I am Sam, Sam I am
That Sam-I-am, that Sam-I-am!
I do not like that Sam-I-am!
Do you like green eggs and ham?
I do not like them Sam-I-am.
I do not like green eggs and ham
Would you like them here or there?
I would not like them here or there,
I would not like them anywhere,
I do not like green eggs and ham
I do not like them Sam-I-Am
Do you know the story? I bet you do. It’s one of Dr. Suess greatest works. "Green Eggs and Ham". You know I hate that book. Didn’t always hate it though, no sir when I was a kid I loved Green Eggs and Ham, and when Stephen was born I promised myself that I’d buy that classic for my children, and I did. And my kids love it and I have read it to them let’s see, at last count, 3,123,789 times approximately. And I have come to hate that book.
You know the story. Sam keeps trying to get his friend to try green eggs and ham. Would you eat them in a box? Would you eat them with a fox? And at every rejection he tries something new. And his friend keeps saying, no, no, no I don’t like them, until finally it would seem that Sam has tried everything because his friend says:
"I could not would not on a boat.
I will not, will not with a goat
I will not eat them in the rain.
I will not eat them on a train.
Not in the Dark! Not in a tree!
Not in a car! You let me be!
I do not like them in a box.
I do not like them with a fox.
I will not eat them in a house.
I do not like them with a mouse.
I do not like them here or there.
I do not like them anywhere!
I do not like green eggs and ham!
I do not like them Sam I am.
Pretty definite, you’d think that Sam would get the hint, but no he’s up for one more try and try he does as he says:
You do not like them, so you say.
Try them! Try them!
And you may.
Try them and you may, I say.
Does it work? Let’s continue to listen in.
Sam! if you will let me be, I will try them. You will see.
Say! I like green eggs and ham!
I do! I like them, Sam-I-Am!
And i would eat them in a boat.
And I would eat them with a goat...
And I will eat them in the rain.
And in the Dark. And on a train.
And in a car. And in a tree.
They are so good so good you see!
So I will eat them in a box.
And I will eat them with a fox.
And I will eat them in a house.
And I will eat them with a mouse.
And I will eat them here and there.
Say! I will eat them anywhere!
I do so like green eggs and ham!
Thank you!
Thank you, Sam-I-Am.
My eyes were opened a number of years ago when we were in Australia and we went on vacation to the Great Barrier Reef. Deborah was allowed to take some books for bed time stories and you guessed it she took Green Eggs and Ham. And so as I settle down one night to read my daughter this childhood classic I saw something that I had never seen before. If Sam had of been you typical Christian from you typical church than when his friend said, "I do not like them Sam-I-Am, I do not like green eggs and ham." then Sam would have said, OK. No problem and that would have been the end of the story. Sam would have happily gone on his way and his friend would never have experienced the joy of eating green eggs and ham. But no, Sam wasn’t content to take no for an answer. Luckily for his friend, Sam wasn’t like a typical Christian in a typical church, he wasn’t worried about offending his friend or driving him away. All he new was how important it was that his friend make the decision to try green eggs and ham.
Now I am not trying to trivialize this message, but think about it, if a character in a Dr. Suess story book knows the importance of being persistent when trying to convince someone to try something new, how come we don’t?
Well needless to say I determined that if I ever got a chance to start a church from scratch it would be firmly grounded in the principles of Green Eggs and Ham. About this time you must be getting ready to lean over to your spouse and say, "I knew it was a cult Margaret, let’s get out of here" Just bear with me OK?
Bedford Community Church needs to care about people. Sam I Am wanted his friend to try green eggs and ham. Why? Because he liked his friend and he felt like his friend was missing something in his life, in this case it was green eggs and ham. But he cared enough that he not only asked his friend but he continued to ask his friend. His friend mattered to him. Bedford Community Church will put people number one. We need to care that people need Jesus or they will go to hell, in essence
We Need To Be Convicted Of The Validity Of The Gospel.
That’s always the kicker isn’t’ it? Just how convinced are we that this book is true? How convinced are we that there is a heaven to be gained and a hell to be shunned?
If we believe the reality of hell, and according to the word of God hell is a reality, then we should be heartbroken over the fact that we have friends and family who will in reality be tormented for eternity. That’s what the book says and we don’t debate the book. Did you know that the Bible speaks more about Hell then about heaven? Listen to how Jesus describes it in Mark 9:48 ‘where the worm never dies and the fire never goes out.’
and in Matthew 18:9 Jesus speaks of the Fires of Hell and again in Matthew 13:42 and they will throw them into the furnace and burn them. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Are we as convinced of the reality of Hell as Sam was convince of the value of green eggs and ham? And if we are then the next question has to be are we that convinced that Jesus is the only solution to the reality of hell. There are not many ways to heaven, there are not several ways to heaven, there are not even two ways to heaven. You can’t get there by being good, or by being sincere, following Buddha won’t get you there, following Mohhamed won’t get you there, as a matter of fact Jesus said in John 14:6 Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me. And friends that is not being narrow, that is being scriptural. And until we understand that we will never see the need to tell people about Jesus. Bedford Community Church hasn’t been planted so that we could have a new Wesleyan Church in Bedford, we came here to help depopulate hell. Now along with being convinced of the validity of the Gospel
We Also Need To Be Convinced Of The Value Of Bedford Community Church.
