Creative Evangelism

The story is told of a famous Christian evangelist who was on a flight back from a major pastor's conference. Exhausted from his week, he was looking forward to the long flight from the west coast back to New York. He had with him the latest book by his favorite author and was hoping to finish the book by the end of the flight. As he sat down in the middle seat of three, he noticed that the window seat was occupied by a businessman, who was intently reading a magazine, and the aisle seat was open. Just before the plane took off, a young, teenage girl sat down next to him. As the plane taxied for takeoff, he began to read his book, ignoring everyone else. He had just finished the forward and began the first chapter when he felt a tug on his sleeve. Turning, he found the teenage girl staring at him intently. “Did you brush your teeth this morning?” she asked. “Yes I did,” replied the evangelist. “That’s good, ‘cause it's important.” Just a little confused, the evangelist went back to his chapter. He finished the first paragraph when he felt the tug again. “Do you smoke?” “No I do not,” the evangelist said. That’s good, ‘cause smoking will kill you.” Once again befuddled, the evangelist began his first chapter again. He finished the first page before he felt another tug. “Mister, do you know Jesus?” The evangelist smiled as he told her that he did indeed know Christ. The girl replied, “That’s good, ‘cause only Jesus can save you.” The evangelist smiled as he turned back to his book. However, he had barely found his place again when he felt yet another pull on sleeve. Pointing to the businessman, the girl said, “Ask him.” “Ask him what?” “Ask him if he brushed his teeth this morning.” The evangelist slid a bookmark into his book, turned to the businessman, and said, “Excuse me, my young friend here wanted to know if you brushed your teeth this morning?” The businessman looked a little confused, as he answered he had. The girl leaned across and said, “That’s good ‘cause it’s important.” The evangelist knew what was coming, but he waited for the familiar tug. The process repeated through the smoking, and to the most important question. “Sir, my friend here wanted to know just one more thing. Do you know Jesus as your Lord and Savior?” The businessman looked genuinely surprised. “I don't,” he said, “but I've wanted to for some time.” Church, that famous evangelist, who has taught thousands upon thousands to lead people to Jesus was going to waste the whole trip in his book, but because of the courage of a young girl with a plan to share her faith, the evangelist had the privilege of leading that man to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.

Do you have a plan for leading people into a relationship with Jesus? It was simple, but this young lady had a plan to tell people about Christ.

This last week at Annual Conference, Bishop Hopkins challenged us to share our own faith stories. He did it in a creative way. He had a runner come in with a relay baton, and share his own faith story—how God had changed his life. At the conclusion of the message, we were given our own baton, so we could each share with others how God has changed our own life! That is creative evangelism.

Before Christ left, he gave the church a great commission. He said, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” (Mt. 28.19-20) This has become the great omission in many churches today.

At Adamsville, we have a mission statement. To paraphrase it, we are to:

Know Christ,

Grow like Christ, and

Show Christ to others.

Beneath every mission statement, there are core values, that is, those essentials upon which we refuse to compromise. We have a core value of Evangelism. When we evangelize, that is, show Christ to others, we are then to teach them how to go back out and evangelize others. The fact is, if the church were to grasps this concept, it necessitates steady, long-term growth.

How do we go about doing this?

1. Pray. The most important thing that we can do is to pray. This is not an excuse for inaction, but a necessary part as we ask God to prepare the soil of the person’s heart. (see the parable of the sower and the seed in Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23)

2. Learn the basics. I am amazed how many people don't know how to lead someone to Christ. This morning, I want to offer a very basic approach that we all can learn called the Roman Road. Write down these verses and put them in the front of your Bible. Put them in your wallet. Better yet, memorize them, so that you could use them to lead someone to Christ. (Rom 3.23 all sinned, 6.23 wages of sin and God’s gift, 10.9 confess and believe to be saved, 8.1 not condemned, 8.38-9 nothing can separate us from God’s love.)

3. Be Creative. Take time to use your imagination and see what unique ways you can find to broach the subject of Jesus with others. Consider your hobbies, your unique gifts and talents, and formulate your own plan of attack.

4. Don't be afraid of telling the truth. Non-believers often ask tough questions for which we have no answer. Be real. Don't try to act more holy than you are. Just be yourself. Don't be afraid to say, "I don't know, but I would like find out." Then resource. Ask your pastor, your Sunday school teacher, the saints that have been in the church for years. The truth is, we don’t have to have all the answers to be effective evangelists.

5. Offer them community. Remember, salvation is only the beginning of the faith journey. Invite them to church, to a bible study, or even offer to meet with them to read the Bible together. New believers do not automatically become disciples, they need to be in community!

6. Don't be afraid to fail. If we read scriptures carefully, Christ only had a 1-in-10 success rate. Don't become discouraged. Share your disappointments with others, as well as your successes. The testimony of the community will keep us from becoming "weary in well doing". 9 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. (Gal. 6:9). Further, you don’t know how your effort may have broken up the ground for someone else’s seed. What we often deem a failure, heaven sees as a major victory. (see Walk Across the Room, observation #3)

Can we lead people into personal, vital, and growing relationship with Jesus? Are we ourselves becoming disciples, empowered by the Holy Spirit to share the Good news with others? Let us find new and creative ways to share the good news with others.

A People in Exile

Ezekiel 11:14-25

I want to begin by saying that this sermon is does not originate with me. It comes from the notes I took a few years ago, when Rev. Chip Freed preached for the cabinet address at the East Ohio Annual Conference. The sermon is fitting, because in light of last week’s sermon, I have been asked why I think that we need to study the exiles and passages like Ezekiel’s Valley of Dry Bones.

Have you ever gone from exaltation to exile? There was a story in the New York Times a few years ago that illustrates this feeling. David Anderson was checking out the full score for Handle’s Messiah. However, an input error occurred, and the library was left with no record of where the music had gone. November came, and with it, many requests for the music. A frantic search was launched, but the music was not found. You can imagine Mr. Anderson’s shock upon returning the music. The head librarian, who was standing at the desk began to yell at the top of her lungs, “The Messiah is here, the Messiah is here. . .” A New York Times writer was at the library and witnessed the event. He wrote, “Everyone looked with great expectancy, but after a few moments, it was back to business as usual.”

The Prophet Ezekiel understood this experience. After the golden age of Israel, the nation was in spiritual decline. The Northern kingdom went into exile, while Judah, under the leadership of young King Josiah, underwent a revival. Ezekiel was a revival priest! Yet as quickly as it came, the revival left. Josiah was killed at the hand of the Egyptians, and after a few years of exaltation, it was back to business as usual. Idols, fruitless tradition, and spiritual decline replaced the religious fervor. Then came the exile at the hands of the armies of Babylon.

