Sermon Illustrations on Power — page 2

The CHURCH'S SECRET POWER

"Suppose we saw an army sitting down before a granite fort, and they

told us that they intended to batter it down, we might ask them,

`How?' They point to a cannon ball. Well, there is no power in that;

it is heavy, but not more than half-a-hundred or perhaps a

hundred-weight; if all the men in the army hurled it against the fort

they would make no impression. They say,`No, but look at the

cannon!' Well, there is no power in that. A child may ride upon it;

a bird may perch in its mouth. It is a machine, and nothing more.

`But look at the powder.' Well there is no power in that; a child may

spill it; a sparrow may peck it. Yet this powerless powder and

powerless ball are put into the powerless cannon; one spark of fire

enters it, and then, in the twinkling of an eye, that powder is a

flash of lightening, and that cannon ball is a thunderbolt which

smites as if it had been sent from heaven.

"So it is with our church or school machinery of this day; we have the

instruments necessary for pulling down strongholds, but, oh, for the

fire from heaven!" (Charles Spurgeon) ("Choice Illustrations" W.W.

Clay pg. 42)

Electricity salesman Dennis Lee, who is under order from attorneys general in seven states, has come up with a scam which has so far hooked more than 2,000 people. One of Lee's dealers, Conrad Sorensen of Henderson, Nevada, told the newspaper that he purchased (for $20,000 in 1999) the right to sell Lee's free-energy inventions (e.g., silent jackhammers, oil-eating balls, cars that run on water) and to recruit fee-paying "witnesses," who would buy Lee's generators, get free electricity for life, and sell their excess wattage to nonwitnesses. Sorensen, who believes Lee's work is a sign from God, said confidently that the magic generators will finally be unveiled on July 4, 2002, but a Lee critic in Pennsylvania said Lee's people have been assigning, and missing, such deadlines for 15 years.

[Las Vegas Weekly, 2-21-02]

God's power is not a scam and it is not free - it cost him his Son.

Enough Ground To Bury Them In

Luke 4:14

During an address to the World Economic Forum, Secretary of State Colin Powell was asked a somewhat long and involved question by the former Archbishop of Canterbury, George Carey, which ended with the following interrogative:

And would you not agree, as a very significant political figure

in the United States, Colin, that America, at the present time,

is in danger of relying too much upon the hard power and not

enough upon building the trust from which the soft values, which

of course all of our family life that actually at the bottom,

when the bottom line is reached, is what makes human life

valuable?

Secretary Powell delivered a lengthy response to the former Archbishop's question, in the midst of which came the eloquent line quoted in the example above:

The United States believes strongly in what you call soft power,

the value of democracy, the value of the free economic system,

the value of making sure that each citizen is free and free to

pursue their own God-given ambitions and to use the talents that

they were given by God. And that is what we say to the rest of

the world. That is why we participated in establishing a

community of democracy within the Western Hemisphere. It's why

we participate in all of these great international organizations.

There is nothing in American experience or in American political

life or in our culture that suggests we want to use hard power.

But what we have found over the decades is that unless you do

have hard power -- and here I think you're referring to military

power -- then sometimes you are faced with situations that you

can't deal with.

I mean, it was not soft power that freed Europe. It was hard

power. And what followed immediately after hard power? Did the

United States ask for dominion over a single nation in Europe?

No. Soft power came in the Marshall Plan. Soft power came with

American GIs who put their weapons down once the war was over and

helped all those nations rebuild. We did the same thing in

Japan.

So our record of living our values and letting our values be an

inspiration to others I think is clear. And I don't think I have

anything to be ashamed of or apologize for with respect to what

America has done for the world.

(Applause.)

We have gone forth from our shores repeatedly over the last

hundred years and we’ve done this as recently as the last year in

Afghanistan and put wonderful young men and women at risk, many

of whom have lost their lives, and we have asked for nothing

except enough ground to bury them in, and otherwise we have

returned home to seek our own, you know, to seek our own lives in

peace, to live our own lives in peace. But there comes a time

when soft power or talking with evil will not work where,

unfortunately, hard power is the only thing that works.

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[Original illustration at this number was a duplicate of HolwickID #13096]

Just Like Me

Submitted by: Pastor Ron Cooper Email address: pastorcoop@juno.com

A little boy was walking downtown one day and he came to a pet store. He really wanted a little puppy dog. He began saving every penny because he wanted to get a little puppy dog. He knew exactly how much money he needed. Everyday he would pass that pet shop on his way home from school.

Finally the day came when he had saved up enough money and he brought it to the storekeeper and actually broke the bank on the counter in front of the storekeeper.

The storekeeper said "this is the day you've been waiting for. You can now have the puppy you've been dreaming about." So the storekeeper took the little boy to the back side of the window that pulled apart. The storekeeper said "You can have any of these puppies you would like." The little boy began to pick up one of the puppies in the box and the store owner said "Oh no, no, you don't want that puppy dog. That puppy dog is crippled. That puppy will never be able to do all the tricks you've been dreaming of teaching him. You don't want that puppy dog, he's crippled."

The little boy withdrew his hands from the puppy and stood and looked at the store owner. "Yes, I want that puppy dog." Then he leaned down and pulled up his pant leg that revealed a brace on his own leg. He said "You don't understand. I want that puppy dog, you see I'm crippled too. And I just thought that since we're both crippled, we could be even better friends."

God tells us that His power shows up in weakness. That is a tough concept to grasp. Only as we realize that we are all crippled, can God use us.

When You Don't Have Enough To Finish

Hebrews 13:20

A lot of my writing takes place while I'm on the road. Now, recently, Karen did a chunk of driving to some ministry events so I and my little friend, Laptop, could do some work. I had about twelve hours of writing work to do and my computer battery lasts maybe two or three hours. Oh, no problemo! I have this power strip that I can plug into the cigarette lighter - and when I plug Laptop into that, he's running on the power in the car, not just the power in himself. Which means there's basically no limit to what we can do together!

Well, I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "When You Don't Have Enough to Finish."

My problem with my laptop computer is that, in itself, it has limited power. Which means limited accomplishment. But when it's plugged into a regular power source, it has basically unlimited power. Which means unlimited possibilities.

Now, if you've been living for Jesus Christ very long, that power equation probably sounds familiar to you. Or it should. Your resources run out. But that doesn't mean you're done - not if you plug into His. His resources never run out.

I've been running lately on this tremendous promise in Hebrews 13:20 and 21 - it's our word for today from the Word of God. It says, "May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant, brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, (here's where you want to plug in your fading battery) equip you with everything good for doing His will, and may He work in us what is pleasing to Him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever."

Well, there it is - the God of peace will equip you with everything good for doing His will. There's nothing you need to carry out and complete what He wants you to do that He is not going to provide. When you're out of strength, He's not. When you can't take another step, His strength starts to carry you - so you can keep going when you don't have anything else to go with!

When you need wisdom to carry out what He's given you to do, He's promised to give it to you liberally upon request (James 1:5). So many times -actually, often many times a day - I have no idea what to say, how to respond, or how to proceed. That's time to abandon the finite battery of what I know and plug into the infinite power of what God knows. When you're out of creativity, you're out of ideas, again, plug into His. People often ask me, "Where do you get all those ideas for 'A Word with You'?" Well, I literally do get the ideas - from God. You'll never know the times I sit down to work on this program and say, "That's it - I'm out of ideas." And, I am - but God isn't. And He continually amazes me with what He comes up with. When you're out of love, out of answers, out of patience, He's not - so you don't have to be.

So, weary mom or dad, depleted servant of the Lord, beat-up warrior - know that you can go on, you can win this - because of the infinite resources of the God you belong to. Depend on your finite power - well, finite accomplishment. But plug into His infinite resources, unlimited possibilities. He's committed to give you everything you need to do and to finish what He's given you to do. Like the hymn writer says, "When we have exhausted our store of endurance, when our strength has failed e'er the day is half done; when we've reached the end of our hoarded resources - our Father's full giving has only begun. His love has no limit, His grace has no measure; His power has no boundary known unto men. For out of His infinite riches in Jesus, He giveth and giveth and giveth again."

________________

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The Surprising Secret of A Real Man

Proverbs 16:32

I think it was our son Doug's first official date with a girl - actually, just a couple of hours at the mall, really. The next day Doug ran into some of the guys from school who only wanted to know one thing about Doug's Friday night. “So how much did you get off her?” They weren't talking about money. They were talking about conquest. Doug came home pretty disgusted, frankly. He said, “Man, those guys; they're messed up!”

Well, I'm Ron Hutchcraft, and I want to have A Word With You today about “The Surprising Secret of a Real Man.”

Actually, a lot of us men have been raised on a messed up idea of what really makes you a man. Guys of all ages seem to think that it is conquest that makes you a real man - sexual conquest, athletic conquest, financial conquest, business conquest. So many men define their worth, their success, their masculinity by whether or not they are conquering. The conquistadores!

Virtually every guy has been told some where in his life, “Be a man!” But by whose definition? Is it your biceps that make you a man, your bank account, your bedroom exploits, being the boss? If you want to know what manhood is really all about, consult the Inventor of manhood - God. If you go by His definition, you get Designer Manhood - and that's the real thing.

