“And when he drew near and saw the city, he wept over it …”

What more needs to be said? The question is what causes you to weep?

With this, we conclude our 10 week series about how Jesus is the perfect model for personal evangelism. Lets remember that if we follow Jesus’ example, we will be:

• Reverent and respectful
• Compassionate and sympathetic
• Self-sacrificial
• Good listeners
• Demanding and challenging (making sure people understand that it is no easy grace being offered)
• Holistic in our concern for the whole person
• Personal and vulnerable
• Prayerful
• And willing to weep for those who have not yet heard

May God richly bless you as you grow in your walk with Him and in your personal evangelism.

Jesus was prayerful. He demonstrated for His followers the need for constant dependence upon the Holy Spirit and a vital relationship with the Heavenly Father. His ministry began in prayer, for He prayed at His baptism; and His final words were a prayer from the cross, lifted to His Father. He prayed so powerfully that His disciples pleaded with Him to teach them how to pray in Luke 11:1, “Now Jesus (in the Greek it says “He”) was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.”

Some people will take advantage of your vulnerability, but if we are going to err, then we must err on the side of trusting and caring for people, like Jesus did.

Jesus was holistic. He was concerned for the whole person. All human concerns were His. He warned that his followers would be judged by how well they “did it to the least of these”. Take a look at Matthew 25:31-46:

“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’

“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

The thing we need to learn about Jesus is that He started where the people were. May it be true of us.

Jesus was spontaneous and opportunistic. He had a whenever and wherever approach to evangelism as well as intentionality. Any place, any time appeared to be appropriate as He met people in the flow of life. Check out the Zacchaeus story in Luke 19: 1-10 (ESV),

“He entered Jericho and was passing through. And there was a man named Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector and was rich. And he was seeking to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was small of stature. So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was about to pass that way. And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today.” So he hurried and came down and received him joyfully. And when they saw it, they all grumbled, “He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.” And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.” And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

Jesus took the opportunity to minister to a man names Zacchaeus. It wasn’t on his Outlook calendar for that day, nor was it something he called ahead to book n advance. It just happened. We are confronted daily with spontaneous opportunities to be an ambassador for Christ. It is my prayer this week that we will all be sensitive to these moments in time where God can use us to do something spontaneous and opportunistic in His name for one of His creations.

“Go, sell what you have, and give it to the poor.” (Mark 10:21)

“You must be born again.” (John 3:7)

“Enter by the narrow gate.” (Matthew 7:13)

These were typical responses from His lips.  When we talk about this grace Jesus offered, we recognise that "...the promises of future grace are the keys to Christ-like Christian living.  The hand that turns the key is faith, and the life that results is called living by faith in future grace. By future I do not merely mean the grace of heaven and the age to come.  I mean that begins now, this very second, and sustains your life to the end of this paragraph.  By grace I do not merely mean the pardon of God in passing over your sins, but also the power and beauty of God to keep you from sinning.  By faith I do not merely mean the confidence that Jesus died for your sins, but also the confidence that God will "also with him freely give us all thins" (Romans 8:32). Faith is primarily a future-oriented "assurance of things hoped for" (Hebrews 11:1).  Its essence is the deep satisfaction with all that God promises to be for us in Jesus - beginning now!" (John Piper, Future Grace, p.13, Multnoma Books, 1995)

Remember, this is no easy grace.  Don't try and convince people is is anything but demanding and challenging.

At other times, the work was so satisfying that He did not want to eat, like in John 4:32,

“But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you do not know about.”

And ultimately, He gave Himself – the supreme gift. To be an effective Christian, a true Follower of Christ, it WILL cost you.

As we said last week, Scripture tells us that Jesus is the perfect model for personal evangelism. In John 13:15-16, Jesus said,

“For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you. Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant (Greek: bondservant) is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him.”

This week, it is important to see that Jesus was compassionate and sympathetic. Again and again, the scriptures speak of His being moved with compassion or moved with pity as in Mark 1:41,

“Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand and touched him and said to him, “I will; be clean.”

Jesus did not mind touching the untouchables or sitting at the table with sinners and with the marginal excluded people as in Luke 7:33-34,

“For John the Baptist has come eating no bread and drinking no wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon.’ The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!”

You just cannot see Jesus until you see Him weeping, until you see Him touching and ministering to the unclean.  Consider this week how you can follow Jesus' model of being compassionate and sympathetic to those how need a special touch from the Father.

Over the course of 10 weeks, I would like to share with you each week some short examples of the significant characteristics of Jesus and how He related to people. These characteristics are to be the model we follow as we engage people on a daily basis. Scripture tells us that Jesus is the perfect model for personal evangelism. In John 13:15-16, Jesus said,

“For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you. Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant (Greek: bondservant) is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him.”

And again in John 20:21,

“Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.”

Paul picked up on Jesus as the perfect model evangelist when he said in 1 Corinthians 11:1,

“Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.”

Therefore, if Jesus is to be our example, what are the significant characteristics of His evangelism?

This week, I would like for you to see that Jesus was reverent and respectful towards people. His attitude was in stark contrast to that of the religious leaders of His day. The adulterous woman in John 8 is a typical example. His gentleness and graciousness with people demonstrated His profound respect for each individual person.

TOUGH QUESTION: Would reverent and respectful towards people be an accurate description of you?

