and Christian Social Responsibility

Introduction

Compassion is a form of love that results in acts of kindness and mercy. Compassion is stirred up within humans when they encounter people who are suffering. The Bible speaks to us about compassion. In the Old Testament - Zechariah 7:9 states "This is what the LORD Almighty says: 'Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another. In the New Testament, we read in Colossians 3:12 “as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.” In Exodus 22 we can learn about God’s expectations concerning compassion. And throughout the Gospels (Mathew, Mark, Luke and John) we can observe the compassionate example of Jesus. This message is about compassion –not only the compassion of Jesus. But it’s also about the compassion and social responsibility of Christians.

Text - Exodus 22:21-31

In Exodus 22 vs 21 -31 (NIV) the Bible lists specific examples given by God to Moses and the Israelites on how to apply the 10 Commandments. In these verses who will hear about compassion and social responsibility.

²¹“Do not mistreat or oppress a foreigner, for you were foreigners in Egypt. ²²“Do not take advantage of the widow or the fatherless. ²³If you do and they cry out to me, I will certainly hear their cry. ²⁴My anger will be aroused, and I will kill you with the sword; your wives will become widows and your children fatherless. ²⁵“If you lend money to one of my people among you who is needy, do not treat it like a business deal; charge no interest. ²⁶If you take your neighbor’s cloak as a pledge, return it by sunset, ²⁷because that cloak is the only covering your neighbor has. What else can they sleep in? When they cry out to me, I will hear, for I am compassionate. ²⁸“Do not blaspheme God or curse the ruler of your people. ²⁹“Do not hold back offerings from your granaries or your vats. “You must give me the firstborn of your sons. ³⁰Do the same with your cattle and your sheep. Let them stay with their mothers for seven days, but give them to me on the eighth day. ³¹“You are to be my holy people.

God’s Holy People

This section of the Bible comes shortly after the 10 Commandments that are listed in Exodus 20 and it is part of the laws listed throughout chapters 21-23. These laws focus more on specific examples and case studies that include - how to treat servants, issues regarding personal injury, protection, and property, justice and mercy, social responsibility, how to worship, keeping the Sabbath, and observing annual festivals. All of these rules and laws were for the Israelites. God knew that this large group of people which was now free from Egyptian control and slavery was struggling with their human nature and they needed His guidance. They needed to know how to get along with each other and to know what God expected from them. God called the Israelites “His chosen people” and He set them apart from the rest of the world in hopes that their holy living would be example to others. They were to be followers of God. So, He gave them the 10 Commandments and other rules to guide. These rules were not for the Egyptians, not for the Canaanites or any other group of people around them. God was only addressing His people that chose to follow Him. And that was stated in Exodus 22 verse 31when God said to Israel- You are to be my holy people. God had a special plan for the Israelites to be His representatives to the other people living around them – the Gentiles (which includes everyone else who isn’t Jewish) and this was so that the Gentiles could also come to know God. He wanted the nations to be blessed through Israel. However, the Israelites did not do a very good job at representing God. Instead of following the 10 Commandments and His other rules, they betrayed God and followed the foreign gods of the Gentiles. So God sent His Son, Jesus, to save the entire world not just the Israelites. Jesus had a ministry on earth in which he preached about God to all – including the Gentiles. He commissioned these new followers of His, both Jews and Gentiles, to be the new blessing to the nations. Romans 11 explains this by comparing Gentile believers to the branches of a wild olive tree that have been grafted into the original cultivated olive tree of Israel. So now Gentiles, too, are partakers of God’s promises and can inherit His blessings of salvation. The final tree represents the collective people of God, both the natural branches, which are the Jews, and the wild braches, the Gentiles. So, this new group of collective believers is called the church –and it includes all people, of every race and nationality who have chosen to become followers of God.

So now the 10 Commandments and rules of God are for Jews and Gentiles, for His church, for His individual followers to help them live holy lives. They are not for the entire nation of America, or Egypt or any other nation in the world. God did not intend for us to impose these laws and commandments on everyone else who has no interest in following Him. God did not call us to become the morality police. God wants His followers to focus on themselves and doing what’s right. The people of God, the church, we are responsible for our own behavior, not for everyone else’s behavior. You can’t force God’s rules and instructions on people who don’t want them. So, putting up a list of the 10 Commandments in a public building, will not force people to improve their behavior. People only want to follow God’s rules after they have made a commitment to follow Him and then they will have the Holy Spirit living in them. The Holy Spirit changes each of us individually. We don’t have the human ability to perfectly follow God’s rules of holy living, that’s why we need Jesus as our Savior. That’s why we need the Holy Spirit living in us, to help us obey Him, to help us show compassion the way that Jesus does.

Social Responsibility in Exodus 20

Among all these specific examples of how to apply the 10 commandments is a special section listed in chapter 22 that I read earlier. It is about social responsibility. In this section, God tells His people that He expects them to show respect to everyone regardless of their social standing and other differences. He gives specific examples of people that can be easily exploited such as foreigners, widows, orphans, and the poor. God wants to make sure that the most vulnerable in society are protected, because He knows how easy it is to take advantage of these people. And unfortunately, we see this in our own country. Yes. Here in the great United States of America people are being exploited. For example: there are some employers taking advantage of immigrant farm workers by underpaying them and giving them substandard living conditions. There are children who cannot protect themselves that are being physically and sexually abused. Elderly people are taken advantage of financially. Poor people are offered payday loans with annual interest rates as high as 400%. There are hate crimes targeting people based on their race, sexual orientation, or religion. We even have human trafficking and under aged prostitution in this country. And God hates this. He has mercy on those who are mistreated and oppressed. Exodus 22, Vs. 27 even states God’s own words saying: When they cry out to me, I will hear, for I am compassionate.

Jesus is Compassionate

In the Gospels - Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John - we learn much about Jesus, who is God. The New Testament shows us multiple examples of the compassion of Jesus. Much of what Jesus did during His ministry on Earth was done to show His credibility – that He was sent from God, that He was God. But in addition to seeing His credibility, His miracles show us the great compassion He had for people. And this compassion, a reflection of God’s love, is what made Him so attractive. People gave up their current lives and followed Him around traveling by foot. We see the compassion of Jesus - when He freed demon possessed people from evil spirits, when He healed blind people and those with leprosy. He also healed a woman with internal bleeding, a paralyzed man, and a man with a withered hand, Simon Peter’s mother-in-law, a Roman centurion's servant, and other people with other physical conditions. Jesus showed compassion to a widow when he brought her dead son back to life. In Mark 6 we see that a huge crowd of people showed up to see and hear Jesus. Verse 34 says: “He had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So He began teaching them many things.” And then he fed this hungry group all the fish and bread that they could eat. In Luke chapter 7, we see a woman who earned her living as a prostitute. She found Jesus, worshipped Him by cleansing His feet with her tears and perfume. Jesus knew her sinful life, but He showed her compassion, forgave her sins, and told her to go in peace - that her faith had saved her.

Jesus also gave us examples of how to have compassion through the example of the prodigal’s son and the good Samaritan. In Luke 15 the prodigal’s son, who had left his father and squandered away the wealth his father had given to him, returned home. Verse 20 says that when the father saw him, he ran to him, was filled with compassion for his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. Although the son did not deserve forgiveness and to be accepted by his father – he was, because of His father’s love and compassion. And this father’s example also represents God’s love and compassion for us, too. We are so undeserving, we ignore God and we insult Him, yet He is always waiting for us with open arms to welcome us back with love and compassion. In Luke 10 we have the story of the Good Samaritan told by Jesus himself. This example shows the compassion of a Samaritan (a person considered to be in a low class, who crossed social boundaries to care for a person in a different class.

Jesus had compassion for the marginalized members of society. His compassion was liberating for women. Actually, Jesus’ relationship with women was considered revolutionary and radical in a patriarchal society in which women were treated as social and spiritual inferiors to men. Women were used to being bartered off by their fathers and husbands. They had no property rights and were not allowed to learn about spiritual truths. They were considered unclean, untouchable, and in need of purification after their monthly cycles and childbirth. But Jesus challenged the traditional gender restrictions and taboos. He allowed women to touch Him, to speak with Him, and to eat with Him. He healed women and forgave their sins. He taught them spiritual truths. He encouraged them to witness for Him. He allowed women to travel with Him as disciples and to help support His ministry of proclaiming the kingdom of God. Jesus showed women compassion and He publically challenged their traditional roles. Like the Prodigal, the Good Samaritan, and Jesus - we, too, are expected to show compassion for all people regardless of their social standing, race, gender, or religion. Jesus does not discriminate. He makes Himself, His love, and His salvation available to anyone who wants to accept Him and follow Him.

Compassionate Christians

In our country, we like to tell lawyer jokes and lawyers don’t really have the best reputation for being compassionate, but in actuality many lawyers are compassionate. In our own communities we have lawyers that work for non-profit organizations who help represent women in domestic abuse situations and low income people who don’t have the financial means to represent themselves. One of the most impressive Christian ministries that I have heard of is International Justice Mission. This organization has a global team of lawyers, investigators, social workers, and community activists working to rescue victims of slavery, child prostitution, and police brutality. They use the court system to hold human traffickers and other criminals accountable. They also provide counseling and help for the survivors of this violence and abuse. What a wonderful way for Christians to show compassion.

Mother Teresa was one of the most well-known compassionate women. She dedicated her life to serving Jesus by showing compassion to those who weren’t being cared for. She established homes for those with leprosy, orphanages, a nursing home, health clinics, hospices for the dying, and a home for people infected with HIV/AIDS. She rescued children from a hospital in a warzone. She ministered to the hungry in Ethiopia and radiation victims at Chernobyl. Her example motivated many other people to live out compassion in their own lives. At the time her death, Mother Teresa's Missionaries of Charity had over 4,300 sisters and brotherhood serving in her 610 missions in 123 countries.

Henri Nouwen, not only was he a pastor and priest, college professor, writer and public speaker, but he was also the personal caregiver for a disabled man and he dedicated himself to praying for people. He had this to say about compassion. “When I really bring others into my innermost being and feel their pains, their struggles, their cries in my own soul, then I leave myself, so to speak, and become them; then I have compassion. Compassion lies at the heart of our prayer for our fellow human beings. When I pray for the world, I become the world; when I pray for the endless needs of the millions, my soul expands and wants to embrace them all and bring them into the presence of God. But in the midst of that experience I realize that compassion is not mine, but God’s gift to me. I cannot embrace the world, but God can. I cannot pray, but God can pray in me.”

Conclusion and Application

Jesus was compassionate. His compassion and holiness is what made him attractive to the people who didn’t yet know Him. They were drawn to Jesus and accepted His message about God, because of the kind and compassionate way that He acted. He didn’t win converts by demanding that people follow His rules. The rules of holy living came after they made a personal decision and commitment to follow Him.

The application for this sermon is pretty straight forward. We, His followers are to be imitators of Jesus and represent Him well to others. Therefore, we too are to show compassion. And we have multiple opportunities throughout our community and the world. We can start by showing compassion to our own family members, even our own children. What a wonderful opportunity and honor it is that parents can represent the compassion of Jesus to their children. We can pray that Jesus will open our eyes to the needs of people in our workplace. We can encourage people in our community by volunteering at the homeless shelter and soup kitchens and other social service entities. We can show compassion to people throughout the world by financially supporting children through sponsorship programs and supporting ministries that meet the various needs of those who are suffering. And there are so many more ways to show compassion. Jesus knows you well and if you ask Him, He will give you a special way to show compassion – a way that works well with your personality and your opportunities. People are emotionally overwhelmed with their problems. They need God’s people to care and to help. Showing the compassion of Jesus is a wonderful way to live as a witness for Him.

Domestic Violence - It's Even a Problem for Christians

noreply@blogger.com (Shari) — Wed, 02 Sep 2015 03:10:00 +0000

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month

Sermon Transcript/Article: Domestic Violence – It’s Even a Problem for Christians

Introduction

My message today is about a serious issue - Domestic Violence. It’s a big problem, even for Christians. In recent years there have been more people speaking out against this problem, this crime, especially with the media drawing attention to both high profile cases and also the local stories. But, for the most part, Domestic Violence is still taboo to talk about among Christians, especially in churches. My purpose for this message is not only to draw awareness to the issue, but foremost it is to speak to the women who have been abused. My hope is to provide you with helpful information and helpful options for you to consider. And also to give you hope, real hope and comfort. But this message is for everyone else, too. Because if the statistics are correct then at least 1 in 4 women experience physical violence in their lifetime. So, the chances are - you know someone who has been physically abused. These women are not only suffering physically, but especially emotionally. And spiritually – they question God and they wonder why the church doesn’t help them. They need empathy, compassion, love, and good advice. This is a very serious issue and a Christian leader can make things worse by giving the wrong advice. So, please listen with an open mind and with a compassionate heart. Because we are the church. We need to reflect the love of Jesus. And 1 in 4 women in our population need to experience this kind of love.

A Secret Problem Among Christians

Chuck Colson boldly addressed this issue on his Break Point radio show April 19, of 2009 in his message called – An Ugly Secret: Domestic Violence within the Church.
This is what he said: “A woman I’ll call “Marleen” went to her pastor for help. “My husband is abusing me,” she told him. “Last week he knocked me down and kicked me. He broke one of my ribs.”

Marleen’s pastor was sympathetic. He prayed with Marleen—and then he sent her home. “Try to be more submissive,” he advised. “After all, your husband is your spiritual head.”
Two weeks later, Marleen was dead—killed by an abusive husband. Her church could not believe it. Marleen’s husband was a Sunday school teacher and a deacon. How could he have done such a thing?

Tragically, studies reveal that spousal abuse is just as common within the evangelical churches as anywhere else. This means that about 25 percent of Christian homes witness abuse of some kind.

These numbers may shock you—and they certainly shocked me—so you may be wondering if the studies were done by secular researchers hostile to the church. I can assure you, sadly, they were not.

Denise George, a gifted writer and the wife of theologian Timothy George, has published a new book called What Women Wish Pastors Knew. “Spouse abuse shocks us,” George writes. “We just cannot believe that a church deacon or member goes home after worship . . . and beats his wife.” Tragically, however, George notes, some of these men justify their violence “by citing biblical passages.”

Well, obviously they’re misinterpreting Scripture. In Ephesians 5:22, husbands are told to love their wives as Christ loved the church; beating wives black-and-blue hardly constitutes Christian love. First Peter tells husbands to live with their wives considerately. And the Bible makes it clear that the church has no business closing its eyes to violent men. In 1 Timothy 3:3, the church is told that when it comes to choosing leaders, they must find men who are “not violent but gentle,” sober, and temperate.

The amount of domestic abuse in Christian homes is horrifying, and the church ought to be doing something about it—not leave the problem to secular agencies. But this is one mission field where the church is largely missing in action. And sometimes pastors, albeit with good intentions, do more harm than good.

George sites a survey in which nearly 6,000 pastors were asked how they would counsel women who came to them for help with domestic violence. Twenty-six percent would counsel them the same way Marleen’s pastor did: to continue to “submit” to her husband, no matter what. Twenty-five percent told wives the abuse was their own fault—for failing to submit in the first place. Astonishingly, 50 percent said women should be willing to “tolerate some level of violence” because it is better than divorce.
Advice like this, George warns, often puts women “in grave danger”—and in some cases, can be a death warrant.
I appreciate Chuck Colson and other Christians who are bravely addressing this issue. But, it’s a hard problem to deal with. Not only is it a huge embarrassment to the church. But there is so much fear involved about knowing what to do and wondering if we will do it right. It’s much easier to just ignore the issue and hope that God will help each woman individually. But a lot of women need someone to talk to and most of them don’t know if they can even go to their pastor. And that is because in the majority of churches the problem remains a secret. No one really wants to talk about it or admit to it.

Characteristics of Domestic Violence

Christina Fox, a licensed mental health counselor, wrote an article for Today’s Christian Women – a magazine published by Christianity Today. I’ll read a portion of her article from the March 2015 issue entitled: The Hidden Problem of Domestic Violence. In her words, Christina clearly explains the common characteristics of domestic violence and how it differs from typical marital conflict.

She says - “Domestic violence is about controlling another person. The abuser uses whatever means necessary to gain and maintain that control. This includes the use of threats, manipulation, intimidation, and force. If emotional and psychological abuse is effective, there might not be physical abuse, but once the victim resists or stands up, the physical abuse is certain to begin. The abuser (may) breaks things, punch his fist into the wall, hurt the family pet, and do other intimidating actions to show her that he can and will do the same to her. The victim lives her days walking on eggshells, never knowing when her abuser will explode.

The abuser uses threats to manipulate and control his victim. He may threaten to hurt himself, to leave the victim, to take her children, or to tell lies about her to others, including the authorities, if she doesn’t do what he tells her to do. The abuser also tries to control all areas of the victim’s life.

The victim is constantly belittled, put-down, and humiliated. Her abuser makes her feel stupid, inferior, and worthless. She doubts herself, and over time she may even think she’s crazy. She could be very well-educated and well-skilled, but as a result of psychological abuse, the victim will grow to believe that what her abuser tells her is true: (that) she is worthless.

The abuser often appears to be different in public (than) at home. He may be a charismatic, upstanding citizen. He may hold positions of respect in the community. This makes it hard for people to believe (that) he would hurt the people in his home whom he’s supposed to love.

People often tend to believe the abuser over the victim. In some cases, they may even tell the victim that she brought this situation on herself in some way. They may encourage her to be a “better wife,” hoping (that) if she “improves,” everything will be okay.

All of these factors play a role in keeping a victim from leaving or trying to get help. She doesn’t think anyone would believe her. Because she’s often financially dependent on her abuser, she is unsure of where she would escape. She is fearful of what he might do and believes it is safer to stay. Not only that, but as a result of the constant psychological abuse she has endured, she might believe that she is deserving of such treatment.

