terdShat
terd
Men
The hidden half of domestic violence
The MESSENGER!
Most of us would have no idea of who Pheidippides was but
we do know
what he did. He ran 26.2 miles from a battlefield near Marathon,
Greece, to Athens in 490 B.C., bringing news of a Greek victory over
the Persians. Pheidippides collapsed and died at the end of his
historic run, thereby setting a precedent for dramatic conclusions
to the marathon.
Throughout time, there have been messengers who have been dispatched to bring
urgent news to those who needed to hear it. Many of these messages were a matter
of life and death.
Let us move up to today. Think for a moment. You are on vacation
and are visiting Washington D.C. and are on a tour of the White
House. Suppose for a moment the President of the U.S. comes out and
ask you to deliver a very urgent message to someone. Would you
refuse to do it? Or would you take that urgent message and put it
in your pocket and forget it for several days...or longer? Or would
you deliver it as fast as you could to those it was intended for?
I am sure most of us would feel honored to be able to be used in
such a way.
My friends, if you belong to the LORD...YOU have been given a far
more urgent message to deliver. A message that will matter to those
it is intended for all eternity...a matter of real life or death.
Let us look at this for a few moments.
1 Thessalonians 2
4 But as we were allowed of God to be put in trust with the gospel,
even so we speak; not as pleasing men, but God, which trieth our
hearts.
5 For neither at any time used we flattering words, as ye know, nor
a cloke of covetousness; God is witness:
6 Nor of men sought we glory, neither of you, nor yet of others,
when we might have been burdensome, as the apostles of Christ.
7 But we were gentle among you, even as a nurse cherisheth her
children:
8 So being affectionately desirous of you, we were willing to have
imparted unto you, not the gospel of God only, but also our own
souls, because ye were dear unto us.
Many have asked if God cares. They have asked for God to send a
sign for them to know that they are indeed loved. Some have been
waiting for years for this message but it has not been delivered.
Does this indicate that God does not care? That HE does not love
them?
Folks...God HAS sent them these messages. Often however, the
messenger has placed them in his or her "pocket" and has forgotten
about it. Sometimes it is done because of fear. After all, we have
heard about them "killing the messenger" haven't we? Perhaps
they
are afraid they do not know how to deliver it. Whatever the reason,
someone is missing some very important information that they need
desperately.
Look closely at the scriptures given here.
God has "allowed" us to be trusted with the most important
message
anyone can give...or hear...the Gospel or good news of Jesus
Christ. We are allowed to be the means in which someone will hear
that GOD does love them, that HE does care.
Often a message was given in code and the person getting it would
either have to understand that code, or find someone who did. If
they could not decipher the code, the message was useless. Notice
here that Paul said "neither at any time used we flattering words"
He gave the good news in plain terms so that it could be
understood. We can learn from this. Do not use fancy language just
to show how smart we are. Theological terms may impress some
people, but it sure does not get the message across to someone who
needs it in plain English. If they do not understand it, the
message was not delivered.
Paul also said: "Nor of men sought we glory" A messenger does not
bring attention to himself. The message is what is important, not
the messenger.
Now we get to some real good stuff.
" But we were gentle among you, even as a nurse cherisheth her
children"
I have seen many give the gospel with a sludge hammer. They have
said "unless you repent you will go to Hell!" without even bothering
to find out what is going on in that person's life. Paul said he gave
the gospel gently. He did not beat them over the head with a Bible.
This is exactly what we have been trying to do in Shattered Men. We
want to gently lead them to the Lord. When someone who is hurting
comes to us, we will recognize their pain, we validate them as a person
and we gently tell them that we do know where this pain comes from,
and how it can be cured. We gently point to Jesus Christ as the
answer to their needs. If they are lonely, He is the friend who
sticks closer then a brother. If they are heart broken, HE is the
healer of broken heart. To the hungry, He is the bread of Life…to
the thirsty, the living water. He is the shelter in the storm to
the homeless
Whatever the need...Jesus is the answer but we have to gently SHOW them HOW He
is the answer.
"We were willing to have imparted unto you, not the gospel of God
only, but also our own souls"
My friend, we can not give a message as important as this one is
as if we were reading a script from some B grade movie. No actor or
actress has ever won an academy award if they just went through the
motions of playing a part. They had to put their heart into the
part. If we are simply telling them facts, those that need this
message will know that. That is why many of the messages I have
written are what many have come to know as …"From my heart to yours"
messages. Paul wrote like that too….he said he put his soul into
it. For an example, there is a story about a fort in the middle of
a desert that sent a letter to their generals that they needed
water. The general looked at the stamp and saw the date and said it
can wait. Later that week, another letter came and the same thing
happened. A week later, another letter came and the general called
for immediate action to get that isolated fort water. Someone asked
him why the sudden change….and the general said…in the last message
had the stamp added with a paper clip. He knew the need for water
is urgent. My friends…how are you delivering the message you are
giving to those in desperate need? Are you giving them like you
would send a post card saying "wish you were here" when you are on
vacation…or are you telling them, from your heart to theirs?
The Messenger! We have talked so far about those who have been
given a message …the message to give to those in need. There is
another person involved in this that we have not talked about; the
receiver of the message. Just as it would do no good for the
messenger to forget about it, it will do no good if the receiver
simply lays it on the desk and does not read it...the message is
only delivered upon receiving it but once it has been delivered by
the messenger, his or her job is done. If a solider is given orders
and either does not read them, or reads them and ignores them, the
burden is not on the one that gave the orders, but on the solider
who was given the orders. My friend…ANYONE and everyone that has
accepted this message and has trusted Christ for salvation is a
messenger. We have been ordered to give this good news of the
gospel to others. It is not a request, it is an order from our
commander in chief, Jesus Christ. Many are not following this order
but for those who are, once YOU have been given this message, the
ball is in YOUR court. The message is simple…it is the good news
that Jesus came to live with us and that HE gave His live for our
sin and that He rose from the dead as proof that HE paid a debt He
did not owe because we owed a debt we could not pay. If we accept
that payment, HE gives us eternal life. It is as simple as that.
To see this in detail, check this link:
http://www.shatterdmen.com/first_step.htm
My precious friend, if you do not know for sure that you will go to
heaven when you die…the last part of this message was for you and
the ball is now in your court. The question now is…will you receive
this message and trust the LORD…or will you reject it? Remember,
this offer may well be limited because none of us are promised a
tomorrow. Do it…TODAY!
For those that do know for sure that they have eternal life…START
delivering this message …the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ
to those in need….TODAY.
You could well determine the eternal fate of someone in
need...today. Please read this message to see exactly how this can
happen.
You Were Once My Friend
http://www.shatterdmen.com/You%20Were%20Once%20My%20Friend.htm
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JUNE is Domestic Violence Against Men Awareness Month