Leave a Legacy (Part 1)

Pastor Rocklyn E. Clarke - Sunday May 14, 2006

© 2006 Life Church Ministries, Inc.

Introduction

Bible Reading 5/7 - 5/13: 1 Sam 1-14; John 5-7; Psalm 105-109; Prov 14:28 - 15:7

Review - Learning Organization - personal mastery, mental models, shared vision, team learning, systems thinking

The Tongue

Introduction - The Bible and the Tongue

References - James 3-4

If you can control your tongue you can control your body - James 3:2

Impact of the tongue

a fire

a world of evil

corrupts the whole person

sets the course of his life on fire

is itself set on fire by hell

a restless evil

full of deadly poison

What comes out of your mouth?

Blessing or Cursing

Criticism or Correction

Sarcasm or Affirmation

Slander or Praise - James 4:11-12

Worship or Blasphemy

Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit - Mat 12:22-37

Controlling your tongue requires controlling your mind

The mouth speaks out of the overflow of the heart - Luke 6:45

Guard your heart - Prov 4:23

You are responsible for what occupies your mind - Philip 4:8

Like Israel conquered Canaan, you must conquer your thoughts

Anger - stop petting your demon - Mat 5:21-22;

There is something in your life that you're holding on to because you love it more than you love God. If you confess it and release it you'll experience deliverance and a new freedom. - Eph 4:17-32

The myth of the monkey trap

Be proactive - not passive about getting free

Waiting for permission at EGC Board Meeting to eat my dinner

Controlling your mind allows you to control your body - James 4:1-10

Psalm 50

Misusing the Tongue (continued)

The tongue can reflect the acts of the flesh or the fruit of the Spirit

Acts of the flesh - Gal 5:19-21

sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery, idolatry and witchcraft, hatred, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy, drunkenness, orgies, and the like

Fruit of the Spirit - Gal 5:22-23

love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control

Some attitudes that can underlie our carnal words:

Jealousy and envy --> enjoying the failures of others --> criticism

Feelings of powerlessness --> criticism as an empowerment tool

Feelings of rejection

They hate me because I'm gifted.

They hate me because I'm a loser

We're all losers on our way to hell until we get saved.

Feelings of worthlessness --> devaluing other people

Self-respect vs. God-respect

respect the God who made you.

If you want respect from others, do something respectable.

Anger

In your anger do not sin; when you are on your beds, search your hearts and be silent - Psalm 4:4

"In your anger do not sin": Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold. - Eph 4:26-27

There are brief "windows of clarity" when we can see ourselves. If we don't act in a timely manner, we lose the "vision" and revert to ignorance.

Don't just listen to the word, do what it says - James 1:22-25

Fading of the glory on Moses' face - Ex 34:28-35; 2Cor 3:6-18

Kairos

Signs of the times - Mat 16:3

The time has come - Mark 1:15

the time of God's coming to you - Luke 19:44

the right time for me has not yet come - John 7:6-8

at just the right time - Rom 5:6

now is the time of God's favor - 2Cor 6:2

at the proper time we will reap / opportunity - Gal 6:9-10

in due time - 1Pet 5:6

What will you do with your "kairos - window of clarity"?

Did you learn anything when you discussed this in your life groups?

Proper Use of the Tongue

Worship

Worship requires you to take God seriously

God is exalted

The train of his robe filled the temple (Isa 6:1)

Queen Elizabeth II's coronation robe

(ref Princess Diana's wedding gown).

Do we show God enough respect?

We must re-establish the appropriate reverence during worship.

We're often like people who keep taking cell phone calls

Failure scenarios - not taking time to really engage God

I'm too insignificant for God to care about me so I won't bother to engage him.

I'm more concerned about my own agenda than I am about God's, so I won't bother to engage him.

A quality relationship with God takes time

Quality relationships take time.

Carve out an hour before your life group meeting.

Worship is also hindered by

Misuse of the tongue - Psalm 50:16-23

Idolatry - Ex 20:1-6

Unforgiveness - Mat 18:21-35

Unfaithfulness in giving

Do we appreciate God with our lips, but not with our resources?

Love with actions - 1John 3:18

Faith and deeds - James 2:14-17

paneled houses - Hag 1:1-12

Bring the whole tithe - Mal 3:6-12

Patriarchs

Abram - Gen 14:17-20

Jacob - Gen 28:10-22

The best of the first - Ex 23:19

Excel at giving - 2Cor 8:1-15

Give cheerfully - 2Cor 9:6-15

Injustice - Isa 1:10-20; Isa 58:1-14; Amos 5:4-24; Amos 8:1-14

in your life groups, congregation, spheres of influence, community, city, state, country

Get Aligned

Unstated Assumption - You want God to use you.

