Make it Personal
How to Minister in our Culture • Sermon • Submitted
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Make it Personal
Make it Personal
1 I will sing of mercy and judgment: unto thee, O Lord, will I sing.
A Psalm of David. 1 I will sing of mercy and judgment: unto thee, O Lord, will I sing. 2 I will behave myself wisely in a perfect way. O when wilt thou come unto me? I will walk within my house with a perfect heart. 3 I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes: I hate the work of them that turn aside; it shall not cleave to me. 4 A froward heart shall depart from me: I will not know a wicked person. 5 Whoso privily slandereth his neighbour, him will I cut off: Him that hath an high look and a proud heart will not I suffer. 6 Mine eyes shall be upon the faithful of the land, that they may dwell with me: He that walketh in a perfect way, he shall serve me. 7 He that worketh deceit shall not dwell within my house: He that telleth lies shall not tarry in my sight. 8 I will early destroy all the wicked of the land; That I may cut off all wicked doers from the city of the Lord.
When justice prevailed, the Lord would be pleased to dwell in their midst. So in a sense this psalm is a charter by which David ruled under God.[1]
I. God’s loyal love and justice (101:1)
I. God’s loyal love and justice (101:1)
1 I will sing of mercy and judgment: unto thee, O Lord, will I sing.
1 I will sing of mercy and judgment: unto thee, O Lord, will I sing.
101:1. The psalmist sang of the Lord’s qualities of love (ḥeseḏ) and justice. These are characteristics of the divine rule (cf. 89:14), foundational to His effective reign.
because of His mercy and justice
Ever feel like the world you stepped into when you began in ministry no longer exists?
You’re not alone.
The culture around us is changing.
You can debate when the collapse of Christendom in the West began, but there is little doubt we are witnessing a massive shift away from the cultural consensus that existed even a few generations ago.
So as a church leader – as views on sexuality, family, parenting, drugs, finance and other values change – how do you respond? What do you do when the world for which you trained—maybe even the world where your approach was once effective—is disappearing before your eyes?
What’s the key to responding when the world around you no longer shares your value system pays much attention to you thinks you add anything to the cultural mix?
shares your value system
pays much attention to you
thinks you add anything to the cultural mix?
EMBRACE PEOPLE AND OFFER AN ALTERNATIVE
EMBRACE PEOPLE AND OFFER AN ALTERNATIVE
There’s much about today’s culture we may not like, but that’s no excuse to stop loving people within the culture.
In an age when so many churches push away people they don’t agree with, the field is ripe for Christians willing to embrace their neighbors.
To actually love them. Kind of like Jesus told us to.
Does that mean we have to agree with everything they do? Of course not.
But (…think about this…) the church is uniquely positioned to offer a radically beautiful alternative to the culture in so many key issues, like our sexuality, how we handle our money, what we do with our bodies, and in basic disciplines like confession and self-control.
When culture truly becomes post-Christian , it’s often not that people are rejecting Christian teachings, it’s that they don’t even know what those teachings are.
And they’re surprisingly open to Christianity if the Christians they meet are loving and generous people.
Many are open to a new way to live. Here are just a few alternatives core to Christianity providing an intriguing counter-cultural viewpoint:
In an age where sex is anything you want it to be, Christianity teaches that sex is sacred and that we value the who far more than the what, which changes the what and the how.
In a culture where greed and debt have become the norm, Christ-followers can model and teach generosity and life that isn’t measured by what we accumulate. Teaching young families to save and give is truly countercultural these days, and deeply biblical.
In an era when the family is morphing and even fragmenting before our eyes, Christians can offer support and mentor kids and teens and extend friendship and tangible support to parents and adults who are alone. Do you see the pattern? There are so many other areas where we can embrace people who are different than we are and humbly come alongside to help.
Do you see the pattern? There are so many other areas where we can embrace people who are different than we are and humbly come alongside to help.
In the meantime, if you want to keep being ineffective at reaching unchurched people, keep judging them.
