137 Sermon Illustrations on Discipleship

Drop kick me , Jesus

Chorus:

Drop kick me, Jesus, through the goalposts of life

End over end, neither left nor to right

Straight through the heart of them righteous uprights

Dropkick me, Jesus, through the goalposts of life

Make me, oh, make me, Lord, more than I am

Make me a piece of your master game plan

Free from the earthly tempestion below

I've got the will, Lord, if you've got the toe

Repeat Chorus

Bring on the brothers who've gone on before

And all of the sisters who've knocked on your door

All the departed, dear loved ones of mine

And stick 'em up front on the offensive line

Repeat Chorus

A lowly bench warmer I'm contented to be

Until the time when you have need of me

To flash on the scoreboard that shines from on high

In the big Super Bowl way up in the sky

By Paul Craft

A young man learned from his employer what it means to have Christ dwelling in him. Ray Hoo had just graduated from Iowa State University and returned to his home in Jamaica to try to find a job. His brother had arranged an interview for him with the chairman of the Jamaican banana industry. The interview went well. The chairman was willing to make an opening for Hoo, even though there were no vacancies. But then the candidate ruined his chances. "What do you like to do in your spare time?" the chairman asked. Hoo, who later became a leader in The Navigators fellowship, volunteered the information that he liked reading and sports, particularly soccer and basketball. Then he added, "I also spend a lot of time in Christian activities because I hope to someday give my life to Christian missions." That did it! The chairman could not in good conscience spend the money necessary to train a new man only to have him leave for the mission field. So he said, "Young man, your ambitions are noble; but it we want men who will give their lives to bananas."

"LIVING ON THE EDGE"

Roger L. Thompson, Sr.

Some of the most beautiful scenes in America are found on the edge of a cliff. While visiting Pike's Peak in Colorado, I noticed how cautiously the people walked to the edge. We all knew that there was a danger of falling if we got too close and lost our footing. The fall could be deadly.

Now while it may be exciting to look out from the top of Pike's Peak, I would not want to live there. I certainly would not want to raise my children there.

The world around us offers many exciting pleasures. For the majority of these pleasurable experiences, there is nothing wrong with the activity. We want to enjoy life to the fullest and we want our children to have more and do more than we did growing up.

The edge calls us. Make more money by working a few extra hours on Sunday. Spend more time in recreation and family by not attending worship services and being involved in church activities. The more possessions that we accumulate the more demanding they are of us and in reality, they possess us. Our lives are busy and very hectic. Our children grow up in this environment. Living on the edge becomes a way of life instead of just a day in our lives.

Then tragedy hits. We have become so acclimated to the edge that we let down our guard and our children let down their guard. Then it happens, one day our child slips overboard. They fall deep into the reality of sin and have fallen out of the hands of God. The parents cry. They lament. And then it comes to them like a ton of bricks dropping on them. They realize that while they should have been building their home and families on the solid rock of Jesus, they had actually built their home on the edge. It was a very beautiful place. They were safe on the mountain of the Lord and enjoying the beauty and pleasure of this life. While they knew as parents that one day we will be back and more involved in the Lord's church, their children had become a casualty of their decision to live on the edge. When we decide to live on the edge should we be surprised when we or our children fall off? Where are you building your home?

--Old Paths, Amarillo, TX (Dalton Key, editor)

An octopus does not have much of a brain. However, it has been proven that an octopus can learn by observing another octopus. In an experiment, octopuses were trained with food rewards to attack specific balls. Others observing from an adjacent tank were released. Those watching the activity with red balls attacked red balls and those which had seen white balls attacked those. The responses based on observation were faster than were the responses of the octopuses which had been trained.

Humans are often unaware of the power of learning that takes place from observation.

This failure affects us in two areas.

We fail to recognize the power of what we see upon our own behavior. We become what we think about, and we think about what we see. Whether it is television, movies, rock concerts, the actions of co-workers or classmates, we tend to imitate what we see. Even if we do not duplicate the action, we become less opposed and “don't see anything wrong with it.” The continual seeing of a thing creates greater and greater acceptance.

We also fail to accept the power that we have over others as they observe us. This is true in all areas of human experience: parenting, husband and wife relationships, friendships, and work. Others are watching what we do, and the more they value us the more they will imitate us. We are being watched!

