THIS WEEK’S GRAPHIC
Is based on Psalm 63:3—“Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you.” The graphic is free for use in your non-profit organization’s publications, and can be downloaded at www.timothyreport.com
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Welcome to THE TIMOTHY REPORT for May 31, 2004
“To assist, encourage, enable and equip”
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NEGATIVE INFLUENCE OF A FATHER
Years ago in Germany there was a young Jewish boy who had a profound sense of admiration for his father. The life of the family centered around the acts of piety and devotion prescribed by their religion. The father was zealous in attending worship and instruction and demanded the same from his children. While the boy was a teenager the family was forced to move to another town in
Germany. In the new location there was no synagogue, and the pillars of the community all belonged to the Lutheran church. Suddenly the father announced to the family that they were all going to abandon their Jewish traditions and join the Lutheran church. When the stunned family asked why, the father explained that it was necessary to help his business. The youngster was bewildered and confused. His deep disappointment soon gave way to anger and a kind of intense bitterness that plagued him throughout his life.
He left Germany and went to England to study. He sat daily at the British Museum formulating his ideas and composing a book. In that book he introduced a whole life and world-view and conceived of a movement that was designed to change the world. In the book he described religion as an "opiate for the masses" that could be explained totally in terms of economics. Today there are billions of people in the world who live under the system invented by this
embittered man. His name, of course, is Karl Marx. The influence of this father's hypocrisy is still being keenly felt around the world.
--R. C. Sproul, “Objections Answered.” (Quoted in James S. Hewett, “Illustrations Unlimited” (Wheaton: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc, 1988), p. 436.
(The Timothy Report, Swan Lake Communications, www.timothyreport.com
May 31, 2004)
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POSITIVE INFLUENCE OF A FATHER
In Point Man, Steve Farrar tells the story of George McCluskey. When McCluskey married and started a family, he decided to invest one hour a day in prayer, because he wanted his kids to follow Christ. After a time, he expanded his prayers to include his grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Every day between 11 a.m. and noon, he prayed for the next three generations.
As the years went by, his two daughters committed their lives to Christ and married men who went into full-time ministry. The two couples produced four girls and one boy. Each of the girls married a minister, and the boy became a pastor. The first two children born to this generation were both boys. Upon graduation from high school, the two cousins chose the same college and became roommates.
During their sophomore year, one boy decided to go into the ministry. The other didn't. He undoubtedly felt some pressure to continue the family legacy, but he chose instead to pursue his interest in psychology. He earned his doctorate and eventually wrote books for parents that became bestsellers. He started a radio program heard on more than a thousand stations each day. The man's name was James Dobson. Through his prayers, George McCluskey affected far more than one family.
-- Loyal J. Martin, Newton, Kansas. Leadership, Vol. 16, no. 4.
(The Timothy Report, Swan Lake Communications, www.timothyreport.com
May 31, 2004)
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WORSHIP
We need to let go of our intellectual idea of worship and realize there is more to worship than a sermon; we have to let go of our evangelistic notion of worship and reckon with the fact that worship is not primarily directed toward the sinners who need to be converted; we must let go of our entertainment expectations and remind ourselves that we are not in church to watch a Christian variety show. We have gathered together in worship to be met by God the Almighty. God, the Creator of the universe, the One who sustains our lives, our Redeemer and King, is present through proclamation and remembrance. He wants to communicate to us, to penetrate our inner self, to take up residence within us. And, as we go through the experience of meeting with him in this mystical moment of public worship, we are to respond. But response is not just singing a hymn, not just saying a creed, not just saying a prayer. Response, from the very beginning of worship to the end, must be a powerful inner experience of actually being in the presence of God. When we sing a hymn or say a confession or prayer, we are not singing or saying words, but expressing a feeling, bringing our souls, truly responding and communicating to the living and active presence of a loving and merciful God.
–Robert Webber, in “Worship is a Verb,” p.114
(The Timothy Report, Swan Lake Communications, www.timothyreport.com
May 31, 2004)
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DECEPTION
On May 19, 2004, it was reported that for two years, 38-year-old Jian Feng of Northern China had the luxury of a beautiful woman at his side. Everything was going perfectly fine until the couple decided to have a baby. Apparently, his wife gave birth to a baby girl so ugly that Feng was "horrified" at the sight of her. Feng immediately assumed that his trophy wife had been cheating on him with an ugly fellow. Quick to defend her daughter, his wife admitted to having $127,000 worth of plastic surgery in South Korea before they had met. She then produced a picture of how she used to appear, and let him have a look. When he saw it, not only did Feng waste no time filing for divorce, but he also sued her for deceit. He managed to get $99,700 out of the whole deal.
(The Timothy Report, Swan Lake Communications, www.timothyreport.com
May 31, 2004)
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WHO DID YOU COME TO WORSHIP?
Many years ago, Thomas K. Beecher once substituted for his famous brother, Henry Ward Beecher, at the Plymouth Church in Brooklyn, New York. Many curiosity seekers had come to hear the renowned Henry Beecher speak. Therefore, when Thomas Beecher appeared in the pulpit instead, some people got up and started for the doors. Sensing that they were disappointed because he was substituting for his brother, Thomas raised his hand for silence and announced, "All those who came here this morning to worship Henry Ward Beecher may withdraw from the church; all who came to worship God may remain."