Asking them to understand our ways and positions before they become Christians .... they will be
The first step is we need to make it personal
We need to look at ourself
are we hyprocrites
How to we present Christianity
do we enjoy the ride are is one big list of complaints
To make it personal we must
I Worship and Praise
I Worship and Praise
The culture around us isn’t the only culture around. Your church has a culture too. And it can be a bridge or a barrier to reaching people.
From the outset, I’ve believed the most effective strategy we can follow is to adapt our culture within the church so it becomes a bridge to the culture around us and not a barrier.
It’s time for churches to cut the weird, the irrelevant and the ineffective. Our mission is too important.
When you adapt your music and your communication style to make your church accessible to the unchurched, you don’t necessarily water down a thing (at least you don’t have to…we don’t). You simply make what you’re sharing accessible and understandable.
If we are going to minister in our culture we must first look at ourselves.
If you want to make your church more effective, use the culture to reach the culture.
If you want to make your church more effective, use the culture to reach the culture.CLICK TO TWEET
So what does that mean?
Whether you use mainstream music in your service or not, having music that sounds like music people today listen to helps people today feel comfortable and engaged.
Communicating in clear and accessible language is just good hospitality – it works the same way in creating more effective preaching. Leaving people confused and bewildered after 45 minutes of “deep” teaching might not be the best strategy if you want to see lives changed.
The point is not to change what we say, but how we say it. Not to change what we believe (at all), but to express it in a way that helps people understand it.
And above all, this means genuinely loving people outside our community and sharing the teachings and hope of Christ in a clear and compelling way.
Churches who have adapted their style of ministry to be more reflective of the culture around us almost always get critiqued for it. I’ve been criticized for years for leading a church intentional on adapting ministry style to connect with people outside our comfortable community. But you know who levies the criticism? Christians. But they’re already reached.
So go reach some people who haven’t heard about how deeply Jesus loves them. And use the culture to reach the culture.If we are going to minister in our culture we must first look at ourselves.
I Worship and Praise
I Worship and Praise
1 I will sing of mercy and judgment: unto thee, O Lord, will I sing.
[s 101.1
We must reflect on Him and enjoy our salvation ..
Background:
David’s aspirations for his private and public life were beyond his own achievements. But the goals he set for his house and kingdom will be fully realized by the Lord Jesus when He comes to sit on David’s throne.
Speaking to the Lord, King David said he was determined to maintain purity in his empire by removing wickedness from himself, his court, and his capital. When justice prevailed, the Lord would be pleased to dwell in their midst. So in a sense this psalm is a charter by which David ruled under God
It is and attitude
101:1. The psalmist sang of the Lord’s qualities of love (ḥeseḏ) and justice. These are characteristics of the divine rule (cf. 89:14), foundational to His effective reign.[1]ps
1 I will sing of steadfast love and justice; to you, O Lord, I will make music.
I will sing of your love....
To make it personal it must be personal ....
Sing of his love
Sing of his justice
We must make it personal
A Christianity that does not publically praise and tank God will have no impact on the culture.
David in this Psalm makes it personal
Praise God!
Look at how personal it was - yellow highlighting the personal pronoun I
1 Why, O Lord, do you stand far away? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?
illustration here ......
so publically we must praise and enjoy the Lord.
Seriously, how will we ever be taken seriously if we just walk around condemning the culture and never lifting up the Lord?
II. Walk in Wisdom
II. Walk in Wisdom
2 I will behave myself wisely in a perfect way. O when wilt thou come unto me? I will walk within my house with a perfect heart. 3 I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes: I hate the work of them that turn aside; it shall not cleave to me. 4 A froward heart shall depart from me: I will not know a wicked person.
2 I will behave myself wisely in a perfect way. O when wilt thou come unto me? I will walk within my house with a perfect heart. 3 I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes: I hate the work of them that turn aside; it shall not cleave to me.
psalm 101.2
ps 101.2-3
Then he turns to some of the features which he desires for his personal life.
