Delta Man
(Strength In Christ)
 
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.  Philippians 4:13
 
The Basic Bible Truth
 
Many years ago, C. T. Studd wrote a little poem with a recurring stanza.  “Only one life twill soon be past.  Only what’s done for Christ will last.”  I would like to amend that poem to read, “Only what done through Christ will last.”  Our Christian walk is a daily struggle to follow Christ faithfully.  We cannot do it on our own.  But through the strength that we can receive from God, all things are possible.
 
The Object
 
Athletic Warm Up Jacket And Pants
Red Bandana
Sun Glasses
Copy Of The Song “Sirius” By The Allen Parson’s Project
4 Foot Piece Of ½ Inch Soft Copper Pipe Painted Black
8-10 Styrofoam Blocks Painted Gray
A Phone Book

The Lesson
 
A number of years ago our church invited a Christian power team to our facilities and we had a week of evangelistic content meetings laced with a generous dose of weight lifting, cement block breaking, and other assorted feats of strength.  This was my answer to that week—a spoof power team like evangelist named “Delta Man”. 
 
I begin with introduction music using the song “Sirius”, a well-known sports team intro song.  (Remember the Chicago Bulls?)  I will try to have a few people in the audience cued in on what I am about to do to help create some excitement.  Running in with the music blaring, dressed in the warm ups, with a red bandana on my head and, of course, wearing mirrored sunglasses, I try to create an air of excitement.  I announce myself and explain that I am about to perform some amazing feats of strength.  My first feat is to ask for a child volunteer.  I take the black copper pipe, encourage the audience to cheer and holler, as I use my great strength to bend the pipe around the child’s head!  With that accomplished I move on to an even more demanding attempt.  I have strategically asked volunteers to carry out my “cement blocks” as if they are very heavy and genuine.  They stack them on top of each other, suspended between two platforms.  Again, urging the audience to cheer and carry on, I will, with the flair of a real power team guy, crush through the blocks with an amazing elbow drop.  By this time everyone is laughing along with the gag, and I spend a few moments explaining what I have been doing and why.  It is all to make the point that I cannot do those things that I just pretended I could.  In life there are times when we will look at issues that come our way and we understand that in and of ourselves, we don’t stand a chance of accomplishing the task before us.  But, with Christ all thing are possible.
 
I:  Who am I?  I am a child of the King, created in His image to have a one on one relationship with Him and to do good works as a result of the great gift I have been given.
Can:  A very positive term.  The focus here is not on the impossible, but on the very real possibility that we can accomplish something for God.
Do:  A verb.  We do not just hear and soak up the truth, but we take action on it.
All:  Everything inclusive.  There is nothing out of the realm of possibility when God is involved.
Things:  Real things, not just good sounding theological values, but rubber meets the road actions.
Through:  We operate in tandem with God as we go through—not around an issue or an obstacle.
Christ:  The key ingredient to everything we do.  Jesus must be our leader and we must follow.
Who:  Who is this Jesus?  God Almighty, Creator of the universe, Sustainer of all life
Strengthens:  Our own selves are nothing.  He has said that He will be our strength in time of need.
Me:  God has chosen to use me in His grand plan.  What an honor and a challenge He has laid before me.
 
I then remark that I will attempt a genuine feat of strength actually seen in the power team realm.  I will tear a genuine, untouched phone book in half!  It is carried out to me on a silver plate, I remove the warm up jacket, the bandana and sunglasses, psych myself up, encourage the crowd to genuinely cheer this time, and I rip the phone book in half, and toss the loose pages out over the crowd’s heads. 
 
Tearing a phone book in half is an art.  I can do about 1 ¾ inches of phone book max.  So I try to find a local phone book just a bit under that thickness.  Tearing even a thin book is effective.  The key is to hold the top of the spine in one hand and the top of the loose leaf edge in the other.  Bend the book into a sharp “v” shape, clamping down with your grip as hard as you can.  Begin pulling them apart.  If your grip is strong enough, the pages on the inside of the “v” will begin tearing.  Continue to pull without loosening your grip.  With a little effort, the pages will tear all the way through the book on the top edge.  Once started in this manner, the tearing becomes surprisingly easier, as the pages will tear apart nicely.  One hint, practice and make sure you can do the tear.  Its better to go with a thinner phone book than fail the tear in front of an audience.
 
 
 
 
 
 
Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

PDF of Lesson