The Gospel For (Computer) Geeks

The Gospel for (computer) Geeks

Occasionally I preach a message that is best understood by a limited target audience, such as Nascar Sunday, Sports Sunday, etc. This is one of those. So if you don’t understand all the lingo don’t worry you will understand the spiritual application. I have one main point if you get it you will get it all. Your soul needs maintenance. Let me say it another way. Your walk with God needs maintenance. We now have cars that boast you don’t need a tune up for 100,00 miles. But if you do no maintenance at all it won’t make 20,000 miles. Things like oil changes, brakes, tires, windshield wipers, etc. Although the picture is different the point is the same your soul needs maintenance. God has not promised you don’t need a spiritual tune up for 100 years. My uncle told someone that they should have revivals once a month. He was acknowledging his need for maintenance on a ongoing regular basis.

Philippians 2:12 NKJV

1. Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling

Philippians 2:12

What I’m getting at, friends, is that you should simply keep on doing what you’ve done from the beginning. When I was living among you, you lived in responsive obedience. Now that I’m separated from you, keep it up. Better yet, redouble your efforts. Be energetic in your life of salvation, reverent and sensitive before God. (Message)

2 Corinthians 13:11

And that’s about it, friends. Be cheerful. Keep things in good repair. Keep your spirits up. Think in harmony. Be agreeable. Do all that, and the God of love and peace will be with you for sure. (Message)

It is so exciting getting that brand new computer out of the box. It runs so fast and works every program without a hitch. It is amazing all it can do. However, if you only use it and do nothing to maintain it you will discover that it will slow down, slower, and slower. It freezes, files vanish, programs won’t run right, you see the blue screen of death, error messages become common place. If you keep it and don’t update it at all it will soon be obsolete and won’t run new programs at all. This is not meant to be a computer class. I just want to use your frustrating experience with computers to teach spiritual truth. You see God wants to speak spiritual truth to you in everyday life. Jesus spoke to fisherman about fishing to show spiritual truths, and to farmers about sowing seed and the harvest. Can’t he speak to us today though our computers.

I Normal Routine Maintenance

a. Computers

1. Disk Clean up –build up of temporary internet files, compress old files

2. Disk Defrag

3. Dust- busyness of , and cares of life

4. Updates- security patches etc. -Fresh encounter/experience with God

b. Spiritual Lives

1. Prayer- Prayer Path

In one region of Africa, the first converts to Christianity were very diligent about praying. In fact, the believers each had their own special place outside the village where they went to pray in solitude. The villagers reached these “prayer rooms” by using their own private footpaths through the brush. When grass began to grow over one of these trails, it was evident that the person to whom it belonged was not praying very much.

Because these new Christians were concerned for each other’s spiritual welfare, a unique custom sprang up. When ever anyone noticed an overgrown “Prayer path,” he or she would go to the person and lovingly warn, “Friend, there’s grass on your path!” - RWD

Our Daily Bread, November 18, 1996

2. Bible Reading- Study - Mediation

That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, Eph 5:26

3. Church - Meeting with believers

Don’t forsake the assembling of yourselves together Heb 10:25

-Bible teaches by command, example, and experience

4. Obedience

5. Thought Life -Like a computer our mind can only do what we program it to do.

1. Control intake

2. Control inside

Laughter as Medicine

In The Anatomy of an Illness: As Perceived by the Patient, Norman Cousins tells of being hospitalized with a rare, crippling disease. When he was diagnosed as incurable, Cousins checked out of the hospital. Aware of the harmful effects that negative emotions can have on the body, Cousins reasoned the reverse was true. So he borrowed a movie projector and prescribed his own treatment, consisting of Marx Brothers films and old “Candid Camera” reruns. It didn’t take long for him to discover that 10 minutes of laughter provided two hours of painfree sleep.

Amazingly, his debilitating disease was eventually reversed. After the account of his victory appeared in the New England Journal of Medicine, Cousins received more than 3000 letters from appreciative physicians throughout the world.