firstIMPRESSIONS
from Senior Pastor Timothy Satryan

It’s really miraculous! Today, while many of you are reading this, I will be looking at the bright lights of a laser beam. At about 12:30 today, I will be in my brother’s office in Altoona, Pennsylvania, having LASIK surgery done on my eyes.

For those of you unfamiliar with the term, LASIK stands for Laser-Assisted In Situ Keratomileusis and is a procedure that permanently changes the shape of the cornea, the clear covering of the front of the eye, using an excimer laser. A knife, called a microkeratome, is used to cut a flap in the cornea. A hinge is left at one end of this flap. The flap is folded back revealing the stroma, the middlesection of the cornea. Pulses from a computer-controlled laser vaporize a portion of the stroma and the flap is replaced.

This whole process is completed in just a few minutes, and if all goes as planned, I will have perfect, 20/20 vision in both eyes! The change is permanent and immediate. I will walk away from the surgery this afternoon seeing, and will be able to drive back home to Wilmington on Saturday morning. On Sunday, I fully intend to be in the pulpit preaching – and seeing!

I have been severely near-sighted, wearing either glasses or contact lenses since I was in the third grade. The thought of waking up in the morning and seeing perfectly has been a foreign concept to me. I am genuinely looking forward to this miracle of vision!

Not just from the third grade, but from birth, I was spiritually blind. I could see, but only darkly and absolutely imperfectly. However, in one moment, when I was in the eighth grade, my eyes were opened. A young man in my church’s youth group shared the truth with me that Jesus Christ came to save me from my sins. He gave me a little comic-styled booklet, “This Was Your Life!", and I accepted Christ as my Savior. My eyes were opened. I once was lost, but at that moment I was found. I was blind, but then I saw.

It’s really miraculous!

Here is your copy of firstIMPRESSIONS, Volume 5.01. Live for God, on purpose, letting your light so shine before men, so that they, too, may see the truth that Jesus Christ has come to save them!

Have you been living in poverty? Last Sunday, we began a new teaching series here at WILMINGTON first assembly entitled “Breaking the Spirit of Poverty.” We discovered that many people have a complete misunderstanding of what poverty is. You can be a millionaire, and still be in poverty. You see, poverty really has nothing to do with how much or how little you have. Poverty isn’t lack. But, poverty is the fear of not getting, that causes you to hold tightly onto what you have. And, when you clasp tightly on to everything you have, God is unable to pour out His blessings upon you, for you are unable to receive them.

It has been said that anytime you keep to yourself something that God meant to be given away, it will harm you. This concept is far greater than just finances. It pertains to every area of your life, including time, talents, faith and vision.

As we continue this series on Breaking the Spirit of Poverty, the subject of money and finances must be addressed. And that, of course, begs the question of what about tithing. Should a Christian tithe?

I have personally heard many well-meaning Christians say that they didn’t have to tithe, because they “were not under the law – that Christ had set them free from the law.”

The last thing that I would want to do would be to try to entangle people with the requirements of “the law of Moses.” However, tithing is NOT a matter of law – it’s a matter of faith!

This Sunday morning, we will continue “Breaking the Spirit of Poverty” with the second sermon in this series, titled simply “Should Christians Tithe?” You won’t want to miss this life-changing message!

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Today is a special day! It is my associate pastor, Pastor Alex Giunta’s seventieth birthday! Happy Birthday, Pastor Alex!

As he turns 70, Pastor Alex has decided that the time has come to step down from his active ministry position as the associate pastor, and enter into his retirement years full-time! He will be kept plenty busy, as he has also just discovered that he is going to be a grandfather for the first time!

This Sunday evening, we will be honoring Pastor Alex with a special Retirement Celebration! Over his eleven years of ministry here at WILMINGTON first assembly, he has endeared himself to all those to whom he has ministered. We want to pay special tribute to him, and also to allow many of you to share your special thoughts about Pastor Alex!

Plan to join us at 6:00pm in the Fellowship Hall for this night of recognition to one of our dearly beloved pastors!

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Out of all the horrific stories surrounding the tragedy of the earthquake and tsunami in the south Asian area, comes a miraculous report from a small village in India. I heard of this first hand from one who has relatives in this village, and then discovered written reports verifying its accuracy.

The report says that an individual by the name of Vijayakumar, a former resident of a small town in India, currently resides in Singapore. The entire population of Nallavadu, India, was saved from the destruction of the tsunami by a single phone call from Vijayakumar in Singapore, Indonesia!

The village is part of a project run by the MS Swaminathan Research Foundation and Vijayakumar, one of the foundation’s former volunteers, now works in Singapore.

Vijayakumar saw a tsunami warning in Singapore and immediately phoned the village’s research centre, setting off a local alert.

A warning was repeatedly announced over the village’s public address system and a siren sounded allowing people time to move away from the danger area before the waves hit.