And guess what? It is all about conquest, but in a very different arena than most of us were ever taught. It's exemplified in our word for today from the Word of God: Proverbs 16:32. “Better a patient man than a warrior, a man who controls his temper than one who takes a city.” You say, “Hey, look at these trophies. Look at all the victories I've won. Look, I conquered this whole city!” God isn't impressed. He says, “Oh, yeah? How are you doing with your temper? Are you pretty patient?”

Here's the surprising secret of a truly powerful man: he is conquering ... himself! Not a woman, not an opponent, not a competitor, but himself! He's a thermostat who sets a healthy temperature everywhere he goes, not a thermometer who just keeps changing his temperature based on his surroundings.

What's it mean to be a man who is conquering himself? Well, a powerful man conquers his mouth. He eliminates the trash talk - the angry words, the critical words, the hurting words. He knows the power of his words and he controls those destructive words and specializes in encouraging words.

A powerful man also conquers his passions, focusing all his desire on his wife exclusively. Or, if he's single, keeping his relationships pure and his body reserved for his life partner.

A powerful man also conquers his coldness, showing his love, expressing his love so he doesn't leave a lonely son or a frustrated wife or daughter or mother who don't know where they stand.

Another conquest that displays real manhood is conquering your hardness - that unwillingness to ever admit you're wrong or that you're hurting.

A powerful man is also a conqueror of his neglect - his failure to spend the time with the people who love him, the time they so desperately need.

And, bottom line, a truly powerful man conquers his selfishness - his tendency to want everyone to revolve around him.

Designer manhood is all about conquest - about conquering yourself, which no man can do alone, no matter how self-sufficient we think we are. A man finds the power to conquer himself when he has finally been conquered - by the power and love of Jesus Christ.

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Try Out My Tiger

1 Corinthians 1:17

Try Out My Tiger

Read: 1 Corinthians 1:17-29

To us who are being saved it is the power of God. --1 Corinthians 1:18

There's a Chinese tale about a young man who captured a tiger cub, brought it home, and raised it in a cage. When it was full grown, the man loved to brag about how ferocious and powerful it was. "That tiger isn't wild anymore," scoffed his friends. "He's as tame as an old house cat." This went on until a wise old man overheard them and said, "There's only one way to know whether this tiger is ferocious or not. Open the cage!" The young man smiled, placed his hand on the latch, and challenged his friends, "Want to try out my tiger?"

Many people view the gospel of Jesus Christ as a tame and powerless fantasy. Yet in 1 Corinthians 1:18 the apostle Paul called it "the power of God." He used the Greek word dunamis, which is the root for our word dynamite. Paul said that to an unbeliever the gospel is foolishness, but anyone who is willing to believe it will experience the "dynamite" of God. A tiger's strength, of course, is destructive and can bring death, but the power of the gospel always leads to life and freedom. It destroys guilt and breaks the stranglehold of sinful habits.

If we have experienced this power, let's challenge others to "try out our tiger." --JEY

Stir me now, I long to know You,

Know the fullness of Your power;

Help me, Lord, to yield completely

Day by day and hour by hour. --Hallan

To experience God's power, we must first admit that we are weak.

(untitled)

Marriage/Power

I bought a small sign at a novelty shop that read "I'm the Boss," and taped it to my office door. When I returned from lunch, there was a yellow Post-it note stuck to the sign. "Your wife called, she wants her sign back." (Karl Zollinger, Readers Digest, January 2000, p171)

Mandela On Self-image

John 1:12

Marianne Williamson [*] wrote, "Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, 'Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented or famous?' Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world."

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from A Third Serving of Chicken Soup for the Soul

[*] This quote is usually attributed to Nelson Mandela, as it was in the original illustration and later in the movie Invictus. In fact, it was written by Marianne Williamson in her book A Return to Love: Reflections on the Principles of "A Course in Miracles", Ch. 7, Section 3 (1992), p. 190. About the mis-attribution Williamson said, "Several years ago, this paragraph from A Return to Love began popping up everywhere, attributed to Nelson Mandela's 1994 inaugural address. As honored as I would be had President Mandela quoted my words, indeed he did not. I have no idea where that story came from, but I am gratified that the paragraph has come to mean so much to so many people." See .

Fools Everywhere

IDIOTS IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD:

I live in a semi-rural area. We recently had a new neighbor call the local township administrative office to request the removal of the "Deer Crossing sign on our road." The reason: Too many deer were hit by cars and he no longer wanted them to cross there.

IDIOTS IN FOOD SERVICE:

My daughter went to a local Taco Bell and ordered a taco. She asked the individual behind the counter for "minimal lettuce." He said he was sorry, but they only had iceberg.

IDIOTS AT THE AIRPORT:

I was at the airport, checking in at the gate, when the airport employee asked, "Has anyone put anything in your baggage without your knowledge?" I said, "If it was without my knowledge, how would I know?" He smiled and nodded knowingly, "That's why we ask."

IDIOTS ON THE ROAD:

The stoplight on the corner buzzes when it is safe to cross the street. I was crossing with an intellectually-challenged coworker of mine when she asked if I knew what the buzzer was for. I explain that it signals blind people when the light is red. She responded, appalled, "What on earth are blind people doing driving?"

IDIOTS IN MANAGEMENT:

At a good-bye lunch for an old and dear coworker who is leaving the company due to "downsizing" our manager spoke up and said, "This is fun. We should have lunch like this more often." Not another word was spoken. We just looked at each other like deer staring into the headlights of an approaching truck.

IDIOTS WITH COMPUTERS:

I worked with an individual who plugged her power strip back into itself and for the life of her, could not understand why her system would not turn on.

IDIOTS IN GENERAL:

When my husband and I arrived at an automobile dealership to pick up our car, we were told that the keys had been accidentally locked in it. We went to the service department and found a mechanic working feverishly to unlock the driver's side door. As I watched from the passenger's side, I instinctively tried the door handle and discovered it was open. "Hey," I announced to the technician, "it's open." The young man answered, "I already got that side."

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The Sweet Smell of Powder

Mark 9:1

"War is a terrible trade; but in the cause that is righteous, sweet is the smell of powder."

-- Miles Standish, early American Puritan

When Your Transformer's Out

Mark 5:24

We had a violent thunderstorm the other night - and about 18 hours without electricity. Fortunately, my wife is never without candles, so we had a nice candlelit night at home. I read the newspaper by flashlight. We easily survived without our television. We even played a board game by candlelight! But there sure was no electric power in the house. Not after that huge lightning bolt found its target in our yard - the transformer that sits on a telephone pole not far from our house. My wife saw it, and apparently it was a pretty impressive hit. But there's no way you're going to have power when the transformer's down - I mean, it's what brings all that power in those wires down to where we can use it to run our house.

Well, I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A WORD WITH YOU today about "When Your Transformer's Out."

It could be that the power's been out where you live - in your life, I mean. You're facing some issues that just can't seem to be resolved ... some problems that seem to defy solution ... some mountains that just aren't moving ... some questions that just aren't getting answered ... maybe an overload that is overwhelming you. Could be in your family ... maybe at church or at work ... maybe in your personal life - there just doesn't seem to be anything powerful enough to meet the need, to handle those demands. Maybe the transformer's down.

For those of us who belong to Jesus Christ, there is something called prayer that brings all the power of God Himself down to where we can use it to change our everyday lives. Prayer is your spiritual transformer. And it's possible that it's gotten lost in the storm you've been going through.

There's a vivid picture of both powerlessness and power in our word for today from the Word of God. In Mark 5, beginning in verse 24, the Bible says, "A large crowd followed and pressed around [Jesus]. And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better, she grew worse."

This woman has tried all the earth-solutions she can think of - but the need was much too great for anyone on earth to meet. She had thrown money at the problem - nothing happened. She went to all the human experts - nothing happened. But, the Bible continues, "when she heard about Jesus, she came up behind Him in the crowd and touched the cloak, because she thought, 'If I just touch His clothes, I will be healed.' Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering."

Only one thing brought a solution - desperately lunging for Jesus, believing that His authority and power were greater than her massive need. That's going to be the only place you find a solution, too. By getting back to the one weapon that can prevail in your battle - coming in desperate faith to your all-powerful Lord, waging war with prayer. Maybe you've been scurrying around, trying everything to find a solution - except fervent, frequent, faith-filled praying. You don't need a planning meeting - you need a prayer meeting. You don't need a program - you need to pray. You don't need a fund-raising strategy or a new methodology or a human expert - although God might use that - you need to pray as you've never prayed before, believing God for something so big, only He could do it!

You've been so overwhelmed with your situation that you've neglected the only power source that can possibly change things - releasing the power of Almighty God through intense and intensive prayer. The storm isn't the reason you don't have the power you need. It's the transformer of prayer that brings God's power to where you live. Get your "transformer" back on line - and you'll have all the power you need!

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Tools Without Power

Psalms 20:7

When Karen and I inherited her grandparents' old farmstead in the country, we knew it was going to take some work. But we were just grateful to have a place of our own where we could go for "R and R." Last summer, we had several workmen there, racing a deadline to get some building and remodeling done before we had a lot of company. Now on Thursday, they brought in some of the specialized tools they would need to finish the job on Friday. We went to bed Thursday night looking forward to having everything finished the next day. Now, I don't usually wake up in the middle of the night, but this particular night I did. And as I looked at our glow-in-the-dark digital clock, I noticed its red numbers were flashing the same time at me, over and over again. Power outage! I almost went right back to sleep, figuring the power would come back on sooner or later. And then it hit me - those workmen are going to be here shortly after sunrise ... and they're not getting anything done without those special tools. And those tools won't work without power. Believe me, we did not go back to sleep. We got right on the phone to the power company! Actually, I did my part identifying the problem. I asked my wife to get up and make the call. What a guy!

