WALKING WITH JESUS: COSTA STATHAKIS MAY 2006

COSTA STATHAKIS
WALMER METHODIST
MAY 2006.

Costa is a Methodist Minister from Plettenbergbay and before that from Bryanston. He came to Walmer for a four-day mission to talk about Walking with Jesus. The four themes were:
Walking in Grace
Walking in Forgiveness
Walking on Water
Walking in Radical Unity



Walking in Grace (Amazing Grace)
Sunday morning 28th May 2006. The church was, as always, full. The music group led with some well-known songs that seemed to be enjoyed by all. I had a Biathle that I had to rush off to immediately after the service and had suggested to Ally that she may like to join me. While I respected her decision to not do his event I suggested that she wear her costume under her clothing as I was doing. Just in case she changed her mind. This seemed to put her in a negative frame of mind and we were worried that we were pressuring her into doing these events. So the first part of the service had a little tension in the Giddy family.

The main message of this section was that “My God, In His loving kindness will meet me in every corner”. God is at every corner of your life to meet you there. He is already there in anticipation of your arrival.

Costa then went on to describe the scene when Jesus was trying to have a nap in the boat. The lake became rough in a storm that developed in the night. His disciples woke him up and he calmed the waters. He then goes on to ask: Mark 4:40. Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith? Jesus is asking the Disciples to trust him. He is saying that they should by now, after all they have been through, be able to trust in Jesus just as an experienced airplane passenger trusts the Pilot to carry them safely to the planned destination. Faith is built over a period of time and though experiences.

God seeks you and wants you to respond. It is not you who are seeking God but God who is seeking you. You have the choice to acknowledge God or not. Romans 3:20. Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with them and they with me.

Costa ended the service with the signing of Amazing Grace. He asked us to sit through the first verse, then those who wanted to make a commitment to Jesus to stand in the second verse, those who wanted to Recommit to stand in the third verse and then all stand for the fourth verse. This was a different kind of Alter Call but worked very well.

Unfortunately we could not stay as I had this Biathle after church. Biathle is a run, swim, run; short distance event. As it turned out I was the only one in my age group. And Ally, (predictably), decided that this looked like fun and also took part. She did particularly well except when it came to putting her shoes back on after the swim. She just could not manage this and ended up running with her heels pressed down like slippers. It seems that we both may be selected for the team to represent EP at the SA National Competition in East London in July.

Walking in forgiveness
We do not often go to church on a Sunday evening. We had been visiting Tim & Suzanne on Saturday evening after a wonderful short period of prayer between 6 & 7 where Bronwyn led us through the thoughts of Jesus on his last night. She told us how Jesus had prayed for three blessings on mankind: Joy, Protection and Sanctification (See the last page of this story for an explanation of the word Sanctification) and had led prayer in these three areas.

Tim had mentioned that his daughter Jessica (17) enjoys the Sunday evening services at Walmer Methodist but that he did not think that she was going for the right reasons. That this was merely a social gathering and that it had little spiritual motivation. So on Sunday I invited Tim to join us. Tim is an Anglican, I was too and he has all my sympathies (Joking of course). Anyway I picked him up, Jessica went with her friends and as it happened she sat in front of us. This was an eye opener for Tim. He later reported how much he had enjoyed the service, the music and the message. The message that Costa had for us this evening was one of Forgiveness.

Have you been forgiven by God?
Psalm 102:12 As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us.
You are already forgiven by God.

Have you forgiven your neighbour?
Have you forgiven others? Your family, your friends, your political leaders, your work colleagues and any others with whom you have had contact or have heard about. To bear a grudge is far worse for the person holding the grudge than for the person who you have not yet been able to forgive. The release of forgiveness is a weight off your shoulders. Matthew 18:21&22. Peter asked Jesus how many times should he forgive another. Jesus replied that you should forgive an “infinite number of times”. In other words there should be no limit or conditions for your forgiveness. Costa went on to advise that we should approach the person who we need to forgive and verbalise our forgiveness.

Have you forgiven your self?
If you are able to forgive others and you have complete certainty in the forgiveness of God. Then you should be able to accept God’s forgiveness and forgive yourself. Romans 12:18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.


Walking on Water
After we had heard the first two discussions Barbara & I felt that we had to “complete the course”. And so we went on the Monday evening as well.
I was not at all surprised to see that there were a fair number of people in the church. Geoff Evans was leading the Music group that evening. I really enjoy his style.

