The Prayer of Jabez: That You Would Keep Me from Evil - 1 Chronicles 4:9-10 and Matthew 6:9-15

Introduction
Over the last three weeks you’ve been examining different stages in something called the “Prayer of Jabez” found in I Chronicles 4:

• Oh that you would bless me - 

• And enlarge my territory -

• That your hand would be with me -

Today we’re concluding our study of the Prayer of Jabez by looking at the final phrase: “and that you would keep me from evil that I might not cause pain." It is ironic, in some ways. The name Jabez means pain and he prays that he might be free from pain and not cause others pain. It is as if he is praying, “My name is Jabez. Please don’t let me Jabez anyone else!” Let’s see what insights we can learn about ourselves from the last part of Jabez’s prayer.

You Knew What I Was When You Picked Me Up
You may know the story of the Indian youth and the snake. At an appointed time every male Indian youth was required to pass a test to prove he was ready to accept the mantle of adulthood. These young men would go to the mountains and fast and pray. It was a test to see what they had learned from the elders of the tribe.

One such youth battled the elements of nature and reached the top of the great mountain. His head and heart swelled with pride with this achievement. Suddenly, he heard a rustle at his moccasins. He looked down; it was a rattlesnake. Before he could move the snake spoke: "I am about to die," said the snake. "It is too cold for me up here and I am freezing. There is no food and I am starving. Put me under your shirt and take me down to the valley."  "No," said the youth. "I am forewarned. I know your kind. You are a rattlesnake. If I pick you up, you will bite, and your bite will kill me." "Not so," said the snake. "I will treat you differently. If you do this for me, you will be special. I will not harm you. Let's make a deal."

The youth resisted a while, but this was a very persuasive snake with beautiful markings. At last, the youth tucked it under his shirt and carried it down to the valley. There he laid it gently on the grass, when suddenly the snake coiled, rattled, and leapt, biting him on the leg. "But you promised," cried the youth, as he fell to the ground, soon to die. "You knew what I was when you picked me up," said the snake, as it slithered away.

Keep Me From Evil
Temptation is all around us. And temptation always looks and sounds good and promising on some level like the snake in our story, or you wouldn’t be tempted to do it or go along with it. Many times as believers we have the best of good intentions. In our hearts we are seeking to do right, but under our own power we fail. Often that’s because we wait to pray for the strength to overcome temptation while we are in the heat of the moment facing temptation head on.

But Jabez has a slightly different approach to the matter in his prayer. He doesn’t pray to overcome temptation in the moment – “keep me from doing evil.” Jabez’s strategy seems to be to just head evil off at the pass. He goes a step further and prays to avoid the evil or temptation entirely – “keep me from evil” – in other words, don’t even let me get close to it! Jabez recognizes that he needs God’s help to avoid the lure of the Tempter in his life.

Jesus reinforces the importance of this thousands of years later in our New Testament lesson as he’s teaching his followers how to pray using the model we call “The Lord’s Prayer.” Towards the end of this prayer, Jesus says, “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil." As divine God and human being all in one, Jesus had keen insight into our human condition. He knew that under certain conditions our potential for wrongdoing can overwhelm our desire to do what is right and good. We need God’s help – the power and presence of the Holy Spirit – to keep us from experiencing those kinds of conditions. This is one of the most important insights you will give to your children and grandchildren - to avoid succumbing to temptation by steering clear of tempting situations.

Need This Reminder Especially in the Highs of Life
Jabez’s final request in his prayer is really extremely wise and mature. What he said in effect was, “God bless me, enlarge me, lead me, fill us, give me more, but keep me humble and keep me holy.” Jabez seems to understand that the more you do for God and the more God does through you, the more temptation comes your way. Do you recognize that? The more spiritual blessings you receive and the more you do on behalf of the kingdom of God, the more you are being set up for the devil to tempt you, trip you and trap you.

So many Christians are caught off guard by this. They come home from a wonderful spiritual retreat determined to be more faithful disciples and seem to encounter problem after problem after problem. Or as a congregation after a time of great spiritual success seems to be the time when so many divisions and factions arise up within a church determined to get their way.

Why does this happen? Follow the logic with me for a moment. If you as a believer or as a church aren’t doing much for the kingdom of God, Satan has you right where he wants you already. But when we deepen our relationship with God and expand our spiritual influence – as Jabez prayed to do – then Satan has work overtime to neutralize your effect. In essence you’ve popped up on Satan’s radar now as a perceived threat.

Have you ever felt that way? Like you had a big target sign painted on you? Several weeks back I had one of those Sunday mornings where everything that could go wrong did go wrong. I didn’t get enough sleep the night before because one of the boys had been up and down. Then everything seemed to be taking longer to get ready when I got up and the boys were in a mood. I was running a bit further behind than I like to time wise and I got stuck by the train on the way to Belleview. Then at church things were out of sorts with different people. I forgot the order of worship and skipped something important and had to go back and rework it in. By the time I got to the prayer I was completely distracted. I knelt down at the rail and put my bulletin down and started praying. Two sentences in I realized my mistake – we have votive candles in the altar rail at my church and I laid my bulletin down on top of a lit candle. Now my bulletin was on fire! I stopped praying and someone in the front row helped me extinguish my bulletin. When I went back to praying, I abandoned the prayer I had in my mind and just poured out my heart…. “Lord it feels like I’m under attack this morning. I know you’ve given me this important word to share with people during the message today and it just feels like Satan’s doing everything he can to trip me up to keep me from sharing your Word. I want to honor you and say what your Spirit has put in my heart, but you’ve got to get Satan behind me. Help me have the strength to overcome.”

