81 Sermon Illustrations on Acceptance

Most of us are familiar with Grimm's fairy tale of the princess and the frog. A prince, having fallen under the hex of a witch, was changed into a frog, and a frog he would have to remain until a certain princess should take him home and share her table and bed with him. Only then would he be a prince again.

Each day the frog sat by a spring in the forest lamenting his fate. One hot day the princess retired into the coolness of the forest, tossing a golden ball into the air as she went. As she came to the spring she inadvertently dropped the ball, and it fell into the depths of the pool. All attempts to retrieve it proved in vain. Seizing the opportunity, the frog volunteered to fetch the precious ball, provided the princess would promise to grant a request of his. In hopes of getting back the golden ball, the princess hastily agreed. Thereupon the frog dove to the bottom of the pool and soon produced the golden ball. In her excitement over recovering the treasure, the princess dashed home happily, forgetting her promise to the hapless frog. As the story turns out, not until later - and after the persistent efforts of both the frog and her own father - was the princess persuaded to keep faith with the frog.

Most of us, I think, are inclined to criticize the princess for lapsing in her promise to the frog. But we know something the princess does not know: namely, that the frog is actually a prince in the shape of a frog. That, the princess does NOT know. To her the frog is merely a frog. The thought of the little beast eating off the same plate with her causes each bite of food to stick in her throat; the thought of having to share the clean linen on her bed with the cold creature throws her into spasms of repulsion.

Who of us, had we known only what the princess knew, would have reacted differently? It is hard to embrace the unlovely: not simply a frog, but perhaps a spouse in an ugly mood, or a defiant child, or a work associate who opposes us - let alone the dirty, the sick, and the dying of our world.

One cannot help being impressed in reading the Gospels that Jesus responded differently to the unlovely than we normally do. Rather than avoidance or condemnation, Jesus accepted - indeed, embraced - the unlovely. Such embraces not only broke dramatically with the people of his day, but they contributed in no small measure to his sentence of death.

JESUS AND CHILDREN

The Gospels reveal three such embraces of Jesus. The first was his embrace of children, and it represents, Jesus' concern for those who had not yet "arrived" in Jewish society. A second was his embrace of a leper. This embrace represents Jesus' solidarity not simply with those who had not yet arrived, but those who could NEVER arrive. This embrace included all who were either disinherited or outcast, ranging from women and Gentiles to the sick and lame, sinners and tax collectors, and even the leprous. Finally, Jesus embraced a cross, and in so doing he embraced the sins of the world, the very ugliness that separates us from God himself. Consider, first of all, Jesus' embrace of children.

"And they were bringing children to him, that he might touch them; and the disciples rebuked them. But when Jesus saw it he was indignant, and said to them, 'Let the children come to me, do not hinder them; for to such belongs the kingdom of God - Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.' And he took them in his arms and blessed them, laying his hands upon them" (Mark 10:13-16).

What, we might ask, was so unusual about Jesus putting his arms around children? And why did his disciples attempt to prevent the little ones from coming to him? Is not the maternal instinct a universal instinct of sorts, compelling us to show tenderness to children? Do not human relief organizations appeal to this instinct by showing the pitiful faces of starving children? Do not political candidates secure our votes by kissing the heads of babies?

We would be quite mistaken if we assumed that the society of Jesus' day viewed children with the same affection ours does. In her book "A Distant Mirror," Barbara Tuchman says that in the Middle Ages no element of society received less attention than children. And for good reason: with an infant mortality rate of 50 percent, adults could scarcely afford an excessive emotional involvement with the young. When a child of seven was considered a miniature adult and expected to perform a full day's work, sentimentality over children had little chance to blossom.

So it was in Jesus' day. The rabbis considered children, like women, to be members of the people of God by virtue of their association with adult male members of the family. True, a newborn boy of eight days was circumcised as a sign of this covenant relationship, but it was not until he was 13 that he was considered to have reached an age of religious maturity and granted full status in the synagogue. One would have to search long and hard in ancient Jewish society to find any benevolence toward the young comparable to Jesus' embracing and blessing of children. W. C. Fields is said to have once remarked sarcastically, "Anyone who hates children and dogs can't be all bad." Presumably, people in Jesus' day would have found little, if anything, humorous or objectionable about that quip. In Jewish society a child reached maturity when he could understand and assent to the Torah. Jesus, on the other hand, embraced the children. More than that, he declared them models of the kingdom of God-precisely because they had nothing to show for themselves and were most likely to receive God's kingdom as a gift of grace.

JESUS AND OUTCASTS

"And a leper came to him beseeching him, and kneeling said to him, 'If you will, you can make me clean.' Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand and touched him, and said to him, 'I will; be clean.' And immediately the leprosy left him, and he was made clean" (Mark 1:40-42).

We live in a society that institutionalizes the insane, deformed, and seriously crippled, and as a consequence, we may find it difficult to conceive of the vast social contrasts of Jesus' day. Much as in many Third World countries today, the rich and poor, the fit and deformed, the clean and dirty in Jewish society lived in close proximity.

But proximity did not necessarily lead to contact or community; instead, it often led to increased separation among the various social classes. In the case of leprosy, the Old Testament prescribed the following regulations: "The leper who' has the disease shall wear torn clothes and let the hair of his head hang loose, and he shall cover his upper lip and cry, 'Unclean, unclean.' He shall remain unclean as long as he has the disease; he is unclean; he shall dwell alone in the habitation outside the camp" (Lev. 13:45-46).

As if this condition were not humiliating enough, Josephus and some of the rabbis intensified the plight of the leper, referring to him as a "living corpse," whose cure was difficult as resurrection from the dead (see Num. 12:12).

In Mark's story, the leper compounded his offensiveness: not only did he embody a dread contagion (so it was thought), but, so great was his longing to be healed, he broke through the prescribed zone of separation between himself and others and came right up to Jesus. In a sense, Jesus' response was offensive also. Rather than countering this social blunder with spit, stones, or curses, Jesus reached out and touched him, saying, "Be clean." That touch did more than heal a physical ailment. It made it possible for one who had had to abandon his clothes, home, hygiene, family and friends, and even his relationship with the people of God - in short, one who had been banished to nonexistence - to return to himself, to human society, and to God.

JESUS AND THE CROSS

Finally, Jesus' strangest embrace was that of a cross.

"So they took Jesus, and he went out, bearing his cross, to the place called the place of a skull, which is called in Hebrew Golgotha. There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, and Jesus between them" (John 19:17-18).

There is no record in antiquity of a nobleman suffering the penalty of death by crucifixion. On the contrary, crucifixion was reserved for the most despised elements of society - rebellious foreigners, violent criminals, and especially slaves. It was a barbaric form of execution of the utmost cruelty, and was practiced by the Romans especially as a deterrent against slave uprisings. Appian, a Roman writer, informs us that when Crassus quashed the slave revolt of Spartacus in 71 B.C. he crucified 6,000 slaves along the Via Appia from Rome to Capua, a distance of well over 100 miles. With this in mind, one can scarcely escape Paul's striking contrast when he spoke of Christ's preexistent glory compared with his earthly humility: "He was in the form of God ... but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant ... and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross" (Phil. 2:6-8).

The Gospels tell us that Jesus predicted he would go to Jerusalem to die on a cross, and that, in fact, he spent his dying breath crucified between two criminals on the Hill of the Skull. Why did Jesus embrace a cross? He embraced a cross for the same reason he embraced children, women, the poor, sick, and outcast: out of love for the unlovely. In truth, it was not his cross but ours that he bore. Peter says, "He bore our sins in his body on the cross, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by his wounds you were healed" (1 Peter 2:24).

EMBRACES OF A REAL GOD

The strange embraces of Jesus! Each shares something in common with the others. Each is an embrace of those who, in the words of the Beatitudes, are "poor in spirit" (Matt. 5:3). Each is an attempt to "seek and save the lost" (Luke 19:10). And each is what may be called an "ultimate embrace - that is, either God or nothing. With each embrace Jesus conveyed the same thing, that everything can be expected from God where all hopes have been exhausted from man.

It is not surprising that the people of Jesus' day found such embraces hard to accept, for they had rejected the strange embraces of God before. Hosea writes, "when Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son. The more I called them, the more they went from me; ... Yet it was I who taught Ephraim to walk, I took them up in my arms; but they did not know that I healed them" (Hos. 11:1-3).

There is, indeed, an attitude that disdains the tangible overtures of God in human life. The elder brother in the parable of the Prodigal Son had such an attitude: his father should not have embraced such a worthless son. Once the Jews had shunned God's embrace of themselves, they found it harder to tolerate his embracing of others. In the history of religion, especially "enlightened religion," one sometimes meets the view that God is above our troubled world and too holy to condescend to real life. Helmut Thielicke has this to say in his book, "I Believe":

"Tell me how lofty God is for you, and I'll tell you how little

he means to you. ... It is certainly remarkable, but it is true.

God has become of concern to me only because he has made himself

smaller than the Milky Way, only because he is present in my

little sickroom when I gasp for breath, or understands the little

cares I cast on him, or takes seriously the request of a child

for a scooter with balloon tires.... If God has no significance

for the tiny mosaic-pieces of my little life, for the things that

concern me, then he doesn't concern me AT ALL."

The strange embraces of Jesus reach out for the needy, the forgotten, and the forsaken of each generation. They extend to those whose problems surpass human abilities to solve. The embraces of Jesus encompass both our personal and global impoverishment, if only we come, like the children or the leper, knowing our need of them. His embraces demonstrate that God is a real God, committed to the needs of a real world.

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James R. Edwards is associate professor of religion and chairman of the Department of Religion at Jamestown College, Jamestown, North Dakota.

Opposites attract, but it can be hard to turn our differences into assets. Compatibility is so hard to achieve.