Well, I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A WORD WITH YOU today about "Tools Without Power."

Now those workmen have some really impressive tools, but they're useless if there's no power. Just like our tools. Our word for today from the Word of God comes from Psalm 20:7. These words were penned by King David who had some impressive tools in his tool kit - including probably the greatest arsenal of horses and chariots in the Middle East at that time. And in those days, whoever had the most chariots and horses was the superpower. That would be David here. Here's what he says about his impressive battle tools, "Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God."

King David says, "I've got some great weapons, some great tools - but that's not what I'm trusting in. It's not where my power comes from. I am depending totally on the Lord my God." Now David didn't sell his horses ... he didn't burn his chariots. He used them, but he didn't depend on them. He knew where the real power is ... and it isn't in our human weapons.

Let's talk about the tools we use to get things done, even in God's work. I call them the "Six Powerless P's": Planning, Promotion, Politics, Personalities, Programs, Persuasion. If we can just make a great plan, get the right personalities, put together a hot program, promote this just right ... hey, we will have a winner. Or if we just have the right connections, the right image, the right presentation, we've got it.

And God says all our impressive tools are as useless without His power as those workmen's tools were without electrical power. God has told us how to access His power with the only "p" that has any real power - prayer ... the tool we often think of last ... the tool we spend the least time on. Our actions, our use of time tell us that, no matter what our theology says, it's really our human weapons we're depending on. That's why we spend a lot more time in planning meetings than prayer meetings.

The frequency and fervency of your prayers is the way to measure your dependency on God. If you're not praying often, if you're not praying passionately, with desperate dependence, then it's earth stuff you're really counting on ... tools that are ultimately powerless.

The real enemies in your situation are ultimately spiritual enemies, in heavenly places, the Bible says. And our weapons are powerless to defeat those enemies. Only the Lord God can do that. That's why, in Paul's words, "The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds." (2 Corinthians 10:3)

Listen, it's time to give God regular, dedicated time-to enter His holy presence and unleash His awesome power. Without that, all you've got are some impressive weapons, lying powerless on the ground ... because of a power failure ... because of a prayer failure.

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After Thanksgiving, Now What?

1 John 5:5

OK, you had your turkey, visited your relatives and hopefully gave your thanks — now what? Probably McTurkey sandwiches for the weekend. That would be a good product for McDonald’s every Fall. Does this mean we have to wait until next year to express thanks again? We all know the right answer to that.

One of our readers uses this as her closing e-mail line: “My friend can walk on water.” You will never know what else He can do for you until you give Him a real chance. It’s nice to sing about Him and wear a cross around our neck, but until we really trust Christ with our lives, we will not experience the wonders that He can do.

In addition to walking on water, He can heal the brokenhearted, encourage the down-trodden, etc. If Jesus Christ is not an important part of your life, you have no idea how potent faith in Him can be.

I don’t know what you are dealing with, but faith in God through Jesus can help you through. it. Healing a stomach ache from eating too much is probably not one of His top priorities, but if your soul is hurting, meet my friend who walks on water — He specializes in soul-aches. Call Him! 1 John 5:5 (NLT), “And the ones who win this battle against the world are the ones who believe that Jesus is the Son of God.” Let Jesus “fight for you.”

Regime Change

John 12:12

Palm Sunday sermon. John 12:12-19

REGIME CHANGE

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

I. Our triumphal entry.

A. American troops enter Baghdad.

B. Daring moves, but also much tragedy.

II. Another triumphal entry.

A. Palm Sunday recalls the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem.

B. Contrasts of the two entries.

1) Jesus' reception was different.

2) His mode was different.

III. It's all about power politics.

A. The Archbishop and Colin Powell.

B. God's version of power.

IV. Palm Sunday tells us much about our King.

A. He was popular.

B. He knew his audience.

C. He knew who he was.

V. Your response matters.

A. Original response at Palm Sunday.

B. Our response to Jesus...

C. Be a part of his "end strategy."

Too Big To Handle? - I Only Have A Small Frying-pan.

Philippians 4:13

Two men went fishing. One man was an experienced fisherman, the other wasn’ t.

Every time the experienced fisherman caught a big fish, he put it in his ice-chest to keep it fresh. Whenever the inexperienced fisherman caught a big fish, he threw it back.

The experienced fisherman watched this go on all day and finally got tired of seeing this man waste good fish. “Why do you keep throwing back all the big fish you catch?” he asked.

The inexperienced fisherman replied, “I only have a small frying pan.”

Sometimes, like that fisherman, we throw back the big plans, the big dreams, the big jobs and the big opportunities that God gives us. Our faith is too small.

We laugh at that fisherman who didn’t figure out that all he needed was a bigger frying pan; yet how ready are we to increase the size of our faith?

Whether it’s a problem or a possibility, God will NEVER give you anything bigger than you can handle.

This means we can confidently walk into anything God brings our way.

Nothing (say this word again, nothing) is too big for God.

So stop telling God you’ve got big problems. Instead, tell your problems you ‘ve got a big God!

The Bible says “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:13)

I Sing the Mighty Power of God

1. I sing the mighty pow’r of GOd

That made the mountains rise,

That spread the flowing seas abroad

And built the lofty skies.

I sing the wisdom that ordained

The sun to rule the day;

The moon shines full at His command,

And all the stars obey.

2. I sing the goodness of the Lord

That filled the earth with food;

He formed the creatures with His word

And then pronounced them good.

Lord, how Thy wonders are displayed

Where’er I turn my eye:

If I survey the ground I tread

Or gaze upon the sky!

3. There’s not a plan or flow’r below

But makes Thy glories known;

And clouds arise and tempests blow

By order from Thy throne;

Whole all that borrows life from Thee

Is ever in Thy care,

And ev’rywhere that man can be,

Thou, God, art present there.

[Tune “Ellacombe”]

Quotes By Abraham Lincoln

QUOTES BY ABRAHAM LINCOLN:

No man is good enough to govern another man without that other's consent.

Am I not destroying my enemies when I make friends of them?

You have to do your own growing no matter how tall your grandfather was.

Whatever you are, be a good one.

Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power.

Whenever I hear anyone arguing for slavery, I feel a strong impulse to see it tried on him personally.

If I were two-faced, would I be wearing this one?

-- Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865)

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[Original illustration at this number was a duplicate of HolwickID #5082]

Vistas of the Super Victory

Acts 17:31

”The power of His resurrection.” — Philippians 3:10

What infinitudes in one short phrase – “the power of His resurrection!” What vistas the super victory of that vacated sepulcher opens up! You and I are meant to know “the power of His resurrection” in its various aspects toward ourselves.

How vital is its evidential power! The classic Corinthian passage on the subject makes it the prime apologetic of the Christian faith. “If Christ be not raised, your faith is vain.” Its justifying power is complete. “He was raised again for our justification” (Romans 4:25). “Who is he that condemneth? Christ died, yea rather that is risen again” (Romans 8:33,34). How wonderful is its quickening power! We are “raised up together” with Him in spiritual union. We “walk in newness of life” and “sit together with Him” in “heavenly places” (Ephesians 2:5,6). How reassuring is its certifying power! “God hath given assurance unto all men in that He hath raised Him from the dead” (Acts 17:31). What greater public proof could there be that the atonement is accepted, that Satan is defeated and the power of death is broken? (Read Romans 5:10, II Timothy 2:14). How unmistakable is its demonstrative power! “Destroy this temple,” says our Lord Jesus, “and in three days I will raise it up” (John 2:19-21). He said it and His resurrection demonstrates it (Read John 10:17) . How precious is its consoling power! The risen Victor is the tenderhearted Savior who not only “ever liveth to make intercession” for us, but is “touched with the feeling of our infirmities”, and is our constant Companion, “even unto the end of the age” (Hebrews 7:25; 4:15; Matthew 28:20). How titanic in prospect is its reanimating power! “Now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept” (I Corinthians 15:20). He is the pledge and specimen of the mighty resurrection-harvest yet to be..

How wonderful then is its liberating power in the hearts and minds and experience of His blood-bought people! It was this which Paul longed to prove more and more when he wrote the words in our text, “That I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection.”

Think how “the power of His resurrection” is exhibited in our Lord Himself. First, it crowns His victory over self. From first to last He had answered a firm “No” to every movement of His human nature which would have infringed upon His utter loyalty to the Father’s will, “even to the death of the Cross” ; and now that emptied sepulcher in culmination testifies His complete victory over human self. Second, it proclaims His victory over sin. Had there been sin, death could have held Him; but the Father now gives crowning assurance that there is no sin in His incarnate Son. Third, it manifests His victory over death. “Death hath no more dominion over Him” (Romans 6:9). Fourth, it signalizes His victory over Satan. At last, One stronger than the strong has come to the rescue. He has broken the power of Satan over mankind, and wrenched from him the keys of hell and death. Now “the power of His resurrection” is given availability to all Christian believers. A crowned Christ in a consecrated, prayerful heart makes it all real again today — victory over self and sin and Satan, and even death.

