Dear Faithful Seed Sowers!

It is my prayer that we are learning to grow in the grace of Christ each day. I have been thinking about the wonderful hymn, “How Great Thou Art.” I encourage you to take a minute and YouTube your favorite version of this song and sing at the top of your lungs.  Pause and ponder the powerful lyrics and the deep meaning behind the words.

This is an inspiring hymn of praise and adoration, reminding us of God’s unlimited power and love. Although written in 1886, the hymn has become familiar to congregations everywhere around the world.
It especially became an international favorite after the Billy Graham Evangelistic Team used it in their crusades during the late 1940’s and early 1950’s.

The original text was written by a Swedish pastor, Carl Boberg, in 1886. While visiting a beautiful country estate, Boberg was caught in a sudden thunderstorm. The awesome and violent lightning and thunder quickly ended, leaving clear,  brilliant sunshine and the calm, sweet singing of the birds in the trees. Falling on his knees in awe and adoration of Almighty God, the pastor wrote nine stanzas of praise. Swedish congregations began to sing his lines to one of their old folk tunes. The text was later translated into German and Russian and ultimately into English by the Reverend S. K. Hine and his wife, English missionaries to the people of the Ukraine. When war broke out in 1939, it was necessary for the Hines to return to Britain, where Mr. Hine added the fourth stanza to this hymn. These four stanzas by Stuart Hine have since ministered and inspired God’s people worldwide:

O Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder consider all the worlds Thy hands have made, I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder, Thy pow’r thruout the universe displayed!

When thru the woods and forest glades I wander and hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees, when I look down from lofty mountain grandeur and hear the brook and feel the gentle breeze.

And when I think that God, His Son not sparing, sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in—That on the cross, my burden gladly bearing, He bled and died to take away my sin!

When Christ shall come with shout of acclamation and take me home, what joy shall fill my heart! Then I shall bow in humble adoration and there proclaim, my God, how great Thou art!

Refrain: Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee; how great Thou art, how great Thou art! Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee; how great Thou art, how great Thou art![i]

Worship
The first three verses of Psalm 145 teach us so much about worship. When we think of God and His greatness, what is it that we can give to God? The only thing that we can give to God is our praise — our worship.

In the first three verses are three nearly parallel lines — “I will praise you — I will praise you everyday — I will praise you forever and ever.”

“I will praise” you. Praise is worship; it is acknowledging God to be who God truly is. God is the Sovereign Lord of creation. God is holy, just, righteous, merciful, awesome, and majestic. God is with us forever and ever. Say it with David, “I WILL PRAISE YOU, GOD!”.

What worship is not: worship is not coming to God in order to get things from God. Worship is not confessing our sins or pleading for grace, though these things flow naturally from worship. Worship is simple but so difficult for so many. Worship is acknowledging God to be God. Indeed, it is doing precisely what David does in the remainder of this Psalm.

 I will praise you “every day.” David is not going to praise God merely on the Sabbath, though the seventh day (or for us the first day of the week, Sunday) is explicitly set aside for that purpose. Rather, David is going to praise God “every day,” Monday through Sunday. Wow! What a profound statement! Especially in our culture today when so many people are disconnecting from church and worship of God, here is the word of God reminding us to praise God every day. Worship is not just one hour a week. Worship is a 24/7/365 deal. Let’s get on it.

I will praise you “for ever and ever.” “For ever and ever” means more than merely “to the end of my days, until I die.” It means “forever,” indicating David’s belief he would be worshiping God in heaven even after his worship on earth was ended. Fantastic! Forever and ever and ever and ever.

Friends, the Good News for us today is that we will be worshiping God forever and ever–along with the other redeemed saints from all the other ages of world history. Can you only imagine that? Praising God with Peter and Paul and Mary. Praising God with Bonhoeffer. Praising God with Calvin. Praising God with Luther. Praising God with Augustine. Praising God with Mother Teresa.

The “so what” question is right here, right now. “Why don’t I practice worshiping God right now?”

If we were to break down this wonderful Psalm, we would say that David praises God for his greatness (vv. 5–7). David does not stop with praising God for His greatness, David praises God for his grace (vv. 8–13a), his faithfulness (vv. 13b–16), and his righteousness (vv. 17–20).

Here’s your “so what” homework:

• Praise God for His greatness!
• Praise God for His grace!
• Praise God for his faithfulness!
• Praise God for his righteousness!

