USE EXPERIENCES (THE GOOD, BAD AND UGLY) TO GROW IN THE LORD!
Has anyone had an experience this week that you would like to tell us?
Did you learn anything from the experience?
The writer of Acts, of whom we know is Luke, the only Gentile author in the Bible, (at least some or not all of Acts) tells us some of the most profound experiences he either heard reiterated from the apostles and other Christians, or he was there to experience them.
Do you think he learned from others?
Philip, the deacon, not the apostle…had the experience with the Ethiopian eunuch where he witnessed to him…and the Ethiopian accepted.
It was a wonderful experience for both.
Make good use of your experiences. Use experiences to grow…and to challenge yourself and others.
We are to build bridges for the next generation.
Paul, the Apostle, was well learned in the Scriptures. He had a great teacher (Gamaliel). However, his education and knowledge was no match for his experiences in life. His education was important in his witnessing and his defense of the Christian faith. He utilized past experiences before he came to the Lord to present the gospel after he was called and anointed to preach the gospel to all the world. His writings are so important for all believers…then and now. God used Paul to present the gospel and Paul committed himself to the Lord in order to see God work and change lives…from darkness to light. Precious souls were won into eternal life with the Lord.
What is even more important, precious souls are still being won as we read of Paul's real life experiences. His life was a testimony to all as he shared experiences in real life and is still sharing those experiences to win others through his writings found in God's Word. His experiences were written down and thus handed down for all people for the generations then and now. The experiences and wisdom gained from those experiences have helped millions of people live their faith in line with Scripture.
He was a "bridge builder." He has paved the way and bridged the gap for millions to come to Christ.
I have challenged class members and congregations of which I have been privileged to speak to about writing their testimony of salvation. The testimony would be for family members and friends to listen to after the saved member has passed from this life to the next. One of the greatest moments I have had the privilege to hear is a woman who asked me to write her salvation experience for her as she was in the last two months of living on planet earth. She had cancer and it was taking its toll on her thinking and her physical stamina. However, her spiritual fervor was still intact as she reiterated to me her life before and after her precious salvation experience. The testimony was read by one of her granddaughters at her funeral. It penetrated the hearts of the family and friends gathered in that small auditorium of the funeral home. The testimony was the highlight of the funeral service.
As stated in many of my writings and sermons, "minimize regrets" while you can!
The following poem is one that I love as I travel down the path called "LIFE."
THE BRIDGE BUILDER
An old man, going a lone highway,
Came at the evening cold and gray,
To a chasm, vast and deep and wide,
Through which was flowing a sullen tide.
The old man crossed in the twilight dim-
That sullen stream had no fears for him;
But he turned, when he reached the other side,
And built a bridge to span the tide.
"Old man," said a fellow pilgrim near,
"You are wasting strength in building here.
Your journey will end with the ending day;
You never again must pass this way.
You have crossed the chasm, deep and wide,
Why build you the bridge at the eventide?"
The builder lifted his old gray head.
"Good friend, in the path I have come," he said,
"There followeth after me today
A youth whose feet must pass this way.
This chasm that has been naught to me
To that fair-haired youth may a pitfall be.
He, too, must cross in the twilight dim;
Good friend, I am building the bridge for him."
Poem written by WILL ALLEN DROMGOOLE
BE A BRIDGE BUILDER FOR YOUR FAMILY!
An old man, going a lone highway,
Came at the evening cold and gray,
To a chasm, vast and deep and wide,
Through which was flowing a sullen tide.
The old man crossed in the twilight dim-
That sullen stream had no fears for him;
But he turned, when he reached the other side,
And built a bridge to span the tide.
"Old man," said a fellow pilgrim near,
"You are wasting strength in building here.
Your journey will end with the ending day;
You never again must pass this way.
You have crossed the chasm, deep and wide,
Why build you the bridge at the eventide?"
The builder lifted his old gray head.
"Good friend, in the path I have come," he said,
"There followeth after me today
A youth whose feet must pass this way.
This chasm that has been naught to me
To that fair-haired youth may a pitfall be.
He, too, must cross in the twilight dim;
Good friend, I am building the bridge for him."
Poem written by WILL ALLEN DROMGOOLE
BE A BRIDGE BUILDER FOR YOUR FAMILY!
