Nobleton Community Church

Nobleton Community Church
29084 Sentinel Street PO Box 224
Nobleton, Florida 34661

Rev. Paul V. Lehmann, Pastor
813-389-8683
Nobletoncommunitychurch.org
info@nobletoncommunitychurch.org

OUR VISION IS:
To experience SPIRIT-FILLED WORSHIP AND PRAYER
To be involved in EVANGELISM, DISCIPLINING AND TRAINING PEOPLE
To use our SPIRITUAL GIFTS
To SERVE AND REACH PEOPLE FOR CHRIST, BOTH
“ACROSS THE STREET AND ACROSS THE WORLD”

Nobleton Community Church
Date September 8, 2024
Text Matthew 13:19; 24-30
Pastor Paul Lehmann

Listen to live audio here

Last week we emphasized that Phillip had “the Power of One” because of the Holy Spirit calling him and using him in a large revival meeting in Samaria, but then was told to go on the road in Gaza to an Ethiopian who was trying to understand the book of Isaiah.
I have mentioned before about the “Sower” who went out to sow the seed (the word of God), and in our text that Carol read, we see that the seed fell on different kinds of soil.
This parable is aimed at two different sets of people; that is,
Those who preach the word, but also the main group Is,
Those who hear the word.
The parable certainly teaches that the Word of God can be accepted in different ways, and the fruit that it produces depends on the It is like this with what Jesus is saying to us. He is basically saying —Are you hearing? When he says “Those who have ears to hear, let him hear.”
The message Jesus communicated through this parable was so important that all three synoptic Gospel writers recorded it. Although the lesson is quite simple, this parable received special treatment by being carefully interpreted by Jesus in verses 18-23. The main message in this parable is simply that: the human soul may be compared to:

VARIOUS TYPES OF SOIL IN WHICH THE SEED OR THE WORD OF GOD IS SCATTERRED.
1.The first soil which was very hard—probably like clay that with the sun bearing down, became so hardened that the seed just lay on top and the birds could easily come and eat it. These birds are like the evil one (Satan) who comes and snatches away what was sown in a person’s heart.

2. The second kind of soil we are told was rocky. Often we think of it as soil containing a lot of rocks, but actually a field with a lot of small rocks or stones in it would still permit some seed to go down and establish roots. What we have here is soil only a few inches deep covering a layer of limestone. This soil may be compared to a person with a flighty mind who refuses to think deeply and thoroughly. These are people who enjoy a fad or something new, people for whom form is more important than substance, people for whom an emotional appeal is far preferable to a reasoned appeal. This type of soil is deceptive because on the surface it appears as good as any other soil. It’s all the more deceptive because evidence of life appears immediately from the seed. However, the lack of a root system soon forces the untimely death of the plant before fruit or grain has been produced. Some people who receive the Word of God eagerly embrace it wholeheartedly and end up abandoning their new faith because they have not considered the full implications of its life-transforming power. Some people use Christianity simply as a way for their immediate problem to be taken care of, and when their problem is solved, they quickly revert to their former lifestyle and belief system. On another occasion, Jesus said that unless a seed falls into the ground and dies, it cannot bear fruit People of shallow soil are not willing for the seed to die and therefore, are not really ever able to bear fruit.
3. The thorny soil is also deceptive because it looks good, but is crowded with competing seeds. Like a busy, cluttered life, the thorny soil is filled with many activities that claim a person’s attention and affection. The current pursuit of self-actualizing and self-fulfilling activities is an example of thorns in a person’s life. Jesus mentioned that the thorns are like the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth. Again we have a situation where the implications of the fullness of the kingdom of god and its expectations for its followers are not readily comprehended.
4. Finally, the fertile soil is completely unlike the other three.

Verse 23 shows the four types of soil representing different responses to God’s message. People respond differently because they are in different states of readiness. Some are hardened, others are shallow, others are contaminated by distractions and worries, but some are receptive.

My good friend Dr. David Schroeder who was in college with me, and was on the Basketball team with me, wrote a commentary on Matthew and comments about where the good seed fell. He says; …”it is unlike the hardened path because it is soft It is unlike the rocky soil because it is deep. It is unlike the thorny soil because it is clean. This type of person is prepared to hear, understand, and obey the teaching of the kingdom.

The question for us this morning is;
HOW HAS GOD’S WORD TAKEN ROOT IN YOUR LIFE?
WHAT KIND OF SOIL ARE YOU?

Verse 9 says; “Anyone who is willing to hear should listen and understand!” Human ears hear many sounds, but there is a deeper kind of listening that results in spiritual understanding. If you honestly seek God’s will, you have spiritual hearing, and these parables will give you new perspectives.
Verse 10 we read; “His disciples came and asked him, ‘Why do you always tell stories when you talk to people?” When speaking in parables (or stories), Jesus was not hiding the truth from sincere seekers, because those who were receptive to spiritual truth understood the illustrations. To others, they were only stories without meaning. This allowed Jesus to give spiritual food to those who hungered for it while preventing his enemies from trapping him sooner than they might otherwise have done.
Jesus was saying to the disciples that this message was the one that the prophets of the Old Testament knew would come through God’s chosen Messiah.
Through this parable:
JESUS COMMUNICATED VARIOUS MESSAGES. He communicated:

a message of encouragement.
Seeds from the Word of God will be sown and find suitable soil in which to grow and produce a wonderful crop called the kingdom of God.
Jesus also offered,
a message of realism in that He clearly stated that not everyone will be responsive to the word of God. Nevertheless, the disciples should be persistent because the seed needs to be sown, regardless of the unresponsiveness of some people.
Verse 12 Jesus said; “To those who are open to my teaching more understanding will be given, and they will have an abundance of knowledge. But to those who are not listening (and hearing), even what they have will be taken away from them.”
Verse 13 “That is why I tell these stories, because people see what I do, but they don’t really see. They hear what I say, but they don’t really hear, and they don’t understand.
Verse 14 “This fulfills the prophecy of Isaiah (6:9-10) which says; “You will hear my words but you will not understand. You will see what I do, but you will not perceive its meaning.
Verse 15 “For the heart of these people are hardened, and their ears cannot hear, and they have closed their eyes—–so their eyes cannot see and their ears cannot hear and their hearts cannot understand, and they cannot turn to me and let me heal them.
How easy it is to agree with Christ with no intention of obeying. It is easy to denounce worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth and still do nothing to change our ways. :
JESUS ALSO BROUGHT A MESSAGE ABOUT PATIENCE.
It takes a long time for the seed to bear fruit, but there is life in the seed and eventually, that seed will sprout in the right soil and bear the fruit of the kingdom of God. Therefore, the message is also one of great hope to the disciples and us.
Then in verses 24-30, we see:
THE TARES (WEEDS) AND WHEAT EXPLAINED AS AN ACT OF AN ENEMY.
This particular kind of weed that Jesus refers to, would have been very familiar to a Palestinian audience. It was like a curse to those who were farmers. It was a weed called “bearded darnel” or (Lolium Temulentum). In their early stages the weeds looked just like the wheat or barley and you couldn’t really tell which were weeds and which were wheat. (Now I have sometimes had trouble telling which were weeds and which were flowers, You don’t want to mow the flowers, but it’s ok to mow the weeds. (The weeds will come back again though if you don’t dig them out by the roots). The darnel could be distinguished easily once the wheat began to get a head of grain on it, but by that time their roots were so intertwined that the weeds (the darnel) could not be weeded out without tearing the wheat out with them.
The picture of a man deliberately sowing Darnel in someone else’s field is by no means only imagination. This was actually sometimes done. To this day in India one of the worst threats that a man can make to his enemy is “I will sow bad seed in your field,” and in codified Roman law this crime is forbidden and its punishment was a fine or a flogging.
The whole series of pictures within this parable was familiar to the people of Galilee who heard I for the first time.
Although Jesus had just finished telling four parables, the disciples were still pondering the parable about the wheat and the weeds. He followed with another point-by-point allegorical interpretation of a parable. Jesus specifically said that the one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man, (Jesus) field is the world. The good seed stands for the sons of the kingdom, while the weeds are the sons of the evil one. The enemy who sows the seeds of the weeds is the devil. The harvest, He said, is the end of the age and the harvesters are the angels.
The point of the parable is that when the weeds are pulled up, they will be burned in the fire, whereas the good seed will be separated from the weeds. The imagery Jesus used about the end of the age is quite alarming. This is the final judgment. Verse 41 indicates that the Son of Man will send out the angels who will weed out of the kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. They will be thrown into a fiery furnace where there will be “weeping and gnashing of teeth.” The righteous, however, will enjoy much more favorable future in the kingdom of their Father.
At this point, Matthew interrupts the parables to explain that Jesus was speaking to the crowd using parables to fulfill a prophecy in Psalm 78:2 that says; “I will open my mouth in parables, I will utter things hidden since the creation of the world,”
So we see that there is the time for judgment (Matthew 13: 36-43) [the last verses of this section]
This passage teaches us that there is always a hostile power in the world (Satan) who is waiting to destroy the good seed. We must always be on our guard.
It teaches us how hard it is to distinguish between those who are in the Kingdom and those who are not. A person may appear to be good, but in fact, may be bad, and a man may appear to be bad and may yet be good. We are much too quick to classify people and label them as good or bad without knowing all the facts.
It teaches us not to be so quick with our judgments. If the reapers had had their way, they would have tried to tear out the darnel and they would have torn out the wheat as well. Judgment had to wait until the harvest came. God will do the judging at the end. A person in the end will be judged and the angels will obey the Lord’s command. He will not be judged by any single act or stage in his life, but rather has he or she accepted the message of Christ, and the salvation provided through his shed blood on Calvary; and then he will be judged by the fruit.
It teaches that judgment does come in the end. It may be that humanly speaking, in this life the sinner seems to escape the consequences of sin, but there is a life to come. The person who rejects the gospel of the kingdom will be thrown into everlasting fire. Yes there is a HELL.
WE SEE THAT WE SHOULDN’T DO THE JUDGING BUT WE CAN ALSO BE ASSURED THAT GOD WILL DO THE JUDGING
The kingdom is much greater than what we might imagine, but we understand the concept better than the disciples. We see the kingdom spreading throughout the world. What we need to understand though, is we must contribute to the kingdom through the transformation of lives in our community. Once we grasp the significance of that, we won’t be so concerned about the functioning of our church for “church people”- for the body of Christ is larger than the local church. We don’t enlarge the Kingdom so that our local church can get bigger. We lead people into transformed lives and incorporate them into the local church so that they can grow, and so that we can make a greater impact on the world and transform more lives so the Kingdom can get bigger. Discipling people so that they in turn will bring about community transformation (IITim. 2:2)

