Poverty and Unbelief

On the corner of Park Row and Beekman Street, New York City, where Horace Greeley’s Statue now stands, stood a man offering $20 gold pieces for $1 each. All day he kept up loudly announcing his wares, but of the thousands that passed him, most paid no attention and others either laughed or scowled at him.

About 15 minutes before six o’clock, when he was about to quit, a woman timidly approached him and, after carefully investigating the gold piece, by biting it and testing its sound, but throwing it on the pavement, she reluctantly paid the dollar and pocketed the golden double eagle. Ten minutes later, just as the man was about to go home, the woman reappeared accompanied by two friends and between them they purchased the rest of the man’s stock, worth $160, for $8 in bills.

The next and for several following mornings, the street was crowded for blocks with the same woman in the lead waiting for the vender of gold coins, but he never appeared again.

This story is known to be true and Horace Greeley is responsible for the incident in demonstration of his theory that most poverty is due to the fact that the general public refuses to believe even in the face of overwhelming evidence and there is the point.

Is that a perfect example of many people in America today? Many who come to church would probably fall into this category. But God does not call us to unbelief He calls us to believe. Faith and unbelief can not live together they do not mix.

Try doing this sometime. Take an empty 2-Liter bottle, and fill it up half way with just plain water, and the other half fill up with vegetable oil. Then try shaking that bottle up and mixing those two things together. What’s going to happen? Well, you can shake that bottle all day, but as soon as you stop shaking it, the oil and the water are going to separate from each other in a matter of minutes, if not seconds. Why? Back in 11th Grade Chemistry Class you learned that oil and water are “polar opposites” of each other. These two substances have a totally different chemical make-up from each other, which makes it impossible for them to mix together. Polar opposites just don’t mix.

what we’re going to focus on this morning are the polar opposites in this story. We are going to study the characters and see a number of things that just don’t mix very well inside a person: 1. Faith & Unbelief 2. Humility & Pride.

When you are tempted to doubt God’s promises, remember that 2-Liter bottle with oil and water not mixing. Neither can your doubt mix with faith! Get rid of it, and have a simple, strong trust that God is going to work everything out. Remember that 2-Liter bottle when you are tempted to think of yourself as an important person. Pride sure doesn’t mix very well with humility.

Good Friend

Back in the 1980’s Sam Rayburn - Speaker for the House of Representatives - learned that one of his friends had just lost his teenage daughter. 

 

Early the next morning Rayburn knocked on his door and said, “I just came by to see what I could do to help.” 

 

The father replied that there was nothing to do. “Well,” Rayburn said, “have you had your coffee this morning?” 

 

The man replied that they had not taken time for breakfast. So Rayburn went to work in the kitchen. While he working on making breakfast, his friend came in, and said, “Mr. Speaker, I thought you were supposed to be having breakfast at the White House this morning.” “Well, I was, but I called the President and told him I had a friend who was in trouble and I couldn’t come.”

This is great example of true friend is all about. He is willing to rearrange his schedule no matter how important it might be to help a friend out that is need.

Judge and the Defence Lawyer

I once read about in one of Richard Wurmbrand’s books.

“An elder of a local free Church in Communist Romania was brought before the judge for embezzlement - a crime he had not committed.

His defense lawyer started his defense plea by telling the Court of a well known story about the man that was circulating around the village.

One day, the man had been attacked while he was taking the church collection home to bank the next day and the thieves made off with all the money.

Fearing for the eternal souls of the thieves, the elder called after them,

“ You haven’t stolen the church collection, which I have at home, you have only taken my money and I give it to you freely.”

The Judge stopped the defense lawyer and said: “You don’t seriously believe that nonsense do you?”

The defense lawyer replied: “No”

“Then why are you bringing it up in my court” the judge growled.

The defense lawyer replied: “My Lord, if someone had tried to start a rumor like that about you or me, it would never have got off the ground.

The very fact that this rumor could even get off the ground is a testimony to my client’s character.”

That’s the same sort of character that Jesus wants his followers to have.

God is concerned about what is on the inside of us and not on the externals.

Spreading Love

Norman Vincent Peale wrote this:

"Ralston Young carries bags for a living but his real job is living the spirit of Christ as a porter in one of the world's greatest railway stations.