Mathew 14. 22 & 23. Jesus has gone to the shore to pray. He then wants to return to the boat where the Disciples are and He walks on water. Peter is amazed and when Jesus suggests that he should walk towards him, Peter gets out of the boat and begins to walk.
The Message that Costa presented is that:

You have to get out of the boat to grow.
Leave your comfort zone and stretch yourself and you will grow.
A storm is a way of God getting our attention.
Failure does not shape you: It is your response to failure that shapes you. Illustration of Jonas Salk who invented the Polio Vaccination: Tried 200 times before success. See the note at the end of this for more on the Polio Vaccine.


You have to get out of the boat to be able to walk on water.
Remember that the boat may also sink. Your boat is that which keeps you from Jesus. Fear will tell you what your boat is. Getting out of the boat is the start of a great adventure.

You have to get out of your boat to deepen your relationship with God.
If you think that you are getting a call from God and then you think, “Okay, I should be able to do that” then the call is not from God. God calls you to do things that are bigger than you. God wants you to rely on him.
Take risks.
It will grow you
Do not lose the focus on God.

Now I had a really interesting encounter on Friday morning after the series. I had arranged to run at 05.15 from Mill Park where we normally meet. Here I met up with a “newcomer”, Gordon. He seemed to know me but I could not remember where we had met before so I asked him. As it turned out we had met at Kerry and Rhoda’s house. He also knew me from the Mini Hockey and the church. We go to chatting and it turned out that he was a member of Bryanston when Costa was there and Costa had given the same presentation on Walking on Water. IN particular the message about getting out of your boat to grow seemed to have impressed Gordon and his family. So much so that they got out of their boat and moved to Port Elizabeth.


Walking in Radical Unity
On the final evening (Tuesday) Barbara was not feeling her best so I went on my own (not really possible in a church like ours) and was very pleased that I did not miss this message. I sat with Gaynor, who knew Costa from Bryanston and who has a child (Danielle) at Nippers, Pierre and Bronwyn. This evening Costa was very complementary about our church. He pointed out how fortunate we were to have a vibrant youth contingent such as he had seen on Sunday evening. We also have a number of music groups and a committed leadership. He is, of course, so right. We are truly a blessed community. Theo was on the organ and Costa acknowledged him as well.

During this week our good friend and running partner, Susan Burri, had been admitted to hospital and was in High Care. We heard that she was very ill with high blood pressure and kidney problems and that she had lost sight in one eye. Susan was studying for exams and I was sure that this was one of the causes of her illness as Barbara had been very stressed last year and had suffered similar symptoms. Later in the week we heard the good news that Susan was out of High Care and responding to treatment.

Her sister is a doctor and had apparently said that a probable cause was a boat cruise that they had been on. Susan had become ill and may have dehydrated. This combined with a rigorous training regime for Two Oceans Marathon and the stress of the studies may have led to her system not coping. I like to introduce Susan as only the second woman in the World to have completed over 20 Two Oceans Marathons. I am inclined to believe that at least part of the reason for Susan’s recovery was the outpouring of love and prayers that came from her family and friends.

The Basis of Christian Unity
United we stand. Divided we fall. We have a common enemy and need to stand together in this regard.
This evening he spoke about Unity in the church and read the following passage: (Just note how many times the word “one” appears). Ephesians 4: 5 & 6. ‘There is one body and one Spirit-just as you were called to one hope when you were called--One Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.’

The behaviour of Christian Unity.
‘The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body – whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free – and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.’ 1 Corinthians 12: 12-13
Costa advised us against judging other churches, don’t run another Christian church down. There are two groups: those who love one another and who live in unity…..and those who do not. As an example of Unity Costa reminded us of the Braveheart Movie where William Wallace united the Scots to fight the tyranny of the English.

The benefits of Christian Unity
In discussing the Benefits of Christian Unity the following passages are so clear and almost obvious that it would seem absolutely ridiculous to be aware of these benefits and yet to not become a Christian.