He is resolved to give heed to the way that is blameless, that is, to conduct himself so closely to the teachings of the Lord that there will be no justifiable grounds of reproach.
His desires are so ardent and sincere that he interjects the longing sigh, “Oh, when will You come to me?”
This has been variously interpreted as meaning:he longs for God to come and to find him living in this upright way;
He is living it out....
2 I will ponder the way that is blameless. Oh when will you come to me? I will walk with integrity of heart within my house;
3 I will not set before my eyes anything that is worthless. I hate the work of those who fall away; it shall not cling to me.
vs 2 I ponder reflect on the right way ....
I will keep my Integrity
Looking for God
More here ......
Vs 3 - I will be careful of what is set before me
I will wach :
My time
My associations
My influence
What goes into my eye gate and ear gate
I am determined personally to have an influence and it begins with me ...
He yearns for the fulfillment of the covenant which God made with him (), the final establishment of God’s kingdom on the earth; he “feels that his resolves require the presence of God Himself to carry them out.”
He is determined to walk with integrity of heart within his house. In his domestic life, he will act righteously and sincerely. No hanky-panky and no two-facedness for him!
4 A perverse heart shall be far from me; I will know nothing of evil.
101:3, 4 When he says he will not set before his eyes anything that is wicked, he means that he will not look with approval on any base person, plan or activity.
As far as the work of apostates is concerned, he hates it and is determined to keep free from its contamination.
Those who fall away from the truth and from righteousness shall have no fellowship with him.
Another characteristic which he intends to stay far away from is a perverse heart—one that is inclined to falsehood and depravity. He will not indulge this evil in himself, and he will not have that kind of person among his trusted advisors.
The worthy resolve “I will not know wickedness” may also refer to his own life or to persons in his court. Thus the KJV renders it, “I will not know a wicked person.” The word “know” here means to accept with favor or encourage
I will walk in wisdom
I will know him and watch that which can take me down.
I will watch that which is set before me.
I will personally take responsibility for that which comes across my plate ...
III. Watch My Associations
III. Watch My Associations
4 A froward heart shall depart from me: I will not know a wicked person. 5 Whoso privily slandereth his neighbour, him will I cut off: Him that hath an high look and a proud heart will not I suffer. 6 Mine eyes shall be upon the faithful of the land, that they may dwell with me: He that walketh in a perfect way, he shall serve me. 7 He that worketh deceit shall not dwell within my house: He that telleth lies shall not tarry in my sight. 8 I will early destroy all the wicked of the land; That I may cut off all wicked doers from the city of the Lord.
4 A froward heart shall depart from me: I will not know a wicked person. 5 Whoso privily slandereth his neighbour, him will I cut off: Him that hath an high look and a proud heart will not I suffer.
ps 101.4-5
Ps 101.
5 Whoso privily slandereth his neighbour, him will I cut off: Him that hath an high look and a proud heart will not I suffer. 6 Mine eyes shall be upon the faithful of the land, that they may dwell with me: He that walketh in a perfect way, he shall serve me. 7 He that worketh deceit shall not dwell within my house: He that telleth lies shall not tarry in my sight. 8 I will early destroy all the wicked of the land; That I may cut off all wicked doers from the city of the Lord.
101:2. David said he resolved to live a blameless life, with a blameless heart before God. His lifestyle of integrity would begin in the privacy of his own house. This contrasted sharply with the corrupt lives of most kings of the ancient Near East.
Read below ...
Dear Mom and Dad,
vs 5 - Anyone who slanders his neighbor will be cut off. It scarcely means that he will be put to death, as in the RSV, but excluded from a position in the king’s administration, or put to silence (NASB Margin).
David elaborated on the path of purity he had said he would follow (v. 2). That pure life would begin with him and extend to those who served him. This was a requirement if he was to enjoy the Lord’s blessing on his reign.
The same goes for the snobbish, proud person. He will not be an office-holder in the royal palace.