Have you ever experienced this journey from exaltation to exile? Maybe it occurred from the church house to the car, or from the weekend into the work week. The exile for the children of Israel was not only exile from a place, but also an exile in spirit. The nation felt defeated: God has left us, we are without hope, and we have lost our very identity. It was more than temporary homesickness, as the psalmist points out in the 137^th psalm, giving us a sense of what was going on: by the rivers of Babylon . . . we sat and wept. We hung up our harps. how could we sing the Lord’s song in a foreign land?

I think a strong case can be made that we as a church are a people in exile. Oh, I know we aren’t living in a foreign land, but just ponder the possibility with me for a few moments. Walter Brueggemann, the great scholar of the exiles lists six qualities of a people in exile. See if any of these apply.

1. They are a community of honest sadness over the loss of what used-to-be. The glory years are remembered and romanticized. We remember the best of those times and forget most of the bad. Have you ever caught yourself remembering back to the good old days of church? Or maybe for you, it is remembering one particular pastor who you wish were still here. And we say things like, “Oh, those were the days!”

2. They have lost the old family place. They have lost their distinctiveness. Some here today are here because the family church closed. For others, it is a sense of familiarity slipping away--what ever happened to all the old hymns, the old church traditions, even what we used to call Christian morality?

3. People in exile are keenly aware of the power of despair. They wonder if their efforts make any difference at all. Are we moving forward or just spinning our wheels. I was shocked when I read recently of a pastoral councilor when asked about the problem with clergy depression remarked, “What problem. Depression is a normal and expected condition in pastors today.”

4. They question the absence of God. Have you noticed how we conduct ourselves at conference, at meetings, even in our church as though we do not need the presence of God to validate our ministry? If we simply have the right techniques, the proper approach, the appropriate attitudes, a reasonable study, then we can fix it all on our own. I recently talked to a pastor who was brought in to “rebuild” and re-grow a declining church. After talking to him about it, he shared about the techniques, strategies, and human effort that was going to be used, but he never mentioned God. Does God have to show up before we can have church?!? I hope so. . .

5. Blame games, finger pointing, and a great quest to find out who’s at fault emerges in light of the current circumstances. This doesn’t happen in the church, does it? Ask someone why Sunday School is in decline across the United States, and you will hear about busy families, mass media, apathy, impotent programs, hurt feelings, youth sports leagues, and any number of other excuses. That is not to say that any and all of these might not be contributing factors. But we always seem to want to point a finger away from ourselves. The source of the problem must be outside the church, we reason, since we, as the body of Christ, are nearly perfect.

6. There is an intensified preoccupation with self and self-concern. What we need, hope for, and want become the central concerns. God’s will is always secondary. We pray, “Thy Will Be Done,” and then wait to see if it fits our plans. Why is it that people leave a church? Is it because they are concerned with reaching the unchurched in the mission fields, because they see their gifts and graces needed to help a struggling congregation do effective ministry, or because their own personal, ego-based needs have not been met. Do we come to church for us or for God?

So here we find Ezekiel, a disenfranchised temple priest. What good is a priest without a temple? The temple is thousands of miles away, and Ezekiel is feeling worthless. Yet God showed up and declares “I want you to be my prophet to the exiles.” Megan McKenna writes, “Ezekiel was called to generate confidence in a people empties of life and breath fresh air into a people who had been crushed by history.” Oh Please, Bishop, appoint me!

What does God have to say to the exiles?

1. The first incredible word is that God goes with us into exile. God is our sanctuary in exile. Consider the Great Commission -- go into all the world. The last verse of that passage says Lo I am with you ALWAYS even to the end of the age. God does not live in a house of stone, but in the hearts and lives of believers. God joins us in our times of exile and we find that we don’t go to a place to experience God, but in God we find our place.

You see, like Israel, we sometimes think God’s in trouble. God is not in trouble. He doesn’t need our help to change the world. God does not need the vote of our council or PPRC to bless whomever God wants to bless whenever God wants to bless them. God has a lock on the position of Creator of the Universe and Author and Finisher of our faith. . .

Yet God allows us to participate if we are willing. He goes into exile with us, for in exile, we can minister the love of Christ to others who are lost in exile.

2. The second great truth God speaks through Ezekiel to the exiles is that if God is in exile with us, he can show us the way out of it! So don’t be afraid, Joseph, when your brothers stuff you down a well. I am with you. I’ll get you home. And David, when the odds are stacked against you and you have to face a giant with a bit of rag and five stones, don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Daniel, don’t worry about the lion’s roar; Shadrech, Meshach, and Abednego, don’t fret when Nebuchadnezzar throws you into the fiery furnace. . .Paul don’t be disheartened when you get thrown in jail for your preaching. I am with you, and I’ll bring you out! Brothers and sisters in Christ, when you are in the depths of despair, don’t lose hope. The Psalmist wrote “even though I go through the valley of the shadow of death, I shall fear no evil. . .for you are WITH ME.” God is with you, and He will bring you out!

How does God bring us out? It is not an outward activity, but an inward reality. God said to Ezekiel, I will give you a NEW HEART. Not just how we feel, but who we are. To the Hebrew people, the heart was the very center of your being and who you are. God says I’m going to give you a new heart. The way out isn’t cosmetic surgery. It isn’t a tummy tuck or a facelift -- it’s transplant surgery. God is not interested in just adjusting our activities, God is seeking to adjust our identities. God compares us to a house, and we often think God is just going to make us into a cute little cottage, but the reality is God’s building a palace and he intends to live there himself.

This is the real problem in the church. We want to make minor adjustments and revisions. We want to fix things. If we fix it they will come. Church it isn’t about what we do, but about who WE are. Kirbyjon Caldwell says, the number one reason people don’t come to church is because of those who do! If that’s true, then the only way to get those people in is to allow God to change those we already have. God says I’ll take your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.

