Made, Marred and Made Again
Good News
February 1, 2012 - An outstanding businessman came to us and said, “My life is a complete wreck. I have spent so much this past year on psychiatrists—they cannot patch me up. I’m too far gone to save. The only hope for me is if God would remake me.”
By Billy Graham
Our minds immediately flew to Jeremiah, the 18th chapter, and the wonderful story of the potter’s house. Jeremiah says, “Then I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was, making something at the wheel. And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter; so he made it again into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to make” (Jeremiah 18:3-4).
Then Jeremiah went on to quote God as saying, “Look, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are you in My hand” (Jeremiah 18:6).
Here is a vivid picture of life painted by the Prophet Jeremiah. He portrays God as the divine potter and man as the clay that the Master Artist seeks to make into a vessel of usefulness. But in the process, the vessel becomes marred—a flaw appears in the work—and tenderly the skilled Craftsman of life refashions it to His own liking.
What an accurate portrayal of people! We, like that vessel, were made of earth. The Bible says, “The Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being” (Genesis 2:7).
Three points stand out boldly in the parable of the potter: made, marred and made again.
First, He made it
Man, in his pride and self-styled wisdom, would claim that he is self-created. He would wrest himself from the skillful hands of the Potter, and cry, “I evolved and I am the product of natural law; I am self-created!” He would devise all sorts of theories to convince himself that he came into being independent of Almighty God. But despite all his claims of self-creation, the only true record and the only true evidence indicates that it was otherwise.
The Bible says that God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness ... So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him” (Genesis 1:26-27).
And, notice, God did not make man haphazardly, but with an infinite plan and purpose. He made him in His own image and likeness: a creature with which He could commune and fellowship. You were made for God’s fellowship, and to fulfill any other purpose is to fail to fulfill your destiny.
That heart of yours, which, despite its evil and waywardness, in its serious moments cries out for fellowship with the infinite God. That mind of yours, so fraught with evil imaginations, sensual images and earthly aspirations, longs for communion with the divine Potter.
That body of yours, tired of its labors and wanderings, aching with loneliness, hungers for companionship with the One for whom you were created.
Thousands of people admit that they are unhappy. Economic security, recreation, pleasure and a good community to live in have not brought about the peace and happiness they expected. The reason is that man was created in the image of God and can find no complete rest, happiness, joy and peace until he comes back to God.
You were not only made for a purpose, you were made with a will of your own. This will of yours is capable of obeying or disobeying, of choosing life or death, darkness or light, Heaven or hell, sin or the Savior. If there is no will, there can be no true love. God wanted us to love Him willingly, with a free heart, by choice. This was the only way true love and fellowship could be achieved. As we all know, man failed. Curiosity, lust and pride caused man to turn his back on all the golden promise of Eden and to ply his way to the forbidden tree with its peculiar beguiling.
Second, God’s vessel became marred
That paradise of peace was turned into a prison of confusion. The sun sank over the fringe of Eden and the gloom of despair and loneliness settled down upon the world. Man, who a few hours previously had basked in the glorious light of Eden, now hid in the shadows of a haunted forest and the sword of his conscience cut deeply into his soul. “The vessel had become marred in the hands of the Potter.” Man had become a sinner, a transgressor, a disobedient child of creation. He was immediately classified as an alien from God and even as an enemy.
The wreckage of sin’s devastation can be seen strewn along the shores of time. History is full of it. Cain, vanishing into a forest of condemnation, with his innocent brother’s blood crying from the ground; the faithless people of Noah’s generation, slipping into the relentless flood of God’s judgment; the sufferings of a wicked Pharaoh, as he wantonly defied God’s plea of mercy; Samson, who once knew the presence of God’s Spirit, blindly and remorsefully turning the mill of his enemies; King Saul, consumed with envy, falling on the edge of his own sword; Jezebel, defiant and unbelieving, cast from the window of her palace for the dogs to eat; David, broken and shattered with sorrow brought on by his own imagination.
It seemed that God’s plan had failed—that Satan, who coveted God’s throne, had outwitted the Most High, and that the whole human experiment had ended ingloriously. But the Potter was not thwarted by the marring of His vessel. Immediately, in love and mercy, He put His plan into action to restore the marred vessel to a vessel of honor. Even in the judgment He pronounced was a hidden promise of hope. He said, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel” (Genesis 3:15).
The seed of the woman was to be the Son of God who would fatally bruise Satan’s head and restore ruined man to God. So, although the story of Genesis contains tragedy, it also holds out radiant hope and a golden promise of restoration.
The fall—the marring of man—had proved one thing: man’s righteousness had utterly failed. God gave him liberty and he abused it. God gave him strength and he dissipated it. God gave him privilege and he squandered it. This vessel that God had created broke at the point of man’s responsibility and became utterly marred.
Every day a million scenes like the one in Eden are reenacted. Men trade their divine rights for a pittance of pleasure, their favor with God for the tawdry things of this world. Each day a thousand sons of Adam slip away into the shadows of their spiritual Eden. But now as then, God in patience and tenderness seeks to restore and redeem His marred vessels.