— the Evangelist, news-magazine of the Evangelical Tract Distributors, P.O. Box 146, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T5J 2G9 – 1-780-477-1538 – www.evangelicaltract.com – support@evangelicaltract.com

The Weak Are Strong In Christ

John 15:5

“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Nevertheless you have done well that you shared in my distress.” (Php 4:13-14 NKJV)

The Weak are Strong in Christ

• I…things — reference to being in need, etc. verse12

• through…me — John 15:5, 2 Cor 12:9, Eph 3:14-17 — by His word, Spirit, example

• ye…done — the absence of actual need on my side, does not make your generosity of less worth

• communicate[shared] — share in, seek to relieve it as if it were your own

Christian omnipotency — J. Hales

I. The person here spoken of — “I.” Paul spoke this both of himself and of all other Christians — the greatest Apostles, and the meanest brethren.

II. The power — “can do;” the word “do” comprehends sufferings — “can suffer;” it includes action — it is used in the sense of omnipotence.

III. The subject — “all things;” power over everything.

IV. Wherein this power consists — “through Christ that strengtheneth.”

The power of Christianity — Dr Sprague

I. The Christian’s strength. He is mighty to –

1. Labour;

2. Resist;

3. Endure.

II. The source from which, and the medium through which, it is communicated — Christ, and His religion.

Christianity, by which I mean the system of truth revealed in the Gospel, appeals to –

1. Our sense of obligation, by the authority which it claims;

2. Our fears, by the terrors it announces;

3. Our hopes, by the rewards it proposes;

4. Our confidence, by the aids it proffers;

5. Our gratitude, by the beneficence it exhibits;

6. Our holy emulation, by the examples it records.

Christian heroism — In 1558, a noble lady in France, who was so exceedingly delicate in her health, that she could scarcely bear the rays of the sun, lived under perpetual fear of being called to suffer for religion: and daily prayed to be kept from so severe a trial, lest she should bring a reproach on the cause of the Saviour. At length, she and others were apprehended, and with the utmost constancy endured every torment their enemies could inflict upon them. When the executioner came to cut out their tongues, that they might not glorify God in the flames, she reproved one who hesitated, saying, God would restore their tongues at the resurrection, and that they should praise Him for ever. She then turned to the executioner, and said, “Come here, my friend, and begin with me;” and cheerfully held out her tongue as far as she could. She endured the flames with the same constancy, keeping her heart and her eyes fixed on heaven. How readily can the Christian do all things when Christ strengthens him!

“The Christian in the strength of Christ, can perform any service, make any sacrifice, and endure any suffering for His sake.” — Dr Raffles

“The little infant, cherished by the mother, and blessed by God, will become a man, strong and useful. The little plant, cultured by the gardener, and fostered by nature, will advance to perfection, and bear much fruit. So your religion, though small, if cherished by you, and blest of the Spirit, will strengthen and develope, until it permeates and covers your entire being.” — John Bate

At Home In Mud and Darkness

Luke 11:35

A popular comic strip once held the attention of millions as it chronicled the misadventures of a boy and his stuffed tiger. The infamous pair were inseparable, lingering energetically in topics both adult and childlike.

One day on a walk in the woods, six-year-old Calvin tells Hobbes the tiger that he has decided he doesn't believe in ethics anymore, because, as far as he is concerned, “The ends justify the means.” “Get what you can while the getting is good,” he reasons, “Might makes right.”

At this, Hobbes, who is stuffed in the eyes of all but Calvin, promptly pushes his human friend into a mud hole.

“Why'd you do that?” objects Calvin.

“You were in my way,” Hobbes replies, “and now you're not. The ends justify the means.”

Sitting in the mud, Calvin seems to reach a brief moment of enlightenment, until he uncovers a way to reconcile the conflict with self-interest. “I didn't mean for everyone, you dolt. Just me.”

Francis Schaeffer was a theologian who pointed out what is often our sheer willingness to live a life of contradictions. No doubt he would have applauded Hobbes for his efforts with Calvin. Schaeffer called the cultural phenomenon of living unaware or unconcerned with our inconsistencies the age of non-reason. He saw humans drifting in a sea of irrationality, no longer living as though they had to be reasonable. Yet he also contended that a person's worldview must be livable, that we must be willing and able to live out the reality we profess.

One of the most strikingly relevant things we confront in each of the four Gospel accounts of the life of Christ — besides Jesus himself — is the reactions people had to him. When in his presence, some like Mary and the man with leprosy fell instantaneously at his feet, others like the young rich ruler or the people of Nazareth turned away. In his presence demons cried for mercy, and those who needed a doctor were confronted with the question of whether or not they wanted to be well. In the presence of Christ, choices were made, realities were challenged, worldviews transformed.

I have often wondered if the unrighteous and dishonorable were the ones most responsive to Jesus because they were the ones most willing to see themselves rationally, those most willing to respond to their inconsistencies with fear and trembling. In the presence of Christ, they saw the contradictions they lived with, their unlivable beliefs, their need for direction. They saw that he was speaking truth, that he was truth, that his way was livable and theirs was not. Called into the presence of Christ, Zacchaeus saw the depravity of his existence and the thirstiness of his life. Conversely, the rich young ruler walked away from Jesus' instruction because it was a reality that he didn't want to face.

As a young boy once said to his animated tiger, “Reality continues to ruin my life.” This is certainly one honest way of looking at our inconsistencies exposed; when a worldview is not livable it cannot be true. Finding himself in the mud, Calvin saw clearly that he could not live with the outworkings of his theory (though he proceeded to mend the belief illogically). We, too, must confront the belief system that is in us, lighting our lives and making our way. We must choose to heed or ignore the words of Christ, “See to it, then, that the light that is in you is not darkness” (Luke 11:35).

I believe that the Christian faith alone makes sense of life's most foreboding questions, that it is livable because it is true. Christ gently unearths the dark and fatal inconsistencies of our lives, calling us out of the mud to consistency, pointing us out of darkness to reality and truth — to himself. In him alone we find the promise of John 8:12, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

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[Original illustration at this number was a duplicate in KeruxID 25837-26027]

The Call To Power: In, But Not Of

John 17:11

In the first chapter of his book IN, BUT NOT OF, Hugh Hewitt writes, “Among men alive at the time I wrote this book, three had done more to shape our world than any others ... It is hard to imagine a more unlikely trio.” One of these men spent years in a prison camp and later became a math teacher. Another one, a bishop from a working-class background, didn't get his dissertation published until he was 40 years old. And the third had a film career that started promisingly but never reached stardom.

But Alexander Solzhenitsyn, Pope John Paul II, and Ronald Reagan weren't content to stay in obscure positions. They were men of ambition. And their ambition benefited not only themselves, but the rest of the world as well. “Had [these men] chosen different paths — easier paths — the Soviet Union might well still be where it was,” Hewitt points out.

A gifted radio talk-show host, columnist, and law professor, Hewitt wrote his book as a practical guide for students and young adults who want to make an impact on the world for Christ. As his examples show, he thinks that one of the best ways to do this is to pursue power — in business, in the cultural arena, and especially in “the sphere of political and public affairs.”

But how do we reconcile Hewitt's ideas with what the Bible teaches? We know that Christ called us to serve, not to be served, and we often translate that to mean that we're supposed to shun the spotlight. We fear the corruption that worldly power can bring. And it does — I know from personal experience the dangers of having and trying to keep political power.

What we need to remember is that sometimes, however, power also brings great opportunities for service. For instance, being a Christian in public life allows people to help preserve our freedom of worship in this country and to speak up for persecuted Christians abroad. Power is never to be an end in itself, but when accepted with humility and trust in God's guidance, power can be used legitimately as a means to an end — that end: the building of God's kingdom.

Hewitt acknowledges the dangers that power can pose to Christians. We've all heard stories of Christians who have let power lure them away from God and into sin. But Hewitt doesn't let us off the hook on that account. Instead, he calls us to a higher level of accountability. “Plant yourself in a church,” he writes, “and hedge yourself with close friends who can keep you anchored when the particular dangers of living in the world come close, but do not allow yourself the easy way out — of easy volunteer work or a life of prayer for the world but no action.”

My formulation for this is simple: See that what you have is not power for yourself, but moral authority that can come only from your godliness. Whether you are a Bible study leader or a senator, as a Christian you can model the right kind of power. Make no mistake — the world would be a poorer place without the courageous Christians who refused to take the easy way out.

If you know a student or young professional whom God may be calling to a life of public service, you might want to give him or her a copy of Hewitt's book. Every young Christian, especially those who may end up in positions of power, needs to understand how to participate IN the world without being OF it.

FOR FURTHER READING AND INFORMATION:

• Hugh Hewitt, In, but Not Of: A Guide to Christian Ambition and the Desire to Influence the World (Thomas Nelson, 2003). Call 1-877-322-5527 to order a copy of this book along with an audiocassette titled “The Use and Abuse of Power,” a conversation between Charles Colson and James Dobson.

• Hugh Hewitt has a blog on various cultural and political issues at www.hughhewitt.com.

• Gina Dalfonzo, “Power with a Purpose,” Boundless, 18 September 2003.

• Cindy Crosby, “Getting Ahead,” Christianity Today, 20 August 2003.

• Alex Wainer, “My Will Be Done: The Problem of Too Much Power,” BreakPoint Online, 11 July 2003.

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Walking With God Through the Valley of Loneliness

Job 7:16

It is in times of deepest loneliness, when there is no one there but God, that we learn to know Him most fully.