101:3–4. David said he would keep himself pure by not tolerating evil. He would not allow vile … faithless, and perverse people and their activities to be around him. “Vile thing” is literally, “things of Belial” (worthless and wicked). “Perverse” (‘iqqēš) means “crooked, twisted” (cf. comments on 18:26).
101:6 The great qualification for service in the kingdom will be moral and spiritual integrity. The faithful of the land will be the king’s assistants, and those whose lives are clean will be his servants.
101:5–6. The king also wrote that he would surround himself with faithful servants. He would silence (cf. v. 8) slanderers and not tolerate the arrogant. Haughty eyes (cf. 18:27; ; ) refers to a proud look. David would look for faithful people to serve him, those whose lives were blameless (in integrity) as his own was at that point (cf. ).
101:7, 8 As for crooks, cheats, and liars, they will not be found on the king’s payroll. He will have no truck with charlatans and shysters.
I'm so sorry to be so long in writing you. Unfortunately, all my stationary was destroyed the night our dormitory was set on fire by the demonstrators. I'm out of the hospital now, and the doctors say my eyesight should return, sooner or later. The wonderful boy, Bill, who rescued me from the fire, kindly offered to share his little apartment with me until the dorm is rebuilt. He comes from a good family, so you won't be surprised when I tell you we're going to be married. In fact, since you've always wanted a grandchild, you'll be glad to know that you'll be grandparents in several months.
101:7–8. David also indicated he would purge the wicked from throughout the nation, not just from the palace. As he administrated justice daily (cf. ), he would cut off deceptive people and the wicked. “Cut off” often implies capital punishment, but it may also mean removal from service and fellowship[1]
Finally, the king is determined to see that all forms of wickedness are dealt with promptly and sternly. Again the word “destroy” may mean to punish or to expel them from Jerusalem, the city of the Lord. “Wickedness of all kinds must be rooted out of the land, and all vain-doers cut off from the city of Jehovah.”
I will watch my associations
Those that slander - cut off
P.S. Please disregard the above practice in English Composition. There was no fire, I haven't been in the hospital, I'm not pregnant and I don't even have a steady boyfriend. But I did get a D in French and an F in Chemistry and I just wanted to be sure you received the news in proper perspective.
Those that are proud - gone
Getting things in proper perspective is critically important!
those that work deceit - gone
Proper perspective
My testimony and my ability to reach this culture must not be diminished by evilness.
1. Personal Priority –
I must make things personal…
Look at the 12 “I” personal pronouns
I can not be a hypocrite my walk must match my talk
we must make it a personal priority
It’s our job
We set the priorities
We must be personally responsible
4 A froward heart shall depart from me: I will not know a wicked person.
Read
This is the foundation.
Whatever your role in the family, this is your responsibility.
If you're the father, building a godly home will obviously require a personal commitment.
But if the mother doesn't make it a priority, he'll have a tough time getting the job done, just as she would have a tough time without him. Every member of the family has to help with this work. Every child, and every family member that, perhaps, has come to live with the family.
Illustration: When Greg Swindell pitched for the Cleveland Indians, the games didn't always go his way. In fact, after 16 years in the Major Leagues, he won 123 games and lost 122. Think the pressure's bad at your office? For Greg, thousands of people were there to cheer his successes, and boo his failures.
If you could have gotten a good look at Greg's baseball cap, however, you would have seen one of the secrets to how he kept his cool when the pressure was on, or when things weren't going well.
Stitched in white, in very small letters on the underside of the cap's bill, was "January 21, 1991." The importance of that date? It was the birthday of Greg's daughter, Sydney. "When things are going badly or when I'm getting shelled, I can take it off and look at it and know what I have to look forward to when I get home." Whether you stitch a date on your cap, or simply keep a photo on your desk, visual reminders of where your priorities lay will help you through any day, as long as you make it a priority.
2. Intentional action
Verse 2 says, "I will be careful to lead a blameless life."
