Gardner-Whitworth Finishes Strong, Defeats Century 21 18-11

The Gardner-Whitworth 5th grade boys basketball team continued their fine play by defeating Century 21 18-11 on Saturday, March 6, 2010. This was the season finale for both teams, and Gardner finishes with a 2-3 record.

In many ways this was Gardner's best performance of the year. Although they basically ran a transition offensive game from start to finish, they protected the ball better than they have all season, committing a season low 14 turnovers. Defensively, Gardner was at the top of their game, holding Century 21 to 0 points in both the 1st and 4th periods. They also set a team goal to limit the damage of Century 21's top player, Konour Smith, and limit him they did, shutting him down completely from the field. Smith finished the game with just 1 point, going 1 for 2 from the charity stripe. As a team, Gardner's defense had 12 steals, led by Damien Ferguson with 4. Although the Gardner boys were just 8 for 48 (16.7%) from the field, they were taking very good shots, and just missing making the basket. The team also grabbed 13 offensive rebounds, turning those into 6 points on second chance opportunities. Gardner also cleaned the glass well on the defensive side, pulling down 21 boards.

Both teams came out slowly offensively, and neither team was able to score until Damien Ferguson connected on 1 of 2 free throws with 1:57 remaining in the opening quarter. On their next possession, Damien hit teammate Sawyer Overton down low for an assist, and Gardner led 3-0 as the period ended.

The teams matched up in the second quarter to a 5-5 stalemate, but Gardner found themselves leading at the half for the first time all season 8-5. Damien Ferguson had a basket on a drive to the bucket, and he also connected on another free throw. Cameron Brewer chipped in with his lone basket of the game, rounding out the scoring for Gardner in the 2nd period.

Things picked up a bit for Century 21 in the 3rd period as they scored 6 points to take a brief 11-10 lead, holding Gardner to just 4 points. Brock Rawlings had a basket after being fed a nice pass by Cameron Brewer, but when Century 21 took a 1 point lead with 1:47 reamaining to play in the 3rd, the Gardner coach called what will go down in basketball annals as the "Relax" timeout. Gardner's coach noticed that Damien Ferguson was about to "lose it" as his team had fallen behind, and he felt he was getting fouled a lot and not getting the call (he was), so the coach called for time to calm him down. Do Damien and calm go together? Calm and Damien? Damien? Damien! So the coach reminded Damien and the team that we still had a full quarter to play, and if Damien was not going to calm down he was going to have to pull him and not play him in the 4th period, and his team needed him. We win as a team, we lose as a team, and we play as a team. So as they broke from their huddle, the team said, "1, 2, 3 RELAX!" And relax they did, for Damien hit Sawyer with a perfect pass again down low. Sawyer missed the shot, but he grabbed the offensive rebound, putting it up and in through the hoop for his 4th point of the game, and Gardner found themselves on top as the 3rd period closed, leading 12-11.

Damien had 2 more baskets in the 4th period and Griffin Luce added his lone basket of the game to finish out the scoring. Damien's baskets came with under a minute to play and Gardner holding a slim 14-11 lead. The Gardner coach called for a full court press, and Damien was a one man wrecking crew, annihilating the Century 21 offense with his constant "stink-on-skunk" defense, garnering 2 steals and converting them to baskets for Gardner-Whitworth.

When Gardner was down 11-10 in the 3rd quarter, Andrew Polston of Century 21 committed his 5th foul of the game. He should have been removed from the game. However, Century 21 had no one on the bench to replace Polston, so the Gardner coach told the referees to let him continue to play. As the coach explained to his boys during the quarter break, "Boys, #5 just committed his 5th foul of the game. Technically, he should be out of the game, and I want us to win this game, but not with an asterisk, and not by having us playing 5 against 4 boys on the floor. We ARE going to win, but we are going to do so by beating their 5 players on the floor. So let's go out and win!" And the boys responded, shutting down Century 21 completely.

The coach for Century 21 was very appreciative after the game for our allowing his player to continue to play in the game. But I know I would have always had a bitter taste in my mouth if I had done any differently. After all, these are just 5th grade boys. As much as I want to win, I would prefer to lose against 5 players, than win by going 5 against 4. And I truly believe that the boys on the Gardner team preferred it this way, too, because they knew their coaches had confidence in them.

The Sad Truth

The Bible describes two types of people in the world. Most people will be on the unsaved (or lost) side of the line. Jesus said in Matthew 7:13-14, “Enter in by the narrow gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leads to destruction, and many are they that enter in thereby. For narrow is the gate, and straitened the way, that leads unto life, and few are they that find it.”

