(no subject)
This object lesson is a wonderful example of Christ's passion.
> How appropriate that this is being circulated at the time Mel
> Gibson's movie is released.
>
> There was a certain Professor of Religion named Dr.
> Christianson,a studious man who taught at a small college in the Western
> United States. Dr. Christianson taught the required survey course in
> Christianity at this particular institution. Every student was
> required to take this course his or her freshman year
> regardless of his or her major. Although Dr. Christianson tried hard to
> communicate the essence of the gospel in his class, he found
> that most of his students looked upon the course as nothing but required
> drudgery. Despite his best efforts, most students refused to take
> Christianity seriously.
> This year, Dr. Christianson had a special student named Steve.
> Steve was only a freshman, but was studying with the intent of
> going on to seminary for the ministry. Steve was popular, he was well
> liked, and he was an imposing physical specimen. He was now the
> starting center on the school football team, and was the best student in
> the professor's class.
>
> One day, Dr. Christianson asked Steve to stay after class so he
> could talk with him. "How many push-ups can you do?"
> Steve said, "I do about 200 every night." "200? That's pretty good,
Steve," Dr. Christianson said. "Do
> you think you could do 300?" Steve replied, "I don't know... I've never
done 300 at a time."
> Do you think you could?" again asked Dr. Christianson."Well, I can try,"
said Steve.
> "Can you do 300 in sets of 10? I have a class project in mind
> and I need you to do about 300 push-ups in sets of ten for this to
> work. Can you do it? I need you to tell me you can do it," said
> the professor. Steve said, "Well... I think I can...yeah, I can do it."
> Dr. Christianson said, "Good! I need you to do this on Friday.
> Let me explain what I have in mind."
>
> Friday came and Steve got to class early and sat in the front
> of the room. When class started, the professor
> pulled out a big box of donuts. No these weren't
> the normal kinds of donuts, they were the extra fancy BIG kind,
> with cream centers and frosting swirls. Everyone was pretty excited it
was Friday, the last class of
> the day, and they were going to get an early start on the weekend with a
> party in Dr. Christianson's class.
>
> Dr. Christianson went to the first girl in the first row and
> asked, "Cynthia, do you want to have one of these donuts?"
> Cynthia said, "Yes."Dr. Christianson then turned to Steve and asked,
"Steve, would
> you do ten push-ups so that Cynthia can have a donut?"Sure." Steve jumped
down from his desk to do a quick ten. Then
> Steve again sat in his desk. Dr. Christianson put a donut on
> Cynthia's desk.
>
> Dr. Christianson then went to Joe, the next person, and asked,
> "Joe, do you want a donut?" Joe said, "Yes." Dr. Christianson
> asked, "Steve would you do ten push-ups so Joe can have
> a donut?" Steve did ten push-ups, Joe got a donut. And so
> it went, down the first aisle, Steve did ten pushups for every person
> before they got their donut. And down the second aisle, till
> Dr. Christianson came to Scott.
> Scott was on the basketball team, and in as good condition as
> Steve. He was very popular and never lacking for female
> companionship. When the professor asked, "Scott do you want a
> donut?" Scott's reply was, "Well, can I do my own pushups?"
> Dr. Christianson said, "No, Steve has to do them."
> Then Scott said, "Well, I don't want one then."
>
> Dr. Christianson shrugged and then turned to Steve and asked,
> "Steve, would you do ten pushups so Scott can have a donut he
> doesn't want?" With perfect obedience Steve started to do ten
> pushups. Scott said, "HEY! I said I didn't want one!"
>
> Dr. Christianson said, "Look, this is my classroom, my class,
> my desks, and these are my donuts. Just leave it on the desk if
> you don't want it." And he put a donut on Scott's desk.
> Now by this time, Steve had begun to slow down a little. He
> just stayed on the floor between sets because it took too much
> effort to be getting up and down. You could start to see a little
> perspiration coming out around his brow. Dr. Christianson started down the
> third row. Now the students were beginning to get a little angry.
> Dr. Christianson asked Jenny, "Jenny, do you want a donut?"
> Sternly, Jenny said, "No." Then Dr. Christianson asked Steve, "Steve,
would you do ten
> more Push-ups so Jenny can have a donut that she doesn't want?"
> Steve did ten....Jenny got a donut.
>
> By now, a growing sense of uneasiness filled the room. The
> students were beginning to say "No" and there were all these
> uneaten donuts on the desks. Steve also had to really put forth a lot of
extra effort to get
> these pushups done for each donut. There began to be a small pool of
> sweat on the floor beneath his face, his arms and brow were
> beginning to get red because of the physical effort involved.
