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THE IMITATION OF CHRIST

10/29/2012

Last night, at our church’s annual Fall Family Fest, we were honored to have with us a very gifted individual. Sammy Sawyer is East Tennessee’s own version of Don Knotts. It was a special moment for me when, dressed up as Sheriff Andy Taylor, I posed for a photograph with Deputy Barney Fife.

As the night progressed, though, one thing became fairly obvious. I had merely dressed as Andy Taylor. Sammy, however, had done far more than dress like Barney Fife. He actually imitated him. And he did it so well that it was hard to make the distinction between the imitator and the imitated. At times, it was if Ol’ Barn’ himself was right here in our midst. We were all swept up in the moment and it felt like we were right slap dab in the middle of downtown Mayberry.

I couldn’t help but think of Paul’s admonition in 1 Corinthians 11:1: “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.” The word "follow" is a translation of the word "mimetai" in the original Greek, meaning "to imitate, to mimic". You see, I had only dressed to look like Andy. Sammy, however, did far more than just dress the part.

He sought to mimic the behavior of Barney at literally every turn: in his speech, in his mannerisms, in his walk, in his disposition. In nearly every single way, he imitated Barney Fife. One might say that he was "in character" the whole evening.

In truth, there is a difference between mere resemblance and full blown imitation. The former is, by comparison, much easier than the latter. For the latter takes work - hard work. It takes intentionality. It takes practice. It takes devotion.

So, thank, you Barney, uh, er, Sammy, for the wonderful evening of entertainment. Thank you keeping us in stitches, as it were, from laughing so hard throughout the evening. More importantly, thank you for reminding us all, and especially me, that I have been called to imitate Christ, and not just merely to resemble Him. And I already know what that means: "They'll be no mollycoddling!" So... it looks like it's high time for me to get to work becoming more like Jesus Christ!

Seriously, may we all, and especially may I as a pastor, be faithful to do just that. Remember, as Barney himself once said: "That badge means something! Don't disgrace it!"

Sammy's web site is: http://www.bfife4life.com/. Be warned: you will laugh!

REMEMBERING WHO WE ARE

10/25/2012

Like many people my age or older, I remember the day that President Ronald Reagan was shot. Most Americans sat glued to their respective television sets the better part of an afternoon holding their collective breath.

In his memoir, An American Life, Reagan remembered: “We pulled up in front of the hospital emergency entrance and I was first out of the limo and into the emergency room. A nurse was coming to meet me and I told her I was having trouble breathing. Then all of a sudden my knees turned rubbery. The next thing I knew I was lying face up on a gurney...”

David Emery, in his article Grace Under the Scalpel, has validated the report of the day's events and continues the story: “But it's also true that fully an hour went by between the moment Reagan was delivered to the emergency room and when he was anesthetized for surgery - time enough for him to regain enough composure to utter the famous quip. In fact, by all accounts, Reagan turned into a veritable joke machine during the hour-long wait.

The first words he uttered upon regaining consciousness were to a nurse who happened to be holding the president's hand. "Does Nancy know about us?" he quipped.

When Nancy herself arrived a few minutes later, Reagan greeted her with the comment, "Honey, I forgot to duck." (He was quoting prizefighter Jack Dempsey, who had said the same thing to his own wife after losing the heavyweight championship to rival Gene Tunney in 1926.)

Reagan even found occasion to pay homage to W.C. Fields. When a nurse asked him how he was feeling, he responded, "All in all, I'd rather be in Philadelphia." (The original line, which Fields had proposed for his own epitaph, was: "On the whole, I would rather be in Philadelphia.")

And, according to Edwin Meese, Reagan's Attorney General, the President stumped him and other members of the White House staff with the greeting, "Who's minding the store?" …

But the coup de grace, the witticism most repeated and best remembered from that dark day, was delivered by the President as he was being moved from gurney to operating table just before surgery… "Please tell me you're (all) Republicans."…

Dr. Joseph Giordano ... headed the George Washington University Hospital trauma team that operated on Reagan… Giordano, a liberal Democrat, said, "Mr. President, we're all Republicans today."*

As I write this blog, we are less than two weeks away from one of the most significant presidential elections in history. It is also one of the most contentious. As an evangelical Christian, it is my intention to examine the position of each candidate as well as the platform of the party he represents, then to ascertain which of these most closely represents the morals, values, and convictions I hold dear, and finally, having prayed over this matter, to cast my vote in a manner that best honors God. I certainly hope you will do the same.

