"For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord" (Luke 2:11). What a proclamation the angels made on that day in the fields of Bethlehem. The good news being proclaimed was that a Savior was born. The shepherds reacted like any other human would, they were scared. I mean think about it, you are out working and suddenly the mundane, quiet, and otherwise normal evening is interrupted by an angelic being! Not what one would call a normal night at the office.
This very important announcement was made to shepherds. Shepherds in that day were not what one would call blue collar workers. I mean these guys were not very high on the social ladder in society. As a matter of fact, they probably were at the bottom of the ladder. I have to ask the question, "Why would God choose the lowest of low in society to make this very special announcement? After all, does it not make more sense to make such world altering announcement to nobility? What about the local town crier? What about the local gossip club? I mean if this very important news was meant to be spread throughout the country, shouldn't someone other than shepherds be told?
These shepherds were different. As William Hendriksen notes, "They were devout men, probably acquainted with Messianic prophecy. . ." (NTC, Luke pg. 149). This can easily be seen from the reaction they have to the angelic announcement as well as the reaction of those they tell. Although they were shepherds of a different type, they were still shepherds.
So the most important announcement in all of history was given to shepherds. Just like the shepherds in the field, we too have been given an important message to give to the world. That message is the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ - Jesus saves today. Although many may feel that they are not worthy to tell the good news, we must tell others that Jesus saves today. No doubt, we will have many different reactions to this message just like the shepherds. However, we must not allow those negative reactions keep us from proclaiming the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
During this wonderful season of Christmas, let us never forget that we as Christians have been entrusted with the greatest story ever told - Jesus Saves! Let us proclaim this message from the rooftops. May God richly bless you during this most Holy season! Merry Christmas!
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Is The Pentecostal Church Pentecostal?
Recently, I read an article on the Patheos website titled, "Rick Warren's Surprising Advice to Pentecostal Churches". Naturally, this article demanded my attention as I pondered what a Southern Baptist pastor would have to say on the subject of Pentecostal churches. Much to my surprise, I found the article to not be a rant about the Pentecostal church but an encouragement to the church. The basic point of the article written by Robert Cosy on November 8, 2011 seems to be the change in the contemporary Pentecostal church from its foundational roots - our Pentecostal distinctives.
Being a Pentecostal pastor myself (Church of God, Cleveland, Tn), I have found myself asking some of the same questions that Crosby raises in his article. Namely, has the Pentecostal church lost its distinctives? Have we as a movement so desired to be accepted that we have lost our distincitve Pentecostal worship all under the guise of relevancy? How can we maintain our Pentecostal distinctive and yet attract visitors to our churches? All of these questions and many more I have pondered through the years. This article awakened my thougths on this and I thought I would write a brief reaction to this article.
First of all, let me say that I am extremely thankful for the academic advancements we as Pentecostals have made through the years. In my denomination (the Church of God, Cleveland, TN) we have Lee Univeristy that is educating young men and women in their faith. We have the Pentecostal Theological seminary with some of the best academic minds in the Pentecostal faith training men and women for ministry. Some of the most renowned scholars in the Pentecostal movement are on facutly at our seminary. Men such as Dr. French Arrington, Dr. Hollis Gause, Dr. Steven Land, Dr. Rick Moore, and Dr. Chris Thomas are just a few of the scholars that teach at our school. Also, Oral Roberts University is another academic institution that employs some outstanding Pentecostal/Charismatic scholars. Men such as Dr. Robert Mansfield, Dr. Tevor Grizzle, Dr. Larry Hart, Dr. Dan Thimell, Dr. Brad Young and Dr. Thomson Mathew to name a few. There are several Pentecostal authors that have written renowned academic books. These authors include, Frank Macchia, Roger Stonstand and Veli-Matti Karkkainen along with some of the professors already mentioned. All of this to say, the Pentecostal church has now been taken seriously in the academic world as well.
Now, let me begin by saying how much I appreciated the article writtne by Crosby on Rick Warren's comments to the Assembly of biennial council in Phoenix. Warren is quoted as having said, "You don't need to change any of your Pentecostal practices. Do not compromise what God has called you to do; simply make it explainable." If you have ever been apart of a Pentecostal worship experience, you know that many things occur that from the perspective of a non-pentecostal and/or a non-believer may be hard to understand. The gifts of the Spirit should be not only that which makes us distinctive but should be in operation in our services. According to this article, sadly, this is not the case in the contemporary Pentecostal church.
The article notes a marked decline in the operation and manifestaion of the gifts of the Spirit in the Pentecostal church. Crosby states, "In many cases, churches and mega-churches have relegated glossolalia and other charismata [gifts] to the Sunday night services or small groups." Although there is nothing wrong with the gifts being operational in these services, they should be operational in our morning services as well.
Crosby notes several reasons as to why this change may have come to the Pentecostal church. I would like to add my thougths on why I feel this has occurred. Let me begin by saying as a Pastor I place some of the blame square on the shoulders of our Pastoral leadership. As the pastor, our job is to feed the sheep. To teach them doctrine. We must educate our people as to the proper public demonstration of the gifts as instructed in 1 Corinthians 14. Paul explains the proper demonstration of the gifts in this passage of Scripture. We as church leaders have failed to educate our people in the proper operatioin of the gifts in the public worship setting.
For years, many things that we have labeled as "spiritual" have only been manifestations of the flesh in our churches with the label of spiritual thrown on it. The proper operation of the gifts of the Spirit will always bring honor and glory to Christ. They should never bring attention to the one who is operating in the gift, but should always point to Christ. The gifts were not given to edify the one being used in the gifts, but they were given to bring glory and honor to Christ. They were given as signs of the power of the indwelling Spirit in the life of the believer. They were never intended to showcase the flesh!
