SERMON: THE DISAPPEARING CHURCH

Preached by Gregory W. Lee
19 November 2006

I. Introduction
-- turn in Bibles to 2 Kings 22

1. Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem thirty-one years. His mother's name was Jedidah daughter of Adaiah; she was from Bozkath.
2. He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD and walked in all the ways of his father David, not turning aside to the right or to the left.
3. In the eighteenth year of his reign, King Josiah sent the secretary, Shaphan son of Azaliah, the son of Meshullam, to the temple of the LORD. He said:
4. "Go up to Hilkiah the high priest and have him get ready the money that has been brought into the temple of the LORD, which the doorkeepers have collected from the people.
5. Have them entrust it to the men appointed to supervise the work on the temple. And have these men pay the workers who repair the temple of the LORD--
6. the carpenters, the builders and the masons. Also have them purchase timber and dressed stone to repair the temple.
7. But they need not account for the money entrusted to them, because they are acting faithfully."
8. Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the secretary, "I have found the Book of the Law in the temple of the LORD." He gave it to Shaphan, who read it.
9. Then Shaphan the secretary went to the king and reported to him: "Your officials have paid out the money that was in the temple of the LORD and have entrusted it to the workers and supervisors at the temple."
10. Then Shaphan the secretary informed the king, "Hilkiah the priest has given me a book." And Shaphan read from it in the presence of the king.
11. When the king heard the words of the Book of the Law, he tore his robes.

-- this week, we are starting one of my favorite times of the year -- we are moving into the holiday season -- a time of the year when we slow down and reflect with thanksgiving on all that God has done, from providing for our needs to sending us salvation through the birth of His Son Jesus Christ -- this is the time of the year when we gather together as friends and family and enjoy each other's company and rejoice in all that God has done -- one thing that we really like to do is to watch all the Christmas movies together as a family
-- one of my favorite movies of all time is "It's a Wonderful Life" that starred Jimmy Stewart and Donna Reed -- I imagine everyone in here has probably seen this movie at some time in your life -- do you remember the story? -- Jimmy Stewart's character, George Bailey, is having a rough time -- it seems like nothing has ever gone his way, except for marrying his childhood sweetheart -- he ends up stuck in Bedford Falls when he really wanted to go off and see the world -- his savings and loan business is about to fail and the town is about to be taken over by the evil Mr. Potter
-- at one point, he thinks about committing suicide by jumping off the bridge and is stopped by an angel named Clarence -- as he's talking with Clarence, he exclaims, "Everyone'd be better off if I'd never been born at all" -- and, of course, that's what happens next in the movie -- he goes back into town and everything is different -- it's like he has never existed at all

-- started thinking -- what would it be like if that happened -- not to me -- but to this church? -- if this church ceased to exist -- had never existed -- what would happen? -- what lives would never have been impacted by the Lord if the witness of this church had never occurred?
-- then I started thinking of a more likely occurrence -- what if this church ceased to exist in our lifetime?
-- we live in a day of church closings -- a day when it is a common occurrence for churches -- even churches in established denominations like ours -- to close the doors for a variety of reasons -- declining membership -- rising costs for utilities -- rising costs for paying for a pastor and their retirement or health costs -- a lot of churches in our district are struggling with paying the high cost of health insurance for pastors and staff right now, to the point where several have cut back on staff or have moved them to part-time status to avoid the costs
-- other reasons why churches close -- changes in the community around them -- changing demographics -- changing from being a suburban church to an inner-city church -- inability to maintain the church building or keep up with changes to the building codes -- sometimes churches close because of disputes and conflict within the church or because of the moral failure of church leadership
-- churches close every day -- since I moved back to Valdosta, I can count at least 10 churches that have closed since I have gotten here -- which caused me to wonder, "what happens to a community and to a people when a church closes?
-- Tony Atkinson, a friend of mine, put it this way -- "Imagine, if you will, what a community would be like if the only church left was rundown and decayed to the point of being condemned -- stretch your imagination even farther and think what a community would be like if the Bible had been out of use for so long that no one even would know what you meant if you said the word "Bible"

-- Can you imagine the Word of God becoming lost to memory in just a lifetime? -- Can you imagine this church becoming lost to memory in just a lifetime? -- Could such a thing really happen?
-- it happened in Josiah's time

-- in this passage that we opened with -- the same passage from last week's Sunday School lesson -- we are introduced to King Josiah of Judah -- look back at verse 1

1. Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem thirty-one years. His mother's name was Jedidah daughter of Adaiah; she was from Bozkath.
2. He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD and walked in all the ways of his father David, not turning aside to the right or to the left.

-- now, when the bible talks about a king or about the leader of the nation of Israel, it reflects on two aspects -- first, it talks about his physical heritage -- who his parents were -- who he was descended from -- and how he came to take the throne -- and, secondly, it talks about his spiritual heritage -- whose path he followed as he lived his life -- that of God or that of false religions
-- Josiah was royalty -- he was descended from the line of the kings of Judah -- but when verse 2 talks about David being his father, it is not talking about his physical heritage but his spiritual heritage -- Josiah was not given a good spiritual heritage -- both his father and his grandfather were renowned for their evil practices in the land
-- Josiah's father Amon had taken the throne at the age of 22 and only reigned two years before he was assassinated by his followers because of the evil he committed against the Lord -- Amon followed the spiritual footprints of his father Manasseh and paid the price for it
-- Manasseh was one of the most evil kings to ever sit on the throne -- he was the one who introduced the nation to the worship of idols -- and he was the one who started the decline of the temple and of the worship of the Lord God Almighty in Judah
-- the Bible tells us that Manasseh not only set up Asherah poles and altars to idols on the high places, but he went into the very temple of the Lord God Almighty and desecrated it by building altars to idols within its walls -- and on these altars, he worshiped the starry hosts, practiced sorcery and divination, and even sacrificed his children
-- in the course of one lifetime, the temple had gone from being a place of worship for the Lord God Almighty to being in a state of physical and spiritual disrepair
-- the church had ceased to exist -- the people no longer remembered the glory of God or the mighty acts that had occurred in that place -- they had even forgotten the Scriptures -- and the temple was falling down all around them

-- it was into that situation that Josiah was thrust upon the scene -- and he had a choice to make -- he could follow the spiritual heritage of his father and grandfather and continue to lead the nation of Judah down the evil path of idol worship -- or he could choose to follow the spiritual heritage of his forefathers and restore the worship of Yahweh to the nation
-- Josiah chose to return to the Lord -- and for that reason, it says here that he walked in the ways of his father David -- not his physical father but his ancestor who was called a "man after God's own heart" -- rather than following Amon and Manasseh into evil, Josiah did what was right in the eyes of the Lord
-- when Josiah was around 26 years old, he began the spiritual restoration of the nation by repairing the temple and preparing it to be a place of worship for God once again
-- verse 3

3. In the eighteenth year of his reign, King Josiah sent the secretary, Shaphan son of Azaliah, the son of Meshullam, to the temple of the LORD. He said:
4. "Go up to Hilkiah the high priest and have him get ready the money that has been brought into the temple of the LORD, which the doorkeepers have collected from the people.
5. Have them entrust it to the men appointed to supervise the work on the temple. And have these men pay the workers who repair the temple of the LORD--
6. the carpenters, the builders and the masons. Also have them purchase timber and dressed stone to repair the temple.
7. But they need not account for the money entrusted to them, because they are acting faithfully."

-- Josiah took steps to get funds to pay for the renovation and repair of the temple -- notice that he didn't just fund it out of the royal treasury, but that he funded it from the collections offered by the people -- spiritual restoration is only possible if the people participate -- God will raise up leaders to turn the hearts of the people back to Him -- but spiritual restoration will only occur if the people turn from their sins and take action in their lives to return to God -- by collecting money to rebuild the temple, the people were expressing their faith and confidence in God
-- verse 8

8. Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the secretary, "I have found the Book of the Law in the temple of the LORD." He gave it to Shaphan, who read it.
9. Then Shaphan the secretary went to the king and reported to him: "Your officials have paid out the money that was in the temple of the LORD and have entrusted it to the workers and supervisors at the temple."
10. Then Shaphan the secretary informed the king, "Hilkiah the priest has given me a book." And Shaphan read from it in the presence of the king.
11. When the king heard the words of the Book of the Law, he tore his robes.
12. He gave these orders to Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam son of Shaphan, Acbor son of Micaiah, Shaphan the secretary and Asaiah the king's attendant:
13. "Go and inquire of the LORD for me and for the people and for all Judah about what is written in this book that has been found. Great is the LORD's anger that burns against us because our fathers have not obeyed the words of this book; they have not acted in accordance with all that is written there concerning us."

