Making A Way in 2022

Making A Way in 2022

My mentor in the ministry and the man I surrendered to the ministry under was Bob Smith. He was my pastor for one year in Okinawa. It was right before he left Okinawa that I surrendered my life to preach. When I went back to the states I visited Bob Smith while he was staying with his oldest son, Bob, Jr. I remember we were talking about going into the ministry and I don’t know how we got on the subject, but he made this very simple and yet wise statement to me. He said “Don’t ride anyone’s coat tails.” What he was saying was that I should not get on the bandwagon of someone successful and ride with them to the top or enjoy the fruits of their labors. Don’t depend on men to bring you along in this life. Basically what he was saying is – trust in God, for with His blessing you can Make It. You can make a way.

Many people in life take what life gives them; they receive it rather than impacting it. They endure it rather than confronting in. I do not believe that God would have us living our lives just receiving what comes our way, but would have us being proactive for His kingdom.

That is not to say that we should not be a contented people. The Bible commands us that we should be content in whatever state we are in. But we must continue to trudge ahead in the battle at the same time.

Where is the battle lost and one. There are lots of ways you could go with that; but I want to deal with one of the simplest and most necessary battle grounds that we deal with tonight

There are several things that I have seen in my nearly 10 years in the ministry is that most people battle with being a witness for Christ, their prayer life, and many times their Bible reading.

I often mention that there are five things that are essential to living a successful Christian life; I’ve just mentioned 3 of them that most of us fail at or at least battle at fulfilling. Without these three we cannot make it as Christians.

I. Make a way to read God’s Word

Look up 1 Corinthians 13 if you have not already.

I have a personal belief that there was a time in the New Testament church where the Word of God was not prevalent. I believe that there was a time in the first 100 years or so of the church that God gave man special knowledge. I believe they studied the scriptures they had, the Word of God, the Old Testament, and there is such as a vast supply of knowledge, examples, and prophecy in it that we all could spend a life time studying it. But I also believe that God in His wisdom in their day gave a special sign gift in their day that was different from that of prophecy. Prophecy was a gift that allowed people to be able to foretell events that were to occur in relation to God and his judgment or blessing in some manner. I believe that along with that sign gift God gave the gift of tongues to certain individuals to carry out the gospel in special and effective way. And I believe that God gave the early church the gift of knowledge, to understand the ways of God and how to please him in this to dispensation of gospel truth, the Church. Paul was such an one, but I believe that God gave pastors and Christian workers all around special knowledge to preach and bless their churches, to give them what they needed to do the work of the ministry.

1 Corinthians 13:1-2 1 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. 2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.

1 Corinthians 13:8-10 8 Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. 9 For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. 10 But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. So now, we do not need the special sign gifts because that which is perfect is come which I believe to the Bible. So we do not need a special gift of knowledge, we have it all right here. If we will only open it up, learn to read it, learn to study it, and learn to live it.

John 5:39 AV

Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.

Acts 17:11 AV

These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.

Make a way by scheduling Bible reading into your day.

Find a place for it; make it a private time if possible, if not, a dedicated time trusting that God will deliver his message to you.

Read it when you get up. Read it at lunch time Keep a new Testament in your pocket and read it while you are waiting to leave for work or while you are waiting for your spouse to get ready to go. Read it when you have an extra 15 minutes. Put it on your smart phone Put it on your tablet Put it on your e-reader Get it on cd Put in all your walls at home

II. Make a way to start a prayer life

Luke 18:1 AV

And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;

In Luke 11 where the Disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray. When they asked that they weren’t asking if was right, or what the mechanics of lifting up their voices to pray, but what ought the content of their prayer should be. When Jesus answered them he told them simply – when you pray – Christ made the assumption that believers pray. The first basic rule of having an effective prayer life is simply to pray.

A. MAKE A WAY TO DO IT OFTEN

1 Thessalonians 5:17 AV

Pray without ceasing.

B. MAKE A WAY TO DO IT COMPLETELY

- Pray for those that in your family

- Pray for those that in your church

- Pray for those that are missionaries

- Pray for the Lord of the Harvest to send forth more laborers

- Pray for extended family members

- Pray for those that are in government and leadership at work or school

C. MAKE A WAY TO DO IT HUMBLY

- Many in our day pray in these ways:

· Lord bless me, give me, Lord make me feel good – but in reality it should be:

· Lord forgive me, change me, make me do good

· Many in our day are jumping around and dancing with the arms in the air saying things “let me know thy presence, fill me with the spirit.” – Let me ask you friend if that is the way you come to church and sing in a praise service, “WHAT FOR?” WHY DO YOU WANT GOD TO FILL YOU, FOR YOU TO FEEL HIS PRESCENCE.” What is the purpose in that?

· To make yourself feel good is a pathetic reason, our desire for filling should be that we might win the loss.

Pray for God to use you, to change you so that you can better be use of him in bringing souls to Him.

· That won’t do you much good if you are not doing the next thing that God wants us to do:

- Find a deck of the ship that you can get alone at, a room in the house, a time when others are asleep or busy. I know that you can pray through the day, but we also want to be able to give God some devoted time. Make a Way to pray because it is vital to our successful Christian living.

III. Make a way to be a giver

Luke 6:38 AV

Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.

IV. Make a way to be a witness

We are a people that love having excuses. We seem to have a reason for why can’t do something when the reality is it is just an excuse.

I am going to tell you this, excuse makers who continually make excuses, never accomplish anything for God.

Turn to Exodus 3 and 4 with me.

A. What are some of the common reasons people give for not going are show in the life of Moses:

- Moses was receiving the call of God to go back into Egypt to lead the people out:

Moses came out with several excuses:

1. Why Me?

Exodus 3:11 11 And Moses said unto God, Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?

2. Who says?

Exodus 3:13c, What is his name? what shall I say unto them?

3. No one will believe me!

Exodus 4:1 1 And Moses answered and said, But, behold, they will not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice: for they will say, The LORD hath not appeared unto thee.

4. I can’t speak well!

Exodus 4:10 10 And Moses said unto the LORD, O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant: but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue.

5. Just send somebody else.

Exodus 4:13 13 And he said, O my Lord, send, I pray thee, by the hand of him whom thou wilt send.

The sad thing was that God did have to get someone else, it ended up needing two people to ones persons job. But the sad thing is what the beginning of the next verse tells us Exodus 4:14 14 And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Moses,

We say send someone else:

a. Because we think our schedule doesn’t allow

b. Because we think that our position doesn’t allow it

c. Our status in life doesn’t allow it

d. We have already done our part, we are resting now

V. Make a way to get to church

The Bible still tell us to

Hebrews 10:25 AV

Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

I think still thing about that little church we went to Okinawa.

We always road about 35 minutes each way to church in a packed van.

There were no ministries, no activities, hey there were barely any girls there for a quite a while - and then at then this red head girl started coming and I didn’t even like her.

But oh, the fruit that little church produced

Making A Way in 2022