Each week, I will bring another characteristic of Jesus for us to use as a model.  Give me a call if you have any questions or need to talk.

I have found rest this week in the words of Jesus in Matthew 11:28-30 (ESV) "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”  Here's some lessons I have learned.

I experience rest for my soul as I obey Jesus’ command to…

I. COME TO ME “Come…all…and I will give…”

Jesus regularly invited people to come to Him to meet their needs. NOTICE: What Jesus did NOT say, “Come to church to find rest” Christianity begins with meeting Christ personally. Becoming a Follower of Jesus, i.e. Surrender.

You become a Follower if Jesus through a choice to answer His invitation to turn from your own ways and come to Him. You will find that He’s been waiting for you all along. Have you done that? Can you look to a time when you decided to answer His call to come? You say, “but my life is really a mess, I don’t think I am ready to come." HIS INVITATION: Come one, come all, and come as you are!

COME TO ME … If you’re hungry: Did you realize that you have a hungry soul?

In John 6:35 (ESV) Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.”

COME TO ME … If you’re thirsty: He will satisfy our soul’s thirst if we come.

In John 7:37-38 (ESV) we read, “On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’”

COME TO ME … If you want eternal life: We can come to Him for eternal life.

In John 5:39-40 (ESV) “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life.”

The search to satisfy these needs on our own leads down many empty roads. The tiresome search for salvation of the soul, coming up empty is what Jesus is speaking to. He has a gift to give and although free to us, was very costly for Him.

SPIRITUAL REST TO BE GIVEN: “Come to me & I will give you rest”

I experience rest for my soul as I also obey Jesus’ command to…

II. TAKE MY YOKE (upon you)

YOKE: “a type of harness that connects a pair of oxen.” A pair of connected oxen was typically called a yoke of oxen. Used metaphorically to refer to submission to a teacher. In New Testament times the phrase, “to take the yoke of” was used by rabbi’s to refer to “becoming a submitted pupil of a teacher”. Used 6x in the New Testament, the word YOKE has two dominant figurative ideas.

1. MAN’S YOKE - The yoke of rules and religion.

2. JESUS’ YOKE - The yoke of relationship.

JESUS SAID "MY YOKE:" Jesus commands we take up HIS yoke to find rest There is no rest in rules and religion, but only in a personal relationship with God based on the finished work of Jesus.

I have to check regularly to see which yoke I have been under. Which yoke have you been under? Jesus’ or man’s? We access all that God has for us through our choices. I think we have been given three visuals about the Yoke of Christ that we can think about this week:

• Connection “Be with Me.” Yokes are made for two, not one. We were not meant to go through life living apart from God. His yoke fits well and is lighter than the one we’ve been pulling by ourselves. Be connected to Jesus!

• Direction “Follow Me.” The idea of a yoke pictures the forward motion of two connected together. You cannot be yoked to Jesus and go your own way anymore. We follow Him and His direction for our life. Follow Jesus!

• Cooperation “Work with Me.” To be yoked together means that we cooperate with His work. Before we come to Him, we were living for this side of eternity. Now we are joined to His work and discover that our lives make an eternal impact. We experience only when we obey: COME and TAKE His yoke. Rest is the result of obedience! We rest in Him!

J.H. Jowett summarized the thought this way…

“The fatal mistake for the believer is to seek to bear life’s load in a single collar. God never intended man to carry his burden alone. Christ therefore deals only in yokes! A yoke is a neck harness for two, and the Lord Himself pleads to be one of the two. He wants to share the labor of any galling task. The secret of peace and victory in the Christian life is found in putting off the taxing collar of “self” and accepting the Master’s relaxing “yoke”.”

I experience rest for my soul as I also obey Jesus’ command to…

III. LEARN FROM ME in vs 29

His third command is to learn from Him (are you open to learn?) All of us are ignorant, just on different subjects. We come, take up His yoke, and the process of learning begins.

He says LEARN FROM ME Gentleness: Strength under control (Jesus as the example).

Religious people can be cold and harsh, but no so with Jesus. His gentleness draws us to Him with our cares and concerns. Wouldn’t it be great to have someone you can pour out your deepest thoughts to, a gentle person who has the strength to help? We need to learn that He wants to love on us.

1 Peter 5:7 says, “casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.”

He says LEARN FROM ME Humility: Selflessness (Jesus as the example)

Again, religious people can be arrogant and rude toward us. Pride and self-centeredness is descriptive of the Devil. The very things that turn people off from the church are the very opposite of what Jesus is really like. Hurting, lost and weary people were drawn to Jesus because He cared for them and met their needs.

THE REST HE GIVES (FREE GIFT): Once and for all we rest in His work on the cross for us to make us acceptable to God (real relief for the labor and burden of our lives apart from God).

THE REST WE FIND (DISCOVERY): There is no need to fear what Jesus might do in your life. He is gentle and humble. The more you learn that about Him, the more you will find your rest in Him.

So, what about this spiritual rest thing? We all need rest, physical, emotional, and spiritual. I hope you have been encouraged by some of the lessons I have learned this week as I get out from under man’s yoke and get back under Jesus’ yoke. Let’s all take the journey together.