-- as they were working on the temple, the priest Hilkiah found the Bible -- the Book of the Law -- in the temple -- he gave it to Shaphan, the king's secretary -- who read it and brought it to King Josiah
-- when Josiah read the words of God transcribed on those pages, his heart was cut to the quick -- and he realized the magnitude of the sin of Judah -- he immediately ordered a sacred assembly -- and all of the nation of Judah -- all of the people of Judah -- gathered in the temple
-- Josiah read to them the words of God and they renewed their covenant with God -- to keep all of God's commands, regulations, and decrees and to devote themselves to Him with all their heart and mind and soul
-- under the leadership of Josiah, spiritual restoration came to the nation of Judah

-- I want you to pause for a moment and I want you to think about the witness of this church and the other churches in this community -- the personality of this community -- its spiritual heritage -- its sense of right and wrong all derive, in large part, because of the witness of this church and the other churches in this area
-- this community is what it is because of the presence of God made known through the witness of those who have gone before
-- but, what would happen if that witness was to disappear? -- what would happen to this community -- to these people -- to you -- if the churches were to close -- if they were to fall into a state of physical and spiritual disrepair?
-- don't even think for one moment that it couldn't happen -- it happened in Josiah's day

-- over the course of one lifetime, the nation of Judah -- the people of God -- the very people delivered from the hand of the Egyptians by the Lord God Almighty Himself -- turned their eyes from God and slowly allowed their faith to slip away
-- it happened to them -- it could happen to us -- I'm sure they never saw it coming -- I'm sure they never expected it to occur -- but over time, the people of Judah allowed themselves to become conformed to the world and to the direction their leaders were carrying them rather than to God -- they were kind of like frogs in a pot
-- we've all heard the illustration that if you put a frog in hot boiling water, it will quickly jump out -- but if you put a frog in cold water and then slowly turn up the heat -- just a little at a time -- that he won't notice change until it's too late

-- it happened to Judah -- it could happen to us -- in Josiah's day, the temple was allowed to fall into a state of disrepair and the Book of the Law became lost in the house of the Lord -- as Tony put it, "it was lost because it was not being used -- and it was not being used because the people were occupied with conforming to the world around them -- can we become so associated with popular culture that the way of the world replaces the way of the gospel? "
-- as Christians -- as God's people called to serve Him in this community -- we need to remember that we have a responsibility -- if you would, flip over to the New Testament -- to Colossians 1, and let's close there

-- Colossians 1:1

1. Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,
2. To the holy and faithful brothers in Christ at Colosse: Grace and peace to you from God our Father.
3. We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you,
4. because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all the saints--
5. the faith and love that spring from the hope that is stored up for you in heaven and that you have already heard about in the word of truth, the gospel
6. that has come to you. All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and understood God's grace in all its truth.
7. You learned it from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on our behalf,
8. and who also told us of your love in the Spirit.

-- in this passage, we are given a picture of a functioning body of Christ -- of a church that is standing firm and fulfilling its responsibilities to be God's witness in its community
-- as Paul opens his letter to this church, he tells them he thanks God for them when he lifts them up in his prayers because of the faith they had been given and because of the fruit their faith was bearing
-- Paul says that he had heard of their faith and that he had heard of their love -- a living church expresses their faith, hope, and love in such a way that others will hear of it and be drawn to it -- they do not allow themselves to be conformed to the world but, rather, season the world through their witness

-- I opened this message by asking you to reflect on what would happen if the witness of God in this world -- if our churches -- ceased to exist -- if they fell into such spiritual disrepair that they no longer functioned as God intended
-- we need to remember that physical disrepair does not always precede spiritual disrepair -- it is possible to be totally conformed to the world -- to be living flavorless -- and still be going through the motions -- there are many churches in our country today that are well-kept and well-maintained but that are not serving God or serving as God's representatives in their community
-- we have a calling and a responsibility as God's people in this place

-- Christ said that we were the salt of the earth -- we are called to not only exist and maintain our church buildings, but we are called to season and flavor this world by sharing with them the good news of the risen Christ
-- we are called to bear Christ's name -- in our lives -- in our homes -- in our churches -- we are called to be keepers of the Book -- of the Holy Bible -- to make sure it does not disappear from memory or gather dust on our shelves -- to make sure that it is applied in our lives and in our homes and in our communities
-- we are called to build upon the faith of those who have gone before and to lead our families and our communities in following the way of God and not the way of this world
-- we are called to stand against spiritual decline and to be God's light in this community and in this place
-- as we close our service today, I'm going to ask you to consider where you are in your relationship with God -- have you allowed your spiritual life to slip into disrepair? -- have you allowed yourself to be conformed to the ways of the world? -- you know in your heart if this is your situation or not -- if this is the case, then I want to invite you to repair your temple -- to restore God to the right place of worship in your life -- to turn from your ways to His
-- and, I would ask you to consider where this church is in its relationship with God -- are we a living, vibrant church? -- do others hear of our faith and our love and are they drawn to God as a result? -- or are we merely putting on a stained-glass masquerade? -- looking like the body of Christ while living like the world?
-- I would invite you this morning to join me as I ask God to revive us and renew us and make us a point of spiritual restoration for our families and our homes and our communities
-- however God has spoken to you this morning, I would invite you to respond to His word before you leave
-- let us pray

SERMON: TALKING TO A STRANGER

Preached by Gregory W. Lee
12 November 2006

I. Introduction
-- turn in Bibles to Matthew 3

1. In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the Desert of Judea
2. and saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near."
3. This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah: "A voice of one calling in the desert, `Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.'"
4. John's clothes were made of camel's hair, and he had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey.
5. People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan.
6. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.
7. But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?
8. Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.
9. And do not think you can say to yourselves, `We have Abraham as our father.' I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham.
10. The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.
11. "I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me will come one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.
12. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire."

-- not being a mother myself, it would not surprise me to discover that there was a secret mommy manual that is given out to all mothers after the birth of their first child -- for it has been my observation that all mothers use the same phrases and warnings -- no matter how old they are -- no matter what part of the country they are in -- no matter how many children they have -- which leads me to believe that there is some manual out there where they are gaining all of their motherly wisdom and advice from
-- for instance, I imagine all of us have heard mothers say from time to time
-- "close that door -- were you raised in a barn?"
-- "when you have your own house then you can make the rules"
-- "always change your underwear -- you never know when you might be in an accident"
-- "don't make that face or it's going to freeze like that"
-- "be careful, or you're going to put your eye out"
-- "don't put that in your mouth -- you don't know where it's been"
-- and, of course, there is the warning that we all have heard -- "don't talk to strangers"

-- now that last one is really good advice, but when mothers say "don't talk to strangers" -- what they really mean is "don't talk to someone you don't know, because you don't know what they might do to you"
-- it doesn't mean, "don't talk to someone strange" -- because if that was what your mom was trying to say, then we wouldn't have anyone to talk to at all -- I remember hearing the evangelist David Ring speak one time -- David has cerebral palsy and he shakes uncontrollably and is very difficult to understand -- he said that one day someone walked up to him and said, "Don't you just want to be normal?" -- he looked at them for a moment and then pointed at them and said, "You think you're normal?" and started laughing
-- we are all strange in our own little ways -- we are all different and unique creations of God -- some of us, though, are just a little stranger than others
-- but, if you think about it, aren't those the people that you are drawn to? -- aren't those the people that catch your eye and catch your attention? -- I remember several years ago, Kim and I visited a non-denominational church here in town -- and I went with a certain expectation -- having grown up going to church in south Georgia, you kind of know what you're going to see -- normal people -- people just like us
-- but, when we got there, we were seated on a row with this guy who was covered in tattoos from head-to-toe and had multiple piercings on his body -- I was fascinated by him because he was so different from what I expected to see -- he captured my attention, and I hate to say it, but I spent most of the service stealing glances at him rather than worshiping God
-- there's just something about these strange, eclectic people -- these people who march to their own drum -- who go through life making their own path rather than following the crowd -- that draws our attention
-- so, it is no surprise to me that when God was ready to send His Son to the world -- that He selected just such a person to announce the coming of the Messiah
-- of course, we're referring to John the Baptist -- and, as we will see, everything about John was a little strange -- last week we talked about the strangeness of his birth -- which caused the people to exclaim, "What then is this child going to be?" -- and now we see what he has become -- a stranger in a very real sense
-- as Alistair Begg puts it, "A Strange Man in a Strange Place" -- and, I would add, "with a strange message"
-- so, this morning, I want to spend some time looking at the life and times of John the Baptist -- we are primarily going to be in Matthew this morning, but I am going to be referring to the other synoptic gospels -- Mark and Luke -- as we go through this

II. A Strange Place
-- look back at verse 1

1. In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the Desert of Judea
2. and saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near."
3. This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah: "A voice of one calling in the desert, `Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.'"
4. John's clothes were made of camel's hair, and he had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey.
5. People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan.
6. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.


