WHO ARE YOU FOLLOWING?

A couple of weeks ago, when I was attending the United Methodist Course of Study at Emory University, I had an experience that caused me to think about the leaders that we follow.

Atlanta had just been hit by the remnants of a hurricane and had experienced massive amounts of rainfall. The ground was saturated, and lots of trees had fallen across roads and homes because the water-saturated soil could not hold the roots of the trees steady. As I was trying to drive to a Christian bookstore, we were stopped in our travels because a massive oak tree had fallen across the road in front of us.

The police motioned for us to take a detour into a neighborhood to go around the tree. The problem was --- there were no detour signs and no one to guide us to where we wanted to go. Just a line of cars meandering through this neighborhood. But then, one driver ahead of me caught my attention. It was obvious he knew where he was going by the way he drove throught the neighborhood. "Aha," I thought. "Here's someone who can lead me out of this mess."

So, I fell right in behind him and followed him. When he turned on his blinker to turn left, so did I. When he turned, I turned. When he went straight, I followed. I looked behind me and we had a string of cars following. At last, the lost had found a shepherd to lead them home. And to home he did lead -- his home! In fact, he lived in the neighborhood, and we followed him right up to his drive on a cul-de-sac and watched as he got out of his van and walked up the drive and into his house! Ten vehicles were now trapped on this narrow street and had to turn around and retrace our path and pray we could find our way back out.

As I was trying to find my way out, it struck me how so like our lives that little drive was. We wander through life looking for direction, looking for salvation. We know we need a leader, someone who has been there before who can lead us and guide us in our path. And so, when someone shows up who seems to know what they're talking about, we jump right on his bandwagon and follow his lead, without once thinking that perhaps he is leading the wrong direction, without considering where we might be going. We tell ourselves, "But he's a pastor (or president or congressman or bishop or whatever else fits the blank). He knows where he's going. I need to follow him." And, by blindly following others, we can find ourselves being led down paths we shouldn't enter.

Which brings me to my question: Who are you following? And, do you know where they are leading you?

HE'S BEEN THERE

Preached by Gregory W. Lee
31 July 2005

I. Introduction
-- turn to Job 1:13-22
13. One day when Job's sons and daughters were feasting and drinking wine at the oldest brother's house,
14. a messenger came to Job and said, "The oxen were plowing and the donkeys were grazing nearby,
15. and the Sabeans attacked and carried them off. They put the servants to the sword, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!"
16. While he was still speaking, another messenger came and said, "The fire of God fell from the sky and burned up the sheep and the servants, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!"
17. While he was still speaking, another messenger came and said, "The Chaldeans formed three raiding parties and swept down on your camels and carried them off. They put the servants to the sword, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!"
18. While he was still speaking, yet another messenger came and said, "Your sons and daughters were feasting and drinking wine at the oldest brother's house,
19. when suddenly a mighty wind swept in from the desert and struck the four corners of the house. It collapsed on them and they are dead, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!"
20. At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship
21. and said: "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised."
22. In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing.

-- there once was this man who didn't have much, but he had a donkey that meant the world to him -- one day, the donkey fell into an old abandoned well on the farm -- the donkey, being a donkey -- kicked and kicked -- when that didn't seem to help, it brayed and brayed -- it made a terrible commotion, but no one came to help it
-- the donkey was exhausted and resting wearily by the side of the well, when its owner noticed it was missing -- the owner became concerned about his donkey and he searched everywhere he could think of -- he could not find his donkey -- he went to his neighbors and asked them to help -- they searched everywhere -- but no luck -- the donkey appeared to be missing for good
-- the neighbors gathered in the man's farmyard and tried to console him -- it was then that one of the men looked into the old abandoned well and saw the missing donkey -- the men spent the rest of the day and most of the night trying to get a rope around the donkey stuck at the bottom of the well -- they were unable to accomplish the feat -- they felt defeated -- the owner of the donkey felt terrible
-- they talked about it and the wisest among them suggested that they fill in the abandoned well -- it would bury the donkey, but it would prevent the same tragedy from befalling someone else -- perhaps a child -- so they agreed that this was what they would do
-- the men took turns throwing a shovel full of dirt into the hole
-- the owner felt terrible for the donkey -- he felt terrible for himself and his loss -- he didn't have much, but he always had a donkey -- now he wouldn't even have that
-- once the first shovel of dirt hit the donkey, the animal found renewed energy -- it brayed even louder than he had before -- the men turned their eyes from one another and pretended not to hear the donkey's pleadings -- as more and more dirt fell into the hole, the donkey began to understand the hopelessness of its situation -- it began to give up
-- then it happened -- the donkey realized that the dirt was a gift -- with each scoop of dirt that fell into the well, the donkey shook the dirt off it's back and took a step up onto the top of the pile of dirt forming at the bottom of the well -- more dirt, another shake, and then another step up
-- the men kept shoveling, certain that they were burying the donkey -- after much shoveling, the men were quite surprised to see the donkey at eye level -- it was standing on top of all that dirt that had been dropped on it -- it calmly shook itself clean and walked out of the filled-in well

-- how many of you have ever felt like a donkey in the bottom of a well? -- how many of you have ever felt like no one cared that you were lost and alone and afraid and being covered with dirt? -- how many of you have ever felt like no one knew what you were going through and that no one could help?
-- I think we can all identify with the donkey in this story -- because we live in a fallen world, filled with trials and tribulations and sorrows, we can sometimes find ourself in the bottom of a well with no obvious way out
-- it seems like life just keeps throwing dirt on us -- and things just don't go our way -- we understand what it means when people say, "when it rains, it pours" -- we understand that old joke, "someone told me to cheer up, things could get worse -- so I cheered up and sure enough, things got worse"
-- we look at our lives and we feel like Job -- in one moment, Job lost his children, his home, his job, his income, his health, and all his wealth -- he was doing everything he could to live right and to do right but then one day he looked up and realized that he was sitting in the bottom of a well, alone and abandoned, and the world and his friends just kept throwing dirt on him
-- in Job 3:24-26, Job sums up just how he thinks his life is going: 24. For sighing comes to me instead of food; my groans pour out like water. 25. What I feared has come upon me; what I dreaded has happened to me. 26. I have no peace, no quietness; I have no rest, but only turmoil."

-- Job was having a bad day -- a bad life -- and it seemed like no one cared and no one understood and no one could do anything about it
-- can you relate to Job? -- can you understand what he was going through? -- have you ever had similar emotions in your own life? -- I think we all have at some point or the other

-- so, that brings us to the questions that Job struggled with throughout this book -- why is this happening? -- what can we do about it? -- who can we turn to for help? -- who knows what we are going through? -- who can minister to us?
-- the answers to those questions can only be found through Christ

II. Scripture Lesson
-- if you would, please turn over to Hebrews 2 -- one of the books I am currently reading is "Next Door Savior" by Max Lucado -- and in this book, he speaks to people who are going through situations similar to Job's -- to people who are hurting and feeling like no one understands and no one cares and no one can do anything
-- and Lucado points out a concept in this book about Christ that I want us to consider this morning by looking at this passage in Hebrews

A. Jesus has been there
-- Hebrews 2, verse 1-4

1. We must pay more careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away.
2. For if the message spoken by angels was binding, and every violation and disobedience received its just punishment,
3. how shall we escape if we ignore such a great salvation? This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard him.
4. God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.

-- when you look around and find yourself in the bottom of a well -- when you're going through life in a valley of despair -- it's hard -- it's difficult -- and when you are going through times like this, it could cause you to drift in your faith -- to doubt God and His promises -- and to turn away from Him -- the only One who can truly help
-- in these verses, the writer of Hebrews warns us to not let our faith drift when we are confronted with difficult times in our lives -- but to stand fast by holding firm to the evidences of our faith through Jesus
-- when the Israelites crossed the Jordan River into the Promised Land, God had each of the 12 tribes take one stone from the middle of the river to use in making an altar -- these stones were to be physical reminders of the presence and work of God in their lives
-- one way to keep your faith from drifting during times of trial and trouble is by storing up stones of remembrance -- spiritual stones -- that remind you of the times that God has helped in the past and to encourage you that He will always be with you and take care of you in the future

-- verse 5
5. It is not to angels that he has subjected the world to come, about which we are speaking.
6. But there is a place where someone has testified: "What is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?
7. You made him a little lower than the angels; you crowned him with glory and honor
8. and put everything under his feet." In putting everything under him, God left nothing that is not subject to him. Yet at present we do not see everything subject to him.
9. But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.

