Temptation: Part of a Balanced Breakfast?

Playwright Oscar Wilde (who was ruined by incidents of sexual misconduct in the late 1800’s) is famous for his quote on the subject, “ I have learned to master everything in life,” he said, “except temptation.”

We are tempted when we desire to go after something that promises to make us happier, or promises us pleasure of some kind, or promises us ease… but this is usually accompanied by the promises that it won’t cost us something, or that we won’t get caught.

People try to find all kinds of ways to deal with temptation. Nearly 100 years ago in America there were many doctors that argued from science that our behavior is the direct result of the things we eat. They reasoned that in order to curb the sexual temptations of youth, a scientifically formulated diet was the answer. Their quest was to unearth these formulas and create the perfect foods to combat the rising tide of sexual temptations in young people in their generation. They made hospitals and sanitariums where people could go, and try to beat their addictions through diet and exercise; they experimented with various foods and beverages. One such doctor – a staunch vegetarian taught people that be eating mainly whole grain breads, this would help keep them away from sexual temptations… His name was Samuel C. Graham. We still eat a cracker that bears his name. One doctor, a follower of Graham in Dansville, New York believed he had achieved the perfect formula of vitamins and minerals to do this. He called it “granula,” later changed to “Granola,” he also was responsible for a variety of other such remedies like, “corn flakes,” and one interesting food that they said was “like eating the bristles from a broom” - they called it “shredded wheat.” His name was John Harvey Kellogg. One of Kellogg’s “Wellness Sanitarium” patients believed that he had formulated a beverage as a coffee substitute that would achieve the same temptation beating results. His whole-grain remedies would be called “post-toasties” and “grape nuts”… His name was C.W. Post.

Today, Americans eat 2.7 billion boxes of cereal each year… containing enough sugar for every American to be coated with three pounds each…vitamins and minerals enough to reach the moon and back every year but, today we are consumed by temptation on every front… Internet pornography is experienced by 70% of all men on the internet at least once a month. I was recently surprised by the report by the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers in 2003 saying “the internet was a significant factor in 2 out of every 3 divorces in America.” Now, I know what you are thinking… it is always about someone else, but if you think you or the men in your households are immune, you may want to think again… A year 2000 Christianity today poll gave the startling statistic that one of every three ministers admitted to having intentionally visited a pornographic website. I could go on, but I think the point is made…We are loosing the battle.

No, the battles are not won and lost at the breakfast table, or at any other external front -Temptation begins in the heart. In Matthew 15:10 Jesus said “it is not what goes into the body that defiles a man, but what comes out of the body.” James 1:13-15 tells us that our own desires “drag us away” and when “desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin.”

The Bible teaches us that the only cure for temptation is an encounter with Jesus that we call “Salvation”, implicit is our initial act of “repentance” or an initial turning away from sin. This is the work of Justification, where a stone-cold, dead sinner experiences the regenerating power of the Holy Spirit, and is made whole and clean positionally before a righteous Judge in Heaven. Strength is then gained by acts of resistance through the power of the indwelling Spirit… the more we resist, the more strength is gained; this is the ongoing work of Sanctification. Where I was made free from the penalty of sin, now I am winning victory over the power of sin. Looking forward to the day when I shall achieve total and unconditional victory over sin, this is called glorification – where I will be free from the presence of sin altogether.

Our prayer for ourselves and for those that we reach out to this month is that God will grant us repentance; that we will be freed from the slavery of thousand lost battles with temptation; that we will be usable tools in the hands of God; and that Christ will be magnified through our lives - Because a good breakfast…is just not enough.

Prayer Needs

Here are some things to pray for:

1. We need a couple of new teachers for adults, and a couple of teachers for children. This would completely fill the gap that we are experiencing right now. With those filled, we will more adequately fill the current need.

If you know of anyone interested, have them email me at jamesb@shbc-okc.org

We will provide training at some point in the near future :)

2. There are new laws that affect immigrants - these laws go into effect November 1st. The thrust of these new laws has more to do with businesses that hire illegals, and government monies that provide benefits to illegals. It does not have a direct effect on our ministry.

