There’s a lot of talk about faith in the Bible. Abraham is used as a model of having faith. God asked Abraham to leave his home in Haran in modern day Iraq. God promised to make Abraham a father of many nations if Abraham would go where God sent him. Are we willing to go where God sends us, today?
Genesis 12:1-4 (NRSV) tells us: “Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curse you I will curse; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
It is hard to leave your home and your family. It is harder still to go to a new place where we don’t even know the name of the town or the country. God didn’t give Abraham any details except the fact that he would become father of a great nation. It was hard to believe because Abraham was close to hundred years old. They were an old couple who had never been able to have children.
In Romans 4:13-17 (NIV) the scripture says “It was not through law that Abraham and his offspring received the promise that he would be heir of the world, but through the righteousness that comes by faith. 14For if those who live by law are heirs, faith has no value and the promise is worthless, 15because law brings wrath. And where there is no law there is no transgression.”
“16Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham's offspring—not only to those who are of the law but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all. 17As it is written: "I have made you a father of many nations." He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed—the God who gives life to the dead and calls things that are not as though they were.”
These verses tell us that Abraham believed in God. He also knew that God if life. He knows that God gives life even to the dead. Life to the dead is called resurrection. We are preparing to celebrate the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ at Easter. Calling things that are not as though they were is essential part of having faith. It is seeing with the eyes of God instead of seeing with human eyes.
I’ve been preaching about thanking God in advance before God answers our prayers. Abraham and Sarah prayed to God for children. There’s power in believing that God can answer our prayers. There’s even more power in having total faith in God. Total faith in God is liberating. Total faith in God frees us from our fear and doubt. Fear and doubt are the enemy of faith.
Let’s continue with Romans 4:18-21 (NIV) “Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, "So shall your offspring be." 19Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead—since he was about a hundred years old—and that Sarah's womb was also dead. 20Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, 21being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised.
One of the best thoughts is in verse Romans 4:18 “Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed.” We have faith when we believe the impossible is likely. What does “Against all hope” mean? To hope is to wish for something. “Against all hope” is not being able to wish that something will happen. There’s just no hope that something will happen when it’s against all hope. The scripture says that Abraham still believed. We must be willing to still believe even when everyone around us says that it is not possible.
There are so many logical reasons why things can’t happen. For Abraham, he belonged in a nursing home for old couples. Abraham and Sarah were not newlyweds expecting their first child. They were very old. God told them that they would have children. It was against all hope that after over eighty years of trying to have children that the old couple could have kids now. They wished for kids, but any medical doctor would’ve told them that it was impossible.
All of Sarah’s friends who had children and grandchildren would’ve told her that she was unable to bear children. Sarah’s friends meant well, but they did not have any hope for Sarah. The promise comes by faith and faith comes by grace. Grace comes by the gift of Jesus Christ into our lives. Grace is God’s favor in our lives. Favor allows us to do things that logically should not happen.
What is favor as defined by Wal-Mart? Favor in Wal-Mart is a cashier seeing you waiting in a long line and she opens up a new line just so you can enter it. As she is scanning the items, she notices that one item doesn’t ring up the sale price and automatically credits you for the sale price.
We found favor on my return trip from Ghana last November. We did early check-in the day before, but we arrived at the airport when the officials said that the airplane was full. A man came up to us and told us that he was looking for us. He told us to come with him. He checked our bags and rushed us through security. There was no logical reason for us to make the flight back home, but somehow we were welcomed onto the plane.
Another example of grace would be getting caught for speeding through the Franklin Heights neighborhood. The police officer asks for your driver’s license and registration. The police officer asks “Did you know that you were going 56 miles per hour in the 35 mile per hour zone?” You realize that you’ve been caught going a little too fast one time too many. Thoughts of a big speeding ticket and perhaps driving school start to float through your head.
The police officer says that your ticket has already been paid in full. He also tells you that the speeding ticket will not go on your record. You ask the police officer who paid your speeding ticket. He tells you that Jesus Christ paid in full over two thousand years ago so that your speeding ticket today would be paid in full. It is at that moment that you realize that you deserved that speeding ticket and to be honest several others going through the speed trap in Boones Mill. At that moment, when your own driving record is wiped clean, you’ve realized that you’ve just experienced the definition of grace. Grace is getting what you don’t deserve. Grace is the power of God in our lives. Grace is represented in the scripture: “I can do all things through Jesus Christ who strengthens me.”
Hebrews 11:8-10 (NIV) says: 8By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. 9By faith he made his home in the Promised Land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. 10For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.
This world should be treated like a foreign land. Our real home should in heaven. We should live “in tents” on this earth as well. We will receive our inheritance if we obey God and go where we don’t know where we are going.
Hebrews 11:11-16 continues “11By faith Abraham, even though he was past age—and Sarah herself was barren—was enabled to become a father because he considered him faithful who had made the promise. 12And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.”
“13All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. 14People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. 15If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. 16Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.”
Hebrews 11:10 is describing that God is promising a Promised Land and city with foundations whose architect and builder is God. That city is in Heaven. Abraham was never quite comfortable in the Promised Land because he was waiting the promise of Heaven. The heirs of the same promise allude to the ultimate gift of eternal life.
There are a lot of definitions of being faithful. One is calling things that are not as though they were. Hebrews 11:1 defines faith this way: Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.
Abraham was hopeful for a new home and children. He couldn’t see pictures of the land that God promised him and he couldn’t see his future children. Abraham was certain that if he followed the path that God laid out for him that he would reach his future home and even his wife, Sarah, would have children, even though Sarah was very old.
Abraham did not live long enough to see his descendents become as plentiful as the stars in the sky. Abraham did not see all of the ways that God would bless his descendants. Abraham still had faith even though he did not see all of the promises. In addition, God will not reveal to us every answer to our prayers. Just because we do not see God working in our lives we can’t lose faith.
God has already answered our prayers. We just have to have the faith to see the unseen before it is seen. Let’s start out today on a path to a place we do not know. If someone asks us where we are going, tell them that God is our God and we are God’s people. God will lead us on our journey. We have the faith to believe that God will be with us on our faith journey that starts the moment that we walk out the church doors today. Amen!
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Keeping Promises
We have a lot to celebrate today. Jesus came into this world to build a bridge between people and God. Jesus is the link that connects us as humans to God.
God also made a covenant with Noah. It is appropriate that it is raining as I write this sermon. A covenant is a promise or a contract between two parties. God made a covenant with Noah after the great flood that he would never use water again to destroy the evil in the world. The sign of that covenant is a rainbow. God and his people are reminded of that covenant every time that we see a colorful rainbow.
The story of God’s covenant with Noah is told in Genesis 9:8-17 (NIV). It says: Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him: "I now establish my covenant with you and with your descendants after you and with every living creature that was with you -- the birds, the livestock and all the wild animals, all those that came out of the ark with you -- every living creature on earth. I establish my covenant with you: Never again will all life be cut off by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth." And God said, "This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life. Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth."
Over many generations, people moved away from God and toward sin and things of this world. God called Noah into action. Noah was faithful to God’s call. Noah built the ark. The ark saved eight people in all, through water, and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves us. Baptism does not remove dirt from our body but the pledge of a right relationship with God. God saved Noah and his family from the great flood. Noah started over with his family and the animals from the ark. They were thankful for God’s protection, but people forgot about God and lost their ties to God over the generations again.
The next time, God choose to send his only begotten son so that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. Jesus came into this world not to condemn but to redeem this world. Jesus built a bridge between us and God. Jesus is the link that connects us to God.
In Mark 1:1-8, is says: The beginning of the gospel about Jesus Christ, the Son of God. It is written in Isaiah the prophet: "I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way-- "a voice of one calling in the desert, 'Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.' "And so John came, baptizing in the desert region and preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River. John wore clothing made of camel's hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. And this was his message: "After me will come one more powerful than I, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit."
John the Baptist preached a message of repentance. Many people came to him to be baptized with water. Now, water was being used to cleanse the sins. Baptism wasn’t used to wash away dirt and grime, the baptism of water was used to wash away sin and evil in their lives. John the Baptist also prepared the way for Jesus Christ in our lives.
Jesus asked John the Baptist to baptize him. At first, John the Baptist thought it should be Jesus baptizing John the Baptist. Jesus was setting the example for us. The picture right after Jesus is baptized is so clear to me in my mind’s eye. I see the sky opening up. I see the Holy Spirit descending upon Jesus. The Holy Spirit looks like a white dove. The picture has sprays of water coming off of Jesus as Jesus comes up out of the water. John the Baptist is still holding onto the shoulder of Jesus. Out of sight, we hear a booming voice. The voice belongs to God. God tells Jesus and the whole world that Jesus is his son. God tells us that he loves Jesus. God is well pleased with Jesus.
Let’s read the scripture in Mark 1:9-11, At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan River. As Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. And a voice came from heaven saying: "You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased."
The scene of Jesus being baptized shows the father, the son, and the Holy Spirit. They are the trinity. How many times is trinity mentioned in the Bible? The word “trinity” does not appear in the Bible.
The father is represented by God’s voice speaking from the heavens with power and might. The son is represented by Jesus in human form being baptized. The Holy Spirit is seen descending and landing upon Jesus. The Holy Spirit is the power of God within each one of us. We say that we believe in the father, son, and Holy Ghost in the Apostle’s Creed. John the Baptist was able to touch and feel Jesus as he baptized him. Jesus is God in human form. The Holy Spirit is God in a spiritual form which can be with everyone who calls upon the power of God. God the father is the God who we think about in the Old Testament.
The baptism of Jesus is one of the few places in the Bible where the father, the son, and the Holy Spirit are in one scripture at the same time. The idea of one God in three persons is difficult to understand. That is why I like to be able to visualize the baptism of Jesus so that I can understand what is happening.
Baptism is a transforming event in our lives. Our physical body dies and a spiritual body comes alive. The best teacher about baptism is Jesus. A mighty teacher came to Jesus to understand how baptism impacts our eternal lives. We’ll move onto John 3 right now.
John 3:1-3 says “Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council. 2He came to Jesus at night and said, "Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him."
3In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again." ”
4"How can a man be born when he is old?" Nicodemus asked. "Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb to be born!"
5Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. 6Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. 7You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You must be born again.' 8The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit."
9"How can this be?" Nicodemus asked. 10"You are Israel's teacher," said Jesus, "and do you not understand these things? 11I tell you the truth, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. 12I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? 13No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man. 14Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.
16"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son. 19This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. 21But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God."
Jesus is a great teacher. He taught us by example in Mark 1 when he was baptized to show us the way. He also taught us by explaining how to be born again. Jesus told us: "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You must be born again.' Let’s renew our relationship with Jesus Christ as we celebrate communion today.
God also made a covenant with Noah. It is appropriate that it is raining as I write this sermon. A covenant is a promise or a contract between two parties. God made a covenant with Noah after the great flood that he would never use water again to destroy the evil in the world. The sign of that covenant is a rainbow. God and his people are reminded of that covenant every time that we see a colorful rainbow.
The story of God’s covenant with Noah is told in Genesis 9:8-17 (NIV). It says: Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him: "I now establish my covenant with you and with your descendants after you and with every living creature that was with you -- the birds, the livestock and all the wild animals, all those that came out of the ark with you -- every living creature on earth. I establish my covenant with you: Never again will all life be cut off by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth." And God said, "This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life. Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth."
Over many generations, people moved away from God and toward sin and things of this world. God called Noah into action. Noah was faithful to God’s call. Noah built the ark. The ark saved eight people in all, through water, and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves us. Baptism does not remove dirt from our body but the pledge of a right relationship with God. God saved Noah and his family from the great flood. Noah started over with his family and the animals from the ark. They were thankful for God’s protection, but people forgot about God and lost their ties to God over the generations again.
The next time, God choose to send his only begotten son so that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. Jesus came into this world not to condemn but to redeem this world. Jesus built a bridge between us and God. Jesus is the link that connects us to God.
In Mark 1:1-8, is says: The beginning of the gospel about Jesus Christ, the Son of God. It is written in Isaiah the prophet: "I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way-- "a voice of one calling in the desert, 'Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.' "And so John came, baptizing in the desert region and preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River. John wore clothing made of camel's hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. And this was his message: "After me will come one more powerful than I, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit."