Yes! Try it right now. Right here as you finish reading this SEED OF FAITH, let that mustard seed of faith grow. Tell God why you think God is great! Tell God about His great grace for you! Tell God about how faithful God has been to you. Thank God for his righteousness. We got this. You can travel to work, school, the grocery store and the mall and thank God for the many beautiful things you see or hear. Thank God for His grace: his glorious riches at Christ’s expense. Wow, you could drive cross country on that one. Look back over your life and thank God for His faithfulness to you. Lastly, praise God for His righteousness. Tell God you want to walk rightly, you want to follow Jesus and you need daily help and strength to do that.

Let’s practice this wonderful advice from David and Psalm 145. And after you are done with this great PRAISE session, play the song and sing along.

HOW GREAT THOU ART. What an opportunity we have to be able to turn our lives into a song of praise.

God loves You and so do I,
Dave

Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him. The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him,  to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.” Lamentations 3:21-26

Dear Faithful Seed-Sowers,

Do you know the famous hymn, “Great Is Thy Faithfulness?” The verses are familiar to many Christians, it is a well-known hymn written by Thomas O. Chisholm (1866–1960):

Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father!
There is no shadow of turning with Thee;
Thou changest not; Thy compassions, they fail not:
As Thou hast been Thou forever wilt be.
Great is Thy faithfulness! Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see;
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided—
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me.

The story of how Chisholm came to write his great hymn reveals a profound truth about God’s faithfulness. Some of our great hymns are written in response to a dramatic spiritual experience. That is not the case with “Great Is Thy Faithfulness”. This hymn was not the product of a single experience but of a lifetime of God’s faithful care. Not long before his death, Chisholm wrote:
“My income has never been large at any time due to impaired health in the earlier years which has followed me on until now. But I must not fail to record here the unfailing faithfulness of a covenant keeping God and that He has given me many wonderful displays of His providing care which have filled me with astonishing gratefulness.”[i]

“While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” Having said this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes. “Go,” he told him, “wash in the Pool of Siloam,” (this word means Sent). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing. John 9:5-7

Dear Faithful Seed Sowers,

We are back in the Gospel of John.  I encourage you to take some time to slowly read John 9:1-41.  Put yourself in the story. Where are you? Who are you?  And then put the story in you–how do I make this word of God relevant in my life today? Wrestle with God’s word because it really is new every morning.

As we enter into this story, we find the blind beggar sitting at the gate of the temple. He is not expecting a miracle. He has been blind from birth. He cannot see Jesus. The disciples see the beggar and ask Jesus who sinned, the blind beggar or his parents. Jesus says, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life.” John 9:3

Wow! Pause and ponder that! This miracle is going to take place so that the work of God might be displayed–in the blind beggar’s life, in his parents’ lives and in our lives. Maybe a few good “so what?” questions to kick-off the message are:

Where am I blind?

What is my blind spot in life?

How is the work of God being displayed in your life?

How is something really hard and heavy in your life going to be used for God’s glory?

Let us remember that the blind beggar did not pray for sight. At least, we are not told that he did. He was a beggar. It is a beggar’s task to beg. But he did not beg for sight. He is sort of akin to the beggar on the street corners here; waiting at the stoplight, hoping those who catch the red lights will be generous. The blind beggar’s condition was hopeless; what is the use of asking for something that everyone knows cannot happen!? The blind man certainly did not expect the miracle that was about to be performed by Jesus. The beggar was begging for a way to survive the day. He would be back tomorrow and the next day and the day after that—begging. Just as he had since anyone can remember.

Jesus sees the man and goes to work. I want to tell you right now that Jesus sees you! Jesus knows where you are–that is just the kind of God He is! Jesus knows where we are blind and He know our blind spots that continually cause us to fail. And–he’s walking by as you cry out.

Jesus goes to work. He spits on the ground and makes some mud with His spit. Now that is a whole different sermon. Jesus makes the mud and puts it on the eyes of the blind man and tells him to go to Pool of Siloam and wash.

It was simply put, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (v. 7). It was simple; it contains only seven words. It was personal; it was directed to the blind man and to him alone. It involved a test of obedience; for it involved a response to the Lord Jesus Christ. Has the Holy Spirit (the identical twin of Jesus) ever spoken to you? Ever whispered a command to you? He has to me—and it has never been more than just a few words: give that beggar $10, fill that kid’s car up, call this person, go visit that person. If you are learning to listen to God’s voice—remember this, listen for those short give-or-take-7 words–and then go do it. (Remember, the voice of the Holy Spirit will never contradict Scripture, or fulfill it.)

Do you know that the distance between the Temple Gate and the Pool of Siloam is around 70-80 yards? Almost the length of a football field.