Not long after my conversion in my mid-teens, a preacher I greatly admired came to stay in our home. I had the opportunity to sit with him for many hours asking him some of the spiritual questions which, up until then, had greatly perplexed me.

During one period of discussion I said to him: “Tell me, what is the secret of your great and powerful ministry?” It was quite a while before he answered, and as I waited I pondered what his answer might be. Would he say, “It is the way I use words,” or “My skill at chiseling attractive and appealing phrases,” or perhaps, “My insight and understanding of the Scriptures”?

It was none of these. He said quite simply: “If there is any power in my ministry, it has come out of walking with God through the valley of loneliness.”

I cannot remember in the whole of my life ever hearing a more compelling and moving statement than that. It introduced me to a truth that I myself had to learn - that the route to knowing God often passes through the valley of profound loneliness. The depth of character that is developed through loneliness is something that not only enriches the life of the individual concerned, but spills over into the lives of many others also. In periods of loneliness, the Master draws us into His presence so that later, when we speak to others, they sense we are speaking to them from holy ground.

PRAYER:

O God, help me to commit my will to Your will, not to be borne but to be done. If knowing You - really knowing You - means walking through the valley of loneliness, then lead on, dear Lord - I will follow. Amen.

FURTHER STUDY:

1 Kings 19:9-21; Josh.1:5; Isa.54:10

1. What did Elijah wrongly believe in his loneliness?

2. How did God use his loneliness?

Setting A Horizon To Faith

Mark 5:35

Thy daughter is dead: why troublest thou the Master any further? — Mark 5:35.

These servants could understand troubling the Master to come to sickness, but not to death. The greatest trouble of all, they thought, was beyond His reach. It did mean trouble to Him to come to bear our infirmities and heal our sicknesses, but He did not stop there. Death was our worst enemy and our greatest affliction. It meant the greatest trouble of all for Him to come to us here, but He did it. He endured “even the death of the cross” the greatest trouble and there He met our deepest need. Never think of His love or power stopping short of our greatest trouble. It meant the cross to Him, but He did not stop short of death even the death of the cross. — L. Sheldrake,

When blood from a victim must flow,

this Shepherd by pity was led

To stand between us and the foe,

and willingly died in our stead.

Riches Fade

Mark 8:36

For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in ex-change for his soul? — Mark 8:36, 39.

Unconverted souls who live and die without Christ have surely made a bad trade. Where is the power of Alexander? the wealth of Croesus? the fame of Voltaire? the greatness of Hitler or Stahlin? There have been more fools than Esau; he has had many followers; Achan, Gehazi, Judas, Ananias. How insignificant their gain! How great their loss! What is your relation to the birthright? to the new birth? Are you born again? Have you preferred the world to Christ, sin to holiness, hell to heaven? Beware!

Take the world, but give me Jesus, all its joys are but a name,

But His love abideth ever, through eternal years the same.

Take the world, but give me Jesus, in His cross my trust shall be;

Till with clearer brighter vision, face to face, my Lord 1 see. — F. Crosby.

Pastoral Ministry: Spiritual Leadership of Anointed Men

You cannot deny that the life and vitality of the Christian church

lie in the spiritual leadership of men anointed of the Holy Ghost.

I dare to tell you that there is danger in too much democracy in the

life of the church.

I am sure that some of you with a strong Baptist background will

curl up like a burning leaf in the autumn to hear me say this, but

that is all right: I am half Baptist myself!

But I do not believe that God expects the Christian church to thrive

and mature and grow just on plain democratic principles. If you will

check around you will find that even those who hold to democracy in

their church policy never get beyond first base unless they have

leaders within the denomination who are anointed men, strongly

spiritual in leadership.

"Lord, it seems as though Christian leaders have failed so often and

so visibly that now the church is paranoid. I pray that leaders

today would be faithful and pure; I pray that the church today would

be willing to follow Godly leadership. Amen."

Getting It Power Versus Influence

Mark 9:34

Since the 2004 election, the American media are trying to understand religion's role in the lives of Americans. It's a difficult task for them because, as CNN's William Schneider once put it, “the press ... just doesn't get religion.”

A recent high-profile attempt to “get religion” is the new issue of TIME magazine. In it, TIME identifies what it calls the “25 most influential evangelicals in America.” These are people “whose influence,” in TIME'S estimation, “is on the rise or who have carved out a singular role.”

This kind of recognition is, if we are honest, gratifying — not only to the people named in the article, but also to every Christian. But Schneider is right: The press doesn't get religion, starting with how the press views what it means to be an “influential” Christian.

Judging by its profile of people like Rick Warren, Roberta and Howard Ahmanson, and Chuck Colson, for TIME, “influence” is simply synonymous with “power.” The chief criterion for Time for inclusion on the list seems to be whether politicians will take your phone call.

Even people like Rick Warren and Billy Graham aren't cited, as they should be, for their impact on people's lives. Instead, their ministries become means to a political end, as Time sees it. Thus, in Time's view, Warren makes the list because fifteen senators “from both parties sought his advice.” Likewise, while Graham's general reluctance in political matters was noted, TIME also pointed out that Graham has “had the ear of presidents for five decades.”

Anyone who has read the Gospels will know that TIME has it exactly backwards. Service and humility — dying to self — not power are what matters in the kingdom of God. A Christian's true influence is measured in the lives he touches, not in the legislation he gets passed. And, indeed, that's why the list of twenty-five is influential — not because of their political influence.

The person I know the best on TIME's “25 Most Influential” list is Chuck Colson. While it would be disingenuous to deny Chuck's status or influence within the Christian world, this so-called “power” is nothing compared to the kind of power he once exercised. Today, Chuck may be able to, as TIME put it, get a bandwagon moving, but not so long ago, he didn't need a bandwagon to get things done. He did it through the power of the Oval Office in the White House.

Yet, it wasn't until he lost that power, what most people would call real “power,” that Chuck began to make a real difference and exercise the only kind of influence that really matters. Prison Fellowship is possible only because its founder, Chuck Colson, was forced to personally identify with those people who hold a special place in God's heart: prisoners and their families.

The pursuit of political power prompted the old Chuck to demonize offenders; the desire to wield godly influence prompted the “reborn and rehabilitated” Chuck to make their fate his primary concern for the sake of the Gospel.

Christians need to keep this contrast between power and godly influence in mind. My concern with the TIME article isn't that the magazine presumes to tell Christians who our “leaders” are. It picked some great folks. My concern is that we may accept TIME's criteria for why they have influence and, thus, allow the larger culture to define us. Remember, the press doesn't “get religion.” It would be a shame if we didn't, either.

FOR FURTHER READING AND INFORMATION:

• BreakPoint Commentary No. 050202, “Political Payback: Does Bush 'Owe' Religious Conservatives?“

• See Time's feature on Charles Colson. Read about the other twenty-four “most influential evangelicals.”

• Karen Tumulty and Matthew Cooper, “Does Bush Owe the Religious Right?“ Time,7 February 2005. (Subscribers only.)

• Charles Colson with Anne Morse, How Now Shall We Live? Devotional (Tyndale, 2004).

• Charles Colson, Born Again (Chosen Books, 2004 edition).

• Hugh Hewitt, In, But Not Of (Nelson, 2003).

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The Lion and the Lamb

Isaiah 11:6

Many sentimental Christian paintings portray a cuddly lamb nestled against a benevolent-looking lion. These paintings draw inspiration for the scene from the prophecies of Isaiah that one day the ferocious beasts will fraternize with the gentle creatures, eating and sleeping in harmony (see Isaiah 11:6 and 65:25). In his masterful book Orthodoxy, G. K. Chesterton finds fault with the way many have interpreted this scene. He writes:

“It is constantly assured... that when the lion lies down with

the lamb the lion becomes lamb-like. But that is brutal

annexation and imperialism on the part of the lamb. The real

problem is — Can the lion lie down with the lamb and still retain

his royal ferocity?”

If you ask someone to describe adjectives associated with innocence, very few will think of “ferocious” or “powerful.” But we gravely misunderstand innocence when we mistake it for naiveté, weakness, or a lack of willpower. When the Scriptures speak of “the Lamb who was slain,” we may be tempted to picture someone who has been defeated. But the Lamb who was slain has not been conquered; he has conquered. He is alive, and the very fact that he was slain testifies that he has conquered death. He is lion-like in the sense that he has nothing left to fear.

I'm afraid that we are often guilty of associating strength and power with that which is evil. But in reality, innocence needs no defense because it has done nothing wrong. Innocence has no hole in its armor because it has nothing to hide. Innocence has a sort of strength that evil never can claim. Some have rejected the Gospel because they do not want to serve a tame God. On the day when lambs become lion-like, these will see just how fearsome is the God they have rejected. In that day, the innocent will not fear the wicked; instead the wicked will bow with the rest of creation before the Lamb who was slain.

In the Scriptures, we are told again and again that if we want to live wise lives, we must begin with the fear of the Lord. This kind of fear does not belong in the category of other fears, fears that assault us in the night in nightmares and anxieties. The fear of the Lord is a fear that is birthed in the daylight, when all our other fears are revealed in all of their impotence. Death, disease, shame, or any other evil pales in comparison to the formidability of the Righteous One who has put all these things under his feet.

But we do not need to cower in the presence of the Lamb who was slain. He still bears the wounds that he bore for us. Our fear of him should compel us to place ourselves under his protection, knowing that we are utterly lost without him, but cherished and protected in him. He is the Lamb who is the Lion, and he will be the focus of our praise for all eternity.

