DO YOU SEE WHAT I SEE 1-8

© By Danna Shirley

#1 - PUT OFF and PUT ON

 “. . . YOU put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt . . . YOU put on, the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.”  (Ephesians  4:22-24)

The Word tells us that God does not put off our old man or put on our new man. He very specifically tells us, “YOU” put off and “YOU” put on. It’s not automatic and it’s not out of our hands; it is something that is required of us. We are to make every effort to “put off”.

     . . . our former conduct

         . . . our old life

             . . . our old way of thinking

                 . . . our former attitudes and ungodly relationships. 

We are to “put on” the new man . . .

     . . . walking in true righteousness and holiness.

How?

Study the Bible, attend Sunday School and church, pray, commit your life to God. It is a lifetime pursuit and we will never be disappointed if we listen to the Holy Spirit and follow Christ.

Props:  I was able to borrow an old turnout coat from the local fire department.  I got the blackest, smelliest one I could find.  (Not to be touched due to possible HazMat contamination.) I wore all black underneath the turnout coat. My friend, Judy, wore all white. We represented the “old man” and the “new man.” Make a point of how the turnout coat smelled and looked after a life lived “in the fire” (the world).

I demonstrated that I was the old man and read Eph 4:22. As I took off the turnout coat and laid it aside (protect floor or carpet), I turned it over to Judy and she became the new man. She read Eph 4:24.  We expounded on what each entailed.

As Judy was speaking, I picked up the turnout coat and tried to put it back on over her white outfit. She shrieked and asked me what I was doing. I said, “Don’t you want to put back on the “old man” over your pretty, clean clothes (life)?”

That is what we do sometimes; lay something down and then want to pick it back up again . . . to our detriment. Once you’ve escaped the “fire,” don’t play with fire again.

#2 - ENFOLD

“Salute every saint in Christ Jesus . . . ” (Phil 4:21 KJV)

The Greek word for salute here is aspazomai (as-pad’-zom-ahee) and it means: to enfold in the arms, to welcome, to embrace. 

Isn’t it sad to observe that some in our churches receive a good hug on a Sunday morning and some are greeted rather coolly? But Paul tells us more than once to salute and greet the brethren . . . to enfold them in our arms!

If we would consider this Word from God as a directive . . . and follow it, what a sweet, sweet place church would be. Not only for believers but for those who enter our doors wary of what they might find. 

The Body of Christ might be stretched pretty thin or even pulled apart . . . but our final product is one big “lump” of believers. When we do that, we all RISE TOGETHER . . .a sweet smelling aroma for Christ.

Take this instruction to heart and love one another as Christ commanded. Consider enfolding without hesitation.

Props:  Use frozen yeast rolls (thawed). Set some aside to represent individuals and knead the others into one big lump. Demonstrate kneading the dough as you explain how we should enfold someone into the fellowship. Then take each individual roll as someone new coming into a Sunday School class or the congregation and demonstrate enfolding them into the church. Use a rolling pin to show how we can get stretched.

#3 - FISHERMEN

“Then He said to them, ‘Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.’”  (Matthew 4:19)

You must have all the right equipment if you want to catch fish. Some fishermen get magazines telling where the good fishing spots can be found. They get catalogs describing all the latest “stuff,” and of course, they go to the annual boat shows so they can drool over the big boats. Rising early in the morning to get out there by daybreak is easily done and conversation usually turns to the “big one” that got away. A lot of time and money is invested in this pastime.

Now we know that God LOVES fishermen! He called Peter and Andrew to come and follow Him, but then He had a bigger picture in mind . . . fishing for men and women and children.

The right equipment for this kind of fishing is the Word of God which is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword (Hebrews 4:12). 

The preparation for this fishing trip also requires rising early in the morning . . . to study and pray. Being faithful to Sunday School and church attendance is also good training. If you are faithful to be equipped for this fishing trip, God will be faithful to have the fish (people) ready to be caught.

Props:  Fishing pole, lures, bait, etc., magazines, catalogs, a little toy boat or a toy fish.

#4 - ROTTEN WOOD and STINKIN’ DOGS

“. . . be sure your sin will find you out.”  (Numbers 32:23)

When Tropical Storm Bill came “in like a flood” through our area on the Mississippi Gulf Coast in 2003, the wind blew and the rains came…right under my French doors. he carpet and pad were saturated back into the middle of my living room causing it to stink like an old wet dog. My neighbors helped to move furniture so I could pull up the soaked carpet and set up fans to dry it out. The process took a few days. New pad had to be put down before the carpet could be re-laid. 

Now the sad part is that I had always seen just a little crack of daylight shining through where the doors came together but I never dreamed rain (or that much rain) could have gotten through the slight opening that I had continuously dismissed as insignificant. 

I also discovered that the wood frame around the outside of the French doors had not been primed and painted properly (I was the culprit) and the wood was rotten on the bottom near the threshold. If only I had just taken care of these two problems when they were minor instead of letting them become major, I wouldn’t have needed to contend with the extensive repairs.

