You Have Built It. Have They Come?

 "If you build it, he will come." This line is from the movie Field of Dreams. We have changed it slightly to say, if you build it, they will come. We sometimes use this idea in our churches concerning buildings. We think that if we build or buy or rent a bigger building, more people will visit our churches. 

Pastor Mitchell did not build big buildings to attract big crowds. We enlarged the Ruth Street building at least twice to accommodate what God was doing in revival. When I first was saved in 1973 we were packed to the rafters with people. We used to sit on the floor in the alter space, crowded in like sardines in a can. We held services there three days a week. We held revival meetings there. We held the early conferences there. And when the building could not hold conferences, we bought the tents. The city of Prescott back then had no facilities to accommodate our crowds.

There are "rules" governing church attendance. They say that you will not grow beyond 80% capacity. I saw the Prescott church SRO and we grew. So much for rules. People come because the early days of real revival are always accompanied by explosive growth. Once we stopped growing we didn't need a bigger building anymore, even though we were at the magic 80 % line. But that didn't stop the Prescott church from building bigger buildings.

You who have built it so that they will come, have they come? 

An Amazing Book

 The Bible is an amazing book. It is so simple that an ignorant and unlearned child can read it and understand the big picture. But the Bible is so complex and deep that scholars spend their entire careers studying it and what it says and how it came to be a book.

Translation takes ancient writings in foreign languages and rewrites them into a language that the local population can read and understand. And while we are on this topic, the importance of the Bible is what it says, not in how it came to be. It's the word of God written down, just like the ten commandments that Moses received.

One interesting fact is that most of the new testament writings were simply letters written to local churches. They were not published or copywritten. Therefore, scholars tell us that we have no original copies of the ancient writings to translate. That letters dashed off to churches have survived in any form is a testament to the hand of God active in making sure the translators got it right.

Now, we take the Bible in our language, written in ancient times, and make it apply to current events. Now we pray for our pastors to get it right when studying the Bible.

All of His promises are yes and amen, no matter how long ago they were first written or spoken.

Selfish? Or Caring?

I know that our pastor is in high demand around the Fellowship. But knowing this does not mean that we do not miss him when he is gone. And on this trip pastor missed three Sundays in a row. I went from missing him to wondering if he was alright to wondering if he had an offer to take a bigger church.

So when I saw pastor last night I was happy to see him. And I was happy to learn that he was preaching to us. And then he said something that cut me to the core. He said that it was selfish to think that he needed to be home more or to stay home more. So now it is selfish to want our pastor to be here for his own church?

For years pastor Mitchell would, at great expense, make it a point to be in his own church on Sunday morning. The biggest and most important service of the week. It was rare for pastor Mitchell not to be there on Sunday morning, even if he would be flying out on Sunday afternoon. We had good assistants in Prescott. But I always felt that if it all went south, pastor would be back soon to set things right.

The danger of being gone so much is that you become irrelevant to the ongoing work of the church. We have a handful of guys who can still preach to your church. You only have one church full of faithful people who love you and who support the Vision.

Please do not call me selfish for missing you.

Random Thoughts

It's not good that a man  lives alone. Unless you are older. Then it is preferable.

Pastor says that we are being selfish for wanting our pastor at home. 

My birthday is coming up. It is not a milestone birthday so I am not making a big deal out of it.

Street preaching and open air preaching are not the same thing. Open air means no building is available.

Open air preachers preach prepared sermons. Street preachers preach a simple gospel.

When the boss is absent it's business as usual. When workers stay out business fails. Same with church.

It's never so bad that it can't get worse. Or so is the gist of Bible prophecy preaching.

Do we really need a fire and brimstone message on Sunday morning? Maybe we do. Oh me.

God bless us, everyone.

Signs And Wonders?

 We live in a world where everyone is an expert, but usually they know next to nothing. They know how to make a YouTube video. They know how to start a business. They know how a church ought to act. They are experts who have done nothing in the real world.

One good thing about our Fellowship is that we are real people in real places who have seen God move in tangible ways. Whether your church is large or small, you are a testimony to the reality of God at work in society.

There are words that are empty of value and then there are words that have weight. I have doctors whose words carry weight. News from one of them is news indeed. I have pastors whose words carry weight. When they speak from behind the pulpit their words carry the ring of Divine anointing and the light of truth.

If you want something real in your life, go to a real church. Listen to a real man of God preach. Put into daily practice the truths in the Bible. And in so doing you will experience truth made light through you.

I have had doctors whose words I dismiss. I have heard pastors whose words were empty of any spark of inspiration. I sing songs written by unsaved people. They do not work for worship. It takes more than a sign on the door or an MD after your name or a feel good rhythm. For some churches, they put a sign on the door and then they wonder if God will show up for service. That's the only signs and wonders they see.

God Laughs

 "For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done." Isaiah 46:9-10

Physicists brag about quantum computing. They talk about how fast it is and how powerful it is. It only works on paper, but they still tout it's power. But God says that He knows the end from the beginning. No quantum computer can do that. God speaks things into existence out of nothing. God turns beer into groceries. God makes a nation in a day. Science pales in comparison. Quantum computing can do nothing that God does easily.

So while they boast about something that doesn't even work yet, God sits in heaven and laughs.

"But You, o Lord, shall laugh at them; You shall have all the nations in derision." Psalm 59:8

Street Preaching

 I want to address an issue that may not be popular, especially here. The issue is street preaching. Most of the outreaching that we do as a church involves street preaching. Not witnessing and talking to real people. But preaching to cars with closed windows as they drive down a busy street. While street preaching may serve some purpose, it is not an effective way to win souls. IMHO.

Pastor Mitchell was not a big street preaching advocate. He was a proponent of personal evangelism and witnessing. The big outreach was the concert on Saturday night. But the next biggest outreach on Saturday was door to door witnessing. Taking a handful of flyers and knocking on doors in a neighborhood. Taking time to talk to people and to pray for people.

I would like to suggest that one of our assistant pastors would take some young guys out on a Saturday just to witness and to testify to people in the neighborhood. We know how to street preach. Do we know how to witness for Jesus?

So there it is. A challenge. To try going from yelling at cars to testifying of the gospel to people in need. Not just the homeless bums, but to follow Jesus and to bring the simple gospel to the poor of this community. 

Street preaching has it's place, but it only works if there are real people listening in person.