Nobleton Community Church
29084 Sentinel Street PO Box 224
Nobleton, Florida 34661

Rev. Paul V. Lehmann, Pastor
813-389-8683
Nobletoncommunitychurch.org
info@nobletoncommunitychurch.org

OUR VISION IS:
To experience SPIRIT-FILLED WORSHIP AND PRAYER
To be involved in EVANGELISM, DISCIPLINING AND TRAINING PEOPLE
To use our SPIRITUAL GIFTS
To SERVE AND REACH PEOPLE FOR CHRIST, BOTH
“ACROSS THE STREET AND ACROSS THE WORLD”

Nobleton Community Church
Date September 1, 2024
Text: Acts 8:4-8; 26-39
Pastor Paul Lehmann

Listen to live audio here

The title of my message this morning is The Power Of One. In sports, one player is often times dominant. It was true in the days of Michel Jordon when he played basketball for the Chicago Bulls in the NBA. Sometimes one person isn’t enough. Wilt Chamberlain scored 100 points himself in a game, but he never won the NBA championship. In order for one superstar player to lead a championship team, the one player must make all the others better. This is what is happening in the WNBA league, where Katelyn Clark is breaking all kinds of records as a rookie player, and with her overall play and assists everyone on the Indiana Fever team has now reached 16 w and 16 losses. They are now 6th in the league, and will probably make the playoffs. It is the first time since 2013 that their record has been 500. They were the last-place team last year. She has demonstrated:

HOW THE POWER OF ONE CAN AFFECT OTHERS

What is it that has to happen for one person who is strong or skilled to be successful? Well, the answer is, usually there has to be co-operation from others. I

IN THE SPIRITUAL REALM,

WE MUST COOPERATE WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT

The early church in Jerusalem suffered great persecution, after the first martyr, Stephen was stoned. The people scattered everywhere preaching the gospel. These were ordinary people like you and me, doing the ministry that they were taught to do by the apostles, who stayed in Jerusalem, at least for a while.

Then we see today in our scripture reading that Phillip had a tremendous healing and deliverance ministry in Samaria, where multitudes were coming to Christ. So let’s look at: Three significant events in our text.

FIRST, THE JERUSALEM CONGREGATION WAS SCATTERED THROUGHOUT JUDEA AND SAMARIA (verse 1)

Sometimes God has to use force to get us to do what is in His perfect plan Oh, I don’t mean he will force you to do something you don’t want to do, but He uses other people and circumstances to threaten our position like sending persecution.

When the church is persecuted, the church always becomes stronger.

God wants us to go out where the people are. Where the unbelievers are. We must get out of our Jerusalem, out of the four walls of our church. Out of our comfort zone, and out of the status quo. When we go, Jesus said, (or as you are going, is the more accurate rendering of the Greek in Matthew 28:18,19), we are told to make disciples.

This presupposes that there is witnessing, now that we have the Holy Spirit to give us that power. (Acts 1-8 says; “after the Holy Spirit comes upon you, you will receive power, to be my witnesses.” In Jerusalem in Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth.”

Verse 4 says; “…those who were scattered abroad, preached the word wherever they went.” Now do you think all of those were the equivalent of Bible School or Seminary trained witnesses? Of course not. They simply “preached” what they had heard and what they had experienced.

THE SECOND THING IN OUR TEXT THAT IS SIGNIFICANT IS THAT:

SOME ARE CALL TO SAMARIA.

Our Samaria will always be a “stretch” for us, just like it was for the early church who as Jews —wouldn’t have anything to do with the Samaritans. But they went wherever God told them to go. Verse 5 tells us that Phillip went down to the city of Samaria and proclaimed Christ there.

First, it was only Phillip—ONE PERSON—who started the revival.

Many of you are aware of the fact that Samaria is that area a little north of Jerusalem The quickest way to go from Jerusalem to Galilee would be to walk straight north, but the Jews would go another way. They would avoid going through Samaria, cross the river Jordan, and go up the east side of the river through Perea into Decapolis, so as to avoid Samaria completely. It would take them twice as long, but such was their extreme prejudice against the Samaritans. It was because the Jews felt they had lost their racial purity when centuries before the inhabitants of the Northern Kingdom and Samaria were carried away to Media. They never came back and were assimilated into the country into which they were taken. Those who remained in the country inter-married with the incoming strangers and lost their right to be called Jews at all. When Nehemiah came to Jerusalem to build the wall that was destroyed, the Samaritans came and offered their help in this sacred task. They were contemptuously told that their help was not wanted. Because of this, they turned bitterly against the Jews of Jerusalem. It was about 450 BC when that quarrel took place, and it was as bitter as ever in the days of Jesus. So this was still the situation at the time of this persecution. So going to Samaria was really a cross-cultural effort. They were certainly different, even though they spoke the same language. Have we reacted contemptuously against those of another religion or ethnic group? Thinking they have rejected Christ—they aren’t interested we think. Who are your Samaritans today?

Our Samaritan ministry may be just someone we are not normally drawn to. Or it may be someone that the majority of other people despise. It may be someone that is a different nationality or race, but it may be a category like the homeless or someone who speaks a different language than you do. Or you don’t know anything about their religion, or they are part of a sect that is intimidating.

What were the things they SAW in Samaria? With shrieks, evil spirits came out of many, and many paralytics and cripples were healed. Wow! This would freak us out or actually cause us to shout and praise the Lord. What was the result of these miracles? There was great joy in that city!

We would like to see revival but on our terms. We don’t want to be uncomfortable or see anything weird.

When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria (of all places) had accepted the Word of God, they sent Peter and John to them. They preached the gospel in many Samaritan villages.

THE THIRD SIGNIFICANT EVENT WAS THAT :

Phillip is called by an angel to leave a successful ministry and go to the desert.

God south take the desert road to Gaza. This is where we see the importance of THE POWER OF ONE. Person. Don’t think in terms of a mass crusade, but rather think about what God is asking you to do, as one person. You can make a difference. The key is obeying the Lord when He shows you what He wants you to do

What is the first thing that Phillip did?

1. He obeyed. He started out when the Spirit told him to go to that chariot and stay near it.
2. When he saw he had a DIVINE APPOINTMENT, with the Ethiopian who was reading the Word but not understanding, he explained the Word to him
3. The result was he accepted the Messiah and wanted to be baptized Sometimes he wants us to just go to one person, whom he has prepared.

In the book Power Evangelism, by John Wimber, you may remember when I told you about Kerry Jennings who when driving on the freeway home, praying, the Lord told him to get off at a certain Exit, where there was a restaurant he was familiar with, He was used to this kind of leading so he OBEYED. God had told him to look for a certain waitress and tell her that God had something for her. God said that what he had for the waitress would be revealed when he talked to her. Here was a divine appointment, arranged by God, and he received a word of knowledge for the appointed time. These encounters are God’s things and are meetings that are ordained to demonstrate His power in developing His Kingdom. (Eph. 2:10_

After being seated in the waitress’ section, he began to ponder all the reasons for not delivering the message. While caught up in anxious thoughts, she approached. Before he could say anything, she cheerfully said, “You have something for me, don’t you? In response (his resistance now gone) he told her that God had sent him specifically with something and then two insights regarding her job and a relationship both areas of trouble for her were supernaturally revealed to him. Asking God for courage he told her. She was stunned. She knew that she was encountering god because the only way this man could know the things he told her was through supernatural means. That scripture calls: a Word of Knowledge I Cor. 12: 8.

At the end of the conversation they prayed. She cried. Later Kerry learned that she was the daughter of a pastor now deceased and that she had turned away from God. Soon after the divine appointment, she gave her heart to the Lord.

Divine appointments are an integral part of ‘Power Evangelism” (especially one person). People who would otherwise resist hearing the gospel are instantly opened to God’s Word. Sometimes even the most hostile individuals turn to God when a significant need is met.

We must obey the Lord who says to go to all ethnic groups (that’s the great commission) and make disciples. Sometimes he forces us (by persecution) or other circumstances. When He says go, we should go, not rationalize, or analyze the situation.

Miracles follow those who believe and then people accept Christ. He demands, faithful witnessing and preaching. Sometimes he wants us just to go to one person whom he has prepared. Just like Phillip did—he went to the chariot and stayed near it. Or maybe, go to a certain restaurant, for instance.

THERE IS POWER IN ONE PERSON WHEN THEY OBEY AND GO AND USE THEIR SPIRITUAL GIFT TO MINISTER TO SOMEONE WHO NEEDS JESUS.

Yes, you can make a difference. If each of us just leads one person to Christ, and they do the same and so on, just like Pastor Wayne says in his book: “Learn from the Master. “The problem is; that we don’t witness to that one person, to begin the spiritual chain of reproduction.

D.L Moody said, “We have yet to see what God can do through one person who is totally submitted to Him.”