This theme is significant in scripture. Parents are to create Godly role models on a daily basis (Deut. 6:4-9). We are to be concerned about those we associate with since we are affected by their behavior (2 Cor. 6:14-18; 1 Cor. 15:9). We are not to imitate evil but good (3 John 11). We are to accept this reality of observation and call on others to imitate us as we imitate Christ (1 Cor. 4:16; Phil. 3:17; 4:9; 2 Thess. 3:7,9).

If an eight-armed water creature can learn from observation, so do we. Remember. Whatever you do, you are being watched by someone. And they are learning!

________

Penny F. Nichols (Van Nuys, CA)

I looked upon a farm one day,

That once I used to own;

The barn had fallen to the ground,

The fields were overgrown.

The house in which my children grew

Where we had lived for years--

I turned to see it broken down,

And brushed aside the tears.

I looked upon my soul one day,

To find it, too, had grown

With thorns and thistles everywhere

The seeds neglect had sown.

The years had passed while I had cared

For things of lesser worth;

The things of heaven I let go

While minding things of earth.

To Christ I turned with bitter tears,

And cried, "O Lord, forgive!

I haven't much time left for thee,

Not many years to live."

The wasted years forever gone,

The days I can't recall;

If I could live those days again,

I'd make Him Lord of all.

Author Unknown

As Christians we need to be like "boxing managers" to one another. Week after week we're in the "ring" of life mixing it up with the world. We give some blows. We take some. We win some rounds. We lose others. At regular intervals the "bell" rings and we go to our corner (church). Crucial that someone be in our corner! World doesn't offer this type of encouragement.

Imagine yourself on an old sailing ship in the middle of the ocean. Your ship is no longer moving. The sails hang limp in a hot, breeze-less afternoon. The sun beats mercilessly down on you. All the drinking water is gone. You are thirsty--incredibly thirsty. There's salt water everywhere, but you can't drink it. This is the scene Samuel Taylor Coleridge describes in his epic poem, "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner": "Water, water everywhere and all the boards did shrink; Water, water everywhere and not a drop to drink."

What GOD Won't Ask

--God won't ask what kind of fancy car you drive. He will ask how many people you took to church who didn't have transportation.

--God won't ask the square footage of your home. He will ask how many people you helped who didn't have a house.

--God won't ask how many fancy clothes you had in your closet. He will ask how many of those clothes you gave away...

--God won't ask what social class you were in. He will ask what kind of "class" you displayed.

--God won't ask how many material possessions you had. He will ask whether those material possessions dictated your life.

--God won't ask what your salary was. He will ask if you trampled over any people to obtain that salary.

--God won't ask how much overtime your worked. He will ask, "Did you work overtime for your family?"

--God won't ask how many promotions your received. He will ask what you did to promote others.

--God won't ask what your job title was. He will ask, "Did you perform your job to the best of your ability?"

--God won't ask how many promotions you took to chase a dollar bill. He will ask how many promotions you refused to advance your family's quality of life.

--God won't ask how many times you didn't run around on your spouse. He will ask you how many times you did.

--God won't ask how many degrees you had. He will ask how many people you thanked for helping you get those degrees.

--God won't ask what your parents did to help you. He will ask what you did to help your parents.

--God won't ask what you did to help yourself. He will ask what you did to help others.

--God won't ask how many friends you how. He will ask how many people you were a friend to.

--God won't ask what you did to protect your rights. He will ask what you did to protect the rights of others.

--God won't ask what neighborhood you lived in. He will ask what other neighborhoods you visited.

--God won't ask how times you told the truth. He will ask how many times you told a lie.

--God won't ask about the color of your skin. He will ask about the color of your heart.

--God won't ask how many times your deeds matched your words. He will ask how many times they didn't.

ALL OF US WILL STAND BEFORE GOD SOMEDAY... AND EVERYTHING WE DID, SAID AND THOUGHT WILL COME TO LIGHT. I DON'T KNOW ABOUT YOU, BUT I HAVE SOME THINGS TO MAKE RIGHT.

The dictionary defines *oxymoron* as “a rhetorical figure in which incongruous or contradictory terms are joined.” The English word is formed from two Greek terms - oxus, sharp, and moros, dull. It therefore identifies expressions that appear to link opposite and incompatible ideas. Common examples might be “computer reliability” or “temporary tax increase.” Got the picture?

Someone recently shared a list of the Top 50 Oxymorons with me. Here are the ones I selected as my favorite dozen:

Act Naturally

Childproof

Definite Maybe

Almost Exactly

Clearly Misunderstood

Pretty Ugly

Alone Together

Plastic Glasses

Rap Music

New Classic

Terribly Pleased

“Now, then . . .”