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Becoming Our Own Gods: the Dennis Kozlowski Story

Three weeks ago, former Tyco executive Dennis Kozlowski walked out of Manhattan courtroom in a swarm of photographers. He had just been convicted on multiple counts of looting Tyco of hundreds of millions of dollars.

It was a chance for the press to once again fixate on the almost unbelievable excesses of Kozlowski's lifestyle — including the $2.2 million-dollar birthday party for his wife, Karen, with dancing nymphs and an ice statue of Michelangelo pouring out vodka. The magnitude of his theft makes many people wonder: What made Kozlowski do such a thing? And why? I looked for answers to that in my book, THE GOOD LIFE.

Kozlowski was raised in a poor section of Newark, New Jersey, but he worked his way through college, went to work for Tyco, and became CEO, doubling the company's business.

Kozlowski enjoyed a life of extravagance and self-indulgence — much at the company's expense. He bought homes in New York, Nantucket, and Colorado, bought a $30 million racing yacht, and installed his mistresses in Tyco-owned apartments, cost-free.

But eventually, trouble came. The New York State Banking Department began tracking a series of unusual bank transfers — and New York's district attorney investigated, leading to Kozlowski's indictment on charges of corporate corruption.

Was Kozlowski just another case of a poor kid who hits it big and then is overcome with his own greed? Well, yes, of course, he had an insatiable appetite for money and power. But though his case is extreme, can't all of us understand what really drove him? He wanted to gratify his own desires, despite the consequences to others. In that way, he exemplifies the modern American desire for personal autonomy, defined as freedom from all restraints. His ultimate goal was to do just as he pleased — to be, in a sense, his own god.

I have an idea that at the peak of Kozlowski's wealth and fame, he found his life empty and meaningless. I did when I rose to great heights of political power. According to researchers, whom I cite in the book, a growing body of data points to the conclusion that the amount of money accumulated above middle-class comfort level has no impact on our happiness. They found instead that it's social interaction and friendships that give us lasting pleasure in life.

Can we conclude from this that our natures as humans are shaped in a certain way? The researchers certainly seem to think so, arguing that human behavior follows a predictable pattern — we are wired a certain way. And when we distort the way we are wired — or what I call the natural order of life — we find ourselves miserable.

We all realize that there is a battle going on inside of us: One part of our nature says life has a higher purpose, and the other part wants to indulge all our desires. As I write in my book THE GOOD LIFE, the task in life is to subdue our baser nature and govern ourselves by what we intuitively know to be our higher purpose, what we are made for. And that's not hedonism or self-gratification. It is happiness the way the Greeks defined it, by the term eudaimonia, which means the virtuous life.

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New Saudi King, Old System, Same Spiritual Hunger

Luke 22:25

A new king -– and new custodian of Islam’s most sacred sites -- has taken the throne in Saudi Arabia.

The ailing King Fahd, who inherited the desert kingdom his father founded and saw become the world’s biggest and richest oil producer, died Aug. 1, 2005. Crown Prince Abdullah, de facto ruler since his elder brother Fahd began suffering debilitating strokes a decade ago, now is officially the absolute monarch over more than 25 million people in Saudi Arabia.

Abdullah recently visited the Texas ranch of President Bush, who calls him a friend and ally against global terror. The new king styles himself as a moderate and a reformer, according to Saudi watchers. But he stands between powerful and opposing pressures inside and outside his kingdom: internal threats from radical Islamist forces and international demands that he democratize Saudi society and wipe out the brand of extremism that produced Osama bin Laden.

He allowed local elections (for male voters only) earlier this year and has sponsored some educational reforms. But don’t expect major change any time soon, advises “Jess Martin,”* a Christian who closely observes events in the kingdom.

Why? Because of tradition, a culture that rewards conformity and consensus –- and exclusive Islamic rule. Any other public religious expression is forbidden and punished, even among foreign workers.

Expatriate workers from Asian nations like the Philippines and Bangladesh who dare to worship Christ in home groups usually receive harsher treatment –- including arrest and imprisonment -- than Westerners. Any Saudi Arab who embraces a faith other than Islam will face persecution and possibly death.

In the economic arena, whole industries languish because of over-dependence on oil wealth and “a cultural predisposition to keep people out,” Martin says. “In Saudi Arabia, they build compounds for foreigners -- not to keep the Saudis outside but to keep foreign vices inside. They want people to come (from abroad), but they don’t want them to negatively influence society. That’s partly why the Saudis have been so unaffected by Christianity.”

A rich, essentially closed society built over four generations on the foundation of age-old customs won’t change in a few years. “You’re talking a generation, minimum,” Martin predicts.

“You see money taking great precedence in Saudi Arabia -- having money, getting more money. Having a place of honor. A lot of the current violence is about power. Who will control?”

The quest for power and control drives Osama bin Laden and many other violent Islamists much more than religious zealotry, Martin says: “Anybody who says bin Laden is a ‘puritan’ in his faith is a liar. He is about power” –- which is the real reason he seeks to “purify” the Middle East by overthrowing the Saudi royal family and other regimes in the region.

The extremists pose very real dangers inside Saudi Arabia, but they remain a minority.

“Militancy is not where the average Saudi sits,” Martin observes. “The average Saudi wants many of the same things the average American does. He wants his kids to do well in school. He wants to have a certain standard of living. He wants a good job.”

The average Saudi also knows -– deep down –- that he is spiritually lost.

“They don’t need democracy; they need an encounter with the living God,” Martin stresses. “When you go inside a Saudi’s house, and you sit and talk to him, you’ll see his heart and it is just as sinful as everyone else’s -- and he knows it. The challenge for us is: What are we going to do about it? What are we going to do in obedience to God to take Christ to the people called Saudi Arabs?”

Wherever he goes in the world, Martin challenges Christians to go to Saudi Arabia –- and to quietly share their faith when they get there. Asians keep going by the planeload because they need the jobs offered by the Saudis. But the number of American and European expatriate workers has dwindled since terrorist threats and attacks against foreigners have increased.

“In John 15, Jesus said, ‘If they persecuted Me, they will persecute you also,’” Martin reminds. “I look at people who do bungee jumping and say that’s crazy. Yet, the Holy Spirit has set us free in Christ. We can take risks for His sake, knowing He will carry us through to the end.”

You don’t have to go to Saudi Arabia to share Jesus with a Saudi Arab, however. Just walk down the street, drive across town or visit a university campus.

“They’re in Houston. They’re in Orlando. They’re in Los Angeles,” Martin says. “Will we take a look at them and say, ‘They’re Muslim,’ and run away, or will we take the time to befriend them, embrace them as creations of God needing redemption and offer the only hope they have -- Christ? We’ve got to go beyond our church pews. This doesn’t just go for Saudi Arabs. We’ve got to engage all Muslims. You don’t have to go far. You just have to look at who’s around you.”

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*Name changed for security reasons

For more information on Saudi Arabs, visit www.lovesaudis.com.

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You Just Float

Psalms 118:16

John Glenn said this about space: “You don’t need a cane or walker or wheelchair — you just float.” I could like that. Truth is — some folks just sort of float through life anyway — no direction, no goal.

In Psalm 118:16 (NIV) we read: “The Lord’s right hand is lifted high; the Lord’s right hand has done many things.” Some may flippantly say, “See, that proves that the Lord is right handed” and then totally miss the impact of that verse which is, the awesome power and majesty of our God.

You may be facing a difficult day. You may even be one of those who is drifting through life without focused goals. Read thast verse again and realize that the same all-powerful God who created “space” for people like John Glenn to explore is available to help you through today. As Christians, we have an extra resource to help us face each day with renewed courage. Tap into that resource as you face today with your head held high.

Getting Thick With the Almighty

Exodus 20:21

And the people stood afar off, and Moses drew near …where God was. (Exodus 20:21, AV)

My servant Moses … is faithful in all mine house. With him will I speak mouth to mouth, even apparently, and not in dark speeches. (Numbers 12:7–8, AV)

Some years ago a number of women were, in their Lancashire fashion and dialect discussing their ,minister, and trying to find out the secret of his power. One said that he was a good speaker, another that he had a good style about him. At last one said, “I will tell you what it is; the young man is getting thick with the Almighty.” When I read those words, I thought, and have often thought, that that is the secret of prayer —if I may say it with reverence—being thick with the Almighty. – W. H. Griffith Thomas.

Blest is the tranquil hour of morn,

and blest the solemn hour of eve,

When on the wings of prayer upborne

the world I leave.

No words can tell what sweet relief

here for my every want I find;

What strength for warfare, balm for grief,

what peace of mind.

What Your Newspaper Says About You

1. The Wall Street Journal is read by the people who run the country.

2. The Washington Post is read by people who think they run the country.

3. The New York Times is read by people who think they should run the country and who are very good at crossword puzzles.

4. USA Today is read by people who think they ought to run the country but don't really understand The New York Times. They do, however, like their statistics shown in pie charts.

5. The Los Angeles Times is read by people who wouldn't mind running the country -- if they could find the time, and if they didn't have to leave Southern California to do it.

6. The Boston Globe is read by people whose parents used to run the country and did a far superior job of it, thank you very much.

7. The New York Daily News is read by people who aren't too sure who's running the country and don't really care as long as they can get a seat on the train.