Sunday teaching is more than encouragement to "do the right thing".

We're here to do more than impose a list of rules:

Don't smoke

Don't get high

Don't have sex outside of marriage

Don't steal

etc.

We're here to turn you on to serving God.

What you say should at all times advance God's agenda.

You have to take God and his agenda seriously.

We are bombarded by so many messages every day that we often just tune everything out. Don't tune God out!

A Little Story

Be a grown up servant of a grown up God.

"See Spot Run"; "Dick and Jane"

Biographical information taken from:

TagNWag Book Shop web site: http://www.tagnwag.com/dick_jane/index.html

Clinton County Historical Society and Historical Museum web site: http://www.cchsm.org/Zerna.htm

Zerna Addis Sharp

Next month (June) will mark 25 years since the death of Zerna Addis Sharp. Who was she? I'm glad you asked.

Ms. Sharp was born to Charlotte E. Sharp on August 12, 1889 in Hillisburg Clinton County, Indiana. She was one of five children, of a general store owner.

Zerna began her teaching career in Hillisburg, Indiana. She then went to Kirklin, Indiana and taught for over ten years. She moved to LaPorte, Indiana and stayed until 1924. It was while walking on the beach of Lake Michigan she observed children at play. OH! Look! Oh, Oh, look . She knew what she wanted in a book.

As a bright young woman, reading consultant and elementary school teacher, Zerna believed that children would enjoy learning to read and learn much easier if they identified with children shown in illustrations throughout books.

She decided to contact William S. Gray and present her ideas based on experiences she had with her school children.

Dr. William S. Gray

Dr. William S. Gray, Professor of Education at the University of Chicago, also the well-known author of many Dick and Jane books. More than any single individual, Doctor William S. Gray has influenced the teaching of reading around the world, he was one of the leading reading acquisition theorists of the period.

Director of Research in Reading at the Graduate School of Education, University of Chicago; author of On Their Own in Reading and other professional books; Reading Director of the Curriculum Foundation Series; Scott, Foresman & Company.

Doctor Gray hired Zerna to develop a family of characters to mold into his scientific process approach to reading instruction. Zerna joined Scott, Foresman and Company in 1924.

Miss Sharp never wrote any of the stories for the books, she did however name the characters and decide what clothing they should wear (styles were picked from Sears and Wards catalogues). People would submit stories or story lines and Zerna would select the story or idea, illustrators would go to work on the characters and she would oversee the layouts for each story.

The Dick and Jane Readers were a huge success. The writing format was easy. Only one new word would appear on the page and every third page the words were repeated. Each book had large color pictures with Dick, Jane, Sally, Puff, Spot, Mother, Father or Tim the teddy bear in an activity.

The Dick and Jane book series, the most popular reading language of all time, was taught from 1930 through the 1970's in elementary schools throughout the world. The books were published in five languages. They continue today at home, still revolutionizing the way children learn to read.

Zerna is known as the "Mother of Dick and Jane". All of her life she referred to Dick and Jane as her children. She was proud of her family. She died in 1981 at age 91.

May Hill Arbuthnot

May Hill Arbuthnot (1884-1969) was born in Mason City, Iowa, and graduated from the University of Chicago in 1922, receiving her master's degree in 1924 from Columbia University. Along with educator William Scott Gray, she created and wrote the Curriculum Foundation Readers--better known as the "Dick and Jane" series--for children at Scott, Foresman. Her greatest contribution to children's literature, however, was her authorship of Children and Books, the first edition of which was published in 1947.

In 1927, she joined the faculty of Case Western Reserve University, and there she met and married Charles Arbuthnot, an economics professor. She also served as editor of both Childhood Education and Elementary English.

William H. Elson

Born on November 22, 1854 in Carroll County, Ohio.

Began teaching in 1881.

Received A. B. degree from Indiana University in 1895.

By 1907 he had established the first technical high school in the nation in Cleveland, Ohio, where he served as school superintendent from 1906-12.

In the early 1930s he created the "Fun with and Dick and Jane"pre-primer readers with co-author William Scott Gray.

Dick and Jane, their families, friends, and pets entered the popular culture as symbols of childhood, and the books themselves became synonymous with the first steps in learning to read.

Elson authored and/or edited a number of other books. By the time of his death on February 2, 1935, his books had sold over fifty million copies and were in use in 34 countries on every continent.

A Sterl Artley

A. Sterl Artley, a Professor of Education and Director of the Child Study Clinic at the University of Missouri. A. Sterl Artley is the co-author of the Reading for Independence books for Grades 1-3; author of Your Child Learns to Read (a guide for parents whose children use The New Basic Readers), and other professional books.

