“Starting The Year Out Right”

Preached by Rev. Ed Brouwer at The Gathering Place, Osoyoos
Pulpit Series Volume 19 Issue 02 January 11, 2009

II Corinthians 9:6-15 But this [I say], He which sows sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which sows bountifully shall reap also bountifully. Every man according as he purposes in his heart, [so let him give]; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loves a cheerful giver. And God [is] able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all [things], may abound to every good work: (As it is written, He has dispersed abroad; he hath given to the poor: his righteousness remains for ever. Now he that ministers seed to the sower both minister bread for [your] food, and multiply your seed sown, and increase the fruits of your righteousness;)
Being enriched in every thing to all bountifulness, which causes through us thanksgiving to God. For the administration of this service not only supplies the want of the saints, but is abundant also by many thanksgivings unto God; Whiles by the experiment of this ministration they glorify God for your professed subjection unto the gospel of Christ, and for [your] liberal distribution unto them, and unto all [men]; And by their prayer for you, which long after you for the exceeding grace of God in you. Thanks [be] unto God for his unspeakable gift.

Genuine stewardship is not one thing, but several things which work together.

Stewardship exercises a Choice: v6 We are all stewards. The choice is, do you want to be a good steward or a poor steward? We are given the privilege to make decisions that directly effect our financial lives. Do you see it in verse 6?

This is one of God’s laws of harvest.
1: We Will Reap Only If We Sow.
2: We Will Reap What We Sow.
3: We Will Reap More Than We Sow.
4: We Will Reap In Proportion To What We Sow.
5: We Reap Later Than We Sow.
6: We Will Reap.
7: We Reap Because God Gives the Increase.
Law #4: We Will Reap In Proportion To What We Sow.

II Corinthians 9:6 "sow sparingly reap sparingly; sow bountifully reap bountifully."

The more you sow, the more you reap. The more seed you plant, the greater your harvest. Paul isn’t talking about agriculture - he’s talking about finances. God leaves how much we plant up to us, but He promises to bless everything we plant. That’s our choice.

Stewardship expresses a Cheerfulness

II Corinthians 9:7 begins, "Every man . . ." The appeal to give is for every one.

You may have heard some one pray, "Lord, bless those who can give and those who cannot."

That may sound good, but it's not Scriptural. "Every man" that is a Christian should give, “according as he purposes". There is the idea of choice again.

You might be thinking, "What if I don't want to give?"

Then you ought to pray for a new "want to."

Do you think you will impoverish God by not giving?

Will you hinder God's cause by not giving?

Actually, you only impoverish yourself when you choose not to give.
". . . in his heart." Now follow the progression of this Scripture. Every person who is a Christian who chooses to give should consecrate his gift to God. God is not only interested in what's in your hand, but what's in your heart!

It's not just the amount, it is also attitude.

". . . so let him give." It is one thing to choose to give but it is all but useless if you don’t carry through by actually giving!

Once the heart and mind are joined on giving a certain amount the hands are to take hold of that money and give it.

". . . not grudgingly, or out of necessity."
". . . For God loves a cheerful giver."

The word "cheerful" means "hilarious."

Can you even imagine that kind of giving?

Can you imagine how many people would actually be awake during the offering if some broke loose with a "hallelujah" or a "praise the Lord"?

All too often the deadest part of the service is the offering.

But what kind of salvation did you receive from the Lord? It was the "happy kind," if God gave it. You didn't have much, but you were happy. You didn't know much, but you were happy.

"God loves a cheerful giver," but He’ll take from a grump!
Stewardship brings a Completeness: v8 “And God is able to make all grace abound to you...” Do you believe that?

There is a wonderful illustration of this in
II Kings 4:1-7 The story is of a prophet’s widow who was bankrupt. The creditors were about to sell her two sons as slaves. Elisha asked her what she had of value and she said only a vessel of oil. It was likely a memento of the oil that was used to anoint her husband at the beginning of his ministry. Elisha told her to go to her neighbors and borrow as many vessels as she would, with very specific instruction not to borrow just a few.

She filled her house with these borrowed vessels. And then the prophet told her to pour out her oil into those vessels. She did and kept pouring until all the vessels were full. Elisha then said, "Go, sell the oil, and pay thy debt, and have your family live of the rest."

There was the first door-to-door recycling lady!

Getting out of debt freed her and restored her testimony to her creditors. She would live off of the rest and her children’s needs would also be met.

What a great God we serve who takes care of all our needs!

Stewardship exhibits Contentment v9-15.

Do you see the flow of this passage?
What begins with a choice and is carried our with cheerfulness becomes our completion and results in genuine contentment.

John Maxwell tells the story of a woman he once pastored by the name of Helen Douglas. She was a poor woman who lived in government housing. Her old car was covered with bumper stickers. Maxwell says he used to say to her, "Helen, if you peel off one bumper sticker the whole car will fall apart."

Even though she didn’t have much money, she was faithful to the church. When time came to raise a great deal of money for a new building, the church held prayer meetings every morning at 6 a.m. Helen was always there, waiting for the doors to be opened. She prayed, wept, and fasted asking God to supply their needs.

Finally, when the day of the big offering came, she let the plate pass her by.
God spoke to her heart, "Helen, why didn’t you give?" She said, "Lord, I’m a poor lady. I don’t have anything to give." The Lord said, "Give all you’ve got."

She dug in her purse and came up with a handful of loose change. She put it is an offering envelope and wrote on it, "It’s all I have."

After the service, she gave it to Pastor Maxwell. He tried to give it back to her. She said, "No this is my gift to God." He took it home and opened it. It was $3.30.

That evening, the church was packed because everyone wanted to hear how much the big offering had been. Once everyone settled down, Pastor Maxwell said, "I want to tell you about the largest gift given today." He then shared the story of Helen Douglas. One of the men stood up and said, "That’s the greatest story of stewardship I’ve ever heard. I want one of the coins from that envelope to remind me. I’ll give you $10 for one." Then someone else did the same. Suddenly a spirit of giving came over the church and for the next 30 minutes people sat down and wrote checks and brought them to the front. Some went back and wrote as many as three checks. The smallest gift of all become the largest gift in the history of that church. Stewardship is God’s pathway to blessings.

“Shake Before Using”

Preached by Rev. Ed Brouwer at The Gathering Place, Osoyoos
Pulpit Series Volume 19 Issue 01 January 4, 2009

Deuteronomy 32:11 “As an eagle stirs up her nest, flutters over her young, spreads abroad her wings, takes them, bears them on her wings....”

Perhaps not very much of a Scripture reading, but it certainly is the Word of the Lord. There is enough here that God will no doubt show us something over the next 20-30 minutes. If we have the right attitude I know it will cause us to grow in Jesus.

Fellow climbers as we enter this new year, I need you to understand that the Word of God is...
· Healing to you if you receive it as healing
· Pardon to you if you receive it as a pardon
· Every blessing is yours if you receive it as God wrote it

“As the eagle stirs her nest, flutters over her young, takes them on her wings and bears them….” What a beautiful picture of how God deals with his people!

There are at least seven stages that a young eagle goes through when learning to fly. As we talk about them, see if you can find what stage you are at?

The seven stages are: Demonstration, Discomfort, Danger, Decision, Direction Change, Doing and Deliverance.

1. The Demonstration Stage
When it is time for a young eagle to begin flight training, the mother eagle will frequently push off from the perch where the nest is and hover above her young. The little eaglets begin to flap their wings in imitation. Although they don't have enough feathers to fly, they begin to develop their wing muscles.

Consider what God has done for us through His Son. Jesus came to earth demonstrating the faith life for us to follow.

Romans 5:8 “God demonstrated his love towards us.”

John 13:34, 15:12 “Love one another; as I have loved you.”
God has never left us to figure things out on our own.

He cares enough to give us a full blown living demonstration..... Jesus!

2. The Discomfort Stage
Like an eagle that stirs up its nest… It's one thing for those young eagles to flap their wings in the security of their down-filled home. It's quite another for them to move to the edge, look over and imagine stepping out on to nothing!

Naturally, they don't want to do it.

So the adult eagle does something the eaglets won't understand until much later. She begins “stirring up” the nest! She actually begins to tear the nest apart. The young eagles are literally poked out and forced to fly.

In our faith-life, this stage is when we begin to be bothered about something. We sense that something is wrong.

Like Job in Job 30:27, we might say, “My heart is troubled and restless.” Spiritually we become aware of a new level or step we should be taking.

The trouble is, like the eaglet, we too are reluctant to move out of our comfort zone.

It is so much easier to “stay in the nest”, to continue just attending church.

But hey, God never sent His Son to die for us so we can attend meetings. Yes, the Bible warns us not to forsake our assembling together, but there is more.

It wasn’t the disciples meeting in the upper room that turned the world upside down.
It was when the disciples spilled out into the streets and started living God’s Love in sandal leather.

God knows He has to stir up our nest, making us uncomfortable. There is a good reason they call most church seats “pews”.

Unfortunately most of us are like certain medicines. We have small print on our souls that states, “Shake before using!”

Why does God have to shake us? It is too often the only way He can prepare us for change.

Do you know what I mean?

Sadly, some people live their entire lives in this Discomfort Stage. They cling to their nest (church chair or pew) like terrified eagle chicks, afraid to do anything about their problem.

They'd rather live with discomfort than risk the unknown thing called “flying”.

Sadly we get stalled in our discomfort. Our reluctance to change forces God to bring us to the next stage.

3. The Danger Stage
Can you imagine a full grown eagle perched in the nest of its parents, peeping like a baby begging for something to eat?

But eagles weren't meant to be nest-sitters, they are to fly!