John the Baptist preached a message of repentance. Many people came to him to be baptized with water. Now, water was being used to cleanse the sins. Baptism wasn’t used to wash away dirt and grime, the baptism of water was used to wash away sin and evil in their lives. John the Baptist also prepared the way for Jesus Christ in our lives.
Jesus asked John the Baptist to baptize him. At first, John the Baptist thought it should be Jesus baptizing John the Baptist. Jesus was setting the example for us. The picture right after Jesus is baptized is so clear to me in my mind’s eye. I see the sky opening up. I see the Holy Spirit descending upon Jesus. The Holy Spirit looks like a white dove. The picture has sprays of water coming off of Jesus as Jesus comes up out of the water. John the Baptist is still holding onto the shoulder of Jesus. Out of sight, we hear a booming voice. The voice belongs to God. God tells Jesus and the whole world that Jesus is his son. God tells us that he loves Jesus. God is well pleased with Jesus.
Let’s read the scripture in Mark 1:9-11, At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan River. As Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. And a voice came from heaven saying: "You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased."
The scene of Jesus being baptized shows the father, the son, and the Holy Spirit. They are the trinity. How many times is trinity mentioned in the Bible? The word “trinity” does not appear in the Bible.
The father is represented by God’s voice speaking from the heavens with power and might. The son is represented by Jesus in human form being baptized. The Holy Spirit is seen descending and landing upon Jesus. The Holy Spirit is the power of God within each one of us. We say that we believe in the father, son, and Holy Ghost in the Apostle’s Creed. John the Baptist was able to touch and feel Jesus as he baptized him. Jesus is God in human form. The Holy Spirit is God in a spiritual form which can be with everyone who calls upon the power of God. God the father is the God who we think about in the Old Testament.
The baptism of Jesus is one of the few places in the Bible where the father, the son, and the Holy Spirit are in one scripture at the same time. The idea of one God in three persons is difficult to understand. That is why I like to be able to visualize the baptism of Jesus so that I can understand what is happening.
Baptism is a transforming event in our lives. Our physical body dies and a spiritual body comes alive. The best teacher about baptism is Jesus. A mighty teacher came to Jesus to understand how baptism impacts our eternal lives. We’ll move onto John 3 right now.
John 3:1-3 says “Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council. 2He came to Jesus at night and said, "Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him."
3In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again." ”
4"How can a man be born when he is old?" Nicodemus asked. "Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb to be born!"
5Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. 6Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. 7You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You must be born again.' 8The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit."
9"How can this be?" Nicodemus asked. 10"You are Israel's teacher," said Jesus, "and do you not understand these things? 11I tell you the truth, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. 12I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? 13No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man. 14Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.
16"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son. 19This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. 21But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God."
Jesus is a great teacher. He taught us by example in Mark 1 when he was baptized to show us the way. He also taught us by explaining how to be born again. Jesus told us: "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You must be born again.' Let’s renew our relationship with Jesus Christ as we celebrate communion today.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Elisha in a Whirlwind
There’s a hope when our time is up on this world that we know that we’ve been good and faithful servants to the Lord. At some time in our lives we have to choose God or the false gods of this world. We may have to be faithful even when everyone around us has lost their faith in God.
There’s many false gods that we follow today such as money, prestige, pride, hate and even political correctness that makes us afraid to admit that we are God’s people. I heard a woman on the radio who firmly believed that there was no god. She stated that she was too smart to be fooled into believing the theory of a god. She is a scientist with too much knowledge to even start with the theory that a god is possible.
I was saddened to hear her talk and to realize that for her there is no god. She will not reach out for the love of Jesus Christ. She will not feel the power of the Holy Spirit, because she is not willing to have the faith of a mustard seed. For this woman, her mind or self pride are her false gods.
Baal is the name of a false god mentioned in the Old Testament. Baal was the god of people of Palestine. Baal was also worshipped by many Jews during the life of the prophet Elijah. Elijah is an amazing prophet in the Old Testament. He performed many miracles. I love the story when Elijah went he went up alone against the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal. He challenged those who worshiped Baal with a burnt offering on a stone altar as the way to demonstrate the power of God versus Baal.
In 1 Kings 18 (NKJV), Elijah asked the people “How long will you falter between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.” But the people answered him not a word. Then Elijah said to the people, I alone am left a prophet of the Lord; but Baal’s prophets are four hundred and fifty men. Therefore let them give us two bulls; and let them choose one bull for themselves, cut it into pieces, and lay it on the wood, but put no fire under it; and I will prepare the other bull, and lay it on the wood, but no fire under it. Then you call on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the Lord; and the God who answers by fire, He is God.”
Elijah had them soak the wood and the burnt offering that were placed on the altar. Elijah called on God. God answered Elijah. The “fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood and the stones and the dust, and it licked up the water that was in the trench. Now when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces and they said “The Lord, He is God! The Lord, He is God!
Elijah served God when it wasn’t easy to be a prophet. He was tested in so many ways. The hardest way is when most of your friends, family, and neighbors don’t believe in God anymore. The test for Elijah was whether he would remain true to God even if he was the last person who still believed and had faith in God. Would we be willing to claim our belief in public if we were the last person who believed in God? Would we follow the false gods because “everyone else is doing it?”
I also love Elijah because has was a great prophet, but he was also human. He faced all of the false prophets who were worshiping Baal. Later, he ran from Jezebel when she threatened to kill him. Jezebel was a queen of the Jews, but she worshiped the false gods. Elijah ran into a cave and hid. Elijah knew that God was behind him, but he choose to run instead of stand and fight. There are times in our lives that we don’t stand firm for God just like Elijah did it this case. There’s hope for us that one day we will be able to be faithful and strong again.
Elijah raised a child from the dead. There’s a story about oil and flour not running out for a widow and her family. Elijah also has a strong relationship with his disciple, Elisha. If you have a problem keeping these two prophets apart, remember Elijah has a “J” and Elisha has a “S”. “J” comes before “S” in the alphabet. Elijah was the mentor and teacher for Elisha.
Now, we come to the end of the story for Elijah. The scripture from 2 Kings 2:1 reads: When the LORD was about to take Elijah up to heaven in a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal.
Gilgal is on the Jordan River at the exact spot with the tribes of Israel crossed over the Jordan into the promised land of milk and honey. As soon as the priests carrying the Ark of the Covenant stepped into the Jordan River at that spot, the river parted so that the people of Israel could walk in the Jordan River without getting wet. God had one man from each tribe carry a rock from the river bottom and stack the rocks near Gilgal where the tribes of Israel camped after crossing the river. God had them do this so that they would never forget God. Elijah and Elisha were remembering Joshua’s story of God delivering the twelve tribes of Israel into the Promised Land. Gilgal was also on the outskirts of Jericho.
Elijah went to key places to remember God’s work on earth. His next stop was a town called Bethel where many priests lived. It was also a place where Abraham built an altar after God made his promise in Genesis 12:7 “To your descendants I will give this land. And there Abraham built an altar to the Lord; who had appeared to him.” In just a few sentences, Elijah is remembering God’s promise to Abraham and God’s deliverance of the people by parting the Red Sea when the Israelites left Egypt. Elijah is also remembering God’s faithfulness to his people when they crossed the Jordan River.
In 2 Kings 2:2-5 Elijah said to Elisha, "Stay here; the LORD has sent me to Bethel." But Elisha said, "As surely as the LORD lives and as you live, I will not leave you." So they went down to Bethel. 3 The company of the prophets at Bethel came out to Elisha and asked, "Do you know that the LORD is going to take your master from you today?" "Yes, I know," Elisha replied, "but do not speak of it." Then Elijah said to him, "Stay here, Elisha; the LORD has sent me to Jericho." And he replied, "As surely as the LORD lives and as you live, I will not leave you." So they went to Jericho. The company of the prophets at Jericho went up to Elisha and asked him, "Do you know that the LORD is going to take your master from you today? Yes, I know," he replied, "but do not speak of it."
Elisha told Elijah that he would stay by Elijah’s side until the time that Elijah was taken up into heaven by God. Jericho is the town where the priests carrying the Ark of the Covenant and the Jewish people walked around Jericho for seven days and the walls of the city fell. God delivered the town of Jericho to the tribes of Israel. The story is told in the book of Joshua. Elijah’s story is telling the history of God’s love for his people just by where they go on this last day.
Now, Elijah is reenacting Moses parting of the Red Sea and the parting of the Jordan River for the twelve tribes of Israel. The difference is that Elijah is using a rolled up cloak while Moses stretched out his hand “and the Lord caused the Red Sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night and made the sea into dry land and the waters were divided” (Exodus 14:21). Many times in the Bible the current story is woven into God’s promises and God’s covenant with his people.
In 2 Kings 2:6-10 the scripture continues Then Elijah said to him, "Stay here; the LORD has sent me to the Jordan." And he replied, "As surely as the LORD lives and as you live, I will not leave you." The two of them walked on. Fifty men of the company of the prophets went and stood at a distance, facing the place where Elijah and Elisha had stopped at the Jordan. 8 Elijah took his cloak, rolled it up and struck the water with it. The water divided to the right and to the left, and the two of them crossed over on dry ground. When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, "Tell me, what can I do for you before I am taken from you?" "Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit," Elisha replied. "You have asked a difficult thing," Elijah said, "yet if you see me when I am taken from you, it will be yours—otherwise not."
Elisha asked for a double portion of Elijah’s spirit. Elisha is actually asking for his inheritance. A father usually gave a double portion of the inheritance to the first born son. Elisha is claiming that Elijah is his father. Elijah explains that God gives the gift of the Holy Spirit. Elijah can’t give a double portion of the Holy Spirit. Elijah tells Elisha to watch for a sign. The sign is if God allows Elisha to see Elijah taken up to heaven then Elisha will receive a double portion of the Holy Spirit.
The 2 Kings 2:11-15 scripture continues: As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind. Elisha saw this and cried out, "My father! My father! The chariots and horsemen of Israel!" And Elisha saw him no more. Then he took hold of his own clothes and tore them apart. He also took the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him, and struck the water, the water was divided this way and that; and Elisha crossed over. Now when the sons of the prophets who were from Jericho saw him, they said, “The spirit of Elijah rests on Elisha.” And they came to meet him, and bowed to the ground before him.
There are only two men who were taken up to Heaven without dying. The first was Enoch and the second was Elijah. Enoch’s story is told very briefly in Genesis 5:24 (NIV) “Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him away.” Hebrews 11:5 NIV tells “By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death; he could not be found, because God had taken him away. For before he was taken, Enoch was commended as one who pleased God.”
Elijah and Enoch both were praised for their faith. Both also pleased God because they were true to God. Elijah had faith in God when everyone around him did not. Elijah had faith even with his King and Queen worshiped other gods. It is easy to have faith when everyone around us is faithful. It is hard to have faith in God when we are alone. Elijah is our role model to have faith in God even when everyone around us has lost faith in God. This story of Elijah also helps us remember God’s promise to Abraham, God’s deliverance of His people out of Egypt, and the parting of the Jordan River so that the Israelites could finally enter into the Promised Land.
Let’s us go out today to be inspired to keep our faith in God and follow in the path of Elijah and Enoch.
There’s many false gods that we follow today such as money, prestige, pride, hate and even political correctness that makes us afraid to admit that we are God’s people. I heard a woman on the radio who firmly believed that there was no god. She stated that she was too smart to be fooled into believing the theory of a god. She is a scientist with too much knowledge to even start with the theory that a god is possible.
I was saddened to hear her talk and to realize that for her there is no god. She will not reach out for the love of Jesus Christ. She will not feel the power of the Holy Spirit, because she is not willing to have the faith of a mustard seed. For this woman, her mind or self pride are her false gods.
Baal is the name of a false god mentioned in the Old Testament. Baal was the god of people of Palestine. Baal was also worshipped by many Jews during the life of the prophet Elijah. Elijah is an amazing prophet in the Old Testament. He performed many miracles. I love the story when Elijah went he went up alone against the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal. He challenged those who worshiped Baal with a burnt offering on a stone altar as the way to demonstrate the power of God versus Baal.
