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Suzi Q

Discussion in 'General Baptist Discussions' started by tinytim, Oct 29, 2006.

  1. tinytim

    tinytim <img src =/tim2.jpg>

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    Here is the article I posted on my blog today... it is based on a fictional illustration I used in my sermon today...

    I thought we could discuss the fact that we as Christians must get out of our 4 walls and minister to the community....

    Anyway here it is:
    Suzi Q is a lost woman. She is a single mother of 2, who is struggling to make ends meet. She has a broken down car that she has to depend on to get back and forth to her minimum wage job.
    She gets up in the morning, gets her oldest to the bus stop, 6 month old to the babysitter, and arrives just in time at work to here her boss chew her out for being 5 minutes late.
    She is over worked and underpaid, she is worried about the bills at home that are piling up, and the bill collectors that keep calling her.
    She struggles through her day, calling her babysitter at 3:30 to make sure her oldest got home after school. At 4:30 her boss tells her to work over until 5:30.
    At 6:00 when she finally gets home, her babysitter tells her that if she is late 1 more time, she will have to find another babysitter.
    She finally gets dinner, helps with homework, bathes the kids, and gets them to sleep… at 9:30 pm. She goes to bed with a headache, knowing she has to get up at 5:30 the next morning.

    While all the time she lives across the street from:
    The First Self Righteous Church of Anytown, USA
    The FSR Church Prides itself in:
    Being the biggest church in town.
    With the largest attendance on Sunday mornings
    The best cooks around for fellowships
    The hardest hitting preaching in town.
    Being doctrinally pure, whatever that means to them
    Their mission programs to 120 foreign missionaries
    The best praise band in the county
    Having the softest pews, the most up to date sound system, and the most wonderful furnishings.
    Having Classes and small groups every night of the week.
    Having the most upstanding citizens of Anytown, USA as members.
    Something is WRONG somewhere!!
    When a church is too concerned about itself to help it’s neighbor it quits being a New Testament Church.
    Our job as a church is to reach people like Suzi Q. To share the love of Christ with her.
    Perhaps we could:
    help her by introducing her to Christ.
    Some of us could help her with a bill or two.
    We could offer to bring her children to church.
    We could offer to fix her car. Or even give her a better one.
    We could offer to babysit her children for free while she is working, so she wouldn’t have to pay a babysitter.
    But may we never be caught saying, in our self righteous conceit, “well, she made her bed, now she has to lie in it” Which is a horrifying statement for a Christian to make… I doubt that a true Christian could even say that.
    The point is... once she sees the love of Christ, she will be drawn to Him.
    After she gets saved, baptized, and joins the church, she, as well as her children, will be taught about Him in Sunday School,
    She will attend Bible Study on Wednesday evenings to get a deeper understanding of her Savior, she will start helping others see the love of Christ by using her spiritual gifts to do ministry.

    To see more of this message.... Click Here
     
  2. Deacon

    Deacon Well-Known Member
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    Add a third child with autism and with tatoos covering her arms and chest and you've almost described a young woman in a growth group I visited last week.

    "I tell you that this woman went home justified before God."
    Luke 18:9-14 (my paraphrase)

    Rob
     
  3. 2BHizown

    2BHizown New Member

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    Sorry, I cant give praise for sermons that dont ever preach scripture. Thats the command! Preach the Word!!

    It doesnt tell preachers to preach about the word, nor to preach about the needs of Suzi Q. It commands that the verys words of God be preached!

    You went to a lot of trouble to do all the illustrations! No one is ignorant of the needs of single moms in this country! What so many are grossly ignorant of is the Word of God!!

    Go, tell it!! What? God's Word!!
    If people know the word of God, are reading it daily, memorizing verses than all those meanings of the samaritan and other scriptures also will be know to the world, including the gospel and people will see they are sinners, in need of a Savior!

    Trying to preach a social gospel of taking care of Suzi Q just wont do it pastors! People are starving to hear God's word and to both know it, hear it and understand it! Tell them! Its getting very late!
     
  4. Deacon

    Deacon Well-Known Member
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    I'd guess you didn't finish the whole message.

    Rob
     
  5. Mary Diana Lynn Harper

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    I only wished

    if it were that simple, your message was great. maybe someday I will be able to attend one of your sermons. one who used to be there. Diana:godisgood:
     
  6. ituttut

    ituttut New Member

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    A fictional reply, but which is close to a true story. Things many times are not as they seem.