-- last week, we talked about how the best way to understand another person is to walk a mile in their shoes -- to see life through their eyes
-- this morning, I want you to imagine that you are living in the time of John the Baptist -- Matthew tells us that it was "in those days" -- but Luke tells us exactly when it was -- it was during the fifteenth year of the reign of Emperor Tiberius, when Pontius Pilate was the governor of Judea -- it would have been around 29 or 30 AD
-- and one day, someone comes up to you and says, "I hear there's this great new rabbi -- this exciting new teacher and preacher -- and he's out by the Jordan River and several of us were going to go hear him and we wanted to know if you wanted to go" -- what would be the first thought in your mind?
-- probably, it would be -- "why the Jordan River?" -- I mean, if this man is such a great teacher and preacher, why isn't he in the temple -- or at least in the synagogue -- if his message is so good, why is he out there? -- why isn't he here, where the people are?
-- the gospels tell us that when John the Baptist began in his ministry -- "in those days" -- he began by preaching in the wilderness -- in the Desert of Judea -- as Luke tells it, in the region all around the Jordan -- this is the area known now as the "Jordan Rift Valley" -- it stretches from Syria all the way to the Red Sea following the drainages that make up the Jordan River
-- the area that John preached in probably ranged from the Sea of Galilee to the north down to the Dead Sea -- now, this was truly a desolate area, with very little native vegetation -- extensive deserts -- and very little water, except for the Jordan River, and it would almost dry up from time to time -- there were a few scattered towns and villages in this region, but, by and large, it was uninhabited except for the wandering shepherd or nomad
-- this area -- the Jordan Rift Valley -- is the lowest place in the world -- at the Sea of Galilee it is 700 feet below sea level, and drops from there to 1300 feet below sea level at the Dead Sea

-- if you were beginning a ministry, this would be an area that most church growth experts would tell you to avoid -- the experts tell you that if you are going to be successful in ministry, that you need to be in a place with a growing population -- with ready access from major highways -- with a large, highly visible church, well-tended and immaculate in appearance -- with ample parking and ample activities for all members of the family
-- the Jordan Rift Valley is not that place -- so, why did God send John there to start his ministry? -- it's like I said a few weeks ago, "Sometimes, you have to leave home in order to find home" -- sometimes you have to get away from the familiar in order to find what it is you are really looking for -- perhaps that is what it took for the people in John's day to open their ears and to open their eyes and to hear the good news of the gospel for the first time in their life
-- and the people certainly responded -- Matthew tells us that people went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan
-- which just goes to show, the places that the church growth experts think are strange -- the places that they think won't ever work -- places like small country churches stuck out in the middle of nowhere -- just might be the place where God's power is made manifest through the teaching of the Word -- the issue is not the place, but whether God is there or not

III. A Strange Man
-- but, that was not the only thing that was strange about John's ministry -- when I first mentioned his name this morning, I imagine a vision of him popped in your head -- not a vision of him dressed in a fine robe, well-kempt and perfect in appearance, standing by the Jordan River surrounded by listeners as he calmly preached to them -- no, your vision of him was probably kind of like mine -- wild-eyed -- unkempt -- maybe his hair uncombed -- wearing this coarse brown robe -- very similar to what Matthew has described here in verse 4
-- both Matthew and Mark make mention of how strange John was -- not just where he preached, but also because of his appearance and behavior -- keep in mind that Matthew was a contemporary of John -- and Mark may have been, too, even though he appears to have been a little younger than the Apostles -- they knew John -- they had seen him and talked to him and the strangeness of John, especially in his dress, would have stood out to them
-- these men -- both Jews -- would have grown up knowing certain rules about dress and behavior and the way good Jewish men were supposed to act
-- I'm sure their mothers had a mommy manual, too -- and while it probably didn't say, "wear clean underwear because you might be in an accident" -- it probably did say, "wear good clothes -- behave yourself in public -- remember who you are -- you are of the people of God -- and you are to act like it" -- this was the cultural norm -- this was how they distinguished themselves from the others in Judea -- from the Romans and the pagans and the other Gentiles there
-- so, you can just imagine the shock that these fine, well-dressed Jews had when they made their way down to the Jordan Valley to hear this fine, new preacher only to discover that he wasn't wearing a suit and tie -- he wasn't wearing clergy robes -- he wasn't even wearing the normal dress of the people in that day -- he was dressed in animal skins -- camel skins -- with a leather belt -- and he was going around eating locusts and all other kind of exotic food
-- can you picture them on the river bank approaching John, thinking to themselves, "What a strange place and what a strange man -- can he be saying anything of any value at all?"
-- we tend to think like that, don't we? -- we tend to be somewhat judgemental of our fellow church-goers -- especially of our leaders and our teachers and our preachers -- we know how they are supposed to act and what they are supposed to wear and how they are supposed to carry themselves -- we judge them more based on their appearance and behavior than we do on what they teach and believe
-- so both Matthew and Mark make a point out of what John was wearing to point out that God's word sometimes comes from improbable sources -- just like it sometimes comes in unlikely places

IV. Strange Message
-- the other reason why both Matthew and Mark made such a big deal about John's clothes is that it pointed to his message -- the angel Gabriel had told Zechariah, John's father, that John the Baptist would go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to make ready a people for the Lord -- when the men and women went out to hear John preaching in the Jordan wilderness -- and when they saw him and his dress -- they would immediately have been reminded of the story of Elijah from the Old Testament
-- Elijah, too, dressed in a garment of hair with a leather belt and spent most of his time in the wilderness, preaching a message of repentance to the nation of Israel
-- and that is the exact same message that John preached -- Mark tells us that John's appearance ushered in "the beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God" -- John's message would have sounded as strange to the ears of his listeners as Elijah's message had to the people of his day

-- the Jews had been taught to justify themselves by the leaders of the church -- they were told day-in and day-out, "follow the laws -- try to live a good life -- sacrifice once a year on the day of atonement -- and you will be righteous in the eyes of God"
-- let me put the message of the Jewish church to you in terms that you might hear today -- "go to church on Sunday -- read your Bible and pray every day -- try to live a good life -- and you'll go to heaven when you die" -- there's a lot of people that we meet -- there's a lot of people in our churches -- that believe that -- they believe that if they're good and if they come to church and if they try to live a moral and upright life -- if they follow all the rules -- then they're a Christian
-- that's exactly what all these fine and upstanding Jews from Jerusalem and from all Judea who were coming out to hear this strange man in this strange place thought -- that's what they expected to hear -- a message that would justify what they were doing in their religious life -- they were coming to hear someone tell them, "You've got it right" -- they didn't come expecting to hear the Word of God -- they came expecting to hear someone tickle their ears and tell them just how good and holy they were

-- but the message of John the Baptist was, "No, you're not -- you're not good or holy or righteous" -- look down at verse 7

7. But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?
8. Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.
9. And do not think you can say to yourselves, `We have Abraham as our father.' I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham.
10. The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.
11. "I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me will come one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.

-- "You brood of vipers" -- hardly the message that they expected -- but exactly the message they needed to hear
-- John was telling them, "You may think you're righteous -- you may think you're holy -- you may think you are secure with God -- but you're not -- you're actually a brood of vipers -- your heart is not right -- you have sin in your life -- and you need to turn from your sin -- be baptized -- and put your faith in the One who is to come"
-- C.S. Lewis once remarked how hard it is to evangelize good people -- and I've seen that in my own life -- I've tried to tell people at work -- good hard-working people -- people who are trying to live good lives and who don't break the law and who appear to have it all together -- I've tried to tell them about Christ and about their need for a Savior, but they tell me, "I go to church -- I do good things -- I know that I'm going to go to heaven when I die"
-- but that's not what the Bible says -- the Bible says you can't get there on your own -- you have to make a personal decision to receive Jesus and His atoning, sacrificial death on the cross if you want to be holy and righteous in God's eyes -- that's why Jesus came
-- one of the hardest things in the world is to convince a "good" person that they can never be "good enough" to get to heaven on their own -- that they need to turn from their sins and ask Jesus to forgive them for their sins and to ask Him to be their Lord and Savior
-- and that, in a nutshell, was the message of John the Baptist -- and that is the message for you, this morning

V. Closing
-- John the Baptist -- a strange man in a strange place with a strange message -- someone sent by God to catch the attention of the world -- to shock them out of their comfort zone -- and to prepare their hearts to receive Christ Jesus as their Lord and Savior
-- a man who showed that it doesn't matter where you are -- or where your church is -- a man who showed that you don't have to conform to the ways of the world in dress or behavior -- in order to do great things for God
-- the most important thing is to have the message -- to have the Word of God in your heart -- and to faithfully share it where you are
-- and when you do that -- the people will come -- and hearts will be transformed -- and lives will be changed through the power of the Holy Spirit made manifest in their lives

-- as I close this morning, as the last hymn is played, I want you to ask yourself these questions, "Have I ever made a personal decision to receive Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior? -- Have I ever turned from my sins and asked Jesus to forgive me for all that I have done that is wrong in His eyes?"
-- you may have gone to church your whole life -- you might read the Bible and pray on a daily basis -- you might live a good and moral life -- but if you've never answered "Yes" to those questions, then you are as lost as all those Jews who went out to hear John the Baptist in the wilderness of Judea
-- if you have never answered "Yes" to those questions, then I would invite you to do so this morning, before you leave here
-- John the Baptist -- a strange man in a strange place with a strange message -- but, maybe, a message for you today
-- let us pray

GEORGE WASHINGTON, GOD, AND THANKSGIVING

Ran across this letter from the writings of George Washington. Despite claims from liberal scholars that Washington was a deist and did not believe in a personal God, his writings continue to say contrary. In this letter, we see Washington calling for a Thanksgiving Day to "acknowledge the providence of Almight God" and to thank Him for all that He has done in bringing about our great country.

The Writings of George Washington from the Original Manuscript Sources, 1745-1799. John C. Fitzpatrick, Editor.[Note 77: A copy of this proclamation was sent to the executives of the States by the President in a brief form letter (October 3). This form is recorded in the "Letter Book" in the Washington Papers.]

City of New York, October 3, 1789.

Whereas it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor, and Whereas both Houses of Congress have by their joint Committee78 requested me "to recommend to the People of the United States a day of public thanks-giving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness."

[Note 78: The Senate concurred in the House resolve to this effect, September 26.]

