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Welcome to THE TIMOTHY REPORT for February 2, 2004
“To assist, encourage, enable and equip”
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DO YOU KNOW HIM?
(A wonderful description of Christ!)
“Well, I wonder if you know Him. Do you know my King? David said, “the heavens proclaim the glory of God; the skies declare the work of His hands (Psalm 19:1).
My King is the Sovereign King – no means of measure can define His limitless love: no far seen telescope can bring into visibility the coastline of His shoreless supply; no barriers can hinder Him from pouring out His blessing. He is enduringly strong, entirely sincere, eternally steadfast, immortally graceful, infinitely powerful, impartially merciful, my King!
He is the greatest phenomenon that ever crossed the horizon of this world; He is God’s Son, the sinner’s Savior, the Centerpiece of Civilization. He stands alone in the solitude of Himself-august, unique, unparalleled, unprecedented, supreme and preeminent.
He’s the loftiest idea in literature, the highest personality in philosophy, the supreme problem in higher criticism, the fundamental doctrine in true theology, the Miracle of the Ages, the superlative of everything good that you choose to call Him. He’s the only One qualified to be our All-Sufficient Savior. I wonder if you know Him today.
He’s the only One able to supply all our needs simultaneously. He supplies strength for the weak. He is available for the tempted and tried; He sympathizes and saves, strengthens and sustains. He guards and guides; He heals the sick, cleanses the lepers, forgives the sinners, discharges debtors, delivers captives. He defends the feeble, blesses the young, serves the unfortunate, regards the aged, rewards the diligent, beautifies the meek. Do you really know him?
My King is the Key of Knowledge, The Wellspring of Wisdom, the Doorway of Deliverance, the Path of Peace, the Roadway of Righteousness, the Highway of Holiness, the Gateway of Glory, He’s the Master of Mighty, the Captain of the Conquerors, the Head of the Heroes, the Leader of the Legislators, the Overseer of the Overcomers, the Governor of the Governors, the Prince of Princes, the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords, my King! My King’s office in manifold; His promises are sure; His light is matchless; His goodness is limitless; His mercy is everlasting. His love never changes; His Word is enough, His grace is sufficient; His reign is righteous; His yoke is easy; His burden is light. I wish I could more adequately describe Him to you but He is indescribable. He is God.
He in incomprehensible, invincible, irresistible! The heaven of heavens cannot contain Him, let alone a man explain Him. You can’t get Him out of your mind. You can’t outlive Him or live without Him. The Pharisees couldn’t stand Him but found out they couldn’t stop Him. Pilate could find not fault in Him; Herod couldn’t kill Him. Death couldn’t handle Him; the grave couldn’t hold Him. He always has been and always will be. He had no predecessor and will have no successor. You can’t impeach Him, and He’s not going to resign for His the Kingdom, the power and glory, forever. That’s my King!
We talk of black power, white power, green power. We try to get prestige, honor and glory for ourselves, but the glory is all His forever and ever and forever. How long is that? Ever and ever and ever and forever, and when you get through with all the forevers then. Amen. That’s my King! Crown Him with may Crowns! Crown Him with many Crowns!”
--Excerpt from a sermon by E. V. Hill
(The Timothy Report, Swan Lake Communications, www.timothyreport.com
February 2, 2004)
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LOVE IN ACTION
Dr. E. V. Hill recently has gone on to be with the Lord. He was a dynamic black minister who served as senior pastor of Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church in Los Angeles, lost his wife, Jane, to cancer a few years ago. At her funeral, Dr. Hill described some of the ways she had made him a better man. As a struggling young preacher, E. V. had trouble earning a living. E. V. came home one night and found the house dark. When he opened the door, he saw that Jane had prepared a candlelight dinner for two. He thought that was a great idea and went into the bathroom to wash his hands. He tried unsuccessfully to turn on the light. Then he felt his way into the bedroom and flipped another switch. Darkness prevailed. The young pastor went back to the dining room and asked Jane why the electricity was off. She began to cry.
"`You work so hard, and we're trying,' said Jane, `but it's pretty rough. I didn't have enough money to pay the light bill. I didn't want you to know about it, so I thought we would just eat by candlelight.'
