Transforming

October 21, 2007

Transforming (Our Result)

Text:  Acts 4:8-20, 17:6

Proposition:  The power of the gospel is revealed in changed lives.

Application:  We commit to the focus of changing our purpose to a discipleship.

Transfomers:  More than meets the eye

I.  The Source of transformation (4:8-12)

The end of all Christian belief and obedience, witness and teaching, marriage and family, leisure and work life, preaching and pastoral work is the living of everything we know about God:  life, life and more life.  If we don’t know where we are going, any road will get us there.  But if we have a destination – in this case a life lived to the glory of God – there is a well-marked way, the Jesus-revealed Way. - Eugene Peterson

II. The sign of transformation (4:13-20)

a.  Uncle Ben

III.  The size of transformation (17:6)

a.  Kennedy at Rice:

  We choose to go to the moon. We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win, and the others, too.

     It is for these reasons that I regard the decision last year to shift our efforts in space from low to high gear as among the most important decisions that will be made during my incumbency in the office of the Presidency.

Let me once again echo the words of John Kennedy.

We choose to make disciples. We choose to be disciples and grow in our Connection, Honoring, Reaching, Instrucing and Serving. Not because it is easy, but because it is hard and the goal to be mature in Christ allows us to organize and evaluate our lives and corporate ministry. It is challenge that Christ asks us to willing accept, it is one we must should be unwilling to postpone and is one in which we will be transformed and see the lives of others transformed, too.

It is for this reason that we as leader regard this focus shift from low to highest priority and perhaps the most important decision made during these early years of my ministry with the congregation.

 Illustrations

Now may I conclude by sharing one of my favorite stories told by a great American educator Kenneth McFarland was the superintendent of schools in Coffeyville, a small Kansas community. They had a very interesting tradition in that small town: they had the commencement exercises for the junior college and the high school at the same time. It had grown over the years to become a marvelous event. They held it at the football stadium and it was not uncommon that they had four or five thousand spectators and students all in that football stadium attending the commencement. The last year that he was there, the day before commencement, Dr. McFarland was in the dean's office going over some matters with the dean and into the office came one of the very lovely, beautiful young graduating students. She was one of the most popular on campus, a student leader, and a smart girl with a fine scholastic record. This was her concluding year in that junior college. He heard her say that she wanted one ticket for the parents' section; she paid for her cap and gown, and then she left. Her name was Nancy Hollingsworth. Dr. McFarland concluded his business and stepped out into the hall. Waiting for him there was Nancy, and she said, "Dr. McFarland, I've wanted to talk to you for some time about something that's been on my mind, but I simply haven't had the courage because it really is kind of a personal thing. But," she said, "I have a story I'd like to tell you and see if there's something that you can do to help me."

He said, "She told me a fascinating story of how her father was an engineer on the railroad and how he had been killed. She and her two older brothers, in the early years, were raised by their mother, who was employed in a ladies' ready-to-wear shop." She said that some of the very happy moments of her life were in the evening following dinner after they had dressed in their pajamas.

"We could talk about anything we wanted to talk about at this time. Mother would tell us stories and we'd laugh. I can remember as though it were yesterday, a time when we were sitting there and we got to laughing. I developed cramps in my stomach and it was so much pain that Mother had to rub my stomach to relax the muscles. She finally tucked us in bed, kissed us good-night, and went to her bedroom. I don't know what happened," Nancy said. "During the night Mother died. We woke up on the morning and, of course, were hysterical. We didn't know what to do. The only living relative we had in the area was Mother's bachelor brother, Uncle Ben. Mother didn't want people to know about her brother because he was the town drunk. About the only time he worked was when he ran out of whiskey. He would work to get enough and then go on a long 'binge.' But," she said, "we loved him so much because he seemed to have plenty of time for us kids. He was the only one we could turn to. So we called him on the telephone and he came right over. We said, 'Uncle Ben, what are we going to do?' and he said, 'I don't know, kids, but whatever it is it won't be as good as you had. But when things quiet down a little bit after the funeral, I'll go down to the court and if you kids want to come and live with me, I'll pray God to give me the gumption to try to raise you right.'"