If Christ can accept us, then we should be able to accept one another.

1. I am a different person. (7-year itch - realizing they won't change)

2. God made me a different person for a good reason.

3. Others need our differences.

(Pittenger, a liberal:) “We do not receive the grace of God because we are good and confess our sins, it is the other way round. It’s always God’s grace which come first, … his forgiveness awakens our repentance. ‘Just as I am, without one plea.’ The whole point of the Christian gospel is that God loves and accepts us just as we are.”

John Stott: “This is a very confused statement of the gospel, however. God does indeed accept us ‘just as we are,’ and we do not have to make ourselves good first — indeed we cannot. But his ‘acceptance’ means that he fully and freely forgives all who repent and believe, not that he condones our continuance in sin. Again, it is true that we must accept one another, but only as fellow penitents and fellow pilgrims, not as fellow sinners who are resolved to persist in our sinning. No acceptance, either by God or by the church, is promised to us if we harden our hearts against God’s Word and will. Only judgment.”

G. Campbell Morgan was one of 150 young men who sought entrance to the Wesleyan ministry in 1888. He passed the doctrinal examinations, but then faced the trial sermon. In a cavernous auditorium that could seat more than 1,000 sat three ministers and 75 others who came to listen.

When Morgan stepped into the pulpit, the vast room and the searching, critical eyes caught him up short. Two weeks later Morgan’s name appeared among the 105 rejected for the ministry that year.

Jill Morgan, his daughter-in-law, wrote in her book, “A Man of the Word”: “He wired to his father the one word, ‘Rejected,’ and sat down to write in his diary: ‘Very dark everything seems. Still, He knoweth best.’ Quickly came the reply: ‘Rejected on earth. Accepted in heaven. Dad.’”

Rejection is rarely permanent, as Morgan went on to prove. Even in this life, circumstances change, and ultimately, there is no rejection of those accepted by Christ.

Homosexuals are usually rejected, but they seek acceptance and love - and

salvation.

The homosexual son of a California pastor once said,

"Christ first said to the adulterous woman: I love you.

Then he told her to change.

Churches do the opposite.

They say: Change, then we'll love you."

CT, 2/6/81, 37

A West Coast woman and her lesbian friend were at an outdoor flea market. She bought a bumper sticker that said, "Have a Nice Forever." The man who sold it to her asked if she knew Jesus Christ. She said no, and the man told her about his own life, his family, and his conversion to Christ.

She began to get very angry. Finally the woman butted in and said, "Sure God loves you. Why wouldn't he? You're dressed nice. You drive a clean car; you have short hair and a new baby. You're not a thief like me. You don't drink or skip town running from the law like me."

She was a thief, an alcoholic, a child abuser, and a homosexual. He didn't know that, so she threw it in his face. "I'm gay. A homosexual. Do you know what that means?" She was so mad she felt like hitting him, and actually did. She slugged him across the chest and he fell down.

He got up, put his hand on her shoulder, and said quietly, "Praise the Lord. What make you think you have a monopoly on sin?"

The woman could have handled any response but that one. He started talking again and she listened a long time. Finally she accepted Christ. She left her homosexual friend and her lifestyle. She said she has been tempted many times to return, and she did fall once. But after nine years, she believes she has conquered homosexuality, through the power of Jesus.

All people should be welcome in church:

Back in the early 1970's, during what was called the "Jesus Revolution," a church in Massachusetts began getting some strange visitors. They were called hippies. (Remember them? Any in our town?) They didn't exactly fit in, and people began to complain.

The showdown came one Sunday. One of the hippies, a young man with hair down to his waist and patched-up blue jeans came in during the middle of the service. He sat down - right in the middle of the aisle, cross-legged. Members started to murmur and glance down at him.

Finally an old crusty deacon got out of his seat and walked down the aisle. The whole church held its breath. That 70 year-old deacon came up to the young hippie, and without saying a word, sat down cross-legged right next to him.

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Version by "Soup Soup of the Day," Internet version, May 5, 2000:

A GUY NAMED BILL

His name was Bill. He had wild hair, wore a T-shirt with holes in it, blue jeans and no shoes. In the entire time I knew him I never once saw Bill wear a pair of shoes. Rain, sleet or snow, Bill was barefoot. This was literally his wardrobe for his whole four years of college.

He was brilliant and looked like he was always pondering the esoteric. He became a Christian while attending college. Across the street from the campus was a church full of well- dressed, middle-class people. They wanted to develop a ministry to the college students, but they were not sure how to go about it.

One day, Bill decided to worship there. He walked into the church, complete with wild hair, T-shirt, blue jeans and bare feet. The church was completely packed, and the service had already begun. Bill started down the aisle to find a place to sit. By now the people were looking a bit uncomfortable, but no one said anything.

As Bill moved closer and closer to the pulpit, he realized there were no empty seats. So he squatted and sat down on the carpet right up front. (Although such behavior would have been perfectly acceptable at a college fellowship, this was a scenario this particular congregation had never witnessed before!) By now, the people seemed uptight, and the tension in the air was thickening.

Right about the time Bill took his "seat," a deacon began slowly making his way down the aisle from the back of the sanctuary. The deacon was in his eighties, had silver-gray hair, a three-piece suit and a pocket watch. He was a godly man -- very elegant, dignified and courtly. He walked with a cane and, as he neared the boy, the church members thought, "You can't blame him for what he's going to do. How can you expect a man of his age and background to understand some college kid on the floor?"

It took a long time for the man to reach the boy. The church was utterly silent except for the clicking of his cane. You couldn't even hear anyone breathing. All eyes were on the deacon.

But then they saw the elderly man drop his cane on the floor. With great difficulty, he sat down on the floor next to Bill and worshipped with him. Everyone in the congregation choked up with emotion. When the minister gained control, he told the people, "What I am about to preach, you will never remember. What you've just seen, you will never forget."

__________________

By Rebecca Manley Pippert, from Chicken Soup for the Christian Family Soul, Copyright 2000 by Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen

======================

Version by Brett Blair:

Rebecca Manley Pippert, in her book OUT OF THE SALT SHAKER and into the World, gives an example of that kind of bond. She tells about a brilliant college student called Bill who became a Christian. He was part of that generation who dressed differently from their parents. For instance, he never wore shoes, no matter what the weather, and no matter where he went, he dressed in a T-shirt and jeans. In fact, even when he visited the campus church he was always dressed that way, in a T-shirt and jeans and, of course, without shoes. One Sunday during the summer, however, he decided to visit a local church near the campus. He came a little late and since the church was full, Bill walked down the aisle looking for a seat. Because of his less-than-normal attire, no one in the congregation would move in to give him a seat. So, not finding a seat, Bill sat down on the floor on the carpet in front of the front pew. You can imagine the tension in the congregation with that young man dressed in blue jeans and a T-shirt and not wearing shoes, sitting on the carpet in front of them.

Just when things seemed unbearable, an elderly man in the congregation got up from his seat and began walking up the aisle toward Bill. People looked at each other. They were certain they knew what would happen. This gentleman would ask the young fellow to get up and leave. When the older fellow came to where Bill was sitting, he stopped, and, to everyone's surprise, slowly lowered himself to the floor, and the two of them sat there and worshiped together. Naturally, at first people were shocked -- but as they thought about it -- they were moved. For that was an example of the kind of love and acceptance they were called to offer one another in the Church. It was an example of the bond that Jesus has forged between us through his death and resurrection.

As the Church of Jesus Christ, we are called to welcome one another, to forgive, to love, and to accept each other with the same acceptance, love, and forgiveness we have received from God. There is no room in the church for petty complaining, gossip, griping, or hurtful criticism of one another. When we cut each other up, we only destroy the bond that Jesus has died to create within us.

________

Lee Griess, Taking The Risk Out Of Dying, CSS Publishing Company.

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Version by Rev. David Lemmons:

His name is Bill. He had wild hair, wore a T-shirt and jeans with holes in them. That was literally his wardrobe for his entire four years of college. He is brilliant. Kinda esoteric and very, very bright. He became a Christian while attending college.

Across the street from the campus is a very conservative church where people are well-dressed. They want to develop a ministry to the students, but are not sure how to go about it. One day Bill decides to go there. He walks in wearing his jeans, his T-shirt, and wild hair. The service has already started and so Bill starts down the aisle looking for a seat.

The church is completely packed and he can’t find a seat. By now people are looking a bit uncomfortable, but no one says anything. Bill gets closer and closer and closer to the pulpit and when he realizes there are no seats, he just squats down right on the carpet. (Although perfectly acceptable behavior at a college fellowship, trust me, this had never happened in this church before!) By now the people are really uptight, and the tension in the air is thick.

About this time, the minister realizes that from way at the back of the church, a deacon is slowly making his way toward Bill. Now the deacon is in his eighties, has silver-gray hair, a three-piece suit, and a pocket watch. A godly man, very elegant, very dignified, very courtly.

The deacon walks with a cane and as he starts walking toward this boy, everyone is saying to themselves, “You can’t blame him for what he’s going to do. How can you expect a man of his age and of his background to understand some college kid sitting on the floor?”

It takes a long time for the man to reach the boy. The church is utterly silent except for the clicking of the man’s cane. All eyes are focused on him. You can’t even hear anyone breathing. The minister can’t even preach the sermon until the deacon does what he has to do.

And now they see this elderly man drop his cane on the floor. With great difficulty he lowers himself and sits down next to Bill to worship with him so he won’t be alone. Everyone chokes up with emotion.

When the minister gains control he says, “What I’m about to preach, you will never remember. What you have just seen, you will never forget.”

— author unknown

In “The Whisper Test” Mary Ann Bird writes:

I grew up knowing I was different, and I hated it. I was born with a cleft palate, and when I started school, my classmates made it clear to me how I looked to others: a little girl with a misshapen lip, crooked nose, lopsided teeth, and garbled speech.