    Suzi Q is a hard working gal and finds out help is available to her. Every time the church across the street had made effort to contact her, she had not been at home. She ignored the literature they had left her. One day she takes time to read what the church left, and saw they help their members in time of need, and others if they are really "down and out". She walks across the street, finds the appropriate person to talk to about such matters, and after the church worker evaluates this almost destitute family, gives her some money that is budgeted for such things, and gives her the address and 'phone number of "This Town's Gospel Mission", supported by 50 or so churches in the town, or section of town. They tell her of "meals on wheels" to assist with food requirements, and also the Salvation Army.

    The person at the church invites her to attend services, ask if she knows of Jesus (Yes, but never a priority), and will think about. The person says God never hassles, but it is the churches duty to offer the saving Grace of God to every one, and requests she give much thought for herself, and her children's future in eternity. A short prayer is said, that the will of God will be done in her life. The woman follows up on this new information for help with her daily physical needs.

    She has been working Sunday's, but gets a promotion after 6 months of 50 cents an hour, and only has to work a Sunday if someone does not show-up. Her youngest is now one-year old, and the oldest is now in the second grade. On her first Sunday off, she and the kids go to church. She does this on the Sundays she does not work, for a couple weeks or so and then begins taking the children to Sunday school class. Over a short period of time, Suzi has worked her way up, and is making enough money to make her life a little easier. The oldest child can now take the youngest by the hand and walk her across the street, and she takes her to the nursery.

    About this time the oldest is telling her mother the Sunday school teacher always asks, after the lesson, if any wished to accept the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior. She said "I told the teacher yes, and the teacher asked me "if I believed Jesus was the Son of God, and died on the Cross for me"? Mommy I told her "yes", "because I was sacred and didn't want to go to hell". And the teacher said, "I would like for you to say, With all my heart and mind I believe on the Lord Jesus Christ for my salvation". I said "I want to be saved. With all my heart I believe on Jesus Christ to save me". The teacher told me, I had just accepted the free gift from God, and I would be with Jesus "always", and wouldn't go to hell.

    Suzi,is happy (in a way) about this, but is not so sure, because this is just too simple, and wants to talk to the teacher, as "little Suzi" must have left out a lot. Suzi thought about it, and before the next Sunday walks across the street to find out how she can get hold of the Sunday teacher.

    At the church she encounters the same person she first talked to on her initial visit. The worker tells her "little Suzi" left nothing out, and added nothing. She, "little Suzi" was now in the Body of Christ Church. "Big Suzi", says she doesn't understand how that can be true, as "little Suzi" never joined the church, and knew you had to join a church to be saved.

    To make a long story short, the worker was the associate Pastor and over the course of time, of their meetings Suzi came to realize what "little Suzi" told her was true. They didn't have to join a church to be in the "Body Church". She accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as her savior, as did the younger child, and they all now belonged to the same Baptist church that her husband now Pastored. Perhaps their newly born baby boy will also grow to be a Preacher of the Word of God.
     
  7. LeBuick

    LeBuick New Member

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    I'd say so too, I read the entire message and thought he did a good job even with the illustration. I believe it is captivating when you can make practicle application from the text.
     
  8. ituttut

    ituttut New Member

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    Agree, as representatives of His Word, we are to spread the gospel of the grace of God.

    We that preach and teach, and also the layman/woman (all are in His Church) are to bring all to the throne of God, and the only way to reach that throne is being in the Body of Christ. We cannot put the works first. They will naturally follow. If the works do not follow, then we know those that say they know Jesus Christ in heaven, are not know to Him. Forget them, and not judge them. He will do that.


    Our business is His business. Their business is their business.

     
    #8 ituttut, Oct 29, 2006
    Last edited by a moderator: Oct 29, 2006
  9. Jim1999

    Jim1999 <img src =/Jim1999.jpg>

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    I quite agree with Tim's message. It is about time we got out of our "scriptural" comfortable pews and started to live the gospel. Sometimes we need to preach these kinds of practical sermons...Not everything is John 3:16!

    Cheers,

    Jim
     
  10. ituttut

    ituttut New Member

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    Agree with you here Jim1999, but as to help in the physical, our first duty is to "our own", for otherwise we will be worse than the infidel's. If they are not of us, we cannot make them so by giving them money, food, or other creature comforts. We are to "preach His Word", and when they are in Chirst, we are to help them first, if need be.

    Once we know we have taken care of our own, we then give to various such as "Gospel Missions that "sleep and feed", preaching His Word also. Or donatiing our time, and or money to "Centers of Hope", or with other names, that groups of churches sponsor to help the poor and needy, for some within those ranks are believers in our Lord Jesus Christ. Hospice, Visiting Nurses, Meals on Wheels, and of course the Salvation Army, and those type of organizations, for they have people in the organizations that are believers also, and reach out to those that need help, and included are those that believe in our Lord Jesus Christ.

