Guided

A grandmother filled with love

This section of Luke reminds me of a kid I grew up wtih

There was guy that I grew up with and I am going to call him “Terry” for the sake of his privacy. Terry was a kid that I met in the 3rd grade. There was one day we were playing together at his grandmother’s house and in the midst of our joyous time of playing cops and robbers his grandmother knew we had been outside for a long time and we had not had anything to drink or anything to eat for a few hours. So she told us the “Good News” that ham and cheese sandwiches with ice cold lemonade were ready for us and we needed to come eat. At the moment where I was turning to go into the house I heard a scream that I can only describe as an explosion. The screams that came out of his mouth were something that at that moment in my life felt from another world. His grandmother at that time was only trying to take care of us in this moment, but for Terry it was a personal attack on himself. This was not the normal tantrum from an elementary school aged kid.

-screamed at his grandmother

-Spit kicked hit her

-threatened her

-She finally had to wrap him in her arms and whisper into his ear I love you so much. I love you so much.

Slowly you could see that hatred drain out of his face and he returned to the friend I had been playing with outside.

Terry was brought up with a mother who constantly abused him, his mother’s boyfriends would beat him, burn him, whip him with belts as he was strapped to his bed at night, while his mother watched.

Things we would think unthinkable and unbearable was Terry’s reality on a daily basis so when his grandmother wrapped her arms around him and whispered I love you. This was the only thing she knew she could do to show this love deprived boy who was filled with hate that she was different.

She was filled with love for her grandson who was filled with hate from the life he had endured early in life.

These episodes with Terry were not that infrequent......he was often removed from caravans, children’s worship, jr high retreats because of his behavior.

My parents knew he was dangerous, but they also knew he needed a friend. And in ways that they thought we would be safe I could be with him periodically.

I can remember another time when I had found out that Terry had run away from home had been gone for almost a whole day and his grandmother was sick worried looking for him . He was seen in the area of a school on his bike. My parents and I went looking for him and we actually found him riding his bike. For some reason my parents said it was ok for me to go with him and talk and play on the play ground while my mom went to find a phone to call his grandmother and tell her we had found him.

At the end of the night we were sitting in front of his TV and I could hear my parents outside talking with his grandmother and Terry asked me, “Stephen will you be my dad?” What?!?!?! I was the same age as he was .....I told him no of course not, but ill be your friend.

What I didn’t know at that time was Terry was saying I know I can trust you.....

At other times Terry would be so angry and cussing at me because I did something he didn’t like and there were a couple time I was afraid that I was going to get hurt by this kid that was unpredictable.

Transition - ASK FOR 2 VOLUNTEERS EITHER A CHILD OR A TEEN

Background-

Tooth paste Tube- Ask them to study the outside, open smell, taste do whatever they need to do to decide what is in that tube

Water and Sponge- Make a hypothesis about what will happen when they slowly pour the water into the sponge.

Luke was writing this book because they were living in a time of faith groups that were spread all over their world. The wider Roman culture was creeping in on every part of their lives from work , family culture and even the growing culture of the church was staring to sound like the voice of Rome.

Luke was writing in the midst of a group of people who were voicing their concerns that the church was becoming too gentilized or we might say today that it is becoming too secular.

Luke was writing in the midst of a group of people who were voicing their concerns that the church was becoming too gentilized or we might say today that it is becoming too secular.

Read

Ask the volunteers for their answers

Toothpaste tube- tell me whats in there

Water and sponge- slowly pour the water through the sponge

Paul and Barnabas were in the thick of ministry

preaching, teaching they had experienced some miracles with the governor hearing the message even though his side kick was trying to lead him away.

-the gentiles had started to accept the gospel.

We get to this passage here and we see some of the struggles major struggles of ministry show up

-People who hear the message and they want to kill Paul

Whatever you fill your life with is what will guide you

-the culture of today says

-your truth is yours only not anyone else’s truth your path is your truth

-Jesus says John 14:6

-I AM the way, THE TRUTH and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.

-culture says

-some one challenges you or blasts you on FB....let them have it. Some one challenges you they hate you....you are better than that.

-

-Jesus says Matthew 5:38-40

-“You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ 39 But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. 40 And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well.

-culture says

-you are the captain of your own ship and you determine your own destiny

-Jesus says

-Jesus says Matthew 16:24-26

-24 Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. 26 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?

Whatever you fill your life with is what will guide you

Can we fight the culture?

Can we fight the culture?

Can we fight the culture?

-No and we are not supposed to fight it

-We are implored to

-2 Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

Whatever is being poured into your life.....whatever is being poured into your mind. This is what will come out of your life

Jesus says this as well

45 The good person out of the good treasure of the heart produces good, and the evil person out of evil treasure produces evil; for it is out of the abundance of the heart that the mouth speaks.

As we do ministry in the world we will have the same experiences Paul and Barnabas had

People will either

Try to come against you and destroy you or the message

Elevate you to a place you don’t deserve to be......we can’t be anyone’s savior

Application

What is guiding you?

-What are your putting into your life?

Can we be trusted with the gospel?

I want to be a person that so fills my life with the words of Jesus and the character of Jesus that the only thing that guides my life......the only thing that comes out of my life is Jesus

There are people in your life who have been shaped by their past....just like the boy I grew up with

-Jesus is calling us to take the message that He will wrap his arms around them even when they are spitting and kicking and threatening and whisper in their life “I LOVE YOU SO MUCH”