That’s why the prayer "keep me from evil that I may not cause pain" is one of the most important prayers that many of us will ever pray. In times of success and spiritual highs we also get a false sense of our own strength in comparison to God’s. But our weapons aren’t enough against the enemy:

• Common sense can get us in trouble. Adam and Eve knew just enough in the Garden of Eden to think they knew it all and Satan tricked them into disobedience.

• Previous experience can get us in trouble. Just because you beat temptation once doesn’t mean you will be safe the next time.

• Our feelings can get us in trouble. Often times the things that feel right are oh so wrong for us.

Years ago there was a full page magazine ad that depicted a Roman gladiator in big trouble. Somehow, he had dropped his sword and an enraged lion seeing its opportunity is in mid-dash lunge, jaws wide, ready to kill this gladiator. The crowd in the coliseum is on its feet, watching in horror as the panic stricken gladiator tries to flee. The caption at the bottom of the ad reads, "Sometimes you can afford to come in second. Sometimes you can't." We cannot afford to come in second when we fight temptation. The most important strategy for defeating that roaring lion, the Bible calls the devil, is to stay out of the coliseum to begin with – to pray “keep me from evil.”

The Rest of the Story
What happens to our good friend Jabez in Scripture? He who was named pain, who was found to be more honorable than his brothers, who prayed for God to bless him, who prayed for God to enlarge his territory, who prayed for God’s hand to be with him, who prayed for God to keep him from evil?

Our Scripture lesson from I Chronicles tells us quite simply that God granted his request. We probably could have guessed that even if he had not told us because of how Jabez’s story is included in Scripture – a step out of the straight genealogy line to point out this young man and his interesting prayer. How God grants his request, what that looks like in  Jabez’s life we are not told. Probably because the point is less about the answering, than about the asking.

There is only one more time that Jabez is mentioned in Scripture. It’s in the same chapter of I Chronicles down in the 55th verse. It tells about a place where families of scribes gathered together to study. The place where they gathered was called Jabez. Could it be that this young man, whose name was pain, lived in such a way that he was honored by those who knew him and they named a community after him? God granted Jabez’ request.

And when we come before him in prayer, with hearts and motives right, God honors our request as well.

November Newsletter

Here is the latest edition of the Sunshine Herald! I hope you enjoy!

(Tip for email subscribers: If you are viewing this message in your email, click on the title, "November Newsletter" to be taken straight to my blog and read the newsletter from there. That might be a bit more user friendly.)

Nov10NwsLtr

Bible Challenge 10/31 - 11/06

Greetings All!

We are continuing our trek through the New Testament as we finish up Matthew, go through Mark, and begin Luke. Here is the schedule!

10/31, Sunday: Matthew 25-28

11/1, Monday: Mark 1-4

11/2, Tuesday: Mark 5-8

11/3, Wednesday: Mark 9-12

11/4, Thursday: Mark 13-16

11/5, Friday: Luke 1-4

11/6, Saturday: Luke 5-8

Enjoy and be blessed!

Friday Fives

1. Preaching Series - This week we will conclude our preaching series on the Prayer of Jabez. Pastor Debbie will bring her take on the final phrase, "and that you would keep me from evil." Bring a friend and come enjoy Pastor Debbie.

2. Time Change – Do not forget to set your clocks BACK (yea!!) one hour before you go to bed next Saturday, November 6th. Or you could keep the hour and come early for Sunday School. We would love to have ya!

3. Bible Study – We have finished week two of our Bible Study based on what we as United Methodists believe as we spoke about how we understand the Holy Spirit, the gift of salvation, and the giving of God's grace. We still have several topics to discuss and three more weeks in the study. It is never to late to join. We meet on Thursdays at 11am and 7pm in Fellowship Hall. Just come on over and jump in. Hope to see you there!

4. Salty Service - A few months back I asked everyone to consider joining up together in groups to venture out and visit some of the residents in the many assisted living and rehab facilities around our church. There are many people there that get no visitors, and we are so good with fellowship, I see a need and a spiritual gift that can easily be paired up. I wanted to give everyone an update on how this budding ministry is progressing. We have three members that have reached out and began weekly visits to three different facilities. We also have a group of people that have formed to begin visits with a fifth facility. We have several contacts at area facilities, all we need is volunteers. Many people make light work. If you are willing to spend just a few hours a month visiting with people and sharing the love of Christ please contact the office and we can help you get connected. Please consider reaching out to the people in our area and let them know we care and in the name of Jesus Christ that they are loved.

5. Area Happenings – There are several things happening in our community that I wanted to bring to your attention.

• Saturday, November 6th, from 9am-2pm, St. Mark's UMC will host a Holly Berry Fair.There will be crafts and food available as well as baked goods, candy, and jewelry. For more info call 622-4475.