We weren’t meant to be church goers, we are called to be the church! Because He loves us, God allows a danger or a crisis to come into our lives that moves the issue we're ignoring off the back burner.
He sends us a wake up call.

All of a sudden the situation gets so bad we can't ignore it anymore.

We get fired or are set back by an accident or serious illness. The pain becomes unbearable.

Our spouse threatens to walk out or a creditor starts foreclosure.

Like the eagle's nest, the bottom falls out from under our lives and we realize we've got to do something…. something fast!

It happened to King David. Look at what he says in Psalm 119:67 “Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep Your word.”

An affliction was needed to show David that it was important to keep God's Word.

Could this be the reason you are in a crisis right now?
Is there something you've been ignoring?

Remember…..God wants you to fly, not flutter in the nest.

He wants you to grow up!

The danger stage quickly moves us on to the next stage.

4. The Decision Stage
What is it going to take to get you to make a
decision? Is God dealing with your stubbornness or neglect?

And after the Decision Stage comes…..
5. The Direction Change Stage
The young eagle, falling fast, has come to the wise conclusion that he has got to do something.

He has to change direction! He must start going up instead of down.

You can’t continue on in the same manner
as you have and expect to grow.

In fact, doing the same thing in the same way while expecting a different result is the definition of “Insanity”.

We're talking about God teaching us to fly - to live the faith life in a way that is pleasing to Him and brings us to maturity.

6. The Doing Stage
The adult eagle can teach her young to fly but she cannot fly for them. They must do it themselves.

When Jesus cleansed the ten lepers, He told them to go present themselves to the priest. Then, “as they were going, they were cleansed.” Luke 17:14

This step of doing is critical to the young eagles learning to fly and it is critical to our growing up in Christ and to the final step.

7. The Deliverance Stage
This one is beautiful. “He spread His wings and caught them, He carried them on His pinions.”

I understand that the adult eagle will actually swoop down and catch her falling offspring on her back and carry them back up to the home perch. What a beautiful picture of what God does for us!

II Timothy 3:11 “What persecutions I endured and out of them all the Lord delivered me!”

Psalm 34:19 “Many are the afflictions of the righteous; but the Lord delivers him out of them all.”

If you are a Christian, God will teach you to fly. There will come a season - it may be now - that God will begin His stirring. Be sure God wants you to fly. You can ignore it, but it won't stop the process. You can resist it, but it won't stop the process.

Isaiah 43:19 “Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, [and] rivers in the desert.”

“It Is Well”

Preached by Rev. Ed Brouwer at The Gathering Place, Osoyoos
Pulpit Series Volume 18, Issue 39, December 28, 2008

PSALM 46:1-11 ... God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah….. The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah… Be still, and know that I am God:
We all have days when we’d like to run away from it all. Sometimes our hurt is so bad our spirit throbs inside us.Our dreams fall apart...our hopes fade.
Our lives become wearisome drudgery.
A marriage goes bad…
Health problems develop…
Financial problems come up…
A loved one dies...And we are tempted to give up.... There is hope because - God is our Refuge (a shelter or hiding place) and Strength (our security, boldness, might) a very Present (He is always with us) Help (aid) in Trouble (tight spots, misery, distress, agony, suffering).
The word “IN” here means, not before or after, but during, in the midst of. In other words IN all these problems God is our refuge, strength, and a present help.
Do you remember the Big fire in Chicago?

It was apparently started by Mrs. O'Leary's cow knocking over a lantern. Sixteen hours later, 3 and 1/2 square miles of Chicago were burned to the ground. A family with the name of Spafford were completely wiped out by this disaster. But because of a consistent history of acting on their faith, they devoted countless hours to helping the survivors.
In November of 1873, Horatio Spafford planned a trip to Europe to hear DL Moody preaching his revivals. When the time for the trip drew close, Spafford’s business encountered some difficulties that required him to remain at home. Not wanting to deprive his family of the anticipated trip, he sent his wife and daughters on ahead promising to join them soon.

The Spafford women, Anna and her four young daughters, 11 year old Annie, 9 year old Maggie, 7 year old Bessie, and 2 year old Tanetta, boarded a French steamer and began their trans-Atlantic journey.

Off the coast of Newfoundland, however, tragedy struck. The ship collided with an English ship ripping a gaping hole in the ship’s hull. The French Steamer plunged to the bottom of the frigid sea within 12 minutes. In the moments before the ship sank, Anna Spafford gathered her 4 young girls to her side and prayed with them, holding the youngest in her arms. As the icy waters of the North Atlantic swept over the decks, the 3 older children disappeared.

Eventually even the baby was washed from her mother’s arms.

Anna, was able to cling to a piece of floating wreckage.

Alone and near death herself, Anna was spotted from a lifeboat and plucked from the sea. Only 47 out of 273 survived. It was 10 days before the survivors landed safely in Cardiff, Wales. From there Anna sent a telegram to her anxious husband It was a brief and distressing message: "Saved alone." Boarding the next available ship out of New York, Horatio sailed to be reunited with his grieving wife.

In the mid-Atlantic ocean, the ship’s captain called Spafford to the bridge and said, "To the best of my calculations, this is where the tragedy occurred and your four little daughters were drowned." Horatio stood on the bridge contemplating the loss of his girls. After a considerable time he went to his cabin and wrote the poem that begins;
When peace like a river attendeth my way. When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say, it is well, it is well, with my soul. It was reported by DL Moody (their friend) that though they were experiencing deep sorrow, the Spaffords never lost their abiding faith in God. This grieving father longed for the day…. when he would see his 4 beautiful daughters again. "And Lord haste the day when the faith will be sight, the clouds be rolled back as a scroll; the trump shall resound and the Lord shall descend, even so, it is well with my soul."
The hope of being reunited with their children gave these parents the courage to keep on living in faith.

Their hearts were comforted and strengthened by the truth of the resurrection.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling….. God will help us.

Psalm 30:5 weeping may endure for a night, but joy will come in the morning
Returning to Chicago, Spafford rejoined his legal practice. Once again, he became active in the local Presbyterian church as an elder and working with the YMCA. A visitor to his office two years after the shipwreck asked about the telegram in a frame above Spafford’s desk carrying only the words, "Saved alone." Spafford told the man the full story and again affirmed, "It is well. God’s will be done." The Spaffords had 2 more daughters and 1 son born after the tragedy. But sorrow and tragedy would strike them again. In 1880, their 4-year-old son, Horatio, came down with scarlet fever. In spite of the efforts by the best physicians in Chicago, Spafford’s son died. Some members of the Presbyterian congregation to which the Spaffords belonged believed that some sin in their lives had caused all these tragedies. They kept telling the Spaffords to repent! But Spafford said, It Is Well With My Soul.Therefore we will not fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth. This means trusting God with all our problems, resting in Him as our refuge. John 14:1 Let not your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me.

John 14:27 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you: not as the world gives. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
The opposition grew until finally the Spaffords were asked to leave their church. And with unwavering faith and trust in God, they departed. Long interested in biblical archaeology, Spafford decided to leave the United States. In 1881, at the age of 53, he and his wife and 2 daughters moved to Jerusalem. There they founded an American colony where they spent the rest of their lives. The words "it is well with my soul" are not found in scripture, But Jesus did say, Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened and you’ll find rest for your souls Matthew 11:28-29
Our compassionate heavenly Father gives us comfort, hope and peace in his Son Jesus Christ. One day God will wipe away every tear and there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain. And now you know the rest of the story. Be blessed.

The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah…
Be still, and know that I am God:

“Wise Guys”

Preached by Rev. Ed Brouwer at The Gathering Place, Osoyoos
Pulpit Series Volume 18, Issue 38, December 21, 2008

Common to many nativity scenes are three wise men and their camels. It is implied that these men, three in number, visited Jesus while still in the manger. It is believed these men came from the east by following a star that led them to Bethlehem.

The story of wise men visiting the Christ Child found in the Bible is both interesting and has a practical value for us today.

Matthew 2:1 tells us: Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem.

This Bible passage doesn't say how many wise men came from the east nor does it mention their names or their method of travel. It is only assumed they traveled by camel. They could’ve walked for all we know.

So who exactly were these "wise men from the East"?

The Bible doesn't say these men were kings, however it is speculated they were educated men, perhaps astrologers.
Some think they were a group of priests from Persia others believe they were astrologers from Babylon

Some Eastern religions have claimed there were 12 wise men making the journey to Bethlehem. According to medieval legend the names of three were Melchoir, King of Arabia, who brought gold; Gaspar, King of Tarsus, whom brought myrr; and Balthasar, King of Ethiopia, whom brought frankincense.

However, these names aren’t in the Bible and didn’t appear in Christian literature until 500 years after the birth of Jesus.
It is interesting to note that Matthew 2:11 states: and when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him.

The statement of coming into a house instead of a stable and seeing a "young child," not a newborn baby, leads one to think that the wise men didn't arrive until quite some time after the Lord’s birth.

Most likely it was up to 2 later that they visited Mary and the child in a house.

How many were there?
No actual number is given. Matthew 2:11 they presented to him gifts; gold and frankincense and myrrh.

True three types of gift are mentioned, but that doesn’t mean there were three givers!
The gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh were very prophetic for they spoke of our Lord's offices of King, Priest, and Savior.GOLD: It's a gift fit for royalty. It says to the Christ child, You will be a KingFRANKINCENSE: We recognize the word incense in its name. Ancient people burned frankincense, believing it to carry their prayers to heaven. Its use as incense illustrates His role as our Priest.MYRRH: This is perhaps the most mysterious of the Gifts. Myrrh is an Arabic word for bitter, and it is considered a wound healer because of its strong antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties. It was used as an embalming material for Egyptian mummies. As an embalming ointment it signified that He was born to Die for the world.

