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I Sam. 17. One thought to speak about Dr. Stevens and how I
remember him and his life. He was born in 1929, the time of
depression, in a small town, with N and S street. There was a few
houses and they come back together. There was no more than 8 bldg's
in that town. His brothers went to war. He stayed
home with his widowed mom. He was taking care of a horse, as a little
boy, 10 or 11 yrs old. THe horse had a heart attack and died on his
post. In the 8th grade, he worked in the tannery. Poverty was a word
to describe his home life.
What I think, briefly, his life gives us all hope. From his life we see
that regardless of who you are, very little education, very few
connections, that are meaniingful and imp, very little support, and
encouragement, but if our heart, God looks on the heart, not on the
outward. If God puts his hand on you, it doesn't matter. Those
elements that are highly esteemed in the world are not with God.
When God puts his hand on you, and He is with you, then He is with
you.
The story of David is that one. In this chap. 17:32 - David said to
SAul, let no mans heart fail bec. of him. Thy servant will go and fight
this Philistine. I killed a lion and bear. No one was watching me. I'm
not talking about it. When Jesus Christ visits you in the night, comes
to you, sometime at a burning bush, at a picnic table, in the woods, in
a field in Harford, on the street in Baltiomore, standing next to a mud
puddle, looking up and asking God, are you real, are you there. Can
you answer me? Are you God?
God delights in those people. These are the people we are. There is no
diff. between David and this man of God, or that one or that child of
God, or those that stood from Wiscasset Maine...S.
Berwick...Lenox...its all the same. WE become champions for common
people. We are msngrs for common people. We become ministers of
Christ who lost and common people who are saved and want more.
I feel this way, being the pastor here now, but also, I know Pastor was
surprised at times, wow, that really worked. What do I do now? What's
the next step. Watch this: Chap. 18:1 - after this happened...the soul
of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David. That's what happened to
us. After this und'g occured to us, this was more than flesh and blood,
than the state of Maine, or a man. It was more than just people. We
read about it in Church history. When you encounter it, you say in
your heart, I don't know what's going on, but my soul is knit. I want to
show up. I don't know what's happening.
Read this with me. vs 1 - teh soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of
David. He loved him as his own soul. It should not be unusual for us to
love...God knows, even though we have our own family, this is
happening in churches around the world. There is another man of God
born somewhere around the world and he becomes a champion for the
common person...and your soul is knit with him. You say, I know he
loves me, and loves God, I know he is honest, his motive is genuine. I
know this is the work of God. That's how our ministry began.
Use these words...and thank you for this great life that was lived
before us...magnifying Christ in word and deed. Thank you for our
heritage...and the continuation of it. WE feel it, know it and beleive it.
This is your headship Christ...no other man can lay, the foundation is
Christ.