• Sunday, November 7th, at 2pm, at First UMC Gainesville, Dr. Mark Coffey will give an organ recital.If you would like more information please contact Robert W. Jackson (BJ) at (352) 372-8523 Ext. 20.

• The Florida Conference of the United Methodist Women have begun registration for their 27th Annual Women's Retreat. This is a wonderful time of fellowship and enrichment for all women. If you are interested there is more information in the office.

The Prayer of Jabez: That Your Hand Would Be With Me - 2 Corinthians 3:5-6 and I Chronicles 4:9-10

Introduction
Today we are continuing our preaching series on an oft-passed over piece of Scripture called the Prayer of Jabez. The first week we began with the phrase, “Oh, that you would bless me” as we looked at the appropriateness of asking God to bless us and what we are truly asking for in that endeavor. Two weeks ago we took the passage, “that you would enlarge my territory” as we unpacked the strength that is required for this type of petition. Today we are going to examine the next phrase, “Let your hand would be with me” as we look to what this means for us today in our lives.

We Can Be Our Own Worst Enemy
A ridiculous story made the rounds a while back. It is about a pilot and three passengers--a boy scout, a priest, and atomic scientist--and a plane that develops engine trouble in mid-flight. The pilot rushes back to the passenger compartment and exclaims, "The plane is going down! We only have three parachutes, and there are four of us! I have a family waiting for me at home. I must survive!" With that, he grabs one of the parachutes and jumps out of the plane. The atomic scientist jumps to his feet at this point and declares, "I am the smartest man in the world. It would be a great tragedy if my life was snuffed out!" With that, he also grabs a parachute and exits the plane. With an alarmed look on his face, the priest says to the boy scout, "My son, I have no family. I am ready to meet my Maker. You are still young with much ahead of you. You take the last parachute." At this point, the boy scout interrupts the priest: "Hold on, Father. Don''t say any more. We''re all right. The world''s smartest man just jumped out of the plane wearing my knapsack!"

Sometimes we can be our own worst enemy. Sometimes we are so full of ourselves that we think we can do it all on our own and we begin to take steps to remove God from our lives. Relying on our own power, our own steam, and no longer relying on God to be our strength and driving force. Jabez is a wonderful model for us in this regard.

Remember two weeks ago we talked about the absence of Jabez's father in the genealogy listed here in I Chronicles? We surmised that the reason behind his omission was probably because of some indiscretion and a few bad choices and that he probably made. And we also mentioned that this would have made Jabez's life much more difficult. All of this could have been the precursor to Jabez praying this prayer. But regardless of the reason Jabez understands the necessity of what he is asking God for. He understands the appropriateness of asking God to bless him. He understands the responsibility of asking God to enlarge his territory. And here he understands how vital it is to ask God to be with him.

Is God's Presence Important?
So the question here is why is God's presence or guidance in our lives so important? After all God created all of us with a tremendous intellect right? God gave us the ability to reason right? Absolutely! But by nature we are devoid of righteousness. By birth we are prone to sin. And Jabez understood that. Jabez knew that to be blessed by God and given more responsibility by God that this would often lead him to places he could not navigate by himself. And the only way he could survive, much less thrive, is by God's hand.

So let's look at the original text. Jabez uses the Hebrew word ^d>y" for hand to ask for God's presence. ^d>y" literally means an open hand, one that leads. Jabez understood that for God's blessing in his life, for the enlarged territory that would be given to him by God, to have any lasting impact, for any of it to bear worthy fruit, God had to be in control. God had to be the leader, the sole influence.

Folks, for God to be with us does not mean that God simply gets in line with our thinking, gives a rubber stamp approval, and opens the doors we tell God to open. For God to be with us, we take the back seat. We become the tool and God the carpenter.

If you go to Jerusalem, on the Mount of Olives, there is a church you can go to that is shaped like a tear drop. It is called Dominus Flevit, or “The Lord Wept”. From this spot you can see the entire city of Old Jerusalem. This is the spot in Scripture where Christ envisioned Jerusalem's destruction all because they would not listen to him. And this image stirred up so much pain and grief within our Lord, that Jesus wept. Luke 19:41-44 recounts the scene, As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it and said, "If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes. The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side. They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God's coming to you." The people did not recognize God right there in front of them. Jesus, God in the flesh, had come to bring peace and reconciliation, to be their hand.

How Can God be my Hand?
So how can God be our hand? One is to read Scripture. For you to listen to God, to listen to the promptings of the Holy Spirit you have to be able to recognize his voice. And one of the best ways to do that is to spend time with God in the Word. Get that Bible out and read it. Read it every day. Whether it is a verse or two, a story or two, or to take part in the Bible Challenge I put on my blog each week where you read four chapters a day. Just read. Read, study, examine, and memorize the narratives of love God has for you in Scripture.

Another way to help you recognize the voice of God is to pray. Pray daily for God to be the driving influence in your life. Pray for God help you set aside your earthly desires and give you Kingdom ones. Pray for God to give you wisdom to listen and courage to obey. Pray in any way you can, in whatever way you need, that will make God your focus.

