Several folk commented on my story about Theodore the rooster. I was asked if it was a true story. Indeed it was. We had a pet chicken smack dab in the middle of Cincinnati. I really wasn’t able to do justice to the part about mom not being able to go outside to hang her laundry. It was side-splitting hilarious! I can still see mom throwing her laundry up in the air and running all over the yard with this rooster chasing her, flapping his wings and squawking as he flapped. To this day whenever mom eats a piece of chicken, she has a victorious smirk on her face.
I was asked to recount some other stories about my childhood. I remember another adventure Johnny Miller and I shared. We were in Vacation Bible School at the Presbyterian Church Johnny attended, and decided after the classes, we were going to go down to the Mill Creek to play. Martha Miller, and Alene Cooper had told their boys, Johnny and Vic, that they were not allowed to play by the creek. Johnny and I had gone there before, so we figured what our moms didn’t know wouldn’t hurt them. To plan our escapade, we snuck into the furnace room of the church. Mom and Mrs. Miller were upstairs in the sanctuary doing some kind of work. The furnace room was in the basement, so we were no where near our moms. We made our plans. Mom and Mrs. Miller went home, and Johnny and I told them we were going to ride our bikes. We did ride them too --- right down to the Mill Creek. Mill Creek was a dirty, polluted creek that was as close to being an open sewer as existed in the United States. Where we played was secluded. You could be down by the creek and never know a large metropolitan city was nearby. We were pleased with ourselves, until we got to our spot. There stood Martha Miller and Alene Cooper. It was easy to tell that they were not happy, and it was confirmed when they spoke. As bad as that was, we both knew when our dads got home from work, things would likely go from bad to worse.
I don’t recall how we were punished. Mom’s favorite punishment was to take the TV away from me for two weeks. Mom always said, “Two solid weeks.” I hated that word “solid.” It makes me cringe to this day!
When we asked our moms how did they know, their answer was, “Moms just know those kinds of things.” Many years later after I was married with kids of my own, mom revealed how she knew. Johnny and I had figured that since we planned our foul deed inside a Church, surely God must have told them. We worked off that theory for years. Mom told me that she and Mrs. Miller had heard every word we said. She told me that they were up at the altar of the sanctuary working, and that there was a vent that allowed air from the furnace room to circulate into the auditorium. We were standing right under that vent, while they were standing right beside it. We had told them, detail by detail, exactly what we’d planned to do. Johnny Miller and Vic Cooper were to have many more adventures, but never again did we plan any orneriness. Sometime I’ll tell you about the time Johnny won a baby kitten on the Skipper Ryle television show. That was an adventure by itself. As a side note, John Miller and I are still friends and we communicate from time to time. Neither of us live in Ohio any more, but the memories of those care free days will forever be locked in our minds and hearts. They were great times!
Yesterday at Friendship Harmony, I began a four part series called “Peripateo.” Have you ever heard of that word? If you ask any of the folks who were at Friendship Harmony yesterday, they could tell you. Peripateo is a word from the Koine Greek that translates to “walk.” However, it means just a bit more. It means “to walk to prove that you can.” I gave the illustration of Miss Bessie’s follow-up visit to her orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Michael Jugan. Bess was sitting on the exam table and told Dr. Jugan to stand over by the door. She got down off the table, left her walker standing by itself, and walked over to him. She walked to prove she could. That’s peripateo.
That is how Christians are to walk. We are to walk proving that we can walk the believer’s walk. It proves it to the world, and it proves it to us. Below are the notes. I do hope you find them beneficial. If in looking at the notes you ever have any questions, or desire clarification, just call me or e-mail me at preachercooper@hotmail.com.
Peripateo ©
Deut. 5:33
“Walking” Series 1 of 3 By Victor Cooper
09/28,29/12
Intro: The title of this series seems strange to a modern hearer, but the word peripateo comes to us from the Koine Greek. It is one of the words meaning walk. It means to walk about to prove that you can.
I. Walk in the ways God has commanded.
A. To walk in them one must know them, not simply be acquainted with them.
1. It comes from Bible reading.
2. It comes from Bible study.
3. It comes from talking to God.
4. It comes from listening to God.
(a) “Be careful here: before you get to listening, get to learning.” Pastor Victor Cooper
II. Walking in God’s ways prevents sin. Psalm 119:3 They also do no iniquity: they walk in his ways.
A. It is the blessing of obedience.
Bible Knowledge Commentary The psalmist delighted in the fact that those who walk in wholehearted obedience to the Law are blessed (vv. 1-3). This prompted him to wish that he were more obedient in view of God’s commands to follow His laws (vv. 4-6). So the psalmist vowed to give thanks as he learned more about God’s statutes (vv. 7-8)
III. Sin is prevented because one is walking in the light.
A. Walking in the light is commanded. Isaiah 2:5 O house of Jacob, come ye, and let us walk in the light of the Lord.
B. Jesus is the Light of the world. John 8:12 Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.
C. Jesus said walk while you can. John 12:35a Then Jesus said unto them, Yet a little while is the light with you. Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you:
IV. Not walking in God’s ways invites God’s wrath.
Leviticus 26:21 And if ye walk contrary unto me, and will not hearken unto me; I will bring seven times more plagues upon you according to your sins.
A. God is not speaking to the world, but to His own.
B. God wants His own walking with Him in sweet communion. Example: Enoch.
Genesis 5:23-24 And all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years: [24] And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.
C. Not walking in God’s ways brings confusion.
John 12:35b for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth.
Quote: God won’t make you serve Him, but He’ll make you wish you had! Pastor B. J. Thomas circa 1995
Conclusion: Walking with God is a commandment, but as we have seen is a pleasant one with grand benefits. Walk with God so that, as our text verse says, “…it may be well with you…”
Have a good rest of your week. For those of you traveling south to be with us, stay safe. We look forward to seeing you soon. To all of you, I’ll see you next Monday Morning With Pastor Vic!!
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