Men's Group
| ...I came that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly...Jesus John 10:10 |
| OUR GOAL Have fellowship with other men, in a relaxed non-formal atmosphere, worship the Lord and be a witness to other men by our conduct and speech. |
| Last Month's Topic was: Starfish and Christians |
Starfish or Sea Stars
• Starfish are among the most familiar of marine animals
• There are about 1,800 living species of starfish that occur in all the world's oceans
• Starfish occur across a broad depth range from the intertidal to depths (>6000 m).
• Starfish possess a wide diversity of body forms and feeding methods.
• Most starfish typically have five rays or arms, which radiate from a central disk. However, several species
frequently have six or more arms. Several asteroid groups, have 10–15 arms whereas some
species can have up to 50
On one of my adventures with my brother in-law Les, we caught one with a fishing net. We were on
a dock off of the coast of British Columbia. The tide had gone out and we spotted it down at the
base of a piling. We brought it up and laid it on the dock to have a good look at it. I had
seen lots of small 5 arm starfish and even caught a few in the Fraser Inlet when I was snorkeling,
but I had never seen anything like this one before. It was about 30 inches in diameter.
It had 22 arms. It was a purple colour. Its flesh was soft but it had thorns sticking out of the top.
When we flipped it over, we were amazed to see that the whole underside was covered with
thousands of small tentacles (feet). The mouth was very nasty looking. We put it back in the
water but it landed upside down. Through a weird contortion it flipped itself over and in
minutes it was gone. What a privilege it was to observe one of God’s unique
creatures up close and personal. It was awesome!
Read: Acts 8:1-8
Those who were scattered went everywhere preaching the Word. —Acts 8:4
Did you know that if one of the arms of a starfish is severed, a new one will grow in
its place? In fact, if a starfish is cut up, any piece that contains a part of the
central disc will develop into a new starfish.
Some oyster fishermen found that out, much to their dismay, when their oyster beds
became infested with starfish. The fishermen had cut up the starfish they caught
and tossed the pieces back into the water. Rather than destroying them, however,
they were actually helping them multiply.
For centuries, Christians have been hated and viciously opposed in many nations. But persecution has not destroyed Christianity.
Even under the most dire circumstances, it has not only survived but thrived. Jesus said of His church that “the gates of Hades shall
not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18).
First-century believers in Jerusalem were severely persecuted, but it resulted in their being scattered throughout Judea and
Samaria. And wherever they went, they preached the Word and many more believed. In Acts 8:4-6, we read that multitudes
responded to the preaching of Philip.
Yes, the church of the Lord Jesus Christ, no matter how severely persecuted, continues to grow. Even the forces of hell itself
cannot overcome it!
The church of Christ can't be destroyed,
Though many enemies have tried;
Whenever persecution comes,
The church is spread and multiplied. —Sper
The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church. —Tertullian
Help Them One By One
Luke 8:40-56
Jesus never let the vast crowds discourage Him from helping individuals. In Luke 8 we read that a multitude pressed about Him (v.
40), yet He took time to minister to one man and one woman in need (vv.41-56). Jesus calls us to do the same. But looking on today’
s multitudes we may say, “How can I make a difference among so many?”
Once upon a time, there was a man who used to go to the ocean to do his writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach before he
began his work. One day he was walking along the shore. As he looked down the beach, he saw a human figure moving like a
dancer. He smiled to himself to think of someone who would dance to the day. So he began to walk faster to catch up. As he got
closer, he saw that it was a young man and the young man wasn't dancing, but instead he was reaching down to the shore, picking
up something and very gently throwing it into the ocean.
As he got closer, he called out, "Good morning! What are you doing?" The young man paused, looked up and replied "Throwing
starfish into the ocean."
"I guess I should have asked, Why are you throwing starfish into the ocean?"
"The sun is up and the tide is going out. And if I don't throw them in they'll die."
"But young man, don't you realize that there are miles and miles of beach and starfish all along it. You can't possibly make a
difference!"
The young man listened politely. Then bent down, picked up another starfish and threw it into the sea, past the breaking waves. "It
made a difference for that one!" The man turned and went his way with a lot more to think and write about. He also returned the
next day to help the young man throw more starfish into the ocean.
We have heard of people like Dr. Bill Bright, the founder of Campus Crusade for Christ International; and D. L. Moody, the great
evangelist of his time; and of course, Billy Graham. But have you ever heard of Edward Kimball or Henrietta Mears?
Without Edward Kimball, there never would have been a D. L. Moody. Kimball was a shoe salesman. He worked at a shoe store in
Chicago and felt led by the Lord to share the gospel with young Dwight, a fellow salesman.
Dwight responded to the message, gave his heart to Jesus Christ, and ultimately went on to be the greatest evangelist of his
generation. It was because of Edward Kimball's faithfulness to share the gospel that the Lord reached D. L. Moody, who in turn
reached millions. Edward Kimball made a difference.
What about Henrietta Mears? In 1928, she was called to teach a Sunday school class at the First Presbyterian Church in Hollywood.
Under her direction, the class grew from 400 to 4,000. She later went on to found Gospel Light Publishing and Forest Home
Christian Conference Center in Southern California. Of the people she influenced, 400 went into full-time Christian service. Among
them were Bill Bright and Billy Graham. Henrietta Mears made a difference.
Henri Nouwen wrote, “Those who want to be for ‘everyone’ find themselves often unable to be close to anyone.” Many of us have
this problem. Yet we must recognize the importance of ministering to the individual, for Jesus said, “Assuredly, I say to you,
inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me” (Mt. 25:40).
It’s better to help one than none!
Putting It Into Practice
What can our church do for all the pain and suffering in the world?