The Challenge
Each week I try to give all of us a challenge to work on. Something that will help us draw closer to God. Well my challenge for this week is a bit different. As all of you came in this morning you received a card with a name and address on it. This is a “Pray for Me” card. On one side is a wonderful quote from James Montgomery expressing our natural desire to pray, “Prayer is the soul's sincere desire” along with a very brief sentence or two about the basis of prayer. There is also a box with a challenge and a set of instructions:

Therefore, I encourage you to embark on a journey for the next 30 days.

• Place this card where you will see it daily.

• Pray for the person(s) on the other side of this card for at least a month.

• Send a handwritten note of encouragement to this person(s) and let them know you are praying for them.

On the other side is a wonderful piece of Scripture from Jeremiah 29:11 that reminds us that good things come when God is our hand, “For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope”. And below that is a name. That is a person that I would like you to pray for, for the next 30 days. And there are some prayer starters below that.

If we as a congregation can do this, pray for each other specifically, I can only begin to imagine what will happen. If we all do this, then each one of us will know we are being prayed for by name for the next month. If we can be that congregation that prays like this for each other, then there is no limit to what we can accomplish for the Kingdom.

Jabez wanted God to be his hand. He wanted God to direct his life so that he could make an impact for God in his world. I am wanting us to ask God to be our hand now, so we can make an impact for this world. Do not be afraid, do not place more importance on our ways over God's ways. Be open, be receptive, be prayerful, be obedient. God's ways are perfect, God's ways are better. God's hand is open, I pray you will take it.

Bible Challenge 10/24 - 10/30

Greetings All!

This week we will finish up the Old Testament and if you have been following along, on Sunday, you will have read the Bible from cover to cover. Congrats!! However, this is still another part of this challenge. We will continue again with the New Testament and by the end of the year we will have completed that as well. So here is the schedule

10/24, Sunday: Zechariah 14 - Malachi 4

10/25, Monday: Matthew 1-4

10/26, Tuesday: Matthew 5-8

10/27, Wednesday: Matthew 9-12

10/28, Thursday: Matthew 13-16

10/29, Friday: Matthew 17-20

10/30, Saturday: Matthew 21-24

Finish strong and be blessed!

Friday Fives

1. Preaching Series - This week we will continue our preaching series on the Prayer of Jabez. We are going to examine the phrase, "and that your hand would be with me" as we look to the importance of God being a central part of our lives. Bring a friend and hope to see you there.

2. Pumpkins! – Our pumpkin wonderland is here! We have had a blast visiting with each other and talking with the people who stop by. If you would like to volunteer to sell or read, or if you would just like to stop by, we would love to have you. This truly is a lot of fun. This is also a great time to fellowship with this community and show them that we are here and we love them!

3. Bible Study – We have finished week two of our Bible Study based on what we as United Methodists believe as we spoke about how we understand the Holy Spirit, the gift of salvation, and the giving of God's grace. We still have several topics to discuss and three more weeks in the study. It is never to late to join. We meet on Thursdays at 11am and 7pm in Fellowship Hall. Just come on over and jump in. Hope to see you there!

4. Salty Service - A few months back I asked everyone to consider joining up together in groups to venture out and visit some of the residents in the many assisted living and rehab facilities around our church. There are many people there that get no visitors, and we are so good with fellowship, I see a need and a spiritual gift that can easily be paired up. I wanted to give everyone an update on how this budding ministry is progressing. We have three members that have reached out and began weekly visits to three different facilities. We also have a group of people that have formed to begin visits with a fifth facility. We have several contacts at area facilities, all we need is volunteers. Many people make light work. If you are willing to spend just a few hours a month visiting with people and sharing the love of Christ please contact the office and we can help you get connected. Please consider reaching out to the people in our area and let them know we care and in the name of Jesus Christ that they are loved.

5. Area Happenings – There are several things happening in our community that I wanted to bring to your attention.

• Saturday, November 6th, from 9am-2pm, St. Mark's UMC will host a Holly Berry Fair.There will be crafts and food available as well as baked goods, candy, and jewelry. For more info call 622-4475.

• Sunday, November 7th, at 2pm, at First UMC Gainesville, Dr. Mark Coffey will give an organ recital.If you would like more information please contact Robert W. Jackson (BJ) at (352) 372-8523 Ext. 20.

• The Florida Conference of the United Methodist Women have begun registration for their 27th Annual Women's Retreat. This is a wonderful time of fellowship and enrichment for all women. If you are interested there is more information in the office.

Laity Sunday

Today we celebrated Laity Sunday at Druid Hills.  And I for one was very proud of everyone that lead us into an experience of God!  Everyone's stories and spirit was so genuine, refreshing, and so well done that I know the Spirit was active and being allowed to lead.

Thank you to everyone who participated, thank you to everyone who attended worship and supported your brothers and sisters, and thank you to everyone for being supportive of this celebration.  We are a wonderfully diverse community that has a deep love, understanding, and appreciation for what it means to be a church FAMILY.

I pray everyone has a great week and a week overflowing with the presence of God!

Bible Challenge 10/17 - 10/23

Greetings All!

We are trucking through the back end of the Old Testament this week. We will finish up Micah, travel through Nahum, Habbakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggi, and get into Zechariah. I hope you learning much, listening often, and being transformed greatly!