"Dr. Hill described his wife's words with intense emotion: `She could have said, "I've never been in this situation before. I was reared in the home of Dr. Caruthers, and we never had our lights cut off." She could have broken my spirit; she could have ruined me; she could have demoralized me. But instead she said, "Somehow or other we'll get these lights back on. But tonight, let's eat by candlelight."'
"E. V. continued, `She was my protector. Some years ago I received quite a few death threats, and one night I received notice that I would be killed the next day. I woke up thankful to be alive, but I noticed that she was gone. I looked out the window and my car was gone. I went outside, and finally, saw her driving up. I said, "Where have you been?" She said, "I...I...it just occurred to me that they could have put a bomb in that car last night, and if you had gotten in there you would have been blown away. So I got up and drove it. It's all right."'")
(The Timothy Report, Swan Lake Communications, www.timothyreport.com
February 2, 2004)
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LOVE SEEKS THE LOST
Love seeks the lost. It goes out into the night and over the path and the by-paths of the day's grazing. It looks for the place of fascination and temptation, and for the precipice over which the sheep may have stumbled. It examines in the dim light twigs and brush, looks underneath willows and rushes for some trace of the wayward feet. It is all eyes and ears. Like a hound it scents the air; like the eagle it penetrates the lowest deeps. But it persists until at length, far removed among the underbrush and in the mire, the stray sheep is found. That is the Gospel, as it comes sweeping direct from the heart of God.
--Calvin Weiss Laufer
(The Timothy Report, Swan Lake Communications, www.timothyreport.com
February 2, 2004)
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LOVE
American artist and author James Thurber told of a forty-seven-year-old woman who had been married twenty seven years and had six children. Out of the nitty gritty of her daily experience, she had her own definition of love: “Love is what you’ve been through with somebody.”
Love requires blood, sweat and tears, yet it’s like magic. It’s solid yet illusive. The more we study it, analyze it and categorize it, the more mysterious and preposterous it seems….Love is cherishing and charitable, caring and cordial, captivating and considerate. Love is a carefully crafted note sent to the lonely man who gets no mail. Love is bear hugs and back rubs. Love is strong, strange longings inside of us. Love is complicated and straightforward, puzzles and contradictions, tit for tat, selfishness and self-giving, all at the same time. Persistent love is a primitive emotion that can soften the jaded sophisticate or conquer a cranky old codger. Love is sometimes mauldlin and mawkish, other times serene and sublime. Love is smiles and a place where we’re needed—and wanted. Love helps us find our way back home.
--Janet Chester Bly, “Awakening Your Sense of Wonder,” Discovery House Publishers, 1997, p. 145.
(The Timothy Report, Swan Lake Communications, www.timothyreport.com
February 2, 2004)
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GOD NEVER COMES NEXT
Speaking on the Lordship of Christ, Vance Havner once said, “Jesus Christ is the first and last, the author and finisher, beginning and end, alpha and omega, and by Him all other things hold together. He must be first or nothing. God never comes next!”
This would be a good sermon series title on Lordship.
(The Timothy Report, Swan Lake Communications, www.timothyreport.com
February 2, 2004)
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THE IMPOSSIBLE TAKES A LITTLE LONGER
At the age of 20, Art Berg was a very happy man. Everything was going right. He was a gifted athlete and had started his own tennis court construction company. And he was engaged to a beautiful woman. Leaving California one Christmas eve, he was headed to Utah with a friend. He was going to meet his fiancee and complete their wedding plans.
During the long drive, he fell asleep while at the wheel. His car hit an abutment and rolled down a hill. He was ejected from the car and found himself laying on the desert with a broken neck. He was paralyzed from the chest down. He completely lost the use of his legs and arms. The doctors told him he would never work again. They concluded that he could never play sports again and would be dependent on others the rest of his life. One even suggested he forget getting married.
Art Berg was really afraid. It was the darkest moment in his life. The "end times" were upon him. In the midst of his peril his mother came and whispered a few words in his ear. "Art, while the difficult takes time, the impossible takes a little longer." In other words, "don't panic!" Suddenly, Art's darkness was filled with a light of hope. That was eleven years ago. Today Art Berg is president of his own company, a professional speaker and author. He has gained back some of the use of his arms and legs and can now drive. He travels across the country sharing his message, "that the impossible just takes a little longer." Art married his fiancee and they have two children. He has even returned to the world of sports, swimming and scuba diving. In l993 Art was the first quadriplegic to race 32 miles in a marathon, all because he didn't panic.
