Susie Lam, Kate Hogle, Vickie Gillum
March 21, 2021 - W2112

"A Yes Heart"

Insights and Inspiration from Women in the Word

Susie Lam, Kate Hogle, Vickie Gillum

March 20 & 21, 2021

PASTOR JOHN TILTON:  Aloha and Welcome to New Hope Oahu and those online! We're so happy that you joined us for worship! Today, the ladies of Women in the Word will speak about the God who sees the desert times that we are going through and He knows our hearts--He is a faithful God! It all comes down to A Yes Heart because our hearts guide our mind, will, and emotions; our mind, will, and emotions will guide our actions; and our actions will navigate the way we proceed and persevere in life. We will hear from three wonderful ladies who have been inspired by three women in the Bible who mentored and helped navigate their lives in modern times.  

PASTOR SCOTT HOGLE: The apostle Paul said that mentors were given to us as examples so we would have someone to follow. Susie Lam is the first mentor to speak to us today; she has been married 45 years and is a mother and grandmother; she has been a mentor for over 20 years to hundreds of women as leader of Women in the Word, and under her leadership, generations will come to Christ because of her influence. The next speaker is Kate Hogle, my wife, a businessowner, mother of our two sons. She is able to reach my sons in ways that I, as a father, can't. Also, in my weakness, Kate brings her strength! Vickie Gillum and her husband, Ted, are pastors and have led three different community churches for the last 30 years.  She’s an amazing teacher and I've learned something new every time I sat under her ministry. Vickie is also a mother and grandmother. 

When God decides to advance you in your life, He'll send you a person to mentor you, so we've asked these ladies to share their mentor/hero in the Bible and tell us why they identify with them and want to be like them.  Who is your hero outside of the Bible that you wish to be like?  Susie has someone she wants to talk about...

SUSIE LAM:  Mary (Jesus’ mother) - Humble, Flexible, and Available to God. 

C. S. Lewis said, "Humility is not thinking less of yourself it is thinking of yourself less."

1. Mary Had A Yes Heart Toward God. 

Mary was a God?fearing teenager, probably 14 years old, when the angel Gabriel appeared to her and said that she is highly favored and would conceive and give birth to a son and she is to call his name Jesus. In those days, the Jews were looking forward to the prophecy that the Messiah would be born of a virgin; and Mary was already engaged to Joseph and she had plans for the future.  So, she may have wondered, "What would Joseph think of me?  Will He believe me? Will I be stoned by the community for fornication?" It must have been a lot to take in so she asked, "How can this be since I am a virgin?"  Gabriel had told her that the Holy Spirit would come upon her and the power of the Most High would overshadow her and the Holy One born of her would be called the Son of God!  It’s good to remember that when God gives us a promise, we don’t have to make it happen--The Holy Spirit will bring it to pass!

Gabriel also tells her that her relative Elizabeth, who had been unable to conceive, would also have a baby in her old age and that she was already in her sixth month.  Elizabeth was Mary’s mentor and encourager.  Even though Gabriel told Mary she'd been chosen by God to be the mother of His Son, God never forces himself on anyone.  He always gives us a choice, and Mary says in...  

Luke 1:38 ESV, “...Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.”

2. Mary Was A Woman who was in God's Word and had a lot of scriptures committed to memory. Mary's Magnificat in Luke 1:46-55 contains 18 Old Testament scripture references and quotes. One of the reasons I love studying the Bible with other women is that we all learn from one another.  We are not meant to do life alone.  We need encouragement from others who are a little further along than we are to pray with us and model for us how to stay in step with Jesus.  Mary had A Yes Heart toward God, and when He called, she was ready, willing and available! Mary had traveled about a hundred miles to Judah to see her cousin Elizabeth and when Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, she began to prophesy, 

"Blessed are you among women and blessed is the child you will bear.  But why am I so favored that the mother of my Lord should come to me?" Luke 1:42.   

Elizabeth knew that Mary would give birth to God's Son, as the Holy Spirit had revealed it to her, and also that she would be an encouragement and affirmation for Mary.  Elizabeth burst into a song of praise to God, and so did Mary. Even though Mary was a young teenage girl, she was familiar with the Bible and must have had verses committed to memory in order to sing spontaneously to the Lord. Because Mary was in the Word and God's Word was in her, her thoughts and her heart were in alignment with God's.  If we want God to use us and bring His purposes to birth through us, we need to be in the Word and have His Word in us, too.  

3. Mary Encouraged the Servants to Obey What Jesus Said, And They Got to Be Part of a Miracle 

Jesus, and His disciples were all guests at a wedding in Cana.  When Mary became aware that the wine had run out, she brought it to Jesus's attention as it could have been terribly embarrassing for the families of the bride and groom, and she told the servants: “Do whatever he tells you,” John 2:5 ESV.

Quietly behind the scenes, Jesus did His first miracle.  He had the servants fill six huge stone jars with water, each holding 20 to 30 gallons.  It was a big job to fill them all, but they did what Jesus said, and He turned all that water into wine; and when the master of the wedding banquet tasted it, he said, “You saved the best wine for last.” Mary's simple statement to the servants is such a great life verse for us to follow. 

