General stuff about me…there won’t be much in here…
Commitment like Noah
Tonight we are going to be talking about Noah. I know you all know about Noah…he built a big boat and it rained for 40 days, and after a few hundred days, they got off the boat…everyone knows that part…however, do you know Noah’s last name?
Noah’s last name is Z-A-R-K, Zark…even Sunday school kids know about Noah Zark (Noah’s Ark).
Well tonight we are going to be talking about Noah, and his vision. My wife and I recently got back from Moberly, Missouri. What is in Moberly, Missouri you might ask…Well nothing to be exact.
Well there is this one thing. There is Central Christian College of the Bible in Moberly that I got accepted to with a full tuition scholarship, so we had to go visit the college.
Before we left, we checked everything we could check, we looked a reviews and information, talked to everyone we could talk to, and then we bought our tickets. We got advice from people we believe are truly seeking God’s will.
Then we prayed that God would reveal His will to us in this situation.
We sought more Godly advice through our parents.
Then we prayed some more, all the time asking God to get rid of this opportunity if it was not his will for us.
A few weeks later, we were 99.9% convinced it was His will for me to attend this school, so we bought our plane tickets, reserved a car, and talked to the people we would be staying with.
Like I said, we were 99.9% sure that it was God’s will for us to go to Moberly, but we were leaving that .1% chance up to God at this point.
When we got to Moberly, we realized after day 2 of our 6 day trip that this was not God’s plan for us.
However, in my personal life, I learned a lesson that is so valuable to me that I would gladly pay all that money if I had to do it again.
The lesson I learned is this: When God calls, you listen.
It isn’t every day that we hear or feel God call, but when he does, you had better be ready to leave everything and follow him. Pretty simple, but lets look at my situation more.
My wife’s family is all local. My family is all local. Both of our jobs are here. My wife is still in school. We don’t have the money for this. There were discouragements along the way. Why should we go to this place?
We felt God leading us. Simple as that. We knew it was God’s will for us to go. When God calls, you listen.
In Genesis 6, God tells Noah to build this huge boat. This boat would fit almost perfectly in the Madera High stadium…it was gigantic.
God also tells Noah that he is going to destroy the entire earth and everything that has the breath of life.
You have to try to picture Noah here. He was about 500 years old, and God tells him to build a ship about half the size of the Titanic. And Noah listened.
If you have ever seen the Titanic movie, or watched a documentary on the Titanic, you’ll remember that there were approximately 3300 people onboard including crew and passengers and only enough lifeboats for about half of them…that is crazy!
However, do you know how many lifeboats Noah built? None. Why? Because when God called, Noah listened and trusted God.
For Noah, obedience meant a long-term commitment to a project. Many of us have trouble sticking to any project for more than a few weeks, whether or not it is directed by God.
Isn’t it interesting that the length of Noah’s obedience was greater than the lifespan of people today. For 120 years Noah worked at constructing the Ark. The only comparable long-term project is our very lives.
If a person wants to experience life as God intended, then he or she had better be seeking God’s vision for his or her life because it’s vision that give us purpose, it’s vision that drives us and it’s vision that enables us to live above mediocrity.
When we seek and embrace the vision that God has for our lives, it is then that we truly can find God’s will.
Super Ultra Mega Double Hold Hair Gel
So I was at the store trying buy some hair gel. One every bottle I looked at was a ridiculous claim of how well this particular gel would hold hair in place. Some were “Ultra Hold” some were “Mega Hold” and even some were “Super Ultra Hold”. Once you get away from the words, you get into the numbers. Some are 9/10 and some are 10/10, but there are a few crazy ones that are 11/10. They apparently hold better than the perfect 10/10.
In these crazy terms I don’t know which is the best so I pick one that is blue because I like the color more than the others and all the hold claims mean nothing to me anymore. When will this nonsense end?
I figure that by the next time I need hair gel, they will just start putting glue in the bottles.
You can buy glue that you put in your hair and be done with it for a few weeks.
Movie Review: Chicano!
I really enjoyed this movie. I had never realized the amount of pressure that was put onto Mexican Americans. I guess I always sort of looked at Mexican Americans and felt that they had already achieved great amounts of progress. This movie suggested that they had, but it didn’t come until many years later. I thought it was interesting when they talked about the revolts led by different Mexican Americans. I never realized that Mexican Americans were so willing to come together and stand up for what they believe in. I guess I just haven’t seen any of it really in my time. It was nice to see the amount of support that Mexican Americans had for their leaders. They were truly loyal to those who stood up and took charge. This isn’t so true in white cultures. I am really glad that I watched this movie. I didn’t know before that White Americans had treated Mexican Americans so cruelly. I guess I always thought that there was a certain amount of a feeling of racial equality. I guess this has not always been so true in the past. I have much more respect for the Mexican Culture after watching the film. I guess I had always had a certain amount of respect for them, but after watching and realizing the amount of persecution that they endured, it truly made me respect their position today. They have come a long way in the last few years and it is truly a wonderful accomplishment for any group outside of the white race to achieve the social mobility that they have. I really like how in the beginning of the movie the narrator discussed how the term Chicano had been made to sound like a bad thing. It meant poor, or lower class. So the Mexican Americans decided to turn a negative word into a word that they could have pride in. I truly admire that because if they had just kept being asked to not be called Chicano any longer it is likely that they would have not achieved it. But instead they just decided that if people were going to call them that anyway then they should make the best of it. They did a great job because now when someone hears the term Chicano they no longer think of a poor, lower-class Mexican, they think of someone who chooses to stand up for what they believe in. I was quiet interested to hear about the amount of persecution that came from the police as they tried to break up speeches and marches. These police officers used severe violence. A peaceful demonstration would turn into a bloody massacre. Police officers began beating people, even young children and women. I couldn’t hardly believe my ears when I heard it because I never knew that there was so much opposition to Mexican American marches. This movie really opened my eyes to the reality that the Mexican Americans had to endure much persecution.