Isn’t that also how it is when we let a little sin enter our lives? A little crack under the door that we ignore; a little bit of neglect to our foundation and we become “rotten” and “stinkin’.” Eventually a small problem becomes a major one, sometimes even life-threatening if continuously ignored or not adequately addressed.  God is not asleep. He reveals to us the cracks under the door in our spiritual lives. We just need to pay attention and listen. Take care of the little things (sins) before they become “rotten wood and stinkin’ dogs.”

   

Prop:  Use a piece of rotten wood and a stuffed dog.

#5 - THE EYES HAVE IT

“. . . he God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe . . . ”  (Ephesians 1:17-19)

EYES are very precious. We see grass and trees and flowers, we see birds and dogs and cats, we see our family and friends, we see things worth seeing and things we shouldn’t. Everything is recorded in our memory banks and can be recalled at any time and to any degree (accurately or vaguely). Our physical eyes can see this world all around us. 

Spiritual sight is just as precious. When God gives and we receive wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him

THEN . . .

. . . our understanding is brightened, illuminated, clear…

FOR WHAT PURPOSE . . .

. . . so that we may know the hope of His calling to US

. . . so that we may know the riches of His inheritance to US

. . . so that we may know the greatness of His power to US

SPIRITUAL SIGHT!

Some of us have sight but still don’t SEE! We may go for years and finally the light switch is flipped and the wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of God is turned on and the “eyes of our understanding” have just been enlightened. Keep your spiritual sight clean and clear.

Prop:  Bottle of eye drops and/or lamp.

#6 - LITTLE SPROUT

"But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased.”  (1 Corinthians 12:18)

A blade of grass springs up in a beautiful manicured lawn. It is watered, fertilized, cultivated, and manicured. It thrives in its intended place. But have you ever seen a little blade of grass sprouting up through the cracks in a sidewalk or a parking lot? Have you wondered how this weak little strand could push its way through concrete or asphalt? But there it is for all to see…thriving in that sea of hardened blackness.

Sometimes we may find ourselves in what we think is “hardened blackness” as well. It might be where we work or where we live, or it could be our attitude toward where we work or where we live. In either case, we may feel like that smothered blade of grass. 

Don’t lose heart! Remember, God has planted us right where He wants us . . .

    . . . sometimes where our gifts can be used to help others,

    . . . sometimes where we can receive much needed comfort,

    . . . sometimes in the garden,

    . . . sometimes in the asphalt.

Maybe His intention is to plant us in the hardened concrete so we, through the Holy Spirit, can transform it into a garden. Wherever we are, we should release that sweet-smelling aroma that is the evidence of God’s presence and through Him, He makes something beautiful. 

Props:  A piece of concrete or asphalt and a small, clump of grass. 

#7 - CHOICES

 “Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.”  (Matthew 7:14)

Life is a path. For some of us it is already a well-worn path, for others their footsteps barely leave an imprint.

One can have the best home, the best parents, the best childhood, the best future and still make a choice to follow the wrong path.

One can grow up in poverty, neglect, and mistreatment and still make the right choice to follow the path to happiness and success.

Every day we have laid before us a path of choices…

. . . to have a productive life or a destructive one

    . . . to walk in integrity or dishonesty
        . . . to pursue an education or dismiss it

            . . . to live a wholesome life or a tarnished one

                . . . to do good or do evil

                    . . . to walk in health or ignore it

                        . . . to be chaste and pure or promiscuous

What path have you chosen? Did you choose well in some areas and fall short in others? On whatever path you may find yourself, it is never too late to begin walking in righteousness   . . . but much wiser to begin younger rather than older. 

It is better to start out on the right path than to find your way back from the confusion and chaos of a poorly chosen life. I encourage you to set your feet on the path of . . .

. . . productivity

      . . . integrity

            . . . intelligence

                  . . . wholesomeness

                        . . . goodness

                               . . . health

                                     . . . and purity

The choice is yours!   

Props: Make posters of signs or arrows going in different directions or choose pictures depicting different lifestyles. 

#8 - FITLY JOINED TOGETHER

“From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.”  (Eph 4:16 KJV)

Do you sometimes feel that your life is a jigsaw puzzle but some of the pieces are missing? Nothing seems to fit and you just can’t force it. God has all the pieces of your puzzle laid out in the best design for your life.  It is a beautiful picture that he wants to accomplish in you.

Now sometimes we lose our pieces or we try to fit them in where they don’t belong. They may be misplaced for awhile but eventually God exposes their improper position so we can pull them out and fitly join them together where they do belong.

As individuals we have our own puzzle to complete but God also fitly joins our puzzle into His “big picture” . . . the Body of Christ.

 “But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased.”  (1 Corinthians 12:18).

We are a puzzle piece set into our church, our Sunday school class, our ministry . . . as it pleases God!  It is an awesome thing to see God work. Especially when we allow Him to work in us!

     

Prop:  Small jigsaw puzzle to represent the individual and a large jigsaw puzzle to represent the Body of Christ.