Does It Show?

Greg Leuenberger

Midland SDA Church

February 15, 2014

   Have you ever heard of a man named Dirk Willems? He lived in the village of Asperen , in what is now the Netherlands , in the mid 1500s.  In 1569 he was caught tried, convicted and imprisoned.   His crime? He was an Anabaptist during the harsh Spanish rule of Holland. He was re-baptized as a young adult, as were some of his family members, and he believed in the authority and supremacy of the Holy Scriptures. These were heresies in that time and place.

   He was imprisoned in a residential palace turned into a prison. He escaped by letting himself out a window with a rope made of knotted rags, dropping onto the ice that covered the castle moat.  A palace guard saw him escape and pursued him. Dirk safely crossed the thin ice of a pond, the “ Hondegat”  , as he had lost much weight on the prison rations However, his heavier pursuer broke through the ice. Hearing the guard’s cries for help, Dirk turned back and rescued him.  The ungrateful guard seized Dirk and led him back to captivity. This time Dirk was put in a more secure prison, a small room at the top of a very tall church tower, above the bell. He was probably locked in the wooden leg stocks that remain there today. Soon he was led out to be burned at the stake.

   Many people have been martyred for their faith throughout history. We have record of many but some we will only learn about in Heaven. The story of Dirk Willems stands out because of his compassion for his pursuer, he shows us what loving our enemies is all about. Today his story is preserved in books ,such as Martyr’s Mirror, in a display at the Menno Hof, the Anabaptist Museum in Shipshewana Ind.  and in his hometown, which named a street after him in recent times.

   People knew that Dirk Willems was different, he truly showed his Christian character.

   Let’s look for a minute at the life of Abraham.

  Please turn with me to Genesis, chapter 12                                                                  

                                ( Repeat )

   Genesis 12, v 1-9

          ( read )

  God spoke to Abram …. And  he listened.                Abram packed up his wife, his nephew, his staff, his considerable possessions, …….. and began a long journey to an unknown place. He left behind other family, friends, and a way of life that was familiar to him.

Abram was setting out to be different, to be a follower of God.

   In the account of Lot’s capture and rescue in Genesis 14, Abram again distinguishes himself as being different.  He made no claim to the spoils of victory, instead giving God the credit and glory.  Those around him saw a godly man of character and principle.

   How about Noah?

Please turn with me to Genesis, Chapter 6, verses5-9

                              (repeat)

Genesis 6 v 5-9   (read)

   God was very sad.  He was “grieved in His heart”. But Noah walked with God, he was different. And God gave Noah a task, a big task. Build an ark that will hold examples of My created animals, your family, and the food you will need for the ordeal.

In verse 22 of Genesis 6 it says, “Thus Noah did; according to all that God commanded him, so he did”

As Noah labored those many years, he warned and pleaded.  The world didn’t listen but Noah stayed true to God.

In Hebrews 11: 5, it says this about Enoch……..

“By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, and was not found, because God had taken him; for before he was taken he had this testimony, that he pleased God.”

Enoch had such a close walk with God that he had the privilege of escaping death. What an example his life must have been to those around him.

In the Book of Daniel we have the account of Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah.  They got new names, in a new language as captives in a new land, but they stayed true to God. Under the severest of tests and trials, they were not afraid to be different for God.

In 2 Kings, chapter 5 we have the account of Naaman and his leprosy.

                  (Read verses 1-3)

  We don’t know her name, but the Bible records the actions of a young girl, a captive servant, taken to a foreign land. She was not afraid to share what she had learned as a child, …… and God used it for good.

The Bible is full of stories like these , ………… of men ,…………… and women ,……….  and children ,………who were willing to be different for God.

   Am I Different ???

With God, nothing is impossible, but it’s not likely that I will be called by God for some dramatic event like these we just talked about.

            BUT!!!!

Does the world know I’m different?

Does the world know We’re different?   

Many of you know that I and my sons recently returned from a mission trip to Brazil. It was a Maranatha sponsored trip and Dick Duerksen and his wife Brenda were on the trip. He’s the host of Maranatha Mission Stories and to meet him in person is the same as watching him on TV., that’s how he is.

I’m no story teller, but here is a story he told me.

He was with a Maranatha Volunteers group on a safari in Chobe National Park in Botswana. He was with the last group to go out that day. The guide was a young woman. She and Dick talked, (he has a gift for interacting with people).  He found out she loved her job, she worked 3 months at the lodge, then had 1 month home with her family in a village with no electricity.  She had been doing this for about 3 years.