If the emphasis on this sentence is "blameless," or "perfection," the job will seem too difficult. Failure will greet you almost immediately, for no home is a perfect place. But if the emphasis of your intentions is on the first part of this sentence, you might just make it.
I will be careful . . .
The Psalmist asks the question, "When will you (God) come to me?" And the answer is right here. When you are careful, or intentional, in taking steps to make your home godly, God will, indeed, show up! When we take care to avoid the land mines of temptation, sin, greed, wrong attitudes, and violence, then our homes will take on that air of godliness that we desire.
Verse 2 also says this: "I will walk in my house with blameless heart."
Have you ever taken Scripture literally? Do you realize how life-changing this instruction could be for families here today? If, on the eve of a New Year, we literally walk through our homes, we might immediately see some things that need to be changed, things that need to be done, in order to make our homes more godly.
Remember: This is something that requires a personal priority. We're about to list some of the practical suggestions that this passage makes, but if each member of the family isn't committed to building a godly home, it won't work. It just won't happen. Are you willing to be careful?
If so, you're on your way to a great year. You certainly won't be able to control what your neighbors do, or what the rest of the culture does, but you can make some decisions for your home, for your family, that will be incredibly beneficial to you, and bring honor to God.
3. Mindful about music
There's no wasted time here. In verse 1, there's the proclamation that "I will sing praise!" And of course, the entire instruction comes in the Bible's hymnbook. In the heart of the Bible comes music for the heart.
Did you know there's a clear connection between the music we listen to and the actions we take?
Illustration: A recent study by the RAND Corporation that followed more than 1,400 teens for three years showed that sexually charged lyrics had a direct impact on the sexual actions of those who listened to those lyrics. The study compared all kinds of music, and found that rap and rap-metal music – famous for their explicit lyrics – had the worst impact on those teens. (Source: "Sexually charged music directly impacts teenage sexual habits, new study says," Michael Foust, BP News, Christian Examiner, October, 2006.)
Naturally, it's not the notes of an instrument that take on any level of morality, but the words that tell the story. From a practical standpoint, there's no denying that we remember the words of our favorite songs. I can recall the exact words from jingles I heard years ago, jingles I'd rather forget. But I can't! The music and the jingles and the little sayings are embedded in my mind, and I simply can't stop the idea that "things go better with Coke," that a little bit of Alka Seltzer will go "plop-plop, fiz-fiz," or that Mr. Whipple really doesn't want you to squeeze his Charmin.
Participation illustration: Pick out some of the more famous jingles, and offer the first phrase. More than likely, if prodded, people will finish, out-loud, the rest of the phrase. Again, it's proof that we remember the words of the music we hear.
I am so thankful for contemporary Christian music. A few decades ago, Christian music outside of a church was hard to come by, and most of the time, of a lesser quality than what we heard in secular music. But today? No matter your taste in music, there are incredibly talented artists and producers already offering you a chance to put good words with good tunes into that memory of yours. By doing so, you'll literally be following the construction instructions of , when it comes to building a godly home.
Don't throw away God's gift of music just because of lot of secular music is so immoral. Instead, fill your heart, and your mind, with songs that bring God glory, and help keep our homes on a godly path.
4. Aware of the eyes
Brace yourself for verse 3: "I will put no vile thing before my eyes."
Illustration: Father Ralph W. Beiting, founder of the Christian Appalachian Project, tells of an Easter visit he and some of the ministry's volunteers made one year to families living along a Kentucky mountain creek bed. They stopped at one shack where a man and woman lived with their children. Their only heat was from a fireplace. They proudly ushered their visitors over to a corner of the dim room, where their two month old child lay. The baby wasn't in a crib, a bassinet, a cradle, or even a pillow lined basket. This child, the family's most precious treasure, lay in a cage made of tightly woven chicken wire.
Beiting said, "After a moment of stunned silence, my curiosity and concern got the better of me, and I asked the parents why they had their little child in this cage, I'll never forget the answer."