Our heart of stone is first our inability to let go. For it is not by anything we do that we get this heart of flesh. It is not by any work we do that God transforms us. Rather, to receive this new heart, there is much that must be taken way. God will not take it, though, until we are willing to let it go. The second part of the heart of stone is our lack of passion. What happened to the passion in the church? Are we having a difficult time singing the Lord’s song in a foreign land? One secular writer visited a church where the congregation began the service singing “The Joy of the Lord is my Strength.” The writer’s only comment was, “Somebody needed to notify their faces.” Another story told of a church that had no children. Then a young family joined. Suddenly the services became noisy. So the elders of the church came to the pastor and said, “You need to tell them to keep their kids quiet!” So not wanting to offend the family, the pastor decided to address it in his weekly children’s chat message. Looking at those three small faces, the pastor asked, “Children, why should we be quiet during church?” The youngest looked up and said, “It’s because the people are sleeping.” What has happened to our enthusiasm? The story is told of Tony Campolo going to a meeting in a large city. His meeting was on 80th floor. And as he looked around the elevator, he saw a bunch of businessmen in their three-piece suits, looking like some of our congregations. So he said, “Lets sing.” And here’s the crazy part -- they did. He got off the elevator and was followed off by a famous CEO. Tony looked at him and said, “Are you going to the meeting on this floor?” “No,” the man replied. “My meeting is down a couple of floors. I just wanted to finish the song.” Church, God did the hard part for us through Christ on the cross. We just have to finish the song.

And as we close, I want you to see the results. What happens when we get this new heart? The glory of the Lord ascends from us. That is simply AMAZING. Every other biblical witness shows the glory of the Lord descending from heaven, but when we find the joy of God and allow Him to give us a new heart, then God is here with us. His glory is housed within US!

Friends we may be a people in exile, but with God, we can find our way out. All we need it to allow God to give us a new heart.

June Newsletter

With Memorial Day come and gone, the summer is fully upon us. With it comes a whole host of busyness, ministry, and life. Annual Conference will soon be here, followed by homecoming, VBS, and fair week. Add to this the family vacations, reunions, conditioning for fall sports, and a host of other activities, and our summers are already full to the point of bursting.

For Michelle and I, the activities of summer include several of our close friends who are moving. As we gather boxes to send to them, we are also rejoicing that we are not moving. We are truly looking forward to another year full of ministry with all of you.

In the midst of the comings and goings this summer, take time to find periods of Sabbath rest, both physical and mental, as well as spiritual. Here are just a few ways you can do that:

1. When on vacation, find a church to worship with. It can be a great opportunity to worship with other believers and to experience how others worship.

2. Take a few hours to slow down and enjoy yourself. Take a nap, read a book, sit outside and just watch the world go by.

3. Spend some quality time with your family. Kids and grandkids grow up so fast. Find an activity that you can all do together.

Remember, in whatever you do this summer, that you witness to others through your actions as much as by your words. May God give you the opportunity this summer to share His love with others; may He grant you a blessed, safe, and fulfilling summer.

- Pastor Tom

The Valley of Dry Bones

Ezekiel 37:1-14:

1. The hand of the Lord was upon me and he brought me out by the Spirit of the Lord; and he set me in the midst of a certain plain. It was very full, covered in bones. 2. And he caused me to pass over them, all around; and I beheld the bones were very many upon the plain and they were very dry! 3. And he said to me, “Human, can these bones live?” And I said, “Lord GOD, only you know.” 4. Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of GOD; 5. this is what the Lord GOD says to you dry bones: See! I will cause breath to enter you and you shall live. 6. And I will lay sinews and flesh upon you and I will spread skin upon you, and I will put breath-spirit into you and you will live again. Then you will know that I am GOD’.”

7. So I prophesied as he had commanded me; as I prophesied, there was a noise , and I beheld a rattling and the bones came together bone to bone. 8. And I looked again, and I saw sinews upon them and flesh had come upon them and he has covered them with skin, but there was no breath in them. 9. And he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath-spirit. Prophesy, human, and say to the breath-spirit, “Thus says the Lord GOD: come from the four winds, O breath-spirit, and breathe into these who were slain and they shall live.” 10. And I prophesied as he had commanded me. And the breath-spirit came into them and they lived. And they stood up on their feet, a very great army.

11. And he said to me, “Human, these bones are all the house of Israel. See! They are saying, ‘our bones are dried up and our hope is lost, for we are cut off.’ 12. Therefore, prophesy to them and say, “Thus says the Lord GOD: See! I have opened your graves and I will raise you from your graves, my people; Then I will bring you into the land of Israel. 13. And you will know that I am GOD, when I open your graves and raise you from your graves, my people. 14. And I will put my breath-spirit within you and you shall live. Then I will place you in your land and you will know that I GOD have spoken and have done it, says the Lord.”

Ezekiel was an exile in Babylon. And the passage begins, “The hand of the Lord was upon me.” This is an idiomatic expression for a trance-like state where God showed him the vision. In this vision, he is transported to a wide, full plain. Bones cover the ground for as far as the eye can see. And the prophet probably thought, God, why have you brought me to this unclean place? (A dead body is unclean and contact with one would make the person unclean.) Then God causes him to pass over them. The Hebrew translated around about is literally around, around. This gives the sense of a whirlwind, like Elijah, who was taken up in the whirlwind and a fiery chariot. As he cycles his way around this vast plain, he discovers two things about the bones: 1-- they are very many and 2-- they are very dry!

Then, God speaks. “Human. . .” “Can these bones live?” God is quick to remind Ezekiel of his role as creation. Ezekiel is pretty sharp, so he turns the question back on God. “God, only you knows." God isn’t about to let Ezekiel off that easily; he replies, Human, prophesy! “Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord: this is what the Lord GOD says to you dry bones: See! I will cause breath to enter you and you shall live. 6. And I will lay sinews and flesh upon you and I will spread skin upon you, and I will put breath-spirit into you and you will live again. Then you will know that I am GOD’.”

So Ezekiel prophesied. I looked up the word prophesy, and I made an interesting discovery. While it can mean the act of a prophet in word or vision, it can also mean anyone who speaks the word of the Lord. As he began to declare the words of the Lord, there was a noise -- a rattling -- a shaking -- and the bones came together BONE TO BONE! Can you see Ezekiel still spinning 35’ up in the air around the valley and suddenly the whole ground seems to heave? As he looks down, there is row after row of perfect skeletons. The foot bones are at the leg bones the leg bones connected to the knee bone . . . Have any of you ever sung that song? “The knee bones connected to the ______ bone, . . . them bones, them bones, them dry bones, now hear the word of the Lord.” And he looks again. Maybe he blinked, but suddenly the skeletons are covered with tendons and muscles and skin. As he looks, he makes this observation: there was no (ruah) in them. The Hebrew word ruah is translated as breath, wind, or spirit. The valley was full of perfectly formed bodies that lacked the breath of God that gives us life. If the vision stopped right here, those bodies would have decayed, the bones would have again been scattered, covering the ground, but God wasn’t through with them yet! Aren’t you glad that God finishes his work?