When schoolmates asked, “What happened to your lip?” I’d tell them I’d fallen and cut it on a piece of glass. Somehow it seemed more acceptable to have suffered and accident than to have been born different. I was convinced that no one outside my family could love me.

There was, however, a teacher in the second grade whom we all adored -- Mrs. Leonard by name. She was short, round, happy, a sparkling lady.

Annually we had a hearing test ... Mrs. Leonard gave the test to everyone in the class, and finally it was my turn. I knew from past years that we stood against the door and covered one ear, the teacher sitting at her desk would whisper something, and we would have to repeat it back -- things like “The sky is blue” or “Do you have new shoes?” I waited there for those words that God must have put into her mouth, those seven words that changed my life. Mrs. Leonard said, in her whisper, “I wish you were my little girl.”

God says to every person deformed by sin, “I wish you were my son” or “I wish you were my daughter.”

John Paulk will never forget the 1986 Gay Pride Parade in Columbus, Ohio. A well-known female impersonator, he was riding in the back of a red Mustang convertible dressed in a white linen suit and blond wig.

"Candi, we love you," a man yelled. "You're the most gorgeous drag queen in Columbus." John smiled and waved.

Suddenly, John heard chanting and screaming ahead and spotted a small crowd of people waving Bibles over their heads. Some held signs with such messages as "God hates fags" and "Turn or burn."

"Why don't you hateful people leave us alone? We're not hurting you," John thought, as an eerie sickness gripped his stomach. Then another thought struck him: "Who would want to follow a God like the one they're displaying?"

Six months later, a pastor who had befriended John at the print shop where he worked invited himself to John's apartment. Although John suspected the minister was coming to talk about God, he consented.

That night, they prayed together as John committed his life to Christ. He soon left his homosexual lifestyle as he became deeply involved in the church. Today, John and his wife, Anne (a former lesbian), live in Portland, Oregon, where he is preparing for a career in Christian counseling.

Though John still occasionally struggles with temptations and memories of the lifestyle he left, with the help of God and his Christian community he is well on his way to wholeness. Thousands of other men and women -- all of them previously involved in homosexuality - have experienced similar changes in their lives. And almost all of them say that it was a group of Christians, demonstrating genuine love and concern, who made the difference.

HALF THE GOSPEL

"The church of the 1990s must decide if it wants to meet the relevant needs of today's society," said Sy Rogers of Exodus International during a seminar at Park Avenue Baptist Church in Titusville, Florida, on ministering to homosexuals. "If your church is equipped to minister to the needs of your society, you will be relevant; if not, you will be irrelevant."

In Matthew 28:19, Jesus tells His disciples, "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations." The word nations means "people groups." Today, the homosexual population is among the last of the unreached people groups. And this people group even includes some who are in our churches.

Stories of those struggling with homosexuality are rarely as sensational as John Paulk's. Often, those who struggle are sitting quietly in the pew on Sunday morning, not involved in the homosexual subculture or a homosexual relationship. They hurt alone as they experience the internal chaos of conflicting desires. "Almost 100% of people who come into my office have a church background, but they couldn't find help for their same-sex attraction within the local church," says Rick Hughes, director of Eleutheros Ministry in Winter Park, Florida. Hughes is attempting to reverse that trend. When he speaks at conferences on the subject, he is often met with indifference and intolerance. Once, he wanted to conduct a short seminar on homosexuality for a local congregation, but the pastor refused.

"We don't have that problem here," the pastor said. Unfortunately, he was unaware that three of his church members, as well as someone on his staff, were in counseling at Eleutheros for their homosexual tendencies.

Churches that do realize the need to address homosexuality are often confused about how to handle a problem that has become so emotionally and politically charged. Homosexuality is tearing apart many denominations across the country. A growing number of conservative denominations have pro-gay groups that attempt to promote a theology that affirms their homosexual activities. Even some conservative Christians are faltering in their convictions as they discover homosexuality among family members and church friends.

"Homosexuality is the divisive issue of the '90s," says author and speaker Joe Dallas, who directs Genesis Counseling Services in Orange, California. And, he believes, many congregations are presenting only a "partial gospel" to men and women who are involved in gay relationships.

"Homosexual behavior is pronounced unbiblical, but no one offers a solution," Dallas says. "We cannot preach against a particular sin without offering an alternative." Dallas compares this situation with the pro-life movement, whose leaders have discovered the effectiveness of offering practical help -- such as crisis counseling and emergency housing for pregnant women -- in addition to saying, "Don't kill your unborn child."

WAGING THE BATTLE

Some Christians have turned to politics to stem the growing international homosexual-rights movement. Mary Heathman has felt the tension throughout Colorado over Amendment 2, a state constitutional amendment designed to prevent homosexual-rights ordinances. As director of Where Grace Abounds, a redemptive ministry to homosexuals in Denver, Heathman has heard angry remarks from both church members and pro-gay leaders as they tangle over this amendment, which was passed by voters but later overturned in the courts. "Church people get into politics for various reasons," Heathman says. "Some are very loving and don't lose sight of the individual, but others are fighting the battle with the world's mindset rather than remembering the spiritual warfare involved." Heathman says one of the biggest problems with some legislation intended to combat homosexual rights is that it isolates one particular sin. "If we're going to be balanced, we need to be talking about sexual sin in general, not just homosexuality."

Joe Dallas remembers how the fight looked from the other side of the fence. Ten years ago, Dallas was a homosexual-rights activist and a student minister at a pro-gay Metropolitan Community Church in Southern California. "The gay churches are full of men and women who know better," Dallas says. "But they feel they have nowhere else to go. And nobody has ever shown them convincingly that there is a way out of this particular sin."

Few evangelical Christians, Dallas adds, are willing to "stop and listen for a moment to a homosexual's pain." The pro-gay church movement, which offers loving acceptance of both the person and his or her behavior, is an attractive alternative to some members of the homosexual community who perceive the evangelical church as judgmental and "homophobic."

Dallas says that too few conservative churches acknowledge the high price paid by many homosexuals who become evangelical believers. Suddenly these men and women are confronted with the reality of leaving close friends, long- term partners, a supportive community, and perhaps even a gay-related job or career to follow Christ. And too often they get no sympathy from church friends who think they should "just repent and be done with it."

Jeff Konrad still remembers the anguish of leaving his homosexual partner almost 10 years ago. "I ached physically from all the emotional turmoil. But several Christian heterosexual men made themselves available any time of the day or night. I'm alive today because those guys loved me."

After receiving Christ, a homosexual desperately needs church support to stay free from sin. A conversion experience doesn't immediately erase homosexual desires. As with any Christian who struggles with temptation and who bears the consequences of a troubled past, accepting Christ is only the first step in the journey toward wholeness.

Many who have been away from the homosexual lifestyle for years still struggle with temptation, though usually less frequently. Many get married and identify more with heterosexuals, but that doesn't guarantee complete freedom from occasional homosexual desires.

The majority, who remain single, have the added struggle of remaining celibate. That's why continued encouragement and accountability from the church is so important to keep them on the path toward wholeness.

BREAKING THE SOUND BARRIER

Churches can provide a supportive atmosphere by being willing to break the silence that surrounds this issue in many evangelical congregations. When Ken Korver, associate pastor of Emmanuel Reformed Church in Paramount, California, realized that several men in his singles group were dealing with homosexuality, he confronted the issue head-on from the pulpit. Korver preached a sermon on 1 Corinthians 6:9-11, where the apostle Paul identifies homosexual behavior as sin, but a sin that can be forgiven. "This church is a place where broken people are welcome," Korver told his congregation. "But we are not to remain in brokenness; we must move forward into God's design." Then he requested anyone fighting homosexual temptations to talk to one of the pastoral staff.

"We let people know we'd walk with them through the process of healing," Korver recalls. Soon a group of ex-homosexual men were meeting weekly. Then Korver took the healing process a step further: He set up a mentoring program in the church, holding three-hour training sessions for straight men who wanted to better understand homosexuality. The names of 50 "graduates" of these sessions were made available to the former homosexuals, who could request an accountability partner to befriend them.

"Forming this kind of mentoring relationship is essential to getting beyond an 'ex-gay' mind set," Korver explains. "When the men who are overcoming homosexuality are accepted by other men in the church, a huge amount of healing occurs."

Other congregations throughout the country have had similar success in ministering to homosexual men and women. During the past two decades, Church of the Open Door in San Rafael, California, has earned a widespread reputation as "the church where homosexuals find healing."

This fellowship of 100 adults located 20 miles north of San Francisco is a spiritual home base for Love In Action, one of the oldest ex-homosexual ministries (founded in 1973). LIA runs a two-year discipleship program that attracts participants from around the world. Many become permanent members of Open Door, having left churches where they felt no support for resolving their sexual identity issues.

One recent program graduate, an attorney and former bank vice-president from Virginia, stood in front of the congregation to extend his thanks for their support. "This is a church where you don't have to whisper the word homosexual," he said. "I know my life will never be the same because of the love I've experienced here."

At the beginning of each program, members are introduced to the congregation in a special evening service. Afterward, church members are encouraged to come forward and commit to pray for one or more ex-homosexuals. Program leaders recognize that many church members want to offer support, but don't know how. So prayer cards are distributed, giving specific suggestions: Send the program member a birthday card, invite him to your house for dinner, phone him periodically to offer encouragement, include him on a family outing, have him bring a potluck item to your house for a holiday meal.