The difference between a marriage in which conflict occurs and one in which there is domestic violence is the issue of power and control. In such a relationship, there is no working things out. The abuser is always right and always gets his way. It’s not a matter of him needing to learn effective communication skills; it goes much deeper than that. It’s a relationship ruled by fear, not love. It’s one where the victim is controlled, not cherished. It’s a relationship that doesn’t simply say unkind things in the heat of an argument; it’s one that leaves deep and abiding scars, both inside and out.”

I am so glad that Christina Fox spoke about the control issue. Domestic violence is not about anger. The abuser does not need to learn how to manage his anger. He does not get so angry that he loses control. Actually, the abuser is very much in control and he purposely uses anger to intimidate his victim in order to get his way. If the abuser truly had an uncontrollable anger problem than you would see him acting violent toward people in his workplace and in his community also. But, he knows that violence wouldn’t be tolerated outside of his home, that there would be consequences for his violent behaviors. But, the abuser believes that he is entitled to have power and control over the victim, especially in his own home, especially if he is the head of the home. So, domestic violence (left unaddressed) will not just “get better”. And it won’t get better, because the wife is praying for him. It won’t get better because she learns to become more submissive. It won’t get better through marriage counseling or relationship seminars. It won’t get better by binding the attacks of Satan. And it won’t get better if she learns how to forgive him. Abuse is not marital conflict. It is a cycle between the abuser and his victim that continues to grow and escalate in frequency and intensity. The violence needs to be addressed. The abuser will not get better until he learns how to deal with his issues of control and manipulation. And most abusers won’t to do that, because their ability to control has worked well for them for a long time, and many don’t want to give that up. There are programs available for abusers to get help, but they never go to them unless they are ordered to by the court.

Characteristics of an Abuser

Are you being abused? Many women question if they are. They feel like it might be abuse, like it’s wrong. But his behavior isn’t to the same extreme that they’ve seen in some movie. The abuse may not have given you visible bruises or a broken bone. So you question if it’s really abuse. Well, if you have to question it -then it probably is abuse. I’m going to give you a list of a few of the things that an abuser will do with the hopes of controlling you. He will start out with emotional and spiritual abuse. But if that doesn’t work, then he will move on to physical abuse. If that doesn’t work, he may get other people involved with the hopes of setting you straight. - He may seem to have a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde personality, may twist around your words and play mind games, force his opinions on you, blame you for anything that goes wrong, give you a “look” that instills fear, undermine you in front of your children, disrespect you with sarcasm or humiliation, throw things or punch walls to scare you, destroy your personal property, threaten to hurt you, your children, or your pets, coerce you to have sex against your will, uses the Bible to excuse his behavior, uses stress or alcohol as an excuse to hurt you, blames you for his destructive behavior, controls the money so you don’t have any to leave, threatens to get custody of the children, threatens to harm himself or kill himself if you don’t obey, makes it difficult for you to work or attend school so you won’t be able to provide for yourself, accuses you of destroying the family, demands that you not talk to someone about family problems, makes you feel like you have to walk on eggshells when he’s around, behaves in ways that make you think you should call the police, manipulates you into keeping silent or dropping the charges against him, throws things at you, physically hurts you without leaving evidence, pushes you, restrains you, slaps you, grabs your neck, or chokes you, throws you down the stairs, kicks you, hits you. Those are some of the common characteristics of an abuser. He may do some of them or most of them.

Help is Available

There is help is available for you. Every woman’s situation is different and very unique from the others. There isn’t just one way to solve your problem. You have a variety of options and only you can decide which ones are best for you and your children, if you have them. It’s important that someone doesn’t choose for you. A professional should not tell you what to do, but will tell you what your options are. You’re used to being controlled. But, you get to make this decision for yourself. You know your situation better than anyone else.

Actually there are a lot options for you to consider. However, one of the most important first steps that you could take is to talk to someone who is understanding and compassionate. You can diffuse a lot of the power that the abuse holds just by telling someone your secret.

Here are some more options for you to consider: confide in a friend or family member, get counseling from a pastor or counselor, call the 24 hour domestic violence hotline number at 1-800-799-7233 or go to their website at thehotline.org, talk to someone at your local domestic violence organization (they have a wealth of information and free help, a lot of times even free legal representation), attend a support group for victims through your local organization, call the police and press charges, get a protection from abuse order, seek medical attention and have your injuries documented, go to a hotel or women’s emergency shelter, move out, if you decide to stay – it’s a good idea to develop a safety plan in case you have to leave in a hurry which includes extra car keys, cash, and important documents. You can find out more about a domestic violence safety plan by searching for it on the Internet.

A lot of people don’t understand why abused women stay with a violent person. But there really are a lot of reasons why they do. For some women separation or divorce isn’t a realistic option due to their cultural and religious beliefs. Some women believe that leaving may cause even more serious or life-threatening violence. Some think that it’s better to stay so the children can have a father, or a complete family. While some are afraid that he will get custody of the children and she won’t be able to see them very often. Some don’t have the financial means to provide for themselves or their children. She might think that she can’t survive on her own. Some women don’t leave because they feel helpless and powerless due to years of being controlled. She may be hoping, praying, and believing that things will just get better. And some women don’t have the support of family, friends, or a church that she many need in order to take that huge step away from her abuser.

I hope that this has been helpful to you. I wanted to provide you with some practical and useful information. But I understand that you have emotional and spiritual needs, too. And I’d like to offer you some comfort and hope, real hope –found only in God.

An Attribute of God - Love

God cares about you. He hasn’t forgotten you. And though it may be hard for you to feel or believe - He does love you. One of God’s attributes is love. He’s not just loving. He is love. His love is pure, holy, and supernatural and it flows out of His goodness and it positively affects all of His other attributes. He loves us freely and it’s not something that we earn. There is nothing that we can do to make God love us more or any less. Paul wrote in Romans 8 that there is nothing in all of creation that can separate us from God’s love – which includes our fears, our worries, spiritual attacks from the enemy, and even other people. An abuser can do a lot of harm, but he can never stop God from loving you. God shows His love to us unconditionally, which is so different than how humans love. A parent may have threatened to stop loving you. A boyfriend may have promised to love you if only you would meet his demands. And an abusive partner may have shown you a selfish, manipulative and controlling form of love which really isn’t true love. But God loves you perfectly. Only He can love you the way that it is described in 1 Corinthians 13, because He is love. And “⁴Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud ⁵or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. ⁶It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. ⁷Love never gives up, never loses faith, (it) is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.” Only God can love you like that - perfectly, all the time, without error.

And you can trust God to sustain you through your adversity- no matter how bad or hopeless it seems. God can even use the abuse that has been done to you (despite it being so evil) to build your spiritual faith and to refine you and to transform you into the child of God that He wants you to be. Your abuser may tear you down and maybe even want to destroy you. But God can use all that to strengthen you. God knows your pain, your emotional suffering, and your feelings of hopelessness. Please trust God. Everyone else in your life may fail you. But trust God because only He knows your future and how things will really turn out for you. God has a plan for your life - a destiny for you to fulfill that is not contingent on what anyone else does to you. God’s will for you will happen despite what an abuser may or may not do. You have to trust God, and find you hope in Him. God will give you the love and acceptance that you so desperately need. Just look for it.

God doesn’t want you to be suppressed by fear. You need to overcome of your fear, because you have some really big things that you need to do. Abuse will not just go away on it’s on. The key to stopping the abuse - is you. You need to stop the cycle of abuse that is being done to you. And I suggest that you talk to a professional about your options. A professional would be a representative at the Domestic Violence organization, a counselor, and some pastors. Then, with guidance from God, you need to figure out which options are best for you and your children, if you have them. You know your situation better than anyone else. You get to decide – not your spouse, or your boyfriend, or your pastor, or your mother, or your friend. As you set boundaries in your own life and make your own choices, you will become stronger and that fear will start to leave. Just starting to talk about the abuse with someone that you can trust will weaken much of the power that is being held in your secret.
Now, your abuser will not be happy with the new decisions you are making. But you will be proud of yourself for admitting the truth and enforcing the truth. You will become empowered to continue standing up for your rights. Don’t expect your abuser to respond well to your boundaries. But if you set them and enforce them, he will learn real quickly that you are serious. So that means that if you say you will call the police the next time he hits you, then you had better call the police. Boundaries only work when you enforce them, but they can work well.

Biblical Text and Conclusion

I’ll conclude with the words of David from Psalm 71 and 34:18. David became a king. However, there was a time when he feared for his life. He hid in caves from men who wanted to kill him. But He kept going to God for strength and comfort. You might be able to relate to David. Some of His words might be your words.

^“1O Lord, I have come to you for protection; don’t let me be disgraced. ²Save me and rescue me, for you do what is right. Turn your ear to listen to me, and set me free.³Be my rock of safety where I can always hide. Give the order to save me, for you are my rock and my fortress.⁴My God, rescue me from the power of the wicked, from the clutches of cruel oppressors. ⁵O Lord, you alone are my hope. My life is an example to many, because you have been my strength and protection. ⁸That is why I can never stop praising you; I declare your glory all day long. But I will keep on hoping for your help; I will praise you more and more. Your righteousness, O God, reaches to the highest heavens. You have done such wonderful things. Who can compare with you, O God? ²⁰You have allowed me to suffer much hardship, but you will restore me to life again and lift me up from the depths of the earth. ²¹You will restore me to even greater honor and comfort me once again. (from Psalm 71). The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed.” (Psalm 34:18)

Are you brokenhearted? Do you feel like your spirit is crushed? Please put your hope in God. He will come to your rescue. He will give you the strength that you need to address the abuse being done to you and to do what you think is best to protect yourself from future abuse.

Are Christians Hypocrites?

noreply@blogger.com (Shari) — Wed, 12 Aug 2015 03:00:00 +0000

Sermon Transcript/Article: Are Christians Hypocrites?

Introduction

I have 2 emotional charged statements that I would like you hear.

1^st : “Christians are hypocrites.” And 2^nd: “Well, if that’s how a Christian acts then I want nothing to do with Christianity.” Maybe you’ve said something like that or heard someone else say it. We all know that Christians are supposed to be good, kind, follow the rules, and try to act like God.

But many of them blow it, even in really big ways. They hurt people and make Christianity look back. Their poor representation of God has actually turned people away from wanting to learn about Jesus and making a decision to follow Him.

Now, to be fair, some of these people who claim to be Christians probably aren’t. Even Jesus says that just because you claim to be His follower and you give the appearance in public doesn’t mean that you actually are one. I’ll read what Jesus says about this in Matthew 7:21-23 ²¹“Not everyone who calls me ‘Lord, Lord’ will enter the Kingdom of heaven, but only those who do what my Father in heaven wants them to do. ²²When the Judgment Day comes, many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord! In your name we spoke God's message, by your name we drove out many demons and performed many miracles!’ ²³Then I will say to them, ‘I never knew you. Get away from me, you wicked people!’ (Good News Translation)

Jesus Condemned Hypocrisy

Thank goodness that the wonderful life-saving message of Christianity is not based on its members. Christianity is based on Jesus, who sacrificed Himself for our sinful behavior so that we can be forgiven. We can have a restored relationship with God. And we have eternal life with Him.

And he is not hypocritical. Jesus is not the Christian woman who publically pushed for abstinence yet ended up having an affair and destroying her family. Jesus is not the Christian father that physically abused his own child. Jesus is not the priest that gained a child’s trust and then molested him. Jesus is not the outspoken, arrogant pastor that preaches that all homosexuals should burn in hell. He is not the Christian leader or the spouse that uses the Bible or his leadership position to spiritually abuse you. Nor is He the TV evangelist that begs for money yet has his own mansion and expensive car. Jesus - is the perfect, sinless, holy son of God. Actually, He is God.

Text - Matthew 23

In Matthew 23, Jesus spoke out against the religious leaders and He even called them hypocrites. I will read verses 1- 7: “ Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, ²“The teachers of religious law and the Pharisees are the official interpreters of the law of Moses.³So practice and obey whatever they tell you, but don’t follow their example. For they don’t practice what they teach. ⁴They crush people with unbearable religious demands and never lift a finger to ease the burden.⁵“Everything they do is for show. On their arms they wear extra wide prayer boxes with Scripture verses inside, and they wear robes with extra-long tassels. ⁶And they love to sit at the head table at banquets and in the seats of honor in the synagogues. ⁷They love to receive respectful greetings as they walk in the marketplaces, and to be called ‘Rabbi’ (or teacher).”

And then Jesus goes on to say that they win converts to their own religion, but not actually to God. They reinterpreted their laws in order to suit their own purposes. They emphasized minute religious details, yet ignored the more important truths of God such as justice, mercy, and faith. They worked hard to look good on the outside, but inside they were greedy and self-indulgent. They even denied that they too were sinful. They were so bad that they eventually persecuted and killed real followers of Jesus, including Jesus Himself. So, Jesus clearly condemns hypocrisy among His followers and representatives.

Why Some Christians are Hypocritical

So what makes people become hypocritical? Well, it pretty much comes down to pride. We think or pretend that we are better than we really are. Pride is thinking that our way is the right way because we are better. Essentially it is self-worship. When we’re prideful, we don’t need God or other people to help us because we’re already doing it well enough. Christians that have a problem with pride will cling onto the morality that they like, and then force it on others, but they will ignore Biblical truths that they don’t like especially if it’s something sinful that they are struggling with. And some people use Christianity and the Bible to manipulate and control others for some kind of personal gain – maybe for monetary reasons or for their own popularity. You might even see this behavior in some church leaders. It’s called spiritual abuse. And it is wrong.

I’m going to describe a well-known man. This man used Christianity to manipulate others so that he could grow in power. “He made free use of Christian vocabulary. He talked about the blessing of the Almighty and the Christian confessions which would become the pillars of the new government. He assumed the earnestness of a man weighed down by historic responsibility. He handed out pious stories to the press, especially to the church papers. He showed his tattered Bible and declared that he drew the strength for his great work from it as scores of pious people welcomed him as a man sent from God. Indeed, Adolf Hitler was a master of outward religiosity--with no inward reality! (Today in the Word June 3, 1989). I think it would be hard to find anyone these day who believes that Hitler was actually a Christian. But it sounds like, there once was a time when he had people fooled. He is a perfect example of a hypocrite.

True Christ-like Character

God has high moral standards for his true followers. He wants us to be Christ-like. However, human beings cannot do this perfectly. They do make mistakes. But making a mistake and not attaining perfection are not the same as being a hypocrite. There are many Christians genuinely trying to live the Christian life, relying on the Holy Spirit to convict them and change them. Numerous Christians live good lives free from hypocrisy and scandal. Many live selfless lives, trying very hard to live by high moral standards. And one such person is a nurse named Charlotte Thrall. I read an article about her called Mercy-Full Nurse in Christianity Today Magazine. I’ll read a portion of the article.

“When Diego was a little boy in Mexico, his abusive father plunged a fireplace poker into the 3-year-old's left eye. Diego and his mother fled to the United States, ending up in Phoenix. But Diego's misery continued. Essentially blind, haunted by memories of his father, and mocked by fellow students, he was suicidal by age 10. His mom was undocumented, with no insurance or access to services. That's when Charlotte Thrall heard about their plight. A nurse who uses her skills to serve Phoenix's uninsured and undocumented, she connected Diego to an ophthalmologist for his eye and a psychiatrist for his anguish. The former crafted a custom contact lens that restored some of Diego's sight. The latter put him on an antidepressant that may have saved the boy's life. All this for free. Today, Diego is a thriving 16-year-old who enjoys playing soccer. If it weren't for Charlotte, he might have ended up as another lost statistic.”

Due to the political climate surrounding immigration, many undocumented Latinos are afraid to seek medical help. Instead of involving herself in the political fight, Charlotte Thrall has dedicated herself to showing compassion. She has been able to help around 2,000 people within seven years - without being paid. And most of her clients have been undocumented. She doesn’t have an office, just a cell phone and a Chevy Tahoe filled with medical supplies. She meets their various physical needs, makes referrals to other medical providers, and offers to pray with them. Charlotte is a good example of a selfless Christian trying to represent Jesus well.

That was just 1 example of Christian that is doing it right. She is looking on at her fellow human beings as Jesus would. Through her empathy and compassion she is doing what she can to help people with their physical and spiritual needs. And this is what Jesus did during His ministry on Earth. Yet even the best representatives of Jesus are still humans who sin. The only One who is truly perfect and without sin is Jesus. He is the only one that can ever live up to God’s perfect holy standards. Only He could truly practice what He preached without ever making a mistake. But we still need to do our best, to work at transforming ourselves to becoming like Christ. And this isn’t going to happen instantly, as soon as we make a commitment to follow Jesus. Plus, we will continue to struggle with the temptation to sin. But Ephesians 4:23-24 instructs us to stop sinning and allow the Holy Spirit to transform our lives. It says ^“Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from Him, throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy.”

God is Holy

God wants us to pursue holiness in our lives, because He is holy. Actually, He is the absolute perfect example of being Holy. Bill Bright explains God’s holiness in his book called God – Discover His Character. To be holy means to cut or to separate. God is above, exalted, and separate from all that He created. His holiness also means that He is completely set apart from sin. God is so holy that no one can look upon His glory and live. No one can approach our holy God without a covering of blood to atone for the forgiveness of his sin. The sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross provided a covering of blood against the anger of God for unconfessed sin. The only thing that can satisfy the judgment of sin demanded by God’s holiness is the shedding of pure, innocent blood. And only Jesus’ blood met this high standard. God is the absolutely pure and righteous being who hates evil. He cannot tolerate any unrighteousness. Habakkuk 1:13 tells us, that God’s eyes are too pure to look on evil; He cannot tolerate wrong (NIV). God’s holiness demands consequences for sin. We have broken His standard of holiness, and His holiness demands that He judge our sin, not ignore or excuse it.” And Jesus paid our consequence for sin for us when He sacrificed himself by dying on the cross.