>
> Dr. Christianson asked Robert, who was the most vocal
> unbeliever in the class, to watch Steve do each push up to make sure he
> did the full ten pushups in a set because he couldn't bear to watch
> all of Steve's work for all of those uneaten donuts. He sent Robert
> over to where Steve was so Robert could count the set and watch
> Steve closely.
>
> Dr. Christianson started down the fourth row.
> During his class, however, some students from other classes had
> wandered in and sat down on the steps along the radiators that
> ran down the sides of the room. When the professor realized this,
> he did a quick count and saw that now there were 34 students in
> the room.He started to worry if Steve would be able to make it. Dr.
> Christianson went on to the next person and the next and the next. Near
the
> end of that row, Steve was really having a rough time. He was
> taking alot more time to complete each set.
>
> Steve asked Dr. Christianson, "Do I have to make my nose touch
> on each one?" Dr. Christianson thought for a moment, "Well, they're your
> pushups. You are in charge now. You can do them any way that
> you want." And Dr. Christianson went on.
>
> A few moments later, Jason, a recent transfer student, came to
> the room and was about to come in when all the students yelled in
> one voice, "NO! Don't come in! Stay out!" Jason didn't know what
> was going on. Steve picked up his head and said, "No, let him
> come." Professor Christianson said, "You realize that if Jason comes
> in you will have to do ten pushups for him?"
> Steve said, "Yes, let him come in. Give him a donut"
> Dr. Christianson said, "Okay, Steve, I'll let you get Jason's
> out of the way right now. Jason, do you want a donut?"
> Jason, new to the room hardly knew what was going on. "Yes," he
> said, "give me a donut."
> "Steve, will you do ten push-ups so that Jason can have a
> donut?" Steve did ten pushups very slowly and with great effort. Jason,
> bewildered, was handed a donut and sat down.
> Dr. Christianson finished the fourth row, then started on those
> visitors seated by the heaters. Steve's arms were now shaking
> with each push-up in a struggle to lift himself against the force of
> gravity. Sweat was profusely dripping off of his face and, by
> this time, there was no sound except his heavy breathing. There was
> not dry eye in the room.
> The very last two students in the room were two young women,
> both cheerleaders, and very popular. Dr. Christianson went to Linda,
> the second to last, and asked, "Linda, do you want a doughnut?"
> Linda said, very sadly, "No, thank you."
> Professor Christianson quietly asked, "Steve, would you do ten
> push-ups so that Linda can have a donut she doesn't want?"
> Grunting from the effort, Steve did ten very slow pushups for Linda.
>
> Then Dr. Christianson turned to the last girl, Susan. "Susan,
> do you want a donut?" Susan, with tears flowing down her face,
> began cry. "Dr. Christianson, why can't I help him?"
>
> Dr. Christianson, with tears of his own, said, "No, Steve has
> to do it alone, I have given him this task and he is in charge of
> seeing that everyone has an opportunity for a donut whether
> they want it or not.
>
> When I decided to have a party this last day of class,
> I looked at my grade book. Steve, here is the only student with a
> perfect grade. Everyone else has failed a test, skipped class, or offered
me
> inferior work. Steve told me that in football practice, when a
> player messes up he must do push-ups. I told Steve that none of you could
> come to my party unless he paid the price by doing your push ups. He and I
> made a deal for your sakes. Steve, would you do ten push-ups so Susan
> can have a donut?" As Steve very slowly finished his last pushup,
> with the understanding that he had accomplished all that was required of
> him, having done 350 pushups, his arms buckled beneath him and he
> fell to the floor
>
> Dr. Christianson turned to the room and said. "And so it was,
> that our Savior, Jesus Christ, on the cross, plead to the Father,
> 'into thy hands I commend my spirit.' With the understanding that He
> had done everything that was required of Him, he yielded up His
> life. And like some of those in this room, many of us leave the gift
> on the desk, uneaten." Two students helped Steve up off the floor and
> to a seat, physically exhausted, but wearing a thin smile. "Well
> done, good and faithful servant," said the professor, adding, "Not
> all sermons are preached in words."
>
> Turning to his class the professor said, "My wish is that you
> might understand and fully comprehend all the riches of grace
> and mercy that have been given to you through the sacrifice of our
> Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. God spared not His Only Begotten Son,
> but gave Him up for us all, for the whole Church, now and forever.
> Whether or not we choose to accept His gift to us, the price
> has been paid.
>
> Wouldn't you be foolish and ungrateful to leave it laying on
> the desk?"
