Pastoral Resources

Announcement in the weekly journal Planning: “We are sorry that the Planning Directory has so far not appeared. This is because it is considerably bigger than originally anticipated and is taking longer to print.”

In 1Co 15:36-38, we see that a seed must die in the ground before God causes it to spring up into a plant; that this plant will be consistent with the nature of the seed planted, yet different in form and function. To emphasize this difference between the seed and the plant is similar to the difference between the body that is laid in the grave and the body that will one day be resurrected, Paul says in verse thirty-seven, "And that which thou sowest, thou sowest not that body that shall be, but bare grain, it may chance of wheat, or of some other grain." The analogy is that of your dead body to a seed and of your resurrection body to the plant. There is nothing in Scripture that requires you to believe that the body you put into the ground is the selfsame body that will rise in the resurrection. Paul says that, with bodies as with plants, you don't bury that which is to be in the same form that it will eventually assume. A bare grain of wheat will produce a plant bearing many grains, but you don't sow the whole plant. You sow a seed and you get a corresponding plant.

I took a piece of plastic clay

And idly fashioned it one day,

And as my fingers pressed it still,

It moved and yielded to my will.

I came again when days were past—

The bit of clay was hard at last;

The form I gave it, it still bore,

But I could change that form no more.

I took a piece of living clay

And gently formed it day by day,

And moulded with my power and art

A young child’s soft and yielding heart.

I came again when years were gone—

It was a man I looked upon;

He still that early impress wore,

And I could change him nevermore.

Plato wrote the first sentence of his famous Republic nine different ways before he was satisfied. Cicero practiced speaking before friends every day for thirty years to perfect his elocution. Noah Webster labored 36 years writing his dictionary, crossing the Atlantic twice to gather material. Milton rose at 4:00 a.m. every day in order to have enough hours for his Paradise Lost. Gibbon spent 26 years on his Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. Bryant rewrote one of his poetic masterpieces 99 times before publication, and it became a classic.

A Georgia farmer, ragged and barefooted, was standing on the steps of his tumbledown shack. A stranger stopped for a drink of water. "How is your cotton coming along?" he asked. "Ain't got none," replied the farmer. "Did you plant any?" asked the stranger. "Nope," was the reply, "afraid of bollweevils."

"Well," continued the stranger, "how is your corn?" "Didn't plant none," came the answer, "'fraid there weren't gonna to be no rain."

The visitor persevered: "Well, how are your potatoes?" "Ain't got none. Scairt of potato bugs."

"Really, what did you plant?" pressed the stranger. "Nothin'," was the calm reply, "I jest played safe."

In a Harvard study of several hundred preschoolers, researchers discovered an interesting phenomenon. As they taped the children’s playground conversation, they realized that all the sounds coming from little girls’ mouths were recognizable words. However, only 60 percent of the sounds coming from little boys were recognizable. The other 40 percent were yells and sound effects like “Vrrrooooom!” “Aaaaagh!” “Toot toot!” This difference persists into adulthood. Communication experts say that the average woman speaks over 25,000 words a day while the average man speaks only a little over 10,000. What does this mean in marital terms? . . . On average a wife will say she needs to spend 45 minutes to an hour each day in meaningful conversation with her husband. What does her husband sitting next to her say is enough time for meaningful conversation? Fifteen to twenty minutes—once or twice a week!

Everyone needs recognition for his accomplishments, but few people make the need known quite as clearly as the little boy who said to his father: “Let’s play darts. I’ll throw and you say ‘Wonderful!’“

Plutarch tells us that the Rhodians appealed to the Romans for help, and one suggested that they should plead the good things which they had done for Rome. This was a plea difficult to make strong enough, very apt to be disputed, and not likely to influence so great a people as the Romans, who would not readily consider themselves to be debtors to such a puny state as Rhodes. The Rhodians, however, were wiser than their counselor and took up another line of argument which was abundantly successful. They pleaded the favors which in former times the Romans had bestowed upon them, and urged these as the reason the great nation should not cast off a needy people for whom they had already done so much.

Sin has undone our wretched race;

But Jesus has restored,

And brought the sinner face to face

With his forgiving Lord.

This we repeat from year to year,

And press upon our youth;

Lord, give them an attentive ear,

Lord, save them by Thy truth!

Blessings upon the rising race!

Make this a happy hour,

According to Thy richest grace,

And Thine Almighty power.

We feel for your unhappy state,

(May you regard it too,)

And would a while ourselves forget

To pour out prayer for you.

We see though you perceive it not,

The approaching awful doom;

Oh tremble at the solemn thought,

And flee the wrath to come!

Dear Saviour, let this new-born year

Spread an alarm abroad;

And cry in every careless ear,

“Prepare to meet they God!”

Pastor Charles Curtis stresses the importance of really communicating:

"My husband does not talk to me," is the complaint of 80 percent of American wives. It has been claimed that "One hundred percent of the people seeking professional help for their marriages have problems of communication." In our world, the power to send and receive messages reaches around the globe (even out into space), and this information is available in seconds! Yet, husbands and wives are unable to successfully communicate across the breakfast table. "Please talk to me" is the request and basic need in many homes.

Communication is a rich source of blessing. What a joy it is to talk and listen! Recently, I had a sore throat and was to preach that night. In order to save my throat, I wrote notes and did not speak for the entire day. It was maddening and frustrating. "A word spoken in season, how good is it" (Pro_15:23)! "A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver" (Pro_25:11).