Now therefore I do recommend and assign Thursday the 26th. day of November next to be devoted by the People of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being, who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be. That we may then all unite in rendering unto him our sincere and humble thanks, for his kind care and protection of the People of this country previous to their becoming a Nation, for the signal and manifold mercies, and the favorable interpositions of his providence, which we experienced in the course and conclusion of the late war, for the great degree of tranquillity, union, and plenty, which we have since enjoyed, for the peaceable and rational manner in which we have been enabled to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national One now lately instituted, for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed, and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge and in general for all the great and various favors which he hath been pleased to confer upon us.

And also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech him to pardon our national and other transgressions, to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually, to render our national government a blessing to all the People, by constantly being a government of wise, just and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed, to protect and guide all Sovereigns and Nations (especially such as have shown kindness unto us) and to bless them with good government, peace, and concord. To promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the encrease of science among them and Us, and generally to grant unto all Mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as he alone knows to be best.79

[Note 79: From the original in the writing of William Jackson. It was signed by Washington, who had written in the day "third" in the date.
This was the first national Thanksgiving Day proclamation under the Constitution.]

SERMON: BEING JOHN THE BAPTIST

Preached by Gregory W. Lee
5 November 2006

I. Introduction
-- turn in Bibles to Matthew 3

1. In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the Desert of Judea
2. and saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near."
3. This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah: "A voice of one calling in the desert, `Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.'"
4. John's clothes were made of camel's hair, and he had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey.
5. People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan.
6. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.
7. But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?
8. Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.
9. And do not think you can say to yourselves, `We have Abraham as our father.' I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham.
10. The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.
11. "I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me will come one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.
12. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire."

-- several years ago, there was a movie called, "Being John Malkovich" -- it revolved around this failed puppeter named Craig Schwartz, who is forced to take a job in a rather strange office -- as time goes by, he discovers a secret portal in the office that allows him to enter the consciousness of the actor John Malkovich for 15 minutes at a time
-- now, while this is not a movie that I would recommend to the church, I do want us to think about the concept of the movie for just a minute -- what insights could you gain into the life of another person if you could spend 15 minutes inside of them? -- all my life I have been told to not judge anyone until I walked a mile in their shoes -- sometimes I think it's important for us to try to get inside the mind of another person to understand what that person is all about
-- in this case, I want us to spend the next little while trying to get inside the mind of John the Baptist -- without a doubt, John the Baptist is one of the least understood and appreciated characters in the New Testament, even though he has one of the most important roles that God ever gave to a man -- Jesus Himself said that, among those born of women, there had never been a man like John the Baptist
-- but, John is overshadowed by others in the New Testament -- Jesus, of course, since Jesus is the whole point of the Bible and life itself -- but also by Jesus' disciples -- Peter and James and John and the others -- and by the Apostle Paul and James and Barnabus and Silas and the other leaders of the early Christian church
-- so, this morning, let's spend some time looking at the life and times of John the Baptist and let's see what insights we can gain into his character and his place and his message and what these insights mean to us in our attempt to serve Christ in this place

II. What then is this child going to be?
-- flip over to Luke 1 and let's start our study of John the Baptist there

5. In the time of Herod king of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah; his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron.
6. Both of them were upright in the sight of God, observing all the Lord's commandments and regulations blamelessly.
7. But they had no children, because Elizabeth was barren; and they were both well along in years.

-- here we are introduced to John's parents -- Luke describes them as being godly -- upright in the sight of God -- observing all the Lord's commandments and following the law blamelessly -- both of them were descended from Aaron, which means that they were descended from the Jewish priestly line
-- to put this into our modern terms, what we see described here is a country preacher and his wife, who love the Lord and who are serving Him in their lives and in the church to the best of their ability -- however, Luke goes on to tell us that Elizabeth is barren -- she is childless -- and, in that day and age, that meant everything to a woman -- children were a blessing from the Lord, and Elisabeth's failure to have a child -- even though she was the daughter and wife of a priest -- made the people in that place believe that she was out of favor with God
-- this just goes to show why we should never try to judge another person's relationship with the Lord until we have walked a mile in their shoes -- what we take as being out of favor with God may just be a delayed blessing, as is the case with Zechariah and Elizabeth -- they may be godly -- they may be serving God with their whole hearts -- but God may be withholding a blessing or a healing or a touch in their life at this moment in order to bring greater glory to Himself at a later time -- such was the case with Zechariah and Elizabeth
-- verse 8

8. Once when Zechariah's division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God,
9. he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to go into the temple of the Lord and burn incense.
10. And when the time for the burning of incense came, all the assembled worshipers were praying outside.

-- in David's day, the number of priests had greatly increased -- Aaron had numerous descendants who were called to serve God in the temple -- so David divided the priests up into 24 divisions, and set up a system by which each division would fairly share the duties of serving God in the temple
-- each of the divisions served in the temple for one week twice a year and at major festivals -- but, the highlight of a priest's service would be to offer incense at the daily sacrifice -- each priest could offer incense only once in his lifetime -- and the time came for Zechariah to serve in this capacity
-- this would be like me -- as a part-time local pastor -- being called to come to General Conference for the Methodist Churst -- the world-wide gathering of Methodist leaders and Bishops held every four years -- to offer the opening prayer -- it would be a once-in-a-lifetime honor
-- that is what it was like for Zechariah to offer incense in the temple -- now, it was his duty to offer corporate prayers on behalf of the people of the nation of Israel as he served -- while he was inside the temple offering incense and prayers to God, the rest of the priests and the other worshippers would be offering prayers outside
-- and, it seems, that while Zechariah was offering his prayers for the people, he whispered a quiet prayer of his own -- one that touched the hurt that was in his and Elizabeth's life -- their failure to have a child of their own -- Luke tells us they were up in age, so Zechariah's prayer probably wasn't for a child, but may have just been a reminder of the pain they had suffered and a request for their pain of infertility and loneliness to be removed by God -- but God had bigger plans for this godly couple
-- verse 11

11. Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense.
12. When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear.
13. But the angel said to him: "Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to give him the name John.
14. He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth,
15. for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from birth.
16. Many of the people of Israel will he bring back to the Lord their God.
17. And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous--to make ready a people prepared for the Lord."

-- and here we are introduced to the person of John the Baptist -- we are given a glimpse of what it meant to be him -- of what it was like to live inside of him for just a moment -- God had heard the prayers of Zechariah and had sent Gabriel to come to him and let him know that his prayers had not only been heard, but they had been answered -- the couple were going to have a son -- but not just any son
-- not only was this child going to be a joy and a delight to Zechariah and Elizabeth, erasing the days of pain and loneliness from their lives -- but, more importantly, he was going to cause great rejoicing in the land of Israel because he was coming to prepare the way of the Lord -- he was being sent to bring the people of Israel back to their God -- to make the people ready to receive the coming Messiah
-- verse 18

18. Zechariah asked the angel, "How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years."
19. The angel answered, "I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news.
20. And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their proper time."

-- God always rewards those who serve Him and who are upright and just in His sight -- the rewards may be long in coming -- they may not even come in this lifetime -- they may not be what we expect, and we might not recognize them when they come -- but, the message of the Bible is clear, serving God with a whole heart results in God's blessings
-- however, God does not reward a lack of faith -- James tells us in James 1:6-7 that when we ask of God in prayer, "we must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does."
-- when Gabriel appears to Zechariah and announces the birth of a son, Zechariah is filled with doubt -- he is still righteous -- he is still upright in the eyes of the Lord -- he is still blameless in his character -- but, when the answer to his whispered prayer comes, he displays a heart that is beginning to doubt in God's willingness to bless and work in his own life

-- how often that happens to us -- we go through life trying to serve God as best we can -- walking humbly and upright in His sight -- trusting in His hand and in His mighty power to move and act in us -- but, as time goes by, and the child doesn't come -- or the sickness lingers -- or our prodigal children don't return -- or we are faced with financial troubles -- or any of a hundred other things -- we begin to doubt in our hearts
-- we still murmur the prayers -- we still seek God's face -- but we begin to doubt that God will work -- we know He can -- but we start to believe that He won't
-- think about the story of Lazarus -- as Mary and Martha stood by the grave of their dead brother Lazarus, they doubted that Jesus would do anything -- they knew He could -- and they knew that if He had come earlier, Lazarus wouldn't have died -- but now, they doubted that He would do anything to relieve their grief
-- after the tremendous victory over the pagan priests at Mount Carmel, the prophet Elijah fled to a cave and had a pity party -- despite seeing God act in such a decisive way for the nation of Israel, Elijah doubted that God would work in his own life
-- in all of these cases, we see the same theme -- godly, righteous people -- people who trust in the Lord and in His mighty power -- begin to give up hope -- not in the power of God -- but in God's willingness to work in their lives
-- how many miracles are detoured in our lives because we refuse to believe? -- how many blessings don't come our way because we become double-minded in our prayers
-- Romans 8:28 says, "We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose" -- this verse says, "don't doubt -- trust God" -- even though the blessing has been delayed -- even though the healing hasn't come -- even though the thing we most desire and most earnestly seek in our lives hasn't happened, doesn't mean that God isn't going to meet it -- standing at the grave of their dead brother Lazarus, Jesus told Mary and Martha, "Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?"
-- God will always answer prayers -- He will always work for the good of those who love Him -- if answers to your prayers are not coming, then one of three things is going on -- either you are asking for the wrong thing -- or it is just not God's timing -- or He is using your situation to mold you and make you into a better Christian -- when God answers prayers, you can be sure that it will be in a way that brings glory to Himself -- our task is to pray fervently and to trust that God not only can, but will, work in our lives to bring good out of all situations
-- maybe it had been too long for Zechariah and Elizabeth -- they were up in years -- Elizabeth's womb had closed -- so, when Gabriel announced the upcoming birth of a son, Zechariah spoke from doubt and not from faith -- "How can I be sure of this?"
-- as a priest in God's service, he should have known the answer in his heart before those words ever came out -- "you can be sure because God said it" -- Zechariah had indeed prayed for himself and his wife, but he had lost faith in God's willingness to answer his prayers
-- and because of his doubt -- because of his lack of faith -- Zechariah's lips were sealed -- until the promise of God was fulfilled and John the Baptist was born and named -- Zechariah would be unable to speak
-- why? -- because his words would betray the doubt in his heart -- his words would not bring glory to God -- so he was struck dumb until the miracle was complete
-- verse 21

21. Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah and wondering why he stayed so long in the temple.
22. When he came out, he could not speak to them. They realized he had seen a vision in the temple, for he kept making signs to them but remained unable to speak.
23. When his time of service was completed, he returned home.
24. After this his wife Elizabeth became pregnant and for five months remained in seclusion.
25. "The Lord has done this for me," she said. "In these days he has shown his favor and taken away my disgrace among the people."

