Optimists build the planes. Pessimists build the parachutes.

Steve Brown:
Optimists build the planes. Pessimists build the parachutes. Let’s talk about it, on Key Life.

Matthew Porter:
The deepest message of Jesus and the Bible is the radical grace of God to sinners and sufferers. That’s what Key Life is all about. So, if you’re hungry for the hopeful truth that God isn’t mad at you, keep listening. Steve Brown is a professor and our teacher on Key Life.

Steve Brown:
Thank you Matthew. I’m going to say just a little bit more about this. We’re talking about the real church, the family of God, how we’re defined, and especially so in the first eight verses of the first chapter of Philippians, which we’re studying. We saw that the first thing you ought to know, that the church should be a place of praise. Praise of God and praise of each other. In Philippians 1:3, Paul says.

I thank my God every time I remember you.

Note that first, Paul praises God. And secondly, he praises God for his brothers and sisters. And thirdly, he tells his brothers and sisters that he praises God for them. That’s the natural work of the church, and it ought to go on a lot more than it does. Somebody has said.

That the optimists build the airplanes and the pessimists build the parachutes.

We need more optimism in the church. We need to become cheerleaders for each other. Let me tell you a story. There was a man walking the dark street of Sydney, Australia. When he felt a tap on his shoulder, and a voice said.

If you should die tonight, do you know where you would be tomorrow?

He turned, and nobody was there. But he went back to London and thought about what he had heard. As a result, he became a Christian. And later founded a very famous inner mission where thousands of people came to know Christ and were restored to full life. Not only that, that became, it’s the microphone, that became one of the key questions in Evangelism Explosion. The question that is asked when one presents the gospel. And literally millions of people have come to Christ because of that question.

If you should die tonight, do you know where you would be tomorrow?

At any rate, this guy I was telling you about was once asked by a Christian brother about his testimony. And the man was shocked and said the exact same thing happened to me in Sydney. That year, the first man went on vacation to Australia that I was talking about. And one of his major goals was to find whoever had asked that question. He walked the streets of Sydney every night, and finally, the night before he was to come home, he felt the tap on his shoulder. He heard the words.

If you should die tonight, do you know where you would be tomorrow?

And this time, he turned quickly and grabbed the person who was behind him. And you know who it was? It was a toothless, useless old man. He bought him a cup of coffee, and told him how God had used his words to impact millions of people. The old man began to weep, and he said, I don’t have any gifts to use for the Lord Jesus, but for forty years I’ve been tapping people on the shoulder, making this statement, and running. This is the first time anyone has told me anything that had come of it. I can die today knowing that I was used by God. Oh man, is that a good story? I don’t even know where I got it, but I suspect there are a lot of people that are in your church, the church you attend, that you’ve got Christian friends, brothers and sisters who kind of feel the way that man felt. I didn’t know. I didn’t know. So, go tell them. That’s what church is all about. Church is a place where there’s praise. Praise of God, but also praise of God’s people for God’s people. We’re not going to get it from the world. We used to, but they hate us now. In our culture, and yours too in Canada, we’re not the favorite people of the elite, and they go after us. So, if we’re going to bond, if we’re going to be what the church is supposed to be, we’ve got to understand the principle of Philippians, and that is the church is about the praise of God’s people for God’s people. Let me show you something else. In the church, the real church, the family of God, I want you to note not only the place of praise, but also the joining of joy, Philippians 1:4.

In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy.

Now, there ought to be a couple of questions that ought to be asked here. First, when you pray for your brothers and sisters, do you do it with joy? Secondly, and more important, are you the kind of person who would cause others, when they pray for you, to pray for you with joy? Paul Robbins in an article years ago in Leadership Magazine tells about George Burns. He was being interviewed on a talk show, and he was asked about his relationship to Jack Benny, who had recently died. And he said.

Well, Jack and I had a wonderful friendship for nearly 53 years. Jack never walked out on me when I sang a song. And I never walked out on him when he played the violin.

Now, if you’re not old enough, you won’t get how funny that statement is. George Burns couldn’t sing. And Jack Benny couldn’t play the violin, but they both tried to do both things, and it became a source of great, they were comedians, and it became a great source in their Shtick. So, that’s kind of funny.

Jack never walked out on me when I sang a song, and I never walked out on him when he played the violin.

Now, I don’t think George Burns or Jack Benny are Christians, but if they were, if they had been believers, and may have been, I don’t know, we’ll know when we get home. I suspect George Burns, if he prayed for Jack Benny, did it with joy. And Jack Benny, when he prayed for George Burns, did it for joy. We are called to be fresh air to one another. Warren Wiersbe tells about the time his daughter came home from school and marched to her room muttering under her breath, People, people, people. He went to her room and knocked and asked if he could come in. And he got the firm reply from his little daughter, no. He tried again and again and got the same response. Then he said, why won’t you let me come in? And the little girl said, Because you’re people too. Is that the way it is in your church? I mean, do we create the joy of being together? I used to say, and say it facetiously, that I was more comfortable with the people in a bar than I was with the people in the church. But as I’ve gotten older, that’s not true. My memories, and I have a lot of them, are of people who create joy just in the remembrance of them. People who love me when nobody else would. People who hugged me when nobody else would. People who praised me when nobody else would. People who told me their best jokes. People who walked with me when most wouldn’t. People who encouraged me when others wouldn’t encourage me. And I think of a long list of a long life of people like that in my life and their brothers and sisters in Christ. They are the people of God doing what God has called them to do. I sometimes think of the large Methodist church where I grew up. And when I think of the place, I don’t think of its doctrine, I don’t think of the sermons I heard, I don’t think of the beauty of the church where we worshiped. It was a beautiful place. I don’t think of being confirmed in that church. I don’t think of all of those things or the long communion liturgy. I think of the people, the people who cared, the people who reached out to this kid when others wouldn’t and encouraged me. And sometimes, and I still do, when I pray for that particular church where I grew up, I think of those particular people with great joy. You create joy, too. You think about that. Amen.

Matthew Porter:
Thank you Steve Brown. And with that, we wrap up this, our first week of diving into the book of Philippians. More next week, but first tomorrow, join us here for Friday Q&A when Steve and Pete will tackle this question, who in the world are the elders? Hmm. Well, if you listen to this program, you’ve probably heard about Steve’s book, Laughter and Lament, but you may have not read it yet. All good. All good. All good. It’s for you that we created a special booklet with excerpts from said book. It touches on the importance of authenticity, why the Bible is a crazy book, and explores the issue of control, something Steve refers to as the mother of all addictions and so much more. Claim your free copy of that booklet by calling us at 1-800-KEY-LIFE that’s 1-800-539-5433. You can also e-mail [email protected] to ask for that booklet. To mail your request, go to keylife.org/contact to find our mailing addresses for the U.S. and Canada. Again, just ask for your free copy of the Laughter and Lament booklet. Before you go, if you value the work of Key Life, would you join us in that work through your financial support? Giving is easy. You can charge a gift on your credit card or include a gift in your envelope. Or simply text Key Life to 28950 that’s Key Life, one word or two. It doesn’t matter. Just text that to 28950 then follow the instructions. Key Life is a member of ECFA in the States and CCCC in Canada. And we are a listener supported production of Key Life Network.