At Discovery Church in Orlando, Florida, church members, elders, and church counselors are trained to minister to ex-homosexuals by praying for them and providing strict accountability. "We generally set [those struggling with homosexuality] in a same-sex ministry group with two or three trained people," says elder Barry Johnston. "The leaders offer encouragement, practical help, and friendship. This also affirms their gender identification in a non-threatening way. "We require strict accountability, too. In a secure environment, we ask about their thought life, their reading materials, the movies they see." The leaders also ask them, "Are you staying free and moving in the direction God created for you?" Then they place them in the mainstream of the church by discreetly and wisely directing them into a place where they can minister.

Beyond formal ministries, churches can often minister to ex-homosexuals by changing attitudes and becoming aware of the sensitivities of those struggling with homosexuality. "I've been around people in the church who have made jokes about people who are gay," says Brad Grammer, who directs Face-to-Face, a ministry to homosexuals at First Evangelical Free Church on Chicago's North Side. "It really hurt, because they didn't know I have struggled with homosexuality."

Grammer says that another way churches can help is to offer discipleship relationships. He believes that if the church is functioning as it should by offering honest, encouraging relationships to those struggling with homosexuality or any other sin, there may be less of a need for formal groups. People also need more information about homosexuality to help them understand those who struggle with the issue, Grammer says.

UNWANTED HARVEST

Mona Riley, wife of Open Door's senior pastor, says there is potential for a great spiritual harvest in the homosexual community, but "it's an unwanted harvest. We don't want to reap it. Christians aren't sure if they want to spend eternity with these people." Revival has to happen in the church first, she says, "before it's going to happen in the gay community."

Riley sees a "hardness in the heart of the American church" toward people who have been involved in homosexual behavior. "We need to be trained in compassion," she says. "We have judged this particular sin to be worse than every other, but I don't see that in the Scriptures."

Leaders of ex-gay ministries around the country recognize hidden barriers that prevent churches from embracing those struggling with homosexuality. The foremost one concerns AIDS, says Chuck Therrien, director of ReCreation Ministries in Manchester, New Hampshire. Church members fear contracting the disease by casual contact, such as touching an infected individual or sharing restroom facilities. Despite assurances from health experts, these fears persist.

Therrien says church members also fear that former homosexuals will molest their children or seduce young people into the homosexual lifestyle. "But why would they recruit someone into a lifestyle they despise and are desperately trying to overcome?" he reasons. Therrien also points out that most adult homosexuals are sexually drawn to other adults, not children. And though such abuse is unlikely, churches should already be equipped to prevent any kind of child sexual abuse, homosexual or heterosexual. Such precautions should ease the fears of church members and leave them free to minister to whoever walks through the church doors.

Church leaders who have taken the risk of venturing into this type of ministry have seen their churches affected positively. "Our people are proud that we are a church that is true to the Bible, but living it out in progressive ways," says Ken Korver. "We are not compromising truth, but the congregation is thrilled that we are living out grace."

There is also widespread support at Church of the Open Door for the Love In Action program. "Our people are excited to be on the cutting edge of this issue," says senior pastor Michael Riley.

The staff of these churches and specialized ministries to homosexuals insist that they are not doing anything different or unusual from the ordinary discipleship offered in any evangelical church. "All you need to know is how to love and speak the truth," Joe Dallas says, "and you've got all the tools necessary for ministry to these people."

John Paulk, the former female impersonator, agrees. After becoming a Christian, John moved to California to be come part of LIA. He attended Church of the Open Door and found unconditional support, especially from the men in the church. "Heterosexual men befriended me, prayed for me, and invited me into their homes for fellowship. They treated me with genuine respect and affection. It's really that simple. They loved me into wholeness."

========

Bob Davies is executive director of Exodus International (San Rafael,

California), a worldwide coalition of redemptive ministries to men and

women overcoming homosexuality. He is also co-author, with Lori

Rentzel, of Coming Out of Homosexuality (InterVarsity Press, 1994).

Melody Schiaing, a free-lance writer from Titusville, Florida, and Karen

Beattie, associate editor, also contributed to this article. To contact

Exodus International regarding homosexual ministries in your area, write

P. 0. Box 2121, San Rafael, CA 94912 or call (415) 454-1017.

Thanksgiving sermon, 1997. (Advent Adventure, pre #2) Psalm 107:1-9

============================

THE FEAST OF CHRIST THE KING

============================

I. A special family dinner.

II. The power of the table. 2 Samuel 9:7

A. The one holiday no one has ruined yet.

B. A place to express our thankfulness. Psalm 107:8-9

C. A place where we find our identity.

D. A place where faith can be kindled.

III. Some families don't have a Norman Rockwell Thanksgiving.

A. "Home for the Holidays"?

B. We don't have to be a prisoner to memories of the past.

C. Shape how your children will remember their time at home.

IV. We can always come to God's table.

A. Jesus had some of his most powerful moments at dinners.

B. The best is yet to come.

C. You are invited.

=====================================================================

Adapted from Advent 1997 Spiritual Adventure, Pre Advent sermon 2, by

Greg Asimakoupoulos.

#4216

*

I am a mother of three (ages 14, 12, 3) and have recently completed my college degree. The last class I had to take was Sociology. The teacher was absolutely inspiring with the qualities that I wish every human being had been graced with. Her last project of the term was called “Smile.” The class was asked to go out and smile at three people and document their reaction. I am a very friendly person and always smile at everyone and say, hello anyway... so, I thought, this would be a piece of cake literally.

Soon after we were assigned the project, my husband, youngest son, and I went out to McDonalds, one crisp March morning. It was just our way of sharing special play time with our son. We were standing in line, waiting to be served, when all of a sudden everyone around us began to back away, and then even my husband did. I did not move an inch ... an overwhelming feeling of panic welled up inside of me as I turned to see why they had moved. As I turned around I smelled a horrible “dirty body” smell ... and there standing behind me were two poor homeless men. As I looked down at the short gentleman, close to me, he was “smiling”. His beautiful sky-blue eyes were full of God’s Light as he searched for acceptance. He said, “Good day” as he counted the few coins he had been clutching. The second man fumbled with his hands as he stood behind his friend. I realized the second man was mentally deficient and the blue-eyed gentleman was his salvation. I held my tears as I stood there with them.

The young lady at the counter asked him what they wanted. He said, “Coffee is all, Miss” because that was all they could afford to sit in the restaurant and warm up, they had to buy something (they just wanted to be warm). Then I really felt it ... the compulsion as so great I almost reached out and embraced the little man with the blue eyes.

That is when I noticed all eyes in the restaurant were set on me ... judging my every action. I smiled and asked the young lady behind the counter to give me two more breakfast meals on a separate tray. I then walked around the corner to the table that the men had chosen as a resting spot. I put the tray on the table and laid my hand on the blue eyed gentleman’s cold hand. He looked up at me, with tears in his eyes, and said, “Thank you.” I leaned over, began to pat his hand and said, “I did not do this for you ... God is here working through me to give you hope.”

I started to cry as I walked away to join my husband and son. When I sat down my husband smiled at me and said, “That is why God gave you to me, honey ... to give me hope.” We held hands for a moment and at that time we knew that only because of the Grace that we had been given that we were able to give. We are not church-goers but we are believers. That day showed me the pure light of God’s sweet love.

I returned to college, on the last evening of class, with this story in hand. I turned in “my project” and the instructor read it ... then she looked up at me and said, “Can I share this?” I slowly nodded as she got the attention of the class. She began to read and that is when I knew that we, as human beings and being part of God, share this need to heal people and be healed. In my own way I had touched the people at McDonalds, my husband, son, instructor, and every soul that shared the classroom on the last night I spent as a college student. I graduated with one of the biggest lessons I would ever learn.... UNCONDITIONAL ACCEPTANCE.

------------------

Pastor Dick Lewis

As an 11-year-old, I was addicted to baseball. I listened to baseball games on the radio. I watched them on TV. The books I read were about baseball. I took baseball cards to church in hopes of trading with other baseball card junkies. My fantasies? All about baseball.

I played baseball whenever and wherever I could. I played organized or sandlot. I played catch with my brother, with my father, with friends. If all else failed, I bounced a rubber ball off the porch stairs, imagining all kinds of wonderful things happening to me and my team.

With this attitude, I entered the 1956 Little League season. I was a shortstop. Not good, not bad, Just addicted.

Gordon was not addicted. Nor was he good. He moved into our neighborhood that year and signed up to play baseball. The kindest way to describe Gordon’s baseball skills is to say that he didn’t have any. He couldn’t catch. He couldn’t hit. He couldn’t throw. He couldn’t run.

In fact, Gordon was afraid of the ball.

I was relieved when the final selections were made and Gordon was assigned to another team. Everyone had to play at least half of each game, and I couldn’t see Gordon improving my team’s chances in any way. Too bad for the other team.

After two weeks of practice, Gordon dropped out. My friends on his team laughed when they told me how their coach directed two of the team’s better players to walk Gordon into the woods and have a chat with him. “Get lost” was the message they delivered, and “get lost” was the message that was heard.

Gordon got lost.

That scenario violated my 11-year-old sense of justice, so I did what any indignant shortstop would do. I tattled. I told my coach the whole story. I shared the episode in full detail, figuring my coach would complain to the league office and have Gordon returned to his original team. Justice and my team’s chances of winning would be served.

I was wrong. My coach decided that Gordon needed to be on a team that wanted him - one that treated him with respect, one that gave everyone a fair chance to contribute according to his own ability.

Gordon joined our team.

I wish I could say Gordon got the big hit in the big game with two outs in the final inning. It didn’t happen. I don’t think Gordon even hit a foul ball the entire season. Baseballs hit in his direction (right field) went over him, by him, through him or off him.

It wasn’t that Gordon didn’t get help. The coach gave him extra batting practice and worked with him on his fielding, all without much improvement.

I’m not sure if Gordon learned anything from my coach that year. I know I did. I learned to bunt without tipping off my intention. I learned to tag up on a fly if there were less than two outs. I learned to make a smoother pivot around second base on a double play.