Through Christ, a way has been opened to God, but now as then, we must approach Him in the manner which He has prescribed, and not our own.
Third, He made it again into another vessel
My first impulse was to use the word mended for this point, but it doesn’t fit the picture or the parable. The Book of Jeremiah doesn’t say the Potter mended the vessel; it says, “He made it again into another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make.”
Our ruin was complete, but our redemption is even more complete. We were utterly marred; we are made completely new in Christ. We were utterly lost; we are saved through Him to the uttermost. Salvation is not a patching up of the old man—it is a new creation. “Old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17).
The emphasis today, in many circles, is on patching up the old nature. They see in it some degree of righteousness remaining; some hope apart from a divine miracle; some way of skirting the doctrine of the new birth. “Think good thoughts; do good deeds; be the person you ought to be!” But human nature in its unredeemed state is helpless to think good thoughts, to do good deeds, to measure up to God’s requirements.
The Bible says, “You were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation” (Ephesians 2:12-14).
A gospel that appeals to our reason or righteousness will always be popular, for people like to feel that we can circumvent the cross of Christ. The cross left no footing for man to stand upon. It put the responsibility of man’s redemption upon Christ. Had not man failed? And was he not and is he not continuing to fail? Hasn’t history proved that “there is none righteous, no, not one”? (Romans 3:10).
The cross comes with its mighty power to bring low as well as to exalt, for it exalts none but those whom first it humbles. It calls the pious worshiper to come down out of his ivory tower and to take his place at the cross with the outcast and the vile. It tells the earnest seeker and the anxious inquirer that by their own efforts they are made not one whit better until they put their hope fully in Him who was slain. It tells the sincere evangelical, whose mind is a treasury of orthodox doctrines, that he must stand beside the drunkard and harlot and say, “God be merciful to me a sinner!” (Luke 18:13).
I realize that these are hard sayings, but the Bible says that the cross is an offense to the righteousness of man. The cross says that “all have sinned” (Romans 3:23). It decrees that every person, marred by sin, must be remade.
It is more than pardon, for forgiveness cancels the old wrong but leaves a man where he is morally. It is even more than justification, for justification makes a man judicially worthy in the sight of God. The cross means life. The theme of the New Testament is life, eternal life. “In Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive” (1 Corinthians 15:22). “Whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).
So the heavenly Potter, through a process that unfolded through the centuries, “made it again into another vessel as it seemed good to the potter to make.”
But the will of man remains intact. The first man used his will to choose death. You must use your will to choose life! Every provision has been made. Every promise is yours, but it will not be forced upon you. God invites, but you must come. The Bible says, “The Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come!’ And let him who hears say, ‘Come!’ And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely” (Revelation 22:17). ©1956 BGEA?
Scripture quotations are taken from The Holy Bible, New King James Version.
12 Comments
Belinda says 2.3.2012, 12:21 a.m.
Dearest Billy Graham, this message spoke to my heart! What can I say, God's timing is "perfect"!Thank you for allowing God to use you in such a mighty way! I never "look to man", but I know that you are truly a man of God! Thank you Jesus!!!
Sue says 2.3.2012, 11:17 a.m.
The Rock of Fathers in My life Lord God Almighty Wendell Stanton - my Father Billy Graham Thank you My Fathers! I am very blessed.
daniel says 2.2.2012, 6:53 p.m.
You are the Potter song I am the clay Mold me and make me this is what I pray. Change my heart Oh God Make it ever new Change my heart Oh God may I Be LIKE You. I hope and pray that my heart soul and mind might be changed towards Lord Christ Jesus!
Vivian says 2.2.2012, 5:34 p.m.
Thank you for today's uplifting and encouraging message. It's just a reminder that the Lord is the POTTER and we are the clay He is molding and shaping every day. We need to Trust and Believe. I feel so blessed...thank you.
Camelia says 2.2.2012, 09:50 a.m.
Thank you for this wonderful message. It gives me the encouragement and the hope that whatever it happens in my life, either worse or better, there is nothing to fear of, because God is with me. God bless you!
phil says 2.2.2012, 09:45 a.m.
A Christian of 22 years nearly yet I needed to read this yet a again. Gosh, you just don't realize how you've slipped off course. Bless you Billy. Thank you so much. It was in '68 I 1st met you Billy at Earls Court. I should have hung on then.
Simon Ruiz Prandy says 2.2.2012, 08:57 a.m.
I love Billy Graham and the works of his Ministry...God continue blessing You!!!
Gigi says 2.2.2012, 00:03 a.m.
Thank you so much for sending this message, I sure agree with this all together. Thank God for your Ministry Billy. God bless you and yours always. Sweet Spirit.
Tess says 2.1.2012, 10:44 p.m.
Thank you for this... beautiful!!! The Potter has ALL authority to make use of this ol' clay!!!