8. The New York Post is read by people who don't care who's running the country as long as they do something really scandalous, preferably while intoxicated.

9. The Miami Herald is read by people who are running another country but need the baseball scores.

10. The San Francisco Chronicle is read by people who aren't sure there is a country, or that anyone is running it; but if so, they oppose all that they stand for. There are occasional exceptions if the leaders are handicapped minority feminist atheist dwarfs who also happen to be illegal aliens from any other country or galaxy provided, of course, that they are not Republicans.

11. The National Enquirer is read by people trapped in line at the grocery store.

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Changed By the Grace of God

Luke 10:19

Behold, I give unto you power … over all the power of the enemy — Luke 10:19.

The last six months have, I think, been the very happiest of my life, though, I think I have never suffered more … I used at one time to be always wanting things for myself, not material things or necessarily in the least harmful things, but sympathy, appreciation, culture of talents, etc. Now I feel as if I wanted absolutely nothing, and suddenly I find myself rich in all that is worth having, and able to give … to all I meet who are in any need. I do not know that I can explain very clearly; it is simply like living in a new world. I do not fret any more over sleepless nights, and so they do not seem to harm me as they did. The power of Christ within can overcome even this engrained enemy of heredity, and I hardly now ever feel irritable, and never show it as I used to. (From a letter).

Things that once were wild alarms

do not now disturb my rest,

Closed in everlasting arms,

pillowed on His loving breast.

Oh, to live forever there,

doubt and care and self resign,

While He whispers In my ear-

I am His and He Is mine,

Electrified But Using Oil!

Psalms 62:11

God hath spoken once, twice have I heard this; that power belongeth unto God. Also unto thee, O Lord, belongeth mercy. — Psalm 62:11, 12.

George Duncan, in the early years of the war in Britain, went to visit a friend of his who lived in a very old fashioned stone building. Mr. Duncan was amazed to find it had been remodelled. There was an electric stove, an electric fire place, electric light, electric iron, electric everything. But Dr. Duncan was amazed to see that the lady of the house was using a dirty looking kerosene stove; and oil lamps were still hanging from the ceiling. Observing the amazement of his visitor, his friend said, “George, don’t look so astonished. Don’t you know that we have a war on? We have everything except the power.”

O Christ, Thou heavenly Lamb!

Joy of the Father’s heart:

Now let Thy love my soul inflame,

fresh POWER to me impart.

Power As Needed

Isaiah 41:10

I am thy God: I will strengthen thee … yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness. — Isaiah 41:10.

The Holy Spirit gives power to testify, to speak for Christ, to obey, to suffer, to endure. You will not get this power until you need it, therefore you must not wait till you feel strong before engaging in any difficult duty. When you are weak, then He bestows needed strength as it is required. “Thy shoes shall be iron and brass; and as thy days, so shall thy strength be” (Deut. 33:25). — A. B.

When adverse winds and waves arise,

And in my heart despondence sighs,

When life its throng of cares reveals,

And weakness o’er my spirit steals,

Grateful I hear the kind decree

That as my day, my strength shall be.

A Tale of Two Temples

Isaiah 37

Isaiah 37: God Answers Hezekiah’s Prayer in Promise and In Deed

The cast:

(1) Hezekiah — the faithful

(2) His privy council: Eliakim, Comptroller; Shebna, adjutant-general; Joah, secretary of state

(3) Sennacherib

(4) the Rabshekah — chief-of-staff of Assyrians — the accuser

(5) Isaiah — God’s appointed prophet

(6) Yahweh, the Lord God — delivering His own

The prelude, Chapter 36

• the Rabshekah’s propaganda

° seeks to undermine their confidence

° calls on them to change sides

• the responses

° the people keep silence in obedience to the king

° the privy council: discouraged

° Hezekiah: discouraged and penitent

37:1-7: Hezekiah and Isaiah

• what are the signs of Hezekiah’s faith?

° sackcloth, a sign of penitence, as ruler of a sinful people

° his going into the house of the Lord

° his constraining sackcloth on the elders of priests, the spiritual leaders of a sinful people

° his enquiring of God’s appointed prophet, Isaiah

° based his prayer / entreaty on God’s honour being attacked

° obedience; belief that God will hear

• What are God’s promises (through Isaiah) in response?

° assurance for Hezekiah

° do not be afraid (Christ’s words)

° ‘I have heard their blasphemy’

° ‘blast’ a spirit, to replace Sennacherib’s proud, brave, fearless spirit

° a rumour (probably of threats aginst his ruling)

° Sennacherib to return home

° punishment by the sword in his own land

37:8-13: Reiteration of Rabshekah’s threats by Sennacherib’s letter

37:14-20: Hezekiah’s Prayer of Faith – what are its notable elements?

• spreading the problem before the Lord

• Sennacherib’s words a reproach, not to Israel or Hezekiah, but of the Lord

• recognizes power of the enemy

• recognizes difference between gods and the Lord

• bases prayer on God’s glory and honour

37:21-38 God Acts on Behalf of His People — read 2 Chronicles 32:1-21

The Destruction of Sennecherib Lord Byron

Thy Assyrian came down like the wolf on the fold,

And his cohorts were gleaming in purple and gold;

And the sheen of their spears was like the stars on the sea,

When the blue wave rolls nightly on deep Galilee.

Like the leaves of the forest when Summer is green,

That host with their banners at sunset were seen:

Like the leaves of the forest when Autumn hath blown,

That host on the morrow lay withered and strown,

For the Angel of Death spread his wings on the blast,

And breathed in the face of the foe as he passed;

And the eyes of the sleepers waxed deadly and chill

And their hearts but once heaved, and forever grew still!

And there lay the steed with his nostril all wide,

But through it there rolled not the breath of his pride;

And the foam of his gasping lay white on the turf,

And cold as the spray of the rock-beating surf.

And there lay the rider distorted and pale,

With the dew on his brow, and the rust on his mail:

And the tents were all silent, the banners alone,

The lances unlifted, the trumped unblown.

And the widows of Ashur are loud in their wail

And the idols are broke in the temple of Baal;

And the might of the Gentile, unsmote by the sword,

Hath melted like snow in the glance of the Lord!

37:21-35 His Message to Sennecherib

22-25 The Young Helpless Girl (Zion) Laughs at the Soldier

• centre of the scorn is that this enemy should deign to speak evil of the LORD (23)

• the reason for the scorn (24,25)

° depends on multitude of his chariots

° thinks his puny will is marvellous

° thinks his past successes were his own

26-29 God’s Evaluation of the Enemy

• the Ancient, Creator is not disturbed by man

• the Assyrians were but his tool (26)

• the other defeated foes were defeated by God’s power, not Assyria’s (27)

• God has full knowledge of the enemy (28)

• God will domesticate this proud horse (29)

30-35 God’s Promise to Hezekiah and Jerusalem

• they will continue to dwell in and to harvest the land (30)

• He’ll preserve, establish His remnant (31,32)

• Sennacherib

° will not come against this city (33)

° will return by the way he came (34)

° will be defeated by God Himself (35)

37:36-38 His Defeat of Sennecherib

• 185,000 soldier’s ‘wake up dead!’

• Sennacherib returns to Nineveh

• two of his sons slay him in HIS temple, a third reigns In his stead

Big Is Best?

Isaiah 55:9

BIG is best! MIGHT is right! These words spell out the human philosophy of success. However, as we scan the pages of the Bible, it is very clear that God has a better perspective for victorious Christian living: “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isa.55:9)

Moses said to the people of Israel, “The Lord did not set His affection on you or choose you because you were more numerous than other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples. But it was because the Lord loved you and kept the oath He swore to your forefathers that He brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the land of slavery, from the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt. Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments” (Deut.7:7-9).

• When Noah built the ark, he was very much in the minority. But he was victorious!

• When Joseph was sold into Egypt by his brothers he was a decided minority, but he was finally victorious!

• When Gideon and his three hundred followers battled the great host of the Midianites, they were an insignificant minority. But they were victorious!

• When Elijah prayed down fire from heaven and put the prophets of Baal to shame, he was definitely in a minority. But he was victorious!

• When Jesus Christ the Son of God was crucified by the Roman soldiers he was a despised minority, but he was victorious over death.

In our Christian service and witness Satan would have us think, as did those ten men who wre sent to spy out the land of Canaan, that they were as mere “Grasshoppers”, unimportant. However, the Holy Spirit would assure us, as Christ affirmed, “We should go and take possession of the land, for we are well able to overcome it.” (Numbers 13:30-33).

With God the number or greatness is not the deciding factor, but his divine sufficiency; “… For there is no restraint (limitation) to the Lord to save by many or by few” (I Samuel 14:6 KJV). Someone has well said, “One with God is a majority, “ and the missionary song echoes: “LITTLE IS MUCH IF GOD IS IN IT”

The Will To Power: To Reign Or To Serve?

Luke 22:24

Power. Even the word is seductive. A love of power can separate the most resolute of Christians from the true nature of Christian leadership, which is to serve others. This truth is perhaps most graphically illustrated in the world of politics.

As Chuck Colson writes in his marvelous new book, GOD & GOVERNMENT, the everyday business of politics is power, and power can be perilous.

The history of the last fifty years has richly validated Friedrich Nietzsche’s argument that man’s desire to control his own destiny and to impose his will on others is the most basic human motivation. Nietzsche’s prophecy that the “will to power” would fill the twentieth-century’s vacuum of values has been fulfilled through Hitler, Mao, Stalin, to name only the worst tyrants.

