HoHum:
Pray for David and Philomena Morris- Monday, October 20th, 2014
After the right-wing Hindu nationalist BJP took power following India's general elections in May, attacks on Christians and other minorities by Hindu radical groups has skyrocketed. In Uttar Pradesh, 600 reports of violence were recorded in the first 100 days of BJP's rule. Many of these attacks were perpetrated by Hindu radical groups against India's minorities.
Well that’s overseas, preacher. In Houston, TX the city council made it legal for men to go into women’s restrooms and for women to go into men’s restrooms. Evidently some preachers have spoken out about this so the mayor of Houston has ordered preachers to submit their sermons for review that discuss this issue and homosexuality. Later this was expanded to include any form of communication that discussed this issue. 5 preachers are prepared to go to jail.
WBTU:
For the most part we have enjoyed freedom and protected from persecution like this in the US. However, never has a time existed when the church was free from being persecuted. In its earliest days, the church met opposition from unbelieving Jews (such as Saul). Soon after, the Romans grew leery of the Christians and persecuted the church severely. Throughout history, Christians in places around the globe have been pushed to the edges of society and have faced beating, burnings, and martyrdom.
Talking about surviving in hard times. Need to keep our confidence, need to remember that we are God’s children and we have a Father and a family, need to remember that we are chosen by God, God really wants us and paid a big price to have us in His kingdom.
Thesis: We will persevere in tough times together through our church community
For instances:
Standing Together
“See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.” Hebrews 3:12, 13, NIV.
When we stand together, we stand tall. When we stand apart, like burning coals removed from the fire, we grow cold. Story of the preacher who came to visit a Christian who decided that church is unimportant. In front of fireplace talking and hot coal taken out. Preacher said to the man that if he didn't come back to church that he would be like that hot coal that is now cold.
As we grow busier and busier, one of the harder things to do is get involved in the lives of other people. Probably because we hear more about staying out of other people’s business in our culture. We live in a more permissive age, or maybe, and most likely, we are too wrapped up in our own lives. Vs. 13 has a sense of urgency. The NKJV used a stronger word for encourage- exhort which indicates necessity and crisis. In simple terms, do it TODAY. Fellowship is serious. The protection of our souls is at stake. We have strength in numbers but weakness in separation.
The Great Cloud of Witnesses
In Hebrews 11 we have the Faith Hall of Fame. Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Moses, and others stood their ground in the face of suffering. “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” Hebrews 12:1
Some get wrapped up in the thought that there are many souls watching us from the grandstands and cheering us on. True in some way, but we are missing the main point of the verse. This is telling us that that we need to focus. Jim Collins, author of the book, Good to Great, writes: “Most of us have busy but undisciplined lives. We have ever expanding ‘to do’ lists, trying to build momentum by doing, doing, doing. But it rarely works. Those who built the good to great companies make use of ‘stop doing’ lists. They displayed a remarkable discipline to unplug from all sorts of extra junk and channel their resources into only one or a few areas.” But how? How do we focus? One way:
After Bible bowl season was over, we would be told what next year’s material would be. Had a couple of months to study before next season but each year my plans to get ahead would be futile. Only when practices began with my teammates did I begin to study. We pushed each other, encouraged each other, and kept each other accountable. We persevered together. My teammates helped me to keep the main thing the main thing.
When one Christian puts his arm on another Christians shoulder and begins praying, when a follower of Christ encourages a fellow follower to make the righteous choice, when a disciple looks another in the eye and confronts them for their own good, when a church member sends a note to her fellow church member exhorting her to “hang in there,” we have the strength to go on
Fixing Our Eyes on Jesus
“Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” Hebrews 12:2, 3, NIV.
Jesus stands at the finish line urging us to follow His example, and to continue placing one foot in front of the other until the day we reach His embrace. Jesus endured much for us, He asks us to endure opposition that is nothing in comparison to what he endured for us.
Jordan was a man of unusual abilities and commitment. He had two Ph.D.s, one in agriculture and the other in Greek and Hebrew. He was so gifted he could have chosen to do anything he wanted. He chose to serve the poor. In the 1940s, he founded a farm in Americus, Georgia, and called it Koinonia Farm. This farm was a community for poor whites and poor blacks. An unpopular idea in the Deep South of the 1940s. The town people tried everything to stop Clarence. They tried boycotting him, and slashing the workers' tires when they came to town. Over and over, for fourteen years, they tried to stop him. Finally, in 1954, the Ku Klux Klan had enough of Clarence Jordan, so they decided to get rid of him once and for all. They came one night with guns and torches and set fire to every building on Koinonia Farm but Clarence's home, which they riddled with bullets. They chased off all the families but one black family that refused to leave. Clarence recognized the voices of the Klansmen, some of who were church people. One Klansman was a local newspaper reporter. The next day, the reporter came out to see what remained of the farm. The rubble was smoldering, but he found Clarence in the field, hoeing and planting. "I heard the awful news," he called to Clarence, "and I came out to do a story on the tragedy of your farm closing." Clarence just kept on hoeing and planting. The reporter kept poking trying to get this quietly determined man to get angry. Instead of packing, Clarence was planting. Finally, the reporter said in a haughty voice, "Well, Dr. Jordan, you got two of them Ph.D.s and you've got fourteen years into this farm, and there's nothing left of it at all. Just how successful do you think you've been?" Clarence stopped hoeing, turned toward the reporter and said quietly but firmly, "About as successful as the cross. Sir, I don't think you understand us. What we are about is not success but faithfulness. We're staying. Good day." Beginning that day, Clarence and his companions rebuilt Koinonia and the farm is going strong today. Out of Koinonia Farms came Habitat for Humanity that builds low cost homes for poor families with volunteer labor
Invitation hymn is “Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus”. Recite chorus. Come forward to respond
Home Awaits
“Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” 2 Corinthians 4:16-18. Visited my Aunt Lynette yesterday, she turned 60 years old. She is diagnosed with a cancer that is incurable. The longest anyone has survived with this is less than a year. She is taking chemo drugs. Her only regret is that she has no grandchildren. A few weeks ago her son Jonathan and his wife Amanda told her that they are expecting a child. Lynette is praying that she sees that grandchild before her departure. Had one family member say that she is jealous of Lynette because Lynette has a good idea when she is going home.
“Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.” Romans 5:3-5, NIV.
Suffering leads to hope. It reminds us that something has gone amiss- the world in which we live is not yet the world God desires for us. We can allow suffering to repel us from God. Or, we can allow suffering to remind us that this world is temporary, not our permanent home, and that Christ will return and welcome us into a new creation that contains, “no more death or mourning or crying or pain” Revelation 21:4, NIV. Laura Story “Blessings”- When friends betray us When darkness seems to win We know that pain reminds this heart That this is not, This is not our home.
“But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness.” 2 Peter 3:13, NIV.