Nobleton Community Church
29084 Sentinel Street PO Box 224
Nobleton, Florida 34661

Rev. Paul V. Lehmann, Pastor
813-389-8683
Nobletoncommunitychurch.org
info@nobletoncommunitychurch.org

OUR VISION IS:
To experience SPIRIT-FILLED WORSHIP AND PRAYER
To be involved in EVANGELISM, DISCIPLINING AND TRAINING PEOPLE
To use our SPIRITUAL GIFTS
To SERVE AND REACH PEOPLE FOR CHRIST, BOTH
“ACROSS THE STREET AND ACROSS THE WORLD”

Nobleton Community Church
Date August 25, 2024
Text: I John 4:1-8 II Kings 6:8-17
Pastor Paul Lehmann

Listen to live audio here

Today we will look at a spiritual gift which is important to determine if something is of God or Satan. Some translations use the word discernment for this spiritual gift mentioned in I Corinthians 12:10. In our pew Bibles (which is the R.S.V.) and the N.I.V. (which I use), we see it as distinguishing between spirits.

There are various kinds of spiritual manifestations and therefore a wide range of discerning is necessary. The distinguishing must occur between human, demonic, angelic, and the Holy Spirit. I want you to know this morning, that I agree that sometimes we engage in “spiritual warfare” against evil or demonic spirits when we should deny our flesh, or resist our own carnal desires. The problem arises when a person does stand up against Satan’s attacks, or against evil influence and they do try to “resist the enemy’ like we read in James 4:7. But still feel oppressed to the place that they can’t resist, and demons do not flee from them. We shouldn’t believe that we can stand up against demonic attacks, by reading the Word more, or praying more, unless we renounce things in our past that brought us to the point that we cannot experience victory.

The question of whether a person just wants to continue sinning, or if he or she is being demonized can be spiritually discerned. Every Christian has some degree of discernment, and can distinguish between good and evil, right from wrong. We read in Hebrews 5:14 that mature Christians “have their senses exercised to discern both god and evil.” The Berean Christians you may remember (in Acts 17:11) were commended for not being naïve. They tested the preaching of the apostles against Scripture. First John 4:1 is explicit in telling us to “not believe every spirit, but test the spirits whether they are of God.”

These passages describe the Christians role of discernment.

The word discernment means;

1. “the quality of being able to grasp and comprehend what is obscure.
2. It involves perception, insight, and power to see what is not evident to the average mind.
3. Reading character and motives, and distinguishing what is true, appropriate or excellent, combined with a keen practical judgment.”

This definition is a general one, not having anything to do with spiritual gifts In itself this ability gives one an edge when dealing with people. There are many people in their everyday life that have these characteristics and are able to speak about people with good insight. However one does not necessarily have the spiritual gift of distinguishing between spirits.”

Having the Spiritual Gift of Distinguishing Between Spirits –

• has to do with all that was in our definition, but in addition, the person with this gift, can tell if the word, the prophecy, the teaching is of God. Don’t mistake a person’s good common sense, or the ability to make good value or character judgments with one who has the spiritual gift of discernment.

Not every Christian has the spiritual gift to know if a person’s word, or actions, is the result of demonic activity, mental imbalance, or just a person who is carnal and is committed to living in the depths of sin. A spiritual gift is necessary to tell the difference. This gift may not be exercised frequently. Some who have it may be reluctant to use it because it requires a good deal of courage. It may seem judgmental sometimes. But it is comforting for the Body of Christ to know that God has not left Christians ignorant or defenseless against the tactics of Satan and his forces of evil.

THE GIFT OF DISCERNING OF SPIRITS IS: :

the special ability that God gives to some members of the body of Christ to know with assurance whether certain behavior purported to be of God is in reality divine, human or satanic.

We read in Acts 6: 1-10 where Peter apparently had the gift of discerning of spirits, (or it was the gift of a word of knowledge), when he discerned that Satan had inspired Ananias to lie about his real estate deal, and Ananias was struck dead on the spot, there was a spiritual gift involved. He repeated it with Saphira his wife, who also died. The horrifying fact for most of us is that this couple were professing Christians, born-again, spirit-filled believers, and yet Peter says to them “How is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit?”

Later Peter used the gift in Samaria, (Acts 8:18-24) to see through to th heart motives of Simon the sorcerer. He had all the assurance from God he needed to tell Simon; “may your money perish with you…you have no part or share in this ministry…your heart is not right, repent, and he also said…that he was “poisoned by bitterness and bound by iniquity” (the NIV says; “you are captive to sin…)

The gift of discernment can operate on several levels. The most obvious is the ability to know that purportedly good behavior, or when prophecy is given if it is in reality the work of Satan or God. Distinguishing of spirits is especially necessary when one hears a prophecy given.

A book entitled: “The Challenging Counterfeit” by Raphael Gasson,

who is now a Christian but formerly was a Spiritist Medium, tells it like it is. His experience has shown him, “It is very obvious that Satan is using an extremely subtle counterfeit to the precious gifts of the Holy Spirit. In his book, Gasson describes several of Satan’s counterfeits. He specifically shows, for example, how false gifts of faith miracles, healing, tongues and interpretation are produced by Satan. The counterfeit of the gift of discerning spirits he feels is clairvoyance and clairaudience.

The gift of deliverance is cleverly reproduced by the devil as well. This is why we often refer to “deliverance”, and not exorcism for someone who is being demonized Exorcism is something that Satan himself can do to fool people, but he won’t deliver someone from himself.

Gasson recalls how Satan gave him the ability to prophesy, and points out that most of these counterfeit prophecies came true. Perhaps some of you remember during the early 1960s there was a prophetess named Jean Dixon, who wrote a book about her prophesies. Most of which actually came true. This is one way the devil makes his appeals more attractive. On one occasion during the war years, for example, a man brought to Gasson an item belonging to the man’s son who was in the service. The man wanted to find out where his son was. Through his “spirit guide” (who purported to be the spirit of an African witch doctor), Gasson found out that the owner of the item was well and a prisoner of war. The father then proceeded to show Gasson a telegram from the War Department stating that his son had been killed in action more than two weeks previously. Gasson went back to his guide and verified that the soldier -son really was not dead and that the father would have this confirmed in three days. Sure enough, three days later the father got a telegram from the War Dept. apologizing for the mistake and saying that the boy was well, but a prisoner of war.”

Some mistakenly interpret this kind of prophecy as a work of God. It is in reality the work of the devil, but is no less real.

We immediately need to remind ourselves that God knows all about this deceitfulness and give adequate power to His children to prevent it.

(I John 4:4) “Greater is He that is in you, then he that is in the world.”

In Matthew 7:13-23, we see these exact same circumstances as being done by those who think they are doing them in the name of Jesus, and that their gifts come from God, but in reality, they are the works of Satan,. Jesus says that on judgment day he will say to them to depart from him, he never knew them.

We need to be careful about some things and organizations that seem to be doing such good things, that seem to be good and approved by God when in reality they are in opposition to Jesus Christ and Him crucified.

Another problem we also have is the opposite. So many people have made a judgment about people’s ministry without having the gift of discernment. They end up perhaps calling something that is of God, Satanic, and this is a frightening thing to do. There are some who have declared that any manifestation of the gifts of the Holy spirit today, have to be of Satan that they can’t be of God. This is very dangerous. I would remind you of Matthew 12;30-32, “He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters. And so I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man (Jesus_ will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven either in this age or in the age to come.”

How important this is. Now I know that this passage is normally spoken of as the unpardonable sin. It means that the only sin that cannot be forgiven is; when we refuse to respond to the convicting power of the Holy Spirit and we don’t accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. When we keep on rejecting Christ, eventually the Holy Spirit may not continue to convict, and so the person continues in sin and turns their back on the Holy Spirit and refuses the grace of God.

Now we see that because this passage says, anyone who “speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven…” that this verse become very important when we are considering the manifestation of spiritual gifts. When we speak against the use of or the manifestation of a spiritual gift that we don’t like, and say that it can’t possibly be of God, or that the spirit is demonic, we better be sure that the spirit of discernment is at work and not just our own critical spirit.

We have access to all the Spiritual gifts, and we are to desire spiritual gifts, so let us desire those that will build up the church. Let us be sure of those who will make sure that we won’t be deceived by false prophecies or messages. (Let us be sure that we have the gift of interpretation in use if public tongues are used). Let us be sure we are using the gift of distinguishing between spirits when prophecy is given. Or when someone is teaching.

It is possible to teach or give out the truth, but with a human spirit, with bad motives, and certainly with an ungodly attitude, or user the direction of demons. Acts 16:16-18 shows this. Here the slave girl followed Paul and Silas around, saying correct thins. (verse 17)…”these men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved.” She kept this up for many days. Now is there anything wrong with the words that she used? No, but Paul with the gift of discernment, finally turned and said, “In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her.” At that moment the spirit left her.

We can and should judge things that are said, but also the way they are said. Sometimes we can speak the truth, but our heart attitude isn’t right.

Those with the gift of prophecy or teaching often abuse their gift by not speaking with love. They are too often more interested in seeing the truth declared than in the person who is affected. When they abuse their gift they can be; hypocritical, rebellious, judgmental, insensitive, or impatient and have a negative attitude or be very demanding of others. Those with the gift of prophecy are to judge others who have the gift of prophecy. We read this in I Corinthians 14:32; “the spirits’ of prophets are subject to the control of prophets.”

You see how important in the local church that if a prophecy is given, we need other “prophets” to keep false prophecies in check. The spirit of discernment or the gift of distinguishing between spirits is absolutely necessary when these individuals speak.

We sometimes see that certain people are just good judges of character, and as we live and observe enough people we are able to discern their sincerity, or whether they are a fraud or not.

Mothers are particularly good at discerning certain things about their children. How is it that mom always seems to know exactly what is going on in another room, even when the door is shut? At least she makes the kids think so. “I know what you’re doing in there, and you better stop right now before I come in there.” Then the little brother or sister says, “See I told you so, you better stop right now or I’m gonna tell Mom.”