> How appropriate that this is being circulated at the time Mel
> Gibson's movie is released.
>
> There was a certain Professor of Religion named Dr.
> Christianson,a studious man who taught at a small college in the Western
> United States. Dr. Christianson taught the required survey course in
> Christianity at this particular institution. Every student was
> required to take this course his or her freshman year
> regardless of his or her major. Although Dr. Christianson tried hard to
> communicate the essence of the gospel in his class, he found
> that most of his students looked upon the course as nothing but required
> drudgery. Despite his best efforts, most students refused to take
> Christianity seriously.
> This year, Dr. Christianson had a special student named Steve.
> Steve was only a freshman, but was studying with the intent of
> going on to seminary for the ministry. Steve was popular, he was well
> liked, and he was an imposing physical specimen. He was now the
> starting center on the school football team, and was the best student in
> the professor's class.
>
> One day, Dr. Christianson asked Steve to stay after class so he
> could talk with him. "How many push-ups can you do?"
> Steve said, "I do about 200 every night." "200? That's pretty good,
Steve," Dr. Christianson said. "Do
> you think you could do 300?" Steve replied, "I don't know... I've never
done 300 at a time."
> Do you think you could?" again asked Dr. Christianson."Well, I can try,"
said Steve.
> "Can you do 300 in sets of 10? I have a class project in mind
> and I need you to do about 300 push-ups in sets of ten for this to
> work. Can you do it? I need you to tell me you can do it," said
> the professor. Steve said, "Well... I think I can...yeah, I can do it."
> Dr. Christianson said, "Good! I need you to do this on Friday.
> Let me explain what I have in mind."
>
> Friday came and Steve got to class early and sat in the front
> of the room. When class started, the professor
> pulled out a big box of donuts. No these weren't
> the normal kinds of donuts, they were the extra fancy BIG kind,
> with cream centers and frosting swirls. Everyone was pretty excited it
was Friday, the last class of
> the day, and they were going to get an early start on the weekend with a
> party in Dr. Christianson's class.
>
> Dr. Christianson went to the first girl in the first row and
> asked, "Cynthia, do you want to have one of these donuts?"
> Cynthia said, "Yes."Dr. Christianson then turned to Steve and asked,
"Steve, would
> you do ten push-ups so that Cynthia can have a donut?"Sure." Steve jumped
down from his desk to do a quick ten. Then
> Steve again sat in his desk. Dr. Christianson put a donut on
> Cynthia's desk.
>
> Dr. Christianson then went to Joe, the next person, and asked,
> "Joe, do you want a donut?" Joe said, "Yes." Dr. Christianson
> asked, "Steve would you do ten push-ups so Joe can have
> a donut?" Steve did ten push-ups, Joe got a donut. And so
> it went, down the first aisle, Steve did ten pushups for every person
> before they got their donut. And down the second aisle, till
> Dr. Christianson came to Scott.
> Scott was on the basketball team, and in as good condition as
> Steve. He was very popular and never lacking for female
> companionship. When the professor asked, "Scott do you want a
> donut?" Scott's reply was, "Well, can I do my own pushups?"
> Dr. Christianson said, "No, Steve has to do them."
> Then Scott said, "Well, I don't want one then."
>
> Dr. Christianson shrugged and then turned to Steve and asked,
> "Steve, would you do ten pushups so Scott can have a donut he
> doesn't want?" With perfect obedience Steve started to do ten
> pushups. Scott said, "HEY! I said I didn't want one!"
>
> Dr. Christianson said, "Look, this is my classroom, my class,
> my desks, and these are my donuts. Just leave it on the desk if
> you don't want it." And he put a donut on Scott's desk.
> Now by this time, Steve had begun to slow down a little. He
> just stayed on the floor between sets because it took too much
> effort to be getting up and down. You could start to see a little
> perspiration coming out around his brow. Dr. Christianson started down the
> third row. Now the students were beginning to get a little angry.
> Dr. Christianson asked Jenny, "Jenny, do you want a donut?"
> Sternly, Jenny said, "No." Then Dr. Christianson asked Steve, "Steve,
would you do ten
> more Push-ups so Jenny can have a donut that she doesn't want?"
> Steve did ten....Jenny got a donut.
>
> By now, a growing sense of uneasiness filled the room. The
> students were beginning to say "No" and there were all these
> uneaten donuts on the desks. Steve also had to really put forth a lot of
extra effort to get
> these pushups done for each donut. There began to be a small pool of
> sweat on the floor beneath his face, his arms and brow were
> beginning to get red because of the physical effort involved.
