Chardon church of Christ

The Deadliest Fire in History

The Deadliest Fire in History
Luke 16: 19-31

Jack took a long look at his speedometer before slowing down: 73 in a 55 zone... Fourth time in as many months. How could a guy get caught so often? When his car had slowed to 10 miles an hour, Jack pulled over.

The cop was stepping out of his car, the big pad in hand. Bob? Bob from church? Jack sunk farther into his trench coat. This was worse than the coming ticket. A Christian cop catching a guy from his own church. A guy who happened to be a little anxious to get home after a long day at the office. A guy he was about to play golf with tomorrow.

Jumping out of the car, he approached a man he saw every Sunday, a man he'd never seen in uniform.

"Hi, Bob. Fancy meeting you like this."

"Hello, Jack." No smile.

"Guess you caught me red-handed in a rush to see my wife and kids."

"Yeah, I guess." Bob seemed uncertain.

"I've seen some long days at the office lately. I'm afraid I bent the rules a bit

Jack toed at a pebble on the pavement. "Diane said something about roast beef and potatoes tonight. Know what I mean?"

"I know what you mean. I also know that you have a reputation in our precinct."

Ouch! This was not going in the right direction. Time to change tactics. "What'd you clock me at?"

"Seventy-one. Would you sit back in your car, please?"

"Now wait a minute here, Bob. I checked as soon as I saw you. I was barely nudging 65." The lie seemed to come easier with every ticket.

"Please, Jack, in the car."

Flustered, Jack hunched himself through the still-open door. Slamming it shut, he stared at the dashboard. He was in no rush to open the window. The minutes ticked by. Bob scribbled away on the pad. Why hadn't he asked for a driver's license? Whatever the reason, it would be a month of Sundays before Jack ever sat near this cop again. A tap on the door jerked his head to the left.

There was Bob, a folded paper in hand. Jack rolled down the window a bare two inches, just enough room for Bob to pass him the slip.

Bob returned to his car without a word. Jack watched his retreat in the mirror. Jack unfolded the sheet of paper. How much was this one going to cost? Wait a minute. What was this? Some kind of joke? Certainly not a ticket.

Jack began to read: "Dear Jack, Once upon a time I had a daughter. She was six when killed by a car. You guessed it - a speeding driver. A fine and three months in jail, and the man was free. Free to hug his daughters. All three of them. I only had one, and I'm going to have to wait until heaven before I can ever hug her again. A thousand times I've tried to forgive that man. A thousand times I thought I had. Maybe I did, but I need to do it again. Even now... Pray for me. And be careful. My son is all I have left. Bob"

Jack twisted around in time to see Bob's car pull away and head down the road. Jack watched until it disappeared. A full 15 minutes later, he, too, pulled away and drove slowly home, praying for forgiveness and hugging a surprised wife and kids when he arrived.

