Sermon Illustrations on Influence

Infidels

Every spoken word leaves a lasting influence on the atmosphere around us.

INFLUENCE, Analogy of The pulsations of the atmosphere, once set in motion by the human voice, cease not to exist with the sounds to which they gave rise. Strong and audible as they may be in the immediate neighborhood of the speaker, and at the immediate moment of utterance, their attenuated force soon becomes inaudible to human ears. The waves of the air thus raised perambulate the earth and ocean's surface; and, in less than twenty hours, every atom of its atmosphere takes up the altered movement due to that infinite small portion of the primitive motion which has been conveyed to it through countless channels, and which must continue to influence its path throughout its future existence. Thus considered, what a strange chaos is this wide atmosphere we breathe! Every atom, impressed with good and with ill, retains at once the motion which sages and philosophers have imparted to it, mixed and combined in ten thousand ways with all that is worthless and base. The air is one vast library, on whose pages are forever written all that man has ever said, or woman whispered. There, in their mutable but unerring characters, mixed with the earliest as well as with the latest sighs of mortality, stand forever recorded vows unredeemed, promises unfulfilled, perpetuating in the united movements of each particle the testimony of man's changeful will. Babbage.

Influence, Extensive

Each person's actions influence countless others through an unseen universal connection.

A distinguished writer says, "It is as if each man had his foot upon the point where ten thousand telegraphic wires meet from every part of the universe, and he were able with each volition to send abroad an influence along these wires, so as to reach every created being by a golden chain, and every pulsation of our heart, or movement of our mind, modified the pulsation of every other heart and the movements of every other intellect."

Influence, Growth of

Small influences can grow to affect vast regions and endure eternally.

Away among the Alleghanies there is a spring, so small that a single ox could drain it dry on a summer's day. It steals its unobtrusive way among the hills, till it spreads out into the beautiful Ohio; thence it stretches away a thousand miles, leaving on its banks more than a hundred villages and cities, and many thousand cultivated farms, and bearing on its bosom more than half a thousand steamboats; then, joining the Mississippi, it stretches away some twelve hundred miles or more, until it falls into the great emblem of eternity. It is one of the great tributaries of the ocean, which, obedient only to God, shall roll and roar till the angel, with one foot on the sea, and the other on the land, shall lift up his hand to heaven, and swear that time shall be no longer. So with moral influence. It is a rivulet, an ocean, boundless and fathomless as eternity.

Influence, Illustration of

Aladdin's lamp symbolizes how possession can control powerful influences.

Aladdin is a character in "The Arabian Nights' Entertainments," who became possessed of a wonderful lamp and ring, on rubbing which two frightful genii appear, who are respectively the slave of the lamp and the ring, and who execute the bidding of any one who may have them in their keeping. Wheeler

Influence, Posthumous

Da Vinci's damaged painting still exerts widespread influence through reproductions.

Da Vinci's famous painting of "The Lord's Supper," originally adorning the dining-room of a convent, has suffered such destruction from the ravages of time, war, and abuse, that none of its original beauty remains. Yet it has been copied and engraved; and impressions of the great picture have been multiplied through all civilized lands. Behold a parable of posthumous influence.

Helping Or Harming

Our attitudes and actions continuously influence and affect those around us for good or ill.

We are helping or harming our fellows. We may not have a thought of one who is near us; we may not say a word or give a look, kind or unkind, to him, yet we may cheer and help him, or sadden and dishearten him, toy our countenance as he looks at us, or as we look at him. No one stands or falls to himself alone. Our influence is continuous. There are those who are constantly helping their fellows by loving looks or words. And there are those who are a constant cause of depression, by not being thoughtful to do this. A button was once touched in New York which fired guns and rang bells all around the world. Vet the man who touched the button never heard a sound.

Which Argument?

A believer's godly demeanor can convict more than intellectual arguments.

A preacher delivered a course of lectures on infidelity, and was pleased to learn that an infidel who had attended the services was deeply impressed. “Which of my arguments did you find the most convincing?” the preacher asked the infidel. “No argument moved me,” was the reply, “but the face and manner of an old blind woman who sits in one of the front rows.”

Moulding For Eternity

Our influence shapes others' eternal character and destiny, bearing solemn responsibility.

No human being can live long without increasing or diminishing human happiness or misery. No one can avoid this responsibility. We are forming character for Eternity; our own and others’. Herein lies the solemn responsibility of our existence. Continually are our fellow-beings entering the other world with characters bearing, more or less, the impress of our influence upon them.

Constant Motion

Words spoken create lasting, far-reaching effects beyond the moment.

It is said that the pulsations of the atmosphere, once set in motion by the human voice, go on and on while the sound dies. The waves of the air thus set in motion by the words spoken are said to travel the surface of the earth and ocean, and in less than twenty hours every atom of its atmosphere takes up the altered movement. Thus considered, what a strange thing is the air we breathe, what a book upon whose pages are forever written all that men and women have ever said or whispered. You throw a pebble into the lake. It sinks out of sight and is seen no more, but from the spot on the water where it went down rings form, and they roll on and on and widen out until they reach the very shore. That hasty word, that word of hate, or scorn, or pride, was soon uttered, and for the moment produced a depression or a wound, and that was all. No, it was not all. It left an influence eternal.

Beautiful Epitaphs

A godly life positively influences others, making goodness easier in their presence.

In a cemetery, a little white stone marked the grave of a dear little girl, and on the stone were cut these words: “A child of whom her playmates said: ‘It was easier to be good when she was with us.’“ Lord Peterborough, in speaking about Fénelon, said: “I was forced to get away from him, else he would have made me pious.”

Harshness, Failure Of

Gentle love awakens growth better than harshness and severity ever can.

What harshness in fathers, who fear to praise their children! What severity in some teachers! What bitterness in our muck-rakers and reformers! How seldom do we find a man who can speak the truth, and speak it in love. Yet there are some things that harshness can not do. In February the clods are hard, the seeds dead, the roots inert, the boughs leafless. Now let nature speak in terms of power. She lets loose the north wind, to smite the branches; she beats the bare clods with hail and snow. In a tempest of fury she commands the earth to awaken. But power is impotent; not a root stirs, not a seed moves. Then, when the storms and winds have published their weakness, the south wind comes softly wooing. Summer speaks in love. The mother heart caresses each sleeping seed, and wakens it with bosom pressure. And every root and bough answers with beauty and radiant loveliness. Amid this is the parable of influence, that rebukes man’s harshness, and smites those who turn justice into cruelty and cause their good to be evil spoken of.

— N. D. HILLIS

Influence, Enduring

Enduring influence builds deeply and lasts, unlike fleeting surface effects.

Whitefield’s influence resembles the gale sweeping over the surface of the sea. The effect is instant, and visible to every sense. But of Wesley’s work the true symbol is the coral reef, built up slowly, and cell by cell, in the sea depths, over which the soil forms, and on which great cities will rise and unborn nations will live. The one stirred the surface; the other built up from the depths, built deeply, and built for all time.--W. H. FITCHETT, “Wesley and His Century.”

Influence, Enduring

Consistent Christian influence brings peace and reduces conflict in a workplace.

See GREATNESS APPRECIATED.