A. Sterl Artley was born in Liberty, Pennsylvania, in 1907.

He taught high school English for several years in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, and then went on to earn his M.A. and Ph.D. in psychology and reading at Penn State.

He taught psychology at Stephens College in Columbia Missouri. After four years he took a position teaching reading at the University of Missouri.

In 1947, while speaking in Peoria, he met two editors from the Scott, Foresman Company who enticed him to help write stories for the popular children's primer series "Dick, Jane, and Sally."

He was president of the International Reading Association (IRA), began a Child Study Clinic in Columbia, Missouri.

Marion Monroe

A well known psychologist and educator, Mrs. Marion Monroe authored many of the Dick and Jane series books and also is well known for her book "Growing into Reading", and other professional books.

Marion Monroe - Biographical data: A.B., University of Oklahoma, 1919; M.A., University of Chicago, 1924, Ph.D., 1929;

Research Psychologist, Mobile Mental Hygiene Clinic, Psychopathic Hospital, Iowa City, Iowa, 1926-27; research psychologist, Institute for Juvenile Research, Chicago, Illinois, 1929-32; chief psychologist, Child Guidance Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 1932-36; consultant on character education, Washington D.C. public schools, 1936; director of educational clinic, Pittsburgh public schools, 1936-42; consultant in remedial reading, public schools, San Diego, California, 1943-44; director reading clinic, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, 1945-50;

Created the Monroe Reading Aptitude Tests, Houghton Mifflin Company, 1935 and many other publications.

Hugh A. Foresman - Cofounder of Scott, Foresman and Company

E.H. Scott - Cofounder of Scott, Foresman and Company

See Spot Run

It took a lot of sophisticated talent to create a simple reader.

They wanted to help children become sophisticated readers.

We begin our spiritual lives with the simple things: "See Spot run".

God wants you to grow up - Heb 5:11 - 6:3

God want to use you to say more than just:

"Praise the Lord"

I'm blessed and highly favored"

"God is good - all the time"

Know God

Let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands and knows me. - Jer 9:23-24; 1Cor 1:31; 2Cor 10:17-18

"I never knew you. Away from me you evildoers!" - Mat 7:21-27

Know God by obeying his Word.

God evaluates his relationship with you by your responsiveness to him.

You can't serve both God and money. - Mat 6:24-34

Know What God Is Doing

John 4 - The woman at the well

Note the patience of Jesus, God in the flesh, as he conversed with the woman.

Jesus offers living water - do you believe the offer?

"I have food to eat that you know nothing about."

Cooperating With God

God wants to save everyone. Many enter the church by believing in Jesus.

God can't use everyone the way he wants to.

Do you want to be used like Pharaoh was? - Ex 9:8-16; Rom 9:17

Do you want to be used the way Jesus was?

Why be a spectator?

What frame of reference do you have for being used by God?

If you want God to use you - discipline yourself to speak his Word.

Proper Use of the Tongue

Use your tongue to pray

Pray for everyone - Eph 6:18-20; 1Tim 2:1-4

Use your tongue for spiritual warfare.

Proclaim the Good News of God's Kingdom - Mark 16:14-18

Invite them to become fellow builders

Extend community

Jesus at the well with the Samaritan woman - John 4

Use your tongue to heal and to care for others. - Eph 4:29-30

My words, or God's words? Go for the supernatural

Don't grieve the Holy Spirit!

Parents are grieved when they discover their children have done something shameful.

Instruct - Rom 15:14; 1Cor 14:26; Heb 5:11-14

Confront your brother/sister in love - Mat 5:21-26; Mat 18:15-20

explain difference between confronting in love and attacking

whether it feels good or not.

even if it gets messy

Establish a relationship that gives you permission to speak into his/her life

Check your results

We start with theories, but if we're committed to the truth, we will adjust our theories in light of the facts.

Don't assume you're saying the right thing - get feedback

Love means caring about the impact of your words!

Humility means checking - not assuming.

Don't forget step two: taking along two or three witnesses.

Don't forget step three: telling it to the church (life group)

Don't forget step four: excommunication - 1Cor 5:1-13

Confrontation - right or reconciled?