Jesus was not one to mince His words when it came to telling people the truth, especially when it came to speaking of the condition of one’s soul. In these two verses alone He makes it abundantly clear that the condition of mankind is a lost one. We are told in Isaiah 59:2 that our sins have separated us from God, and that includes everybody, for Paul wrote in Romans 3:23, “ . . . for all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God. . . .” Jesus further makes no bones about the fact that most of the world will remain forever lost and cutoff from God.

There is much to be gleaned from these words from our Savior in Matthew 7, but one thing that seems to me to grow keener and clearer the older I get is just how much sorrow and just how much grief must have afflicted the Lord when He uttered these tragic words some two thousand years ago! Here He was (and is), the Creator and the Sustainer of the entire cosmos (John 1:3; Colossians 1:16), the One Who is above all thrones, principalities and powers, the One Who is the Alpha and the Omega (Revelation 1:8), the beginning and the Firstborn from the dead (Colossians 1:18), the One Who is the Redeemer of all the Earth (Job 19:25; Isaiah 41:14), the One Who stretched forth the very heavens from horizon to horizon and the One Who formed us in the womb (Isaiah 44:24), the One Who loved us so much that He left the glory and riches of Heaven to come to this lowly plain of existence and humble Himself to live His life as an unassuming servant (Philippians 2:7), the King of kings and Lord of lords, the only Potentate there is or ever will be (1 Timothy 6:15) Who suffered Himself to be beaten, and scourged, and nailed to the cross as a common criminal. This same Person had to tell us that in spite of all that He has done for us and continues to do for us, we will, for the most part as a people, continue to reject Him to our own utter destruction! I can only imagine how hard He must have fought back to keep the tears from flowing and streaming from His eyes when He spoke these words.

Yes, it is true that all have sinned, and that everyone is in dire need of salvation, but the sad truth is for us to face is the realization that one of the most difficult of all things to do is to convince a person that he or she even needs a Savior! That, to me, is the reason that most of the world will reject Jesus Christ as their Savior, and it seems the older I get while living in 21st century United States of America the harder it gets to show the people they have sin in their lives. The world about them, operating under the influence of Satan, even when they believe he does not exist, does everything in its power to teach our young that there is no such thing as sin. There is no right, there is no wrong. I take that back . . . according to the world, there is really only one thing that is wrong anymore, and that is to have morals and principles based upon a strong foundation in one’s belief and confession of Jesus Christ as the true and risen, living Savior He is!

Rejoicing With Those Who Are Rejoicing, Weeping With Those Who Are Weeping

In the Book of Ecclesiastes, the Wise Writer declares, 1. For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under Heaven: 2. a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; 3. a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; 4. a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; 5. a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; 6. a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; 7. a time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; 8. a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace. (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 [RSV])

This past week our congregation has run the whole gamut of these emotions as we have experienced a time of great joy in seeing two men baptized into Christ, while also mourning with a sister in Christ and her family over the loss of her dear and beloved grandmother. When our new brothers in Christ came to the Lord in obedient, saving faith, not only was the excitement felt palpably in our auditorium, the very halls of Heaven were moved. How do I know this? Because our Lord and Savior told us so Himself. “Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the Angels of God over one sinner who repents” (Luke 15:10 [RSV]). Did you ever stop and ponder the significance of these words of Jesus, as well as what the Apostle Paul penned in Ephesians 4:29-30 [RSV]? 29. Let no evil talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for edifying, as fits the occasion, that it may impart grace to those who hear. 30. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, in Whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. What our Lord, the very Creator and Sustainer of the universe, and His chosen Apostle to the Gentiles tell us is that our actions affect God and Heaven! The next time you start feeling down and beginning to believe yourself to be insignificant and unimportant, just remember that your actions affect what takes place in Heaven! We can either cause great joy, or we can grieve the Holy Spirit of God. And also please do not ever forget that you were so important that God sent His own Son for you! 16. For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. 17. For God sent the Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. (John 3:16-17 [RSV])

Yes, “for everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under Heaven”: A “time to be born,” and “a time to die,” a “time to laugh” and “a time to mourn.” Sometimes, those occasions occur simultaneously. There is no more apropos verse for our time now than what Paul says in Romans 12:15 [RSV], “Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.” So do not fear to rejoice in the rebirth of our brothers while simultaneously weeping with our dear sister in Christ and her family. We are there for all of you!

Discounting the Supernatural

I want to share with all of you a few passages of Scripture and then discuss for a few moments why I chose these.

"And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.

"Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under Heaven. And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language. And they were amazed and astonished, saying, 'Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language?'” (Acts 2:4-8 [ESV])

"We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, because of the hope laid up for you in Heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and growing" (Colossians 1:3-6a [ESV]).

"And when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord carried Philip away, and the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way rejoicing. But Philip found himself at Azotus, and as he passed through he preached the gospel to all the towns until he came to Caesarea." (Acts 8:39-40 [ESV])

The reason I chose to share these passages of Scripture with you this evening is because earlier today I found that a gospel preacher had written, in reference to a passage from the Book of Hebrews, “Further do you say that the Preacher is incapable of hyperbole? Does 'forever' always literally mean 'forever' in Scripture . . . did Paul mean that EVERY human had heard the Gospel (the Native Americans, Mongols, Aborigines, Chinese??)? I do not think so.” I don’t know about you, but I find these words quite disturbing.

Why are we so afraid to preach God and His miraculous powers? Why is it so hard to believe that the gospel was taken and preached to the entire world? The word translated here as "world" is, after all, "kosmos" in the original Greek, and it means just that: the world. Why do so many in the church today, including those who are preachers, so readily feel the need to deny the word of God for what it says, and exchange it for worldly wisdom?

In my humble opinion, I believe we, as a group, in our attempt to appear wise to the world, are increasingly falling dangerously under the influence of rationalistic thought. More and more often I find those in the brotherhood dismissing the miraculous explanation in favor of a worldly, rationalistic explanation of Scripture. And the Apostle Paul had a thing or two to say to those who wished to appear wise to the world.

"For although they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks to Him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things." (Romans 1:21-22 [ESV])

"For it is written, 'I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.'

"Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men." (1 Corinthians 1:19-25 [ESV])

If we continue down this road of explaining away all of the miraculous and all of the supernatural aspects of Scripture, it will not be long before we have rationalized prayer out of our lives, too. In many quarters, this has already begun as scientists have determined that prayer only works because our brain releases “positive” chemicals when we pray, and they say the answer to prayers has nothing to do with God but with physical and chemical reactions. (Let's just forget, no, let's just deny there is a Creator Who made our bodies and minds in the first place!)

If this tendency to dismiss and discount the miraculous continues, we will soon find ourselves in league with the Gnostics, and be denying that Jesus came in the flesh. And this is the only named heresy in the New Testament. It is not only a dangerous heresy, it is a damnable one, too.

"For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not confess the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh. Such a one is the deceiver and the antichrist. Watch yourselves, so that you may not lose what we have worked for, but may win a full reward. Everyone who goes on ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God. Whoever abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house or give him any greeting, for whoever greets him takes part in his wicked works." (2 John 1:7-11)

We know for a fact that the Holy Spirit gave the apostles the power to speak in other languages. We know for a fact that the Spirit miraculously transported Philip from one place to another after he converted the Ethiopian eunuch. We know for a fact that the Scriptures say the gospel was taken into "all the world." Is it really too difficult, then, to believe that God was able to do exactly as He said He did, and take His gospel plan of salvation into "all the world"? I do not think so. I, for one, refuse to dismiss God's clear teaching when it comes to the miraculous, ANYTHING miraculous, and replace it with rationalistic, human reasoning and wisdom.

I Witnessed Two Deaths . . . and Yet I Rejoiced!

This past Sunday I was privileged, thrilled and delighted to witness a fantastic occurrence: I was present to watch two men die! I witnessed this event firsthand along with several others, so I know that it happened. I watched as these men died and were buried, and yet no one who saw this event was saddened.

It is true that no one was sad, but that does not mean there were no dry eyes in that audience. Even though I did not know one of the men personally I still found some tears well up in my own eyes as his death was manifest. Many had actually prayed for this death for a long time, and tears of joy trickled down their faces as they watched their prayers being answered as this man surrendered his life to death.

How could anyone be happy with the death of a man? How could anyone have not only wanted, but had even been praying for the moment these men would die who, by all outward appearances, seemed to be in the prime of their lives and in perfect health? Those in the audience, and those who had prayed for this moment, were now rejoicing for this men chose to be immersed into Jesus Christ, washing away their sins (Acts 22:16)!

