Friday, June 17, 2022

“Manners - The Kindness of Christ in Action”

Parents, do you teach manners to your children? They can learn by observing your manners. Manners help you and your children to make friends with others and open the door for you to share the Gospel!

You will notice throughout Scripture the teaching of kindness. In Titus 3 Paul speaks of the kindness of God and then challenges Christians to display this kindness by being “careful to engage in good deeds” (Titus 3:8). Good deeds you perform show your manners, and manners display the kindness of Christ!

“Do nothing from selfishness or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others” (Philippians 2:3-4).

As you teach manners to children at home, or during a Sunday school class, or in a school classroom, you can use the sections of the body such as the following:

Head: – Think, “What should I do in this situation to help others?”

Eyes: – Look at people when they talk to you.

– Look at people when you talk to them.

– Look around to see what needs to be done.

Ears: – Listen when people talk to you. Learn to listen to the needs of others.

Mouth: – Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear. (Ephesians 4:29).

– Speak kindly to others, say “Hello”, “Thank you,” “Please,” “How may I help you?” “Excuse me.” “I’m sorry, forgive me (if the situation deems such).”

– Try to use people’s names when you are talking to them.

– Don’t talk on your phone at meal times. In fact, never let anyone bring a phone to meal time. PARENTS, you will need to insist on this!

– Smile at others.

– Come to the defense of others when they are made fun of.

– If you are shy and do not speak to others, you come across as rude and selfish,

putting the emphasis is on yourself.

– Teach your children to speak respectfully to adults by looking at them in the eyes. Don’t let your children respond affirmatively with “yeah”, instead use “Yes, sir” or “Yes. ma’am.”

Hands: – Open the door for others.

– Shake hands firmly and warmly.

– Help people with their coats.

– Take older people by the arm to help them across the street or up the stairs (However, make sure they want to go up the stairs or across the street!).

– Teach your children to help clean up (if appropriate) after visiting and eating as guests in another home. Also assign them chores in your own home.

Feet: – Don’t sit when you should stand.

– Men, immediately stand to give women and others your seat.

– Men, always try to sit on the outside so you can easily get up to help others.

Body: – Show respect for others by the way you dress, especially at special occasions such weddings, funerals, recitals, church, (and when you take your wife out for a special occasion).

– Always dress to show respect.

– “Modesty” – Fathers and Mothers, teach your girls modesty! One of the reasons some Christian men do not like to attend weddings is because of the immodesty of the bride, bridesmaids, and many women in attendance.

– Westerners are known for sloppy dress overseas, so if you travel, dress neatly. Especially do not be an embarrassment to those you visit in other countries and as a representative of Christ.

As followers of Christ, let’s live for Him in kindness and teach our children to do so also, which will give them and us opportunities to share the Gospel of repentance and faith!

--prepared by Doug Nichols


Monday, February 7, 2022

The Lord Was Good and Did Good

God never stops doing good for his people.

GEORGE MÜLLER was a leader in the Plymouth Brethren movement, a faith mission advocate, and the founder and director of orphanages during the 1800s in Britain. He was known for his faith and prayer life. Never directly appealing for funds, Müller relied only on prayer for the support of his orphanages and his mission work. He never drew a salary, always trusting that God would meet his needs. His faith was rewarded—God always met the needs of his orphanages and mission organizations.

Müller experienced a severe test of his faith when on February 6, 1870, his beloved wife, Mary, died of rheumatic fever. She had not been well for three years, and the rheumatic fever overcame her in her weakened state. After six days of terrible suffering, she died.

Müller wrote in his diary that day: “39 years and 4 months ago, the Lord gave me my most valuable, lovely and holy wife. Her value to me, and the blessing God made her to me, is beyond description. This blessing was continued to me till this day, when this afternoon, about four o’clock, the Lord took her to Himself.”

February 11 he wrote: “To-day the earthly remains of my precious wife were laid in the grave. Many thousands of persons showed the deepest sympathy. About 1,400 of the orphans who were able to walk followed in the procession. . . . I myself, sustained by the Lord to the utmost, performed the service at the chapel, in the cemetery, etc.”

He chose Psalm 119:68 as the text of the funeral sermon: “You are good, and do good.” His message had three points: (1) The Lord was good, and did good, in giving her to me. (2) The Lord was good, and did good, in so long leaving her to me. (3) The Lord was good, and did good, in taking her from me.

In discussing his third point he told how he had prayed for her during her illness: “Yes, my Father, the times of my darling wife are in Thy hands. Thou wilt do the very best thing for her and for me, whether life or death. If it may be, raise up yet again my precious wife—Thou art able to do it, though she is so ill; but howsoever Thou dealest with me, only help me to continue to be perfectly satisfied with Thy holy will.”