All governments use power to hang on to power — election-year favors and pork-barrel politics are even common here in America. But in regimes where there are few moral restraints, tyrants wield power shamelessly — and often viciously.

But remember this: power corrupts, but power itself is not necessarily corrupt. God has given power to the state to be used to restrain evil and maintain order. It is the use of power, whether for personal gain or for the state’s ordained function, that is really at issue.

Jesus Christ turned conventional views of power upside-down. He not only offered mankind redemption, He also washed the dusty feet of His own followers. The apostle Paul said, “My power is made perfect in weakness.”

As Chuck writes in GOD & GOVERNMENT, nothing distinguishes the kingdoms of man from the kingdom of God more than their diametrically opposed views of the exercise of power. One seeks to control people; the other seeks to serve people. One promotes self; the other prostrates self. One seeks prestige and position; the other lifts up the lowly and despised.

It’s crucial for Christians to understand this difference. For through this upside-down view of power, the Kingdom of God can play a special role in the affairs of the world.

When we, as citizens of the Kingdom today, practice this view of power, we’re setting an example for our neighbors by modeling servanthood — and exposing the illusions worldly power creates.

This doesn’t mean that Christians can’t use power. In positions of leadership, especially in government institutions, the Christian can wield power in good conscience. But the Christian uses power with a different motive and in a different way: to serve, to seek the common good, and to seek justice.

Those who accept the biblical view of servant leadership treat power as a humbling delegation from God, not as a right to control others.

The challenge for the Christian in a position of influence is to follow the example of Jesus, who knelt down to wash His disciples’ feet, rather than embrace Nietzsche’s will to power. In doing so, the citizen of the Kingdom can offer light to a world often shrouded by the dark pretensions of power-mad tyrants.

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Ludicrous Christmas Gifts

Luke 2:6

John Buchanan, who edits one of my favorite journals of Christian thought, wrote recently about Halford Luccock, a teacher of preaching from two generations ago. Luccock said about the song “The Twelve Days of Christmas,” that it’s “about a list of ‘riotously inappropriate and ludicrous gifts.’ A partridge in a pear tree? ‘What on earth could one do with that?’ And that is precisely the beauty of it, Luccock observed. The old song contains the ‘high wisdom of completely inappropriate and useless gifts.’ His advice . . .was to give one’s true love an impractical gift. ‘Give grandma perfume, or dancing slippers, not woolen mittens.’ ‘The best gifts of love,’ Luccock wrote, ‘are those that show a lovely lack of common sense.’”

People wanted the dominating king who would transform society, and instead what they got was “a baby, born in a cow stall,” a joyful gift of love. That gift is the shattering of all expectations.

So what are we going out to see? What are we looking for? As Buchanan says in his reflections on Luccock and “The Twelve Days of Christmas,” “The uniquely Christian idea is that the essence of God is not what we expect or want — power — but vulnerable love. The uniquely Christian idea is that there is absolute truth in the newborn lying in a manger — truth about God, truth about the nature of power, truth about you and me, truth that could transform the world” (The Christian Century, Dec. 11, 2007, p. 3).

And that truth is hope and peace and love and joy. May we go forth to bathe in the grace that makes it all possible, to see the world through holy eyes, and to give ourselves to each other even as God has given abundantly to us.

Wind and Gravity

Romans 3:23

The last time I talked about being on top of a grain bin. Last week I was up on top of Grandpa Neal’s barn repairing the roof. It seems the higher I get off the ground the more I think about God.

When you are up there only 2 things worry you, wind and gravity. You can’t see the wind. You can’t grasp the wind. But it will sure blow you off the ladder. That wouldn’t be a problem if it weren’t for gravity. You can’t see it either. You can’t grasp it. You really can’t feel it. But you know it is going to affect you, and gravity doesn’t respect anyone. We are all affected equally by it.

God is kind of like that. You can’t see Him. You can’t reach out and physically grasp Him. And we all are affected equally by Him. In Romans 3:23 we are told, “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

We all have sinned equally. One little bitty sin or a whole bunch of big ones, it doesn’t matter. We all have fallen short of the glory of God.

But now that you are knocked off your ladder, read the rest of the thought, Romans 3:24, “and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”

Even though we have sinned we are made righteous because of what Jesus did for us. That is why we take communion. The communion service is to remind us of the sacrifice Jesus made for us. Of His broken body and of His spilled blood.

We take communion in remembrance of Jesus.

Nothing Is Impossible With God

Luke 1:37

Behold, the bondslave of the Lord; be it done to me according to your word (Luke 1:38).

If God wants something done, can it be done? In other words, if God has a goal for your life, can it be blocked, or is its fulfillment uncertain or impossible?

I am personally convinced that no goal God has for my life is impossible or uncertain, nor can it be blocked. Imagine God saying, “I’ve called you into existence, I’ve made you My child, and I have something for you to do. I know you won’t be able to do it, but give it your best shot.” That’s ludicrous! It’s like saying to your child, “I want to you to mow the lawn. Unfortunately, the lawn is full of rocks, the mower doesn’t work, and there’s no gas. But give it your best shot.” Even secular scholars say that issuing a command that cannot be obeyed will undermine authority.

God had a staggering goal for a little maiden named Mary. An angel told her that she would bear a son while still a virgin, and that her son would be the Savior of the world. When she inquired about this seemingly impossible feat, the angel simply said, “Nothing will be impossible with God” (Luke 1:37).

You wouldn’t give your child a task he couldn’t complete, and God doesn’t assign to you goals you can’t achieve. His goals for you are possible, certain and achievable. When God’s will for us appears impossible, let’s say with Mary: “Behold, the bondslave of the Lord; be it done to me according to your word” (Luke 1:38).

Imagine the overwhelming assignment that confronted Mary. She was to have a baby without being with a man. She was to raise the child who would save the world. The entire course of history would be altered, and the eternal destiny of believers would be changed. The fact that you are celebrating Christmas today is proof that Mary’s child Jesus was indeed the world-changing Son of God.

Despite the staggering nature of the task announced by the angel, Mary gave herself to accomplish God’s will. God is still looking for a few bondslaves who will dare to believe that nothing is impossible with God.

Lord, I yield to You as Your bondslave. I choose to believe that whatever You want me to do I can do.

Resisting the Reins of Power: the Legacy of George Washington

If you pay much attention to what goes on in Washington, D.C., you’ll observe that no one voluntarily gives up power. They cling to it the way a drowning man clings to a life preserver.

I thought about that as I considered whom to include in my book, “7 Men and the Secret of Their Greatness.” I’d always admired George Washington, but until a few years ago I had no idea that he’d done something that would make no sense to modern political leaders: He voluntarily gave up incredible power — twice. In doing so he changed the history of our fledgling nation.

After eight years of war, America had won its independence from Britain. Everyone wondered what General Washington would do next. Perhaps, as one of his officers suggested, he should become King George I of America. But Washington would have none of it. As I write in 7 Men, “His attitude toward the idea that he should grab the reins of civilian power is dramatically illustrated in an incident that reveals ... the singular greatness of George Washington.”

By war’s end, the mood of the officers of the Continental Army had turned ugly. They were angry because Congress — which was broke (by the way, some things never change) — was unlikely to honor its promise to compensate the soldiers for years of service.

In March of 1783, an anonymous letter made the rounds in Newburgh, New York, where Washington’s men were quartered. If Congress did not guarantee back pay, the letter threatened, “the army would disband,” even if the war continued. This was a serious threat, because the peace treaty would not be signed for another six months. And if the peace were signed, well then, the army would simply refuse to dissolve, a clear threat to Congress.

As I write in 7 Men, in effect the leaders of the Newburgh Conspiracy were “proposing tyranny and treason both.”

Washington got wind of the plot, and at noon on March 16 he arrived at the officers’ meeting and made directly for the podium. First, he rebuked them for their selfish plans, appealed to their honor and love of country and urged them to be patient.

But what happened next may have changed the course of history. Washington reached into his pocket and pulled out a letter from a Virginia Congressman. He began to read it aloud, appearing to stumble over the words. The general then reached into his waistcoat pocket and took out a pair of spectacles.

Washington apologized for the delay, saying, “Gentlemen, you must pardon me. I have grown gray in your service and now find myself growing blind.”

In an instant, the mood of these battle-hardened officers was utterly changed. Some of them wept openly as Washington read the letter, and then quietly left the room. The temptation to crown Washington king and wrest control from Congress had been dealt a death blow.

Washington’s refusal to seize power after defeating the most powerful empire on earth absolutely amazed King George III of England — and it still amazes us today, and it certainly should — as does his decision to voluntarily give up the presidency after eight years. These were among the greatest acts of one of history’s greatest men.

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"Power In Prayer"

James 5:15

Sermon in James series. Power in Prayer. James 5:15-18

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POWER IN PRAYER

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I. Prayer is centered in faith. 5:15

A. Prayer must come from a cleansed heart. 5:16

B. Prayer should be mutual.

II. Powerful and effective prayer must come from a righteous person. 5:16

A. It matters how you live.

B. Such prayer is powerful and effective.

C. Example: Elijah. 5:17

D. Modern Elijahs.

III. We have an effective God.

A. The power is not in the prayer itself.

B. It is not in the oil, or the person.

C. The power comes from the God who answers.

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