In fact, Myrrh was one of the burial spices of Jesus John 19:39

These wise men came following a star. So what about the "star"? How did these wise men connect the star with the birth of the king of the Jews?

The fact is the Bible says little about who these men were. Perhaps because it was more important as to what they did:
We have come to WORSHIP Him.

There are certainly some lessons that can be learned:

It is easy for fiction to be taken as fact...

I’m not just talking about Jesus birth. What about the "forbidden fruit" in the Garden being an "apple"; or that baptism in the Bible is pouring or sprinkling.

We need to be more like the Bereans in Acts 17:11 making sure we get the facts. There may be true servants of God in places we might not expect...

Don’t assume that God's people consists only of those you know about. There are many faithful Christians in other countries.

We may not know about them, but God does!

Those who claim to have religion don’t always give Christ the most honor.

You’d think the chief priests and scribes would’ve been the first to go to Bethlehem.
But no, it was a few unknown strangers from a distant land.

As John wrote in his gospel, He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him John 1:11

Sadly, the same is often true today, those of the Lord's church often show less love and
adoration than those of the world.

Children of Christian parents often show less interest in the things of God than the children of non-Christians.

There may be knowledge in the head, while there is no grace in the heart…

The chief priests and scribes were quick to provide Herod the answer to his question,
but as far as we know, they didn’t go to Bethlehem.
In fact most of them never did believe in Him.

Many today, can be described in the same manner.

The wise men are a great examples of spiritual diligence…

Consider what it must have cost them to travel; In money; In time; In dangers.

What about our diligence?

Are we willing to pay the price?
To find Christ?
To serve Him?
To worship Him?
Are we willing to make the effort to find, worship, and serve this great King?

They traveled at great costs and risk to find and worship Jesus; many Christians won't even take the time to attend a gospel meeting during the week or a second service on a Sunday!

The wise men are a great example of faith…

They believed in Christ… yet they’d never seen Him prior to their journey.

They worshipped him as king when all they saw was a little child on a mother's knee!

Without miracles to convince them (except the star) they left their homes and traveled for neatly two years.

Without much teaching to persuade them they were convinced that this was the Christ Child… they fell down and worshipped Him

This is the kind of faith that God delights to honor!

As Jesus said later, Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed. John 20:29

May the wise men inspire us to greater service to our Lord!

As stated on a popular bumper-sticker:
Wise men still seek Him

“Four Keys To Good Relations”

Preached by Rev. Ed Brouwer at The Gathering Place, Osoyoos
Pulpit Series Volume 18, Issue 37, December 7, 2008

Philippians 1:3-11

A few good friends can make all the difference in the world.

Friends can uplift your mood, inspire you to move beyond your current level, comfort you when you’re down and provide escape from boredom and routine.

Friends can also open your eyes to opportunity, encourage you, and provide wisdom and support. It’s a common denominator for all of humanity to want good friendships.

Unfortunately, loneliness and lack of friendships are a major affliction in our modern world. The busyness of our culture, our mobility and a focus on privacy has contributed to a breakdown in friendships

1. Always thank God for the people close to you. (vs. 3)
Background: Acts 16

2.Pray for them with joy (vs. 4)

What to pray for others.
1. Pray that they will grow in love and knowledge .
2. Pray that they will live pure and blameless lives .
3. Pray that they will do the right thing.
4. Pray that they will live abundantly in God's glory.

3. Be patient with their progress. Philippians 1:6

Understand that God is not yet finished with people.

Our Mistake: We judge others by how far they have got to go rather than how far they have come.

4. Love them from the heart Philippians 1:7,8

The secret of enjoying the people in my life is to be filled with God's love.

Five common reasons for friendlessness:

1. You’ve been hurt in the past.
Most of us have been hurt by someone in our past, but some allow it to compromise future relationships.

The key is learning how to forgive people for their shortcomings. Harboring bitterness, resentment and an unforgiving attitude, will hinder all your relationships.

2. You’re afraid of being found out. We all have secret insecurities and shortcomings but life is too short to waste energy hiding your imperfections. Don’t toss aside a friendship because you’re scared they’ll find out you are imperfect. We all are.

3. The negative side of life gets the bulk
of your attention.
No one wants to be around someone who finds everything wrong in the world. It’s okay to acknowledge struggles and be real about the challenges you face, but know when to draw the line and see the bright side.

4. You’re a harsh judge of character.
If you’re someone who enjoys friends only until you find something wrong with them, you won’t keep friends. If you’re quick to make character judgments, as opposed to judging people based on track record, people will walk on eggshells around you and consequently won’t want to be around you. Be slow to judge.

5. Holding unrealistic expectations of
friends.
Don’t expect your friends to intuitively know your needs or to always support you in the ways you’d like. Let them know if you’re in need of their support instead of expecting them to know.

Dear Sir:
I am writing in response to your request for more information concerning Block #11 on the insurance form which asks for "cause of injuries" wherein I put, "Trying to do the job alone." You said you needed more information so I trust the following will be sufficient.

I am a bricklayer by trade and on the date of injuries I was working alone laying brick around the top of a four-story building when I realized that I had about 500 pounds of brick left over. Rather than carry the bricks down by hand, I decided to put them into a barrel and lower them by a pulley which was fastened to the top of the building. I secured the end of the rope at ground level and went up to the top of the building and loaded the bricks into the barrel and swung the barrel out with the bricks in it. I then went down and untied the rope, holding it securely to ensure the slow descent of the barrel.

As you will note on Block #6 of the insurance form, I weigh 145 pounds. Due to my shock at being jerked off the ground so swiftly, I lost my presence of mind and forgot to let go of the rope. Between the second and third floors, I met the barrel coming down. This accounts for the bruises and lacerations on my upper body. Regaining my presence of mind again, I held tightly to the rope and proceeded rapidly up the side of the building, not stopping until my right hand was jammed in the pulley. This accounts for the broken thumb.

Despite the pain, I retained my presence of mind and held tightly to the rope. At approximately the same time, however, the barrel of bricks hit the ground and the bottom fell out of the barrel. Devoid of the weight of the bricks, the barrel now weighed about 50 pounds. I again refer you to Block #6 and my weight. As you would guess, I began a rapid descent. In the vicinity of the second floor I met the barrel coming up. This explains the injuries to my legs and lower body. Slowed only slightly, I continued my descent landing on the pile of bricks. This accounts for my sprained back and internal injuries.

I am sorry to report, however, that at this point, I again lost my presence of mind and let go of the rope, and as you can imagine, the empty barrel crashed down on me. This accounts for my head injuries. I trust this answers your concern. Please know that I am finished "trying to do the job alone."

Solomon gives three reasons why friendships are so valuable.
A friend provides encouragement/help in our struggles and failures. "If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!" Whenever we struggle or fail, we need a friend who will not walk away but will stay and help us up.

One of my favorite examples is the story of the Garden of Gethsemane. In our Lord's greatest hour of need, did he try to go it alone? No, he called his inner circle of friends (Peter, James John) to be with Him.

Look at Matthew 26:36-38. Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, 'Sit here while I go over there and pray. He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then he said, My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.

Jesus had someone to lean on, but if someone doesn't, then what? Solomon tells us: "But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!"—v. 10b. When we choose not to rely on another, we risk staying down and defeated after we have fallen. But a friend can lift us up, dust us off, and help us get going again.

A friend provides support when the other is vulnerable. "...if two lie down together, they will keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone?" This verse could certainly refer to marriage each supplying what is needed for the other, whether it be physical, mental, social, or spiritual.

A friend also provides protection when the other is attacked. v12 Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. These words assert that the ability of two to ward off physical, spiritual or other assaults is much greater than that of one.

Two can defend themselves and defeat the obstacles. Two outfitted with the armor of Christ and the sword of the Spirit, and surrounded by prayer, can see much accomplished and much of the enemy's activities defeated-Eph. 6:10-18. But Solomon's statement is not limited strictly to physical and spiritual dangers.

A plaque entitled "A Friend" reads, "A friend is one who knows you as you are, understands where you've been, accepts who you've become, and still gently invites you to grow."

Making God Smile

Preached by Rev. Ed Brouwer at The Gathering Place, Osoyoos
Pulpit Series Volume 18, Issue 35, November 16, 2008

Mark 4 Listen. What do you make of this? A farmer planted seed. As he scattered the seed, some of it fell on the road and birds ate it. Some fell in the gravel; it sprouted quickly but didn't put down roots, so when the sun came up it withered just as quickly. Some fell in the weeds; as it came up, it was strangled among the weeds and nothing came of it. Some fell on good earth and came up with a flourish, producing a harvest exceeding his wildest dreams. Are you listening to this? Really listening? When they were off by themselves, those who were close to him, along with the Twelve, asked about the stories. He told them, You've been given insight into God's kingdom—you know how it works. But to those who can't see it yet, everything comes in stories, creating readiness, nudging them toward receptive insight. These are people— Whose eyes are open but don't see a thing, Whose ears are open but don't understand a word, Who avoid making an about-face and getting forgiven."
He continued, Do you see how this story works? All my stories work this way. The farmer plants the Word. Some people are like the seed that falls on the hardened soil of the road. No sooner do they hear the Word than Satan snatches away what has been planted in them. And some are like the seed that lands in the gravel. When they first hear the Word, they respond with great enthusiasm. But there is such shallow soil of character that when the emotions wear off and some difficulty arrives, there is nothing to show for it. The seed cast in the weeds represents the ones who hear the kingdom news but are overwhelmed with worries about all the things they have to do and all the things they want to get. The stress strangles what they heard, and nothing comes of it. But the seed planted in the good earth represents those who hear the Word, embrace it, and produce a harvest beyond their wildest dreams.
Mark 4:15 Satan comes immediately, and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts.