The lack of communication multiplies our problems as it destroys bridges over which we need to travel. An old farmer had trouble guiding his mule, but said nothing. When asked why he didn't speak to the mule, he responded, "That old mule kicked me five years ago and I ain't spoke to him since." Marriage offers companionship, and this is impossible without communication. People can be lonely in a crowd or in a marriage. Lines of communication should be carefully built and maintained in the home. "People are lonely because they build walls instead of bridges" (Joseph E. Newton).

Communication is more than just speaking. How well do we listen? The Scripture admonished us: "Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath" (Jam_1:19). While a senator, Lyndon Johnson had this sign in his office: "You ain't learning nothing when you're doing all the talking." Listening is essential to communication. Parents often fail to really hear what their children may be saying. Teenages run away from home "because it is the only way they know how to cope with a family that has forgotten how to listen" (Fred Gross). Listening has a way of saying-"To me, you are an important person. I appreciate you, I accept you, I love you, and I want to hear what you have to say." It is only by listening that we can correctly respond.

A little boy with shiny eyes,

His little face aglow.

Said, "It is time for Sunday School.

Please, Daddy, let's go!"

"Oh no," said Daddy, "Not today.

I have worked hard all week;

And I must have a day of rest,

I am going to the creek.

For there I can relax and rest,

And fishing's fine they say;

So run along, don't bother me,

We will go to church some other day."

Months and years have passed away

But Daddy hears that plea no more

"Please, let's go to Sunday School!"

Those childhood days are o'er.

Now that daddy's growing old,

When life is almost through,

He does find time to go to church,

But, what does his son do?

He says, "Old Man, you're kidding!

I have caroused around all night,

A-popping pills, and smoking pot-

You should have seen me fight!"

The daddy lifts a trembling hand

To brush away the tears,

He seems to hear the pleading voice,

Distinctly through the years.

He sees his small son's wistful face

Upturned, with eyes aglow,

Saying, "It's time for Sunday School,

Please, Daddy-won't you go?"

Remember...that I am a gift from God, the richest of all blessings. Do not attempt to mold me in your image, my daddy's, my brother's, or our neighbor's. I am an individual and should be permitted to be myself.

Remember...not to crush my spirit when I fail. Don't compare me with others who outshine me.

Remember...that anger and hostility are natural emotions. Help me to find outlets for these normal feelings-in play or physical exercise-or else they may be turned inward and may become much deeper and much more serious.

Remember...to discipline me with firmness and reason. Do not let your anger throw you off balance. If I know you are fair, you will not lose my respect or my love.

Remember...that each child needs two parents. When you side with me against Daddy, I have feelings of guilt, confusion and insecurity.

Remember...not to hand me everything my little heart desires. Otherwise I will never know the thrill of earning, the joy of deserving.

Remember...not to make threats in anger, or impossible promises when you are in a generous mood. To me your word means everything. When I can't believe in you and Dad, I have difficulty believing in anything.

Remember...that there is dignity in hard work, whether it is performed with calloused hands that shovel coal or skilled fingers that manipulate surgical instruments. Let me know that a useful life is a blessed one, and that a life of ease and pleasure-seeking is empty and meaningless.

Remember...not to try to protect me from every small blow and disappointment. Adversity strengthens character and makes us compassionate. Trouble is the great equalizer; let me learn it.

Remember...to teach me to love God and our fellow men. And, Mommy, please don't send me to worship service and Bible school-take me there.

A love desire to please Christ is not something extra for the Christian. It is basic to Christian sanctity. It is not a dessert, but the main course-not a sideshow, but the main tent. It is not a motive to which we can resort to when convenient; it is a controlling force to which we have committed our lives. We have abandoned everything else. In time, applause and pleas of the world have a hollow ring. We are marching to a different drumbeat. His smile is singularly our greatest delight! This is the lifestyle of love.

Bits & Pieces, February 4, 1993, p. 14

Pliny the Elder, was a Roman writer who lived during the same time period as Jesus. He told a story of the setting of an obelisk, which when erect would stand 99 feet tall. Twenty thousand workers where chosen to pull on the ropes and activate the hoisting apparatus. There was great responsibility and risk in the operation. Just one error could cause the obelisk to fall, ruining years of work.

The King demanded one act which insured the complete attention and best direction of the engineer. He ordered the engineer’s own son to be strapped to the apex of the obelisk, so that his heart as well as his head would be given to the task.

Our lives are fields that primarily contain weeds. We cannot produce strawberries. We can mow the weeds, but that effort alone will never produce acceptable fruit. If we really want that fruit we will have to go deeper. We must plow up the whole field and start again with new plants.

An excellent plumber is infinitely more admirable than an incompetent theologian. The society which scorns excellence in plumbing because plumbing is a humble activity and tolerates shoddiness in theology because it is an exalted activity will have neither good plumbing nor good theology. Neither its pipes nor its sermons will hold water.

...a spiritual gift is spiritual in character (pneumatikon), sovereignly given by God the Holy Spirit (charismata), to others (diakonia), in the power of God (energeema), with an evident manifestation of the Holy Spirit through the Christian as he serves God (phanerosis).

In evil long I took delight,

Unawed by shame or fear,

Till a new object struck my sight,

And stopp’d my wild career:

I saw One hanging on a Tree

In agonies and blood,

Who fix’d His languid eyes on me.

As near His Cross I stood.

Sure never till my latest breath,

Can I forget that look:

It seem’d to charge me with His death,

Though not a word He spoke:

My conscience felt and own’d the guilt,

And plunged me in despair:

I saw my sins His Blood had spilt,

And help’d to nail Him there.

Alas! I knew not what I did!

But now my tears are vain:

Where shall my trembling soul be hid?

For I the Lord have slain!