-- in these verses, the writer reminds us of His promises to us -- of the kingdom to come -- the writer reminds us that it hasn't been prepared for the created angels to rule but that Christ will be the ruler -- the King of Kings -- the Lord of Lords -- the Alpha and the Omega -- because through His death and resurrection, He was crowned with glory and honor and placed above all names and above all thrones -- all of creation -- even the angels -- will be subject to Christ our King
-- this means that even though we may be living in a fallen world now, it won't always be that way -- even though things may look bad right now, they won't always be that way -- God's kingdom will come and His will will be done on earth and is heaven -- there will be a time where there is restoration and an end to tears -- even though it may not look like it right now, there is always hope
-- Job experienced the restoration of God at the end of the book, when all was restored to him, including wealth and health and family -- and you will experience restoration as well, no matter what you are going through right now

-- verse 10
10. In bringing many sons to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the author of their salvation perfect through suffering.
11. Both the one who makes men holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers.
12. He says, "I will declare your name to my brothers; in the presence of the congregation I will sing your praises."
13. And again, "I will put my trust in him." And again he says, "Here am I, and the children God has given me."
14. Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death--that is, the devil--
15. and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.
16. For surely it is not angels he helps, but Abraham's descendants.

-- the author reminds us here that Jesus became one of us -- He came to earth clothed in flesh -- remaining fully God while becoming fully human -- He shared in our humanity -- He shared in our lives -- and He shared in our suffering -- as Lucado points out "Jesus has been there"
-- Lucado says the phrase, "I've been there, too" is in the chorus of Jesus' theme song -- what are you going through today? -- Jesus has been there, too -- the Bible tells us that He suffered every temptation -- that He endured all the same pain and trials that make up our lives -- so that He could bear them for us on the cross and intercede for us as our High Priest at the right hand of God
-- Lucado writes, "Are your looks run-of-the-mill and your ways simple? So were His. He's been there. -- questionable pedigree -- raised in an overlooked nation among oppressed people in an obscure village -- simple home -- single mom -- an ordinary laborer with orginary looks" -- however you live -- wherever you are -- He's been there
-- "ever feel as if you need to get away? -- so did Jesus -- ever had so many demands that you can't stop for lunch? -- He can relate -- Do you have too much e-mail to fit in a screen or too many calls to make in a day? -- Christ has been there too" as the crowds came to Him and pressed on His time
-- how about family tension? -- Jesus' family tried to take Him home because they said He was out of His mind -- have you been falsely accused? -- Jesus was too -- do your friends ever let you down? -- "When Christ needed help, His friends dozed off."
-- "unsure of the future? -- Jesus was" -- He pointed out that even He did not know when the day of His coming would be, but only the Father in Heaven -- "knowing that you would face the unknown, he chose to face the same"
-- "Jesus has been there -- He experienced all the pain, all the testing -- He was hungry enough to eat raw grain -- distraught enough to weep in public -- fun loving enough to be called a drunkard -- winsome enough to attract kids -- weary enough to sleep in a storm-bounced boat -- poor enough to sleep on dirt and borrow a coin for a sermon illustration -- radical enough to get kicked out of town -- responsible enough to care for his mother -- tempted enough to know the smell of satan and fearful enough to sweat blood"
--" whatever you are facing, he knows how you feel -- He's been there"

-- what Lucado points out in his striking way is exactly what the write of Hebrews is telling us here -- Jesus became one of us so He could experience everything that we experience -- not only our joys and our hopes and the good times -- but also the temptation and the trials and the tribulations and the troubles -- and, because He was sinless, the Bible tells us that God made Him who knew no sin to become sin for us on the cross
-- what ever you are going through today, you can be sure of one thing -- Jesus understands because He's been there too

B. What does this mean for us?
-- so, what does this mean for us? -- two things
-- look at verse Hebrews 2:17-18

17. For this reason he had to be made like his brothers in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people.
18. Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.

-- first, realize that Jesus can minister to us because He's been there -- He can show mercy, because He understands what we go through on a daily basis -- and because He understands -- because He Himself suffered and was tempted -- He was not satisfied with leaving us in our condition without hope -- He took upon Himself our sufferings and our sins so that He might make atonement for us -- so that He might bear them for us on the cross and give us hope and a future with Him
-- the focus of this chapter is to restore faith in those of us in pain -- to keep us from drifting away from our faith in the midst of trials and tribulations -- in answer to our questions -- what can we do about it? -- who can we turn to for help? -- who knows what we are going through? -- who can minister to us?
-- the writer tells us to look to Christ -- to trust in His promise of eternal life and salvation through Him -- there is someone who understands -- there is someone who knows what we are going through -- and because of that, He can minister to us and take care of us as no one else can
-- if you are going through a trial in your life right now, don't turn away from God, but turn to Him and trust in His providence and restoration

-- secondly, minister to others through our struggles and through our experiences -- the best ministers -- the best friends -- are those who have been there and who understand what the other person is going through
-- someone who has lost a parent is the best minister for someone grieving the loss of a father -- someone who has lost a child is the best minister for someone going through the same situation -- someone who has experienced the pains of addiction can better minister to someone struggling in that same area

-- couple of quick examples -- friend Rivers passed away this week -- rough life -- he was a member of a motorcycle gang -- problems with drugs and alcohol -- but after he was saved, he was able to reach out to those going through similar issues because he knew what they felt -- he understood because he had been in their shoes
-- helping out friend who has just gotten appointed to a charge in this district -- I had been there -- I knew the issues -- I knew the paperwork -- I knew how to fill things out -- I could help him because I had walked that way before

-- Jesus can work through you as you seek to help others through their issues

III. Closing and Application
-- what are you going through today? -- Jesus has been there -- He can help you through it -- He understands and He is interceding for you at the right hand of God -- trust in Him and in His promises, and hold fast to your faith -- and let others minister to you as they share how God worked through them in similar situations
-- and think for a minute about who can you help today? -- who do you know is suffering through trials or tribulations that you might minister to today? -- who do you know that doesn't know the Lord and doesn't have His promise of eternal life with Him? -- who can you reach out to today?
-- as I close, let me share with you one ministry that exemplifies this concept -- Stephen Ministries was formed to train church members to provide one-to-one Christian care to those who are bereaved, in the hospital, terminally ill, separated, divorced, unemployed, relocated, or facing some other crisis or life challenge -- if God has spoken to you through this message this morning, He may be leading you to become involved in Stephen Ministries or some other similar ministry
-- regardless of where you are this morning -- whether you are in the middle of trials and sufferings in your life or whether you have experiences to offer others -- if you have been touched by God, I would invite you to respond to His word as He leads you
-- let's pray

THE POWER OF ONE

Preached by Gregory W. Lee
31 July 2005

I. Introduction-- turn in Bibles to John 4:4-15

4. Now he had to go through Samaria.
5. So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph.
6. Jacob's well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about the sixth hour.
7. When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, "Will you give me a drink?"
8. (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.)
9. The Samaritan woman said to him, "You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?" (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans. )
10. Jesus answered her, "If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water."
11. "Sir," the woman said, "you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water?
12. Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his flocks and herds?"
13. Jesus answered, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again,
14. but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life."
15. The woman said to him, "Sir, give me this water so that I won't get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water."

-- in the presidential election of 1824, there were four candidates for president -- John Qunicy Adams, Andrew Jackson, William Crawford, and Henry Clay
-- after the election was over and the electoral votes were counted, they found that General Jackson had got the most electoral votes with 99 -- but, he needed 134 to win a majority -- John Quincy Adams came in second, and William Crawford came in third
-- because none of the candidates received enough electoral votes or won a majority of the popular vote, the decision went to the House of Representatives to select from among the top three candidates
-- on the morning of February 9th, Congress met to elect a president -- each of the 24 states had one vote and the candidate had to receive 13 votes to be elected president
-- the congressmen of each state would vote for their candidate for president, and then the winner of the majority of the congressman would receive that state's vote
-- even though Jackson had won the most electoral votes, he did not have the support of the Congress -- John Quincy Adams had the promised vote of 12 states, but needed one more state to win the presidency -- it came down to the state of New York
-- there were 34 congressmen in New York -- 17 were for Adams and 17 were opposed to him -- in order to be president, Adams needed to get one of his opponents in New York to support him
-- One of those New Yorkers who was opposed to Adams was a rich old man, Stephen van Rensselaer -- he became the swing vote for the presidential election -- supporters for both sides came to see him -- they told him that his vote was the most important vote in the whole Congress -- in effect, one man -- Stephen van Rensselaer would decide who would be president
-- when the time came for him to vote, he still was not sure who to vote for -- he put his head down on his desk and asked God to help him make the right choice -- after this short prayer, he opened his eyes and saw on the floor at his feet a piece of paper with Adams' name on it -- Van Rensselaer picked it up and put it in the ballot box as his vote -- this gave Adams the vote of the state of New York and made him president of the United States
-- the vote of just one person had changed history forever

II. Scripture Lesson
-- as I have reflected on some of the current models of church growth that are being put into effect in our churches today, I have noticed a disturbing trend -- rather than focusing on individuals, we are urged to focus our efforts on groups of people
-- for instance, here in our Conference, Hispanic ministry is the current hot topic -- "we have to reach the Hispanics" -- "what can we do to reach the Hispanics?" -- we think of them and talk about them like they are an entity all their own, forgetting the fact that each one of them is an individual in need of a savior
-- we see the same thing when we talk about our communities in terms of geographic areas -- "we need to reach out to Alapaha Estates" -- "we need a church built in this part of Atlanta" -- and, while I think it's good to want to reach out and expand God's kingdom here on earth, I think we have lost the most important principle that Jesus seemed to teach in His ministry -- namely, the power of One