Mark 4:16 … immediately receive it with gladness
Mark 4:17 … endure but for a time: when affliction or persecution arises for the word's sake, immediately they are offended.

Four types of thorns are described (Mark 4:18)
¨ The care of this world; What’ll I eat, or drink? What’ll I wear? How can I keep what I got? How do I get more? .
¨ The deceitfulness of riches: not riches themselves, but the deceitfulness of riches. Your line of conduct ought never to be ruled by gain or loss.
¨ The pleasures of this life. This is the age of excessive amusement; Many have had all holy thoughts and resolutions murdered by a continual pursuit for pleasure.
¨ The lusts of other things: All things except the things that glorify God are “other things”. Seed is choked.

The result: The seed was unfruitful. The seed grew, but brought no fruit to perfection. A person may look like, walk like and talk like a Christian... but the proof is in the fruit!

Far too many are growing weak in this late hour. Thorns are choking out the very life of the Christian’s spirit!

Consider: Thorns are natural to the soil. Sin is very much at home in the human heart.
Thorns are already established in the soil. The roots of sin run through our nature.

Watch and pray lest temptation choke that which is good in you! Mark 14:38
\
Many professing Christians are like the thorny ground?
I believe it is because the process of dealing with sin has been so watered down. Thorns need to be pulled out by the roots and burned on the spot. It is easy to say you’re a sinner without feeling what it means!

I in instantaneous conversion and I love to see it take place - but I’d rather see the thorough work of grace, awakening a deep sense of sin. You can’t get rid of dandelions by delicately nipping off the buds!

In the stony ground we see a group of people who:
· received the Word. They recognised God's truth!
· received it immediately. They jumped right in!
· received it with gladness. happiness vs conversion

These people in not counting the cost, didn’t figure in temptations and persecutions to come. They made rapid progress... but in due time came the trial.

No one gets to heaven without being tried! Not one fragment of God’s gold hasn’t first passed through the fire! The Lord Jesus said this testing came because of the Word!

These people believed, yet were immediately offended ... just as fast as they fell in love with the gospel they fell out! Their radical defect lay in an unbroken heart!

This ground was not soil with rocks in it was bedrock, a hard layer of rock with a thin layer of soil over it. The seed sprang up immediately.

These folk were so fast at accepting the seed they were:
· healed before they recognised they were wounded!
· clothed before they saw the shame of their nakedness!
· filled before they were empty!
· made alive before they were dead!

They were unbroken in heart and that is a fatal defect!

Psalms 34:18 The LORD is near those that have a broken heart and saves such as be of a contrite spirit.

They lacked depth! Everything was superficial - surface! This seed did sprout - but it had no root! No prayer, no bible study, no fear of God. No intimacy with Jesus.

Dear friends, guard your spiritual life.. Think about this - if your boat is near ready to go down in calm waters, what’ll become of you when a storm arises.

We need the Holy Spirit to cultivate our hearts.
I am called to be your Spiritual Husbandmen, my chief work is to sow the Word. Multiplying what God has revealed, not human speculation, not human news, not scientific discoveries however good they may be - not theories about the Word - just the unadulterated Word of God. That is my chief job… sowing the Word.

Each and every one of you is able to sow the Word. Each life touches another—and you multiply power for good or for evil.

Sow the true seed and you may count on a sure and large harvest. The seed’s fruitfulness is according to the condition of the hearts receiving it. Jesus said, “He that has ears, let him hear”. Divine truth needs attention.

A good hearer of the Word:
· Stirs him/herself up to listen.
· Their hearing is an opportunity and they take care to make the most of it.
· What he/she hears is kept by reflecting on it (meditating), and assimilating for their own edification and growth in grace.
· They “do” what they hear. To hear without obeying is to harden the heart.
· Some of course will make more of their opportunities!

Zechariah 13:8-9 it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith the LORD, two parts shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein. And I will bring the third part through the fire and will refine them as silver is refined and try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The LORD is my God.

John 15:8 Herein is my Father glorified, that you bear much fruit; so shall you be my disciples.

Lest We Forget

Preached by Rev. Ed Brouwer at The Gathering Place, Osoyoos
Pulpit Series Volume 18, Issue 34, November 9, 2008

Remembrance Day! Every November 11th, Canadians across the country pause in a silent moment of remembrance.
WW I - it was 1914 and Canada’s population was just over 3 million, most of which were women and children. Of the men and women who VOLUNTEERED 60,000 were killed and 120,000 were wounded. This we should remember.
The Canadians' first major battle was later seen as one of the most crucial battles in history. It was April 22, 1915, and the Germans used poison gas for the first time in war. As 145 tons of chlorine gas drifted over the trenches, the Canadian troops held and stopped the German advance. The casualties were enormous. In 48 hours, 1 of every 3 Canadians died.
In April 1917, the Canadians helped turn the tide of battle when they won a major victory at Vimy Ridge. This too had its cost: more than 10,000 casualties in six days. The war continued for more than a year but finally on November 11, 1918, the Armistice was signed and the Canadians took part in the triumphant entry into Belgium. This too we should remember.
WW2: It was 1939 and again Canadians flocked to enlist. They included veterans of earlier wars, boys still in high school and thousands of unemployed.
For almost six years, Canadians fought valiantly on battlefronts around the world. More than one million men and women enlisted in the army, the navy and the air force. When the war was over, more than 45,000 had given their lives.
The Gospel of Saint John says, “Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”
If this is true than we as Canadians had best remember the price our friends paid for our freedom. And we as Christians had best remember the price our Friend Jesus paid for us.
As the artillerymen swung three abreast down Main Street, traffic stopped and people watched from the sidewalks. Some stood in silence. A few wept. Some cheered a bit or called out to soldiers they knew - they waved at the officer who had for years devoted his spare time to the militia battery, to the gentle giant from the lumber mill, to the young orchardist from the Okanagan, to the blonde haired teenager leaving the prettiest girl in town.
When war came, Canadians volunteered readily to serve their country as champions of liberty. They came from farms, from small towns and large cities across the country, riding high on the initial wave of indignation, excitement, and patriotism. For the men and women who rallied to support their nation's cause, the threats of war seemed far away and unreal.
In the fall of 1914 as the 1st contingent of Canadians left the shelter of the St. Lawrence for the open Atlantic, some of the realities came into focus....Those who came forward had not stopped to count the cost, for the excitement was thrilling, the lottery alluring, and the cause glorious; but now that the confusion was passed and the fulfillment of their vows alone remained to be faced, things took on a more somber aspect ..... and yes this too we should remember!
How could they know that four long years of death and destruction were ahead?
With every battle over this century, extremes of temperature, mud, mutilation, mind-numbing fatigue, fear and death were daily realities for over 1,500,000 Canadian men and women.
For all of these conflicts fought in far-off lands, there is much to remember. Foremost are the people, the men and women who served wherever they were needed. They faced difficult situations bravely and brought honor to themselves, to their loved ones and to their country They were ordinary Canadians who made extraordinary sacrifices.
We should not keep silent in our reflections, the price of our freedom and liberty is too awesome, the cost too great!
Yes we stop to remember today - the horror of war - But I believe it only proper that in our daily living we remember their great sacrifice!
Turn with me to Deuteronomy 8:1-5 Keep and live out the entire commandment that I'm commanding you today so that you'll live and prosper and enter and own the land that God promised to your ancestors.
Remember every road that God led you on for those forty years in the wilderness, pushing you to your limits, testing you so that he would know what you were made of, whether you would keep his commandments or not.
He put you through hard times. He made you go hungry. Then he fed you with manna, something neither you nor your parents knew anything about, so you would learn that men and women don't live by bread only; we live by every word that comes from God's mouth.
Your clothes didn't wear out and your feet didn't blister those forty years. You learned deep in your heart that God disciplines you in the same ways a father disciplines his child.
Deuteronomy 8:6-9 So it's paramount that you keep the commandments of God, your God, walk down the roads he shows you and reverently respect him. God is about to bring you into a good land, a land with brooks and rivers, springs and lakes, streams out of the hills and through the valleys. It's a land of wheat and barley, of vines and figs and pomegranates, of olives, oil, and honey. It's land where you'll never go hungry—always food on the table and a roof over your head. It's a land where you'll get iron out of rocks and mine copper from the hills.
Deuteronomy 8:10-16 After a meal, satisfied, bless God, your God, for the good land he has given you.
Make sure you don't forget God, your God, by not keeping his commandments, his rules and regulations that I command you today. Make sure that when you eat and are satisfied, build pleasant houses and settle in, see your herds and flocks flourish and more and more money come in, watch your standard of living going up and up—make sure you don't become so full of yourself and your things that you forget your God.
· The God who delivered you from Egyptian slavery;
· The God who led you through that huge and fearsome wilderness, those desolate, arid badlands crawling with fiery snakes and scorpions;
· The God who gave you water gushing from hard rock;
· The God who gave you manna to eat in the wilderness, something your ancestors had never heard of, in order to give you a taste of the hard life, to test you so that you would be prepared to live well in the days ahead of you.
Deuteronomy 8:17-18 If you start thinking to yourselves, "I did all this. And all by myself. I'm rich. It's all mine!"— well, think again. Remember that God, your God, gave you the strength to produce all this wealth so as to confirm the covenant that he promised to your ancestors—as it is today.
Deuteronomy 8:19-20 If you forget, forget God, your God, and start taking up with other gods, serving and worshiping them, I'm on record right now as giving you firm warning: that will be the end of you; I mean it—destruction. You'll go to your doom—the same as the nations God is destroying before you; doom because you wouldn't obey the Voice of God, your God.
We should not keep silent in our reflections, the price of our freedom and liberty is too awesome, the cost too great!
May God be glorified in our living!