Can you enter into this story?
You have been blind from birth. You cannot see the man who is talking to you. All you feel is this wet mud being put on your eyes. Then you are told by the man to go to the Pool of Siloam. Have you ever thought, how did the blind man know which way to walk? How did he maneuver around a crowd of thousands in order to get the pool?

I think this was really a test of obedience. Are you in this story? Jesus just put mud onto a blind guy’s eyes and told him to go wash in the pool that is 100 yards away through a crowd of thousands. (And sometimes I am put out because I just want to punch my card in the payment finder, fill my car with gas and go–and then I hear—”Dave, you see that kid. That kid over there is hungry—buy him some food.” The blind beggar is now on his way to the pool of Siloam. He is blind. Remember that.

I believe that in the same way, the gospel, the Good News that comes to us is simple— “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved.” It is personal; you must believe. Above all, it is a test of obedience; for the question is, “Will you believe? Will you trust Jesus?”  Listen if you are hesitating, let the blind man be your guide.

If you are hesitating, you are blinder by far than the blind beggar. What did he do? He was blind, but as the old Puritan divine John Trapp quaintly observed, “He obeyed Christ blindly.”

SO WHAT?
How are you and I doing being obedient to Jesus?

The blind man could not see Jesus, but Jesus saw him. Moreover, when he saw him, he saw him as a man who needed his help. Jesus alone saw him in this way. The disciples looked at the man and saw him as a sinner. “Who sinned,” they asked, “this man or his parents?” The passersby saw him as a beggar. “Isn’t he the man who sat and begged?” The Pharisees saw him as a tool to maneuver to trap Jesus. But Jesus—well, Jesus saw him as a man who needed help, and gave him more than he asked for or dreamed of–his SIGHT.

Here we are, at that famous time of the message: SO WHAT?

What does this message have to do with me?

Where am I in this story?

I believe that there are two kinds of people in this world — GRACE STEALERS and GRACE GIVERS. Are you are grace-giver or a grace-stealer?

THIS RIGHT HERE is your homework for this week, and really forever. Every day—stop and take an inventory of who you are. Take an inventory of where you may be blind. Look at your life, your family, your neighborhood, your schools, your job, your church—and ask yourself this question: AM I A GRACE STEALER or A GRACE GIVER? And then…get ready…and hear this:  JESUS IS PASSING BY YOUR WAY Today and every day.

Let us pray, “Jesus—Where we lack…help us. Where we are blind, give us sight. Where we have become grace stealers, grace destroyers, grace killers—change us…and make us more like you. Teach us how to see the truth and help the truth to set us free…free to be grace givers… like you.”

As my wife and I travel on airplanes, we always buy 4 coffee cards for the flight attendants who will be on our service. Our son taught us that simple act of kindness. Really. Think about it. That is a hard job. Anyway, we gave our card to the chief attendant who passed them out sometime during the flight. One of the attendants came up and asked if we were the gifters. She then told us when she was in training, her roommate (also in training) was on the flight on 9-11. With tears in her eyes, she said, “Thank you for writing, “We remember” with a scripture on this card.  YUP. Sometimes Jesus asks things of us that we cannot comprehend. DO IT ANYWAY.

See you Sunday

God loves you and so do I,
Pastor Dave
www.theseedchristianfellowship.com

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it. There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John.  He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world. John 1:1-9

Dear Faithful Seed Sowers:

Let’s recap the book of John quickly:  in John six Jesus feeds the five thousand and proclaims for the first time that He is the Great I Am by saying, “I Am the Bread of Life.”  In Chapter seven Jesus confronts the religious leaders and at the beginning of chapter eight we are told the story of the woman caught in adultery.   Then Jesus goes out into the temple courtyard and proclaims “I Am the Light of the World.  Here is where we will spend our time today.

I would like to set the scene for you so that you can enter into the story.  The Feast of Tabernacles is going on in Jerusalem.  This is one of the three, major feasts or festivals held in Jerusalem. There are millions of people who make the pilgrimage to Jerusalem for the feasts in order to celebrate all that God had done for them in the past.  The Feast of Tabernacles was held in the fall and was also called the Feast of Booths.  The Hebrew word is “Sukkoth.”  The people came to Jerusalem and lived in booths made of tree branches.  This was to remind them of how their ancestors’ wandered in the wilderness for forty years. This festival lasted seven days.  They told stories of how God provided water from the rock in the desert and of daily manna that fell from heaven.  They remembered how God provided a cloud by day to guide them and a fire by night to warm them.  Compare these festivals to a sort like our Christmas and our Easter…these were the big, Jewish holidays!