The only way I see to reverse this trend of the decline of the operation of the gifts in the church is to educate both the pulpit and the pew. We need to study the Word of God so that we will be workman that does not need to be ashamed as we rightly divide the word of Truth. Then once the pulpit is ready, we must train up our people in the proper administration of the gifts of the Spirit in the worship service.
Crosby quotes Warren as saying, "Don't lose your Pentecostal distinctive." I too will reiterate this same thing we must not lose our Pentecostal distinctive. Several things can be done to help explain the public demonstration of the Spiritual gifts. For example, one can have literature available that explains the manifestation of the gifts of the Spirit. One can post on their church websites explanations of the working of the Spirit. Finally when a public demonstration of the Spirit occurs in our services, we can take that as an opportunity to Biblically explain what happened. This can be a very brief explanation but giving the explanation may help people understand better what happened. The Holy Spirit is not the giver of fear and our guests should not leave our services being fearful of what they experienced.
Finally, I would like to publicly say to Rick Warren, "Thank you for your timely message and your admonition to us to maintain our Pentecostal Distinctive." Let us begin to reclaim our Pentecostal heritage and encourage our people to seek after the gifts of the Spirit.
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Should We Preach with Authority
I found this article and although I normally don't post someone elses writing on my blog, this was very good and conveys my thoughts well. Enjoy the article written by Shane Idleman. I hope several of you will comment.
A few years back, I listened in astonishment as postmodern leaders talked about replacing “preaching” with “having a conversation.” At first, I thought that maybe they were confusing individual conversations with how we should speak to the masses, but I was wrong. They felt that we should stop “preaching” from the pulpit, and start being more passive and less confrontational. Never mind the fact that Jesus said, “I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, because for this purpose I have been sent” (Luke 4:43). But according to many postmoderns, it’s time to replace... preaching with conversing.
Don’t get me wrong... I’m not questioning cosmetic issues such as styles of worship, ambiance, lighting, and mood. I’m challenging the dangerous practice of removing foundational principles — Spirit- empowered preaching is foundational.
I’m also not suggesting that we never converse with people; quite the contrary... We must be slow to speak and quick to listen, but when we are called to preach, a whole new dynamic takes place…the Spirit of God speaks, convicts, draws, heals, breaks, restores,wounds, and rebuilds. In the book, Spirit Empowered Preaching,the author said, “It must be understood that the preacher does not share, he declares… Preaching is not a little talk. It is not a fireside chat. To substitute sharing and discussion for preaching is to risk the integrity of the gospel itself.”
“What does this have to do with me; I’m not a pastor, or a preacher,” you might ask. It has a great deal to do with any Christian regard-less of his or her calling. Let me explain. There is a very troubling trend in the evangelical church, as a whole. Foundational doctrines such as the cross, sin, judgment, and repentance were declared openly in the early hours of church history, as well as in American history—when revivals and awakenings spread across our landscape.
Today, these foundational truths are often neglected, watered-down,or avoided altogether in the hope of “not offending,” “securing an audience,” or being “user-friendly.” Judgment is never mentioned;repentance is never sought; and sin is often excused. This leaves people confused and deceived because they believe in a cross-less Christianity that bears no resemblance to Jesus’ sobering call to repentance. Even though you may not be a Christian leader, we all are called to share God’s Word with others—especially the difficult truths. Then we are also able to offer hope.
“To convince the world of the truth of Christianity, it must first be convinced of sin. It is only sin that renders Christ intelligible”(-Andrew Murray; 1794-1866). In other words, the crucifixion only makes sense in light of the consequences of sin. “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners” (I Timothy 1:15), yet, we’re not suppose to mention sin, repentance, or judgment?
Again, the good news about Christ can only be appreciated with the bad news as the backdrop. There are times when the saints must be fed, and there are times when the sinners must be warned (-C.H. Spurgeon). Preaching, witnessing, teaching, and so on must be done with God-given authority to truly be effective. When we fail to proclaim God’s Word faithfully, we run the risk of “encouraging sin” and “perverting the words of the living God.”(cf. Jeremiah 23).
A few years back, I listened in astonishment as postmodern leaders talked about replacing “preaching” with “having a conversation.” At first, I thought that maybe they were confusing individual conversations with how we should speak to the masses, but I was wrong. They felt that we should stop “preaching” from the pulpit, and start being more passive and less confrontational. Never mind the fact that Jesus said, “I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, because for this purpose I have been sent” (Luke 4:43). But according to many postmoderns, it’s time to replace... preaching with conversing.
Don’t get me wrong... I’m not questioning cosmetic issues such as styles of worship, ambiance, lighting, and mood. I’m challenging the dangerous practice of removing foundational principles — Spirit- empowered preaching is foundational.
I’m also not suggesting that we never converse with people; quite the contrary... We must be slow to speak and quick to listen, but when we are called to preach, a whole new dynamic takes place…the Spirit of God speaks, convicts, draws, heals, breaks, restores,wounds, and rebuilds. In the book, Spirit Empowered Preaching,the author said, “It must be understood that the preacher does not share, he declares… Preaching is not a little talk. It is not a fireside chat. To substitute sharing and discussion for preaching is to risk the integrity of the gospel itself.”
“What does this have to do with me; I’m not a pastor, or a preacher,” you might ask. It has a great deal to do with any Christian regard-less of his or her calling. Let me explain. There is a very troubling trend in the evangelical church, as a whole. Foundational doctrines such as the cross, sin, judgment, and repentance were declared openly in the early hours of church history, as well as in American history—when revivals and awakenings spread across our landscape.