Pharaoh, Pharaoh

Preached by Rev. Ed Brouwer at The Gathering Place, Osoyoos
Pulpit Series Volume 18, Issue 33, November 2, 2008

Song written by Tony Sbrana, 1971 Pharaoh, Pharaoh oooh baby, let my people go.

Exodus 8-10 “Pharaoh Pharaoh Obey Me, let my people go”

Pharaoh didn’t want to let them go, but he did offer some compromises. This is what the devil offers us, compromisers! The devil doesn’t need you to quit he’ll settle for compromise.

Now I don’t mind riding the fence line but I sure don’t like riding the fence. For one thing I don’t like crowds!

Political Party called the “Mugwumps” (Mugs on one side wumps on the other.) Although compromise may be expected in politics and the secret to success in marriage … it is the death of Christian convictions.

Compromise is the crack in the armor we are supposed to be wearing, and when our armor is compromised that is the very spot Satan will strike his death blow!

We are still being offered the same four compromises Pharaoh offered Mosses.

First Compromise: Exodus 8:25 Worship God, but do it in the land. (stay in Egypt) Today the devil doesn’t mind us going to church on Sunday as long as we stay in the world all week long. To serve God but stay in sin is a compromise.

But God says, Come on out of Egypt! If you’re gonna do it, do it right. Not halfway. “I’ll serve God but I can’t tithe.” Come on all the way out of Egypt!

There’s two extremes to avoid when talking about separation from the world [like ditches on either side of the highway]:

Legalism says—Keep this set of rules and you won’t be worldly anymore. You’ll be more spiritual than most everyone else.

But worldliness starts in the heart, and the fix isn’t outward conforming but inward transforming!

The problem with lists of rules is everyone’s list is different, and we begin to major on little minors, and focusing on our preferences. God does give us some lists in His Word, and we should focus on those.. just make sure it’s a heart decision to please God and not something you’re doing for man.

Liberalism says—I’m free in Christ. I can go where I want, look like I want, watch what I want, listen to what I want, hang out with whoever I want.

But it matters how we look, where we go, who we are with, what we do, say, take in, or put out. This crowd loves to quote the OT verse that says ‘God looks at the heart’. But they forget the first part of the verse which states that ‘man looks on the outward appearance!’ If we’re going to affect the world the world is going to have to see a difference in us.

The truth is both the inside and outside need to be affected by God. So make some inner decisions and allow those to affect you outwardly.

What about things the Bible doesn’t mention directly.

It has been daid, “HBO...it’s hell’s box office! Cinemax? It’s sin to the max! So don’t be looking at a TV, be looking up, for the Lord will soon return and it’s gonna be Showtime!”

Here’s 5 questions to ask about questionable areas:
[these guidelines only work for those with a heart to do right, not for the worldly Christian looking for an excuse]

1. What would Jesus do? I Peter 2:21 For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps:

Would Jesus do this activity? Would He watch this? Would He talk this way?

2. Is God your top priority? Does He take the back seat to anything else? What are you more committed to? Am I in conflict between God and the world?

3. Will this help or hinder my Christian walk? We should not only consider what’s wrong w/ something, but what is right with it? Is it of any lasting value in eternity? Would my time and efforts be better spent on something more profitable?

4. What is the atmosphere around this? The context is important. It’s not just about what are you doing, but what are others doing in this place. It is guilt by association.

Ephesians 5:11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. Romans 13:12 ...let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light.

5. How will this affect others? No man is an island. We have a responsibility to consider how we affect others around us. Paul said there’s some things I could do that are ok, but if they offend my brother, I won’t do them for his sake.

Serve God, but stay in Egypt...

Second Compromise — 8:28 Worship God, but don’t go very far away. Don’t go overboard w/ this Jesus stuff.
Be a borderline Christian / a compartment Christian – have a life – have a work life, a home life, a recreation life, and a church life.

Don’t compartmentalize God. Don’t lock Him into one room. Allow Him to roam freely and permeate every area of your life. Not just another spoke in the wheel, but the hub out of which all the other areas are firmly rooted and revolve around!

What little word do we get from the word fanatic?

‘Fan’! It’s ok to be a sports fan, but if you are a Jesus fan that’s bad?

"I'll go where you want me to go, Dear Lord,
Real service is what I desire;
I'll say what you want me to say, Dear Lord,
But don't ask me to sing in the choir.
I'll say what you want me to say, Dear Lord,
I'd like to see things come to pass;
But don't ask me to teach girls and boys, Dear Lord;
I'd rather just stay in my class.
I'll do what you want me to do, Dear Lord.
I yearn for your kingdom to thrive.
I'll give you my nickels and dimes, Dear Lord,
But please don't ask me to tithe.
I'll go where you want me to go, Dear Lord,
I'll say what you want me to say;
I'm busy just now with myself, Dear Lord.
I'll help you some other day."

Third Compromise — 10:7-11 Worship God, but don’t take your family. Just the men were allowed to go. Today the devil says, let your kids make up their own mind. Don’t turn your spouse off to God,
just keep quiet about it all. It’s time for men to get back to being the spiritual leaders in the home!

This attitude surfaces today as adults lead their own lives, and leave the kids in front of the automated baby sitter [TV or game system] and leave their education up to the school and leave their salvation up to their Sunday School teacher. We need to claim our kids for Christ and take action to see they know the Lord. “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord!”

Fourth Compromise — 10:24-26 Worship God, but leave your flocks and herds. Pharaoh says, in case this religion thing doesn’t work out for you, you need a fall back plan. Don’t burn your bridges!
If doing God’s will and going to church doesn’t work out for you, you can always go back to the way you used to be! Don’t sell out for God. Keep one foot in the door of the world.

“Don’t let religion affect your pocketbook”. Flocks and herds in those days were money. The cry of the day in Christianity is that churches are all about money, when they should be about people and their hearts. But Jesus said where your treasure is, there your heart is also.

“Don’t talk about money preacher, talk about something spiritual!” There’s nothing more spiritual that we can talk about it’s the supreme test of our values, our obedience, and our heart.

“Pharaoh, pharaoh, I wish you’d just leave my people alone!” But he won’t. Satan is more at work in these last days than ever, and he wants us to compromise. He knows he has lost your soul to heaven, but he doesn’t want you taking others with you. He doesn’t mind you going to church, as long as you live a 50-50 lifestyle.


That’s a miserable place to be...riding the fence. You’ve got enough Jesus in you that you can no longer enjoy the world, but still enough world in you so you can’t fully enjoy Jesus!

Get all the way out of Egypt not still in eyeshot of the old life, but going forward, gaining higher ground, no looking back...on to the Promised Land!

A Better Resurrection

Preached by Rev. Ed Brouwer at The Gathering Place, Osoyoos
Pulpit Series Volume 18, Issue 32, October 26, 2008

Hebrews 11:32-34 And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gideon; - through faith received a miraculous victory, and of Barak; - a captain in Deborah's army who through faith brought a great deliverance at the hand of God, and of Samson; God delivered all the Philistines into his hands, and of Jephthae; a judge who through faith showed great boldness; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets: Who through faith subdued kingdoms, showed forth righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens.

The Word of God is full of accounts of deliverance. Many of you have received deliverance of some form. Drug Addiction, Alcoholism, Violent Tempers…
Jesus breaks every chain!

In general we were all: lost in sin and now we are found! Dead and now we live!
Blind but now we see! These wonderful things happen as people put their trust and faith in the Lord Jesus!

However, there is a kind of faith that is not seen much today. A powerful effective faith that refuses anything, but God's deliverance! Folks there are two types of faith.
There is a receiving faith and there is a refusing faith!

Hebrews 11:35-39 Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection: And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yes and more, chains and imprisonment: WHY did they refuse deliverance?

They were stoned, they were sawed in half, were tempted, were slain with the sword: (Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented; mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise: They relied on the promised Messiah, but never lived to see Him come in the flesh and fulfill His work of redemption.

There comes an hour when the strongest proof of your
faith is in the rejection of the
easiest way out!

It seems that the early believers were always given a choice - all they had to do was to denounce their belief and they would be spared all the suffering.

A Roman centurion would write the name of Christ on the wall and all the believer would have to do was spit on it - and they would be given their total freedom - granted deliverance.

In another example all the believer would have to do is reach into a box, pick up some grain from within it and throw it down at the feet of "another god". Instantly all the cruel mockery and torment would cease - - just by throwing down the grain!

But, they refused to bow, they would not compromise!

They chose faithfulness to God rather than the freedom offered at the hands of man. We need this type of faith.

I Corinthians 10:13 no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that you may be able to bear it.

Do you know it?

Many Christians settle for a quick fix. Beware! There is no true deliverance outside of Christ!

I want to show you something, turn to Matthew 4:8-10 Again, the devil took Jesus up on to a very high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world And sad to him, All these things will I give thee, if you will fall down and worship me. Then Jesus replied Get out of here, Satan: for it is written, You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve.

Just as Christ was taken to the mountain by the enemy - so the enemy takes us. The devil will bring you up on a mountain some-where. He’ll offer you all that your eyes can behold - all you'd have to do is just compromise a little!

Just bow down and all these kingdoms will I give you!

Consider these verses when the enemy comes to you.

Psalms 142:3-5 When my spirit was overwhelmed within me, You knew my path. On the path that I walked they laid a snare for me. I looked on my right but there was no one around to help me, my refuge failed me; no man cared for my soul. I cried out to You, O LORD: saying, You are my refuge and my portion in the land of the living.

Our confidence can’t be in any other form of deliverance or in any other deliverer! Psalms 20:7 Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the LORD.