One day he was asked to take a little old lady to her train.

She was in a wheel chair so he took her down on the elevator.

As he wheeled her into the elevator, he noticed there were tears in her eyes.

Ralston Young stood there as the elevator descended, closed his eyes and asked the Lord how he could help her and the Lord give him an idea.

As he wheeled her off the elevator he said with a smile "Ma'am, if you don't mind me saying so, that is a mighty pretty hat you are wearing."

She looked at him and said "Thank you"

"And may I add" he said "that sure is a pretty dress you have on. I like it so much".

Being a woman this appealed to her, and despite the fact she wasn't feeling well, she brightened up and asked "Why in the world did you say those nice things to me?"

"Well" he said "I saw how unhappy you were. I saw you were crying and I just asked the Lord how I could help you. The Lord said 'Speak to her about the hat'. The mention of the dress he added was my own idea."

"Don't you feel well?" he asked.

"No" she replied "I am constantly in pain". I am never free from it. Sometimes I can't stand it. Do you, by any chance, know what it is like to be in pain all the time?"

Ralston had an answer: "Yes Ma'am, I do for I lost an eye and it hurts like a hot iron day and night."

"But you seem so happy now. How did you accomplish it?"

"Just by prayer ma'am, just by prayer."

She asked "Does prayer, just prayer take the pain away?"

"Well" replied Ralston "perhaps it doesn't always take it away. I can't say it does, but it always helps to overcome it so it doesn't seem like it burns so much. Just keep on praying, ma'am and I'll pray for you too."

Her tears were dried now and she looked up at him with a lovely smile, took him by the hand and said

"You've done me so much good".

A year passed and one night at Grand Central station Ralston Young was paged to come to the Information Booth.

A young woman was there who said: "I bring you a message from the dead. Before she died my mother told me to find you and to tell you how much you helped her last year when she took the train in her wheelchair. She will always remember you, even in eternity. She will remember you for you were so kind and loving and understanding"

Then the young woman burst into tears and sobbed in her grief.

Ralston stood quietly watching her. Then he said "Don't cry missy, don't cry. You shouldn't cry. Give a prayer of thanksgiving".

Surprised the girl said "Why should I give a prayer of thanksgiving?"

"Because" said Ralston "many people have become orphans much younger than you. You had your mother for a long, long time, and besides you still have her. You will see her again......."

Peale concludes by saying:

"Ralston's kindness had the same effect on the daughter as it had on her mother. In this huge station, with thousands of people passing by, the two of them felt the presence of (the) one who inspired this wonderful porter to go around this way, spreading love."

("The Power of Positive Thinking" by Norman Vincent Peale p.84-86).

A Friend in Good and in Bad Times

Contributed by Rev. Martin Dale

Some years ago, I attended a conference called “Spring Harvest at Work” in Sheffield (in November 1998).

And what was memorable for me was that the conference organizers sprang a surprise interviewee on us – Jim Bakker- an outcast in the Evangelical community.

Indeed he was such an outcast that they didn’t even dare advertise that he was going to be interviewed until the day itself.

Let me just give you a little of the background to Jim Bakker’s story:

From 1987 to 1990, the ministry of television evangelists (popularly referred to in the press as “televangelists) was brought into disrepute by the revelation of a string of frauds, mismanagement of funds and infidelities.

The first scandal to break and probably the most infamous - was that of Jim and Tammy Bakker followed by the fall of Jimmy Swaggart.

In 1986, the income of Baaker’s ministry was $129 million.

But then Jim Bakker had an affair with the church secretary Jessica Hahn in 1980 and resigned in 1987, when it came to light that he had paid her about $265,000 in blackmail money over the affair.

With his resignation, Bakker asked Jerry Falwell to take over and, when Falwell began examining the accounts, he discovered that the Bakkers had been illegally taking large amounts of money from the ministry fund.

Falwell called the US Inland Revenue Service in and when they investigated the accounts they discovered that the couple had diverted $4.8 million for personal use.

Jim Bakker was indicted for fraud in 1988, was given a 45 year prison sentence and fined $500,000.

When the scandal broke, Bakker's Christian friends quickly deserted him.

He became an outcast in the Christian world.

And when he was sentenced, his wife Tammy Faye left him too and then divorced him.