James 1:22 ESV says: "Be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves."

Obedience is key if we want to participate with God in what He is doing here on planet earth.   

PASTOR SCOTT:  One of the words Kate uses to describe herself is faithpreneur.  A faithpreneur is somebody who has built their business on trusting God. A faithpreneur’s reaction to a crisis is to drop to their knees, raise their hands, and listen for the voice of God! 

KATE:  My mentor is Lydia.  You only find her in Acts 16:13 and mentioned in only two verses but she’s has had such an impact on my life. 

1. Lydia Listened and Said, "Yes."

Paul the apostle is on his second missionary journey headed for Asia to Philippi, but the city is not large enough for a synagogue.  He sees a Jewish woman praying and took the opportunity to minister to her.  Lydia is a businesswoman, a Gentile who traveled between Asia and Philippi selling very rare, expensive purple cloth.  She had come to know God through these Jewish women and gathered with them to pray on the Sabbath.  

Matthew 13:8-9 NIV says:  "⁸Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. ⁹ Whoever has ears, let them hear."

Lydia did that: She heard the good news and said, "Yes, I want that." She not only said yes, but she asked that she and her whole family be baptized--she stepped out in aggressive action and invited Paul and his team to stay at her home.

2. Lydia Had Courageous Obedience

At that time in business and the world, they didn’t know how to perceive Christians or saying yes.  Lydia had an incredible opportunity to serve and have those men preach the gospel by coming to her house.  She asked herself, "What do I have that I could give?" She said, "I have a house, I could feed and house them, and I can help them spread the gospel!"

3. Lydia Served with Substance--She used Her Gift of Hospitality

 Philippians 2:4 NIV says: "...not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others."

God created the gift of hospitality for community.  Lydia saw that by partnering with Paul, she could do amazing things for God.  She had a front row seat to building the Kingdom.  Lydia is the first convert in Philippi and her house became the first church of Philippi.  The church would later support and send money, gifts, and things for Paul to use on his other journeys.

Lydia had the opportunity, basically, to create her own Hospitality Ministry to partner with God.  We all have that opportunity if we ask ourselves, "What do I have?"  "What gifts do I have that I can give or how can I serve?"  "What time, talent, or treasure can I use?"  This is the reason that Lydia is so near and dear to my heart, and I'm grateful that I could share her little story with you that's made such a big impact on my life!

VICKIE:  Ruth: Resilient, Resolute and Reliable. Reference: Book of Ruth.

I love the story of Ruth.  Whenever we say yes to the Lord, we really don’t know what we are stepping into or committing to.  We know that we will walk it out by faith, step by step with the Lord’s guidance and help.The story begins with Naomi, her husband, and two sons leaving Bethlehem because of a famine, and they move to Moab about sixty miles away. While they are there, Naomi’s husband passes away and her two sons have married Moabite women, one is Ruth.  Soon, Naomi's sons also pass away, and is alone and brokenhearted and feels lost in a foreign country; she hears that the famine has lifted and decides to return to Bethlehem.  Her two daughters-in-law want to go with her, but she tells them to return to their families and resume life in Moab.

1. Ruth Makes a Steadfast Commitment to Her Mother-in-law, Naomi  

Ruth 1:16 NIV says: "But Ruth replied, 'Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go, I will go, and where you stay, I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God.'"

Ruth is not only making a steadfast commitment to her mother-in-law but demonstrating great loyalty.  This is the second point as she carries out her commitment.

2. Ruth Demonstrated Great Loyalty as She Carried Out Her Commitment 

Proverbs 3:3-4 NIV says: "³ Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. ⁴ Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man." 

Ruth and Naomi walk back to Bethlehem.  They are poor so Ruth would glean in the fields.  Gleaning is gathering remnants of grain left behind in the fields by the reapers meant for the strangers and the poor.  The Lord is always a few steps ahead of us and He had provided a kinsman redeemer named Boaz for Ruth and Naomi. A kinsman redeemer is able to change a whole situation: Boaz marries Ruth, and they have a child who brings great joy to Naomi. The child is from the lineage of King David into the lineage of Jesus Christ born later in Bethlehem!

Ruth 4:14-15 NIV says: "¹⁴ The women said to Naomi: “Praise be to the Lord...For your daughter-in-law, who loves you...is better to you than seven sons.”

Ruth received great favor in her town of Bethlehem as she was loyal; and it all happened because she said, "Yes."

PASTOR SCOTT:  I hope today's message inspired you.  Jesus said in Revelation 3:20 ESV says: "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me."

Say, "Yes" to Jesus today!   

STUDY QUESTIONS:

1.  Who is your biblical mentor?

2.  Which of the above three women inspired you most (Mary, Lydia, Ruth)?

3. Name a time when you said, “Yes,” that God honored.

4.  What talent or gift can you use to serve the Lord?