Prayer, Peace and Sacrifice

April 24, 2026

“Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, and put your trust in the LORD.” (Psalm 4:5)

In Psalm 4 David has insomnia because he is doing the expedient thing rather than what is right.  He’s doing this because if he does the right thing he cannot see how he can possibly survive. Since he is a man of deep spiritual integrity this keeps him awake all night.

In the middle of the night David resolves in his heart that he is going to make whatever sacrifices he must to do what is right, and then trust the Lord for his survival. This decision changes his emotional climate from anxiety and insomnia to one of peace and peaceful sleep.

His motivation is that there are many people who are asking “Who will show us something good?” In other words, people are looking for someone who will do what is right even if it costs them everything they have to do right.

The Psalm begins with a prayer that is addressed to God Who relieves us when we are in distress. If you want to know what distress is just drop the first two letters of the word. See that this Psalm is all about being relieved from our (di)-stress.

If you are a spiritually oriented person and you are not doing what is right because you cannot see how you can survive if you do, are you willing to resolve to make whatever sacrifices you must make to do what is right and then trust God for the outcome?

This would be a tremendous witness to those who are looking for someone who is willing to offer God the sacrifices of righteousness.

Dick Woodward, 23 April 2010

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Sharing the Gospel

April 25, 2025

“I want to remind you of the gospel…which you received and on which you have taken your stand… that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day.” (I Corinthians 15:1-4)

Since most evangelism takes place today in the marketplace, it is imperative that we understand how to articulate the Gospel. A first step in that direction is realizing the Holy Spirit is the Evangelist and we are merely conduits through whom the Holy Spirit works.

When Jesus stayed up late with Nicodemus, the first words of Nicodemus were: “Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do the works that You do unless God is with him.” (John 3:2) Jesus earned his hearing with Nicodemus by what he had seen Him do. Likewise, we must also earn our hearing with people.

This begins with our understanding that what we do demonstrates what we believe. All the rest is just religious talk. People are not interested in our religious talk unless they are impressed by what they see us do and are favorably impacted by what we are. It’s as if Nicodemus was saying he was impressed with what he had seen Jesus do, so he had come to hear the religious talk of Jesus. We deceive ourselves if we think it’s not that way today.

What I’m calling religious talk is our theological explanation of what we believe and why we believe it. This can be a negative if we overwhelm people with our theology. Many secular people don’t understand our complicated theological terms. Whether positive or negative, people will not be interested if they are not impressed with who and what we are and the things we do.

When we earn our hearing by the grace of God, the Gospel is simply two facts about Jesus Christ: He died for our sins and He rose again from the dead, just as the Old Testament Scriptures said He would, and the New Testament Scriptures tell us He did.

There is something to believe and Someone to receive.

Dick Woodward, Marketplace Disciples

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Making a Difference

January 22, 2013

“I thank my God upon every remembrance of you… for your fellowship in the gospel…” (Philippians 1: 3, 5)

As Paul begins this letter he uses a beautiful word when he writes: “… your fellowship in the gospel.”  The basic meaning of the word is partnership, but Sam Shoemaker paraphrased it as: “two fellows in the same ship.”

I met with a man who was on the threshold of coming to faith.  He had many, many problems.  So, I said to him, “There is a word you’re going to be learning soon: “fellowship.” It means “two fellows in the same ship.”  I want you to know, Charlie, I am in the ship with you!” As he took a long drag on his cigarette, with tears in his eyes he blew smoke in my face and said, “Well row, *bleep* it!”

Charlie was saying to me that he did not fully understand this new word but he wanted to know what difference it was going to make.  Was I just going to take up room, or rock the boat or was I going to grab an oar and row?

I often said to others what I said to Charlie.  But Charlie added to my paraphrase of this word.  After Charlie, when I said those words I found myself asking, “What would it look like if I got in this person’s ship with them and rowed?”

When Jesus got in Peter’s little ship He surely made a difference.  He filled Peter’s ship and his partner’s ship with fish (Luke 5: 1-11).

What difference does it make to others when you get in their ship with them?  Think of the difference it could make because you are bringing Christ with you into their ship.

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