When your job ends, when Mr/Miss dreamboat becomes a nightmare - when depression attacks, when the car breaks down, when there is no bread in the cupboard, whatever the case - do not seek deliverance in your own wisdom!

Trust the Lord - He will deliver you!

Don't compromise to make ends meet; refuse to look the other way! The night may be dark but there will come joy!

Psalms 5:11-12 Let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them.. For thou, LORD, wilt bless the righteous; with favour wilt thou compass him as with a shield.

Psalms 34:7-9 The angel of the LORD camps round about them that fear him, and delivers them. O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusts in him... there is no want to them that fear him.

Jesus was tempted with deliverance -

Matthew 27:34 They gave him vinegar mingled with gall and when he had tasted thereof, he would not drink.

Had He not prayed in the garden for the Father to take this cup from Him? Could this not be the way of deliverance?

This was a drug, a pain killer. He’d still be crucified - it would still accomplish the same result - wouldn't it?

Take heed! The Word of God warns us that; there will come a time when people will not endure sound doctrine; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. I Timothy 4:3

Folks don't give up!
Folks don’t give in! Look up!

Carry on in Faith Brothers and Sisters Carry On!

The LORD, preserves the souls of his saints; he delivers them out of the hand of the wicked. Psalms 97:9-11

Hebrews 11:35 ... and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection:... Of whom the world was not worthy

Luke 22:31 Jesus said, Simon, Simon, Satan has desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: But I have prayed for you, that your faith fail not:
Christ doesn’t always deliver us out, but He always delivers us through!

Jude 1:24 Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy

“This is that!”

Preached by Rev. Ed Brouwer at The Gathering Place, Osoyoos
Pulpit Series Volume 18, Issue 31, October 19, 2008

ACTS 2:12 What does this mean?
ACTS 2:37 This is that!
ACTS 2:12 What will we do?
Over 5,000 kilometers wide, Canada’s 10 provinces and three
territories are home to 31 million residents. This is a typical Sunday morning in Anytown, Canada. Our local churches are having a morning service as per usual of most of the 20,000 Christian church services across this great land. The people respectfully listen to earnest preachers. They may not be particularly stirred, but they don’t fall asleep. Soon every one will leave the church building with a sense, a comfortable sense of having done their duty.

I can’t help wonder, if we really believe the glorious things men and women of God preach about, those wonderful truths we’ve gathered here to talk about. If we really believed would we go out so lifelessly?
Erhard said something Tuesday morning that hit me…. “People need to stop acting like Christians and just be Christians”.
After all, if 2000 years ago there lived on this earth a Man who was also God, if He was all He claimed to be and if He did all the record says He did, shouldn’t we be excited about it?
So how do we get back the lost radiance of Christian faith? Strange thing about Christians, we’re afraid not to give something to the cause of Christ, yet we’re equally afraid to give it everything. Yet, if it is worth anything, isn’t worth everything.
If we’re not going to live out our faith, let’s take down our sign.
The Early Church met the same kinds of problems we face today, the same combination of opportunity and opposition.
One big difference - then the church was in conflict with outside forces; now she is in a compromise with them.
Sadduceeism: The Sadducees denied the resurrection. We call them modernists, but modernism is not modern; it is older than dirt. We’ve had it ever since men first doubted God's Word.
But the Church today is not meeting Sadduceeism as the Early Church met it. Then it was outside the Church; now it is inside, even in pulpits, where we are told that the Bible merely contains God's Word.
Pharisaism: The Early Church met pharisaism. That was ritualism, form without force. Once again, what was outside the Church then is inside now. “Having a form of godliness but denying the power thereof.”
The Drop Dead Couple: The Early Church encountered Ananias and Sapphira. Their sin didn’t lie in giving part or in keeping part but in pretending that they gave the whole. The Church was at such a height of rightness, that liars couldn’t stand it. If we had spiritual purity like that in our fellowships there’d be corpses everywhere.
Sadly today, men with fingers crossed, one hand behind their backs, sing, “I surrender all.”
Although we’ve had many courses in stewardship and have been told countless times that we are not our own but are bought with a price, we still withhold from God our time, talents and money.
Above all we hold back ourselves.
Persecution: The Early Church met persecution. Peter and John forbidden to preach in the Name of Jesus, had the church pray for more boldness, the thing that got them into trouble in the first place.
From then on, the path of the church was a path of blood and fire, but “the blood of the martyrs was the seed of the church”. The church always has prospered in persecution but suffered in prosperity.
Vance Havnar speaking of the church said, “She is secure in danger but endangered by security. She has always been rich when poor, and poor when rich. She has had least treasure in heaven when she has had most money in the bank.”
Idolatry: The Early Church met idolatry. In Athens Paul saw only a city given to idolatry. They listened until he came to the resurrection and repentance and then, like many in the 20th century, they smiled him away. Paul left Athens, never to return.
He went back to places where he was persecuted, but he had no time to waste on the mild, intellectual curiosity which we court so fervently today.
Demonism: The Early Church met demonism in Philippi and Ephesus. Paul, as usual, had a head-on collision. If you think our cities are any better today you don't know our cities.
But the church today is not meeting it as Paul met it; we try to handle it with psychiatry instead of preaching. Have we forgotten that “Greater is he that is in me than he that is in the world.”
There are congregations a plenty of whom it can be said, as far as experience goes, “We’ve not so much as heard of the Holy Spirit.”
No matter what the Early Church met, she met it triumphantly.
What is wrong with us that we don’t follow her example?
How do we recapture the lost radiance?
We too often dismiss these things by saying, “there's nothing we can do about it."
Is that true? Is there nothing we can do about it?
Are we supposed to accept conditions as they are, fold our hands, and say, “Let well enough alone; it could be worse?”
There was a reason for the radiance of the Early Church, that reason was Pentecost.
Two questions were asked by the people who looked on that day: “What does this mean?” and “What shall we do?”
Today we try to reverse the order. We are trying to make men ask, “What must I do to be saved?” before they have seen enough in our churches to make them inquire: “What does this mean?”
We are pushing for evangelism without revival. When people are once again amazed by a church filled with the Spirit, then we may expect them to ask further as to the way of salvation.
“What does this mean?” they asked. Peter said, “This is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel.” Joel was a revivalist. He called first for A SWEEPING REVIVAL.
It was a call to all ages. Preachers were included in Joel's call: “Let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep . . .”
What is needed today is a stirring of God's Spirit among all ages, all groups, in pulpit and pew. We need to weep not just for the lost, but that God’s reputation has been slammed!
God wants a broken and contrite heart. Nehemiah wept. Paul warned men night and day with tears. Jesus wept.
People are by-passing the Church today and saying, “Where is this Holy Spirit you talk about?”
May we seek revival, for the right reason, not for growth of our programs or more dollars in the offering. but for God's sake. For the honor of His Name, that the world may no longer pass by and jeer.
After the Church has her lost joy restored and is upheld afresh by the Spirit, transgressors will be taught God's ways and sinners be converted. Psalm 51
The Church will not get on its feet, until it first gets on its knees.

Ezekiel said, “The Spirit entered into me and set me upon my feet.”

After we have repented and are Spirit-filled, we shall stand on our feet in testimony and men shall first ask, “What does this mean?” and then, “What shall we do?”

“Thanks!”

Preached by Rev. Ed Brouwer at The Gathering Place, Osoyoos
Pulpit Series Volume 18, Issue 30, October 12, 2008

Psalm 100:4 Enter His Gates With ThanksgivingWe are gathered together today to count our God blessings. We are gathered together to give thanks to our God Who has provided us with life itself!Listen to what the psalmist says: Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs… Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.
A little boy went to a birthday party. On his return, his mother queried, "Bobby, did you thank the lady for the party?" "Well, I was going to. But a girl ahead of me said, 'Thank you,' and the lady told her not to mention it. So I didn't."
Of course we should always say thanks to our host or hostess. This is true for God too. When it comes to thanking God, we can't remain silent and we must not remain silent.The psalmist tells us to rejoice in the Lord. We are to shout for joy to the Lord. We are called to serve Him with gladness. We are urged to come before Him with joyful songs. We’re to be filled with an enthusiastic, overflowing joy.In the Hebrew, joy or rejoicing is an inward emotion that simply has to express itself as praise to and for God!
The Old Testament shows God’s people were filled with joy they couldn’t help but come into God's presence with clapping, singing, shouting, and dancing.
Joy, all joy, expresses itself in praise!
Though joyful thanks is to be given in all of life, it is especially worship that the psalmist has in mind: Serve the Lord ... come before him ... Enter his gates ... and his courts.
Our life is to be a time of joyful thanks. Thanks Living!
Why? The psalmist tell us: For the Lord is good ... Good is a word so common we use it without thinking. "How was work?" Good "How you doing?" Good “How’s supper?” Good We use the word a lot, but what does it mean?God is good, says Scripture. God is good; He wants to share Himself, His life, His love, with others.
When we read through the first chapter of Genesis we come across that word good 7 times. Not only is God good; God saw all that he had made, and it was very good Genesis 1:31On this Thanksgiving Day we rejoice in our God Who has shared His goodness with us by giving us life itself.
God is good. He satisfies us, fills us to the brim, and meets our God created needs.
God is good. He satisfies the needs of all His creatures. We all can testify that God satisfies our need for shelter, food, drink, clothing, fellowship.God is good. He satisfies our biggest and greatest need.
As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God? Psalm 42:1,2
God Himself is our biggest and greatest need. That is why the Psalmist can say, The Lord is my shepherd, I shall lack nothing Psalm 23:1
David probably wrote this while out in the wilderness. He may have lacked food, drink, clothing, shelter, safety, and or protection. Yet, he said he lacked nothing. Why?
Because he had the Lord and in that he had the most important thing in life. Having the Lord, nothing else is really needed.
He who has the Lord, lacks nothing.God is good. He satisfies our need for Himself.To satisfy this need, our need for Him, God had to come to us in Christ.
There was a time that man could come to God without Christ. In fact, there was a time when he lived, talked and walked with God. He was so completely in God that he had no knowledge of life without God.
This wasn’t a religious thing - it was completely natural!
But then came man’s fall into sin and man became incapable of coming to God on his own. Man was incapable of satisfying the deepest need of his heart – fellowship with and in God.
So God sent His son Christ Jesus. Christ took on human form, He died on the cross and rose from the grave so that we could once again have fellowship with God, satisfying the deepest need of our heart.
On this Thanksgiving Day we rejoice in our God Who shared His goodness with us by satisfying our need for Himself in and through Jesus.God is good. He is so good. God is loving and faithful in His goodness. His love endures forever; his faithfulness through all generations, says the Psalmist.
This means that God continues to share Himself with us, He continues to satisfy all our needs. He is always good.
Our God is good. He is so good. That is why the Psalmist says, Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.
Our God is good. He is so good. That is why the Psalmist says, Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.
The Lord is good. He is so good.
Only one response is possible: we must now give Him our joyful thanks, by thanks living!

