Cause, or Accommodation?

 Here is an interesting question. When pastor Mitchell built a building or enlarged a building was it to cause growth, or was it to accommodate growth? Do you know? I came into the Prescott church when the Ruth street build was fairly new. My wife went to church on Lincoln street. The Lincoln street building was bursting at the seams when pastor Mitchell and the council built the Ruth street building. The Ruth street building was expanded several times until it became obvious that we had outgrown it.  Not enough seats, not enough parking, for our regular church services. It never seemed to me that our pastor was building so that they would come. They were coming faster than he could build.

A bigger building does not cause growth if growth is not already happening. Buildings accommodate growth when it is already happening. If you build it, they will come, only works in movies.

One more thought. In Prescott they needed space for conference. There were no auditoriums in town that could hold the crowds of people we had coming. The tents proved to be Divine inspiration. For a fraction of the cost of a multi-million dollar building Prescott held conferences in those tents for years.

We want bigger and bigger buildings, and then we long for the simpler times when everything was new (and we had nothing). A new church and a downsized church are not the same thing.

Intergenerational Churches

 I have a simple question today. We know that every church that is successful and big enough to support itself had a beginning. A pastor and a handful of core saints who were the seed of something much greater. We see the end result of God's working in actual churches that are doing well.

My question is this: can the core that got it started take us to the next level? Can the pastor who, through trial and error got us here, expand into new territory that never crossed his mind before?

The New Testament does not give us much guidance here. Jesus ended his public ministry very early. Acts only covers a short time and the life of Paul and the original apostles. The epistles are about getting better and growing stronger. Revelation is far in the future.

Only modern church history gives us guidance on intergenerational churches. We may have to examine church history to find any examples of what we as a Fellowship are facing as we grow older.

"And He said, my presence will go with you, and I will give you rest. Then he said to him, if your presence does not go with us, do not bring us up from here." Exodus 33:14-15

Nothing Grows Forever

 I have written about this before. Nothing grows forever. At least, nothing in this life. People are born, they grow, they level off, and then they decline. Trees start out, they grow, and they maintain their size until they die. No matter how much we try, we cannot add one inch to our height or one inch to the height of a ponderosa pine tree.

It is hard to realize and to face the fact of our terminal size. No amount of fasting and prayer can change that.

Churches are similar. It seems that churches should continue to grow. We build bigger buildings so that they can grow. The key to church growth is not bigger buildings, but bigger men as pastors.

We waste a lot of time trying to recapture the exciting days of early church growth. Meanwhile, it seems that for every 10 people who come in through the front door, 2 people slip out the back door to never come back again. The past is in the record books. The future is still before us.

What is the future for us or our church? First, maintain what we have now. Second, minister to people where they are to help them grow in faith. We helped them grow up. Now, let's help them grow old.

A Challenge For Today

 When I was first saved everything was black or white, heaven or hell. People quit serving the Lord to go back to drugs and sex and booze. 

Our challenge today, as we grow up in the faith, is not to get drunk or get high. Our temptation is to partner with people outside our Fellowship or to, dare I even say it, bring in pastors from outside our Fellowship. We want political power to get things done. We become polished and professional and acceptable to the movers and shakers of society. Using Goliath's sword means, to us,  using borrowed money to advance the Gospel.

The indigenous church is self propagating, self supporting, and self governing. 

"I am doing a great work." Neh.6:3

The Third Generation Question

"When all that generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation arose after them who did not know the Lord nor the work which He had done for Israel." Judges 2:10

This morning, in his sermon, pastor Rubi brought up the subject of the third generation and how it is the third generation that sells the farm. This is a deep subject and one which I will not attempt to tackle here. But it is a pertinent subject for our Fellowship as time marches on.

We all think that we will live forever just as we are and that things will remain the same forever. But deep in our hearts we know that this is not true. We see our parents and grandparents get old and die. We see fads change and societal norms change. We all reach a point in life where we yearn for the good old days. Days that are gone forever.

I was genuinely concerned when pastor Mitchell died. I wondered if our Fellowship would or could survive without him. So far it seems that my fears were unfounded. But I am wondering, as the clock continues to tick, if we will survive in a form we would recognize beyond the second generation of Fellowship leaders.

The founder is the one who paved the way and who payed the price and who through trial and error found out what works. The second generation, not wanting to lose what they have, work hard to maintain the gains and to perfect the gains of the founder. But the third generation wonders why we do what we do and what's the point of it all and they become skeptics and they fail to appreciate the gift they were given and so they squander it all away. America is full of old church buildings that used to be alive and vibrant and now are monuments to a forgotten time in their church's history.