Today, these foundational truths are often neglected, watered-down,or avoided altogether in the hope of “not offending,” “securing an audience,” or being “user-friendly.” Judgment is never mentioned;repentance is never sought; and sin is often excused. This leaves people confused and deceived because they believe in a cross-less Christianity that bears no resemblance to Jesus’ sobering call to repentance. Even though you may not be a Christian leader, we all are called to share God’s Word with others—especially the difficult truths. Then we are also able to offer hope.
“To convince the world of the truth of Christianity, it must first be convinced of sin. It is only sin that renders Christ intelligible”(-Andrew Murray; 1794-1866). In other words, the crucifixion only makes sense in light of the consequences of sin. “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners” (I Timothy 1:15), yet, we’re not suppose to mention sin, repentance, or judgment?
Again, the good news about Christ can only be appreciated with the bad news as the backdrop. There are times when the saints must be fed, and there are times when the sinners must be warned (-C.H. Spurgeon). Preaching, witnessing, teaching, and so on must be done with God-given authority to truly be effective. When we fail to proclaim God’s Word faithfully, we run the risk of “encouraging sin” and “perverting the words of the living God.”(cf. Jeremiah 23).
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
False Teaching
There is no doubt that the Bible is explicit in its warnings regarding false teaching and false prophets rising during the last day. These warnings were placed in the Word for our benefit. They were given as "warnings" and it would be in our best interest to heed these warnings. We need to be so very careful in what we are listening to and allowing into our spirit. Many deceptive teachings have been espoused throughout church history. So, false teaching is nothing new. The Bible tells us that there is nothing new under the sun.
Some of those teachings include inclusion theology which says that everyone goes to heaven and that repentance is not necessary, the teaching that we are all "little gods", the teaching that there was no virgin birth, the teaching that God was not fully human and many more. I found an interesting discussion by Pastor Crawford Loritts in a lecture he gave titled, "Truth Matters". In this discussion he gave seven pieces of advice on false teaching that I thought was great. I have posted them below:
1. Be careful of people you don't know who want to go immediately into intimate communication with you.
2. Be careful of people who want you to disclose more about yourself than they are willing to disclose about themselves.
3. Be careful of those who use experiences, special insight and new kinds of information to control you.
4. Be careful of those who promote a teaching or an emphasis not widely accepted by the church or mature believers.
5. Be careful of those who try to isolate you from family and friends through their contacts with you and their new circle of associates.
6. Don't give control of your mind and thought to anyone but the Lord - Loyalty should never be considered to be blind obedience.
7. Never stop seeking true, honest fellowship with healthy and mature Christians who do not practice any of the above.
What I found to be interesting is how the enemy uses "interpersonal" relationships to lure us away from truth. Certainly this should be no surprise since relationships are so important in the body of Christ and that Jesus Himself wants to have a relationship with each of us. I hope you found this to be as interesting as I did. God Bless!!
Some of those teachings include inclusion theology which says that everyone goes to heaven and that repentance is not necessary, the teaching that we are all "little gods", the teaching that there was no virgin birth, the teaching that God was not fully human and many more. I found an interesting discussion by Pastor Crawford Loritts in a lecture he gave titled, "Truth Matters". In this discussion he gave seven pieces of advice on false teaching that I thought was great. I have posted them below:
1. Be careful of people you don't know who want to go immediately into intimate communication with you.
2. Be careful of people who want you to disclose more about yourself than they are willing to disclose about themselves.
3. Be careful of those who use experiences, special insight and new kinds of information to control you.
4. Be careful of those who promote a teaching or an emphasis not widely accepted by the church or mature believers.
5. Be careful of those who try to isolate you from family and friends through their contacts with you and their new circle of associates.
6. Don't give control of your mind and thought to anyone but the Lord - Loyalty should never be considered to be blind obedience.
7. Never stop seeking true, honest fellowship with healthy and mature Christians who do not practice any of the above.
What I found to be interesting is how the enemy uses "interpersonal" relationships to lure us away from truth. Certainly this should be no surprise since relationships are so important in the body of Christ and that Jesus Himself wants to have a relationship with each of us. I hope you found this to be as interesting as I did. God Bless!!
Thursday, October 28, 2010
By His Stripes We Are Healed
Isaiah 53:5 gives us the wonderful promise of divine healing. Of course, the first person that may enter your mind when you think about healing is Oral Roberts. Bro. Roberts spent his life being used of God to heal the sick. The great healing crusades he conducted throughout our country brought the healing message of Jesus Christ to hundreds of thousands of people. For just a few moments I would like to focus on the local church and divine healing.
I thank God for men like Oral Roberts, Benny Hinn and others like them. However, many healing's occur at the local church level that only those in attendance on that day have the privilege of witnessing. This in no way makes these healing any less significant or miraculous. They are, after all, "power encounters" with the God that heals. Though they do not get the media hype and the recognition of the masses, they are none-the-less just as real and significant as those seen in the mass crusades.
I said all of this because in our Wednesday Evening Bible study last night, a lady that had been suffering with back problems for most of her life received healing. It was the most beautiful thing that I witnessed in a long while. She was playing the piano and the body began to intercede on her behalf. When we were through with the music, she came off the platform and got to the second row in the sanctuary and said, "Dear God, I am raising my feet. I haven't been able to raise my feet for over five years!" She then proceeded to give God praise for the next 15 minutes or so. During this time, many people were being touched by the power of the Spirit that was so sweet and strong in that place.