10/17, Sunday: Micah 4-7

10/18, Monday: Nahum 1 - Habbakkuk 1

10/19, Tuesday: Habbakkuk 2 - Zephaniah 2

10/20, Wednesday: Zephaniah 3 - Zechariah 1

10/21, Thursday: Zechariah 2-5

10/22, Friday: Zechariah 6-9

10/23, Saturday: Zechariah 10-13

Be Blessed!

Friday Fives

1. Preaching Series - This week we are taking a break from our preaching series as we celebrate Laity Sunday. This week, you the laity, will lead, pray, and direct our worship service. We even have two people who will be delivering our sermon. Please come and support each other as we celebrate the significance and importance of the laity this week in worship. Bring a friend and hope to see you there.

2. Pumpkins! – Our pumpkin wonderland is here! We have had a blast visiting with each other and talking with the people who stop by. If you would like to volunteer to sell or read, or if you would just like to stop by, we would love to have you. This truly is a lot of fun. This is also a great time to fellowship with this community and show them that we are here and we love them!

3. Bible Study – Last week we started our Bible on based on what we as United Methodists believe as we spoke about how we understand God and Jesus Christ. We still have several topics to discuss and four more weeks in the study. And it is never to late to join. We meet on Thursdays at 11am and 7pm in Fellowship Hall. Just come on over and jump in. Hope to see you there!

4. Salty Service - A few months back I asked everyone to consider joining up together in groups to venture out and visit some of the residents in the many assisted living and rehab facilities around our church. There are many people there that get no visitors, and we are so good with fellowship, I see a need and a spiritual gift that can easily be paired up. I wanted to give everyone an update on how this budding ministry is progressing. We have one member that has reached out and has began weekly visits and we have another that is in the process of beginning. We have several contacts at area facilities, all we need is volunteers. Many people make light work. If you are willing to spend just a few hours a month visiting with people and sharing the love of Christ please contact the office and we can help you get connected. Please consider reaching out to the people in our area and let them know we care and in the name of Jesus Christ that they are loved.

5. Area Happenings – There are several things happening in our community that I wanted to bring to your attention.

• Saturday, November 6th, from 9am-2pm, St. Mark's UMC will host a Holly Berry Fair.There will be crafts and food available as well as baked goods, candy, and jewelry. For more info call 622-4475.

• Sunday, November 7th, at 2pm, at First UMC Gainesville, Dr. Mark Coffey will give an organ recital.If you would like more information please contact Robert W. Jackson (BJ) at (352) 372-8523 Ext. 20.

• The Florida Conference of the United Methodist Women have begun registration for their 27th Annual Women's Retreat. This is a wonderful time of fellowship and enrichment for all women. If you are interested there is more information in the office.

The Pumpkins are here!!!

Here are some pics from the pumpkin unload day this week. Thank you to Forrest HS and all of our own DHUMC people that came out to help. It was a lot of work but it was even more fun!! 

THANK YOU!

I want to express my sincere appreciation and heart-felt gratitude to my church family for your generous gift as part of Pastor Appreciation Month. It has been my honor to serve you and be your pastor. You are a wonderfully nurturing congregation and I truly appreciate your love and support. Thank you again and I pray God's blessings on you all!

The Prayer of Jabez: Oh, That You Would Enlarge my Territory - Hebrews 6:13-20 and I Chronicles 4:9-10

Below is the sermon from today. You might recognize some of it and other parts were Holy Spirit infused. On days like today it is a tremendous thing when the Spirit moves and speaks. I hope you were blessed during worship today and had an experience with God!

___________________________________________

Introduction
Today we are continuing our preaching series on an oft-passed over piece of Scripture called the Prayer of Jabez. Last week we began with the phrase, “Oh, that you would bless me” as we looked at the appropriateness of asking God to bless us and what we are truly asking for in that endeavor. Today we are going to take the next passage, “that you would enlarge my territory” as we unpack the strength that is required for this type of petition.

I Want to Help!
I am a computer junkie. And I am a computer game junkie as well. I do not have time to indulge that part of my life anymore but it was very important for me to get back in that arena a few years ago. It had been many years since I had actually played any games on the computer but an opportunity arose for me play a bit with a guy I knew and his unchurched brother-in-law. The three of us began this weekly appointment to gather at my friend's house and we would play for hours. In the beginning the brother-in-law did not speak to me other than the usual hello and good-bye. But one week he look over at me and asked “Did God like computer games?” I had a feeling that this guy wanted to know more than just if God liked video games. It took several weeks but he knew this guy that was going to be a pastor was someone he could talk with. He felt a connection with me that he felt he could talk about God, wanted to talk about God.

I had asked God to give me an opening to talk about God. I was hoping for a chasm, but a crack would do. That is what we find Jabez doing in this second part of his petition to God as he asks God to enlarge his territory.

Understanding Jabez
With Jabez's father not listed in the genealogy found in I Chronicles 4 we can reasonably assume that his father had acted in way detrimental to his family. We can also reasonably assume that those indiscretions had brought heartache and poverty to Jabez's family. Jabez did not want to live his life with a sense of drudgery and dread. When Jabez cried out to God "enlarge my territory" he was looking at his present circumstance and concluding, "Surely I was born for more than this." (1) He wanted to begin "living large for God." (2) In biblical language we might say he wanted to live in "kairos" time--a time filled with the lively purposes of God, as opposed to "chronos"--time which simply watches the hands of the clock go round.
Jabez wanted more!

