How do we change?  Saying “No” to some activities is the starting point.  Determining which ones get that response will require some soul-searching prioritizing.  That’s why most of us just keep on doing the same things over and over–we don’t like the difficult work of self-examination and having to put forth the effort needed to change our well-worn ruts.

            Our families will suffer until we learn to protect our time together.  Our children will not receive the strong emotional heritage we want them to have unless we change.  Few things could be more important for us to model before our children than guarding our time with our family.  If we don’t, they likely won’t when they reach the age where they control more of their own schedule.

            Parents aren’t the only ones who have responsibility in this matter.  Teens often choose to place other activities higher on their list of priorities, but often they are just practicing what’s been modeled in front of them.  Create the best environment for them to make healthy decisions by making good ones yourself.

John Kenneth King

 
Let me illustrate my point by using a more modern book.  For the last ten-plus years Williard Harley’s book, His Needs, Her Needs, has been highly recommended to married couples.  I’ve found it to be very beneficial to encourage people I know to read the book.  The folks that I think can be helped greatly by reading it are couples with whom I’m doing pre-marital counseling.  But I always have to point out to them who the author is and the audience for whom he wrote the book.

Harley is a marriage counselor.  The book draws on years of practice working with couples at or near the point of divorce.  By the time these couples come to him, most of their relationships are seriously damaged.  Many of Harley’s chapters sound fatalistic because he’s dealing with near fatalities.  With that reality in mind, adults who are about to marry can learn without being overwhelmed by fear that their marriage is doomed to the failures Harley itemizes.

When we approach the New Testament we need to realize that many of our questions are not the ones its author was addressing.  Consider for example the issue of baptism.  With the exception of Peter’s response in Acts 2, the biblical texts on this subject were written or spoken by a believer for an audience of believers.  If we are going to apply those texts to the situation of someone who is not a Christian, then we have to factor that context into our investigation.

With this context in mind, there are some things that come out of passages like Romans 6 and Ephesians 4.  For a Christian, reflecting on his/her baptism should be a clarifying consideration.  Paul reminds the Ephesians that it is one of the seven givens we all hold in common.  For the Romans he can refer back to that experience as a time when our future trajectory was set.  While Paul didn’t write these for non-Christians, those are things one can anticipate as he/she ponders the effect being baptized could have.  It should be a clarifying moment.

John Kenneth King

For others that is a radical transition.  They fear we are at risk of losing our family feel.  Two hundred people is about all you can realistically keep some sense of familiarity with, so to have more than that number is to get beyond my human capacities to stay connected with personally.

How do you continue to feel connected?  What do you do if several of your closest friends choose to go to the “other” service?  That’s where small groups and mid-sized groups become very important.  Get involved in a small group where you can be honest and more transparent, and you won’t have to worry about feeling like a stranger in a big crowd.  As you look around you will see others who know you deeply and love you.  They will be your connecting points, regardless of how big the church becomes.  Mid-sized groups like Sunday School classes will also help you to be familiar with more people at a different, but important level.

Stones River has been attempting to be a church that connects for several years.  At times that has gone well and been rather smooth.  On other occasions it has been fitful and difficult.  Attempting to hold on to the God revealed in scriptures and to connect with the twenty-first century world does not come naturally, so if everything came off painlessly the likelihood is great that we would not be truly successful.  Please pray we help people connect with their Creator.  He wants that so much Jesus died on the cross to connect us.

John Kenneth King

GREENVILLE, Ohio (AP) – Harley Utz, who got married when rents were $19.50 a month, has died, five months after he and his wife celebrated their record 83rd anniversary. He was 103. 
Utz died Monday (11/12/01) at the nursing home where he and wife Sylvia, resided.

The couple got married June 15, 1918, in a simple ceremony at the home of the bride’s parents in Pitsburg, a town about 15 miles northwest of Dayton.

They couldn’t afford a honeymoon, and moved to Dayton, where their first rent was $19.50 a month. They also lived in Rochester, N.Y., and Chicago before returning to northwestern Ohio during the Depression.

Utz worked as an accountant for a Greenville bag manufacturer until he retired in 1965.