Grace and Peace,

Pastor David
Administration & Outreach

“I am shooting for having 250 buckets from BVBC. That is 250 families in Africa who will have critical care items for a dying family member with HIV/Aids. The message of hope will be given as each bucket is provided to one of these families. This project is a simple, safe, and yet significant way individuals, families, and Sunday school classes can be involved in making a difference in the life of a family needing a word of encouragement and some simple comfort or care items during a very difficult time in the life of their family. Thank you BVBC for caring and being the hands and feet of Jesus as you help in putting together these In-home Care Kit buckets.”

I realize that there are many others outside BVBC who would also like to know about the project, the schedule, and hear information directly from Baptist Global Response (BGR) explaining the need and the impact on people.  Here is our project schedule:

MAY 2010
The BVBC Missions Team will be promoting the IHCK missions project in the adult Sunday school classes the weeks of May 16th & 23rd. A member of the Missions Team, or Pastor David, will visit the first 10 minutes of the Sunday school hour to share specifics about this opportunity for each class to be involved as a class. Set a class goal, for the number of buckets your class will be able to provide. This is not limited only to classes. Individuals and families can take this on as an opportunity to be engaged in a mission project as well.
The Student, Children’s, and Preschool ministries can take the project on as well, but the promotion will run through the ministry leadership, i.e. JWes, Harriet, and Miss. Rhonda. They will decide how they want to participate in the project as they may want to partner with each other, set ministry department goals instead of individual class goals, etc.

JUNE – JULY 2010
Each Sunday school class, individuals, families, and departments will follow the BGR instructions on the items to purchase and how to pack them. Once the buckets are done, they can be brought to the BVBC Annex for storage until we ship them.

AUGUST 2010
We will finalize getting all labels on all completed buckets, celebrate with the BVBC family the projects results, and then transport them to the KNCSB collection point for shipment to Richmond, VA. BGR will then have them shipped to South Africa in September/October.

I hope you will consider how you might be able to participate. The following is from the most recent BGR release.  Enjoy the read. For more information, feel free to contact us at missions@bluevalleybaptist.org

BGR launches 2010 In-Home Care Kit project
May 11, 2010

NASHVILLE, Tenn. –– Relief from suffering. A firsthand experience of Christ’s compassion. Hope for a new life free of pain in the presence of God.

These were the gifts you gave dying patients in southern Africa last year if you participated in BGR’s In-Home Care Kit project.

And if you didn’t help last year, you have the opportunity to make a difference this year!

The 2010 In-Home Care Kit project plans to send 5,000 buckets of healthcare supplies to provide a touch of physical and spiritual healing to people in sub-Saharan Africa who are dying from terminal illnesses. Last year's project ended successfully with 3,200 kits sent to South Africa, Zambia, Kenya, Lesotho, and Mozambique.

RIGHT: In Maliwane village of Lesotho's Mokhotlong region, a 64-year-old grandmother lay dying of AIDS. BGR partners Jim and Teresa Flora walked for two hours to her home, where the chairman of a local support group taught the woman's family to use a BGR In-Home Care Kit prepared by a congregation in the United States. (Photo by Jonathan Bundrick)

In Maliwane village of Lesotho's Mokhotlong region, a 64-year-old grandmother lay dying of AIDS. BGR partners Jim and Teresa Flora walked for 2 hours to her home, where the chairman of a local support group taught the woman's family to use a BGR In-Home Care Kit prepared by a congregation in the United States. (Photo by Jonathan Bundrick)

The BGR In-Home Care Kit is a five-gallon plastic bucket filled with medical and hygiene supplies. Items in this kit will make the caregivers’ tasks much easier, but more importantly, will ease the suffering of the ones affected by the illness. Our local partners in Africa distribute the buckets in a way that gives dignity and hope to each family receiving a kit.

Gerry Helton and Melissa Frady are Southern Baptist ministry partners in Zambia who helped distribute some of the IHCK buckets. They know firsthand what a difference the kits make for families suffering with a devastating illness such as AIDS.

“People who have AIDS are suffering so much,” Helton says. “When you open the bucket and get out the salve, when you get out the sheets, there’s a smile that comes to their faces.”

“They know they are dying, but when you give someone hope for tomorrow, that they can live on in heaven – where there is no more sickness, no more death, no more pain – that smile gets even bigger,” Frady adds. “We tell them our churches are sending the buckets with love and they have prayed for them and continue to pray for them – and they just want them to know they are not alone.”

They are a valuable tool for sharing the compassion of Christ with people suffering with terminal illness, says Mark Hatfield, who with his wife, Susan, directs BGR work in Sub-Saharan Africa.

“In our situation here, the buckets are used in many kinds of situations, but mainly in HIV/AIDS palliative care networks that are based in poverty stricken areas,” Hatfield says. “Many local churches in these areas have developed in-home hospice ministries. They have the volunteers to carry out these ministries via their church membership but they have few if any physical resources to use in the care of their patients.

“What the In-Home Care Kit does is provide physical resources to these volunteers so that those who are dying are made more comfortable, given dignity in the midst of a very painful and humiliating death, and are made aware that someone living far away from them has not forgotten about their situation.”

The In-Home Care Kits also give individuals, small groups, and churches in the United States a way to do hands-on missions work without leaving the country, Hatfield adds.