That evening at “Spring Harvest at Work”, Jim Bakker told us a little known story of his time in prison:

Six months into his sentence, he was surprised one afternoon when the prison governor called him into his office. Bakker had a visitor: Billy Graham.

When Graham came in, Bakker asked him why he had come to visit because he knew that any association with Bakker would tarnish Graham's reputation.

Billy Graham replied that Bakker was his friend in good and in bad times and now when things were bad, he would stand by his side.

And Billy Graham was true to his word.

Bakker's sentence was eventually reduced, on appeal, to ten years and when he came out of prison on parole, he had nowhere to stay.

So the Grahams invited him to stay with them.

On the Sunday following Baaker's release, Ruth Graham took him to church with her.

Disregarding what people would think about her, she stood up in church and introduced Jim Bakker to the congregation as her friend, Jim Bakker.

THE STORY OF THE GIPPER

It was halftime of the 1928 Army vs. Notre Dame Game that legendary head coach Knute Rockne gave his "win one for the Gipper" speech to his beleaguered players.

Notre Dame was having one of its worst seasons on record and Rockne was trying to salvage what he could of the season. He told his players about the tragic death of George Gipp, a great Notre Dame player.

Many historians doubt that Rockne's version of Gipp's last words was true. None the less, Notre Dame did win the game against Army that memorable day.

This speech became ingrained in popular culture after its recreation in the 1940 movie, Knute Rockne--All American, which starred a then known B actor, Ronald Reagan.

The phrase "Win one for the Gipper" became a permanent fixture in American society. Here is the transcript of the dialogue from the movie...

Well, boys ... I haven't a thing to say. Played a great game...all of you. Great game, I guess we just can't expect to win ‘em all. I'm going to tell you something I've kept to myself for years -- None of you ever knew George Gipp. It was long before your time, but you know what a tradition he is at Notre Dame...And the last thing he said to me -- "Rock," he said, "sometime, when the team is up against it -- and the breaks are beating the boys -- tell them to go out there with all they got and win just one for the Gipper...I don't know where I'll be then, Rock", he said - "but I'll know about it - and I'll be happy."

(There was a hushed stillness as Rockne and the crowd of boys look at each other. and the midst of this tense silence, one of the boys loudly shouted!)

Well, what are we waiting for?

And with a single roar, the players throw off their blankets and rush through the doorway, went out and won the game!

That phrase the Gipper from the movie, followed a then, little known actor Ronald Reagan all of his life and went on to inspire a nation.

How parents religious habits affect children

Researchers from Switzerland examined whether parents’ religious habits were transmitted to their offspring.

They studied different variables, but one critical factor towered above the rest:

the practices of the father determine whether children grow up attending church or not.

And the results were somewhat shocking: the habits of the mother had almost no influence over their kids’ future devotion.

Consider these findings:

....When Mom goes to church regularly but Dad goes infrequently,

just 3 percent of their kids go on to become regular churchgoers.

....When Mom is regular but Dad never attends, just 2 percent become regular attendees.

Now, let’s flip the scenario, what if Dad is faithful?

When both Mom and Dad attend church regularly, 33 percent of kids grow up to attend regularly.

When Dad is regular but Mom only goes once in a while, the figure jumps to 38 percent.

Here’s the real bombshell: when Dad is faithful but Mom never attends,

44 percent of the kids end up as regular church attendees!

Bottom line: in spiritual matters, kids take their cues from Dad.

If daddy doesn’t go to church, chances are very slim that his children will become regular worshippers.

If the kids see religion as "Mom’s thing" they are more likely to become disenchanted.

But if Dad leads by example, children are twenty-two times more likely to become lifelong churchgoers

Are there exceptions, everyone knows there are always exceptions to every rule.

I stand here today as an exception, one of the 2 Percent group. I also credit a praying mother, who stood on and received the promise of her household, from God! It didn't happen in her lifetime, but never the less happened, and God kept His Word!

It's no wonder why churches all over the globe are closing their doors, and are dropping in attendance.

Dads aren't going, so why should the children. Fathers are supposed to be the spiritual leaders of their households. If we're ever going to see revival in our church's, it's going to have to first start in our homes!

God has a plan for each one of our lives and He constantly gives us, every opportunity to walk in the plans that He has for us!