Well, this isn’t the kind of discernment we are talking about, but it is the kind of intuition that comes from experience and observing the behavior of someone over a period of time. When it comes to ministry we need to know if someone is speaking in the flesh, or acting according to their carnal nature or indeed they are ministering according to their spiritual gift or gifts.

Sometimes it might be necessary to discern a person’s call to the mission field. It might be that they want to go overseas for the wrong reasons. Perhaps they think it will be a good adventure, or interesting to experience another culture. Also, not everyone who pastors a church is called either. In Youngwood, PA a Lutheran pastor in our local ministerial assoc., told us. “when he graduated from college and was anticipating graduate work he decided that being a minister seemed like a pretty good “gig.” He had absolutely no sense of “call,” but just thought that being a pastor would be a good profession. NO idea of a spiritual call, or having the spiritual gifts to do this. He wasn’t even born again according to him.

When God call us, He gives us the necessary spiritual gifts especially those He wants us to have.

DISCERNMENT OR DISTINGUISHING BETWEEN SPIRITS;

How important this is for the church. Let’s not be afraid of prophecy, because it can be abused. Let’s not be afraid of the gifts of a Word of Knowledge, because it can be abused.

The gift of distinguishing spirits will help us to know if a gift is of God, of Satin, or is just of the flesh or something false.

Nobleton Community Church
29084 Sentinel Street PO Box 224
Nobleton, Florida 34661

Rev. Paul V. Lehmann, Pastor
813-389-8683
Nobletoncommunitychurch.org
info@nobletoncommunitychurch.org

OUR VISION IS:
To experience SPIRIT-FILLED WORSHIP AND PRAYER
To be involved in EVANGELISM, DISCIPLINING AND TRAINING PEOPLE
To use our SPIRITUAL GIFTS
To SERVE AND REACH PEOPLE FOR CHRIST, BOTH
“ACROSS THE STREET AND ACROSS THE WORLD”

Nobleton Community Church
Date August 18, 2024
Text: I Corinthians 14:6:25
Pastor Paul Lehmann

Listen to live audio here

TONGUES: THE BIGGEST CHRISTIAN FRIENDSHIP AND ONENESS BUSTER OF THE CENTURY

This morning we come to the charismata or spiritual gift that has probably caused more division in the evangelical church than any other doctrinal issue. We have become so polarized that in some cases that even Pentecostals can’t have fellowship with “Charismatics“ because they don’t believe in the evidence doctrine which states that speaking in tongues is the initial evidence that one has been filled with the Holy Spirit. Therefore most Pentecostals do not believe you ae filled with the Holy Spirit unless you speak in tongues. Most “Charismatics” from independent non-denominational churches, don’t believe that tongues is necessary tor one to be filled with the Holy Spirit. They usually say though that it is available to all, just like the other gifts. Some speak in tongues and some don’t.

Then evangelicals can’t seem to have fellowship with either one since both believe in speaking in tongues. As we have already talked about, some denominations believe that the sign gifts (manifestation gifts) like tongues, prophecy, miracles, words of knowledge and wisdom and healing are no longer for today. That they ceased or ended by the end of the first century.

These things should not be in the body of Christ. I would like to try to explain what I believe the Bible teaches about this gift. That it is valid for today, but not everyone speaks in tongues, and if a person doesn’t speak in tongues, it doesn’t mean that they are not filled with the Holy Spirit.

Part of the reason this is so, is that:

1. there are many misunderstandings about speaking in tongues. Also:
2. there are those who are fearful of the abuses of not just tongues, but all of the spiritual gifts.

Therefore, through the years they have looked for ways to denounce those and say they are not for today. However theologians and Bible scholars, who otherwise are very careful when interpreting and what we call exegeting a passage (that simply means taking the meaning from a passage), when it comes to tongues and other spiritual gifts they lean more towards “tradition” than on what the scriptures actually say. We talked about this last Sunday.

Now let’s look at the phrase, “speaking in different kinds of tongues.” The words in Greek for “speaking in tongues” comes from two words, glossa (which means tongue), and lalein (which means to speak.) Three basic definitions have been given for the word glossa. Together the word is glossolalia.

First, it may refer to the tongue simply as an organ of speech. Luke 16;24 uses it this way, describing or referring to the tongue of the rich man.

James warns us about how we can misuse our tongue and curse people, but the same organ, our tongue, can praise God. This should not be happening James says.

Now because of a nonliteral translation of I Cor. 12:10—-

Glossa has come to mean for some, “ecstatic utterances” and some Bibles translate it this way. The Greek words ekstasis and existemi, from which we get the English word “ecstasy,” are indeed used in the New Testament, but they are always used of those who observed the phenomena and not those who participated in the phenomena.

Translating the passage in I Cor. 12:10 as ecstatic utterances associates glossa the notion of being overwhelmed by emotion and beyond self-control. Paul makes it clear later on that he prays in the Spirit (not knowing what he is saying), but also he prays with his mind and he knows exactly what he is saying. Although ekstatasis may refer to a trance as in Acts 10:10 where Peter is on the flat roof top at Cornelious’ house where we read that he fell into a trance. Then in 22:17, Paul, after he receive his sight back returned to Jerusalem and went to the temple to pray and he says, “I fell into a trance and saw the Lord speaking” The Lord told him to quickly leave Jerusalem.

But the primary focus is astonishment and terror which grips an audience which has seen the power and gifts of God. It can also just show God’s love, mercy or concern for preaching his Word.

In Kinshasa, Dr. Bill McPherson, was the Embassy doctor, and lived in a compound where he often had young people and their parents there for revival services. On one occasion when we were stationed at Boma, and I had driven to Kinshasa to see Susan who was staying at the hostel for our missionary kids. (The last year that we did that). I attended one of these meetings, when he had invited an evangelist from England to speak. After a time of singing worship praise music, He began to speak. Then after awhile Bill spoke out in tongues. Then he interpreted what he said, quoting a passage from the Psalms. The speaker stopped and listened, and then said; “Isn’t God good? I had wanted to share that verse with you, and I completely forgot, but God didn’t, and through our brother Bill, he reminded me of this verse.

So now the third meaning is simply speaking a language. But what kind of a language is it? It depends on the context where it is described. At PENTECOST After waiting in obedience to Jesus’ words, (Acts 1:4,5) the disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues (or languages—Acts 2:4), Luke described the event as, hearing the mighty deeds of God spoken in their own languages. (Acts 2:6,9, 11). They spoke in foreign languages which they had never learned, and the people who spoke these languages were astonished to recognize what they were saying.

In I Corinthians 12:14 what Paul is describing is something much different from Acts, 2. At Corinth they were apparently not foreign languages, which Paul denotes by a different word, phone’—he uses this in 14:10, 11 too, because a special gift, not linguistic proficiency was necessary to understand them, nor were they meaningless ecstatic sounds, though the mind was inactive (verse 14) and the utterances, without interpretation, were unintelligible both to the speaker and any who would hear. But the languages had meaning, otherwise there would be no need to interpret what was being said. So Paul says to pray to interpret. He puts speaking in tongues on the same level as Prophecy, only if the words are interpreted by the speaker, or by someone who has been given the gift of interpretation. Otherwise the speaker should keep quiet and speak only to God when he is praying.

Tongues are best regarded as special languages not having ordinary human characteristics, and that is why when linguists try to analyze the tongues spoken by some, that they say it is gibberish, because it doesn’t contain the syntax and characteristics of a language. This in itself is a copout, because the languages spoken by a number of tribes in South Africa speak a language that is made up almost entirely of click sounds, and don’t have the normal characteristics of most spoken languages either.

The language that is given by the Holy Spirit is for worship, for a sign to unbelievers (14:22), and when interpreted, for the edification of believers.

Thus we see that there are two definitions of tongues speaking in the Bible. Speaking in tongues, is speaking in a language unknown to the speaker, but known to those who speak that language, like what happened at Pentecost. Incidentally this still happens today. The second kind of tongues speaking is in a language known only in heaven, and unknown on earth unless God gives a gift of interpretation. That’s why in I Cor. 13, Paul says that even if I speak in the “language of men (like at Pentecost) or angels” (unknown language) but I don’t have love it is like a gong or clanging cymbals.

Because false religions also promote speaking in tongues, and because it is sometimes and occultic practice we need to be aware that sometimes it means, speaking under demonic influence, or speaking in non rational ecstatic verbiage that is a psychological human response to a religious emotion. That’s why some evangelicals and churches have denounced tongue speaking as either demonic or psychological because they are afraid of false tongues. This is of course like the old adage, “throwing the baby out with the dirty bath water.”

Beyond doubt, one of the greatest theological tragedies to befall the church is the suggestion that tongues is a visible sign of having been baptized in The spirit, or filled with the spirit. This suggestion finds no warrant in scripture. Pentecostals refer to this as in quotes, the evidence doctrine“. They say that it is the additional evidence that someone is “filled with the holy spirits“. This suggestion, unfortunately finds no warrant in scripture. Tongues did accompany the spirits coming at Pentecost. Ask 2:4; 10:46; 19:6. But at other times when the spirit was received with Eagle faith, Luke says nothing about tongue speaking. Acts 8:14 Peter and John placed their hands on the people of Samaria and they received the Holy Spirit. Nothing is mentioned about them speaking in tongues, but perhaps at least some dead, or something happened. Perhaps they collapsed when the power of God hit them, which still happens today. The point is that being filled with the spirit even though sometimes someone might speak in tongues, just like an adult, believers, water, baptism, sometimes people, speaking tongues, but it isn’t something that always happens. Many times in the book of acts, it is said that the people put their faith in Jesus and accepted him, but nothing has mentioned of speaking in tongues..