So God said to Ezekiel, “Prophesy to the ruah.” It came upon them, and they lived. And they stood up on their feet - a great army! This is all the house of Israel. But, there was still a problem. They were saying about themselves, “our bones are dried up, our hope is lost, and we are cut off.” So God says, “Speak to them and tell them I am raising them up from a pile of bones to a great army and I will bring them back into the Land of Promise!”

I want to quote this to you, because it sheds some light on this passage and I can’t say it any better than he did:

“The promises of their restoration and deliverance, which we have here in the latter part of the book, are for the encouraging of a humble faith. God had assured them that he would gather the house of Israel, even all of it, and return them to their own land; but there were two things that rendered this very unlikely:— I. That they were so dispersed among their enemies, and so dispirited likewise in their own minds; they are here, in vision, compared to a valley full of the dry bones of dead men. . . II. That they were so divided among themselves, too much of the old enmity between Judah and Ephraim remaining even in their captivity.” -Matthew Henry

If you're a student of the Old Testament, you know who Ephraim and Judah are. Judah was Israel’s second oldest son who was made the son of inheritance after Israel wrote Reuben out of that part of the will, and Ephraim was the oldest son of Joseph (Israel’s favorite son). Yet despite all the obstacles, God restored Israel.

What does this passage have to say to us? I’ve been in pastoral ministry for almost ten years. In that time, I’ve heard some say, “It’s dry times. We just don’t have the numbers we used to. Maybe it’s just time to close down.” I’ve heard others say, “We don’t seem to be gaining ground, our hope is gone.” I want to echo the words of my God--We aren’t heading for a pile of dry bones, but an exceedingly great army! But like the children of Israel, we are so divided among our enemies, so dispirited, and so divided among ourselves that we fail to live as the body of Christ in the larger context of the world. Often there is a long way to go from piles of bones we find to the great army God sees. So what does Ezekiel tell us about how to get there?

First, before anything else happened, the vision came. Without a vision the people perish. (Proverbs 29:18a) What does God want to do here?

Second, someone has to begin to speak what God has said. We need to understand the power of the tongue. We need to be confessing over ourselves what God has shown us; that “God is restoring the years the locust have eaten.” “People are lining up to hear the word preached at Adamsville United Methodist Church.” Speak it with faith!

Once we have the vision and the faith, the restoration can begin. I see four steps that the passage lays out, and they show us the way to restoration.

1. Bone to bone. Eph. 3:16 says we are to be jointly fitted together. Look at the person sitting on either side of you. How well do you know them? What are they going through? What part of the body are they--what are their spiritual gifts? Bone to bone speaks of unity in the body of Christ. We need to come together to accomplish the ministries God has for us.

2. Sinews and Flesh. This is the ability to move--muscles and tendons. It speaks of our doing the work of the kingdom. As God shows us ways to reach outside the church to the community, it will take people willing to do the work. Not salvation through work, but our faith brings about our work.

3. Skin. The skin layer is an amazing thing. First, it protects us from the physical wear and tear that our bodies endure. Have you ever had a bruise? That is your skin protecting the organs, sinews and flesh of your body. The second thing that our skin does is it protects us from all the airborne germs and viruses. Most of these maladies are stopped before they ever have a chance to affect our bodies because of our skin. (We also look a lot better with skin. A person without it would be pretty ugly). In the body of Christ, the skin layer is our prayer covering. We need to continually pray for each other. As we begin to move ahead in the work of the church, we can expect the enemy to try to thwart our effort with spiritual attacks. If we don’t pray, we’ll become prey for the enemy.

4. Ruah. On Pentecost Sunday, we celebrate the third person of the Trinity. We need to allow his spirit to be Lord and to empower us. Jesus told his disciples that they were to wait until they had the power...ruah.

There is an order to the restoration. One comes before _____, two comes before _________, . . . There is an order to restoration. Step one needs to come first. I’ve seen churches where the congregation can’t get along well enough to sit on the same side of the church, but they continually pray for the ruah to empower them. If the bones come after the skin, the body won’t be formed correctly; if the breath comes before the body is complete, it can not live.

So as we conclude, I want to ask you, “Can our church live?” Only you know, GOD. He says to us, “Prophesy - Speak my word, find your place in the body, exercise your faith and the talents I’ve placed within you, pray for one another, and allow my Spirit to breathe new life into you.” We are a great army waiting to happen. Are you ready to rise up and be restored?

The Hand of God, the Face of God

As we begin this morning, I’d like to share a verse of scripture that we studied in some detail during our National Day of Prayer Bible Study. 2 Chronicles 7:14 says, “If my people, called by my name (that’s us as Christians) will humble themselves and pray, and will seek my face, and turn from their sin. . .” This morning, I spend some time looking at the face of God.

Ex. 33.7-11: What an awesome scripture. We begin with the image of the Tent of Meeting, which was a place consecrated for divine communication. Look with me again at verse 10. When God showed up, people worshipped. And get this -- Moses talked to God face to face. We often talk about the presence of God, but we can only experience the presence when we are seeking the face of God.

During the Lincoln-Douglas debates, Douglas accused Lincoln of being two-faced. When Douglas finished, Lincoln got up and began his rebuttal. “My opponent has accused me of being two-faced; but you’d think if I had another one, do you think I’d be wearing this one?”

We often say we see the hand of God at work around us, but how often do we see the FACE of God? This morning I’d like to share with you five principles about God’s face.

1. As Christians, we are called to seek the face of God, not just his hand (i.e., not just what he does for us or gives to us, but who he is.) It’s his face that truly matters! David wrote “you fill me with joy in your presence” (Ps. 16.11) and “Your face, Lord, I will seek.” Think about our own language for a minute. Have you ever looked at something at face-value or put a good face on a situation? Faces reveal the nature of a person or a thing.

Without the face of God, we can not know his unique nature. In Deut. 4, Moses asks “Has there ever been a God like this?” I love the great cathedrals. When I was in Rome, I remember standing in the Sistine Chapel and looking up at that marvelous ceiling; it was so massive, so wonderful, and I was so small. That is how they were built -- to resize us and help us see how big and awesome our God is and how insignificant we are in relation. And that is precisely how we feel when we get into the presence of God -- when we seek his face, he has a way of overwhelming us. God shows us our worth and worthlessness, and yet it’s OK, because there is a peace and a rightness; despite who I am, God still loves me.

