River Church – Mall of America
Sunday Dec. 4, 2005
John Wickland
Power of Our Words
We need to be careful with the words that we use. What people say influences how people perceive them.
We have scripture to use and those words are the truth. They can expose us for who we really are. We can experience freedom if we let those words help us.
Joh 10:10
(10) The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
We can have a full life. Think of it, think of what you have that gets empty and it never being that way again.
Peoples word do not give us much to live by, but theWord does.
We need to tell others about what Christ means to us. God cares about his people. We need to share that with others. We as a church individually and as a whole are called to advance the Gospel. Each person is a link in the church and needs to be put to work as the church is only as strong as the weakest link.
1Co 12:14-27
(14) For the body is not one member, but many.
(15) If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?
(16) And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?
(17) If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling?
(18) But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him.
(19) And if they were all one member, where were the body?
(20) But now are they many members, yet but one body.
(21) And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you.
(22) Nay, much more those members of the body, which seem to be more feeble, are necessary:
(23) And those members of the body, which we think to be less honorable, upon these we bestow more abundant honor; and our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness.
(24) For our comely parts have no need: but God hath tempered the body together, having given more abundant honor to that part which lacked:
(25) That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another.
(26) And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honored, all the members rejoice with it.
(27) Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.
We have no control over when things will happen. We need to leave the results of telling people about God to other people. We need to do our part of the body.
Act 8:26-40
(26) And the angel of the Lord spake unto Philip, saying, Arise, and go toward the south unto the way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza, which is desert.
(27) And he arose and went: and, behold, a man of Ethiopia, an eunuch of great authority under Candace queen of the Ethiopians, who had the charge of all her treasure, and had come to Jerusalem for to worship,
(28) Was returning, and sitting in his chariot read Isaiah the prophet.
(29) Then the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this chariot.
(30) And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the prophet Isaiah, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest?
(31) And he said, How can I, except some man should guide me? And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him.
(32) The place of the Scripture which he read was this, He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth:
(33) In his humiliation his judgment was taken away: and who shall declare his generation? for his life is taken from the earth.
(34) And the eunuch answered Philip, and said, I pray thee, of whom speaketh the prophet this? of himself, or of some other man?
(35) Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same Scripture, and preached unto him Jesus.
(36) And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized?
(37) And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.
(38) And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him.
(39) And when they were come up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, that the eunuch saw him no more: and he went on his way rejoicing.
(40) But Philip was found at Azotus: and passing through he preached in all the cities, till he came to Caesarea.
We are not going to be able to understand the timing of things. The Holy Spirit will move and dramatically change our plans. God will take care of the timing and we need know that and He controls the results as well. Doing that you can share the message and not worry about the results.
Had he known how much he would have to change the show -- including Bob and Larry's tagline, "Remember kids, God made you special and he loves you very much," that concludes each episode -- Vischer said he would not have signed on for the network deal.