—A second look He gave, which said,

“I freely all forgive;

This blood is for thy ransom paid;

I die that thou may’st live.”

Thus, while His death my sin displays

In all its blackest hue,

Such is the mystery of grace,

It seals my pardon too.

With pleasing grief, and mournful joy,

My spirit now if fill’d,

That I should such a life destroy,

Yet live by Him I kill’d!

- John Newton, 1725-1807

Have you ever stood by and watched guilt or grief or some other kind of pain eat away at someone you cared about? You may have felt nearly as helpless as that hurting person. What can you do for the friend, family member, co-worker, or neighbor whose life is coming apart from inner pain? Some ways you may be able to help hurting people....

1. Listen. Use your ears more than your mouth. Don’t let the urge to offer advice get in the way of hearing what the person has to say. Usually, just having someone who cares enough to really listen will help relieve a hurting heart.

2. Ask questions. They can be hard, pointed, maybe even leading questions. This approach will often help people look at options they may not have considered. Just as important, it lets them make their own decisions.

3. Don’t be squeamish. Where there’s an infection, there’s pus. You will probably feel uncomfortable at first about getting into the details of another person’s pain. But that person may need to express things most people don’t want to hear.

4. Don’t be judgmental. If it’s guilt poisoning someone’s heart, you might hear a confession that will shock or sicken you. Try to remember the old saying, “Love the sinner and hate the sin.” Instead of piling on more guilt, be a channel of God’s grace.

5. Don’t tattle. Legally and morally, you may not be able to keep everything a person tells you confidential. Yet you certainly have an obligation not to gossip.

6. Go get help. This isn’t always necessary. And you should get a hurting person’s permission before you take this step. But don’t think you have to help that person all by yourself, and don’t feel bad if someone needs more help than you can give.

7. Share the Good News. Don’t be shy about opening up your Bible. You might check a concordance or ask your pastor for appropriate passages. If the person doesn’t already belong to church, invite him or her to yours. There is grace in the communion of the saints.

8. Pray. Make sure you pray with and for people you want to help. They will appreciate it, and you will be leading them into the presence of our faithful Savior, who heals body and soul, in life and in death.

There are a thousand or more varieties of mushrooms that are good to eat....The most dreaded of the poisonous mushrooms are two members of the Amanita group. One is the death cup, and the other is the fly amanita. The death cup grows in the woods from June until fall. Its poison acts like the venom of a rattlesnake, as it separates the corpuscles in the blood from the serum. No antidote is known for the poison of the death cup. The only hope for anyone who has eaten it is to clean out his stomach promptly with a stomach pump. It is small wonder that one variety is known as the destroying angel. The death cup has often been mistaken for the common mushroom. A person should not make this mistake if he observes carefully. The poisonous plant has white gills, white spores, and the fatal poison cup around the stem. The plant that is safe to eat has pink gills, brown spores, and no cup. Many of the mistakes come from picking it in the button stage, for it does not show all these differences until it has grown larger.

On July 4, 1776, the Second Continental Congress declared the 13 American colonies free and independent from Great Britain. The Declaration of Independence is the only major national document of the United States that actually mentions the name of God. He is called "Nature's God," "The Creator," and "The Supreme Judge of the World." The fathers of our American freedom recognized that God's hand was at work in the affairs of the new nation. But far more important than the political liberty that we enjoy is the spiritual liberty we have in Christ. Jesus said, "And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free" (Joh 8:32).

Evidently politics does make strange bedfellows. Anne Landers claims that one of her most unusual problems from readers concerned a man who hid his wife’s dentures so she couldn’t go out and vote for a Democrat.

More than four out of every five Americans agree that "we all will be called before God at judgment day to answer for our sins," says a poll conducted for the Times Mirror company.

“There is no such thing as absolute truth.”

In 1991 in a George Barna poll 66% of Americans agreed: 3/4’s of 18-25 year olds, 59% of 55+ year olds.

In a 1989 L.A. Times poll, 61% said that abortion is wrong, and 74% said abortion should be kept legal.

In his book Dying for Change, Leith Anderson cites a 1988 survey of 18,000 respondents published in McCall’s magazine which found that 55% claimed to be “born again” and 41% said they attended church every week: “Yet most said they relied primarily on their own consciences rather than the traditions of their religions to make moral decisions. Less than 3% said they would go to a clergyman for guidance. A typical comment came from a Cincinnati woman who clearly stated that out-of-wedlock pregnancies and divorce are sin, but added that ‘the Bible is definitely against divorce, for instance, but sometimes you don’t have a choice. God will forgive you…and He will give you the strength to go on with your life and be happy.’”

91% of women pray, as do 85% of men.

94% of blacks, and 87% of whites

32% regularly feel a deep sense of peace. 12% never experience this.

26% regularly sense the strong presence of God. 21% never do.

15% regularly receive a definite answer to a specific prayer. 27% never have; 25% have once or twice.

Percentage of adults who strongly agree that “parents today are too lenient and permissive with their children”: 63%

GLENDALE, CA (EP) - American men are among the world’s “most pagan,” according to pollster George Barna. A study reported in The Barna Report, his newsletter, found that the church has little or no influence on many American men.

About one in three American men claims to be a born-again Christian, but only 28 percent attend church on any given weekend. Other forms of religious activity—including Bible reading, Sunday school attendance, and giving time or money to a church—have all declined among American since 1991.

Barna also found that even men who claim to be Christians often hold unorthodox beliefs that are at odds with biblical Christianity. For instance, 28 percent deny that Jesus was physically raised from the dead, while 27 percent say He committed sins. Surprisingly, 55 percent of self-identified Christian men agreed that all people “experience the same outcome after death, regardless of their way into heaven.”