“Our hope, as a secondary benefit of packing the kits, is that those involved become more aware of the HIV/AIDS crisis and can pray more effectively for the situation,” he says. “We give them a seven-day prayer guide that is designed to raise awareness of the pandemic we are experiencing. We never want to forget the importance of praying for a cure for this terrible disease, as we pack kits to comfort those living with it.”

Christians who deliver the kits in remote areas see God at work helping them as they go out to minister, says a Southern Baptist worker in Lusaka, Zambia.

“The chaplain from Chongwe was telling me how people are responding as the home-based care teams minister to people with the buckets,” says Paula Kilpatrick. “Last week they found a village woman who needed lots of care. They came home and prepared food for her, as well as taking her the things in the bucket. As they were starting out, a vehicle just ‘appeared’ and offered to take them to where they were going. When they finished at the home, the vehicle ‘appeared’ again to take them back.”

It is imperative that we set goals according to God’s direction in our lives. The only way to truly find God’s direction is to pray and to give thinks. I don’t mean to be overly simplistic here, but that is what we are taught in the Word. We read in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (ESV), “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” It is from this position and attitude of gratitude where we are able to see clearly God direction or will for our lives at that very moment.

We need to live one day at a time, making the most of the current opportunities God has given us. Matthew 6:34 (ESV) says, “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” Likewise, in Philippians 4:6 (ESV), “do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” Noting happens by chance. Every relationship, interruption, schedule change is by design. We have opportunities every day to impact someone or some circumstance in a positive way for Christ.

Finally, we need not procrastinate. Proverbs 27:1 (ESV) says, “Do not boast about tomorrow,
for you do not know what a day may bring.” God gives us opportunities today, right now. We must be found faithful to be God’s hands and feet in the situations we find ourselves in right now. Not that we don’t plan for tomorrow, but if we are always planning and never doing, imagine all the missed opportunities, lost relationships, and unmet needs.

Jeremiah 29:11 (ESV) give us a message of hope and encouragement as we consider these uncertain times, “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”

May the Lord bless you as you and keep you as you seek to walk with faith through uncertain times.

“Without the Bible world evangelization would be not only impossible but actually inconceivable. It is the Bible that lays upon us the responsibility to evangelize the world, gives us a gospel to proclaim, tells us how to proclaim it, and promises us that it is God’s power for salvation to every believer.

It is, moreover, an observable fact of history, both past and contemporary, that the degree of the Church’s commitment to world evangelization is commensurate with the degree of its conviction about the authority of the Bible. Whenever Christians lose their confidence in the Bible, they also lose their zeal for evangelism. Conversely, whenever they are convinced about the Bible, then they are determined about evangelism.”

John R. W. Stott, The Bible in World Evangelization

1. A Church that Is Biblical in Content. . . "we had boldness in our God to declare to you the gospel of God" (v. 2) Paul share the gospel in the midst of “much conflict.” How could Paul be so bold? I believe BVBC has staff who strives to have this same boldness. Not that there is “much conflict,” but there is, at times, much sacrifice, and much inconvenience.  I believe our staff, like Paul, …
   1. Are more concerned with pleasing God than man (v.4).
   2. Seek no personal glory for successes in ministry (v.6).
   3. Realize that true Christian growth is a product of the Word (v.13).
      1. Not shame, manipulation, or guilt.
      2. Not legalistic standards set down for attainment.
2. A Church that Is Authentic in Nature . . . "for we never came with words of flattery…nor with pretext of greed" (v.5) BVBC is genuine in our desire to help everyone in our faith community to follow Jesus.  We are all on the same journey.  There is no time for putting up false fronts.  What you see is what you get. 
3. A Church that Is Gracious in Attitude . . . "we were gentle among you" (v.7) Paul says in verse 7 he was like a mother to them, and in verse 11 like a father. This says that the church should be more like a family than a business. I believe BVBC strives to be a church where grace and compassion is the rule.  A safe place where one can receive healing…spiritually, emotionally, and physically.
4. A Church that is Relevant in Ministry. . ."we exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and charged you to walk in a manner worthy of God" (v.12) BVBC is a church that is interested in how people live, not just on Sunday, but every day of week.

Are we a perfect church?  There isn’t such a thing.  Yet, we are a church that is striving to be externally focused: engaging our local, national, and global community.  There are many opportunities for individuals, families, classes, and ministry departments to be involved.  Check out http://bluevalleybaptist.org/missions1 to see a number of ministry opportunities.  Consider how you will answer the next time someone asks you about your church.

Engaging the world with you,

Pastor David

29 And as they went out of Jericho, a great crowd followed him. 30 And behold, there were two blind men sitting by the roadside, and when they heard that Jesus was passing by, they cried out, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!” 31 The crowd rebuked them, telling them to be silent, but they cried out all the more, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!” 32 And stopping, Jesus called them and said, “What do you want me to do for you?” 33 They said to him, “Lord, let our eyes be opened.” 34 And Jesus in pity touched their eyes, and immediately they recovered their sight and followed him. (English Standard Version)

It is a busy time for everyone isn’t it?  It seems like there is more work than there is time in the day to get it done.  I spoke with one church member this past Tuesday evening and he said, “I am just one guy trying to do the work of three.”  It is no different in the church.  Everyone is busy, staff and laity alike.  I think Matthew reminds us of a few things as we all engage our community in ministry.  No matter what job you have or where how you earn your money, you are in Ministry for God.  Matthew reminds us that we need to press on with direction, expectation, and ministry.  In order to do this we all need to…

I. TAKE TIME TO MINISTER.

Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem and in a week he’s going to be crucified. Having ministered in Jericho, Jesus is continuing on with direction, moving forward with expectation and ministry, knowing full well what lay in front of Him. He was a busy man with many demands on Him, but he took time to minister.  He had a lot to do but he wasn’t hurried.  