-- so Zechariah returned home, perhaps still doubting and wondering in his heart -- but, Elizabeth became pregnant as Gabriel had promised -- and she gave glory to God in her response to this miraculous pregnancy

-- skip over to verse 57, and let's finish our first session on the life of John the Baptist by looking at the birth of the son of the promise

57. When it was time for Elizabeth to have her baby, she gave birth to a son.
58. Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown her great mercy, and they shared her joy.

-- as I was studying this passage this week, those words of Luke in verse 57 stood out at me -- "she gave birth to a son" -- now, why was this significant?
-- a couple of reasons -- first, it showed that doubt still existed in Zechariah's heart -- he had been told that the couple would have a son and that he would be great in the eyes of the Lord -- but still, when Elizabeth became pregnant, Zechariah must have doubted -- if he had truly believed, don't you think he would have shared this with Elizabeth? -- he may not have been able to tell her, but surely he could have written it down? -- I think that's why Luke did not qualify this phrase by saying, "she gave birth to a son as God had said" -- Zechariah had not shared the news of Gabriel and the promise of God up to this time
-- look over at verse 44

44. As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy.

-- when Mary, the mother of Jesus, came to visit her cousin Elizabeth, John jumped for joy in Elizabeth's womb -- but Elizabeth did not acknowledge that this was a boy -- she merely said, "the baby in my womb" -- she didn't know
-- and, secondly, it shows the goodness of God -- the desire of all Jewish women was to have a son -- to have someone to carry on the family name -- but, more importantly, to have someone who might just be the Messiah -- it was the overwhelming desire of all Jewish women at that time to be the one to bear the Messiah -- not only did God answer the prayers of Zechariah and Elizabeth by letting them have a child in their old age, but He gave them a son
-- isn't that just like God? -- how many times have we prayed for something, but then gotten even more than what we prayed for -- God wants to answer our prayers -- He wants to bring joy into our lives by blessing us richly -- but we must trust and not doubt that He will do so
-- verse 59

59. On the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to name him after his father Zechariah,
60. but his mother spoke up and said, "No! He is to be called John."
61. They said to her, "There is no one among your relatives who has that name."
62. Then they made signs to his father, to find out what he would like to name the child.
63. He asked for a writing tablet, and to everyone's astonishment he wrote, "His name is John."
64. Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue was loosed, and he began to speak, praising God.
65. The neighbors were all filled with awe, and throughout the hill country of Judea people were talking about all these things.
66. Everyone who heard this wondered about it, asking, "What then is this child going to be?" For the Lord's hand was with him.

-- finally, Zechariah's heart has overcome his doubt -- for nine months he has lived with doubt over the promise of a son -- yes, Elizabeth became pregnant -- but who's to say it's a boy? -- so he remained quiet -- literally -- and didn't share the promise of God
-- but, as we sing in our hymns, his faith became sight -- as the sound of the newborn John filled the room, doubt was overcome with faith and with a renewed trust in the power -- and willingness -- of God to work in the lives of those who love Him
-- but, one final thing had to be done -- the child had to be named as God commanded -- so, breaking from normal conventions at that time -- Zechariah demanded that the child be named "John," even though no one in his family had ever borne that name
-- and, the moment Zechariah expressed his faith by writing on the tablet, his mouth was opened -- his tongue was loosed -- and in the silence, a heart renewed in faith and trust praised God
-- it it any wonder that the people who were there responded by asking the question that foreshadowed the life and ministry of John, "What then is this child going to be?"
-- and that is the question we will pick up next week when we meet again

-- as we close in prayer, I am going to invite you to respond to God's word as you feel led -- perhaps you have been struggling with unanswered prayer in your life -- perhaps doubt -- not over God's power but over His willingness to work has filled your heart as it did Zechariah's -- if this is the case, I would invite you to recommit yourself to God this morning -- ask Him to remove your doubt -- and renew your trust in His grace
-- let us pray

PASTORAL MENTORS IN THE UMC

Earlier today I was discussing the upcoming District Committee on Ministry (DCOM) meeting with a fellow part-time local pastor. He had just received a mild chastisement from the District Superintendent for not contacting his district-appointed mentor in order to get ready for the meeting. Several years ago I was taken to task for not doing the same thing.

My friend mentioned that he had called his mentor (actually, his third mentor since beginning the process 7 years ago) and tried to set up an appointment. After several tries, he had finally gotten in touch with him and set up a date. But, his mentor had someone go in the hospital so the meeting was cancelled. So, he still hasn't had a meeting, and now, unless he can get something set up within the next two weeks, he's going to have to face the wrath of the DCOM. He was a little frustrated with the whole thing, which I fully understand. I have called my mentor a couple of times in the past week, trying to set up a meeting, and have not spoken with him yet. One time, I got no answer. The next time, I left a message on his machine, but he hasn't returned my call yet. Still, as the DS and the DCOM remind us, "It's our responsibility to meet with our mentors on a regular basis."

My friend's son made a good point today after his last attempt to meet with the mentor failed. His son said, "I thought a mentor had responsibilities to you, as well." After hearing this comment from my friend's son, I started pondering the whole pastoral mentoring process in the UMC Candidacy Process.

I understand the need for a mentoring (discipling) relationship. I have actually preached and taught from the pulpit the need for everyone to be in such a relationship, both as a disciple and as a mentor. The spiritual life is hard, and the pastoral life is even harder. We need guidance. We need to seek the advice of someone who has been down that path before us. We need someone who can hold us accountable in our spiritual lives. But, I question the way it is done in the UMC (at least in our district).

In my experience (and in the experience of my friends), the mentoring relationship in the pastoral candidacy process is more a one-way street. It is the local pastor or student pastor's responsibility to set up meetings and to bring up issues. But, it shouldn't be that way. In a true discipleship relationship, the mentor should be meeting with the disciple on a regular basis, working through issues and helping them to grow in their faith and in their pastoral ministry with definite goals along the way. I'm not saying there should be a standard program that all mentoring relationships should follow, but I think the pair should work on the needs of that particular student pastor or local pastor. Perhaps the mentor should meet with the Pastor-Parish Relations committee of his disciple on a regular basis, so he can be aware of the issues that are going on and develop a plan to help the disciple grow through these issues. It cannot just be up to the student pastor/local pastor to decide what issues to work on. Sometimes, we just aren't aware there are problems or issues with our ministry. Generally, it takes someone outside of you to point out your faults and the areas you need work on. You are just too close and just can't see them. This should be a responsibility of the mentor.

A couple of years ago, another local pastor friend of mine got discouraged over the lack of discipleship training coming from the District. Because we couldn't get assistance from our mentors, we agreed to meet together. So three of us formed a mutual discipleship/accountability group to meet and discuss pastoral issues that we were facing in our churches. While this has been a great group and while it serves as a driver in my spiritual life, it does not answer the need for a Paul in our lives, someone who is older and more mature in the faith and in the pastorate who can give us guidance based on years of wisdom.

At the present time, I would have to say that I am disappointed in the mentoring relationship in our district. I see it -- and maybe the elder mentors do as well -- as just another hoop that we have to jump through enroute to the DCOM meeting. It's not something that anyone wants (primarily because it hasn't been tried as it should be). It's just something that we have to do.

There are concerns in the Methodist Church over the lack of young clergy. Perhaps it is time to revisit the mentoring requirement of the candidacy program and to revive it into a meaningful relationship that helps grow pastors for our church.

SERMON: FINDING HOME

Preached by Gregory W. Lee
29 October 2006

I. Introduction
-- turn in Bibles to Acts 9

1. Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord's disciples. He went to the high priest
2. and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem.
3. As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him.
4. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?"
5. "Who are you, Lord?" Saul asked. "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting," he replied.
6. "Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do."
7. The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone.
8. Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus.
9. For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything.
10. In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord called to him in a vision, "Ananias!" "Yes, Lord," he answered.
11. The Lord told him, "Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying.
12. In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight."
13. "Lord," Ananias answered, "I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your saints in Jerusalem.
14. And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name."
15. But the Lord said to Ananias, "Go! This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel.
16. I will show him how much he must suffer for my name."
17. Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, "Brother Saul, the Lord--Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here--has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit."
18. Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul's eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized,
19. and after taking some food, he regained his strength. Saul spent several days with the disciples in Damascus.