--Keith Wagner, in “Are You Having An Anxiety Attack?”
(The Timothy Report, Swan Lake Communications, www.timothyreport.com
February 2, 2004)
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EXCUSES FOR AVOIDING CHURCH SERVICES
A lot of people always have a good excuse for not attending their religious institution each week. If you take those excuses and apply them to other things we do (or don't do), like eating, they might look like this list:
1. I was forced to eat as a child.
2. People who eat all the time are hypocrites; they aren't really hungry.
3. There are so many different kinds of food, I can't decide what to eat.
4. I used to eat, but I got bored and stopped.
5. I only eat on special occasions, like Christmas and Easter.
6. None of my friends will eat with me.
7. I'll start eating when I get older.
8. I don't really have time to eat.
9. I don't believe that eating does anybody any good. It's just a crutch.
10. Restaurants and grocery stores are only after your money.
(The Timothy Report, Swan Lake Communications, www.timothyreport.com
February 2, 2004)
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NOTHING ELSE NEEDS TO BE SAID
A young lady named Sally relates an experience she had in a seminary class given by her teacher, Dr. Smith. She says Dr. Smith was known for his elaborate object lessons. One particular day, Sally walked into the seminary and knew they were in for a fun day. On the wall was a big target and on a nearby table were many darts. Dr. Smith told the students to draw a picture of someone that they disliked or someone who had made them angry, and he would allow them to throw darts at the person’s picture.
Sally’s girlfriend drew a picture of a girl who had stolen her boyfriend. Another friend drew a picture of his little brother. Sally drew a picture of a former friend, putting a great deal of detail into her drawing, even drawing pimples on the face. She was pleased with the overall effect she had achieved. The class lined up and began throwing darts. Some of the students threw their darts with such force that their targets were ripping apart. Sally looked forward to her turn, and was filled with disappointment when Dr. Smith, because of the time limits, asked the students to return to their seats.
As Sally sat thinking about how angry she was because she didn’t have a chance to throw any darts at her target, Dr. Smith began removing the target from the wall. Underneath the target was a picture of Jesus.
A hush fell over the room as each student viewed the mangled picture of Jesus; holes and jagged marks covered His face and His eyes were pierced. Dr. Smith said only these words…”In as much as you have done it unto the least of these my brethren, you have done it unto Me.” No other words were necessary; the tear-filled eyes of the students focused only on the picture of Christ.
(The Timothy Report, Swan Lake Communications, www.timothyreport.com
February 2, 2004)
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HAS YOUR VERSE CHANGED?
A poor woman in a revival service was brought into the light by a little verse in the fifth chapter of John. "Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life."
The evangelist gave her the verse, written on a little card, and sent her home, rejoicing, with her little son. They both went to bed that night, happy as angels. But in the morning she came down to breakfast as gloomy as ever, her face clouded and her heart utterly discouraged. She had had a night of conflicts, doubts and fears. When her little boy asked what the matter was, she could only burst into tears and say, "Oh, it is all gone. I thought I was saved, but I feel just as bad as ever."
The little fellow looked bewildered and said, "why, Mother, has your verse changed? I will go and see." He ran to the table and got her Bible with the little card in it and read, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life."
"Why, Mother," he said, "it is not changed a bit. It is just the same as it was last night; it is all right." And the mother looked with a smile at the little preacher whose simple trust was used of God to save her; and taking him in her arms, she thanked God that her precious verse was still the same, and, her peace as unchanged as is the everlasting Word of God. Is this what the apostle means? We are justified, so let us have and hold fast to the peace. It is not merely forgiveness, but it is an everlasting decree. Let us walk in the strength of it, and never allow the shadow of a doubt or fear to cross the sunlit sky of our heaven.
-- Weekly Alliance
(The Timothy Report, Swan Lake Communications, www.timothyreport.com
February 2, 2004)
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