Actions speak louder than words

1-11-04

 

Scream the truth and live it even louder!

 

I don’t take showers! Yeah we know!

 

 

A friend mine growing up was one of the strongest men in the world.  When I first met him he told us all sorts of stories about lifting weights.  One day we were in a sports store and they had an Olympic barbell set on the floor as a display.  My friend Donny looked at mike and said “I’ll give you 10 bucks if you curl this” he bends down and curls it 6 times.. and quietly walks away and says you owe me sixty bucks!

 

 

Your actions speak so loud that it doesn’t matter what you call yourself your actions will name you!

Kids growing up that had certain actions that gave them nick names

*egg – his head looked like an egg

*booger

*Linda redders bind us together

*if you go to school and people call you a druggy, jock, brain – they are because of their actions

 

 

 

Jesus said “I am the way the truth and the life”  The power behind this statement is simple if you know the secret! 

 

What is the secret about the truth?  The power only comes when you live it… it has no power by just saying you believe in it!

 

 

"If we are strong, our strength will speak for itself.  If we are weak, words

will be of no help."  John F. Kennedy

 

 

Thomas Edison is known for inventing the light bulb… he did not discover it (duh- meaning he found it under a rock somewhere) he tried one thousand things (now if that is me I don’t even know if I could come up with a thousand things… cheetahs?) to use as an element that would heat up and give off light… maybe you have heard that!  But did you know in the process of discovering light from a light bulb he destroyed his laboratory over one hundred times!  And never gave up until he discovered light!  THOSE ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS.

 

 

 

Why do you suppose out of all the writings in the bible, of all the apostles nowhere do you read of their goals, ideas, intentions or desires.  Yet they dedicated a whole book on the “acts” of the Apostles.  There actions truly spoke louder than words.

 

The life of Christ was not a story about what he said.. as much as it is a story about what he did!

 

Our generation today has been more vocal about their faith than any other generation, but have had less “action” than any other generation.  

 

 

“Incredible as it may seem, ‘accepting Christ’ and making a profession of faith makes

little to no difference in a person’s attitudes and behaviors. The majority of our churched people are adopting ‘a Christianity’ but it is not true Christianity.”

 

 

In the last 12 months

 

Cheated 76% - 74%

Lied to teacher  85% - 83%

Lied to parent  93% - 93%

Physically hurt someone when angered  67% - 63%

Who was satisfied with their character and ethics  90% - 91%

 

I call them the two percent’ers!  The Christian kids are only 2% different in their response then that of the non Christian kids.  

 

Practical ways to scream the truth!

 

1. An accountability trio - one adult and one more person your age.

1 Thes. 5:  ¹¹So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing.

 

 Pradeepan preaching at the theatre.

 

Encourage one another… do you encourager?  Do you have someone who will encourage you?

 

Rusty … crippled walking to school with his hand held crutches on his first day to school  and it was a snowy day.

 

 

2. Realize your potential.  Phil.4:12 I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. ¹³ For I can do everything with the help of Christ who gives me the strength I need. 

 

 

One of People magazines biggest sellers this past year was an issue on the richest kids in America.

Olson twins - 76 million

Athina Onassis - 800 million

Eric and Ivanka trump - 1.9 Billion

Amanda and Lydia Hearst - 5.2 Billion

 

Were enamored at their potential to have fun, do whatever they want, go anywhere etc… 

 

 

We focus on what we think we need - the truth is all we need is God and his strength.

 

 

What do you really need?  Food water shelter and God!

 

You will never live a life that screams Jesus unless you know your potential.

 

What we can do as Christians is utterly amazing… what we typically do is utterly dismal!

 

A man was once asked late in his life if he could live it over who would he want to be.  He said slowly… I would want to be the man I could have been!

 

Your Christian walk is not like Pizza Hut… it does not deliver.  You must go out and get it!

 

 

 

3. Feed the fire:  fires are out of control… they only try to contain it.  If you simply try to contain it - you will burn out.  You must feed it!

 

 

Someone once said if you are on fire for God 3 things will happen

1. Someone will watch you burn

2. Someone will try to put you out

3. Some will help you burn

 

The more you try to spread the fire the more you will be on fire.  There is one way to really be on fire… spread it!  You cannot witness to others and not stay lit for Jesus!

 

 

Your friends will not be one over by your words…but by your actions

Let me read a portion of a teen devotional I just read this week!

 

 

Teen Witch:  Most witches practice what we call daily devotions, where we take at least 5 to 10 minutes twice a day to reaffirm our faith and talk to spirit.  Sometimes we do our daily devotions at our altar (you don’t need to cast a magic circle for this) or we may walk outside and do our devotions, as long as you do them.

Your devotions can begin with a prayer you have written yourself or you can just relax and talk to God your own way.  Some witches sing, hum or chant.

Good (students) witches practice discipline.

Good (students) witches don’t use drugs or alcohol.

These are the steps to becoming a great witch!

 

Are you taking steps to be a great Christian?

 

 

Get out your pictures!

In about 2 months these pictures are going to start showing up at youth group… ahh yes graduation pictures!  Anyone have a purse or wallet that has pictures in it from friends.  How many people have pictures that have writing on them!  

What do they write about?

 

 

Has anyone’s life screamed the truth so loud that your friends wrote about it?    

 

 

As you read those… has anyone written on the back how much they see Jesus in your life.