Although there were only a handful of people there to witness this miracle, it was a moment in which Isaiah 53 came to life right before our eyes. Moments like these in the local church do several things - faith rises, excitement rises, God's promises become tangible, and the church rejoices together. I think if we were to ask those who have been healed by God where their healing occurred, I think the majority would say, "My local church".
This post is not intended to be a slam against healing crusades, but rather it is to celebrate the miraculous work that occurs at the local church. We celebrate with the masses at healing crusades, but lets us never forget the healing that occurs within our local churches. "By His stripes we are healed" - notice there is no location mentioned!
I thank God for men like Oral Roberts, Benny Hinn and others like them. However, many healing's occur at the local church level that only those in attendance on that day have the privilege of witnessing. This in no way makes these healing any less significant or miraculous. They are, after all, "power encounters" with the God that heals. Though they do not get the media hype and the recognition of the masses, they are none-the-less just as real and significant as those seen in the mass crusades.
I said all of this because in our Wednesday Evening Bible study last night, a lady that had been suffering with back problems for most of her life received healing. It was the most beautiful thing that I witnessed in a long while. She was playing the piano and the body began to intercede on her behalf. When we were through with the music, she came off the platform and got to the second row in the sanctuary and said, "Dear God, I am raising my feet. I haven't been able to raise my feet for over five years!" She then proceeded to give God praise for the next 15 minutes or so. During this time, many people were being touched by the power of the Spirit that was so sweet and strong in that place.
Although there were only a handful of people there to witness this miracle, it was a moment in which Isaiah 53 came to life right before our eyes. Moments like these in the local church do several things - faith rises, excitement rises, God's promises become tangible, and the church rejoices together. I think if we were to ask those who have been healed by God where their healing occurred, I think the majority would say, "My local church".
This post is not intended to be a slam against healing crusades, but rather it is to celebrate the miraculous work that occurs at the local church. We celebrate with the masses at healing crusades, but lets us never forget the healing that occurs within our local churches. "By His stripes we are healed" - notice there is no location mentioned!
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Gossip - A Cancer in the Church
In 1 Timothy 5:13 it says, "And besides they learn to be idle, wandering about from house to house, and not only idle but also gossips and busybodies, saying things which they ought not." Gossip eats away at the very fabric of a church. It will if left untreated, destroy not only the church as a whole but individuals within a church. Scripture is very clear about the destructive nature of gossip. It tears down and never builds up. This is why gossip is normally done in dark for if it was truth it would be in the light. The enemy has used the weapon of gossip for years within the church and has been extremely successful in tearing up churches with this weapon.
My concern is that people tend to stereotype a church by the ways some of its people conducts themselves. For instance, how many times have we heard people say, "That church is just full of a bunch of gossipers?" Or worse than than that, "I have been the victim of gossip before and the hurt is still there". What about the pastoral family whose children have become bitter against God and the church because they heard church members barbecue the pastor week after week? It breaks my heart to see people who have been wounded by a Christian who can not overcome gossip.
Don't you think it is time that we learn to live Christ-like lives? Don't you think it's time that we learn to control that unruly member - the tongue? Don't we have enough wounded people walking around due to this terrible epidemic in the church? We need men and women of God who will stand up against this cancer invading the body of Christ. It is time that we say, "I will not allow gossip to ruin one more life and it will not allow it to be a cancer in my church". When someone begins to gossip, we need to be the spiritually mature and tell them in love that we will not be apart of gossip. If the body of Christ does not stand against this cancer in the church, one day we will see the church destroyed because people could not stop the gossip.
Let us come against this evil within the body of Christ and pray that God will close the mouths of those who wag their tongues for the purpose of tearing down. We have a choice before us, will our words build people up or will they tear down our brothers and sisters? The good news of Jesus Christ is all about love. How can we possible love someone as Christ loves them if we are constantly tearing them down? The answer is we can't. There is no way that we can truly love someone and at the same time speak words of destruction to them or about them. Let's eradicate gossip for our lives! Pray and ask God to give us the strength and ability to overcome this cancer that is raging through the Christian church today.
Cancer devours the body. That which once was healthy becomes sick, weak and tired. Gossip causes the body of Christ to be destroyed. It causes the witness of Christ within that body to become sick, weak and tired. Let's allow the Holy Spirit to infuse us in such away that Gossip is eradicated from our lives. God Bless!
My concern is that people tend to stereotype a church by the ways some of its people conducts themselves. For instance, how many times have we heard people say, "That church is just full of a bunch of gossipers?" Or worse than than that, "I have been the victim of gossip before and the hurt is still there". What about the pastoral family whose children have become bitter against God and the church because they heard church members barbecue the pastor week after week? It breaks my heart to see people who have been wounded by a Christian who can not overcome gossip.
Don't you think it is time that we learn to live Christ-like lives? Don't you think it's time that we learn to control that unruly member - the tongue? Don't we have enough wounded people walking around due to this terrible epidemic in the church? We need men and women of God who will stand up against this cancer invading the body of Christ. It is time that we say, "I will not allow gossip to ruin one more life and it will not allow it to be a cancer in my church". When someone begins to gossip, we need to be the spiritually mature and tell them in love that we will not be apart of gossip. If the body of Christ does not stand against this cancer in the church, one day we will see the church destroyed because people could not stop the gossip.