The Disciples (as do we) Experienced the Power of God “…and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles.” Acts 2 : 43

The Disciples (as do we) Experienced Caring.
“And all the believers met together constantly and shared everything with each other…” Acts 2 : 44
“And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.” Acts 2 47

They (the disciples and us) experienced Joy.
“They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favour of all the people” Acts 2 : 46
“By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” John 13 : 35
(Yes they will know we are Christians by our love)
“May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me”
John 17 : 23
At the end of this evening I was able to talk to Costa. My Mother lives in Plett and is “unchurched”. Costa agreed to visit her and to encourage her to visit their church in Plett. I may go there on a Sunday specifically to take Ena along.

Polio Vaccine. Invented by Jonas Salk (1914-1995).
The following text is “Copy & Paste from the Wikipedia Encyclopedia.

While attending NY Medical College, Jonas Salk heard two lectures that would change his life forever:
“In the first lecture, we were told that it was possible to immunize against diphtheria and tetanus by the use of a chemically treated toxin [to kill it]... In the very next lecture, we were told that in order to immunize against a virus disease it was necessary to go through the experience of infection. It was not possible to kill the virus... The light went on at that point. I said that those two statements can’t possibly both be true. One has to be false.”

The polio virus initially attacks the nervous system and within a few hours of infection, paralysis can occur. The death rate of the disease is about 5-10%. Death usually occurs when the breathing muscles become paralyzed. Polio was sometimes hard to diagnose because of its flu-like symptoms, which include stiff neck, fever, and headache.

At that time, it was believed that immunity can come only after the body has survived at least a mild infection by live virus. In contrast, Salk observed that it is possible to acquire immunity through contact with inactivated (killed) virus. Using formaldehyde, Salk killed the poliovirus, but kept it intact enough to trigger the necessary immune response.

The vaccine was first tested in monkeys, and then in patients. After successful tests, in 1952, Salk tested his vaccine on volunteering parties, including himself, the laboratory staff, his wife, and his children. In 1954, national testing began on one million children, On April 12, 1955, the results were announced: the vaccine was safe and effective. The patient would develop immunity to the live disease due to the body's earlier reaction to the killed virus.

The vaccine was instrumental in the near eradication of a once widely-feared disease. Polio’s outbreak in 1916 left 6000 dead and 27,000 paralyzed. In 1952, 57,628 cases were recorded. After the vaccine became available, polio cases in the U.S. dropped by 85-90 percent in only two years. In 1979, only 10 cases were reported.

Dr. Salk's last years were spent searching for a vaccine against AIDS. Jonas Salk died on June 23, 1995. He was 80 years old.

The following explanation of Sanctification is from an internet source.

Sanctification - Biblical Meaning --- Set Apart
Sanctification is a biblical doctrine that is emphasized a great deal in Christian teaching. Yet despite its importance, it is often perceived as a religious notion too complex to comprehend. Though sanctification may at first seem to be a foreign concept, it is one of the greatest things that has and is happening to every believer in Jesus Christ. Here we will explore the basic biblical doctrine of sanctification and discuss the key
role it plays in a Christian's spiritual growth.

Sanctification comes from the verb sanctify. Sanctify originates from the Greek word hagiazo, which means to be "separate" or to be "set apart." In the Bible, sanctification generally relates to a sovereign act of God whereby He "sets apart" a person, place, or thing in order that His purposes may be accomplished.

Similarly, when a person is sanctified he or she is being set apart by God for a specific divine purpose. The very moment we are saved in Christ we are also immediately sanctified and begin the process of being conformed to the image of Christ. As God's children we are "set apart" from that moment to carry out His divine purposes unto eternity.
Sanctification - Different Than Salvation
It is important to differentiate between justification and sanctification.
But what is the work of sanctification? What does it practically mean to be "set apart"? Sanctification can be described as an inward spiritual process whereby God brings about holiness and change in the life of a
Christian by means of the Holy Spirit.

Note that sanctification has nothing to do with living in sinless perfection. We will never be sinless in this life. In fact, the Bible warns against such false teachings in 1 John 1:8: "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us."

Sanctification is not about trying to be sinless in order to earn the favor of God. Rather, sanctification is for our own benefit. God commands us to pursue sanctification so that through it we may be blessed.

Peter Giddy
1 June 2006.

Thanks to Robyn for the use of her AV presentation and notes.

On 14 June 2009: My brother Ian died. Having met Costa and also having been to his church with Ena, I felt comfortable to ask him to provide the facitlty for a Memorial Service for Ian at the Plett Methodist Church. He conducted a wonderful service and I have Blogged this as Eulogy to Ian Giddy.