Good Words from God’s Word
 
The word before us today from God’s word is VISION. The Bible says:
 
“Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keeps the law, happy is he.” (Proverbs 29:18, KJV)
 
Literally, the verse says, when people lose their vision, they lose their restraint. They become disoriented and wander like what Jesus called:
 
“…sheep without a shepherd.” (Matthew 9:36)
 
Vision is like the North Star that guides the sailors across the ocean. A vision is like a compass that keeps you on course. Without a vision, you are  a lost child who cannot find his way.
 
Yesterday, I saw a good example of what vision can do when the men of our church came together to host their first Classic Car Show and then in the afternoon provided a Poor Man’s Dinner and Corn Hole Tournament. I remember when one or two of our men said, “We want to have a Car Show here at our church.” As the plans developed, they expanded to include a Poor Man’s Dinner and Corn Hole competition. The driving force behind it all was a VISION of what God might do to draw unchurched and unsaved people together through these events with the promise of clean and family oriented fun. People like to show off their classic cars. People enjoy good food. People get excited when something fun is offered in the spirit of good fellowship and love.
 
I took advantage of the VISION our men brought about yesterday. You know VISION is more than a good idea. VISION is not the same thing as a dream. A VISION has to happen for it to be real. The VISION our men had of what God might do through the car show and tournament was made real by the hard work they did and the prayers they prayed.
 
My job yesterday was to go around and talk about Jesus to the people God led to come. I prayed and asked God to honor the VISION of our men by sending unsaved and lost people that we could point to Jesus. Guess what--HE DID:

• I met people who were not attending a church anywhere.
• I talked with people who were active in church, but had not been in church for some time.
• I witnessed to folks who knew about Jesus—believed in Jesus, but had not made Him their savior.

 
Imagine that! The VISION our men had to have a Classic Car Show and Corn Hole Competition resulted in a Witness and Testimony to the life changing power of Jesus Christ. That’s what a VISION does. It ends up bigger and better than you could have ever imagined.
 
There was a woman who was losing her eyesight who received the news from the doctor that she would eventually not be able to see again. She explained to her physician that she had lived a good life, raised wonderful children and was attended to by a faithful and caring family. She happily told her doctor how good God had been through the years to her and her husband. She told him how greatly blessed she felt in spite of the coming blindness he foresaw in her future. The doctor made a statement to her that is worth remembering, when he said,
“You will have no eyesight, but what you do have is vision.”
 
Praise God for the VISION I saw at work in the Men of Grace yesterday.

Good Words from God’s Word
 
This Sunday begins our church’s Deacon Election process. Article VIII, Section 10.03 of the Constitution and Bylaws says:
 
“Church members may vote by secret ballot to nominate candidates for service as Deacons during the morning worship service on the 4th Sunday in August. The active Deacon Body will contact the candidates in descending order which received the most votes to verify their willingness to serve. The Deacon Body will present the names of the candidates who have agreed to serve the Church in a business conference on the 5th Sunday in August for approval.” 
 
Since this August has only 4 Sundays, the process is moved up one week in order to complete our Deacon election by the end of the month.
 
Today, you have an insert in your bulletin with the names of men who are members of Grace and qualify according to the specifications outlined in the Church Constitution and Bylaws. These men have been members of our congregation for over one year and possess the character and devotion standards outlined in scripture:
 
“Deacons likewise must be men of dignity, not double-tongued, or addicted to much wine or fond of sordid gain, but holding to the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. These men must also first be tested, then let them serve as deacons if they are beyond reproach… Deacons must be husbands of only one wife, and good managers of their children and their own households. For those who have served well as deacons obtain for themselves a high standing and great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.” (1 Timothy 3:8-10, 12-13)
 
The men whose names you see listed in today’s bulletin insert meet these qualifications and can be chosen with confidence as people who will serve the Lord well.
 
All of our Deacons who serve on the Deacon Body receive 12 to 15 families who are assigned to their individual ministry outreach. Deacons are asked to contact each of their families, pray regularly for each one, make themselves available in times of need and build relationships through which the love of Christ is extended to each person. Deacons are responsible for the health and well-being of church fellowship. Deacons are servant leaders who care for the families of our church and minister to them in the name of Jesus. The outcome of an effective Deacon ministry is set forth in the book of Acts:
 
“The word of God kept on spreading; and the number of the disciples continues to increase greatly…” (Acts 6:7)
 
The Deacon ministry leads to continuing growth and discipleship in the church.
 
     One Sunday night at the Second Street Reach Up to Heaven Bible Church, the congregation was terrified when the Devil himself walked in and sat down in a front row pew. The people were so afraid that they could not find the exits fast enough. Even the pastor got away in a flash. Deacon Jim was the only person left in the church when old Satan slithered up beside him and asked, “Aren’t you afraid of me. Why don’t you run like the others?”
 
