"Improving Our Word Power"
John 1:1-5
The Rev. J.T.Niles, great preacher, once stood before a national convention of 3,000 church members ... He paused for a moment. Then asked: "Would everyone please stand." The audience rose. "Would you please turn around and face the back of the auditorium?" The audience responded. Now please be seated. Everyone sat down. People raised their eyebrows, and looked at each other wondering has this elderly statesman of the church lost his sense of reasoning.
Then he said, "Today you have experienced the power of a word". 3,000 of you responded without any other coercion. WORDS ARE POWERFUL, SAID HE.
Today's lesson takes that reality and adds to it the life power of strength of a persons life.
If I say a word it carries with it one degree of authority. If the governor of this state or the president should foster the same idea ... it would have a great deal more power than when it came from me.
This is exactly what the morning lessons uncovers for our inspection. God communicated with human beings through the person and word of Jesus Christ.
God spoke the "Word" of creation in the beginning. 2,000 years ago that same creative power created Jesus, whom we affirm was both human and God.
In Christ God became TRANSPARENT. IN JESUS' TEACHINGS WE LEARN THE WISDOM AND WILL OF GOD. IN THE LIFE OF JESUS WE SEE HOW LIFE SHOULD BE LIVED. IN EFFECT WHAT JOHN IS SAYING IS THAT JESUS WAS GOD'S ULTIMATE WORD!
Let me suggest to you that we too participate in that phenomena. All human being's lives are a "word" being spoken.
We are the creation of God. Our powers of communication far exceed that of all other known creatures of God. We communicate by word, picture, song, body language, and actions. In fact, everyone of our lives is a strong word.
Some lives, and people speak evil.
It's in their eyes,
the scowl on their face,
and that
certain look in their eyes.
However, most of all it is in their actions. They can not be trusted.
They will lie,
cheat, and
hurt others.
Parts of our country are being held prisoner by some of these people even as I speak.
On the other hand, it is possible for our lives to exude goodness ... to speak the good word of God, if you please.
Think with me a few moments: Everyone of our lives have been greatly influenced by some of these people.
Mrs. Wentz ... last lady who said Amen regularly in our church. What did her life say to you?
Mrs. Gibson ...left an endowment to help the needy of our community.
Mary Phillips ... music
Elmina Roberts, Martha Gordon, Kathleen Hicks
Mr.Grantham
Alan Smith , English preacher, a Sunday School Class is named after him. He exuded and preached "Grace".
J.V.Early, T.B.Hough ..."I'll tell you the truth." Ha,Ha, Ha
Harold Leatherman ... Randy Innes
Mrs.LaGrande Everrette ... most of you have forgotten ... however in her active years she donated a "Special Jeweled Trophy" to encourage women to study and be active in missions. That Jewel was fashioned and made on Fifth Avenue, New York. It is still passed around to the most active mission minded women of this conference on a yearly basis.
Every one of these lives speak to us of Christ. In their way each of them was a light to our church and community.
THE WORD LIKE A MAGNITE ADDS TO OR EVEN RE-ARRANGES THE WORD ORDER OF OUR LIVES.
The living words flow out of our lives ... naturally. There's nothing more uncertain than a person with a defective VOCABULARY.
A university coach in Eastern N.C. was sent back to the high school ranks for his inability to speak at that level. In predicting a score of an upcoming ballgame he told the media ...He was able to do it because he had espn.
Another in Durham became an embarrassment to that great university with his inapproriate use of words. "he would say ... the man ma-nop-lied the conversation, instead of ...monopolized, the conversation.
God ,through Christ wants to correct the words of our lives, to make them proper, to give them strength. AND CORRECTNESS.
OPERATOR CHANGED TO CO-OPERATORS
HOPELESS " " HOPEFUL
FAITHLESS FAITHFUL
LOVELESS LOVELY
EVIL " " LIVE
Fresh out of seminary I served Fairview Church in Burlington,NC. Each year at the Christmas Program children who had had 100% attendance were given a special gift. They received their attendance pen, but with it went a bright shiny Silver Dollar. That church had the most 100% Sunday School Attenders I'd ever known. I discovered that a Mr.Lewis had been Sunday School Superintendent in that church for years. He started giving children with perfect attendance a silver dollar. After he died the church continued the experience for years.
The Word of God in Jesus Christ was a light to the world. The light of his life could not be put out.
I'm convinced that you and I are words and the light of God in today's world. It occurs to me that the spread of evil in the world can be stopped by the good words and the good light that we exude in this community.