Life is precious. Handle with care. Remember, cars are not the only thing recalled by their maker.*
Does anyone know what the worst fire in American History was? Most people would say it was the great Chicago Fire in 1871. That fire started on Sunday, October 8 and ended on Tuesday, October 10, 1871, killing up to 300 people and destroyed a little over 3 square miles of Chicago, leaving over 100,000 people homeless.
But the great Chicago fire wasn’t the worst fire in American history. Ironically, on the very same day the Chicago fire began... so did the one that destroyed Peshtigo, Wisconsin (about 48 miles north of Green Bay). Historians list this as THE deadliest fire in U.S. history. On October 8th (the same day the Chicago fire began) a drought in the lumber area of Peshtigo led to a fire that destroyed nearly 1900 sq. miles of small cities and homes in the area of Peshtigo (as opposed to the 3.3 square miles in Chicago) and killed nearly 2000 people (compared to 300 in Chicago).
The fire was so intense that when people tried to flee... there was no place to go. People died in their homes, and their basements and on the streets. Some folks jumped into a well, but the fire sucked all the oxygen away and they died of suffocation. Others tried to cross the river to the other side only to find the fire there as well.
The few that survived jumped into the river, and had to constantly douse themselves with water to avoid their hair catching on fire. The temperatures that day were estimated to be between 500 and 700 F. The destruction was so total there was virtually nothing left of the city.
It took days for word of the Peshtigo fire to reach the nation. When news finally reached the capital of Wisconsin, all the state’s officials were in Chicago, helping with relief efforts there. For weeks, the Chicago Fire so dominated newspaper headlines that the governor of Wisconsin had to issue a special proclamation to divert aid from Chicago to the Peshtigo area.
Speaking of the tragedy in Peshtigo (“The Deadly Night Of October 8, 1871”) one author noted “The only light available in the dark of the night was that given off by the fire itself, creating an eerie glow that seemed to taunt the dying and surviving alike like the open mouth of hell.”
In our text this morning Jesus tells us the story of a man who went to hell - it’s called the story of the Rich Man and Lazarus. Now, there are some folks who try to tell us that this story is not true. They say it's fictional. They dismiss it as merely a “parable.”
That’s always bothered me. I mean this story is not even called a parable by Jesus (or even by Luke, where the story appears). Additionally, even in His parables... Jesus never used a personal name like Lazarus, and ALL of Jesus’ parables were based on real-life events that people could identify with. This is the only story Jesus ever told that pulled back the curtain on what happens after death.
So, I’ve always been puzzled that people would try so hard to say that this story is fiction. Why would they do that? Well, there’s all kinds of possibilities... I guess. For example, I think some folks dismiss this story just to prove how smart they are (it’s a pride thing). It’s an intellectual exercise they go through to prove how deep and educated they are. Folks seem to do that often with things the Bible tells us.
But I’m convinced that a lot of other folks argue this story’s not true because they don’t like what it says. They read the story of the Rich Man and Lazarus and they see one of the most disturbing descriptions of hell in Scripture - and they don’t want to accept it.
Jesus tells us the Rich Man was “... in Hades, being in torment...” Luke 16:23
The Rich Man asked for “... mercy” and for “... Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water ‘and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.’” Luke 16:24
And it’s described as a “place of torment” and a place people would avoid if they would “repent.” Luke 6:28 and 30
Jesus tells us that Hell is a very, very unpleasant place, and because of that – Hell is a very, very uncomfortable topic for lots of folks.
ILLUS: A Research company did a survey about 5 years ago where they discovered that 72% Americans said they believed in heaven (defined as a place “where people who have led good lives were eternally rewarded”). But, at the same time, 58% of U.S. adults also believed in hell (a place “where people who’d led bad lives and who died without being sorry were eternally punished”)
72% believed in heaven, but only 58% believed in hell? I thought they were a matched set. I figured if you had one you had to have the other. But frankly a lot of people just don’t want to hear about hell.
ILLUS: A group of ministers – when asked why they won’t preach about hell said: “People already feel guilty enough. They’re not doing what they should. And, they have over 100 reasons way.
So, there’s a lot of folks out there that would prefer not to even preach about hell! In fact, I don’t often preach about it!
Even God’s not keen on it: “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” 2 Peter 3:9
So, there are very few people who seem to enjoy the idea of talking about hell.
And yet... it was one of the top 10 things Jesus preached about. Someone did a study of the book of Matthew and found that Jesus dedicated about 66 verses to the topic of judgment and Hell.
For example: Matthew 8:12 “the sons of the kingdom (of Israel) will be thrown into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
Matthew 13:49-50 “So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
And Matthew 25:46 “... these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life”
So what’s going on here? If a lot of folk are really NOT all that happy about hell, and I really don’t like preaching about hell, and even God’s not all that excited about anyone going to hell - why is Jesus preaching so much about hell?