Lyn says 2.1.2012, 10:20 p.m.
This is an amazing article and so true, life is not content without Our Lord Jesus Christ. Thank You BGEA Ministries for your faithfulness and trust in sending out His Word and Truth. I cannot live a day without Him.
Beverly says 2.1.2012, 4:15 p.m.
Thank God for bringing faithful men like you into the world for such a time as this. Thank you for your constancy and faithfulness throughout the years.
Debbie says 1.31.2012, 11:06 p.m.
I am so thankful I receive BGEA Ministries on FB. I read about the man who had been to Psychiatrists...and then clicked on and read the whole article written by Rev. Graham..also listened to a couple of messages. I feel so lifted up and blessed.____________________________________________________________________________________
Come to the Christ of Compassion
February 1, 2012 - I remember tucking my son into bed one time when he was 8 years old, and being amazed at the kind of wisdom he displayed. He said, “Dad, let’s pray that people all over the world will go to church.”
I thought, He’s got it! He understands the power of God and the compassion of Jesus Christ.
I am forever in awe of God’s compassion. It’s one of the defining characteristics of our Lord. He came to this earth because of His compassion for a lost world, and His entire life and ministry were marked by a deep compassion for the needs and the frailties of mankind.
As I see it, Jesus’ compassion had a dual role. He met people’s physical needs, but at the same time He aimed at their spiritual needs. Jesus gave people rest for their body and soul.
Mark 6:31 gives us just a small example—one that is sometimes overlooked—when Jesus addressed His closest followers, the Twelve Apostles. He said: “‘Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.’ For there were many coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat.”
Imagine being so pressed by the demands and needs of others that you don’t even have time to grab a sandwich (or falafel). Now, that’s busy!
Jesus and the disciples always had crowds around them. These people didn’t all come for the right reasons. Some of them came out of curiosity. Some of them came to see some great, awesome work. But others came to be part of the bread line—they just wanted a free meal. But no matter what their reason for coming, Jesus had compassion for them. He was ready to receive them and to meet their deepest needs.
We all need to understand and to remind ourselves when we feel stressed or lonely or overburdened that Jesus always sees us, and that He has great compassion for us.
Mark further informs us, “And Jesus, when He came out, saw a great multitude and was moved with compassion for them, because they were like sheep not having a shepherd. So He began to teach them many things” (Mark 6:34).
All through the Scripture, we read of the compassion of Jesus. Here, the word for compassion comes from the Greek word splagchnon, which refers to the gut or intestine, because the Hebrews believed that’s where the emotions resided. We have an expression that is similar to this; we call it feeling something in the pit of your stomach. You know that feeling if you’ve ever been told that someone you love has died; you feel it in the pit of your stomach.
Jesus had that kind of compassion, that deep gut feeling toward people as He observed them and ministered to them. He didn’t see them as just a number; He saw them as needy individuals, like sheep who needed the care of a shepherd.
I’m impressed with the many times Scripture shows us the compassion of Jesus Christ. He had compassion on the widow whose son had died, and He raised him to life (Luke 7:11-13). Many times when He healed people from sickness and disease, He felt compassion on those who were afflicted (see Matthew 14:14, 20:34; Mark 1:41, 5:19).
Even in the garden of Gethsemane, where in great personal anxiety He sweated great drops of blood, Jesus was still concerned about His disciples. When the Roman guards came to arrest Him, He said, “You’re after Me. Let them go.” His compassion and care for those He loved never ceased. Even on the cross, engulfed in His own excruciating suffering, as He was hanging and bleeding for our sins, He remembered to give His mother into the care of the Apostle John. No matter what He was experiencing, He had compassion on people. He was concerned about their needs.
And so when the people came to Him from the Galilee region, He had compassion on them. He taught them, because He knew their greatest need was to understand the truth about God. He was concerned for their lives and their eternal destiny. He was concerned for their comfort, and so He had them sit. He was concerned for their bodily needs, and so He fed them.
But that simple, quiet moment in Mark 6:31 shows the same compassion in perhaps a more poignant way. He was concerned for His disciples, that the demands on them were too great, and so He called upon them to come aside and rest.
I believe Christ still deals with us in that same way. He calls us to come aside and rest. You might say, “But there’s so much work to be done for Christ!” After all, Jesus says in Matthew 9:37 that “the harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few.” Yes, that is true, and those who labor for the Lord are to be commended. But your all-powerful, all-knowing, untiring Master is aware of your situation, and He knows that you sometimes need a break. So come aside and rest.
Jesus said, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). This means rest from labor, from worry, from fatigue and from being overburdened. He calls you to find rest for your soul.
Are you weary? Heavy-laden? Overburdened because of all the needy people and the tasks all around you? If you’re tempted to keep carrying those burdens as some kind of “badge of honor,” remember this: Jesus doesn’t want you to “burn out for God.” As the saying goes, “Get over yourself!” Come aside and rest.