Our sinful nature must die in order for us to have eternal life in Christ. Paul wrote, "But if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him; knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dies no more; death no more has dominion over Him. For the death that He died, He died unto sin once: but the life that He lives, He lives unto God." (Romans 6:8-10) When we die unto sin we come alive unto God in His Son: "Even so reckon you also yourselves to be dead unto sin, but alive unto God in Christ Jesus." (Romans 6:11) Once we are alive unto God through His Son, we are also members of His family, and heirs to His fortune: "The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit, that we are children of God: and if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with Him, that we may be also glorified with Him." (Romans 8:16-17)

It is only through obedient baptism that one accesses the cleansing power of Jesus' blood: "Or are you ignorant that all we who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? We were buried therefore with Him through baptism unto death: that like as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we also might walk in newness of life." (Romans 6:3-4) It is only through baptism that one becomes clothed with Christ (Galatians 3:27). Won't you choose to die to self and to sin, and walk in newness of life with Christ, that we along with the heavenly host may rejoice for your death, too?

May God bless you!

A-G-A-P-E Love

You may not know him by his name, but most likely you will recognize the slogan he originated, for it was Henry Penn, a Boston florist, who came up with the phrase, “Say it with flowers.” Penn recalls how one morning two boys and a girl came into his shop. The spokesman for this little group said, “We're a committee, and we want to buy some nice yellow flowers. He really liked yellow.”
Penn asked, “Is it for a funeral?”

The little boy nodded yes and pointed to the girl. “It's her brother,” he began. “There was a truck, we were playing – we saw it happen.”

The other boy spoke up, “Us kids took up a collection, we got 18 cents. Would roses cost a lot, mister? Yellow roses?”

Touched by the story, and the children's caring and concern, Henry Penn replied, “I have some nice yellow roses here that I am selling for 18 cents a dozen just this morning!” He accepted the 18 cents and the committee carried away the offering of love. Later Penn said, “I felt uplifted for days. I had been given the inexpressible privilege of sharing.” It is no surprise Penn felt the way he did, for the Apostle Paul quoted Jesus as saying, “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35 [ESV]). Jesus says the joy is in the giving. It is Satan who whispers in our ear, “the joy is in getting and receiving, in having and hoarding.” But do not believe it. That is all lies! And Satan is the father of lies (John 8:44).
Jesus also said in John 13:34-35 [ESV], “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” The love Jesus spoke of here was agape love, a type of love that is totally unselfish. It puts other people’s needs first ahead of one's own. Our Lord Jesus beautifully demonstrated this agape love earlier in John 13 when He stooped to wash His disciples' feet.
A is for altruistic. Agape love puts other people first.
G is for grounded. Agape love is foundational, for “God is love” (1 John 4:8).
A is for actions. Jesus tells us that others will see our love and know we are His disciples (John 13:34-35).
P is for perfect. Agape love is perfect and treats all people alike. It is impartial and unbiased.
E is for exceptional. “And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony” (Colossians 3:14 [ESV]).
Love for one another is how people will know that we are truly the disciples of Jesus. It is the agape love that can be observed by those of the world and in the world. In some way, the world needs to have the opportunity to observe the disciples of Jesus in action, in which their love that is patterned after Jesus' love can be seen. As the Apostle John wrote, “Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another” (1 John 4:11 [ESV]).

--The above was inspired by a sermon I heard as a child when I first heard the word agape used. I wish I could remember the man's name, but unfortunately, I do not.

Obedient Faith

What part does faith play in receiving salvation? A person must believe in Christ's sacrifice and in the availability of the gift of salvation. His faith must motivate him to obey the Scriptural command to repent and be baptized in Jesus' name and receive the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38). He must believe that if he will repent and ask in prayer then he will receive the gift of His Spirit when he obeys the Lord’s blest commands. His faith leads to obedience and thence to receiving the Spirit and the fullness of salvation.
There is no contradiction between Ephesians 2:8 [ESV], which says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith,” and James 2:24 [ESV], which declares, “You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.” The latter statement is certainly true when “works” means acts of obedience to the terms of the gospel. Only those who have “the obedience of faith” – those who obey the doctrine, obey the gospel, obey Christ – will be saved. Let us examine a few more passages of Scripture that bear this out.
"But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness." (Romans 6:17-18 [ESV])
"How then will they call on Him in Whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in Him of Whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, 'How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!' But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, 'Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?'"
(Romans 10:14-16 [ESV])
"Now to Him Who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages but has now been disclosed and through the prophetic writings has been made known to all nations, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith – to the only wise God be glory forevermore through Jesus Christ! Amen." (Romans 16:25-27 [ESV])
"Although He was a Son, He learned obedience through what He suffered. And being made perfect, He became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey Him, being designated by God a High Priest after the order of Melchizedek." (Hebrews 5:8-10 [ESV])
Saving faith leads a person to obey the gospel, and such obedient faith brings salvation in Christ, which is a gift of God through His grace.