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Birthdays and Anniversaries

Our sermon will be in Mark 12:41-44

We have a website: https://tahlequahworshipcenter.com/

Service coming up on Wednesday

Diaper Drive

Prayer requests

Georgey

Dorcas

Cristy’s Grandparents

Sandra

Donna

Ukraine

Joe & Family

Barbara’s Sister

I want to welcome all that are joining us online.

Thank you for being here with us.

Cristy has some songs picked out for us.

Are you ready to worship?

Let’s make a joyful noise

Songs

I’d Rather Have Jesus - 400

O How I Love Jesus - 411

The Mighty Mite

There are a few types of people in this world when you are talking about Level of Effort (LOE)

Some people try really hard and they hustle to get the job done.

Some people are smart about their effort. They are the smart lazy.

And others just put in the smallest amount of effort in.

When I was in school, I was the latter one.

I just skated by,

My 8th grade math Teacher, Mr. Rowland, nicknamed me Flash.

He named me after Sheriff Roscoe P. Coltrane’s dog.

Flash was lazy and slow and just sat around most of the time and slept.

That was me.

I slept through class most of the time.

I didn’t do any of the work and only took the tests.

The homework was about 10% of the grade.

I knew that I could make a B by just taking the test. I didn’t have to do the homework.

I didn’t want to put out any effort.

So, I made a “B”. I almost made an “A”.

I don’t think he liked me because I he saw wasted potential.

If there was anything that could define my youth, that was it - Wasted Potential

I wasn’t all in. I just wanted to get by.

I was lazy. I had it all figured out.

Proverbs 26:16 NKJV

16 The lazy man is wiser in his own eyes Than seven men who can answer sensibly.

There are a lot of people like that.

The same applies to Christianity. There are a lot of lazy Christians.

They may work hard at work, but when they get to church, they are bench-warmers.

We are going to take a look at a woman that was all in - She wasn’t a bench-warmer - She gave all.

Mark 12:38–44 NKJV

38 Then He said to them in His teaching, “Beware of the scribes, who desire to go around in long robes, love greetings in the marketplaces, 39 the best seats in the synagogues, and the best places at feasts, 40 who devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. These will receive greater condemnation.” 41 Now Jesus sat opposite the treasury and saw how the people put money into the treasury. And many who were rich put in much. 42 Then one poor widow came and threw in two mites, which make a quadrans. 43 So He called His disciples to Himself and said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all those who have given to the treasury; 44 for they all put in out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all that she had, her whole livelihood.”

Two Mites

When I was growing up, we came and saw my grandma Stroup every once in a while.

She lived here in Tahlequah.

She didn’t have much money, but I could care less about that.

My parents and my grandparents didn’t have much.

But what little she had, she gave to different churches.

I included verses 38-40 because of her.

It is our responsibility of us as a church to insure that the money that is given us is used wisely.

Many of the ministries she gave to were not using their money wisely.

They fed off people like her and Jesus words are clear.

Can you imagine this woman that Jesus saw at the temple that day?

Everyone around her is giving these large sums and yet she only had 2 mites.

She wanted to give more but this was all she had.

Many of us here feel like we don’t have much to give.

I feel like that sometimes.

I’m not talking about money.

I look at the gifts God has given me and I understand that God hasn’t given me the abilities that others have.

Sure he’s given me what I call the technology bug.

He gave me the ability to understand and teach scripture.

But I’m not this great speaker.

The question is for me and all of you here is not how much you have, but are you giving it all?

All Her Might

The widow gave all she had.

What are we giving?

Are we giving all we have?

2 of my kids are in High School and they both play sports.

It’s easy in sports to see who puts in the effort.

Some just put in the effort that they can get away with.

Back in High School I decided to wrestle my senior year.

I was about the same weight as this freshmen and he was a better wrestler.

But I was “All In”

Are you all in?

Romans 12:1 NKJV

1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.

God doesn’t just want part of us.

He wants all of us.

This is not a salvation issue, it’s a sanctification issue.

In the Romans passage, Paul goes on to tell us about the various gifts.

We are a body.

If part of your body isn’t working right, it affects the whole body.

I broke my left collarbone 4 years ago and it never healed back right.

Now when I go to lift something, I can’t lift as much with my left side.

It’s true about my left hand as well.

We are not talking about ability, but effort.

It doesn’t matter how much you give, God has designed you to work as you’re built.

It’s the effort you are giving

Mites Into Might

God will turn it into what it’s supposed to be.

Paul talks about something that holds him back in 2 Corinthians 12:7-10

2 Corinthians 12:7–10 NKJV

7 And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. 8 Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. 9 And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

This passage is showing us that God works through us no matter what our weakness is.

He can turn our mites into might

Mites Into Might

God uses us even though we have issues

He can turn messes into the mighty.

Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 4:7

2 Corinthians 4:7 NKJV

7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.

Mites Into Might

We are these fragile containers that carry the truths of God.

This widow that Jesus noticed didn’t give very much.

The coins themselves didn’t help much, but her testimony has spread forth to the ends of the earth.

She is rejoicing in Heaven knowing how many lives were touched.

What we do here in this present age cannot be measured by what we do or how we give.

We won’t know until God tells us.

I have one last thing to talk about and we’ll start wrapping up.

Are You Giving All Your Mites?

The early church, led by the men that Jesus is talking to, gave all they had.

Their money, their property, and their lives.

They gave all.

I’m not telling you that you should give all.

Years ago when I was working construction, I worked on my first union job.

I don’t even know how old I was.

Me and this other guy were taxed with moving some ceiling tile from one location to another.

We had to carry them a bundle at a time up a floor or 2.

The guy I was working with was excited to be working as carpenter apprentice.

He was trying to impress the boss, so he grabbed 2 or 3 bundles and started running with them to move them

He did this for about 10-15 minutes and then just almost stopped.

He was beating me by how many he had initially carried.

But it didn’t take long before I was beating him.

I ended up moving almost 2x as much.

My point is that we do need to pace ourself.

But many of us can give a lot more than we are doing right now.

When Christian was in 7th grade, he played center for Peggs football.

In one of his games, he lined up against this kid that was close to 6’ and I bet he weighted north of 300 lbs.

It was hard to see Christian go up against this guy.

Christian probably only weighted 100 lbs.

He never backed down.

In fact one time he got his timing right and flipped that kid right over on his head.

Christian was all in.

On football - he still is

On other things, well we need to have a talk about that.

The point I’m getting to is this:

Are you ready to be a living sacrifice? Jesus died on the cross for all of us.

He was all in, are you all in?

We need workers that are willing to do what needs to be done.

Let me say thank you for the ones that help here.

Keith

Cristy

Jack

Christian

Barbara

Let’s go and give it all

Let’s be All In!