At the same time, it is my responsibility to behave in a civil manner and not to allow my witness to be damaged by engaging in the sort of caustic rhetoric and behavior that so often accompanies such hotly contested elections. Perhaps we would all do well to follow the example of Dr. Giordano above by remembering that we are first and foremost Americans, and only then are we members of our respective political parties.

And, for those of us who profess faith in Jesus Christ, perhaps we would do well to remember that just as our citizenship trumps our party affiliation, even so our faith transcends and supersedes all matters earthly, including our words and our actions. Please let your Christian convictions drive your earthly convictions - be they moral, civil, or political.

Paul reminds us as believers in Philippians 3:20 that, ultimately, our citizenship is in Heaven. Jesus does the same thing in both John 8 and John 15. At the same time, we do have the responsibility to render unto Caesar what belongs to him. I take this to mean that we are to practice responsible citizenship, and thus, the exercise of basic constitutional rights - including both the right to engage in the public discourse and the right to determine leadership and direction for our country through the ballot box.

Nevertheless, as believers, we must always do these things in a manner that, first, befits our Christian character and that, second, does not besmirch our Christian testimony. I trust this will be the case.

*SOURCE: http://urbanlegends.about.com/od/historical/a/ronald_
reagan.htm.

2,4,6,8… WHO DO WE APPPRECIATE?

10/22/2012

Paul Powell tells the following story about a mother and her son one Sunday morning…

A mother knocked on her son’s door one Sunday morning and said, “Get up, honey, it’s time to get ready for church.” The boy responded, “Oh, mother, I don’t want to go to church today. Just let me sleep.”

The mother replied, “I don’t care what you want. Get yourself out of bed, get dressed, and get down to church.” He responded, “Mother, I don’t want to go! Those people down there don’t like me, and I don’t like them. Just the other day I was walking down the hall and around the corner I heard some people talking about me. And, Mother, they were saying some awful things. Don’t make me go.”

The mother responded, “I don’t care about all that. You get yourself up. You’re going.” The boy responded, “Why, Mother? Why?”

And she said, “For two reasons. First, because you’re forty-five years old. And, second, because you’re the pastor and they’re expecting you down there.”*

Sooner or later, everyone feels a little under-appreciated. This is true for lay people; and it is also true for ministers. For my part, I am thankful to have been called to serve First Baptist church of Lenoir City some eleven and a half years ago. In all that time, I have never been made to feel unappreciated. The good people of this church family certainly know how to shoe love and gratitude to all of their pastors. And for that, I am extremely thankful.

Unfortunately, this is not the case in every church. There are plenty of pastors out there who do feel unappreciated. The record speaks for itself. The current average tenure of a pastor in a Southern Baptist church is only 36 months. The same is pretty much true of other evangelical denominations as well.

And, as I shared in my message his past Sunday morning, statistics indicate that only one out of every ten who enter full-time vocational ministry at the age of 21 will still be there at age 65. Sadly, that is a 90% attrition rate!

I do not say this just because I am a Minister of the Gospel. I say this because it is the right thing to say. This is "Pastor Appreciation Month". So, whoever you are, wherever you are, please take time and find a way to say or else show appreciation to your minister. An ounce of encouragement can be worth a pound of consolation.

*SOURCE: http://www.baylor.edu/content/services/document.php?id=146507

NEED I SAY MORE?

10/18/2012

I thought I would venture from my normal approach with my post today and provide everyone with a little humor. The following collection of newspaper headline clippings was sent to me recently via e-mail. Enjoy…

In many respects, this collection speaks volumes about the state of communication in our world today. I’m glad there is one message, however, that has never been unclear: the message of the gospel.

The world’s most recognizable Bible verse is, of course, John 3:16. It serves as the "Headline", as it were, for the rest of God's Word. This single small verse is so profound that the greatest of theologians cannot fathom its depths; yet the smallest child can understand its basic message.

John 3:16 says: “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” What a simple and straightforward sentence, designed for any and all clearly to understand! Praise God for such a wonderful statement! Praise God for an all-encompassing message given to us by a loving and merciful God. Indeed, need He say more?

BIG JOHN IS A COMIN’!