-- when we talk and think in these ways, we are left with two very real problems:
-- first, we forget that we are not called to save "the Hispanics" and "Alapaha Estates" -- instead, we are called to save individual people
-- when Christ gave us the Great Commission in Matthew 28:18-20, He told us to "Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded" -- Christ was calling for us to reach out to individual people from all nations and nationalities -- to make disciples of individuals -- not to save entire nations at one time
-- in other words, Christ wasn't looking at us to "take the city for Christ" or "save the Hispanics" so much as He was looking for us to bring others -- one by one -- to eternal life through Him
-- when we talk about reaching out to groups of people or to areas of people, we can easily get overwhelmed by the sheer size of the task before us -- we look at what we're called to do and think, "there's no way we can do that -- it's too much" and so we get bogged down before we even get started

-- let me give you an example -- a couple of weeks ago, I sent Brooke to clean her room -- after being in her room only a few minutes, she began to cry and howl -- she came running out to me in tears, "I just can't do it -- it's too much -- it's too big" -- Brooke is what I call a "big picture thinker"

-- in my estimation, there are two groups of people in the world -- those who see the entire big picture of an event and those who focus on the details -- when Brooke walked into her room to clean it, she only saw the big picture -- she only saw the enormity of the task before her, and it overwhelmed her -- she spent about an hour crying that it couldn't be done -- that it was too big

-- finally, I sent her to get a piece of paper and I sat down with her and we made a list of what needed to be done to clean her room -- put the books on the book shelf -- put the dirty clothes in the dirty clothes hamper -- make the bed -- put the games in the cabinet
-- and I told her, do one thing on the list at a time and then mark it off -- she went back in her room and followed her list -- one item at a time -- and had the whole room cleaned up in less than 15 minutes

-- I think that that's what happens to us a lot of times as churches -- we tend to look at the big picture of the Great Commission and we get overwhelmed by it -- and we cry out -- "we can't do it -- it's too much -- it's too big" -- and so we wring our hands and nothing gets done for the body of Christ
-- but, if we look at the life of Jesus, we see a different approach -- I think it's pretty clear that Jesus came to save the world -- John 3:16-17 says, "16. For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. "

-- Jesus came to save the world, but look how He did it
-- when God sent Jesus to earth to save the world, the easiest thing to have done would have been to have Him come in glory and majesty -- to pronounce Himself as God in the temple and to draw all men to Him -- that would have been the most effective way to reach the world
-- but, that's not what Jesus did -- He did speak to crowds of people, but that was the exception, not the rule -- by and large, Jesus ministered to people one-on-one, just like He did with the Samaritan woman at the well in the passage we opened with -- just as He did with countless other individuals -- from Nicodemus to Zaccheus to the blind man by the gate -- Jesus ministered to individuals -- not groups of people

-- Jesus always balanced the Great Commission with the Great Commandment from Matthew 22:37-39 "`Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' and `Love your neighbor as yourself.' "

-- as a church and as individuals called by God, we can't get bogged down by looking at the big picture -- we need to focus on the details, for each of those details is a precious child of God called for salvation -- instead of focusing on "saving the Hispanics" or "reaching out to Alapaha Estates" we need to focus on sharing our faith by just loving our neighbor as ourself -- living out the Great Commission through the Great Commandment

-- the second problem with looking at church growth in this way is that it causes us to think our contributions can't amount to much -- we look at the call to "save the Hispanics" or to "reach out to Alapaha Estates" and we think, "what can I possibly do to save the Hispanics? -- How can I reach a group of people or how can this church reach a group of people?"
-- it tends to cause us to not minister or share our faith with others because we don't see where we can do much good -- after all, we're only one person -- we're only a small church
-- but, we tend to forget the power of one -- in the illustration I opened with, I told you how one congressman from New York changed the history of this world -- imagine what one person filled with the Holy Spirit could do -- who knows who you can reach that no one else can -- who knows who you can lead to Christ that no one else can reach?
-- the effects of one person's actions can ripple through time and space and change eternity -- I have a good friend who passed away this week -- I've told you about him before -- he lived out the Great Commission and the Great Commandment in his life better than anyone I've ever known
-- everywhere he went, he witnessed to others and shared his faith -- he would make a friend, he would be a friend to that person, and then he'd introduce that friend to Christ
-- the overwhelming desire in his life was to lead just one more person to Jesus -- the last time I shared a meal with him, I was sitting in a restaurant with him and another preacher -- when the waitress brought our meal, me and the other preacher received our food with thankfulness -- but Rivers refused to take his food, until he found out if that waitress was saved or not
-- me and the other preacher were meeting and making plans to save the world while Rivers was actually getting it done
-- even after he got sick, he was reaching out to others -- when he was sick in the nursing home, he would load up his car and carry other nursing home residents with him to church
-- what effect did he have for Christ's kingdom? -- how many people did he save? -- we'll never know -- because that number is still increasing
-- because bringing people into the kingdom of God is a ripple effect -- when one person gets saved and they share their faith with another -- then there are two sharing God's love in the world -- and then when those two make disciples -- the number of people sharing God's love just keeps getting bigger and bigger and bigger -- God's word just keeps going on and on and on without end
-- can you imagine the impact you can have on the kingdom of God -- or this church can have on the kingdom of God -- just by leading one person to Christ? -- because you never know how many people will be saved as a result of that one person coming to know the love of God
-- think for a minute about the woman by the well -- in this passage, Jesus took the time -- tired as He was -- to minister to just one outcast woman -- and what was the result? -- we'll never know -- because after she was saved -- after she received the Living Water from Jesus -- it says that she went out and told others -- look down at verse 28

28. Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people,
29. "Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Christ ?"
30. They came out of the town and made their way toward him.

-- how many people were saved because of the power of One God working through one outcast Samaritan woman? -- she started a ripple effect that continues to this day
-- no, you can't save the world on your own -- this church can't save the world on our own -- but if each person in here was to lead just one person to Christ, we could change eternity

III. Closing and Application
-- as I close, here's my challenge to you -- we have Homecoming and Revival coming up -- what do you want to come out of homecoming and revival this year -- 5 people sitting in the pews or changed lives?
-- every single day of your life, you come into contact with others who need Christ -- you come into contact with those who don't have a relationship with Him
-- I want you to find one person -- and I want you to invite them to come to Homecoming and Revival -- but I want you to do more than just invite them, I want you to go get them and bring them with you -- and I want you to invest your time with them -- just by being their friend -- just by showing them the presence of Christ in your life
-- what can one person do? -- one person can save the world just by bringing a friend to Christ
-- will you commit to doing that? -- each one of you -- just bring one person with you to church for homecoming and revival -- I'm not asking you to save the world -- I'm not asking you to "save the Hispanics" or to "reach out to Alapaha Estates" -- I'm only asking you to reach out to one person for Christ -- will you do that?
-- let us pray

FUNERALS AND FREEBIRD

This past week I buried a friend. It was an unusual funeral by all accounts. But, Rivers was an unusual friend.

I first met Rivers about seven years ago when he showed up for our Sunday morning worship service at the small United Methodist Church I was attending. Walking into the sanctuary from Sunday School, we were met with the sight of a burly mountain-man: well over six feet in height, bushy head of hair and unkempt beard falling down below his chest, standing there wearing a leather motorcycle jacket, leather gloves, chain holding his wallet to his faded blue jeans. If it had been anyplace other than in church, I might have been more hesitant that I was. As it was, I just slid a little closer to the wall and a little further away from him. Later, he confided with me that he showed up dressed like that for shock value and to see how the church would react to him.

Rivers used to belong to a motorcycle gang, and from all accounts lived a rather hard and rough life before coming to the Lord. But, once he was saved, his life was drastically and dramatically changed and the earth was never the same. Despite my initial misgivings, Rivers turned out to have a heart of gold hidden behind that rough exterior. His overwhelming desire was to see others brought to Christ. He didn't let his lack of knowledge of the Bible stop him from sharing his faith. He didn't let his appearance stop him from sharing his faith. He didn't let the views of the world stop him from sharing his faith. Not a day went by where Rivers did not witness to someone and not a Sunday went by without Rivers and his wife bringing a new acquaintance to church.

After I left that church in response to my call, I still kept tabs with Rivers. I was called to his bedside at the hospital about four years ago. The doctors had given him two years to live. Rivers said they were wrong. The reason he was there in the first place was to witness to the doctors and the nurses. The doctors shook their heads and sent him home, in surprisingly good health. And, contrary to the doctor's opinion, Rivers outlived their prediction.