“Caught In The Act!”

Preached by Rev. Ed Brouwer at The Gathering Place, Osoyoos
Pulpit Series Volume 18, Issue 29, October 5, 2008

This is one of the most contested texts, one of the most beloved texts and one of the most misunderstood texts in the Bible. It is a contested text because it doesn’t show up in any of the earliest and best manuscripts. Look at your footnotes. On top of that, it’s language and style doesn’t fit the book of John. Fact is, you can skip this story, and jump from John 7:52 to John 8:12 with perfect coherence. Actually, it’s more like Luke’s style and one ancient Bible version has this story at Luke 21:38 (check it out and see how it works there).

Normally modern scholars would simply throw it out as an early church invention. But it’s not the sort of story the church would invent. So, most everyone agrees, whether it’s at the beginning of John 8, or in Luke, or in a footnote, this story belongs in the Bible.

In eleven compact verses, we have a story of unsurpassed drama, wisdom, grace, and beauty.

Jesus is teaching in the temple area. There’s suddenly a ruckus as a group of prominent men, scribes and Pharisees, drag in a woman and stand her before Jesus. Imagine her, tear-streaked face, eyes cast down, absolutely terrified. Pointing at her, the sneering men make their charge, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the very act of adultery. Now in the law Moses commanded us to stone such a woman. What do you say?” Now this is an interesting for several reasons. First, being “caught in the act” was absolutely necessary. The law stated that in order to bring this charge there had to be at least two witnesses, which, when you think of it is hard to do without some kind of sting operation. There’s a smell of a set up. But even more interesting is the fact that only the woman gets convicted here. Leviticus 20 states: “If a man (note the emphasis) commits adultery with another man’s wife, both the man and the woman must be put to death.” So my question is “Where is the man?”

Now folks, I may not be the smartest guy on the block but far as I can tell, adultery is not something one does in splendid isolation.
Did he somehow manage to escape? Or was this another case of the double standard? In fact, then and now, women endure severe social consequences for their sexual sins, while men get away with a permissive wink; boys being boys and all of that crap.

Of course, if this was a sting, the Pharisees may have let the guy off with a handshake, thanking him for his assistance, the woman being no more than a pawn in their plan to get Jesus. Bottom line was, they wanted to get Jesus into a no-win situation. If Jesus let’s her off the hook, he’s soft on sin and adultery, playing fast and loose with the law of Moses. If Jesus condemns her, he risks offending the Roman authorities who have to give their own permission for any capital punishment, as the Sanhedrin had to do with Jesus. But as many others find out, when you set a trap for Jesus, you risk falling into it yourself. The crowd leaning in listens with great interest.

They glare at the woman apparently pulled straight from her bed. They watch for a reaction from Jesus. What Jesus does has been analyzed in depth. He writes with his finger on the ground. Believe it or not, someone actually figured out what He wrote.

One ingenious scholar has figured out how many Hebrew letters one could write within an average arm reach, and came up with 19 characters, which happens to fit exactly a relevant passage from Exodus 23:1 Do not help a wicked man by being a malicious witness. Isn’t it amazing what you can discover when you let someone loose with a text and a PhD? I also think that it is important, that He wrote with His finger. As you may remember the law was carved in stone with God’s very finger. Here is God incarnate, carving a new law into human history. Perhaps He was just doodling, buying time, cooling off what could well be described as a lynch mob.

You must admit it sure raises the tension level in the story. They all wait, the woman, the accusers, and the crowd standing by, while the question hangs heavy in the air, “Now, what do you say?”
Jesus looks up from his writing and speaks. He goes with the law. “Go ahead and stone her.” But he adds one conscience-shattering provision that turns everything upside down: “Let anyone among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” This is where the misunderstanding I mentioned in the beginning comes in. This saying of Jesus has been both well used and abused. Jesus is not saying that we sinners can’t form judgments about the actions of others. That would make the administration of human justice impossible, because not one of us is without sin. None of us can ever “throw the first stone” in judgment of someone else.

How can we, who have entertained lustful thoughts, judge the sin of adultery. How can we, who have hated others, judge the sin of murder? From the mouth of Jesus, it makes perfect sense, but when some corrupt politician or some caught-with-his-pants-down preacher comes up with this as a defense, it doesn’t ring true, does it. Sinners though we are, we sometimes have to make difficult judgments about our own and other people’s behavior. But Jesus wants to make sure we face our own soul in the process. When Jesus says, “Let anyone among you who is without sin throw the first stone,” he tilts us in the direction of mercy rather than prideful judgment. Suddenly we see the beam in our own eye. In making our judgments, we must do so mercifully, deeply mindful that our own sins stand under God’s judgment as well. The woman’s accusers resurface today… we want longer prison sentences for first offenders. We want ‘three strikes and you're out,’ a ‘throw-away-the-key’ approach to smalltime repeaters whose harm has been only to themselves. We want the rebels reduced to nothing. We want law and order.”Go ahead, there are lots of people out there, struggling trying hurting, failing. Feel free to hunt them down. Grind them under. Count them out. Throw them away. Go ahead. Throw the first stone. After his startling words, Jesus bent down for some more writing on the ground, while his words land like a pebble in a pond, sending a ripple of reality through the crowd. One by one they drop their rocks and go home; interestingly, from the oldest to the youngest.

I would hope that the older we get, the more we would sense our own need for mercy, because then we will be more likely to offer it to others. Finally, Jesus looks up, and they’re all gone. It’s just Jesus and the woman: the sinful woman and the sinless one, or as St. Augustine put it so wonderfully, misery and mercy. He straightened up. Where are your accusers?
They’re all gone, Lord. “Neither do I condemn you.”

Jesus, the only one in the whole world who, according to his own criterion, had the perfect moral standing to throw the first stone, refuses. While this is unbelievably good news for the woman, I wonder about her betrayed husband and family.

Adultery has incredible fallout. The anger and hurt. Worlds are totally upended, trust is devastated. How can Jesus forgive him or her so freely?” Because that’s what Jesus came to do. As it says earlier in John, “God sent his son into the world not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.”

Or as Paul puts it so wonderfully in Romans 8 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. The only one who could be our perfect accuser has become our perfect savior, by taking the condemnation on his own soul. Notice something else here. She says nothing.
There’s no, “I’m sorry.” No, “I’ll never do it again.”
Not even, “I’ve made a mess of things.” Not a word of remorse. Which reminds us again; our repentance, isn’t the condition for forgiveness, it’s the consequence. It is all grace-- wonderful, free grace. But it is not cheap. It wasn’t cheap for Jesus to win, nor is it cheap for us to live. “Go and don’t sin any more.” Yeah, and that’s going to happen. No, we’ll be back again, standing in front of Jesus, condemned by self, or condemned by others. And again, he will say, neither do I condemn you. Go and sin no more.

Many of us struggle in one-way or another with the nagging voice of guilt. It’s as though a band of scribes and Pharisees lurk in the corners of our soul ready to remind us of those actions or thoughts for which we are ashamed.

But if you listen to the gentle voice of Jesus you will hear, “I do not condemn you.” This is the voice of God’s mercy in Jesus Christ.
If you listen to that voice coming from the center of your soul, and if you trust in it, you will find peace. And when the other voices fight for your attention again, as they will, just return to that gentle, powerful, voice from the center until the other voices stop, and the rocks drop.

Having faced the real misery of your sin, and its effects in your life and others, the next words will sound more and more like grace too, “Go and sin no more.”

Jesus will be right there with you by the power of his Spirit on that sometimes long and winding road to spiritual wholeness.

“Is Jesus Your Everything!”

Preached by Rev. Ed Brouwer at The Gathering Place, Osoyoos
Pulpit Series Volume 18, Issue 28, September 28, 2008

I want to declare to you as the Apostle Paul declared in the Colossians that "Christ is all and in all.” Christ was everything to Paul. To the Corinthians he had written, I determined not to know anything among you save Jesus Christ and him crucified. To the Galatians he wrote: God forbid that I should glory save in the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ. And to the Philippians he declared, To me to live is Christ.

Today’s Christians seem to put Jesus in a box, either in Palestine a long time ago or now at the Father's right hand. We need Paul's vision - to see Christ past, present, and future. If Jesus is the Alpha and Omega, Beginning and Ending, Author and Finisher of our faith, if by Him all things consist, it would follow that everything centers and converges in Him. For by him were all things created that are in heaven and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones or dominions or principalities or powers; all things were created by him and for him Colossians 1:16
How many Christians ever think of Christ as the One by whom all things are created, as C0lossians puts it; by whom all things were made: as John puts it; by whom God made the worlds, as Hebrews put it?