It is ironic that when people get hurried and feel they need to eliminate something from their life, the place they often start is their place of service to God, and that is the last place they need to go to slow their pace of life. It may be the only motivation they have to keep them connected to God. Church is the place where they get to serve God and his people and experience the power and presence and love of God. For most of us the great danger is not that we will renounce our faith. It is that we will become so distracted and rushed and preoccupied that we will skim through life and never really live it.

Our church, the Kingdom’s work, your family and your sense of personal satisfaction needs you to slow your pace. There are people you could minister to that are being passed over. Be patient. Be persevering. Find a way to take time to minister. That’s something that will help us press on with direction, expectation and ministry. 

Secondly, Matthew reminds us to…

II. OPEN OUR EYES TO GOD’S PERSPECTIVE.

When these two men learned who was passing by, they knew of Jesus’ reputation for healing and that this might be their very last opportunity. They begin to scream at the top of their lungs to get Jesus’ attention. Their profession of Jesus as the Son of David is an acknowledgement that they believe He is the promised Messiah. They throw themselves on the mercy of Jesus.  They moved forward with the expectation that Jesus would do something special for them.

The crowd, the English Standard Version says, “rebuked them, telling them to be silent”.  Here are two very needy men who are within shouting distance of the Great Physician. Thankfully, Jesus didn’t have the crowd’s perspective on the blind men.

Most of us see life as an arc beginning with birth, which we can’t remember, and death, which we can’t imagine. Jesus taught us a different perspective about our life. He said this life is a transition to another life, a better life, and one that has no end. Because of that perspective on life, we live differently. He said we are fools if our perspective on life is like the farmer he told about who became rich in the things of this world and lived only to accumulate material goods. But if we use this life to become rich with God we are wise. When we get that perspective, serving God and his church will become a priority in our life.

Open your eyes to see this life from God’s perspective and you cannot help but get involved in some way pressing on with fellow believers to make a positive impact on our global community.  God will continue to move us forward as long as we maintain our direction, expect God to do what He has promised, and minister to the needs around us.

Matthew also reminds us to…

III. ASK GOD FOR A COMPASSIONATE HEART.

Jesus is so filled with compassion He suspends the natural laws He made to heal these two blind beggars. The word “compassion” is an attitude toward a need that compels us to take action to meet that need.  This is called ministry. A compassionate heart finds it impossible to remain neutral when it sees a need. It is a reminder that the first message we have to deliver to the world is that “God cares.” They learn that message through our acts of kindness and helpfulness.

People whose hearts have been touched by the compassion of Jesus serve the people they encounter. They are kind and patient with waiters and cashiers, they notice children and people in need, they are grateful that they have a spouse and children they can serve and show the love of God. This kind of compassion rescues us from a life that always thinks about ourselves to a life of joy that thinks of others.

I can’t tell you the joy and affirmation that will come into your life when you minister to people out of a heart of love for Christ and love for people.  Our church, our families, our children, our community, our world can all be changed, not in little ways but in big ways, if we will commit to Loving and Serving God Together.  I don’t have any doubts it will increase the level of joy and celebration in our faith community as we press on in a common direction, with expectation, ministering as we go through our daily lives.   

Take time to minister.  Open your eyes to God’s perspective.  Ask God for a compassionate heart.

Loving and serving With You,

Pastor David

Can you imagine the discussions we would have in the Finance Office and in Staff Meeting if we did not have to decide which bill to hold back for another week, or wondering how we are going to cover future ministry expenses when opportunities to engage our community for Christ present themselves?  I remembered a devotional that a very dear friend wrote a couple of years ago.  I would like to share Don Mulkey’s insight on the subject of investing in eternity.  Thanks for reading.

“Let me encourage you to use your imagination for just a minute.  You remember it, don’t you?  It was really strong when you were a child and romped around in your back yard pretending to be a cowboy or ballerina or movie star; and it’s still in you—you’ll just have to dust it off a bit and put it to use again.

So imagine this: You’re standing in a shopping mall, munching on one of those big chocolate chip cookies, sipping on a Coke and watching people as they race from store to store.  All of a sudden, an angel appears right in front of you!  You gulp down the last bit of cookie and say, “Cuh-cuh-can I help you?” 

“Actually, I’m here to help you,” the angel replies.  “I have a gift for you,” he continues (as he reaches over and wipes cookie crumbs off your chin), “I want to give you $10,000.” 

“$10,000!  That’s a lot of money!”

“Certainly is,” the angel says, “But I have it right here in this pocket under my wing and I have been ordered to give it to you.”

Finding this a little hard to believe, but reluctant to turn away, you say, “Really?  What do I have to do?” 

“Like I said,” the angel repeats, “It’s a gift.  You don’t have to do anything.  It is yours to do with as you like.  Are you ready?”

“Sure,” you say with a grin, “This is like Christmas in February!”