Bob Hyatt, a pastor of The Evergreen Community in Portland, Oregon says the following concerning the hypocritical reputation of Christianity. “Our churches aren't perfect by any means, and the people serving in those churches are sinful, fallen human beings as well. But there are many pastors out there who are doing their darndest to love people and serve Jesus who don't deserve the same broad brush as the few narcissistic control freaks who have somehow wandered into the ministry. There are more communities of faithfulness who are refuges for hurting people, serving their cities with love than there are abusive churches that use people up and spit them out. If you have been hurt by a church, or by certain pastors, let me say I'm sorry. I too have hurt people in my ministry. Our church has, at times contributed to the problem. I think more often than not, we've done right by people and tried our hardest to be kingdom agents of healing. I don't think we are by any means special. I think the vast majority of pastors and churches have heads and hearts in the right places.

Conclusion and Application

Unfortunately, we will continue to hear about Christians being hypocritical and poorly representing God. You and I will probably have another personal experience in which a Christian hurts us or disappoints us. I really don’t want to be one of those Christians, but I’m afraid that at times I too may misrepresent God and maybe even act hypocritical. That’s not what I want to be like, but if I am that way – I hope that people will look past me and my flaws to see Jesus – the only One that will never hurt you. So, I think that we need to rise above our hurts and disappointments concerning Christians or those who claim to be. Because Jesus is the only one we can absolutely count on to never fail us.
I’d like to leave you with the following 2 challenges:

1^st - for the person who has been hurt by a Christian or a church – there are some Christians and fake Chistians out there who are hypocritical. But Jesus is not. He is perfect and He won’t fail you. Give Jesus a chance, it’s a matter of your eternity. He offers you salvation by believing in Him, trusting in Him, and living your life for Him. If you are interested in learning more about Jesus, but not ready to join in on the whole church thing, that’s OK. You can develop a relationship with Him on your own. You can learn about Him and talk to Him without being in a church. There are full copies of the Bible at biblegateway.com to read online or you can download Bible apps to your phone. There are thousands of sermons online that you can learn from. You may get to a point where you decide that you would like to visit a group of Christians in a church or a small group setting. I know for myself that it has been really rewarding to belong to a church – being able to worship, pray and socialize with other people who follow Jesus. But if you’re not ready for that - then that’s fine. The most important thing to focus on is your one on one relationship with Him anyhow. However, if you do join a church and it doesn’t feel right – maybe the focus is more on the leaders rather than Jesus, then you might want to move on and look for a Christian community that is right for you because they are out there.

And 2^nd - for the person who calls themself a Christian. We have a responsibility to represent Jesus well. The Bible tells us to be transformed from that old sinful way of life. We are supposed to pursue holiness. Remember that we were made in God’s image and therefore we should reflect His character traits. People are watching us and trying to decide whether or not to join in on our spiritual beliefs. Our Christian example may have a lot to do with whether or not they choose to pursue Jesus. How terrible it would be if our bad behavior turned them away from Jesus. Many people can think of examples of Christian who have acted like hypocrites, so we need to correct that disappointment for them and be examples of good, moral, selfless Christians that represent Jesus well.

The Book of Ruth - Tragedies Can Turn to Miracles

noreply@blogger.com (Shari) — Tue, 11 Aug 2015 02:57:00 +0000

The entire book of Ruth complete with personal application, the doctrine of redemption, and the sovereignty of God in 23 minutes.

Sermon Transcript/Article: The Book of Ruth - Tragedies Can Change to Miracles

Introduction

The book of Ruth, in the Bible, shows us that God can replace the tragedies of ordinary people with miracles and blessings. As Ruth went about living her challenging life, her perspective was very limited, yet she faithfully continued trusting God. She had no idea that the day by day leading of God would result in one of the greatest events in all of history. This true story took place in the period of the Judges, after the Israelites rebelled against God. The story provides a sharp contrast with the disobedient actions of the Israelites, because Ruth chose to obey God and therefore she prospered. I’m going to read the story from the Message version of the Bible. My hope is that you will be able to relate to Ruth, an ordinary person that had extraordinary experiences that provided by God. And then I will follow it up with some practical application points.

The Text , Ruth 1-4 (The Message Version)

1 ^1-2Once upon a time—it was back in the days when judges led Israel— there was a famine in the land. A man from Bethlehem in Judah left home to live in the country of Moab, he and his wife and his two sons. The man’s name was Elimelech; his wife’s name was Naomi; his sons were named Mahlon and Kilion—all Ephrathites from Bethlehem in Judah. They all went to the country of Moab and settled there.

^3-5(but) Elimelech died and Naomi was left, she and her two sons. (So) the sons took Moabite wives; the name of the first was Orpah, (and) the second Ruth. They lived there in Moab for the next ten years. But then the two brothers, Mahlon and Kilion, died. Now the woman was left without either her (sons) or her husband.

^6-7One day she got herself together, she and her two daughters-in-law, to leave the country of Moab and set out for home; she had heard that God had been pleased to visit his people (in Bethlehem) and give them food. And so she started out from the place she had been living, she and her two daughters-in-law with her, on the road back to the land of Judah.

^8-9After a short while on the road, Naomi told her two daughters-in-law, “Go back. Go home and live with your mothers. And may God treat you as graciously as you treated your deceased husbands and me. May God give each of you a new home and a new husband!” She kissed them and they cried openly.

¹⁰(but) they said, “No, we’re going on with you to your people.”

^11-13But Naomi was firm: “Go back, my dear daughters. Why would you come with me? Do you suppose I still have sons in my womb who can become your future husbands? Go back, dear daughters—on your way, please! I’m too old to get a husband. Why, even if I said, ‘There’s still hope!’ and this very night got a man and had sons, can you imagine being satisfied to wait until they were grown? Would you wait that long to get married again? No, dear daughters; this is a bitter pill for me to swallow—more bitter for me than for you. (sigh)God has dealt me a hard blow.”

¹⁴Again they cried openly. Orpah kissed her mother-in-law good-bye; but Ruth embraced her and held on.

¹⁵Naomi said, “Look, your sister-in-law is going back home to live with her own people and gods; go with her.”

^16-17But Ruth said, “Don’t force me to leave you; don’t make me go home. Where you go, I go; and where you live, I’ll live. Your people are my people, your God is my god; where you die, I’ll die, and that’s where I’ll be buried, help me God (if I don’t keep this promise) - not even death itself is going to come between us!”

^18-19When Naomi saw that Ruth had her heart set on going with her, she gave in. And so the two of them traveled on together to Bethlehem.

When they arrived in Bethlehem the whole town was soon buzzing: “Is this really our Naomi? And after all this time!”

^20-21But she said, “Don’t call me Naomi; call me Bitter. The Strong One has dealt me a bitter blow. I left here full of life, and God has brought me back with nothing but the clothes on my back. Why would you call me Naomi (which means Happy)? God certainly doesn’t. (sigh)The Strong One ruined me.”

²²And so Naomi was back, and Ruth the foreigner with her, back from the country of Moab. They arrived in Bethlehem at the beginning of the barley harvest.

2 It so happened that Naomi had a relative by marriage, a man prominent and rich, connected with Elimelech’s family. His name was Boaz.

²One day Ruth, the Moabite foreigner, said to Naomi, “I’m going to work; I’m going out to glean among the sheaves, following after some harvester who will treat me kindly.”

Naomi said, “Go ahead, dear daughter.”

^3-4And so she set out. She went and started gleaning in a field, following in the wake of the harvesters. Eventually she ended up in the part of the field owned by Boaz, her father-in-law Elimelech’s relative. A little later Boaz came out from Bethlehem, greeting his harvesters (with), “God be with you!” They replied, “And God bless you!”

⁵Boaz asked his young servant who was foreman over the farm hands, “Who is this young woman? Where did she come from?”

^6-7The foreman said, “Why, that’s the Moabite girl, the one who came with Naomi from the country of Moab. She asked permission. ‘Let me glean,’ she said, ‘and gather among the sheaves following after your harvesters.’ She’s been at it steady ever since, from early morning until now, without so much as a break.”

^8-9Then Boaz spoke to Ruth: “Listen, my daughter. From now on don’t go to any other field to glean—stay right here in this one. And stay close to my young women. Watch where they are harvesting and follow them. And don’t worry about a thing; I’ve given orders to my servants not to harass you. When you get thirsty, feel free to go and drink from the water buckets that the servants have filled.”

¹⁰She dropped to her knees, then bowed her face to the ground. “How does this happen that you should pick me out and treat me so kindly—me, a foreigner?”

^11-12Boaz answered her, “I’ve heard all about you—heard about the way you treated your mother-in-law after the death of her husband, and how you left your father and mother and the land of your birth and have come to live among a bunch of total strangers. God reward you well for what you’ve done—and with a generous bonus besides from God, to whom you’ve come seeking protection under his wings.”

¹³She said, “Oh sir, such grace, such kindness—I don’t deserve it. You’ve touched my heart, treated me like one of your own. And I don’t even belong here!”

¹⁴At the lunch break, Boaz said to her, “Come over here; eat some bread. Dip it in the wine.”

So she joined the harvesters. Boaz passed the roasted grain to her. She ate her fill and even had some left over.

^15-16When she got up to go back to work, Boaz ordered his servants: “Let her glean where there’s still plenty of grain on the ground—make it easy for her. Better yet, pull some of the good stuff out and leave it for her to glean. Give her special treatment.”

^17-18Ruth gleaned in the field until evening. When she threshed out what she had gathered, she ended up with nearly a full sack of barley! She gathered up her gleanings, went back to town, and showed her mother-in-law the results of her day’s work; she also gave her the leftovers from her lunch.

¹⁹Naomi asked her, “So where did you glean today? Whose field? God bless whoever it was who took such good care of you!”

Ruth told her mother-in-law, “The man with whom I worked today? His name is Boaz.”

²⁰Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, “Why, God bless that man! God hasn’t quite walked out on us after all! He still loves us, in bad times as well as good!”

Naomi went on, “That man, Ruth, is one of our circle of covenant (kinsman) redeemers, (or protectors), a close relative of ours!”

²¹Ruth the Moabitess said, “Well, listen to this: He also told me, ‘Stick with my workers until my harvesting is finished.’”

²²Naomi said to Ruth, “That’s wonderful, dear daughter! Do that! You’ll be safe in the company of his young women; no danger now of being raped in some stranger’s field.”

²³So Ruth did it—she stuck close to Boaz’s young women, gleaning in the fields daily until both the barley and wheat harvesting were finished. And she continued living with her mother-in-law.

3 ^1-2One day her mother-in-law Naomi said to Ruth, “My dear daughter, isn’t it about time I arranged a good home for you so you can have a happy life? And isn’t Boaz our close relative, the one with whose young women you’ve been working? Maybe it’s time to make our move. Tonight is the night of Boaz’s barley harvest at the threshing floor.

^3-4“Take a bath. Put on some perfume. Get all dressed up and go to the threshing floor. But don’t let him know you’re there until the party is well under way and he’s had plenty of food and drink. When you see him slipping off to sleep, watch where he lies down and then go there. Lie at his feet to let him know that you are available to him for marriage. Then wait and see what he says. He’ll tell you what to do.”

⁵Ruth said, “If you say so, I’ll do it, just as you’ve told me.”

⁶She went down to the threshing floor and put her mother-in-law’s plan into action.

⁷Boaz had a good time, eating and drinking his fill—he felt great. Then he went off to get some sleep, lying down at the end of a stack of barley. Ruth quietly followed; she lay down (at his feet) to signal her availability for marriage.

⁸In the middle of the night the man was suddenly startled and sat up. (I’m) surprised! This woman asleep at (my) feet!

⁹He said, “And who are you?”

She said, “I am Ruth, your maiden; take me under your protecting wing. You’re my close relative, you know, in the circle of covenant (kinsman) redeemers—you do have the right to marry me.”

^10-13He said, “God bless you, my dear daughter! What a splendid expression of love! And when you could have had your pick of any of the young men around. And now, my dear daughter, don’t you worry about a thing; I will do all you could want or ask. Everybody in town knows what a courageous woman you are—a real prize! You’re right, I am a close relative to you, but - there is one even closer than I am. So stay the rest of the night. In the morning, if he wants to exercise his customary rights and responsibilities as the closest covenant (kinsman) redeemer, he’ll have his chance; but if he isn’t interested, as God lives, I’ll do it. Now go back to sleep until morning.”

¹⁴Ruth slept at his feet until dawn, but she got up while it was still dark (so she) wouldn’t be recognized. Then Boaz said to himself, (Hmmm)“No one must know that Ruth came to the threshing floor.”

¹⁵So Boaz said, “Bring the shawl you’re wearing and spread it out.”

She spread it out and he poured it full of barley, six measures, and put it on her shoulders. Then she went back to town.

^16-17When she came to her mother-in-law, Naomi asked, “And … how did things go, my dear daughter?”

Ruth told her everything that the man had done for her, adding, “And he gave me all this barley besides—six quarts! He told me, ‘You can’t go back empty-handed to your mother-in-law!’”

¹⁸Naomi said, “Sit back and relax, my dear daughter, until we find out how things turn out; that man isn’t going to fool around. Mark my words, he’s going to get everything wrapped up today.”

4 Boaz went straight to the public square and took his place there. Before long the “closer relative,” the one mentioned earlier by Boaz, strolled by.

“Step aside, old friend,” said Boaz. “Take a seat.” The man sat down.

²Boaz then gathered ten of the town elders together and said, “Sit down here with us; we’ve got some business to take care of.” And they sat down.

^3-4Boaz then said to his relative, “The piece of property that belonged to our relative Elimelech is being sold by his widow Naomi, who has just returned from the country of Moab. I thought you ought to know about it. Buy it back if you want it—you can make it official in the presence of those sitting here and before the town elders. You have first redeemer rights. If you don’t want it, tell me so I’ll know where I stand. You’re first in line to do this and I’m next after you.”

He said, “I’ll buy it.”

⁵Then Boaz added, “You realize, don’t you, that when you buy the field from Naomi, you also get Ruth the Moabite, the widow of our dead relative, along with the redeemer responsibility to have children with her to carry on the family inheritance.”

⁶Then the relative said, “Oh, I can’t do that—I’d jeopardize my own family’s inheritance. You go ahead and buy it—you can have my rights—I can’t do it.”

⁷In the olden times in Israel, this is how they handled official business regarding matters of property and inheritance: a man would take off his shoe and give it to the other person. This was the same as an official seal or personal signature in Israel.

⁸So when Boaz’s “redeemer” relative said, “Go ahead and buy it,” he signed the deal by pulling off his shoe.

^9-10Boaz then addressed the elders and all the people in the town square that day: “You are witnesses today that I have bought from Naomi everything that belonged to Elimelech and Kilion and Mahlon, including responsibility for Ruth the foreigner, the widow of Mahlon—I will take her as my wife and keep the name of the deceased alive along with his inheritance. The memory and reputation of the deceased is not going to disappear out of this family or from his hometown. To all this you are witnesses this very day.”

^11-12All the people in the town square that day, backing up the elders, said, “Yes, we are witnesses. May God make this woman who is coming into your household like Rachel and Leah, the two women who built the family of Israel. May God make you a pillar in Ephrathah and famous in Bethlehem! With the children God gives you from this young woman, may your family rival the family of Perez, the son Tamar bore to Judah.”

¹³(And so) Boaz married Ruth. She became his wife. By God’s gracious gift she conceived and had a son.

^14-15The town women said to Naomi, “Blessed be God! He didn’t leave you without family to carry on your life. May this baby grow up to be famous in Israel! He’ll make you young again! He’ll take care of you in (your) old age. And this daughter-in-law who has brought him into the world and loves you so much, why, she’s worth more to you than seven sons!”

¹⁶Naomi took the baby and held him in her arms, cuddling him, cooing over him, waiting on him hand and foot.

¹⁷The neighborhood women started calling him “Naomi’s baby boy!” (because a son had been born for Naomi). But his real name was Obed. Obed was the father of Jesse, and Jesse the father of (King) David who was the ancestor of the future Jesus, the long awaited for Messiah.

Conclusion and Application

This story showed the commitment and faithfulness of Ruth. It showed the redeeming character of Boaz, and the sovereignty of God. Early on in the story, Ruth made a decision to join with Naomi and to follow the God of Israel. This foreshadowed the future when other non-Jewish people would become part of spiritual Israel, which we know as the church. Boaz was Ruth’s kinsman-redeemer, which means that he paid the price to rescue a relative from her circumstances and to care for her. His example was a foreshadowing of Jesus who redeemed us from our circumstance of sin. Like Boaz, Jesus was our Kinsman-redeemer when He paid the price of dying on the cross, to redeem us from the guilt of sin, so that we can have an eternal inheritance with of God.

Ruth had some big challenges in her life – the death of her husband, having to leave her homeland and family behind, and experiencing the poverty of being a widow. However, Ruth dedicated herself to caring for her mother-in-law and relying on God. We get to see the sovereignty of our great God as He intervened and guided Ruth to glean in Boaz’s field which eventually led her to become an ancestor of Jesus. The sovereignty of God means that He can exercise His holy will or supremacy. God has unlimited power and the ability to do whatever He has resolved to do. So God has complete control over everything that happens. We may not see God working in our lives. However, like in Ruth’s life, God directs the events in our lives also to accomplish His will. Our daily experiences and even our difficult times can be used by God for His divine purposes. It’s such an honor that God uses ordinary people like us. We need to just keep doing what we’re supposed to be doing: trusting God through faith, obeying Him by making godly decisions, and dedicating ourselves to serving Him and following His will. Ruth probably never realized how significant her life really was. And we don’t realize how significant our lives are either. But someday we will get to see the extraordinary things that God has been doing through us.