In the midst of this festival Jesus tells the people exactly who He is. On each morning of the day of the festival, the Jews made procession to the pool of Siloam.  They drew water out of the pool with their golden pitchers.  Then they processed back to the temple area and poured the water from their golden pitchers onto the altar of sacrifice.  The people would sing and shout and praise God for God’s provision of water from the rock in wilderness. It was in the midst of the last of these morning processions that John recorded these words, “On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, ‘If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.’” John 7:37-38

Jesus tells the crowd gathered that he is the living water.  Turn to Him and you will never be thirsty again.

During the Feast, they poured water from the pool of Siloam onto the altar of sacrifice.  That was only the first part of the daily celebration.  The second part of the daily feast started at dusk, in the court of the women.  They lit four, huge candelabras.   So brilliant was the light from these candelabras that “there was not a courtyard in Jerusalem that did not reflect their light.”[i]

Think of how we light the torch for the Olympics…same idea!  Just imagine how bright and brilliant those candelabras were.  The light reminded them of the fire by night that protected them, provided for them, and guided them.  The fire would also remind them of the cloud by day that sheltered them from the desert heat (140 degrees).

In the midst of this great Festival, with millions in Jerusalem, Jesus proclaims, “I am the light of the world.  Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12)

In May 1995, Randy Reid, a 34-year-old construction worker, was welding on top of a nearly completed water tower outside Chicago. According to writer Melissa Ramsdell, Reid unhooked his safety gear to reach for some pipes when a metal cage slipped and bumped the scaffolding he stood on. The scaffolding tipped, and Reid lost his balance. He fell 110 feet, landing face down on a pile of dirt, just missing rocks and construction debris. A fellow worker called 911.

When paramedics arrived, they found Reid conscious, moving, and complaining of a sore back. Apparently, the fall didn’t cost Reid his sense of humor. As paramedics carried him on a backboard to the ambulance, Reid had one request: “Don’t drop me.” (Doctors later said Reid came away from the accident with a bruised lung.)

Sometimes we resemble that construction worker. God protects us from harm of a 110-foot fall and we’re nervous about a three-foot height. The God who saved us from hell, death and the grave can protect us from all the dangers we face this week.[ii]

Jesus stood in the midst of the courtyard of the women and proclaimed “I Am — YAHWEH— I Am the light of the world!” 

You don’t have to fear!

You don’t have to worry!

You don’t have to fret!

I Am who I Am and I AM who I always will be and I have heard your cry!  I will be who I will be! I will be here to light your path…today, tomorrow…always.

In Psalm 27:1 David the Psalmist says — “The Lord is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear?  The Lord is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid?”

What I am about to share with is true. It sounds crazy but I have a witness–my wife, Jac. In 1994 Jac and I took a trip to a parent event for our eldest daughter’s sorority. Jennifer attended the same college that we did so it was always a good time to return to campus–8 hours away (NMSU now Truman State). We were driving home late at night on the back roads from Kirksville, MO. Way far in the distance we started to see a light in the sky. We wondered if it was a fire or fireworks (it was February). The closer we got, the brighter in the sky it got. It looked like a lit-up cloud. The closer we got to the freeway (I-80), the bigger and brighter the cloud became. We turned onto the freeway and headed east for home. Guess what? That cloud followed us. It didn’t matter if we went 80 mph or 50. It didn’t matter if we stopped for food or gas. We didn’t have our camera and we didn’t have a cell phone. Jac and I were freaked out. The cloud followed us from Cedar Rapids, Iowa to Rochelle, Illinois. As we passed the Rochelle water tower, the cloud stopped and disappeared. We even stopped, turned around and went back over the bridge to the water tower just to make sure! Just a few weeks earlier, the University of Dubuque Theological Seminary had called me to offer me a full scholarship to attend seminary. I was 39 years old and I wanted to go to seminary but I thought I’d wait til the kids all graduated high school and then sell the house and go to seminary. NOPE. God had other plans. I was offered a NEVER HEARD OF FULL SCHOLARSHIP with a commuter room included. We prayed about the offer, talked with the kids (who all said, “GO!”) and I was set to quit the family business in August and go back to get my Masters of Divinity.

Jac and I often talk about this crazy cloud. One thing for sure, Jesus is the light of the world! In the end, I think I’ve decided that this was my Gideon’s fleece of a sort; a sort of “ENTER THE PROMISED LAND OF SEMINARY, DAVE!” In five months, I will celebrate my 25th anniversary of ordained ministry. Sometimes the ways of God are so far above my own–it’s just time to go take a tylenol and lay down to recover!