Last year, I visited Rivers in the hospital again. This time the news was more dire. They were giving him days, if not hours to live. Rivers blessed me as I walked in and told me the doctors were wrong again. "God's not done with me yet." And God wasn't. The doctors shook their heads, and a dead man walked out of the hospital on his own. Even after Rivers got sick, he never stopped witnessing to others. At one point they put him in a nursing home for several weeks. On Sundays, he would load up his car with nursing home residents and carry them to church and then back again. Even on days when the chemo got him down and he could barely walk, he would still pick up his neighbors and drive 20 miles to church (and we miss church because it's raining or we're too tired).

Over the course of this time, Rivers had asked me to assist with his funeral. He had it all planned out as an evangelistic event. But then he called me back and said to forget it. God wasn't done with him yet and he had more work to do. He'd worry about his funeral in the future. "But," he said, "don't forget. I want to have "Free Bird" by Lynard Skynard played at my funeral."

As I sat there this week in the middle of the funeral, listening to the closing strains of "Free Bird" and reflecting on such an unusual choice for a funeral, I was struck as how fitting it was. We all thought Rivers was an unusual Christian, but perhaps we were wrong. Perhaps we were the unusual Christians, because we were the ones who worried what the world thought about us, we were the ones who didn't share our faith because of what others might think, we were the ones who didn't bother to ask friends to church.

It was hard not to smile as I preached that morning. For Free Bird fit the bill (despite the shocked faces of the faithful) and Rivers had gone on to Heaven to the words, "Well done, good and faithful servant." Unusual? Yes. But precious in the sight of God. A life well lived and a friend I will miss but will see again. May we all be a little unusual in our lives and may we allow God to work through us as He worked through Rivers in his life.

THE EVIL WITHIN

Preached by Gregory W. Lee
24 July 2005

I. Introduction-- turn in Bibles to Romans 7:15-21
15. I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.
16. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good.
17. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me.
18. I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out.
19. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do--this I keep on doing.
20. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.
21. So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me.

-- do you remember the summer of 1977? -- well, for me, that summer was one of the best of my life -- I was 10 years old and the biggest movie blockbuster of all times was released -- Star Wars
-- there was something about that movie that just drove normal people insane -- I remember seeing people stand in lines for hours for aticket, and I know one guy who went to see it 19 times that summer -- it was unprecedented -- there was just something about that movie that made people want to go see it and experience it and live it time and time again
-- and, for me and my friends, Star Wars became my life -- we played out the battle of Star Wars in our backyard all summer -- everyone wanted to either be Luke Skywalker or Obi Wan Kenobi or Han Solo -- every one of us wanted to be the hero who saved the galaxy
-- but, no one wanted to be Darth Vader -- nobody wanted to be the bad guy -- with his black cloak and black mask and deep voice, Darth Vader was the epitome of evil -- he embodied everything that was wrong with the world -- and while we were fascinated with him, we couldn't imagine being him -- and, as the original Star Wars series progressed, we all started to wonder how Luke and Leia's father could turn into someone as evil as Darth Vader

-- that's why I was so excited when George Lucas came out with his new trilogy of Star Wars films -- a prequel to the original -- now, when you look at the films as a whole, you can see that the entire movie series isn't about the good and moral rebels fighting the evil empire and Darth Vader -- but is actually about Darth Vader himself -- about how Anakin Skywalker turned from being a Jedi knight into the evil Darth Vader
-- and so, Star Wars fans everywhere waited with baited breath for Star Wars Episdode III, Revenge of the Sith -- the movie that is currently playing in theaters -- this would be it -- this would be the episode that showed what major event in Anakin Skywalker's life caused him to turn from good to evil -- to turn from being a Jedi knight into Darth Vader

-- and, do you know what it was? -- do you know what traumatic experience caused Anakin to leave the light and turn to the dark side? -- without giving away too much of the plot, here's the answer to that question that we have been asking for 20 years -- there was nothing -- there was no traumatic experience -- there was no one thing that caused him to turn away from good to evil -- to leave the Jedis and become Darth Vader
-- there was no life-shaking experience -- there was only life -- and a gentle turn here and there -- a bad choice here and there -- and slowly, inch by inch,decision by decision -- good, moral Anakin Skywalker turned into the evil Darth Vader

-- Star Wars fans everywhere howled in disgust -- they screamed that there had to be more -- there had to be a reason Anakin became evil -- but there wasn't -- and perhaps, the moment you realize that, that is the scariest moment in the entire Star Wars movie series
-- now we see the truth that my friends and I tried to avoid when we were playing our backyard games of Star Wars -- while we would never, ever admit or even think it -- I believe that we all realized -- in our heart of hearts -- that we all had the capacity to become Darth Vader -- to become evil -- for real

--during the trial of Adolph Eichman -- the architect of the holocaust in Germany during World War II -- a survivor of holocaust came to testify as a witness against Eichman -- when he entered the courtroom, the entire room became silent as they watched the survivor stop and stare at Eichman, who was protected in a bullet-proof glass cubicle
-- at this moment, as the victim confronted the butcher -- he began to sob and collapsed to the floor -- not out of bitterness or shock at confronting his tormentor as one might expect -- but, as he later explained during an interview, what struck him at that moment was a terrifying realization -- "I was afraid about myself," he said. "I saw that I am capable to do exactly like he."
-- Mike Wallace, who was interviewing the survivor, turned to camera and made this profound statement: "How is it possible for a man to act like Eichman -- was he a monster -- a madman -- or something even more terrifying -- was he normal?"

II. Scripture Lesson -- Romans 7:15-25
A. Original Sin
-- this is exactly what the Apostle Paul is talking about in this passage in Romans -- he says here what we are afraid to admit to ourselves -- we know what good is -- we know the difference between right and wrong -- even our children know the difference -- that's why you see four-year-olds on the playground crying "It's not fair -- it's wrong" when someone takes their toy -- we know what right and wrong are
-- Paul tells us that that is one reason why God gave us His law -- in verse 12 he says that the Law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good -- the law tells us what God requires -- the law helps us see the difference between good and wrong -- between good and evil
-- and Paul knows the law -- Paul was Jewish -- a Pharisee -- one of those men who tried to keep every single one of God's commandments and to live a holy and moral and good life -- he knew good and evil -- he knew right from wrong -- it was part of who he was
-- but look what he says -- look back at verse 15
15. I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.
16. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good.
17. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me.
18. I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out.
19. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do--this I keep on doing.

-- Paul knows what to do and Paul knows what not to do -- but he says he doesn't understand what's going on -- despite knowing what to do -- time and time again, he finds himself doing what he doesn't want to do -- he finds himself choosing evil over good -- choosing to do wrong instead of choosing to do good
-- and then, he makes the statement that strikes fear in all of our hearts -- in verse 18 he says, "I know that nothing good lives in me" -- he says, "I know what is good -- I know what God commands -- but I cannot do it -- there is nothing good within me -- and every choice I make is evil -- every choice I make leads to sin"
-- Paul is telling us that we all are Anakin Skywalker -- we all know what good is -- but we find that we can't do good -- we can't be good -- and in the end, if we are totally honest with ourselves, we look around and find that we have turned into Darth Vader

-- in the book "Confessions," Saint Augustine -- the Christian Bishop -- not the town -- tells us the story of his life and his search for salvation -- in one place in the book, he tells about what he and his friends did one day in a pear orchard -- he and a group of friends were walking down the road -- and next to the road was a pear orchard, just across a stone fence -- so, for no reason at all, they jumped the fence and starting picking the pears -- the pears weren't even quite ripe, so they would take a bite out of them and then throw them down and dance on them -- some of them they picked and threw against the wall just to see them bust -- they ended up either destroying or stealing all the pears in the orchard
-- Augustine said that he really didn't understand why he did it -- he didn't really want the pears -- he really wasn't motivated by any self-interest -- he just did it because he enjoyed the act of doing wrong for its own sake -- and at that point, Augustine realized what Paul is talking about here -- he said that he could not explain why he did evil things -- he wrote that "there is something evil lodged in the human soul that I cannot get out"

-- Paul tells us in verse 18 that this thing lodged in our soul -- this thing that drives us to make bad choices and to do evil things -- this thing that drove Anakin Skywalker to become Darth Vader -- is our sinful nature, inherited from Adam and Eve and transferred to every subsequent human being from the Fall in the Garden of Eden until now
-- we call this sin nature, "original sin" and -- even though we all deny it -- it is just as much a part of who we are as our own body and our mind

-- original sin -- this sin nature that is lodged deep in our hearts -- takes away from us the capacity to do good or to be good -- but, we don't like to admit it, do we?
-- the Bible tells us that one day a ruler ran up to Jesus and said, "Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" -- Jesus answered, "Why do you call me good. No one is good -- except God alone." -- did you hear those words? -- "no one is good except God" -- no one is good -- because of original sin -- because of our sin nature -- no one can be good

-- but yet, we continue to think of ourselves as good people -- if you were to stop and ask anyone on the street, "Why should God let you into heaven?" -- by and large, the answer that you would get would be, "Because I'm a good person" or "Because I try to do good things"
-- we say that we are good -- that we are good people -- but deep down in our hearts, we know the truth -- that even though we know what to do -- even though we know what God's holy and righteous and good commands are -- there are times when we simply choose not to do them -- and when God sees us, he doesn't see Anakin Skywalker -- He sees Darth Vader -- He sees us not as "mostly good" but as "wholly evil"
-- as it says in Romans 3:23, all -- every single one us -- even us good old boys and good old girls -- all of us have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God -- none of us are really good

-- Paul says that this sin nature -- this inherited trait in our hearts that keeps us from doing good even though we know what is good and we want to do what is good -- tears us up from the inside out
-- look at verse 21-24a
21. So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me.
22. For in my inner being I delight in God's law;
23. but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members.
24. What a wretched man I am!
-- "what a wretched man I am -- I'm not good -- I am wretched -- I am literally at war within myself -- I want to do good -- I want to be good -- but I can't, because I am held in bondage by sin and by evil within my very own heart"

-- but then, in the midst of his misery, Paul asks the single most important question of his life
vs. 24b Who will rescue me from this body of death?
-- what is the answer to the problem of my evil sin nature -- to the original sin that is keeping from being who I want to be? -- who can keep me from becoming the very evil that I hate?