I learned a lot from my coach that summer, but my most important lessons weren’t about baseball. They were about character and integrity. I learned that everyone has worth, whether they can hit .300 or .030. I learned that we all have value, whether we can stop the ball or have to turn and chase it. I learned that doing what is right, fair and honorable is more important than winning or losing.

It felt good to be on that team that year. I’m grateful that man was my coach. I was proud to be his shortstop and his son.

________________________

By Chick Moorman from A 4th Course of Chicken Soup for the Soul, Copyright 1997 by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, Hanoch McCarty & Meladee McCarty

*

"Real friends are those who, when you feel you've made a fool of yourself, don't feel you've done a permanent job."

-- Colleen Spencer, Assistant to the Executive Director of Administrative

Services at the University of Maine in Augusta

“Thanks for inviting me to go to church with you next Sunday, Uncle Al.”

Tim and his uncle were on their way to Bonny Lake. They had heard the fishing there was great. “I. . . I don’t want to hurt your feelings,” continued Tim, “but. . . well . . .I’m not sure I want to get into this religious stuff. Besides, Mom and Dad don’t think it’s a good idea.”

“Oh?” asked Uncle Al in surprise. “I thought you said that your parents wouldn’t mind if you went with me. You sounded quite interested last week. You even said the Gospel was beginning to make sense to you.”

“Yeah, but since then I’ve done a lot of thinking,” Tim said slowly. “I don’t think I feel like getting ‘saved’ right now. The crowd I hang around with at school wouldn’t understand, and I like being with them. Someday I’ll start going to church, but I think I’ll just go on the way I am for a while. I know I’m not perfect, but I’m not so bad, either.”

Tim’s uncle drove on silently for a few minutes. “Oh, no!” he exclaimed as they passed a road sign. “I was so intent on our conversation that I missed the turnoff. We should have gotten off this road five miles back.”

“Guess we’ll have to turn around and go back now, huh?” asked Tim.

But Uncle Al shook his head. “I don’t feel like turning around right now,” he said. “I guess we’ll just keep going this way. I kinda like this road, and the scenery is nice.”

Tim looked at his uncle in amazement. “But we have to turn around to get to Bonny Lake,” he protested, “and the longer we keep going this way, the longer it will take to get back. If we wait too long to turn around, we might not even get there in time to fish.”

Uncle Al smiled at Tim as he slowed down for the next turn. “You’re right,” he said, “and what you said just now is exactly what I’ve been trying to tell you about spiritual life.”

*

[Original illustration at this number was a duplicate of HolwickID #9617]

On the twenty-first of April, 1864, in the little village of East Leister in England, Jane Merrick, a school teacher, cradled in her arms, her precious little son that had just been born. Taking a character from the Bible whom she loved, John the Baptist, she named her son John - John Merrick. The joy was short-lived. Before very long, he began to develop hideously. John Merrick, later to be called the “Elephant Man” was an indescribable genetic disaster.

Soon his head began to take on the misshapen effects that would later cause women to gasp upon seeing him, and run sick to their stomachs from the encounter. One of his arms grew so large that it looked as though it were the trunk of an elephant, while his left arm remained entirely normal. His spine began to curve and he began to develop huge segments of skin unnecessarily, and they putrefied and had a terrible odor. John Merrick then lost his mother - the only one who loved him, at age 12, in a tragic accident. All he knew was gone.

As a teenager, rejected of society, looking increasingly more obnoxious and hideous by the day, John Merrick ran away from home. He soon found himself in the hands of an unscrupulous exhibitor, who made a sign advertising the Elephant Man, and charged two-pence apiece for a look at this hideous human. He was suffering from what was later called Van Recklehausen's syndrome, a genetic disease now known as multiple neurofibermetosis. And that poor man, at age 20, had become so deformed, such a recluse, and though he was a sensitive spirit, so utterly beaten down, that he could scarcely even look up through his one good eye at those who stared at him.

When he was 20 years old, in 1884, a physician by the name of Fredrick Trebis happened to pay the two-pence to see him, and became interested in him. He eventually moved him to London Hospital. Trebis thought that this man would never be able to communicate. But then one day, he finally understood him for the first time. And do you know what he was doing? He was repeating one of the two things he had read - the Bible. And that young man, the Elephant Man as he is known today, was repeating the twenty-third Psalm: “Yea, though I walk through the valley of death, I shall fear no evil.”

Realizing that he was a thinker and that he was sensitive, Trebis began to bring various people to meet him. One day, a beautiful widow met John Merrick. When she was ready to leave, instead of the same reaction that most women had, she pressed forward and took John Merrick by the hand. When she did, it was the first human touch from a woman that he had felt since his mother died, and he began to weep. Trebis, sensing the unusual situation, and knowing that Merrick had become a student of the theater, brought to see him a person that Merrick thought he would never see. Mrs. William Kindle of the Drury Lane Theater came into the room. Like most people, the first moment she saw him, she was utterly repulsed. She managed to keep back the expression that she felt in her heart so that it did not come to her face.

But as often as Merrick would look away, as she later testified, she herself would turn away and shake her hands and head and fight back the tears from her eyes. She could not imagine a human being so hideously misshapen, so totally repulsive. How In the world could she even carry on a conversation with him? Then God began to do a work in her heart. Do you know what happened? When she got ready to leave, God spoke to her heart. She got up; she crossed the room. And she approached John Merrick, the Elephant Man, and not only did she extend her hand, but she embraced him in her beautiful arms. As she leaned over, this famous, beautiful actress, planted on the misshapen, inarticulate lips of John Merrick, the only precious kiss he ever experienced in his whole life. His shoulders began to wrench. Tears burst from those eyes. And he began to weep, understanding what it had taken for her to do that.

Jesus Christ of Nazareth, the Eternal God, holy and exalted, above sin, without the taint of iniquity in heaven above, looked down at our misshapen, malformed sinful selves. Jesus did not turn away from us. He placed the kiss of grace on us and received us.

__________

Source: The Timothy Report, Copyright (c) 2004 Swan Lake Communications, http://www.timothyreport.com

*

[Original illustration at this number was a duplicate of HolwickID #4745]

An old cartoon pictures what appears to be two wriggling worms sticking up from the ground, one of which was obviously enamored of the other. But to his expressions of love came the indignant reply, "Hey! I'm your other end."

How are we handling the part of the church that seems on the opposite end of the spectrum from us? Is there cause for indignation at the loveless treatment of the brother?

In the "Peanuts" comic strip series, a small fry came up to Charlie

Brown and said, "Yes, sir, Charlie Brown. Abraham Lincoln was a great

man. . . . Charlie Brown, would you like to have been Abraham

Lincoln?" He paused thoughtfully for a moment and said: "Well, now, I

don't know. . . . I'm having a hard enough time being just plain old

Charlie Brown!"

I was told a wonderful story about Coach Tom Landry that illustrates the level of his Christian love and acceptance of others. Years ago, the late Ohio State coach, Woody Hayes, was fired for striking an opposing player on the sidelines during a football game. The press had a field day with the firing and really tarred and feathered the former Buckeye coach. Few people in America could have felt lower than he at that time; he not only lost control in a game and did a foolish thing, but he also lost his job and much of the respect others had for him.

At the end of that season, a large, prestigious banquet was held for professional athletes. Tom Landry, of course was invited. Guess who he took with him as his guest? Woody Hayes, the man everyone was being encouraged to hate and criticize.

________

Charles R. Swindoll, “The Tale Of The Tardy Oxcart,” Word, p. 4.

===========================

Another version by Swindoll:

IT’S TIME TO EMBRACE GRACE BY EMBRACING THE UNLOVELY

Is horizontal grace missing in your life? You may have embraced God’s vertical grace to you, but missed its all-important connection in your relationships.

Allow me to probe under your skin with a few penetrating questions. Do you free people, or do you hold them hostage? Do you relieve them of guilt and shame, or do you increase their load? Do you encourage others or discourage them? Do you find yourself participating in the world of construction or the world of destruction? Do you point out people’s faults and failures or their strengths and accomplishments? In other words, do you minister grace to others? Now, if I may probe even deeper, what about that person you find especially UNLOVELY?

For me, a magnificent example of horizontal grace came by watching the late Tom Landry while he was still coaching the Dallas Cowboys. During the time he and I served on the board of Dallas Theological Seminary, I often sat next to him and found him to be a man of quiet dignity. The closer you got, the more you respected him. He was a man who lived under God’s grace, and he gave it away like few I’ve seen. This came into clear focus in his response to Woody Hayes.

Hayes coached the Ohio State football team for 28 years and took General George Patton as his model of leadership. His hard-nosed discipline gained him a reputation for being fiery. He was very difficult to please, had little tolerance for failure, and sometimes crossed the line when disciplining a player. Over his career, Hayes amassed an incredible win-loss record, but he also created a long list of offenses against players, parents, fans, and sports reporters. During the 1978 Gator Bowl, an opposing player intercepted an Ohio State pass and wound up on the Buckeyes’s sideline. Infuriated, Woody Hayes slugged the boy, nearly knocking off his helmet — all on national television.

Appropriately, Ohio State fired him the next day. But in the weeks that followed, the nation raged, reporters mercilessly piled on, and anyone with a grudge vented his spleen on the humiliated coach. He retreated in silence and shame behind drawn drapes and locked doors.

During that time, Coach Tom Landry was to attend a prestigious banquet in New York and he was free to ask a guest to join him. Normally, he would have taken his wife, Alicia. But this time he appeared with Woody Hayes. Landry’s poignant act of grace lifted Hayes out of his shame and silenced his tormenters. Grace has a way of doing that.

