Hats off to Dad

In my 14 years that I have been a father, I have certainly become aware of all the things my dad did that went unnoticed.

This weekend my family will venture out to the great outdoors. The kids are all excited. Swimming, fishing, campfires, smores, disc golf, and great fellowship with some of the families from church. I can almost guarantee you that my children have no idea how much work goes into camping. I know they don't, because I never recognized all the things my dad did so we could have a fun weekend.

Yesterday, when I went to pull the camper out of the backyard, I discovered a flat tire. I got the portable air compressor out and filled it up with some air. I just got back from bringing the camper to the gas station to get the tire completely full. When I got home I went to check the tire, as I paused and put my ear close to the tire I heard something that I didn't want to. I heard the hissing of a leaking tire. I think it was singing the song, "Don't Cry Outloud". Tonight I will have to jack up the camper, take off the bad tire, put on the spare and get the bad tire fixed. I will attend a two hour community prayer meeting tonight and then venture home to continue my responsibities with camping prep.

I hope it doesn't sound like I'm complaining or that I don't enjoy camping. I love getting away with my family and enjoy God's wonderful creation. I do share about the "work" of getting away to illustrate my appreciation for all that my dad did. As a family we didn't vacation a lot but the time we did I certainly enjoyed...thanks to dad.

Overcoming Failure

Two Kentucky horse racing stable owners had developed a keen rivalry. Each spring they both entered a horse in a local steeplechase. One of them thought that having a professional rider might give his horse an edge in the race, so he hired a hot-shot jockey. Well, the day of the race finally came, and as usual, their two horses were leading the race right down to the last fence. But that final fence was too much for both of the horses. Both of them fell, and both riders were thrown. But that didn’t stop the professional jockey. He remounted quickly and easily won the race.When he got back to the stable, he found the horse owner fuming with rage. He really didn’t understand his behavior, because he had won the race. So the jockey asked, “What’s the matter with you? I won the race, didn’t I?”The red-faced owner nodded, “Oh, yes, you won the race. But you won it on the wrong horse!”(From 1001 Humorous Illustrations for Public Speaking, by Michael Hodgin, p. 148.)That jockey had the best of intentions. He intended to win the race. But he became distracted from the task. He made a bad decision. And, ultimately, he failed in what he was trying to do.You know, often times we wind up doing the same thing in our walk with Jesus. We start out strong. We have the best of intentions. We are excited, and we want to succeed in the faith. We have a desire to be faithful followers of our Savior. Yet, so often, we become distracted from the faith. We allow the wrong influences in our lives. We experience a challenge or a setback. We make a bad decision. We experience the spiritual failure of allowing sin into our lives, and our relationship with Jesus suffers.

Have you ever felt like a failure? Have you ever had the best intentions and couldn’t follow through on them? Have you ever let someone down that you loved very much? Have you ever eliminated yourself from ministry because you felt that your past mistakes and sin prevent you from serving the Lord?

In today’s blog we will encounter a man who had gone through some incredible emotional and spiritual battles at the time of the crucifixion of Jesus.
This disciple could have answered “yes” to all of my previous questions.

Just a little background on the main character of our story. He was a fisherman by trade. Was called, along with many others to follow Christ. His brother Andrew was the one that lead him to Jesus. He was from Galilee and Galileans had a reputation for being independent and full of energy. They were frank and transparent.
This disciple and John went into the city to prepare a place for Jesus to feast with the disciples. He was there, nearby, in the garden of Gethsemane, where he witnessed the transfiguration of Jesus, and later the wrestling of the Lord in prayer. When the mob came to arrest Jesus, it was this man who cut off the ear of Malchus. In the moments that followed He was accused by a young girl of being a disciple. He denied it. He was asked a second time, and for the second time he denied being a disciple of Jesus. Later, one of the high priests servants, a relative of the man whose ear he had cut off, challenged him, “Didn’t I see you with him in the olive grove?” Again he denied it, and at that moment a rooster began to crow.

Peter’s heart sank. Jesus prediction of his denial came true. The Bible tells us that Peter “wept bitterly”.

Fast forward a couple of days. Peter’s probably down in the pits of despair. His master was dead and Peters stand for Christ had been nothing short of cowardly. It’s the morning of the resurrection. Some of the ladies had gone to the tomb, found it empty. They had an encounter with two men that gleamed like lightning and said “He is not here, He has risen!” They went to the eleven disciples and told them of what had happened. Luke 24:11-12 (NIV) 11 But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense. 12 Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb. Bending over, he saw the strips of linen lying by themselves, and he went away, wondering to himself what had happened.

Let’s pick up the story in John 21. After Jesus had appeared a couple of times to His disciples, Peter says, “I’m going’ fishing”. “We’ll go with you” the other 6 who where there, said. Fishing is not going to well until this man yells from shore and tells them to throw out the net to the other side of the boat. They caught so many fish they couldn’t hall them all into the boat. When the disciples recognized it was Jesus, Peter jumps in the water and swims 100 yards to shore where Jesus is.

Jesus offers them breakfast. When they were finished, Jesus said something to Peter. This is the key.

John 21:15-17 (NIV) 15 When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon son of John, do you truly love me more than these?" "Yes, Lord," he said, "you know that I love you." Jesus said, "Feed my lambs." 16 Again Jesus said, "Simon son of John, do you truly love me?" He answered, "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you." Jesus said, "Take care of my sheep." 17 The third time he said to him, "Simon son of John, do you love me?" Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, "Do you love me?" He said, "Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you." Jesus said, "Feed my sheep.
“Do you truly love me?”
The most important question that Peter ever faced was whether he possessed a devoted love for his lord.