And to those of you who are burdened by life and its worries, but have not yet surrendered to this loving Savior and Lord: Choose Christ! As my son put it, Christ wants to reach out and grab hold of you! Why not reach out and take His hand today? Let Him be your resource, your resting place, your Redeemer! ?©2012 Skip Heitzig
Scripture quotations are taken from The Holy Bible, New King James Version.
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Surviving the White Water of Life
February 1, 2012 - From time to time all of us have faced heartbreaking circumstances. A crisis or tragedy comes suddenly and unexpectedly into our lives, and in a moment we find ourselves in the white water of life from which there seems no escape.
By John Munro
Being a pastor, I encounter these situations with people almost on a daily basis. The week of Oct. 9, 2011, was particularly heartwrenching. After our Sunday service, a couple approached me. The wife explained that two years ago she had breast cancer and by God’s goodness it had gone into remission. But recently the cancer had come back with a vengeance: it was in stage 4. The couple stood beside me, weeping. Then on Thursday, we held a funeral for one of our members. He was in his late 50s, was married and had a 17-year-old daughter. The preceding Friday afternoon, he was on his motorcycle and was suddenly killed. Finally, on Saturday afternoon, I gathered in our chapel with a young couple and their family in a private service for a baby that was stillborn. Life comes with all of its joys, but it also comes with its tragedies, and those tragedies can threaten to swamp us. Let’s look at how the disciples responded to a storm, and see how Jesus wants us to respond when we are in the white water of life. Our text is Mark 4:35-41.
Verse 35 says: “On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, ‘Let us go across to the other side.’” When Jesus says to His followers, “Let’s go across to the other side,” is there any doubt that they’re going to reach the other side? Of course not! They will reach the opposite shore, but between this side and that side, they will face the storm of their life.
Sometimes we may think that because Jesus says, “This is what I want you to do,” no problems will arise. A new believer sometimes feels, “Well, now that my life is committed to Christ, it’s going to be wonderful.” It is wonderful, but those who follow Jesus Christ are not exempt from the crises and white water of life—even when obeying Christ.
“Leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was” (verse 36). These experienced fishermen no doubt thought that crossing the sea was something they could handle: You want to go to the other side? We can get over to the other side. We’ve done this before. This is our area of expertise. We must constantly fight the urge to follow and serve Christ in our own strength. It is essential that we constantly rely on His grace and power.
Now the storm comes in all its fury (verses 37-41). “A great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, ‘Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?’ And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, ‘Peace! Be still!’ And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. He said to them, ‘Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?’ And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, ‘Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?’”
Isn’t that a brilliant story? As we follow and obey Jesus Christ, crises, tragedies and unexpected situations will blow into our homes, our ministries, our churches and our relationships. In a split second, our lives can be turned upside down: one phone call; one visit to the doctor; one situation with a child, spouse, mother or father. When the crisis comes, we—like the disciples—are often frantic and fearful and feel helpless to deal with the situation. For the disciples, in the middle of their storm, what is Jesus doing? He is asleep! He seems unconcerned and uncaring.
When we find ourselves in the white water of life, it sometimes feels that Jesus has not only abandoned us, but that He doesn’t care about us. But what does Jesus the Christ, the Son of God, do? In the storm He stands supreme, majestic over His creation, and with a word calms the howling wind and the raging sea: “Peace! Be still.”
The Psalmist writes, “By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, and by the breath of his mouth all their host. He gathers the waters of the sea as a heap; he puts the deeps in storehouses. Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him! For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm” (Psalm 33:6-9).
In this storm Jesus “spoke and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm.” Here is God in action. By His spoken word Jesus brings peace: “Peace! Be still!” And immediately there’s a great calm.
I’m not an experienced sailor or fisherman, but I’ve been in boats in the North Sea between Scotland and the Faroe Islands, where Gudny, my wife, comes from. I know that even when a storm is over, it takes a very long time for the sea to become calm.
But in this storm, Jesus speaks and there is a great calm: instant peace. The disciples ask the same question we ask, “Do You not care?” Jesus doesn’t answer the question directly. He does something better. He stands and says, “Peace! Be still!”
Where was Jesus during this storm? Exactly where He always is. With His people. Jesus never abandons us in the white water of life. He is Emmanuel, God with us. “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand” (Isaiah 41:10). In the middle of the crisis, the disciples obtain a fresh revelation of the power and majesty of Jesus. Mark is writing this Gospel so that we may know that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God (Mark 1:1).
Jesus asks the disciples, “Why are you so afraid?” Are you afraid today? Afraid of that impending medical report? Afraid of a situation in your home? Afraid of an employment situation? Afraid of tomorrow?
Today may be the worst storm of your life, but be assured that the Lord Jesus Christ will be with you. You are not alone. Jesus is God and is totally in control. He has authority over the demons, every disease and the very creation. Even when your life seems out of control, you can thank Him. He is the sovereign God, and He “works all things according to the counsel of his will” (Ephesians 1:11). Therefore you can trust Him completely.