B. Answer to Original Sin
-- verse 7:25-8:2
25. Thanks be to God--through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God's law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.
1. Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,
2. because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.
-- when Jesus died for us on the cross, He not only forgave us of our sins but He also destroyed our sin nature -- He destroyed the power of sin in our life once and for all -- He broke the chains of sin that were holding us in bondage and keeping us from doing the good that we wanted to do
-- both Paul and Augustine said the same thing -- because of original sin -- because of the sin nature that we inherited from Adam -- we don't have the capacity to choose good -- we cannot be good -- everything that we do is wrong
-- when Adam and Eve disobeyed God and ate of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil -- humankind crossed a line -- the line of evil -- and cannot come back across that line -- we live as wretched men and women because of the evil within us that corrupts our very soul and our very actions
-- G.K. Chesterton once said that the doctrine of original sin is the only philosophy empirically validated over 4000 years of history -- we know this doctrine is true -- we know that we are sinful in our heart of hearts because we have seen it in the history of humankind and in our own lives

-- but when Jesus died for us on the cross, He made it possible for us to go back across the line of evil -- to go back to the place from where we could choose good -- where we could choose obedience -- by cleansing and restoring our souls and making us a new creation in Him -- by raising us back up to the level that we came from and for which we were created
-- let me give you an example -- think about a fruit tree -- there is fruit all over that tree from the top to the bottom -- the fruit at the top of the tree is good -- but the fruit at the bottom of the tree is bad
-- before the Fall, Adam and Eve had the ability to reach any of the fruit on the tree -- it was their choice -- they could choose the good fruit or the bad fruit -- it was their choice -- and, because they had not crossed that line yet -- because they did not have that evil sin nature lodged within their hearts, their inclination was to pick the good fruit
-- but then, they were tempted by Satan and crossed the line and picked the bad low fruit -- from that point on, humankind could not reach the good fruit -- we can only can pick the low-hanging fruit that is no good because our sin nature kept us from doing the good that we want to do
-- but now, through the death and resurrection of Christ, our sin nature has been destroyed -- original sin has been forgiven -- and Christ has carried us back across the line of good and evil so that now we have the chance once again to pick the good fruit at the top of the tree
-- because of Christ, we now have the chance to turn from evil and to become the good person that we so desperately long to be in our heart
-- because of Christ, we do not have to turn into Darth Vader
-- because of Christ, we can be good in the eyes of God -- but, the choice is up to us

III. Closing
-- flip over to Romans 6:22 and let's close there
22. But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life.
23. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
-- Christ's blood has freed us from bondage to sin and death -- He has released us from original sin -- from the sin nature that we inherited from Adam and Eve
-- just as it was inevitable for Anakin Skywalker to turn into Darth Vader, it is inevitable for sinners to die -- for the wages of sin is death
-- but, as it says in verse 23, the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus
-- being saved by Christ doesn't mean that you will never sin again -- it doesn't mean that you will never make wrong choices in your life again -- but it does mean that sin will no longer be your master -- it does mean that you are freed again so that you can make the choice to do good and to follow Jesus and to do His will
-- being saved by Christ means that if you do sin, you can go back to Jesus and ask for His forgiveness and cleansing -- as it says in 1 John 1:9, "if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness"
-- and, being saved by Christ means that He has paid the price for your sin and that He has given you the gift of eternal life with Him
-- but, like any gift, it must be received in order to be opened -- Christ is offering you the gift of salvation this morning -- the gift of new life -- of eternal life this morning -- He is offering to take away sin's power in your life and to give you the freedom to choose good and to turn from evil
-- will you accept His gift this morning? -- it's as easy as ABC -- all you have to do is ask Jesus to forgive you of your sins -- to believe in your heart that He is God and that He died on the cross for your sins and rose again on the third day -- and to confess Him as your Lord and Savior
-- maybe you are saved, but you still feel trapped by sin in your life -- Christ is calling you this morning to turn from your sins and to trust in His power over sin and death -- you are not in bondage to sin any longer -- you can be set free if you trust that His blood has covered your sin and destroyed sin's power over you -- you simply have to confess and repent of your sins and trust in His power to sanctify you and make you holy in God's sight
-- as we close with the last hymn, I'm going to ask that you respond to God's Word as He leads you -- let's pray

TO JOIN THE CHURCH

Preached by Gregory W. Lee
10 July 2005

I. Introduction
-- turn in Bibles to Acts 2: 41. Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.
42. They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.
43. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles.
44. All the believers were together and had everything in common.
45. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need.
46. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts,
47. praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

-- the Apostle Paul likened our Christian life as a race -- as a journey -- that we must follow until the end -- keeping our eyes on our goal, which is eternal life with Christ
-- along the road, he warned, there would be obstacles, hindrances, barriers -- sin and other entanglements that we must throw off in order to run the Christian race
-- but that is not all that is along the road that we are all on as Christians -- in addition to the sin and the obstacles of the flesh and the world that seek to slow us in our pursuit -- there are also places of darkness and wandering -- times when you just look up and realize that you are lost and that you don't know where you are and you don't know how to get out of where you are
-- it is in these places in our Christian life that we find ourselves confronted with situations that we just don't understand and problems that we just simply don't have the answer to
-- it was in such a place that I found myself this week

-- on Monday, I was made aware of a situation that took place in a Methodist church in Virginia towards the end of June -- a person who was quite active in this local congregation -- participating in worship and singing in the choir -- presented themselves for membership -- and the pastor refused to allow them to join the church -- because they were a homosexual
-- now the pastor has been removed from his position and placed on involuntary leave of absence without pay for one year for his actions
-- the pastor's bishop, who made the decision to remove him from his position, stated that over the last 30 years, the United Methodist Church has consistently maintained the prohibition of ordination of gay clergy -- however, that prohibition does not apply to church membership -- and so the pastor was wrong in denying membership to this individual -- to quote her, "In regard to membership in the United Methodist Church of laypersons, homosexuality has not been prohibited as a reason for not accepting someone,"

-- when I first learned of this story, I was incensed at the actions taken against the pastor -- I understood his position -- how could we allow a homosexual -- someone who is living in what I think Scripture clearly defines as a sinful state -- how could we allow such a person to become a member of our church
-- but then, as I thought about this some more and as I prayed about it and studied scripture and listened to others talk about this case, I became less sure of my position -- I looked around and I found myself lost in a dark wood on my Christian walk and unsure how to get out -- I honestly did not know whether the pastor was justified in his stance or not
-- as I said, there are going to be times in our Christian lives when we are going to be faced with a situation and we are just not going to know how to handle it -- and this was just such a situation for me

-- so, after spending a lot of time reflecting on this case in Virginia, let me share with you my thoughts on the issue of membership in both the body of Christ and in a local congregation


II. Membership, But Where?

-- the passage from Acts that I opened with follows right on the heels of Pentecost -- after the resurrection and ascension of Christ and while the disciples were still in Jerusalem the Holy Spirit fell upon them with great power -- Acts 2:3 says that it seemed like tongues of fire came to rest on each of the disciples -- and they were filled with the Holy Spirit
-- immediately Peter preached in the streets of Jerusalem to the pilgrims gathered for the Feast of Pentecost and many people were convicted of their sin as Peter, through the power of the Holy Spirit, told them of the great work of Christ on the cross and of their need for cleansing and forgiveness through His blood
-- look back at verse 41 "Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day. "

- now look at what this passage says, "about three thousand were added to their number that day"
-- when I read that verse and weighed it against all the arguments approving and disapproving of what the pastor in Virginia did by denying membership to the homosexual, it struck me that there were two separate matters being discussed using the same terminology
1. Membership in the body of Christ
2. Membership in a local congregation
-- although we sometimes get them confused, they are not the same -- there is a difference between being a member in the body of Christ and being a member in a local congregation
-- this leads us to the two questions that I struggled with all week and that I want to discuss with you now