Let us come against this evil within the body of Christ and pray that God will close the mouths of those who wag their tongues for the purpose of tearing down. We have a choice before us, will our words build people up or will they tear down our brothers and sisters? The good news of Jesus Christ is all about love. How can we possible love someone as Christ loves them if we are constantly tearing them down? The answer is we can't. There is no way that we can truly love someone and at the same time speak words of destruction to them or about them. Let's eradicate gossip for our lives! Pray and ask God to give us the strength and ability to overcome this cancer that is raging through the Christian church today.
Cancer devours the body. That which once was healthy becomes sick, weak and tired. Gossip causes the body of Christ to be destroyed. It causes the witness of Christ within that body to become sick, weak and tired. Let's allow the Holy Spirit to infuse us in such away that Gossip is eradicated from our lives. God Bless!
Sunday, August 1, 2010
The Blessing of God
"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ" (Ephesians 1:3). Paul speaking to the church at Ephesus, remind the Ephesian believers that God through Christ has blessed them with every spiritual blessing. In other words, in Christ we have all spiritual blessing that we need.
After our service today, I began to think on the idea of blessing. God so richly blessed us today in our service that I was reminded of the passage in Ephesians. God has provided for our physical healing through stripes on His back, financial need is provided due to His riches in glory and finally through His blood salvation has been provided.
I can't remember a time that I felt so blessed as I did today. We prayed for a four year old child who has been diagnosed with Muscular Dystrophy. After the service, he came to me and said, "Pastor I am strong because God has healed me". What a blessing to have this child speak for the blessing of God upon his life. He is standing on faith for his healing even at the young age of four. I could not help but think of the innocence of this little boy's confession. I think that we as adults can learn allot from a statement such as this.
Finally, I was reminded this week of my passion for pastoring God's people. I have always held to the position that when ministry begins to be a job and not a calling, then I need to look for something else to do. Satan wants us to throw in the towel and will cause us to focus on our trial rather than on Christ. A young man in our church reminded me of this when he said, "You know, it bothers me when ministry is no longer fun and fulfilling". He said that was the road he was headed down. God wants to remind the both of us, "Don't get weary in well doing..."
What a perfect reminder in Ephesians as Paul reminds us that all Spiritual blessings have been already provided - we simply need to appropriate them.
After our service today, I began to think on the idea of blessing. God so richly blessed us today in our service that I was reminded of the passage in Ephesians. God has provided for our physical healing through stripes on His back, financial need is provided due to His riches in glory and finally through His blood salvation has been provided.
I can't remember a time that I felt so blessed as I did today. We prayed for a four year old child who has been diagnosed with Muscular Dystrophy. After the service, he came to me and said, "Pastor I am strong because God has healed me". What a blessing to have this child speak for the blessing of God upon his life. He is standing on faith for his healing even at the young age of four. I could not help but think of the innocence of this little boy's confession. I think that we as adults can learn allot from a statement such as this.
Finally, I was reminded this week of my passion for pastoring God's people. I have always held to the position that when ministry begins to be a job and not a calling, then I need to look for something else to do. Satan wants us to throw in the towel and will cause us to focus on our trial rather than on Christ. A young man in our church reminded me of this when he said, "You know, it bothers me when ministry is no longer fun and fulfilling". He said that was the road he was headed down. God wants to remind the both of us, "Don't get weary in well doing..."
What a perfect reminder in Ephesians as Paul reminds us that all Spiritual blessings have been already provided - we simply need to appropriate them.
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Change
There are some times that I wonder why I even write on this blog. Very rarely do I even get a comment on what I have written, but for some reason I do keep writing. Although I do not update it as much as I should, (considering my last post was about Easter and here it is July) I am trying to do some better this year. Oh well, here is another futile attempt at blogging.
The subject I would like to deal with today is "change". Many times change is both needed and necessary. However, there are times in which change just for change sake is not a good thing. In Ecclesiastes, the Bible talks about there being "times" or transitions in our lives - a time to live, a time to laugh, a time to dance etc. Although these times of transitions are apart of life, often we ascribe change to being a "God" thing when in reality it is our own self that desires the change.
I have been in pastoral ministry for some 20 years and have heard this statement more than on one occasion, "Pastor, God has been dealing with me about some changes that I need to make". On the surface this sounds like a great confession, however it usually ends with "God is leading me elsewhere". Why would God lead people away from a particular church just so they could make changes? I would like to submit that many times people use the "God is leading me" card, simply because they want to ascribe something spiritual to something that is a matter of their own free will and choices.
Why not simply be honest and say, "I want to leave because I want to." As a pastor this provides for an opportunity to counsel with an individual on the subject of God's will and listening to the leading and guiding of the Holy Spirit in our lives. But when the "God is leading me" card is played that shuts the door for any counseling opportunity. So, I simply want to say if it is God's leading then so be it however, don't play the "God is leading" me card when in reality it is our will and God has nothing to do with it.
The subject I would like to deal with today is "change". Many times change is both needed and necessary. However, there are times in which change just for change sake is not a good thing. In Ecclesiastes, the Bible talks about there being "times" or transitions in our lives - a time to live, a time to laugh, a time to dance etc. Although these times of transitions are apart of life, often we ascribe change to being a "God" thing when in reality it is our own self that desires the change.
I have been in pastoral ministry for some 20 years and have heard this statement more than on one occasion, "Pastor, God has been dealing with me about some changes that I need to make". On the surface this sounds like a great confession, however it usually ends with "God is leading me elsewhere". Why would God lead people away from a particular church just so they could make changes? I would like to submit that many times people use the "God is leading me" card, simply because they want to ascribe something spiritual to something that is a matter of their own free will and choices.
