GOD USES BROKEN PEOPLE
GOD USES LESS THAN PERFECT PEOPLE
Genesis 37:3-4 - Genesis 37:18-20 - Genesis 50:20
We are exhausted from the most difficult electoral season in my fifty-six year history of being a part of a voting democracy. In 1994 the Sheepfold applied for a IRS certification for 501-c-3 status. We already were registered with the State of PA as a non-profit. The IRS certification was difficult and I was told by IRS workers that their job was to PREVENT evangelical non-profits like me from getting their certification. Technically, the certification simply means that donors to the Sheepfold will be IRS tax exempt.
After 18 months we received the coveted certification by IRS. Upon reading the fine print I discovered that as a pastor I also was giving up part of my Second Amendment right to Free Speech. In 1964 Lyndon Johnson pushed through a law that was actually just a trailer to another bill. The Johnson Amendment went far beyond Johnson's short-sighted attempt to attack his particular petty enemies. The Johnson Amendment has come to be applied to all 501-c-3's across the country.
The Johnson Amendment restricts ANY PASTOR from speaking critically of an elected official. Already Paul Hagee of Cornerstone Church in San Antonio, Texas has had his certification lifted by IRS because he was too plain speaking about evil in government. My sermon today could get me into trouble with IRS if they received a copy of it. I'm aware and like Paul Hagee, I believe that the truth needs to be said.
Today's text reveals what the bible says and teaches about God's ability to use imperfect people, and politicians to do the work of His Kingdom. I am prayerfully sharing these words in a time of great stress for our country and for me personally.
Pastor Phil <><<
October 30, 2016 - Sheepfold Ministries
Pastor Phil Roland
GOD USES BROKEN PEOPLE
GOD USES LESS THAN PERFECT PEOPLE
Genesis 37:3-4 - Genesis 37:18-20 - Genesis 50:20
“God's Word is filled with examples of how God uses imperfect people to do His work. This applies to pastors, church leaders and politicians. " Pastor Phil <><<
Genesis 50:20
20 But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive.
I. GENESIS IS THE STORY OF MAN'S BROKENNESS
A. Genesis narratives are filled with imperfect people God uses
1. NOAH was a drunk - Genesis 9:21
20 And Noah began to be a farmer, and he planted a vineyard. 21 Then he
drank of the wine and was drunk, and became uncovered in his tent.
2. ABRAHAM was too Old - Genesis 17:17
17 Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed, and said in his heart,
"Shall a child be born to a man who is one hundred years old? And
shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?"
3. ISAAC was too Wealthy - Genesis 26:12-14
12 Then Isaac sowed in that land, and reaped in the same year a
hundredfold; and the LORD blessed him. 13 The man began to
prosper, and continued prospering until he became very
prosperous; 14 for he had possessions of flocks and possessions of
herds and a great number of servants. So the Philistines envied him.
4. JACOB was a Liar
5. LEAH was Ugly - Genesis 29:16-18
16 Now Laban had two daughters: the name of the elder was Leah,
and the name of the younger was Rachel. 17 Leah's eyes were
delicate, but Rachel was beautiful of form and appearance. 18 Now
Jacob loved Rachel; so he said, "I will serve you seven years for
Rachel your younger daughter."
6. JOSEPH was Abused by his Brothers in today's text
II. GOD USES JOSEPH'S EVIL BROTHERS FOR REDEMPTION
A. Joseph suffered from Injustice and Evil from his Brothers - Gen.37
1. Sibling Rivalry - Jealousy over Jacob's favor with Joseph
2. Joseph and Benjamin are sons of favored Wife Rachel
3. Jealous Brothers are sons of unloved Lea
4. God was still with Joseph in a contentious family
B. Joseph was unjustly sold to foreign traders, taken to Egypt
1. He finds favor with his Egyptian slave owner - Gen. 39:2
"The LORD was with Joseph, and he was a successful man; and he
was in the house of his master the Egyptian."
GOD USES BROKEN PEOPLE, cont., p.2
2. Potiphar noticed Joseph's God-Blessed success - Gen. 39:3
"And his master saw that the LORD was with him and that the LORD
made all he did to prosper in his hand."