So What?
Are you afraid today? 

Do you think that God has forgotten you? 

Are you in a dark place in your life? 

Have you fallen 110 feet and don’t think you’ll be able to get up? 

The Good News is that God is with us! 

God protects us.  When Jesus told the people in the middle of that courtyard, “I AM the light of the world” they immediately envisioned God creating Light and separating darkness.  They immediately envisioned a cloud of light by day and a cloud of fire by night.  Protected from the desert heat, and the freezing nights—Jesus is saying He is the light that will protect us from the darkness.

COUNT ON IT! Our God is greater than our darkness.

See you Sunday!
God loves you and so do I,
Pastor Dave
www.theseedchristianfellowship.com

Dear Faithful Seed Sowers:

It is our prayer here at The Seed that we all come to know the love of God, grow in the grace of Jesus Christ, go in the power of the Holy Spirit sowing seeds of faith in our families, neighborhoods, work places and everywhere we go. TIME IS SHORT. Let’s live our faith today and every day.

If you were able to read last week’s Seed of Faith, you heard that sometimes Jesus sends us into the storms of life and even as we enter the storm, Jesus sees us. We are sent and seen by our Lord and Savior.

The “So What” questions last week were —

So What? How about you? Are you currently in a storm?
Take heart—
JESUS SENDS YOU INTO THE STORMS OF LIFE.
JESUS SEES YOU IN THE STORMS OF OUR LIFE.

Keep looking up and trusting Jesus.

Today we conclude our study of this passage above.

Take heart—JESUS SENDS YOU INTO THE STORMS OF YOUR LIFE…And…JESUS SEES YOU IN THE STORMS OF YOUR LIFE.

We are ready to continue! Point 3: JESUS STILLS THE STORM OR HE STILLS US IN THE STORM.

JESUS STILLS THE STORM
Here comes the miracle. Jesus comes walking on the water. Now remember the waves are three feet tall. The lake is not calm. Jesus is not only a miracle winemaker! Jesus is not only a healer! Jesus is now a wave-walker, death defeater! (And it only gets better and better!)

We just went to our grandchildren’s league finals track meet. We watched them run, jump, and throw. What amazing athletic talent it takes to compete in the various running and field events. I thought wrestling was hard. I read the other day that you would have to sprint sixty-seven miles an hour to actually to walk on water. Did you hear that? 67 MPH. “The fastest recorded foot speed is 27.79 miles an hour, by Jamaican Olympic Gold Medalist Usain Bolt. Reaching sixty-seven miles an hour would require fifteen more times the energy than the human body is capable of expending.”[i]

Jesus now walks up alongside the boat and says to the disciples, “It is I; don’t be afraid.” Then they were willing to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the shore where they were heading.” John 6:20-21

The Greek for “It is I” is “ego eimi.” Which translated is “I Am”,  “I am the alpha and the omega. I am the beginning and the end. I am the first and the last. I am the same yesterday, today, tomorrow, and forever. I am in the burning bush, I am in the fiery furnace with you, I am in the lion’s den with you, I am with you when you are swallowed by a big fish or facing a giant like Goliath. I am with you as you cross your Red Sea or Jordan River. I Am who I am! Do not be afraid!”

Our son had a football coach who would always tell the boys when the game was getting difficult — “I do not care how rough the waters are, just bring the ship home.” The waters were rough for the disciples, but with Jesus’ help, the storm was stilled and they could bring the ship home.

In an instant the disciples’ attitude changed 180 degrees from frightened and fearful to faithful disciples again. A moment before, they had feared for their lives. Then they heard the voice of Christ. Note that he did not say, “Don’t be afraid” before he said, “It is I.” When we focus upon Christ, we begin to find and receive his help. I love that Jesus appeared in the middle of the worst of the storm. And, true to fashion, GOD SPEAKS into the chaos once again.  (Why not let God speak into your chaos? Just sayin’.)

There once was a king who offered a prize to the artist who would paint the best picture of peace. Paintings arrived from all over—everyone wanted the prize! The day came to announce the winner. The king uncovered picture after picture: A calm lake, an ocean sunset, a flock of sheep on a grassy hill, blue sky with fluffy clouds, a lake with majestic mountains in the background. The king uncovered the last picture: Rugged mountains, angry sky, it was raining and lightning. A waterfall tumbled down the cliff. It did not look peaceful but looked cold and penetrating. Deep in the painting was a little bird in a nest on the branch of a tree. The branch was leaning over the tumultuous waterfall. Yet there, in the midst of all the turbulence, sat the mother bird on her nest—in perfect peace.

