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Recipe for Renewal Right Here in River City

RECIPIE FOR RENEWAL IN SAYBROOK

I. REUNION
II. REVIVAL
III. REBIRTH

I’m sure many of you have seen the musical either at the schools or on TV, the
Music Man. So you remember that scene where the “professor”, pointing to the Pool
Hall tells the citizens, you’ve got trouble right here in river city. Thus my theme for
today, Recipe for Renewal in River City. I hope today that we leave here not only with
some added knowledge of what our communities need, but also with the added
motivation to bring about those changes. Recipie for Renewal Right Here in River City.
What better way to celebrate the birthday of our Country than to prepare to bring it back
to the greatness it once enjoyed? You remember that last year Pastor Peggy challenged us
to have an old fashioned camp meeting. What she was saying was it’s time for renewal
right here in River City. So I want to continue again this year in that same vein.
You’ve probably heard the old story about the monestary where the only talking
that could take place was once per year and then only one monk was allowed to speak a
sentence. On one such occasion the monk whose turn it was stood up at the dinner table
and said, “The soup is too cold.” Then a year passed. The next year another brother
stood up and said, “The soup is too hot” Then another year passed. The next year the
next brother stood up and said, “The soup is just right” And another year passed. Finally
a a 4th brother stood up and said, “If all you want to do is bicker, I’m just going to leave.”
Well, even after a year, it’s not too late for us to remember what has been said. So in the
vein of our message last year I want to continue to talk about Renewal right here in river
city.
The great OT leader Joshua was standing before the people of Israel. The
promised land had been conquered and it was time for the people to inherit what was
theirs. So Joshua closes with this promise in Joshua 24:15 And if it seems evil to you to
serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods
which your fathers served that werew on the other side of the River, or the gods of the
Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the
Lord.
Folks, the time for us has come to choose. If there is to be renewal in the land we
have to make a choice. The world says, you can choose from many gods or religious
beliefs. The Bible says you must make a choice, God or the gods. So as we begin we
must ask, which do I choose, the God of heaven or the gods of this world?
And unknown author has written, That land is great which know the Lord, Whose
songs are guiede by His word; Where justice rules twixt man and man, Where love
controls an ardent plan; Where, breathing in his native air, Each soul finds joy in praise
and prayer...Thus may our country, good and great, Be God’s delight... man’s best estate.
Are we ready to choose? The first ingredient in our recipe is
REUNION
If there is to be any renewal in our land, christians must reunite. Friends, we have
spent too much time apart. I have been told about a time in this community when one of
the churches would have a revival or special meeting, the building would be full, not just
of that churches own members, but of the other church’s as well. It is time for a coming
together again. Just look at what has worked here each year. This service is the reason I
believe that this freedom festival continues to work and thrive. The moment they cut it
out is the moment they will bring down the whole celebration - Amen? We are capable
of worshipping in unity. And just because the rest of the year we meet in separate
buildings doesn’t mean we can’t be united. The first step in this reunion is prayer for one
another. How often do you pray for others in our community? How often do you pray for
the ministers of this area. Folks, you and I know that the battle is on and that we are on
the front lines. Pray for us daily. Pray for your fellow family members daily. If our
churches are not strong, again our communities will be weakened. So let us come
together in prayer for one another.
The next step of this reunion is caring for our youth. The young people have a
very tough road to hoe. Many of them have been cast into roles of responsiblity way
before they are really ready because of the situations in their homes. Others have been
offered temptations that most adults couldn’t handle, but because we live in a permissive
society their eyes get more seeing and their ears more hearing than many of us have ever
dreamed of. With the internet, cable TV and the media, the youngest of children are
exposed to troubling sights and sounds. It is what will be the ruination of our nation if it
continues. Listen to these words We are drowning our young people in violence,
cynicism and sadism. Someone has observed that the grandchildren of the kids who used
to weep because the little match girl froze to death, now feel cheated if she is not mugged,
raped and thrown into a fire.
A week ago Friday we were in Florida. On the news stations there, and I believe
on some even here, was the horrifying report of a two year old girl attacked and killed by
an aligator in Winter Haven. We wondered how she could get so far away from her
family. The lake she had wandered away to was several hundred yards away from her
home. I was talking to Jim Reed whom some of you remember as a former pastor here
back in the 70’s. Jim lives in Winter Haven. He told me that she got over or around a 7
foot high fence in her yard.
Folks here is my point -- We have churches that care about the youth. We have
schools that work hard to teach our children what they need to know. We have police
that are on the ball in this area. Those are the fences and those just aren’t enough. We
need families that support the work of the churches and the schools and even the law
enforcement. We need parents and grandparents and aunts and uncles who live out
christian examples before their children. Several years ago a survey revealed that when
Mom and Dad took(not sent) their children to church, 76% of the children followed their