The Bold Daughters of Zelophehad Got Results and You Can Too

noreply@blogger.com (Shari) — Mon, 10 Aug 2015 02:54:00 +0000

Sermon Transcript/Article:The Bold Daughters of Zelophehad Got Results and You Can Too

Introduction

Do you ever wish that you had more boldness to speak the truth or to stand against injustice? Or, are you satisfied with just sitting back and keeping a low profile - not wanting to rock the boat? The truth is that things don’t happen when we sit back and stifle our boldness. The Bible is filled with inspiring stories of individuals who took risks and were bold. And the results were positively life changing for themselves and for others. But being bold is hard for most of us. What keeps us from being bold? Fear - of being criticized, judged, or laughed at? Complacency? We just really don’t care that much. We’d rather someone else risk their own reputation. Insecurity? We don’t feel qualified or we worry that we will make a mistake or offend someone. Well, boldness is important. Boldness speaks the truth. Boldness changes things for the better. Boldness pleases God. It is my hope that by the end of this message you will be inspired and motivated to pray and look for opportunities to be bold.

I’m going to start with a story from the book of Numbers about 5 women who are a perfect example of risky boldness. The story took place shortly before the Israelites were about to finally enter the Promised Land. Moses was dividing up the land among the 12 tribes of Israel. The women in this story went right to the top, challenged a cultural custom, and stated their expected outcome. And it turned out pretty well for them. The story is found in Numbers 27:1-11(NLT) and Numbers 36:6-12 (NLT).

Text

One day a petition was presented by the daughters of Zelophehad – (their names were) Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. Their father, Zelophehad, was a descendant of Hepher son of Gilead, son of Makir, son of Manasseh, son of Joseph. ²These women stood before Moses, Eleazar the priest, the tribal leaders, and the entire community at the entrance of the Tabernacle. ³“Our father died in the wilderness,” they said. “He was not among Korah’s followers, who rebelled against the Lord (which would have disqualified him from land); he died because of his own sin. But he had no sons. ⁴Why should the name of our father disappear from his clan just because he had no sons? Give us property along with the rest of our relatives.”

⁵So Moses brought their case before the Lord. ⁶And the Lord replied to Moses, ⁷“The claim of the daughters of Zelophehad is legitimate. You must give them a grant of land along with their father’s relatives. Assign them the property that would have been given to their father.
⁸“And give the following instructions to the people of Israel: If a man dies and has no son, then give his inheritance to his daughters. ⁹And if he has no daughter either, transfer his inheritance to his brothers. ¹⁰If he has no brothers, give his inheritance to his father’s brothers. ¹¹But if his father has no brothers, give his inheritance to the nearest relative in his clan. This is a legal requirement for the people of Israel, just as the Lord commanded Moses.”
There are further instructions concerning this subject in Numbers 36:6-12 (NLT):

⁶This is what the Lord commands concerning the daughters of Zelophehad: Let them marry anyone they like, as long as it is within their own ancestral tribe. ⁷None of the territorial land may pass from tribe to tribe, for all the land given to each tribe must remain within the tribe to which it was first allotted. ⁸The daughters throughout the tribes of Israel who are in line to inherit property must marry within their tribe, so that all the Israelites will keep their ancestral property. ⁹No grant of land may pass from one tribe to another; each tribe of Israel must keep its allotted portion of land.”

¹⁰The daughters of Zelophehad did as the Lord commanded Moses. ¹¹Mahlah, Tirzah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Noah all married cousins on their father’s side. ¹²They married into the clans of Manasseh son of Joseph. Thus, their inheritance of land remained within their ancestral tribe.

Explanation of the Text

These 5 sisters had some obstacles to overcome in this Jewish patriarchal society. Most women wouldn’t have even bothered taking such a risk. They had to challenge the law and the customs of Israel. But the alternative was even worse - they would have had no land inheritance at all. Not only would they have lost their father's name among Israel and the tribe of Manasseh, they wouldn’t have the portion of land that belonged to him. This meant that they wouldn’t have had an permanent home in the Promised Land. This meant that they wouldn’t have anything of value when looking for a husband. Basically, they probably would have struggled for the rest of their lives.

These women believed that their request was just. They were willing to risk their reputations. Their determination outweighed their fears. It is amazing that these women, in a patriarchal society, actually had the opportunity to speak to Moses, the priest, and the tribal leaders. I’m thinking that God was behind all of this. They were so bold that they even stated what they expected the outcome to be. Instead of approaching the leaders whining and complaining, they calmly and clearly stated their expectation: “Give us property along with the rest of our relatives.” And it worked. Moses took them seriously and took their request to God. Even God agreed that the just thing to do would be to change the law.

It was probably to their benefit that there were 5 sisters banded together to make the request. And I think that is a good thing to remember. We will have situations when it will be best to take steps of boldness with others who share the same passion. Not only will this mutual support help us with our confidence, but the size of our group may help solicit more attention. However, there will also be times when we may need to have the boldness to stand alone.

God’s Character is Just and Fair

As we saw in the story of the Daughters of Zelophehad - it wasn’t Moses who decided the fate of the women, it was God. God said “Yes” because He is just and fair. And because God has the authority to do whatever He deems best, His justice will prevail

We see His justice in Deuteronomy 32:4 “He is the Rock; his deeds are perfect. Everything he does is just and fair. He is a faithful God who does no wrong; how just and upright he is!” (NLT)

God says about Himself in Isaiah 61:8 – “I love justice and I hate oppression and crime. I will faithfully reward my people and make an eternal covenant with them. (NLT)

So, if God is just and fair, why do we see so much unfairness in the world? It’s because that injustice is done by humans, not God. He has given a wonderful thing to humans called free will. But that doesn’t mean that all humans will exercise their free will responsibly in a way that reflects God’s character. However, God does give us occasions when He intervenes and we see His justice prevail despite the evil of humans. But, it won’t be until He returns to the Earth and judges the people that He will totally do away with evil, injustice, and make things fair. He is not doing that yet, because He is God and thinks that it is wise to do it this way. God knows everything of the past, present, and future. He knows all the details of every circumstance and all the facts. He makes decisions based on His absolute truth. Because of God’s justice, fairness, and righteousness, He is the perfect judge. When He does pronounce judgment, His verdict will always be absolutely right.

Examples of Boldness - Apostles Peter & John and Mary Bosanquet

God, Himself, wants us to be bold. In 2 Timothy 1:7 Paul tells Timothy that “God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline. (NLT) So God knows that we are inclined to be afraid, therefore He gave us His spirit to be bold. God is available anytime to strengthen us with His power to do His will. If we are willing, God will empower us to be courageous, to speak the truth, to stand up for what is right.

In Acts chapter 4 the apostle Peter took his opportunity for boldness. Peter and John had been speaking to a group of people about the resurrection of the dead being possible through Jesus. Plus, they had just miraculously healed a man in the name of Jesus. Well, the priests, the chief of the Temple police, and the religious Sadducees did not approve of this and had Peter and John put in jail. The next day, they were brought before some really important people: religious leaders, religious scholars, Annas the Chief Priest, Caiaphas, John, Alexander, and other men of the high priest’s family. Basically, everybody who was anybody was there.

And then they gave Peter and John a chance to speak asking: Who put you in charge? What business do you have speaking this way and doing these things? And “with that, Peter, full of the Holy Spirit, let loose: (saying) ‘Rulers and leaders of the people, if we have been brought to trial today for helping a sick man, put under investigation regarding this healing, I’ll be completely frank with you - we have nothing to hide. By the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, the One you killed on a cross, the One God raised from the dead, by means of his name this man stands before you healthy and whole. Jesus is ‘the stone you masons threw out, which is now the cornerstone.’ Salvation comes no other way; no other name has been or will be given to us by which we can be saved, only this one.”

^13-14They couldn’t take their eyes off them - Peter and John standing there so confident, so sure of themselves! Their fascination deepened when they realized these two were laymen with no training in Scripture or formal education. They recognized them as companions of Jesus, but with the man right before them, seeing him standing there so upright - so healed! - What could they say against that?

^15-17They sent them out of the room so they could work out a plan. They talked it over: “What can we do with these men? By now it’s known all over town that a miracle has occurred, and that they are behind it. There is no way we can refute that. But so that it doesn’t go any further, let’s silence them with threats so they won’t dare to use Jesus’ name ever again with anyone.”

^18-20They called them back and warned them that they were on no account ever again to speak or teach in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John spoke right back, “Whether it’s right in God’s eyes to listen to you rather than to God, you decide. As for us, there’s no question - we can’t keep quiet about what we’ve seen and heard.”

^21-22The religious leaders renewed their threats, but then released them. They couldn’t come up with a charge that would stick, that would keep them in jail. The people wouldn’t have stood for it - they were all praising God over what had happened (Acts 4: 8-21, The Message Version) - That was boldness!

I have another example for you. Mary Bosanquet was alive during the 1700s. She ran an orphanage and led one of John Wesley’s small-group Methodist gatherings. As her small class meeting grew in popularity, so did the criticism. But John Wesley gave Mary his approval and encouraged her to continue preaching. Things changed after John Wesley’s death. The Methodist Conference passed a resolution in 1803 stating that women would not be allowed to preach. However, Mary Bosanquet did not give up her calling from God. She courageously continued to preach five sermons a week until she died in her late 70s. Her boldness impacted the salvation and spiritual growth of many people. Her example inspired many other women to become lay preachers and evangelists.

Conclusion and Application

In his book called Risky Gospel: Abandon Fear and Build Something Awesome, Owen Strachan encourages Christians to be risky and bold. He says “we must break with a ‘play it safe’ mentality and embrace a bigger vision of our time on this earth. It is not our souls that should live in fear. It is comfort, ease, quietness, boredom, fearfulness, anxiety, and sin that are in mortal danger. Christianity is not about fear. It’s not about retreat. It is about advance, growth, and faith. It is about becoming someone greater in Christ than you ever thought possible. By the Spirit’s power, let’s pursue that awesome goal.”

Now, being bold does not mean that we speak and do things without using our filter. Even with boldness we must still behave in ways that are mature, respectful, and especially humble. It’s okay to be confident and have some passion in our voice. But we also need to carefully choose each word we say and think before each action we take. Without the proper behavior – we will be discredited and will probably be unsuccessful.

It’s time to rely on God for boldness and put it into action. What bold step are you going to take? Are you going to be more bold about sharing your faith? Are you going to speak out against injustice and abuse? Are you going to bring awareness to false teachings in the church? Are you going to boldly pursue your ministry calling despite opposition from others? Are you going to give your opinion at the next meeting instead of just sitting their silently? Are you going to boldly support the truth, even though you may be in the minority? Are you going to challenge your church to rise above complacency? Are you going to stand with others on Sanctity of Life Sunday – holding a prolife sign? Are you going to challenge a tradition in your church that you believe is wrong? Those are just some ideas to get you thinking. You will have to figure out your bold action for yourself. But God sure can lead you to it and He can give you the passion and boldness to do it.

No matter who you are - you have a voice, so be bold. You can make a difference. You can shape history. How bold are you willing to be? I want to challenge you to get started. Get the boldness to do one risky thing. Just one. Because as soon as you do it, you’ll be hooked. You’ll be energized. You’ll be empowered and motivated to make more bold moves. So, look for that opportunity. Maybe you already know what it is and you’ve been dragging your feet. Ask God to equip you with boldness. And then, in faith and with confidence - do it. Go do it for God.

Where is God? I'm Losing Hope

noreply@blogger.com (Shari) — Sun, 09 Aug 2015 02:48:00 +0000

Sermon Transcript/Article: Where is God? I’m Losing Hope.

Many of you might be smack in the middle of a terrible situation. If not, then you’ve had one in the past. You may be wondering – Where is God in all of this? I want to trust Him. I know He’s here. But I just don’t feel His presence or see Him working in my life. Well – that’s where you’re faith in God really starts to grow. Because faith is all about believing and trusting when we don’t see it. When we decide to keep trusting God no matter what, we won’t lose hope. My purpose for this message is to encourage you to make Jesus the foundation of your hope so that no matter how bad your life gets you won’t give up and become hopeless.

Jesus is the God of hope. In Ephesians 4 we read that Jesus is called our one hope. In Hebrews 7 He is our better hope – better than the old system of commandments. In 2 Thessalonians 2 Jesus is our good hope – the one that will encourage our hearts and strengthen us. In 1 Peter 1 He is our living hope – He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. In Titus 2 He is called the blessed hope – we wait for the blessed hope, the God that brings salvation who will gloriously appear. And in Proverbs 23, Jesus is our future hope –There is surely a future hope for us and we will not be left with nothing. We can hope in Jesus, because He is hope. Jesus is better than the old law and its commandments. He overcame death and was resurrected into heaven. He will return from heaven and resurrect His followers to live with Him for eternity. If Jesus can do all of that, than He can help us with our problems, too.

One of God’s characteristics is that He is omnipotent, meaning that He is all-powerful. God’s power is not restrained in anyway by anyone. He can do anything that He pleases, but He will never do something that violates His other attributes. We may have a tough situation beyond our control, but we can count on the omnipotence of God to help us. Our all-powerful God gives us power in our weakness. Because nothing is too hard for Him, our needs and problems aren’t too complicated for Him to solve. We are told in Isaiah 40:20 that God gives power to those who are tired and worn out. He offers strength to the weak.

I wouldn’t be trying to encourage you if I didn’t know what it was like to feel hopeless. This is kind of embarrassing to admit, but I remember a time when I was right in the middle of feeling extremely hopeless and my only goal in life was to just keep surviving until it was time to die. My only aspiration was to survive. I believed in God. I was commitment to following Jesus. But I felt like the problem was so overwhelming that I couldn’t find any hope of it ever getting better. Well, now that I’ve come through that stressful time, I do see how He blessed me. He taught me so much and He strengthened my Christian faith. He also helped me to grow in so many different areas of my life beyond just spiritual, because I endured, persevered and became strengthened through the struggle.

Everyone’s situation is going to be different, so there isn’t a certain formula to follow for trusting Jesus. But it starts with going to God first, because that shows we are acknowledging that He is our foundation of hope. And then it requires that we hold on and keep trusting, even if it’s for a really long time. Like it says in Romans 5:3-5 our problems will develop our perseverance, leading to good character, and giving us hope. And we must hang on to that hope that God will come through and not disappoint us. One day, the problem will be over, you will be an overcomer, and looking back you will be able to see that God was present and that He was helping you.

There are so many stories in the Bible, especially in the Old Testament, about people who were in seemingly hopeless situations but they actually overcame because God was with them in their situation. It was hard to choose just one story. But I settled on Joseph, the son of Jacob and Rachel. His story is covered in the book of Genesis starting in chapter 37 and continuing to chapter 50. I’m just going to paraphrase the story because it’s so long, but you can read it for yourself.

17 year old Joseph was Jacob’s favorite son and his brothers knew it. This led to jealously and hatred. Their hatred became even worse when Joseph bragged about the dreams he was having that he would rule over his brothers and parents. The brothers despised Joseph to the point where they wanted him dead. Fortunately, the oldest brother Rueben intervened so they settled for sticking Joseph in an empty cistern in the ground and then sold him off as a slave to a caravan of Ishmaelite’s on their way to Egypt. Now I know that Joseph probably really irritated his brothers, but no one ever deserves abuse or to be sold into slavery. In Egypt, Joseph was sold to Potiphar, one of Pharaoh’s officials. And then the Bible tells us in Genesis 39 verse 2 – “The Lord was with Joseph and he prospered and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master.” So despite the abuse of his brothers, being uprooted from his normal life, and being sold as a slave – the Lord was still with Joseph. Joseph was treated pretty well in Egypt until Potiphar’s wife falsely accused him of sexual harassment. Then Joseph was sent to jail. But verse 39:21 says – “the Lord was with Him; He showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden.” And then verse 23 states – “The warden paid no attention to anything under Joseph’s care, because the Lord was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did.” God used Joseph to interpret dreams and to prophecy about the coming famine. In chapter 41 verse 41 we are told that at 30 years old Joseph was in charge of managing the entire country of Egypt. Joseph realized how blessed he was and acknowledged God’s provision by naming his children Manasseh and Ephraim in honor of God. Manasseh means “forget” – Joseph said that God made him forget all of his hardships and his father’s home. Ephraim means “double prosperity”.

Joseph said that God prospered him in the land of his suffering and sorrow. The story continues on and Joseph is eventually reunited with his brothers and father and there is forgiveness and reconciliation. I’ll actually read now from chapter 45 verses 1-11 which shows how Joseph reflected back on his problems and suffering yet saw that they were used by God not only to benefit himself but many other people too.

(Read Genesis 45:1-11)

Joseph’s story of abuse, rejection, slavery, false accusation, and imprisonment is still being talked about today. God is using Joseph’s experiences to teach us and to give us hope. And God can use your story of how you overcame hopelessness to help other people. Your story can have a bigger, eternal purpose that glorifies God. In Joseph’s story, we saw a reoccurring statement: “The Lord was with Joseph.” As I was reading other stories in the Old Testament, I discovered that the Lord was with other people, too. The preincarnate Christ was with Hagar after Sarah mistreated her in Genesis 16 and 21. He was with Abraham before the sacrifice of Isaac in Genesis 22, with Jacob in a dream in 31, with Moses in a burning bush in Exodus 3, with Gideon while he was threshing wheat in Judges 6, with the mother of Samson when she believed that she was unable to have a baby in Judges 13, and with Elijah in the desert while he was praying for God to take his life in 1 Kings 19. The Lord was with all of them. And these weren’t elite, super spiritual, holier than thou people. These were normal human beings that couldn’t measure up to God’s perfect standards of holiness, yet the Lord intervened in their lives. And He intervenes in our lives, too.