The fun intended by pointing to these common terms with questionable propriety set me to thinking about more serious issues. For example, you probably have some skepticism about “unemployed workers.” If they're really willing to work, there's little excuse right now for people to be unemployed. On the other hand, I'd hope nobody points to your company - or to you - and offers “business ethics” as an oxymoron.

And what about your family? Are you an “unloving mate”? Ever take a “working vacation” with the people who want, need, and deserve your attention - and find it strangely unrewarding? The ultimate inconsistency in the life profile of any mother or father would be for someone to appropriately tag her or him with the label “absentee parent.” You may be one or the other, but you're not both! Just ask your children.

Then comes your relationship with God. Ever hear what surely amounts to the ultimate oxymoron - “spiritual indifference”? According to Jesus, the two words cancel out one another. Standard translations such as the New International Version have him saying this at Matthew 10:30: “He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters.” The Message makes the sense of his words emphatic with this rendering: “This is war, and there is no neutral ground. If you're not on my side, you're the enemy; if you're not helping, you're making things worse.”

Ouch! Maybe there are some less-than-funny aspects to this business of inconsistency in words, behaviors, and relationships. I don't really want to be laughed at in the things that matter - that matter *eternally.* I'll bet you don't either.

*

The donkey awakened, his mind savoring something pleasant. He arched his neck, walked around with mincing steps. "That group of people," he said. "I'll go and show myself to them." They took no notice. "Throw your garments down," he said crossly. "Don't you know who I am?" They stared at him in amazement. Someone threw a stone. "Miserable infidels!" he muttered as he turned away in rage. "I'll go down to the market. Some good people are sure to be there." But it was the same. "The palm branches! Where are the palm branches?" he shouted. "Have you forgotten?" Dazed he returned to his mother. "Foolish child," she said gently. "Without him you can do nothing." (Eileen Lageer, "Palm Sunday,"

in His, student magazine of Inter-Varsity Christian Fellowship, 1970)

"Why is it that the sound of your flowing waters cannot be heard even a short distance from your shores?" all the other rivers asked the Euphrates river. "It is not necessary that my waters be heard," replied the Euphrates. "My deeds, my fruitful shores, speak for me." The rivers asked of the Tigris river, "Why is it that the tumult and splashing of your waters may be heard for a great distance?" "Because," replied the noisy Tigris, "it is necessary that my currents rush with so much noise so people may hear and realize how important I am." The Talmud comments on this subject: "Man is to be judged by his deeds, not his words. As a tree is known by its fruit, so is man by his works."

How to add worry/stress to your life:

1. Never say No to a request - always say YES.

2. Your job comes first; personal considerations are secondary.

3. Accept all invitations to meetings, banquets, committees, etc.

4. Go to the office evenings, Saturdays, Sundays and holidays.

5. Golf, bowling and hobbies are a waste of time.

6. It is a poor policy to take all the vacation time which is provided to you.

7. Never delegate responsibility to others; carry the whole load at all times.

8. Do not eat a restful, relaxing meal - always plan a conference for the dinner hour.

9. If your work calls for traveling - work all day and drive all night to make your appointment for the next

morning.

10. Fishing and hunting are a waste of time and money - you never bring back enough fish or game to

justify the expense.

11. Take the briefcase home on the evenings when you do not go to the office. This provides an

opportunity to review completely all the troubles and worries of the day.

The following story is reported to be true:

A new missionary recruit went to Venezuela for the first time. He was struggling with the language and didn't understand a whole lot of what was going on. Intending to visit one of the local churches, he got lost, but eventually got back on track and found the place. Having arrived late, the church was already packed. The only pew with a seat open was the one on the front row.

So as not to make a fool of himself, this recruit decided to pick someone out of the crowd to imitate. He chose to follow the man sitting next to him on the front pew. As they sang, the missionary tried to follow along. When the man stood up to pray, the missionary recruit stood up too. When the man sat down, he sat down. When the man took the cup and bread for the Lord's Supper, he took the cup and bread. During the preaching, the recruit didn't understand a thing. He just sat there and tried to look just like that man in the front pew.

Then he perceived that the preacher was giving announcements. People clapped, so he looked to see if the man was clapping. He was, and so the recruit clapped too. Then the preacher said some words that he didn't understand and he saw the man next to him stand up. So he stood up too. Suddenly a hush fell over the entire congregation. A few people gasped. He looked around and saw that nobody else was standing, so he sat down.