Well, 2 things:
1st – someone once said: "Hell is, Hell is hot, Hell is real, Hell is eternal."
And what is worse: Hell was where everybody was gonna go. Hell was our destiny! That’s where we were ALL going to end up if somebody didn’t do something about it!
Ephesians 2:3 “...we ALL once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.”
Colossians 1:21 “Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior.”
And Romans 8:7-8 “the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God.”
In other words: none of us deserved to go to heaven. We ALL had messed up. We all deserved Hell.
But a lot of people have convinced themselves they deserve to go heaven. In a different survey I've read, about 60% believed there was a hell (just like the other survey) they just weren't going there. Only 4 % of those surveyed thought they were going to end up in Hell. ONLY 4%? I’m pretty sure that’s not even close to the right percentage. But why would so many think that they’d not end up in Hell? Why did they believe they were going to heaven? Well, because most folks are intent on putting up a "good front."
ILLUS: A man once told of the day he and his wife bought their first house. “Our limited finances forced us to find ways of getting what we wanted without spending a great deal of money. We agreed we’d work on the front yard ourselves to save labor expenses and still create a proper setting for our home. It looked great.
One day, while I was standing in our BACK yard, I began to realize that we had spent no time or money making the back look good. Why? Because it couldn’t be seen by others as they passed our house.”
When it comes to sin in our lives, most folks are like that. They clean up the front yard – where everybody can see what’s going on - but they HIDE the “back section” of their life (their thoughts, their deeds and their words). They hide these things way out back where no one can see what’s happening.
Well... almost no one. God knows! Romans 3:23 says “We’ve all sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” We all deserved to go to Hell!!! Every... single... one of us deserved to go to hell. Unless...
Unless somebody did something to stop it. So, did somebody DO something to stop us from going to hell? Of course! That’s why Jesus came. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever should believe in Him MIGHT NOT PERISH but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).
As one man observed: “I deserved to be damned to hell, but God interfered.”
THAT, of course, still doesn’t answer the question of why Jesus taught so much about Hell? I mean, why would He do that? If it upsets people so much – why do it?
There are those ministers who don’t preach about hell, either because they either don’t want God to look bad...or they don’t want the people they minister to, to FEEL bad. Now, I understand that. And I don’t think their motives are necessarily evil - I just think their theology stinks! And here’s why...
ILLUS: Think about your Smoke Alarm (especially the one in or near the kitchen). Annoying, isn’t it? Now a smoke alarm is supposed to go off if the house is on fire but I’ve never had a fire in my home. This doesn’t mean the smoke alarm has never gone off. Once in awhile, when I offer a burnt offering to God in my kitchen, this sucker goes off and keeps incessantly beeping as I drag a chair from the kitchen table into the hallway and climb up on that chair to push this button that shuts it off.
But here’s the problem – I can push that button as many times as I like – as long as there’s smoke in the house, that alarm is going to continue going off, over and over again. So what am I to do? How do I stop this alarm from continually shrieking in my ears?
Well, there’s only two ways to stop this alarm from going off in a smoky room. 1. Remove the ALARM from the room (and throw it out in the backyard) or 2. Remove the BATTERY from the alarm.
Now I’ve known of people who simply take the battery out... and not replace it. They don’t want to be annoyed by that silly alarm. They don’t want to be troubled by its shrieking in their ears. But if their house actually caught on fire and the alarm wouldn’t go off... the fire would destroy their home.
But at least they wouldn’t be annoyed by the alarm. At least they wouldn’t be troubled by the warning.
But just removing the battery from the alarm won't stop the house from burning down. They may have removed the offending noise of the WARNING, but their home would end up in ashes.
THAT’S WHY Jesus preached so much about hell. He was being the fire alarm. He was WARNING people that there was going to be a place of torment; a place of weeping and gnashing of teeth; a place of eternal punishment.
And if Jesus hadn’t warned us about that that eternal hell why should we bother changing our lives? I mean, there are some folks who figure “I like sinning! I like getting drunk and sleeping around and living however I very well please. So, what if when I die... I don’t get to go to heaven... I didn’t want to go anyway! I just want to live the way I want to live and if I die and just don’t leave the grave, why should I care?”
WHY BOTHER believing that Jesus is the Christ, why bother repenting, why bothered getting buried in the waters of baptism and rising up a new creation? I only get to go around once in this life, so why not grab all the gusto I can get?
But... if there’s a hell – that changes the equation in a big hurry. Suddenly, life gets serious. And if there’s no one around to warn us of that reality, we may wake up from the grave to a major surprise!
CLOSE: The message of Hell is not a pleasant one... and it’s not meant to be. But without that part of our message, there’s no urgency for people to change and turn to Jesus.
A sick man turned to his doctor, as he was leaving the room after paying a visit, and said, "Doctor, I am afraid to die. Tell me what lies on the other side."