On the Voice of the Martyrs website, I read an inspiring story about a group of people in Mexico that overcame their feelings of hopelessness. When 15 families told area guerilla leaders of their desire to seek God, the leaders kicked them out of their village in Chiapas, Mexico. The families slept in a stable for over a year. When the armed guerillas forced the families out of the village, they had to leave behind all of their belongings. Though they had nowhere to go and nothing to eat, no one was allowed to help them. Ruth, a volunteer at Voice of the Martyrs, went to Mexico to help anyhow. And for some reason, no one tried to stop her. As she gave the families food and water, they were so hopeless that they wouldn’t even look in her eyes. After they had eaten, Ruth showed them a Gospel tract that included a picture of baby Jesus in a manger. The families, sleeping in a stable, immediately felt a connection. They listened as Ruth shared the Gospel using the Story of Jesus tract, and they were moved that God understood their circumstances. They placed their trust in Jesus that day. Ruth and the local church continued to visit the new Christians and provided for their needs. Together, they prayed that God would provide a way for them to get their own land. Several months later, the Mexican government interceded by providing them with over 7 acres of land and paying 75% of the funds. The families built homes from used construction materials. There was no running water, so they used a hose that brought water from the mountain onto the property. Sometimes the guerilla leaders would cut the hose with machetes to harass them. After visiting their homes, the families took Voice of the Martyrs workers to see the place where they would build a church and a school. Ruth had encouraged them to dedicate a portion of the land for a church since God had provided land for them.

I thought that was a neat story. Although those people lived as refugees for a year, God sent help and now they have their own homes on their own land. And most importantly, they became followers of Christ. But really – we don’t want to go through that kind of suffering. We really just want God to change our circumstances. In actuality, He is God, He could do it. But hope is not based on circumstances. It’s not based on what someone else must do or must stop doing. Hope is based on Jesus. When everything else seems to be falling apart, we have to have our stability in Jesus. The Bible says that He won’t fail us. Our problems are like a big storm. And we must weather the storm, and some storms will last a long time. But they will end. You have to believe that.

Our Bible tells us over and over that we can trust in God and find our hope in Him. Lamentations 3:25 The Lord is good to those who hope in Him, to the one who seeks Him. Romans 15:13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 5:5 Hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts.

This earthly life is tough. And it will continue to be tough. And some of us - will have it really, really bad. But God is with us. And we need to hang on to Hope. Whether you feel God’s presence or not, He is with you in your situation. Remember that our problems are like a storm. We must weather the storm. Like all storms, our problems will pass too. Jesus is our hope that will keep us anchored, secure, and able to endure anything.You know what I’m talking about. I’m sure some of you are absolutely shocked at what you’ve been able to endure over the years. But it will be so worth it to hang on, because when the storm is over, you will be able to look back, strengthened in your faith and then you will be able to see the mighty way that God worked in your life. So basically, what I’m asking you to do – is never give up. Hang on and grow closer to Jesus. And then, when you have overcome your problem, glorify God and appreciate that He is your foundation and sustainer of hope.

David, from the Bible, was a man that experienced many troubles over his lifetime and he even hid in caves from men who chasing him down and trying to kill him. So I’ll end with these very appreciative words written by David in Psalm 30: “I give you all the credit, God. You got me out of that mess, you didn’t let my enemies gloat. God, my God, I yelled for help and you put me together. God, you pulled me out of the grave, you gave me another chance at life when I was down-and-out. All you saints – Sing your hearts out to God. Thank him to his face. He gets angry once in a while, but across a lifetime there is only love. The nights of crying your eyes out give way to days of laughter… I’m about to burst with song; I can’t keep quiet about you. God, my God, I can’t thank you enough.”

What is the Meaning of Life? (Ecclesiastes)

noreply@blogger.com (Shari) — Sat, 08 Aug 2015 02:45:00 +0000

Sermon Transcript/Article: What is the Meaning of Life? (Ecclesiastes)

What is the Meaning of Life?

Most of us have asked that question. And there is variety of answers that people come up with.

Well author Joseph Campbell says that - “Life has no meaning. Each of us has meaning and we bring it to life. It is a waste to be asking the question when you are the answer.”
Author Henry Miller puts it this way - “Life has to be given a meaning because of the obvious fact that it has no meaning.

And I was really surprised by this one. It’s a quote from Charles Schulz, the creator of the Peanuts comic strip. “I don't know the meaning of life. I don't know why we are here. I think life is full of anxieties and fears and tears. It has a lot of grief in it, and it can be very grim. And I do not want to be the one who tries to tell somebody else what life is all about. To me it's a complete mystery.

The last quote that I’ll read is from Max Lucado, a pastor and Christian author. He said “Philosophers can debate the meaning of life, but you need a Lord who can declare the meaning of life.”

Well according to the Bible in Isaiah 43:7 our purpose, the meaning for our lives, is for God's glory. It’s all about God. He wants our love. He wants our praise. He wants our worship. He wants us to have a relationship with Him. And He wants us to live a life of service that accomplishes His will.

King Solomon wrote the book of Ecclesiastes which is found in the Bible. It’s a short book. It only takes about a ½ hour to read. And the whole point for his writing this book was to express that life is meaningless apart from God.

Apart From God – Everything is Meaningless

At one time or another, everyone thinks – If only (fill in the blank) then I would be so happy and my life would be wonderful. If only I had a different job, a better house, a new car, and much more money. Solomon begins his book of Ecclesiastes by reflecting on his past and noting how he has changed. Like all of us, Solomon wanted to be happy. And he had it all. He got the different job. He was the king of Israel. He got the better house, actually it was a palace. He acquired so much money and material possession. He had over 700 wives and over 300 mistresses. He even had great intelligence. He was a genius. However, despite all of his accomplishments and material possessions – Solomon realized that His life was absolutely meaningless. He wrote Ecclesiastes to warn others so that they could learn from his mistakes.

He says in chapter 1“Everything is meaningless,” says the Teacher, “completely meaningless!” What do people get for all their hard work under the sun? Generations come and generations go, but the earth never changes. History merely repeats itself. It has all been done before. Nothing under the sun is truly new. Sometimes people say, “Here is something new!” But actually it is old; nothing is ever truly new. We don’t remember what happened in the past, and in future generations, no one will remember what we are doing now. (1:2-4, 9-11 NLT)

So… in the future, most people really aren’t going to be impressed with what he own or what we have accomplished. Like Solomon, we will discover that more money, fame, or power won’t make us happier. But the world tells us to demand happiness, do all we can to attain it, make personal satisfaction our chief goal. Well, Solomon had attained everything the world thought he needed to guarantee happiness and fulfillment. But as he reflected back on his life he discovered that his power, his position, all of his wives, his wealth, and his accomplishments never made him happy or brought meaning to his life.

The Bible contrasts the world’s view, it says that true happiness and meaning is when we live for God’s glory. We can use our accomplishments and possessions to please Him. We can use them to be a witness for Jesus, to show compassion and hospitality. We can be generous with money and use it to serve God by helping others in His name and supporting Christian ministries. When we use our stuff in ways that worship God – then we will find true meaning and importance in what we have.

The Disappointments of This World

Something else that Solomon wrote about was the several disappointments he had observed in the world and he wondered why they had to exist. In chapters 3 and 4 he pointed out 6 apparent contradictions in the world.

The first contradiction is that wickedness rules where justice should. He says in 3:16 “In addition, I have also noticed that in this world you find wickedness where justice and right ought to be.” (Good News)

This is true for us, too. Wickedness does rule where justice should. According to the International Justice Mission - 30 million people are currently being held and used as slaves. 2 million children are exploited through the commercial sex industry. Hundreds of millions of the poorest people in the developing world are abused by corrupt police who extort bribes and brutalize innocent citizens. All of that is injustice.

2^nd - People created in God’s image end up dying just as the animals do. Chapter 3:19-20 – Solomon writes“The same fate awaits human beings and animals alike. One dies just like the other. They are the same kind of creature. A human being is no better off than an animal, because life has no meaning for either. They are both going to the same place—the dust. They both came from it; they will both go back to it.”

As Christian believers, we know that this is not true for us. Our death is not just like the animals. If we’re followers of Jesus, we have a confidence that we will spend an eternity with Him. John 3:16 promises us that God so loved the world that He gave His only Son (Jesus). Whoever puts his trust in God’s Son will not be lost but will have life that lasts forever.

His 3^rd contradiction is - No one comforts oppressed people. Chapter 4:1 - “Then I looked again at all the injustice that goes on in this world. The oppressed were crying, and no one would help them. No one would help them, because their oppressors had power on their side.”

It is unbelievable how many people are actually repressed, persecuted, or abused in this world. We even have oppressed people in our own communities and in our churches. For example: It is estimated that 1 in 4 women experience physical abuse within their lifetime. Every day in the US, more than three women are murdered by their husbands or boyfriends. Another example is that people all over the world are being persecuted and killed for their religious beliefs.

4^th The reason that many of us work is because we envy what others have. Solomon said this in 4:4 - “I have also learned why people work so hard to succeed: it is because they envy the things their neighbors have. But it is useless. It is like chasing the wind.”

Most of us work for the money – not just to pay the bills, but to get stuff. And it isn’t just Americans; the rest of the world is becoming very materialistic, too. But what if we made the focus of our work about representing Jesus well in our workplace? What if we asked Him daily how He wants us to serve Him and love others while we work? That would make our vocation much more meaningful.

His 5^th contradiction is that people are lonely. 4:7-10 “I have noticed something else in life that is useless. Here is someone who lives alone. He has no son, no brother, yet he is always working, never satisfied with the wealth he has. For whom is he working so hard and denying himself any pleasure? This is useless, too—and a miserable way to live. Two are better off than one, because together they can work more effectively. If one of them falls down, the other can help him up. But if someone is alone and falls, it's just too bad, because there is no one to help him.”

So, people are lonely. They sure are. And people are lonely for all sorts of reasons: death, divorce, being isolated at home or in a nursing home, not having a family or group to belong to, losing connection with neighbors or friends.

And #6 - Fame doesn’t last – Solomon said in 4:15-16“I thought about all the people who live in this world, and I realized that somewhere among them there is a young man who will take the king's place. There may be no limit to the number of people a king rules; when he is gone, no one will be grateful for what he has done. It is useless. It is like chasing the wind.”
Yes. The important people of politics will be replaced soon by someone new. And the famous celebrities are always changing. For a time, they are well known and on the front of magazines, but it doesn’t last long and people are interested in following someone else.

Solomon’s 6 disappointments are still disappointing people today. We have a lot of disappointments in our modern world. And usually we don’t really understand why these disappointments exist. Why does God allow them? Many of the questions of life won’t be answered to our satisfaction because we lack the ability to understand the answers. The answers do exist. And one day, when we are beyond this earthly world, living a perfect life with Jesus, we will get our answers. In the meantime, we have to trust God and not lose faith in Him.

Also, we don’t have to just sit back and helplessly observe the injustices and disappointments in the world. We can visit and comfort oppressed and lonely people. We can speak out against injustice. We can support the ministries that help meet the physical and spiritual needs of people. We can tell others how to live an eternal and perfect life beyond death. There is so much that we can do. And if you don’t know where to start - just ask God. If you truly want to serve God and make a positive difference in this world, just ask Him, and wait for the answer. He will give you the opportunities when you ask.

Solomon’s Conclusions and Warnings

(The key verse of Ecclesiastes is 10:19. A party gives laughter, and wine gives happiness, and money gives everything! (NLT) No. I’m just joking.)

The (real) key verse of Ecclesiastes is 2:11 – But as I looked at everything I had worked so hard to accomplish, it was all so meaningless—like chasing the wind. There was nothing really worthwhile anywhere.” This is true for us today. If we had everything that we wanted, we would still be dissatisfied. We would find meaninglessness in it all.

Solomon concluded his book with these words.^”Now, what should we learn from everything that is written in this book? The most important thing a person can do is to respect God and obey his commands (another version says to fear God), because he knows about everything people do—even the secret things. He knows about all the good and all the bad, and he will judge people for everything they do.” (12:13-14 ERV)

So, now we know that life just from a human perspective is meaningless. Solomon does point us to the answer of how to have a meaningful life. He tells us that we need to fear God. That doesn’t mean that we need to be afraid of Him. It means that we respect Him, stand in awe of Him. We recognize Him for who He is – our Creator, our sustainer of this earthly life, the One who can give us eternal life. Also, Solomon says to keep His commandments, to obey Him. One day we will face God and He will judge us for how we lived our life and how we used the blessings that He gave to us.

Solomon gave a similar warning in 4:9 - Follow the impulses of your heart. If something looks good to you, pursue it. But know also that not just anything goes;
You have to answer to God for every last bit of it. (Message)

God wants us to desire Him, and that means keeping our focus on Him. And when we do this we deflate sins such as self-importance, pride, and selfishness. When our focus is on God, even on our worst of days, we can find meaning, purpose, and joy.

Chris Esty, on his website The Bible Post said this about Desiring God:

Desiring God is more than wanting to receive good gifts from Him, it’s a lifelong journey in which we pursue all that He desires of us. We will rely on His wisdom instead of leaning on our own understanding. We will maintain a prayerful life. We will expect the coming of Jesus with joy—welcoming opportunities to share this blessed hope with others. In short, we will follow the example of Jesus who expressed desire for God at all times. Furthermore, desiring God means we will see His way as the only way by which to live aright. It means we will want to be holy because He is holy. God’s commands will govern our lives. And we will serve Him with gladness every step of the way—knowing that each step we take will draw us closer to our eternal reward.

I’ll end with these song lyrics written by artist Jessie McClure:

As I came, surely I will go. What have I gained at the end of the road? Anything that I can touch will soon go back to dust. And I will follow suit. My heart belongs to who I can’t see. But soon I will see you face to face. Looking in your eyes, I’m no longer chasing the wind. I’m chasing You.
I encourage you to chase after God. Desire Him. He is our only satisfaction. He is our true purpose. God is the meaning for our life.

Complacency in the Church - Are We Too Self-Centered?

noreply@blogger.com (Shari) — Fri, 07 Aug 2015 02:43:00 +0000

Sermon Transcript/Article: Complacency in the Church - Are We Too Self-Centered?

I’m going to spend a few minutes talking about complacency in the church. Now, lately, I’ve been praying for boldness, so this might just ruffle some feathers. I think that we’re living in a time when a lot of Christians don’t give a dog gone about ministry, outreach, or growing spiritually. However, a lot us sure want God to bless us with financial prosperity and material success. Some of the largest churches out there are using TV to suck in people through the promise of health, wealth, and happiness. But, this isn’t what Jesus preached when He walked the earth. Jesus preached giving not getting, generosity not stinginess. You can find that in Mark chapter 4. But I think that the Christian church, as a whole, is failing in this area.

For example: soup kitchens remain open only a few days out of the week because there aren’t enough volunteers. Christian summer camps are dwindling in attendance and many are scrambling to find staff. Only a few people show up to the occasional prayer meeting. 400,000 children are still in foster care in the United States. We still have human trafficking, even in the US – slavery has grown since the 1800s, not decreased. We still have child abuse and domestic violence. People are hurting.People are suffering.

People desperately need the Lord. But how much do we really care? It appears that we don’t act like our Christian faith is a priority in our lives. Work. Entertainment and eating out. TV and Internet. Soccer and basketball practice – it seems that they rank higher than Christian ministry and outreach for many of us. According to a Barna poll, only 5% of all Christians in the United States actually tithe 10% of their income. That means we’re missing out on 139 billion dollars that could be used to fund churches and ministries.

Now if all of this doesn’t apply to you – then great. But it applies to a lot us. It applies to me. Either we appreciate our Christian faith and the salvation that we have through Jesus or we don’t. We can’t just say a special prayer, show up to church and think that we have our eternity secured. The Bible says that a true follower of Jesus will be willing to sacrifice home, spouse, brothers and sisters, parents, children, whatever for the sake of the kingdom of God. This is what Jesus told a local wealthy official in Luke chapter 18 when he was inquiring about how to get eternal life.

Solomon said in Proverbs 1:32 that the complacency of fools will destroy them. The Message version of Jeremiah 6: 14 sounds way too familiar: My people are broken, shattered, and they put on band aids saying: It’s not so bad. You’ll be just fine. But things are not just fine. John warns us in Revelation 3 not to be like the Laodicean church who professed to know Christ but didn’t really belong to Him or dedicate their lives to serving Him. In Hebrews 6:12 we are told to not be lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience - inherit what has been promised. This writer was speaking to Christians who weren’t maturing quickly enough. Yes. The Christian walk is a growth process that needs developing. But do we need to move a little bit quicker? If these really are the last days, then we need to feel some urgency and get moving.

I’m disappointed in myself. I grew up in a Christian home and at 45 years old, I should be much more spiritually mature. I haven’t been motivated like this for very long. So, let’s challenge ourselves and let’s challenge each other. Being a representative of Jesus is serious business.

Brother Andrew risked his life smuggling Bibles into China. William Wilberforce risked his political career trying to put an end to the slave trade in the British Empire. Elizabeth Fry dedicated her life to social reform in London – ministering to prisoners and setting up homeless shelters. William Hunter at only 19 years old was imprisoned for reading his Bible and burned at the stake for refusing to deny his spiritual beliefs. And Amy Carmichael went to India to rescue girls forced into prostitution in Hindu temples. These people did more.

As a fellow believer in Christ I want to challenge you to do more. I need to do more. But it’s easy for us to become complacent and selfish when everyone else is doing it. We need to give and sacrifice until it’s uncomfortable. We need to stop being satisfied with minor achievements. We need to stop making excuses for ourselves and for others. So let’s find ways to boldly speak out and let’s find ways to motivate each other. Let’s get leading by example. Our kids and friends need to see us funding the next ministry opportunity. They need to see us reading our Bibles. They need to see us serving God in the community. They need to see us praying and worshiping God. Because - being a follower of Jesus is serious business.

What Does it Mean to be a Committed Follower of Jesus?

noreply@blogger.com (Shari) — Thu, 06 Aug 2015 02:32:00 +0000

Sermon Transcript/Article: What Does it Mean to Be a Committed Follower of Jesus?