As a result, not one of Nallavadu’s 3,600 residents was killed while the surrounding area suffered massive loss of life.

One phone call resulted in saving 3,600 people. The simple act of making one phone call resulted in an entire village being spared of the death that engulfed all those surrounding it.

Have you ever thought about that one person that you need to speak to about Jesus? Perhaps you have hesitated, thinking that your singular witness could not possible mean too much. My pastor friend, have you hesitated in considering planting new churches, because you thought “what difference could just one more church mean?”

One new church? Let me testify that the Milltown Community Church, the new church we planted in just this past year with Pastor Bruce Cox, already has more than doubled in attendance. Those who came with the Cox’s from WILMINGTON first assembly are now outnumbered by those who have joined this new church from the Milltown area!

Witness to just one person? Someone led Billy Graham to the Lord! I am sure that they didn’t realize at the time the impact of what “just that one witness” would have upon the world!

Let’s reach out to someone – today. As the phone company used to advertise, “Reach out, reach out and touch someone!” Just one phone call!

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Do you want to get out of the rut you’re in? Is your life predictable? Do you do the same thing, day after day? Has the excitement gone? Do you feel as though 2005 will be just as dull and monotonous as 2004? Are you just going through the motions?

There’s a wonderful Biblical passage in Mark 10:42-52 that demonstrates the steps one man took to change his life. This passage gives us the basic steps we need to change our lives – 7 basic steps to get out of a rut. Jesus had been preaching and teaching in the area around the Sea of Galilee. On his way to Jerusalem, he passes through Jericho, where he encounters a blind man named Bartimaeus.

Here are seven steps to change your life!

1 – Assume Responsibility For Your Own Life! (:47)
“When he heard it was Jesus... he began to cry out.”

Own up to your own responsibility. When you listen to people talk about their problems, do you notice that it’s always someone else’s fault? Teenagers blame their parents, Parents blame their children, Workers blame their co-workers or their boss.

Things happen you can’t control – but you can control your response. Let me say that again. Things happen you can’t control – but you can control your response. I hear people say all the time, “He makes me so mad” or “She makes me so mad”. Nobody can make you mad. You’re the only person who can make you mad. People can do things that upset you, things you don’t like, things that hurt you; but you decide how you’re going to respond.

Look back at the scripture. What did Bartimaeus do and not do. He didn’t blame someone else. He didn’t think that God or anyone else owed him something. He did go to Jesus. He humbled himself and sought help and deliverance.

2 – Believe You Can Change (:51)
“Lord, that I might receive my sight.”

He believed he wouldn’t walk away the same. He believed that he’d be DIFFERENT. So often people pray, “God, if you’ll just change my employer"; “if you’ll just change my husband ...or my wife ...or my children...” “if you’ll just change my friend..., my co-worker..., my relative...”

God never promises that he will change your situation. God does promise that he will change you. He’ll change your attitude, your perspective, your outlook. Then you can change your attitude toward your situation.

3 – Clarify What You Really Need (:51)
“What is it that I should do for you?”

Specific prayers get specific answers. How often do we pray, “God bless the missionaries overseas.” Jesus already knew what the man needed. Jesus wanted the man to say it.

How often do we play communication games with each other? A wife will tell me, “He doesn’t meet my needs.” So I’ll ask, “Well, does he know what you need”? “Sure – he loves me, he ought to know!” He ought to know, but that doesn’t necessarily mean he really knows. You have to tell him what your needs are.

Even better, a spouse will say... “I’m so mad at him”. Does he know why you’re mad at him? “Of course he does. He knows what he did!” Again I’ll ask, “How does he know? Did you tell him?” The usual response, “I don’t have to tell him. He knows.”

We do the same thing with God. We assume that since God knows everything, we don’t have to tell him. But that’s just exactly the opposite of the way God operates. He wants us to tell him what we need – exactly what we need.

Jesus will meet your needs when you tell him what your needs are. But sometimes He doesn’t meet your needs because you never tell Him what you really want and how you really feel.

Notice Bartimaeus’ cry – “Have mercy on me”. He was beggar. Yet notice, he didn’t cry out for food, or clothing, or money or housing. He was given sight that day. He was healed that day – because he realized that his most basic need was for mercy and grace. He needed what only Jesus was offering. And because of that, he was healed.

4 – Stop Worrying about What Other People Will Say (:48)
“Many charged him that he should hold his peace...”

What were they telling him? Shut up! Nobody wants to hear what you have to say! Be quiet. This isn’t the right place... This isn’t the right time... Nobody’s ever done it that way before... You can’t do that.

We have to quit worrying about what other people think. In this particular situation, everyone else was wrong. Everyone else told him he shouldn’t do it that way.

He didn’t care what the protocol was. He didn’t care if all the people agreed that you just don’t approach Jesus that way. He knew he needed help and he wasn’t going to be denied.