-- first, what does it take to become a member of the body of Christ -- or, in other words, what is required for salvation?
-- well, I think the Apostle Peter was quite clear in his sermon on Pentecost as to what was required for salvation -- look up at verse 37-38 "When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?"
38. Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit."
-- so, what is required for salvation? -- repentance of your sins and seeking the forgiveness of the Father through faith in the finished work of Christ on the cross
-- most of the arguments that I read this week supporting the pastor in Virginia hinged on the term "repentance" -- in fact, this is where I first jumped on his bandwagon when I first heard the story
-- typically, all of those on the pastor's side recognized homosexuality as a sin -- so, we reasoned, a person living in sin could not join the church unless they repented of their sin and turned away from their sinful lifestyle -- then they would be welcome to join the church
-- in fact, that's one of the precepts that John Wesley put forth when he started the Methodist Church -- the precept of holiness in the life of the church member -- the early preachers called this "holy ambition" -- striving to live without sin in your life and confessing and repenting of any known sin
-- but, is that scriptural? -- repentance is definitely required to enter into the body of Christ -- to become saved through the blood of Christ -- but that is not the same thing as joining a local body of believers
-- in verse 41, when Luke tells us that about three thousand were added to their number, what is he referring to? -- is he saying that three thousand people joined the First Church of Jerusalem on that day? -- No, he is saying that three thousand people became members of the body of Christ -- three thousand people were forgiven of their sins -- three thousand people were saved
-- who determines if a person is really saved or not? -- can you look at another person and know if they are saved? -- you might be able to guess based upon their life and how closely they walk with Christ, but in reality, only God knows the state of a person's heart
-- God is the one who sets the standard and opens the door for membership into the body of Christ -- into salvation -- not us -- it is not our place to say who is in and who is out in regards to the body of Christ
-- if you get nothing else out of this sermon this morning, I want you to get this -- Jesus accepts us into His body as we are -- He doesn't require us to be holy and sinless to come to Him for salvation -- Jesus came to heal the sick, not the healthy
-- after you take the step of faith and trust in Him for the forgiveness of your sins, then He begins the work of sanctification -- the work of making you holy -- the work of making you more like Him -- to put it in fishing terms, Jesus doesn't clean you before He catches you -- He cleans you after you belong to Him -- after you are a member of the body of Christ
-- when you first come to Christ, you don't know enough to know just how many ways you have sinned against Him -- you just know you are a sinner in need of a Savior -- but, as you continue along your Christian walk -- as you grow closer to Christ -- the Holy Spirit begins to work in your life and to speak to specific areas of sin in your life and lead you to repentance and victory in those areas
-- so, what is required to be a member of the body of Christ? -- "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit."

-- which brings us to the second question I struggled with all week and the one that cost the pastor in Virginia his job, namely what does it take to become a member of a local UMC congregation?
-- as I said a few minutes ago, when I first heard about the case, I agreed with the pastor in Virginia that people who presented themselves for membership should have repented of all known sin in their life
--but, as I thought about it, it is obvious that the homosexual man who presented himself for membership did not consider his sexual orientation a sin even though he professed Christ as his Lord and Savior -- could it be that this was an area that the Holy Spirit would work on and convict him of further along on his spiritual path? -- could this be why he had not repented of this particular sin?
-- some of the people who responded to this situation pointed out that they considered smoking to be a sin -- does that mean that they have the right to deny membership in the church to someone who smokes because they haven't repented of all known sin in their lives? -- what about someone who is known to drink occasionally -- or to gossip -- or to exaggerate in their stories? -- these could be considered sins -- should we deny them membership as well?
-- are we holding people desiring to become a member of our church to a higher standard than God demands for them to enter into salvation?
-- a group of early Jewish believers called the "Judiazers" tried to do just that with the Gentiles who were being saved -- they insisted that the Gentiles could not be saved just by repenting of their sins and believing in Jesus -- they also had to be circumcized and follow the law -- but Paul and others argued against it, mainly because of the fact that these Gentile believers had received the Holy Spirit upon salvation -- they argued, "If God has given them this seal of membership, then how can we place additional demands on them?"
-- are we placing additional demands on people desiring to join our churches by making them be sinless and holy in their lives before we let them in? -- or, are we going to trust in the work of the Holy Spirit to convict them of their sin and lead them to forgiveness and repentance?
-- this is a fine line we are treading here -- on one hand, we expect members of a church to be moving forward into holiness and perfection through the work of the Holy Spirit -- while on the other, we recognize that all of us came to the cross as sinners and we still sin every single day of our lives -- if the standard for church membership was sinlessness, then how many of us would be members today?
Joe Stowell summed this thought up well -- he said, "If Jesus accepts us just as we are, then bringing Jesus to our non-Jesus world means that we too must receive people just as they are. They'll need to repent of their sins and seek to live godly lives. But how do we expect them to start the process if they feel that church people are too good for them or too condemning of their lifestyle?"

III. Closing
-- so, after a week of struggling with this question, let me share with you my understanding based on prayer and the reading of God's word and the advice of more mature Christian brothers and pastors
-- in order to be a member of a local body of believers, a person must profess to being a member of the body of Christ -- in other words, they must profess to having been saved through the blood of Christ -- and, they must state that they are willing to serve Christ through this body of believers -- supporting the church through their gifts and offerings and talents as they allow the Holy Spirit to lead them down the path of sanctification
-- I think the best way to state this would be to say that you don't have to be in a local church to be saved, but you have to be saved in order to be a member of a local church -- we can't ever forget the fact that salvation is not dependent on our name being on a local church roll
-- I like what William F. Hill had to say about the church -- "We are Christians. We are united to one another and we are to live in harmony with one another because of the fellowship we have in Christ. We are to work for unity as often as we can and in areas we disagree we are to be charitable, working and laboring together for the glory of God and His church especially as it pertains to secondary doctrines and matters. We are not called to divide. We are called to love. Love does not seek its own. Love does not desire its own way. Love desires the good of the body and the unity of this most precious work God has given us -- His church; His bride. "
-- we should work towards holiness -- as individuals and as a church -- we should strive for perfection -- but we can never let it keep us from our primary mission as the body of Christ on earth
-- our goal -- our mission -- our driving force as members of this local body of believers -- should be to work together as one -- to seek the lost and to introduce them to Jesus -- and to invite them to share their Christian journey with us -- as fellow sinners saved by grace, who are being shaped and formed and transformed by the Master's hand into who He has called us to be
-- let us pray

THOUGHTS ON PART-TIME PASTORS

Well, I'm back from two weeks at Course of Study at Emory University, the program designed to allow local pastors to meet the educational requirements by the United Methodist Church. After two weeks away from home, church, and work, I have been playing catch-up all week. Too many people to see, e-mails to answer, and phone calls to return. But, now it looks like I am finally starting to find the surface again and hope to return to regular posting by later today or tomorrow.

Thinking back on my experiences over the past three weeks brings to mind, once again, the dilemma of the "part-time" pastor (actually, I prefer "bivocational"). Too often, bivocational pastors find themselves literally overwhelmed with responsibilities on three fronts: home, church, and work. And, if they are not careful, they will find themselves burning out rather quickly.

I know I struggle with this dilemma in my own life. While at work, I worry about my church. When will I get that sermon started? When will I have time to prepare for the two Bible studies I teach? I'm out of vacation time -- how will I make it to the hospital to visit XXX during their surgery? I worry that I'm not doing enough to help my two churches because I don't have the time to lead and direct the activities of the church.

While at church, I think about work, the project that is due on Monday that I didn't have time to finish last week and couldn't work on during the weekend because of church responsibilities. While at Course of Study last week, I literally spent hours on the phone with my secual work office answering questions and handling minor emergencies.

Then, to top it all off, you have all of your home responsibilities. It's hard to explain to your wife and daughter why you just see them 30 minutes in the evening for supper inbetween work and Bible study. You hear the questions, even if they are not verbalized. "What's this meeting about? Why two Bible studies? When can we do something as a family? Why was our rest and vacation cut short by church?"

While I'm not complaining, I am trying to voice the reality for thousands of bivocational pastors throughout America. These men and women work long hours, go without, and suffer stress and burn-out, simply because they love God and have been called by Him to serve His people in small congregations throughout America. We love our jobs. We love our calling as pastors. But we're caught in a tangle between the secular and the sacred and worry that we're not doing either to the best of our ability.

I am concerned, however, that the leadership in the United Methodist Church does not seem to understand this dilemma faced by their bivocational pastors. Let me give you a couple of examples:

1. This past week at Course of Study, one of the professors, an elder in the Methodist Church, made the statement that every pastor should be spending significant amounts of time in study of the Scriptures and should have sermons planned and prepared weeks, if not months, in advance. "You should never write a sermon on the Saturday before the Sunday you give it."