Remember this, if Jesus sent you (or allowed you to be sent), Jesus sees you, and Jesus will either STILL the storm or Jesus will still YOU– like the mother bird in her nest; safely hidden from the storm raging around her.

Best news for last: POINT FOUR: JESUS SAVES!

JESUS SAVES
Missionary pilot Forrest Zander shared some of his experiences in a book titled, “His Faithfulness Reaches to the Skies.” On one occasion, Zander and his copilot were crossing the Andes Mountains in Colombia, crossing at 16,000 feet, which they were wearing their oxygen masks. As he watched the fuel gauges, he was alarmed to see the needles going down much faster than expected. There was a problem somewhere, and Zander still had the last three ranges of the Andes to cross. He needed to refuel, but where? No commercial airport was near, and alternate airstrips were rare. Having cleared the highest mountain peaks and passed the foothills on the eastern side, Zander quickly descended to preserve fuel and looked for a place to land. Then he spotted an airstrip right at the foot of the mountains. But what about fuel? Would they have any? Circling the airstrip, he saw containers of aviation-grade fuel guarded by a contingent of armed soldier. Drug dealers used the airstrip. Zander had no choice but to land, and he was immediately surrounded by guards with their guns. When he explained the problem, the commander offered to give him the fuel, but as he refueled, a black storm cloud approached. The entire group of missionaries and soldiers fled to a protected area. It was a perfect setup. As the rain pattered and poured on the roof, Zander read to the men from his Spanish Bible, shared the Gospel with them, and left the Bible for them to study.

Zander wrote, “Then joyfully, we departed, realizing again that our times are in the Lord’s hands. Sometimes delays and problems as His way of opening doors to new opportunities to love people and serve Him.”

I remember my first call as a new pastor in a rural church in Missouri. The call to the church was a tough call. It is a long story for another day. After being in the ministry for a year, I was at my breaking point and ready to throw in the towel. I said to myself, “I gave up everything to follow you God and this is it?”  I was in the middle of the lake trying to row the ship home. It was dark. It was one of the darkest times I have ever experienced. I was sure that I was failure and that my boat of ministry was going to sink.

My wife and I went to Silver Dollar City in Branson to get away from everything one Sunday night. We were walking out of the park that night and we noticed people going in. Where were they going?  Hundreds of people were exiting the park, yet hundreds were heading back in. We stopped a few people and asked them where they were going. They told us that every Sunday night they hold a concert outside and this night it was group by the name of “Third Day.” To be honest with you, I had never heard of the group, but we did not want to go home. I said to Jac, “Let’s go!” That was my introduction to Third Day. That was a life changing night. At the end of the concert, Max Powell, the lead singer asked everyone to sit down. He gave a Gospel message. “Some of you are going through tough times. I want you to have hope in Jesus. We’re going to sing a song called, ‘My Hope Is You.'”  He told us to sit and not to stand until we really believed that our Hope is Jesus. Jac jumped up pretty early. I sat there thinking about how dark this church storm was, how difficult it was, and how God had seemingly forgotten me. I listened to the words and began to cry. I finally stood and said to God, MY HOPE IS YOU.

Here is a YouTube link for song MY HOPE IS YOU by Third Day.
https://youtu.be/85XmMoYlTPU

I do not know where you are. You might be on the sunny side of the beach. If you are, ENJOY. DRINK IT ALL IN! Because we all go through storms but if you’re in the sunshine–live it up!

You might be in the middle of the lake and the waves are crashing and wind is blowing. You might be sitting in the dark and it seems to be getting darker.

Remember Jesus sends you; Jesus sees you, Jesus stills either you or your storm, and Jesus saves.

From that dark storm of my first call, I took a second call to a place I said I’d never be sent. (Don’t do that. God hears. I believe he said, “Pastor Dave? California. Check.”) Listen, I have spent 19 of my 24 years here in California. It is my call. It is where I fit. It is where I belong. Through the storm I have come to understand how wide, how deep, how long and how high is the love of Christ…for me…for you..for the world.

Whatever storms you face, the great I AM is with you. Go listen to the song and sit until you know that you know: MY HOPE IS YOU.

Just have to say in closing: row, row, row YOUR boat! Jesus sends, sees, stills, and saves; yesterday, today and tomorrow–and forever and ever. TRUST Him.