INFLUENCE OF SONG

It was sunset, and a number of girls, some of whom were Sunday-school teachers, were singing at their work in a certain factory Bishop Doane’s verses beginning,

“Softly now the light of day,”

to the tune of “Holley,” when a Christian woman who was visiting the factory was shown the singing girls through an opened door. On being told that the singing was now a regular custom with the girls, she asked, “Has it made a difference?” Said the superintendent who was escorting her around, “There is seldom any quarreling or coarse joking among them now.”

Influence, Posthumous

A person's influence can remain visible and effective long after death.

The good or ill of a man’s life has the habit of following after him, even tho his efforts have ceased in death. The power of influence which visibly abides is illustrated by a writer who describes the tracks of ships at sea being visible by the smooth wakes of oil they leave behind them, long after they have disappeared:

I have frequently seen such tracks as Franklin observed out at sea, and have climbed to the masthead in order to sight the ship that produced them without seeing her. Several of such smooth, shining tracks have been observed at the same time, but no ship visible, and this in places where no sail has been seen for days before or after.

Influence, Posthumous

A faithful life continues to inspire and effect change even after death.

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It is being said by many that the present prohibition condition in Georgia is due largely to the work of Sam Jones. He died October, 1906. Thinking that he was out of the way, the liquor men of Bartow County, in June of the following year, determined to call a new election under the local option law. It seemed to them that they could now win with Sam Jones eliminated. The anti-liquors also went to work and did all they could, but were not overconfident of victory. The result was astonishing. The vote, approximately, was eighty-five for the liquor men and 1,686 “for Sam Jones and prohibition.” His name had been mounted on the ballots, and it had worked like magic. This news gave courage to other counties and one after another banished liquor, till the whole State shook off the monster. Is there anywhere a more striking example of the influence of the good man who keeps pegging away? A good life can never die. (Text.)

Picture, Record Price For

A humble portrait gained great value, showing unexpected worth beyond appearances.

Frans Hals was the hero of the evening at the Yerkes sale at Mendelssohn Hall, April 7, 1910. His “Portrait of a Woman” brought the highest price of the evening, $137,000, the highest price ever given for a picture at a sale in America and $8,000 more than the record-breaking price of the evening before, $129,000, which was paid for a wonderful Turner.

The dear old Dutch woman whose portrait Frans Hals painted more than 400 years ago could never have dreamed, if her practical soul was given to anything in the nature of visions, of ever being worth, in any form, so very many thousand dollars. She was the calmest-looking person in the hall when the curtains were drawn aside and she was revealed sitting quietly in her big chair, a wide ruff around her plump throat, a close cap encircling her placid face, one hand at her waist as she sat primly for her portrait, the other at her side clasping her Bible.--New York _Times_.

Pictures, Influence Of

The images we view deeply affect our emotions and moral well-being.

It pays to spend thought on the pictures we put on our walls. A charming woman once said:

“My earliest impression is a picture that hung on the wall over my bed and which I had to look at the last thing every night before I went to sleep. It was that of a white horse upon the back of which was crouched the body of a fierce tiger, with his teeth and claws embedded in the flesh of the horse. The blood ran down from the wounds and the whole thing was frightful to me. I went to sleep every night afraid and very uncomfortable. This picture is as vivid to me to-day as tho I was looking at the real thing, and will never be erased.”

If that had been the picture of “The Guardian Angel,” or “The Evening Prayer,” or some one of the many that are pleasing and that teach some beautiful lesson, that woman would have had a happier remembrance, and would be better both physically and morally.--_Religious Telescope._

Pictures, Influence Of

Violent images in public promote desensitization and increase brutality in society.

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While we empower the police to put down with a strong hand the exhibition in shop windows, and the censor of stage plays and spectacles to interdict the parade in theaters of pictures and scenes of an “immoral” character, because it is recognized that these have a tendency to corrupt the mind of youth--and age, too--nothing whatever is done to restrain the daily increasing evil of pictorial placards displayed on every boarding, and of highly-wrought scenes produced at nearly all the theaters, which not only direct the thoughts, but actively stir the passions of the people in such way as to familiarize the average mind with murder in all its forms, and to break down that protective sense of “horror” which nature has given us, with the express purpose, doubtless, of opposing an obstacle to the evil influence of the exemplification of homicide. It does seem strange--passing strange--that this murder culture by the educationary use of the pictorial art has not been checked by public authority. We have no wish to make wild affirmations, but knowing what we do, as observers of development, we can have no hesitation in saying that the increasing frequency of horribly brutal outrages is by no means unaccountable. The viciously inclined are, in a sense, always weak-minded--that is to say, they are especially susceptible to influences moving them in the direction their passions incline them to take; and when the mind (or brain) is imprest through the senses, and particularly the sense of sight, in such manner as to produce mental pictures, either in waking thoughts or dreams of homicide, the impulsive organism is, as it were, prepared for the performance of the deeds which form the subjects of the consciousness. We are, of course, writing technically; but the facts are indisputable, and we trust they will be sufficiently plain. It is high time that this ingenious and persistent murder-culture should cease.--London _Lancet_.

Poetry, Popular Power Of

Words and poetry can powerfully influence and motivate people.

Poetry is not always the possession of the mart and street, but in the case of a favored few who write, there is this high compliment of approval, as the following suggests:

Walter Camp was talking about football at a dinner at the New York Athletic Club.

“Had we not reformed our football,” he said, “it would have fallen into grave disrepute--into such grave disrepute as surrounded cricket and football both during the Boer War, when Kipling wrote his poem about

“‘The flannel fools at the wicket, The muddied oafs at the goal.’

“That poem hit the English ‘footers’ hard. One of the English ‘footers’ during their visit to us told me how he was walking one day to his club in football clothes, when a newsboy hailed him.

“‘Paper, sir?’

“The footballer walked on; whereupon the boy yelled after him:

“‘Yah, ye muddied oaf! Like as not ye can’t even read!’”

The Stranger

A few months before I was born, my dad met a stranger who was new to our small town. From the beginning, Dad was fascinated with the enchanting newcomer, and soon invited him to live with our family. The stranger was quickly accepted and was around to welcome me into the world a few months later. As I grew up, I never questioned his place in our family.

Mom taught me to love the Word of God, and dad taught me to obey it. But “The Stranger” was our storyteller. He could weave the most fascinating tales, adventures, mysteries and comedies. He could hold our whole family spellbound for hours each evening. He was like a friend to the whole family. He took Dad, Buck and me to our first major league baseball game. He was always encouraging us to see the movies and he even made arrangements to introduce us to several movie stars.

“The Stranger” was an incessant talker. Dad didn’t seem to mind. But sometimes Mom would quietly get up while the rest of us were enthralled with one of his stories of a faraway place, go to her room, read her Bible and pray.

I wonder now if she ever prayed that “The Stranger” would leave. You see, my dad ruled the household with certain moral convictions. But “The Stranger” never felt an obligation to honor them. Profanity for example, was not allowed in our house - not from our friends or adults. Our long-time visitor, however, used occasional four-letter words that burned my ears and made dad squirm. To my knowledge, “The Stranger” was never confronted.