Well, I’m going to answer that question, but first I want to tell you about a time when I was committed to something else. Back in 1982, I joined 4H. Our group wasn’t an agricultural club though. We did cooking and sewing. We were called the Needles and Noodles 4H Club of Clackamas, Oregon. And I was a really active member of this organization. I even entered the 4H February food contests and participated in the local county fair and state fair. So, you could say that I was committed to my 4H membership.

Now what do you think would happen if I contacted the 4H headquarters and told them that I wanted to be publicly honored and recognized as an outstanding committed member of 4H? They would probably ask: Are you actively involved in 4H now? And I’d have to say “No” but back in the 80s, I was a very committed member. My mom was even the club leader. I even took the official 4H pledge. But just because I took that pledge back in the 80s and was committed to 4H - doesn’t mean that I am still considered a committed 4H club member.

In the Bible, Romans 11 tells us a similar story. The Israelites had a heritage that centered around God. But throughout the Old Testament, we see that many of them got to the point where they really didn’t take their faith seriously anymore. And after Jesus came to the Earth, many of them rejected Jesus as being the actual Son of God. Since their involvement with God ended, they were no longer considered followers of God. Like my involvement with 4H ended, I am no longer considered a 4H member. Since the unbelieving Jews were no longer serious about their faith – the offer to follow Jesus was now made available to everyone else too.

This offer for everyone to follow Jesus is recorded in Romans. Paul used the example of an olive tree to represent God’s covenant of salvation that was made with the Jewish people through Abraham. He explained that some of the branches of the olive tree, which represented the unbelieving Jews, were broken off because they no longer followed God. But the branches from a wild olive tree, which represented Gentiles or everyone else, were grafted into the original tree because of their faith in God. I’ll start reading at verse 17 of Romans 11.

¹⁷It is as if some of the branches from an olive tree have been broken off, and the branch of a wild olive tree has been joined to that first tree. If you are not a Jew, you are the same as that wild branch, and you now share the strength and life of the first tree.
¹⁸But don’t act as if you are better than those branches that were broken off (meaning the unbelieving Jews). You have no reason to be proud of yourself, because you don’t give life to the root. The root gives life to you.
¹⁹You might say, “Branches were broken off so that I could be joined to their tree.”
²⁰That is true. But those branches (the Jews) were broken off because they did not believe. And you (Gentiles or everyone else) continue to be part of the tree only because you believe. Don’t be proud, but be afraid.
²¹If God did not let the natural branches of that tree stay, He will not let you stay if you stop believing.
²²So you see that God is kind, but he can also be very strict. He punishes those who stop following him. But he is kind to you, if you continue trusting in His kindness. If you don’t continue depending on Him, you will be cut off from the tree.
That’s straight from the Bible.

I grew up thinking that the special prayer I said when I was 4 years old was what I really needed to keep myself from going to Hell. But there is so much more to salvation than just saying a prayer. It was what followed after that prayer that really proved whether or not I was a follower of Christ. I don’t think that Jesus is really impressed when we join the group walking toward the altar to accept His salvation if there is nothing spiritual that follows later. I don’t think He is impressed with our past church involvement if we’re taking a break from Him and the spiritual stuff now. He wants us committed to Him now, every day, forever and ever. He wants us continually moving forward in our faith, and in our commitment to serve Him, and in our relationship with Him. It is this sold out serious faith that impresses Jesus.

Acts 5 tells the story of how some of the apostles were persecuted for obeying God rather than the Jewish officials. They continued to preach about Jesus and heal people in His name because they were committed to following Jesus no matter what it cost them. At the end of the story we’re told that the apostles were flogged with whips. But they rejoiced because they had been given the honor for suffering for the name of
Jesus. And then, even though they had just been physically persecuted, they went back to the temple and went house to house teaching about Jesus.

Stephen, another dedicated follower of Jesus, spoke out against the Jewish people accusing them of rejecting God and killing His son Jesus. This boldness resulted in his death. But He is an example of someone who was truly committed to Jesus.
I’ll read part of Stephen’s speech that that he spoke to the legalistic Jews called the Sanhedrin to that you can hear his passion for following Jesus and for speaking the truth. I’ll read near the end of his speech when he gets really fired up in Acts chapter 7 starting in verse 47. (NLT version)

⁴⁶“(King) David found favor with God and asked for the privilege of building a permanent Temple for the God of Jacob.⁴⁷But it was Solomon who actually built it. ⁴⁸However, the Most High (God) doesn’t live in temples made by human hands. As the prophet (Isaiah) says, (about God)
⁴⁹‘Heaven is my throne,
and the earth is my footstool. Could you build me a temple as good as that?’
asks the Lord. ‘Could you build me such a resting place? ⁵⁰ Didn’t my hands make both heaven and earth?’
⁵¹“You stubborn people! You are heathen at heart and deaf to the truth. Must you forever resist the Holy Spirit? That’s what your ancestors did, and so do you! ⁵²Name one prophet your ancestors didn’t persecute! They even killed the ones who predicted the coming of the Righteous One—the Messiah whom you betrayed and murdered. ⁵³You deliberately disobeyed God’s law, even though you received it from the hands of angels.”
⁵⁴The Jewish leaders were infuriated by Stephen’s accusation, and they shook their fists at him in rage. ⁵⁵But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed steadily into heaven and saw the glory of God, and he saw Jesus standing in the place of honor at God’s right hand. ⁵⁶And he told them, “Look, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing in the place of honor at God’s right hand!”
⁵⁷Then they put their hands over their ears and began shouting. They rushed at (Stephen) ⁵⁸and dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. His accusers took off their coats and laid them at the feet of a young man named Saul.
⁵⁹As they stoned him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” ⁶⁰He fell to his knees, shouting, “Lord, don’t charge them with this sin!” And with that, (Stephen) died.

Stephen was a really good example of what it means to be a committed follower of Jesus. It’s not something that we can do half-heartedly or do just a few months out of the year. Jesus wants followers that are appreciative of Him, that are committed to Him, and are willing to be a little radical for Him. He’s not going to ask all of us to go through physical persecution like the apostles did. But, He may ask us to do more than we are doing now and to be willing to sacrifice. But it will look different for each one of us.
We need to ask ourselves. Am I passionate about growing closer to Jesus? Am I sold out for Him? Am I in this 100%, 365 days a year for the rest of my life? Am I so dedicated to Jesus that I am willing to sacrifice whatever He asks of me? Or am I doing just the minimum and hoping that it’s good enough to get me into heaven.

Let’s remember what Paul said in Romans 11, verse 22. So you see that God is kind, but He can also be very strict. He punishes those who stop following him. But he is kind to you, if you continue trusting in His kindness. If you don’t continue depending on Him, you will be cut off from the tree.

What is the Will of God for Your Life?

noreply@blogger.com (Shari) — Wed, 05 Aug 2015 02:22:00 +0000

Sermon Transcript/Article - What is the Will of God for Your Life?

What is the Will of God for Your Life? So many of us desperately want to know the will of God. But God’s will is more than an occupation, a place to go, or knowing who to marry. The Bible has much to say about the will of God, but it’s mostly instructions about how to live a life pleasing to God rather than how to make specific decisions that will affect the events in our life. The Bible says that it is God’s will that we live a holy, sanctified life, that we trust God, that we don’t conform to the world, but instead be transformed by changing the way that we think, that we be willing to suffer for doing good for Him, that we are thankful to Him for everything, that we rejoice in God, pray to Him often, that we seek godly counsel, that we read the Bible, and that we conform to the image of God’s Son – Jesus. Also 1 Timothy 2 in verse 4 says that God’s will is for all people to be saved and to understand the truth about Him. God is foremost concerned about the salvation of people and that we are living holy lives that please him. But you may have reached a level of spiritual maturity in which you are now asking how you can make more specific decisions that line up with God’s will for you.

Pastor John MacArthur says the following about finding God’s will. If you have salvation through Jesus than you have the Holy Spirit living within you. And Spirt-filled people do not stumble around trying to find out what God wants. They just go. People often ask – How do I know my spiritual gift? And MacArthur says that the best way is to live a Spirit-filled life, see what God does through you, look back in retrospect and say – Oh, that’s what I do when God has control of me. Apparently, that is my gift. There is no need to get analytical. The whole point is that we need the Spirit of God to be released in our lives. The Spirit-filled life is living every moment as though you are standing in the presence of Jesus Christ. It is being saturated with the things of Christ with His Word, and His person. The only way - is to study the Bible which discloses all that He is. To be spirit-filled is to live a Christ-conscious life saturated with the thoughts of Christ – spending time with His word and spending time with Him. And there is no shortcut to that.

Basically, if you’re not interested in reading His word and growing close to Him, then there’s no point in trying to discover His will for your life. Because His will is all about Him. The purpose of His will is to bring people to Him. Finding His will for our life is not about us feeling accomplished or fulfilled. So, if you’re not interested in living a Christ-conscious life, then there’s no reason to do His will

You may be asking - what is it that God wants you to do? Well, what do you like to do? What do you do for fun? What are you interested in? What things excite you? What are you good at? What opportunities do you have? Look at what you are doing now and see how you can do those things to serve God. I don’t think that finding God’s will is as complicated as we sometimes make it out to be. Get doing things to serve Jesus and the Holy Spirit will help you figure it out. So where do you start? Well, you could look at the different ministry opportunities that are available to you and try some of them? If you start serving meals at the homeless shelter and find that you really don’t enjoy it, then it’s probably not God’s will for you to be doing this. God is going to work with your personality and your interests. He wants you to enjoy serving Him and to become passionate about it. The main point is to get started and explore areas that are interesting to you. John MacArthur expands on this and says that it’s important to “keep moving. So many people sit around waiting for that celestial crane to move them, saying – I don’t know what God wants me to do. They need to start moving so God can steer them to that area of service He has planned. Knowing God’s will may mean pushing down a narrow line until you hit a dead end. At that point, God will open a door so wide, you won’t be able to see around it – only through it. You may bounce off a lot of closed doors, but that is God’s way of forcing you into His open one. Get rolling and be persistent. You see, the will of God is not primarily a place. The will of God is not, first of all, for you to go there or work here. The will of God concerns you as a person. If you are the right you, you can follow your desires and you will fulfill His will.” Being the right you is spoken about in Romans 12:1-2 “And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind He will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship Him.Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” So – Offer yourself in sacrificial service to God and think like God. This way you will know His perfect will for you.

Lets’ say that you do have clarity and you know exactly what you are going to do and you believe that it’s God’s will. Now that doesn’t mean that you won’t have opposition and obstacles to overcome. Sometimes family, friends, and church leaders don’t have the same excitement that you do. It is helpful to have input and confirmation and encouragement from your church, but it’s not required. The Holy Spirit will lead you and give you confirmation. Your church leaders might have a different vision than what you want to do. So, if you really feel that God is leading you to do something, then go do it. We need to obey God, not other people – in reality they are just humans and see things through human eyes with their own human biases. Yes. It is important to get wise counsel from spiritually mature people, but you are the one that gets to make the final decision. If you have accepted Jesus’ salvation and you follow Jesus then you have the Holy Spirit living in you. And the Holy Spirit will tell you what He wants you to do with your life. This is something that does not come from someone else, this comes from the Holy Spirit. You do not need a priest or a pastor or a spouse to intercede between you and God. The Holy Spirit will directly lead you. Instead of waiting around to get permission or an invitation – you may need to just go do it.

One of my favorite heroes is Gladys Alyward. After hearing about China, she became passionate about going there to teach people about Jesus. But after only 3 months of missionary training, the mission agency told her that she was not qualified to go to China and that they felt she would never be able to learn the language. So she had no agency to send her there. But Gladys saved up money working as a housemaid and then she went to China. There in China- she did learn the Chinese language, she preached about Jesus, and she cared for unwanted children. One of her most memorable accomplishments was during wartime when she successfully led 100 orphaned children on a 100 mile walk from their bombed out village to a safer part of China. It’s a good thing that Gladys listened to God instead of the missionary agency that had told her she wasn’t qualified to go. I’ll read a quote from Gladys Alyward. “If God has called you to China or any other place and you are sure in your own heart, let nothing deter you. Remember, it is God who has called you and it is the same as when He called Moses or Samuel.”

Theologian Martin Luther forever changed Christianity when he rejected the practices of the Roman Catholic church. Based on his understanding of the Bible, Martin Luther publicly declared that the Bible did not give the pope the exclusive right to interpret scripture. Luther felt that God was calling him to tell others that the key to spiritual salvation was not to fear God or be enslaved by religious dogma, but to believe that faith alone would bring salvation. He decided to ignore the strong requests from the church officials that told him to stop speaking out against them. That led to his official excommunication from the Roman Catholic Church. But as a result of following God’s will, Luther translated the Bible from Latin into the German language, which gave ordinary people the opportunity to read God’s word for themselves. Martin Luther started protestant Christianity. He is the one that said: “Peace if possible, but truth at any rate.”

Elisabeth Elliot went with her husband to Ecuador to minister to the Auca tribe. Despite the fact that they killed her husband with a spear, Elizabeth felt that it was God’s will for her to stay and live with the tribe. As a result, she was able to witness to these people and display Christ’s forgiveness and reconciliation. Many people made decisions to follow Jesus, because she chose to stay. I’ll give you a quote from Elizabeth Elliot, too. “Does it make sense to pray for guidance about the future if we are not obeying in the thing that lies before us today? How many momentous events in Scripture depended on one person's seemingly small act of obedience! Rest assured: Do what God tells you to do now, and, depend upon it, you will be shown what to do next.”

You might find yourself if a similar situation in which the opposition is strong, but the personal call of God is stronger. Here’s an example: Let’s say that there is a woman that feels like the Holy Spirit is leading her to preach about Jesus. But maybe she belongs to a church that doesn’t want women to preach. Maybe that’s their belief or just their tradition. That’s okay. She doesn’t need to change them in order for her to do God’s will. She can still find a way to preach. She could find a different church that encourages women to preach. She could start her own church and preach there. She could invite people to her home and preach to them. She could preach through videos over the Internet or preach downtown on the street corner. She could rent a conference room at a hotel, advertise, and then preach her message. Or, she could be a guest speaker at another church. I think that God is thrilled when a person – man or woman – wants to speak publicly about Him, telling others about how they too can have eternal salvation through Jesus and about how to grow spiritually.

We need to figure out how to get through the obstacles in order to go do what we are called to do. If you are going to do the will of God, then you need to expect spiritual opposition from Satan. But you have got to get through that. God wants you to do His will and he will give you the means and the abilities to do what he’s called you to do. And we have that promise straight from Jesus who said in John 14:13 “You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father.” He promises that He will give us what we need to bring glory to God and further His message, if we’re asking according to His will.

There are times, when we’re looking for God’s will, when we may need to slow down and wait it out. Sometimes we find ourselves in really difficult situations in which it wouldn’t be good to just go for it and see if God closes the door. In these situations we may need to be more concerned about the present moment and wait for God to reveal the next step. When we ask for specific, for the moment guidance, and we obey God, He will faithfully show us the next step when it’s time. This is how we learn to walk with God, trusting Him - one step at a time. Psalm 37:23-24 can be very reassuring to us that – “The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives. Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand.

We can use this same step by step approach on a daily basis when we want to do God’s will in our everyday normal life. What do you think would happen if while on your way to work, you said “God, what do you want me to do today in my workplace? Please show me. Please give me a special opportunity today to represent You.” It sounds too simple doesn’t it? But I know from experience that God will answer this question when you sincerely want to serve him. God knows you better than anyone else knows you. He knows the perfect situations to send your way. I think it’s important that we strive for living in His will on a daily basis.

In review: The most important thing about God’s will is that it is His will for everyone to know the truth about Him and to have salvation through Jesus.

Then, it is God’s will for us to live a Christ-conscious life saturated with the thoughts of Christ – spending time with His word and spending time with Him.

Then, we can get busy doing things for Jesus and trust that God will steer us o that area of service that He has planned for us. And when we are pursuing God’s will, we need to expect opposition from the enemy and maybe from family and friends and people at church. But it’s crucial to obey God rather than people. God has given us specific interests, talents, gifts, and a special personality to be successful at doing His will.

I’m going to end this beautiful passage from Galatians 6:4-5 – “Make a careful exploration of who you are and the work you have been given, and then sink yourself into that. Don’t be impressed with yourself. Don’t compare yourself with others. Each of you must take responsibility for doing the creative best you can with your own life.”

Should Women Preach?

noreply@blogger.com (Shari) — Sun, 05 Jun 2011 04:01:00 +0000

Sermon Transcript/Article: Should Women Preach?

By Shari Hole

Introduction

Should women be allowed to preach? I told myself that I wasn’t going to speak about this topic again. But I can’t help myself. It’s one of the most debated subjects among Christians. This topic is more popular than the subject of gay marriage. It is the most popular question at the Christian website gotquestions.org. Should Women Preach? was the most viewed post on my blog. Since I wrote it in May of 2008 it has had 17,565 page views. I can’t believe it. When I wrote it, I did my best. But in the past 7 years, I have learned more and fine-tuned my view, so I’m doing a revision to that post.

You see, when I was a kid, I didn’t realize that “women preaching” was an issue. I grew up going to a church where I saw both men and women equally participating in all aspects of the church. In fact, every Sunday night, I heard a woman preach at our church. I grew up thinking that women could be just as knowledgeable and wise about spiritual issues as men. In my childhood church the men didn’t appear to feel threatened by the women and the women didn’t appear to be overstepping any bounds. It seemed like they all just worked well together. But then I became an adult and I realized that this is a real controversial issue.