Barna found that less than half of Christian men believe that there are absolute moral truths (47 percent) or that the Bible and religion should be primary influences on moral thinking (40 percent).

To reverse this trend, Barna says churches must provide a male-friendly environment, including opportunities to interact with other men, practical Bible teaching, and real-world solutions to personal problems.

Alexander MacLaren has written, “I remember a rough parable of [Martin] Luther’s grafted on an older legend, which runs somewhat in this fashion: A man’s heart is like a foul stable. Wheelbarows and shovels are of little use, except to remove some of the surface filth, and to litter all the passages in the process. What is to be done with it? ‘Turn the river Elbe into it,’ says he. The flood will sweep away all the pollution.”

Polycarp (A.D. 70-155) was bishop of Smyrna and a godly man. He had known the apostle John personally. When he was urged by the Roman proconsul to renounce Christ, Polycarp said: “Eighty and six years have I served Him, and He never did me any injury. How then can I blaspheme my King and my Savior?”

“I have respect for your age,” said the official. “Simply say, ‘Away with the atheists!’ and be set free.”

The aged Polycarp pointed to the pagan crowd and said, “Away with the atheists!” He was burned at the stake and gave joyful testimony of his faith in Jesus Christ.

Polycarp was a disciple of the Apostle John and an early church leader whose life ended when he refused to betray his Lord. Asked one last time to disavow his Christ, the old man replied, “Eighty and six years have I served Him, and He has done me no wrong. How can I speak evil of my King who saved me?” Here is his martyr’s prayer, as recorded by the historian Eusebius.

“Father of Your beloved and blessed Son Jesus Christ, through whom we have received the knowledge of You, I bless You that You have counted me worthy of this day and hour, that I might be in the number of the martyrs. Among these may I be received before You today in a rich and acceptable sacrifice, as You have beforehand prepared and revealed. Wherefore I also praise You also for everything; I bless You; I glorify You, through the eternal High Priest Jesus Christ, Your beloved Son, through whom, with Him, in the Holy Spirit, be glory unto You both now and for the ages to come. Amen.”

Eusebius adds: “When he had offered up his amen and had finished his prayer, the firemen lighted the fire.”

Polycarp was a disciple of the Apostle John and an early church leader whose life ended when he refused to betray his Lord. Asked one last time to disavow his Christ, the old man replied, “Eighty and six years have I served Him, and He has done me no wrong. How can I speak evil of my King who saved me?” Here is his martyr’s prayer, as recorded by the historian Eusebius.

“Father of Your beloved and blessed Son Jesus Christ, through whom we have received the knowledge of You, I bless You that You have counted me worthy of this day and hour, that I might be in the number of the martyrs. Among these may I be received before You today in a rich and acceptable sacrifice, as You have beforehand prepared and revealed. Wherefore I also praise You also for everything; I bless You; I glorify You, through the eternal High Priest Jesus Christ, Your beloved Son, through whom, with Him, in the Holy Spirit, be glory unto You both now and for the ages to come. Amen.”

Eusebius adds: “When he had offered up his amen and had finished his prayer, the firemen lighted the fire.”

Before British actor Robert Morley died two weeks ago, he asked that his credit cards be buried with him. Since his funeral, the London Times’ letters pages have been filled with the thoughts of readers pondering their perpetual needs.

Wrote M. L. Evans of Chester “In the unfortunate event of the miscarriage of justice and several thousand years ensuing before my sentence is quashed, I will take a fire extinguisher.”

Heather Tanner of Woodbridge specified a good map. “I have immense trouble finding my way in this life,” she said, “so am extremely worried about the next.”

A pair of earplugs would accompany Sir David Wilcocks of Cambridge “in case the heavenly choirs, singing everlastingly, are not in tune.”

Maurice Godbold of Hindhead would take a crowbar, “in case the affair proved premature.”

Even in the hereafter, there will always be an England.

When it comes to being on the alert and ready at any moment to do the job, it’s hard to beat the Pony Express. This historically famous mail service between St. Joseph, Missouri, and California depended on constant movement and readiness. Relay stations were established every ten to fifteen miles. A rider would shout aloud as he approached a station, giving the station master very short notice that he needed to be outside waiting with a fresh mount. Even when a rider came to the station where he was to spend the night, another rider was already mounted and waiting, ready to grab the first rider’s bundle of packages and continue the trip.

The completion of the transcontinental telegraph system rendered the Pony Express obsolete after just eighteen months. But we have this service’s intriguing example of what it means to be ever watchful,. Jesus used two parables to teach us the value of readiness and watchfulness as His servants.

Many modern novels, poems, and pictures which we are brow-beaten into appreciating are not good work because they are not work at all. They are mere puddles of spilled sensibility or reflection. When an artist is in the strict sense working, he of course takes into account the existing taste, interests, and capacity of his audience. These, no less than the language, the marble, or the paint, are part of his raw material; to be used, tamed, sublimated, not ignored nor defied. Haughty indifference to them is not genius nor integrity; it is laziness and incompetence.

Did you hear about the man who tried to run a symphony and did such a bad job they decided to electrocute him? But they couldn’t, he was such a poor conductor.

A preacher went to see a dying old man who was very anxious about his soul. After a few visits by the preacher, the truth dawned upon him, and through repentance and faith he experienced the joy of forgiveness and the assurance of eternal life. Just before he died, he said to the preacher with obvious regrets, "I feel such a sneak because I've served Satan all my life and only now at the end have I yielded my heart to God." His conscience told him it was a mean, despicable way to accept and serve his Master and Redeemer.

