By the Rev. Thomas M. Boles, Ph. D. DMin. D.D.

Perhaps more than any other leader in the 20th century,
Winston Churchill rallied a nation to believe in what it could do.

His speeches during World War II not only express resolution, but a profound peace of mind and a feeling of “rightness.” Here are some of his words to England and the world:

“You ask what is our policy? I will say: It is to wage war, by
sea, land, and air, with all our might and all the strength that God can give us. You ask, What is our aim? I can answer in one word:
Victory, at all cost, victory in spite of all terror, victory however long and hard the road may be, for without victory there is no survival.

We shall go on to the end, we shall fight in France, we shall
fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be; we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender.”

What wonderful words to adapt to any fight against evil!

Success comes in cans; failure comes in can’ts.

“I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”

Philippians 4: 13

“Who Has Dirty Hands?”

By Pastor Dwight Sullivan

Recently I saw an interesting report concerning dirty hands. The article triggered in my mind parallels with spiritual truths.

The report tells about an event during the 2012 campaign in the Democratic Republic of Congo in Africa. Members there with CHE (Community Health Evangelism) were sharing about a UN program for the whole country to learn the value of proper hand washing. In Congo they call the September 15 date, “The Day of Dirty Hands.”

The children listening were amazed. They learned you can get sick through having dirty hands! The children asked, “What kind of trouble from not washing hands?” Their hands didn’t look so bad!

Their Sunday school teacher told them that it has to do with prevention. Germs and dirt can carry disease through your hands. This can lead to you getting sick. It can cost money; medicines sometimes fail.

Who has dirty hands? We all can! How easy it is to get germs from shaking hands or even handling money. That is why we need to clean them constantly, especially in flu season.

This truth set me to thinking about spiritual matters. Psalm 24 asks who has right standing with the LORD? 3 … who shall stand in his holy place?

Listen to the psalmist’s answer: 4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart …

To have clean hands means more than to possess physically sanitary hands. It is of course talking about being blameless in doing bad deeds.

Who has dirty hands? We all come spiritually before the LORD with dirty hands. The Bible tells us, 3 If You, O LORD, should mark iniquities, Lord, who could stand? (Psalm 130)

The Bible tells us the truth. All have sinned and come short of the glory of God. None are righteous, no, not one. Not one of us can stand before the LORD claiming clean hands.

HOW DO I GET RID OF MY DIRTY HANDS?

“How do I get rid of my dirty hands?” the African kids asked. The Sunday School teacher told them, “Wash clean with water, soap and good hard rubbing.” Not difficult. Once you recognize your condition, you are at least half way there to help.

How do you get rid of your dirty hands when it is spiritual dirt- sin? Jesus tells us the answer: You are already made clean by the word which I have spoken to you. (John 15:3) We are made clean by Jesus.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, behold, the new has come. (2 Corinthians 5) Christ is the one who makes it possible to have clean hands and a pure heart before God.

WHAT DO YOU DO WITH HANDS MADE CLEAN?

When the children in the Congo village heard about the goal of teaching everyone in the country on Sept. 15 about dirty hands, they realized that many of adults were too busy to teach other adults. But children might be able to! Listening to the children’s suggestions, a CHE trainer mobilized 100 Sunday school kids from 5 churches.

On Sept. 15, 2012, the children paired off and visited houses. They were received well; some adults even asked where they had learned these things.

Later when TV crewmen came to village, they asked a child leader why they did this when no one was paying them? The reply: “How could I love my neighbors if I did not care that they were getting sick from not washing their hands?”

In the same way spiritually from the LORD Jesus, we have a mandate to reach the world with the good news that He brings salvation. We are to share about the free gift of eternal life that Jesus offers. What a truly loving thing to do to offer them Jesus!

If He is the one who brings a new life, clean hands and a pure heart, the gift of eternal life, then the greatest thing you can do is to offer Christ to others.

Might it be fair to rephrase the African child’s wisdom: “How could I love my neighbors if I did not care that they were getting problems from not knowing Jesus?”

Who has dirty hands? I do! Everyone does!

Who cleans our dirty hands? Jesus

What do you do with clean hands? You use them to help people
know about Jesus.

3 You are already made clean by the word which I have spoken to you. – Jesus (John 15)

Dwight Sullivan is pastor of the Whittier Evangelical United Methodist Church on the corner of Lambert Street and Colima Road

By the Rev. Thomas M. Boles, PhD. DMin. D.D.

A pompous city man, turned farmer, was showing a young
boy over his acreage. As they drove through field after field, the
man bragged incessantly about his accomplishments, how he had
started from scratch as a young man and worked his way up through the business world.

He told how he had earned far more money than had been necessary to purchase the land and how he had invested
thousands upon thousands of dollars to transform the formerly
worthless farm into the agricultural paradise they were surveying.