In 1 Kings 18 (NKJV), Elijah asked the people “How long will you falter between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.” But the people answered him not a word. Then Elijah said to the people, I alone am left a prophet of the Lord; but Baal’s prophets are four hundred and fifty men. Therefore let them give us two bulls; and let them choose one bull for themselves, cut it into pieces, and lay it on the wood, but put no fire under it; and I will prepare the other bull, and lay it on the wood, but no fire under it. Then you call on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the Lord; and the God who answers by fire, He is God.”
Elijah had them soak the wood and the burnt offering that were placed on the altar. Elijah called on God. God answered Elijah. The “fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood and the stones and the dust, and it licked up the water that was in the trench. Now when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces and they said “The Lord, He is God! The Lord, He is God!
Elijah served God when it wasn’t easy to be a prophet. He was tested in so many ways. The hardest way is when most of your friends, family, and neighbors don’t believe in God anymore. The test for Elijah was whether he would remain true to God even if he was the last person who still believed and had faith in God. Would we be willing to claim our belief in public if we were the last person who believed in God? Would we follow the false gods because “everyone else is doing it?”
I also love Elijah because has was a great prophet, but he was also human. He faced all of the false prophets who were worshiping Baal. Later, he ran from Jezebel when she threatened to kill him. Jezebel was a queen of the Jews, but she worshiped the false gods. Elijah ran into a cave and hid. Elijah knew that God was behind him, but he choose to run instead of stand and fight. There are times in our lives that we don’t stand firm for God just like Elijah did it this case. There’s hope for us that one day we will be able to be faithful and strong again.
Elijah raised a child from the dead. There’s a story about oil and flour not running out for a widow and her family. Elijah also has a strong relationship with his disciple, Elisha. If you have a problem keeping these two prophets apart, remember Elijah has a “J” and Elisha has a “S”. “J” comes before “S” in the alphabet. Elijah was the mentor and teacher for Elisha.
Now, we come to the end of the story for Elijah. The scripture from 2 Kings 2:1 reads: When the LORD was about to take Elijah up to heaven in a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal.
Gilgal is on the Jordan River at the exact spot with the tribes of Israel crossed over the Jordan into the promised land of milk and honey. As soon as the priests carrying the Ark of the Covenant stepped into the Jordan River at that spot, the river parted so that the people of Israel could walk in the Jordan River without getting wet. God had one man from each tribe carry a rock from the river bottom and stack the rocks near Gilgal where the tribes of Israel camped after crossing the river. God had them do this so that they would never forget God. Elijah and Elisha were remembering Joshua’s story of God delivering the twelve tribes of Israel into the Promised Land. Gilgal was also on the outskirts of Jericho.
Elijah went to key places to remember God’s work on earth. His next stop was a town called Bethel where many priests lived. It was also a place where Abraham built an altar after God made his promise in Genesis 12:7 “To your descendants I will give this land. And there Abraham built an altar to the Lord; who had appeared to him.” In just a few sentences, Elijah is remembering God’s promise to Abraham and God’s deliverance of the people by parting the Red Sea when the Israelites left Egypt. Elijah is also remembering God’s faithfulness to his people when they crossed the Jordan River.
In 2 Kings 2:2-5 Elijah said to Elisha, "Stay here; the LORD has sent me to Bethel." But Elisha said, "As surely as the LORD lives and as you live, I will not leave you." So they went down to Bethel. 3 The company of the prophets at Bethel came out to Elisha and asked, "Do you know that the LORD is going to take your master from you today?" "Yes, I know," Elisha replied, "but do not speak of it." Then Elijah said to him, "Stay here, Elisha; the LORD has sent me to Jericho." And he replied, "As surely as the LORD lives and as you live, I will not leave you." So they went to Jericho. The company of the prophets at Jericho went up to Elisha and asked him, "Do you know that the LORD is going to take your master from you today? Yes, I know," he replied, "but do not speak of it."
Elisha told Elijah that he would stay by Elijah’s side until the time that Elijah was taken up into heaven by God. Jericho is the town where the priests carrying the Ark of the Covenant and the Jewish people walked around Jericho for seven days and the walls of the city fell. God delivered the town of Jericho to the tribes of Israel. The story is told in the book of Joshua. Elijah’s story is telling the history of God’s love for his people just by where they go on this last day.
Now, Elijah is reenacting Moses parting of the Red Sea and the parting of the Jordan River for the twelve tribes of Israel. The difference is that Elijah is using a rolled up cloak while Moses stretched out his hand “and the Lord caused the Red Sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night and made the sea into dry land and the waters were divided” (Exodus 14:21). Many times in the Bible the current story is woven into God’s promises and God’s covenant with his people.
In 2 Kings 2:6-10 the scripture continues Then Elijah said to him, "Stay here; the LORD has sent me to the Jordan." And he replied, "As surely as the LORD lives and as you live, I will not leave you." The two of them walked on. Fifty men of the company of the prophets went and stood at a distance, facing the place where Elijah and Elisha had stopped at the Jordan. 8 Elijah took his cloak, rolled it up and struck the water with it. The water divided to the right and to the left, and the two of them crossed over on dry ground. When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, "Tell me, what can I do for you before I am taken from you?" "Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit," Elisha replied. "You have asked a difficult thing," Elijah said, "yet if you see me when I am taken from you, it will be yours—otherwise not."
Elisha asked for a double portion of Elijah’s spirit. Elisha is actually asking for his inheritance. A father usually gave a double portion of the inheritance to the first born son. Elisha is claiming that Elijah is his father. Elijah explains that God gives the gift of the Holy Spirit. Elijah can’t give a double portion of the Holy Spirit. Elijah tells Elisha to watch for a sign. The sign is if God allows Elisha to see Elijah taken up to heaven then Elisha will receive a double portion of the Holy Spirit.
The 2 Kings 2:11-15 scripture continues: As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind. Elisha saw this and cried out, "My father! My father! The chariots and horsemen of Israel!" And Elisha saw him no more. Then he took hold of his own clothes and tore them apart. He also took the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him, and struck the water, the water was divided this way and that; and Elisha crossed over. Now when the sons of the prophets who were from Jericho saw him, they said, “The spirit of Elijah rests on Elisha.” And they came to meet him, and bowed to the ground before him.
There are only two men who were taken up to Heaven without dying. The first was Enoch and the second was Elijah. Enoch’s story is told very briefly in Genesis 5:24 (NIV) “Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him away.” Hebrews 11:5 NIV tells “By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death; he could not be found, because God had taken him away. For before he was taken, Enoch was commended as one who pleased God.”
Elijah and Enoch both were praised for their faith. Both also pleased God because they were true to God. Elijah had faith in God when everyone around him did not. Elijah had faith even with his King and Queen worshiped other gods. It is easy to have faith when everyone around us is faithful. It is hard to have faith in God when we are alone. Elijah is our role model to have faith in God even when everyone around us has lost faith in God. This story of Elijah also helps us remember God’s promise to Abraham, God’s deliverance of His people out of Egypt, and the parting of the Jordan River so that the Israelites could finally enter into the Promised Land.
Let’s us go out today to be inspired to keep our faith in God and follow in the path of Elijah and Enoch.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Visions of Ghana
I remember looking down from the airplane on my first trip to Ghana. I saw small shacks crammed together in many sections of each city. I saw a lot of homes that were unfinished. The construction is usually concrete block and a tin roof if you’ve got the money. Otherwise, the construction is usually discarded plywood, cardboard, newspaper, and anything else that can be put together.
The first thing I noticed going into a third world country is the rush of people as we left the airport doors. The next sensation is the smell from cooking fires and open sewers. The poverty that is everywhere is overwhelming. Women and children are selling toilet paper, peanuts, maps, and almost anything else imaginable on the side of the road.
I’ve seen the daily wage for a skilled laborer increase from $1 a day in 2003 to $3 a day in 2005. Now, the wages are close to $7 to $9 a day. This sounds like a great improvement until you realize that the cost of food and gas is same as here in the USA. It’s at that point that it is a wonder how it is possible to feed a family. The per capita income is around $600 per year. The goal is to reach $1,000 per year by 2010. College tuition is about $5,000 per year for your best universities in the major cities with in Ghana. It costs about $50 per year to pay for one year of high school.
Ghana has several benefits to help people survive the poverty. Ghana has a tight family structure which helps people through many hardships. The tribes of Ghana are the social fabric that ties the families together. Most of all, people have to rely on God when there’s no other answer to how to survive.
I have a theory based on the countries described in the Old Testament. The countries put all of their hope in God when there was no other place to go to get help. As the country prospered, the people were faithful and worshiped God. They put all of their hope and trust in God. Amazing things would happen. The people gave all of the credit and glory to God. The impossible became possible. The unseen became visible. The people prospered.
At some point in the life of the nation, the people forgot about God and his blessings. The people became prideful. The faithful generations are replaced with a generation who does not know God. They believed that their prosperity was the result of their abilities and their strength. The people forgot that God provided for their every need. In fact, their abilities and their strength were from God.
Today, the capital city of Accra appears affluent compared to the rest of the country of Ghana. Accra has a few modern highways and a lot of cars. The construction is getting better and stronger. Ghana is still a cash based society. The currency is the Cedi. The cedi used to be valued 10,000 Cedis to $1.00. They divided the currency by 10,000 last year which really helped. It used to require a shopping bag to carry money to buy your groceries. Cash is required before starting any project. The idea of credit basically does not exist. America is learning what life is like to operate under a cash-based society.
Ghana gained its independence from Great Britain in 1957. The country struggled and a dictator brutally held power in Ghana until he decided to write a constitution which stated that a president could be elected to two four-year terms. The dictator won both terms and later he peacefully allowed for a peaceful transition from a dictatorship to a democracy with an elected president and congress.
Ghana has experienced a renewal since the dictator was voted out of power about eight years ago. The second peaceful change of power just happened in Ghana in December when a new president was elected. I saw the first shopping mall in Ghana in November 2008. I was amazed that I was in Ghana and could have a pizza and buy electronics in a regular store. Ghana is beginning to have a middle class.
The country has a lot of public works projects. There’s a major hydroelectric dam in Ghana which the British used to generate power that was sold out of Ghana. The dictator continued the same practice. It has only been the last five years that the country started to build power lines throughout the country. Now, some of the power lines are being extended to smaller towns and villages. In fact, it is almost commonplace for a grass hut to have electricity in some places.
The other main public work project being done is the building of open sewers. The open sewer is just a concrete ditch which collects all of the sewage from the homes and businesses. The open sewer carries the human waste to the nearest river or stream. The concept of waste water treatment plants or septic systems is still only a dream. In front of every home and business is the open sewer. We have to walk over the sewer to get into a store or home.
The unemployment rate in Ghana is very high. There’s very little industry and commerce in Ghana. Most jobs are farming. Mining and fishing are big in certain regions of the country. Ghana still has children who are sold into slavery to untangle the fishing nets on the Volta Lake. There are also child laborers in the gold mines in Ghana. I’ve been asked to help the children, but I haven’t figured out how to help eliminate slavery yet. Most of the slavery is in parts of Ghana where I haven’t worked yet. The parents sell their children so that they can feed the rest of their children. The slavers promise to put the kids into school and give the kids a better life. The slavers lie. They don’t keep the promise.
I saw the face of HIV/AIDS on my trip to Zambia last year. Ghana doesn’t have nearly the problem with AIDS as Zambia. I worked to build an orphanage in the copper mining region of northern Zambia in a town called Ndola. The orphanage educates kids that are orphans due to war, AIDS, and poverty. Zambia is next door to the long-term war in the Congo. Parents have to choose which children they can feed and which child will have to starve to death. The child who is selected to starve to death is considered an economic orphan. The children whose parents died of AIDS are also educated and fed at the orphanage and school. Most of the children at the orphanage get their only meal at the school.
I went to Zambia in January 2007 to be on a medical and orphan mission trip. I realized in Zambia that the country had children and grandparents, but that the parent’s generation had died of HIV/AIDS. It hit me hard. That is my generation. I can’t imagine not being there to raise my family. It was hard for a very elderly man. He was sick and the only family for his grandchildren. The parents had died of AIDS and he was worried what would happen to his grandchildren when he died. The economic hardship of AIDS can be felt in a country like Zambia.
