A daily, Bible-based perspective of hope,
encouragement and exhortation.
Friday, November
23, 2018
An aerial view of a Lancaster County Amish farm taken from a hot air balloon.
Photo by Debra Zimmerman (Used by permission)
Click here for a larger size
"The
Ripple Effect"
Message
summary: The
ripple effect becomes a bigger and
bigger part of our impact as we get
older. However, we may or may not see
the ripples!
Listen
to our message
on your audio player.
"Let us not grow weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up" (Galatians 6:9). "The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also" (2 Timothy 2:2).
Yesterday
morning we attended a Thanksgiving
service that included an open mic for
"brief" testimonies. We enjoy these
kind of services periodically and the
expressions of thanks and overcoming
faith touched our hearts as we saw God
at work in individual lives.
For
many years Paul Hollinger was the
General Manager of WDAC, one of our
local Christian radio stations,
retiring about 15 years ago. He has
had health problems the last several
years but continues to express a
vibrant, overcoming faith as expressed
in his testimony yesterday. He and his
wife Sylvia recently celebrated their
60th wedding anniversary, and look
great, as you can see in the photo.
They're a very engaging couple when we
join them in conversation.
After
the service Paul shared a story with
me that I found very interesting in
light of our chaplain work. We see
many Vietnamese people who have
immigrated to the USA. We still have a
language barrier with some of them but
they seem to understand our purpose
and care as we seek to be a witness
for Christ. The other day we were in a
store and one of the Vietnamese ladies
spotted Brooksyne, ran over and gave
her a big hug! Though communications
are limited, interest in another's
well-being can be conveyed in other
ways.
Paul
explained, at the time Vietnam fell to
communism in the mid-seventies, there
were many refugees who came to the
states. One group was temporarily
housed at "Fort
Indian Town Gap" an
Army facility in our area. At that
time the station was running a Public
Service Announcement (PSA) requesting
local families to host a Vietnamese
family. Paul heard the announcement on
his own station and sensed the Lord
speaking to him that this is something
he should do.
The
Hollinger children were still at home
but Paul and Sylvia felt they had
enough room to host a couple so they
took in a young couple who had just
gotten married at the Fort. The couple
stayed a short time to get their feet
on the ground and moved on to living
independently. Fast forward 43 years and the
Vietnamese couple who presently reside
in California stay in regular contact
with the Hollingers and are very
grateful for their role in the early
years of their arrival in America. In
fact Paul said the man has a very
successful career in tech in the
Silicon Valley.
Don
and Tabitha Nguyen along with
daughters Abigail, Kayla and Maria
We
heard another testimony from a family
who sat in front of us in the service.
They are missionaries to Cambodia
where their service includes ministry
to Vietnamese refugees in that
country. Don came as a Vietnamese
refugee, accepted the ways of the
Lord, and now with his family is
spreading the Gospel and seeking to
make disciples for Christ.
Today,
let us consider the ripple effect of
ministry. Picture throwing a stone
into a pond and noting the ripples as
they expand outward from the point the
stone hit the water. Ripple after
ripple expanding outward. In ministry
sometimes we see the ripples,
sometimes we don't. Rarely do we see
the distant ripples but they are
still there.
Today's
Bible texts are both portions we
memorized early in our journey. It's
one thing to reflect on these verses
looking forward to life and ministry.
Although we are still in the race and
looking ahead, as we get older there's
a lot of looking back as well, and
that can be a good thing.
"Let us not grow weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." Many commentators see this in the sense of one who is battling discouragement, a major obstacle for those serving Christ. Even as Jesus had those who were unreceptive and walked away (John 6:66) as well as Paul (2 Timothy 4:10) so will we. We accept the promise that in "at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up (some versions state "do not grow weary").
2
Timothy 2:2 was a major focus verse
while we were preparing for ministry
back in the seventies. "The
things which you have heard from me
in the presence of many witnesses,
entrust these to faithful men who
will be able to teach others also".
- There's a period in life when we are mostly receiving. This is particularly true of our childhood and youth years. Although we are not hearing directly from Jesus and His disciples we are subject to their teachings. For us this is the apostolic teaching, those truths faithfully conveyed from the Bible.
- Then there's a period in life when we are mostly entrusting these truths to others. We should always be receiving but increasingly we give. We teach, lead programs, serve in a variety of ways. Even before and following our Bible College training that's what we've sought to do.
- Then
there's a period in life when those to whom we have
entrusted truth are teaching others
also.
This is the ripple effect of
ministry.
Although we should keep receiving
and we should keep teaching, the
ripple effect becomes a bigger and
bigger part of our impact. This is
increasingly the case as we get
older. However, only in eternity
will we see fuller evidence of the
ripple effect!
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily
prayer:
Father, we are
grateful for those who have chosen to
follow You and influenced others to
walk in the paths of righteousness. Of
course, we are only a mouthpiece and a
living example of how Your grace and
forgiveness can change one's life, but
that's one essential method You choose
to spread the gospel. May we be found
faithful in living a life that honors
you, by telling and showing others the
way to salvation through Christ Jesus
our Lord. Amen.
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily
prayer:
Father, we are
grateful for those who have chosen to
follow You and influenced others to
walk in the paths of righteousness. Of
course, we are only a mouthpiece and a
living example of how Your grace and
forgiveness can change one's life, but
that's one essential method You choose
to spread the gospel. May we be found
faithful in living a life that honors
you, by telling and showing others the
way to salvation through Christ Jesus
our Lord. Amen.Today's
Suggested
Music and Supplemental Resources
"Find Us Faithful" Video Let There Be Praise Singers
"What
You Leave Behind" Video
The Talleys
Yesterday
we shared a photo of
an antique axe collection we saw
in the Star Barn earlier this
week. I asked, "Could an astute
Bible student suggest a good
verse that might go with this
collection?" Here are two
answers I received:
Ed: "If the axe is dull and he does not sharpen its edge, then he must exert more strength. Wisdom has the advantage of giving success" (Ecclesiastes 10:10)
Ed: "If the axe is dull and he does not sharpen its edge, then he must exert more strength. Wisdom has the advantage of giving success" (Ecclesiastes 10:10)
David
and Brenda: The first
verse we thought of before we
even saw your question was "As
iron sharpens iron, so one man
sharpens another" (Proverbs
27:17).
Send a message to Stephen & Brooksyne
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Scripture references are from The Holy Bible: New International Version. © 1984 by International Bible Society; NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, New King James Version (NKJV) Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. and the King James Version.
Personal Mission Statement: "I am created by God to bring Him glory. Through God's Son Jesus Christ I have been redeemed and make it my life's goal to please the Lord. My mission in life is to honor God through my faith and obedience and prepare myself and all whom I may influence for eternity."
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