The father said, "We have to have him in this little cage, so that the rats won't eat on him."
It wasn't cruelty that motivated this father when he took the chicken wire and built the cage. On the contrary, like nearly every parent, he deeply loved his newborn son. No doubt he built every bit of that chicken-wire cage with love in his hands and a desperate hope in his heart to protect his child.
Can I ask our parents a question? What kind of cages have you built in your home?
Is there a cage around your television, or are the children able to watch anything they want? Do you have an unhindered sewer line that brings unfiltered filth into your home? Build a cage there. Don't allow your television to ruin your spiritual life.
Every parent will take different steps of cage-building, different rules for their own homes, but one thing is unquestionably true. The Bible says a godly home will "put no vile things before its eyes," and television has a lot of vile things being broadcast. This is so important, there simply cannot be a discussion in today's society about godly homes, without including what a family will do about the rules of its television viewing.
Add to television the computer monitor. Are your children unhindered on the internet? Does Dad have godly parameters? Does Mom? What kind of discussion could you have, this afternoon, about making some changes in the way your family uses the Internet? Don't skip this one, parents. Let your children hear you talking about the challenges, the dangers – for you and for them – and make some rules together. This is being careful. This is being intentional. This is building a godly home.
And video games. What is it with video game makers that even produce some of the garbage that's out there? The combination of ungodly television shows, an unfiltered internet, and violent video games has, after a full generation, taken a terrible toll on our country. You and I may not be able to do much about our national morality, but every one of us can take control of our homes.
And that's exactly what the Bible has asked us to do.
Be sure to walk all the way around your house. Look at your calendars, your artwork, your clothes. Look at everything, and build a godly home by paying attention to what you see. Build an art library of contemporary or classic Christian art. It's incredible what's out there today. Stock your video library with wholesome movies. Plug into internet filters, and even television filters. Take control of what you see!
5. Fulfilling friendships
Verse 6 has one of the most important – and delightful – instructions in all the Bible. "My eyes will be on the faithful in the land, that they may dwell with me; he whose walk is blameless will minister to me."
Here we have God-given instructions to surround your family with friends who will bring their laughter, their gifts, their food, their priceless friendship into your home. You may share vacation time with them, and you will enjoy the most memorable times of your lives with them.
My, what a positive thought! My eyes will watch the godly people in my community. I will befriend them, and they will spend time with me. And they will minister to me.
Do you know what happens if the opposite is true? You can fill your home with the music of God. You can fill you head with the lyrics of great hymns or praise choruses. You can blow up your television. You can fill up your home with Christian art.
But if you invite ungodly people into your home, they'll tear down that foundation in minutes. Your children will be attracted to evil the way termites have a taste for untreated wood. And if you've invited them into your home, your children will see that these people have your stamp of approval and will drink in the influence like hungry sponges.
Maybe we should pause for a moment and consider something that is, unfortunately, very, very true. Some of the people who give you the most trouble in this area may be family. Few families are godly from top to bottom. And most families have several gatherings a year that are pretty much required attendance events. The holiday season is filled with such events.
So here's the point. If you've made building a godly home a personal priority, and you've taken several practical steps to make it that way, you'll grow to a point where pleasing God is, by far, your priority. Your family will watch your example. If you have a bad incident at the family get-together, you may have to de-brief the children on the way home. It's not only OK to talk about something that might have been a bad influence, it's almost mandatory. Without that follow-up conversation, they may live in a state of confusion about the characteristics of what a godly home really is.
Beyond that, in rare cases, you may have to take some actual steps to reverse the influence of an ungodly family member. You'll need to immerse that situation in prayer, you'll need to have a thorough understanding of the biblical principles that apply there, and you'll have to take steps of faith. It will certainly require courage, and it might be a good idea to be creative.
Illustration: It reminds me of the mother who was frustrated with her 8-year-old son. No matter how often she scolded him, he kept running around with his shirttail hanging out of his pants.
