Surprised by Joy

July 6, 2013

“These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.” (John 15:11)

C.S. Lewis entitled the story of his conversion Surprised by Joy.  According to Jesus any disciple of His who follows Him and is fruitful will be surprised by joy when they discover one of the reasons why He exhorted us to be fruitful.  Jesus was the most fruitful human being who ever lived and it brought Him great joy.  He wanted that same joy to be our experience and He wants us to experience the joy that comes along with being fruitful.

When I first started in the ministry I worked with a senior pastor I loved and wanted to serve for a long time, but he placed me in a satellite startup new church.  As I complained he shared this verse in the letter of Paul to the Galatians: “But let every man prove his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another.”  Some time passed before I became fruitful in that new church but when that happened I cannot begin to describe the joy that came along with knowing that God could use even me.

The Gospel of John tells us in chapter four that when Jesus gave the woman at a well an experience He described as a drink of living water Jesus was obviously euphoric and filled with joy.  The apostles offered Him food to eat.  He refused their offer and told them He had food to eat they knew nothing about.  He said that His meat was to do the will of His Father and to finish His Father’s work.

Have you been surprised by the joy that comes from proving that God can use even you?

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Posted by Dick Woodward

Why Marvel?

January 29, 2013

  “Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’”  (John 3:7)

When Jesus declared that we should not marvel because He told us we must be born again, He meant that we should not marvel as if the new birth were unnecessary. Jesus explained that flesh gives birth to flesh and only the Spirit gives birth to spiritual people.  When the Bible uses the word, “flesh,” it means “Human nature unaided by God.” History tells us human nature unaided by God is a monster.  So, Jesus said we should marvel not as if the new birth were unnecessary.

Jesus also told us we should not marvel as if the new birth were impossible.  God can work a miracle of creation in the life of a human being.  David prayed: “Create in me a pure heart, O God…” (Psalm 51:10).  The apostles refer to the new birth as if it were the answer to David’s prayer (2 Corinthians 5:17).

We should not marvel as if the new birth were incomprehensible.  We do not see electricity.  But we believe in electricity because we see the effects of electricity.  When we see trees bending and objects flying we say, “Look at that wind!” But we do not see the wind.  We only see the effects of the wind. It is that way with the new birth.  We cannot see the Spirit.  We only see the effects of the Spirit in the life of someone who is being born again.  But as we believe in other things we cannot see – like the wind and electricity – we can believe in the new birth.

And finally, Jesus meant you should not marvel as if the new birth could not happen to you.

Believe Jesus and it will happen to you!

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Posted by Dick Woodward

The Greatest Teaching Method in the World

December 8, 2012

“And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.” (2 Timothy 2:2)

The Apostle Paul invested himself in a one on one relationship with a young man named Timothy.  In the verse above he challenged Timothy to have that same kind of relationship with other men, who would then have that kind of relationship with other faithful men.

I had about seven years of classroom education for the ministry.  I also had a handful of older men who mentored me personally in a relationship like Paul had with Timothy.  A great pastor named Ray Stedman invested four hours every Thursday afternoon for a year with me in the Word of God.  He challenged me to do the same with others.

As I have considered the impact of Doctor Stedman’s investment in me and my investment in others, I have come to the conclusion that this is the greatest teaching method in the world.

This method actually started for me when I was a small boy.  I watched my father spend hours sitting in a rocking chair preparing his Sunday school lesson.  Every now and then he would exclaim, “Oh this is wonderful!”

I realized there is wonderful truth in the Bible.  When I was a late teenager I adopted that declared value of my father and have passed that value on to my son who is a pastor.  I am greatly blessed to have had a father and a mother who taught me the Scriptures in a one on one relationship like Paul had with Timothy.

If you are a Timothy, do you have a Paul? If you are a Paul, do you have a Timothy?

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Posted by Dick Woodward

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