At the time of their 83rd anniversary, Sylvia Utz, who is also 103, said she does not believe in divorce and has preached the importance of marriage to her three children, who all have had long marriages.

She said the couple lived a “good, clean life.” They didn’t smoke or drink, and attended church regularly.

“We still live a day at a time and take whatever comes,” she said.

Earlier this year, the Guinness Book of Records certified that the couple had the longest marriage of a living couple.

Some will say they don’t want to live to be 103.  But what if you could share 83 of those years with the love of your life?

The way you accomplish anything of value is to do it one day at a time.  Surrender to Jesus each day.  Keep your wedding vows one day at a time.  Love your children one day at a time.  Serve those in need one day at a time.

John Kenneth King

How trustworthy are the New Testament claims regarding Jesus’ Sonship? Your answer reflects your view of the value of eyewitness testimony. The apostles were selected by Jesus to learn from Him in an apprenticeship role and to serve as witnesses to the things he said and did. Along the way, they also had occasion to hear God’s own affirmation regarding Jesus.

Consider 2 Peter 1:16-18 where the apostle notes, “We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For he received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, ‘This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.’ We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain.”

Peter rejects that the gospel he preached consisted of clever human stories. It was not fiction, but factual testimony told by eyewitnesses. God Himself entered the human drama and proclaimed Jesus’ sonship.

Even casual observation reveals this world’s existence is no accident. It exhibits design which points to a designer. The God who created our world has provided a self-revelation through the inspiration of Scriptures. He has most clearly shown himself through Jesus—his Son. To believe, you must consider the testimony of eyewitnesses. Upon careful examination, their claims prove very believable. Do you believe?

John Kenneth King

While I’ve had my dangerous moments (don’t laugh, I’m being serious) with them, they continue to fascinate me.  I’m talking about honeybees.  Recently we saw a working hive at the Grassmere Nashville Zoo.  Just today I read a fascinating story in Guideposts about a beekeeper.  At the end of the article there was a “Did You Know?” section on interesting facts about bees.  The last fact revealed the following:

“The hive must be kept at 91 degrees: warm enough for eggs to incubate, but cool enough so the wax doesn’t melt.  To maintain the temperature worker bees carry water to the hives, then fan it with their wings to evaporate it for cooling.”

Imagine you’ve grown up in the wilderness.  You’ve never seen any electrical appliances.  You meet a strangely dressed man and he invites you to come to his home.  As you enter his house, during the hottest day of the summer, you notice that the temperature is perfect—not too hot, not too cool.  You see a box that’s in a window which is able to take advantage of the benefits of evaporation to regulate the temperature.  But to your greatest amazement your host tells you that this box accidentally came into existence.

“No,” you tell him incredulously, “something like that couldn’t just happen.  An intelligent person had to design and build that.  It’s too perfectly suited to its purposes.”

Yes, design points to the Designer.  Many things in our world testify to God’s incredible creativity.  Praise God for His providences!

John Kenneth King

 
            We must be on our guard because these pressures usually come in subtle ways. As a writer recently noted, “We are producing millions of consumers of religion, but consumers of religion are a far cry from true disciples.” Our culture forces us into its consumer mold.  So much so, we approach faith issues from the consumer mind set.

            Years ago I heard a father admonish his son (who had recently gone through sales school for his new employment position) to pick out the largest and wealthiest church in the city and become involved there.  He implied that this would give his son a great group of potential sales contacts in the future.

            Today, people are more likely to approach the issue from a slightly different perspective.  Now the question is, “Which church will meet more of my family’s felt needs?” No, nobody asks that question out loud, nor do they think in those terms, but that’s the idea.

            Madison Avenue has worked feverishly to produce a nation of consumers. Sales people want us to have an ever-increasing list of needs.  The more we need, the more we buy. All they do is convince us that we need more and more stuff.

            With our increased expectations concerning consumable goods, comes an increase in demands on government and service organizations.  We want more and we are willing to “shop around” to find it.  Many of us have transferred these expectations to church.

            The greatest danger with this scenario is the loss of discipleship.  Rather than asking which church can give me what I want, I should ask which one can be most helpful in getting me to walk closely with Jesus. Will I grow to be more like Jesus because of my fellowship with these sisters and brothers? Will I become a servant, or do I want to be served?