“There is one thing,” the angel says, “It’s only yours for five minutes.  Use it however you like, but in five minutes you are going to die.”

“Five minutes and I’m going to die?  I thought you said you came to help me?  What am I supposed to do with $10,000 in five minutes?  I knew this was too good to be true!”

“Oh, it’s true alright.  Here’s the $10,000,” the angel says as he places the money in your hand.  Then he says, “Your five minutes begins NOW!”

Okay, you can stop imagining.  Now, I want to ask you a question: If that were to happen to you, what would you do?  What are some of your options?  Let’s see, you could put the $10,000 in your wallet; but then you’re going to die, so that wouldn’t accomplish much, would it?  Or, you could race from store to store and buy all the diamonds and jewels, plasma televisions and video games as possible.  But again, you’re going to die in five minutes, so you wouldn’t be able to enjoy any of it, right?  What would you do?

You might be thinking that what we’ve imagined is a bit far-fetched.  An angel is not going to come up and give you $10,000; and besides, even if one did, we would have longer than five minutes to decide what to do with it.  But the truth is, it is happening to all of us right this moment.  (Not the angel part, of course, but everything else.) 

I’m going to guess that you have already received far more than $10,000 in your life, is that right?  What have you done with it?  Where is it now?  In your wallet?  In the bank?  Tied up in certificates of deposit or retirement funds?  Gone?  Now think about two things that are absolutely certain:  First, we are all going to die.  Five minutes or fifty years—it is going to happen.  (Read that again slowly: It is going to happen.)  Second, we are not taking anything with us. 

The clock is ticking.  What are you going to do?

In Matthew 6:19-21, Jesus gives us the answer.  He says, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

Store your treasure on earth and it will be lost.  Store it in heaven and it will last forever.  According to Jesus, the best thing we could do with that $10,000 would be to give it to someone in need, or take it to a church, or put it in the hands of a missionary.  By doing that, we are actually making an investment in eternity.  We cannot take it with us, but by giving it away, we are making a deposit in the bank of heaven.

What is truly amazing about this is that what we give now is actually credited to our account.  Notice the phrase “lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven.”  That means that the ledger sheet will have your name at the top with a deposit of $10,000 (given to missionaries in Bolivia) along with everything else you invested in heaven during your life.  Pretty cool, huh?

There is nothing wrong with having money.  But the question remains: What are we going to do with it?  As Christians, we say we believe that this world is not all there is and we are “bound for the promised land.”  Doesn’t it seem strange that we don’t invest more there than we do here?  In doing that, we don’t have to be so concerned about insurance because we have the assurance that God is using it to His glory.  We give, not to become impoverished, but to invest in ministry to others and God’s Kingdom purposes all over the world. 

We’re still not taking it with us, but I’m absolutely certain that in heaven we will see every penny again--in the eternal difference our giving made in the lives of others.” Living Words, March 3, 2006

Consider giving in direct proportion to the grace God has shown you.  It will make a difference in your life now AND in eternity.

Giving because He gave,
Pastor David

This 3-chapter book reminded me of something I read in another book by C.S. Lewis.  I would like share this word from Lewis with you today:

“I wonder whether people who ask God to interfere openly and directly in our world quite realize what it will be like when he does.  When that happens, it is the end of the world.  When the author walks onto the stage the play is over.  God is going to invade all right: but what is the good of saying you are on his side then, when you see the whole natural universe melting away like a dream and something else – something it never entered your head to conceive – comes crashing in; something so beautiful to some of us and so terrible to others that none of us will have any choice left?   For this time it will be God without disguise; something so overwhelming that it will strike either irresistible love or irresistible horror into every creature.   It will be too late then to choose your side. There is no use saying you choose to lie down when it has become impossible to stand up.  That will not be the time for choosing: it will be the time when we discover which side we really have chosen, whether we realize it before or not.  Now, today, this moment, is our chance to choose the right side.  God is holding back to give us that chance.  It will not last forever.  We must take it or leave it.”

When God walks on the world stage in the end, hopefully we will have made our choice far in advance of the closing curtain. Thank you Lord for speaking to me through Joel today.

Baptist Global Response, web site: www.gobgr.org

Samaritan’s Purse, web site: www.samaritanspurse.org

At present in Haiti, search and rescue operations are taking place. The country’s infrastructure which was already in poor condition has totally collapsed.  A conference call with Jim Brown, Director of Baptist Global Response will take place this afternoon with the 42 state directors across the nation to formulate a plan for long-term recovery efforts in Haiti.  In the next few days, a Baptist Global Response assessment team will deploy from the United States en route to Haiti to work along-side our missionaries currently assisting the Haitians in this tragedy. 

We ask that our entire BVBC family pray for the people of Haiti and those working to assist in the disaster relief efforts.

This Christmas season is a time when each of us will be given many opportunities to speak about our faith.  I would encourage you to take every opportunity to express the grace and mercy God has shown you.  Remember to make sure your “living letter” tells the magnificent story as well.

It is my prayer that you have a very blessed Christmas.

Pastor David 

Normally, if a person gives something away, he or she ends up with less than they started out with, right?  That’s how I would normally cipher it.  Yet, God’s ciphering is a bit different.  If you give something to God, you end up with more that you started out with.  The return on your investment is in the form of spiritual blessings.  God’s blessings, no matter what form they come in, are always more valuable than what you have given away.