Her neighbor had three boys, and each kept his shirt tucked in neatly. Finally the woman asked her neighbor to tell her the secret. It was a matter of one mother using her imagination.
"It is very simple," she answered. "I just sew a bit of lace around the bottoms of their shirts."
How can you be creative and be a witness that your home has chosen to be God's home?
Have a Bible (several Bibles) in key spots around the house. Use those Bibles. If you have a place where you regularly study the Bible, don't hide the evidence of your study. Let your children see it, let your spouse see it, and let your guests see it. I promise you, the Bible, all by itself, will make a tremendous statement to all who come into your home.Memorize Scripture, and leave the memorization cards in key places, like at the kitchen sink, or on a bathroom mirror. If you have a love for a passage, create or buy scripture art.Fill your home with religious art. Biblical art makes a wonderful statement, especially at the entrance points of your home. How many homes have you seen that have posted the passage from near the entrance? "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord!" What a powerful statement to all who come inside!Talk about your faith with your family and friends. Make it part of your normal conversation. We talk about all other things, so it should be natural to talk about the most important part of your life, too.Be consistent. If you will make a commitment to be godly, to carefully remove elements of evil in your home and replace them with the things of God, people will notice. Family will notice. Friends will notice. Your children will notice. You will notice. And changes will take place. It's like playing a musical instrument. You may not be so good at it at first, but if you'll hang in there, the music will get better in a very short period of time. In a few years, you'll be a master at it!
Conclusion
Illustration: You've heard of Al Capone, but have you ever heard of "Artful Eddie?" Maybe you have, even if you don't recognize the name just yet. Eddie was a product of gangster life in the Roaring Twenties, and he ran Capone's dog tracks. The trick? He overfed seven dogs and bet on the eighth. It worked like a charm, and Eddie was set for a life of wealth, prestige, and style.
But Eddie turned himself in. He squealed on Capone, and soon suffered the fate Capone's enemies had come to expect. Two shotgun blasts did him in.
Why would Artful Eddie give up a life of leisure for a life of honesty, even if that life was short?
It was the baby. Eddie had a son, and Eddie wanted the boy to have a decent father. He wanted desperately to clear the family's name so his son could have a clean slate.
Because Capone's cronies killed Artful Eddie, the man who wanted to give his son a chance at decency never got to see what would happen next. The boy's name was Butch, and Butch was a kid with potential. He was appointed to Annapolis, commissioned as a Navy pilot, and a became a record-setting fighter in the Pacific during World War II. By the time Butch came home, he was wearing The Congressional Medal of Honor around his neck.
Butch was such a hero, his hometown named its airport after him - Chicago's O'Hare Airport. But none of it would have ever happened if it hadn't been for a dad who wanted to give his son a good home, a clean name, and a chance at decency. (Source: And the Angels Were Silent, Max Lucado, pages 45-46.)
When you make building a godly home a priority, it will cost you dearly. You'll have to watch what you watch, and you may not see as much as you used to. But you can change! And with the help of godly friends, you can build a godly home, and pass down an inheritance that will withstand the fires of time you can pass down an inheritance of godliness.
Alternate conclusion
Open a Bible, or Bibles, to the passage of , and invite families to come forward and pray over the passage. It's a powerful invitation that involves a practical step, enforcing the main impetus of the message. It's not enough to hear the Scripture. We must put it into action!
Ask fathers to pray out loud over their families. Remind families to look around them, and to, perhaps, "adopt" someone for this special time of invitation. Often there are children or teens present whose families don't attend. Sometimes, it's a grandmother, an older single, or a younger single. In this invitation, it's important for ministerial families to go first, to lead by example, and it's a good idea to allow families to get children who might be in the nursery, or children's church. It's a long invitation, and there's time.
Another good opportunity in this invitation is to have the minister or ministers standing to the side of those coming forward, ready to receive anyone who'd like to make a profession of faith, join the church, or simply pray with a pastor. Once the pressure of an empty aisle is removed, it's amazing how many people will take advantage of such an offer!