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A CALL FOR A REVIVAL OF KINDNESS

Have you ever thought about the people who were kind to you when you were a child?  Or maybe as a young person struggling to make sense of your life? Perhaps you had to go through a time of heartache and grief and there were people who stood by you in difficult times. We never forget those people. They are vessels of God’s love and care in our lives. We were able to recognize the goodness of God because His goodness flowed through them.

Beth Moore, in her latest book, relates how she had a difficult childhood. Her father was abusive, and her mother was mentally ill. Her home was not a haven for her. However, there was a local church which welcomed her and loved her. I am sure she could tell you their names today—she never forgot those kind folks. The people in that little church loved her into the Kingdom and stood by her when times were very tough. She gave her life to Jesus and today is influencing countless people to turn to Jesus.  

Kindness is one of the fruits of the Spirit that comes from love. Jesus said, “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:35).  We show that love for one another by being kind. When Christians love each other, the world will believe our message. People are longing for someone to care and love them. “A Revival of Kindness,” would mean that we devote ourselves to the qualities of being friendly, generous, caring, helpful, and considerate.  Your kind actions are what will value and benefit others.  Kindness is given without expecting anything in return.  It is given freely, to encourage and build up others.  God uses it to bless and transform the lives of you and others.

Several pastors have been praying for a movement of God–a revival in our community and in the churches of McMinnville. By revival we mean a revitalization of life and enthusiasm.   As we have prayed, we believe now is the time that God wants to pour out the Holy Spirit and answer our prayers.  It is through our kindness and compassion that we can show God’s goodness to our town and lost humanity.  We need a “revival of kindness”.

God is love, and the fruit of the Spirit is all about God’s character of love.  Kindness is one of the fruits.  We show that love for one another by being kind.  “A Revival of Kindness,” would mean that we devote ourselves to the qualities of being friendly, generous, caring, helpful, and considerate.  Your kind actions are what will value and benefit others.  Kindness is given without expecting anything in return.  It is given freely, to encourage and build-up others.  God use it to bless and transform the lives of you and others.

Paul in Romans 2:4 tells us that it is the kindness and the goodness of God that leads to repentance. God uses the fruit of kindness and goodness to change us. The Holy Spirit then provides the power, the conviction, and the direction to change our lives. Kindness has brought more people to God than argument, reason, persuasiveness, or education. Kindness and goodness are what makes the Gospel attractive, and that is why it leads to repentance.  Many times, it is the acts of kindness and caring that change a person’s life.  Kindness can change the world.  In a hard, cruel world, kindness stands out.  A good and holy man has always been known for his kindness.  Every day we have a choice whether to ask the Lord to help us to be kind to one another and to help us to do and speak words of kindness.  Kindness can be expressed in a smile, a word, a listening ear, an honest compliment. Even the smallest act of caring will bless others. Note that Jesus was our example of being kind and went around doing good.  Kindness, goodness and mercy travel together.

Kindness is the practice or expression of helpfulness, goodness, generosity, and mercy.  Jesus illustrated kindness in the story of the good Samaritan (Luke 10:29-37).  Martin Luther King Jr. said, “The first question which the priest and the Levite asked was: “If I stop to help this man, what will happen to me?” But the good Samaritan reversed the question: “If I do not stop to help this man, what will happen to him?”  Being kind, will make you a Kind and good person.   

Kindness is also good for you when you practice it. It has been shown to increase your self-esteem, empathy, and compassion, and it will improve your mood. It can decrease high blood pressure and calm anxiety.  Kindness can increase your connection with others, and it is contagious.  Kindness makes people healthier and can lead to longer lives. There is an inner change of heart that produces the fruits of a new behavior.

One youth group recently started recruiting teens to get on the ARK.  You get on the ARK with “Acts of Random Kindness,” so you can weather the storms of life.  Many times, acts of random kindness cost nothing and take little time. Here are some suggestions and you can surely think of many others:

          When walking down the street, greet others with a smile.

          Call someone on the phone with whom you have lost touch.

          Send a card to someone who is shut in or hurting.

          Congratulate someone on an accomplishment, even if it’s a small one.

          Celebrate birthdays with a card or a call.

          Help a mother with a small child load groceries into her car.

          Tell someone her hair looks great.

          Listen to your companion, giving your full attention.

          Pay for the coffee or fast food of the person behind you in line.

As we prepare the atmosphere through a revival of kindness and goodness, God said He would bring people to repentance.  With our prayers and humility, God will be glorified. For every great movement of God can be traced Christians praying. Pray with me that we will do our part for “A Revival of Kindness” in the lives of Christians.

“You are the light of the world.  A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.  Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead, they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.  In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matt. 5:14–16).

McMinnville Ministerial Association

jdh@faithencounter.org

John David Hicks, Prayer Chairman 

GOD’S WILL FOR YOU TODAY

“Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.  Do not quench the Spirit” (1 Thess. 5:16–19).