Have you ever heard how people talk after they have seen a movie they really liked? Or have discovered a musical artist that they really liked, or found a great new restaurant? You can’t shut them up, they want to let everyone in on this wonderful secret.
I am convinced that we have a pretty good thing starting here. And notice that I said starting. Probably one of the speeches that will go down in history is Martin Luther King Junior’s speech "I have a dream." I love that speech not just for the content but for the sentiment, friends I have a dream, a dream of a church where people are valued for who they are, a dream of a church where that is committed to the reaching of the lost. a dream of a church that will be innovative and relevant, a church that will be bold and exciting. The poet W. B. Yeats wrote “But I, being poor, have only my dreams; I have spread my dreams under your feet; Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.” Right now I can’t offer you a great big church building or fifty different programs or a twenty-piece orchestra. But I can offer you something greater I can offer you a dream, tread softly because you are treading on my dreams.
Can you see that church with me, can you dream that dream with me. Can you see this building full of people who will dream that dream with us, people that Bedford Community Church has introduced to Jesus. Can you see a church that reaches out to help other churches dream, to help other churches reach out. Can you see a church that touches people at their point of need whether it be spiritual, emotional or physical.
And I guess if you aren’t convinced of the value of Bedford Community Church then we need to talk. Cause you may know something that I don’t or you may see something that I don’t, and if that’s the case then I would like to know.
2) Need to Be Rigidly committed to flexibility. As I read Green Eggs and Ham I thought "Hey this guy just doesn’t give up" You won’t eat them with a fox then will you eat them in a box? No then how about with a goat, uh-huh then on a boat, in the dark, on a train, in the rain. Sam I Am must have figured that eventually something would click even if his friend ate them just to get him off his back.
I want this church to be rigidly committed to flexibility. We will do what ever it takes to reach people with the word of God. If I have to get someone up here to juggle chainsaws and spit fire then that is what I will do. Although with my coordination I can assure you that it won’t be me.
Denn you’re cheapening the gospel by relying on the spectacular? You mean like Jesus did when he healed the lame, made the blind to see and fed the five thousand? We will do anything except compromise the word of God.
Do you feel like we need a ministry to three legged, left handed bald people? Drop by the office and I’ll buy you a coffee and maybe we can figure out how you can start a ministry to three legged, left handed bald people. Notice that I said "how you can start" ownership is the key to effective ministry.
One of the biggest mistakes the church has made in it’s past has been the refusal to change.
There is nothing sacred about how a church looks, there is nothing sacred about whether we sing hymns or choruses, there is nothing sacred about whether we have prayer meeting, bible studies or discipleship groups. There is nothing sacred about whether the pastor preaches expositional messages or topical messages. We will use whatever techniques we need to see this area won for Jesus Christ. But we will not compromise the message.
And if you’d rather go to a church that caters to you as a Christian and your musical taste and taste in sermons then to a church which is intent on introducing people to Jesus then Bedford Community church aint for you. I’d rather start with twenty people committed to our dreams and mission statement then with 200 people who just want to play church.
The word of God is unchangeable, the message of the gospel will be uncompromised, but we need to present the message in such a way that it will reach the people of Bedford, today May 21st 2000, not 1990, not 1980 but 2000 the challenge will be for us to be able to present the gospel in such a way that the message is fresh in 2001 and 2002 and 2003. The concept isn’t new, listen to what Paul who was one of the greatest preachers of the church in the new testament had to say when he wrote in his first letter to the Christians in the city of Cornith in 1 Corinthians 9:22 When I am with those who are oppressed, I share their oppression so that I might bring them to Christ. Yes, I try to find common ground with everyone so that I might bring them to Christ.
4) We need to be persistant in our invitations Wasn’t Sam I Am great, talk about not giving up. He obviously hadn’t heard the admonition, "If at first you don’t succeed try ,try again, but don’t make a complete fool out of yourself." If you were to look in the dictionary under persistence you would find a picture of Sam-I-Am. If we are going to see people come to our church through our invitations then it will be because of persistence. Just because somebody can’t come out to church the first time you ask doesn’t’ mean that they won’t come the next time you ask, right? I mean maybe their hair really did fall out after the hot oil treatment. We’re not asking them to cut off their ear we’re just inviting them out to church. And in most cases you need to invite people cause they aren’t going to invite themselves. You say but Denn what if I drive them away, where are we going to drive them to, Hell number 2.
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Would you?
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