The Citizen, 2012-07-12, Page 16PAGE 16. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, JULY 12, 2012.
By Pastor Mark Royall
Huron Chapel Evangelical
Missionary Church
Decision gives us direction, which
leads to a destination.
When you make a decision you
have chosen a course of action to
follow. You have established a
pathway, which will lead you to a
destination.
For example you decide to get out
of debt, which leads to a new
direction in your life of how you
handle money that will lead you to a
destination of living debt-free. But
it begins with a decision.
You have decided to go on a
vacation. You choose a time and a
place to go and with whom you want
to go and then you step out in a
direction until you arrive at your
destination.
But it all begins with a decision
and you want to make good
decisions because good decisions
lead to favourable direction, which
lead us to desired destinations.
There is a 13-word decision Jesus
asks us to make that will greatly
change your life. It really will. This
isn’t an info-mercial… it is God
speaking truth into your life. So are
you ready to hear it?
“If anyone forces you to go one
mile, go with them two miles.”
Matthew 5:41 (NIV)
There it is… 13 words that will
better your life and I am going to tell
you why.
This is of course where we get that
saying, “Going the extra mile”.
People are using this saying every
day to motivate people and
themselves to go further and don’t
even realize they are quoting Jesus
when they say it. They are preaching
the Word.
It is a phrase that we have come to
understand to mean, ‘to do more
than what is required’. I like to call
it maximum living. Maximum living
doesn’t ask, “What is the least I can
do” but rather, “What more can I
do?”
Minimum living would ask, “How
little can I do and still get by? What
is the least I can do and still be right
with God?” Maximum living is
seeking to go and grow in your
relationship with God because there
is so much more to discover.
Minimum living is settling,
maximum living is wanting more.
In this section of Jesus’ Sermon on
the Mount, He is asking us to choose
maximum living over minimum
living over and over again.
Let’s look at part of Jesus’
message in Matthew 5:43-44. “You
have heard the law that says, ‘Love
your neighbour’ and hate your
enemy.”
This is minimum living. Love
your neighbour and hate your
enemy. I can do that. This seems
doable to me. Actually back in
Jesus’ day this was bit of a stretch
for the people to make.
There was a Jewish scholar who
was very influential named Hillel.
Hillel interpreted the law, he
expounded on what the first five
books of the Old Testament taught.
His teaching career began about 30
years before Jesus was born and
about another 10 years after. So
Hillel’s teachings on the Bible were
well known in Jesus’ day.
Hillel was seen as a teacher of the
law who pushed the envelope a little
further than people were willing and
wanted to go. For example, the
Jewish people back then would have
accepted the teaching that they were
to love their friends and family,
especially their immediate family.
But Hillel would have pushed the
limit of this teaching of love further
by saying, ‘not only your
family…but love your neighbour as
well. Love everybody except of
course, your enemy because you
can’t expect someone to love their
enemy.
But then Jesus comes along and
not only does He push the limit, He
demolishes the limit. He said, “You
have heard the law that says, ‘Love
your neighbour’ and hate your
enemy.” (Minimal Living). But I
say, love your enemies! Pray for
those who persecute you!
(Maximum Living). “In that way,
you will be acting as true children of
your Father in heaven.”
Love your enemy and pray for
those who persecute you is a far cry
from just loving your family and
friends. This was a big stretch. And
yet Jesus says when you do this you
will be acting like children of God.
To put minimal and maximum living
into modern context, we could say
something like this: In winter shovel
your walk and put salt down so that
no one would slip and hurt
themselves coming to your house.
Hillel would have gone further and
said, “in winter shovel your
walkway and put salt down so that
no one would slip and hurt
themselves coming to your house
and also the walkway of your
neighbours’ house as well.”
And that would have been going a
little further than what people back
then would have expected.
However Jesus would say, “You
have heard it said, ‘In winter shovel
your neighbour’s walkway and put
salt down so that no one would slip
and hurt themselves coming to their
house but I am telling you, shovel
the walkway and put salt down at
that guy’s house whose dogs keep
getting into your garbage and keeps
you awake at night with their
barking.”
Here is an example of minimum
living versus maximum living: Hillel
would say, When you are feeling
financial pressure, “Don’t steal.”
This is minimum living. But Jesus
would say, ‘Look around and see
who is worse off than you are and
find a way to help them.’ That is
maximum living.
Hillel would say, “If someone
annoys you don’t bad mouth that
person”. Jesus would say, “If
someone annoys you, find
something kind to say to that
person”.
Hillel would say, “If anyone forces
you to go one mile, go with them.”
Jesus says, “If anyone forces you to
go one mile, go with them two
miles.”
