The Presbyter's Page
Electronic Edition - December 2000
Original articles published January 1998
Section 12 - LA
District UPCI
Donald Bryan - Presbyter
The electronic editions of The Presbyter's
Page are never sent unsolicited. If you believe you have received this
newsletter in error, or wish to be removed from our mailing list, visit our web
site at: http://www.pentecostalsonline.org/articles.html.
Near the top of that page, you will find a box
where you may unsubscribe simply by entering your e-mail address, highlighting
the "unsubscribe" button and clicking on the "Submit"
button.
Brother Donald Bryan may be contacted directly
at DBryanUPC@aol.com. You can
also contact us by writing to webmaster@pentecostalsonline.org.
Sermon
Thought: “The Power of the Jubilee”
Lessons To
A Pastor Who Left Too Soon
Sermon Thought:
“The
Power of the Jubilee”
Scripture Text – Leviticus 25:9-10
The history of the Jewish festival of Jubilee is found in Leviticus Chapter 25. This observance begins with the Lord’s command that Israel allow the land to rest from cultivation every seventh year. This seventh year was a Sabbath year and there would be no planting or harvesting. This meant that Israel would have to live for the period without any visible means of support. This required a lot of faith. The purpose of the Sabbath was to reveal God’s faithfulness to His people. He was guaranteeing a triple harvest! (vs. 25) No matter what the circumstances He always provides for those who trust and obey Him.
Next, God commanded that the people observe seven consecutive cycles of Sabbaths for the land. This 49 year period would comprise a whole generation and would provide enough time for an entire generation to learn to trust the Lord. But after the Sabbath of Sabbaths, the fiftieth year was to be a year of Jubilee. When this time arrived there would be a sounding of trumpets. The Jubilee fell on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement – that is, the tenth day of the seventh month in the Jewish calendar, which occurs during the fall of the year in our September-October season.
Every Israelite knew what the trumpet sound meant! The Jubilee canceled all debts and restored all goods and lands to the original owners. And it freed every servant from every form of captivity. You can imagine the rejoicing that took place in Israel when the trumpet sounded! It was a time of liberty, freedom and deliverance. Yet the person in bondage had to act in order to take possession of his freedom. The person who had forfeited property due to debt had to step out and onto his property to claim it again. In Isaiah 61:1-2, the prophet declares that the message of the Christ is the one of Jubilee. The Savior announced in Luke 4 the joyous sound of the Jubilee.
The Bible teaches that Jesus has become our Jubilee by setting us free of the bondage of sin. Whatever Satan has stolen or whatever has been lost through mismanagement, it is time to reclaim it. It belongs to you. Step on it and declare it. Claim it as yours again, regardless if it is family, lost children, lost revival or lost burden, God will restore it in the year of Jubilee. It is the year of the joyful sound! God is right now restoring as He said He would in Joel 2:25. Speak it – claim it and declare it – The Power of the Jubilee!
(Editor’s Notes: God taught Israel that the land ultimately belonged to Him and that He gave it to them for their use. When Israel entered the Promised Land, parcels of land were divided up by lots and given to each family group. The land was their inheritance from the Lord to all their generations. It therefore could not be sold outright to another, for that act would throw their offspring’s’ inheritance away. Thus, the land was leased and the price based on the time to the next Jubilee. It always returned to the original owner or his descendants at the time of Jubilee.
Those sold into servitude to repay debts were required to be released at the time of the seventh year Sabbath. In these ways God attempted to show forth His grace and mercy – His faithfulness and loving kindness. These acts show that it was always God’s intention to show forth forgiveness of debts and restoration to His people of the things they originally had. Is it any wonder that the trumpet of God, the call of the Jubilee, signals the rapture?)
Best Titles For Sermons
We name sermons to give them identity and significance. The key is to link a title to the text without falling into various titling faux pas:
1. Will this title capture the attention of people? Titles that deal with the real questions and hurts of people can attract an audience, giving us an opportunity to teach the truth.
2. Is the title clear? I ask myself, “Will this title stand on its own – without additional explanation?
3. Is the title good news? Even when I have difficult or painful news to share, I want my title to focus on the good news aspects of my subject.
