Gideon Sunday

All about that and I'm not going to steal his Thunder but it's our hearts desire to have to connect with all the Ministries and complete every portion of what God wants us to do. We're just thankful for brother's wife for being here today. It's good to have you

Good morning. Crossword Christian Fellowship church this morning. I'll come on you can do better than that.

I saw y'all praising and singing. I know you're not asleep. So come on. Well, my name is Mike Norsworthy and I'm a member of The Gideons International and I did get to the the blessing to come visit with y'all last year and shared the message of what we do and more specifically what we do what we do because of faith will charge of such as you and other faithful churches throughout the world.

Gideons International just a reminder. What are we what we're not going to church? We're not just some group of folks that sit around and get cranky and drink coffee all the time where action Association of Christian Business and Professional men and their wives and we go around the world and we are job is to spread the gospel to administer to walk. So if we want to win loss, so we believe that the Bible is the infallible word of God in Christ Is Our Risen Lord and Savior and then it's through him and him alone that we come to God and and that's just we can bicker over denominational differences of little nuances and like that but I think if we can all agree on those three key points were there Well, we accomplish this mission in different ways we go to our Joe houses are prisons. We still get to go to a fifth grade. Maybe if we went to more 5th grade so we can catch up before we went to the jails in the prison we go to our universities we go to a convalescent home nursing homes, we go to our domestic violence shelters we go to our First Responders are fire or EMS we go to a doctors offices are veterinarian and and Jake singing. This is just one of the many aspects the most of you probably know us when you think of the hotel Bible quotes. And that is kind of how they got started, but they went from there. It started with the two men that were BisMan. They were traveling they made up their Wisconsin. I liked you since we met Hotel. So let's put a hotel Bible in every hotel room and then it went from there. So, you know what? Let's not just for the hotel and every Bible

So whether it be through a small New Testament, whether it be through a full Testament or any portion thereof, that is what the guineas Ministry is is to spread God's word. So unfortunately, I'm not here to beat you up about money, but we know that it does take finances to make any Ministry were on average. It's like about a dollar and a quarter different parts of the world, but it's all the quarters your average $5 for a full copy of God's word. But it takes more than just money. I was no fault. It takes three things to make this ministry function to ship no money. That's ever given goes into my pocket for my own game or anyone else's pocket for their own game. We do have an organization that oversees this up in Nashville. They get their paychecks from me. So the dues that myself and my fellow members pay every year so it's a pretty big resistance. It's a good thing. It takes it takes bodies. So I can go to all these churches all around the world and my Philippine is going around we can get money we can print Bibles we can fill up warehouses with thousands and thousands and thousands of Bibles. But if we don't have many women to go out there and help distribute them. Does no good, right? But first and foremost, if you have nothing else that you can give today, it takes prayer because anything that we're doing God's name, we need to start with the prayer to ask God to bless it. Ask God to be with us going over see it as God help us to be fiscally responsible. The travel from point A to point B to bless those that are going to go to other countries because that's how it's done. I had the opportunity this past July to go to New Orleans. And do a National Convention and I met many women from all around the world and listening to some of the stories of what these folks go through to spread God's word and to minister it was it was overwhelming. It was very heartwarming.

So we are currently located in right at 200 countries around the world. But the sad thing is we can look around the country here. We're not even located in every state in the United States. We can look at the state of the world. We can understand why but that's okay because God still going to see us through. We're putting Bibles in 107 languages some languages that had to be created in turn into a written language. You look at organization such as Wycliffe International that have gone out and help to develop a so that we can now take and put them in.

So what I'm here to ask you for today is again at the end of the service. We will God still moves you to do a financial gift today then thank you. We would gladly accept that but I'm asking for your support and for your prayers today above all else because that's what we called to do is Christian see it's not just an idiot and the message that I'll be bringing along with it will help explain that a little bit better. So I do have a short little video will go ahead and do it. I meant to do that at the beginning but it just kind of helps reiterate and it has a short testimony involved with it.