A sacrifice of praise - Heb 13:15

New Material

Leave a Legacy

Prepare for your final exam - 1Cor 3:10-15

Introduction

Bishop's 60th birthday party

Thompson Family - I want what they have

You can have it if you pay the price

Elijah ----> Elisha

Introducing Elijah - 1Kings 17:1-6

Elijah on Mt. Carmel - 1Kings 18:15-40

Elijah and Elisha - 2Kings 2:1-15

Desire the right legacy

God must be the source of your legacy

Elijah was on God's mission

Only what you do for Christ will last

God must shape the details of your legacy

Pursue God's agenda, not your own

Understand specifically what God has called you to do

Know your purpose

If you aim at nothing in particular you'll hit it every time

Be part of someone else's legacy

Be under authority - Luke 7:1-10

Be faithful with someone else's property - Luke 16:10-12

Find a mentor / coach

Follow the leader

Elisha refused to leave Elijah at:

Gilgal - Josh 4:19 - 5:12

First camp after crossing the Jordan

Circumcision - the covenant renewed, reproach rolled away

First Passover in Canaan

First experience of the produce of the land

Bethel

Originally dedicated to God - Gen 28:10-22; Gen 31:10-13

Subsequently defiled - 1Kings 12:25 - 13:6

Later reclaimed under Josiah

Jericho

Originally destroyed and cursed - Josh 6:20-27

Subsequently rebuilt - 1Kings 16:34

Stay with your leader through all the stages of your relationship

New beginnings

Examining defilements in your "house of God"

Examining "resurrected" issues

Eat the meat and spit out the bones

Eli ----> Samuel

Introducing Eli - 1Sam 1:1-3

Eli's Sons - 1Sam 2:10-25

Prophetic Warning - 1Sam 2:27-36; 1Sam 3:1-18

Samuel comes into his own - 1Sam 3:19-21

Prophetic Fulfillment against Eli - 1Sam 4:10-22

Samuel's Sons - 1Sam 8:1-9

Recognize the negative traits that you need to avoid

Pay attention

Elisha had to see Elijah taken up to heaven

Jordan

They crossed the Jordan out of Canaan

Their final moments were on the "wilderness" side of Jordan

Catching the transition

Everyone probably expected Elijah to die

No one expected chariots and horses of fire and a whirlwind

Elijah had a reputation for "disappearing" - 1Kings 18:1-15

Keep your eye on your leader in the wilderness

See and recognize your leader's "promotion"

His/her promotion is your promotion

Don't waste time longing for the "good old days"

Know what's going on in the ministry to which you belong

Know the power of God

River splitting power

Resurrection Power - Eph 1:15-23

Work on your stuff

Examine yourself - 1Cor 11:28-32; 2Cor 13:5

Count the cost - Luke 14:28-33

Conquer your fears

Feed on God's Word - Job 23:12; Jer 15:16; Mat 4:4

Pray

Worship

Fellowship

Put others ahead of yourself Philip 2:4-5

Make disciples - 2Tim 2:2

You have to pull someone in close

They have to be close enough to understand what you have

They have to want what you have

Be a strategic connector

Connect people to the Kingdom

Use any godly means necessary

Invite to Sunday service - occasionally works

Invite to life group - appropriate for some

Invite to a life group activity - appropriate for most

Invite to lunch with one to two brothers/sisters - great strategy

Pray first and expect God to produce results - 1Cor 3:1-15

Be an expert builder

Build quality

Don't be someone who escapes through the flames

Discussion Questions

Reflect on 1Cor 3:10-15

What do you think it means to be an expert builder?

What does it mean to lay Jesus Christ as the foundation?

Are you building on the foundation of Jesus Christ? What are you building with - gold, silver, costly stone, wood, hay, or straw?

If your work was tested by fire today, would it survive or be burnt up?

Reflect on leaving a legacy.

Do you know anyone who left a good legacy? Describe it.

Do you know anyone who left a bad legacy? Describe it.

Describe in as much detail as you can the legacy you want to leave.

What kind of legacy do you have so far?

Whose agenda are you pursuing - God's or yours?

Do you know your purpose? What is it?

Whose legacy are you a part of? Are you faithful with it?

Whose authority are you under really?

Reflect on 2Kings 2:1-15

Describe the leaders God has placed in your life in the past.

Did you follow them? Why or why not? How closely did you follow?

What were the significant milestones in your relationships with leaders?

Have you ever wanted a double portion of someone else's spirit?

What would you do to get it?

Who is currently mentoring you? In what ways?

In what ways has the power of God flowed in your life as a result of your relationship with a leader?

General Questions

How well do you pay attention to your leaders?

How well do you pay attention to what's going on in Life Church?

Who are the people in your life that you want to see come to Christ?

How consistently do you pray for them? Describe in detail how you pray for them.

Works Activities For This Week's Life Group Meetings

List the people in your sphere of influence.

Go over the people in your list and share with your group the answers to the following questions:

How badly to you want to see this person saved?

How much time have you spent praying for him/her? On your own? With a prayer partner?

What are you willing to do differently to see this person saved?