2. God’s face is beautiful. A few years ago, I spent a week in Atlanta with Pastor Williams. You know, nothing made me miss my wife more than waking up every morning to be greeted by his ugly mug. He cleans up nice, but he looks rough in the morning! How many of you remember when you first met you sweetheart. I remember our first date -- walking hand-in-hand down the midway at the county fair and being captivated by her. And I remember that hot June day when I was standing in the front of a church and watched the most beautiful woman in the world walk down that aisle with her grandfather, and I could not take my eyes off her. . .I was so captivated by her beauty. When we see the face of God, we’ll be captivated by his beauty. And his face will keep us from sin. The hand of God doesn’t keep us from sin, but his face does. You see, I don’t want to do anything that will bring pain to the face of God; I don’t want to do anything to put tears in his eyes or make him turn his face from me. I pray that God never has to turn his face from me!

3. Faces speak. Only when we begin to seek the face of God can he begin to speak to us. Hands don’t talk, they only do. The sign of ordination in the OT was that God spoke to that person. In the NT, we are all priests and ministers, and therefore, to be effective in the charge that Christ has given to us, we must hear the voice of God.

4. Faces smile, hands don’t smile. Only when we seek God’s face can we see how much pleasure God takes in us. And that smile is the favor of God. There was a story some time back about a man who was deep in debt, struggling to pay all the bills, and one night, while trying to do the figures, his son came up with his piggy bank in hand and said, “Dad will this help?” And the father, with tears in his eyes could only smile. We don’t do anything or have anything to offer for that favor; God just gives it to us.

5. Faces laugh, hands don’t laugh. We need to get rid of some of the rigidness and pomp in the church and realize that God has a sense of humor (he made us, didn’t he) and that God laughs. We tend to take ourselves so seriously. When was the last time you just loosened up and laughed? Laughter is contagious. And if we want to reach the lost, we need to show them the laughter of God, not just the judgment.

Look with me one more time at the passage in Exodus. When we find God’s face and meet with him in his presence -- the neighborhood will take notice. When we begin to love God, we’ll love people and they can meet God. How do we start? It’s really very simple. Get on you face before God and begin to pray. Prayer is the antidote for self-sufficiency, and when we realize our need for God and press in during our times of prayer, we will begin to experience God’s face.

I want to close where I began. If my people, called by my name, will humble themselves and pray, and will seek my face, and turn from their sins, then I will hear in heaven, I will forgive their sins, and I will heal their land. America needs God’s forgiveness and God’s healing, but it will only happen when his people begin to turn from their own sins and seek the face of God. Can that move of God begin in you today?

Lessons from Ruth (Sermon)

As we celebrate Mother's Day, I wondered: how do we live a life to leave a legacy for our children and grandchildren? To answer that question, let us examine the story of Ruth, to see what it has to teach us about this important question.

Ruth 1:1-17

The book begins with a tragic story. Naomi and her husband leave Israel because of a famine, along with their two sons. When Naomi’s husband dies, the two boys marry two Moabite girls. In the course of time, the two sons also die, leaving Naomi alone with her two daughters-in-law, Orpah and Ruth.

Finally, news came that the famine was over. Naomi returned home, but bade her daughters to stay. She knew the persecution that they would face as foreigners. Orpah listened to Naomi’s pleas and returned home, but Ruth refused to leave Naomi.

Life for the poor and widowed in Israel was hard. Ruth went to the fields to glean barley behind the reapers. The law said that whatever dropped to the ground when the grain was gathered was to be left for the poor. Ruth was fortunate to begin her gleaning in the fields of Boaz. Ruth did not know that he was a kinsman, nor that he was a kind and godly man. When Boaz saw Ruth gleaning in his fields, he enquired about her. He asked her to only glean in his fields, so that he could protect her from being accosted. He also instructed the reapers to allow a little extra to fall so that Ruth could provide for Naomi. Ruth gleaned in the fields of Boaz through the barley and wheat season.

As the harvest drew to a close, Naomi noticed that Ruth was smitten with Boaz. So she instructed her daughter-in-law in how to make her intentions known. Though Boaz returned her feelings, he also knew he was not her nearest kinsman. So Boaz went to the city gate and greeted the man who was the nearest kinsman.

Boaz: Did you hear that Naomi has returned?
Kinsman: Yes. I had heard.
Boaz: Well, I wondered if you were going to buy her fields. You are a nearer kinsman than I am, so you have the first right to them.
Kinsman: Yes, of course I want the land. I’ll go buy the land immediately.
Boaz: You know, of course, that with the land comes the hand of the Moabite woman, Ruth. You’ll have to marry her to continue the family’s line.
Kinsman: I can’t do that. Why don’t you go buy the land, Boaz?

And so Boaz redeemed Ruth. Ruth 4:13-17. Ruth became the great grandmother of King David. What lessons do we learn from the story of Ruth? There are three:

1. Earthy Spirituality: Ruth had a faith that directly impacted her everyday life and how she lived. Through Naomi, Ruth had learned enough to say “Your God will be my God.” We often fail to react to the ordinary, everyday events of life in light of the Love of God and what we believe? The two have become separated, so that what we believe and how we live don’t have to be related. It should not be this way. Instead, we need to look at our faith through practical eyes and ask ourselves how what we believe should impact how we live.

2.Obedience. The pattern of obedience we find in Ruth’s example is embodied in the statement, “All that you tell me I will do.” Such unswerving obedience is a model of faith for every Christian. What would our church be like if we could make the same statement to God? How great could we become?

Our society has become obsessed with greatness. But what is greatness? How do we define it? Greatness does not mean that we are great people; instead, greatness is found by being obedient to a God who is great. To be great, we only need to be obedient. If we are obedient, we appear great because the greatness of God shines through us. The spiritual giants we look up to are the same. The are simply obedient to God.

3. Love your neighbor. Jesus was asked, “Who is my neighbor?” Boaz looked at a foreign woman whose people were sworn enemies of Israel, and he said, she is my neighbor. And he didn’t just say this. He showed it through simple acts of kindness

William Wordsworth said, “The best portion of a good man’s life,
His little, nameless, unremembered acts
Of kindness and love.”

Micah 6:8
He has told you, O man, what is good;
And what doest the Lord require of you
But to do justice, to love kindness,
And to walk humbly with your God?

God does not look for big, external displays. What is required? Slow down and look at the list again: To do Justice . . . To love kindness. . . . and to walk humbly with your God. Period.

Ruth teaches us that we need to have a practical theology, that we need to be obedient, and that above all, we need to love our neighbor in tangible ways, through simple acts of kindness. If we do, we also will leave a legacy that will have a lasting impact.

