Reuben Ewert and Living the Truth Ministries

Years ago I was asked on Monday by a fellow worker to show him the sermon I had heard on Sunday. I thought he wanted me to show him the scripture and tell him what the sermon was about. He quickly made it clear that he wanted me to display or demonstrate what the sermon looked like in my actions and attitudes. Like a vacuum cleaner salesman who learns what his product can do and then goes out to demonstrate that the product can do what it claims.

He said that he would be watching me that week to see if going to church and hearing sermons really made a difference. He was not impressed with how much Bible I knew if it did not show in my life. He was asking me to display on Monday what the preacher declared on Sunday.

Since then I have asked the Holy Spirit to help me identify at least one way that the sermon (devotions,Sunday School lesson,verse memorized, book read) can be demonstrated through my life in a specific observable way so that the beauty of Jesus can be “seen”in me. Who cares what I know if it doesn”t show? What good is there in hearing lectures on the skill of flying (cooking, driving, farming) if one cannot display the skill of flying. Hebrews 4 states that it is unprofitable hearing which does not mix that hearing with faith (the kind that leads to action).

The preachers job is to prepare and declare the truth on Sunday. My resposibility is to demonstrate the power and sufficiency of the declared truth in all my ways at all times. With that in mind I focus less on gathering more information or evaluating the preachers delivery. My focus is on making sure I have some specific personal way that I will demonstrate what that truth looks like to my family , friends , and neighbors.

Last Sunday we looked at Genesis 12:10-20 in our Sunday School. I wanted to be able to leave class with at least one way I could live differently because of that scripture. In that passage we are told about Abraham failing to practice living by faith because he tried to apply his own thought instead of God’s ways to his situation. I want to learn from his failure and be sensitive to the possibility of my walking by sight rather than what God says. I plan to be sensitive to words in my vocabulary that are faithless or words that disconnect my faith channel to Grace. These words include ‘it”s hopeless,”impossible”, “it looks like”, “it,s too late”, ” it wont work”. and many more. I will replace those with faith words such as ’ with God all things are possible”, “now is the day of salvation” and ” God is working in you’. People can “see” me living that Sunday School lesson when I use faith words instead of doubt words.

The sermon on Sunday morning was about the cross. We were reminded that we live by the death ,burial and resurrection of Christ Therefore, I plan to remind myself (reckon) and tell others that my moment by moment victory over sin comes only because I died with Him, was buried with Him and now risen with Him I have the power oft the resurrection to live as a conqueror not one who is conquered.

When I come to any presentation of God’s word with a desire to walk it, keep it, and do it i find all kinds of ways i can display it. Attending church takes on a whole new meaning if I realize that what the preacher declares on Sunday I have the responsibility to display on Monday. The apostle Paul writes about the importance of preaching so others hear but also the importance of living so others can see the truth: “Those things ,which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you: (Phillippians 4:9)

We had our fifty-fifth wedding anniversary on March 19th! On that date in 1955 we committed ourselves to each other in the context of a covenant not a contract which could be broken. We did not ‘try’ marriage to see if it would work . We recognized that marriage does not work but that it takes work. Marriage can work because it is a God-given institution for which God has provided all the needed resources. His Grace is sufficient for any challenges or pressures that intrude.

We married ‘till death do us part”. We did not consider any options which would allow us to escape the relationship. We made no prenuptial agreements. We committed ourselves to learn the skills necessary to make it work. We determined to work together on the intruding problem rarher let the problem work on us. We have not considered challenges as excuses for terminating the relationship but challenges to resolve.

We entered and maintain our marriage by finding our personal fulfillment in our relationship with Christ. Having found fulfillment we can then meet the needs of our mate when he/she ceases to meet our needs. Whenever we wander and seek fulfillment through people, ministry, work,or pleasure we know that the problem is in our deficient relationship with Christ not deficiency in our mate. This empowers us to strengthen our love even though the mate may lose the physical attraction, compatibility and fulfillment of any nature.