My dad was a teetotaler who did not permit alcohol in his home, not even for cooking. But “The Stranger” felt like we needed exposure and enlightened us to other ways of life. He offered us beer and other alcoholic beverages often. He made smoking cigarettes look cool, cigars manly and pipes distinguished. He talked freely about sex. His comments were sometimes suggestive and generally embarrassing.

I now know that “The Stranger” influenced my early concepts of the man/woman relationship. As I look back, I believe it was the grace of God that the “Stranger” did not influence us more. Time after time he opposed the values of my parents, yet he was seldom rebuked and never asked to leave.

More than fifty years have passed since “The Stranger” moved in with the young family on Morningside Drive. But if you were to walk into my parent’s home today, you would still find him sitting over in the corner, waiting for someone to listen to him talk and watch him draw his pictures. His name? ... We always just called him TV.

Prayer: Father give me the discernment to know what I should and should not watch. Amen! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen!

________

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[Original illustration at this number was deleted for being obsolete]

Some Extreme Mormons [with Followup]

Numbers 25:5

Ervil Morerel LeBaron, the "Mormon Manson," died in a Utah prison in 1981 but his reach extends beyond the grave. Six murders were ordered by him before he died. FBI agent calls him a "voice from the dust." LeBaron led a polygamy cult, believed he was God on earth. He believed in Mormon doctrine of "blood atonement." (Sinners should shed their blood to save their souls.) LeBaron developed a corollary - the "Law of Liberty" - false prophets, traitors and children who did not obey would be killed. Most victims were the leaders of rival polygamist sects. He also executed 2 brothers, 3 wives and a daughter. Prosecutor - "He was insane with the lust of power." His prison death list is called the "Book of New Covenants." There are as many as 30,000 practicing polygamists in Utah today.

____________

Newsweek (page 29), And Coshocton Tribune newspaper (Ohio), Jan 29, 1988

The Singers of Marion, Utah, a polygamist clan, hold off police. Patriarch John was killed by police in 1979 when he resisted arrest for refusing to send his children to school. Raised as a Hitler youth in Nazi Germany. Wife Vickie sued state for $110 million, lost. Family bombed Mormon church, holed up in home (six adults and nine children) to wait for the resurrection of John, who will herald the Second Coming. Police tried psycho tactics, then sneaked up on son-in-law as he came out to shoot out loudspeakers. Police dog handler shot to death, son-in-law wounded.

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Version used in sermon on 10/3/93:

Ervil LeBaron was very religious. He grew up Mormon and accepted many of their teachings. In time he split with the Mormon church, gathered a polygamous cult around him and declared himself God. One Mormon teaching he accepted is called “blood atonement.” It means sinners should shed their blood to save their souls. (This is a partial reason why Utah and Idaho used to execute by firing squad.)

LeBaron added his own twist to blood atonement - traitors and children who did not obey him would be killed. Most victims were the leaders of rival polygamist sects. He also executed 2 brothers, 3 wives and a daughter. LeBaron ended up in prison and died in 1981, but his religious influence did not end. Six murders were ordered by him before he died. He called the death list the “Book of New Covenants.” Since then, several of the murders have been carried out.

___________

On March 29, 2002 I received the following email [just as he wrote it]:

I am a Lebaron and distantly related to the "Ervil LeBaron" I

was looking up who he was when I came across your site. You

gave an in accurate definition to "blood atonement" I didn't

know if you were aware of that but I felt it my christian duty

to help out a little. IAs a mormon I will explain to you what

I have been taught about the blood atonement. Christ gave a

blood atonement the last and ultimate. That is were a remision

of my sins come from. His blood atonement not mine or any

others man. It is true that in the old testemant they did

blood sacrifices or atonements. But since Christ that has been

done away with. An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth is

taken away in Christ and his sacrifice. So I hope you will

better portrait the teachings of the Church of Jesus Christ of

Latter Day Saints now thta you have this information. Ervil

LeBaron was an Evil man. His ideal and twisted beliefs were a

choice and in no way reflects upon the true nature of the

mormon faith. I have been on a mission and taught people my

beliefs not once portraing this type of evil. I love my fellow

men and believe the atonement of Christ to be free to all men.

Mormon or not. I hope that you view the atonement of Christ

with the same or even higher regard. THhankyou and I hope this

has helped clear up any misunderstanding of what is taught

about blood atonement and how it is taught and believed.

Sincerely

(name withheld)

I had first heard about individual "blood atonement" when Gary Gillmore was executed by a Utah firing squad many years ago. The doctrine derives from Numbers 25:5-13 where the priest Phinehas brings atonement on the Israelites by executing a sinner. In my research on the internet I found this material at http://www.watchman.org/lds/bldaton2.htm :

While Christians have long been concerned about cultic

teachings which lead to spiritual death, some cultic teachings

have posed danger to spiritual and physical life. One graphic

example is the Mormon doctrine of individual Blood Atonement.

The biblical teaching on blood atonement is that the shedding

of blood is required for forgiveness of sin. (Hebrews 9:22) The

Bible teaches that the blood of Christ cleanses from "all sin."

(1 John 1:7) Early Mormon theology, however, teaches that for

certain sins the blood of Christ alone would not avail and the

persons own blood must be shed for atonement.

Under the section, "Blood Atonement," of the book, Mormon

Doctrine, LDS Apostle Bruce R. McConkie wrote, "...there are

some serious sins for which the cleansing of Christ does not

operate, and the law of God is that men must then have their

own blood shed to atone for their sins," (2nd ed. 1979, p.92).

In the same article McConkie quoted his father-in-law, who was

the tenth Mormon Prophet, Joseph Fielding Smith, as saying:

"Man may commit certain grievous sins... that will

place him beyond the reach of the atoning blood of

Christ.... If these offenses are committed, then the

blood of Christ will not cleanse them from their sins

even though they repent. Therefore their only hope is

to have their own blood shed to atone... (Doctrine of

Salvation, Vol. 1, pp. 133-138)" (Ibid).

McConkie went own to explain that the Mormon blood atonement,

"...doctrine can only be practiced in its fullness in a day

when the civil and ecclesiastical laws are administered in the

same hands," in other words, when Church and State are one, an

obvious reference to a future in which the government will be

controlled by the LDS Church, a Mormon Theocracy.

Apostle McConkie laments that this doctrine cannot be practiced

"in this dispensation" hinting that its only evidence outside

of ancient Israel, is that, "...persons who understood its

provisions could and did use their influence to get a form of

capital punishment written into the laws of the various states

of the union so that the blood of murderers could be shed,"

(Ibid).

He refers here to a little known law in Utah and Idaho which

allows a condemned criminal to choose a firing squad for

execution rather than the gas chamber or electric chair --

neither of which "shed blood." However one can find evidence of

Mormonism's deadly blood atonement doctrine being practiced "in

this dispensation."

In the 1800's the government and the church were for all

practical purposes "administered in the same hands" and those

hands were Brigham Young's, who was Prophet, Seer, and

Revelator of the Mormon Church while at the same time was

Governor of Utah. On the subject of "Blood Atonement", Brigham

Young stated: "There are sins that men commit for which they

cannot receive forgiveness... and if they had their eyes open

to see their true condition, they would be perfectly willing to

have their blood spilt upon the ground... as an offering for

their sins; and the smoking incense would atone for their

sins," (Journal of Discoursesœ, Vol 4, p. 53).