What People Are Saying

I decided that I wanted to speak on this subject, because it is actually a serious problem in the Christian church. People have become hurt, frustrated, angry, and divided over whether or not women should preach about God. That’s not what Jesus wants for us. Jesus wants Christians to encourage one another in the faith, and in ministry, and for us to live in unity with each other. Paul reiterated this to the Christians in 1 Thessalonians 5:11 when he wrote “Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.” But a lot of Christians sharing their opinions on this subject have not done so in a spiritually encouraging way.

I’m going to refer back to the blog post that I wrote in May 2008. In that post, I supported the idea that women should preach and I received 62 comments about it. All of them were strongly opinionated and many of them were down right rude and hurtful. But, I thought I’d share a few with you so you can see where people are coming from on this issue.

I’ll start with Louis who said “You have the spirit of Eve. Women are not to teach or preach because they are susceptible to deception.”

Amy said “I commend you for having the courage to write all of that. I love it that my church has allowed women to teach and to be in leadership. Though, sadly, many left over the issue.”

Anonymous said “You are part of the lukewarm Apostate Church. Get right with God now, the time is short.”

There was a woman that said “We just need to be under our husband's spiritual leadership. If your husband believes you should preach, follow him. If he doesn't, then don't.”

Another Anonymous person said “For a woman to hold any office in the church is sinning in pride for self-gratification and should not be permitted.”

Pastor David said “I am preparing a teaching regarding women's ministry and I wholeheartedly believe in the need and right for women to minister.”

Nelly said “The men are to teach and preach the Word, while we as women are to be in subjection to them and to stand behind their backs, praying for them. And I believe this is an honor for us. If a woman were teaching a man he would have a hard time concentrating on the lesson because she was immodestly dressed.”

And Whitney said “The Holy Spirit gives spiritual gifts to everyone, male and female, and one of those gifts is teaching. We certainly can't fathom the mind and thoughts of God, but I don't see why He would call a woman to do something if He wouldn't allow her to do it.”

What are Women Feeling?

Denise George wrote a book called What Women Wish Pastors Knew. In order to write this book she surveyed a variety of Christian women. The results from her survey showed that the majority of the female respondents actually believed that women should be serving in all areas of church leadership and not forbidden from any position. She found that women simply want to serve Christ. But because of the controversy of women in leadership some feel afraid to pursue their call due to being misunderstood. Some experience humiliation because people publicly speak out against their type of ministry. Some feel deprived of serving because although they use their skills in the secular world they are not allowed to use those same skills in their churches. She also found that they feel frustrated, excluded, overlooked, held back, stifled, unimportant, and some feel like second-class citizens.

Why Do Women Want to Preach?

Now, why would a woman even want to preach? Well, maybe it’s for the same reasons that men want to preach. I can tell you about myself. When I write a speech and speak it to other people, I am doing it as an act of worship to God. My Christian faith is important to me. I appreciate the sacrificial death of Jesus and that I have salvation and eternal life through Him. I want to tell other people about this and about how to be a follower of Jesus. When I speak about the Bible I aim to tell only the truth about God’s word. Along with reading Bible commentaries – I try to read the verses in context, to look at the cultural setting and to attempt to understand the author’s original purpose in writing. When I speak, I want to teach people about the attributes of God and point out the exciting things that I see in the Bible. I want to offer ideas to help make the Bible applicable to people so that they can use it in their everyday lives. And when I speak, I try to show compassion and offer real hope to the hurting. I encourage people to serve God and to reach out to people in their communities. I try to speak out against injustice and advocate for the vulnerable. I speak about Jesus, because I enjoy it and I want to glorify him. And these may be some of the reasons why other women want to preach. And these may be some of the reasons why men want to preach.

Are Women to Remain Silent in Church?

The verses that Christians often refer to when debating whether or not women should preach are found in Paul’s letter to the Christians in Corinth. The passage is 1 Corinthians 14:33-35 and it says "The women are to keep silent in the churches; for they are not permitted to speak, but are to subject themselves, just as the Law also says. If they desire to learn anything, let them ask their own husbands at home; for it is improper for a woman to speak in church.” (NASB)

Now, these words written in Paul’s letter mean only one thing. But the problem is that theologians, Bible scholars, and preachers can’t agree on what Paul’s original intention was concerning these specific words. As a result there are a variety of interpretations despite the fact that there is only one real meaning. I found that some of the interpretations are vague, some are very specific, and with most of them people add their own ideas to Paul’s original words.

One interpretation is that it was a rule for a specific time and circumstance and so there are now obvious exceptions. However, even though Christianity emancipated women it did not give them equality with men. Another idea is that Paul’s words don’t mean that all speaking by women in a public assembly is prohibited – just preaching, teaching, and prophesying. Women can still share about how God is working in their lives just not in an authoritative manner. There were extraordinary instances when women led spiritually such as with Deborah, Huldah, and Anna, but these were rare cases and must not be used as an example of what the norm should be. One interpretation is that women cannot speak with spiritual authority unless they have an extraordinary revelation to communicate which is given to them by the Holy Spirit. Another idea is that God has ordained men only to have spiritual authority in the church through preaching. However, women may take a less authoritative role by encouraging other women and teaching children. Yet another interpretation states that it is only okay for women to teach or preach indirectly such as through books or audio recordings because if a woman taught in person, her femininity could be a distraction. Some churches won’t allow women to speak from behind the lectern during the official Sunday morning service, but they are allowed to teach and preach in other rooms of the church building at any other time. Other churches will allow a woman to be a guest speaker even on a Sunday morning in front of the entire congregation – as long as it isn’t called preaching. Some simply say that men were called to preach and to be the spiritual leaders, but if they aren’t going to do it than women will have to. Another thought is that this passage of Paul’s was directed only to the Corinthian church. His reasoning was based on a localized cultural issue in which certain women may have been disrupting the church service. And yet another idea is that this passage was actually a quote from the original Corinthian church’s letter that Paul was responding to. The quote reflects the traditional thinking of the Jewish law and that is why Paul’s words that followed this controversial passage in verse 36 states: “Do you think God’s word originated with you Corinthians? Are you the only ones to whom it was given?”

Well, this was just a sample of the various interpretations of this passage of scripture. Most people choose the one that they like best. While some people determine their theological beliefs depending on who said it. I don’t think anyone can say with 100% certainty what Paul really meant. So I am not going to choose one of the previous ideas and promote it as the truth. Instead, I’d like to look at the example of Jesus. We can understand so much more about this subject by looking to Jesus rather than debating Paul’s confusing words.

Looking at the Example of Jesus

Jesus’ relationship with women was considered revolutionary and radical in the Jewish patriarchal society in which women were treated as social and spiritual inferiors to men. Jesus challenged the traditional gender restrictions and cultural taboos. Women were used to being bartered off by their fathers and were considered the property of their husbands. They were not allowed to learn about spiritual truths from the rabbis yet Jesus commended Mary of Bethany for listening to Him and for understanding His teaching that He would die and become the Savior of the world. Women were considered unclean, untouchable, and in need of purification after their monthly cycles and childbirth. Yet Jesus allowed a woman with a 12 year chronic bleeding condition to touch Him. He was so impressed with her faith in Him that He healed her instantly. Jesus forgave the sins of women, like in the case of the woman who was about to be stoned for adultery. Jesus spoke against the men who oppressed and persecuted women for their sins yet weren’t interested in condemning men for the same sins. Jesus asked women to evangelize for Him as seen in the example of the Samaritan woman that He met at a well. He invited women like Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Susanna, and many others to travel with Him as His disciples and to help with His ministry of proclaiming the kingdom of God. After His resurrection, Jesus commissioned Mary Magdalene to go and speak for Him saying that He was returning to God.

Jesus was very liberating for women and he was able to use their services in His ministry. He was impartial and treated them equally which was a foreign concept in their culture. Impartiality is one of God’s attributes. He does not display prejudice towards any person or esteem some as being more important than others. In Acts 10:34 we see that there is no favoritism with God. He accepts people from every nationality and race. Paul reiterates this in Romans 2:11 saying that there is no partiality with God. And Deuteronomy says that He is the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes. It is part of the very nature of Jesus to treat all equally and that is why he did not discriminate concerning a person’s gender, race, nationality, or socioeconomic status.

Paul carried on the example of Jesus and also included women in all aspects of Christian ministry. He told the Christians in Rome to welcome Phoebe as a representative of the church and he endorsed the ministry work that she was doing. He honored his fellow Christian workers Priscilla and her husband Aquila for risking their lives to help him and he mentioned the church they held in their home. Paul appreciated Lois and Eunice, both women, for teaching Timothy spiritual truths that prepared him for Christian ministry. And he recognized the female apostle, Junias, who had been in prison with him. Paul also told the Roman church to say hello to three women who had worked hard for the Lord – Tryphena, Tryphosa, and Persis. In1 Corinthians, Paul talked about Chloe’s church congregation. In Colossians 4 he referred to the congregation of a woman named Nympha. And in Philippians 4, Paul requested help for the two women named Euodia and Syntyche who struggled along with him as they promoted the Gospel of Jesus. Paul appreciated Christian women and the work that they did to spread Christianity through teaching, evangelizing, and preaching about Jesus.

The Gifts of the Holy Spirit for all Believers

What Jesus had to offer was for all. This was explained to us in Galatians 3:28 – “There is no longer Jew or Gentile,slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus.” In Matthew 28 we see Jesus telling his disciples to continue on with the ministry that He had started. He gave them a commission to go make new disciples of all people and to baptize them in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. These new Christian disciples included women. And the women were also included with the receiving of the Holy Spirit. This portion of scripture in Acts 1 and 2 tells us that after the ascension of Jesus His followers met in Jerusalem. Among the believers were women which included Mary the mother of Jesus. On the day of Pentecost, they were all together when the Holy Spirit entered the building and filled all of these believers with the Holy Spirit. Then Peter explained to the on looking crowd that what was happening to these followers of Jesus had actually been predicted by the prophet Joel.

This is what Peter said in Acts 2 verses 17 and 18. “‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy.” He said that men and women would be filled with the Holy Spirit and would prophesy.

And in 1 Corinthians 12:4-13 we learn that the people who are filled with the Holy Spirit receive spiritual gifts to use for Christian ministry. It says “⁴There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit is the source of them all. ⁵There are different kinds of service, but we serve the same Lord. ⁶God works in different ways, but it is the same God who does the work in all of us. ⁷A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other. ⁸To one person the Spirit gives the ability to give wise advice; to another the same Spirit gives a message of special knowledge.⁹The same Spirit gives great faith to another, and to someone else the one Spirit gives the gift of healing. ¹⁰He gives one person the power to perform miracles, and another the ability to prophesy. He gives someone else the ability to discern whether a message is from the Spirit of God or from another spirit. Still another person is given the ability to speak in unknown languages,while another is given the ability to interpret what is being said. ¹¹It is the one and only Spirit who distributes all these gifts. He alone decides which gift each person should have. ¹²The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ. ¹³Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles,some are slaves, and some are free. But we have all been baptized into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit.”

Further down in this chapter Paul explained thatall of the believers are a part of Christ’s body. And the parts include apostles, prophets, and teachers, those who do miracles, those who heal, those who help others, leaders, and those who speak in unknown languages. But it doesn’t say anything about all of the spiritual gifts being available to men, but only some of them being available to women

Modern Christian Women

Evangelist Christine Caine had some good advice that she shared in an interview for Christianity Today magazine. She said “The Spirit of God lives within all of us who are born again and out of us will flow rivers of living water if we let them. Let's not clog the rivers up with dead end arguments, and let's simply get about the Father's business.” Christians can keep arguing about the issue of whether or not women should preach or hold positions of leadership in the Christian church. But while we are arguing and trying to prove our points, a world of people still exists that needs to hear about Jesus. So like Christine Caine suggested – let’s just get about doing the Father’s business. What God really wants is for his people to make new disciples. He wants as many people as possible to hear about Him, to receive His salvation, and to make commitments to follow Him.

Throughout history, Christian women have bravely gone against tradition. They preached when they weren’t supposed to. They traveled the world as missionaries even though mission agencies said that they weren’t qualified to go. And women today are still challenging tradition. In China, the majority of Christians worship in house churches rather than the official churches overseen by the government. Many of these house churches are led by women. These house churches are the reason that Christianity is spreading so quickly throughout China. If we encouraged women to be spiritual leaders and to preach in this country, maybe Christianity would spread quicker throughout the United States of America, too. According to the Barna research organization in 1999 5% of the Senior Pastors of Protestant churches were female. It doubled to 10% by 2009. I don’t know the most recent number. But I do know that women are no longer waiting for permission from churches and denominations to preach. They are fed up with being held back by religious tradition, spiritual legalism, and especially by their own fears. It is not spiritual to be passive or content with others telling you what you can and can’t do. Jesus wants you to be ambitious and motivated about serving Him. He wants you to take risks for Him.

Liberty University, the largest Christian university in the world states on their website that the majority of their students, 59%, are female. And if you look around your churches you will notice that the majority of the people who attend and serve are probably female. Women love Jesus. They want to serve Him and they want to lead other people to Him. So let’s encourage women, rather than hold them back because of our traditions. Women have proved that they are capable of serving humanity in the secular world. Women are successfully starting and running businesses, saving lives through health care, teaching in schools and universities, advocating for those who don’t have a voice, and running non-profit organization. Well women can lead in the Christian world, too

Conclusion and Application

To the Christian Women – I want to encourage you to speak out publicly about Jesus your Savior. I think that if you did, Jesus would be very pleased with you. Can you imagine speaking about Jesus and Him saying to you - “Woman, I really wish that you would keep quiet about me. Stop telling others about me. Stop telling people about how I died on the cross for their sins and that I give the free gift of salvation to all who will accept it. Stop reading the Bible in public and sharing your spiritual incite. Stop. I only want men to do this.” No. I cannot imagine Jesus saying such a thing to you.

You are a disciple of Jesus and you have been filled with the Holy Spirit. He already gave you permission to speak about Him. The gifts of the Spirit and the authority to preach about Jesus are for all. Jesus is the great liberator and He is impartial. Our culture and human made religious traditions hold people back and they exclude many. But if you have accepted Jesus as your Savior and Lord than you are allowed to speak, teach, and preach about Him. Men and women are called to preach. All races of people are called to preach. All ages of people are called to preach. Despite all of the human limitations that may be holding you back – Jesus has actually freed you. The message of Jesus is liberating. It provides eternal life for anyone who wants to accept it. Jesus wants it spread to as many people as possible before He returns to this Earth to take His followers to live with Him forever. So, whoever you are – if you are a follower of Jesus, then you have been given the authority and the permission through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit to go preach about Jesus. So the answer is – Yes. Women should preach.

Original post from May 2008

Should Women Preach?

I wonder how many women have been called to preach the Word of God, but are silenced in a church because "women are not supposed to preach".

Here are some of the popular Bible verses used to keep women from preaching in the church:Women should remain silent in the churches.

1 Corinthians 14:33b-35 "The women are to keep silent in the churches; for they are not permitted to speak, but are to subject themselves, just as the Law also says. If they desire to learn anything, let them ask their own husbands at home; for it is improper for a woman to speak in church. (NASB)

The entire chapter of 1 Corinthians 14 is about having order during the worship service so that people will not be distracted from worshiping God. It addresses speaking in tongues, prophecy, and doing things orderly so that the Lord will be edified. When it says "women should remain silent in the churches", it is not talking about preaching. It doesn't say exactly why Paul said this about the Corinthian women. Maybe they were disrupting the service, questioning what was being said, or trying to get attention on themselves. Paul's reasoning was based on a localized cultural issue. Paul also tells the entire Corinthian church to keep silent if there is no interpreter to tongues - 14:28 "But if there is no interpreter, he must keep silent in the church; and let him speak to himself and to God. (NASB) Silence is mentioned again in 14:30 " But if a revelation is made to another who is seated, the first one must keep silent."(NASB) During this chapter, Paul doesn't refer only to women when he talks about being silent in the church.

The Message Version of the Bible explains 1 Corinthians 14:34-36 this way. "Wives must not disrupt worship, talking when they should be listening, asking questions that could more appropriately be asked of their husbands at home. God's Book of the law guides our manners and customs here. Wives have no license to use the time of worship for unwarranted speaking. Do you—both women and men—imagine that you're a sacred oracle determining what's right and wrong? Do you think everything revolves around you?"

Women are not to teach or have authority over men.
1 Timothy 2:11-15 "A woman should learn in quietness and full submission. I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she must be silent. For Adam was formed first, then Eve. And Adam was not the one deceived; it was the woman who was deceived and became a sinner. But women will be saved through childbearing—if they continue in faith, love and holiness with propriety."Paul was concerned about the Ephesian believers turning to false doctrines and religious beliefs. In 1 Timothy 1:3 Paul is telling Timothy that the Ephesians are not to teach any other doctrine other than the apostle's doctrine. In 1 Timothy 1:4 Paul wanted Timothy to make sure that they didn't get into other beliefs, since Ephesus was a center for different false religions. These other religions, in Ephesus, were being led by women and they involved sexual orgies. The women were deceiving men and drawing them into these false religions. This probably is why Paul had concerns about the women taking over in churches. Paul says in 1 Timothy 2:11 that he wants the Ephesian women to be submissive to the church leaders probably because of the current situations in Ephesus at that time.

The Message Version of the Bible explains 1 Timothy 2:11-15 this way "I don't let women take over and tell the men what to do. They should study to be quiet and obedient along with everyone else. Adam was made first, then Eve; woman was deceived first—our pioneer in sin!—with Adam right on her heels. On the other hand, her childbearing brought about salvation, reversing Eve. But this salvation only comes to those who continue in faith, love, and holiness, gathering it all into maturity. You can depend on this.Ministers are to have one wife.

1 Timothy 3:12 "A deacon must be the husband of but one wife and must manage his children and his household well."

Since the church leaders in Ephesus at this time were men, this verse refers to the deacons as husbands. Paul wants male church officers to be committed to their wives. He is saying that polygamy is not allowed. This verse was not meant to exclude single men or women from serving as preachers in the ministry.