During this holiday season, let’s consider cipher’n God’s way.  As we heard this past Sunday in the Advent Conspiracy message on “Give More”, consider how you might do that individually and as family.

May you experience God’s richest blessing this Christmas season.

“Walking through a Nairobi slum during the rains requires the utmost concentration and effort. The sticky African mud and muck, little bits of trash and plastic and whatever else hold fast, adhering to shoes. With enough time, one gradually begins to resemble Big Foot. Getting it off requires a good strong stick, or a swift kick like someone pretending to punt a football or practicing karate. In the rain it is as slippery and falling would be an unthinkable nightmare. Mud and muck and whatever toxic thing contained therein might cause some sort of permanent disease if it touches the skin. Olfactory analysis at any point is highly discouraged in the slums.

A survey of the scene reveals a picture of muck, mud, plastic bags and trash, trickles of water, crooked shacks of rusty tin or dark brown oiled wood and lots of people acting as if all of this is somehow normal. And for them, it is somehow normal. Slums prove that humans are adaptable creatures. A little girl with braided hair wears an oversized blue and white checkered dress, with laceless, floppy-tongued tennis shoes. She jumps back and forth across the trickle of an open sewer while singing to herself. A bearded man with a Rasta hat sits on an overturned rusty bucket staring into nothingness while smoking a hand-rolled cigarette, oblivious and uncaring about our presence. A mother in a dress carries a sleeping baby on her back. She gingerly walks with precision in high-heeled, mud-spattered navy dress shoes, the mud making a sucking sound and trying to pull her shoes off with each step. Children with smiling faces laugh and trail us asking for sweets and barrage me, a foreigner, with an endless chorus of, “How are you?” Mud, muck and that, “whatever else,” squish between the toes of their bare feet. Their clothes are ragged and torn, obviously second or third or fourth hand from America. One of the older kids has an old gray t-shirt with a gaping hole under the right sleeve. The shirt proudly says “Red Sox.” Another faded black t-shirt with a skull proclaims “Harley.” The Red Sox shirt makes me homesick, the Harley shirt does not.

60% of Nairobi’s population lives on 5% of the land. The largest slum comprises one-quarter of the population yet occupies only 1% of the land. 90% of slum dwellers have no piped water and as many as 500 persons share one toilet. Population densities approach 2,000 persons per hectare, as opposed to 4 per hectare in nicer Nairobi suburbs. The average class size in Nairobi slum elementary schools is 98. Infant mortality is double in the slums as opposed to rural settings; child immunization rates are less. People are twice as likely to have HIV in the slums. Half the children under age five are stunted in Nairobi’s largest slum. Slum dwellers spend up to three-fourths of their income on food. 90% have cut back on meal frequency and size since prices have spiraled upwards from late 2007. Crime and corruption are ubiquitous and hard facts of life. Life is tough in the slum.

By 2020, more people in Kenya will live in cities as opposed to rural areas. The vast majority of this growth will take place in slums. Samaritan’s Purse has always been willing to go where the others will not go and do the hard work in Jesus’ name. In Kenya we are active in these places and seeking to expand our work there. It’s where the people are and where they will increasingly be. Reaching the world for Christ means going to the cities and the slums of Kenya. Please pray for us as we do.”

Please take the time to either read or listen to the message from John Piper at the following link http://ow.ly/wIy9 

Let me know what you think.

Until all have heard,

Pastor David

Hindus celebrate Diwali and other festivals in October

Note: Below is a list of some of the festivals Hindus will celebrate in October. Please pray for Hindus on these dates especially. More information about these events is available on the Internet.

Oct. 2 – Gandhi Jayanti: October 2 is the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi (1869 - 1948), India’s “Father of the Nation.”

Oct. 3 – Lakshmi Puja: Lakshmi is the household goddess of most Hindu families, and a favorite of women.

Oct. 4 – Valmiki Jayanti: Maharshi Valmiki, the author of the great Indian epic Ramayana, was a Hindu sage who lived around the beginning of the first milennium B.C.

Oct. 8 – Karwa Chauth: Karwa Chauth is a ritual of fasting observed by married Hindu women seeking the longevity, well-being and prosperity of their husbands.

Oct. 17 – Diwali: Deepawali or Diwali is certainly the biggest of all Hindu festivals. It's the festival of lights that's marked by four days of celebration. Each of the four days in the festival of Diwali is separated by a different tradition.

Oct. 17 – Kali Puja: Kali is represented with perhaps the fiercest features amongst all the world's deities.

Oct. 19 – Bhai Dooj / Bhai Phota / Bhav-Bij: This event is performed by the sister who religiously fasts until she applies a mark on her brother's forehead, offers him sweets and gifts, and prays for his long and healthy life.

Source: http://hinduism.about.com/od/festivalsholidays/a/hindu_calendar.htm

"On Oct. 11, 2009, Southern Baptists will observe World Hunger Sunday and congregations across the United States will collect offerings for the Southern Baptist World Hunger Fund.

Since its inception in 1974, Southern Baptists have given $230,877,650 through the fund to meet hunger needs both at home and abroad. In 2007, more than $5.5 million was given, but as recently as 2003 the total was more than $8.6 million.