parent in their faith. If only the father took the children to church, only 55 %.
Interestingly enough, if only the mother took the children to church, the percentage
dropped to 15 %. If neither parent took the children only 9% became active Christians.
Do we care about the future of our nation? I’m sure we all do. That future lies in
the future of our youth and the battle is being fought fiercly over their very souls. We
must reunite so that our children will grow up knowing the Lord. Remember this, the
church is only one generation away from total anialation. When the church goes, so goes
the nation.
We need reunion to bring about renewal. I have a friend who visited a home for
the mentally disabled. As he was being shown around the facility he noticed that the
people were free to move around within the grounds. They could visit or just sit
anywhere they wished. This struck him as odd. So he asked, why are the patients
allowed to walk freely on the grounds? Aren’t you afraid they might get together and
overthrow the place? The answer he got was chilling. The doctor giving him the tour
said, Oh no, we have found that insane people can never agree long enough to plan
anything together.
Friends, we have to choose, reunion or insanity. If we refuse to pray for one
another and to work together for our youth we must acknowledge our own insanity.
Choose this day.
The second ingredient is Revival. Specifically there must be a revival of the importance
of God’s word within our homes and in our commuinity.
America has been blessed by God because America has honored God and His
Word. George Washington ennobled the office of the presidency when he said, “It is
impossible to rightly govern the world without God and the Bible.” Abraham Lincoln
agreed: “I believe the Bible is the best gift God has ever given to man. All the good from
the Savior of the world is communicated from this Book.”
How often do you read God’s word? How often do you put into practice what you
read? C.H. MacKintosh said, Let us remember that all the mischief, all the corruption
and confusion, all the shame and dishoner, all the reproach and blasphemy, had its
origin in the neglect of the Word of God....It has ever been the special design of Satan to
lead God’s people away from Scripture. He will use anything and everything for this en -
tradition - human reason- popular opinion - all those he will use in order to get the heart
and conscience away from that one golden sentence - that divine motto - “It is written.”
Folks if renewal is to take place there must be a revival upon the importance of
God’s word. Not only that but there must be a revival of prayer among the people.
Today if you want to guarantee a small turnout for a service just announce that it will be a
prayer service. We must have come to the conclusion that prayer just doesn’t matter any
longer. Because of that the church is losing it’s power and influence in society. Why do
we see this fight over prayer in our schools? I believe it’s because we have lost sight of
the importance of prayer in our homes and yes even in our churches.
In the middle of the 19th century, when our nation was divided over the issue of
slavery, and people wre living in a selfish, materialistic approach to life, God raised up
Jeremiah Lamphier to lead a revival of prayer. In 1857, he began a prayer meeting in the
upper room of the Old Fulton Street Dutch Reformed Church in Manhattan. Beginning
with only 6 people, the prayer meeting grew until the church was filled with praying
people. By Feb. of 1858, nearly 10,000 people a week were being converted. The impact
of these prayer meetings spread from city to city across the U.S. Cleveland, Detroit,
Chicago, Cincinnati - city after city was conquered by the power of believing prayer.
Friends, if whole cities can be revived by prayer, imagine what could happen right
here in River City.
If we desire renewal in the land there must be a revival of Giod’s word and prayer.
The last ingredient for renewal is Rebirth. I refer here to evangelism. If we are
to experience renewal we must become aggresive in our following of the great
commission. Friends, I guarantee all the other philosophies and religions are not sitting
around hoping for people to walk throught their doors, they are out beating the bushes
trying to win converts. They buy TV time, they go door to door, they stand on street
corners they give of their time to go on mission trips, they do whatever it takes to spread
their message. We must once again hear that word GO. We have to realize that we are
losing the battle for new members and that each person we lose is a person Heaven loses.
That means they will spend an eternity in Hell. Folks its that important. I’m not talking
here about building up bigger churches. I’m talking about saving people’s souls for
eternity. I’m talking about saving our nation from destroying itself. I’m talking about the
single most serious subject we could ever discuss.
Have we won everyone there is to win in Saybrook, Arrowsmith, Anchor, Colfax,
Cooksville and Bellflower, not to mention the rest of this area? I think not. We must
take our masters command seriously again and get out and bring new birth to the lost.
We must follow the example of the one who said, I came not to be served but to serve and
to seek and save the lost. If we want renewal in the land there must be rebirth.
Those are the ingredients of our recipe for renewal, Reunion, Revival and
Rebirth. So again I say, choose this day the direction you will travel and the God you
will serve.
A pastor tells of visiting a church in California and finding a stirring red and
orange banner on the wall. "Come Holy Spirit. Hallelujah!" it declared in words printed
under a picture of a fire burning. The pastor was also interested in the sign directly
underneath the banner which said: "Fire extinguisher." So much for that parish’s
commitment to spiritual renewal
Will you accept the challenge for renewal right here in River City? May we all
seek God’s mercy and grace upon this nation and become active in our search for
renewal.