3. Through Injustice Joseph is Imprisoned, God's still with him
"But the LORD was with Joseph and showed him mercy, and He
gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison." Gen. 39:21
4. He becomes the Warden's right hand man, God is with him
"The keeper of the prison did not look into anything that was under
Joseph's authority, because the LORD was with him; and whatever
he did, the LORD made it prosper." Genesis 39:23
III. GOD'S IN CHARGE AND CAN DO WHATEVER HE PLEASES
A. God is Sovereign - Psalm 103:19; Psalm 115:3
"The LORD has established His throne in heaven, And His kingdom rules over all." Psalm 103:19
"But our God is in heaven; He does whatever He pleases." Psalm 115:3
1. God always gets the Last Word
2. "Man Pro-poses, God Dis-poses"
B. Joseph knows God's Sovereignty and Gives him the Last Word
A. Joseph Tells the Cup Bearer - Genesis 40:8
"And they said to him, "We each have had a dream, and there is no
interpreter of it." So Joseph said to them, "Do not interpretations
belong to God? Tell them to me, please."
C. Joseph Tells Pharaoh - Genesis 41:16
"So Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, "It is not in me; God will give
Pharaoh an answer of peace."
IV. GOD USES FLAWED, SOMETIMES OVERTLY EVIL PEOPLE
"And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose." Rom. 8:28
A. Remember Jesus' Death on the Cross?
1. He died unjustly through a travesty of justice
2. But wait! He rose triumphant over Death and the Grave
B. Look to Him in the midst of your trials and put your Trust in Him
Romans 10:7-10
8 But what does it say? "The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart" (that is, the word of faith which we preach): 9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes
unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation."
1. God had a plan for Joseph
2. He used broken imperfect people to bring salvation
3. God can use flawed broken people in this election
4. Through His Mercy He can even use YOU!
Will Rogers
Will Rogers was known for his laughter, but he also knew how to weep. One day he was entertaining at the Milton H. Berry Institute in Los Angeles, a hospital that specialized in rehabilitating polio victims and people with broken backs and other extreme physical handicaps. Of course, Rogers had everybody laughing, even patients in really bad condition; but then he suddenly left the platform and went to the rest room. Milton Berry followed him to give him a towel; and when he opened the door, he saw Will Rogers leaning against the wall, sobbing like a child. He closed the door, and in a few minutes, Rogers appeared back on the platform, as jovial as before.
If you want to learn what a person is really like, ask three questions: What makes him laugh? What makes him angry? What makes him weep? These are fairly good tests of character that are especially appropriate for Christian leaders. I hear people saying, “We need angry leaders today!” or “The time has come to practice militant Christianity!” Perhaps, but “the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God” (James 1:20).
What we need today is not anger but anguish, the kind of anguish that Moses displayed when he broke the two tablets of the law and then climbed the mountain to intercede for his people, or that Jesus displayed when He cleansed the temple and then wept over the city. The difference between anger and anguish is a broken heart. It’s easy to get angry, especially at somebody else’s sins; but it’s not easy to look at sin, our own included, and weep over it.
The Integrity Crisis by Warren W. Wiersbe, Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1991, pp. 75-76
GOD USES IMPERFECT PEOPLE
Abraham lied. Sarah laughed at God's promises.
Moses stuttered. David's armor didn't fit.
John Mark was rejected by Paul.
Timothy had ulcers.
Hosea's wife was a prostitute.
Amos' only training was in the school of fig-tree pruning.
Jacob was a liar.
David had an affair.
Solomon was too rich.
Jesus was too poor.
Abraham was too old.
David was too young.
Peter was afraid of death.
Lazarus was dead.
John was self-righteous.
Naomi was a widow.
Paul was a murderer.
So was Moses.
Jonah ran from God.
Miriam was a gossip.
Gideon and Thomas both doubted.
Jeremiah was depressed and suicidal.
Elijah was burned out.
John the Baptist was a loudmouth.
Martha was a worry-wort.
Mary may have been lazy.
Samson had long hair.
Noah got drunk.
Did I mention Moses had a short fuse?
So did Peter, Paul and lots of folks Author Unknown - Pastor Phil - 2016
GOD USES BROKEN PEOPLE
Genesis 37:3-4
3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age. Also he made him a tunic of many colors.
4 But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and could not speak peaceably to him.
Genesis 37:18-20
18 Now when they saw him afar off, even before he came near them, they conspired against him to kill him.
19 Then they said to one another, "Look, this dreamer is coming!
20 Come therefore, let us now kill him and cast him into some pit; and we shall say, 'Some wild beast has devoured him.' We shall see what will become of his dreams!"
