Conference Thoughts

 One thing that listening to and watching conference speakers does is it reinforces to me that our Fellowship really is a work of God and not the work of a man. Our pastors are not all slick and polished. But they all preach like one under authority. They may not ever be on TV or on a national podcast, but they will always have a place in their own churches and in our local conference to preach.

It seems obvious to me that the size of a local church is directly linked to the ability of the pastor to minister to that church. God, it seems, will not give us more people than we can take care of. If you want a bigger church, be a bigger man. Talk to God about how to grow.

One more thought. The Hispanic culture seems to value momma above padre. This is cute to an outsider. But it stops being cute in church. A pastor is the pastor. His wife is not his copastor. She is his wife and the mother of his children. Sister Mitchell was not in charge of anything except her home. Letting the pastor's wife be in charge is more feminist than Christian. Honor your pastor and let him honor his wife.

Act Your Age

 Twice today at conference I heard the Holy Spirit speaking in sermons telling this wing of the Fellowship that it was time to grow up and grow in their ministries. I have been praying for this very thing for a long time. I have felt that this church is very immature. So I will continue to pray, and thank God the Holy Spirit has begun to speak.

I'm going to set myself on fire and people will come and watch me burn is a dumb thing to say. How about being a mature preacher who is able to minister to a wide group of people. Old, young, all races, all ethnic groups, rich, poor, etc. You can be active and committed to evangelism and still grow in maturity and stature with God and with men.

The Prescott church is not only old, it is mature. They are not easily shaken or upset by what happens in life. They know what to do and they do what needs to be done. They can turn over their responsibilities to the next generation who is waiting in the wings.

We are old enough to know better. We need to begin to act our age as a church.

Nabal The Conservative.

 "Then Nabal answered David's servants, and said, Who is David, and who is the son of Jesse? There are many servants nowadays who break away each one from his master. Shall I then take my bread and my water and my meat that I have killed for my shearers, and give it to men when I do not know where they are from?" 1Sam.25:10-11

I won't spend a lot of time on this text. But I will say that Nabal is a card carrying conservative. He was wealthy and he had worked hard to get what he had. He felt he had no responsibility to take care of those less well off than himself. He was well within his rights and what he did was no doubt legal. But it was wrong. You can be legal and still be wrong and miss God.

The only people who resent me getting Social Security payments are conservatives. The only people against Medicare are conservatives. The people who value the rich and who despise the poor are conservatives.

Society survives by taxation and helping those less fortunate. No one gets rich on Social Security. And Medicare is healthcare for those who otherwise would not get health care. This is Bible based by the way.

"For you have the poor with you always, and whenever you wish you may do them good;" Mark 14:7

Nabal was judged by God and died. God help those who resent me and people like me getting basic help.

"He who has pity on the poor lends to the Lord, and He will pay back what he has given." Prov. 19:17

You can be a card carrying Republican conservative and go to Hell when you die. You need to repent.

A Tale Of Two Conferences

 There are a couple of big differences between a big conference like Prescott and a smaller, regional conference like ours. They are all good and they all meet the needs of our Fellowship. But they are not all the same.

First, there is a quality of preaching difference. There is a weight to the preaching in one conference that is missing in other conferences. This has to do with the weight of the pastors who preach. You get weight in ministry by surviving big problems and going through things that make you despair of life. You gain weight in ministry by years of faithfulness through good times and bad. Sometimes, the local conference just does not have enough guys who have lived long enough to gain that kind of weight.

Second, one conference deals with heart and character issues while the other deals with practical issues. One deals with having more of God in my life, the other only deals with how to be a better pastor. Prescott used to always be about the heart. Being right with God. Being of one heart with pastor. Being a better person and being a better pastor are not always the same thing.

Regional conferences meet the needs of younger churches and younger pastors and new converts. That's the main reason why I do not attend the daytime conference services. I am not a pastor and I do not need instruction on how to be a better pastor. I attend every night to help do my job as an usher.

My Question

 Here's a question for which I have no answer. 

Why are conference offerings so long? Why does the pastor taking the offering have to deliver a short sermon on giving just to receive an offering? I thought that if you preach on money and giving regularly in your church, you maybe do not need to preach on giving and money at every offering. Just saying.

Tonight, in our regular Tuesday night of conference, the pastor preached for 20 minutes just to take the offering. He talked on and on and on. It wasn't a three point sermon, but it wasn't a simple Biblical case for giving either. It kind of covered a lot of ground, with Bible verses and personal testimonies,(not about money), and it went on for 20 minutes. How did I know how long? I have stood through enough long conference offerings that I check my watch when they start and again when they stop.

Pastor Mitchell used to try different guys to take the offerings at the Prescott conference. Some still do it today. Others did it once and never again. Maybe going on too long is anathema in Prescott. Just saying.

I wonder how much money is not given when the offering is done so terribly. Some people will give no matter what. But some won't. Some would give if the preacher gave them a reason to give. I have put my offering back in my pocket to give it at a later time. And I have given when I had no plans to give.

I think the conference offerings are so long because they became too long years ago and no one is willing to change it to make it better. Just saying.

The Blessed Life in Psalm 84

...I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness." Psalm 84:10b

Some think that the best job in church is the pastor. He gets to preach. He gets to make decisions. He sits in the seat of honor every service. But the writer of this psalm would disagree with that. And so would I. I think that the best job in church is to be an usher. To watch the door for visitors and to greet the regulars. To take up the offering and to count attendance. I am content to be an usher or a doorkeeper rather than the pastor.

"As they pass through the valley of Baca, they make it a spring; the rain also covers it with pools." Psalm 84:6

The valley of Baca was the valley of tears. It was a place of weeping over mistakes made and over sins committed. But as people traversing this valley shed tears it turned the desert into a spring of water. There were pools to drink and to wash in. God can turn sorrow into joy and that joy is a blessing to those who come after you.

"Even the sparrow has found a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young." Psalm 84:3

The sparrow is a small, insignificant bird. It is not strong or noble. It was the bird that it is said two of them were sold for a penny. And yet God cares for the small and the insignificant. And these lowly sparrows have something we do not have. When we go home, the sparrows remain in God's house.

"Blessed are those who dwell in your house; they will still be praising you." Psalm 84:4

The lowly sparrow, the weeping pilgrim, and the humble doorkeeper all have this in common. They are blessed because they trust in God.

"O Lord of hosts, blessed is the man who trusts in You." Psalm 84:12 

Captain Obvious On Offerings

Captain Obvious here with a thought on taking the offering at conference. Every pastor, as part of his job, needs to take offerings. He has to be able to inspire his people to give and to support the vision. He must be wise, he must be generous in his personal life, he must be a good steward of money that God brings in through the offerings.

Conference offerings are regular offerings on steroids. Now you are seeking to inspire a whole different level of saints to give. But one thing is the same. You are seeking to raise miracle money from unexpected sources.

To take the offering at conference you have to be able to generate large money in your ministry. It's not enough to be smart or clever or funny. The bottom line is can you raise larger than normal amounts of money for the work of God? 

See, offerings at their core are fund raising exercises. You need to inspire giving that is above and beyond the normal levels of support. You have to get money from a grouch and make him happy that he gave. You have to inspire trust that it is for the work, and not for the man. And finally, talk about money and miracles when you take the offering. Not evangelism and witnessing or discipleship.

This is Captain Obvious signing off.