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We all have opportunities to make
a difference
in someone else's life
and today Peggy
will be talking about making a difference
particularly in a child's life
in the passages I'll be reading Jesus makes it very clear to the disciples
the importance
of children
that children are at the very center of life in the kingdom
that we are all to adopt
A childlike faith
and that our work is never done
it's our responsibility
To love
nurture and raise them up to become fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ
so as I begin reading
from Mark
chapter ten versus thirteen through sixteen
and in Galatians chapter six verses nine and ten
please follow along in your Bibles
or in your bulletins
from Mark
the people brought children to Jesus hoping he might touch them
the disciples shooed them off
but Jesus was irate and let them know it don't push these children away don't
ever get between them and me
these children are at the very center of life
in the kingdom
mark this
unless you accept God's kingdom in the simplicity of a child
you'll never get in
then gathering the children up in his arms he laid his hands, a blessing on them
now from Galatians
so let's not allow ourselves to get the fatigued_ doing good
at the right time we'll harvest a good crop if we don't give up or quit
right now therefore every time we get the chance
Let's work for the benefit of all starting with the people closest to us
in the community of faith
Well, good morning everybody
My name is Peggy McKellar and I'm the children's minister here
and if you can believe this I have been doing children's ministry for over ten
years
I know quite a few of you that are here today and it's a real privilege
I'm to be able to stand before you and preach the word of God
that I have to tell you, not in my wildest dreams did I ever think
that I would be children's minister
I never believed that I'd be on the staff
in church
and here I am
standing here
talking to you
my passion has always been music
and I spent much of my young adult life pursuing that musical dream trying to
figure out just where I fit again
in this great big world
really neat thing is God was always watching
and thank goodness God is patient
because he was patiently watching
reminding me that he cared about me and that he loves me
everyone
has a purpose in God's perfect plan
In fact it says in Ephesians chapter one verse eleven
it's in Christ that we find out who we are
what we're looking for
long before we first heard of Christ and got our hopes up
he had his eye on us
had designs on us for glorious
living
part of the overall purpose he is working out everything
and everyone
You see
we don't choose God
he chooses ***
I married my husband Kent
my high-school sweetheart and the love of my life and very best friend
and a few years after that we had children and I have a daughter Jennifer
And a son, Jameson and a beautiful grandsons Aiden
as my kids began to get older I realized I think they need a little church
and so I did the good and honorable thing and I found this great little Baptist
church
and Wednesday night program a really good children's ministry
and I drop them off every Wednesday night and Kent and I said yes! date night
worked out really well and it was free
it was a long after that that I realized
God wasn't just trying to reach my children
he was tapping me on the shoulder and he wanted me to come home
So I got the drift a little bit and I started to go to church
I attended Sunday school classes
I got involved in the music ministry
and it finally dawned on me
my gosh
You see God wasn't just trying to get my kids to come back to church
he was calling me home
you see I understand the significance
Of winning kids to Christ
though people like me
I mean I it was the queen a dropping my kids off at church and then going off
and doing my own thing
I understand
how important it is
to allow those kids to come and so we have the opportunity to love them up
And to mentor to them
and this is a really amazing thinking
God's plans can not thwarted no matter how off track we are
so somebody like me who is using churches the babysitting facility
totally out of line
and God is sitting there and he's got a great sense of humor
He says I'll gets you
you just wait
just say yes
God starts
right where you are
when I was first asked to join the staff here at SCC
I said
are you serious?
I mean, I don't have what it takes
I don't have the experience
I don't have any education in ministry
but after a lot of thought and prayer
I realized that you know
my whole life has been a training ground
For this
very time
I didn't have the proper tools
I didn't have the proper equipment
I just said yes
was I terrified?
yes
Am I terrified now?
yes
first-time
but I said yes and that's one of the reasons I did say yes
because I always
try to listen to God's gentle nudgings
Jeremiah chapter twenty-nine verse eleven says for I don't know the plans
I have for you declares the Lord
plans to prosper you
not to harm you
plans to give you hope
and a future
You see we are all encouraged by leader who stirs that emotion in us
who
really believes that we are up for the task and the challenge that he has set
before us
well here's the good news
God
is that kind of leader
his plans are to prosper you
to give you hope
to walk alongside you
so that you can be part of the glorious conclusion
Is that good news, Amen
God uses ordinary people to do extraordinary things in the Bible is
full of ordinary people doing extraordinary things
people like Rahab
a ***
who had the courage
and the faith
to say yes
people like Ruth an unknown widow
from Moab tribe
but had courage
to follow and say yes
How about David a shepherd boy
God used him to be a king
and how about Jesus' own disciples
Peter, John, James, Andrew
fishermen
they all had
one thing in common
they all said yes
they had the courage
to walk through the door
did they make mistakes? plenty
Do you make mistakes? Do I make mistakes
everyday
but they said yes
Proverbs twenty, twenty one says many
are the plans in a man's heart but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails
When God uses you
past failures don't disqualify you
and your imperfections do not diminish your abilities
in other words it isn't what happens to you that matters
it's what you do with what happens to you
we are called to rise up
and start over
and just say yes
we have to be willing to take a risk
many times opportunities passes us by because we've become so frozen
we can't move, we can't go left we can't go right
we can't say yes, we can't say no
and we're just stuck
like a parked car
and that's the worst kind of stuck
because I guarantee one thing being stuck right here doing absolutely
nothing
Guess what the outcome of that is going to be. Nothing!
So even if you make a step forward even if it's In the wrong direction
by process of elimination
you get closer to the right thing, right?