In the course of their conversation, she asked Dick if he was a Christian, and he said yes. She then asked him what “brand“ and he said Seventh Day Adventist. She squealed and said she was too! She then exclaimed, “That’s why nobody was buying beer today!”

  Dick asked her if she ever watched 3ABN or the Hope Channel and she said she did, but only when she was living near the lodge to work. He then asked her if she ever watched the Maranatha Mission Stories?  She paused, looked at him, and said, “ take off your hat! “. He did and she squealed again and said, “ You’re that man ! “

People watch us, are we Different ?

On this mission trip we needed  a cook , someone to prepare 3 vegetarian meals a day for 60 people. The hotel we were staying at allowed us use of a small part of their kitchen but a cook was needed. One week before the project started, a reference was found for an Adventist cook and what a blessing she turned out to be.

 As the project progressed we learned more of her story. Her name is Dulce, which means sweet in Portugese. When she was pregnant with their 11^th child, her husband told her she had to choose,……. Him or God.              She chose God,  ……….. and her husband left her, ……. Basically to raise the children alone. It was hard but God provided and got them through the tough times.

But she wasn’t done.

Most of her children were out on their own and someone came to her and asked if she would take in a baby, a newborn.  A woman was pregnant and wasn’t going to have the baby and Dulce said yes, I’ll raise that baby.          Another woman came to her, a prostitute, and asked, “Will you take my baby girl?  I don’t want her to have the life that I have, I want something better for her “ And Dulce said yes. Someone else came to her and said, “I know you have taken in babies , would you consider 2 siblings who need a home?  Again Dulce said yes and ended up with 4 siblings. Dulce has taken in 9 children besides her own 11. People saw that she was different.  She wanted to do what Jesus would have done.

But perhaps the most special thing about Dulce is her faith in God. About 26 years ago she started a church in her home. It grew and divided, and divided again. The 1 church that Dulce started is now 11 churches. The Adventist message is spreading fast in Brazil, because of people like Dulce who are willing to be different for God.

                        ( pause )

                                       WHAT IF …………   

                            ( pause )

Some of you may already be at this point …………..BUT,…………………..instead of keeping up with the Joneses ……..

What If ………..

My home was big enough

My car was good enough

My clothes were good enough

My electronics were good enough

My groceries were good enough  ………………………………………………….

           ( pause )

If I continued to work hard with the talents and abilities that God has given me , ……………………………             and lived beneath my means ………………………………………..                                                                                    What could I do ?

Could I ………………………..

Feed an orphan in Haiti ?

Send a girl in India to school and a future ?

Support a missionary ?

Drill a water well in Africa ?

Buy medicine for a disaster victim?

Support a Bible worker?

Stock a local food pantry ?

Really , the possibilities are endless

If I lived beneath my means, ……………………………………..What could I do ?

What could we do ?

What Would Jesus do ?

          ( pause )

Please turn with me to Matthew , chapter 25 , starting with verse 34

    Repeat

( Read Matthew 25 : 34-40 )

        (pause )

Something is wrong when our lives make sense to unbelievers

Does the world know I’m different, that We are different?

Can they tell? , Can they See It?

And we shouldn’t have to tell unbelievers we’re different, should we?  Shouldn’t they be able to tell?

Yes, as Adventists we are probably more different than other believers, We have the Sabbath truth, the health message, a better understanding of prophecy and end-time events, …………….. and these are all important,  … very important .

But it’s more than that.

All through the Bible we see that God is love, that he loves us all dearly.

Are we showing that love to those around us?

Do the cashiers at the grocery store know I’m different?

Does the staff at the gas station I always stop at know I love Jesus?

When my equipment breaks down and I need parts, … right away ,….can the parts guy tell I’m different ?

Does my CPA know I’m different?

Most of you know we sell vegetables at the farm during the summer. It’s rewarding and fun, but it gets hectic, some days are wild chaos. Do my customers know I love Jesus? Do I and my family treat them like Jesus would? Can they tell? Do they see God’s love?

Chapter 13 of 1 Corinthians has a lot to say about love. Starting in verse 4 it says ……………

   Read verses 4-7

That’s a tall order to fill but Jesus did it here on earth, that’s the character of God. The Father, Son and Holy Spirit are waiting to help us if we let them.

We are called to be in the world but not of the world. Our lives should not make sense to unbelievers but unbelievers should be curious, they should want what we have.

My prayer is that each one of us will let the love of Jesus shine through us, drawing others to God’s love.