So in the white water of life, don’t keep looking down at the waves. Don’t keep looking at the difficult circumstances. Look up to Jesus, the Christ, the Son of God.
Robert Murray McCheyne, a godly Scottish minister, said, “For every look at self, take 10 looks at Christ.” For every time you look down at your problem, at your crisis or tragedy, take 10 looks at Christ. Peter, one of the disciples in the boat, later writes, “Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7). Jesus cares for you.
Have you ever approached somebody about a problem, and while you’re talking about the problem, you suddenly realize that person couldn’t really care less? It’s a very disillusioning experience. In fact, the person may start talking about his or her own problem when we want to talk about our problem!
That never happens with our Lord. He cares. He loves us with an everlasting love. Paul writes, “He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?” (Romans 8:32). If Christ has already done the hard thing by dying for our sins, how much more is He able to take care of our present situations in life?
When I was in elementary school in Scotland, my life revolved around a soccer ball—or should I say a football, as we say in Europe. Now, I thought I was quite a good player, but there was one boy at our school by the name of Alan Campbell who was far superior. One day he would play for Scotland’s Under 21 Team and become a professional soccer player. We didn’t know that at the time, but we did know that if Alan Campbell was on our side, we were almost certain to win.
We are always on the winning side because God is for us. In fact, not only is God for us, He is with us. Therefore, whatever crisis you may be facing, whatever you fear, know today that the Lord Jesus is saying, “Peace, be still.”
So keep your eyes on Jesus. He is with you. He loves you. He will not fail you. He will not leave you. And He will take you safely to the other side. ©2012 John H. Munro
Adapted from a BGEA Chapel message on Oct. 13, 2011, by Dr. John H. Munro, senior pastor of Calvary Church, Charlotte, N.C.
Scripture Quotations are taken by permission from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, ©2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.
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Learning How to Share Life's Most Important Message
February 1, 2012 - Could something as old as the “Steps to Peace With God” tract, written in the 1960s, still help a Christian lead someone to Christ? Dai Franks didn’t think so.
By Kristen Driscoll
Franks was attending the Christian Life and Witness Course in Thurrock, England, in preparation to serve as a counselor at Rock Thurrock with Will Graham this past September. Gary Cobb, director of Counseling and Follow-up for BGEA, had just begun to explain how to use the tract. Franks, a retired science teacher, was familiar with this and similar evangelistic tracts, and he had doubts about their effectiveness.
Cobb seemed to anticipate such thoughts and said, “You may think this is a bit simplistic or perhaps not for this day and generation.” Franks agreed, of course, but ?then Cobb issued a challenge.
“Do you know why it’s not as effective as it once was? Because we’ve stopped using it. I’m going to give you some homework. I want you to share this tract with at least one person this coming week and just ask them what they think of it.”
The next day, Franks met with a man who had asked for his help with a project the previous evening. After doing the favor, Franks said, “Look, I’ve helped you. Any chance of you helping me out? I couldn’t meet with you last night because I was taking a course.
You’re not going to believe this, but they gave us some homework. They gave me this little booklet and asked me to share it with someone and ask their opinion of it. Do you mind if I share it with you?’
The man replied, “No, that’s fine. I’ve got time.”
Franks began reading through the tract. When they reached the page that shows a chasm—the great divide between holy God and sinful humans, bridged by the cross of Christ—the man said, ‘I knew that was going to be the answer. I knew it would be the cross of Jesus.’
“I just kept on with the material and had the terrific privilege of hearing him pray the prayer of committing his life to Christ,” Franks said. “It was all I could do to contain myself.”
The man now faithfully attends Franks’ church and is helping with the congregation’s community work.
Franks’ eyes twinkled as he sheepishly admitted, “Of course, I had to go back to Gary and say, ‘This stuff works. Thanks for reminding me. And I’ll have no hesitation in actually using this material again when the Holy Spirit prompts.’”
Cobb has been teaching the CLWC in Crusade cities for 20 years, and he hears stories like this all the time.
The church has lost sight of the Great Commission, Cobb explained. “Jesus said that we are to go, and as we’re going, to make disciples. That involves walking with Him and sharing Him with others. We need to be focused so that we might reach all nations.”
Pastors often notice that when their churches get involved in CLWC, they become focused more on evangelism. Christians receive practical tools for sharing Christ and discipling others, and although six or seven hours of classes might seem like a big commitment, Cobb said it is training Christians need.
“We train to drive a car, for our careers and all sorts of things, but so many times we don’t train to share life’s most important message—the Gospel. That’s why we have the Course. We want to teach people how to walk with God, keep their relationship with Christ up-to-date and vital, and also how to share the Gospel with others.”
Cobb says that evangelism training often starts in the wrong place, only teaching people how to share their faith. While that is certainly important, Jesus told His disciples in Acts 1:8 to wait until they were filled with the Holy Spirit, and then they would be witnesses. The CLWC starts with a spiritual tune-up that readies believers for the next step by explaining how to walk with God.