10/15/2012

A lot of people my age and older grew up watching westerns. For those who did, the following story has a ring of familiarity to it. It seems that…

A saloon owner in the Old West had just hired a timid new bartender. The owner of the establishment was giving his new hire some instructions on running the place. He told the city slicker, a rather timid man from back East, "If you ever hear that Big John is a comin’ to town, drop everything you’re a doin’ right then and there and run for the hills!! He's the biggest, meanest, nastiest outlaw who ever lived!!"

The next few weeks passed by rather uneventfully. But one afternoon, a local cowhand came running right down through the middle of town yelling, "Big John is a comin’ to town!! Run for ya lives!!!" When the bartender exited the saloon to start running himself, he promptly got knocked to the ground by a throng of town folk were all scurrying out of town themselves. As he picked himself up, he suddenly saw a very large man approaching the saloon, probably about seven feet tall, muscular, and grunting and growling with each step.

The giant stomped up to the door, ordered the poor barkeep inside, and demanded, "Gimme somethin’ to drink right NOW!!" He then pounded his heavy fist on the counter so hard that he split it in half. The petrified bartender, shaking like a leaf, nervously handed him a bottle. The big man took the bottle, ripped the top off with his teeth, and downed the entire contents in one huge gulp.

As the poor, timid bartender cowered behind the counter, the big man got up to leave. "Do you want another one?" the bartender timidly inquired. "Shucks no, I ain’t got no time!!" the big man snarled. "I gotta get out of a town!!! Didn't ya hear?? Big John is a comin!!"

Apparently, Big John, whoever he was, had a reputation that preceded him. But Big John was not alone. In truth, we all have a reputation of some sort. And it usually precedes each of us as well as did Big John's. Now a reputation is a valuable thing - and well worth protecting. In fact, it has been said that a good reputation takes a lifetime to build and only a minute to destroy.

Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, offered this timeless insight on a personal reputation in Ecclesiastes (7:1 NLT): “A good reputation is more valuable than costly perfume.” To this thought, he added one other in Proverbs (22:1 NIV): “A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold.”

Therefore, because one’s good name is so valuable, we would each do well to protect and preserve the one we have. Remember, a reputation is all but irreplaceable. As a general rule, neither you nor I will ever have another one.

SOURCE: This joke is available widely on the internet. This particular version is based on one that I found at: http://www.tensionnot.com/jokes/big_john_coming_town.

TRUST AND OBEY

10/12/2012

Comedian Hal Roach once told the following story about a certain Pastor back in the old west and a lady in his congregation. As the story goes...

The Pastor was preaching away and said to his congregation: “You must learn to hope in God; you must learn to step aside; and you must let the good Lord fight your battles for you.”

Now, just as he was saying this, a gust of wind blew in through the open window and lifted the jacket of his suit ever so slightly, but just enough to expose a large pistol that he was carrying in a holster underneath his arm.

A member of the congregation saw this and made a mental note of it. So, afterward, the lady went up to the Pastor and said, “Reverend, if we should hope in God and let Him fight our battles, then why are you carrying a handgun?”

The pastor replied, “Well, I’ll tell you, Sister. The way I see it, I know God is coming, just like He promised. So this is just to hold the bad guys off until He gets here!”

In truth, it is much easier to talk about trusting God than it actually is to do so. Perhaps no better example exists in all of the Bible than that of Abraham. He had received God’s promises in Genesis 12 and again in Genesis 15. Yet, after each promise, in Genesis 13 and 14, and again in Genesis 16, he sets out to make things happen in his own strength - only to make matters worse than they once were.

Thankfully, Genesis 17 appears to be where he finally decided to stop trying to make things happen in his own strength and to trust God. Now, to be honest, I am reminded by Abraham’s example of just how many times I myself have said I would trust in God’s promises, only to wind up doubting and trying to make things happen on my own. Maybe you have done the same.

We would all do well to remember the admonishment of God’s word in Proverbs 3:5-6: "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight." This is the lesson Abraham eventually learned; and it is the lesson each and every child of God must still learn today as well.

HOME WORK

10/8/2012

I love the story that Rev. Michael Luke tells in his message on I Corinthians 7 titled “Waiting, Dating, and Mating” about the young minister at a small congregation, who made it a habit, as the new Pastor, of trying to get around and visit all the Sunday School classes. As the story goes…

One particular Sunday, he was sitting in on the 1st through 3rd grade class. The lesson plan had mentioned marriage more than once. So, the preacher thought it would be a good time to talk to these small children about the importance of marriage.