A group of teenage girls was discussing a new leader for their Bible class. Their frank comments on the woman in question were enlightening and amusing. One girl said, "If you kids pick Mrs. L- to be our teacher, I'm quitting." "Why, what's wrong with her?" asked several of the group. "Plenty," was the reply. "Remember how I used to go to help her with her housework on Saturdays? Well, she still owes me money and she won't pay. Also, she talks a lot about being a good Christian, and boy, you should hear her say nasty things about some of her neighbors. Honest, kids, I know I shouldn't talk about her, but, please, let's wait until we find a teacher who lives what she teaches us on Sunday."

“Until we believe that we are as bad as God says we are, we can never believe that He will do for us what He says He will do. Right here is where popular religion breaks down.” - A. W. Tozer

The German philosopher Schopenhauer compared the human race to a bunch of porcupines huddling together on a cold winter’s night. He said, “The colder it gets outside, the more we huddle together for warmth; but the closer we get to one another, the more we hurt one another with our sharp quills. And in the lonely night of earth’s winter eventually we begin to drift apart and wander out on our own and freeze to death in our loneliness.”

Christ has given us an alternative—to forgive each other for the pokes we receive. That allows us to stay together and stay warm.

California’s $3-billion-a-year pornographic movie industry is viewing the earthquake as God’s personal destruction of American’s most wicked city, some porn producers say.

The quake was centered in the cities of Northridge, Shatsworth, and Canoga Park, which are home to nearly all of the U. S. soft-and hard-port video industry. Every one of the primary porn studios and distributors, a total of around 70, suffered damage. The headquarters of the largest, VCA Pictures, collapsed, destroying equipment and mass copies of several films. At least for the moment, high-level porn studio executives and models are edgy.

An executive at World Modeling, a San Fernando Valley agency supplying actors to the porn industry, says clients are backing away from X-rated acting as a result of the cataclysm.

“Our clients have a definite lack of motivation,” says the agent for porn actors, who requested anonymity. “It’s put the fear of God in them. I’m telling you, it’s enough to give you an attack of religion.”

“Can you imagine how the fundamentalists are going to leap on this when the smoke clears?” says a porn film director who works for many Northridge studios and asked not to be identified. “They’ll say it’s God’s retribution.”

“It seems as though the earthquake forced these people to get honest,” says Jack Hayford, pastor of Church on the Way in Van Nuys. “It has stirred many to the deepest points of introspection, and if just one of them is turned away from the filth they’re involved in, it is a major victory.”

Hayford, along with Hollywood Presbyterian Church pastor Lloyd Ogilvie, and Los Angeles Archdiocese Cardinal Roger Mahony has sent a letter of protest against the Valley-based porn industry to the California legislature, asking lawmakers to draft a bill eliminating its most notorious offshoot, child pornography.

On a wall near the main entrance to the Alamo in San Antonio, Texas, is a portrait with the following inscription:

“James Butler Bonham—no picture of him exists. This portrait is of his nephew, Major James Bonham, deceased, who greatly resembled his uncle. It is placed here by the family that people may know the appearance of the man who died for freedom.”

No literal portrait of Jesus exists either. But the likeness of the Son who makes us free can be seen in the lives of His true followers.

Bill Morgan

Grace Coolidge, the wife of President Calvin Coolidge, tried to surprise her husband by having his portrait painted. When it was finished, she hung it in the library of the White House. Later the same morning the President happened to walk into the library accompanied by a senator. They stared at the picture together in silence. Finally Coolidge commented quietly: “I think so too.”

Don’t take a position of leadership in church unless you are prepared to be honest, pure, and loving in your lifestyle. Leadership is a privilege, and with privilege comes responsibility. God holds teachers of His truth doubly responsible because we who lead are in a position where we can either draw people toward Christ or drive them away from Him.

This is illustrated in the life of the famous author Mark Twain. Church leaders were largely to blame for his becoming hostile to the Bible and the Christian faith. As he grew up, he knew elders and deacons who owned slaves and abused them. He heard men using foul language and saw them practice dishonesty during the week after speaking piously in church on Sunday. He listened to ministers use the Bible to justify slavery. Although he saw genuine love for the Lord Jesus in some people, including his mother and his wife, he was so disturbed by the bad teaching and poor example of church leaders that he became bitter toward the things of God.

Indeed, it is a privilege to be an elder, a deacon, a Sunday school teacher, or a Bible club leader. But it is also an awesome responsibility. Let’s make sure we attract people to the Savior rather than turn them away.

The Bible teaches that the origin of false doctrines (1 Tim 4:1) and the origin of all false religion is demonic (1 Cor 10:19-20).

This explains the frequency of demon possession among people of false religions and the strong demonic opposition of missionary work in so many places throughout the world.

“The life of Christianity consists of possessive pronouns” says Martin Luther. It is one thing to say, “Christ is a Saviour”; it is quite another thing to say, “He is my Saviour and my Lord.” The devil can say the first; the true Christian alone can say the second.

Syndicated columnist Linda Bowles’s summary of hundreds of cases of “mothers throwing their babies off bridges, out windows, or into garbage cans.

Postage stamps are getting more expensive, but at least they have one attribute that most of us could emulate: They stick to one thing until they get there.

Someone has vividly expressed this in a humorous little poem that reads as follows:

“‘The proper way for man to pray,’ said Deacon Lemuel Keyes;

‘The only proper attitude is down upon his knees’

‘Nay, I should say the way to pray,’ said Reverend Doctor Wise,

‘Is standing straight with outstretched arms with rapt and upturned eyes.’