After the service ended, the preacher stood at the door shaking the hands of those who were leaving. When the missionary recruit stretched out his hand to greet the preacher, the preacher said, in English: "I take it you don't speak Spanish."

The missionary recruit replied: "No, I don't. Is it that obvious?"

"Well yes," said the preacher, "I announced that the Acosta family had a newborn baby boy and would the proud father please stand up."

There is nothing wrong with imitating godly men and women, but we need to be careful who we imitate, and to what extent. Even the apostle Paul was careful to limit those who sought to follow him:

"Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ." (1 Cor. 11:1).

Follow the example of those you know who are living godly lives, but be sure to keep one eye on Christ as the ultimate standard. Otherwise, you may find yourself standing when you ought to be sitting!

Have a great weekend!

Alan Smith

Boone church of Christ

Boone, NC

"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." (Matt 28:19-20, NAU)

"I'm not in the business of making steel. I'm in the business of making men. They make steel." - Andrew Carnegie

I remember reading somewhere that one of the dangers awaiting any person or group of persons is to forget what their purpose is, the one thing that they are trying to accomplish. It's easy to get sidetracked.

There is an old story about a missionary in Africa. He walked everywhere, frequently logging several miles as he preached from one place to another. He prayed that God would somehow send him a car. It seemed reasonable, but it didn't seem that God was going to come through. One day, an old farmer approached riding in a rickety cart pulled by an ancient ox. The farmer told the missionary that he'd had it on his heart for some time to give the ox and cart so that the missionary could ride instead of walking. It was at that moment that the missionary realized that what he should have been praying for was transportation, not a car.

"What does this have to do with making disciples?" you ask. The answer is in the fact that we get our focus slightly off center and end up a mile away from our intended target. Here's what I mean: Jesus sent us into the world to make disciples. We are to make disciples of Jesus. He didn't send us into the world to make "church members." He didn't send us to convert people to the church. I know, I know! People become "church members," and if converted they become the church. That's beside the point. The main thing is that they become disciples of Jesus.

I do not become right with God because I become like the church. I become right with God because I put my faith in Jesus. My life doesn't become what it should be when I become like the church. My life becomes what it should be when I become like Jesus. I don't live right by following the teachings of the church, I live right when I follow the teachings of Jesus.

We're not in the business of making church members. We're in the business of making disciples of Jesus. Perhaps it doesn't sound like much of a difference to you. I understand. I only ask that you think about it for just a bit. But, if you are more like the church than you are Jesus, that goes a long way toward explaining why the church isn't what it's supposed to be. No double-talk intended. Go make some disciples today - disciples of Jesus.

BUTT PRINTS IN THE SAND

One night I had a wondrous dream,

One set of footprints there were seen,

The footprints of my precious Lord,

But mine were not along the shore.

But then some stranger prints appeared,

And I asked the Lord, "What have we here?"

Those prints are large and round and neat,

"But Lord, they are too big for feet."

"My child," He said in somber tones,

"For miles I carried you alone.

I challenged you to walk in faith,

But you refused and made me wait."

"You disobeyed, you would not grow,

The walk of faith, you would not know,

So I got tired, I got fed up,

And there I dropped you on your butt."

"Because in life, there comes a time,

When one must fight, and one must climb,

When one must rise and take a stand,

Or leave their butt prints in the sand."

Followers

S. I. McMillen, in his book None of These Diseases, tells a story

of a young woman who wanted to go to college, but her heart sank

when she read the question on the application blank that

asked, "Are you a leader?" Being both honest and conscientious, she

wrote, "No," and returned the application, expecting the worst. To

her surprise, she received this letter from the college: "Dear

Applicant: A study of the application forms reveals that this year

our college will have 1,452 new leaders. We are accepting you

because we feel it is imperative that they have at least one

follower."

S. I. McMillen, None of These Diseases

Youth ministry must do more than merely make converts, but must also intentionally grow disciples of Jesus Christ, youth minister Rob Shelton said recently at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.

For Shelton, this truth has meant investing 19 years as minister of students at Parkhills Baptist Church in San Antonio, Texas. In those 19 years, Shelton has led students to attend and lead in-depth Bible studies, participate in intensive discipleship groups, and develop into readers of college-level books on the Christian worldview.

Making disciples, Shelton said, means helping youth understand that the Christian life involves more than just going to heaven when they die. Rather, it is about living a kingdom-focused life on earth and being the church in a lost world.