In a perfect world, I would agree with him. But, for those of us who work full-time secular jobs and strive to fit our church responsibilities into the rest of our day, we don't have the time to leisurely set aside an entire morning to study a passage of scripture. When you get home at 5:00 pm and leave for Bible study or hopsital visitation at 6:00, getting home at 9:00 or later several nights a week, you don't have the time to study and plan and prepare sermons. You just do them when you can and pray that God's Word will be clearly heard despite your best efforts.

2. Paperwork in the Methodist Church is burdensome, especially to pastors with several churches. What I think some elders in the church forget, a church of 15 people has to fill out the same paperwork and reports for Charge Conference as a church of 15,000. But, when you have a four-point charge, you have to fill out four sets of each report, usually without any staff or help. I would love to see the District or Conference hire a church administrative assistant (or get a dedicated volunteer) who could travel from church to church assisting pastors without secretaries prepare their reports and fill out the burden of paperwork from the District and Conference level. Thankfully, I had an extremely talented administrative council chair when I started in the ministry who knew how to prepare charge conference reports, otherwise, I would have been dead in the water.

I think there are several things the District and Conference could do to improve the situation for bivocational pastors and to improve the support they offer to local churches. For instance, having monthly pastor meetings in the evenings instead of during the work day would allow local pastors to meet and learn from their full-time peers. Providing administrative support at the District or Conference level on a "call-if-needed" basis would dramatically assist local pastors.

Whew....guess I had a lot bottled up over the past three weeks. Anyway, remember and pray for all of our pastors, and say a special prayer for us bivocational pastors with multi-point charges.

Out

I am at Course of Study for 2 weeks and will be unable to post until I get back.  ( week of July 24th)

 

THE METHOD OF GROWING THE CHURCH

In a follow-up to my post below, I ran across a post by Bishop Will Willimon on church growth on his new blog. In contrast to my rant below, Bishop Willimon says that we must have new churches in order to grow because older, more established congregations are incapable of generating enough growth to stop the decline in the Methodist Church.

We all know that new churches demonstrate explosive growth, but I would like to see some research on where this growth is coming from. Is it coming from evangelistic efforts, or are we merely seeing "sheep-rustling" from other established congregations? Perhaps the growth in these new churches is being driven by those on fire for the Lord who are being stifled in their quest for true worship in established congregations?

Perhaps the growth in these new churches occur because it breaks up the entrenched power structure in a lot of our local churches. I know of a church in my District that has had four pastors in six years. Each of these pastors has been ineffective in getting the church to respond to calls for spiritual growth and maturity or in numerical growth. Membership has declined. Why? Could it be that the power structure of the laity in the church has stopped the pastors from initiating revival and renewal? What's the current answer to that problem from our leadership in the denomination? It's simple -- create a new church with a new administrative council and with new leaders and leave the problem children at home.

If you take this call for new churches to its ultimate conclusion, couldn't you reach the thesis that perhaps we need to abandon all the older, established denominations and start new denominations with new structures in order to grow? From what I've seen in my area, when the non-denominational/Vineyard-related churches began to spring up with more contemporary styles of worship and less bureaucratic and rigid organizational structures, people flocked to these congregations. Why not do the same with our denomination? (Please note I'm saying this tongue-in-cheek)

At the last General Conference, a call was somewhat put forth to create a new denomination in answer to the "irreconciable" differences in theological leanings by some in our denomination. What would be the end result of that move? A renewed excitement and an increase in membership as Christians from other stressed denominations moved to join these new movements, bringing new energy to both the right and left theological camps?

I still maintain that just creating new churches is not the sole answer. I think we need to look at what it would take to revitalize our existing congregations. Look at the explosive growth in the Southern Baptist Convention over the past couple of decades. From what I witnessed, this did not come about solely by creating new churches, but from a revival within established congregations. Then, as these congregations grew, they produced daughter churches as mission projects.

In our Wesleyan Christian Advocate newspaper, they publish a section on historical news from the Georgia Methodist Church, at 25 years and 50 years and 100 years ago. I have always been amazed that 50 and 100 years ago, established churches were reporting dozens of professions of faith following revivals. Why could established churches grow 100 years ago but established churches can't grow now? Perhaps the real reason that we've quit growing is that we've quenched the power of the Holy Spirit in our congregations. I maintain that older established congregations can grow and be renewed, but only through the power of the Holy Spirit working through us. Are we going to trust in the power of God to move in our established churches, or are we going to spend our time and our energy chasing after the new? Build the new, plant the fields, but don't forget to fertilize the faithful that remain.

FERTILIZE OR PLANT?

In our local newspaper here in south central Georgia, there has been a minor war of words in the letters to the editor and the "rants and rave" section concerning a new church planter who just came into town to start a new church.

Some pastors have written in critical of this church planter and suggested that if they really wanted to do something for the body of Christ, they should support the churches that already exist. Others, both pastors and laity, have responded that anyone critical of new churches is being selfish and prideful and that we should not stop any effort to expand Christ's kingdom.

Evidently, this issue of whether to create/plant new congregations is a major issue, not only at our local south Georgia level, but also nation-wide. I have struggled with this question myself for years. My Methodist Annual Conference and District evidently contemplated planting a new congregation in the tiny community (500 people) where one of my churches is located. This congregation is barely holding on with a membership of 15, comprised primarily of middle-aged to older adults. But, they have consistently maintained this membership level for over 17 years, with worship attendance being typically greater than membership (average worship attendance of about 21 with a membership of 15).

When I heard about the proposal to build a new church and staff it with a full-time pastor, I have to admit, I was somewhat miffed. If the conference and district wanted to promote a Methodist church in this community, then why not support the church that was already there? Instead of building a new santuary, why not recruit people from other, larger congregations to serve as church growth missionaries in our congregation? Missionaries who were committed to reach out to the community in ways that our congregation of 15 couldn't do. Perhaps a community-wide evangelistic effort, perhaps a van ministry to bring kids to school, perhaps bringing in a youth minister and starting a youth ministry. All the things we'd like to do but just didn't have the bodies or money or time to accomplish.

But, perhaps the biggest reason I got a little miffed (which I did ask God to forgive) was that this little church had been pouring out its heart to reach others for years without response from the community. They have given out over 500 Bibles to homes in the community, paid 100% of their apportionments annually for over 17 years, started community-wide celebrations, prepared brochures for distribution to every home in the community, and hosted gospel sings and invited people door-to-door to attend. What could a new congregation do that this church hadn't tried? What could this church do with support from the conference and the district? In my opinion, what was needed in the community was not a planting, but a fertilizing of the existing church communities.

So, what's the answer to the declining membership in the Methodist Church? Is it planting new congregations or is it fertilizing old ones through revival and renewal? Or, is it a combination of the two?

Rev. Fife has a good article at his blog on this issue, pointing out that a denomination cannot maintain itself unless it plants congregations at a rate of 1% of the existing congregations annually. With 350,000 Methodist churches, that means the Methodist Church must plant 350 new congregations annually just to maintain current membership levels. Currently, we are planting less than 75 new churches annually.

But, of more concern to me, is the fact that the majority of churches have significantly fewer people in worship than on their membership rolls. Rick Warren suggests that your true membership is comprised of your worship attendance rather than your membership list. If that is the case, then the Methodist Church is in an alarming place.

In my opinion, planting new congregations builds excitement in a community and draws people into the church, but after several years, the worship attendance begins to decline. Basically, you have an artificial inflation of membership numbers not borne out over the long haul through worship attendance.

I think we need new congregations, but the way to start new congregations needs to be as a mission outgrowth of an existing congregation, not a program at the district or conference level. I believe that if we spent more time building up and supporting our existing churches, then these revitalized congregations will naturally produce daughter churches over time. I have seen this in action in the Vineyard-related churches in our community. One such church has spawned two daughter churches in the community, with NO drop in worship attendance.

Plant, Fertilize, or Both? That is the question. And the fate of the United Methodist Church rests on the answer.