1. Rejoice Always, Sparks – Peace

2. Pray Continually, Sparks – Faith

3. Give Thanks in all Circumstances, Sparks – Joy

4. God’s Will in Christ, Sparks – Fellowship

5. Do not quench the Spirit Blessing you!

The Gospel is A Love letter

Sticky

The Gospel is a Love Letter from God to You–The Good News!

LIFE IS ABOUT RELATIONSHIPS

Because God is a Trinity—God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit—He is relational, a being of self-giving love. The world and humankind were created out of the overflow of love in the Trinity. God is love and seeks relationship and created us such that every person needs love.

The desire to love and to be loved has been given to you (or created within you) by God. Without love, your soul will start to shrivel-up and die. Your basic need is for love, acceptance, and forgiveness. Life is about relationships, and only God can heal and restore relationships.

Once Jesus was asked “What is the greatest commandment to please God?” His reply was “You must love the LORD your God with all your heart… This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments” (Matt. 22:37–40).

A violation of love is what we call sin. The things we call sin, such as lying, stealing, adultery, and murder are violations of love. Failure to love breaks relationships and will be manifested in rejection, pride, jealousy, greed, arrogance, rage, resentment, contempt, fear, and lack of respect. These all break the natural expression of love.
Then there are those who are broken because of relationships in their families or with friends caused by lying, faultfinding, indifference, pornography, and unforgiveness. Healing of those relationships begins when our relationship with God is first healed.

Sin is always a failure to love that often springs from a failure to recognize how much God loves us. Sin, at its core, is about selfishness, and the breaking of relationships.

“Everyone who sins is breaking God’s law [of Love], for all sin is contrary to the law of God. And you know that Jesus came to take away our sins, and there is no sin in Him. Anyone who continues to live in Him will not sin. But anyone who keeps on sinning does not know Him or understand who He is” (1 John 3:4–6 nlt). “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 6:23) Death means separation. Jesus died for your sin, took your place of judgment upon Himself so you don’t have to be separated from God in Eternity. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). Verse 18 nlt, “There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son.”

God’s voice within you will urge you to love, to be honest, to be grateful, and to do what is right and just. These qualities will bring life and fulfillment to others, yourself, and a relationship with God. “The Lord appeared to us in the past, saying: ‘I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness. Therefore, I have continued my faithfulness to you!’” (Jer. 31:3). We are never in the position of trying to get God to love us; it is simply for us respond to His deep love. “We love because he first loved us” (1 John 4:19).

When you love someone, you care about them, you want to help them and to be with them. 1 Peter 5:7 says, “Give all your worries and cares to God, for He cares about what happens to you” (nlt). Jesus is the way to God; He is the way to truth that sets you free, the way to life in relationships. He gives eternal life to all who call on His name, for no one can come to the Father except through Him. (John 14:6). God loves you and wants a relationship with you. “Listen! I am standing at the door, knocking; if you hear my voice and open the door, I will come into you and eat with you, and you with me” (Rev. 3:20 nrsv). If I knock on your door; you can say, “Come in, stay out, or ignore me.” That’s what you can do with Jesus. Why don’t you “open-up,” and let Him come into to your life? “But to all received Him, who believed in His name, He gave power to become children of God” (John 1:12 nrsv).

PRAY WITH ME: Dear Lord Jesus, I believe you died on the cross and rose again to forgive me of all my sins. I now receive you as my Savior and turn from sin. I invite you into my life to cleanse me from all my sins. I accept your gift of forgiveness and eternal life. Thank you for loving me and being my Savior and Lord. Give me the power to live my life for you. In Jesus’ name I pray. –Amen.

The Bible says in Romans 10:10-11 amp, “For with the heart a person believes (adheres to, trusts in, and relies on Christ) and so is justified (declared righteous, acceptable to God), and with the mouth he confesses (declares openly and speaks out freely his faith) and confirms [his] salvation. The Scripture says, No man who believes in Him [who adheres to, relies on, and trusts in Him] will [ever] be put to shame or be disappointed.”

© For more information visit: www.faithencounter.org – John David Hicks

The Day of Small Beginnings

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by John David Hicks, Evangelist © 1996  www.faithencounter.org

Zechariah 4:6-10, “So he said to me, “This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the LORD Almighty. “What are you, O mighty mountain? Before Zerubbabel you will become level ground. Then he will bring out the capstone to shouts of God bless it! God bless it!’” Other trans: he shall bring out the top stone amid shouts of ‘Grace, grace to it!’ Then the word of the LORD came to me: “The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this temple; his hands will also complete it. Then you will know that the LORD Almighty has sent me to you. “Who despises the day of small things? Men will rejoice when they see the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel.”

This is the picture. After seventy years of Babylonian captivity, the children of Israel have now returned to their land with a commission from God to rebuild the temple. When the people reached Jerusalem, they built an altar and offered thanksgiving to the Lord.

Amidst the ruins they laid the foundation of the new temple. But they soon became discouraged with the daunting task ahead of them.