I went to Ndola Baptist Church while I was in Zambia. They were having a college outreach service for all of the local universities. Their core message was to watch out for the “sugar daddies” roaming the edges of the colleges to share their gift of death with them. The church was preaching abstinence so that the college students could finish school and avoid the impact that HIV/AIDS had on their parent’s generation. The church was starting home and dorm churches to reach the college students in their town. The renewal and growth at that church was very impressive.
Healthcare is very poor in Ghana. Ghana has nationalized healthcare where health insurance can be purchased for $20 per year. The hospitals and clinics in Ghana have very little to care for patients. The medical care has to be paid in cash at the time that care is given. Most hospitals have to go out to buy prescriptions after money is paid. The families of the patients usually bring food and medicine into the hospital for the patient.
I met an ophthalmologist when he came to Virginia. Dr. Seth Wanye is the only eye doctor for 8 million people. He asked for help for his eye clinic. He needed newer medical equipment. I was in Dr. Wanye’s eye clinic when an ear, nose, and throat doctor grabbed me by the collar to tell me that I needed to help the hospital as well. Dr. Jim Murphy retired from his practice in Kearny, New Jersey so that he could move to the bush of Ghana to help people in need.
Dr. Murphy told me that there were two Rotary clubs in Texas and New Jersey that needed help to send medical equipment to Africa. It took about a year and one half to write a grant, raise the money, conduct a needs assessment, work with Project C.U.R.E. to obtain the medical equipment and finally ship the two containers to Africa from Denver, Colorado and Phoenix, Arizona.
I received two phone calls on Friday, February 11, 2009 that the last of the two containers had arrived at the Tamale Teaching Hospital and Tamale Eye Clinic. The hospital is in the Northern Region of Ghana. The two containers arrived in Ghana around December 18, 2008. I had hoped that the container would arrive for Thanksgiving, then Christmas, then New Years, and finally for Valentine’s Day. It took a lot of phone calls to the shippers, the Ghana Ministry of Health, the shipping companies, and to the hospital before all of the red tape was finally cut. Some of the medical supplies were taken out of the containers because the bandages and gauze had “expiration dates.” The medical supplies will probably end up on the black market.
I received about eight shots to go to West Africa the first time for polio, malaria, yellow fever, typhoid fever, tuberculosis, and many other diseases. The average person in Ghana doesn’t have protection against these diseases. I’ve learned about malaria. Everyone in Ghana gets malaria like we get the common cold. Malaria is life threatening the first time and it is a lot like pneumonia each time someone gets malaria again. I met a sixteen year old girl with tuberculosis (TB) at the Tamale Hospital. Tuberculosis has completely destroyed her lungs. She had the lungs of an eighty year old woman. She will probably die in a few years.
I was speaking at a church in Stewart, Virginia a few years ago about building schools and churches in Ghana. A man came up to me after the service and asked me if I knew how to dig a well in Africa. I told him that I didn’t know. He told me that he thought there were a few Rotary Clubs in southwestern Virginia who might be willing to raise enough money to dig ONE well. On my next trip to Ghana I opened my eyes to see the polluted rivers, streams, and water in Ghana. I came home determined to raise the money to dig that well. Our goal was to raise $15,000 to drill a borehole. A borehole is what we think of as a drilled well. A hand dug well is usually a shallow well. Both a hand dug well and borehole usually have a hand pump to pump the water into a bucket which is carried several miles to the family home.
I learned about water borne diseases. Many of the illnesses in Ghana are caused by drinking bad water. We focused on two of them. People go blind because they do not have clean water to wash their hands and face. That disease is called trachoma. The other disease is caused by a parasite called the guinea worm. The guinea worm infects a water flea. People drink the infected water containing the water flea. The water flea dies, but the parasite grows to be three feet long in the body over the course of a year. The guinea worm parasite comes out of the body one inch at a time over several weeks to two months. The place where the guinea worm is coming out of the body feels like a hot iron burned the skin.
The Jimmy Carter Center started in 1987 to eliminate the guinea worm parasite. Now, the parasite only exists in Ghana, Nigeria, and the Sudan. We hope that the parasite will be eradicated from Ghana by 2010. We had over 3,000 cases in 2007 and less than 500 cases in 2008. There are only 100 cases so far in 2009.
We’ve written four clean water Rotary grants so far. The first grant was for $75,000. The second grant was for $150,000. The third and fourth grants equal $250,000. That is almost $500,000 since 2007. The money was raised in California, Texas, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, New York, and Massachusetts. We have support in the countries of Switzerland, Canada and Great Britain. We partnered with the Methodist Church, Rotary, the Jimmy Carter Center, and Ghana Guinea Worm Eradication Program. I’m getting known as the water guy.
My first passion in Ghana was for the schools run by Come Preach Christ Church in the slums of Kumasi. The first time in Ghana in 2003, I saw school buildings that would be condemned in America. I was amazed that the kids really studied hard. They asked for prayers. They didn’t ask for me to pray for an “A.” They asked me to pray for them to be able to study hard. I didn’t see a way to help. In fact, I didn’t think about the schools again until two years later.
I began to get word from God that I was to take my first mission team to Ghana. I had all kinds of excuses why I couldn’t go. I was supporting a local mission project. I have four kids. I didn’t have a team. It took time and money to get a team together. God kept telling me that I needed to go. The team came together quickly. We were in Ghana within about two months from that first push from God.
I found out that the chief of the village of Amanfrom near Kumasi had told the students and the teachers that they needed to find another school. The high school students went to the principal to ask if there was a rich man in Kumasi who could save their school. The principal told the students that there was not a rich man who could save the school. The principal suggested that the high school students should fast and pray to save their school. The students fasted and prayed for their school.
The chief secretly sued to steal the school, the clinic, and the church. The court case was held the day that our mission team landed in the country. The female judge asked the chief why a chief would try to close the only school and clinic in his village. The chief claimed that the school did not have any hope. The school didn’t have working bathrooms, running water, or electricity. The chief stated that it would be better if the school was closed. The judge ruled in favor of the school and against the chief.
The next day, our mission team was at the school. Building supplies were delivered. The men and women of Amanfrom were hired to build the school. Our team did not know about the chief’s lawsuit or the high school students who were fasting or praying. I just know that God began to move on my heart at the exact same time that the high school students started to fast and pray!
We grew the elementary, middle, and high school from 200 students to over 500 students. We built a second story onto the high school. We built a dormitory and a kitchen and cooking area. The school received water outside of the school, working bathroom, and new classrooms the first year. We added electricity the next year. The following year, the school opened up its computer lab.
I’ve seen the students grow up and become leaders. I admire the cook at the school. Her name is called Sister Dora. She cooks for all of those kids every day. The school was damaged last year in a wind storm similar to a hurricane. A lot of the computers and books were damaged in the storm.
I hope to be able to go to the school this year near Kumasi. I’ve had to spend a lot of time in northern Ghana where the water needs are so great. I explained that the church and school in Kumasi needed to share me with the rest of Ghana. The Come Preach Christ Church roof is still off. They are praying to find the money to replace the roof.
The first thing I noticed going into a third world country is the rush of people as we left the airport doors. The next sensation is the smell from cooking fires and open sewers. The poverty that is everywhere is overwhelming. Women and children are selling toilet paper, peanuts, maps, and almost anything else imaginable on the side of the road.
I’ve seen the daily wage for a skilled laborer increase from $1 a day in 2003 to $3 a day in 2005. Now, the wages are close to $7 to $9 a day. This sounds like a great improvement until you realize that the cost of food and gas is same as here in the USA. It’s at that point that it is a wonder how it is possible to feed a family. The per capita income is around $600 per year. The goal is to reach $1,000 per year by 2010. College tuition is about $5,000 per year for your best universities in the major cities with in Ghana. It costs about $50 per year to pay for one year of high school.
Ghana has several benefits to help people survive the poverty. Ghana has a tight family structure which helps people through many hardships. The tribes of Ghana are the social fabric that ties the families together. Most of all, people have to rely on God when there’s no other answer to how to survive.
I have a theory based on the countries described in the Old Testament. The countries put all of their hope in God when there was no other place to go to get help. As the country prospered, the people were faithful and worshiped God. They put all of their hope and trust in God. Amazing things would happen. The people gave all of the credit and glory to God. The impossible became possible. The unseen became visible. The people prospered.
At some point in the life of the nation, the people forgot about God and his blessings. The people became prideful. The faithful generations are replaced with a generation who does not know God. They believed that their prosperity was the result of their abilities and their strength. The people forgot that God provided for their every need. In fact, their abilities and their strength were from God.
Today, the capital city of Accra appears affluent compared to the rest of the country of Ghana. Accra has a few modern highways and a lot of cars. The construction is getting better and stronger. Ghana is still a cash based society. The currency is the Cedi. The cedi used to be valued 10,000 Cedis to $1.00. They divided the currency by 10,000 last year which really helped. It used to require a shopping bag to carry money to buy your groceries. Cash is required before starting any project. The idea of credit basically does not exist. America is learning what life is like to operate under a cash-based society.
Ghana gained its independence from Great Britain in 1957. The country struggled and a dictator brutally held power in Ghana until he decided to write a constitution which stated that a president could be elected to two four-year terms. The dictator won both terms and later he peacefully allowed for a peaceful transition from a dictatorship to a democracy with an elected president and congress.
Ghana has experienced a renewal since the dictator was voted out of power about eight years ago. The second peaceful change of power just happened in Ghana in December when a new president was elected. I saw the first shopping mall in Ghana in November 2008. I was amazed that I was in Ghana and could have a pizza and buy electronics in a regular store. Ghana is beginning to have a middle class.
The country has a lot of public works projects. There’s a major hydroelectric dam in Ghana which the British used to generate power that was sold out of Ghana. The dictator continued the same practice. It has only been the last five years that the country started to build power lines throughout the country. Now, some of the power lines are being extended to smaller towns and villages. In fact, it is almost commonplace for a grass hut to have electricity in some places.
The other main public work project being done is the building of open sewers. The open sewer is just a concrete ditch which collects all of the sewage from the homes and businesses. The open sewer carries the human waste to the nearest river or stream. The concept of waste water treatment plants or septic systems is still only a dream. In front of every home and business is the open sewer. We have to walk over the sewer to get into a store or home.
The unemployment rate in Ghana is very high. There’s very little industry and commerce in Ghana. Most jobs are farming. Mining and fishing are big in certain regions of the country. Ghana still has children who are sold into slavery to untangle the fishing nets on the Volta Lake. There are also child laborers in the gold mines in Ghana. I’ve been asked to help the children, but I haven’t figured out how to help eliminate slavery yet. Most of the slavery is in parts of Ghana where I haven’t worked yet. The parents sell their children so that they can feed the rest of their children. The slavers promise to put the kids into school and give the kids a better life. The slavers lie. They don’t keep the promise.
I saw the face of HIV/AIDS on my trip to Zambia last year. Ghana doesn’t have nearly the problem with AIDS as Zambia. I worked to build an orphanage in the copper mining region of northern Zambia in a town called Ndola. The orphanage educates kids that are orphans due to war, AIDS, and poverty. Zambia is next door to the long-term war in the Congo. Parents have to choose which children they can feed and which child will have to starve to death. The child who is selected to starve to death is considered an economic orphan. The children whose parents died of AIDS are also educated and fed at the orphanage and school. Most of the children at the orphanage get their only meal at the school.
I went to Zambia in January 2007 to be on a medical and orphan mission trip. I realized in Zambia that the country had children and grandparents, but that the parent’s generation had died of HIV/AIDS. It hit me hard. That is my generation. I can’t imagine not being there to raise my family. It was hard for a very elderly man. He was sick and the only family for his grandchildren. The parents had died of AIDS and he was worried what would happen to his grandchildren when he died. The economic hardship of AIDS can be felt in a country like Zambia.
I went to Ndola Baptist Church while I was in Zambia. They were having a college outreach service for all of the local universities. Their core message was to watch out for the “sugar daddies” roaming the edges of the colleges to share their gift of death with them. The church was preaching abstinence so that the college students could finish school and avoid the impact that HIV/AIDS had on their parent’s generation. The church was starting home and dorm churches to reach the college students in their town. The renewal and growth at that church was very impressive.