I went to a motel on Christmas Eve. I intended in my life. I lived most of my life out of control. I had to use drugs and alcohol. I was put out of my home. My wife told me to leave and I'm sitting in that room. I noticed the book laying on top of the TV and I looked down and I saw that it was a Gideon Bible and I thought we need fat and I took my hand and I swiped it off on the floor, but it fell open what I read changed my life. The peace I leave with you my peace I give unto you today. I'm a pastor. My family's been restored. My wife is forgiven me. We work together and Ministry all of this because of one Bible in one room and one night. Thank God for the Gideon to thank God for the Bible that they put in in the motel room.

Thank you.

If it's not about The Gideons. It's about God's glory and what he does. That's one of Thousands of testimonies to that we receive in to the association every month if you going through the website at gideons.org and did they have a Blog where you could just watch videos and read testimony after testimony after testimony, but that's the most powerful thing is about what God's word in for his help gods were important to be part of an association that helps to put that out there. But there are other folks out there. I mean that's that's our calling. That's what we do. That's what God's word says it. Can it. Can Restore Life as he can take broken things. It can take violin Richard to destroy things and put them back together and rebuild it.

One of the most current testimony talk share and then I'm moving to the message little bit more. It's just kind of been sticking with me because it actually it will there's a few that right here in Texas himself. But there was a gentleman as a fellow Gideon he was in accounting of the few hours away from here, One of them remote counties were real big but it's kind of small towns. No San Antonio's in Houston to Dallas in there a lot of Jasperson Newton top counties in it. No his job with The Gideons was he took care of the hotels. And that was his thing. He he will go round. They had about a dozen Hotel. So if you would had it worked out he just about one of months. He stop 20 30 40 50 Bibles for hotel and he would do this after work every day or once a month. He thought it was one hotel that just always always always just gave him the lady would just laugh at him give him a hard time calling you no not nasty names, but just kind of basically making fun of him calling her names and this went on and on and on and probably coming about you no good year and a half or so. He was getting frustrated cuz we can all admit sometimes serving. God can get frustrated we run into those walls. They told him self said you know what she's always telling me. No, so. I'm just not going to go there anymore. A couple months go by and he got off work one evening and he's heading home. He's like it looks out in your lord.

I didn't mean to go here and he can see the lady through the window in the office. She was just a laughing already and it gets out and she's like well, mr. Bible, man. Where you been? Is I thought you would never going to come back. I wouldn't be honest with you. I wasn't going to come back, but I'll tell you what I will make you a deal people. Love to barter and bargain with God. She said if you have exactly 40 bottles in your car, not 39, not 41. She said but if you're in your car and course, he's getting a little nervous. He's like, I don't know. I'll just wait here and I've been there and I don't even know if I have that many and you won't talk about it. God dang it between the trunk in the backseat. He has exactly 40 bubbles floating around in that car. So she lets him put the Bible's in and that is pretty miraculous. What a few weeks go by and he gets a phone call from this lady. And he's like what's going on? She said I need more Bibles like right now. I'm at work. I'll be off at 5. I'll stop by on the way home. She said you better not forget. I've got to have my balls today. So he leaves work and goes fine brings her a box of bottles and he's like, so what's the big rush? What was the big deal? And she says well. the other day I was sitting here and it was coming up about midnight and lady comes walking down the sidewalk for the room for the office. She had a Bible in one hand and a pistol in the other. I thought sure enough. I was a goner. She walks in the office. And she said hey.

Bible in the room I'm here tonight to commit suicide.

And she took the pistol down on the counter. She said you can have the pistol, but I'm taking this Bible with the ladies just another shot in the guy was crazy. Eagles book, you know, what is really? Something's got you really Shook Up. And she said you don't understand. That was my sister.

So God has a way of getting his mission accomplished.

That $5 could have come from anywhere you could have come from here could have come from the church down the road halfway across the world. But the fact that God saw fit to make sure that there were 40 miles in the car that day before this event happen. That's what the ministry is all about.

Why do we do what we do?