Back in Jesus’ day the Roman
soldiers who occupied the Jews’ land
often walked through civilian areas
with their heavy packs on their
backs. The Roman Empire passed a
law requiring citizens to carry a
Roman soldier’s pack for one mile
or 1,760 yards or about a thousands
paces in either direction from his
home when asked to.
This was not an option. This was
required and as you can expect the
Jewish citizens did not like the idea
of having to do this for their Roman
occupiers.
As a result it was not uncommon
to see sticks planted in the ground
along the village lanes, where young
men had marked off the 1,760 yards
from their house required to carry
the pack if a soldier requested it.
Once he reached that stick in the
ground, those 1,760 yards from his
house, he dropped the soldier’s pack
and said, “I did what I was required
to do and I will do no more” and
with that he went back home.
But Jesus said, “I want you to do
more and go further than what is
required of you. He said that if you
are ordered to carry a soldier’s
burden for one mile, carry it for two.
This is the kind of person I would
like for you to be.
And this applies in the Christian’s
life over and over again today. You
could just do what is expected or you
could obey God and do more. You
could do the least you can do and
just get by or you could get
adventurous and surprise the socks
off everyone and do more than what
is required. And there is a quality of
life that is found here in the second
mile that you won’t find in the first
mile.
But you wouldn’t think so. You
would say to yourself, I don’t really
appreciate having gone the first mile
so why would I find any joy or
contentment in going the second
mile? Good question. Let me tell
you why. Would you like to know?
Here it is in a nutshell… When
you go the first mile you are obeying
man. When you go the second mile
you are obeying God.
When you go the first mile you are
going where man is asking and
expecting you to go but when you go
the second mile you are going where
your God is asking you to go.
And just guess… where God tends
Worship Service & Sunday School at 11 a.m.
CORNER OF DINSLEY & MILL STREETS
MINISTER
Rev. Gary Clark, BA, M. Div.
All Welcome
MUSIC DIRECTOR
Floyd Herman, BA, M. Ed.OFFICE: 519-523-4224
Faith In the Festival, Through the Eyes of the Blyth Festival Plays
JULY 15 ~ Dear Johnny Deere
JULY 22 ~ Having Hope at Home
JULY 29 ~ The Lonely Diner
AUGUST 5 ~ The Devil We Know
You’re Invited To Join Us In Worship
Hwy. 4, Blyth 519-523-4743
www.blythcrc.ca
SUNDAYS
Morning Service 10:00 am
Evening Service 7:30 pm
BLYTH CHRISTIAN
REFORMED CHURCH
Children who have completed JK - Gr. 6
are invited to Son Rise National Park
VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL
at the Blyth CRC on July 16-20th
from 9 am - 12 noon
MELVILLE
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
BRUSSELS
Rev. Elwin Garland
SUNDAY, JULY 15
Wheelchair accessible ~ Nursery care available
519-887-9017
10:00 am - Sunday Morning Worship
- Sunday School
Youre Invited
to come worship
with us
Sunday, July 15
Brussels Legion at 10:30 a.m.
and in various homes at 6:30 p.m.
Sunday School for children
4 to 11 years of age at 9:30 a.m.
Childcare provided for infants and
preschoolers during the sermon.
Coffee & cookies after the morning service
For additional details please contact Pastor Andrew Versteeg 519.887.8621
Steve Klumpenhower 519.887.8651 Rick Packer 519.527.0173
BRUSSELS UNITED CHURCH
Sandra Cable, Worship Leader
Church Office 519-887-6259 E-mail - beunitedchurch@gmail.com
Celebrating our Christian Faith together in worship
Brussels United Church
is closed for holidays in July.
119 John’s Ave., Auburn
519-526-1131
www.huronchapel.org
Rev. Mark Royall, Sr. Pastor
10:30 a.m
Morning Worship Service
ATHLETES IN ACTION
SOCCER CAMP
July 23-27
Visit the Huron Chapel
Kids Page at
www.huronchapel.org
and register on-line
for
Children
ages
6-12
From the Minister’s StudyGoing ‘the extra mile’ with your faith
Continued on page 20
getlivingwater.org
Pastor: Ernest Dow ~ 519-523-4848
Living Water
Christian Fellowship
July 15: 2 Sam. 9:1-13
10:30 a.m. ~ Worship
See website for location
of this week’s service
“Mephibosheth--and Me”
Potluck and swimming after
worship at
John & Ruth Uyl’s
180 North St., Blyth
Evangelical Missionary Church
Community VBS July 16-20 at CRC
info/register: tinyurl.com/blythvbs2012