To carry out his blood atonement ministry, Brigham Young had at

his disposal a secret band of men who were reported to have

conducted a number of "blood atonements" at the orders of

President Young and other LDS leaders. Brigham Young may have

been referring to this secret group, known as the Danites when

he said:

"And if the Gentiles wish to see a few tricks, we have

`Mormons' that can perform them. We have the meanest

devils on the earth in our midst, and we intend to

keep them for WE HAVE USE FOR THEM; and if the Devil

does not look sharp, we will cheat him out of them at

the last, for they will reform and go to heaven with

us," (Ibid, Vol. 6: 176; emphasis added).

Because of the secretive nature of the group, little primary

information is available but there is ample evidence that these

"meanest devils" were responsible for a number of deaths

apparently on Brigham Young's orders or with his knowledge.

Among those who have been named as Danites are William Hickman,

Orrin Porter Rockwell, and John D. Lee. A partial list of

murder victims in connection with these three men are Ike

Hatch, the Aiken party, and an entire wagon train of men, women

and children killed in what became called the Mountain Meadows

massacre.

by James Walker

(For a more complete discussion see related chapters in

MORMONISM: SHADOW OR REALITY, by Jerald and Sandra Tanner).

I sent this page to the writer and got the following response:

Thank you for sharing that with me. I am however dissapointed

that you would go to a source that clearly is out to exploit

the beliefs of others. Hence the title "the expositor." I know

those writings I have myself read them. The articles you sent

are meant to be vauge. There design after all is meant to

detour people from investigating further into the mormon faith.

The bottom line is that the only sin that the men of the church

were refering to are one murder of innocent blood and the other

the dening of the Holy Ghost or spirit of god. Like the example

of Cain. Those are the only two sins. I know I have read all of

those sources given. THe idea that one could possibly atone for

his own sins is absured considering the fact that it could only

be done by a sinless man. If one murders he is there for nomore

sinless. As an example of the anguish a soul would be in for

such a sin, a man would jump at the chance if it were possible

that is what was meant. But I tell you it is not possible and

that is the doctorine of Christ. The doctorine taught by the

church of Jesus Christ of LDS. I don't believe in personal

blood atonement and niether did the men that spoke of such a

thing. You may believe anything you want. You will not believe

a mormon who lives and breathes the faith but you will believe

a group whos sole purpose is to darken the world and slander

those whos right it i to worship how when or what they may. All

religions that don't agree with them. What a waste of time. Let

the good in the world remain good I say. I hope you believe me

if not it doesn't matter. I know what I am taught and I

understand it

Sincerely

[name withheld again]

P.S. If you really want to know what we believe ask God after

all he knows all. And God won't lie as men do.

The postscript is a very common comeback by Mormons (I first heard it at the Hill Cumorah dramatization of the discovery of the "golden plates" in New York State). I am not sure how "expositor" indicates "exploit" - it means to explain or explicate. Blood atonement may not be a mainline Mormon doctrine anymore but I think it is historically attested and I stand by my statement in the sermon.

Making Things Happen

2 Chronicles 34:1

Sermon in Old Testament Heroes series. Josiah. 2 Chronicles 34:1-4

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MAKING THINGS HAPPEN

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I. Why can't things get done?

A. We live in a society paralyzed by inaction.

B. Three kinds of people in the world.

C. Josiah made things happen.

II. Josiah's preparation.

A. He started off on top of the heap.

B. Josiah had to rise above his upbringing.

C. The circumstances of your life do not determine your achievement.

III. Josiah's motivation.

A. He discovered the Bible, and lived by it. 34:27-30

B. Our society is drifting because of a lack of accepted rules.

C. Will you have an influence on those around you?

D. Private faith vs. world-changing faith.

IV. Josiah's impact.

A. Josiah determined what had to be done, and he did it.

B. He destroyed what had to be destroyed.

C. He built what had to be built.

V. Christians can have an impact.

A. Can we change our society, before it is too late?

B. Recommitment to truth of the Bible.

C. Recommitment to moral integrity.

#2492

[Same as Serm93j.pco, cancelled due to Blizzard of '93]

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Abraham Lincoln & Lord Shaftesbury

Sometimes through seemingly insignificant people, spiritual greatness is sown. This could be true of Abraham Lincoln and Lord Shaftesbury.

In 1819 Parson David Elkin, an itinerant Methodist preacher, stood above a simple grave in the Indiana wilderness. He made a brief, heartfelt statement about the good character of the person buried there - Nancy Hanks Lincoln. Who knows what seeds of faith were sown there, later to sprout in the greatness of Abraham Lincoln? Though never a church member, he was a church attender and faithful to the church's teachings. Something must have been planted in the lonely, hungry heart of that scrawny boy by backwoods preacher Elkin. [Lincoln was the only American president not to be a member of a church - Christian History, #33, page 1]

An English nurse, looked down upon by her lord and lady, sat teaching a small boy the Bible and its truths. His parents were too busy in society to pay him any notice. The only reason we know about this nurse is that she was teaching the future Lord Shaftesbury, England's great nineteenth-century reformer, the man who got the children out of the coal mines. We have no reason to believe he would have been anything but a privileged wastrel had this Christian nurse not planted the right seeds.

#367

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Friday the 13th Imitator

Mark Branch, 18, from Greenfield, Massachusetts, was obsessed with the killer Jason in "Friday the 13th" movies. He slashed Sharon Gregory, 19. Many stab wounds, gruesome scene. She had hid in kitchen. Town is terrified.

President of Kenya Gets A Bible

Results of "The Year of the Bible". Translation and use of Bible around the world. Kenneth Taylor gave a Living Bible, Swahili, to President Daniel arap Moi of Kenya, who said he had been blessed by its clarity and simplicity of translation. Areas of concern are also mentioned.

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Influence Television Has On Christians

John 15:18

Article on the influence Television has on Christians, and assumptions Television makes about religion. Religion is barely mentioned except on Christmas and Easter. Often conservative Christians are ridiculed.

Tony Campolo Befriends A Nerd

Jesus is our friend for eternity. We should be a friend for others.

Tony Campolo as jock in high school befriended nerd. Billy Graham would have said, "This nerd became a multi-millionaire!" Campolo met nerd years later, and he was still a nerd. But God wants us to do this anyway; it is our ministry.

Maria Shriver

Acts 2:25

Maria Shriver's mom is Eunice (Kennedy) Shriver, and her dad is Sargent Shriver, who ran for vice president. She is the niece of Robert and Ted Kennedy and is married to Arnold Schwarzenegger. She works at NBC-TV as a journalist. She flies around world and is very driven and successful. Susan Price writes:

Remarking that she's "the happiest I've ever been" professionally, Maria adds that she's taking time to examine the quality of her inner life. "My single long-term goal, if I have one, is to find some inner peace," she says levelly. "You look at people who have great faith in God, like my grandmother, and they have that - inner peace. They know they haven't hurt anyone on the way up, they haven't lied or done anything that they felt horrid about. So no matter what, they're very centered people."

Baptistification Takes Over

Baptists are having a dramatic impact on theology and churches around the world.

I. Article by Martin Marty on "Baptistification."

II. Impact of Baptists on churches across America:

A. Personal faith.

1) Faith more than list of beliefs.

2) Ability to share with another our core beliefs.