Am I Asking for More Land?
So Jabez asked God to enlarge his territory. So when we are asking for God to enlarge our territory are we asking for more land? Should we expect God to give us 1 acre rather than the 1/8 of an acre we already own? I do not think so

I think are better things we can focus on. Have you ever heard the phrase “sphere of influence”? All of us have one. It is those people that we can reach that no one else can. For instance, my sphere of influence includes those people that are between their mid-20's to 40's, married with young kids, that grew up in Florida, believe in God, and love sports. If someone falls into any of those categories I had an understanding that will help me connect with. I will have an easier time relating to what they are going through or feeling or dealing with. Now this is not to say I cannot interact with, enjoy, and help people that do not fall into my sphere, it just means it is not as natural for me. All of you have a group of people that it feels more natural for you to interact within. That is your sphere of influence. I encourage you to work on identifying your sphere if you do not know it. Because when you can identify it, then you can perceive it and work within it with greater ease.

Ok, I Asked, Now What?
Understanding that we all have a sphere of influence, what are we supposed to do with it?When we ask God to enlarge our territory I believe we are asking God to give us more responsibility, more opportunities for ministry, more of a role in bringing about the Kingdom of God. I believe that we are asking God to equip us and show us how to work within our sphere of influence.

This is the part where some people get nervous. Others may get down right obstinate. And some of us get scared. If people want to talk to me about sports, great! If people want to talk to me about computers and electronics, I can hold my own. If people want to talk to me about my faith, now the heart is racing. What am I going to say? How can articulate what it is I believe in my heart with words from my brain? What if I say the wrong thing and send them away from God, rather than too God? Dr. Robert Gray, a professor at Asbury Theological Seminary was once asked what is the one thing he is scared of most in this world. He said, “to ever find out that I was a stumbling block for another person coming to know Jesus Christ”. It was not death, it was not illness, it was not physical pain. It was ever knowing that he had done something to take someone away from Christ rather than to Christ. Folks, I believe that is a fear we can all relate with. Most of the time I think all of us would love to share our faith, but that fear of messing up, not having the right words, and doing more harm than good keeps creeping into our minds.

If you hear nothing else this morning, please hear this. If you are faithful to God, allow God to use you and guide you, that will not happen. If you ask God to enlarge your territory, if you ask God to give you more responsibility within your sphere, God will make sure you are equipped for the task. God will use you, work through you, and give you the words to say. I am not making this up, Jesus did it in Scripture. (Expound on passage where God gave peter and john the words to say). God will not abandon you when you do God's work. God will equip you, God will bless you, God will enlarge your territory.

Conclusion
God will use all sorts of events, “chance” meetings, or settings to enlarge our territories and give us an opportunity to impact people within our sphere of influence. Remember I had you that I had not played video games in several years? During our third get together is when he asked me the question about God and video games. As we played this man began to tell me that he never really understood church. He did not understand what all of the fuss was about to hear someone talk about stuff in a book that was written thousands of years ago and then ask you to pay them for it when those plate came around. I was given the opportunity to talk about what God meant to me, what Jesus had done for me, and how the Holy Spirit helps me on a daily basis. I got to talk about the fellowship I have with other believers and about those opportunities I had been a part of where God's love was realized and shown right before my eyes. I believe God put that past hobby of mine to use with my friend and his brother-in-law. When we began to set up these playing opportunities I had asked God to help me connect with these two young men. The one guy was my friend, but we were new friends and had only met a few months prior. We actually got to know each other through our wives. I had asked God to enlarge my territory, to give me more responsibility, to give me an opportunity to lead another person into a relationship with our Creator. I asked, God answered. Video games had provided that crack for me to reach him, for him to trust me, and for those seeds of God's love to be planted.

As we close out our time today I want to share a poem with you,

My life shall touch a dozen lives before this day is done;
Leave countless marks for good or ill, ere sets the evening sun.
This is the wish I always wish, the prayer I always pray:
Lord, may my life help other lives it touches by the way.

All of you have a sphere of influence, all you have the ability to influence another person for God, all of you have territory that God is waiting to enlarge. I encourage you to ask for more territory, to ask for more responsibility, to ask to put in the path of someone who needs you. God has a plan, God wants you to be involved. All you have to do is ask.

Bible Challenge 10/10 - 10/16

Hello All

Here is you schedule for next week. We are moving again as we finish up Hosea, and move right through Joel, Amos, Obadiah, and Jonah, and finish up in Micah.

10/3, Sunday: Hosea 7 - 10

10/4, Monday: Hosea 11 - 14

10/5, Tuesday: Joel 1 - Amos 1

10/6, Wednesday: Amos 2 - 5

10/7, Thursday: Amos 6 - 9

10/8, Friday: Obadiah 1 - Jonah 3

10/9, Saturday: Jonah 4 - Micah 3

Be Blessed!

Friday Fives

Here are your Friday Fives....live from Church of the Resurrection in Kansas City!

1. Preaching Series - This week we are continuing our preaching series based on the Prayer of Jabez. We will focus on what means to ask God to enlarge our territory and what we are called to do when God does.  Bring a friend and hope to see you there.

