There has been much in the news this last week about anti-Israeli protests and demonstrations.  Despite the trend toward “tolerance” and “acceptance” of different races, cultures, lifestyles, etc., this hated toward the Jews is not treated in this light.  And you almost have to ask the word why when you see all the hatred out there.  This week we talked about persecution of Christians because of our witness about Jesus and the Word of God.  (BTW I found another good passage about persecution and following Jesus in my devotions this morning from Mark 10, “No one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age: Homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields – along with persecutions – and in the age to come eternal life”)  My guess about the antisemitism is they (like Christians) are God’s chosen people, and it is that relationship that causes the hate.  So let us support our fellow God followers there in Israel.

The news is continuing to sadden me as I see our world fall deeper and deeper into chaos.  I am not sure how much longer it will be before we see Jesus again.  How long will he tarry?  How much worse can it get?  I may not be able to answer the first question, but the second is clear from our message this week.  It can and it will get worse.  Sin will be the norm and Christianity a small minority.  However, we should not give up or allow Satan to have the victory.  One of the things I failed to mention in this week’s sermon is that we should not just fold our hands and do nothing or just to accept the inevitable.  We need to reach as many people for Christ as we can.  All are not lost and God is tarrying so that others will come to know him.  He is not willing that any should parish but for all to come to know him.  So as the world declines, let our testimony and our witness increase so as many as possible will make it to heaven.

Pray for Israel today.

I hope my introduction today was shocking today.  It was intended to wake us up to the reality that we cannot just sit around while one or two people do what the Bible commands us to do, which is to tell others about Jesus.  A beautiful building, great sermons, wonderful times of worship will not sustain a church.  Only people reaching people will.  And that is what we are all called to do.  It is part of being faithful.  Faith is not just believing in someone or something.  It is acting on that faith.  It is putting boots on the ground to use military terms (which Paul does in 2 Tim 2).  So be a good soldier following our commanding officer.  Be an athlete who obeys the rules.  Be a farmer who toils to receive a share of the harvest.

I am not ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ.  Yet, I do not often share my faith with others.  These are two contradictory statements.  If you know Jesus, you have all the tools you need to boldly share your faith.  They are the big three, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.  Use them and they will help you find opportunities and people who need to hear what God has done in your life.

I did not feel like preaching yesterday morning.  My heart was not in it as I walked to the front to pray.  I even mentioned it to Bryan who was walking with me.  I do not know what it was.  Maybe is was the beginning of a headache that grew that afternoon.  Maybe it was the Sunday School hour and the need to correct my sons again during that time.  Maybe it was a spiritual attack by Satan putting me in a slight depressive state.  Maybe I was a bit weary in doing good (as my message that morning would speak on).  Whatever it was, I shrived to do my best and preach what I had prepared that week.  But I do not know what happened.  I am going to chalk it up to the praise and worship yesterday morning, (it also could have been the prayers of the men up front, especially Bryan), but I felt the sermon went smoothly.  Many of the songs that Anita picked out had subtle hints that I knew I was going to preach on yesterday.  Especially evident in the songs was the presence of God being with us even when times are dark or hard.  And looking back that praise is just what I needed to not grow weary yesterday.   Little did I know that the message was for me.  Press on when you do not know what else to do.  Be faithful even if that faith is tested or dimmed.  Do what God has asked you to do and as Gal 6:9 says, you will gain a harvest at the right time.  Yesterday’s hymns of praise was just what I needed to be faithful until the end (of that sermon at least)

Contentment is not based on the size of your bank account, but is it based on the size of your God.  Big God, big contentment.  You cannot be satisfied if you worship a small God.  With God we can do all things through the strength that he gives us.  So be content in God.

It has been 22 years.  Hard to believe it has been that long.  So today I am going to reflect on all that God has brought us through over these last few years and ask God to renew that sense of depending on Him that our whole country experienced when we were attacked.

I was going to post a reprint from Our Daily Bread from Sunday that talked about how realizing you are an example will influence how we behave in a godly way.  But I read a story from one of our missionaries (who couches football players in his country) and I thought it would be a good example of being an example.  Here is what he said, “Whenever we do bear crawls, I find the person who is struggling the most and I get down with them and do the bear crawl with them and I encourage them along the way. Tonight, a person in the last group was having a really hard time. His name is ____. I got down with him for the last 40 yards. As soon as I got on the ground, I heard something that sounded like a stampede. When I looked up, I saw that all of the guys who had already finished had joined us. They came back to ____, got down on the ground with him, and started yelling out encouragement to him, pushing him forward and helping him to finish strong. It was a beautiful moment.
As I got home and I thought about it more, I had a realizations about this. Nearly all of the guys that joined us for the last stretch have been the one that was struggling, the one that I got down on the ground with and yelled out an encouragement to. To see them come and do this for another was AMAZING. Its never happened before.”

Prayer is so vitally important to the Christian walk.  We get strength from it, encouragement, wisdom, and power from it.  It draws us close to God and allows us to have an intimate relationship with him.  Knowing the importance of prayer though does not automatically give us all the benefits of prayer.  We need to use it and rely on it more often.  We need to stop trying to do things on our own and in our own power.  It is only when we are faithful in prayer that we can tap into the wonder-working power of God and we will see the difference in our lives.  When we pray, things change. Period.