By Him redemption consists. In order to conform men to the image of His Son, God gave His Son. There is no salvation in any other.

By Him the Gospel consists. The Gospel is simply the good news about Jesus, that He came, died, and rose again. It is not a program, plan, or philosophy that saves, but a Person.

By Him the church consists. God gave him to be head over all things to the church which is his body, the fullness of him that fills all in all Ephesians 1:22,23

By Him true doctrine consists. Some Christians become disciples of a phrase, playing a one string banjo. For example, Some get off on a tangent on sanctification. But sanctification, strictly speaking, is not just a doctrine it is Christ Himself. I Corinthians 1:30

Spurgeon said, "Holiness is not the way to Christ; Christ is the way to holiness."
Better still, Christ is our holiness.

Some make the Holy Spirit the figurehead of movements, but the Spirit testifies not of Himself but of Christ John 15:26 In that classic passage regarding the Holy Spirit, John 7:37-39, it is Jesus who is at the center of the stage: If any man thirst, let him come to ME and drink. He that believes on ME, as the scripture has said, from within him shall flow rivers of living water. This spoke HE of the Spirit which they that believe on HIM should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that JESUS was not yet glorified.

Any supposed experience of the Spirit that draws attention to itself and not to Christ is not to be trusted.

By Him the resurrection consists. Jesus said to Martha, Your brother shall rise again. She said, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day. Martha was orthodox, but she needed to move from the doctrinal to the personal. So Jesus said to her, I am the resurrection and the life.

The resurrection is not something to believe, but Someone to believe.

By Him faith consists. It is not the quantity or the quality but the object of our faith that matters. Saving faith is faith in Christ, not just things about Christ. It is not faith in our faith, but a faith in our Christ.

By Him all Christian experience consist. The Christian life is simply Christ, the indwelling and outliving Christ. To me to live is Christ The victorious life is just more of Christ and less of self. He is our Life, not just a teacher of how to live.

By Him separation consists. He is the Great Divider, who came not to send peace, but a sword, and He in fact must separate us. Separation is not just quitting things, it is going to HIM, outside the camp bearing HIS reproach. When He was on earth, there was often a division of the people on account of Him, and He still divides men today. But this should not be confused with those who cause division among us. They are to be watched out for and avoided.

Let me ask you a question; What is the main thing about the Lord's return?
It is the Lord. Some are merely looking for an event, rather than for a person.

By Him Christian fellowship consists. Our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ I John 1:3 The mark of true fellowship is love to all the saints, which springs from faith in Jesus Colossians 1:4 By Him our testimony consists. We are His witnesses, not His lawyers. We preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord. Simon Peter comes to Jesus because Andrew goes after him with a testimony.

By Him our fruitfulness consists. He that abides in me and I in him, the same brings forth much fruit: for without me you can do nothing John 15:5

It is not what is done for Him, but, by Him that counts.

I wonder how much church activity really comes from Him? We need to get our eyes off our efficiency and on His sufficiency.

By Him the answer to every situation or need consists. God has promised to supply all our need according to His riches in glory by Jesus. If we need victory we can reign in life through Christ. If we need peace, the peace of God will garrison our hearts through Christ Jesus. If we need wisdom, He is our wisdom. If we need strength, we can do all things through Christ.

By Him the future consists. It is not just about going to heaven, it is about being WITH CHRIST. It is His presence that makes heaven so glorious. And it is separation from Him that is hell's worst feature. My dear friends - I wish I could convey this incredible message to you in such a clear and simple way that we all would get it all!

Jesus is to be our everything. It is in our looking to Him - not in a backward over the shoulder glance or in a futuristic hope so - it is in our looking to Him right now as He is here this very moment in time, that life itself will make sense.

A little girl was struggling to put together a ripped torn up map of the United States, discovered that on the reverse side was a picture of George Washington and that by putting his picture together she also assembled the map, illustrates a profounder truth.

Nothing can be assembled, either one's life or the universe, apart from Christ. But when we know Him everything else will find its place….. for by Him all things consist!

"The Mary And Martha Story"

Preached by Rev. Ed Brouwer at The Gathering Place, Osoyoos
Pulpit Series Volume 18, Issue 27, September 21, 2008

Luke 10:38-42 Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus' feet, and heard his word. But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her therefore to help me. And Jesus answered and said to her, Martha, Martha, you are careful and troubled about many things: But one thing is needful: and Mary has chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.

Lets look into this a bit.

Martha is not faulted for her service. Many feel a secret sympathy for Martha. I mean, Martha welcomes Jesus and his disciples into her home. Martha gave the invitation of hospitality knowing full well it would mean work.

Being hospitable is hard work. But she seemed ok with it.

Let’s be honest, if not for the Martha's of this world, not much would get done. Interestingly this story comes right after the Parable of the Good Samaritan.

Now why would that be? Wasn’t Martha being a neighbor to Jesus and the Disciples? Jesus doesn’t fault Martha for her service. I believe what he does pick up on is her attitude.

The “Resentful Good Samaritan”.
Good service with a bad spirit is bad service.
Jesus finds a problem with the spirit of her service.

That Martha was irritated is an understatement. Her outburst ruins the party for her, for Mary, and for their special company.

Martha was like many type “A” personalities; she may have thought, “Someone’s got to do it and well, I’ll do it if there is no one else. It has to be done - one way or the other.”Martha must have been shocked when Jesus cut across her huffing and puffing and corrected her attitude.

Jesus said, Mary had chosen the better part. Think about that.

It seems ministry to our spirit must precede ministry to others. In effect he said to Martha - Don’t just do something - sit there! Learn from me, let me serve your soul.Service motivated and energized by God’s Spirit and done with the right attitude will last and bring glory to God.

I believe there are times when God says, "Don't just do something, sit there." There are times God wants us to be quiet, to be still and seek Him.

Am I seeing this right? You don’t tell people just to sit there!

Most churches have enough pew sitters, some having sat for years. Most organizations struggle to get people to volunteer.

Rather than telling people to sit there they are running around trying to find people to fill the gaps. Sometimes the methods they use manipulate us through guilt.

Service because of guilt causes burn out and all too often, bitterness.
We are a family, a new community that is meant to model in our life the purposes of God.

This is meant to be a healthy incubator for people to grow in Christ and die to God’s glory. So there are times when we have to say to each other —“Don’t just Do something - Sit there!” Refresh. Renew. Receive.God must do something in us before we do something for Him.

Take the example of Nehemiah. He was involved in the most radical and successful building project Israel had ever seen. For 90 years they had tried to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem and had failed. Then along came Nehemiah and in 90 days, walking in God’s will, they had the job virtually completed.But what is often missed in the account of Nehemiah is before he was engaged in exhausting activity he sat still. He prayed and sought the Lord. First, he allowed God to do something in him. While he was waiting he developed a plan and was ready for action.
Often we tend to develop a plan, then ask God to bless it and head off on our merry way. To this Jesus says, “Don’t just do something - sit there.” Seek Me, think it through, plan carefully and consider the options.Let the Lord do something in you before you do something for Him. Then you’ll maintain your vision and your passion for the task. You’ll have the fortitude and stick ability to see it through.
You will have the conviction that this is God’s will and although there may be obstacles, you’ll see it through.

Some years ago a young man approached the foreman of a logging crew and asked for a job. "That depends," replied the foreman. "Let's see you fell this tree." The young man stepped forward and skilfully felled a great tree. Impressed, the foreman exclaimed, "Start Monday!" Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday rolled by, and Thursday afternoon the foreman approached the young man and said, "You can pick up your pay cheque on the way out today." Startled, he replied, "I thought you paid on Friday." "Normally we do," answered the foreman, "but we're letting you go today because you've fallen behind. Our daily felling charts show that you've dropped from first place on Monday to last on Wednesday." "But I'm a hard worker," the young man objected. "I arrive first, leave last, and even have worked through my coffee breaks!"

The foreman, sensing the boy's integrity, thought for a minute and then asked, "Have you been sharpening your axe?"

The young man replied, "I've been working too hard to take the time."

How often do we work harder and harder spiritually only to find we are less and less fruitful.

It time to hear the words, “Don’t just do something. Sit there and let the Lord minister to you.”

Sharpen your axe. Sharpen yourself spiritually; rekindle that edge, renew your strength.
Please note, there is certainly a time and place for diving in with both feet, for taking on whatever task is in front of us.

We continue to appreciate firefighters who storm headlong into buildings, rescue workers who dive into raging waters, trained military who without thinking about it, answer the call.

Many of us have a voice in our heads screaming at us, "Don't just stand there, do something." But we who care about caring for others can lose more than ourselves in “our doing”, we can lose the ability to give ourselves away for the necessary long haul, for a world of pain and need beyond today’s headlines.

Friends when the rescue workers go home, when the funeral flowers fade, when the get well-visits get missed in the third round of chemo, some of us will still be called to be there.

The daily grind of caring takes its toll. If you find yourself pulling away from the needs of people. If you shut off the TV news, if you let the answering machine pick up phone calls from a friend, let me suggest that you find some stillness, even solitude.

"Don't just do something, stand there."
Pause to listen and pause to feel. Pause to pray and take stock of yourself and your resources. Do only what really needs doing.

In our much doing, we lose perspective, lose our energy, and more importantly, lose our creativity and sense of humor.

We thus begin to carry the world on our shoulders and soon become overwhelmed or disillusioned. Matthew 11:28 Come to me, all you that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

We after being renewed spiritually can again enter our world to “do it right”.