3) Personal walk with God.

B. Choice in religion.

1) Choose faith/beliefs.

2) Choose church.

a) They don't "own" us (parish system).

3) Choose pastor.

C. Autonomous churches.

D. Bible emphasis.

1) Sermon is supreme.

The Gospel Ripple Effect

John 1:40

The Christian Gospel began with the life, death and resurrection of one man nearly 2,000 years ago. Since that time, the Gospel message has been embraced by hundreds of millions of people. You and I are beneficiaries of the ripple effect of the Gospel. Those of us over whom the waves of the grace of God have washed are responsible for sharing the Gospel and causing the ripple effect to continue.

We don’t have specific words to this effect in the Bible, but it appears that there was a ripple effect present in Jesus’ own ministry. The disciple John seems to have had the closest relationship with Jesus. John’s wave of influence spread to Peter and James (John’s brother), as the three of them formed an inner circle within the twelve. Next was the larger circle of twelve disciples who traveled and ministered with Jesus for three years. They then formed the core of the larger post-Resurrection group of 120 who gathered in Jerusalem to await the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:1-8, 15). As a result of the “pebble” Peter tossed from the pulpit into the sea of Jews gathered in Jerusalem at Pentecost, the waves of the Spirit washed over 3,000 souls, a number which shortly grew to 5,000 men (and undoubtedly many more women and children; Acts 2:41, 4:4).

There was one disciple, then three, then twelve, then 120, then 3,000, then more than 5,000 ... and the rest, as they say, is His-story. Following Jesus’ own instructions in Acts 1:8, the waves of the Gospel then left Jerusalem and washed over all Judea and Samaria, then Damascus and Antioch (modern Syria), Galatia (Asia Minor), Macedonia (Greece), Rome (Italy), and from there possibly into Spain (Europe; Romans 15:24, 28) -- all at the hands of a John-like central figure, the Apostle Paul.

“Yes,” many Christians say, “I can well understand the impact of John, Peter, James, the twelve and Paul. They were apostles! But my life will never set off those kinds of ripple effects.”

But what were these people before they were apostles? They were like you and me -- commoners of the most ordinary sort. They were people whose names would never have garnered a footnote in history had they not responded to Christ’s call.

How would history be different if a plain man named Andrew had not gone to find his brother, Simon (Peter), and said, “We have found the Messiah” (John 1:40-41)? What if another plain man named Philip had not sought out Nathanael and told him, “We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote -- Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph” (John 1:45)? What if a fisherman named Peter had not responded to the request of a Gentile named Cornelius and gone to his house to share the Gospel (Acts 10:1-48)?

What if martyrs and Reformers like Polycarp, Ignatius, Hus, Savonarola, Latimer, Ridley and Cranmer had recanted the faith in the face of the flames? What if an unknown Sunday School teacher named Edward Kimball had not pursued a recalcitrant lad named Dwight L. Moody, ultimately winning him to Christ in a Chicago shoe store?

You and I have salvation today because of ripple effects set in motion by the faithfulness of others. But what of those who have yet to hear the Gospel? Who will speak the words and do the works that will set in motion the events resulting in their salvation? By God’s grace, and through our obedience to the promptings of the Holy Spirit, you and I will set those ripples in motion.

The question for every Christian is not whether our lives have a ripple effect on history -- but what kind of effect we are having. I challenge each of us, at the beginning of 2006, to ask God for a year of powerful ripple effects for the Gospel. You may not see the shore on which the wave lands, but the shore where you stand at this moment is where the wave must begin.

________

David Jeremiah is the founder of Turning Point for God

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This Is What I Do

Fulghum visited an institute on Crete devoted to reconciling Germans and Cretans. At the end of a lecture he asked the director, Alexandros Papaderos, what the meaning of life was. Laughter followed, and people stirred to go. Papaderos looked at him for a long time, asking with his eyes if he was serious and saw that he was. "I will answer your question."

Taking his wallet from his hip pocket, he fished out a small round mirror, the size of a quarter. Then he said, "I was a small child during the war. One day, on the road, I found the broken pieces of a mirror. I kept the largest piece. This one. I began to play with it and became fascinated that I could reflect light into dark places where the sun would never shine - deep holes, crevices, dark closets.

"I kept the little mirror, and as I became a man, I grew to understand that this was not just a child's game but a metaphor for what I might do with my life - that I am a fragment of a mirror whose whole design I do not know. With what I have, I can reflect light - truth, understanding, knowledge - into the black places in the hearts of men and change some things in some people. Perhaps others may see and do likewise. This is what I do."

Godly Actions Can Produce Godly Attitudes

Godly actions can produce godly attitudes.

Experiments indicate that when children are encouraged to resist temptation, they tend to internalize that behavior. Also, when children have an opportunity to teach other children these moral codes, they will later follow them more closely than those who don't have the opportunity to teach.

Christian sociologist David Myers says, “An antidote for the corrupting effects of evil is repentant action.”

Contempory Excerpts

Mark 8:34

"Quite unlike Hitler or the Stones or Hefner - who also changed the world, simply by intuiting which way the parade was heading and getting in front of it, Jesus did not give us a message we wanted to hear. He came to turn the parade in precisely the opposite direction; he spoke words hard for our canny hearts even to give credence to, much less heed: take the last place (the real parade is heading the other way), forget yourself (even your shortcomings), take up your cross, heal the hateful."

-- William J. O'Malley

America's Slide Into the Sewer

Mark 7

Testimony from the trial of the Central Park jogger who was brutally raped in April 1989 is compared with the explicit lyrics of "2 Live Crew"'s "Dirty As Ya Wanna Be" album (key song: "Me So Horny"). Sexual pain against women is prominent. However, many in the media not only protect but praise them.

George Will comments, "Certainty: the coarsening of a community, the desensitizing of a society will have behavioral consequences."

All I Really Need To Know I Learned In Sunday School

Many things that are learned in Sunday School provide a foundation for the rest of our spiritual life.

1. My God is so big.

2. Jesus loves me.

3. All the children of the world.

4. The B-I-B-L-E.

5. This little light of mine.

[similar article by Kent Wilson in Discipleship Journal,#52, p. 12]

Hallowe'en: Should Christians Be Apart?

Acts 8:9

A detailed look at the negative demonic influence of Halloween. History of the holiday is given as well as the background of individual practices like bonfires. Author argues Christians should abstain from even the appearance of evil.

It's the time of year when the world holds its festival to honor the powers of darkness -- the time when stores stock up on all the goodies that children seek as they make their way from door to door with their wails of "Trick or treat." Doting parents take pictures of them in their little costumes, dressed as witches, demons, monsters, and their favorite media characters. ... Whether or not Christians should be a part of these festivities is a legitimate question. It's one among many concerning how God's people are to relate to the affairs of the world. If we are called to be holy and separated unto Him, we should seek to walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise (Ephesians 5:15).

Many Christians think that Hallowe'en is an outgrowth of Christian tradition honoring the saints of the Church. While the name and most recent influences of this holiday appear to be Christian (the name means the evening before All Hallows, or All Saints Day), most of its customs are remnants of ancient pagan superstitions connected with the Druidic new year. The date was a joint festival known as Samhain (or, Sowein), held in honor of the Celtic people's sun god and their Lord of the Dead.