Healthcare is very poor in Ghana. Ghana has nationalized healthcare where health insurance can be purchased for $20 per year. The hospitals and clinics in Ghana have very little to care for patients. The medical care has to be paid in cash at the time that care is given. Most hospitals have to go out to buy prescriptions after money is paid. The families of the patients usually bring food and medicine into the hospital for the patient.
I met an ophthalmologist when he came to Virginia. Dr. Seth Wanye is the only eye doctor for 8 million people. He asked for help for his eye clinic. He needed newer medical equipment. I was in Dr. Wanye’s eye clinic when an ear, nose, and throat doctor grabbed me by the collar to tell me that I needed to help the hospital as well. Dr. Jim Murphy retired from his practice in Kearny, New Jersey so that he could move to the bush of Ghana to help people in need.
Dr. Murphy told me that there were two Rotary clubs in Texas and New Jersey that needed help to send medical equipment to Africa. It took about a year and one half to write a grant, raise the money, conduct a needs assessment, work with Project C.U.R.E. to obtain the medical equipment and finally ship the two containers to Africa from Denver, Colorado and Phoenix, Arizona.
I received two phone calls on Friday, February 11, 2009 that the last of the two containers had arrived at the Tamale Teaching Hospital and Tamale Eye Clinic. The hospital is in the Northern Region of Ghana. The two containers arrived in Ghana around December 18, 2008. I had hoped that the container would arrive for Thanksgiving, then Christmas, then New Years, and finally for Valentine’s Day. It took a lot of phone calls to the shippers, the Ghana Ministry of Health, the shipping companies, and to the hospital before all of the red tape was finally cut. Some of the medical supplies were taken out of the containers because the bandages and gauze had “expiration dates.” The medical supplies will probably end up on the black market.
I received about eight shots to go to West Africa the first time for polio, malaria, yellow fever, typhoid fever, tuberculosis, and many other diseases. The average person in Ghana doesn’t have protection against these diseases. I’ve learned about malaria. Everyone in Ghana gets malaria like we get the common cold. Malaria is life threatening the first time and it is a lot like pneumonia each time someone gets malaria again. I met a sixteen year old girl with tuberculosis (TB) at the Tamale Hospital. Tuberculosis has completely destroyed her lungs. She had the lungs of an eighty year old woman. She will probably die in a few years.
I was speaking at a church in Stewart, Virginia a few years ago about building schools and churches in Ghana. A man came up to me after the service and asked me if I knew how to dig a well in Africa. I told him that I didn’t know. He told me that he thought there were a few Rotary Clubs in southwestern Virginia who might be willing to raise enough money to dig ONE well. On my next trip to Ghana I opened my eyes to see the polluted rivers, streams, and water in Ghana. I came home determined to raise the money to dig that well. Our goal was to raise $15,000 to drill a borehole. A borehole is what we think of as a drilled well. A hand dug well is usually a shallow well. Both a hand dug well and borehole usually have a hand pump to pump the water into a bucket which is carried several miles to the family home.
I learned about water borne diseases. Many of the illnesses in Ghana are caused by drinking bad water. We focused on two of them. People go blind because they do not have clean water to wash their hands and face. That disease is called trachoma. The other disease is caused by a parasite called the guinea worm. The guinea worm infects a water flea. People drink the infected water containing the water flea. The water flea dies, but the parasite grows to be three feet long in the body over the course of a year. The guinea worm parasite comes out of the body one inch at a time over several weeks to two months. The place where the guinea worm is coming out of the body feels like a hot iron burned the skin.
The Jimmy Carter Center started in 1987 to eliminate the guinea worm parasite. Now, the parasite only exists in Ghana, Nigeria, and the Sudan. We hope that the parasite will be eradicated from Ghana by 2010. We had over 3,000 cases in 2007 and less than 500 cases in 2008. There are only 100 cases so far in 2009.
We’ve written four clean water Rotary grants so far. The first grant was for $75,000. The second grant was for $150,000. The third and fourth grants equal $250,000. That is almost $500,000 since 2007. The money was raised in California, Texas, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, New York, and Massachusetts. We have support in the countries of Switzerland, Canada and Great Britain. We partnered with the Methodist Church, Rotary, the Jimmy Carter Center, and Ghana Guinea Worm Eradication Program. I’m getting known as the water guy.
My first passion in Ghana was for the schools run by Come Preach Christ Church in the slums of Kumasi. The first time in Ghana in 2003, I saw school buildings that would be condemned in America. I was amazed that the kids really studied hard. They asked for prayers. They didn’t ask for me to pray for an “A.” They asked me to pray for them to be able to study hard. I didn’t see a way to help. In fact, I didn’t think about the schools again until two years later.
I began to get word from God that I was to take my first mission team to Ghana. I had all kinds of excuses why I couldn’t go. I was supporting a local mission project. I have four kids. I didn’t have a team. It took time and money to get a team together. God kept telling me that I needed to go. The team came together quickly. We were in Ghana within about two months from that first push from God.
I found out that the chief of the village of Amanfrom near Kumasi had told the students and the teachers that they needed to find another school. The high school students went to the principal to ask if there was a rich man in Kumasi who could save their school. The principal told the students that there was not a rich man who could save the school. The principal suggested that the high school students should fast and pray to save their school. The students fasted and prayed for their school.
The chief secretly sued to steal the school, the clinic, and the church. The court case was held the day that our mission team landed in the country. The female judge asked the chief why a chief would try to close the only school and clinic in his village. The chief claimed that the school did not have any hope. The school didn’t have working bathrooms, running water, or electricity. The chief stated that it would be better if the school was closed. The judge ruled in favor of the school and against the chief.
The next day, our mission team was at the school. Building supplies were delivered. The men and women of Amanfrom were hired to build the school. Our team did not know about the chief’s lawsuit or the high school students who were fasting or praying. I just know that God began to move on my heart at the exact same time that the high school students started to fast and pray!
We grew the elementary, middle, and high school from 200 students to over 500 students. We built a second story onto the high school. We built a dormitory and a kitchen and cooking area. The school received water outside of the school, working bathroom, and new classrooms the first year. We added electricity the next year. The following year, the school opened up its computer lab.
I’ve seen the students grow up and become leaders. I admire the cook at the school. Her name is called Sister Dora. She cooks for all of those kids every day. The school was damaged last year in a wind storm similar to a hurricane. A lot of the computers and books were damaged in the storm.
I hope to be able to go to the school this year near Kumasi. I’ve had to spend a lot of time in northern Ghana where the water needs are so great. I explained that the church and school in Kumasi needed to share me with the rest of Ghana. The Come Preach Christ Church roof is still off. They are praying to find the money to replace the roof.
Focus on the Little Things
There’s a time in our lives when God asks us to do something. We think that if God asked us to do the impossible that it must be worthy of God. Sometimes, God wants us to focus on the little things in our lives to serve him better. There’s a time in our lives when we ask God to do something for us. It is called a prayer.
The challenge is that we tell God when and how to answer our prayer. We don’t give God leeway to answer our prayer in his time. We don’t give God leeway to answer our prayer in His way. It’s got to be our way or the highway. In fact, when God answer’s in his way and in his time, we sometimes don’t realize that God is there at all. Usually, God has a better answer to our prayers if only we were open to seeing God’s grace in our lives.
Naaman was a very important commander for a foreign country. He was loved by his king because he won many wars for his country. His country of Aram is near modern day Syria. He had leprosy. Leprosy is a disease that still exists in this world. I prayed for a young girl with leprosy in Ghana a few years ago. Parts of her toes had fallen off her foot and her skin was very fragile. I thought leprosy was an ancient disease, but it still exists.
Naaman’s wife had a Jewish slave who said that God could heal Naaman. Naaman was told to go to Samaria to find the prophet Elisha. In the case of Naaman it was something easy that he had to do. The prophet Elisha asked Naaman to go wash in the Jordan River seven times to cure his leprosy. Naaman’s instinct was anger because it wasn’t dramatic. I think Naaman imagined a scene from a Hollywood movie where Elisha would come, raise his arms, and declare to God to heal Naaman. He thought God should be like something from “Ben Hur” or the “Ten Commandments” movie.
Let’s hear the story in 2 Kings 5:1-14 (NIV): “Now Naaman was commander of the army of the king of Aram. He was a great man in the sight of his master and highly regarded, because through him the LORD had given victory to Aram. He was a valiant soldier, but he had leprosy. Now bands from Aram had gone out and had taken captive a young girl from Israel, and she served Naaman's wife. She said to her mistress, "If only my master would see the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy." … Elisha said “Have the man come to me and he will know that there is a prophet in Israel." So Naaman went with his horses and chariots and stopped at the door of Elisha's house. Elisha sent a messenger to say to him, "Go, wash yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored and you will be cleansed."
“But Naaman went away angry and said, "I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the LORD his God, wave his hand over the spot and cure me of my leprosy. Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than any of the waters of Israel? Couldn't I wash in them and be cleansed?" So he turned and went off in a rage.”
Naaman received clear instructions from Elisha what he had to do to be healed from leprosy. It was easy to do. Was he thankful or happy about the news? No. He was angry. He let his pride get in the way of having a relationship with God. Naaman’s pride overwhelmed his ability to listen to God. He thought that a rich and powerful man should have a rich and powerful answer from God. He was looking for the red carpet treatment from Elisha. Naaman wanted the pomp and circumstance that he thought was worthy of his position in life.
Naaman didn’t realize that one doesn’t have to be someone special or important to receive the gift of God’s grace in our lives. We just have to believe that God loves us. In fact, Naaman was in a rage. His first thought was that the rivers back home were cleaner than the muddy Jordan River. He just didn’t understand how taking a bath seven times would cure his leprosy. The number seven represents God’s covenant with mankind. God was offering to give Naaman the answer to his prayers. God was also offering to give his covenant with Naaman.
The scripture from 2 Kings continue: “Naaman's servants went to him and said, "My father, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more, then, when he tells you, 'Wash and be cleansed'!" So he went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, as the man of God had told him, and his flesh was restored and became clean like that of a young boy.”
Naaman was fortunate that he had faithful and wise servants who were willing to tell him to listen to God. Today, we need to be fortunate enough to have friends and family who are willing to tell us to listen to God. Once we are reminded to listen to God, then we have to do what God wants to do. For Naaman, he had to listen and then he had to act. It wasn’t something that he had to do. In fact, we’ve probably been told at some point in our lives to go jump “in a lake.” For Naaman jumping into the Jordan River healed his skin of the horrible disease of leprosy.
Our New Testament story is from Mark 1:40-42. This story is about another man with leprosy. This man was open to meeting Jesus without pride and pretense. “Now a leper came to Him, imploring Him, kneeling down to Him and saying to Him, “If You are willing, You can make me clean.” Then Jesus moved with compassion, stretched out His hand and touched him, and said to him, “I am willing; be cleansed.” As soon as He had spoken, immediately the leprosy left him, and he was cleansed.”
The believed in the power of Jesus Christ to heal, but he doubted that he was worthy of the love of Jesus Christ to heal. That is why the leper asked Jesus if he was willing. He was looking for God’s grace to heal even those of us who are not worthy of God’s grace and forgiveness. Jesus told the leper that he was willing to heal. Jesus laid his hand on the leper. Jesus gave the power to heal with his touch. The leper experienced a powerful touch from Jesus that allowed the leper to feel the love of God.
I had wonderful news this week about a man who had wonderful news. Franklin Furrow has lung cancer in both of his lungs. The doctors told him that the tumors were larger than the size of a grapefruit or softballs. The tumors were different types. I spent a few hours with Franklin Furrow at the hospital. We read a lot of the scriptures in Luke that describe the healing experiences that are told in the Gospel of Luke. Franklin and I prayed in the hospital about a month ago.
This week, the doctor did tests on Franklin’s lungs. The x-rays showed that one of the tumors had decreased in size by 33%. The other tumor can’t be found. It completely disappeared. Franklin has gone through eight rounds of chemotherapy and radiation. We prayed together. Franklin experienced the power of God’s grace when we prayed. It was so wonderful to feel the power of the Holy Spirit in a powerful way when we prayed. Franklin felt that he deserved cancer because he smoked for so many years.