Are you influenced or influential?
Are you influenced or influential?
Can you think of people who have influenced you? Most people can. Maybe it was a boss, a parent, a coworker, a pastor, or a relative. Whoever it was, this person had an influence on who you are today.
Chang Shen had someone who was influential in his life as well. (story from Jesus Freaks Volume II page 77)
You see, no matter what part of the world you live in, there are people who are influential. These people are often born influential, they are the sports teams captains, the leaders, the first place finishers, CEO’s, presidents, managers. These people lead an influential life.
Then there are other people who are influential because they want to be. These people choose to be influential because Christ has called them to, just like he has called each one of us as well.
James Webster, the missionary that baptized Change Shen wanted to be influential. He made a choice to serve those less fortunate with medical care, but most of all, with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
He knew he could restore sight to a blind man, but only Jesus Christ could restore life to a lost soul.
Let me read a short story out of Matthew 16:13-16
When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”
They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
“But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”
Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
We have Simon Peter…an influential person who knew Jesus personally and was willing to say so.
Jesus’ disciple Peter made a stand right here for Jesus Christ. He became an influence to those around him.
Turn with me to 1 Peter. The two books that Peter writes are very much like a sermon and in fact some people believe that Peter could have been preaching as these books were being written.
Do you see in verse 1 who this is addressed to?
To God’s elect, strangers in the world, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia
This region was just north of the Mediterranean Sea and spanned roughly 1500 sq. miles. More than anyone could possibly traverse on foot on a regular basis.
You see Peter wasn’t an influence because he was standing in front of these people.
He became an influence because he was respected for what he taught and because he stood up for what he believed even though he was under persecution in Acts (chapter 4 and others).
Peter also felt the pain of crumbling under persecution. You can read about that in Matthew 26 where Peter disowns Jesus 3 times then the rooster crows.
What was happening to Peter wasn’t much different from what happens around the world today.
Read story from Jesus Freaks II about Faninus on page 142.
Turn with me to 1 Peter 3:14-15.
Peter tells us that if we should suffer for doing what is right we are blessed.
We all want to be blessed…We want to be blessed in many different ways, but usually we don’t pray for suffering, we don’t pray that God would have us beaten and imprisoned.
How many people do you know who have been beaten because they were Christian? How many of your friends have been murdered because they wouldn’t turn away from Christ?
How many of us can name a couple modern day martyr’s?
That is what we think of when we think of persecution. We think of someone being martyred. However, turn with me to 1 Peter 4:12-19…this is where we live.
1Pe 4:12 Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you.
1Pe 4:13 But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.
1Pe 4:14 If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.
1Pe 4:15 If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler.
1Pe 4:16 However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name.
This is the kind of suffering we see today. In America people are more often ridiculed than burned at the stake. We are made fun of instead of hung from the gallows.
Rom 5:3 … but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance;
Perseverance is not giving up in spite of opposition.
To become an influential person and make a difference in the life of those around you, you need to develop these qualities in your life.
1. Perseverance – James 1:2-4
James 1:2-4
Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
2. Two strong legs – Galations 5:1
Galations 5:1 It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.
This slavery is a figurative slavery. To become an influential person we need not be held down by anything. We need to rid our lives of sin that so often holds onto us.
If we are going to influential rather than influenced, and if we want to influence people around us for the gospel that Christ has called us to preach, we need to persevere in the good fight. Standing firm for what is right, and standing firm against what is wrong.
Let me read to you a quote (Jesus Freaks Volume II – Stories of Revolutionaries who changed their world: Fearing God, Not Man pg 58)
Some people influence us with their lives, and others influence us with their deaths. Most of us know who Jim Elliot is. He was speared to death by headhunters in Ecuador while serving the people as a missionary.
Jim Elliot influenced more people with his death than he did during his life. Millions of people have read his journals that were made into a book.
Many more people were reached after he died, than during his ministry while he was alive.
It is a fact that most of us will not see death because of persecution. Therefore, our time to influence people is with our lives.
We do that by showing people around us the love that Christ has first show us.
Let me leave you with 1 Peter 2:12
1Pe 2:12 Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.
If these people are going to be glorifying God of the day he comes, they have to know Him and have a personal relationship with him.
If you have never asked Jesus Christ to be the Lord and Savior of your life, do it right now. Nobody can tell you what will happen to you as you leave this place. If you are waiting until “later�? or until you are a “good person�? that time will never come. Today is the day you need to make a commitment to Jesus Christ!
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