‘Oh, no, no, no,’ said Elder Snow, ‘such posture is too proud.

A man should pray with eyes fast-closed and head contritely bowed.’

‘It seems to me his hands should be austerely clasped in front

With both thumbs pointing to the ground,’ said Reverend Doctor Blunt.

‘Last year I fell in Hodgkin’s well headfirst,’ said Cyril Brown.

‘With both my heels a-stickin’ up, my head a-pointing’ down;

And I done prayed right then and there; best prayer I ever said,

The prayin’est prayer I ever prayed, a-standin’ on my head.’”

It is hard to believe now, but the potato was once a highly unpopular food. When first introduced into England by Sir Walter Raleigh, newspapers printed editorials against it, ministers preached sermons against it, and the general public wouldn’t touch it. It was supposed to sterilize the soil in which it had been planted and cause all manner of strange illnesses—even death.

There were, however, a few brave men who did not believe all the propaganda being shouted against it. It was seen as an answer to famine among the poorer classes and as a healthful and beneficial food. Still, these few noblemen in England could not persuade their tenants to cultivate the potato. It was years before all the adverse publicity was overcome and the potato became popular.

A Frenchman named Parmentier took a different tack. He had been a prisoner of war in England when he first heard of the new plant. His fellow prisoners protested the outrage of having to eat potatoes. Parmentier, instead, thoughtfully inquired about the methods of cultivating and cooking the new food.

Upon his return to France, he procured an experimental farm from the Emperor, in which he planted potatoes. When it was time to dig them, at his own expense, he hired a few soldiers to patrol all sides of his famous potato patch during the daytime. Meanwhile he conducted distinguished guests through the fields, digging a few tubers here and there, which they devoured with evident relish.

At night, he began to withdraw the guards. A few days later one of the guards hastened to Parmentier with the sad news that peasants had broken into the potato patch at night, and dug up most of the crop.

Parmentier was overjoyed, much to the surprise of his informant, and exclaimed, “When the people will steal in order to procure potatoes, their popularity is assured.”

The potter’s wheel was one of mankind’s earliest inventions and has changed surprisingly little in the last 6,000 years. A potter’s wheel is not one wheel, but two.

Primitive potter’s wheels were made of stone. A disc-shaped stone was notched in the center to fit over a pointed pivot in the center of the lower stone. A nudge of the potter’s toe set the lower wheel in motion, which rotated the upper wheel. The upper wheel was where the potter shaped his clay.

In Bible times, potter’s wheels were also made of wood. The two wheels were joined by a shaft, so that the upper wheel was at hand level. The foot moved the lower disc and the connecting axle caused the upper wheel to revolve. Modern potter’s wheels follow the same basic design; some are electrically powered, yet many twentieth-century potters still turn the wheel by foot.

Before using the wheel, a potter must knead his clay to rid it of impurities and air. He “wedges” it—slicing it in half and slamming the halves back together to force out air bubbles. When he feels the clay is ready, the potter places a container of water at his workbench (to keep his fingers wet) and turns to his wheel.

The potter next throws the ball of clay down on the upper wheel. Then he sets the wheel in motion and surrounds the clay with his hands, forcing it true to the center of the wheel head. Now the potter must “master” the clay, making it responsive to his touch. He applies pressure at the base of the clay ball, causing it to rise up in [a] sort of rounded cone. Then he pressed on top of the clay with his thumbs or the palms of his hands. Repeating this three or four times increases the flexibility of the clay and increases its strength.

At this point the potter “opens up” the clay ball by pressing his thumbs into the center, gradually hollowing it out. Applying pressure with his fingers, he evens out the thickness of the cylinder walls. Finally he shapes the clay into a vase, a pitcher, or whatever he chooses.

As the terms force, master, and throw imply, clay is not always easy to work with. Often a partially formed object will disintegrate into a shapeless heap of clay—perhaps because a tiny stone was overlooked when the clay was worked. The potter must begin to knead the clay again. Or he may dislike the way a pot is forming and sweep it off the wheel in disgust.

Jeremiah 18 describes God as a potter having trouble at His wheel because His people refused to obey Him. This was a familiar image to people in biblical times, because they could see the potter’s wheel in the marketplace of virtually every village and town.

Once there were rich parents who left their children constantly in the care of servants. But, like the flower of the grass, riches passed by. The parents could not afford servants which necessitated their taking care of the children. One evening when the father had returned home after a busy and frustrating day at work, his little girl climbed upon his knee and twining her arms around his neck said: "Daddy, don't get rich again. You did not come into the nursery when you were rich, but now we can be with you and get on your knee and kiss you. Don't get rich again, Daddy."

Power can be used in at least two ways: it can be unleashed, or it can be harnessed. The energy in ten gallons of gasoline, for instance, can be released explosively by dropping a lighted match into the can.

Or it can be channeled through the engine of a Datsun in a controlled burn and used to transport a person 350 miles.

Explosions are spectacular, but controlled burns have lasting effect, staying power.

The Holy Spirit works both ways. At Pentecost, he exploded on the scene; His presence was like “tongues of fire” (Acts 2:3). Thousands were affected by one burst of God’s power. But He also works through the church—the institution God began to tap the Holy Spirit’s power for the long haul. Through worship, fellowship, and service, Christians are provided with staying power.

Sometimes telling a story has as much effect on the teller as it does the listeners.

Martin Buber, the Jewish philosopher, recalls: “My grandfather was lame. Once they asked him to tell a story about his teacher, and he related how his master used to hop and dance while he prayed. My grandfather rose as he spoke and was so swept away by his story that he himself began to hop and dance to show how the master had done. From that our he was cured of his lameness.”