Very quietly the doctor said, "I don't know."
"You don't know? You, a Christian man, do not know what is on the other side?"

The doctor was holding the handle of the door. On the other side of the door there came the sound of scratching and whining. As he opened the door a dog sprang into the room and leaped on him with an eager show of gladness.

Turning to the patient, the doctor said, "Did you notice that dog? He had never been in this room before. He did not know what was inside. He knew nothing except that his master was here, and when the door opened, he sprang in without fear. I know little of what is on the other side of death, but I do know one thing: I know my Master is there, and that is enough. And when the door opens, I shall pass through with no fear, but with gladness."
INVITATION

This sermon is based on
A sermon given by Jeff Strite

Covering God with Thankfulness

Covering God With Thankfulness
Psalms 100:1-5

Let’s take a look at our text for this morning’s lesson:
Psalms 100:1-5
Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands.
2 Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing.
3 Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
4 Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.
5 For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.

Last week we talked about how God showed His love FOR US, by the things He Created, by the Bible He’s given us, and – most importantly – by the gift of His only begotten Son.
This week – we’re going to talk about one of the ways that we can show our love FOR HIM. There are many ways that we can show our love for God, but Psalm 100 is talking about how we can show that love in our worship.
Look again: “Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth! Serve the LORD with gladness! Come into his presence with singing! ... Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name!” Psalm 100:1-2 & 4
One of the meanings of “Worship” is “to adore.” The idea is to praise Him, sing to Him, give thanks to Him and to bless His name. Now this is important on a couple level. First --- it is the mark of what God’s people do.
• Psalm 22:23 says “You who fear the LORD, praise him!”
• Psalm 33:1 tells us Sing joyfully to the LORD, you righteous; it is fitting for the upright to praise him.
• And Psalm 135:3 declares “Praise the LORD, for the LORD is good; sing to his name, for it is pleasant!”
• But Psalm 115:17-18 goes one step further: The dead praise not Jehovah,
Neither any that go down into silence;
18 But we will bless Jehovah
From this time forth and for evermore.
Praise ye Jehovah.
God’s people are expected to praise God and give Him thanks... it’s what we do!

How Much Is It Worth?

HOW MUCH IS IT WORTH
Mark 4: 1 – 20

We’re going to be in Mark 4 this morning.
What I want you to keep in mind as we read Mark 4 this morning is that Jesus is teaching a kingdom principle. And the people he’s talking to on the shoreline – a lot of them are farmers. They will understand the parable of the Seed very quickly.
A old time minister made a trip to Israel a couple years ago, and one of the places he visited was Jesus’ childhood hometown - Nazareth. On the outskirts of modern Nazareth they found (and rebuilt) an ancient watch tower. In addition they added a model of a traditional home of the era, plus a workshop and other buildings that would have existed in days of Jesus. But what caught his attention was the remnants of some ancient farmland.
If you were fortunate enough back then to have inherited “bottom land” down in the valley you might become a wealthy man. But this section of Nazareth was built into the hillside and had “terraced” farms. People in this area only had “farms that were little bigger than a good-sized garden.
This land had a mixture of shallow ground where there was rock just about an inch under the soil, as well as some sections where the ground was fertile and would yield a good crop. Seemingly everywhere there were a fair amount of weeds and though you might pull a lot of them... there’d still be a fair amount still growing alongside the crops. In addition, the owner would access his particular plot by a path that ran between his land and his neighbor’s.
Now, with the right tools, you MIGHT be able to make ALL the ground useful. But Nazareth was a poor community with limited resources, so farmers did what they could with what they had. As a result, the “farmers” threw their seed everywhere, hoping some of it would grow. Their land was precious (since there wasn’t much of it), but the seed was comparatively cheap.
So as Jesus told the parable, he described the four types of ground every farmer had to deal with. Only a ¼ of the ground was useful – and it was apparently hard to tell which land would be fertile, and which was not. But the fertile land would give a high yield and was worth the trouble.
And when you think about the parable of the Seed, when Jesus describes what happens to the Seed, he’s describing what happens to it in real life.
Mark 4:Verse (3) Hearken; Behold, there went out a sower to sow:
“Hearken” and “Behold” – he’s using two Words to communicate that whatever you are doing you need to stop right now and listen to what I’m about to say. Pay attention.
Notice also that the sower “went out”. This was a purposeful decision. What is my point? When it comes to sowing the Word, it’s not something we do haphazardly. We do it on purpose. And when you do something on purpose you make time for it. It’s not a passing fancy. You make time because you are doing it for a reason.
(4) And it came to pass, as he sowed, some fell by the way side, and the fowls of the air came and devoured it up.

Redeeming The Time

Redeeming the Time
Ephesians 5:15-16

IGood evening. Our sermon this evening is from Ephesians 5:15-16 – “15. See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, 16. redeeming the time, because the days are evil.”.

In the text God is telling us how He wants us to live our lives. First He tells us He wants us to live our lives by walking circumspectly, being circumspect in our walk as a Christian. That is a word many of us know but it is not used in everyday speech very often. The dictionary offers the definition of “watchful and discreet”, “cautious”, “prudent”. In the Greek the word (ἀκριβῶς akribōs, ak-ree-boce') has the attribute of “exactly”, “accurately”, “diligently”.