-- you have to leave home in order to find home -- you have to leave home in order to find home -- now that's a statement that's true for all of us -- because in our lives we find out that if we remain at home -- safe and secure in who we are and in where we are and even in what we believe, we may find ourselves more lost than ever before
-- such was the case with the Apostle Paul in this passage -- when this passage opens up, we see the Apostle Paul -- still going by his given name of Saul -- as a confident young man -- safe and secure in who he was, where he was, and in what he believed -- he was a Hebrew among Hebrew -- a Pharisee among Pharisees -- of the Tribe of Benjamin -- circumcised on the eighth day -- zealous for the Lord
-- in our day, we use the term "yuppie" to describe a person who is a young, urban professional -- someone who is up and coming in their world -- and that is exactly what Saul was -- he was an up and coming leader in the synagogue -- a rising star -- a bright pupil who was taught at the feet of Gamaliel -- he knew the law and was extremely zealous for the law
-- he knew who he was -- he knew what he wanted to be -- and he knew what was needed to be done to get there -- and that was who the Apostle Paul was -- he was very secure in his position -- he was the golden boy of the temple and the synagogue -- he was expected to take over the reins of leadership -- and that's the way things were going in his life -- he was safe and secure at home -- he was at home in the temple -- he was at home in the synagogue -- and he was at home with who he was and where he was going

II. My Story
-- you know, in many ways in my own life, I was similar to the Apostle Paul -- I grew up going to a small Methodist church in Adel -- our church was on a part-time charge, so we only had church every other Sunday -- second and fourth Sundays
-- missing church every other week kind of gets you out of a rhythm in going -- so, while I say I grew up in the church, we missed quite a few Sundays here and there -- we would sometimes go months between services -- but I did go enough to get a good foundation in Sunday School of what the Bible said -- of who God was -- and I learned who Jesus was
-- I was safe and secure in that church -- it was home -- I grew up in the Sunday School -- we were well-liked by the people there -- my parents were respected in the community
-- when I was 12 years old, I asked my preacher to baptize me -- not because of any personal decision that I had made -- not because of any faith I was professing -- it was simply because it was expected in my home church -- when you were around the age of 12, you were expected to be baptized and join the church -- my sister, even though she was 1-1/2 years younger, had already been baptized -- and it was time for me to do so -- so I went down and joined the church, and I was welcomed in with gladness -- I was hugged and loved and I felt more at home than at any point in my life up to that time because I was safe and secure in who I was and what I was doing
-- but God isn't happy with faith like that -- or even with faith like Saul -- I was safe and secure from all alarms -- not because of Jesus, but because I was at home -- and that is the situation that we find the Apostle Paul in this passage -- safe and secure from all alarms simply because he was at home and had fulfilled -- and even exceeded -- all the expectations of his elders in the church
-- but God is not going to leave you in that situation if you are not truly saved -- He will do whatever He has to to get your attention -- He is going to draw you away from home -- away from your comfort zone -- away from your false security -- so you can put real faith in Him -- and He will use whatever He has to to get your attention -- people -- places -- events -- trials -- tribulations -- whatever it takes to get your focus off of home and onto Him -- that is why I say that you have to leave home in order to find home

III. At Home with Paul
-- well, in Paul's case, Paul's world was disturbed -- seems all of a sudden, in his idyllic setting in the temple and synagogue, this group of false believers had come in -- they were following this peasant rabbi, Jesus, who had claimed to be the Messiah -- and they were coming into the temple and defiling it with their presence -- they were disturbing the status quo -- they were disturbing Paul's home -- and Paul didn't like that
-- Paul knew that he had to do something about these followers of Jesus who called themselves, "The Way" -- He needed to purge them from the church in order to purify the church -- he needed to get rid of those who were different and who were causing a disturbance in his world -- and so that's what he did
-- there's a concept that we know of called "homeostasis" -- this term means that we like things to stay the same -- people don't like change -- and this is true even for dysfunctional systems as well -- we prefer to stay with what we know rather than allow change to come in, even if the change might be better
-- that is why we see a lot of abused wives staying in bad situations -- they prefer what they know over the uncertainty of change -- it's better to stay with what they know than to head into the unknown -- that's why a lot of churches won't grow -- they prefer themselves the way they are and won't make the changes to make themselves better -- you have to leave home in order to find home

-- so in this place in the book of Acts, we see Saul starting the persecution of Christians -- it started with the stoning of Stephen -- Saul may not have actually picked up a rock and thrown it, but he stood there approving it -- and he took it upon himself to purge the Jewish church of these people called, "The Way" -- of these Christians who followed Jesus
-- he became known for his brutal persecutions of Christians -- he so persecuted the church in Jerusalem that it scattered and disappeared for the most part -- there was no one left but a handful of elders -- and Paul found himself almost out of a job -- but he heard they were going to other cities and spreading their teaching there -- and so Paul decided to hit the road to put an end to this madness once and for all
-- look back at verse 1

1. Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord's disciples. He went to the high priest
2. and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem.

-- so Paul hit the road to Damascus to search out Christians -- God was using the presence of these Christians in Paul's life to get his attention -- to draw him away from home -- out of his comfort zone -- so Paul might find home

IV. Home on Ossabaw
-- in my life, Paul came in and used a coworker to draw me away from home -- when I graduated from college, I took my first wildlife job -- working with wildlife diseases on Ossabaw Island off the coast of Savannah -- and it was there that I first sensed God trying to get my attention -- He had drawn me away from home so I might find home -- and he put me on that island with a man who was, well, there's just no way around it, he was just strange -- his name is Ed, and he's one of my dearest friends, but Ed's one of those people that peculiar things just happen to -- let me show you what I mean
-- in the early 1980's there was a deer die-off in the Everglades as the result of some unusual flooding -- the deer had gathered on high spots in the swamp and were dying, and the state wanted to kill most of the survivors to prevent future die-offs -- but several animal right's groups got involved and sued the state and demanded the right to catch the deer and move them out of the swamp -- the state hired the Wildlife Disease Study to prove that the die-off was due to parasites and diseases and to show that moving them wouldn't stop the problem -- so, Ed and his team down there to check out the deer to see what was causing the die-off
-- the news media got involved, so the head of the Wildlife Disease Study flew down there to be interviewed -- they set up the interview on camera with Ed and his team working up the deer on this row of tables behind Dr. Hayes, kind of in the background of the shot -- while they were interviewing Dr. Hayes, Ed reached over to get something off the table, and accidentally knocked over the alcohol lamp
-- it spilled over the table and ignited the apron of the guy who was working next to Ed -- so once this guy realizes that he's on fire, he panics and starts running -- Ed grabs a towel and starts chasing him -- now, like Larry Munson says, get the picture -- here is the head of the Wildlife Disease Study being interviewed on camera, and behind him there's this guy on fire running back and forth with another guy chasing him with a towel -- well, Ed finally tackled the guy and put the fire out and he wasn't really hurt at all -- but it just goes to show you what kind of things happened when you were around Ed
-- I remember one time when I was working on Ossabaw Island with Ed -- we had been out working till early in the morning hours -- Ed offered to drive back and me and this other guy were kind of dozing off in the truck
-- well, at one point, I looked up and Ed was just driving along, weaving in and out of the trees -- I said, "Ed, where's the road?" -- and we got to looking, and Ed had driven off the road and was just wandering through the woods -- it took us about an hour to find our way back -- like I said, Ed was a unique individual, and God was using Ed to lead me away from my comfort zone and to lead me home to Him -- you have to leave home in order to find home

-- what God was doing in my life and in the Apostle Paul's life is no different than what He's doing in your life -- God is going to use something or somebody to get your attention so that you will come to Him in true faith -- trusting in Him and not in any false security you might have gotten just because you grew up in church
-- the thing about God is that He's persistent -- God will keep increasing the pressure in your life until you finally either come to Him or completely turn away -- look down at verse 4

3. As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him.
4. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?"
5. "Who are you, Lord?" Saul asked. "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting," he replied.
6. "Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do."
7. The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone.
8. Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus.
9. For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything.