He told of the amazing yield of his crops, and the lushness of the
new spring planting. Finally, he pointed toward the stacked hay, the full granary, and the boxes of produce and declared, “And I grew it all by myself, son. Started with nothing, and now look at it!”

“From nothing?” echoed the duly impressed lad. “That’s right,”
said the man. “From nothing.”

“Wow,” the young boy said, pausing to reflect for a few seconds.
“My dad farms, but he needs seed to grow his crops.”

A man wrapped up in himself makes
a very small package.

A fool finds no pleasure in understandings
but delights in airing his own opinions.

Proverbs 18: 2

Jimmy Webb, a Tentmaker from Fullerton who earned his bachelor’s degree in theology and ministry ordination from the Esther Mallet International Bible University in Norwalk, speaks to about 30 fellow Tentmakers on Friday, Aug. 16, 2013 at Trinity Worldwide Reprographics in Santa Fe Springs.

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Local chapter of Tentmakers merges business and faith

The workplace is the mission field for Tentmakers. Tentmakers do not make tents you camp in, they are vessels used by God to send forth the gospel through their businesses and daily connections with people God places in their paths.

By Lisa Rendon
Staff Writer
411whittier.com
SANTA FE SPRINGS – Greatly blessed and highly favored, Jimmy Webb, keynote speaker at the Tentmakers’ monthly meeting on Friday, Aug. 16, 2013 at Trinity Worldwide Reprographics, thanked about 30 businesspeople in attendance for the privilege of addressing what God is doing throughout the business world.
Tentmakers, formed in 2011 by Trinity owner Paul Rosenow, is a devout group of Christian business owners who open the workplace to worship and prayer. They are modern-day disciples with a bottom line.
Webb, who earned his bachelor’s degree in theology and ministry ordination from the Esther Mallett International Bible University in Norwalk, told the crowd of his rocky professional career, which in the end was saved by his devotion to Jesus Christ.
“I am a part of the fellowship of the unashamed. I have the Holy Spirit’s power. The die has been cast, I have stepped over the line, and the love of God controls me. The decision has been made,” Webb said. “I am a disciple of His. I will not look back, let up, slow down or back away. My past is redeemed, my present makes sense, and my future is secure. I am finished and done with low-living, side-walking, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tamed visions, mundane talking, cheap giving and bereft goals. I no longer need preeminence, prosperity, position, promotion, plaudits or popularity.
“I do not have to be right, first, tops, recognized, praised, regarded or rewarded. I now live by faith, lean on His presence, walk in patience, live by prayer and labor with power. My pace is set, my gait is fast. My goal is the kingdom of God. My road is narrow, my way is rough, my companions few, my Guide reliable, my mission clear,” Webb said.
“I cannot be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away, turned back, diluted or delayed. I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of adversaries, negotiate in the pool of popularity or meander in the maze of mediocrity. I won’t give up, shut up, let up, until I’ve stayed up, stored up, prayed up, poured up, spoken up for the cause of Christ. I am a disciple of Jesus Christ and I must go until He comes, give until I drop, teach until all know, and work until He stops me. I am a disciple of Jesus Christ.”
After Webb’s motivational message, business owners were given a chance to gain strength from other Christians when Pastor Danny Telles passed a microphone around the room letting them share their triumphs and tribulations when it comes to doing business in a secular world.

Foundational Scripture:

1 Corinthians 3:9
For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field. God’s building.

Learn more about Tentmakers by logging on to www.Tentmaker.biz

Contact Lisa Rendon at lrendon@411whittier.com, or phone her at 562-416-4242

By the Rev. Thomas M. Boles, PhD. DMin. D.D.

Author Kent Nerburn once took a train ride across Canada. On his journey, Nerburn encountered a man whom the other passengers avoided. This fellow was assumed to be a drunkard because of his slurred speech and unstable gait.

But Nerburn began a conversation with the man and soon learned he was recovering from a stroke. This man was once an engineer and operated trains along the very tracks that they were riding now. For the next several hours, he told Nerburn tales of the land they traveled through and legends of the people who once lived there. He also offered insight into some of the characters who worked for the railroad.

At the end of their conversation, the man thanked Nerburn for speaking with him. But it was Nerburn who was grateful for the experience.

Every day we make uninformed assessments of people and things in our environment, the accuracy of which we sometimes never discover. So the next time you’re faced with choosing between avoiding an exchange with someone or embracing it, think of Kent Nerburn, who says “Take a chance. Like people first, ask questions later. See if it doesn’t open the world to you in a new way. See if the light you shine on others isn’t reflected back on you a hundred-fold.”

If something comes to life in others
because of you, then you have
made an approach toward immortality.

And remember what I say; if people are informed,
they will do the right thing. It’s when they are
not informed that they become hostages
to prejudice.

John 6:41-51