Common to New Year festivals around the world, to the Druids this was a time when the dead came back to mingle among the living. The Celts believed that the sinful souls of those who had died during the year had been transferred to the bodies of animals. Through gifts and sacrifices their sins could be expiated and the souls freed to enter the land of eternal youth and happiness. The Lord of the Dead judged the souls and decreed the form in which their existence was to continue, whether as humans or animals. Some modem witches claim the day as a time to give thanks to their great goddess and god for their abundance in harvest. As the start of the pagan new year, Hallowe'en is the time when they also invoke the help of spirits for the coming year, since the veil between the dead and the living is believed to be at its thinnest.

"CHRISTIAN" INFLUENCE

The reason many Christians associate Hallowe'en with Christianity is that in the eighth century Pope Gregory III established November I as the Roman Catholic feast day honoring the dead. Then, in the ninth century, Pope Gregory IV decreed that the day was to be universally observed.

The evening before that Roman Catholic feast day coincided with the pagan Samhain festival and came to be called All Hallows Eve or Hallowe'en (Hallows Evening). In reality, then, Hallowe'en was at first a pagan festival which was later merged with a Roman Catholic feast day. During the Middle Ages, the evening before All Saints' Day became known as the time most favored by witches, sorcerers, and devil worshipers.

It should be noted that not all witches are satanists, since they believe that Satan is a fabrication of the Christian faith. Today's witches in the Celtic tradition adhere to Wicca, a form of witchcraft that worships nature. The belief of Wicca is that God is beyond understanding and, thus, can only be understood by looking at "parts" of God. Since every person and everything is believed to be a part of God, they often greet one another with the expression, "For thou art God."

Wicca holds to a form of dualism that is often expressed in the masculine and feminine, or, god and goddess. What they believe to be the mother aspect of God they call Goddess, and prefer it to the father aspect because the feminine is seen as the more understandable aspect of God. This is why Wicca is very active in the feminist movement.

Satanism is a different form of witchcraft which invokes the powers of Satan specifically. There are many kinds of witchcraft throughout the world and some of their traditions are similar. Satanism is one form of witchcraft whose traditions and practices are in many cases similar to those of Wicca. To both forms of witchcraft Hallowe'en (which they call Sowein, pronounced similarly to "cow-ain") is the most sacred day of the year.

PHYSICAL & SPIRITUAL DANGERS

The physical dangers of Hallowe'en (tainted food, fire hazards, traffic) are minimal, however, when compared to the spiritual dangers. Yet through ignorance and/or love of human tradition, many Christians continue to engage in its festivities and encourage their children in them. The common argument in favor of their doing so is that it's only in fun and the kids don't know the difference anyway.

And that's the problem: it's all in fun and they don't know the difference. The desire for fun often runs counter to the commands of Christ. Our joy should be in Him, and the things we do for enjoyment, while not always necessarily spiritually edifying, should at least not compromise our testimony. As we should do all things to the glory of God (I Corinthians 10:31), so, too, we should abstain from all appearance of evil (I Thess 5:22).

When we engage in tributes to Satan and pagan gods, we are sanctioning the works of God's enemies. ... In participating in these things, either we are failing to acknowledge the reality of those demonic forces and their influence in the world, or we think they are something with which we can align ourselves and not be adversely affected.

Nor does the argument that Hallowe'en isn't what it was originally hold up in view of its continued observance by witches in honor of their pagan gods. On that day, also, Satanists continue to engage in all sorts of perversions including animal and human sacrifices. Whether we believe in these things or not, the traditions linked to Hallowe'en carry evil connotations, and the fact remains that it's still a feast of Satan. It really doesn't matter whether or not certain types of witches acknowledge him as a reality. Therefore its practices must be exposed for the evil they are.

[see #4189]

THE UNHOLY MADE HOLY?

The other trappings of Hallowe'en are all steeped in magic and the occultic practices of ancient civilizations. With the advent of Christianity, rationalizations were given to these practices in order to make them palatable to the Church, while providing for appeasement of pagans.... One variation on trick-or-treat, for example, was for children to go around on the eve of All Souls' Day (the day following All Saints' Day) offering to fast for the departed souls of loved ones in exchange for money or some other offering.

Like many pagan festivals that were conveniently adapted for Christian usage, Hallowe'en is today accepted as Christian in origin and practice. But the darkness that permeated the minds of those within the Roman Church at that time resulted in the taking of that which was consecrated to Satan and the pagan gods of nature, and offering them to God. We have numerous Scriptures that reveal this as an abomination to God, punishable by death. That's how much He detests such practices, regardless of whom one says they honor. Jeremiah the prophet wrote, "Learn not the way of the heathen" (Jeremiah 10:2).

Lest those "under grace" think this doesn't apply to the present, I remind them of Paul's words in 2 Corinthians 6:14-18: "Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship has light with darkness..."

To engage in revelry associated with such an anti-Christ festivity as Hallowe'en is a slap in our Lords' face. Yet because of "vain tradition," Christian parents-and even some churches-go all out to make Hallowe'en a special time of celebration. Some churches and Christian organizations even go public with "haunted" houses designed to scare the wits out of people for profit in order to finance their programs. Yet God says that He has not given us a spirit of fear, but of love and power, and of a sound mind (II Timothy 1:7).

A WORD FROM A WITCH

Several years ago, I appeared on the Joy program on the Trinity Broadcasting Network in which I addressed the problem of Christians celebrating Hallowe'en. That week I received a letter from a professed witch who took offense at my statements. Her letter revealed information that should be of interest to any Christian whose mind is not yet made up about celebrating Hallowe'en -- especially Christian parents who are unaware of its dangers:

Dear Mr. Dager;

I was notified that morning to watch Ch. 40 as you would be on it

discussing Halloween. I have also been given your sheet on

Halloween.

As a practicing Witch I take exception to the information you have

promulgated in both your T.V. appearance and your Newsletter on

Halloween. It is filled with conjecture, myths and outright lies.

Your research is lacking in every detail.

Where do you get your research materials? Have you ever spoken with a

person who is a practicing Witch? I can give you a list of over 8000

Witches just in our area who could give you insight into what Witches

do and what they believe.

Halloween has, from the earliest of man's time, been a time of great

celebration and festival. The true meaning of this time is that we

give thanks to the great Goddess and God for their abundance found in

the harvest and now they seek their time of rest. Halloween is not

an outgrowth of the x-ian traditions as we, who are Witches, have

nothing to do with x-ian traditions and in fact, it is you who have

taken our celebrations and perverted them to your own use in order to

have your converts in earlier times. Samhain (pronounced, So-wein)

is not the name of the lord of the dead. It is a period of time.

The celebrations of this time were never to satan as he is part and

parcel of the x-ian heritage and not ours. It is not a demonic

practice as we do not believe in demons. The fact is, x-ian, that

were you informed you would know that satan has no part in our

rituals or practices. We leave this figment of the x-ian imagination

to you and yours. None of us engages in either human or animal

sacrifices. I could go on and on, but it is needless for me to, your

words, cast pearls before swine.

We intend to celebrate Samhain this year, with one of our largest

groups and will have a wonderful time. Our houses and lawns will be

decorated with all aspects of the harvest and many of your Sunday

school beggars will be at our doors, just as they are every year.