-- when Saul did not respond positively to the presence of the Christians in his life, God pulled out all the stops -- Jesus Himself appeared before Saul on the road to Damascus -- and the moment He did, Saul became literally blinded by the light -- he fell to his knees -- and, in the blink of an eye, all of Paul's world -- Paul's beliefs about who he was and what he was doing -- Paul's home -- was shattered
-- in the church, we call that being broken -- and sometimes, God has to break you in order to remake you into a new creation -- if you don't respond to God's call -- to the people and places and events that He's putting in your life to get your attention -- then He will break you -- as I said, you have to leave home in order to find home

V. Treasure in Clay Vessels
-- let me show you what I mean by using this clay pot as an example -- a lot of us are like this clay pot -- we're safe and secure with who we are and with where we are and with what we believe -- it's almost like we're in this little cocoon of safety [drop pot into pillow case] -- and nothing can touch us there
-- but, God's not going to leave us like that -- so slowly, He starts adding a little disturbance to us -- a person here who grates on our nerves -- a teaching that questions our belief -- an evangelist whose message speaks to our heart -- through it all, God is trying to get us to come out of the pillowcase -- to come to Him -- to leave home in order to find it
-- but, if we don't respond, then God adds more pressure -- more trials -- more tribulations -- more challenges to our faith and our security and our comfort -- until, finally, He breaks us just like He broke the Apostle Paul [break pot]
-- but God does that for a reason -- He does it so that we might come to Him in true faith and repentance -- He does it so that we might become His sons and daughters in Christ
-- He breaks us -- He breaks our world -- He breaks our home -- so that we might come home to Him

-- let me finish up with my story -- my friend Ed was a unique individual -- but he was also a Godly individual -- Ed knew Jesus -- and as I watched him over the course of that summer, I realized that Ed was on a different path
-- I watched him get up every morning at 5:30 to read his Bible -- I watched the way he served us in so many different ways in the house we were staying in -- the way he washed the dishes all the time -- the way he cooked more than his share -- it was always Ed who filled the truck with gas -- it was always Ed who made sure we had all our equipment every day
-- and I realized that Ed had something that I didn't have -- and even though we made fun of him driving off the road and getting lost in the trees that night, I came to realize that Ed wasn't lost -- I was the one who was lost
-- and it was at that point, on an island in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, that God broke me -- it was at that point that God led me from what I thought was home and brought me to a new home with Him -- God shattered this clay pot, but He did it for a reason -- He did it so He could make me into this [take up the new pot] -- a bigger pot -- a better pot -- a pot that was home in Him
-- and that is exactly what He did with Saul on the road to Damascus, changing him from a murderous zealot into an apostle who was the greatest missionary of all time

-- what is the take-home message from today? -- you have to leave home in order to find home -- a lot of you may be like I was, safe and secure in the church -- in your family -- in your home -- but not safe and secure in God
-- you are not a Christian because you come to church -- you are not a Christian because you were raised in church -- you are not a Christian because your parents were Christians -- you are only a Christian when you personally ask Jesus to be your Lord and Savior -- to forgive you of your sins and to come into your heart
-- and I think the message from Scripture is clear -- God is not going to leave you where you are -- the Bible tells us that it is God's will that all men be saved -- God is going to do whatever He has to do to get your attention and to draw you home to Him -- even if that means sending you to an island in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean with a guy as peculiar as Ed -- even if that means stopping you on the road to Damascus -- even if that means breaking you -- God will do whatever He has to to get your attention -- we call that "prevenient grace" -- the grace of God wooing us and calling us to Him

-- let me share with you one more example -- Eddie Rickenbacker was a famous pilot in WWII -- His B-17 bomber was shot down in the Pacific Ocean and he and his crew were forced to jump in a small life raft -- they didn't have any food and not much hope of rescue -- one day, they were sitting in the raft and having a worship service and a sea gull came along and landed on Eddie's head -- he reached up slowly, grabbed the bird, and killed it -- his crew ate the gull and used the guts for fish bait -- it kept them alive for 30 days until they were rescued by the Navy
-- Eddie said he knew that God sent that gull to them to save them -- but God didn't just use that gull for physical salvation -- he used to gull to reach the life of an unsaved member of the crew, James Whittaker -- it was seeing God so dramatically answer their prayers that led James Whittaker to give his life to Christ -- that gull was an example of God's prevenient grace in James Whittaker's life -- grace to keep him alive and grace to show him that what he needed most of all was a spiritual savior

-- you have to leave home in order to find home -- let me ask you a question, "have you ever left home?" -- have you ever made a personal decision to accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior? -- what are you putting your trust in? -- this church -- your parents -- your family -- your home?
-- right now, God's prevenient grace is calling each and every one of you -- some to salvation -- some to come back to the relationship that you once had with Him
-- maybe it's through the witness of a friend, like my friend Ed
-- maybe it's through hard times -- sickness in your family -- the death of a loved one -- maybe it's been a close call with death
-- maybe God is speaking to you in the midst of prosperity and happiness, letting you realize that you're putting your faith in money and things and security rather than in Him
-- maybe God is just tugging at your heart and telling you that something's wrong -- something's missing
-- regardless of what God may be telling you this morning, I would invite you to respond to God's word as you feel led -- and remember this -- you have to leave home in order to find home -- let us pray

SERMON: WE ARE NOT ALONE

Preached by Gregory W. Lee
15 October 2006

I. Introduction
-- turn in Bibles to 1 Corinthians 16
-- when I was growing up in the 70's, it seemed like the most popular tv shows and movies involved aliens and UFOs -- I grew up watching the reruns of Star Trek and Lost in Space -- and it seemed like most shows on tv, from time to time, had an episode about aliens coming to earth -- one of the most popular tv shows in the late 1970's was "Mork and Mindy" -- the show where Robin Williams played an alien who came to earth in a giant egg from the planet Ork and lived with Mindy McConnell, who was played by Pam Dawber -- and, of course, there was Project Blue Book, which was supposed to be true stories of UFOs from the files of the Air Force
-- people were fascinated with the idea of aliens existing in the universe and paying visits to earth -- as a kid, I spent a lot of summer nights in my front yard, staring up at the sky and looking for UFOs with my friends -- all of us had stories about friends of a friend who had seen a UFO in the woods, and we spent hours scanning the skies looking for a UFO ourself
-- our country was caught up in a UFO-craze -- everyone was looking for UFOs and stories of extraterrestrials dotted our newspapers and our nightly news -- it seemed like the question on everyone's lips during that decade was, "Are we alone?"
-- and, when you look back, that's an understandable question -- our country had just come through the turbulent 60's, with the protests and the drug culture and the defining war of that generation in Vietnam -- it was during the early 70s that we saw our troops finally leaving Saigon and when we had political corruption in the highest office in the land, leading to the resignation of Richard Nixon -- gas prices were at an all time high -- inflation was soaring -- the future looked hopeless -- and, as we looked around, we couldn't find a calvary -- we couldn't see anyone arriving on the horizon to save the day -- people were naturally looking around and wondering, "Is this all there is to it? -- is there not another group of people who are more intelligent -- who can come in and give us some guidance? -- are we all alone?"

-- one of the biggest fears that people have is being alone -- At one of his crusades, Luis Palau, the South American evangelist, asked the people in his audience to indicate the subject on which they would most like him to speak -- The majority of the people there asked him to speak on the subject of loneliness
-- loneliness occurs when you feel isolated or separated from other people -- cut off from those you would like to have contact with -- physically or even emotionally -- you can be surrounded by people in a crowd, but still feel alone because you don't have a connection with them
-- having a connection with someone else is the number one desire for all people -- it is a spiritual desire -- put into us by God when He created Adam and Eve and put them in the Garden of Eden -- He put in them a desire to be connected with Him and to be connected with one another -- because of this God-given desire, we long to be in a relationship with someone else -- we long to be connected -- we long to know that we are not alone
-- it was this desire that caused people in the 1970s to go crazy over UFOs and extraterrestrials -- and it was this desire that caused concerns in the early churches of the first century

II. Connected with Christ
-- now, the early church knew that, in a spiritual sense, it was not alone -- it was connected with Christ through the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit -- after Christ ascended to Heaven, He sent the Holy Spirit to indwell believers -- and on the day of Pentecost that we read about in Acts 2, the Holy Spirit came and filled the disciples in the Upper Room and brought about the salvation of over 3000 people when Peter preached in the streets of Jerusalem
-- the majority of these new converts were not from Jerusalem, but were visitors to the city who came to celebrate the feast of Pentecost at the temple -- when the celebration was over, these new believers left Jerusalem and returned to their homes and their families in distant cities, carrying with them the good news of the death and resurrection of Christ
-- this was the start of the Christian church in the world -- and, as these new believers shared their faith with their families and friends, small groups of people joined together to worship and praise Jesus on a regular basis
-- after the Jews increased their persecution of Christians in Jerusalem, we read in the Bible that most of the church that was in Jerusalem scattered and went out to other areas in Palestine -- these Christian leaders, who had sat at the feet of the apostles and had been taught by those who knew Jesus and who had been taught directly by Jesus, went forth to strengthen and encourage and build up these fledgling churches -- eventually, men like Paul and Barnabus and Silas and John Mark went out as official ambassadors from the leaders of the Christian church that was centered in Jerusalem and Antioch
-- and, as we can glean through Scripture, when these men and women sought out these small groups of Christians in these distant cities, one of the first things they did was to affirm to them that they were not alone

-- you see, as Christians in house churches scattered throughout Palestine and Asia, these believers would have been small in number -- their faith was not accepted by the Jews or the Romans and they faced daily discrimination and persecution -- they struggled to maintain their group and to maintain their faith in the face of increasing tribulation -- and the Bible seems to indicate that there were times when they were tempted to just give up and give in and let the culture overwhelm them -- they felt alone -- they were not directly connected to any other groups or linked to the larger Christian church
-- so you can imagine what it was like for them when people like the Apostle Paul showed up at their door, telling them, "You are not alone" -- and sharing with them the good news of what Christ was doing in the church throughout the Roman world
-- this was one of the main reasons that Paul and the others sent out letters and carried communications from church to church -- to let them know that they were not alone -- in addition to giving them leadership and guidance and teaching in the ways of Christ, they were also letting them know that they were not alone -- they were connected, not only with each other in their local church, but with other Christians and other churches scattered throughout Asia and the Middle East
-- we see a good example of that here in 1 Corinthians 16 in the close to this epistle -- this letter -- from the Apostle Paul to the church at Corinth

III. Connections in Corinth
-- before we dive into this passage, let me tell you just a little about the chuch at Corinth -- Corinth was in modern-day Greece, located about 40 miles west of Athens on the Isthmus of Corinth -- it was a large city, with about 400,000 residents at the time this letter was written
-- Paul had established the church at Corinth -- he had visited the city on his second missionary journey and had gathered together the believers in the city and formed them into a house church and gotten them connected with one another
-- and as he wrote letters to them, instructing them and encouraging them, Paul was always careful to affirm to them that they were not alone -- that they were part of a larger community of believers who existed in Asia and the Middle East
-- look down now at verse 1, and let's run through this together

1. Now about the collection for God's people: Do what I told the Galatian churches to do.
2. On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made.
3. Then, when I arrive, I will give letters of introduction to the men you approve and send them with your gift to Jerusalem.
4. If it seems advisable for me to go also, they will accompany me.