Church vs. Soccer on Sunday Morning

The newspaper was just full of good stuff today. My wife pointed out this column, which is just one more piece of the puzzle when it comes to reaching this generation of youth.

By BETSY HART
Scripps Howard News Service
2007-05-03 00:00:00

Now that it's getting warm, look for church attendance to drop even more.

That's the implication of an article in the current issue of the Baptist Press. Why? Because as Erin Roach reports, sports and other activities for families often trump church time for families, even for those who "regularly" attend church. The trend is most pronounced when it comes to church activities during the week. But as anyone who has driven past a busy soccer field on a Sunday morning knows, the trend affects the fullness of the pews on that day, too.

The Baptist Press looked at a survey of almost 500 pastors done for Leadership Magazine, a publication of Christianity Today. It found that family commitments and kids' activities are definitely bringing down church attendance. It seems that families are looking for more time together. But, ironically, on the menu of things to choose from, church is becoming one more option, even for Christian families. It's an "option" they often find is just not as relevant to them as sports or other events.

Pastors and other church leaders rightly bemoan the trend. I feel their pain, especially when I have to tell my kids they can't go to a Sunday-morning birthday party or Saturday-night sleepover, for instance.

But having watched this trend for some time, I also think the church too often enables parents. As at least one church leader and many parents noted in the Baptist Press piece, too often churches themselves split families up when they come in the door: kids here, adults there, teens in that program around the corner.

Youth programs are great, but historically families worshipped together on Sunday mornings. The age-divided worship programs (versus Sunday school after a church service, for instance) are new to the last half century. Interestingly, in his book "Intergenerational Religious Education," James White reports on studies showing that children who attend worship with their parents are more likely to regularly worship as adults than children who exclusively attend "children's church."

If families want together time, and they don't get it at church, that's one less reason to go. There's evidence, though, that the pendulum on segregating families may be swinging back again, as more and more churches seem to be realizing that as wonderful as their kids programs are, they've got to find ways to build on that and get families worshipping together, so that church becomes a family activity.

But I don't think even that vision will help reverse the trend toward lower church attendance by families if another trend not mentioned in the Baptist Press isn't addressed: Too often today, when it comes to the religious education of their kids, parents seem to think it's up to the "church experts" to handle it, and the church too often enables parents in their thinking.

When it comes to our kids, we are an expert-obsessed culture. We'll hire or find or read or rely on experts for almost every aspect of our kids' lives. Parents may too often think, "I'll let the church handle my child's religious life and give them what they need in that one hour a week."

But parents, by design, are the ones who have the time and intimacy with a child, over time, which is most likely to impact them with religious values. One hour a week, no matter how devoted the teachers. can do little if the parents aren't leading the way. Few people know this better than children's-ministry workers, who typically report that one of their biggest frustrations is that parents aren't more involved in the child's religious upbringing.

If churches communicated to moms and dads (the biblical pattern) that parents are the ones primarily responsible for their child's religious education and growth, might that refill those pews on Sunday mornings? I'm not sure. But I do know that if the church doesn't communicate that message, the church has little chance of winning families to worship before today's generation of youngsters are taking their own kids to soccer practice on Sunday morning.

(Betsy Hart hosts the "It Takes a Parent" radio show on WYLL-AM 1160 in Chicago. She can be reached at www.BetsyHart.net.)

Dear Abby - Is this for real?

For any of you with small children in the home, this letter to "Abby" is absolutely hilarious as well as disturbing. It is no wonder that our society is having problems dealing with children and violence. Read on.

DEAR ABBY: I have a 4-year-old who tends to act up from time to time. I have tried "time-outs" and even soft spanking and have taken his privileges away. Nothing seems to work. However, I have found that smashing one of his small toys with a hammer works well. Do you see any danger in this form of punishment? -- YOUNG MOM IN OKLAHOMA

OK, dry your eyes, quit laughing, and stop saying, "Do I see a DANGER?!" It is sad that she had to write a columnist to get an answer to this question. While I often have a problem with Abby's liberal viewpoint, she is right on this time.

DEAR YOUNG MOM: I certainly do. Smashing a child's toy with a hammer carries the same message that an abusive husband delivers when he smashes his fist through a wall. It implies, "You're next!" If you continue punishing your child in this way, he could begin modeling his behavior after yours and destroy other people's property -- including yours -- when he's angry.

Take the toy away if that's the only way to get through to your son. Tell him that it will be given to a child who has no toys to play with. But do not destroy the toy in front of your child.

The Keys of the Kingdom

Mt. 16: 13-19

Today’s text opens with a familiar scene: Jesus is walking with his disciples, and he asks them, “Who do men say that I am?” John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah -- Positive, but erroneous, or positively wrong! Jesus was pointing out that the culture was misinformed about who he was.

Then, Jesus changed the question. And this is important, look carefully at the question – Who do all of you say that I am? The question is addressed to all of them, but Peter, as the unofficial leader, answers. "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Wow! Then Christ defines the church. This is the only place in Gospels where the church is defined. You are Peter, a stone, on this rock I will build my church.

Not on a stone (Petro –piece of rock), but upon the larger rock (Petra, a mass of rocks). The Greek distinguishes between these two. The word rock can also mean a collection of stones that have been cobbled together to form a larger rock as a foundation. (in 1Pe. 2:5 – we are called living stones, and in Eph 2:20 – the church is said to be built upon the foundation of the prophets and apostles.) The Old Testament heroes and the 12 apostles were the foundation of the church, and you and I are the building blocks God uses to build his eternal Kingdom.

What does this mean today? First, the church can not be what God wants it to be unless we come together (cobbled together by God) to fulfill God’s purpose. It is that process of stones (petro) being turned into rocks (petra). Now notice what the rest of the text says, “Christ will build upon it, and the gates of Hell can not overcome it.” Gates of Hell . . . a gate was a symbol of authority or power. Look carefully this morning; Hell is trying to stop us, not the other way around. WE (the church) are SUPPOSED TO BE ON the OFFENSIVE! We waste far too much time in the church trying to react to Hell, when we are supposed to be building up the Kingdom. If we are building the Kingdom, then Hell’s kingdom will dwindle.

And we’re not talking about God verses the Devil. That battle has already been fought, and it didn’t last long. The battle today is between Satan and God’s Church, or to put it another way, between the Gates of hell and the Church. Eph. 6 tells us that “we wrestle not against flesh and blood.” Battle is between the fallen angels and man.