Genesis 50:20
20 But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive.
GOD USES BROKEN THINGS
NOAH was a drunk.
ABRAHAM was too old.
ISAAC was too wealthy.
JACOB was a liar.
LEAH was ugly.
JOSEPH was abused.
MOSES had a stuttering problem.
GIDEON was afraid.
SAMSON had long hair, and was a womanizer!
RAHAB was a prostitute!
JEREMIAH and TIMOTHY were too young.
DAVID had an affair and was a murderer.
ELIJAH was suicidal.
ISAIAH preached naked.
JONAH ran from God.
NAOMI was a widow.
JOB went bankrupt.
JOHN the Baptist ate bugs.
PETER denied Christ.
The Disciples fell asleep while praying.
MARTHA worried about everything.
MARY MAGDALENE was, well, you know ...
The SAMARITAN WOMAN was divorced ... more than once!
ZACCHEUS was too small.
PAUL was too religious.
TIMOTHY had an ulcer .
AND LAZARUS WAS DEAD!
Courtesy of Sheepfold Ministries, Sharon, PA, Pastor Phil Roland , 2005
GOD USES AVAILABLE PEOPLE
JOSEPH
Samson, the long-haired strong man who picked up the jaw bone of a donkey and killed a thousand Philistine soldiers on the battlefield. If Samson were alive today, he would probably spend some of his life in jail–let’s just say he was no choir boy. But he had a job to do, and he did it well until his woman friend, Delilah sold him out to the Philistines for 140 pounds of silver. But Samson didn’t leave the revenge business even though the Philistines blinded him and put him in prison. He had one last appearance on stage before the curtain fell. Samson’s story is told in Judges 13-16, a book that contains the accounts of several regional and national leaders who served prior to the first kings who ruled in Israel. Gideon was another prominent leader whose story is told in Judges.
Jonah, famous for being swallowed by the whale or “great fish,” Jonah’s real contribution is presiding over the greatest mass conversion of all time and learning a few things about human prejudice and God’s love at the same time. His story is here.
Judas Iscariot, the man who betrayed Jesus for thirty pieces of silver. One of the twelve disciples, the treachery of Judas earns him the title of ultimate bad guy. (Read more here.) Other contenders include Pilate, who crucified Jesus, and King Herod who tried to kill Him when he was a small child or baby.
David Best known for facing the giant Goliath and besting him with a sling and a stone, David was the most famous king of Israel, one of the greatest men who ever lived. Author of most of the Psalms, his story is told in 1 & 2 Samuel. Sadly, he is also often remembered for his greatest failure, his sin of adultery with Bathsheba, who later became the mother of wise and wealthy King Solomon. David’s story starts here.
Genesis 37:3-4 (NKJV)
3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age. Also he made him a tunic of many colors.
4 But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and could not speak peaceably to him.
Genesis 37:18-20 (NKJV)
18 Now when they saw him afar off, even before he came near them, they conspired against him to kill him.
19 Then they said to one another, "Look, this dreamer is coming!
20 Come therefore, let us now kill him and cast him into some pit; and we shall say, 'Some wild beast has devoured him.' We shall see what will become of his dreams!"
Genesis 50:20 (NKJV)
20 But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive.
WHO WAS HABAKUK?
From his historical references in his writings, one can understand that he was a contemporary of Jeremiah, Daniel, Ezekiel, and Zephaniah. Because he is in the company of those men, he is considered to be one of the prophets during the Exile, when Israel was under the ruler-ship of the Babylonians and the Medes and Persians.
Habakkuk 1:5-11 (NKJV)
Habakkuk 1:1-4 (NKJV)
1 The burden which the prophet Habakkuk saw.
2 O LORD, how long shall I cry, And You will not hear? Even cry out to You, "Violence!" And You will not save.
3 Why do You show me iniquity, And cause me to see trouble? For plundering and violence are before me; There is strife, and contention arises.
4 Therefore the law is powerless, And justice never goes forth. For the wicked surround the righteous; Therefore perverse judgment proceeds.
5 "Look among the nations and watch-- Be utterly astounded! For I will work a work in your days Which you would not believe, though it were told you.