“After that they’re ready to learn about sharing their faith,” Cobb said, “and they’re excited about doing it. I think that’s a real key thing about the Course. We don’t just blow in and out of town. We invest in the church. Even if a church isn’t having an evangelistic event, the CLWC provides a strong foundation for future evangelism and discipleship.” Cobb called the Course the lasting legacy of Billy Graham Crusades, Franklin Graham Festivals and Will Graham Celebrations. “When we survey pastors,” he said, “the training is always at the top of the list of benefits.”
Steven Kirkham, an eye surgeon in Marion, Ohio, not only agrees with that assessment—he has put his CLWC experience into practice in his life, business and church.
Kirkham reluctantly agreed to attend the Course in 2001 because his wife asked him to attend with her before a BGEA Crusade in their area. It was Kirkham’s first experience with an organized outreach event. And, although he had attended church throughout his life, he had only recently begun a relationship with Christ. He was working on making Bible reading a daily habit, but he felt he was too busy to do much more. The CLWC changed that.
“Knowing how to share your faith was a new thing for me,” Kirkham said. “It didn’t just help new Christians with sharing their faith, but it also gave people who were familiar with sharing their faith yet another perspective on it. And when you got comfortable doing that, you started to pray and consider where else you would put that into practice.”
Bob Kendig, coordinator of counseling and follow-up for BGEA in Asia, taught the Course, and he began to mentor Kirkham in evangelism. The two grew close, and Kirkham says he left the Course convinced that witnessing and evangelism were an important part of every Christian’s call to follow Christ. His pastor, Michael Reynolds, also encouraged him in evangelism. Kirkham started with small efforts like keeping evangelistic tracts in his car. He gave them to employees who served him at fast food restaurants, asking them to read it on their breaks and adding, “Have a nice day.”
His business partner at Marion Eye Center was a Christian and had been offering evangelistic materials in the office for years. But now the two men talked about how they could do this more effectively. They put Christian materials in the waiting rooms where people might be inclined to pick them up—everything from evangelistic tracts to grief literature—and then they put free Bibles by the front door. Now, patients take home anywhere from 6,000 to 10,000 pieces of literature a year. And many return with stories of how God has used the materials to help them find Christ or help them reach out to family members with the Gospel.
The partners didn’t stop there. When the movie The Passion of the Christ was in theaters, the eye center sponsored two evenings of the film at a local cinema and invited friends and patients to attend.
Before the movie began, the doctors welcomed viewers and invited them to accept Christ. After the film, volunteer counselors from Kirkham’s church, Marion Bible Fellowship, and from the eye center were available to pray with anyone who wanted to receive Christ. Twenty-one people made commitments to Christ, including three eye center employees. In the following weeks, the doctors hosted a discipleship group for the inquirers, using “Thirty Discipleship Exercises,” a BGEA follow-up book.
“That was our own crusade,” said Kirkham. The response encouraged him to do more. With his church’s help, he has since organized local churches to hand out thousands of pieces of evangelistic literature at local events like the Marion Popcorn Festival. Kirkham says any person or church could do what they have with a little creativity and boldness.
“Most of my time is spent either in activities with Marion Bible Fellowship, or at Marion Eye Center, where I work. Whether it be with the youth or adults at church or with patients at the eye center, the CLWC gave me encouragement as well as a structured way to counsel people, not only for sharing the Gospel, but also to counsel them in growing and applying the commandments of God to their lives. That was helpful to me. I was encouraged to talk to anybody at any point in their faith.”
Ty Choate, pastor of First Baptist Church in Red Bank, N.J., saw his congregation grow in the same way when they took the classes last year.
“The CLWC was an awesome thing for our community and for my own church,” Choate said. “We had a number of people go through it, and they are now more comfortable with sharing their faith and growing in their faith as well.”
Cheryl Allocco is one of those people. She has been a Christian for years and has often tried to start conversations about Christ with people. But the class was a wake-up call, she said.
“We get a little bit stagnant with devotional time or prayer time and with paying attention to what God says we’re supposed to be doing.”
One illustration from the CLWC really got her attention. The instructor said he had visited an exhibit about the Titanic. As he entered the museum, he was given a ticket that represented an actual passenger on the ship. At the end of the tour, he saw two signs. One said, “Lost.” The other read, “Saved.” The name of each passenger was listed underneath one sign or the other. The instructor explained that this reminded him of the Christian’s responsibility. We are comfortable in our Christian boats, but will we go out to rescue the lost, those who are drowning without Christ?
Allocco felt that she was making good efforts to reach people through her church activities in the Red Bank area, but was she doing anything in her own neighborhood, 25 minutes away? No one else was outside on Sunday mornings when she and her husband left for church, which made her wonder if any of her neighbors knew Christ.
“I have had very little contact with anybody around here,” Allocco admitted. “Over the last couple years I have felt so burdened about it. I thought, I need to do something here. … How come I’m not being effective in my own neighborhood? God put me here for a reason, and I’ve really been searching and asking God about how I can reach out to people.”