“The ministry itself is built around making disciples,” Shelton said. “The first step in discipleship is becoming a convert, but that's not the end step. That's not the thing we're aiming at. We're aiming at making disciples with the first step being to deal with the sin in your life and repent as Christ commands so that you can follow Him.”

To help other youth ministers produce disciples effectively, Shelton reflected on his own experience and cited four concepts that a youth minister must contemplate.

First, a youth minister must evaluate his role as a pastor.

“What does it mean for me to be a pastor?” he asked. “I came to a stunning realization that I will be judged by Almighty God for what I produce. I'm going to be judged for what I do and how I do it and for what I've done to train these students who have been placed in my charge.”

Reflecting on 1 Corinthians 3, Shelton reminded youth ministers of their responsibility to build upon the foundation of the Gospel in students' lives.

“The foundation's laid and I'm supposed to build on that foundation, and I can choose what I'm building,” he said. “And it came to my attention that I better make sure I'm not producing stubble and straw and hay because the fire's going to come in these kid's lives.

“It's going to come when they leave the walls of the church. It's going to come when they go to college. And I'm going to be judged for how I've prepared them to be the church in the world,” Shelton said.

Second, a youth minister must reflect on his methodology. Too often, Shelton said, youth ministers focus on acting youthful to the exclusion of fulfilling their pastoral roles.

A youth minister's primary task is to produce active followers of Christ, he said. Yet many youth ministers present the Gospel such that students view the Christian life merely as a safeguard against going to hell, he said.

“I could fill a room, and I could get converts, but there were very few people who were following Christ,” he said of his past approach to youth ministry. “They were just converts. That kind of struck me. I was presenting Christianity as a present for those seeking postmortem bliss. That's how I was presenting it. There was no understanding of why Christianity was relevant now.

“Given the task, I changed how we presented what Christianity is. We're still presenting the Gospel, but in a fashion that will motivate wanting to be a follower of Christ.”

Third, a youth minister must implement a specific plan for the task of disciple-making. More specifically, he must consider whether his current methods of teaching are compatible with producing disciples.

By using mass media and images from popular culture as teaching tools, youth ministers often inadvertently portray the Gospel as a commodity to be consumed rather than truth to be obeyed, Shelton said.

“I had to evaluate popular culture because I found that I was merely aping what was going on in the culture in order to try to teach how to be a disciple,” Shelton said. “I basically came to the conclusion that I couldn't possibly produce the kind of disciples that are needed using the tools I was using.”

Fourth, a youth minister must know the final goal of ministry.

If a minister doesn't know the goal of ministry, “then you're just going to spin your wheels and go nuts,” he said.

“The goal in producing disciples is holiness. We're to be a holy people. That word's never emphasized any more, is it? We want to be relevant. We want to be creative. We want to be fun. We want to be all those things, but we are called to holiness. I keep that in mind all the time.”

Ultimately, leading teenagers toward holiness will cost a youth minister tremendous time and energy. But that investment will produce a glorious result one day, Shelton said.

“It's not going to be easy,” he said. “You're going to stick out, but I think when you stand before the judgment seat one day, it will be worth it.”

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[Original illustration at this number was a duplicate of HolwickID #5990]

In 1999, Catherine Ryan Hyde wrote a novel called PAY IT FORWARD (later turned into a movie). It starts with a teacher’s assignment to “Think of an Idea for World Change, and Put It Into Action.” Trevor, the 12-year-old hero, comes up with an idea. If he does something “real good” for three people and asks in return that instead of them “paying him back,” they “pay it forward” by doing a good deed for three other people, who are in turn asked to pay it forward, the math quickly shows that he could change the world.

________

Copyright 2006 Josephson Institute of Ethics; http://www.charactercounts.org

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[Original illustration at this number was a duplicate of HolwickID #13210]

In the movie Karate Kid, young Daniel asks Mister Miagi to teach him karate. Miagi agrees under one condition: Daniel must submit totally to his instruction and never question his methods. Daniel shows up the next day eager to learn. To his chagrin, Mister Miagi has him paint a fence. Miagi demonstrates the precise motion for the job: up and down, up and down. Daniel takes days to finish the job. Next, Miagi has him scrub the deck using a prescribed stroke. Again the job takes days. Daniel wonders, What does this have to do with karate? but he says nothing. Next, Miagi tells Daniel to wash and wax three weather-beaten cars and again prescribes the motion. Finally, Daniel reaches his limit: "I thought you were going to teach me karate, but all you have done is have me do your unwanted chores!" Daniel has broken Miagi's one condition, and the old man's face pulses with anger. "I have been teaching you karate! Defend yourself!" Miagi thrusts his arm at Daniel, who instinctively defends himself with an arm motion exactly like that used in one of his chores. Miagi unleashes a vicious kick, and again Daniel averts the blow with a motion used in his chores. After Daniel successfully defends himself from several more blows, Miagi simply walks away, leaving Daniel to discover what the master had known all along: skill comes from repeating the correct but seemingly mundane actions. The same is true of godliness.

