Sunday, August 16, 2009

 

Rick Maule -- Announcements
Matt 5:14
Blood Drive on Saturday Aug 29
Missions collection 9/27    $120,000 goal
requires 1 -- sacrifice and 2 -- faith
if we step out, God will work the miracles
God rewards faith
praying for unbudgeted money to appear
money is turning into souls in East Africa
God judges the heart, not the amount

 

Brittany Taylor (daughter of James & Amanda Taylor) engaged to Chris Nessa (sp?)

Communion -- Johnny Walker and Megan Radcliff
Rom 5:3-6
Megan Radcliff -- in Kenya this summer
"kid's clubs" in the slums of Dendora
they have hope because people believe in them
Megan can have hope because of what Jesus did on the cross
Johnny - in another slum this summer, Makura
they had a picture of a face -- half frowning & crying / half smiling
Makura now -- prostitution, drugs -- it's a HOPE site
the happy side -- the future of Makura -- kids graduating, happy, full of hope
Kids singing -- they were happy
rejoicing in trials builds character, they live in trials every day and they are the most joyful people he's ever seen
Why isn't he like that?
He has everything, he lives in America
He so easily forgets.   He has hope in eternity.    He needs to focus on heaven and God.

 

The Courage of HOPE -- video 
The Care Team (HOPE Worldwide), Children support group;   World on His shoulders and My Easy Road;   Be one of them;  HOPE  
(couldn't post video due to copyright restrictions on music)

 

BETH and FRANK Radcliff
Announcement:   Dustin Crawford's last Sunday with us before enlisting, going to Boot Camp in Illinois next week

 

BETH -- spent six weeks in Narobi -- 4 weeks in Dandora Slum
This is home to 600,000 with no running water or electricity
listed as  of top 30 most toxic places to live in the world
2,000 tons of trash dumped there daily
this was a school trip -- but she learned so much about herself and God
She saw God's love for the poor and needy
1 -- the Story of Melvin
his mother died when he was young, his father died 3 months before she arrived there
people looted his house for debts, he scavenged the dump for stuff he could sell
his little buddies wanted to bring Melvin home to live with them -- food for 3 now had to be spread among 4
Beth met his new mom at HOPE - she needed help with tuition, clothes for Melvin
after 3 months, a body unclaimed is thrown in the trash dump
That is probably where his father is today
his father was unclaimed, but Melvin was claimed by his buddies
His new mother is HIV+, so the four will be abandoned eventrually
But HOPE knows about them now

 

2 -- the 4th Sunday she was there
She had stayed on the West and Dandora was on the East so she had been worshipping in the West, 1000 met in each place
she was being introduced to various groups "here are the sisters from Dandora"   people without anything, there were sisters there
50 disciples in the slum lived there, they shone there
these brothers and sisters claimed Dandora as their own
even meet for a midweek
40 baptisms in the prior five months (those 50 people)
We can be so proud of what HOPE Worldwide is doing but also proud of what the church is doing. 
She left there knowing that God was meeting people's needs and was so glad to be a part of it for a short time.

 

FRANK:     picture you were in Jerusalem, the week before Jesus dies.   Preaching to the crowds, people surrounding him.  Some followers, some wanting to kill him. 
Jesus said "separate the people one form the other -- sheep and goats"
You're in the crowd -- where do you think Jesus is going with this?  What is Jesus asking?
What is he talking about?   which ones are the sheep and which are the goats?   which one is good or bad?   am I a sheep or a goat?

 

He's going to talk about the unbelievers and believers.  He's going to talk about repentance and staying in sin.   He's going to talk about the humble vs. the Pharisees.   He's going to talk about the true believers vs. the imposters.
Matt 25:  34-46  encouraging and scary parts to this message
we will need to be a little careful with parables -- he wanted people to be convicted
Frank is going to zero in on a point - but remember the context
It's meant to show us something about our lives

 

What is the point?  the message?   
-- serving
-- realizing when you serve that you are doing it for Jesus
Is serving hard to do?  
It can be very simple. 
the result is being with him in the kingdom for eternity
Jesus is at Tools for Schools;  at the Red Cross Blood Drive
Do you believe Jesus was with those buddies that approached Melvin?   That he is in the Kid's Clubs?

 

The goats on the left -- where they evil people?   We don't know that.   
Did they actively do evil things?    NO -- they did nothing.
They didn't meet the need that was before them.
How many of you have had a thought and didn't act on it?    When we don’t do things that would have eternal consequences?

 

Don’t miss the point. 
Mother Teresa in Calcutta -- how did she deal with the overwhelming pressure of the poor?   
"you do the thing that's in front of you"
She would open the door, and see what was there, and try to meet it where she was living
1)  She was living where the needs were
2 -- she opened the door -- physically and her heart -- then she did something.  
There was criticism of what she didn't do.   Having been in a 3rd world country, it bothers you when those In the 1st world criticize what you set out to do.
In the pictures earlier, the elephant and the lions are not in the street in Nairobi, you have to go to a game reserve.  

 

The Nairobi church represents all of E. Africa.    The NC churches support 50% of the budget.    In 2008, we gave 40% of the budget.   The church provides an infrastructure.  
#1  ministry staff
#2  facilities
similar to our situation
seek and save souls, help people stay Christians
basis for what HOPE-Kenya can do
Board of Directors of HOPE-Kenya are disciples in Nairobi;  they have 200 employees, core of volunteers are disciples but also many are from the community

 

They got to know Elias and Margaret Catch at their last visit -- just appointed Evangelist and Woman's leader at 53 years old with a blended family -- 7 kids and all 7 are disciples.  
The oversee the slum in Makura.  The slum Johnny Walker was at.   There are 5 or 6 cars for 80 disciples.   There are more cell phones in the slums.   They buy scratch off cards for the phones.   They have 1 minutes calls--otherwise they are wasting money.
They walk Makura,  Monday through Sunday, they get as far as they can.   What do they find?   They find a need at every home.   They take the car and take them to government agencies and HOPE.   They work as social workers.   It's metal shanties, like the metal sheds for tractors here.   All are side by side with 8-10 people in each one.   It gives you the opportunity to talk to the neighbors next door. 

 

If you are a doctor, a teacher, or any other professional, you work for the government of Kenya.   They can send you anywhere.   Do you join 50% unemployed or go to where they tell you to go?  
In Kisimoo, years ago, there were just a few people there.   Now there are 25 disciples there, half of them moved in and half converted.    In three years, they went from to 3 to 25 disciples.   For $1,00 a month, that would completely cover salary and benefits for ministry staff in Kissimoo.   There is a job opening there.  

 

Overcoming difficulties in Kenya, most areas have water 1-2 days a week.  What do you do?   Everyone gets a 50 gallon plastic drum.   Fill them the day the water is running, every container.   Heat a bucket of water and dump it over your head to take a shower.  

 

Eight miles -- 10-12 kilometers -- short trip across the heart of the city.   The best time was 45 minutes -- a bad day was 2 1/2 hours.  the difficulties to overcome were immense.  

 

The Government ran out of money -- they do rolling black-outs.    HOPE is located between the embassies, a safe area, they still have rolling black-outs there.   HOPE in Dendora may have power 1-2 days a week. 

 

Steve & Carol McKenna will be here in 2 weeks to preach 8/30 on their way to Denver for an international conference.   We need to encourage them all we can. 
Mt 25:21   parable of the talents
"well done, good and faithful servant"   
Isn't that what we want to hear?
Taking what God has put in front of us and responding to the call.