When we tell the story of our Master, we too experience His power.

Timothy K. Jones

For centuries people believed that Aristotle was right when he said that the heavier an object, the faster it would fall to earth. Aristotle was regarded as the greatest thinker of all time, and surely he would not be wrong.

Anyone, of course, could have taken two objects, one heavy and one light, and dropped them from a great height to see whether or not the heavier object landed first. But no one did until nearly 2,000 years after Aristotle’s death. In 1589

Galileo summoned learned professors to the base of the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Then he went to the top and pushed off a ten-pound and a one-pound weight. Both landed at the same instant. The power of belief was so strong, however, that the professors denied their eyesight. They continued to say Aristotle was right.

To have unquestioned reliance upon a pastor or other spiritual leader can lead to embarrassment and even bitter disillusionment.

I was reminded of this recently when I came across an interesting item about President Coolidge. Once he invited some friends from Vermont to dine at the White House. They were worried about their table manners, so they decided to do everything their host did. All went well until coffee was served. Coolidge poured his into the saucer. The guests did the same. The President added sugar and cream. So did the visitors. Then Coolidge leaned over and placed his saucer on the floor for the cat.

1 Cor 15:33, Bad company corrupts good morals.

A Bible-believing Christian was assailed by an atheist who said, "I don't understand how the blood of Jesus Christ can wash away my sin, nor do I believe it." "You and Saint Paul agree on that," answered the Bible student. "How so?" "Turn to the first chapter of 1Corinthians and read verse 18: 'For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.' " The atheist looked startled and began to study the Bible, where he soon found the cross to be the power of God unto salvation.

A Buddhist monk in Ceylon, who was acquainted with both Christianity and Buddhism, was once asked what he thought was the great difference between the two. He replied, "There is much that is good in each of them, and probably in all religions. But what seems to me to be the greatest difference is that you Christians know what is right and have power to do it, while we Buddhists know what is right but have not any such power." This is true, because no other religion has as its founder God, who became man, and in becoming man incarnated the grace and the truth of God. When Christ, then, becomes our life, we will be full of grace and truth. It is not our grace and truth but His, for He dwells within.

When 16-year-old Eliza married the 20-year-old tailor, he had never been to school. Others might have written his education off as a lost cause, but Eliza didn’t. She taught him to read, write, and spell. Those days were difficult, but he proved to be a fast learner. In fact, he learned so well that years later he was elected President of the United States! When he ran for a second term, he lost, but refused to give up. Instead, he won a seat in the U. S. Senate.

The story of our 17th President, Andrew Johnson, and his wife, Eliza, illustrates the power of perseverance.

A man dreamed, while traveling, that he came to a little church. On the roof was a devil fast asleep. He went along farther and came to a log cabin which was surrounded by devils all wide awake. He asked one of them what it meant. Said the devil, "I will tell you. The fact is that the whole church is asleep, and one devil can take care of all the people; but here are a man and a woman who commune with God in prayer, and they have more power than the whole church."

Some years ago a young girl was very sick and not expected to recover. Because of her love for Jesus, she was troubled that she had not been able to do more for Him in her short life. Her pastor suggested that she make a list of people in their little town who needed Christ and pray that they might put their faith in Him. She took his advice, made a list, and prayed often for each person.

Some time later God began to stir a revival in the village. The girl heard of the people who were coming to Christ and prayed even more. As she heard reports, she checked off the names of those who had been led to the Lord.

After the girl died, a prayer list with the names of 56 people was found under her pillow. All had put their faith in Christ—the last one on the night before her death.

Such is the power of definite, specific, fervent prayer. Do you have a prayer list?

When Cambridge University student Thomas Bilney bought a Greek New Testament, his interest was purely academic. But when Bilney opened God’s Word, he encountered the gospel and was transformed.

The Protestant Reformation was underway, so Bilney joined the Cambridge Protestants. He began preaching, but was arrested in 1527 and threatened into silence. But Bilney could not keep quiet. He was arrested, released, and 1531 arrested one last time. Condemned as a heretic, Bilney died at the stake for the gospel of Christ.

When evangelist John Wesley (1703-1791) was returning home from a service one night, he was robbed. The thief, however, found his victim to have only a little money and some Christian literature.

As the bandit was leaving, Wesley called out, “Stop! I have something more to give you.” The surprised robber paused. “My friend,” said Wesley, “you may live to regret this sort of life. If you ever do, here’s something to remember: ‘The blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin!’“ The thief hurried away, and Wesley prayed that his words might bear fruit.

Years later, Wesley was greeting people after a Sunday service when he was approached by a stranger. What a surprise to learn that this visitor, now a believer in Christ as a successful businessman, was the one who had robbed him years before! “I owe it all to you,” said the transformed man. “Oh no, my friend,” Wesley exclaimed, “not to me, but to the precious blood of Christ that cleanses us from all sin!”

Hence we find in non-Christian religions a restless sense of the hostility of the powers of the universe; an undefined feeling of guilt, and all sorts of merit-making techniques designed to get rid of it; a dread of death, and a consuming anxiety to feel that one has conquered it; forms of worship aimed at once to placate, bribe, and control the gods, and to make them keep their distance, except when wanted; an alarming readiness to call moral evil good, and good evil, in the name of religion; an ambivalent attitude of mind which seems both to seek God and to seek to evade him in the same act.

Therefore in our evangelistic dialogue with people of non-Christian religions, our task must be to present the biblical revelation of God in Christ—not as supplementing them but as explaining their existence, exposing their errors, and judging their inadequacy.