Have you prayed for something and God hasn’t answered you yet? Keep on calling out to God. Do you have a need and God hasn’t met it yet. Keep on calling out to God. Are you hurting and don’t have an answer? Keep on calling out to God.

Are people telling you to give up? Are people telling you to quit. Are people telling you that God doesn’t care? Are you worried about what other people think or what other people will say? Are you concerned about how it might look? Are you worried that other people will think you crazy or you’re a fanatic? Stop worrying. Don’t quit. Don’t give up. Just cry out even louder!

Perseverance – one of the greatest attributes a Christian can have is persistence, perseverance. Jesus tells a parable about the neighbor who comes at midnight and is rewarded for his persistence. Someone once said, “God doesn’t answer shallow prayers, he answers desperate prayer.”

5 – Stop Waiting for Ideal Circumstances (:46)
“As He went out.... a great number of people...”

Remember where he was in the first of this story. He was waiting beside the road. But look at verse 46. Others were already traveling with Jesus. Others already had the opportunity. Bartimeaus almost missed his chance. This is the last time Jesus would come to Jerusalem. If he had missed Jesus, if he had waited for “more ideal circumstances", he never would have been healed.

We have to quit waiting for just the right time. We have to quit waiting for the right opportunity to come along. It may not happen. We’ve got to seize the opportunities God gives us – when He gives them.

6 – Do Something Bold and Dramatic (:50)
“And he, casting away his garment...”

Sometimes, we have to do something different. We can’t do the same old thing. If we’re going to break out of our rut; if we want life to be different, we have to do something bold and dramatic. Hebrews 12:1 says, let us lay aside every weight, every sin that so easily entangles us.” Notice those words, lay aside every weight and every sin.

We know the sins. But what are the weights? Whatever is keeping you from keeping Jesus first in your life. Whatever is keeping you from running to Jesus. Whatever is holding you back from surrendering your life to the LORDSHIP of Jesus so he can do a miracle in your life. Bartimaeus took off his coat. He did something bold, dramatic and different.

Do it now! How many times do I hear... “When I get older...” “When I get more time...” “When I get the chance...” “After I get past this test, or this meeting, or this problem, or this trouble.” As my father in the Lord, Rev. Leonard T. Jones, used to always say – “Just do it!” See James 1:22-25 and Luke 10:25ff

7 – Follow Jesus (:52)
After you’ve followed the six steps above to break out of your rut in 2005, then do what Bartimaeus did – He “followed Jesus along the way”.

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by Alan Smith

The story is told of a country lad who was hired for a salesman’s job at a city department store. It was one of those massive stores that has every department imaginable. In fact it was the biggest store in the world – you could get anything there.

The boss said, “You can start tomorrow, Friday morning, and I’ll come and see you when we close up.”

When the boss looked up the young man the next day at closing time, he saw him shaking hands with a beaming customer. After they parted, he walked over and asked, “Well, that looked good! How many sales did you make today?”

“That was the only one,” said the young salesman.

“Only one!?!” blurted the boss. “Most of my staff make 20 or 30 sales a day. You’ll have to do better than that! Well, how much was the sale worth?”

“$227,340 and change,” said the young man.

The boss paused for a moment, blinking a few times. “H... H... How did you manage that?!?”

“Well, when he came in this morning and I sold him a small fish hook. Then, I sold him a medium hook, and then a really large hook. Then I sold him a small fishing line, a medium one, and then a big one. I then sold him a spear gun, a wetsuit, scuba gear, nets, chum, and coolers. I asked him where he was going fishing and he said down the coast. We decided he would probably need a new boat, so I took him down to the boat department and sold him that twenty-foot schooner with the twin engines. Then, he said that his Volkswagen probably wouldn’t be able to pull it, so I took him to the car department and sold him the new Deluxe Cruiser, with a winch, storage rack, rust proofing, and a built-in refrigerator. Oh, and floor mats.”

The boss took two steps back and asked in astonishment, “You sold all that to a guy who came in for a fish hook?!”

“No,” answered the salesman. “He came in to buy a blanket.”

“A blanket?”

“Yeah, an extra blanket for the couch. He just had a fight with his wife. I said to him, ‘Well, your weekend’s ruined, so you may as well go fishing...’”

One thing leads to another. And that’s the way it should work in our spiritual lives. As we grow and mature in Christ, we continue to add virtue upon virtue.

“But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love.” (2 Peter 1:5-7).

Wherever you are in your spiritual life, I pray that you’ll take a step up today, adding something that will make you a little more in the image of Jesus Christ. As you add one thing to another, you can be much closer to that goal by the end of 2005.

Have a great day!

This article by Alan Smith, pastor of the White House Church of Christ, White House, Tennessee. You can visit his site at http://www.TFTD-online.com

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Here are ten rules to make 2005 truly a happy new year!