I asked Coach Landry about it at our next board meeting. He said, “I figured that since everybody else was beating up on him, he needed somebody to put an arm around him and tell him he still loved him.” Can you imagine how that felt for Coach Woody Hayes? When he was bent low, feeling ashamed . . . deserving nothing, Landry bent down, lifted him up, and embraced him.

Eugene Peterson’s paraphrase of Romans 5:7-8 puts it well.

We can understand someone dying for a person worth dying for, and

we can understand how someone good and noble could inspire us to

selfless sacrifice. But God put his love on the line for us by

offering his Son in sacrificial death while we were of no use

whatever to him. (MSG)

We hear a lot about vertical grace — that grace we receive from God. But I ask again, what about horizontal grace? Are you demonstrating horizontally what you have received vertically? Can you minister grace to people who don’t inspire you to acts of kindness? Let me suggest a good beginning. Stoop down and embrace them. Love that reaches up is adoration. Love that reaches out is compassion. But love that stoops is grace.

Don’t miss the absence of conditions in the Romans passage above. God didn’t look down and say, “When those scoundrels show the least bit of interest in cleaning up their act, then I’ll meet them more than half way.” No, while we were sinning and loving it, the Father stooped and extended supreme grace in the person of His Son. He didn’t ignore our sin. He didn’t excuse our sin. He LOOKED PAST our sin and accepted us in spite of it. And so? Let’s go there on behalf of others. Embrace others in spite of how unworthy or how unlovely they are to you.

No one expects you to excuse the sin of the unlovely, nor should you become their doormat. Extending grace doesn’t send the message that you approve of their behavior. And don’t fall into the trap of fearing that grace enables people in their sin. In fact, grace brings conviction to the heart of the sinner much more quickly than a rebuke.

Think of someone right now — someone particularly unlovely — and decide today how you can stoop and embrace them. Be creative. Be specific. Find a way to express grace to them in something you say or something you do . . . then do it the next time you meet. Like the Nike ad says, JUST DO IT! I dare you.

________

Adapted from Charles R. Swindoll, “It’s Time to Embrace Grace by Embracing the Unlovely,” INSIGHTS (August 2004): 1-2. Copyright © 2004 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide.

http://ifl.convio.net/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=8703&news_iv_ctrl=1961

Just this past week I received my Census Packet...maybe you did as well. There

are a lot of questions to answer...There are a lot of background questions....

a.. Do I speak Spanish?

b.. What race best describes me?

c.. Am I white, African American, Chinese, Korean, Hispanic?

d.. What is my heritage? Irish, German, Italian?

This info is suppose to be useful to our Federal Government as they learn a

little bit more about the people that makeup this great nation. But I would

like to tell you that none of these question are of any concern to our

God....Did you hear that? This is what Paul is reminding us (see Galatians

3:26-29)....it make no difference if your background is Jew or Gentile...

You see our world wants to classify you. It wants to put you in a particular

race, income level....It wants to label you...white, black, middle class, upper

class, male, with a college education, etc... And then do you know what they do

after they label you? THEY DISQUALIFY YOU. Paul is saying here, that it doesn't

matter if you were born in the Mediterranean or in Mechanicsburg. It doesn't

matter which box you check on your census packet. God has a new body where those

questions do not matter! IT'S CALLED HIS CHURCH. It doesn't matter if you check

male or female. It doesn't matter which box you check for your highest

education. It doesn't matter if you own your home or rent.....God's mystery is

revealed. Submitted by Jon Day

”Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” — Jesus (Matthew 11:28, NIV)

In the ACTS hard copy “Encounter” magazine Douglas Moore writes, “In John Steinbeck’s well-known story, ‘The Pearl’, a man finds a beautiful pearl, but after close scrutiny he realizes that it has one tiny flaw. He takes the pearl to a jeweler, hoping that the flaw can be removed and the pearl perfected. His obsession gets the best of him, however.

“Layer upon layer of the pearl is peeled away in an attempt to remove the flaw. Finally, nothing is left. What was once of great value is completely lost because of his refusal to accept one tiny flaw.

“Our relationships with each other will never be perfect. We all have flaws. Try to accept people as they are. Don’t lose something of great value because you are not willing to accept a small flaw.”

Thank God that we can come to him with all our flaws and that he loves and accepts us just as we are.

Norma Jean was born on a cold, snowy day after a battle just to get into this world. She's a little white calf whose mother wouldn't have anything to do with her, and she lay out in the snow and the cold for many hours, actually, before her owner realized her predicament. That newborn was in pretty bad shape, with her hind legs just not even supporting her when she tried to stand. Her attempts to get up were, well, they were pitiful. Kenny's a teenager, and he doesn't live on the farm where the calf was born. But when he saw her, he offered to take her and try to pull her through. The farmer was pretty pessimistic about the calf making it, but Kenny arranged for her to stay in a stall in a friend's barn. Every morning, he drove to that barn before school, faithfully fed Norma Jean a big bottle of milk substitute, and slowly nursed her back to health. Today, that calf who had been on her last legs is now bouncing all over the place on four good legs!

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about “Intervening Love.”

That calf started out being rejected by her own mother. She would have limped her whole life, or even died, but today she's alive and kicking! The difference? Intervening love. Someone saw her predicament, refused to give up on her, adopted her, and loved her back to health.

For some of us, that's autobiographical. We were rescued by one who didn't reject us. One who wouldn't let us die - who rescued us and loved us back to life. That's what Jesus has done for so many people for so many years. It's what He's done for me. It's what He wants to do for you.

When you get certain tests from the doctor, you're able to see what's really going on inside you, including maybe a condition you didn't know you had, but if it's untreated, you'll die from. That's what our word for today from the Word of God does for us. Romans 5, beginning with verse 6, shows our true spiritual condition - even though we may look fine on the outside. But with the bad news comes the good news of what will save us - intervening love.

The Bible says, “When we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.” Powerless. Like that crippled little calf. Our sin, our refusal to let God run the life that He gave us, has left us absolutely powerless spiritually, with no chance of entering the perfect heaven of a perfect God. No chance - until the Cross. The Bible says, “But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners” - that's while we were still rebels against Him, while we were still under the hellish death penalty for our sin - “Christ died for us.”

Picture in your mind Jesus hanging, suspended by nails, on His cross. As He takes on Himself all the agony of all the sin of all the world, He's going to your hell in your place so you don't ever have to.

However rejected you've been in your life, however damaged you are, however dirty you've gotten, Jesus loves you, no strings attached. He didn't give up on you. He stands ready to adopt you, to love you, to open the door of eternal life to you. You don't begin to know what love is until you've been loved by Jesus Christ. He's waiting to intervene in the sin and the guilt, and the hurt, and the hell of your sin with His love - the love that changes everything - including where you spend eternity. But you have to open up to His love and put your trust in Him to rescue you.

Your only hope is the intervening love of the One who loves you most. Your only hope is Jesus. You've lived enough days without Him. Let this be your first day of belonging to Him.

__________

Copyright © Ron Hutchcraft Ministries, Inc., PO Box 400, Harrison, AR 72602. Used by permission. Written by Ron Hutchcraft. "Practical Answers to Real Life Issues"

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[Original illustration here was a duplicate in HolwickID 25837-26027]

Luke 11:27-36 — Responding to Truth « Leader information shown in this fashion »

A. Respond by admiration or obedience? … Luke 11:27-28 (NIV): 27 As Jesus was saying these things, a woman in the crowd called out, “Blessed is the mother who gave you birth and nursed you.” 28 He replied, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.”

1. is it right to call Mary, the mother of Jesus, “Blessed” (see Luke 1:26–28, 41–42)? « — yes, both the angel and Elizabeth under the control of the Holy Spirit called her that »

a. how would you define “blessed” in this context? « — one to whom God has rendered a special benefit; one who is highly favoured by God in some way »

2. whom does Jesus say are more blessed? « — those who both hear and obey God’s word »

3. where does this position the relative importance of Mary and the word of God? « — God’s Word and obedience to it is of more importance »

4. what does this tell us about the Romanist view on the Virgin Mary?

a. « it is wrong in that it goes beyond the recognition of God’s special favour to Mary, to honouring her in her own right »

b. « it is wrong because it subverts the truth of God’s word to this and other wrong practices and beliefs »

5. inc what ways may Christians today fall into the similar error?

a. « looking for emotion-based worship and experience rather than how to be employed in obedient service to God »

b. « admiring and following charismatic Christian leaders instead of following what is found in God’s word »

c. « enamoured with some facet of truth (”pet doctrines”) rather than obeying the truth that they know »

6. What are some ways God’s word demands obedience today?

a. to unbelievers – Acts 17:30, 2 Peter 3:9 « — repentance »

b. to believers

(A) 1 Corinthians 14:37 « — the commands written by Paul and others in the New Testament »

(B) 2 Thessalonians 3:6 « — disassociate from sinful brethren »

(C) 2 Thessalonians 3:12 « — work to earn your living »

(D) 1 Peter 1:13–16 « — rest our hope on grace; leave our former lusts; be holy in our conduct »

(E) 1 John 4:21–5:3 « — through love of God and of the saints, keeping the commandments of God »

B. Three Responses to Truth; Luke 11:29–32 (NKJV): 29 And while the crowds were thickly gathered together, He began to say, “This is an evil generation. It seeks a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah the prophet. 30 For as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so also the Son of Man will be to this generation. 31 The queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and indeed a greater than Solomon is here. 32 The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here.”

1. There is a similar passage in Matthew 12:38–42; it may be an another account of this same incident or just and indication that this was a type of question which faced Jesus in His ministry. Another possibility is that Luke includes them here as teaching associated with another time Jesus cast out a demon.