Christianity must be practical. Two children were afraid they would be late for school. One said, "Let's kneel down and pray to God that He may help us not to be late." The other child offered a more practical solution: "No, let's run and pray at the same time."

A minister tells how in his first parish a banker occasionally came to his church, and every time he came the minister happened to be preaching on faith. The banker said to him, "Why don't you preach on something other than faith? Why don't you preach on something practical?" A few days later there was a run on his bank, and the minister went down to see what was going on. He found the people demanding their money; they were alarmed and suspicious, and the banker was going up and down the line saying to these people, "Everything is all right. There is nothing wrong with the bank." The minister touched him on the shoulder and said, "What is the matter?" "Why," he said, "there is nothing wrong, but these people have lost faith in the bank." The minister replied, "Do you remember when you told me to preach on something more practical than faith?" "Oh, yes," he said, "I remember it very well, and I take it all back. After all, there is nothing so fundamental to the business interests and commercial life as faith."

A traveler passing by and seeing a man fallen into a deep pit began to wonder aloud how he fell in. The poor man in his utter misery shouted, "If you are a friend, stop asking how I fell in but help me out!" The Lord Jesus Christ wants to impart His life to us. We may in our foolishness want a full explanation from Him as to why He permitted us to fall in the first place, but Joh 3:16 tells us that the most important and urgent thing is our salvation from sin and death.

1. Is this way of presenting Christ calculated to impress on people that the gospel is a word from God? Or is its tendency rather to distract attention from the author and authority of the message to the person and performance of the messenger?

2. Is this way of presenting Christ calculated to promote or impede the work of God in people’s minds? Is it going to make people think and think hard about God and about themselves in relation to God?

3. Is this way of presenting Christ calculated to convey to people the doctrine of the whole gospel? Or will it hurry people on to the demand for faith and repentance without having made it clear just what they need to repent of or what they ought to believe?

4. Is this way of presenting Christ calculated to convey to people the application of the whole gospel? Or is it likely to give an inadequate, distorted impression of what the gospel requires?

5. Is this way of presenting Christ calculated to convey gospel truth in a manner that is appropriately serious? Or is it so light, fun, and casual that hearers will have a hard time taking it seriously and will regard it as a pick-me-up for life’s misfits?

1. Be specific. Describe, don’t evaluate.

2. Be sincere, avoid exaggeration.

3. Don’t overlook written praise.

4. Give a gift for no reason at all.

5. Plan a special person’s party.

6. Praise often.

- Dave and Claudia Arp

According to studies by the Barna Foundation and the Census Bureau, people who cohabitate before marriage—that’s half of all adults under the age of 30—are more likely than others to get divorced, and 60 percent of second marriages eventually split up. With that kind of failure rate, perhaps it’s time to stop practicing and get into the game for good. Marriage is for life.

Write out your testimony, using the three-point outline. Practice reading it aloud several times.

Ask a person you know to allow you to share it with him or her.

Ask God to guide you to a person with whom you can share.

Introduce your testimony by saying, “May I share with you the most wonderful thing that ever happened to me? It changed my life!”

In concluding your testimony, ask, “Has this kind of experience happened to you?”

Below is a sample worksheet for preparing your personal testimony.

My Salvation Testimony

“May I share with you the most wonderful thing that has ever happened to me?”

1. My life before receiving Christ:

2. How I received Jesus Christ:

3. How Jesus Christ makes my life meaningful:

“May I share with you how something like this can happen in your life?”

My Recovery Testimony

“May I share with you something that means so much to me?”

1. My life seemed fairly normal until . . .

2. I discovered hope and help in Jesus when . . .

3. I am glad I have a personal relationship with Jesus today because . . .

“May I share how something like this can happen to you?”

A fountain pen salesman persuaded a merchant to order five hundred pens. He was writing the order in his notebook when suddenly the merchant exclaimed, "Hold on! I'm cancelling that order!" and turned to wait on a customer. The salesman left the store in angry perplexity. Later, the merchant's bookkeeper asked, "Why did you cancel that pen order?" "Why?" responded the man. "Because he talked pens to me for a half-hour, using a number of forcible arguments, and then booked my order with a lead pencil."

Practice doesn’t make perfect. According to studies by the Barna Foundation and the Census Bureau, people who cohabitate before marriage—that’s half of all adults under the age of 30—are more likely than others to get divorced, and 60 percent of second marriages eventually split up. With that kind of failure rate, perhaps it’s time to stop practicing and get into the game for good. Marriage is for life.

It is said of Samuel Johnson, the great English writer and lexicographer, that "the way to get a favor from him was to do him an injury." Evidently it was characteristic of him to forgive his enemies and pray for them. Emerson said of Lincoln: "His heart was as great as the world, but there was no room in it to hold the memory of a wrong." Spurgeon advised, "Cultivate forbearance until your heart yields a fine crop of it. Pray for a short memory as to all unkindness." That is how the truly wise man acts.

One of the things St. Chrysostom detested was the applause and flattery of those to whom he preached. He said: "To me it is nothing when I am applauded and well spoken of. There is only one thing I ask of you-to prove your approval of me through your works. That is how you can speak well of me, and that is what is going to do you good. This, to me, is the greatest honor. I prefer it to a material crown. I do not desire applause and being well spoken of. I have one request to make-for you to listen to me in quiet attentiveness and to put my advice into practice. This is not a theater. You don't sit here in order to admire actors and to applaud them. This is a place where you must learn the things of God." God greatly honored Chrysostom in the sowing of the seed of His Word because he was a humble man.