Zerubbabel, a descendent of King David, was the Governor and along with the people, he too becomes discouraged. Zechariah, is the prophet sent by God to encourage Zerubbabel. Let me paraphrase the rest of this story.

Zerubbabel tried to get the people back to work on rebuilding the temple. But his efforts had failed. All they could see were the heaps of temple rubble left by the Babylonian army 70 years earlier.

The people were so discouraged that nobody wanted to work. The task looked impossible.

One day, Zerubbabel sat down on a big rock and looked at the mess around his feet. Just then, the prophet Zechariah showed up with a cheery, “How’s it going?”

Zerubbabel sighed, “This place is sure a mess. I don’t know why we ever wanted to come back here any way? There’s nothing left in the city worth saving. This place is a disaster, with toppled stones and debris everywhere. I’m not the right person for this job.”

Pausing for a few seconds to brush the dust off his robes, Zerubbabel continued, “Nobody showed up for work again today. How am I supposed to raise up this temple to the glory of God without anyone here to work?”.

“Zerubbabel, the Lord is with you,” Zechariah encouraged. But, looking up at the prophet, Zerubbabel questioned, “Is God really with us?”

“Of course He is,” Zechariah declared. “It’s a fact what we are no longer in captivity. And, it is evident to all that it is His grace that brought us back to this land. I know you are discouraged but you are closer to seeing this place restored than you think.”

Still sensing Zerubbabel’s doubt and discouragement, Zechariah continued, “The Lord says, your hands have laid this foundation, and your hands will finish this Temple. But there’s something you must do first.”

Zerubbabel shook his head and moaned. But Zechariah said, “Now listen to me. You can do it. Do you see that big stone over there that’s almost hidden by a bush? That’s the finishing stone, the capstone, the final stone the workers will put into place on the new temple. Do you see it?”

“Yeah, I see it. So what?” Zerubbabel mumbled miserably.

“Zerubbabel, the Lord says you are to shout to it, ‘Grace, grace!’”

“What?” asked Zerubbabel in disbelief. “Shout to the stone? I’m supposed to shout to this capstone?”

“Listen, the Lord told me to tell you, ‘It is not by your might, or by your power that this will be accomplished. But by his Spirit.’ You must put your confidence in the grace of God. That’s what shouting ‘Grace!’ is all about. Now get up, walk over there and shout, ‘Grace! Grace!’”

“Zechariah, I know you want to help me. But I’m having trouble getting people to follow me now. If they see me out here shouting to a rock, they’ll think I’m crazy,” Zerubbabel argued. 

“Zerubbabel, are you going to obey the Lord or not? Will you cast yourself, this task and your ministry on the grace of God? Will you trust Him or not?” Zechariah questioned.

Realizing he had nothing to lose, Zerubbabel looked around to see if anyone was watching, then he quietly said, “Grace… Grace…”

“No, no, Zerubbabel!” Zechariah implored. “Not like that. You’re supposed to shout it: Grace! Grace!”

After a few halfhearted shouts, both men stood looking at the capstone.

Finally Zechariah said, “You know what’s the matter with you, Zerubbabel? You’re despising the day of small beginnings.” Zerubbabel did not reply.

Zechariah continued, “Because you don’t see a lot happening right now, you think these days are not important. But the fact that you are here is the beginning of the move of the grace of God. “

Reaching over to touch Zerubbabel’s shoulder, Zechariah said, “God will not abandon the works of His hand. He will accomplish his purpose.”

“You are not to despise what’s happening now. Although it looks small, it’s real, and it is a start.” Pointing to the ground, Zechariah continued. “These obstacles and problems that look like a great mountain to you are going to become like a flat plain. You will see this temple completed and the capstone set in it’s place.”

“Why wait until the day you finish the temple to begin to praise God?” Zechariah asked. “Praise Him now and trust him to bless your efforts in this day of small beginnings. Shout out to the stone, Grace! Grace!”

In more ways than I can comprehend, God has been working in my own life. The rubble of my past is being cleared away. Slowly but surely the foundation of God has been laid anew. A beautiful temple to the glory of God is rising from the ruins.  I have been shouting to the rubble and confusion, to the broken, hurting and the lost in this world, “Grace! Grace! God’s Grace!” And, I have seen God do more than I could ask or imagine (Eph.3:20).

The Lord’s message to Zerubbabel and to us is that some problems are beyond our control to resolve, no matter how strong or talented we are. When our ability fails, the task is completed by the Holy Spirit. “This is the word of the LORD to [you]: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the LORD Almighty” (v6).

But what about you? Don’t underestimate God’s empowering grace in your life!  Don’t despise the day of small beginnings. Will you bring your mountain of problems to the Lord, and shout out to them, “Grace! Grace!” along with me?

PRAYER: Lord, with your empowering presence, I take authority over the thief, the enemy, concerning (this situation–(John 10:10).  And, I shout “Grace, grace!” to this mountain. (Zechariah 4:6-7; Ephesians 3:20-21). “For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless.  LORD Almighty, blessed is the one who trusts in you” (Psalms 84:11–12). -Amen.