L_Fall85

to Illustrate...

GUIDANCE'

SIGNS OF THE TIMES"

JEALOUSY

ob Mumford, in Take Another Look at Gui­dance, compares dis­covering God's will with a sea captain's docking pro­cedure:

A certain harbor in Italy can be reached only by sail­ing up a narrow channel between dangerous rocks and shoals. Over the years, many ships have been wrecked, and navigation is hazardous.

To guide the ships safely into port, three lights have been mounted on three huge poles in the harbor. When the three lights are perfectly lined up and seen as one, the ship can safely proceed up the narrow channel. If the pilot sees two or three lights, he knows he's off course and in danger.

God has also provided three beacons to guide us. The same rules of naviga­tion apply—the three lights must be lined up before it is safe for us to proceed. The three harbor lights of guidance are:

1.       The Word of God (ob­
jective standard)

2.       The Holy Spirit (sub­
jective witness)

3.       Circumstances (divine
providence)

Together they assure us that the directions we've received are from God and will lead us safely along his way.

— Gregory Asimakoupoulos Concord, California

| T |

he May 1984 National Geographic showed through color photos and drawings the swift and terri­ble destruction that wiped out the Roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum in a.d. 79.

The explosion of Mount Vesuvius was so sudden, the residents were killed while in their routine: men and women were at the market, the rich in their luxurious baths, slaves at toil. They died amid volcan­ic ash and superheated gases. Even family pets suf­fered the same quick and final fate. It takes little imagination to picture the panic of that terrible day.

The saddest part is that these people did not have to die. Scientists confirm what ancient Roman writers record—weeks of rumblings and shakings preceded the actual explosion. Even an ominous plume of smoke was clearly visible from the mountain days before the eruption. If only they had been able to read and respond to Vesuvius's warning!

There are similar "rumblings" in our world: war­fare, earthquakes, the nuclear threat, economic woes, breakdown of the family and moral standards. While not exactly new, these things do point to a coming Day of Judgment (Matt. 24). People need not be caught unprepared. God warns and provides an es­cape to those who will heed the rumblings.

—Michael Bogart Lemoore, California

GRACE/JUDGMENT

n Warren Wiersbe's Meet Yourself in the Psalms, he tells about a frontier town where a horse bolted and ran away with a wagon carrying a little boy. Seeing the child in danger, a young man risked his life to catch the horse and stop the wagon.

The child who was saved grew up to become a lawless man, and one day he stood before a judge to be sentenced for a serious crime. The prisoner recog­nized the judge as the man who, years before, had saved his life; so he pled for mercy on the basis of that experience. But the words from the bench silenced his plea:

"Young man, then I was your savior; today I am your judge, and I must sentence you to be hanged." One day Jesus Christ will say to rebellious sinners, "During that long day of grace, I was the Savior, and I would have forgiven you. But today I am your Judge. Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire!"

— Doug Van Essen Muskegon, Michigan

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wo   shopkeepers were bitter rivals. Their stores were directly across the street from each other, and they would   spend  each  day keeping track of each oth­er's business. If one got a customer, he would smile in triumph at his rival.

One night an angel ap­peared to one of the shop­keepers in a dream and said, "I will give you any­thing you ask, but whatever you receive, your competi­tor will receive twice as much. Would you be rich? You can be very rich, but he will be twice as wealthy. Do you wish to live a long and healthy life? You can, but his life will be longer and healthier. What is your desire?"

The man frowned, thought for a moment, and then said, "Here is my re­quest: Strike me blind in one eye!"

One sign of jealousy is when it's easier to show sympathy and "weep with those who weep" than it is to exhibit joy and "rejoice with those who rejoice."

— Thomas Lindberg Stevens Point, Wisconsin

SOVEREIGNTY

n Knowledge of the Holy, A. W. Tozer attempts to reconcile the seem­ingly contradictory beliefs of God's sovereignty and man's free will:

"An ocean liner leaves New York bound for Liver­pool. Its destination has been determined by prop­er authorities. Nothing can change it. This is at least a faint picture of sovereignty. "On board the liner are scores of passengers. These

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LEADERSHIP/85

MARSHALL SHELLEY

are not in chains, neither are their activities deter­mined for them by decree. They are completely free to move about as they will. They eat, sleep, play, lounge about on the deck, read, talk, altogether as they please; but all the while the great liner is car­rying them steadily onward toward a predetermined port.