6 For indeed I am raising up the Chaldeans, A bitter and hasty nation Which marches through the breadth of the earth, To possess dwelling places that are not theirs.
7 They are terrible and dreadful; Their judgment and their dignity proceed from themselves.
8 Their horses also are swifter than leopards, And more fierce than evening wolves. Their chargers charge ahead; Their cavalry comes from afar; They fly as the eagle that hastens to eat.
9 "They all come for violence; Their faces are set like the east wind. They gather captives like sand.
10 They scoff at kings, And princes are scorned by them. They deride every stronghold, For they heap up earthen mounds and seize it.
11 Then his mind changes, and he transgresses; He commits offense, Ascribing this power to his god."
WHO ARE THE CHALDEANS?
The country of Chadea was an ancient land in southern Babylonia, on the Persian Gulf near the delta of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. In biblical times the name was applied to all of Babylonia. As far as can be traced, the Chaldeans themselves descend from Shem's son, Arphaxad, who is also an ancestor of Abraham and Israel.
Chaldeans are associated with Babylon and the city of Ur because they settled near Babylon and in Shinar. In fact, the most powerful Babylonian dynasty (Neo-Babylonia, c. 625-539 BC) was Chaldean, as was its most powerful and most famous king, Nebuchadnezzar (reigned c. 604-561 BC, see II Kings 24:1 —25:21; II Chronicles 36:5-21 ; Jeremiah 39:1-14 ; Daniel 1:1 —4:37). However, some Chaldeans settled farther north, around Lake Van—about halfway between the Mediterranean Sea and the Caspian Sea. There they came to be called "Chaldians" and, more often, the people of Van. (Haran, the ancestor of Lot, Abraham's nephew, also settled in northern Mesopotamia, south of Lake Van.)
The problem in Habakkuk is that God was using the Babylonians (an evil people) to accomplish His will. Our wise and perfect God can and sometimes does use the sin already existing in our world to fulfill His purpose. The perfect example of this is Jesus’ crucifixion: the murder of Christ was an evil act, but through it God redeemed His elect and “disarmed the [demonic] powers and authorities” (Colossians 2:15). In Habakkuk’s day, God’s purpose was to bring judgment on Judah for their idolatry. Babylon was the instrument of His judgment (cf. Isaiah 10:5).
Colossians 2:12-15 (NKJV)
12 buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.
13 And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, 14 having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. 15 Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.
Isaiah 10:5-6 (NKJV)
5 "Woe to Assyria, the rod of My anger And the staff in whose hand is My indignation. 6 I will send him against an ungodly nation, And against the people of My wrath I will give him charge, To seize the spoil, to take the prey, And to tread them down like the mire of the streets.
Prov. 16:25
25 There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death.
Prov. 16:32
32 He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, And he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city.
Romans 8:28 (NKJV)
28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.
Psalm 18:30 (NKJV)
30 As for God, His way is perfect; The word of the LORD is proven; He is a shield to all who trust in Him.
Matthew 5:48 (NKJV)
48 Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.
(Tear Jerker)
EVEN IF IT’S DARK
He was a strong man facing an enemy beyond his strength. He young wife had become gravely ill, then suddenly passed away, leaving the big man alone with a wide-eyed, flaxen-haired girl, not quite five years old. The service in the village chapel was simple, and heavy with grief. After the burial at the small cemetery, the man’s neighbors gathered around him.
"Please, bring your little girl and stay with us for several days," someone said.
"You shouldn’t go back home just yet."
Brokenhearted though he was, the man answered,
"Thank you, friends, for the kind offer, but we need to go back home--where she was. My baby and I must face this."