Hunger needs have not subsided, however. Nor has God's love for hungry people diminished. Yet few Southern Baptists are aware of the tremendous ministry their World Hunger Fund has across the world, helping families survive disaster and famine, providing clean water, improving health and nutrition -- and all along helping people discover how to have hope and purpose in life."

For more information, please check out this link and watch the video  http://www.worldhungerfund.com/

As a member or attendee of Blue Valley Baptist Church, you can give to the Southern Baptist World Hunger Fund, above your regular tithe to our ministry budget and our On This Rock giving,  by designating your check to World Hunger Fund and 100% of what you give will be sent to Baptist Global Response for the World Hunger Fund. 

If you are reading this and you don't attend BVBC, there are still ways you can participate by giving directly to Baptist Global Response. Make your check or money order payable to Baptist Global Response and designate "Southern Baptist World Hunger Fund" (SBWHF) on the memo line. Send donations to:

Baptist Global Response
Attn: Southern Baptist World Hunger Fund
402 BNA Drive, Suite 411
Nashville, TN 37217

Buffet….um, boy. That term often strikes a sweet cord in my mind and stomach. Randy Alcorn, in his book Money, Possessions and Eternity (Tyndale, 2003), said, "Stewardship isn't a subcategory of the Christian life.  Stewardship is the Christian life.  For what is stewardship but that God has entrusted to us life, time, talents, possessions, family and his grace?  In each case He evaluates how we regard and what we do with what He's entrusted to us."  As I look at the service opportunities in churches today which remain vacant, the empty seats in choirs and orchestras, the vacant receptionist desk in front offices, and review weekly giving & monthly financial reports from my own church, I am shocked, and somewhat disappointed, with how little we really believe or understand that we are stewards of all that God has given us.
 
We live in a society filled with Buffet Christians.  Those who belly up to the buffet table called church and peruse the weekly selection available.  If we see something we like, we may attend, if we don't get a better offer just before the event.  If we do decide we can spare the 1 hour for the activity, we spend the time evaluating the preacher, teacher, music, temperature, volume of the praise band, where we had to park, or size of print in the bulletin.  If after all the evaluation, we consider what this experience has been worth to us and then we toss our tip into the offering plate and go on our way, only to go through the same process next week, again if we have time and don't get a better offer. 
 
As Buffet Christians, we show concern when asked to prayerfully consider a service opportunity like teaching, being in the choir or orchestra, helping with Vacation Bible School, participating in a community ministry project, going on a mission trip, serving in the office, helping with grounds maintenance etc.  Yet, we are quick to find reasons why we "can't take that one on at this time"...thinking we will get a better offer or may be too busy with other commitments…hopefully.  We call the church our church "family" and want to be considered a vital part of the family, but many times aren't willing to take on the individual responsibilities that a family member in any healthy family must do to provide for and support the family.  Is it possible that the majority are not willing to make a commitment consistent with the standards of giving communicated in God’s Word? I believe it is more than possible—it could be considered epidemic in our country.  If we don't make it in to church, our tip doesn't either; after all...we got a better offer. We should NEVER have to be concerned about making a ministry budget, or filling critical ministry service vacancies, and we should ALWAYS be able to contact servants in the church with helping meet fellow church family needs.  We should never have to beg people for help.  Yet, ministry budget giving falls short and many continue to find it difficult to locate willing servants to fill critical ministry roles like teachers, church office helpers, and people willing to assist with property and grounds related issues.

There are many in churches today who are fully committed, sold out Christians, obedient in every way to recognize and exercise their service roles within their church family responsibilities. They give regularly of their time, talents, and treasure.  God allows the church to continue financially and ministry programs are able to develop do in large part to the faithful giving and serving of these wonderful folks.  They are among those who will hear their Savior say, “Well done thou good and faithful servant.”  They have chosen to live and serve in the grace of their Savior, trusting Him for continued provision.  They have seen their lives as living sacrifices and willing to extend much grace to their fellow church family members, the Buffet Christians.  After all, they fully grasp the grace and mercy shown to them on a daily basis, so it is out of their personal experience with Christ they are able to be a good steward of God’s grace to others.
 
This isn’t meant to be an indictment of the church today, but more of a plea to the church to push away from the buffet and be willing to place our trust in God’s provision and be willing to make a commitment to always be growing in our stewardship.  Look at where you are at this point in your spiritual walk and prayerfully, with faith in the Father, agree to grow in your regular giving, grow in your service, grow in your trust of fellow church family members, and grow in your trust that the Father has placed Godly leadership in the church to guide us in our pilgrimage. 

Stewardship is a life-long journey and it is NOT just about money. Christ is here to help us all along the way.  In fact, He is waiting and inviting us to see this life-long journey with new eyes.  God will give us vision in exchange for our surrendering ownership.  Let's take this journey TOGETHER.  Let's recognize that our church family is depending on each of us to be good stewards of our "life, time, talents, possessions, family and His grace".  One verse sums up this journey for me:
 
Psalm 84:5 (NIV) Blessed are those whose strength is in you, who have set their hearts on pilgrimage.

I look forward to sharing in my blog what God is doing in my life on a weekly basis.  I would like to share with my BVBC family that we conitnue to pray for the sale of our house in Pryor, OK.  I would appreciate you joining us in this prayer.  Thank you in advance. 

Please feel free to come by the offices at the new BVBC Annex building and say hello.  I hope you all have a great week.