     Deacon Jim said, “No, I’m not afraid. I’ve been married to your sister for 40 years and know exactly what to say to you. Get behind me Satan and leave me alone.”
 
Deacons are men of God who know what to say and are ready to stand strong in their faith. Our church is blessed to have men like that who know the Lord and love His church. It is a rich blessing to serve alongside these men and experience the power of God at work in them. We give thanks this morning for the opportunity to set apart the men who have been called by God to serve as Deacons here at Grace.

Good Words from God’s Word
 
I stepped into the worship center after prayer service last night and was greatly blessed to hear our students practicing and getting ready to lead the Student Sunday Worship service today. There were at least 10 students playing instruments, singing and having a good time preparing to lead our church in worship. I wish every member and almost member could have been with me to hear them pray, encourage each other and lift up praise to God.
 
On the Day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit engulfed the church, Peter quoted from the prophet Joel giving definition to what God had done:
 
“And it shall come be in the last days, God says, that I will pour forth of My Spirit on all mankind; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams…” (Acts 2:17)
 
When the young people that day stood up and began to proclaim the gospel, sing praise to God and receive a glimpse of what God was doing, the church recognized that God was with them in a new and powerful way. Last night as I listened to our students rehearse, that scripture in Acts echoed in my mind and I gave thanks that today we will receive a fresh touch of the Holy Spirit though the way God will lead them to inspire our worship.
 
We give thanks today for Trent Campbell and Joshua Hall who lead our young people every month in our Student-Led Worship services. Trent works with those who preach and give testimony of what God’s word is doing in their lives. Joshua leads the Student Praise Band teaching youth to sing and lift their hearts to God in praise. These two leaders are men who are being led by God to make lasting spiritual impressions on the lives of our young people. I praise God for Trent and Josh.
 
We thank God for our Youth Ministry Team led by Elaine Dixon. This dedicated group of leaders meets regularly planning all the ministries and events which guide young people into a closer walk with God. This great ministry would not happen without organization and planning. All the folks who serve on this team give second-mile service to God so that the young people involved may thrive as they grow and develop into fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ. There may be student ministries in other churches that are bigger, but there is not one anywhere that is better. I give thanks today for everyone involved in teaching, leading, preparing food, chaperoning and praying for the student ministry.
 
There is an old legend that the apostle Peter passed by a blind man one day and healed him. Walking further down the road, Peter saw a demon-possessed man. He immediately cast the demon out of the man setting him free. Further down the road, Peter saw a man sitting by the road side weeping. Peter asked the man why he was crying. The man explained that he was the father of a teenager. Peter sat down beside the man and wept with him.
 
We are not weeping today. We are rejoicing and praising God for all that He is doing in the lives of our students to build them up and use them to bless not only our church, but their families and friends as well. Pray for our students today as they lead us all to reach up to heaven. Pray for their parents and their homes that God will use them to give testimony to the joy that comes in serving the Lord. Our students are front-line witnesses at school and among their friends to the Love of God in their hearts through their faith in Christ Jesus. Let’s worship and give thanks today as our students lead us.

Good Words from God’s Word
 
Our Good Word this morning from the Bible is EARTHQUAKE. The Bible is filled with episodes where God used earthquakes in special ways:

• In the Giving of the Ten Commandments to Moses:

 
“Now, Mount Sinai was all in smoke because the Lord descended upon it in fire; and its smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain quaked violently…” (Exodus 19:18)

• When God appeared to the Prophet Elijah:

 
“Go forth and stand on the mountain before the Lord, and behold the Lord was passing by! And a great and strong wind was rending the mountains and breaking in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind, And after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a gentle blowing…” (1 Kings 19:11-12)

• At the Cross:

 
“And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit. And behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth shook and the rocks were split. The tombs were opened and the bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised” (Matthew 27:50-52)

• At the Empty Tomb:

 
“And behold, a severe earthquake had occurred, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled away the stone and sat upon it” (Matthew 28:2)
 
Earthquakes in the Bible are evidence of God’s power and his presence. Notice the word “BEHOLD” used before the word earthquake. God wants us to know—He wants us to open our eyes to what He is doing in the world. Some people want a quiet God—A Jesus who is meek and mild. We want God to be polite and soft-spoken.

 
He uses thunder, and lightning. He speaks through the storm and in the violence of the earthquake. Since God created everything, he certainly has the right to shake it all up every now and then.
 
An earthquake that registers 4.0 on the Richter scale is equivalent to about 6 tons of TNT exploding. The amount of energy released in an earthquake increases quickly as the earthquake climbs in magnitude.
 
A magnitude 5.0 earthquake is amounts to about 200 tons of TNT,
a magnitude 6.0 earthquake increases to 6,270 tons,
and a 7.0 sized earthquake climbs to 99,000 tons.