4. Does the title relate to everyday life?
Lessons To A Pastor Who Left
Too Soon
v I wish I’d known how much
people loved me. The day I resigned I began
to learn how much people loved me for who I was, not what I did.
v I wish I’d known how much I
loved them. The same folks I’d been
frustrated with were the ones I now grieved over losing.
v I wish I’d known how much
good was happening. After I left, the church
continued to slowly grow. My people
were beyond where I thought they were.
v I wish I’d known there were
alternatives to quitting. I could have taken a leave
of absence, talked with other pastors, and worked personal maintenance into the
weekly routine.
v I wish I’d known the
importance of keeping sharp. Good conferences and books
are ways God might have chosen to meet my needs.
v I wish I’d known what God
had accomplished through me. God used me to draw together
people for a church plant when there was absolutely no reason for them to
gather with me in the first place.
v I wish I’d known how much inappropriate
pride was involved. Pride prevented me from
talking to others, from considering options, from taking time off.
v I wish I’d known how hard
ministry really is. In Paul’s letters to
Timothy, he uses verbs of commitment and sacrifice – endure, persevere, work
hard, train, study, take pains.
v I wish I’d know there is no
perfect place. Many problems in ministry
are common to every church, because people are basically the same wherever you
go.
How do you overcome discouragement so you can move ahead?
Ø
Take time to grow. I minister better when I take time to relax,
read, recreate, spend time with family and friends, and grow professionally.
Ø
Sift through criticism. While I take informed, constructive
criticism seriously, my ministry is too precious to let unbridled criticism
sabotage it.
Ø
Refuse to live with loneliness. Make cultivating friendships a
priority.
Ø
Discern the source of your frustration.
Differentiate the challenges intrinsic to ministry from the frustrations
that arise because of differing cultural expectations, educational backgrounds,
and philosophies of ministry between pastor and church.
Ø Work your plan – then stop. Having a long-range plan and carrying it through are the best antidotes to the paralysis of guilt. Set a realistic plan and stop with that.
Ø Persist. When progress seems to come to a halt, I think: The Lord wants me to accomplish something here. If I persist, He’ll help me break through to someone in a way that will be rewarding.
Twelve
questions to keep your personal accounts in order.
1.
Am I content with who I am becoming? Every day I
get one day closer to who I will ultimately be. Am I satisfied with who this will be?
2.
Am I becoming less religious and more spiritual? The
difference: I can control religion,
while spirituality controls me.
3.
Does my family recognize the authenticity of my
spirituality?
If I am growing spiritually, my family will recognize it.
4.
Do I have a flow-through philosophy? As a
Christian I am to let the blessings flow through me to others.
5.
Do I have a quiet center to my life? There is an
important difference between the fast track and the frantic track. Peace is the evidence of God.
6.
Have I defined my unique ministry? Unless you
know the things you can do uniquely well, you end up doing many mediocre things
just to please others.
7.
Is my prayer life improving? One test is: Do my decisions have prayer as an integral
part, or do I make decisions out of my desires and then pray?
8.
Have I maintained genuine awe of God? Awe
inspires, overwhelms, intimidates my humanness, and inspires worship.
9.
Is my humility genuine? Two definitions of humility I like: “Humility is accepting your strength with
gratitude,” and “Humility is not denying the power that you have but admitting
the power comes through you, not from you.”
10. Is
my spiritual feeding the right diet for me? My spiritual reading time is “a feeding
time.” It must be fitted to my needs.
11. Is
obedience in small matters built into my reflexes? Obedience largely determines
my relationship with Christ.
12. Do
I have joy?
Joy is promised me, if the relationship with Christ is right.
Visit our on-line Christian
Bookstore formed in association with Amazon.com by clicking on the button
below. See some of the newest titles in
Christian literature or in Christian music.
Interested in something specific?
You can conduct searches by author, title or subject.
Need
to do any last minute shopping for the holidays? Let us help you do it on-line through Amazon.com’s Holiday Store! They have a full selection of books, music,
toys, electronics, kitchen aids…the list goes on and on. Just click the link below to get started.
Spread the Word!
If you enjoyed visiting our site,
Click
here to recommend us to your friends
We
welcome your comments and questions.
You can reach us by e-mail at: webmaster@pentecostalsonline.org