He asked the boys and girls in the class: “Does anyone know what God says about marriage in the Bible?” The children squirmed and fidgeted back and forth. After what seemed like an eternity, one little boy hesitantly raised his hand. “Yes,” said the Pastor. To which the boy responded “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”

Marriage is the subject of a lot of jokes; but marriage itself is a no laughing matter. In fact, apart from one’s relationship with Jesus Christ as personal Lord and Savior, the most serious relationship one can have in life is with his or her spouse.

The first century church at Corinth was riddled with problems, not the least of which was gross immorality. Paul contended in I Corinthians 7 that the source of a lot of these issues had to do with their marital relationships. Simply put, the Corinthians needed to do some “home work”.

Biblically, marriage is foundational to any society, as marriage is the essential human relationship, from which all other social connections stem. This is the clear teaching of Genesis 2:18-24 (NIV):

18 The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.” 19 Now the Lord God had formed out of the ground all the beasts of the field and all the birds of the air. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. 20 So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds of the air and all the beasts of the field. But for Adam no suitable helper was found.

21 So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs and closed up the place with flesh. 22 Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. 23 The man said, “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman,’ for she was taken out of man.” 24 For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.

Given the state of marriage in America today, it is no wonder then that we are plagued with so many of the problems we are in our society. As goes the family, so goes society. And as goes marriage, so goes the family.

If you are a man and the Lord has blessed you with a wonderful wife, or if you are a woman and God has blessed you with a wonderful husband, make certain that you let them know what they mean to you. Your marriage will only grow stronger as a result. And so will your family. And hopefully, so will your world.

And if you are not married, but are considering marriage, make certain that you pray through this, as it will be the most siginificant decision you will ever make (apart from the one to accept or reject Jesus Christ). Make certain that your chosen spouse is God's will for you, and then love that person above all other people, even as Christ loves the church (Ephesians 5).

WHAT’S YOUR PROBLEM?

10/5/2012

A man jumps out of an airplane with a parachute on his back. As he's falling, he realizes his chute is broken. He doesn't know anything about parachutes, but as the earth rapidly approaches, he realizes his options are limited. So he takes off the parachute and tries to fix it himself on the way down.

The wind is whipping past his face. He's dropping like a rock. And then, at 5000 feet, lo and behold, another man goes shooting up past him in the opposite direction. In desperation, the man with the chute looks up and yells, "Hey! Do you know anything about parachutes?!"

The guy flying up looks down as he passes and yells, "No. Do you know anything about gas stoves?!"*

The reason I share this little story is because it reminds us that everyone has some burden in life to bear. No one, no matter his or her station in life, is without a problem or two. And in truth, many people have multiple problems, or even multiple sets of problems.

We would do well to remember this as we go forth into the world today. Every individual we encounter is a person with some sense of need, some problem with which he or she is wrestling. And because of this, every person we encounter provides us an opportunity to minister in Jesus’ name. I hope we are faithful to respond as we should.

Remember what Jesus Himself said (Matthew25: 31-46):

31“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. 32All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

34“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

37“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ 40“The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’

41“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’

44“They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’ 45“He will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’ 46“Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

*SOURCE: http://www.ahajokes.com/avi012.html.

SELLING CHICKENS AND EATING CROW

10/1/2012

Late one afternoon, a woman found herself with unannounced dinner guests; so she ran to a local butcher's shop to buy a chicken. The butcher readily produced one.

Disappointed with its size, the woman said, "Have you got one a little bit bigger?" Now, the butcher did not have another chicken, and he certainly did not want to lose this particular sale, especially so late in the day.

Thinking fast, he quickly replied, "Just a minute." He then disappeared into the back room with the chicken, where he promptly plumped it up so that it looked a little bigger.

Returning into the shop, he put it down on the counter and said, "How about this one?" "Fine, fine" said the woman, "I'll take both of them."*

I do not know what the butcher said at that point. There is nothing exactly like getting caught in whopper. But, if he was a believer, then perhaps I know what he thought. He may have thought about what the Bible says in Numbers 32:23: “…you may be sure that your sin will find you out.”

It is important for followers of Jesus Christ to practice integrity; and to be truthful with others. For, as Paul told the Ephesian Christians (4:25): “Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body.” When we do otherwise, we shame ourselves as well as the name of Jesus which we bear.

*SOURCE: This is one of many variations of this joke found on the intenet. It is based on a story found at:
http://redmondfamily.com/Family/Jokes/Animal-Jokes.