Angels are spiritual beings. Their primary task was to reflect back to God his nature. There were three Archangels. They were the only angels named in the Bible: Michael, Gabriel, and Lucifer. Lucifer’s job was to lead all of the universe in praise to God, but Lucifer had an ego problem. He wanted the praise for himself. What he wanted was to become like God – not answering to anybody. So he created his own kingdom, leading a third of the angels in rebellion. Problem: how do you overthrow God? He was quickly caught and tried for treason. Judgment was passed, but then God shocked everyone and declared that the judgment would be delayed. You see, the rebellion created an opportunity for God to be glorified. How? (Ps. 8, Heb 2:6,7) He created man a little lower than the angels, that is, constitutionally inferior, and he gave us Lucifer’s job. We are told in Luke 10:18 Satan was cast down to earth, and the earth was flooded. He was no longer called Lucifer, but Satan, which means deceiver. God changes names to reflect character. Why did God do this? To show he could do more with less, and be glorified by our dependence upon him as we do even greater things (see John 14:12).

That’s why the Bible opens with a garbage dump. The earth is dark and lifeless, with the Holy Spirit hovering over the deep. Then, God begins the first extreme-home-makeover for man. He created a beautiful garden and placed man in it. And here’s the great part – there was only one rule – don’t mess with the tree in the middle. In that rule, Man was given God’s word. We all know what happened. Satan twisted, distorted, dismissed and diluted that word, because Satan is powerless against the word. He said, “"You will not surely die," the serpent said to the woman, "for God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." (Genesis 1:4b-5) Satan, that deceiver, twisted the word. What he didn’t tell them was that all they got out of the fruit was evil. They already knew what was good.

So, how come Satan is loose? Well, God gave mankind the keys to the earth, the authority to manage it, and that included our enemy. He can’t overcome the word in us, but when we cross the word or allow it to be twisted, diluted, or distorted, Satan wins. When Adam sinned, he forfeited the keys, but when Christ died on the cross, he took back the keys and gave them to the church.

Here is the simple truth of the keys of the Kingdom: If we keep God’s word, we win. If we don’t keep God’s word, we’ll lose. Are we prevailing today? Is the Kingdom of God tearing down the kingdom of darkness in such a way that it is impacting the day to day life of those who have yet to realize what’s going on? The sad reality is, we are not. And we must ask ourselves what can stop hell from winning?

In verse 19, Christ says, “I will give you the keys of the kingdom.” (This is in the future tense, because Christ had not yet died.) They are not the church’s keys. They’re heaven’s keys. Notice the keys are plural, and that’s because the gates of verse 18 are plural. You see the gates are the obstacles that Satan raises up against what God is trying to do through the church. The keys are God’s divine response to those gates, so we can lock the door. The problem is that we are not using the keys because we’ve misplaced the keys. Have you ever been in a hurry and can’t find your car keys? What do you do? Panic! Search frantically, and the reality is you’re going no where until they are found! We need to find the keys. We aren’t seeking God’s divine response to the problems that we are facing and as a result, we are powerless to stop the enemy. When is the last time in an council meeting that a problem was addressed with, “Let’s pray and see what God would have us do.”?

There is another problem -- the keys are God’s divine response, but often, we twist and dilute it. We mix our own brand of theology and religion, which cancels out the power of the key. When you mix the human with the divine, the divine is canceled. How do we apply the key? Pray. For “whatever you bind on earth – what ever you loose on earth.”

The church does not exist for itself. It exists for the sake of the Kingdom of God. The church is supposed to house the kingdom values so that they can be translated into the community and into the culture outside the church. I’ve read that the US Embassy, or any country’s embassy, is a little bit of that country a long way from home. Embassies operate under the values and laws of their own country Is our church like that? Are we a little piece of heaven a long way from home? Do our families operate on Kingdom principles or on the cultural norms of the society we find ourselves in?

Church, I want to go back to the scripture, as we close. Christ said, “upon this Rock I will build my church.” Are we willing to stand firm and prevail against the gates of hell? What obstacles have you been facing? Are we willing to pray for God’s divine response? In what ways can we begin to build the Kingdom this week?

One Day Silence

In Remembrance

Ours for the Asking

pastor's note: this sermon is based on Chapter one of David Jeremiah’s book, The Prayer Matrix

My daughter turned five this past November, shortly after we moved. I remember the conversations that began months earlier:

"Marissa, what do you want for your birthday?"

"Dora chutes and ladders."

"What else would you like for your birthday?"

"Just Dora chutes and ladders."

Well, her birthday came around and she was sitting on the floor at Grandma's house, opening her presents. She spotted a long, thin box and tore into it—just clothes. Another, similar box—just clothes. Then my wife, Michelle, handed her a box. Her eyes lit up as she tore away the paper and squealed with delight. Mommy, Mommy, it’s Dora’s chutes and ladders.

That’s the way it is for prayer. Somehow, we get the idea in the back of our minds that prayer is breaking down God’s reluctance to do something for us, and when our prayers are answered, we act as if something extraordinary has happened. But that is contrary to what the Bible teaches. James tells us that God “gives to all liberally and without reproach.” (1:5) James 4:2 tells us that “you do not have because you do not ask.” You see God is in no way dragging his feet about providing what we need. Instead, He’s in heaven wondering primarily why we don’t ask more often.

Consider our main text (read Matt. 7.7-11). Through prayer, God has given us an open door not only into his presence, but also into His rich blessings, for He is able to do exceedingly abundantly above (what does that say?) All that we ask! (Eph. 3.20)

Jesus teaching at the end of the sermon on the mount contains three small but powerful words: ask, seek, and knock. These words are in the imperative, i.e., they are commands. Jesus didn’t say, “If you feel like it, ask.” He didn’t say, “When you’re in the mood, seek.” And he didn’t tell us, “If you get around to it, you might want to try knocking.” Instead, he commands us to ask, seek, and knock.

Whatever it is that we need, we must learn to ask for it. When we don’t, we’re disobeying Christ’s command to us. But it’s much more than a matter of obedience and disobedience; our heavenly Father wants to hear us express what we truly want and need.

The three powerful words are not only commands, but in the original Greek, they are in a tense that gives a sense of repeated action. These words translate, keep on asking, keep on seeking, keep on knocking. Don’t ever stop.

There is a story that’s told about a father who was getting his son to bed. After tucking him in, his son said, “Daddy, I need a drink of water.” A short time later, he heard, “Daddy, I need to go potty.” It continued like that for about thirty minutes until, finally exasperated, the father said, “Son, you are fine. Lie down and go to sleep. If I hear one more sound from you, I’m coming up and giving you a spanking!” All was silent for about five minutes. Then a little voice called down the stairs, “Daddy, when you come up to spank me, could you bring me a drink of water?”