-- notice how Paul starts his closing to the Corinthian Church -- he reminds them to take up a collection when they gather together to worship Christ -- they were coming together once a week -- on the first day of the week -- on Sunday -- the Lord's Day -- to corporately worship Christ and to encourage and learn from each other -- they were connected with each other in that city -- and this meeting each Sunday was one way they affirmed to each other that they were not alone -- that if troubles or difficulties arose in that city -- if people started discriminating or persecuting the Christians there -- that they had brothers and sisters in Christ in that place who would stand for them or who would help them in their time of need
-- that is one of the main reasons that we are gathered together today -- we don't have to have church to worship God -- our lives should be worship to God -- we should go about every day recognizing God in our lives -- reading the Bible -- praying to Him -- staying connected to Him -- but, we come together on Sunday to affirm each other -- to encourage each other -- to strengthen ourselves in our walk and to learn more about God and what it means to be a Christian -- we come together to remind ourselves that we are not alone
Hebrews 10:22-25 talks about the importance of coming together once a week like this -- listen as I read this passage

22. let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.
23. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.
24. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.
25. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another--and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

-- so, in this closing, Paul was reminding them to meet together weekly, and when they met, to take up a collection for God's people -- now that's an important phrase -- "God's people" -- it was a reminder to the church in Corinth that they were not alone -- that there were other believers in Christ -- "God's people" -- who were in other places -- the Galatians -- and others -- who needed this money to survive and spread the word of God
-- What Paul is saying to this church, in essence, is -- "Stay connected -- stay connected with one another -- and stay connected with the body of Christ as a whole -- help God's people and help God's work by supporting them with your offerings and your prayers and your thoughts"

-- verse 5

5. After I go through Macedonia, I will come to you--for I will be going through Macedonia.
6. Perhaps I will stay with you awhile, or even spend the winter, so that you can help me on my journey, wherever I go.
7. I do not want to see you now and make only a passing visit; I hope to spend some time with you, if the Lord permits.
8. But I will stay on at Ephesus until Pentecost,
9. because a great door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many who oppose me.

-- Paul continues on reminding the Corinthians of the other churches -- churches in Macedonia -- and Ephesus -- other groups of believers who were just like the Corinthians -- struggling to live and to worship God where they lived -- the church in Corinth was not alone -- it was connected, not only with Christ -- not only with each other -- but also with all of God's people -- whether that was in Macedonia or Ephesus or Antioch or Jerusalem

-- verse 10

10. If Timothy comes, see to it that he has nothing to fear while he is with you, for he is carrying on the work of the Lord, just as I am.
11. No one, then, should refuse to accept him. Send him on his way in peace so that he may return to me. I am expecting him along with the brothers.
12. Now about our brother Apollos: I strongly urged him to go to you with the brothers. He was quite unwilling to go now, but he will go when he has the opportunity.

-- Paul reminds them of the other leaders who represented the world-wide Christian community -- Timothy and Apollos -- men who were bringing teaching and who were providing pastoral support to these far-flung communities -- note that Paul says they are coming with the "brothers" -- "there are others out there -- you need to support them just as they support you with their efforts -- never forget that you are not alone"

-- skip over to verse 19

19. The churches in the province of Asia send you greetings. Aquila and Priscilla greet you warmly in the Lord, and so does the church that meets at their house.
20. All the brothers here send you greetings. Greet one another with a holy kiss.

-- all the churches in Asia send greetings -- the leaders of those churches send greetings -- all the brothers -- all the Christians -- know about you and care about you and are sending you greetings -- you are not alone

-- I was reading this week in the newsletter from the Voice of the Martyr's -- I don't know if you get this magazine or not, but I would encourage you to do so if you don't -- it is free -- all you have to do is contact them and they will send it to you -- but it is a monthly magazine that keeps us connected with what is happening to our brothers and sisters in countries that are hostile to the gospel of Christ
-- one article in that magazine really piqued my interest -- it was titled, "They All Went Back" -- as you all know, North Korea has been in the news over the past several years -- and more so this week as they claimed to have conducted an underground nuclear explosion
-- but you may not be aware of the fact that there are Christians in North Korea even though it is a communist country and even though all religion is outlawed -- these men and women try to survive amidst horrendous persecutions, including beatings and executions
-- a lot of them try to leave the country -- they sneak across the border into China, seeking refuge from the religious persecution in North Korea -- recently, several of these Christians came across the border and were taken in by Christians associated with Voice of the Martyrs
-- these North Korean Christians were overjoyed to find out they were not alone -- to find out that others knew that they were struggling in Korea and to know that others were trying to help the Korean believers in whatever way possible -- amazingly, after escaping from this communist country -- after getting away from the persecutions that were impacting them and the lives of their families and friends -- these North Korean christians decided to go back to North Korea
-- why? -- because now they knew that they were not alone -- now they knew that others were out there, praying for them, providing resources for them -- and, because of this, they all went back to share the good news of Jesus -- to share their faith with others in North Korea -- and to strengthen the persecuted church in that place -- to let them know, that they were not alone

IV. Closing
-- as we read through this closing to the letter to the Corinthians, we are reminded that we are not alone -- yes, we know that we come together here every Sunday to corporately worship God -- but, we are reminded that there is more to Christianity than what takes place within these walls
-- we are not alone -- we are connected with all the people of God -- not just in our charge -- not just in our denomination -- but all the people of God, no matter where they are
-- unlike the Corinthians and the North Koreans, who desperately needed to know that they were not alone because of the struggles that they were facing, we tend to become isolationists in our churches -- we tend to focus only on ourselves and our congregation and rarely interact with the church as a whole -- we need to remember that we are not alone, not because we are facing trials and tribulations and need help from others -- but so that we can be the help that others need
-- as United Methodists, we like to call ourselves a "connectional" church, because we are supposed to be connected to all other Methodist congregations -- not just financially, through our apportionments, but also spiritually -- through our prayers and our lives
-- we need to be making an effort to be more connectional with other congregations -- both Methodist and other denominations -- to encourage those who are struggling and to join together with them in their ministries and activities
-- we are not doing a good job at that -- and I want you to reflect on the words of the Apostle Paul in this letter this week to see if we need to make changes in the way we approach life as Christians in this community
-- one good way to put Paul's words into action this week is to participate in the Gospel Explosion in Naylor -- most of the local churches coming together for a day of celebration and praise
-- but, we need to consider other ways as well -- perhaps we need to join with other small congregations to do joint ministry -- to do service projects -- to spend one day a month sharing the gospel with people in our communities
-- our men and women groups here should be connected with other groups throughout the denomination, and they are not -- I want to encourage you to start thinking past the walls of this church and to start remembering that we are not alone but that we are called to share in the lives of all God's people, no matter where they are
-- as you leave here today, I want you to keep this in mind -- as Christians, we are never alone -- first, we have Christ in our lives, so no matter where we are, we are connected with Him -- secondly, we have this church -- and we need to be actively invovled in this church and in the ministries of this church -- and, finally, we have our brothers and sisters in other churches -- Methodist, Baptist, Church of God -- all the others -- and we need to be directly involved in their lives as well
-- if you are not doing this, then I want to encourage you to make a change in your life today -- let us pray

HOT NEW CHRISTMAS GIFT IDEA!!!

The best selling book is now an
at-home experience like no other!

“Your Best Life Now” by Joel Osteen has sold over 3 million copies and has been on the New York Times and Publisher’s Weekly Best Seller list for over 50 consecutive weeks. The game enables players to step beyond the one-on-one nature of the book and feel, touch, and live Joel’s 7 Steps To Living At Your Full Potential with your friends and family. Your Best Life Now: The Game is an entertaining and educational way to take inventory of yourself and accountability of your actions. Climb the mountain as you

• Enlarge Your Vision

• Develop a Healthy Self Image

• Discover the Power of your Thoughts and Words

• Let Go of the Past

• Find Strength Through Adversity

• Live To Give

And • Choose to Be Happy

Each new plateau represents a challenge and a chance to open up and experience these steps first hand as you learn to live Your Best Life Now.
----------------------------------------------------------
On the off-chance you want to beat the crowd to this item sure to be on everyone's wish list, check here.

I wish this was a joke, but I'm afraid it's not. What's next? A video game where you have to get Joseph and Mary to Jerusalem while outwitting Satan's minions? How about, "Beatitudes -- The Game?"