However that being said, this will force a down-sizing of other services in our area that could bring us a flood of new people. At current staffing, this is going to be a stress to the system. We need to pray for new workers, as well as wisdom in dividing classes etc...

Mission to the far side of OKC

Missions to the Far Side of OKC
Well, coming off of a mission trip like we experienced in Cambodia, it is a hard transition back to the reality of the day to day grind. All I can think about is the faces of those that we left behind; seeing the images of their courageous faith; feeling their penetrating questions in the pit of my stomach.
“What will happen to us,” one asked? “If I accept Jesus, and go out to that lake and get baptized, what will happen to me?” She explained that in Buddhism, when someone dies, when someone is sick, or when there is some terrible thing that happens, the whole village will come to fill in the gap, and help. But as soon as they publicly declare their faith in Jesus, the village will turn their backs. Even before we left, this actually happened. Many of the villagers came and told them “they were on their own.”
What sobering thoughts I have had since then! More than anything, this trip has brought me through a time of self examination. I am asking myself, why is God not doing here what He is doing there? Why are we not seeing such colossal faith! Only one answer: God came down that day in response to the active faith of our church at work through our obedience to our evangelistic responsibility.
Do you remember when Jesus went back to his hometown, and taught in the synagogue there? The response of the people was: “isn’t this the carpenter’s son,” and “Isn’t that Mary’s boy?” There was a freakish level of disregard for the Son of God - an arrogance of assumption that God refuses to work around. The Word sums it up in Matthew 13:58, “he did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief.”
We have to ask ourselves:
Do we sense the urgency of the message we are proclaiming?
Are we proclaiming it with the same enthusiasm that we do overseas?
Do we try to share the gospel as intentionally here as we do there?
And most importantly, do we have the same expectation that God is ready to do more right here in our midst?
After reading this queote from the founder of the Salvation Army, I sat in silence for what seemed like an eternity:

"'Not called!' did you say? ...Put your ear down to the Bible, and hear Him bid you go and pull sinners out of the fire of sin. Put your ear down to the burdened, agonized heart of humanity, and listen to its pitiful wail for help. Go stand by the gates of hell, and hear the damned entreat you to go to their father's house and bid their brothers and sisters and servants and masters not to come there. Then look Christ in the face -- whose mercy you have professed to obey -- and tell Him whether you will join heart and soul and body and circumstances in the march to publish His mercy to the world. – (William Booth)

May we all renew our passion for Jesus, and claim this city in His name!
James Biesiadecki
Mission Pastor, SHBC

Cold winds!!!

Those that participated in EC in the past semester may remember last year when the temperature dropped. We almost lost one student for every degree the temeperatre went down!!! It was certainly a discouraging time. At that time our attendance was almst exclusivly Vietnamese. As we prayed through the situation, it seemed apparent that we were victims of the hge dropout rate of ELL coupled with the fact that our primary student base was made up of people who find cold weather intolerable. After all, in Vietnam, cold weather was 80 degrees.

So we started broadening our base to include more hispanics, it started with one couple, and has multiplied. Not only that, but our Korean base has expanded without any effort of our own. These changes, have brought some great stability. If it were not for these changes, we would be experiencing the same drop in attendance. Thank the Lord!

Remember, that many of the factors that lead to high attendance, are out of our control, but our most unused tool in affecting the lives of our students is prayer! Do not forget to lift these people up, and do not forget to lift up each other.

Have a great week, and remember next week is WESTERN WEEK. So get out your boots and hat! Yip-ee-kay-aye!

James

Remember what we re about!

Monday the 8th

We continue to have a good streak of new students, and the attendance seems to be healthy. I would like to encourage you to continue inviting people. Typically, ELL programs suffer a 50-75% dropout rate. Our numbers in the past support this. So, in order to maintain a healthy attendance, we have to continue bringing people in. Pray that the Lord will bring the people that need it most.

Monday the 15th will have no classes. Half of the teaching and support staff of EC will be out. We will try to recover from the missed week with a mail-out to remind students for the 22nd.

Also, we do want to pray for Elvon Pearsons family with the loss of her mother.

Some of our students at a Gathrite class fellowship