Sunday, February 12, 2006
The Goonies 'r good enough - Cyndi Lauper
The preacher began his sermon with the following story (sori - me got no photographic memory but this is basically the gist of it):-
It was a snowy wintry Sunday. When the Christians gathered together in a methodist Church in Colchester, there were only a dozen of them, at the most, 15. Most were prolly snowed in. In fact, the pastor was one of the many absentees, no doubt unable to attend due to the elements.
The members look to each other and it was a tradesman who "drew the short straw". Now this fella had no training watsoever in God's word. He was no speaker - he spoke wif a strong accent. But someone had to do it - and he did.
The text for that day was taken from Isaiah 45 v22 - "Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else."
He had the verse but he had no sermon notes. But he went on bravely... for all 10 minutes(!!!!), just repeating the words and going round in circles.
Could you imagine how he could have felt? Inadequate? Not good enough? A failure?
The preacher went on to encourage us never to give up. We will feel inadequate. We will stumble in our efforts. We will basically feel that watever we do, it'll not be good enough - and never will be.
We were then referred to 2 Kings 4v38-44. Click on it and look it up when you are free. It basically tells of 2 accounts when the efforts of men seemed inadequate - but yet, God used it for his glory!
So dun ever give up, we were exhorted and reminded. Our efforts are sometimes meant to seem inadequate - this is so that when it brings in the results, we know that it is not thru our own strengths and that all glory will be given to God.
Wat happened to that Methodist tradesman from Colchester? Well, he prolly din get to preach ever again!!!! As if the situation that day wasn't bad enough, he broke one of the cardinal principles when preaching! You see, present in their midst that day was a teenager, who was making his way to Eld Lane Baptist that morning but because of the snow, he had to settle for this Methodist Church instead. It wasn't hard spotting him in the crowd of 15 or so!
Maybe it was an effort to shift the attention away. Maybe it was a last ditch to try to make something out of the disastrous sermon. Maybe (most likely), he was prompted by the Holy Spirit.
He pointed the poor teen out from the pulpit and challenged the bloke to "Look unto God and be saved"!!!!
Well, the boy did.
Today, we do not know wat happenned to that tradesman - but we know wat happenned to that teen - he is one of the greatest preachers who ever lived. You may have heard of him - Charles Spurgeon!!!! ;-)
Inadequate? Not good enough? Broke one of the cardinal rules of preaching?
It was good enough for God to use!
We may be serving God in Malaysia or in Colchester, or in the Phillipines, or in Australia, or in the States - but our efforts will never be in vain!
p/s - you can a full and proper account of Spurgeon's conversion here.
p/p/s - it was only tonite that i learnt that Spurgeon is from Colchester - altho my suspicions were aroused by the presence of a "Spurgeon Street" on the way to town!
It was a snowy wintry Sunday. When the Christians gathered together in a methodist Church in Colchester, there were only a dozen of them, at the most, 15. Most were prolly snowed in. In fact, the pastor was one of the many absentees, no doubt unable to attend due to the elements.
The members look to each other and it was a tradesman who "drew the short straw". Now this fella had no training watsoever in God's word. He was no speaker - he spoke wif a strong accent. But someone had to do it - and he did.
The text for that day was taken from Isaiah 45 v22 - "Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else."
He had the verse but he had no sermon notes. But he went on bravely... for all 10 minutes(!!!!), just repeating the words and going round in circles.
Could you imagine how he could have felt? Inadequate? Not good enough? A failure?
The preacher went on to encourage us never to give up. We will feel inadequate. We will stumble in our efforts. We will basically feel that watever we do, it'll not be good enough - and never will be.
We were then referred to 2 Kings 4v38-44. Click on it and look it up when you are free. It basically tells of 2 accounts when the efforts of men seemed inadequate - but yet, God used it for his glory!
So dun ever give up, we were exhorted and reminded. Our efforts are sometimes meant to seem inadequate - this is so that when it brings in the results, we know that it is not thru our own strengths and that all glory will be given to God.
Wat happened to that Methodist tradesman from Colchester? Well, he prolly din get to preach ever again!!!! As if the situation that day wasn't bad enough, he broke one of the cardinal principles when preaching! You see, present in their midst that day was a teenager, who was making his way to Eld Lane Baptist that morning but because of the snow, he had to settle for this Methodist Church instead. It wasn't hard spotting him in the crowd of 15 or so!
Maybe it was an effort to shift the attention away. Maybe it was a last ditch to try to make something out of the disastrous sermon. Maybe (most likely), he was prompted by the Holy Spirit.
He pointed the poor teen out from the pulpit and challenged the bloke to "Look unto God and be saved"!!!!
Well, the boy did.
Today, we do not know wat happenned to that tradesman - but we know wat happenned to that teen - he is one of the greatest preachers who ever lived. You may have heard of him - Charles Spurgeon!!!! ;-)
Inadequate? Not good enough? Broke one of the cardinal rules of preaching?
It was good enough for God to use!
We may be serving God in Malaysia or in Colchester, or in the Phillipines, or in Australia, or in the States - but our efforts will never be in vain!
p/s - you can a full and proper account of Spurgeon's conversion here.
p/p/s - it was only tonite that i learnt that Spurgeon is from Colchester - altho my suspicions were aroused by the presence of a "Spurgeon Street" on the way to town!
# posted by imissw : 8:31:00 pm