Why not simply be honest and say, "I want to leave because I want to." As a pastor this provides for an opportunity to counsel with an individual on the subject of God's will and listening to the leading and guiding of the Holy Spirit in our lives. But when the "God is leading me" card is played that shuts the door for any counseling opportunity. So, I simply want to say if it is God's leading then so be it however, don't play the "God is leading" me card when in reality it is our will and God has nothing to do with it.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
New Web Site
Please check out our new website at www.lifegrowingstrong.com and let me know what you think about it.
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Easter Reflections
Easter has come and went and I wanted to make a few comments regarding this wonderful day. God blessed us with beautiful weather on Easter Sunday this year. I always love it when Easter is a bright sunshiny day! It makes the day so much exciting for all.
I have always loved the Easter season, it is a time of beautiful spring flowers blooming, warmer weather and there is just a wonderful sense of life. I also love it when the Spirit of the Lord moves on individuals and they give their life to the Lord. We experienced that miracle on Easter. We had someone give their life to the Lord! The miracle of the new birth on the day we celebrate the resurrection of our Lord! It reminds me of an old hymn we used to sing, "There is a new name written down in Glory and it's mine oh yes it mine. The white robed angels sing the story a sinner has come home!" Praise the Lord on Sunday a new name was written in glory. Praise the Lord for salvation.
We can celebrate the Easter season every day! Jesus is alive He is not dead. Is your relationship with Jesus dead? Do you need resurrection power infused into your relationship with Christ? My prayer is for resurrection power to raise His people into newness of life. May God richly bless you as we spread the "Good News" that Jesus saves today. Please remember pray that we will remain faithful to our mission of Life Growing Strong!
I have always loved the Easter season, it is a time of beautiful spring flowers blooming, warmer weather and there is just a wonderful sense of life. I also love it when the Spirit of the Lord moves on individuals and they give their life to the Lord. We experienced that miracle on Easter. We had someone give their life to the Lord! The miracle of the new birth on the day we celebrate the resurrection of our Lord! It reminds me of an old hymn we used to sing, "There is a new name written down in Glory and it's mine oh yes it mine. The white robed angels sing the story a sinner has come home!" Praise the Lord on Sunday a new name was written in glory. Praise the Lord for salvation.
We can celebrate the Easter season every day! Jesus is alive He is not dead. Is your relationship with Jesus dead? Do you need resurrection power infused into your relationship with Christ? My prayer is for resurrection power to raise His people into newness of life. May God richly bless you as we spread the "Good News" that Jesus saves today. Please remember pray that we will remain faithful to our mission of Life Growing Strong!
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Fighting the Good Fight
I feel honored to be a pastor. Not to say that I enjoy every single day, but I know that God has called me to pastor His people. I do not take this calling lightly, but enter into it with fear and trepidation. It is an awesome responsibility to preach the Word, but to pastor God's people is also an ominous and rewarding task. I am saying all of this because I have a young man in my church who is 23 years of age. His parents were told that he would not live to see his second birthday. Tonight he is literally fighting for his life.
He has been sick in the hospital for a week as of today. Three different doctors told the family that if he lived through the first night he would not live for more than two days and that he needs a miracle - it has been a week so far! The only explanation that can be given is the healing Jesus has his hand on him. We all are praying for a miracle for this young man.
I said all of that to say, he is an inspiration to me. When I visit him, I see a young man who is fighting the good fight of faith. When I look into the tired eyes of his mom and dad and several other family members, I see what hope truly looks like. I see in their tired,teary and wearied eyes hope and a faith in a God who works miracles. This young man is fighting the good fight of faith and although he is so sick, he brings such inspiration to me and to all who have been touched by this special young man. I can only hope that I have the same resolve he does to finish the race that God has set before me. Please pray for this young man and his family. We believe in a miracle working God and are believing in a complete and total healing for him.
He has been sick in the hospital for a week as of today. Three different doctors told the family that if he lived through the first night he would not live for more than two days and that he needs a miracle - it has been a week so far! The only explanation that can be given is the healing Jesus has his hand on him. We all are praying for a miracle for this young man.
I said all of that to say, he is an inspiration to me. When I visit him, I see a young man who is fighting the good fight of faith. When I look into the tired eyes of his mom and dad and several other family members, I see what hope truly looks like. I see in their tired,teary and wearied eyes hope and a faith in a God who works miracles. This young man is fighting the good fight of faith and although he is so sick, he brings such inspiration to me and to all who have been touched by this special young man. I can only hope that I have the same resolve he does to finish the race that God has set before me. Please pray for this young man and his family. We believe in a miracle working God and are believing in a complete and total healing for him.
Friday, January 29, 2010
Seasons
I am so ready for Fall! Yes, I said Fall - not Spring! I love the fall season of the year. I enjoy Spring, but Spring here in Oklahoma means Tornado's! I don't care for the storms either. Now fall, that is a wonderful time of the year - color changes, cool weather and beautiful scenery! Winter - cold, dead, icy and stuck in the house! I know that every season has its purpose and without the changes of the seasons creation would get out of balance.
Although I may not like the winter and spring, God certainly knew what He was doing when he created the world. Without the deadness of winter, spring would not be as beautiful. Without the storms of spring, grass would not turn green and the flowers would not bloom. Without the warmth of summer, we would not dry out from the spring rains. God told us in Ecclesiastes 3:1,"To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven:" Every season has its purpose - that is the way God made it.
It gives me great comfort in knowing that when the storms of life come, when the deadness of winter come and when the heat of the battle rages God has given us His promise that He is there in the midst of it all! What a comfort to know that Jesus loves us so much that he does not abandon us in the trials and tribulations of life! He is a wonderful God who loves us and wants to have a personal relationship with us! Take the time today to thank God for the seasons of our lives!