2. what three responses to truth are found here?

a. « the Jews seeking a sign to prove it »

b. « the Queen of Sheba travelling great distance to hear it »

c. « the men of Nineveh repenting on hearing it »

3. what was the problem with the response of this “evil generation” (see 1 Corinthians 1:22–24)? « — their continued seeking of a sign, of a miraculous proof, from Jesus that He was the Christ was a mark of their continued unbelief. (Would they have accepted as being a proof anything short of deliverance from Rome and establishment of a Jewish kingdom on earth?) Such unbelief prevents their being saved. »

4. what did the Queen of Sheba find to praise in Solomon’s reign (see 1 Kings 10:6-9)

a. verses 6–7: « his words, wisdom and prosperity »

b. verse 8: « the happiness of those who heard his words »

c. verse 9a: « Jehovah God who had so established him »

d. verse 9b: « he was a mark of God’s eternal love to Israel »

e. verse 9c: « he did justice and righteousness (note that Solomon’s first recorded act of wisdom had to do with dispensing justice between the two women and live son)

f. discuss with the class how in each of these, Jesus Christ is greater than Solomon »

5. In the Matthew passage, 12:40, what is the specific sign that Jonah provided? « — that his “burial and restoration” in the great fish was a remarkable sign to the Ninevites; so also would be the burial and resurrection of the Son of man »

6. we think of Jonah as “the disobedient prophet” yet Christ’s words imply that he was a great prophet — in what ways was that greatness revealed?

a. « in his preaching … the great city of Nineveh repented »

b. « in his understanding of God … he knew of God’s mercy and resented that God would show it to the pagan Nineveh

c. discuss with the class how in each of these, Jesus Christ is greater than Jonah »

C. Truth as a Light; Luke 11:33–36 (NKJV): 33 “No one, when he has lit a lamp, puts it in a secret place or under a basket, but on a lampstand, that those who come in may see the light. 34 The lamp of the body is the eye. Therefore, when your eye is good, your whole body also is full of light. But when your eye is bad {evil}, your body also is full of darkness. 35 Therefore take heed that the light which is in you is not darkness. 36 If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, the whole body will be full of light, as when the bright shining of a lamp gives you light.

1. there is no exact parallel to these verses, but the same ideas are found in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5:14–16, 6:22–23

2. what is the purpose of light? … in the physical? … in the spiritual?

a. « to be allowed to shine out so people can see »

b. « to be proclaimed so people can understand »

3. in respect to the physical eye, what is its purpose? … what is the result of its failure?

a. to be able to see objects, people, dangers, the pathway

b. deprived of perception of the above

4. what about the spiritual eye? … its purpose? … its failure?

a. « to discern the truth and lay hold of it (cf. Proverbs 3:13–18) »

b. « inability to distinguish right and wrong; and acceptance of the wrong — the false — corrupts the truth; example, a preacher could present the nice encouragement and blessing of Scripture, but if he fails to warn of the dire consequences of sin, then those niceties become a curse to the listener »

5. in the one who imbibes spiritual truth — and whence does it come? — what will be the resulting character? « — they will be like a bright, shining lamp; ie., as the one who imbibes evil cannot but dispense the same, so the one who imbibes truth will give it out, both deliberately and unknowingly »

This is an illustration I first heard from a military chaplain when I was in high school in Heidelberg, Germany. It is an emotionally powerful story but I had suspicions about it even back then. It is still usable if labeled a parable. The story, with some comments following:

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A story is told about a soldier who was finally coming home after having fought in Vietnam. He called his parents from San Francisco. “Mom and Dad, I'm coming home, but I've a favor to ask. I have a friend I'd like to bring home with me.”

“Sure,” they replied, “we'd love to meet him.”

“There's something you should know” the son continued, “he was hurt pretty badly in the fighting. He stepped on a land mine and lost an arm and a leg. He has nowhere else to go, and I want him to come live with us.”

“I'm sorry to hear that, son. Maybe we can help him find somewhere to live.”

“No, Mom and Dad, I want him to live with us.”

“Son,” said the father, “you don't know what you're asking. Someone with such a handicap would be a terrible burden on us. We have our own lives to live, and we can't let something like this interfere with our lives. I think you should just come home and forget about this guy. He'll find a way to live on his own.”

At that point, the son hung up the phone. The parents heard nothing more from him. A few days later, however, they received a call from the San Francisco police. Their son had died after falling from a building, they were told. The police believed it was suicide.

The grief-stricken parents flew to San Francisco and were taken to the city morgue to identify the body of their son. They recognized him, but to their horror they also discovered something they didn't know, their son had only one arm and one leg.

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Comment by Barbara Mikkelson:

The earliest instance of this particular e-mail dates to September 1998. Its author is unknown. It echoes a 1978 country song by Chris LeDoux, titled “Silence on the Line,” a ballad about a man leaving the rodeo to rejoin his wife and kids on the farm but calling home to ask if he can bring a crippled friend with him. The “friend,” of course, is himself, and he instead chooses to head to Mexico rather than return to Colorado when the wife makes it clear she needs a man around the place who is fit to help her work the farm instead of being a drain on their resources.

The legend is best read as an illustrative tale rather than as something that actually happened. The combination of an unknown author and lack of checkable details within the work should convince anyone the tale is a parable, not an account of real events. It also echoes a rumor documented in existence during World War II:

[Jacobson, 1948]

A woman sitting in a beauty parlor in Lynbrook, New York, one

afternoon in 1942, heard this rumor:

“A mother and a father received a letter from their son in the

army that he would arrive on a certain date for a visit. The

parents invited a number of friends to be at their home when he

arrives. All were awaiting his arrival. He walked in with a

heavy overcoat on, dropped it, and revealed himself minus both

arms.”

The woman added that the soldier, according to the story, had

been in Pearl Harbor, and while the War Department notified the

parents that he was injured, it didn't mention the amputated

arms.

Once again, a son who lost limbs in a war surprised his parents in person with the news rather than telling them ahead of time. Though fifty years separate the two tales, they are related.

[Mikkelson goes on to find the logic of the story inconsistent: the son tries to spare them anguish, only to cause them unimaginable anguish. Holwick: I have no problem with the logic but think the modern Army would notify the family of serious injuries to their son.]

Chad Thompson began by telling his story.

“I remember sitting on my bed when I was in the fourth grade. I hadn’t even hit puberty yet, but I knew I was different,” said Thompson, author of “Loving Homosexuals as Jesus Would” and a featured workshop speaker at the “Disturbing Voices” HIV/AIDS conference at Saddleback Church.

“I knew that my feelings toward males were different from the other boys I knew,” Thompson said, explaining that he understood where homosexuals are coming from when they say they’ve always felt different, or they can’t remember ever not being attracted to someone of the same gender as themselves.

Calling himself an “ex-gay,” he told the workshop audience he decided to begin living as a heterosexual once he realized that his legitimate need for love and affection from a male was the source of his homosexual struggles.

Thompson went on to tell how he helps others struggling with the same issues via his organization, Inqueery, which operates a website of the same name and addresses homosexuality on high school and college campuses.

Thompson said he’s met many homosexuals who did not feel accepted at all by the church community. He named three roadblocks that stand in the way of ministry to homosexuals: media, politics and research.

“All three of these arenas perpetuate stereotypes of gay people as well as Christian people ... so when someone from the evangelical world meets someone from the gay community, there is this tension because we’ve been lied to about each other,” Thompson said.

In a recent article he wrote for Relevant Leader magazine, Thompson acknowledged that Christians want to love homosexuals as Jesus would, but knowing how to show love begins with knowing how to communicate.

“Trying to have a discussion about gay marriage with someone who is lesbian or gay is often like trying to play a game of baseball while the opposing team is on a soccer field. Each side is basing their arguments on completely different assumptions about homosexuality,” he wrote.

Many Christians like to use the phrase “hate the sin, love the sinner” to describe their attitude toward homosexuals, but again, communication completely breaks down, Thompson said.

“Christians consider homosexuality a behavior, but homosexuals consider it an identity,” he said. “If gay and lesbian folks consider their orientation an identity, is it really possible to ‘hate the sin’ without also hating the sinner?”

Thompson suggests that instead of looking at lesbian and homosexuals through the world’s eyes, Christians need to look at the world through their eyes.

“This means that, when discussing the subject of homosexuality with people, we must use words that are inclusive, not divisive,” he explained, pointing out that while homosexuals use words like “love” and “relationship” to describe homosexual behavior, Christians use words like “sin” and “abomination.”

“We must put aside this kind of language if we want our ministries to be a safe place for students to talk openly about their sexuality,” he said.

Tim Wilkins, founder and director of Cross Ministry, a ministry that seeks to equip the church to evangelize and disciple homosexuals, led the second half of the workshop. Now a husband of 12 years and father of three girls, Wilkins practiced a homosexual lifestyle for 11 years.

“If someone had told me 30 years ago that I would one day be married and have three children, I would have said, ‘You’re crazy,’” Wilkins said. “But on the inside I would have hoped it was true because I truly dreamed of being a husband and father but never thought it was possible.”

Wilkins read an e-mail he once received from a pastor who read an article by Wilkins and somehow inferred that he was still a homosexual. The pastor condemned Wilkins and said he prays for Wilkins to find the truth.

“The pastor ends the e-mail by quoting 1 Corinthians 6:9-10,” Wilkins said, “which lists those who will not inherit the Kingdom of God, including idolaters, adulterers and homosexuals.”

Wilkins paused for emphasis. “But the pastor failed to include verse 11, which says, “And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of God.”

“If we’re going to love homosexuals the way like Jesus does, we have to tell the truth, and the truth is that we all have sin,” Wilkins said.

He outlined personal qualities necessary in order to love homosexuals: humility, care, patience, kindness, gentleness and respect.

“Gentleness and respect are especially important. Like it says in 1 Peter 3:15, ‘Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,’” Wilkins reminded his audience.

