Sunday, May 3, 2020

A Fashion Show and Full of Hypocrites

A Fashion Show and Full of Hypocrites

     Have you ever pondered what kind of person becomes a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ?


     Since Jesus said, "The meek will inherit the earth," maybe it is docile, timid and gentle people.

     Since Luke was a medical doctor and wrote the Gospel and the book of Acts for a person he esteemed... maybe the Lord wants professional people.

     Since Lydia was a traveling business woman maybe the Lord wants wealthy entrepreneur types.

     Since Matthew was a Tax Collector maybe He wants government nobility.

     Since the Ethiopian Eunuch was the Queen's Treasurer maybe He wants political figures.

     Since Thomas was a doubter maybe He wants pessimists.

     Since Peter was impulsive and furiously protective maybe He wants movers and shakers.

     Since the Samaritan woman at the well was a multi-divorced and loose-living woman maybe He wants those with tough relationship problems.

     Since Paul (as Saul) had watched Stephen get stoned to death maybe He wants authoritarian and 100% committed people.

     Now let's put the wondering and questions aside.  Jesus states in what, at first might seem to be surprising terms, what type of people God calls to be His disciples.


     "Abruptly Jesus broke into prayer: 'Thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth. You’ve concealed your ways from sophisticates and know-it-alls, but spelled them out clearly to ordinary people. Yes, Father, that’s the way you like to work.'”  (Matthew 11:25-26, MSG)

     The Apostle Paul further solidifies this fact, "Take a good look, friends, at who you were when you got called into this life. I don’t see many of “the brightest and the best” among you, not many influential, not many from high-society families. Isn’t it obvious that God deliberately chose men and women that the culture overlooks and exploits and abuses, chose these “nobodies” to expose the hollow pretensions of the “somebodies”? That makes it quite clear that none of you can get by with blowing your own horn before God. Everything that we have—right thinking and right living, a clean slate and a fresh start—comes from God by way of Jesus Christ. That’s why we have the saying, “If you’re going to blow a horn, blow a trumpet for God.” (1 Corinthians 1:26-31, MSG)

     Ellicott long ago observed, "... though there were, perhaps, a few of high birth and education who were called, and responded to that call, yet these are “not many.”  It has been well remarked, “the ancient Christians were, for the greater part, slaves and persons of humble rank; the whole history of the progress of the Church is in fact a gradual triumph of the unlearned over the learned, of the lowly over the great." ...“Christianity with the irresistible might of its weakness shook the world.”

     As Christians we are to humbly yield to our beloved Savior and always remember when we seem unable to succeed, pushed to the breaking point, hindered by adversity and nearing wit's end ~ that 
     "...so I wouldn’t get a big head, I was given the gift of a handicap to keep me in constant touch with my limitations. Satan’s angel did his best to get me down; what he in fact did was push me to my knees. No danger then of walking around high and mighty! At first I didn’t think of it as a gift, and begged God to remove it. Three times I did that, and then he told me,

     My grace is enough; it’s all you need. 
     My strength comes into its own in your weakness.

     Once I heard that, I was glad to let it happen. I quit focusing on the handicap and began appreciating the gift. It was a case of Christ’s strength moving in on my weakness. Now I take limitations in stride, and with good cheer, these limitations that cut me down to size—abuse, accidents, opposition, bad breaks. I just let Christ take over! And so the weaker I get, the stronger I become."  (2 Corinthians 12:7-10

     Let me introduce you to George Austin, who suffered cancer but faithfully served his Savior and his extended family followed in his footsteps.  I never met a man with a bigger ear-to-ear smile and that was with half his jaw removed. George was a most endearing friend and child of God.

     Let me introduce you to Ben Nix, who owned a scavenger-log boat.  Though deeply introverted and incredibly hard working from dawn till dark, took time to study the Bible and yield to the Lord.

     Let me introduce you to Don Rodda who grew up in the Church and then went into the Navy, where he met and taught Ron Berquist the Gospel.  Both ex-Navy men became life-long ministers.

     Don was so true to his Lord that even after having had several strokes and a heart attack, using a walker, limped into old-folks homes strengthening seniors in their faith.

     The Lord wants to live through you and be your strength! 

     Fanny Crosby at six weeks of age caught a cold and an inflammation in her eyes.  A common cure was mustard poultices which may have caused her blindness.  Her father died when she was six months old and thus she was raised by her mother and grandmother.

     How I wish I could have written her biography as she was one of the Lord's most productive people ever.  Just a couple of highlights to give you a taste of her divine calling.  Raised as a strong believer she wrote her first poem at age 8.  She went on to write more than 8,000 hymns... far beyond the amount of any other known person.

     She later stated: "It seemed intended by the blessed providence of God that I should be blind all my life, and I thank him for the dispensation. If perfect earthly sight were offered me tomorrow I would not accept it.  I might not have sung hymns to the praise of God if I had been distracted by the beautiful and interesting things about me."

     Fanny died in 1915 at the age of 94.  May her greatest hope have been fulfilled ten seconds later: "When I get to heaven, the first face that shall ever gladden my sight will be that of my Savior."

     The Lord wants to live through you and be your strength!

     Sixty years ago a frail and badly crippled Stevie Sanders sang an unforgettable song whose lyrics I can still hear vibrating within me.  In the first verse his haunting query, "Will I be a crippled boy in heaven?" switches to a crescendo ending, "I won't be a crippled boy in heaven, anymore."

     The Lord wants to live through you and be your strength!

     Quadriplegic Joni Eareckson Tada perceived: "Our Saviour chose to flash His credentials as Messiah through ministry to disabled people. A disability magnifies God's grace... We in our wheelchairs get to prove how great and how trustworthy God is."