2. Pumpkins! – Our pumpkin wonderland has been delayed till Tuesday.  However, there is still time to volunteer.  This is a great time to fellowship with each other and show this community that we are here and we love them!

3. Bible Study – Have you ever wondered what it is that we as United Methodists believe? Would you like to learn more about our doctrines and traditions? If so, then join me on a five week study as we talk about how we as United Methodists understand:

• God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit
• Salvation and our theology
• our role in society and how we view current issues as a church
• the makeup and organization of the United Methodist Church

Whether you have been a United Methodist your entire life or just a few weeks, this study is for you. We will meet on Thursdays at 11am and 7pm in Fellowship Hall.  It will run for 5 sessions: October 14, 21, 28 and November 4, 11 and the cost is free! 

RSVP by calling the office at 629-5688 or by filling out the form in this week's bulletin and putting it in the offering plate.  Hope to see you there!

4. Salty Service - A few months back I asked everyone to consider joining up together in groups to venture out and visit some of the residents in the many assisted living and rehab facilities around our church. There are many people there that get no visitors, and we are so good with fellowship, I see a need and a spiritual gift that can easily be paired up. I wanted to give everyone an update on how this budding ministry is progressing. We have one member that has reached out and has began weekly visits and we have another that is in the process of beginning. We have several contacts at area facilities, all we need is volunteers. Many people make light work. If you are willing to spend just a few hours a month visiting with people and sharing the love of Christ please contact the office and we can help you get connected. Please consider reaching out to the people in our area and let them know we care and in the name of Jesus Christ that they are loved.

5. Flu Shots – Sunday October 10th from 11:30am-1:30pm we will host a flu clinic here at the church. This week's bulletin has all the information as to the type of shots offered, the recommendation for which shot to get, as well as the cost. Be sure to check it out and make sure you get what you need. This is a wonderful ministry and one we are happy to be able to offer.

The Prayer of Jabez: Oh, That You Would Bless Me - Matthew 7:7-8 and I Chronicles 4:9-10

Introduction
Today we are starting a new preaching series on an oft-passed over piece of Scripture called the Prayer of Jabez. During the next four weeks we are going to break this prayer apart as we seek to understand what it means to ask God to bless us, to enlarge our territory, to be with us, and keep us from evil. Today we are going to begin with the phrase, “Oh, that you would bless me” as we look at the appropriateness of asking God to bless us and what we are truly asking for in that endeavor.

Fancy Meeting You Here!
Once there was a little boy who wanted to meet God. He knew it would be a long trip to where God lived, so he packed a suitcase full of Twinkies and cans of root beer (his two favorite foods) and set off on his journey. He had only gone a few blocks when he passed an older woman, sitting on a park bench just staring at some pigeons. She looked sad and lonely, so the boy went over and sat down next to her. He opened his suitcase, took out a package of the Twinkies and offered it to her.

She gratefully took it and smiled at him. Her smile was so warm and wonderful that the boy wanted to see it again, so he offered her a can of his root beer. Once again, she took it and smiled at him. The boy was delighted. They sat there all afternoon, eating the Twinkies, drinking the root beers and watching the pigeons, without saying a word to each other.

As it grew dark, the boy realized that he had better get started home and got up to leave. But before he had gone just a few steps, he turned around, ran back to the older woman and gave her a big hug. She gave him the biggest smile of all.

When the boy got home, his mother noticed how happy he seemed. So she asked him what he had done all day. He told her: "I had lunch with God. And you know what? She has the most beautiful smile that I've ever seen."

Meanwhile, the older woman had returned to her home. Her son also noticed how happy and contented she seemed, so he asked her what she had done that had made her so happy. She said to him: "I sat in the park and ate Twinkies with God. You know, he's much younger than I expected."

Each of those people were blessed. They were each given something that they desired and needed. Jabez was doing much of the same thing; seeking out God to gain what he desired. And those desires Jabez made known in these two verses in I Chronicles.

Jabez Who?
So who was Jabez and why is he mentioned in Scripture? Good question. I Chronicles 4 begins with a genealogy of people whose names you can hardly pronounce. It goes on for forty-four names, when suddenly the writer stops. And in verse 9 writes, "Now Jabez was more honorable than his brothers, and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, ''Because I bore him in pain.''"

My word, what a way to start your life. In this era names were important. How many of you know what your name means? In this culture, everyone knew. In fact your name was not picked by your parents after looking through dozens of baby name books. It was given to you based upon some event that happened at your birth or because of where you were born.

For example, Isaac means "laughter" because his mother bore him in her old age. Jacob means a “sup-planter or one who is cunning/clever/one who tricks”. We know Jacob tricked his brother right out of his birthright. Jeremiah means “God hurls or throws”. Jeremiah hurls himself right into the midst of the suffering and despair of his people and is known as the "weeping prophet." Naomi named her sons Mahlon and Chilion, which mean "Puny" and "Pining." Both died in early adulthood. Solomon means "Peace." He was the first king of Israel who did not go to war. And, of course, Jesus: God saves; Emmanuel: God is with us.