Although I may not like the winter and spring, God certainly knew what He was doing when he created the world. Without the deadness of winter, spring would not be as beautiful. Without the storms of spring, grass would not turn green and the flowers would not bloom. Without the warmth of summer, we would not dry out from the spring rains. God told us in Ecclesiastes 3:1,"To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven:" Every season has its purpose - that is the way God made it.
It gives me great comfort in knowing that when the storms of life come, when the deadness of winter come and when the heat of the battle rages God has given us His promise that He is there in the midst of it all! What a comfort to know that Jesus loves us so much that he does not abandon us in the trials and tribulations of life! He is a wonderful God who loves us and wants to have a personal relationship with us! Take the time today to thank God for the seasons of our lives!
Thursday, January 21, 2010
New Year New Goals
Well, as you can see I did not do very well with keeping my blog updated. However, 2010 is the year! I am going to do my best to post on my blog at the very least bi-weekly. So, this is my first post of the New Year and I am pumped to say the least. I believe that this is going to be the best year for Freedom Life Church of God. I can not wait to see what God is going to do.
Since March of 09, my wife and I embarked upon a lifestyle change that would radically change our lives forever. We have - drum roll please - lost a total of 193 pounds! My wife is at 98 pounds and I have lost 95! We did this the "old fashioned" way by exercise and healthy food choices. I would like to challenge all who read this to join us on this journey. Remember we "are the temples of the Holy Spirit". Let's take care of what God has given us.
God Bless!
Since March of 09, my wife and I embarked upon a lifestyle change that would radically change our lives forever. We have - drum roll please - lost a total of 193 pounds! My wife is at 98 pounds and I have lost 95! We did this the "old fashioned" way by exercise and healthy food choices. I would like to challenge all who read this to join us on this journey. Remember we "are the temples of the Holy Spirit". Let's take care of what God has given us.
God Bless!
Sunday, May 17, 2009
The Blessings of the Lord
How awesome it was to be in church today. We had a wonderful service, the praise and worship was great and the Lord was with us in each service. We had a Gideon representative in our service this morning and he gave a wonderful report. He said that the Gideons around the world places a testament somewhere in the world every time your heart beats! Wouldn't it be great if each time our heart beats someone gives their life to the Lord?
I am seriously concerned about the state of the church in America. We enjoy the blessings of the Lord in this country, but we are not doing what God has called us to do. We get so caught up in our programs that we get our focus off of the Great Commission. Jesus longs to see people saved (it is not His will that any should perish). My prayer is that God's people will get a burden for the lost around us. God is calling His church back to prayer and intercession for the lost. Let's get busy seeing souls saved in the House of God. Lord, send revival among Your people and let it begin with me!
I am seriously concerned about the state of the church in America. We enjoy the blessings of the Lord in this country, but we are not doing what God has called us to do. We get so caught up in our programs that we get our focus off of the Great Commission. Jesus longs to see people saved (it is not His will that any should perish). My prayer is that God's people will get a burden for the lost around us. God is calling His church back to prayer and intercession for the lost. Let's get busy seeing souls saved in the House of God. Lord, send revival among Your people and let it begin with me!
Friday, May 1, 2009
Pastor Appreciation
Last Sunday was pastor appreciation at the church. We feel so honored to pastor such a wonderful group of people. It is our privilege to be apart of each of their lives. Sunday was a wonderful day and what love abounded in the service for us. I think I pastor the best people in the Christian world. This is not to say that we don't have our challenges, but God is so good to us that He helps us get through them all.
I can not wait to fire up the new barbeque grill this weekend and give it a try. It is one beautiful piece of equipment! The love offering was wonderful and a great blessing for us. Pastor Krieger and Pastor Jim did a wonderful job preaching the morning and evening service. Although I have a lot of "preach" in me for this weekend. I can't wait to deliver the message God has laid on my heart this weekend.
Please keep us in prayer as we begin our remodeling project next week! I know that it is going to look absolutely beautiful when we finish. Please pray that God will continue to provide the finances we need to complete the project. May God richly bless you is our prayer.
I can not wait to fire up the new barbeque grill this weekend and give it a try. It is one beautiful piece of equipment! The love offering was wonderful and a great blessing for us. Pastor Krieger and Pastor Jim did a wonderful job preaching the morning and evening service. Although I have a lot of "preach" in me for this weekend. I can't wait to deliver the message God has laid on my heart this weekend.
Please keep us in prayer as we begin our remodeling project next week! I know that it is going to look absolutely beautiful when we finish. Please pray that God will continue to provide the finances we need to complete the project. May God richly bless you is our prayer.
Monday, April 20, 2009
Discipleship
God has placed such a desire in my heart for training people in discipleship. It seems that since the beginning of the year, God has placed an even greater burden for this area. I feel that it is absolutely essential for the survival and advancement of the Kingdom of God. God has called each and every believer to be a disciple and to make disciples.
With this burden, I have decided to begin a discipleship class on Wednesday evenings. The class will be called Life 101. I am so excited about this new class and can not wait to get it started. The start up date is May 6. We are going to begin this journey by first defining what a disciple is and then we are going to work on how to disciple others. Please keep us in prayer as we begin this new class.
Finally, I can not begin to say how much God has blessed in our services lately. There has been such a freedom in our worship services and a deeper level of worship by our people. It is so exciting and refreshing. I agree with David when he said, "I was glad when they said unto me, let us go into the house of the Lord."