    So giving should be first to the spreading of the Word, and that afterwards toward other's even outside of our own church, for all believers are not in our church. When they are, we take care of those in our church first, and then any other's that believe in Jesus Christ for their salvation.
     
  11. whatever

    whatever New Member

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    Nobody said anything about neglecting "our own" to care for others. Not sure where that came from.

    Good message, tiny. Thanks for sharing it.
     
  12. tinytim

    tinytim <img src =/tim2.jpg>

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    Please look at the whole message... I did use Scripture...
    Granted there is none in the OP, but that I did say it was an illustration.

    Thanks for all the compliments.
    People need to see the love of Christ, and if we remain in our theological castles, we are not doing what Christ commanded.

    You can call it social gospel if you want, but God did not mean for us to stay away from the hurting masses... We must go where they are.
     
  13. tinytim

    tinytim <img src =/tim2.jpg>

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    Wow that is sorta what I preached tonight. Well at least one of my points...Based on Galations 6:9-10
    and Matt 7:25-29
    n
    When given the choice we should help our Brothers and Sisters first.
     
  14. LeBuick

    LeBuick New Member

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    AMEN Brother...
     
  15. 2BHizown

    2BHizown New Member

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    Hey, wait, you asked for critique and my thoughts are that when the gospel is preached and people are truly regenerate you wont have to tell them to minister to others! That is then their heart, their new nature! If thats not happening then perhaps they dont have a new nature!!
    Before anyone can see or understand the love of God they must first come to grips with their sinfulness and the impending wrath of God, a sword of Damocles, if you will, hanging over their head! Once repentant and regenerate you wont have to beg, threaten or nudge them to show love to others! It that isnt there, it didnt happen!!
    John 14:23-26
    "Until a man places his faith in Christ, his greatest acts are but glorious sins" T. Manton.

    So, your first priority is to preach the word, pleading with all the pew sitters to truly come to know Christ and place their faith in Him.
    When that takes place you will see revival in your church and people loving, caring and ministering to each other and to others in need!

    Yes, Tim you did a great presentation and lots of work but until all of the people in your church truly know Christ you're just rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic!
     
  16. Jim1999

    Jim1999 <img src =/Jim1999.jpg>

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    I like the Salvation Army's unofficial motto: Soup, Soap and Salvation............and in that order.

    Cheers,

    Jim
     
    #16 Jim1999, Oct 29, 2006
    Last edited by a moderator: Oct 29, 2006
  17. tinytim

    tinytim <img src =/tim2.jpg>

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    But sometimes the Pastor's job is to move beyond evangelistic messages and address discipleship issues... even the church of Ephesus had left their first love... were they still saved?

    This sermon is the last in a series I titled "Intentional Church"
    We as Christians can sometimes become lazy, and need to be reminded to Intentionally seek others.

    I used this illustration as a eye opener.. hopefully it hit home and reminded the Christians of where they had been, or reminded them of someone they know. I tried to grab their attention before I moved into the meatier part of the sermon.

    Serving Christ is no accident... we must be intentional about it. We cannot just sit back and hope God sends sinners to us... we have to intentionally go after them.

    We have to intentionally plan to do ministry... or it will never get done. We may intend to do it, but unless we plan to do it and carry out our plans it will never get done.

    We no longer live in a June and Ward Cleaver world. But we operate church a lot of times like we do. We need to make church relative to the world we live in. Or the doors of many churches will close... it is happening all over the US. Christians are setting back waiting for something to happen, and it never will unless we do our part.
     
  18. tinytim

    tinytim <img src =/tim2.jpg>

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    Oh, and btw, our church is growing both numerically and spiritually. We have a baptism next week... in the creek, and in the cold weather!!!

    Brrrr....

    Our church is on fire for the Lord.. They love people and it is beginning to show rewards.
     
  19. mcdirector

    mcdirector Active Member

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    This has been an interesting thread.

    It seems to me that Christians need to be told what to do at some point. In this day of selfishness, no one is telling the church how to take care of others. Some would like to do more, but don't know what to do or how to do it.

    Isn't God's pocketbook big enough to care for those inside and outside the church?

    So what if we get taken advantage of? Only one leper returned with thanks. I'd rather give than idly sit by.

    humbly submitted,
    Sister Bitsy :tongue3:
     
  20. I Am Blessed 24

    I Am Blessed 24 Active Member

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    Excellent sermon, Tim!

    People won't care how much we know until they know how much we care...
     
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