So, they returned, the big man and his little girl, to what now seemed an empty, lifeless house. The man brought his daughter’s little bed into his room so they could face the first dark night together. As the minutes slipped by that night, the young girl was having a dreadful time trying to sleep...and so was her father. What could pierce a man’s heart deeper than a child sobbing for a mother who would never come back? Long into the night, the little one continued to weep. The big man reached down into her bed, and tried to comfort her as best he could. After a while, the little girl managed to stop crying--but only out of sorrow for her father. Thinking his daughter was asleep, the father looked up and said brokenly, "I trust You, Father, but...it’s dark midnight" Hearing her dad’s prayer, the little girl began to cry again. "I thought you were asleep, baby," he said. "Papa, I did try. I was sorry for you. I did try, but--I couldn’t go to sleep. Papa, did you ever know it could be so dark? Why, Papa, I can’t even see you, it’s so dark." Then, through her tears, the little girl whispered, "But you love me, even if it’s dark--don’t you, Papa? You love me even if I don’t see you, don’t you, Papa?" For an answer, the big man reached across with his massive hands, lifted his little girl out of her bed, brought her over onto his chest and held her, until at last she fell asleep. When she was finally, quiet, he began to pray. He took his little daughter’s cry to him, and passed it up to God. "Father, it’s dark as midnight. I can’t see You at all, but You love me, even when it’s dark and I can’t see, don’t You?" From the blackest of hours, the Lord touched him with new strength, enabling him to carry on. He knew that God went on loving him, even in the dark. -
Will Rogers
Will Rogers was known for his laughter, but he also knew how to weep. One day he was entertaining at the Milton H. Berry Institute in Los Angeles, a hospital that specialized in rehabilitating polio victims and people with broken backs and other extreme physical handicaps. Of course, Rogers had everybody laughing, even patients in really bad condition; but then he suddenly left the platform and went to the rest room. Milton Berry followed him to give him a towel; and when he opened the door, he saw Will Rogers leaning against the wall, sobbing like a child. He closed the door, and in a few minutes, Rogers appeared back on the platform, as jovial as before.
If you want to learn what a person is really like, ask three questions: What makes him laugh? What makes him angry? What makes him weep? These are fairly good tests of character that are especially appropriate for Christian leaders. I hear people saying, “We need angry leaders today!” or “The time has come to practice militant Christianity!” Perhaps, but “the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God” (James 1:20).
What we need today is not anger but anguish, the kind of anguish that Moses displayed when he broke the two tablets of the law and then climbed the mountain to intercede for his people, or that Jesus displayed when He cleansed the temple and then wept over the city. The difference between anger and anguish is a broken heart. It’s easy to get angry, especially at somebody else’s sins; but it’s not easy to look at sin, our own included, and weep over it.
The Integrity Crisis by Warren W. Wiersbe, Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1991, pp. 75-76
Joel 2:23-32 (NKJV)
23 Be glad then, you children of Zion, And rejoice in the LORD your God; For He has given you the former rain faithfully, And He will cause the rain to come down for you-- The former rain, And the latter rain in the first month.
24 The threshing floors shall be full of wheat, And the vats shall overflow with new wine and oil.
25 "So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, The crawling locust, The consuming locust, And the chewing locust, My great army which I sent among you.
26 You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, And praise the name of the LORD your God, Who has dealt wondrously with you; And My people shall never be put to shame.
27 Then you shall know that I am in the midst of Israel: I am the LORD your God And there is no other. My people shall never be put to shame.
28 "And it shall come to pass afterward That I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your old men shall dream dreams, Your young men shall see visions.
29 And also on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days.
30 "And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth: Blood and fire and pillars of smoke.
31 The sun shall be turned into darkness, And the moon into blood, Before the coming of the great and awesome day of the LORD.
32 And it shall come to pass That whoever calls on the name of the LORD Shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be deliverance, As the LORD has said, Among the remnant whom the LORD calls.
GOD PROMISES TO RESTORE HIS PEOPLE TO FORMER GLORY
GOD SENT EVIL AMONG HIS PEOPLE
HE SENT DESTROYERS BECAUSE OF THEIR DISOBEDIENCE
HIS PEOPLE'S IDOLATRY CAUSED NATURAL CALAMITIES
Proverbs 16:1-33 (NKJV)
1 The preparations of the heart belong to man, But the answer of the tongue is from the LORD.
2 All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes, But the LORD weighs the spirits.
3 Commit your works to the LORD, And your thoughts will be established.
4 The LORD has made all for Himself, Yes, even the wicked for the day of doom.
5 Everyone proud in heart is an abomination to the LORD; Though they join forces, none will go unpunished.
6 In mercy and truth Atonement is provided for iniquity; And by the fear of the LORD one departs from evil.
7 When a man's ways please the LORD, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.
8 Better is a little with righteousness, Than vast revenues without justice.
9 A man's heart plans his way, But the LORD directs his steps.
10 Divination is on the lips of the king; His mouth must not transgress in judgment.
11 Honest weights and scales are the LORD'S; All the weights in the bag are His work.
12 It is an abomination for kings to commit wickedness, For a throne is established by righteousness.
13 Righteous lips are the delight of kings, And they love him who speaks what is right.
14 As messengers of death is the king's wrath, But a wise man will appease it.
15 In the light of the king's face is life, And his favor is like a cloud of the latter rain.
16 How much better to get wisdom than gold! And to get understanding is to be chosen rather than silver.
17 The highway of the upright is to depart from evil; He who keeps his way preserves his soul.
18 Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before a fall.