1. Today I will not strike back
If someone is rude; if someone is impatient; if someone is unkind...I will not respond in like manner.

2. Today I will ask god to bless my “enemy”
If I come across someone who treats me harshly or unfairly, I will quietly ask God to bless that individual. I understand the “enemy” could be a family member, neighbor, co-worker or stranger.

3. Today I will be careful about what I say
I will carefully choose and guard my words, being certain that I do not spread gossip, slander or malign anyone in any way.

4. Today I will go the extra mile
I will find ways to help share the burden of another person. I will find ways to make life more pleasant.

5. Today I will forgive
I will forgive any hurts or injuries that come my way. (I will also work to forgive injuries that have been inflicted upon me in the past)

6. Today I will do something nice for someone, but I will do it secretly
I will reach out anonymously and bless the life of another person.

7. Today I will treat others as I wish to be treated
I will practice the golden rule – do unto others as you would have them do unto you – with everyone I encounter.

8. Today I will raise the spirits of someone who is discouraged
My smile, my words, my expression of support, can make the difference to someone who is wrestling with life.

9. Today I will nurture my body
I will eat less; I will eat only healthy foods; I will thank God for my body.

10. Today I will grow spiritually
I will spend a little more time in prayer today; I will begin reading something spiritual or inspirational today; I will find a quiet place (at some point during this day) and listen to God’s voice!

“If you decide that it’s a bad thing to worship GOD, then choose a god you’d rather serve – and do it today. As for me and my family, we’ll worship GOD.” The people answered, “We’d never forsake GOD! Never! We’d never leave GOD to worship other gods. “GOD is our God! He brought up our ancestors from Egypt and from slave conditions. He did all those great signs while we watched. He has kept his eye on us all along the roads we’ve traveled and among the nations we’ve passed through. Just for us he drove out all the nations, Amorites and all, who lived in the land. “Count us in: We too are going to worship GOD. He’s our God.” Then Joshua told the people: “You can’t do it; you’re not able to worship GOD. He is a holy God. He is a jealous God. He won’t put up with your fooling around and sinning. When you leave GOD and take up the worship of foreign gods, he’ll turn right around and come down on you hard. He’ll put an end to you – and after all the good he has done for you!” – Joshua 24:15-20 MES

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A love that can never be fathomed

A life that can never die

A righteousness that can never be tarnished

A peace that can never be understood

A rest that can never be disturbed

A joy that can never be diminished

A hope that can never be disappointed

A glory that can never be clouded

A light that can never be darkened

A purity that can never be defiled

A beauty that can never be marred

A wisdom that can never be baffled

Resources that can never be exhausted.

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Preaching Today editor Michael Duduit shares these new euphemisms making their way around the workplace. You’re likely to hear several of these in 2005:

Blamestorming: Sitting around in a group, discussing why a deadline was missed or a project failed, and who was responsible.

Body Nazis: Hardcore exercise and weightlifting fanatics who look down on anyone who doesn’t work out obsessively.

Cube Farm: An office filled with cubicles.

Prairie Dogging: When someone yells or drops something loudly in a cube farm, and people’s heads pop up over the walls to see what’s going on.

Mouse Potato: The online, wired generation’s answer to the couch potato.

SITCOMs: What yuppies turn into when they have children and one of them stops working to stay home with the kids. Stands for Single Income, Two Children, Oppressive Mortgage.

Starter Marriage: A short-lived first marriage that ends in divorce with no kids and no property.

Stress Puppy: A person who seems to thrive on being stressed out and whiny.

Swiped Out: An ATM or credit card that has been rendered useless because the magnetic strip is worn away from extensive use.

Tourists: People who take training classes just to get a vacation from their jobs. “We had three serious students in the class; the rest were just tourists.”

Xerox Subsidy: Euphemism for swiping free photocopies from one’s workplace.

Flight Risk: Used to describe employees who are suspected of planning to leave a company or department soon.

Irritainment: Entertainment and media spectacles that are annoying, but you find yourself unable to stop watching them. The O.J. trials were a prime example.

Percussive Maintenance: The fine art of whacking an electronic device to get it to work again.

Uninstalled: Euphemism for being fired. Heard on the voicemail of a vice president at a downsizing computer firm: “You have reached the number of an uninstalled Vice President. Please dial our main number and ask the operator for assistance.” See also Decruitment.

Yuppie Food Stamps: The ubiquitous $20 bills spewed out of ATMs everywhere. Often used when trying to split the bill after a meal: “We all owe $8 each, but all anybody’s got is yuppie food stamps.”

So may your 2005 be a year in which you are not uninstalled, when you need not deal with too many stress puppies, and you have plenty of yuppie food stamps!

Yours for HIM,
Timothy Satryan,
Senior Pastor
WILMINGTON first assembly of God