     The Lord wants to live through you and be your strength!

     The Roman Catholic Mother Teresa was born in the largest city of Northern Macedonia in1910.  She died at the age of 87 in 1997.  She is renown for a great number of deeds and self-effacing quotes and was dearly loved and admired across much of the world.

     An old legend always mesmerized me. She was seeking alms to feed the poor.  On a commuter train she approached a group of rough gang members.  She stretched her arm towards the group saying, "Alms. Alms for Jesus."  Bystanders reported the horrible thing that happened then.  The disgusting sound of spit being drawn up in the throat of the gang leader and then spat in her face sickened everyone.

     Mother Teresa calmly wiped the spit off and stretched out her arm toward him again.  She said, "Alms. Alms for Jesus."  He swore at her and said I gave your Jesus what he deserves.  She replied, No, you gave that to me.  What do you have for Jesus?"

     The Lord wants to live through you and be your strength!

     Famed Irish author, educator and free thinker C.S. Lewis (who his friends called Jacksie after his beloved dog who had been killed by a car) claimed to be an atheist until Oxford Christian friend J.R.R. Tolkien challenged him to become a believer in God.

     Lewis came part way in 1926 by admitting there was a God but resisted yielding to the Lord as a Christian.  It took several years before he became convinced that Jesus was the Son of God.  

     "In fact," his biographer described those days as, "Lewis vigorously resisted conversion, noting that he was brought into Christianity like a prodigal, "kicking, struggling, resentful, and darting his eyes in every direction for a chance to escape"

     Lewis said, at first he felt uncomfortable around crowds in church reflecting that he attended church only to receive communion and had been repelled by the hymns and the poor quality of the sermons.  However, as God's Spirit worked in his life he felt honored to attend with common men who came in shabby clothes, and work boots.

     Meet Clyde...
     Clyde was known as the town drunk and a womanizer.  One week he drank most of his paycheck up.  So his wife sought help from Welfare.  While waiting her turn she met a woman who comforted her and also invited her to church.

     Maude decided to attend a service unsure how it would help.  The woman sat with Maude and then kept contact through the next few weeks.  They became close friends and started studying the Bible together.  Maude began to realize how much God had done for her and gave her life to Him.  Two of her sons attended her immersion.

     When Clyde found out he was furious and told her she couldn't go to church anymore.  When she went anyway she paid the price of his abuse.  He told her again to stop, but she  felt the Lord's tug on her soul more than she feared his anger.  She missed the next Sunday service and her friend told me that Clyde had given her a black eye.

     Feeling righteous indignation I went to their home and found him working in the carport.  The Holy Spirit led me to challenge him to become a Christian and treat his wife and family right. He snarled a curse and I chided him, and challenged him to give his life to the Lord.  To be a real man!

     He snarled, "I will never set foot in that church.  It is just a fashion show and full of hypocrites."

     My heart was pumping wildly as I stood face to face and challenged him even more strongly.  "Sir, if you're honest and a real man you come to church tonight and bring a piece of paper and a pen. The first sign you see of a fashion show or a hypocrite write it down and hand it to me when you leave and I'll never darken your door again."

     He came to church with his wife that night. He didn't hand me anything when he left.  After coming to nearly every service for more than 6 months he asked if I'd study the Bible with him.

     After we had studied God's Plan of Salvation he came forward at the invitation.  He confessed that Jesus was God's Son.  That he had done great wrongs to others...most of all to his wife and that he was going to repent and be immersed.

     He became a dynamo for the Lord. Throughout the town it was mentioned over and over about how "he had got religion." In truth he was totally converted and not holding back a smidgen. He became a soul-winning zealot.

     Best of all two of his boys became Christians and one an awesome leader in the church.  Some years later I needed to visit a family that had quit coming to church. I asked him if he'd like to go with me.

     When we knocked on the door the wife opened it and I asked how I might help them to return to the Lord.  She spoke ugly words mocking us for being there and started to close the door in our faces.

     Suddenly there was a noise?  Then I heard it close by.  It was right next to me.  A tender, pleading voice begging her to reconsider. I looked beside me, watching as his mouth softly and warmly spoke and I'll never forget the tears streaming down his face.

     What kind of person does the Lord want to be saved?  Broken ones... who know they were lost... and now have been found, were blind but now can see.  Best of all - now they'll spend their life leading other lost souls to the Lord with tear drenched cheeks.  

    Meet Grandpa and little Jimmy...

     When little Jimmy visited with his grandparents he begged grandpa to teach him how to bottle feed the baby lambs.  Grandpa and Jimmy went into the feeding shed and Grandpa selected some nursing bottles and led Jimmy out to the flock.

     "How will I know what to do?" asked the big-eyed 7 year old.  "Just watch me Grandpa replied."

     Jimmy carefully studied his Grandpa's every move.  But then he said, "I'm confused Grandpa.  You only gave the milk bottle to some of the little lambs and not to others.  How will I know which lambs to feed?"

     Grandpa smiled at his bewildered grandson, winked and said, "Look for the ones with clean knees.  They haven't knelt to be fed yet."

     The Lord wants to nourish us.  When will you get down on  your knees... and pray?

     Our loving Father reaches out to broken vessels who need Him to make it.
     Dear Lord please heal my broken heart.


Heal My Broken Heart
Patty Felker


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God Applause: True Stories Honoring God's Awesome Wonders Observed or Experienced In My Life And Others  From 40 Years of Counseling & Ministry  

2 comments:

  1. Wow, Larry, I loved your last two stories and am sharing them with others. They have much food for thought and for our spiritual lives.
    Love and blessings,
    Eva

    ReplyDelete
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    ReplyDelete