That’s just how children are. They never quit. It doesn’t matter how many times they’ve asked before; they just keep on asking. They ask and ask and ask. Yet we, who are God’s children, seem to think that we shouldn’t ask, despite what the Bible actually says!

The continual commands of Matt. 7 also have a sense of progression. Ask is strong enough, but seek is even stronger, and knock is even more intense. Most of the time, we just ask, but there are times when we must begin to seek or even knock for the answer we need; asking just isn’t enough. This progression is illustrated and reinforced by simply writing down the commands in a row. What are we to do? A..S..K!

Finally, we must make prayer our first resort. Oswald Chambers wrote, “We pray when there’s nothing else to do, but Jesus wants us to pray before we do anything at all.” I’ve been amazed in my ministry by how often people have come to me to ask advice when facing some big life choice. Even more amazing to me, however, is that when I ask, “Have you prayed about this yet?” the answer is more often than not, “I guess I really haven’t thought about that.” Why would anybody come to me, especially before they went to almighty God, who created the universe? I mean, God has all the blessings of heaven at his disposal. What do I have that compares to that?

So ask God for whatever it is you need. Ask and keep on asking, seek and keep on seeking, Knock and keep on knocking. And as you do, just watch how wonderful our God is as he answers again and again and again.

From the Pastor's Pen - May

As we prepare to celebrate the National Day of Prayer this week, I wanted to take a couple of minutes to reflect on prayer. E. M. Bounds says, “We can do nothing without prayer.” Therefore, if we want to see something happen, we must begin to pray.

In prayer, we are invited to petition the creator of the universe, who in turn moves on our behalf. Prayer is one of the most powerful tools that God has ever given to the Church – and it is one that we rarely use to its full potential. So here are a few thoughts on prayer:

1. When we pray, we need to pray specifics. When we pray in broad, general terms, there i no real way to measure if God has answered our prayer. Instead, we need to pray for the specific needs that we see around us.

2. We need to recapture the idea of praying the promises. Consider for a moment the implications of the promise of John 14:12. As one pastor said, we simply need to read the red and pray for the power. There are many more promises; we just need to get them in our heart and on our lips.

3. There are many types of prayer, and we need to pray all types of prayer. a. Arrow/breath prayers – a quick prayer for someone we see in passing. b. Need prayers –both for you and for others. c. Regular daily prayer time. (these three are by no means an exhaustive list.)

4. Don’t pray later when you can pray now. When someone asks for prayer, pray now. You might not remember to pray later.

5. There is greater power when prayer is tied to fasting and self-denial.

6. Prayer is conversation. Don’t make it single-sided; take time to be quiet before the Lord and listen for his voice.

7. Pray as you are, not as you are not. Just be yourself.

Battle Cry - Rise Up!

Matthew 3:1-6 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.

I want to begin this morning with a statistic that is absolutely frightening. Only 4% of this current generation of youth has a personal relationship with Jesus. That is what Battle Cry is about. It is the decision on the part of believers to declare war on the culture that is stealing away these youth, filling their minds with perversion and lusts, with greed and envy, with every type of sin and imagination that exalts itself above God in our lives. The Battle Cry is a call to the local churches to rise up and proclaim the holy standard of Christ!

Ron Luce shared with us about John B., who serves to show us what is required if we are going to carry out this plan of attack. Consider for a minute this strange character we know as John the Baptist. Dressed in camel’s hair clothing, bound with a leather belt, he was eating locusts and wild honey. (Living on the bitter made bearable by a touch of the sweet) And John was not just strange looking – he was totally sold out for God. And I would submit to you this morning that if we are going to be effective in reaching this generation for Christ, we are going to have to be willing to become as sold out as John was, willing to be considered a freak for the sake of God’s kingdom.

Notice what was said here about John by the prophet Isaiah: (verse 3)he was “The voice. . .” The first thing you learn about being in a culture war is that the loudest voice wins. Consider, for example, the decision this week by CBS, a powerful media network, to fire their long-time employee, Imus. Now the record is pretty clear that Imus said some pretty stupid things, and CBS did what they thought was right—they placed him on two weeks of unpaid leave. But there were some voices (say voices) that began to say, it’s not enough. And the voices grew louder and louder. And because of those voices, some of CBS’s sponsors began to pull out. And because of those voices, this major network changed its mind and fired this man.

Now back to our main point, here. In a culture war, the loudest voice wins. And this got me to thinking—what is the church’s voice like? Are we a dominating, loud voice in our society? I would suggest that because of political correctness, because we don’t want to be considered freaks, we’ve allowed our voice to become a whisper. In an interview in Detroit, some of our youth were asked if what type of animal this move of God needed to be like. Some of our kids were there and got interviewed. And what did you guys say? (A Tiger) A ferocious, hungry, stalking tiger. But the church today looks more like tigger than a tiger. We’re bouncy, trouncy, bouncy, trouncy, fun-fun-fun-fun-fun!

Church we need to rediscover our voice! I want to go back to verse 3 again. John was a voice crying . . . He wasn’t just talking in whispers, he was belting it out at the top of his lungs. He was saying I have something important to tell you and I am going to make sure you hear. . . picture Ty Pennington, of Exterme Home Makeover, yelling through the megaphone!

So John was a voice, crying in the wilderness. . . Why is it appropriate to compare this culture to a barren wilderness? Consider for just a moment the statistics:

What was John yelling out there in the desert? 'Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.' I want you to consider why John was out there. He wasn’t preaching the Gospel; he was preparing folks to hear the Gospel message. Today the church does a good job most of the time proclaiming the Gospel, but we aren’t very good at preparing the way for those seekers who are not yet ready to hear and believe. Am I willing to pray for that person every day, to listen to them, to their questions and concerns without pushing my own beliefs or an agenda? Can I just be a friend and a voice of reason for someone who is full of There are a lot of paths that need straightened, a lot of preparation that has not taken place.

I’ve said it before, but it needs to be said again—we need to move people towards the cross; from -10 to 0 and beyond. God is looking for people who are willing to use their talents, their hands, their life, to be like John—a Jesus Freak who is preparing the way for the Kingdom of God to come in the lives of those around them. We need people who will rise up and move beyond the casual Christianity of our culture to be authentically empowered people who can join the ranks and join in the battle. The battle cry has been sounded. Will you answer?