I have included our tract which we present to your kind who come to

our doors. Perhaps you would like to read it and just get a hint of

what we are about and what we believe. Blessed be. And a Joyous

Samhain celebration to you, now looking forward to a Happy Yule.

Obviously this woman didn't listen very carefully because she really just verified everything I was saying about Hallowe'en. Rather than recognize my concern that the Roman Catholic Church had passed on this legacy to "Christendom," she assumed that all Christians think alike and lumped me in with those who celebrate that holiday.

She also missed the point that, although the witchcraft to which she adheres (Wicca) does not claim to believe in Satan and animal or human sacrifices, other forms of witchcraft which celebrate Samhain do believe and practice these things. To where I got my facts, they came from several sources and I wrote back to her offering her the Gospel in the spirit of love and telling her of Jesus' sacrifice for her sins. I received a four-page letter in reply castigating me for insulting her.

THE REAL ISSUE

If I had been mistaken about anything (and I don't believe I was) it was not about the nature and history of Hallowe'en. And this is the real issue. So, too, is the fact that practicing witches do propagate their beliefs through the handing out of tracts to trick-or-treaters.

To realize that there am some 8,000 witches in this woman's area alone should be sobering to any committed Christian. In view of the proliferation of occultism in American society I certainly have no reason to doubt her. While we recognize that these people are lost and without hope as long as they continue in their rejection of Christ, our hearts must go out to them in genuine compassion. The obvious hatred and anger against Christianity can be seen to be not without reason if we'll honestly recognize the evil that has been done in the name of Christ over the centuries.

Yet while we may understand this, and love those who demonstrate anger toward us, we cannot have fellowship with them or involve ourselves in their festivities. There is nothing on earth, least of all some bits and pieces of candy, which can justify embracing Satan in his unholy days celebrations.

ARE THERE ALTERNATIVES?

No matter what evil the world utilizes to entice children, parents are forever searching for alternatives in order that their children not feel deprived of the world's fun. When it comes to Hallowe'en, Christians decide to substitute their own parties for the world's. Instead of calling their festivities "Hallowe'en parties," they call them "Harvest Festivals" and dress their children in biblical costumes.

But that's what Hallowe'en is: a harvest festival. By dropping the name "Hallowe'en" in favor of "Harvest Festival" they are really drawing closer to the meaning of the pagan celebration. If anything, it would be more "Christian" to retain the name "Hallowe'en," and shun the name "Harvest Festival." ...

It is a religious spirit that persuades Christians that, by substituting angel costumes for witches' costumes they are somehow pleasing God. His Word calls for separation, not compromise....

Jesus' warning in Matthew 18:6 applies no less to parents and Church leaders than to child molesters and abusers: "...whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea."

Yet there is an alternative to Hallowe'en: Christians should gather together in a special service to wage spiritual warfare against the powers of darkness that are particularly active that evening due to the prevalence of the world's involvement with them, whether knowingly or not. A church service which educates Christians to these and other dangers, and which continues in worship, praise, and prayer against demonic influences in the community is an idea whose time has come. It's a perfect time to contrast our faith with the world's beliefs...

This is no trivial matter. Satan is alive, and souls are being lost in great numbers daily. But so, too, is God alive. And He is working His plan of redemption...

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

Media Spotlight, A BIBLICAL ANALYSIS OF RELIGIOUS & SECULAR MEDIA Copyright @ 1989 Media Spotlight P.O. Box 290, Redmond, WA 98073-0290

For part 2 see #4189

#1280

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Grumps Are Infectious

There’s a contagion on the loose, and it doesn’t need body fluid, a sneeze, or even air to jump from one person to another, says Eric Adler in THE KANSAS CITY STAR. It’s called a bad mood. Several recent studies have shown that moods are extremely contagious – with bad moods spreading more easily than good ones.

In one study, Purdue University researchers showed one group of subjects a funny clip from FERRIS BUELLER’S DAY OFF, while another group viewed the wrenching “choice” scene from the movie SOPHIE’S CHOICE. People who viewed the sad scene, the study showed, usually dominated the mood of a group of people who hadn’t seen either film.

Other studies have shown that roommates, spouses, and co-workers can easily “infect” each other with depression and general negativity. “It’s one of the most robust phenomena I’ve ever seen,” says researcher Rich Saavedra.

Since most bad moods are absorbed unconsciously, researchers say that the best way to combat the effect is to be aware when you start to “catch” a sour attitude.

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Thermometers Or Thermostats

Some people reflect their surroundings, others change them. People are either thermometers or thermostats. Thermometers merely announce what the temperature is, while thermostats set the temperature for the surrounding area. Christians are called to be thermostats.

Thermometers Or Thermostats?

Luke 19

Sermon on being influenced, or being an influence.

1. Companions can make a big difference, especially with young people.

2. Most people are thermometers: easily influenced.

3. A few people are thermostats: they influence others.

a. Jesus set the temperature for others.

b. Non-christians are looking for authentic love.

4. Christians and the Church should be an influence on others.

Start With Yourself

John 3:3

The following words were written on the tomb of an Anglican bishop in the crypts of Westminister Abbey:

When I was young and free and my imagination had no limits, I dreamed of changing the world. As I grew older and wiser, I discovered the world would not change, so I shortened my sights somewhat and decided to change only my country.

But it too seemed immovable.

As I grew into my twilight years, in one last desperate attempt, I settled for changing only family, those closest to me, but alas, they would have none of it.

And now as I lay on my deathbed, I suddenly realize: If I had only changed myself first, then by example I would have changed my family.

From their inspiration and encouragement, I would then have been able to better my country and, who knows, I may have even changed the world.

________

Influence

Luke 16:28

In the November 1987 Reader’s Digest, Betty Wein retells an old tale she heard from Elie Wiesel:

“A just man comes to Sodom hoping to save the city. He pickets. What else can he do? He goes from street to street, from Marketplace to Marketplace, shouting, ‘Men and Women, repent. What you are doing is wrong. It will kill you; it will destroy you.’ They laugh, but he goes on shouting, until one day a child stops him. ‘Poor stranger, don’t you see it’s useless?’ ‘Yes, the just man replies. ‘Then why do you go on?’ the child asks. ‘In the beginning,’ he says, ‘I was convinced that I would change them. Now I go on shouting because I don’t want them to change me.’”

Letters To Eileen

I have three children. Paul, the oldest and only boy, is named for his dad. Theresa, the baby of the family, has her daddy's brown eyes and curly hair.

Eileen is the middle child. She is named for me and my mother whose name was Eileen Ann. When I was born, my mother turned it around and named me Ann Eileen. So when my first girl was born, I did the same thing, naming her Eileen Ann.

Eileen showed a streak of independence from the early age of five months. She refused to let anyone feed her, determined to do things her way.

All three kids were great fun to be around. They worked hard, had senses of humor and did well in what they attempted. Like all homes, however, there were times when we initiated a discussion of some behavior that their dad and I wanted improved. With Paul and Theresa, the reactions ranged from quiet agreement to vocal disagreements, but always with a mutual clearing of the air.