Finally, what Paul says in first Corinthians 12:29–31 clearly makes clear when he inserts. The Greek negative me parentheses pronounced me parentheses, to firmly establish that all do not possess the gift of tongues. In fact, not everyone has all the spiritual gifts. Paul says; quotes, all our apostles? All our prophets? Our all teachers? Do all miracles? Do all have gifts of healing? Do All speak in tongues? Do all interpret? The answer to these phrases in Greek Are all understood as no! Paul says in verse 31; but eagerly desire the greater gifts. He follows up in chapter 14: one by saying, follow the way Of Love and legally desire, spiritual gifts, especially the gift of prophecy, so to demand the universe of tongues is to demand something which scripture does not teach. Pushing the gift on everyone is not only biblical, but can also do great personal damage.

Having said this, we must still make a place for the gift of tongues to function among Christians. It is a biblical gift, and there is no reason to be fearful of it, it is truly given by the Holy Spirit. Most certainly, we are wrong to dismiss what we have not experience as being of the devil, which is How some passes and denominations have a characterize those who speak in tongues. Paul has made it clear that the public use of tongues is to be accompanied by interpretation. This is the final gift mentioned in our text: the interpretation of tongues it is always required. If and when there is a public use of this gift. We are told in one Corinthians, 14:28 that if there is no interpreter, the speaker should keep quiet in the church and speak to himself and God. This is why this gift is usually referred to as “a prayer language.” Verse four says he who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but he who prophecies is edifies the church. Our goal and public services is to edify and build up everyone in the body of Christ not just the speaker.

Now something that has always been rather vague from scripture is this interpretation part. Some might wonder how we will know if there is someone with the gift of interpretation in our congregation. We have seen that discernment is important period in 14: 29 referring to prophecy, we read two or three prophets should speak, and the others should weigh carefully what is said End Quote. This however has nothing to do with the interpreting tongues, but nevertheless there is a need for discernment as to the spirit of these prophesying. I believe this concern about who will interpret can be taken care of, if those who God has given the gift of speaking in tongues will pray to interpret. We read in 14: 12… since you are eager to have spiritual gifts, try to excel in gifts that build up the church. 1st 13 1st 13 quote for this reason anyone who speaks in a tongue should pray that he may interpret what he says quote once the person who speaks in tongues in a service, also interprets, we will know who has this gift of interpretation.

It is only in this way that tongues was put on the same level as prophecy. But people can understand what God is saying through the person. May we desire spiritual gifts, especially prophecy we are told. We must reconcile the validity of tongues, the importance of discernment of prophecies given, and the importance of interpretation when tongues are used. Verse 39 tells us quote my brothers, be eager to prophecy and do not forbid speaking in tongues. But everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way. In fact it is biblical to eagerly desire spiritual gifts, and to seek them zealously, so let’s not be so cautious of doing something wrong, that we inadvertently quench the spirit, and in fact are forbidding the use of tongues, which we are told not to do. May the Holy Spirit guide us into all truth.

Nobleton Community Church
29084 Sentinel Street PO Box 224
Nobleton, Florida 34661

Rev. Paul V. Lehmann, Pastor
813-389-8683
Nobletoncommunitychurch.org
info@nobletoncommunitychurch.org

OUR VISION IS:
To experience SPIRIT-FILLED WORSHIP AND PRAYER
To be involved in EVANGELISM, DISCIPLINING AND TRAINING PEOPLE
To use our SPIRITUAL GIFTS
To SERVE AND REACH PEOPLE FOR CHRIST, BOTH
“ACROSS THE STREET AND ACROSS THE WORLD”

Nobleton Community Church
Date August 11, 2024
Text TEXT: I Corinthians 12:27-31; 14:1-4
Pastor Paul Lehmann

Listen to live audio here

The clear teaching of the New Testament is that God gives spiritual gifts to the church for the common good of the saints (1 Corinthians 12:7) and to empower her mission to evangelize the world (Luke 24:48–49; Acts 4:29–31; 1 Corinthians 14:24–25).

The most familiar lists of these gifts are in Romans 12, 1 Corinthians 12, and Ephesians 4. But the Corinthians list includes the most controversial gifts of the Spirit: healing, miracles, prophecy, tongues and their interpretation (1 Corinthians 12:9–10). On the back of your bulletin you have the list of the 9

Manifestation gifts and their function. And it’s in the context of teaching on these gifts — particularly the two most controversial gifts, prophecy and tongues — that Paul twice tells us to “earnestly desire” them, adding, “especially that [we] may prophesy” (1 Corinthians 12:31; 14:1). He leaves us no room to wiggle out of pursuing uncomfortable gifts.

I know that some wonderful, sincere Christians believe that these most controversial gifts did not extend beyond the closing of the New Testament canon. I am not here going to argue for the gifts’ continuation, even though I believe wholeheartedly that they do continue. Some resources list the “prooftexts” that are used to support ceased activity. I assume what the Holy Spirit-inspired New Testament authors assumed: The spiritual gifts would function in healthy, Holy Spirit-empowered churches until Jesus returns (1 Corinthians 13:9–12).

The questions I want to address are:

why should we desire these gifts and how should we pursue them?

Because the Bible Commands Us To

The most fundamental reason we should desire these gifts is that the Bible commands us to: “earnestly desire the spiritual gifts.” Paul says this in the same sentence he says, “pursue love” (1 Corinthians 14:1). Both are Holy Spirit-inspired imperatives.

No one disputes that we should continue to love one another. There is no command that is clearer in the New Testament (John 15:12). But neither would anyone dispute that loving one another is very hard. Love may not be controversial in the church, but its demands are very intimidating and it is often manipulated and abused.

Likewise the spiritual gifts are intimidating, some even strange, and all of them can too be manipulated and abused. All spiritual gifts are potentially dangerous, even the less controversial ones (think of the damage done by false teachers and deceptive administrators).

In a sense, handling spiritual gifts is like handling dynamite — dynamis is the Greek word for “power” often used when referring to the Holy Spirit. When used rightly the gifts are explosively loving. When used wrongly they are explosively destructive. It’s tempting not to use them at all.

The early Christians also felt this way after damaging experiences. That’s why Paul had to say things like, “do not forbid speaking in tongues,” “do not quench the Spirit,” and “do not despise prophecies” (1 Corinthians 14:39; 1 Thessalonians 5:19–20). It was tempting to not use these messy gifts.

But in commanding us to pursue love and to earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, the Bible commands us to handle dangerous things. And they are commands. Neither were options in Paul’s mind and they should not be in ours either. God has purposes for these gifts that make them more than worth the danger.

Because Spiritual Gifts Are Given to Help Us Love One Another

Pursuing love and desiring spiritual gifts are not disconnected. These gifts are given to the church to help us love one another. In 1 Corinthians 12, Paul explains that each Christian is a unique member of Christ’s body and therefore each has a unique function and receives unique gifts that benefits the “common good” of the body (1 Corinthians 12:7, 12, 29–30).

The Spirit doesn’t give us gifts in order that each of us gets our self-important moment in the spotlight. He gives us gifts so that for the greater glory of Christ we are able to pursue love through serving one another. This way no one is to think that he is not needed or that he doesn’t need anyone else (1 Corinthians 12:15, 21). The more honorable members have no place to boast and the less honorable members have no place for shame (1 Corinthians 12:22–26).

Love is the aim of the spiritual gifts. It is possible to possess and exercise impressive spiritual gifts without love. If we do, we are “nothing” (1 Corinthians 13:2).

But it’s also true that if we neglect any particular spiritual gift, if we don’t earnestly desire and pursue them, we will neglect some aspect of love and so fail to glorify Christ. Some kind of edification will not happen. We need the Spirit’s empowerment to strengthen the saints and see unsaved people “delivered . . . from the domain of darkness and transferred . . . to the kingdom of [God’s] beloved Son” (Colossians 1:13).

We are to earnestly desire the spiritual gifts of 1 Corinthians 12 and

14 as a means to pursue the love Paul describes in 1 Corinthians 13.

What Does Earnestly Desiring Spiritual Gifts Look like.?

Earnestly desiring the spiritual gifts looks like desiring them.

For the most part, the Bible is not a how-to manual. It holds out treasure to us and bids us to seek it out (Proverbs 2:4–5). Desire is the test, for desire fuels the quest. That is a key to understanding much in the Bible.

What do you do when you really want something? You don’t wait around for someone to deliver it nicely packaged, fully assembled, and ready-to-use. You go looking for it. You start asking questions of knowledgeable people. You read and watch and listen to a lot of information. You ask, seek, and knock (Matthew 7:7). If you really, really want it, you consider it worth the hard work of figuring things out and working till you get it.

That’s what earnestly desiring spiritual gifts looks like. But here are a few things for starters:

Begin with the Bible. Soak in 1 Corinthians 12–14, Romans 12, and Ephesians 4. Read the book of Acts over and over until it ruins you for your worldly comfort and pursuits and fuels your desire to experience the reality of the kingdom you read there.

Pray. If you’re tired of anything less than knowing the fullness of the Spirit and seeing the kingdom of God advance, —-your discontent and desperation will drive you to pray the kind of prayers the Lord loves to answer.

Consume Sound Teaching and Testimonies. These will fuel your desire as well as increase your knowledge.

Meet a Need. The spiritual gifts are not fireworks for our oohs and aahs. They are mainly given as means to extend love and the grace of God to others. Taking steps for the sake of Christ to love others whose needs extend beyond our capacities puts us (and them) squarely in the path of God’s grace. When we’ve asked God to help us walk on water, we must then get out of the boat.

Now let’s consider two of the Charismatic or Manifestation Gifts that are listed on the back of your bulletin, and which are projected this morning.

The Apostle Paul includes in his list of Spiritual gifts in I Corinthians 12:

MIRACULOUS POWERS AND FAITH Then in verse 28 we read; “And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, (missionaries – sent ones- those who plant churches) *second prophets, third teachers then WORKERS OF MIRACLES. (Acts 12:1-17) Peter’s miraculous escape from prison.

We see miracles first in the Old Testament. God did miracles through Elijah (I Kings 17). He multiplied the flour and kept the oil from running out, then when the widow’s son died, God raised him from the dead through Elijah. God did miracles with the weather. No rain for 3 ½ years, then he prayed and it rained .