Müller felt that God had answered his prayer, both in how he dealt with Mary and how he dealt with his own heart:

Everyday I see more and more how great [is] her loss to the orphans. Yet, without an effort, my inmost soul habitually joys in the joy of that loved departed one. Her happiness gives joy to me. My dear daughter and I would not have her back, were it possible to produce it by the turn of the hand. God Himself has done it; we are satisfied with Him.

As a husband, I feel more and more every day that I am without this pleasant, useful, loving companion. As the Director of the Orphan Houses, I miss her in numberless ways and shall miss her yet more and more. But as a child of God, and as the servant of the Lord Jesus, I bow, I am satisfied with the will of my Heavenly Father, I seek by perfect submission to His holy will to glorify Him, I kiss continually the hand that has thus afflicted me; but I also say, I shall meet her again, to spend a happy eternity with her.

A close friend reported that after the funeral Müller sat at the vestry table, buried his face in his hands, and did not speak or move for two hours. But in his loneliness and grief he could still say to the Lord, “You are good and do good.”

Source: One-Year Book of Christian History Devotional, pages 74-75

Wednesday, September 15, 2021

How Is Your Thankfulness Today (as well as yesterday)?

Have you ever wondered why you receive no thanks when you give or do some for someone?

Well what about us? Are we personally, especially as Christians, a thankful people?

- Have we thanked our wonderful gracious God today for His salvation and tender mercies to us such sinful people?

- As we worship on Sundays, do we lift our hearts to our Heavenly Father in praise and thankfulness to Him?

- Did you thank your pastor last Sunday for his message?
 
- Have we thanked the deacons, teachers, elders, ushers, greeters, music leaders, kitchen crew, and others at your church for their excellent service? How about taking a gift card to each from time to time! (However this does not always work as I gave a gift card to one and he said rudely, “What is this for, and besides, I could not read your note as your writing is terrible!”
 
Well, let’s be thankful anyway!

- When you are invited to special occasions and meals, be sure to thank all involved.

- Have you taught your children to be thankful, including how to write thank you notes to their friends, teachers, for gifts and kindness given to them?

- Have you, yourself, learned to be thankful to others? To those at the bank, post office, store, leaving a good tip at restaurants?
 
- Whether we have little or much, we can be a kind and thankful people to the glory of God!

Monday, June 7, 2021

What is the Good News (the Gospel)?

It is this:

Although sin is great and universal and deadly (Romans 3:23, "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."; Romans 6:23, "For the wages of sin is death, but the gracious gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."), Jesus, the son of God, has come into the world to save sinners (Matthew 25:46, “These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”).

Christ died for our sins
(1 Corinthians 15:3b, “…that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures”).

God made him to be sin who knew no sin so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him (2 Corinthians 5:21, “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin in our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”).

We are justified by his blood and reconciled to God
(Romans 5: 9-10, “… having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.”).

There is no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1, “Therefore there is now no condemnation at all for those who are in Christ Jesus.”).

The just died for the unjust, to bring us into fellowship with God (1 Peter 3: 18, “For Christ also suffered for sins once for all time, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit.”).

This Jesus, Lord of the universe, has been raised indestructibly from the dead and cannot die or be defeated (Romans 6:9, “Knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again; death no longer is master over Him.”); Hebrews 7:16, “Who has become a priest not on the basis of a law of physical requirement, but according to the power of an indestructible life.”).

The way to be saved by him is not works of merit, but faith in the God who justifies the ungodly (Romans 4:5, “But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness.”; Romans 5:1, “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”; Ephesians 2: 8- 9, “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”)


All verses are from the New American Standard Bible.

Tuesday, April 6, 2021

Questions to Ask a “Visiting” Missionary

When missionaries return from their fields of service (or a short-termer returns from months of ministry, or summer workers returning after weeks of summer ministry), sometimes the only questions people ask are, "Was it hot in the country?" and "What was the food like?" and nothing else. The conversation then switches to the recent ball game, the high price of gas, or the latest movies. This can be discouraging to a missionary or a short-term worker.

