Oil Well Pump near Loyal, Oklahoma

 
Pastor Leon Seaton

When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough....

It was a cold, windy day in 1984, when a pastor friend of ours living in Oklahoma City went to see a family that had visited his church a few days before. The oil boom in Oklahoma had burst, and many people had lost everything almost everything they owned. It was much like the problems that many Americans face today.

As Pastor “Bill” drove to the visitor’s home he was intimidated by the wealthy neighborhood. He wondered, “Am I dressed well enough to impress them? Is my car nice enough to sit in their driveway?” Little did he know what problems they faced!

As he entered their home Pastor Bill was stunned. It was as cold indoors as it was outside. He was puzzled… the family had very little furniture. The man had lost his job, and they were using their furniture for firewood. He could not find another job; their unemployment money had run out, and in a few days they would be homeless.

Because Bill’s church was grounded in the Word of God and practiced what they preached they had the money and resources to help this family through this difficult time.

How could this be? Aren’t churches supposed to be poor? Not at all! God has called us to be His hand extended. Generally speaking God blesses people through His body, which is the Church.

The Apostle Paul said in 2 Corinthians 9:1-15:  "There is no need for me to write to you about this service to the saints. For I know your eagerness to help, and I have been boasting about it to the Macedonians, telling them that since last year you in Achaia were ready to give; and your enthusiasm has stirred most of them to action. But I am sending the brothers in order that our boasting about you in this matter should not prove hollow, but that you may be ready, as I said you would be. For if any Macedonians come with me and find you unprepared, we --not to say anything about you-- would be ashamed of having been so confident. So I thought it necessary to urge the brothers to visit you in advance and finish the arrangements for the generous gift you had promised. Then it will be ready as a generous gift, not as one grudgingly given.

"Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. As it is written: "He has scattered abroad His gifts to the poor; His righteousness endures forever."

"Now He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.

"This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of God's people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, men will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else. And in their prayers for you their hearts will go out to you, because of the surpassing grace God has given you.

"Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!"
 

God calls the church (the body of Christ) to be the most dynamic and effective asset that every community has. Our particular mission field lies around Loyal, Oklahoma. Hopefully no one in this community has to burn their furniture in their fireplace, but we have do have people that are hurting. And we need to minister to them.

God is concerned about every aspect of your life. He wants to bless you in every way. Not just enough blessing to meet your needs, but enough blessing to meet the needs of others. The most selfish person on earth is the one that says, “Our family has everything we need and I just don’t worry about anyone else.”

Recently I visited the Food Room in Kingfisher - a ministry that we help to support. It was a joy to pick up food for a needy family because we planned ahead.

James 2:14-18: “What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, 'Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,' but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. But someone will say, 'You have faith; I have deeds.' Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.”

1 John 3:15, 16: “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down His life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?”

People need more than a hand-out! They also need a “hand up” meaning we need to give them our time and attention. We are to teach them the secret of our success without “preaching” to them.

Everyone gets discouraged at times. John the Baptist was the last of the Old Testament prophets and a very powerful man of God. He was the man that introduced Jesus Christ to the world and he baptized Jesus in water.

By nature John was a very outspoken man. When he told Herod that Herod was sinning because of his marriage, John was tossed into prison. Prisons in those days lacked an awful lot of comfort items. There was no TV, no central heat and air. The prisons were cold, dark, damp, and had dirt floors. As he pondered his situation he wondered if Jesus was truly the Messiah. Finally he sent his disciples to Jesus with this very poignant question. “Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?”

Jesus said unto them, “Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor.” (Matthew 11:3-5)

Listen closely to Jesus’ words:

1. Go back and tell John what you hear and see.  (I wonder…what do the people of Loyal hear and see about our work?)

2. The blind were no longer blind

3. The lame were no longer lame

4. The deaf were no longer deaf

5. The dead were no longer dead

6. And the poor… the obvious implication is that they did not have to remain poor.

I realize that we cannot help everyone. Some people enjoy poor health! They wake up every morning wondering what illness they can find. Working with them is frustrating, but we have to serve!

Some people – even believers – have a poverty complex. (I do not believe that the members of this church struggle with that problem.) We are successful people because we have been taught right and we live right. Yes, we have problems like every one else, but we know how to overcome them!

Not everyone has that gift!

Jesus always met people at their point of need, and then He met the need. But He did not stop there. He also taught them how to conquer their problems. “If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed!” (John 8:36)

God made us some wonderful promises:

Philippians 4:19 – “And my God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus.”

Deuteronomy 8:18 – “But remember the LORD your God, for it is He who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms His covenant, which He swore to your forefathers, as it is today.” (We are Abraham’s children through faith in Jesus Christ and this promise is for us.)

Deuteronomy 28:1-2, “If you fully obey the LORD your God and carefully follow all His commands I give you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations on earth. All these blessings will come upon you and accompany you if you obey the LORD your God.”

In order for us to fully obey God our commitment to Him must come from deep within ourselves. The Bible calls this “From the heart.”

Our little dog Molly loves to take walks. But her purpose in taking a walk is different than my purpose. My purpose is to walk far enough and fast enough that I have an aerobic exercise experience… my pulse rate gets high enough for long enough to strengthen my cardiovascular system. Molly’s purpose is to find and mark the same spot that every other dog in the neighborhood has marked. (I also have to carry a plastic bag, but that is another sermon.) She can’t help it…that is the way God designed her. It is fascinating to watch her when we go outside. You can see her twitching her nose so she will know which direction to go. Molly can be trained. When she senses that I am going for my exercise walk, as opposed to a casual walk, she finds her place beside me and away we go. The collar and leash is a real help here - she recognizes my plan.

How about you?  Is your purpose aligned with the Lord's?  Is your heart involved in His purposes?

January 25, 2009