The implication here is the idea that you are conscious and aware of what is going on around you. You're not just stumbling through the darkness but you're alert and you're paying attention to what's going on around you. You're paying attention to the circumstances of your life and then dealing with the various circumstances as you meet them.

Paul says walk wisely. Not as fools but as wise. Redeeming is another word that is not used everyday but we understand it a little bit better. We sing about it in song, we know that Christ redeemed us by the payment of the price to recover us from the power of sin. In the original language the word here (ἐξαγοράζω exagorázō, ex-ag-or-ad'-zo) is defined by Strong as “To buy up, to buy up for one's self, for one's use. to make wise and sacred use of every opportunity for doing good, so that zeal and well doing are as it were the purchase money by which we make the time our own ”

The idea of redeeming the time is seizing the moments of life, living the Christian life, one moment at a time, one situation at a time. This evening I would like to look at how to redeem the time living each day of our life the way the Lord wants us to live it.

The next verse I want to look at with you is Ecclesiastes 3:1 – “To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven:” There's a time for everything.
We understand what time is because our earthly existence is within time. Part of being circumspect is realizing where you are and what is required of you at this moment, and then doing what is required of you. It is one thing to recognize what time it is. It is another to do what is required of you at that moment.

The problem is not that we don't recognize what time it is, we just don't do what we're supposed to do when it's time to do it. To redeem the time and to walk circumspectly and walk wisely you have to recognize what time it is and then do what is required of you when that time comes.

Using Our Gifts - Part 3

Using Our Gifts, Part 3

Romans 12:3-8

This morning I would like to continue in our study of this chapter beginning at verse three and continuing through verse 8.

Annie Johnson Flint lived between 1866 and 1932. She suffered from early onset arthritis yet she wrote many beautiful poems. With a pen pushed through bent fingers and held by swollen joints she wrote without any thought that it might be an avenue of ministry, or that it would bring her returns that might help in her support. Her verses provided a solace for her in the long hours of suffering. Then she began making hand-lettered cards and gift books, and decorated some of her own verses. Her life was beset by many problems and suffering. I would recommend you read about her sometime. In considering her life it brings again the question to mind; “Why do good people sometimes suffer?” Of the many poems she wrote I want to mention one titled; The World’s Bible, of which I will read just the first few verses.

Christ has no hands but our hands to do His work today;
He has no feet but our feet to lead men in His way;
He has no tongue but our tongues to tell men how He died;
He has no help but our help to bring them to His side.

We are the only Bible the careless world will read;
We are the sinner's gospel, we are the scoffer's creed;
We are the Lord's last message, given in deed and word;
What if the type is crooked? What if the print is blurred?

What if our hands are busy with other work than His?
What if our feet are walking where sin's allurement is?
What if our tongues are speaking of things His lips would spurn?
How can we hope to help Him and hasten His return?

I would suggest that is a basic truth of the passages that we've been studying in Romans Chapter 12 concerning offering our bodies as spiritual sacrifices to God. God has given us the responsibility to do the work. Not only has He given us responsibility but He has given us the tools and functions as well.  

This morning we're going to talk about the gifts God has given us to do His work. Christ has no hands but our hands. He has no feet but our feet. He instructs us to use what we have, to do what God has given us to do.

Turn to Romans chapter 12 if you are not already there. Let’s read starting in verse three again the passage we've been studying.
Romans 12:3-8 – “3. For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith. 4. For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, 5. so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. 6. Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith; 7. or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching; 8. he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.”

We’ve looked at these passages in past weeks to try to understand what our responsibility is in terms of service. What serving God is all about. We found as we studied earlier that the attitude of service is humility. That we must not think of ourselves more highly than we ought to think, but to be always willing to put the other person above ourselves.

 

Using Our Gifts - Part 2

Using Our Gifts, Part 2

Romans 12:3-8

Good morning.   Today we are going to continue to look at Romans 12.  This morning I would like to continue in our study of this chapter beginning at verse three and continuing through verse 8.   Please turn there with me now.

Romans 12:3-8 – “3. For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith. 4. For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, 5. so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. 6. Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith; 7. or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching; 8. he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.”

In our last lesson we looked closely at the first part of these verses and talked about Paul’s admonition to humility. We cannot think of ourselves more highly than we ought to think. True humility is the environment for serving one another and for serving God. That was the lesson last week, to have a proper attitude for service.