In our city?
In our neighborhood?
What can you do to help one person today?
Do what you can to help one at a time, and prayerfully leave the rest to God.
• Starfish are among the most familiar of marine animals
• There are about 1,800 living species of starfish that occur in all the world's oceans
• Starfish occur across a broad depth range from the intertidal to depths (>6000 m).
• Starfish possess a wide diversity of body forms and feeding methods.
• Most starfish typically have five rays or arms, which radiate from a central disk. However, several species
frequently have six or more arms. Several asteroid groups, have 10–15 arms whereas some
species can have up to 50
On one of my adventures with my brother in-law Les, we caught one with a fishing net. We were on
a dock off of the coast of British Columbia. The tide had gone out and we spotted it down at the
base of a piling. We brought it up and laid it on the dock to have a good look at it. I had
seen lots of small 5 arm starfish and even caught a few in the Fraser Inlet when I was snorkeling,
but I had never seen anything like this one before. It was about 30 inches in diameter.
It had 22 arms. It was a purple colour. Its flesh was soft but it had thorns sticking out of the top.
When we flipped it over, we were amazed to see that the whole underside was covered with
thousands of small tentacles (feet). The mouth was very nasty looking. We put it back in the
water but it landed upside down. Through a weird contortion it flipped itself over and in
minutes it was gone. What a privilege it was to observe one of God’s unique
creatures up close and personal. It was awesome!
Read: Acts 8:1-8
Those who were scattered went everywhere preaching the Word. —Acts 8:4
Did you know that if one of the arms of a starfish is severed, a new one will grow in
its place? In fact, if a starfish is cut up, any piece that contains a part of the
central disc will develop into a new starfish.
Some oyster fishermen found that out, much to their dismay, when their oyster beds
became infested with starfish. The fishermen had cut up the starfish they caught
and tossed the pieces back into the water. Rather than destroying them, however,
they were actually helping them multiply.
For centuries, Christians have been hated and viciously opposed in many nations. But persecution has not destroyed Christianity.
Even under the most dire circumstances, it has not only survived but thrived. Jesus said of His church that “the gates of Hades shall
not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18).
First-century believers in Jerusalem were severely persecuted, but it resulted in their being scattered throughout Judea and
Samaria. And wherever they went, they preached the Word and many more believed. In Acts 8:4-6, we read that multitudes
responded to the preaching of Philip.
Yes, the church of the Lord Jesus Christ, no matter how severely persecuted, continues to grow. Even the forces of hell itself
cannot overcome it!
The church of Christ can't be destroyed,
Though many enemies have tried;
Whenever persecution comes,
The church is spread and multiplied. —Sper
The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church. —Tertullian
Help Them One By One
Luke 8:40-56
Jesus never let the vast crowds discourage Him from helping individuals. In Luke 8 we read that a multitude pressed about Him (v.
40), yet He took time to minister to one man and one woman in need (vv.41-56). Jesus calls us to do the same. But looking on today’
s multitudes we may say, “How can I make a difference among so many?”
Once upon a time, there was a man who used to go to the ocean to do his writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach before he
began his work. One day he was walking along the shore. As he looked down the beach, he saw a human figure moving like a
dancer. He smiled to himself to think of someone who would dance to the day. So he began to walk faster to catch up. As he got
closer, he saw that it was a young man and the young man wasn't dancing, but instead he was reaching down to the shore, picking
up something and very gently throwing it into the ocean.
As he got closer, he called out, "Good morning! What are you doing?" The young man paused, looked up and replied "Throwing
starfish into the ocean."
"I guess I should have asked, Why are you throwing starfish into the ocean?"
"The sun is up and the tide is going out. And if I don't throw them in they'll die."
"But young man, don't you realize that there are miles and miles of beach and starfish all along it. You can't possibly make a
difference!"
The young man listened politely. Then bent down, picked up another starfish and threw it into the sea, past the breaking waves. "It
made a difference for that one!" The man turned and went his way with a lot more to think and write about. He also returned the
next day to help the young man throw more starfish into the ocean.
We have heard of people like Dr. Bill Bright, the founder of Campus Crusade for Christ International; and D. L. Moody, the great
evangelist of his time; and of course, Billy Graham. But have you ever heard of Edward Kimball or Henrietta Mears?
Without Edward Kimball, there never would have been a D. L. Moody. Kimball was a shoe salesman. He worked at a shoe store in
Chicago and felt led by the Lord to share the gospel with young Dwight, a fellow salesman.
Dwight responded to the message, gave his heart to Jesus Christ, and ultimately went on to be the greatest evangelist of his
generation. It was because of Edward Kimball's faithfulness to share the gospel that the Lord reached D. L. Moody, who in turn
reached millions. Edward Kimball made a difference.
What about Henrietta Mears? In 1928, she was called to teach a Sunday school class at the First Presbyterian Church in Hollywood.
Under her direction, the class grew from 400 to 4,000. She later went on to found Gospel Light Publishing and Forest Home
Christian Conference Center in Southern California. Of the people she influenced, 400 went into full-time Christian service. Among
them were Bill Bright and Billy Graham. Henrietta Mears made a difference.
Henri Nouwen wrote, “Those who want to be for ‘everyone’ find themselves often unable to be close to anyone.” Many of us have
this problem. Yet we must recognize the importance of ministering to the individual, for Jesus said, “Assuredly, I say to you,
inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me” (Mt. 25:40).
It’s better to help one than none!
Putting It Into Practice
What can our church do for all the pain and suffering in the world?
In our city?
In our neighborhood?
What can you do to help one person today?
Do what you can to help one at a time, and prayerfully leave the rest to God.