The fact about grace is simple. Grace is getting what we do not deserve. God’s grace was paid because Jesus Christ died on the cross so that we could be saved from our sin and to live life abundantly on earth and to have eternal salvation.
Let’s open our eyes to God’s answer to our prayers. Let’s be willing to allow God to work in our lives according to his plan and his timing. First, we need to let go of our pride, our anger, or whatever we hold onto that keeps us from having a relationship with God. Second, we need to focus on the little things in our lives to serve God better. We need to believe that if we pray to God he will answer our prayers. Third, we need to be willing to allow God to answer our prayers according to his plan and his timing. God has a better answer to our prayers if we are open to see God’s grace in our lives.
The challenge is that we tell God when and how to answer our prayer. We don’t give God leeway to answer our prayer in his time. We don’t give God leeway to answer our prayer in His way. It’s got to be our way or the highway. In fact, when God answer’s in his way and in his time, we sometimes don’t realize that God is there at all. Usually, God has a better answer to our prayers if only we were open to seeing God’s grace in our lives.
Naaman was a very important commander for a foreign country. He was loved by his king because he won many wars for his country. His country of Aram is near modern day Syria. He had leprosy. Leprosy is a disease that still exists in this world. I prayed for a young girl with leprosy in Ghana a few years ago. Parts of her toes had fallen off her foot and her skin was very fragile. I thought leprosy was an ancient disease, but it still exists.
Naaman’s wife had a Jewish slave who said that God could heal Naaman. Naaman was told to go to Samaria to find the prophet Elisha. In the case of Naaman it was something easy that he had to do. The prophet Elisha asked Naaman to go wash in the Jordan River seven times to cure his leprosy. Naaman’s instinct was anger because it wasn’t dramatic. I think Naaman imagined a scene from a Hollywood movie where Elisha would come, raise his arms, and declare to God to heal Naaman. He thought God should be like something from “Ben Hur” or the “Ten Commandments” movie.
Let’s hear the story in 2 Kings 5:1-14 (NIV): “Now Naaman was commander of the army of the king of Aram. He was a great man in the sight of his master and highly regarded, because through him the LORD had given victory to Aram. He was a valiant soldier, but he had leprosy. Now bands from Aram had gone out and had taken captive a young girl from Israel, and she served Naaman's wife. She said to her mistress, "If only my master would see the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy." … Elisha said “Have the man come to me and he will know that there is a prophet in Israel." So Naaman went with his horses and chariots and stopped at the door of Elisha's house. Elisha sent a messenger to say to him, "Go, wash yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored and you will be cleansed."
“But Naaman went away angry and said, "I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the LORD his God, wave his hand over the spot and cure me of my leprosy. Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than any of the waters of Israel? Couldn't I wash in them and be cleansed?" So he turned and went off in a rage.”
Naaman received clear instructions from Elisha what he had to do to be healed from leprosy. It was easy to do. Was he thankful or happy about the news? No. He was angry. He let his pride get in the way of having a relationship with God. Naaman’s pride overwhelmed his ability to listen to God. He thought that a rich and powerful man should have a rich and powerful answer from God. He was looking for the red carpet treatment from Elisha. Naaman wanted the pomp and circumstance that he thought was worthy of his position in life.
Naaman didn’t realize that one doesn’t have to be someone special or important to receive the gift of God’s grace in our lives. We just have to believe that God loves us. In fact, Naaman was in a rage. His first thought was that the rivers back home were cleaner than the muddy Jordan River. He just didn’t understand how taking a bath seven times would cure his leprosy. The number seven represents God’s covenant with mankind. God was offering to give Naaman the answer to his prayers. God was also offering to give his covenant with Naaman.
The scripture from 2 Kings continue: “Naaman's servants went to him and said, "My father, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more, then, when he tells you, 'Wash and be cleansed'!" So he went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, as the man of God had told him, and his flesh was restored and became clean like that of a young boy.”
Naaman was fortunate that he had faithful and wise servants who were willing to tell him to listen to God. Today, we need to be fortunate enough to have friends and family who are willing to tell us to listen to God. Once we are reminded to listen to God, then we have to do what God wants to do. For Naaman, he had to listen and then he had to act. It wasn’t something that he had to do. In fact, we’ve probably been told at some point in our lives to go jump “in a lake.” For Naaman jumping into the Jordan River healed his skin of the horrible disease of leprosy.
Our New Testament story is from Mark 1:40-42. This story is about another man with leprosy. This man was open to meeting Jesus without pride and pretense. “Now a leper came to Him, imploring Him, kneeling down to Him and saying to Him, “If You are willing, You can make me clean.” Then Jesus moved with compassion, stretched out His hand and touched him, and said to him, “I am willing; be cleansed.” As soon as He had spoken, immediately the leprosy left him, and he was cleansed.”
The believed in the power of Jesus Christ to heal, but he doubted that he was worthy of the love of Jesus Christ to heal. That is why the leper asked Jesus if he was willing. He was looking for God’s grace to heal even those of us who are not worthy of God’s grace and forgiveness. Jesus told the leper that he was willing to heal. Jesus laid his hand on the leper. Jesus gave the power to heal with his touch. The leper experienced a powerful touch from Jesus that allowed the leper to feel the love of God.
I had wonderful news this week about a man who had wonderful news. Franklin Furrow has lung cancer in both of his lungs. The doctors told him that the tumors were larger than the size of a grapefruit or softballs. The tumors were different types. I spent a few hours with Franklin Furrow at the hospital. We read a lot of the scriptures in Luke that describe the healing experiences that are told in the Gospel of Luke. Franklin and I prayed in the hospital about a month ago.
This week, the doctor did tests on Franklin’s lungs. The x-rays showed that one of the tumors had decreased in size by 33%. The other tumor can’t be found. It completely disappeared. Franklin has gone through eight rounds of chemotherapy and radiation. We prayed together. Franklin experienced the power of God’s grace when we prayed. It was so wonderful to feel the power of the Holy Spirit in a powerful way when we prayed. Franklin felt that he deserved cancer because he smoked for so many years.
The fact about grace is simple. Grace is getting what we do not deserve. God’s grace was paid because Jesus Christ died on the cross so that we could be saved from our sin and to live life abundantly on earth and to have eternal salvation.
Let’s open our eyes to God’s answer to our prayers. Let’s be willing to allow God to work in our lives according to his plan and his timing. First, we need to let go of our pride, our anger, or whatever we hold onto that keeps us from having a relationship with God. Second, we need to focus on the little things in our lives to serve God better. We need to believe that if we pray to God he will answer our prayers. Third, we need to be willing to allow God to answer our prayers according to his plan and his timing. God has a better answer to our prayers if we are open to see God’s grace in our lives.
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Serving and Healing
Our natural instinct after God has touched us is to find a way to serve God by serving others. God can touch our lives in many ways. Healing is just one of the ways that God can touch us.
Today’s scripture from the gospel of Mark is about being a servant. The story is told in the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. It is interesting that all of the scriptures talk about what happened after the synagogue. The scriptures start when Jesus and the disciples are leaving church. There’s a message here that God’s work starts when we walk out the church doors into the world.
The scripture from Mark 1:29-39 reads “As soon as they left the synagogue, they went with James and John to the home of Simon and Andrew. Simon's mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they told Jesus about her. So he went to her, took her hand and helped her up. The fever left her and she began to wait on them.”
Luke 4: 38-41 tells us that “Jesus left the synagogue and went to the home of Simon. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was suffering from a high fever, and they asked Jesus to help her. So he bent over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her. She got up at once and began to wait on them.”
In Luke’s gospel, Jesus was asked to help Simon’s mother-in-law. In Matthew’s gospel, Jesus touched her hand and he rebuked the fever. Each one emphasized a special part of the story. The disciples saw a woman with a high fever and asked Jesus for help. Jesus touched her hand. He rebuked the fever. She was healed. She immediately felt that she should serve Jesus and those who had compassion for her.
Service is one of the spiritual gifts. Simon’s mother-in-law had the gift of service. We overlook the gift of service because it is not flashy, but it is so important. In fact, Jesus taught us about being a servant. He led by example. At his last supper, Jesus washed the feet of his disciples. Simon’s mother-in-law felt gratitude for being healed. Her natural response was to serve Jesus and the disciples.
We need to be ready and willing to serve. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. Ephesians 6:7 tells us to “serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men.” 1 Peter 4:11 says “If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen.”
We show people that we love them when we are willing to be a servant in their time of need. We are showing God’s love to them. We are being the hands and face of Jesus Christ to them because God is using us to serve our family, friends, and even strangers. God appoints us to his service. In the case of Simon’s mother-in-law by serving she “is not only supplying the needs of God's people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God.” (2 Corinthians 9:12) We give our time, our talents, and our tithes to God. We serve God by serving those in need and those who need God’s love.
According to Ephesians 4:1-7, 11-13 “As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope when you were called— one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. …
It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.”
We are all on body of Christ when we use the gifts that God has given us. Some of us will be teachers or preachers. Some of us will serve silently those that are in need, but we are all equal in our service. We are all one body of Jesus Christ. In 1 Corinthians 12 it says that we can’t all be eyes or ears or hands. Our physical body is made up of many parts. We need the ears to hear, the eyes to see, the tongue to taste, and the hands to touch. If we only had eyes, how would we walk? If we only had ears, how would we feel? All parts of our physical body are equal. All parts of Christ’s spiritual body are equal. A person visiting a shut-in is just as important as the person preaching the gospel. A person bringing food to the sick is as critical to God’s kingdom as the teacher. Each one is showing God’s love in a critical and important way.
The scripture continues in Mark 1:32 “That evening after sunset the people brought to Jesus all the sick and demon-possessed. The whole town gathered at the door, and Jesus healed many who had various diseases.”
People were drawn to Jesus because of the stories of healing of the sick. In fact, the whole town gathered to see Jesus heal all kinds of diseases. Jesus wanted people to stay on the message about the gospel of peace and love. It is natural for people to be attracted to the signs, miracles, and wonders, but they need to believe without seeing the miracles.
I love seeing people in need, praying for them, having Jesus hear the prayer, Jesus healing the sick, and rejoicing when the sick are healed. I believe in the gifts of healing. The gifts of healing are one of the Spiritual Gifts just like the gifts of serving, teaching, or preaching. The gift of serving is just as vital a gift and equal to the gifts of healing.
Acts 28:27b-28 states “We pray you will see with your eyes, hear with your ears, and understand in your heart, and in turn, God will heal you. Therefore, I want you to know that God’s salvation has been sent to you and you will listen.”
I visited a friend at Franklin Memorial last week. He has cancer in both lungs. We studied a lot of the healing scriptures in Luke. We read about the woman touching the hem of Jesus’ cloak. She reached out for Jesus in faith. Jesus felt the power of the Holy Spirit leave him when she touched him. Luke 7:7-10 tells about a Roman Centurion who was concerned about his servant who was about to die. The Roman Centurion asked Jesus to “But say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, 'Go,' and he goes; and that one, 'Come,' and he comes. I say to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it." When Jesus heard this, he was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd following him, he said, "I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel." Then the men who had been sent returned to the house and found the servant well.
In the story of the Roman Centurion, Jesus was not near the servant, but the servant was healed. I believe unity of faith is critical to praying for healing. The woman who touched the cloak of Jesus was unified in her faith with Jesus. The Roman Centurion was unified in his faith with Jesus for a servant who was at a distance. We don’t know if the servant had faith. We just know that the Roman Centurion believed that if Jesus spoke the words of healing, that the servant would be healed.
In Luke 5, we have the familiar story of the four men cutting a hole in the roof to lower their paralyzed friend down to Jesus. The scripture tells us that “the power of the Lord was present for Jesus to heal the sick.” It was the unity of faith of the four men who carried their friend to be healed. The four men had the unity of faith to have a common purpose. They believed that if they could get the paralyzed man to Jesus that their friend would be healed. They were right.