Conclusion

If women aren't suppose to preach in churches, then we need to find the appropriate Bible verses to back up this belief. The above verses do not apply. They were written to deal with different issues and addressed to the early Christian church in Corinth and Ephesus.

I did not write this post to promote feminism or to dishonor men. My purpose was to prove the fact that these verses do not provide Biblical evidence to keep women from preaching in churches. It's important that we don't twist around the original meaning of verses to fit our desired beliefs.

Just like men, women need to seek God's will for their lives. They need to do what He is calling them to do. Does this mean that women should go against the popular cultural views of the church in order to obey God's leading?

Alone in Marriage

noreply@blogger.com (Shari) — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 06:55:00 +0000

Some of you may be experiencing a season of intense loneliness in your marriage. Maybe you feel like your marriage has been one-sided for a long time. Maybe you feel like you've had enough and you want to "check out" emotional or even leave physically.

Family Life Today is airing a 3 part series this week that will give you hope and encourage you. Susie Larson is the guest and she has written the book Alone in Marriage: Encouragement for the Times When It's All Up to You.

You can listen to all 3 parts online:

Spiritual Resolution Ideas

noreply@blogger.com (Shari) — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 05:09:00 +0000

Since it is almost the New Year, I did some research to make an idea list for New Year's Resolutions. I searched the Internet to find ideas that will help improve our spiritual lives.

Resolve to be a missionary right where you are: your work place, neighborhood, school, congregation.
Resolve to include Jesus in all parts of your life
Resolve to equip yourself for the Spiritual battle that is taking place in your life, with more prayer and more Bible study.
Resolve to work together as Christians, supporting one big ministry for God, instead of competing with each other.
Resolve to cut back or remove spiritually negative influences on your life: TV, music, entertainment, negative people.
Resolve to serve God every day.
Resolve to pray for your husband on a regular basis, even when you're mad at him.
Resolve to deal with the emotional problems that keep you at an unhealthy weight, which negatively influences your spiritual growth.
Resolve to manage money better, so that there will be more to give to God's work.
Resolve to pray for your children, minister to your children, pray that your children will grow up to serve God.
Resolve to follow God's will for your life, to fulfill His goals for you.
Resolve to forgive and get rid of the bitterness that can destroy you.
Resolve to not become proud of your spiritual growth and wisdom, but to give God the glory.
Resolve to let your Christian light shine, ask yourself - What would Jesus do?
Resolve to encourage and pray for Christians in their ministry - pastors, church workers, volunteers, missionaries, Christian teachers, and any Christian ministry worker.
Resolve to rely on God's strength to help you, instead of worldly advice or trying to comfort yourself with an unhealthy addiction.
Resolve to learn from your mistakes and to grow spiritually, instead of letting them discourage you.
Resolve to base your decisions on what the Bible says, instead of what the culture says is okay.
Resolve to have patience with everyone in your life: children, husband, church members, co-workers, etc.
Resolve to be thankful to God for his - unconditional love, provision, and guidance - even if you don't feel it.

It's a Wonderful Life

noreply@blogger.com (Shari) — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 05:04:00 +0000

Our family starts the new year watching It's a Wonderful Life. What a great movie to remind us that our life is not our own. We should be seeking after God's will for our lives. George Bailey was given a special gift - to see the difference his life made to others. We don't get to see most of the ways that we positively influence others. So, we have to trust that God's plans are the best plans for us.

You may get to heaven and find out that:

the neighbor kid you invited to church, decided to try church again in college.
the child you taught in VBS, brought her parents to church.
the person you listened to and encouraged didn't commit suicide.
the Christian ministry worker you thanked decided to stay working for the ministry.
the person you gave a Christian tract to, read the tract and accepted God's gift of salvation.
the Christian high school student you motivated, decided to go to Bible college to study ministry work.
the poor family you shared your food with, shared food with another family later on.
your good example made a child want to serve God.
a couple decided not to divorce, because of the example of your marriage.

We can't possible imagine all of the ways God has been using us. This year, I am going to try to ask God everyday - "Lord, what do You want me to do today? Please show me."

He uses us where we are at. We don't have to wait until we've been a Christian for 5 years, gone to Bible school, read through the entire Bible, or read Christian books. Even children can be used by Him daily. We just have to be submissive to Him and His will for us, and obedient when He shows us what to do. Plus, we need to keep growing spiritually. I encourage you to start the new year asking Him - What do you want me to do today?

Ideas for a Frugal Christmas

noreply@blogger.com (Shari) — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 02:10:00 +0000

Make a cash spending plan and stick to it:
I heard that the majority of people buy at least one extra thing for themselves while they are out Christmas shopping. Plus, people tend to spend extra money on snacking, stocking stuffers, and extra gifts for the kids. Staying out of the stores during the Christmas season can really help. I make my list and try to order as much online as I can, avoiding the whole Christmas spending excitement that is going on in the stores.

Cut back on presents:
This year, we are cutting back on the amount of individual presents that the kids get and getting some group gifts that all the children can share. I also like to take some of the emphasis off of presents and put it on our Family's Christmas Traditions.

Make the recession work for you:
Because we are officially in a recession, you can announce that you are cutting back on Christmas spending this year. Plus, many stores are having great sales. But only buy the sale items if they are on your spending plan.

Extend Christmas:
Last year, my kids knew that they were going to be getting new jackets. But, we waited until the beginning of January to go buy them. We got a $100 jacket for $20 at J.C. Penney's, a $40 jacket for $15 at Kmart, and a $35 jacket for $5 at Wal-Mart. There are lots of year end clearance deals.

Try giving unique gifts:
You can do a weird gift exchange, give gadgets, something from a craft fair, make your own Gift Basket or Box of Themed Gifts, get something off of Ebay that represents an old memory for someone. Just make sure that your unique gift is also an affordable one.

Fill Christmas day with fun activities:
If there are going to be less presents under the tree to play with, then plan to keep the kids busy on Christmas day with family activities - have a Christmas devotion, go caroling in the neighborhood, invite people over, have brunch, make Christmas dinner together, volunteer, watch a Christmas movie, make crafts, play Christmas games, drive around looking at lights, look at old Christmas photos, call up relatives, talk about Christmas memories, do an outdoor activity together, have a family slumber party near the lighted Christmas tree, have a treasure hunt for a group gift and then play with it, take a walk together or play in the snow, make birthday cakes for Jesus, or decorate an outdoor tree for the animals.

Plan ahead:
Next year, set aside and save a little bit of money each month in a Christmas fund. Get presents through out the year when you find them on sale.

Make Your Own Gift Baskets

noreply@blogger.com (Shari) — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 03:11:00 +0000

Fill an cheap basket, used Christmas tin, Christmas stocking, or Christmas bag (from the Dollar Store) with inexpensive related items:

body wash, lotion, bath sponge, and candle (Dollar Store)
assorted teas or coffee and a Dollar Store mug
a Dollar Store Christmas plate (the breakable kind) piled with homemade treats and a $1 Christmas CD (from christianbook.com)
an older (classical) movie from the $5 rack at Wal-Mart, candy, snacks, and microwave popcorn
inexpensive Dollar Store craft supplies and art supplies from the Wal-Mart back-to-school sale in August
a small Christmas cactus plant, homemade ornaments, Christmas dish towel, homemade cranberry jam, Dollar Store Christmas items
a $2 Christmas fiction book (from christianbook.com), Dollar Store mug, box of hot cocoa, chocolate bar, and a dollar store candle
for Grandparents: a framed picture of the grandkids, kid decorated sugar cookies, homemade Christmas tree ornaments made by the kids
for a young girl - nail polish, lotion, stickers, notebook, pens, a cute Dollar Store stuffed bear
if you have the right recipient: fill a basket with the most unique and humorous items and snacks that you can find

Family Christmas Traditions

noreply@blogger.com (Shari) — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 05:04:00 +0000

I've made a blog with 100 Family Christmas Traditions.

You may want to choose a few to make your Christmas season more memorable. If you're really ambitious, choose one a day starting the day after Thanksgiving.

Thank You Card Ministry Idea

noreply@blogger.com (Shari) — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 05:00:00 +0000

Thanksgiving is in a week, so today's ministry idea has to do with being thankful.

Get a pack of inexpensive thank you cards from the dollar store. Or, you can make your own cards. Write thank you's to your children, spouse, family, neighbors, and friends. You can thank them for something special that they did for you. It doesn't even have to be something done recently. Or, you can tell them what you appreciate about their character or personality.

People really like to be appreciated and thanked. It makes them feel good and it encourages them.

Cry of the Orphan Campaign in November

noreply@blogger.com (Shari) — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 20:24:00 +0000

Encourage your Christian friends and family to listen to certain radio shows during the Cry of the Orphan week - November 17-21, 2008.

In November, the Cry of the Orphan campaign informs listeners about the orphan crisis and the need for Christian adoption. Christian radio hosts devote a week of broadcasts to orphan stories and information. The participating shows are:

Family Life Today with Dennis Rainey
Focus on the Family with Dr. James Dobson
Money Life with Chuck Bentley

Being Consistent About OurTime With God

noreply@blogger.com (Shari) — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 05:00:00 +0000

My daughter and I are reading A Young Woman After God's Own Heart. In chapter 2, Elizabeth George writes about Dawson Trotman, founder of The Navigators ministry.

"He once spent five days interviewing candidates for overseas missionary service. He spent a half hour with each one, asking specifically about their devotional life. Sadly, only one person out of 29 interviewed said his devotional life was a constant in his life, a source of strength, guidance, and refreshment. As Trotman continued to probe into the lives of those men and women planning a lifetime of service for God, he found that never since they had come to know the Lord had they ever had a consistent devotional life."

If this was the case for 28 out of 29 missionary applicants, I wonder how true it is for others in Christian ministry work. Do our pastors, Christian leaders, and other ministry workers struggle with having a consistent time with the Lord? I imagine that the effectiveness of their ministry must be lacking if they don't have a regular time of prayer, Bible reading, and worship with Him.

This got me thinking about a ministry that is common among many women - raising children in a Christian home. If we don't have a consistent time with God, worshiping Him and growing spiritually, how effective is our ministry to our children? If we can't succeed with the ministry God has given to us, of raising our children, He can't trust us with other ministry work that could have an impact on a greater amount of people.

November - National Adoption Month

noreply@blogger.com (Shari) — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 05:03:00 +0000

I've made a blog called How to Help Orphans. It lists many ideas for how you can help orphans and promote adoption.

Are you interested in starting an Orphan Ministry at your church?

Does the Church Need a Great Awakening?

noreply@blogger.com (Shari) — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 07:44:00 +0000

Do churches need a great awakening? Do they need to be awakened to the fact that there are 143 million orphans? Many orphans are being cared for well. However, much more help and money is needed.

Orphanages are in need of support. There are orphanages without heat, hot water, and basic necessities. Some lack the staff needed to properly care for and love the children. Every year, thousands of children turn 16 and are forced out of the orphanage. Because they are young and unskilled, they are unable to financially support themselves. Therefore many of them commit crimes, turn to prostitution, or commit suicide.

Many orphans aren't fortunate enough to call an orphanage their home. India can't provide for it's 18 million orphaned children, so many of them fend for themselves by living on the streets. 12 million African children have been orphaned, mostly due to AIDs having killed their parents. A lot of them now live on the streets or have been forced into slavery. Yes. Slavery. I heard on the Family Life Today radio show that there is more slavery going on in the world than at any other time in history. Thankfully, Christian organizations like All Kids Can Learn International are helping by building orphan villages to provide homes for some of these children.

In my own country, the United States of America, we still have 118,000 foster children that are currently available for adoption. The U.S. seems to be busy pointing the fingers at everyone else's problems, yet we have our own orphan crisis here.

These are just some of the facts, but they can easily be changed. Over the years, Christian churches have shown compassion to less fortunate and hurting people. There is free help and services available for people who are hungry, homeless, poor, in need of counseling and support groups. Many churches are reaching out to sponsor orphanages and are encouraging their church members to adopt. But why is it taking so long for the rest of the churches to awaken to this crisis? Why are there still 143 million orphans?

Until every orphan has a home, churches need to make the orphan ministry a top priority. We have the money, the resources, and the ability to help. Now we need the initiative, the passion, and the commitment of every church. This is a problem that could disappear. God is waiting on us. He has already told us the need. He's already told us what to do. So why are there so many Christians still looking the other way?

If you're interested in starting an Orphan Ministry at your church you can order a book with DVD for $10 from Hope for Orphans

Individuals, families, and churches can find realistic ways to help orphans on my site How To Help Orphans

The Pursuit of Holiness

noreply@blogger.com (Shari) — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 04:01:00 +0000

Holiness is ... conforming to the character of God and obedience to the will of God. Jesus is our perfect example of holiness.

For most of my life, I have been a Christian - believing that Jesus died on the cross to save me from my sin's. But, I never really thought that He required very much out of me. Basically, I ignored Bible verses like:

Romans 8:13-14 For if you live by it's (your sinful nature's) dictates, you will die. But if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.

1 John 1:6 So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness; we are not practicing the truth.

1 Peter 2:21 For God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ sufferedfor you. He is your example, and you must follow in his steps.

My husband and I just recently realized this need for holiness. A few months ago, he talked with one of our pastors about why Christians have such a struggle with sin. The pastor said that the reason we even struggle with this sin is because we are not pursuing holiness. If Christians would grow in holiness, then they would stop being a slave to their sinful nature.

That basic statement from Pastor Wayne motivated my husband to get the book and study guide - The Pursuit of Holiness by Jerry Bridges. We've been learning about holiness together. There is verse after verse in the Bible telling us that growing in holiness is not an option for the Christian. If we are a Christian and Christ is Lord of our life, then we will need to pursue holiness.

Holiness in not an option for Christians.
We have a responsibility to pursue holiness and to live a holy life. We must obey and do our part to resist temptation and not sin. We are responsible for our sinful thoughts, attitudes, and actions. But we can not pursue holiness without the help and the strength of the God.

What God does for us concerning holiness:

He delivers us from the reign of sin.
He unites us with Christ.
He has the Holy Spirit reveal our sin to us.
He has the Holy Spirit give us a desire for holiness.
He strengthens us as we fight sin and pursue holiness.

What we are to do concerning holiness:

Submit to God.
Choose to stop sinning
Avoid the temptation to sin.
Accept the fact that we are responsible for out thoughts, attitudes, and actions.
Pray and rely on the Holy Spirit to help us grow in holiness and point out our sins.
Read the Bible to develop convictions about sin.
Make a disciplined plan to read the Bible, think about it, and apply what it says.
Fill our minds with good, pure, and praiseworthy things.
Obey God's will for us.
Not get discouraged over failures. Repent and keep going forward.

Some Bible Verses about Holy Living
Hebrews 12:14
Ephesians 4:30
1 Thessalonians 4:7
Titus 2:11-12
Psalm 15:1-5
Psalm 32:3-4
Isaiah 64:6-7
Matthew 1:21
Matthew 7:21-23
1 Corinthians 1:2
2 Corinthians 5:17
Ephesians 1:4
James 2:14-26
1 John 3:2-5
Hebrews 12:14
2 Peter 3:14
Psalm 66:18
2 Timothy 2:21

Holiness by Sonicflood

Halloween Evangelism

noreply@blogger.com (Shari) — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 11:00:00 +0000

If it is too late to order tracts, then you can print out the Are You a Good Person? comic tract for free on your own home printer. I have printed them in just black and white and have given them away.

Also, you can make up your own cards (business card size) with the website www.smartyface.com and give them to trick-or-treaters.

Don't miss out on easy ways to evangelize this Halloween:

Get tracts from a Christian book store and distribute them with candy to trick-or-treaters. (You may still be able to order online, if you pay more to have them sent fast.) Creepy Cash Tracts, Christianbook.com Tracts

Pass out tracts and candy in public places. (You can even offer free face painting.)

Tell the neighbor kids about the local church harvest party or carnival on October 31st. (For many churches, this is one of the biggest evangelistic outreaches of the year. They just need others to help get the kids to come.)

Invite kids over for a Harvest/Halloween party on Saturday. Have a pumpkin object lesson, play harvest games, make a scarecrow tract craft, and serve scarecrow cupcakes.

Deliver pumpkin pies and tracts to neighbors.

Decorate your yard and front porch with a heaven/hell theme and make an evangelistic poster for your front door.

Email: Tell kids about these online Halloween comics for Kids - The Little Ghost and Happy Halloween

Email: Death Beth knows if you're going to die. (for teens and adults) You can also print and pass out business sized cards advertising the Death Beth site.

What Can I Sacrifice (or Surrender) for God?

noreply@blogger.com (Shari) — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 04:03:00 +0000

This is what God is concerned about:

that we have hearts that say "Yes" to Him
that we sacrificially lay down our lives for Him and believe that it's worth it to do so

"For this world is not our permanent home; we are looking forward to a home yet to come. Therefore, let us offer through Jesus a continual sacrifice of praise to God, proclaiming our allegiance to his name. And don’t forget to do good and to share with those in need. These are the sacrifices that please God." Hebrews 13:14-16

God does not expect all of us to sacrifice the same thing. It will be different for each of us.

Maybe God wants you to sacrifice (or surrender):

a good paying career to do a Christian related job or ministry
your free time to spend more time ministering to your kids or serving God
your TV time to read devotions and the Bible to your children or yourself
your hobbies to spend more encouraging and supporting your husband
your bitterness and unforgiving attitude to pray for and encourage your husband
the trust that you place in your money in order to trust in God's provision for you
your worrying in order to step out and follow God's will for your life
your job in order to homeschool your children
materialism or your financial security in order to give more money to God
your past hurts to concentrate on Jesus and the needs of others
your personal dream to support your husband in his dream
an addiction to trust God to help you and comfort you

What is God calling you to sacrifice in your life?

Worship Video: Take My Life by Chris Tomlin