I find it interesting that for every time Peter denied Jesus; 3, Jesus asked him a question “Do you love me”. 3 times Peter answered, “I love you”.

Jesus was desiring to restore Peter back to fellowship with himself and back to fulfilling the purpose for Peter’s life.

What can we learn from some of the last words of Jesus?
1. We learn what Jesus thinks of people that feel like they have failed God.
When you fall, get back up. Rediscover your purpose.

Think of the Prodigal Son, Jim Baker & Billy Graham’s son, Franklin; all of them where wonderfully restored to God.

No matter how gross your past may be, Jesus stands not only ready to forgive, but also to restore. He can restore you and use you for His glory. Some of the best preachers I’ve heard have been at one time some of the worst sinners, but God washed them and restored them. Even if you are a bona fide failure, Jesus stands ready to restore you and use you for great things for His kingdom. If we are going to be restored then we must be honest about our spiritual condition. Some of you here today are not “fine” in your faith. You lack commitment to Jesus and to His Church. So the first thing you need to do is to admit that. Admit that your relationship with Christ is not what it should be and then allow Christ and His church to bring you up to the point where you need to be.

Go, part 3

Several years ago the city of Pittsburgh constructed a large, new post office at the cost of several million dollars. On the day of it’s opening, the Governor made a speech, the bands played and the people cheered. It was quite a celebration. But when the first man entered to mail a letter, to the embarrassment of the engineers, it was discovered that in the rush to meet the deadline, they had omitted the usual letter drop. Here was a costly new post office, but no place to mail a letter! It was a slight omission, but it negated the very reason for it’s existence.

That brings me to the very point of this blog: WHEN ANY CHURCH LOSES THE SPIRIT OF THE GREAT COMMISION, IT SURRENDERS THE VERY REASON FOR IT’S EXISTENCE.

Missions is not a side line! It is the LIFELINE of the church.

Go, part 2

What drives you? What is your passion? We know from Scripture that Jesus' passion was people. He cared for the hurting, the sick, the searching. He cared for everyone. When Jesus went back to God the Father's side, he left a very important mission in the hands of His followers of that day, and every Christian since that time. One such follower was a man named John Harper.

John Harper was born into a Christian family May 29, 1872. He became a Christian 13 years later and had already started preaching by age 17. He received training at the Baptist Pioneer Mission in London, and in 1896 he founded a church, now known as Harper Memorial Church, which began with 25 worshipers but had grown to 500 members by the time he left 13 years later.

In 1912 Harper, the newly called pastor of Moody Church in Chicago, was traveling on the Titanic with his 6-year-old daughter. After the ship struck an iceberg and began to sink, he got Nana into a lifeboat but apparently made no effort to follow her. Instead, he ran through the ship yelling, "Women, children, and unsaved into the lifeboats!" Survivors report that he then began witnessing to anyone who would listen. He continued preaching even after he had jumped into the water and was clinging to a piece of wreckage (he’d already given his lifejacket to another man).

Harper’s final moments were recounted four years later at a meeting in Hamilton, Ontario, by a man who said:I am a survivor of the Titanic. When I was drifting alone on a spar that awful night, the tide brought Mr. Harper of Glasgow, also on a piece of wreck, near me. "Man," he said, "are you saved?" "No," I said, "I am not." He replied, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved." The waves bore him away, but, strange to say, brought him back a little later, and he said, "Are you saved now?" "No," I said, "I cannot honestly say that I am." He said again, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved," and shortly after he went down; and there, alone in the night, and with two miles of water under me, I believed. I am John Harper’s last convert. He was also one of only six people picked out the water by the lifeboats; the other 1,522, including Harper, were left to die.

Go

Prior to a person’s death, many will have a last will and testament legally done. The purpose is so their possessions and desires will be written down and followed thru when it comes to dispersing them.

If you’ve ever been at the bedside of a dying loved one, the person almost always has some very special and important words they want to share with their family and friends.

Have you ever thought about what you would do or say to those close to you if you were leaving on a lengthy trip or if you new that you were dying? The last words of a loved one are usually something we hold as very special.

Imagine all that Jesus would want to say to His followers. It was crucial that they understand what the Lord’s purpose was, after all, He was counting on them to carry on what He had started.

One of the statements most remembered by us, is what has come to be called, the “Great Commission”. It is one of the foundation reasons of why this church exists.
Matthew 28:18-20 (NIV)
18 Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
19 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.”

Have you seen the commercial for Blue Cross Blue Shield? It’s called “Do”. The patience are sitting in the waiting room of a doctors office, there is a catchy tune being played. One of the guys starts tapping his toes and then there is a little more movement. Finally he is up dancing in the waiting room. I laugh every time I see that.
The emphasis is to get some exercise; to DO something and not just sit there.

Think of the same thing with the word “GO” and the word “MAKE”. Jesus says, Don’t just sit there. I am counting on you to go and make disciples.
He is passionate about it.

A man distributed tracts for many years on a street corner. Finally, seeing no visible results, he gave up. When he returned to the same spot two years later, he saw another individual handing out Gospel leaflets as he had done. Striking up a conversation, he discovered that the man had become a Christian through a salvation tract given him on that corner about two years before. The convert added, “Many times I’ve come back here to find that earnest worker and thank him, but he never returned. I decided he must have died, and so I’ve taken his place!” The first man suddenly realized that his work had not been in vain. Much encouraged he went back to giving out tracts the very next day.