With this burden, I have decided to begin a discipleship class on Wednesday evenings. The class will be called Life 101. I am so excited about this new class and can not wait to get it started. The start up date is May 6. We are going to begin this journey by first defining what a disciple is and then we are going to work on how to disciple others. Please keep us in prayer as we begin this new class.
Finally, I can not begin to say how much God has blessed in our services lately. There has been such a freedom in our worship services and a deeper level of worship by our people. It is so exciting and refreshing. I agree with David when he said, "I was glad when they said unto me, let us go into the house of the Lord."
Monday, April 13, 2009
Easter
Easter is such a wonderful time of the year. For Christians, it is one of the most important days of the year. Here in Tulsa, Easter was a very wet day rain pretty much all day. It seems that the weather effected our attendance and the children had to hunt Easter eggs inside the church.
In spite of the weather, the service went very well. People were blessed and the Spirit of the Lord moved in a wonderful way. Just goes to show you that God can move in any circumstances and weather has noting to do with His moving. I know that God has wonderful plans for our church and I am believing that we will be running over 100 by the end of the year. Please pray that Freedom Life Church of God will work toward the mission God gave us - Life Growing Strong.
In spite of the weather, the service went very well. People were blessed and the Spirit of the Lord moved in a wonderful way. Just goes to show you that God can move in any circumstances and weather has noting to do with His moving. I know that God has wonderful plans for our church and I am believing that we will be running over 100 by the end of the year. Please pray that Freedom Life Church of God will work toward the mission God gave us - Life Growing Strong.
Monday, April 6, 2009
Being Busy
Man, does life ever keep us busy. Many times we are so busy that we can not even rest well at night simply from staying busy in our minds thinking about all the stuff we have to do. The sheep we count turn into projects that need to get done or people we need to write or papers we need to get done.
I think that God is not pleased with all the "stuff" we have running around in our minds. The "stuff" crowds out His will and way for our life. He wants us to set time aside to spend alone with Him. He wants us to talk to him (pray) and in turn He will speak to us through His word.
Let's put forth the effort to remove the stuff so that we can spend quality time with our Father. He loves us so much He wants to spend time alone with us, so we He can talk with us. For He told us, "I know the plans I have for you..."
I hope everyone has a wonderful week in the Lord! God Bless each of you!
I think that God is not pleased with all the "stuff" we have running around in our minds. The "stuff" crowds out His will and way for our life. He wants us to set time aside to spend alone with Him. He wants us to talk to him (pray) and in turn He will speak to us through His word.
Let's put forth the effort to remove the stuff so that we can spend quality time with our Father. He loves us so much He wants to spend time alone with us, so we He can talk with us. For He told us, "I know the plans I have for you..."
I hope everyone has a wonderful week in the Lord! God Bless each of you!
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Blogging Is A Challenge
Well, once again I have not kept up with posting. I do have a great excuse this time. I have been busy working on an MDiv program. I guess that excuse is as good as any of the rest. Also, I can't seem to get anyone to post comments. It is boring to simply blog to myself. Maybe I need to try that Twitter thing. I am not sure what all is entailed in that, but I have heard allot about it.
I recently joined Facebook and found tons of my high school friends are on there. It is like a blast from the past. I have lots of wonderful memories from my High School days! After all I found the love of my life at that High School. Barbie and I have been together ever since. A total of 28 years we have known one another, we have been married almost 26 years now.
I have found in my MDiv studies, a new love that I love. It is Greek. It has been both a challenge and a wonderful learning adventure. I don't think I would ever be a Greek scholar, but I truly find the study of the Biblical language wonderful! Well, I am going to quit blogging now and call it night. Maybe, just maybe someone will post a comment on here and that will keep me motivated to blog.
I recently joined Facebook and found tons of my high school friends are on there. It is like a blast from the past. I have lots of wonderful memories from my High School days! After all I found the love of my life at that High School. Barbie and I have been together ever since. A total of 28 years we have known one another, we have been married almost 26 years now.
I have found in my MDiv studies, a new love that I love. It is Greek. It has been both a challenge and a wonderful learning adventure. I don't think I would ever be a Greek scholar, but I truly find the study of the Biblical language wonderful! Well, I am going to quit blogging now and call it night. Maybe, just maybe someone will post a comment on here and that will keep me motivated to blog.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Spiritual Journey
It has been a long while since I last posted. No excuses - just have not kept it up to date. Once again, I am attempting to try.
I thought I would beging this new post with the Spiritual Journey that the Lord has called our church to particpate in. We have been in this special emphasis on prayer, Bible Study and being faithful to the house of God for the past three weeks. I would venture to say that it has certainly impacted all of our lives. We have had some outstanding services over the past three weeks. During a recent evening service, a young man came to be prayed for and the Lord worked a miracle in his life! He was set free from alcohol addiction! I am believing that for the next several weeks as we take this journey together, that God is going to do a miraculous work in our midst!
We are looking for great things to occur during this special emphasis on spiritual discipline. God bless you and if you don't have a home church, come check us out!!
I thought I would beging this new post with the Spiritual Journey that the Lord has called our church to particpate in. We have been in this special emphasis on prayer, Bible Study and being faithful to the house of God for the past three weeks. I would venture to say that it has certainly impacted all of our lives. We have had some outstanding services over the past three weeks. During a recent evening service, a young man came to be prayed for and the Lord worked a miracle in his life! He was set free from alcohol addiction! I am believing that for the next several weeks as we take this journey together, that God is going to do a miraculous work in our midst!
We are looking for great things to occur during this special emphasis on spiritual discipline. God bless you and if you don't have a home church, come check us out!!
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