(The Timothy Report, Swan Lake Communications, www.timothyreport.com
May 31, 2004)
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THOSE WHO SWAY, THOSE WHO STAND STRONG
The morning (May 30, 2004) here in central Mississippi was rather windy. On the way to church I noticed that the wind was tossing the trees around, a sight that always fascinates me. I don’t talk on a cell phone while driving—I watch the trees in the wind (which is probably even more dangerous!).
Anyway, as I drove today, I watched the trees which lined the highway just up ahead. It was amazing how the different trees reacted to the wind. In one spot, a tree was waving violently, as if a giant hand was shaking it back and forth, trying to pull it out of the ground. The trees which surrounded it were hardly moving at all. What was the difference?
As I drove past, I slowed down to watch. The trees which remained stable and were not as affected by the wind were hardwoods, and were therefore more study. I did not know which kind of tree was the one which was being tossed around by the wind, but it was of the type that springs up and grows relatively quickly.
It was a parable right before my eyes. When the winds of adversity blow in our lives, are we like the trees that sway, being tossed around out of control? Or are we like the hardwoods, standing straight and strong, with the winds having little affect on us?
--Rocky Henriques
(The Timothy Report, Swan Lake Communications, www.timothyreport.com
May 31, 2004)
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DIFFERENT GODS, DIFFERENT MAN
James Michener, writing in his book, “he Source,”tells the story of a man named Urbaal, who was a farmer living about 2200 B.C. He worshiped two gods, one a god of death, the other a goddess of fertility. One day, the temple priests tell Urbaal to bring his young son to the temple for sacrifice--if he wants good crops. Urbaal obeys, and on the appointed day drags his wife and boy to the scene of the boy's "religious execution" by fire to the god of death. After the sacrifice of Urbaal's boy and several others, the priests announce that one of the fathers will spend next week in the temple, with a new temple prostitute. Urbaal's wife is stunned as she notices a desire written more intensely across his face than she had seen before, and she in overwhelmed to see him eagerly lunge forward when his name is called. The ceremony over, she walks out of the temple with her head swimming, concluding that "if he had different gods, he would have been a different man."
(Erwin Lutzer, Pastor to Pastor, p. 89.)
(The Timothy Report, Swan Lake Communications, www.timothyreport.com
May 31, 2004)
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COMPLAINING
During an afternoon baseball game when American League umpire Bill Guthrie was working behind home plate, the catcher for the visiting team repeatedly protested his calls.
According to a story in the St. Louis Post Dispatch, Guthrie endured this for three innings. But in the fourth inning, when the catcher started to complain again, Guthrie stopped him. "Son," he said gently, "you've been a big help to me calling balls and strikes, and I appreciate it. But I think I've got the hang of it now. So I'm going to ask you to go to the clubhouse and show them how to take a shower."
(The Timothy Report, Swan Lake Communications, www.timothyreport.com
May 31, 2004)
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JESUS THE ONLY WAY
He (Jesus) is, in fact, the only way by which men and women may come to the Father; there is no other way. If this seems offensively exclusive, let it be borne in mind that the one who makes the claim is the incarnate Word, the revealer of the Father.
-- F.F. Bruce
(The Timothy Report, Swan Lake Communications, www.timothyreport.com
May 31, 2004)
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SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT
Nearly everytime Jesus is mentioned in the Scriptures as being at the right hand of God, He is sitting. Nearly everytime. But there is one instance, and only one that I can find, where Jesus is seen standing on the right hand of God. What significance is that, and how can it encourage and comfort us when a loved one has died?
Always on the search for another story or illustration? Ever hesitate to use any particular story because you've used it too many times already?
Here's a solution! "Funeral Ideas and Illustrations" contains more than 100 stories, poems, and quotations for use in funerals or in Bible studies or sermons on death.
The items found in this collection come from a wide variety of sources. There may be some stories and/or poems you've used for years, and there are some you've never seen before. Some of the sermon outlines and messages are original material. And it's only $5.
In this collection, you will find:
--A sermon specifically designed for the Thanksgiving Season
--A poem written by a wife and son of a relatively young man who passed away.
--What a man wrote after losing three children to death
--Which hymn encouraged Daniel Webster in his final hours
--What Golda Meir said when asked if Israel would allow Nikita Kruschev's body to be buried in Israel
--An encouraging poem which is great to use in a funeral when a grieving spouse is left behind.
--A portion of a letter a Godly woman left behind for her family to read after she had gone on to be with the Lord.
--Mary Pickford's wonderful analogy of death
--Cardinal Joseph Bernardin's viewpoint of his own approaching death
--The word early Christians used to describe the place where they placed the bodies of loved ones when they died--a comforting, encouraging thought!
Visit http://www.timothyreport.com/funeral.html to view sample illustrations and to learn how to get your copy.
(The Timothy Report, Swan Lake Communications, www.timothyreport.com
May 31, 2004)
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