God still does this today. He holds back rain after prayer so that the Gospel can be preached. He did this time after time in The Congo It seems that our daughter Karen has faith when it come to praying it won’t rain. This is ironic because she enjoys sitting and watching a nice slow soaking rain. However probably the first time she prayed that it wouldn’t rain was on her wedding day. They were going to have some pictures taken outside. Rain was predicted, and the storm clouds began to form. She prayed that it would rain, and the black clouds went away and the sun came out. Then here in Florida, when our grandson (Eric’s youngest Ryder) was celebrating his 5th birthday outside by a swimming pool. Once again we saw the black clouds gathering and threatening rain, like it seems to do every afternoon in august, and even lighting. Well she prayer again that it wouldn’t rain. The clouds went away and the sun came out with no interruption to our little party.

Karen and I played tennis together a few years ago against a couple of men from my son’s church. One of the men couldn’t come, so she was my partner. We no sooner got to the courts and the black clouds came. Then It began to sprinkle. She prayed Lord please make the rain stop so we can play some tennis this evening. It continued to rain a little bit more, so I prayed too and reminded God of Karen’s prayer. After a couple of minutes, the rain stopped., the sun came out, and we had a great time.

Now some would say that these were all just coincidences, but it has happened so much for us that I believe that God intervened with the weather just as much today as he did when he calmed the storm on the sea of Galilee. I have read commentators who insist that there is no where in the New Testament that God gives us authority over the weather. —-Hold it! Not true. When Jesus was asleep in the boat and was awakened by the disciples because of the storm, his first words to his disciples after he calmed the storm in Luke 8:25 (this miracle is in 3 of the Gospels) —“Where is your FAITH?” Now if we aren’t supposed to be able to calm storms—-He would never have said that.

FAITH is another gift mentioned in this list of 9. It isn’t saving faith that we must have to trust Jesus as our only Savior. Or even faith to believe that he will supply our needs our protect us, but rather a special faith that believes God is going to do a specific thing at a specific time. Like George Muller who having nothing in the house to eat for the orphans he cared for, and while he was praying at the table and thanking the Lord for the food that isn’t there —yet—and then a knock at the door reveals someone who says they had prepared too much food and thought they could use it. That’s the kind of special miracle faith we are talking about.

Then there are miracles through ANGELS. I know that some of you have experienced this. Either through someone who just showed up at the right time, or even an angel in human form that helped you, and then they disappeared. There are two extremely special events I want to share with you again. You may recall the account of Stan and Connie Hotalen who served with us in the Congo. Their daughter Kristen who was about 4 years old at the time, was playing in the ront yard, but had bent down by the back car wheel to get a ball when her dad started to back up, not knowing she was there. The car knocked her down and it ran over her head. When she got up she asked her dad; “ Daddy who was that big man that lifted up the car?” The tire marks were ingrained for a brief time on her head. There was absolutely no brain damage, no retardation in any function of her brain. She is a perfectly healthy woman today. We saw her a few years ago when we drove up to Toccoa Falls GA to visit.

Angels protected a missionary home in the interior of the Congo, during the uprising after independence. A band of rebel soldiers had intended to steal a vehicle and supplies from the house and rape the women, but stopped suddenly. Some years later these missionaries saw one of the young men that was part of the Rebels that were there that night. The missionary asked him, why they all left that night instead of attacking them. The man said, that was our intention but when we saw the huge guards that surrounded your house we were about 8 feet tall holding flaming swords. When the missionary went back to the States on furlough and told this story, a man in the congregation said that on the night he was talking about was a Saturday and about 2:00pm E.S.T. 8:00 Congo time a group of 50 of us men felt led to have a prayer meeting for your protection because we heard about some of the things that were happening in the Congo. Were they transported in the Spirit there? Did the Congolese soldiers see angels symbolically, one for each of the men praying? Whatever happened in the Spirit world, it was a MIRACLE.

It was reminiscent of the account in the Old Testament when the Israelites went to battle. Elisha followed Elijah, and the mantle of God’s prophet was upon him and he received a double portion of the anointing that was on Elijah. When King Aram attacked Israel with an army of horses and chariots, Elisha was not afraid. His servant reported that they were surrounded by this army. Elisha told his servant “Don’t be afraid, those who are with us are more than those who are with them.: Then Elisha prayed. “O Lord, open his eyes so he may see. The Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.” (II Kings 6: 16:17)

My account of about 20 young Congolese who rescued Ron Julian and me from drowning. They disappeared within about 10 seconds. This happened with the time change when my mother was awakened to “pray for me”

If we are in the habit of praying for people whom the Lord lays on our hearts, He knows He can trust us to pray for someone in a Chrises. That’s when Miracles will happen.

Nobleton Community Church
29084 Sentinel Street PO Box 224
Nobleton, Florida 34661

Rev. Paul V. Lehmann, Pastor
813-389-8683
Nobletoncommunitychurch.org
info@nobletoncommunitychurch.org

OUR VISION IS:
To experience SPIRIT-FILLED WORSHIP AND PRAYER
To be involved in EVANGELISM, DISCIPLINING AND TRAINING PEOPLE
To use our SPIRITUAL GIFTS
To SERVE AND REACH PEOPLE FOR CHRIST, BOTH
“ACROSS THE STREET AND ACROSS THE WORLD”

Nobleton Community Church
Date August 4, 2024
Text TEXT: I Corinthians 13: 1-13
Pastor Paul Lehmann

Listen to live audio here

In chapters 13 and 14, the Corinthians had gotten this aspect of church life just as wrong as they had gotten everything else … but Paul still gives them encouragement and hope that their church can learn to thrive in their spiritual lives — just like we, as a church and as individuals, want to thrive in our ministry to one another and to the world around us.

Most of you are aware that I Corinthians chapter 13 is the great love chapter of the Bible, or at least you have heard verses 4-7 of that chapter quoted at weddings at least : Verse 13– “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love, and the greatest of these is love.”

Last week Pastor Wayne talked to us about the practical, motivational gifts in Romans 12 and we saw how LOVE is vital when exercising your gift. The Apostle Paul emphasizes in our text how important LOVE is when using supernatural manifestation gifts too. Two weeks ago we talked about I Cor. 12 where we saw there were 9 manifestation gifts. Some theologians and pastors talk about more than these 9 gifts, and that is possible, but as I see it from the separation of practical gifts given by the Spirit and the 9 gifts mentioned in verses 7-11 these are the ones that are the manifestation or “sign” gifts. Verse7: “Now to each on the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given” —–

1.A message (or Word) of wisdom, to another

2,a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit., to another

3 faith by the same Spirit, to another

4. gifts of healing by that one Spirit,, (verse 10 continues) to another 5.miraculous powers, to another

6 prophecy, to another

7. distinguishing between spirits, to another
8. speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to another
   9. the interpretation of tongues.

All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.

There are still those today who insist that the above gifts are not for us they ceased to have any importance for the church, since now we have the New Testament the Word of God. Let me be clear; there is nowhere in scripture that would support that position, and more and more theologians and pastors are beginning to see that the position we call THE SECESSION DOCTRINE is only based on tradition, and the fact that they haven’t seen or experienced any of the sign/manifestation gifts.

One of the key passages they have always used to support that position is in I Cor. 13: 8-10, teaching that the “perfect” that is come is The Word of God –the Bible, but they ignore the fact that the rest of the passage shows that Paul isn’t talking about the Word, (the perfect—Greek teleios simply means “end, purpose or completion.” but the fact that we don’t know everything now. (It’s like looking through a bronze mirror like they used to use), but then when we see Christ face to face we will know, and be fully known. Then the gifts won’t continue in eternity, but faith, hope and love will.

When we pick and choose which spiritual gifts we will accept and others we refuse to accept, we are no different than the liberal scolars who say that some parts of the Bible aren’t for us.

Another flaw in the argument for the gifts ceasing is apparent with a narrow definition for prophecy and apostleship. We ended two weeks ago with saying that prophecy usually means: declaring forth the Word of God. That’s what the prophets of the Old Testament did. But on occasion they fore-told the future for individuals such as kings. When we think that there is no place for that in the church today, we miss, why Paul is including it separately in the ministry gifts. Some accept Pastor, Evangelist or Teacher without a problem, but not Prophet or Apostle. We need to realize that sometimes God gives a Word of prophecy for an individual or the church, and if it isn’t contradictory to the Bible we shouldn’t despise or reject it. God will confirm it in our hearts too if it is of him.

The summer of 1965, Jeannene and I were team leaders for Operation Mobilization in France, we discovered that some young men, not on our team, but others, would see a girl that they really liked and got along with very well. At the end of the two months they would say to the girl, “the Lord told me that we were meant to be married!” Of course she would respond; “Well until he tells me that, it isn’t going to happen.”

So, any kind of declaration in the form of a prophecy, must be judged by the one who receives it. First, it must be Biblical, and secondly, it must ring true in the other one’s heart.

A word or message from “a Prophet” isn’t equal to the inspired Word of God. Prophecies given today are not the same as how God inspired those to write Scripture. It is simply given to encourage and guide someone or the church, to accomplish God’s will for ministry. The Spirit of God will often give guidance through circumstances, personal counsel, and inward persuasion. This specific guidance does not contradict Scripture. God might also lead us through dreams, visions, or prophetic words. These must be checked, of course, to see if they are contrary to Scripture, for it alone is the sole rule of doctrine and practice. Besides prophecy,

Sometimes God confirms what he sends in a dream, by scripture which leads someone to know Jesus Christ as Savior. This happened to a woman form Algeria in France when we worked with Muslims there.

It is very easy to empty the gift of prophecy of its unique, immediate and distinctive content. It then becomes nothing more than sanctified common sense.