Well, we're coming into the Christmas season. We're sing us a wonderful songs and hear all this message of Love and Enjoy. And I told Pastor on the way over here. I said I get to listen to a lot of different radio stations radio programs and hear a lot of passwords yet down there and it starts to irritate me. Sometimes is love and this is this and he's going to bless you. He wants nothing but to bless you and you're never going to have no problems. You never going to have no struggles. Everything's going to be all Rose Garden pretty pretty What those it would have been to the thick of it? No, it's not always like that. In scripture actually does tell us if you're going to choose to pick up your cross and follow me. It's not always going to be easy. God is love. My God is Awesome

There is no heaven without a hell we have to understand that there is an alternative that there are consequences what we were speaking about this morning in the Sunday school. There are consequences to the actions. They spoke about Daniel this morning. Those guys probably did not expect the outcome that they got That's a consequence to the choice of consequence to the action.

But we know that God is love because what scripture tell us what John 3:16 for God so loved the world. That he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish.

But see that's the problem. That's where so many churches. That's where some of these radio and television + preachers want to stop. And they don't want to continue with that next first. Request did not come to condemn the world. What to save the world why did he have to come to condemn the world?

well Christ comes on the scene because God loves us. He does his thing. What about day-to-day he teaches us he walks with us fully human yet fully gone. He hurts like us he weeps like us he feels like us he understands what it is to be human. He can see the trials and the struggles that we go through. Waving his own disciples that walked with him question things that time he tells Peter Peter you will deny me three times this free night. No way God, I'll never do it ain't happening. 3 * what is the what is Christ you doing at Resurrection? He asked him 3 times Peter. Do you love me? Because God is love. Well we go on we have a gentleman by the name of Paul and here so I'm going to kind of focus on today.

East Jason down beating people killing people dragging them to the street persecute them because he can't understand can't stand this God of love. This God of accept us this God of restoration.

This man that can take broken things and turn them into something new. God had a different plan for him. So much so that this one he was chasing down trying to persecute stops and meet them on the road to Damascus. I want to know if I would love to and I eventually one day we will get to see that story played out. I just almost imagine that it's just this force. It just knocks him flying off this donkey.

When it wasn't anything sorrow. We see Paul's heart does become changed. He understands he accepts but he doesn't just run straight out and seeing will let me preach the gospel and teach everything because of this one will encounter he takes his time. He understands he says well, I need to know. Who this man? Is that that I'm about to start following. I need to know more about this man who just changed my life.

So we spend time in the wilderness himself Barney. And we see all the writings of all the letters and Paul was so what he was a Larned man. We know this. I mean he was a Pharisee and it says he was a Pharisee of Pharisees.

And we see his education. But to read his word and to read his letter says to see his passion. For what he found for what he thought and it's not to downplay any of the other Apostles. God bless them what they did and dirt their hearts to it or very Key & Peele.

But I think what it is is when I look back on my life. And I can see what God did to me and how God changed Paul.

And I know I'm in good company.

Well Paul write in 1st Corinthians chapter 13.

all talks about love

but this isn't just your ordinary run-of-the-mill love. Where were talking about I love pizza? I love cheeseburgers. I Love My Wife and Kids. I love my job. I love my dog. As much as we may say we love them that love is fleeting that love is temporary what Paul writes about in here. That's what we come to know is agape. purest form of love that love that would cause you to put that sacrifice put yourself before others put God before all others. And soap. All right if I speak in the tongues of men and of angels. But I have not love. I'm a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers and understand all Mysteries and all knowledge and if I have all Faith so as to remove mountains. But I have not love. I am nothing. And if I give away all I have and I deliver up my body to be burned but have not love. again, nothing you see love is patient and kind. Love does not envy or boast. It is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way. It is not irritable or resentful. Does not rejoice at wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things. It believes all things hopes, all things endures all things. Love Never Ends As for prophecies they will pass away. As for tongues they will cease and ask for knowledge. It will pass away. when we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when the perfect comes The partial will pass away.