In each of these stories, the situation was different, but the results were the same. The person who needed healing came to Jesus in one, the person was carried to Jesus in another by his friends, the person who needed healing was at a distance, and in the case of Simon’s mother-in-law, Jesus and his disciples came to her to heal. The common threads in these stories are faith, love, hope, and compassion.
Mark 1:35-39 the story continues “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. Simon and his companions went to look for him, and when they found him, they exclaimed: "Everyone is looking for you!" Jesus replied, "Let us go somewhere else—to the nearby villages—so I can preach there also. That is why I have come." So he traveled throughout Galilee, preaching in their synagogues…”
Jesus needed to pray to regain his spiritual strength after healing so many people. He also set the example for us that we need to find time to pray to get closer to God and regain our spiritual strength so we can go out and serve God using our spiritual gifts. Jesus also wanted to go to the nearby villages to preach the gospel. He states that preaching the gospel is the reason that he has come.
Each of us needs to find what it takes to renew ourselves spiritually. Praying to God, singing praise songs, worshiping together are just a few of the ways to renew ourselves spiritually. Also, when we are using the spiritual gifts God has given we are energized in a wonderful way. I’d like to close with these words from Isaiah 40:31 “but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” Let us hope in the Lord and soar on wings like eagles as we go out into the world to serve our fellow man. Amen.
Today’s scripture from the gospel of Mark is about being a servant. The story is told in the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. It is interesting that all of the scriptures talk about what happened after the synagogue. The scriptures start when Jesus and the disciples are leaving church. There’s a message here that God’s work starts when we walk out the church doors into the world.
The scripture from Mark 1:29-39 reads “As soon as they left the synagogue, they went with James and John to the home of Simon and Andrew. Simon's mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they told Jesus about her. So he went to her, took her hand and helped her up. The fever left her and she began to wait on them.”
Luke 4: 38-41 tells us that “Jesus left the synagogue and went to the home of Simon. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was suffering from a high fever, and they asked Jesus to help her. So he bent over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her. She got up at once and began to wait on them.”
In Luke’s gospel, Jesus was asked to help Simon’s mother-in-law. In Matthew’s gospel, Jesus touched her hand and he rebuked the fever. Each one emphasized a special part of the story. The disciples saw a woman with a high fever and asked Jesus for help. Jesus touched her hand. He rebuked the fever. She was healed. She immediately felt that she should serve Jesus and those who had compassion for her.
Service is one of the spiritual gifts. Simon’s mother-in-law had the gift of service. We overlook the gift of service because it is not flashy, but it is so important. In fact, Jesus taught us about being a servant. He led by example. At his last supper, Jesus washed the feet of his disciples. Simon’s mother-in-law felt gratitude for being healed. Her natural response was to serve Jesus and the disciples.
We need to be ready and willing to serve. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. Ephesians 6:7 tells us to “serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men.” 1 Peter 4:11 says “If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen.”
We show people that we love them when we are willing to be a servant in their time of need. We are showing God’s love to them. We are being the hands and face of Jesus Christ to them because God is using us to serve our family, friends, and even strangers. God appoints us to his service. In the case of Simon’s mother-in-law by serving she “is not only supplying the needs of God's people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God.” (2 Corinthians 9:12) We give our time, our talents, and our tithes to God. We serve God by serving those in need and those who need God’s love.
According to Ephesians 4:1-7, 11-13 “As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope when you were called— one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. …
It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.”
We are all on body of Christ when we use the gifts that God has given us. Some of us will be teachers or preachers. Some of us will serve silently those that are in need, but we are all equal in our service. We are all one body of Jesus Christ. In 1 Corinthians 12 it says that we can’t all be eyes or ears or hands. Our physical body is made up of many parts. We need the ears to hear, the eyes to see, the tongue to taste, and the hands to touch. If we only had eyes, how would we walk? If we only had ears, how would we feel? All parts of our physical body are equal. All parts of Christ’s spiritual body are equal. A person visiting a shut-in is just as important as the person preaching the gospel. A person bringing food to the sick is as critical to God’s kingdom as the teacher. Each one is showing God’s love in a critical and important way.
The scripture continues in Mark 1:32 “That evening after sunset the people brought to Jesus all the sick and demon-possessed. The whole town gathered at the door, and Jesus healed many who had various diseases.”
People were drawn to Jesus because of the stories of healing of the sick. In fact, the whole town gathered to see Jesus heal all kinds of diseases. Jesus wanted people to stay on the message about the gospel of peace and love. It is natural for people to be attracted to the signs, miracles, and wonders, but they need to believe without seeing the miracles.
I love seeing people in need, praying for them, having Jesus hear the prayer, Jesus healing the sick, and rejoicing when the sick are healed. I believe in the gifts of healing. The gifts of healing are one of the Spiritual Gifts just like the gifts of serving, teaching, or preaching. The gift of serving is just as vital a gift and equal to the gifts of healing.
Acts 28:27b-28 states “We pray you will see with your eyes, hear with your ears, and understand in your heart, and in turn, God will heal you. Therefore, I want you to know that God’s salvation has been sent to you and you will listen.”
I visited a friend at Franklin Memorial last week. He has cancer in both lungs. We studied a lot of the healing scriptures in Luke. We read about the woman touching the hem of Jesus’ cloak. She reached out for Jesus in faith. Jesus felt the power of the Holy Spirit leave him when she touched him. Luke 7:7-10 tells about a Roman Centurion who was concerned about his servant who was about to die. The Roman Centurion asked Jesus to “But say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, 'Go,' and he goes; and that one, 'Come,' and he comes. I say to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it." When Jesus heard this, he was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd following him, he said, "I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel." Then the men who had been sent returned to the house and found the servant well.
In the story of the Roman Centurion, Jesus was not near the servant, but the servant was healed. I believe unity of faith is critical to praying for healing. The woman who touched the cloak of Jesus was unified in her faith with Jesus. The Roman Centurion was unified in his faith with Jesus for a servant who was at a distance. We don’t know if the servant had faith. We just know that the Roman Centurion believed that if Jesus spoke the words of healing, that the servant would be healed.
In Luke 5, we have the familiar story of the four men cutting a hole in the roof to lower their paralyzed friend down to Jesus. The scripture tells us that “the power of the Lord was present for Jesus to heal the sick.” It was the unity of faith of the four men who carried their friend to be healed. The four men had the unity of faith to have a common purpose. They believed that if they could get the paralyzed man to Jesus that their friend would be healed. They were right.
In each of these stories, the situation was different, but the results were the same. The person who needed healing came to Jesus in one, the person was carried to Jesus in another by his friends, the person who needed healing was at a distance, and in the case of Simon’s mother-in-law, Jesus and his disciples came to her to heal. The common threads in these stories are faith, love, hope, and compassion.
Mark 1:35-39 the story continues “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. Simon and his companions went to look for him, and when they found him, they exclaimed: "Everyone is looking for you!" Jesus replied, "Let us go somewhere else—to the nearby villages—so I can preach there also. That is why I have come." So he traveled throughout Galilee, preaching in their synagogues…”
Jesus needed to pray to regain his spiritual strength after healing so many people. He also set the example for us that we need to find time to pray to get closer to God and regain our spiritual strength so we can go out and serve God using our spiritual gifts. Jesus also wanted to go to the nearby villages to preach the gospel. He states that preaching the gospel is the reason that he has come.
Each of us needs to find what it takes to renew ourselves spiritually. Praying to God, singing praise songs, worshiping together are just a few of the ways to renew ourselves spiritually. Also, when we are using the spiritual gifts God has given we are energized in a wonderful way. I’d like to close with these words from Isaiah 40:31 “but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” Let us hope in the Lord and soar on wings like eagles as we go out into the world to serve our fellow man. Amen.
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Astounded
God inspired me to preach about a man with faith to accomplish impossible things if he could only imagine them. This man was in exile in a foreign country. He was poor. He was a servant. He was the guy who had to drink the wine before the king so he could prevent the king’s assassination. If the wine was poisoned then he would be the one to die. Nehemiah was called the cupbearer. He was also supposed to provide companionship for the king. He was trusted, but he was dispensable.
Some Jews who had been to Jerusalem gave Nehemiah a bad report. The Jews told him that Jerusalem was devastated from years of war and conquest. Some people would’ve said that it was too bad, but there was nothing that they could do. Nehemiah chooses to pray about rebuilding the destroyed city. The people of Jerusalem were exiled much earlier by the Babylonians. Now, the Persians had conquered the Babylonians. Nehemiah’s answer to his prayer was to ask the king for it all.
Nehemiah 2:1-9 said: “… when wine was brought for King Artaxerxes (agr-tak-SERK-seez), I took the wine and gave it to the king. I had not been sad in his presence before; so the king asked me, "Why does your face look so sad when you are not ill? This can be nothing but sadness of heart." I was very much afraid, but I said to the king, "May the king live forever! Why should my face not look sad when the city where my fathers are buried lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?" The king said to me, "What is it you want?" Then I prayed to the God of heaven, and I answered the king, "If it pleases the king and if your servant has found favor in his sight, let him send me to the city in Judah where my fathers are buried so that I can rebuild it."
First, Nehemiah prayed to God of heaven so that he had the faith to ask for the impossible. He asked a Persian King who he served if he could go back to where his ancestors were buried and rebuild. He was pretty brave to ask for his freedom to go, but he went way beyond just asking for him to go.
The story continues: “Then the king… asked me, "How long will your journey take, and when will you get back?" It pleased the king to send me; so I set a time. I also said to him, "If it pleases the king, may I have letters to the governors of Trans-Euphrates, so that they will provide me safe-conduct until I arrive in Judah? And may I have a letter to Asaph (AY saf), keeper of the king's forest, so he will give me timber to make beams for the gates of the citadel by the temple and for the city wall and for the residence I will occupy?" And because the gracious hand of my God was upon me, the king granted my requests. So I went to the governors of Trans-Euphrates and gave them the king's letters. The king had also sent army officers and cavalry with me.
Nehemiah was willing to think that he could make a difference. Nehemiah was willing to pray. Nehemiah was willing to follow God’s call. The gracious hand of God was lifting up Nehemiah. God’s grace enabled Nehemiah to gain favor with the King to be able to receive the resources and time to rebuild Jerusalem that lay in ruin from many years of conquest. This story is about receiving favor from God.
If we are willing to believe that we can make a difference, pray, and follow God’s call. We will also find favor with God. Nehemiah was trying to rebuild a city. We are trying to strengthen and build our church. We also have to believe that we can make a difference. We have to believe that if we pray that God will answer our prayers and give his favor to our efforts. God will hear our prayers and we will be able to do the impossible. People will come to see how a small church is willing to grow when many people are afraid of the future.
In Nehemiah 2:17-20 says: Then I said to them, "You see the trouble we are in: Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned with fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and we will no longer be in disgrace." I also told them about the gracious hand of my God upon me and what the king had said to me. They replied, "Let us start rebuilding." So they began this good work. There were people who told Nehemiah that it couldn’t be done. Nehemiah answered them by saying, "The God of heaven will give us success.”
Nehemiah prayed for an answer to a distant problem. God’s grace enabled him to have favor with King Artaxersis. He gave all of the glory to God and knew that the God would give them success. I also know that the God of heaven will give New Hope UMC success. The gracious hand of God is upon us. We need to claim that God will allow us to rebuild our church into a place that is full of hope, love, and faith. Our church is also full of desire to improve the lives of our neighbors here on Old Forge Road and around the world. We must pray for our church that its mission and reach will grow.
This church must grow or die. We have decided to grow our church structure. Now, we need to be like Nehemiah. He prayed to God. God’s grace enabled him to accomplished things that were impossible without God being with him. We also need to pray that the ministry of our church will grow as well.
There are a lot of stories about Jesus in the Bible. Many times the people around Jesus are amazed about the knowledge, wisdom, and power demonstrated by Jesus. Jesus taught with authority. It was the authority that came from God, not from man. People were astounded that Jesus taught with confidence and strength that many of the leaders in the church did not have when they taught. Mark 1:21-22 says “They went to Capernaum, and when the Sabbath came, Jesus went into the synagogue and began to teach. The people were amazed at his teaching, because he taught them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law.”