The following are suggestions of 34 simple questions to ask missionaries to share about their ministry so that you can learn more about what God is doing in other parts of the world:

1. What did you most enjoy about your work?

2. Tell us something about the people of your country.

3. What was the economic situation of the people you ministered to?

4. What most encouraged you in your ministry?

5. Were many people responsive to the gospel or just a few? Why?

6. Describe an experience you had on the mission field that impacted the way you do ministry.

7. How was your devotional Bible study time schedule on the field. Was it difficult to maintain?

8. What did you appreciate most about the culture you were living in?

9. Tell me about a special friendship you had with a person of the country. Who was your best friend?

10. What was security in the country like?

11. How were church services different or alike in your country of service?

12. Tell me about your church and worship in your country.

13. Were there times that you could specifically focus on children's needs? Tell something about them.

14. What are some specific prayer requests you have for your country and mission of service?

15. Tell me about raising your children in a different culture. Advantages? Diadvantages?

16. Were you able to purchase the books, supplies, and materials you needed for your ministry in that country? How?

17. What was the greatest spiritual need you noticed in your ministry? Physical need?

18. What was your biggest surprise about the country? The people? Yourself?

19. How did you adapt to being in a different culture?

20. What has been your most noticeable spiritual change since you began ministry as a missionary?

21. What is/was a typical day like for you? Your family?

22. Tell me about your local church.

23. Who provide your pastoral care? Your church or mission?

24. Please tell me of someone whose life was impacted with the gospel and the change you saw in his/her life.

25. Were you able to share the gospel and disciple people freely in your country of service?

26. What was really important to you in your time there that you want us to know?

27. Tell me about the missionaries you serve/served with. What are their ministries and how are they doing? Are they encouraged?

28. What are some ministry needs and opportunities that need filling on your team?

29. How is your support? Do you have any projects/ministries that need funding?

30. How can I help you while you are here?

31. What could the church/friends/others do to help encourage you?

32. What did you learn from the indigenous Christians…..especially in the area of faith, contentment, materialism?

33. What did God show you about being a servant?

34. How can I change my lifestyle to dedicate my life to the same values God has for the poor and disadvantaged in the developing world?

These questions will not only encourage the missionary, but also help inform you of God's work worldwide for His glory. Please feel free to make copies of these questions to distribute to your family, friends and church.

They went out for the sake of His name . . . therefore, we ought to help such men, that we may be fellow-workers with the truth (3 John 7-8). – Doug Nichols

Monday, March 15, 2021

Praying for Revival

It all began at a tea party. In 1856 in Ulster, Ireland, James McQuilkin was invited to tea. There a visiting woman skirted the civilities of discussing the weather and spoke openly on a subject McQuilkin found uncomfortable: the condition of the soul. After another guest at the tea party described the nature of her Christian experience, the visitor said, “My dear, I don’t believe you have ever known the Lord Jesus.” McQuilkin later wrote, “I knew that she spoke what was true of me . I felt as if the ground were about to open beneath me and let me sink into hell. As soon as I could, I left the company. For two weeks I had no peace day or night. At the end of that time I found peace by trusting the Lord Jesus.”

The following year McQuilkin felt burdened to pray for his neighbors. He asked three friends to join him. Once a week the four men gathered at the village schoolhouse to pray for each person in their community by name. The town was Ahogill, County Antrim, Ulster, Ireland. The date: September 1857.

Meanwhile, unbeknownst to them, God was laying the same burden on many hearts, and similar prayer groups started throughout northern Ireland. Pastors began preaching about revival.

In December 1857 McQuilkin’s group rejoiced to see the first conversion in Ahogill. But widespread revival did not come. Still, God’s people prayed—for nineteen more months. Then one morning in the city of Ballymena, just six miles from Ahogill, a young man fell prostrate in the crowded marketplace and called out, “Unclean! Unclean! God be merciful to me a sinner!”

The night of March 14, 1859, the McQuilkin group responded by inviting Christians to a prayer meeting at the Ahogill Presbyterian Church. The church was so crowded that they moved the meeting out into the street. There hundreds of people knelt in the mud and rain, confessing their sins and praising God. They were the first of one hundred thousand people God called to himself in 1859 in what became known as the Ulster Revival.

There was a great spiritual movement among young people. It was not uncommon for teenage boys to hold street meetings to reach their peers for Christ. At one such street meeting an Irish clergyman counted forty children and eighty adults listening to the preaching of twelve-year-old boys.

The results of the revival were remarkable. In 1860 in County Antrim the police had an empty jail and no crimes to investigate. Judges often had no cases to hear. With their owners converted, pubs closed and alcohol consumption fell so drastically that whiskey distilleries were sold. Gambling at horse races fell off by 95 percent.

A visitor to Ulster reported “thronged church services, abundant prayer meetings, increased family prayers, unmatched Scripture reading, increased giving, converts remaining steadfast.” The Ulster movement touched off similar revivals in England, Scotland, and Wales.

God drew hundreds of thousands of people to himself, and it all began with a woman unafraid to speak spiritual truth over tea.

Source: The One-Year Christian History by E. Michael and Sharon Rusten, pages 148-149.