See You have got
To be able to take risks
in my ministry staying parked
and doing nothing
we're talking about lost opportunities
for eternity
we're talking about children
If I don't say yes
when an opportunity arises in front of me
for a child to come into the kingdom of God I have
absolutely
Made it almost impossible
for them to enter the kingdom
that's how serious this can be
By the time kids are in fifth grade
they have already for any idea who this big God is
and whether they're going to have a relationship with Him
we in the church
have approximately forty hours a year
to make that great impact
to make a significant difference
that's it
and what we do with that time that is allotted to us
is very, very important
Where in the Bible does it say
When I have served for five years, ten years twenty years, fifty years
that I'm done
nowhere
in fact it says just the opposite in Galatians chapter six verse nine it
says
so let us not allow ourselves to get fatigued doing good
at the right time we'll harvest a good crop if we don't give up for quit
Right now therefore
every time we get the chance let us work for the benefit of all
starting with the people closest to us
starting right here
our work
is never done
and we need to rethink
That whole role that we have in the body of Christ
In Matthew twenty eight it says go and make disciples of all nation
Baptizing them in the name of the father
and the Son
and of the Holy Spirit
and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you
nowhere in that verse did it say go and make
disciples
when you're having a good day
Go and make disciples every Tuesday at nine AM
Go and make disciples after having a full breakfast
And three cups of coffee, no
it says go
and make disciples
it's a commandment
that we are to do
When we are frightened
when we
feel burdened
when we are very, very unsure
of just where we are to go
who to trust
how to move
whether to move
we need to have the courage
to look
Up. I had a really good friend one time het told me you know what if you're down
on your knees and you're hurting and you're looking up you are in a good place
that was one of the most encouraging words I think I've ever heard. Down on
your knees looking up
because guess what
that is when we need Him
When we're down on our knees
When everything's going great we don't need him
when we're hurting
and we feel alone and we are indecisive
We are looking all over for Him
Don't feel bad
if you're down on your knees
I've been there so many times and every time
it has raised me up
To be something better
you see we have to be strong
and in Proverbs three
five-six it says trust in the Lord with all your heart do not
Depend on your own understanding
Seek His will in all you do and he
He will direct your path
you want to make a difference
starts with one child at a time and it's a great story that illustrates this
there is this man walking along the beach
he notices way
out in the distance
This little silhouette
And as he began to get closer and put closer he realizes it's just a little boy
and little boy is bending down picking something up in and throwing in the surf
The man said what are you doing?
And the little boy replied
well
The surf is going out and the sun is coming up And if I don't get all the starfish back
into the water
They are going to die
and the man looked at him and said son
don't you realize that there are miles and miles of beach and thousands
and thousands of starfish
you can't possibly save them all
and the little boy bent down
picked up a starfish
he threw it in the water
he said
made a difference to that one
Want to make a difference
starts with one life
at a time
It starts in my ministry
With children
people of the body of Christ and children since that it what I am so passionate
about
need to know that you love them they need to know that you care enough to
get in front of them
They don't care
how much head knowledge you can cram down their throats
They care about heart knowledge
they care about you
when they know
you care
it's really, really true
I have always told my leaders you know, I don't care
uh...
what you've done in a classroom as long as a child feels safe
and loved and if you've done those two things you've done your job well
because if we have modeled those two things and that means that they have
walked away
feeling
that Christ like behavior
that's the most important thing
we need to be real because kids know if you look in your eyes and they know if
you want to be with them or not they can see what your true intentions are
they know more than anybody because they haven't had all of life happen to them
yet
they know if you're real
and we need a model Christ like behavior Mark chapter ten verse thirteen
to sixteen says
the people brought children to Jesus hoping he might touch them
and the disciples shooed them away
but Jesus was irate and let them know it
Don't push these children away from me
Don't ever get between me
and them
these children are the very center of life in the kingdom
mark this
unless you accept
God's kingdom in the simplicity of a child you'll never get in
they gathering the children up in his arms he laid his hands a blessing on
them
I would say that sends a pretty strong message
as far as what Jesus thinks our role and children should be
he makes a very clear that they are the center of life
and a very kingdom
and that we ourselves are to become just like them
and have a child like faith
D L Moody was one of the great evangelists in American history
and over a million reporting conversions are credited him
and after returning after an evening of witnessing a friend asked him
well how did you
D L Moody replied
Praise God
Three and a half conversions tonight
and his friend said well you must mean
three adults and one child
and to that Mr Moody replied no
three children
and one adult
You see, Moody understood
the significance
of the soul
no matter the age
we need to understand
the significance
of the soul
No matter the age that's why it's so cool ministers we see baptisms happening
six years old, fifteen
Years old
fifty years old
Eighty years old
You see
talking about soul the eternal difference
I said before we have forty hours a year to win kids
to Christ that's all we have
and what we do and as a small amount of time is very, very important
I take the call of working
with children
is one of the most significant most important parts of the body that there
is
and I feel privileged
to be part
that very, very special team
the personal energy that it takes to working with kids is considerable
and I'm very, very fortunate God has blessed me, even now
with lots of energy
is that I have a willing spirit
and I do dearly love them
when I'm finally home
and standing in front of my Lord and savior and He asks that question
and he says Peggy
what'd you do with the gifts
that I've given you
and I want him to be able to say
well done
good and faithful servant
you have been faithful with a few things I will put you in charge of many
Come and share
In your master's happiness
Let us pray
It is so comforting to know the long before we even knew about You
and got our hopes
about you
that you had your eye on us
you had designs of glorious living
that each of us
has a significant part
And that we were each designed
For a special purpose
and a special purpose to fulfill
Help us today father yield to your will
to just say yes
and trust you to lead us
to a glorious conclusion. Amen