When I was a child, I spoke like a child. I thought like a child in a reason like a child, but when I became a man. I gave up my childish ways. For now, we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. And now I know in part then I shall know fully even as I have been fully known. So now faith hope and love abide these three. But the greatest of these is love.

and some powerful words This didn't just come to him and in The Greening of a of a moment. We can feel that when we accept Christ. We have Christ come in and we let him make that change within us in here. that. The instantaneous it's not an application process that we have to wait for send it in and say okay God. Did you accept my friend request?

That's immediate. It's it's out here. It takes a little time. But that's alright because scripture also tells us that our God is longsuffering. patient 1C hansa's there's so much that he can do with us. Scripture tells us that once we are in God's hand nothing on this Earth and Heaven or Hell and take us away from him.

But when we're outside of God. What what use does he have for us? And if God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son and we choose to live outside of God. How much must a griefing?

when Paul wrote about these things

and we know that he started Christ book.

Where did he get this understanding from? When we look at what Christ tells us. John 15:12 in Christ says this is my commandment. That you love one another as I have loved you.

And then John 14:15. simply States if you love me. You will keep my Commandments.

Christ walk this Earth He gave us the perfect example. Jonas had a Leo so the sound of worship. showed us how to love

Matthew 28 verses 19 and 20 he gives us the Great Commission.

Go therefore and Make Disciples of all Nations baptizing them in the name of the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold I am with you always. to the end of age

simple 2 letter word Go.

Now we're not all the time to be out in the streets witness singing in in testifying. That's a little scary.

I still struggle with it myself at times. Would like to pick and choose who we're going to talk to we're going to share God's word with. What one is Christ tell us here? All Nations

No matter our color or Creed man woman out. I won't say your gender. There's only two. No matter what. Our differences are where we come from what we believe what we think how we deal with other people or what we do in our daily lives. Would you share that gospel with all peoples? There's nowhere in there about 6 some Force convert them drag of the church.

It just says make disciples. What how do you make a disciple? You got to teach them. How do you teach them where you got to get their interest first, or how do I get their interest? So I got to tell him about Jesus?

It's painting The Sea.

So that's what I'm here today asking your help.

Let's Help go out plain to see help me part of something that that's bigger than all of us.

Again, if not, so move your heart today. I think you if you want to know more about how you can help catch me afterwards and we can talk. I can give you more information or just share with you if you just want to take a moment and pray with me. I cherish that more than anything.

I need a big picture of things. Remember why we do what we do. because not because God commands us to

because God needs us to

NASCAR Usher's to come in today. I just want to say thank you to my for being with us and sharing. I want you to realize you know, whenever God calls you to a Ministry. I think there could be some sacrificing ball being what God calls you to do. And I know there's sacrifice involved what mic does also know. He loves it and God blesses it but I appreciate Mike being here today spending his time away from his home Church in family as well to be here with us and in Minister. I just want to encourage you to understand I try to understand if we can have important God's word is in the ministry of getting God's word two people and we all have Bibles and we can take it for granted. There's a lot of things we take for granted maybe like air conditioning and electricity and a lot of other things but we have Bibles in this country, but it doesn't mean every person has about every person knows what God's word says and I want you to know there's certainly a lot of people in other countries that don't know and there's people that need to be connected with God's word and then the Gideon Ministry does just Thankful for the power of God's word matter fact. I just want to mention to you wearing a series called Distributing treasure maps. That's what the title of the series is in is in one of the things are going to talk about in that is how much the Bible is a treasure and we kind of take it for granted. We forget the power of God's word. So you can Mark you can give in the offering envelope. What do you want to give also give it to her today? And you can just put it in his Bible you can give that way. Anyway you want to do it's fine. Whatever is easiest for you. Let's pray over this word for today and and in over this offering as well God we just come to you today. We thank you for your goodness. I pray that we understand how important your word is and how powerful it is. Thank you for the ministry of the Getty's we pray for your blessing over them as I work to distribute your work your word and connect people with your words with your love and your character for the word. Thank you for your blessings are free for your work in Ministry. Today is blessed. You're just show our heart what you want us to do in ministrator people through your word in Jesus name. Amen.