The next part of the scripture from Mark 1 is dealing with evil spirits. Mark 1:23-28: says “Just then a man in their synagogue who was possessed by an evil spirit cried out, "What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!" "Be quiet!" said Jesus sternly. "Come out of him!" The evil spirit shook the man violently and came out of him with a shriek. The people were all so amazed that they asked each other, "What is this? A new teaching—and with authority! He even gives orders to evil spirits and they obey him." News about him spread quickly over the whole region of Galilee.
It is unusual to talk about evil spirits in modern society, but Jesus understood the conflict between good and evil. The evil spirits also recognized Jesus and the threat that Jesus was to them. Jesus commanded the evil spirits to be quiet and then Jesus commanded the demons to come out of the demon possessed man.
Evil exists in the world today. We just don’t recognize it. We also have spiritual attacks usually when we are about to be used by God in a powerful way. Satan doesn’t bother with us if we are not a threat to him. If Satan is taking us for granted, there’s nothing that he needs to do.
Sometimes, when we are being attacked it should be considered a sign of encouragement because we are doing something for God which Satan doesn’t like! It is when we are doing the Lord’s work that Satan starts his attack. It is important to know that if we trust in the authority and power of Jesus Christ, we will be safe from all attacks. We must put our trust in the Lord.
In Ghana, I’ve see people who pay for the power of Satan. The power is placed into items called talismans. The talismans are rings, medallions, and sometimes it is a piece of cloth or other items. Names for people who pay for Satan’s power are witches or witch doctors. I’ve also come face to face with people who are demon possessed. In fact, I’ve had to study the scriptures to understand how to heal someone of a demon possession.
On my last trip to Ghana, we distributed food in a church in a village named Diane (Dee ah Knee). We have a lot of history in that village. Our mission team preached in Diani for the first time in 2005. A village elder told us that they had been praying for one year for God to start a church in their village. The elder thought we were God’s answer to their prayers. We saw God work in amazing ways. Two women who were blind received their sight through the power of prayer on that first night. A deaf woman was able to hear in the name of Jesus Christ.
We were back to preach in 2006. One lady who was blind died a few months before our return. The witch doctors told the people that if a Christian prayed for you that you would surely die. We had to explain that the lady had lived a long life – over eighty years, she regained her sight, and when she died she went to heaven. We built a basic church in Diani in 2007.
I preached in the church after the food distribution in October 2008. We also took time to pray for many people who came forward to ask for prayers. Finally, we prayed for all of the children at least once and some of them received several blessings. It was at the point in time when we were exhausted that a man possessed by demons came around to disturb the church service and to ask for prayer. We asked him if he really wanted to be free of the demon. He said yes.
We told the children to leave the church. Anyone who was weak in their faith was also told to leave and to go away from the church. We asked him to remove everything that had evil power. He had talismans around his neck, on his fingers, on his belt, and in his pockets. We asked him to remove every one of them before we could proceed. We asked him if he was willing to let go of the demons. Some people like to sit on the fence. They love the idea of Jesus, but they also love sin and evil. He said yes.
We cast out his demons into the abyss in the name of Jesus Christ. We saw an immediate change in the man. The weight from evil was lifted from him. We asked the man to burn all of the items containing evil. He made a fire and burned all of the trappings of evil. We have to choose whether we will serve God or serve evil. The young demon possessed man gradually turned his body to a place for evil. Gradually, evil had total control over him.
It was hard for me to relate to Mark 1:23-28 before my experiences in Africa. We can translate the experience back to home. There are many things that we hold onto that may be evil. We let small bits of evil to come into our lives. We may worship money, power, pornography, drugs, anger, hate, or our inability to forgive. Just like that man in Diani, our body is a place which we prepare for the Holy Spirit or it is a place where evil can seep into our lives. It is our choice.
Today, we have the choice to be like Nehemiah or the man who had demons. Nehemiah saw a need, prayed to God, answered God’s call, and was able to see the city of Jerusalem rebuilt while it was still in ruins. It takes a choice to decide which path to take in our lives. For us, I believe we will choose to follow the example of Nehemiah who hears about a need, prays to God, answers God’s call, and see’s God use us in amazing ways.
Some Jews who had been to Jerusalem gave Nehemiah a bad report. The Jews told him that Jerusalem was devastated from years of war and conquest. Some people would’ve said that it was too bad, but there was nothing that they could do. Nehemiah chooses to pray about rebuilding the destroyed city. The people of Jerusalem were exiled much earlier by the Babylonians. Now, the Persians had conquered the Babylonians. Nehemiah’s answer to his prayer was to ask the king for it all.
Nehemiah 2:1-9 said: “… when wine was brought for King Artaxerxes (agr-tak-SERK-seez), I took the wine and gave it to the king. I had not been sad in his presence before; so the king asked me, "Why does your face look so sad when you are not ill? This can be nothing but sadness of heart." I was very much afraid, but I said to the king, "May the king live forever! Why should my face not look sad when the city where my fathers are buried lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?" The king said to me, "What is it you want?" Then I prayed to the God of heaven, and I answered the king, "If it pleases the king and if your servant has found favor in his sight, let him send me to the city in Judah where my fathers are buried so that I can rebuild it."
First, Nehemiah prayed to God of heaven so that he had the faith to ask for the impossible. He asked a Persian King who he served if he could go back to where his ancestors were buried and rebuild. He was pretty brave to ask for his freedom to go, but he went way beyond just asking for him to go.
The story continues: “Then the king… asked me, "How long will your journey take, and when will you get back?" It pleased the king to send me; so I set a time. I also said to him, "If it pleases the king, may I have letters to the governors of Trans-Euphrates, so that they will provide me safe-conduct until I arrive in Judah? And may I have a letter to Asaph (AY saf), keeper of the king's forest, so he will give me timber to make beams for the gates of the citadel by the temple and for the city wall and for the residence I will occupy?" And because the gracious hand of my God was upon me, the king granted my requests. So I went to the governors of Trans-Euphrates and gave them the king's letters. The king had also sent army officers and cavalry with me.
Nehemiah was willing to think that he could make a difference. Nehemiah was willing to pray. Nehemiah was willing to follow God’s call. The gracious hand of God was lifting up Nehemiah. God’s grace enabled Nehemiah to gain favor with the King to be able to receive the resources and time to rebuild Jerusalem that lay in ruin from many years of conquest. This story is about receiving favor from God.
If we are willing to believe that we can make a difference, pray, and follow God’s call. We will also find favor with God. Nehemiah was trying to rebuild a city. We are trying to strengthen and build our church. We also have to believe that we can make a difference. We have to believe that if we pray that God will answer our prayers and give his favor to our efforts. God will hear our prayers and we will be able to do the impossible. People will come to see how a small church is willing to grow when many people are afraid of the future.
In Nehemiah 2:17-20 says: Then I said to them, "You see the trouble we are in: Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned with fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and we will no longer be in disgrace." I also told them about the gracious hand of my God upon me and what the king had said to me. They replied, "Let us start rebuilding." So they began this good work. There were people who told Nehemiah that it couldn’t be done. Nehemiah answered them by saying, "The God of heaven will give us success.”
Nehemiah prayed for an answer to a distant problem. God’s grace enabled him to have favor with King Artaxersis. He gave all of the glory to God and knew that the God would give them success. I also know that the God of heaven will give New Hope UMC success. The gracious hand of God is upon us. We need to claim that God will allow us to rebuild our church into a place that is full of hope, love, and faith. Our church is also full of desire to improve the lives of our neighbors here on Old Forge Road and around the world. We must pray for our church that its mission and reach will grow.
This church must grow or die. We have decided to grow our church structure. Now, we need to be like Nehemiah. He prayed to God. God’s grace enabled him to accomplished things that were impossible without God being with him. We also need to pray that the ministry of our church will grow as well.
There are a lot of stories about Jesus in the Bible. Many times the people around Jesus are amazed about the knowledge, wisdom, and power demonstrated by Jesus. Jesus taught with authority. It was the authority that came from God, not from man. People were astounded that Jesus taught with confidence and strength that many of the leaders in the church did not have when they taught. Mark 1:21-22 says “They went to Capernaum, and when the Sabbath came, Jesus went into the synagogue and began to teach. The people were amazed at his teaching, because he taught them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law.”
The next part of the scripture from Mark 1 is dealing with evil spirits. Mark 1:23-28: says “Just then a man in their synagogue who was possessed by an evil spirit cried out, "What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!" "Be quiet!" said Jesus sternly. "Come out of him!" The evil spirit shook the man violently and came out of him with a shriek. The people were all so amazed that they asked each other, "What is this? A new teaching—and with authority! He even gives orders to evil spirits and they obey him." News about him spread quickly over the whole region of Galilee.
It is unusual to talk about evil spirits in modern society, but Jesus understood the conflict between good and evil. The evil spirits also recognized Jesus and the threat that Jesus was to them. Jesus commanded the evil spirits to be quiet and then Jesus commanded the demons to come out of the demon possessed man.
Evil exists in the world today. We just don’t recognize it. We also have spiritual attacks usually when we are about to be used by God in a powerful way. Satan doesn’t bother with us if we are not a threat to him. If Satan is taking us for granted, there’s nothing that he needs to do.
Sometimes, when we are being attacked it should be considered a sign of encouragement because we are doing something for God which Satan doesn’t like! It is when we are doing the Lord’s work that Satan starts his attack. It is important to know that if we trust in the authority and power of Jesus Christ, we will be safe from all attacks. We must put our trust in the Lord.
In Ghana, I’ve see people who pay for the power of Satan. The power is placed into items called talismans. The talismans are rings, medallions, and sometimes it is a piece of cloth or other items. Names for people who pay for Satan’s power are witches or witch doctors. I’ve also come face to face with people who are demon possessed. In fact, I’ve had to study the scriptures to understand how to heal someone of a demon possession.
On my last trip to Ghana, we distributed food in a church in a village named Diane (Dee ah Knee). We have a lot of history in that village. Our mission team preached in Diani for the first time in 2005. A village elder told us that they had been praying for one year for God to start a church in their village. The elder thought we were God’s answer to their prayers. We saw God work in amazing ways. Two women who were blind received their sight through the power of prayer on that first night. A deaf woman was able to hear in the name of Jesus Christ.
We were back to preach in 2006. One lady who was blind died a few months before our return. The witch doctors told the people that if a Christian prayed for you that you would surely die. We had to explain that the lady had lived a long life – over eighty years, she regained her sight, and when she died she went to heaven. We built a basic church in Diani in 2007.
I preached in the church after the food distribution in October 2008. We also took time to pray for many people who came forward to ask for prayers. Finally, we prayed for all of the children at least once and some of them received several blessings. It was at the point in time when we were exhausted that a man possessed by demons came around to disturb the church service and to ask for prayer. We asked him if he really wanted to be free of the demon. He said yes.
We told the children to leave the church. Anyone who was weak in their faith was also told to leave and to go away from the church. We asked him to remove everything that had evil power. He had talismans around his neck, on his fingers, on his belt, and in his pockets. We asked him to remove every one of them before we could proceed. We asked him if he was willing to let go of the demons. Some people like to sit on the fence. They love the idea of Jesus, but they also love sin and evil. He said yes.
We cast out his demons into the abyss in the name of Jesus Christ. We saw an immediate change in the man. The weight from evil was lifted from him. We asked the man to burn all of the items containing evil. He made a fire and burned all of the trappings of evil. We have to choose whether we will serve God or serve evil. The young demon possessed man gradually turned his body to a place for evil. Gradually, evil had total control over him.
It was hard for me to relate to Mark 1:23-28 before my experiences in Africa. We can translate the experience back to home. There are many things that we hold onto that may be evil. We let small bits of evil to come into our lives. We may worship money, power, pornography, drugs, anger, hate, or our inability to forgive. Just like that man in Diani, our body is a place which we prepare for the Holy Spirit or it is a place where evil can seep into our lives. It is our choice.
Today, we have the choice to be like Nehemiah or the man who had demons. Nehemiah saw a need, prayed to God, answered God’s call, and was able to see the city of Jerusalem rebuilt while it was still in ruins. It takes a choice to decide which path to take in our lives. For us, I believe we will choose to follow the example of Nehemiah who hears about a need, prays to God, answers God’s call, and see’s God use us in amazing ways.
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