"Both freedom and sov­ereignty are present here, and they do not contradict. So it is, I believe, with man's freedom and the sov­ereignty of God. The mighty liner of God's sov­ereign design keeps its steady course over the sea of history."

— Douglas G. Gerrard Kingston, Ontario

POWER"

s those who live in the North know, when   tempera­tures plunge well below zero, few cars left outside will start. The oil thickens and holds engine parts like heavy syrup. Cold batter­ies are incapable of giving enough power.

Only batteries that are kept warm or those that are frequently charged will do the job. Unused batter­ies freeze. If you attempt to charge a frozen battery, it can explode.

Unused spiritual batter­ies also die in the cold of unbelief. Only by regular use and by receiving power from an outside source can spiritual power be main­tained. And any attempt to infuse spiritual power into a frozen spirit seldom works. Only a warm spiri­tual life can be charged with power by God.

— Wayne Gropp Chicago, Illinois

FATIGUE"

n the eleventh century, King Henry III of Bavaria grew tired of court life and the pressures of being a monarch. He made application to Prior Richard at a local monastery,  asking to be accepted as a contemplative and spend the rest of his life in the monastery.

"Your Majesty," said Prior Richard, "do you under­stand that the pledge here is one of obedience? That will be hard because you have been a king."

"I understand," said Henry. "The rest of my life I will be obedient to you, as Christ leads you."

"Then I will tell you what to do," said Prior Richard. "Go back to your throne and serve faithfully in the place where God has put you."

When King Henry died, a statement was written: "The king learned to rule by being obedient."

When we tire of our roles and responsibilities, it helps to remember God has planted us in a certain place and told us to be a good accountant or teacher or mother or father. Christ expects us to be faithful where he puts us, and when he returns, we'll rule together with him.

— Steve Brown Key Biscayne, Florida

AVAILABLE POWER"

n a seminary missions class, Herbert Jackson told how, as a new missionary, he was assigned a car that would not start without a push.

After pondering his problem, he devised a plan. He went to the school near his home, got permission to take some children out of class, and had them push his car off. As he made his rounds, he would either park on a hill or leave the engine running. He used this ingenious procedure for two years.

Ill health forced the Jackson family to leave, and a new missionary came to that station. When Jackson proudly began to explain his arrangement for getting the car started, the new man began looking under the hood. Before the explanation was complete, the new missionary interrupted, "Why, Dr. Jackson, I believe the only trouble is this loose cable." He gave the cable a twist, stepped into the car, pushed the switch, and to Jackson's astonishment, the engine roared to life.

For two years needless trouble had become routine. The power was there all the time. Only a loose con­nection kept Jackson from putting the power to work.

J. B. Phillips paraphrases Ephesians 1:19-20, "How tremendous is the power available to us who believe in God." When we make firm our connection with God, his life and power flow through us.

— Ernest B. Beevers Coraopolis, Pennsylvania

REJECTION"

 Campbell Morgan was one of 150 young men who sought entrance to the Wes-leyan ministry in 1888. He passed the doctrinal exam­inations, but then faced the trial sermon. In a cavern­ous auditorium that could seat more than 1,000 sat three ministers and 75 oth­ers who came to listen.

When Morgan stepped into the pulpit, the vast room and the searching, critical eyes caught him up short. Two weeks later Morgan's name appeared among the 105 rejected for the ministry that year.

Jill Morgan, his daugh­ter-in-law, wrote in her book, A Man of the Word: "He wired to his father the one word, 'Rejected,' and sat down to write in his diary: 'Very dark every­thing seems. Still, He knoweth best.' Quickly came the reply: 'Rejected on earth. Accepted in hea­ven. Dad.' "

Rejection is rarely per­manent, as Morgan went on to prove. Even in this life, circumstances change, and ultimately, there is no rejection of those accepted by Christ.

— Rick Thompson Dubuque, Iowa

What are the most effective illustrations you've come across? We want to share them with other pastors and teach­ers who need material that communicates with clarity and imagination. For items used, leadership will pay $15. If the material has been pre­viously published, please in­clude the source.

Stories, analogies, and word pictures should be sent to:

To Illustrate . . .

LEADERSHIP

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FALL QUARTER       77