19 Better to be of a humble spirit with the lowly, Than to divide the spoil with the proud.
20 He who heeds the word wisely will find good, And whoever trusts in the LORD, happy is he.
21 The wise in heart will be called prudent, And sweetness of the lips increases learning.
22 Understanding is a wellspring of life to him who has it. But the correction of fools is folly.
23 The heart of the wise teaches his mouth, And adds learning to his lips.
24 Pleasant words are like a honeycomb, Sweetness to the soul and health to the bones.
25 There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death.
26 The person who labors, labors for himself, For his hungry mouth drives him on.
27 An ungodly man digs up evil, And it is on his lips like a burning fire.
28 A perverse man sows strife, And a whisperer separates the best of friends.
29 A violent man entices his neighbor, And leads him in a way that is not good.
30 He winks his eye to devise perverse things; He purses his lips and brings about evil.
31 The silver-haired head is a crown of glory, If it is found in the way of righteousness.
32 He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, And he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city.
33 The lot is cast into the lap, But its every decision is from the LORD.
WILLIAM BOOTH
On April 9,1865, Lee met Grant in the parlor of a private home at Appomattox Court House. He surrendered his army and brought an end to four long years of death and devastation called the Civil War. In the same year a 36 year old Englishman by the name of William Booth declared war on the powers of darkness by founding the Salvation Army.
The Salvation Army's success at freeing the captives was uncanny, especially when one considers those who it strived to reach. General Booth's battle cry was "Go for souls and go for the worst." The worst of sinners were saved, saloons were closed and entire cities were shaken.
Booth's success attracted not only supporters but also enemies. Those who served in the Army were pelted with hot coals, sprayed with tar and burning sulfur, beat, stoned and even kicked to death in the streets. The Salvation Army resisted their enemies with a cheerful "God bless you", and a prayer. General Booth, himself was often in the thick of it. When spit on during the Midlands tour, Booth encouraged his fellow soldiers, "Don't rub it off - it's a medal!"
Once while traveling, General Booth's car was detained. He took advantage of the opportunity and exhorted some idle factory workers. He said, "some of you men never pray, you gave up praying long ago. But I'm going to say to you, won't you pray for your children that they may be different?" Within minutes 700 men knelt in silent prayer.
At another time, two Salvation Army officers set out to found a new work, only to meet with failure and opposition. Frustrated and tired they appealed to the General to close the rescue mission. General Booth sent back a telegram with two words on it, "TRY TEARS." They followed his advice and they witnessed a mighty revival.
During the course of William Booths ministry he traveled 5,000,000 miles and preached 60,000 sermons. God help us in this desperate and distracted day in which we live to heed the General's advice. "Work as if everything depended upon your work, and pray as if everything depended upon your prayer."
GOD USES IMPERFECT PEOPLE
Abraham lied. Sarah laughed at God's promises.
Moses stuttered. David's armor didn't fit.
John Mark was rejected by Paul.
Timothy had ulcers.
Hosea's wife was a prostitute.
Amos' only training was in the school of fig-tree pruning.
Jacob was a liar.
David had an affair.
Solomon was too rich.
Jesus was too poor.
Abraham was to old.
David was too young.
Peter was afraid of death.
Lazarus was dead.
John was self-righteous.
Naomi was a widow.
Paul was a murderer.
So was Moses.
Jonah ran from God.
Miriam was a gossip.
Gideon and Thomas both doubted.
Jeremiah was depressed and suicidal.
Elijah was burned out.
John the Baptist was a loudmouth.
Martha was a worry-wort.
Mary may have been lazy.
Samson had long hair.
Noah got drunk.
Did I mention Moses had a short fuse?
So did Peter, Paul and lots of folks Author Unknown - Pastor Phil - 2016