Nancy said, "Dr. McFarland, you just can't know what kind of a job he's done. In all those years he has never touched one drop of liquor. In all those years he has never missed one day's work. Everybody's got to feel bad sometime, but if he felt bad, he didn't tell us because he never missed a day's work." Then she said, "Tomorrow is the sixth commencement he has attended. My oldest brother Jim is a medical doctor and he is in his residency now. Tom graduates this spring from MIT as an engineer, has had some wonderful job opportunities, and is going to take one. Tonight I'm graduating with a junior college degree and then I'm going to Pittsburgh Teacher's College to become a teacher. So this is the sixth graduation that he has attended and not once has he been willing to sit in the parents' section. Each time we ask him why, he says he just doesn't think it's the proper respect for Mom. So this is my last chance, Dr. McFarland. I've got a ticket for the parents' section but he won't accept it. After you've introduced the parents and you have them stand," she said, "is there something special that you might do to recognize Uncle Ben?"

Dr. McFarland replied, "I'd have been very disappointed if you hadn't shared this with me. You just leave this to me and I'll figure something out."

The graduation was wonderful. There was just enough breeze to float the flags. The students looked wonderful in their robes; the college students came in first, and then the high school graduates came in and sat down. They had the band playing "Pomp and Circumstance" for the processional. As the band faded out, the orchestra came in and picked it up. As they faded out, the organ came in. For the grand finale, when the graduates were all seated, the band, orchestra, and organ came in together and filled the air with vibrant notes. Dr. McFarland went through the introduction and then, as usual, the parents stood up and were recognized with a big hand of applause. He then looked down on the second row and there was Nancy, sitting with a face about a foot long. She thought that he'd forgotten. But he said, "Ladies and gentlemen, I want all the Uncle Bens in the audience who have a graduate representative in the graduating class to please stand." Suddenly a hush went over that audience. He said, "I knew I'd really hooked on to something big. But nothing happened." Finally he said, "Surely with an audience this size there has got to be at least one Uncle Ben who has a representative in the graduating class. We will not proceed with this commencement exercise until he stands." And then slowly, up on the back row, way up near the top of the bleachers, a tall, gangly figure began to stand. Kids on the top row of the graduating class were expecting it and were the first ones to clap. That triggered a gigantic applause from the entire stadium until it rocked all the chairs and those who were sitting there. They knew more about Uncle Ben than he thought they knew. He seemed so embarrassed that he was telling people to sit down.

Commencement exercise continued and after the graduates were dismissed, everyone came together and began to shake hands as they usually do. Down the middle row came Nancy Hollingsworth, dragging a very reluctant Uncle Ben. As they approached the stand, Dr. McFarland came down and said, "I am so happy to meet you, sir. I have two questions which I must ask you. First of all, what were you thinking when this gigantic applause roared through the stadium?"

Uncle Ben began to laugh and said, "Well, to tell you the truth, I thought I was dreaming. I said to myself, if I'm dreaming I must be asleep. And if I'm asleep, I'm going to be missing Nancy's graduation and I'd better get going."

Dr. McFarland said, "Now the second question is--and I've given a lot of thought to this--what did you tell the authorities when you went down to get permission to take over the kids? You didn't have a very good case, did you?"

Uncle Ben replied, "Doc, I don't mind telling you that I didn't have a case at all. But the judge asked me"--of course they were well acquainted-- "'Ben, why should I give you the kids?' I looked right at him and I said, 'The Master said a man can be born again. He said that a man can change and he can stay changed--can change completely. And I believe that he meant any man can do that, even a drunken ne'er-do-well like me.'"

"The judge took off his glasses, and he turned around and looked out the window for a few moments, and then he said, 'I believe that deal included you, Ben. We're going to turn the kids over to you. You take them home, and in thirty days we're going to come out and see how you're getting along. If you're doing a good job tending the kids and providing for them, we'll leave them with you. But if you aren't, then we'll have to take them and find another home for them.'"

"Those three kids went with me back to my house, and we knelt down the very first thing around my bed. I promised God that if he'd hold on to me, I'd hold on to the kids. The five of us have been getting along real good ever since."

Kennedy at Rice 1962:

  We choose to go to the moon. We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win, and the others, too.

     It is for these reasons that I regard the decision last year to shift our efforts in space from low to high gear as among the most important decisions that will be made during my incumbency in the office of the Presidency.

“(f)rom our church leaders to our teens in our youth groups, the choices we make are shaping the (church) our children will attend.” - Jeff Walling