In Ephesians 4:11 we see Christ himself gave us both Prophets and Apostles. This often sends a red flag up to people when someone calls themselves a Prophet or an Apostle. Personally, since that word simply means sent one, I prefer the term Missionary. We always think that the term referred to only the 12 Disciples. But then why is it listed as a ministry gift? Because it only means “one who is sent by God for the task of establishing the church”

Now we need to stress that, as with the ministry of the first Apostles, so with the Prophets who with them became the foundation of the church, their authority is unique and unrepeatable.

Whatever Paul means in encouraging the gift of prophecy, he does not suggest that any Christian can be on a par with those original prophets as organs of divine revelation. Any subsequent manifestation of this gift must be submitted to the authoritative teaching of the original apostles and prophets, as contained in the Canon of Scripture.

Some evangelicals have little place for the Holy Spirit today at all. They have lost the Reformational balance of the Spirit and the Word. Instead of being allowed to work as friends, (so to speak), the Spirit and Word have been set as enemies working against each other. But Christians need both the Spirit and the Word.

As Dr. Donald Gee has said, “All Word and no Spirit we dry up. All Spirit and no Word, we blow up. With the Spirit and the Word, we grow up.”

Nobleton Community Church
29084 Sentinel Street PO Box 224
Nobleton, Florida 34661

Rev. Paul V. Lehmann, Pastor
813-389-8683
Nobletoncommunitychurch.org
info@nobletoncommunitychurch.org

OUR VISION IS:
To experience SPIRIT-FILLED WORSHIP AND PRAYER
To be involved in EVANGELISM, DISCIPLINING AND TRAINING PEOPLE
To use our SPIRITUAL GIFTS
To SERVE AND REACH PEOPLE FOR CHRIST, BOTH
“ACROSS THE STREET AND ACROSS THE WORLD”

Nobleton Community Church
Date July 21, 2024
Text: I Corinthians 12:27-31
Pastor Paul Lehmann

Listen to live audio here

So the question is: How do you identify your spiritual gifts? There are a couple of ways.
One, as you read about spiritual gifts in the Bible, many times one item on the list will jump out at you, and you’ll know immediately: That’s me, that’s my gift: I’m a giver … or … I love to show hospitality … or … I love serving others, and so on. Many times you’ll just know which gift is your primary gift because it resonates with who you are. Another way to identify your spiritual gift is through the input of spiritual leaders and mature believers. Sometimes others can see gifts in you that you may not be able to see for yourself. So, as you seek to understand exactly how the Holy Spirit has gifted you, listen to the leaders around you. In fact, there are even tests you can take (you can find them online) from reputable ministries that will help you discover your spiritual gifts.
Here’s the good thing about knowing what your spiritual gifts are. When you know your spiritual gifts, you often know what God is expecting you to do in certain situations.
For instance, suppose you are at someone’s house for a party and the host or someone comes into the room carrying a tray filled with glasses of iced tea. They trip and fall over a footstool that was stuck out too far. The glasses fall off and break and there is a mess on the floor. The one with the gift of mercy will run over and say: “are you okay?{ “Yes I’m okay!” But there is a cut from the glass so the one with a gift of mercy asks about a first aid kit to take care of it. The one with the gift of administration begins to make sure that it is found and also asks about a broom and dustpan, or mop or sweeper, whatever is needed. If the cut or cuts are severe they would call 911. The one with the gift of serving would immediately begin to clean up the mess. The one with the gift of generous giving would hand the host money to take care of the loss of the broken glasses and replenish the drinks that spilled.
If, your spiritual gift is giving, you are always looking for an opportunity to give, and you have the wherewithal to contribute, then you can be sure that God is calling on you to exercise your spiritual gift of giving in this situation. The same can be said for service, leadership, administration, mercy, and on and on. When you know your gift and the opportunity to use your gift presents itself, you know what God is prompting you to do. Now another spiritual gift may be present. The gift of prophecy, but it may not always be made known. That person may also have the gift of mercy or another practical gift, but they are thinking and maybe will say; “If you would have watched where you were going, you wouldn’t have tripped over the footstool” We will talk a little more about the gift of prophecy in a few minutes.
Now, one more quick note about spiritual gifts. Though there may be one or two primary gifts through which God uses you the majority of the time, you also need to be aware that at some time or another God will work through with you with some of the other spiritual gifts, at least for a short time.
For example, your primary gift may not be teaching, but there will be times when he uses you to teach others in a specific situation. Your primary gift may not be leadership, but there will be times when he uses you to lead others in a specific situation for a specific amount of time. For this reason you need to be open to receive every gift of the Holy Spirit, which, Paul said in verse 11, he gives to us “as he determines.”
Today’s message can only highlight the beginning of the journey of the Spirit-filled life, because walking in the Spirit is a long-term process of learning, seeking, and obeying …and then learning some more and seeking some more and obeying some more.
It’s a journey that the church in Corinth desperately needed to take because they were floundering in virtually every area of life. Paul penned these words in 1 Corinthians 12, 13, and 14 to help them get back on track.
It’s the same for us. Sometimes we find ourselves floundering, in desperate need to get back on track. In this case, Paul wrote these words for us, as well.
If you want to live a spiritually vibrant life, you begin by deciding simply to learn more about it — to study the Word and learn how Christian leaders have taught this subject over the years.
Now, back to one of the manifestation gifts: PROPHECY. The gift of prophecy is an example of the three different gifts. In 1 Corinthians 12:7 we read; …” Not all have the same function. We have different gifts, according to the grace given to us. If a person’s gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith.: (Romans 12:4b and 6) “Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good…to another prophecy….: verse 7 and the first part of 10. In Ephesians 4:11 we read: “ It was he who gave…some to be prophets….” We need to define Prophecy. The first way to understand this is; One who has insight into the divine will and Word of God, and possesses the power of inspired utterance. ( Greek-English Dictionary of the New Testament).
Vine’s Expository Dictionary of New Testament words says; One who speaks both the mind and counsel of God. Also: A proclaimer of a divine message, denoted among the Greeks as an interpreter of the oracles of God. So this means anyone who preaches or brings forth the Word of God by preaching or teaching.
But then the gift of prophecy can also mean one who foretells the future –a foreteller. The word was used in Greek society of soothsayers who announce beforehand the will of the gods with reference to the future, but this is only a secondary and derived sense because the prefix (pro) must be regarded not as having reference to time (meaning before), but rather as local, in the context of space. Prophets means one who speaks openly before anyone and is the technical name for an interpreter of a divine message. This technical term came also to mean the interpreters of future events. In the Old Testament, it indicates to whom and through whom God spoke…also one to whom God made known His mysteries. So generally, one to whom God revealed His purposes, one to whom God spoke… It is clear that what really characterized the prophet was immediate communion with God, a divine communication of what the prophet had to declare. This was primarily how God communicated to his people in the Old Testament. Now that we have the complete Word of God, that is still God communicating His will purpose, and plan for our lives through preaching and teaching The Word of God.
When it means more than just having specific scriptures come to mind to share with people, in the context of preaching or teaching, is when it is declaring a specific “prophecy” for someone or the church, the declaration of that which cannot be known by natural means. It is the forth-telling of the will of God, whether with reference to the past, the present, or the future. So the one who prophesies speaks forth the divine counsels of grace already accomplished. The one who prophecies fore-tells the purposes of God in the future.
So Prophesying in Romans 12:6 for instance is one who finds it especially natural to speak forth the mind and counsel of God. It is natural for them to speak forth the divine counsels of grace already accomplished. It is also natural for prophets to fore-tell the purposes of God for the future.
Brandon Dale Biggs a Christian from Oklahoma prophesied 4 months before the attempted assassination of former President Trump that it would happen. He saw in a vision God gave him, a bullet hitting Trump’s ear. He said that Trump was God intervening in this country to bring us back to God. He also correctly prophesied other world events. o
If you want to live a spiritually vibrant life, then you also need to decide to: Seek the fullness of the Holy Spirit in your daily life by asking God to fill you with his Spirit — asking in faith, with your whole heart. This isn’t a one-time experience, it’s a day-to-day experience.
And if you want to live a spiritually vibrant life, you need to decide to:
Take the necessary steps to be used by the Holy Spirit, by putting into use the gifts he has given you for the common good — for the benefit of all.
So I am encouraging you to discover all that you can about the Holy Spirit. Get to know about him, get to know him … and let him get to know you because he can make your life a masterpiece.

Nobleton Community Church
29084 Sentinel Street PO Box 224
Nobleton, Florida 34661

Rev. Paul V. Lehmann, Pastor
813-389-8683
Nobletoncommunitychurch.org
info@nobletoncommunitychurch.org

OUR VISION IS:
To experience SPIRIT-FILLED WORSHIP AND PRAYER
To be involved in EVANGELISM, DISCIPLINING AND TRAINING PEOPLE
To use our SPIRITUAL GIFTS
To SERVE AND REACH PEOPLE FOR CHRIST, BOTH
“ACROSS THE STREET AND ACROSS THE WORLD”

Nobleton Community Church
date June 30m 2024
text John 1:1-14, Titus 2:11-14, Hebrew 7:23-24, Rev 19:11-14

Guest Speaker Gary Batchelder

Listen to live audio here

Nobleton Community Church
29084 Sentinel Street PO Box 224
Nobleton, Florida 34661

Rev. Paul V. Lehmann, Pastor
813-389-8683
Nobletoncommunitychurch.org
info@nobletoncommunitychurch.org

OUR VISION IS:
To experience SPIRIT-FILLED WORSHIP AND PRAYER
To be involved in EVANGELISM, DISCIPLINING AND TRAINING PEOPLE
To use our SPIRITUAL GIFTS
To SERVE AND REACH PEOPLE FOR CHRIST, BOTH
“ACROSS THE STREET AND ACROSS THE WORLD”

Nobleton Community Church
June 16, 2024
text: Genesis 15:5-7; 13-16 Romans 49-12

Pastor Paul Lehmann

Listen to live audio here

In the first 8 verses of chapter 4, we see that Abraham had faith which takes God at His word. The Jew regarded Abraham (whose name before God changed it, was Abram, which means “Exalted Father), as the great founder of the Jewish race, and the pattern of all that a man should be.