>
> Dr. Christianson asked Robert, who was the most vocal
> unbeliever in the class, to watch Steve do each push up to make sure he
> did the full ten pushups in a set because he couldn't bear to watch
> all of Steve's work for all of those uneaten donuts. He sent Robert
> over to where Steve was so Robert could count the set and watch
> Steve closely.
>
> Dr. Christianson started down the fourth row.
> During his class, however, some students from other classes had
> wandered in and sat down on the steps along the radiators that
> ran down the sides of the room. When the professor realized this,
> he did a quick count and saw that now there were 34 students in
> the room.He started to worry if Steve would be able to make it. Dr.
> Christianson went on to the next person and the next and the next. Near
the
> end of that row, Steve was really having a rough time. He was
> taking alot more time to complete each set.
>
> Steve asked Dr. Christianson, "Do I have to make my nose touch
> on each one?" Dr. Christianson thought for a moment, "Well, they're your
> pushups. You are in charge now. You can do them any way that
> you want." And Dr. Christianson went on.
>
> A few moments later, Jason, a recent transfer student, came to
> the room and was about to come in when all the students yelled in
> one voice, "NO! Don't come in! Stay out!" Jason didn't know what
> was going on. Steve picked up his head and said, "No, let him
> come." Professor Christianson said, "You realize that if Jason comes
> in you will have to do ten pushups for him?"
> Steve said, "Yes, let him come in. Give him a donut"
> Dr. Christianson said, "Okay, Steve, I'll let you get Jason's
> out of the way right now. Jason, do you want a donut?"
> Jason, new to the room hardly knew what was going on. "Yes," he
> said, "give me a donut."
> "Steve, will you do ten push-ups so that Jason can have a
> donut?" Steve did ten pushups very slowly and with great effort. Jason,
> bewildered, was handed a donut and sat down.
> Dr. Christianson finished the fourth row, then started on those
> visitors seated by the heaters. Steve's arms were now shaking
> with each push-up in a struggle to lift himself against the force of
> gravity. Sweat was profusely dripping off of his face and, by
> this time, there was no sound except his heavy breathing. There was
> not dry eye in the room.
> The very last two students in the room were two young women,
> both cheerleaders, and very popular. Dr. Christianson went to Linda,
> the second to last, and asked, "Linda, do you want a doughnut?"
> Linda said, very sadly, "No, thank you."
> Professor Christianson quietly asked, "Steve, would you do ten
> push-ups so that Linda can have a donut she doesn't want?"
> Grunting from the effort, Steve did ten very slow pushups for Linda.
>
> Then Dr. Christianson turned to the last girl, Susan. "Susan,
> do you want a donut?" Susan, with tears flowing down her face,
> began cry. "Dr. Christianson, why can't I help him?"
>
> Dr. Christianson, with tears of his own, said, "No, Steve has
> to do it alone, I have given him this task and he is in charge of
> seeing that everyone has an opportunity for a donut whether
> they want it or not.
>
> When I decided to have a party this last day of class,
> I looked at my grade book. Steve, here is the only student with a
> perfect grade. Everyone else has failed a test, skipped class, or offered
me
> inferior work. Steve told me that in football practice, when a
> player messes up he must do push-ups. I told Steve that none of you could
> come to my party unless he paid the price by doing your push ups. He and I
> made a deal for your sakes. Steve, would you do ten push-ups so Susan
> can have a donut?" As Steve very slowly finished his last pushup,
> with the understanding that he had accomplished all that was required of
> him, having done 350 pushups, his arms buckled beneath him and he
> fell to the floor
>
> Dr. Christianson turned to the room and said. "And so it was,
> that our Savior, Jesus Christ, on the cross, plead to the Father,
> 'into thy hands I commend my spirit.' With the understanding that He
> had done everything that was required of Him, he yielded up His
> life. And like some of those in this room, many of us leave the gift
> on the desk, uneaten." Two students helped Steve up off the floor and
> to a seat, physically exhausted, but wearing a thin smile. "Well
> done, good and faithful servant," said the professor, adding, "Not
> all sermons are preached in words."
>
> Turning to his class the professor said, "My wish is that you
> might understand and fully comprehend all the riches of grace
> and mercy that have been given to you through the sacrifice of our
> Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. God spared not His Only Begotten Son,
> but gave Him up for us all, for the whole Church, now and forever.
> Whether or not we choose to accept His gift to us, the price
> has been paid.
>
> Wouldn't you be foolish and ungrateful to leave it laying on
> the desk?"