See you Sunday!
God loves you and so do I,
Pastor Dave
www.theseedchristianfellowship.com

Well, it has been a very, long time since I sat down to write and send a “Seed of Faith”. Please forgive me.  I have been a little overwhelmed with ministry and we have had eight family members and 4 best friends die during the past two years. We have have spent a lot of family time grieving during the past few months. My wife and I just returned from a 3 week trip to bury her parents’ urns. We fulfilled their last wishes and they are “safely home” to their final resting spot in St. Louis. During these three weeks, we were able to do two weddings, and 3 funerals. On the trip out to St. Louis, our car got hit by a weight that dropped off of semi traveling at 75 mph, while we were traveling at 80 mph! We were so lucky that the weight hit the front lights and did not travel up the hood. God protected us and we are thankful. We ended up having days and days of mysterious vehicle problems afterwards but got that all taken care of in St. Louis. God provided a sister-in-law who worked at Lou Fusz in St. Louis and she got us right into the service bay. It was an expensive set of repairs but our lives are worth more than that! We truly are thankful for the time away. We’ve been really swamped with all that the past two years have entailed and found ourselves empty and exhausted as we spent a week in the Lake of the Ozarks–merely floating in the lake and reading. All in all, it feels really good to know Mom and Dad are finally resting in peace along with the rest of their family members in St. Louis. A great accomplishment for Jac and me.

I don’t know how long it’s been since I sent out a SEED OF FAITH. I do have to share that I received several emails saying, “I don’t know how I stopped receiving your “SEED OF FAITH” but will you put me back on the email list?” Uh, sure. So here we go! Strap up and let’s get back to planting SEEDS OF FAITH!

I love this story in the Bible of Jesus walking on water.  What a miracle.  This story is found in three gospels: Matthew and Mark and John.

There will be four points to this message.
Jesus sends us!
Jesus sees us!
Jesus stills the storms around or within us!
Jesus saves us!

In this Seed of Faith we will cover two points and pick up next week with the final two.

JESUS SENDS US!
Enter into this story for a few minutes. Jesus and His disciples got up early in the morning and rowed their boats across the Sea of Galilee where they landed on the far side of Sea, around Bethsaida. A very large crowd followed Jesus. Jesus had compassion on them (as Jesus has for you and me) and wanted to feed them. The disciples thought Jesus should send everyone home and have them come back tomorrow! But Jesus sent out a search committee who came back with five barley loaves and two fish–a young boy’s lunch! Jesus blessed the loaves and the fish–and five thousand men, plus women and children are fed. AND…there’s 12 baskets of leftovers! Scholars say that there were really more like 15,000 and 20,000 people—counting the women and children!

Now it’s time for you and me to truly enter into the story and to let the story enter into us.

We’ve just rowed over to Bethsaida. We’re being followed by a huge crowd. Everyone is hungry! Jesus is breaking the bread and fish, the disciples are running around handing out bread and fish to thousands of people. Can you imagine how tired the disciples are? (hmm, being tired must be one main ingredient for throwing yourself a pity party?)  The disciples have rowed their boats 6 1/2 to 7 miles across the Sea of Galilee and are now working in the hot sun feeding 20,000 people. They finally get all done feeding the multitude of people and picking up the leftovers and Jesus decides to send them back across the sea to Capernaum. We are told it is evening. The disciples are tired. They’ve worked all morning rowing their boats across the sea, they’ve worked all afternoon and now it is evening and Jesus tells them to get in their boats and row back across the sea in the dark! Work. Work. Work.  Is there anybody listening who feels the same way? I do. I can identify. Maybe this first SEED OF FAITH back to work is just for me!

Gospel writer John does not tell us that Jesus told them to get in the boats. But in Mark’s account and Matthew’s account we read that it is Jesus who sends them. Matthew records it this way, “Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd.” (Matthew 14:22) This is a story of faith from beginning to end. Matthew 14:22 tells us Jesus “made the disciples get into the boat.” The word “made” could also be translated “compelled”— “to compel by force or persuasion or to constrain.” Kind of makes me think that just maybe the disciples were tired, too. Maybe they had visions of sugarplums in their heads and thought it might be time to take a siesta under the olive trees?

I do not know all the struggles, battles, confrontations, difficult situations and fearful conditions you find yourself in day after day. Have you ever thought that maybe it is Jesus who has sent you into these storms you face? Now just a sidebar for minute. Not all the storms we face in life are directly brought to us by Jesus. We are human and we definitely make our share of sins and mistakes that cause us pain and confusion. We also fight a common enemy of evil who wants to steal, kill and destroy us. (John 10:10)

Maybe a good so what question here is, “Why would Jesus send His disciples out on the lake at night by themselves? Why does Jesus send you and me out into the dark at night to face the storms of life while He is up on the mountain alone with God having some QT (quiet time).