Those who have many mates instead of many years in a marriage are deprived of knowing the kind of intimate relationship which only an enduring committed marriage provides. We highly recommend a Biblical God-given and God-made enduring marriage.

Our grandson, Nathan Thiry, and his wife Julie plus their three children, Elijah, Levi, and Eliana are headed to the Canary Island to start their first year as foreign missionaries. Check out their super website: http://thethirys.blogspot.com/ and you find some sharp pictures of the family.

There are twenty – six in our clan and we enjoy them all. Trina (daughter) and Andy Thiry live in Chattanooga. They love to disciple new Christians in Nicaragua. Charlene (daughter) has taught music in Christian schools for many years. Char is available for a teaching job. Contact us if you can help her find the job God has for her. Renae (daughter) and Rick Finley are busy serving the Lord at Fellowship Baptist Church in Durham, North Carolina where Rick is the pastor. Tonia (daughter) and Aaron Ebert are very busy with family, church and responsibilities at Pensacola Christian School in Pensacola, Florida. “

Then come our grandchildren and their mates and children: Nathan and Julie Thiry plus Elijah, Levi, and Eliana; Jeremy and Heidi plus Jacob Thiry in South Carolina: Mark Thiry in the Marines; Matthew and Sarah Thiry in Chattanooga: Tyler and Jessica Weitz in Durham, North Carolina; Karrisa Finley; Joshua Finley; Kaleb Finley; Jacob Finley; Tyler Ebert, and Kari Ebert.

We drove from Syracuse, New York to New Castle, Indiana last Thursday and Friday Our home has is at the Steve Alford All American Motel. Steve has had a public testimony of his faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Back in the late l980’s and early 1990’s he was an All-American on the Indiana team that won the NCAA championship with Bobby Knight as coach.

New Castle has had enough snow to cause us to cancel two services . The rest of the services were well attended and the people were ready for the messages. I preached on Proverbs 10:29, “The Way of the Lord is Strength to the upright” and “Equipping the Saints with the skills of Grace” My first meeting with Grace Baptist Church was bsck in 1992. The snow then was so severe that we had to cancel the meetings entirely.

We appreciate prayer for our clan of twenty-six. We continually find ourselves in a place of great dependence on the Lord for spiritual and physical strength and wisdom Finances are tight but sufficient, jobs are desired but scarce. One of our grandsons and his wife and three children are about to leave for the Canary Islands to serve as missionaries.

We have the privilege of seeing God recruit, call and place new pastors and missionaries in places of His choosing. Grace Baptist Church in New Castle has a group of five to ten young men who attended all of our meetings. They participated ,sang and were resposive. They were respectful to the preacher when often it is not cool to even shake hands with an older person.

We count it a privilege to be in the ministry.

We woke up this morning near Indianapolis, Indiana with five inches of snow covering our car. People give us strange looks when they see our Florida license plates as we travel through New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Indiana. Well, let them look. We are doing g-r-e-a-t . It’s great to be doing what God has called us to do and we have done for almost thirty years.

The attendance has been great even on weeknights. Many people join us from area churches where we have had meetings in past years. We are privileged to challenge many people to “walk in truth” (III John 4)

We continue to be challenged to write and provide other material which will help people weave the word into their daily walk. Aaron Ebert (our son-in-law) is doing a great job at developing our website. Charlene Ewert and Tonia Ebert have helped greatly with typing and editing. Will you examine that site and offer suggestions? I”m a big boy I can handle constructive criticism. The site is livingthe truthministries.org. Pray for ability and help in developing an extended outreach for the emphasis on Biblical Living.

We will start a conference in New Castle, Indiana tomorrow. This church is not far from Indianapolis. I thought that I might wear a New Orleans Saints tie tomorrow. What do you think?

We appreciate support in any form as we continue to move through the meetings we have scheduled in February. (see our schedule on our website)

In the future we will keep in touch primarily through our blog on our website. Please get familiar with our website and pray for wisdom as we seek to multiply our message and extend it beyond our lifetime. Remember the website is Living the Truth Ministries.org.