1. Tell me the old, old story

Of unseen things above,

Of Jesus and His glory,

Of Jesus and His love,

Tell me the story simply,

As to a little child,

For I am weak and weary,

And helpless and defiled.

Chorus

Tell me the old, old story,

Tell me the old, old story,

Tell me the old, old story,

Of Jesus and His love. 2.

2. Tell me the story slowly,

That I may take it in –

That wonderful redemption,

God's remedy for sin.

Tell me the story often,

For I forget so soon;

The early dew of morning

Has passed away at noon.

3. Tell me the same old story

When you have cause to fear

That this world's empty glory

Is costing me too dear.

Tell me the story always,

If you would really be,

In any time of trouble,

A comforter to me.

*

Corrie ten Boom, that saintly lady who endured such brutality from the Nazis in Ravensbruck during World War II, once said that she had learned to hold everything loosely in her hand. She said she discovered, in her years of walking with Him, that when she grasped things tightly, it would hurt when the Lord would have to pry her fingers loose. Disciples hold all "things" loosely.

A. K. Chalmers, in The Constant Fire, tells about two men in

China. One was a writer of great ability; the other was a

working man whose devotion to the cause of revolution made him a

trusted leader. These two men were rounded up by the existing

government, and put under torture to make them speak their

secrets. Released, they were soon again under suspicion and

were sought by the authorities. They escaped and eventually

reached the seacoast where a boat was waiting to carry them to

safety. There at the water's edge, the worker stopped, held out

his hand to the writer and said, "Good-bye." "Why good-bye?"

asked the writer. "Because," said the other, "I've decided not

to go with you. You must go to America and Europe to interpret

to the world by your understanding mind and brilliant pen the

meaning of our struggle. But I must go back to face whatever I

must with the rest, so that you, dipping your pen into my blood,

can make the world understand that we mean what we say." Christian

commitment. Do we have it?

Richard Lee, a Home Mission Board Church Planter in Jackson,

Tennessee, feels the need to grow his new converts. He says that

discipleship is one of the most important parts of his work after

leading someone to the Lord.

You see, his goal as a church planter is to leave a church filled

with leaders when he starts a new work. Lee fully understands the

concept of "reproducing reproducers."

- Mark Sutton, {Day to Day Devotions, }Missions Today, Feb.

1996, p. 26

Nicholas lives in Romania. Today he is free to serve the Lord as

he pleases and to go wherever he wishes. The freedom he now enjoys is

far different from the terror he and his family endured during

communism's reign of terror in his country.

When he became a Christian, he lost his job and the apartment where

his family lived. He took a stand for Christ and suffered arrest,

imprisonment, and torture several times.

Before the Romanian government fell, Nicholas was arrested and

brought before the highest court in the nation. He recounted the

experience in a conversation several years ago.

"When I entered the courtroom, I knew my fate. I would be charged,

tried, and sentenced the same hour," he said.

The judge would not allow a trial by jury or a lawyer to represent

Nick. He simply read the charges and sentenced him to life in prison

for his faith in Christ.

"I cannot describe the feeling of knowing there is nothing that can

be done," said Nick. "It must be like falling off a cliff and waiting

to hit bottom before you die."

Nick was sent to prison but was released later by authorities in

the new government. He serves the Lord in a local church today, proud

of the stand he took for Christ.

- {Convention Uniform Sunday School, SBC}

1. May the mind of Christ my Saviour

Live in me from day to day

By His love and pow’r controlling

All I do and say.

2. May the Word of God dwell richly

In my heart from hour to hour,

So that all may see I triumph

Only through His pow’r.

3. May the peace of God my Father

Rule my life in ev’rything,

That I may be calm to comfort

Sick and sorrowing.

4. May the love of Jesus fill me

As the waters fill the sea;

Him exalting, self abasing–

This is victory.

5. May I run the race before me,

Strong and brave to face the foe,

Looking only unto Jesus

As I onward go.

6. May His beauty rest upon me

As I seek the lost to win,

And may they forget the channel,

Seeing only Him.

[Tune “St Leonards”]

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