Yep…there’s the disciples working all day and night and there’s Jesus—having a little QT! Are you in the story, yet? I am, and I, for one, vote for sleeping under the stars tonight but that’s not the story. The story is, “Dave, get in the boat and row back home.”

Is our Lord is saying to us, “Those of you who have decided to follow me as your Savior are going to be sailing your vessels into the winds of life. You are going to have trouble. Obey anyway.”

There are two ways to get into storms. One is to flee God’s will, like Jonah did. A great storm blew up, and he ended up in a fish’s belly. That is different from the disciples’ situation. They were in the midst of a storm because they were obedient (not disobedient) to God. Those of us who have decided to follow Jesus and give him all of our allegiance will often face contrary winds, no doubt about it.

POINT 1: JESUS SENDS US INTO THE STORMS OF LIFE.

POINT 2 follows quickly now: JESUS SEES US.

No matter what the storm is that you are facing, if Jesus sent you, Jesus sees you! And that even goes if you created the storm yourself by being disobedient! It’s the beauty of the GOSPEL.

JESUS SEES YOU!
Jesus sees you in the storms of life! We are told in our story that Jesus sent the disciples back into the boat knowing there would be a storm. On the other hand, Jesus went up the mountain to be alone with His Father. Are you in the story? We’re tired. We’ve poured out all day and now…we’re headed to home, sweet, home!

We, too, need to spend time alone with God but that is an entirely different sermon. Jesus up on the mountain with God His Father. Did you know that in Scripture a mountain is often used as a symbol of a place of authority? Jesus is up in a place of authority and from there He sees His disciples struggling.

Mark’s account of this tells us that Jesus saw them. Listen to how Mark tells the story and enter in — “When evening came, the boat was in the middle of the lake, and he was alone on land. He saw the disciples straining at the oars, because the wind was against them. About the fourth watch of the night he went out to them, walking on the lake. He was about to pass by them,  but when they saw him walking on the lake, they thought he was a ghost. They cried out, because they all saw him and were terrified.” Mark 6:47-50

The Greek word for “He Saw” is a verb and it means that Jesus “understood, perceived, knew, paid attention and saw them” What a powerful thought! Jesus knows, perceives, pays attention, and sees us in the storms of our lives—He sees us in every storm we’re in during our lifetime. Powerful thought.

Not only are the disciples in a storm but some scholars suggest that waves could have been up to five feet tall. There have been recorded ten-foot waves on the Sea of Galilee that caused damage to the modern day town of Tiberias. We do not know how big the waves were. They could have been three feet to ten feet tall. And…no motor to power them on.

These were experienced fishermen. The water was sloshing into the boat. Soaking all the disciples in the dark and the cold of the night. We are told that it was fourth watch of the night which is between 3 and 6 in the morning. Enter Jesus! Jesus came to his threatened, frightened, and scared followers during the darkest part of the night WALKING ON THE WATER! Jesus came to His disciples when they were exhausted, miserable, tired, and afraid. They were wondering, “Are we going to survive this storm!” (Can you relate?) Only then did the Lord come. Boy, does that sound familiar to me.

There we were, on the freeway between Needles and Kingman. Desert. Hot. And this octagon weight falls off the semi we are passing and bounces on the ground. After we got hit, we pulled off the freeway and checked out to see if there was any damage. The passenger side, front headlight was smashed to pieces. We decided we could still drive in the daylight and made it to Albuquerque. We started having trouble with the air conditioning but it worked until we stopped in Witchita. The next morning as we started to head to Kansas City for a wedding, we had no air. It was 108–without the heat index and on the hot pavement. We were in the middle of nowhere. Little did we know that the weight had also hit our battery and by the time we were in St. Louis–doing my brother-in-law’s wedding, our care refused to turn over. (It was a sight to see: me in a suit and tie and dress shoes–trying to get the car to turn over–in 108 degree heat without the index factor.) Jesus sent me on this trip to bury my wife’s parents. Jesus saw me trying to find the battery then lift the battery out from behind the passenger seat. Stay tuned–next week Jesus is going to still my storm and save me!

So What? How about you? Are you currently in a storm?
Take heart—
JESUS SENDS YOU INTO THE STORMS OF LIFE.
JESUS SEES YOU IN THE STORMS OF OUR LIFE.

Keep looking up and trusting Jesus.

See you Sunday!
God loves you and so do I,
Pastor Dave
www.theseedchristianfellowship.com