War of the Worlds

Gregory W. Lee
Preached 3 July 2005

I. Introduction
-- turn in Bibles to Rev 12 [read vs. 7-17]
-- on March 23, 2003, a maintenance team from the U.S. Army's 507th Maintenance Company was following the advancing 3rd Infantry Division in Iraq as a support unit -- while advancing through the southern city of Nasiriyah, the team made a wrong turn and found themselves face-to-face with a contingent of Iraqi soldiers -- immediately, they came under attack from the Iraqis
-- After a fierce fire fight that resulted in the death of several military members, 12 people from this group were taken captive by the Iraqis, including PFC Jessica Lynch -- a 19 yr. old young lady from West Virginia
-- Ten days later, our forces received a tip that Jessica Lynch was being held at Saddam Hospital behind enemy lines -- across the river from our troops in Nasiriyah -- this hospital was being used as a military command post by the Iraqis
-- the decision was made to implement a daring rescue mission to go in and rescue Jessica and any of her team members that might be with her
-- on Tuesday, April 1st, shortly before midnight, US Forces took out the lighting grid in the city, plunging the entire area into total darkness -- immediately, a Special Operations force of Navy SEALs, Army Rangers and Air Force combat controllers touched down of the enemy's side of the river in the blacked-out conditions -- as they fanned out in enemy territory, an AC-130 gunship -- an aircraft capable of firing 1,800 rounds a minute from its 25mm cannon, circled overhead to support team -- as well as a reconnaissance aircraft that provided live video images of the operation as it unfolded
-- while the main force swarmed the hospital grounds, a detachment of Marines made a diversionary attack on the Iraqis in another part of the city to draw attention away from the covert rescue operation
-- rushing into the hospital facility, the special forces team quickly dispatched the enemy Iraqis and located Jessica on the first floor of the hospital -- as soon as they found her, they rushed her out of the facility and into a waiting Blackhawk Helicopter for transport back to safety across the river

-- that is an amazing story, isn't it? -- especially when you reflect on the fact that it is true -- there's just something about stories like these that seem to strike a chord with us -- especially when we celebrate holidays such as the Fourth of July -- as we take time to reflect on the founding of our country and the great stories of heroism and bravery by men and women throughout the history of our country as they fought for something larger than themselves
-- from the Revolutionary War to our present conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq, stories like these become written on our hearts and become part of who we are -- as individuals and as a nation
-- it is because of stories like these that places like Bunker Hill, Yorktown, Gettysburg, Iwo Jima, Normandy, and Baghdad become as familiar to us as our own home towns
-- it is because of stories like these that men and women such as George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Robert E. Lee, Clara Barton, General Patton, General Eisenhower, and Gen Swartzcoph become household names
-- the best stories are those where either a hero rises up from obscurity, and despite overwhelming odds, rallies others to fight with him to save the day and turn the tide against evil or stories like the Jessica Lynch story, where heros go behind enemy lines to rescue fallen comrades and bring them back to safety and freedom -- they inspire us to think past our current conditions and to imagine a glorious future where good triumphs and evil is vanquished
-- we see this theme played out in a lot of our movies -- several years ago, there was a great movie with Owen Wilson and Gene Hackman called, "Behind Enemy Lines," where a U.S. fighter pilot crashes in Bosnia and has to be rescued by special forces -- or, think about the movie, "Saving Private Ryan," where Captain John Miller risks his life and the life of his troop to go behind enemy lines to rescue a paratrooper, Private James Ryan in World War II
-- these are great stories of heroism and daring rescue, but have you ever stopped to consider the greatest tale of heroism and the greatest tale of a daring rescue ever told?

II. Description of the War Zone and the Fall of Satan
-- the Bible tells us that before time began, God was -- as it says in John 1, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning"
-- in some way that we can't fully comprehend, even before time began, God existed as the Trinity -- as God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit -- living in harmony and perfect relationship with each other
-- but, even though this was a perfect relationship, God created other beings to share in His love and to be in a relationship with Him -- to worship Him and to serve Him and to honor Him -- these, of course, were God's angels
-- God made angels with different ranks and responsibilities -- from angels to cherubim to seraphim to archangels -- and for a time, all of these angels lived with God and enjoyed a perfect life with Him in Heaven
-- but then, something changed -- Lucifer, one of the archangels, apparently became dissatisfied with his position and wanted to become like God -- listen as I read Isaiah 14:12-15 [read vs. 12-15] -- that brings us to the passage that I opened with -- when Satan tried to place his throne above God and tried to become like God, war broke out in the dwelling place of God and the angels -- in Heaven itself
-- the archangel Michael and his angels fought against Satan -- against the dragon and his angels on behalf of God -- this passage tells us that Satan and his angels were not strong enough and that they were cast from heaven and hurled to earth
-- for some reason, God allowed Satan to have limited authority over earth -- in John 12:31, Jesus describes Satan as the "prince of this world" -- earth became, as it were, enemy territory
-- and from the moment that Adam and Eve were cast from the Garden of Eden after their fall, men and women lived in a hostile land -- behind enemy lines -- held captive and in the midst of a war -- as it says in verse 17, the dragon made war against those who obeyed God's commandments and held to the testimony of Jesus.


III. The Hero Arrives
-- for a time, it looked hopeless for man -- they lived in a fallen world -- in the very place where the devil made his throne -- where the devil danced
-- they knew that this was not their home -- they knew that they were made to live with God -- to be with Him in His heavenly abode -- but, try as they might, they could not break free from the cruel chains of the enemy -- life was without hope and without promise
-- but, then, in the midst of the despair of man, God launched the greatest military plan ever conceived -- a daring rescue behind enemy lines to save those who were crying out for salvation
-- you see, Satan knew that God had only given him limited authority on earth -- he knew that God would come to claim that which was His own and to redeem the captives held by Satan -- so, throughout time, Satan and his angels watched for God's attack -- planning, scheming, and devising plans to keep God from taking over total control of earth
-- knowing this, God launched His plan -- not a direct assault on Satan and his minions -- but a daring covert raid on occupied territory -- an infiltration behind enemy lines -- a special forces raid by the greatest Special Force in the world

-- flip over to Luke 2 and let's read the story once again of how God secretly sent His hero into battle behind enemy lines to rescue and redeem the lost [read Lk 2:1-16]
-- don't miss the impact of what has just happened in this passage -- you know, every year at Christmas we celebrate the birth of Christ -- we read this story and we give each other gifts -- but, have you ever really stopped and considered just what happened on this day?
-- in his book, Disappointment with God, Phillip Yancey points out that the incarnation -- the clothing of God in human form -- was a daring raid into enemy territory -- the whole world lay under the power of the evil one and we were all held in the dungeons of darkness -- the whole world groaned out under the weight of captivity and bondage -- and God risked everything to send His Son into the very place where the devil ruled
-- I think sometimes we forget the meaning of the incarnation -- I think we sometimes get caught up in the Christmas spirit -- in the singing of Christmas carols and the decorating of our homes and the giving of gifts -- and we forget just what God did when He sent Jesus into the world
-- that's why I wanted to share this story with you this morning -- on the weekend of July the Fourth -- so that you might see it from a new and fresh perspective and not just as a story told at Christmas
-- Christ came into the world as a soldier, disguised as a baby in a manger to fool the enemy, but sent behind enemy lines to rescue and redeem mankind -- to wrest us from the clutches of the enemy and to restore goodness and righteousness once and for all
-- but, in order to do so, it cost Him everything -- while freeing us Jesus was captured by the enemy -- He was crucified on the cross at Calvary -- sacrificing His very life -- pouring out His very blood -- to cover our transgressions and to cleanse us from our unrighteousness
-- with His death on the cross, He bought our freedom and with His resurrection, He demonstrated His victory over sin and death
-- it was the war of the worlds, and Christ proved victorious

IV. Closing
-- I opened this message with the story of Jessica Lynch -- every single one of us has been in her shoes -- every single one us has been taken captive and held hostage by an enemy who sought to destroy us
-- as Brent Curtis and John Eldredge point out, the sole purpose of our enemy Satan is to possess everything that belongs to God, including the worship of all those whom God loves -- he accomplishes this by keeping us in bondage -- by convincing us that we will never be free -- by taking away our hope of rescue
-- but, just when it seemed that things could not get any worse -- just when it seemed like Satan was winning -- God sent Christ to earth -- behind enemy lines -- to launch a daring raid and to bring us out of captivity and bondage to sin and death and out to freedom and life in Him

-- a lot of you know what I'm talking about -- you've been rescued from your prison -- you've been swept out of your prison cell in the arms of Christ -- you've entered into new life with Him -- you've been saved -- but maybe you don't know what to do now
-- when our troops broke into the hospital where Jessica Lynch was being held, they found her hiding under sheets in her bed in a room on the first floor -- A soldier called her name, and without answering she peeked out from under the sheets -- “Jessica Lynch,” he said, “we’re United States soldiers and we’re here to protect you and take you home.” -- As the soldier approached the bed and took his helmet off and she looked up at him and replied: “I’m an American soldier, too.”
-- Christ came to earth as a soldier -- as the leader of a daring attack on the stronghold of Satan -- He came to lead us into battle -- if you have been saved -- if you have been set free, lift up your head and say to Him, "I'm a soldier too" and head back across the enemy lines to set others free by introducing them to Christ

-- some of you are still being held by Satan -- you are still bound down by your sins and condemned to death -- simply because you haven't trusted in the ability of Christ to bring you life and freedom -- simply because you haven't trusted in the blood of Christ to cleanse you of your sins and to bring you from death into life -- simply because you've allowed yourself to believe the lies of Satan that there is no hope
-- there is hope -- there is life -- there is freedom with Christ -- all you have to do is ask Him to set you free -- confess your sins to Him and ask Him to forgive you and to come into your heart and be your Lord and Savior, and you will be rescued from the enemy just as Jessica Lynch was
-- as it says in Romans 10:9-10, "if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved."
-- if you have not been set free from Satan's grasp, I pray that this morning would be your spiritual Fourth of July -- your spiritual independence day
-- as the last hymn is played, I would invite you to respond to God's word as you feel led
-- let's pray