But here we have, because I bore him in pain. What an obstacle to overcome. But Jabez does just that. In verse 10, “Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, ‘Oh that you would bless me and enlarge my border, and that your hand might be with me, and that you would keep me from hurt and harm!’ And God granted what he asked.”

And you know what happens after that? Neither do I. 1 Chronicles 4 immediately goes back to the genealogies and Jabez is never mentioned again. That is it. Jabez gets two verses stuck in the middle of an extensive genealogy. So what can we learn from these two verses. Plenty! And we will talk about a bunch of it over the next three weeks, but today I want us to focus on two things: is it okay to ask for blessings for ourselves and what is it we are truly asking for when we do.

Bless Me!?!
Some people may be uncomfortable asking for God to bless them; viewing it as selfish or self-centered. But Scripture tells us otherwise. Proverbs 10:22 tells us, “The Lord's blessing is our greatest wealth; all our work adds nothing to it”. Blessings are good things, things we cannot do for ourselves, things we can only get from God. So how can we get these things? Jesus says ask. From our first Scripture lesson this morning, Matthew 7:7-8, Jesus says, “Ask, and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened”. James, Jesus' brother, echos those sentiments in James 4:2, “You do not have because you do not ask.” Asking is what we are called to do. It is what Jabez did and God granted it. God wants to bless you, God created you to bless you, God is eager to bless you. Ask. Ask today, ask tomorrow, and ask everyday from now on. And the way Jabez did it, it is not arrogant because of how he did it.

What Am I Asking for Again?
Jabez was not asking for money or power. He just wanted a blessing from God. He who was born in pain did not ask for specifics. He left it to God to decide the what, when, where, and how. Folks, that is trust. Jabez knew that the God of Israel, of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, knew the best way to use him and the best way to bless him. Jabez understood that by leaving the request open, he was giving God the room to bless him in ways he could not imagine, to unleash miracles that he could not conceive by his own intellect.

Conclusion
We so often want to control God. We want to limit God and tell God what we think God needs to know. But here we have Jabez, he who was born in pain, that places all of his trust and his hope for the future in the hands of God and trusts him. My challenge for all of us is that we have that same kind of trust. We have spoken quite a bit about prayer lately; its importance, benefits, and models we can use. Now we are going into practical application. I encourage you to use these two verses as a reminder to ask God to bless you as God sees fit. Pray this prayer daily and consistently. And then watch what blessings come your way. I think you will be surprised and I know your cup will runneth over.

Bible Challenge 10/03 - 10/09

Greetings All!

This week we get some movement! We finish up Ezekiel, move through Daniel, and begin Hosea.

10/3, Sunday - Ezekiel 39-42

10/4, Monday - Ezekiel 43-46

10/5, Tuesday - Ezekiel 47 - Daniel 2

10/6, Wednesday - Daniel 3-6

10/7, Thursday - Daniel 7-10

10/8, Friday - Daniel 11 - Hosea 2

10/9, Saturday - Hosea 3-6

Read, pray, listen, obey, and be blessed!

Friday Fives

Here are a five things that I wanted to bring to your attention.

1. Preaching Series - This week we are beginning a new preaching series based on the Prayer of Jabez. We will spend the next four weeks breaking this two verse prayer apart to look at what it means to ask God: to bless us, to enlarge our territory, to be with us, and keep us from evil. I hope to see all of you there!

2. Pumpkins! – It is quickly approaching that time where our side yard is transformed into a pumpkin wonderland. We are having a workday to get ready for the pumpkins on October 6th at 9am and then our first shipment arrives on October 9th. If you can help us at either time it will be greatly appreciated. By the way it is also a huge amount of fun! Hope to see you there!

3. Bible Study – Have you ever wondered what it is that we as United Methodists believe? Would you like to learn more about our doctrines and traditions? If so, then join me on a five week study as we talk about how we as United Methodists understand:

• God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit
• Salvation and our theology
• our role in society and how we view current issues as a church
• the makeup and organization of the United Methodist Church

Whether you have been a United Methodist your entire life or just a few weeks, this study is for you. We will meet on Thursdays at 11am and 7pm in Fellowship Hall.  It will run for 5 sessions: October 14, 21, 28 and November 4, 11 and the cost is free! 

RSVP by calling the office at 629-5688 or by filling out the form in this week's bulletin and putting it in the offering plate.  Hope to see you there!

4. Salty Service - A few months back I asked everyone to consider joining up together in groups to venture out and visit some of the residents in the many assisted living and rehab facilities around our church. There are many people there that get no visitors, and we are so good with fellowship, I see a need and a spiritual gift that can easily be paired up. I wanted to give everyone an update on how this budding ministry is progressing. We have one member that has reached out and has began weekly visits and we have another that is in the process of beginning. We have several contacts at area facilities, all we need is volunteers. Many people make light work. If you are willing to spend just a few hours a month visiting with people and sharing the love of Christ please contact the office and we can help you get connected. Please consider reaching out to the people in our area and let them know we care and in the name of Jesus Christ that they are loved.

5. Flu Shots – Sunday October 10th from 11:30am-1:30pm we will host a flu clinic here at the church. This week's bulletin has all the information as to the type of shots offered, the recommendation for which shot to get, as well as the cost. Be sure to check it out and make sure you get what you need. This is a wonderful ministry and one we are happy to be able to offer.