After the Lord had promised a son to Abram He spoke to him in a vision and told him to not be afraid, that He would protect him and that his reward would be great. At first Abraham wondered what good all of God’s blessing would be if he didn’t have a son. But God showed Abram the night sky and said to him, “Look up into the heavens and count the stars if you can. Your descendants will be like that—too many to count!”

“And Abram believed the Lord, and the Lord declared him righteous because of his faith.” As God made this covenant with Abram he changed his name to-

Abraham which means: “Father of many.”

You see, it wasn’t because of anything that Abram had done, or hadn’t done, but only because of his FAITH, that he received the promise of God. What were his experiences concerning this question of being saved by faith? –This is Paul’s question in Romans 4:1. Was it because o his good deeds that God accepted him? If so, he would have had something to boast about. In Ephesians 2:8-10 we see that we are saved through faith not works so that we don’t boast about it. So from God’s point of view Abraham had no basis at all for pride. For the Scriptures tell us, “Abraham believed God, so God declared him to be righteous.

The Jews were proud to be called children of Abraham. Paul uses Abraham as a good example of someone who was saved by faith. By emphasizing faith, Paul is not saying that God’s law is unimportant (verse 13), but that it is impossible to be saved simply by obeying it. If a person could earn right standing with God by being good, the granting of that gift wouldn’t be a free act; it would be an obligation. Our self-reliance is futile, all we can do is cast ourselves on God’s mercy and grace.

When some people learn that they are saved by God through faith, they start to worry “Do I have enough faith? They wonder. “Is my faith strong enough to save me?” If you are thinking like this, you have missed the point. It is Jesus Christ who saves us, not our feelings or actions, and he is strong enough to save us no matter how weak our faith is. Jesus offers us salvation as a gift because he loves us, not because we have earned it through our powerful faith. What, then is the role of saving faith? Faith is believing and trusting in Jesus Christ and reaching out to accept his wonderful gift of salvation.

Verse 4—6 “When people work, their wages are not a gift. Workers earn what they receive. But people are declared righteous because of their faith, not because of their work. King David spoke of this, describing the happiness of an undeserving sinner who is declared to be righteous:

(7-8) “Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sins are put out of sight. Yes, what joy for those whose sin is no longer counted against them by the Lord.”

What can we do to get rid of guilt? King David was guilty of terrible sins that we talked about last week. Adultery, murder, lying, and yet he experienced the joy of forgiveness. We, too, can have this joy when we

1.) Quit denying our guilt and recognize that we have sinned.

2.) Admit our guilt to God and ask for his forgiveness.

3.) Let go of our guilt and believe that God has forgiven us.

This can be difficult when a sin has taken root in our life over many years, when it is very serious, or when it involves others. We must remember that Jesus is willing and able to forgive every sin. In view of the tremendous price he paid on the cross, it is arrogant to think that there is any sin too great for him to forgive. Even though our faith is weak, our conscience is sensitive, and our memory haunts us, Gods Word declares that sins confessed are sins forgiven.

(I John 1;9)

In Romans 4:9-12 Paul is declaring that Abraham is not the father of those who have been circumcised; he is the father of those who make the same act of faith in God as he made. He is the father of every man who in every age takes God at his Word as he did. A man may be circumcised, of pure Jewish linage, and yet not be a descendant of Abraham. Rituals did not earn any reward for Abraham. He had been blessed long before the circumcision ceremony was introduced. Abraham found favor with God by faith alone, before he was circumcised. (Gen. 17:1-14)

The key factor was faith. Abraham believed God. He had faith in what God told him. This was belief in the God who makes the impossible possible. Abraham was 99 years old, and Sarah was 89. It was biologically impossible for them to have children, yet God had promised Abraham that his descendants would be as numerous as the stars.

As long as we believe that everything depends on our efforts we are bound to be pessimists, for experience has taught us, (as well as the world tells us), and teaches us the grim lesson that our own effort can achieve very little.

The enemy of our souls (Satan), likes to convince us that we are not of any use; particularly if you are a man, and did not have a good example in your own father. Sometimes we might get to wondering if God really cares about us, and what is the purpose we have in life. Whether you have had children of your own or not, all the men here today have a purpose and God wants to use you, in whatever the number of years left that you have in your life. He wants to use you as a father to grown up children or a grandfather to yours or other peoples children in the community where you live. He cares about you. He knows where you are, both physically and spiritually.

Perhaps you have read the collection of true stories entitled “Chicken Soup for the Soul for the Christian Soul.” There is a powerful illustration of the importance of recognizing that our faith is in a God of the impossible, and that He cares about us, both those who are faithful to Him, and those who are struggling.

The account is given about a traveling missionary evangelist and his family. His name is Ken Gaub. It had always been his goal to help those who were hurting. He said; “ Some people just need a little boost, and I wanted to influence their lives in a positive way.” He and his family conducted crusades not only throughout America but in many foreign countries. He established a magazine, a radio and television ministry and a youth outreach program.

But sometimes even preachers get drained and discouraged, and they wonder if they should consider another line of work. That was how Ken felt one day in the 1970s as he, his wife, Barbara, and their children drove their two ministry buses down 1-75 just south of Dayton, Ohio. He wondered silently as they traveled along; “God am I doing any good, traveling around like this, telling people about you? Is this what you want me to do?

“Hey, Dad let’s get some pizza!” one of Ken’s sons suggested. Still lost in thought, Ken turned off at the next exit, Route 741, where one sign after another advertised a wide variety of fast food. A sign, Ken thought. That’s what I need, God, a sign.

Ken’s son and daughter-in-law had already maneuvered the second bus into a pizza parlor’s parking lot, and they stood waiting as Ken pulled up. The rest of the family bounced down the steps. Ken sat staring into space. “Coming?” Barbara asked. “I’m not really hungry,” Ken told her. “I’ll stay out here and stretch my legs.”

Barbara followed the others into the restaurant, and Ken stepped outside, closed the bus doors, and looked around. Noticing a Dairy Queen, he strolled over, bought a soft drink, and ambled back, still pondering. He was exhausted. But were his doldrums a sign of permanent burnout?

A persistent ringing broke Ken’s concentration. The jangle was coming from a pay telephone. ( You remember those don’t you?—before the days of cell phones). There was a telephone booth at the service station right next to the Dairy Queen. As Ken approached the booth, he looked to see if anyone in the station was coming to answer the phone. But the attendant continued his work, seemingly oblivious to the ringing because of the noise of the traffic. Why doesn’t someone answer it? Ken wondered, growing irritated. What if it is an emergency?

The insistent ringing went on, Ten rings, Fifteen…Curiosity overcame Ken’s lethargy. Walking to the booth, he lifted the receiver. “Hello?”

Long-distance call for Ken Gaub,” came the voice of the operator. Ken was stunned. “You’re crazy!” he said. Then, realizing his rudeness, he tried to explain. “This can’t be! I was just walking down the road here, and the phone was ringing—“ The operator ignored his ramblings. “Is Ken Gaub there?” she asked. “I have a long-distance phone call for him.”

Was this a joke? He looked around to see if there was a Candid Camera crew that surely must appear. But no one came. His family was eating pizza in a randomly selected restaurant just a few yards from where he stood. And no one else knew he was here.

I have a long-distance call for Ken Gaub, sir, the operator said again, obviously reaching the limits of her patience. “Is he there, or isn’t he?”

Operator, I’m Ken Gaub,” Ken said, still unable to make sense of it. Are you sure?” the operator asked, but just then, Ken heard another woman’s voice on the telephone. “Yes, that’s him, Operator!” she said. “Mr. Gaub, I’m Millie from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. You don’t know me, but I’m desperate. Please help me.”

What can I do for you? Ken asked. The operator hung up.

Mille began to weep, and Ken waited patiently for her to regain control. Finally she explained: “I was about to kill myself, and I started to write a suicide note. Then I began to pray and tell God I really didn’t want to do this.” Through her desolation, Millie remembered seeing Ken on television. If she could just talk to that nice, kindly minister, the one with the understanding attitude….

“I knew it was impossible because I didn’t know how to reach you,” Millie went on, calmer now. “So I started to finish the note. And then some numbers came into my mind, and I wrote them down.” She began to weep again. Silently Ken prayed for the wisdom to help her.

I looked at those numbers,” Millie continued tearfully, and I thought—wouldn’t it be wonderful if I had a miracle from God, and he has given me Ken’s phone number? I can’t believe I’m talking to you. Are you in your office in California?”

“I don’t have an office in California,” Ken explained. “It’s in Yakima, Washington.” Then where are you?” Millie asked, puzzled. Ken was even more bewildered. “Millie, don’t you know? You made the call.” “But I don’t know what area this is.” Millie had dialed the long-distance operator and given the numbers to her, making it a person-to-person call. And she had found Ken in a parking lot in Dayton, Ohio.

Ken gently counseled the woman, Soon she received Jesus into her life, the one who would lead her out of her situation into a new life. Then he hung up the phone, still dazed. Would his family believe this incredible story? Perhaps he shouldn’t tell anyone about it.

But he had prayed for an answer, and he had received just what he needed—a renewed sense of purpose, a glimpse of the value of his work, and electrifying awareness of God’s concern for each of his children—all in an encounter that could only have been arranged by his heavenly Father.

Ken’s heart overflowed with joy. “Barb,” he exclaimed as his wife climbed back into the bus, “ you won’t believe this!. GOD KNOWS WHERE I AM!”

He has a purpose for each one of us!

GOD TRULY IS THE FATHER OF THE FAITHFUL

As we read in Galatians; let’s not become weary in doing good because in due time we will reap a harvest. Let’s continue to be faithful to our Heavenly Father.