In the continuation of our study I want to look two other aspects of service that are contained in these verses.  First is the proper relationship of serving.  God has placed us in a relationship with Him and with one another. That's the perfect environment in which we can serve Him and each other.   Second we will look at the activity of serving.    Paul gives us a list here that talks about different activities which are to be involved in serving one another and serving God.   These activities flow from the attitude and the relationship that he just discussed.

Using Our Gifts - Part 1

Using Our Gifts, Part 1

Romans 12:3-8

We’ve already talked about presenting ourselves as living sacrifices to God.   We talked about not being conformed to this world, but being transformed by the renewing of our minds.   We saw that there is no middle ground, if we do not become transformed by the renewing of our minds we will be conformed to the world.   This morning I would like to continue in our study of this chapter beginning at verse three and continuing through verse 8.   Please turn there with me now.

Romans 12:3-8 – “3. For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith. 4. For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, 5. so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. 6. Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith; 7. or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching; 8. he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.”

It has been said that even the brightest people use only about 11% of their brains capacity.   When I think about that particular statistic I realize how many use much less than that!   It makes one wonder, what kind of place would this world be if we all used more of our brain?   What if we used 100%?   Certainly it would be a different world.

I wondered, if we get by as well as we do by using only this small portion, what if we could access all there is to access in the human mind and put it to use?   Then I thought about that in terms of God’s word as well.   If we do as well as we do using only small portions of the resources that God has placed before us, (what Paul describes here as gifts), what could we do if we used more of what He has given us?   What would it be like if we would use, to the full extent, the gifts that God has given us as individuals?   I strongly suspect that things would be different.

Contributing to the Needs of the Saints

Contributing to the Needs of the Saints
Romans 12:9-13

The text we have been studying the past few weeks is Romans 12:9-13 and let me just read that to get us started. “9. Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. 10. Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another; 11. not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; 12. rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer; 13. distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality.” [NKJV] The NAS words verse 13 as: contributing to the needs of the saints, practicing hospitality.

We've seen as we have read these passages that they contain several short, very concise admonitions.  These can be viewed individually and we can also consider them in the larger context of Romans Chapter 12.  They should also be considered in the even larger context of the first eleven chapters of Romans that led up to the statements.  I would recommend as we conclude our look that we should resolve, each of us, to do just that. With these admonitions in mind, take the time to study the pervious chapters of Romans.

In addition it might be of benefit to look at what Paul commands here both individually and as they are linked together.  Paul was pleading with them on the basis of the things that he said in the very beginning of the chapter. In verses 1 and 2 he beseeched them by the mercies of God that they be not conformed to the world but they be transformed by the renewing of their mind. In that call for a transformation Paul was being comprehensive.

Hope - Tribulation - Prayer

Hope, Tribulation, Prayer  

Romans 12:10-13

We are continuing in our study in the book of Romans chapter 12. We looked at verse 9 and examined what love is and what hypocrisy is.   We saw that love is biblically described in terms of activities, actions, unlike the common view in the world today as a feeling.   We saw that hypocrisy was in direct opposition to love. I would like us to now read Romans 12:10-13 – “10. Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another; 11. not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; 12. rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer; 13. distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality.” 

The apostle says; “rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer.”  Three phrases.  These three phrases are part of a series of admonitions.   These three phrases contain words that often occur in scripture, rejoice, hope, patience, tribulation, steadfastness, and prayer.   There is a lesson in each one of these words; of what rejoicing means, what hope is and what patience is, what tribulation means to us.

In the larger context of Romans chapter 12 these three commands are vital ingredients to a spiritual life.   To develop spirituality, we need to know how we obey these commandments and what they mean to us in our spiritual growth.

Withstanding the Pressure of Being a Christian

Withstanding the Pressure of Being a Christian

Matthew 7:13-14

“13. "Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. 14. "Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.”    In these verses we find Jesus basically divides the world into two categories.  There is a broad way, or path and there is a narrow way and you're on one of these two ways.  Make no mistake about it.   Everybody on the face of the earth falls into one of these two categories.  

There are two ways; there is the broad way and the broad way that leads to destruction.

He states in the reality of the world there will be many that go this way.    The truth of the matter is the vast majority of mankind has always traveled the broad way that leads to destruction.

Then He tells us about another way.   Jesus says it's a narrow way.  It's a difficult way but this narrow, difficult way leads to eternal life.  In describing this narrow, difficult way, He says there are few that find it.