Like Kirkham in Ohio, Allocco started out small. She took invitations to the Will Graham Celebration with her to the gas station around the corner. She gave them to neighbors. She stopped by her dentist’s office to tell them about the Celebration.
“It wasn’t hard,” Allocco said, “but I think a lot of people get held up on how to approach people and talk to them.” The CLWC says to meet people where they are, and Allocco found that helpful in her conversations. She would start a little bit of discussion about something and then the conversation would often turn toward spiritual topics.
“You’ve got to talk to people, and you can’t be afraid,” she said. “Quite a number of people in my church were happy to take the Course. They felt that it was such a relief. They were so stressed out and afraid about talking to people about Christ for the first time, feeling that people would judge or ignore them. But the way the material was presented helped them build the confidence they needed to talk to people.”
Now, Allocco’s church is launching small groups to teach the basics of studying the Bible. Allocco is planning to start a group for her neighbors and will soon be putting invitations into their mailboxes. She says if she doesn’t try, she’ll never know who might respond to the Gospel.
“The CLWC is a good spiritual thermometer to see where you are,” Allocco said. “If you’ve been a Christian a long time and there’s no growth, well … something’s wrong. You can get so busy with life that you don’t pay attention to what you’re supposed to be doing for Christ.” ©2012 BGEA
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A Valentine For His Sacrifice
Bible Study
February 1, 2012 - One morning when I went to Starbucks for my triple-shot espresso, I couldn’t help but notice the young man in front of me who was ordering his drink. He was young, tall, athletic, wearing a baseball cap, sweatshirt, shorts … and a prosthetic leg from the thigh down. As we waited for the barista to complete our orders, I asked him if he was a veteran. “Yes, ma’am,” he said. I asked him where he had served. “Afghanistan,” he replied.
By Anne Graham Lotz
I thanked him for his service and his sacrifice, and I regretted that I had not been a few moments earlier in line so that I could have purchased his drink as a small token of appreciation. We talked about peace, and I shared that the Bible promises that Jesus will bring peace when the government of this world—and of our lives—is on His shoulders.As I drove away, I reflected on the fact that the young man had left the security of his home and country to serve in a hostile environment, risking his life and sacrificing his limb for a war that seems to have no real victory in sight. A war that goes on and on. A war where the forces that are lined up against peace seem to prevail again and again.
Then a thought occurred to me: Jesus understands this man’s sacrifice. He, too, left the security and safety of His heavenly home, came into a hostile environment, then didn’t just lose a limb but laid down His life in a war against sin and death and Satan. While ultimate victory has been declared, the battle seems to go on and on, with forces lined up against the Prince of Peace.
My brief encounter with the young, wounded warrior left me with this question: Was the young man’s sacrifice in vain? I thought, Only time will reveal the truth. Then I asked myself, What about Jesus? Was His sacrifice in vain? And I answered, No! A thousand times no! Eternal time has revealed that His death has saved my life!
So, how do I say thank You for such a sacrifice?
READ JOHN 15:9-17
I. BY LOVING HIM MORE
John 15:9-11
A. Through Abiding
- What does abide or remain mean as Jesus uses the word in verse 9? Give the dictionary definition that seems most appropriate.
- What does Jesus command us to remain in?
- Describe the relationship Jesus has with His Father, based on John 15:9, John 5:20, John 10:17, Matthew 3:17, Mark 9:7, John 14:31 and John 17:24-26.
- Which of the following best describes your relationship with the Father: a working association, business acquaintance, brotherly friendship, mandatory fellowship, obligatory servitude? Or is it what it’s meant to be—a relationship of love?
- How do you develop a deeper love relationship with another person? List practical ways you can develop a deeper love relationship with God.
- What does it mean to obey? Give the dictionary definition and apply it to your relationship with God.
- How did Jesus say we were to love Him? See John 15:10, John 14:21-24 and John 21:15-17.
- What two commands did Jesus say summarized all of the rest? Read Matthew 22:34-40.
- Read through John 13-16, underlining every command Jesus gives. Which ones have you ignored? Disobeyed?
- Would you choose to love Him more by reading His Word daily, then living in obedience to what He says?
C. Through Rejoicing
- What is the result of abiding in God’s love and obeying His Word? See John 15:11.
- How does 1 John 1:3-4 confirm this?
- Give the dictionary definition of joy.
- How does Peter describe joy that is independent of circumstances? Read 1 Peter 1:3-9.
- What gives you joy?
- What is wrong with looking to friendships, relationships, possessions, position, reputation, education or health as our source of joy?
- In Philippians 4:4, what does Paul say should be the source of our joy? Would you choose to love Jesus more by obeying this command?
II. BY LOVING OTHERS MORE
John 15:12-17
A. Love That Is Special
- How many times does Jesus command us to love each other in John 15:12-17?
- Why do you think He repeated Himself?
- What else do you learn about this command from the following passages? Romans 13:8-10; 1 Thessalonians 3:12, 4:9-10 and 5:12-13; 2 Thessalonians 1:3; 1 Peter 4:8.