With Eileen there were never any discussions. She immediately objected to our right to have an opinion, stomped up the stairs to her room, slammed the door, turned the music up loud and announced she did not want to discuss it! Several times in the early days I tried reasoning with her, but this only irritated her further.

One day out of a need for Eileen to hear our side, I wrote her a letter. In the letter I explained her dad's and my position and what we wanted changed. I waited until she left for school the next day to put the letter on her bed. She never mentioned the letter, and I never found any evidence of it. But her behavior changed!

As the years passed, there were more letters left while she was at school, at work or on a date - probably two or three letters a year for a period of 14 years. She never acknowledged the letters or discussed what was in them, but her behavior would change. Occasionally she stated as she went upstairs, "And don't write me one of those letters." Of course, I wrote a letter.

Eileen's dad died in 1990. Three years later, she got engaged, and I was determined not to be the overbearing mother of the bride. Everything went well until about a month before the wedding. We had a disagreement. She indignantly told me she was 24 years old and a special education teacher about to be married. She also told me not to write her a letter! I wrote her a letter.

Three days before the wedding, Eileen was packing things to move to her new home. She told me there was a box in her closet that was not to be thrown away. "It contains all the letters you ever wrote me. Sometimes I reread them and someday I will read them to my daughter. Thank you, Mom."

Thank you, Eileen.

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

#2034

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Seeking the Roots of Violence

Controversial research suggests that violence may have a genetic component. Low levels of a certain chemical are associated with increased violence in monkeys, and violence correlates with identical twins raised apart more than fraternal. Same is true of adopted kids born from violent parents. Black scholars and others counter that society likes to scapegoat certain groups by labeling them substandard rather than seeing the influence of environment. There is also the problem that traits associated with violence can also lead to success in business, where aggressiveness is beneficial.

The U.S. has the highest murder rate in the industrialized world, four times as high as second place Scotland.

An Ugly Drive Carefully Sign

Luke 19:17

Actions lead to attitudes.

Interesting experiment by sociologists: Housewives where asked to put a large, ugly “Drive Carefully” sign on their front lawns. Most of them refused.

Another set of housewives was asked to first sign a safe driving petition. THEN they were asked to put up the ugly sign. Surprisingly, many of them did. A small initial action gave them a new attitude, and prepared them for a more significant action.

#2664

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"Faith In Action"

James 2:20

Sermon in James series. Relation of faith and actions. James 2:20-24

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

FAITH IN ACTION

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

I. Spiritual blahs.

II. God's prescription for the "blahs."

III. The relationship of actions and attitudes.

A. Attitudes lead to actions.

B. Actions lead to attitudes.

IV. Actions is a vital component of faith.

A. Faith cannot be reduced to key doctrines.

B. Faith is influenced by our actions.

V. How can we strengthen our faith?

A. Psych self up, take a Bible course?

B. Do something concrete.

VI. The kind of actions that build faith.

A. Tithing.

B. Witnessing.

C. Concern for poor receives James' emphasis.

#2665

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An Influential Sunday School Teacher

John 13:13

Howard Hendricks, who has taught Christian education at Dallas Theological Seminary for over forty years, has told about an experience he had at a Sunday school convention:

A number of us who were speaking there went across the street at noon to get a bit to eat at a hamburger stand. The place was crowded and people were standing in line. An elderly lady was in front of me. I guessed she was about 65 - she was 83, I learned later. She wore a convention badge, so I knew she was a conferee. There was a table for four open, so two friends and I invited her to join us. I asked her the obvious question: "Do you teach a Sunday School class?"

"Oh, I certainly do," she said.

I visualized a class of senior citizens, but asked her, "What age group do you teach?"

"I teach a class of junior high boys."

"Junior high boys! How many boys do you have?"

"Thirteen," she said sweetly.

"Tremendous! I suppose you come from a rather large church."

"No, sir, it's very small," she said. "We have about fifty-five in Sunday School."

Hardly daring to go on, I said, "What brings you to this Sunday School convention?"

"I'm on a pension - my husband died a number of years ago," she replied, "and, frankly, this is the first time a convention has come close enough to my home so I could afford to attend. I bought a Greyhound ticket and rode all last night to get here this morning and attend two workshops. I want to learn something that will make me a better teacher."

Hendricks went on to add, "I heard a sequel to this story some time later. A doctor told me there are 84 young men in or moving toward the Christian ministry as a result of this woman's influence."

#2676

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"People God Uses: Qualities That Bear Fruit"

John 10

In the Bible, godliness always refers to a person's reverent, devout, pious,

obedient response to God. It is lived out through actions, words, thoughts,

and attitudes which are honoring to him simply because of who he is.

1. Josiah: Igniting a flame for God.

2. Oswald Chambers: Giving his utmost for the Highest.

Friends said he truly lived life. He was often criticized for his

conviction that Jesus' words, "Give to everyone who asks," meant

exactly that. He often gave his last coin to beggars. "My duty is

plain - to obey the command of God and give to everyone that asks.

What the recipient may do with it is not my concern." He never

attached strings to the gospel or tried to trap listeners with free

food, etc. After he died, his wife refused to accept any money for

the book she had written about him.

3. Betsie ten Boom: Peacemaker through prayer. [see #2861]

4. Susannah Wesley: Molder of great men.

She started a Bible study in her home that soon attracted 200 even

though many of her neighbors and friends disapproved. She

singlehandedly homeschooled her 19 children, teaching them reading,

writing, Scripture, and the Christian disciplines. More important

than her instruction was her example. She was continually aware of

God's demand for holiness. "Religion is nothing else than the doing

of the will of God, and not our own.... Since the grand impediment

to our temporal and eternal happiness is self-will, no indulgences

of it can be trivial, no denial of it unprofitable."

She was stern, but her disciplines molded two sons who founded

Methodism. The very name "Methodist" refers to a carefully

methodical approach to the spiritual life that John and Charles had

learned to a great extent from their mother. Because of her model

of consistency in obeying God's will - even in little things - a

revival of personal holiness began with her family and spread

throughout the world.

#2854

*

Meet More People God Uses

A sampling of Christian biographies of those who made a difference in their society. Dennis Ortega is transforming his neighborhood. Harriet Tubman risked her life to set others free.

Holocaust & Ethnic Cleansing

Luke 6:37

A friend of Philip Yancey had a marriage that had gone through rough times. One night George passed a breaking point and emotionally exploded. He pounded the table and floor. “I hate you!” he screamed at his wife. “I won’t take it anymore! I’ve had enough! I won’t go on! I won’t let it happen! No! No! No!”

Several months later his friend woke up in the middle of the night and heard strange sounds coming from the room where his two-year-old son slept. He went down the hall, stood outside his son’s door, and shivers ran through his flesh. In a soft voice, the two-year-old was repeating word for word with precise inflection the climactic argument between his mother and father. “I hate you. … I won’t take it anymore. … No! No! No!”

George realized that in some awful way he had just passed on his pain and anger and unforgiveness to the next generation. Is not that what is happening all over the world now? Apart from forgiveness, the monstrous past may awake at any time from hibernation and devour the present — and even the future.

"Becoming A Person of Impact" (Bible Study)

Hebrews 11

Bible study on the heroes of Hebrews 11 and the theme, "Becoming a person of Impact." Fill-in-the-blank answers. Quite good.

183 Sermon Illustrations on Influence