He recounted a time when he invited a homosexual man named Mitchell to be a guest on a television program he was hosting. After the taping of the show, Mitchell shook hands with him and said, “I really thought you would blindside me on TV! I appreciate the respect you showed me.”

Wilkins emphasized, “A genuine, conspicuous display of Christian love quickly and decisively eclipses the counterfeit love [homosexuals] found in homosexuality, opening the door for the Gospel.”

Thompson concurred, saying, “Many homosexuals see people like Fred Phelps, pastor of the infamous Westboro church [a Primitive Baptist church in Topeka, Kansas, which publicly expresses condemnation and hate for homosexuals], and assume all Christians are that way. Some may even assume God is that way. After all, if the only Christian people they know are angry at them, then God must be angry at them, too.”

Both Thompson and Wilkins cited listening as one of the best ways to show love to a homosexual, because each person’s story is unique and complex.

They also admonished participants not to try and talk someone out of their homosexuality for it is God who heals them.

“If you’re not sure how to hug someone who is struggling with homosexuality, just open your arms,” Thompson said. “If they need your touch, they’ll walk right in.” Allowing someone who has struggled with homosexuality “to get close to you,” he said, can be among the greatest gifts they can be given.

“This man receiveth sinners.” — Luke 15:2

Observe the condescension of this fact. This Man, who towers above all other men, holy, harmless, undefiled, and separate from sinners — this Man receiveth sinners. This Man, who is no other than the eternal God, before whom angels veil their faces — this Man receiveth sinners. It needs an angel’s tongue to describe such a mighty stoop of love. That any of us should be willing to seek after the lost is nothing wonderful — they are of our own race; but that He, the offended God, against whom the transgression has been committed, should take upon Himself the form of a servant, and bear the sin of many, and should then be willing to receive the vilest of the vile, this is marvellous.

“This Man receiveth sinners”; not, however, that they may remain sinners, but He receives them that He may pardon their sins, justify their persons, cleanse their hearts by His purifying word, preserve their souls by the indwelling of the Holy Ghost, and enable them to serve Him, to show forth His praise, and to have communion with Him.

Into His heart’s love He receives sinners, takes them from the dunghill, and wears them as jewels in His crown; plucks them as brands from the burning, and preserves them as costly monuments of His mercy. None are so precious in Jesus’ sight as the sinners for whom He died. When Jesus receives sinners, He has not some out of doors reception place, no casual ward where He charitably entertains them as men do passing beggars, but He opens the golden gates of His royal heart, and receives the sinner right into Himself — yea, He admits the humble penitent into personal union and makes him a member of His body, of His flesh, and of His bones. There was never such a reception as this!

This fact is still most sure today, He is still receiving sinners: would to God sinners would receive Him.

Acts 28:16–31 — The Gospel Published at Rome — (outline by F. F. Bruce, NICNT) « Leader information shown in this fashion »

{A.} The Birth of the Church (1:1–5:42)

{B.} Persecution and Expansion (6:1–9:31)

{C.} The Acts of Peter & Beginnings of Gentile Christianity (9:32–12:25)

{D.} Church Extension from Antioch & Apostolic Decree at Jerusalem (12:25–15:35)

{E.} Paul Leaves Antioch & Moves to the Aegean World (15:36–19:20)

{F.} Paul Plans to Visit Rome and Gets there by an Unforseen Route (19:21–28:31)

{1} He Prepares to Leave Ephesus for Macedonia and Achaia (19:21–20:6)

{2} The Journey to Jerusalem (20:7–21:16)

{3} Paul at Jerusalem (21:17–23:30)

{4} Paul at Caesarea (23:31–26:32)

{5} Paul’s Voyage and Shipwreck (27:1–44)

A. Caesarea to Myra (27:1–5)

B. They Trans-ship at Myra and Sail to Crete (27:6–8)

C. Paul’s Advice Rejected (27:9-12)

D. They are Caught by the Wind Euraquilo (27:13-20)

E. Paul’s Encouragement (27:21-26)

F. They Approach Land (27:27-29)

G. The Sailors’ Attempt to Escape Frustrated (27:30-32)

H. The Meal on Board (27:33-38)

I. The Shipwreck (27:39-41)

J. Safe Ashore! (27:42-44)

{6} Winter in Malta (28:1-10)

A. Welcome to Malta! (28:1-6)

B. Works of Healing in Malta (28:7–10)

{7} Rome at Last (28:11–31)

A. The Last Lap: ‘and So We Came to Rome’ (28:11-15)

B. Paul Handed Over to be Kept under Guard 28:16 (NKJV)

1. 16 Now when we came to Rome, the centurion delivered the prisoners to the captain of the guard; but Paul was permitted to dwell by himself with the soldier who guarded him.

2. What influence by the centurion Julius do you see? … why?

a. What? « – in the special provisions for Paul quite distinct from all the rest of the prisoners – his own residence, his own guard »

b. Why? « – perhaps Paul’s citizenship or status, perhaps Julius’ instructions; probably because of Julius’ experience with Paul and events of the trip from Jerusalem to Rome »

3. What were the benefits?

a. « for Paul’s health (was probably in late 50’s; see Phm 1:9) »

b. « allow him to continue some aspects of his ministry »

C. Paul and the Roman Jews 28:17-29

1. The First Interview 28:17–22 (NKJV)

a. 17 And it came to pass after three days that Paul called the leaders of the Jews together. So when they had come together, he said to them: ‘Men and brethren, though I have done nothing against our people or the customs of our fathers, yet I was delivered as a prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans, 18 who, when they had examined me, wanted to let me go, because there was no cause for putting me to death. 19 But when the Jews spoke against it, I was compelled to appeal to Caesar, not that I had anything of which to accuse my nation. 20 For this reason therefore I have called for you, to see you and speak with you, because for the hope of Israel I am bound with this chain.’ 21 Then they said to him, ‘We neither received letters from Judea concerning you, nor have any of the brethren who came reported or spoken any evil of you. 22 But we desire to hear from you what you think; for concerning this sect, we know that it is spoken against everywhere.’

b. What purpose does Paul have in this interview?

i. To clear up « – any questions about his imprisonment »

ii. To explain « – his appeal to Caesar did not attack Jews »

c. What defence does he make …

i. … of his actions? « – nothing against people or customs »

ii. … of accusations? « – the Romans found no cause »

d. How does he seek acceptance by these Jews?

i. He states that « – he looks for the hope of Israel »

ii. He draws attention « – to his (Roman) chains »

e. How does the ‘hope of Israel’ come into view?

i. Acts 23:6, 26:6-7 « – Paul Pharisaic doctrine; party strife explained Jews seeking to kill him (2 Jews, 3 opinions) »

ii. Cf Ezekiel 37:11ff « – these Jews thought that only by the resurrection of the dead could they enjoy the Messianic kingdom; this was a particularly precious promise to the Jewish diaspora »

f. What is there reaction …

i. … pro? « – they have heard no occasion against Paul; they want to hear further what he has to say »

ii. … con? « – they have heard evil of the sect of the Way »

2. The Second Interview 28:23-29 (NKJV)

a. 23 So when they had appointed him a day, many came to him at his lodging, to whom he explained and solemnly testified of the kingdom of God, persuading them concerning Jesus from both the Law of Moses and the Prophets, from morning till evening. 24 And some were persuaded by the things which were spoken, and some disbelieved. 25 So when they did not agree among themselves, they departed after Paul had said one word: ‘The Holy Spirit spoke rightly through Isaiah the prophet to our fathers, 26 saying, “Go to this people and say: ‘Hearing you will hear, and shall not understand; And seeing you will see, and not perceive; 27 For the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, And their eyes they have closed, Lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, So that I should heal them.’” 28 Therefore let it be known to you that the salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles, and they will hear it!’ 29 And when he had said these words, the Jews departed and had a great dispute among themselves.

b. In what ways did Paul and the gospel get a fair hearing?

i. « There were many who came to hear »

ii. « They listened to a 12-hour sermon! »

c. What was Paul’s philosophy of ministry?

i. His message was « … Jesus »

ii. For resources, illustrations, etc., he used « … Scripture »

d. What resulted? … what can we say about this today? « – some believed and some did not; this will always be the response to the preaching of the gospel; it saddens us, but there are always those who will refuse to accept the truth »

e. What, according to Paul and Isaiah is the problem? « – deaf ears and blind eyes result in hearts that do not understand »

f. 2 Corinthians 4:4; why do the following reject the Gospel?

i. Jews … « because Satan blinds them »

ii. Gentiles … « because Satan blinds them »

iii. It takes … « the Holy Spirit’s work to give spiritual sight »

g. In Paul’s letters (the ‘prison epistles’) we no longer find the phrase ‘to the Jew first’ – are the full details of this episode because this constituted the final rejection of Jesus Christ by the Jews? « – discuss: was this a dispensational divide or an outcome of Paul’s being kept from ordinary ministry? What should the church be doing for Jews today – telling them the gospel or helping them go back to Palestine? – My opinion? … a historical reality, a practical necessity, not dispensational; see Acts 1:8 “in Jerusalem AND in ..”. »

D. The Gospel Advances without Hindrance in Rome 28:30-31

1. 30 Then Paul dwelt two whole years in his own rented house, and received all who came to him, 31 preaching the kingdom of God and teaching the things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ with all confidence, no one forbidding him.

2. What opportunities did Paul have in his ‘house arrest’?

a. Available « – to be visited by seekers and believers »

b. Occupied « – in evangelism and discipling »

c. Apologetic value « – this done under full view of authorities »

3. How did his arrest limit Paul? « – from ordinary missionary work of going to the lost as he had in the past »

4. Was he released after 2 years (see Philemon 1:22, Titus 1:5, 1 Timothy 1:3, 20, 2 Timothy 4:11, 16)? « – a period of freedom seems indicated in these and tradition as Eusebius E.H. II.xxii »