- What standard did Jesus set for our love for each other in John 15:12-13?
- What are some of the reasons you and I love others? What are some reasons we don’t love others? Be honest. How does this contradict what Jesus is saying?
- Why did Jesus say we are to love others we don’t even like? See John 15:14.
- How can you love someone you don’t like or who hates you or who has hurt you? Substitute that person’s name for “one another” and for “brother” in 1 John 4:7-21. Write out the lessons you learn about loving your “enemy.”
- Are we only to love sacrificially when others love us in the same fashion? See Romans 5:8.
- While you and I most likely will not have to die for someone else, what are some other ways we can love sacrificially those who don’t love us?
- According to John 15:15-16, loving others is essential in order for us to receive what three things from God?
- Loving others is essential also for what else, in John 15:8 and John 13:34-35?
- If you were put on trial for being a disciple of Jesus, would there be enough evidence to convict you?
- If you lack answers to prayer, if you can’t seem to discern God’s will, if you are ineffective in your witness … could it be that you have overlooked the essentials?
During this month of Valentines, will you thank God for His sacrifice by loving Him—and others—more? ?©2012 Anne Graham Lotz
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Good News in 'These Evil Days'
To The Point
February 1, 2012 - The Scripture calls on Christians to recognize “evil days” as ripe opportunities for sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ and living in the power of the Holy Spirit.
By Franklin Graham
The Bible has a lot to say about evil. It was because of our evil, wicked ways that God sent His Son to save us from our sins (Titus 2:11-14). There are evil, demonic forces actively working in the spiritual realm (Ephesians 6:12) that oppose the followers of Christ and their work in Christ’s name on earth. The Apostle Paul described our current world system as “this present evil age” (Galatians 1:4). Certainly as we look around us we can see many manifestations of evil: political corruption, violent terrorism, economic turmoil and family disarray. Nuclear weapons are in the hands of unstable nations. Iran menaces Israel and has threatened to cut off much of the world’s oil supply. Brutal wars are being fought in dozens of countries.
Evil, dark days indeed.
But despite the prevalence of wickedness, the focus of the Gospel is relentlessly on redemption and triumph. Believers in the Lord Jesus Christ are called to “not be overcome by evil, but (to) overcome evil with good” (Romans 12:21). In our fight against the spiritual forces of wickedness, we can put on God’s complete armor (Ephesians 6:13-17) and successfully resist the devil and his malicious entourage.
The Scripture calls on Christians to recognize “evil days” as ripe opportunities for sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ and living in the power of the Holy Spirit. Paul’s exhortation to the Ephesians is our call to spiritual arms as well: “Make the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil” (Cf. Ephesians 5:16).
Christians should live lives above reproach, obedient to the Lord and dependent on the Holy Spirit. We should be taking advantage of our work, our relationships and our sphere of influence to bear witness to the reality of God’s saving grace through faith in Christ. We should be diligently using our time to serve Christ and make Him known in every way we can.
People need to see that the hope we profess is genuine. “But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect” (1 Peter 3:15).
And despite these dark days, I’m convinced that many are beginning to realize their need for a Savior. They have put their faith in government or other institutions to solve their problems, and they feel betrayed and have become cynical. Unfortunately, many have no relationship with a church, no understanding of the fundamental problem of sin and no one to guide them into the truths of Scripture.
It’s our responsibility—as individual Christians, as churches and as organizations like the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association—to reach them with the truth and power of the Gospel.
This year we will have Crusades in Japan, Hungary and Ghana, and we’ll reach out across the Great Lakes with Rock the Lakes evangelistic Festivals. We’ll also have our Christian Life and Witness Course that will train thousands and thousands of believers to share their faith with family and friends. We are committed to spreading the Gospel through every effective means.
These evil days won’t end until the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. But in the meantime, we should not be discouraged. Instead, we should be thankful that God has given us this critical hour to tell the people of the world about the Savior’s love.
©2012 BGEA.
Scripture quotations are taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version.
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Filling Your Child's Mind
A Selection from Ruth Bell Graham’s Writing
February 1, 2012
By Ruth Bell Graham
As John Trapp said back in the 17th century, “A child’s mind is like a small-necked bottle. If you pour in the wine too rapidly, much of it spills over and is lost.” Teach your children early and consistently how to know the Lord, to trust Him, to confess their sins to Him. Teach them early to put their faith in God. Salvation is a miracle of grace, but if you do your part, God will do His. Teach your children that God loves them and is beside them always. Teach them to love and trust His will however hard it may be. Teach them not just to say their prayers but to pray—to talk with God, to know that God is interested in everything they have to say. Every animal about our home—dogs, cats, canaries—has been prayed for many, many times. Teach the children that God cares about everything that concerns them.
Taken by permission from “Husbands, Children and God” by Ruth Bell Graham, originally published in Decision June 1967 ©1967 The Ruth Graham Literary Trust.
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