John Kenneth King

 God is the only one who is always faithful.  That’s why grace is so crucial for the rest of us.  We are so prone to breaking confidences, abusing the trust others have placed in us and proving unfaithful.  We desperately need to become more like him each day we live.  I praise God his Holy Spirit continues to work in our lives to make us more faithful.

While we are prone to missing the mark in this vital area, we still need high callings.  We need mottos that stretch us.  Low living comes all to easily.  We need people around us who expect the best from us and hold us accountable when we miss the mark.  We also need examples of people who are growing more and more faithful.

Paul admonished Timothy to be mindful of his character.  He wrote him, “Command and teach these things.  Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity….Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress.  Watch your life and doctrine closely.  Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers” (1 Tim. 4:11-16).

What can people who’ve just met you find out from those who’ve known you for the last five to ten years?  Will they be able to discover that you are more dependable than you used to be?  While there was a time when you were quicker to make a promise than to keep it, have your friends witnessed progress in you?

We must not take this issue lightly.  Some of us have little leavening influence in our environments because we are just as unfaithful as we used to be.  The one thing that is predictable about us is that we are undependable.

As I mentioned in my sermon yesterday, faithfulness and self-control are two of the character traits God’s Spirit will produce in the lives of believers who keep in step with his cadence.  They are part of his fruit (Gal. 5:22-23).  If you’re not becoming more faithful you are marching to the beat of a different drummer.

John Kenneth King

 
That grandfather’s counsel to his extended family was to make sure you always have a spare key (until automakers put the hood latch inside the auto he would take a small piece of wire and attach his spare to the air filter).  You would never catch him locked out of his vehicle because he’s anticipated the possibility of accidentally closing a locked door and he’s prepared in case it happens.

Dave Ramsey, Larry Burkett and other financial counselors recommend that the two greatest needs for most people are to reduce indebtedness and build up an emergency fund.  Most advise building an emergency fund is the first step in getting your finances in order.  If you aren’t prepared for the inevitable expenses that do not fit into your budget, you’re efforts to manage your money will be sabotaged by that car repair, broken heat pump or dental crown.

During his series of classes on maintaining emotional wholeness in an uncertain world, Nathan Jernigan counseled us to be aware of the stress levels in our lives and do things that help.  In our last class he led us in a deep-breathing exercise.  Much of what he taught is great to do when you are already under stress, but it is also beneficial to build into our lives times when we slow down and prepare for the unexpected stresses which may arise tomorrow.

How can we build up a spiritual emergency fund?  Can we prepare this year for the possible rough times next year?  I am convinced we can through daily Bible reading, prayer and meditation.  A regular quiet time focused on God and his will nurtures our spirits and builds a reservoir we can draw on when the crises of life happen.

With each of the categories I’ve mentioned the common elements are anticipating and preparing for potential problems.  Steady incremental investments are the best way to be prepared for the biggest struggles life will bring.  If you’ve resolved to do such, follow through!  Be prepared.

John Kenneth King  

Ephesians contains a beautiful prayer Paul prayed for believers:

I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe.  That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come (Eph. 1:18-21).

As Christians we need to realize that the power God uses in transforming our lives is like what he used when he raised Jesus.  As the old hymn notes, the attempt to prevent Jesus’ departure from the grave was vain—“Death cannot keep his prey…He tore the bars away!”  Just as surely as the resurrection happened, God is able to accomplish his purposes in our lives.

Christianity is not a “self-help” program.  God has entered our affairs with supernatural power.  It was exhibited most forcefully in the garden tomb, but it continues to be shown when every believer experiences a new birth.  God’s power shines daily as he empowers us to walk by faith.  It is no wonder that Paul affirmed that nothing can separate us from the love of God.  There is no power greater than God’s power.

Does your walk testify to God’s power?  Are there areas where others see God molding and shaping your life?  External forces are not preventing it from happening.  Only your refusal to allow God to work in your life can stand in the way.  The issue is never impotence.  God is able.  Are you willing?

Celebrate the resurrection of Jesus!  Celebrate God’s desire to work in such a powerful way in your life.  We don’t have to muster the strength.  We are called to surrender to his power.  Have you?  Are you?

John Kenneth King