Prescott is the only true first generation church in our Fellowship. But there are second generation churches that have first generation status. Tucson is a fist generation church. San Antonio is a first generation church. Prescott is a second generation church now, having shifted from it's founder to the next generation of pastoral leadership. First generation churches are ones who have growth and influence under their current headship. In our Fellowship many of our first generation churches are getting very old.

One final question. Is the third generation problem inevitable?

Good Thing Happening in Prescott

 I keep in touch with a few of my old Prescott friends. I quiz them on what is happening in Prescott. And, to put it simply, I am pleased with what I hear happening in the mother church.

I wondered if pastor Greg would be anything but pastor Mitchell's son. Would Greg just carry on doing what his father did? There is both yes and no answers to that question.

Yes, pastor Greg is staying faithful to the basic tenets of our Fellowship. Evangelism, discipleship, and church planting. The Prescott church continues to outreach in various ways in their area. They are still heavily involved in world evangelism. So, pastor Greg is a faithful man to our vision.

No, pastor Greg is not only doing what his father did, he is implementing things that are uniquely his. He is fine tuning some old ministries and positions. He has implemented some new ministry and some new positions. He is doing enough to give me confidence that pastor Greg is a real man of God in his own right.

God continue to bless the Prescott church in all that they do going forward.

"Then He said to them, therefore, every scribe instructed concerning the kingdom of heaven is like a house-holder who brings out of his treasure things new and old." Mat.13:52

Time For God To Act In Marriage

"And the Lord God said, it is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him." Genesis 2:18

There is a lot to be said about the truth in this one verse. I want to focus on the central truth, that God says it is not good for a man to live alone. In our church we have many young men living a not good life alone. These young men have friends and they have family. They are well poised to be successful in life. But they are single and not close to being married. There are also men like me, men who were married but through death or divorce are currently single again. Whether never married or single again, God says this state is not good.

I think it is time for God to act in the area of marriage. I think it is time for these young men to find willing wives. They need to be married while they are young so that they can grow up and grow old as a couple. We need a marriage revival in our Fellowship!

It is not just a matter of seeing someone, talking to them at church, taking them out for dinner, and courting. God initiated marriage in the Garden and He needs to originate marriage again today.

Get married and fall in love. In that order. 

God picks the perfect mate for those who let Him choose. 

Our Church Is Growing Up.

 Some people talk about their church like they are the pastor, or like they know the why and wherefore of everything that happens. They feel that every sermon is for them. They answer every altar call. Sometimes they have keys to the building that they do not need. They are concerned about church things like they were in charge. I think this is pride.

I pray for my pastor. He has a big job, no matter the size of the Sunday morning crowd. My pastor carries the weight of responsibility as one who must give an account. He needs the Lord's help to be a good pastor.

Our church is growing up. We are not a rag tag collection of young new converts anymore. People have found a place to get involved. People have taken on responsibilities. We are much more professional as a church than we used to be. Except for some Peter Pan saints who stay new converts forever, or as long as they can get away with it!

It's hard to grow up and mature. We tend to yearn for the simpler days when everything was brand new. We tend to try to resist maturity, because maturity brings responsibility. Maturity narrows our involvement. Grandma is no longer welcome to be on stage for anything anymore.

A church has a chain of command, it has a structure. A church is not a business or a school or a factory. A church has it's own unique structure and operates in it's own unique way. Our job is to find where we fit in and fulfill our duties no matter how big or how small. 

Leave running the church to the professionals. Amen.

The Loneliness of Loss

 Today I want to talk about loneliness in the context of the death of your spouse. There is a loneliness of loss that is hard to explain and hard to bear.

First, there is the isolation of grief. When a man is in the throes of grieving the death of his wife he becomes isolated from those around him. No one knows what to say or do so they say and do nothing. Some people are afraid that maybe you are contagious.  I went through the hardest time of my life feeling isolated and alone. Fortunately, it didn't last forever.

Second, there is the loneliness of loss. This is a longer phase of life after loss that never goes away. It is the loss of someone who understands why you think like you do. It is the loss of someone with common reference points about people and places. No one knows you better than your spouse. No one can appreciate things you see and hear like your spouse. A new wife would not fill the emptiness that you feel now.

This is not a topic a pastor can preach about. Unless you have gone through this you won't understand what I'm talking about. But one day you will understand.

Grieving is proof that you loved. 

All Things Common

"Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common." Acts 2:44

"Now the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul; neither did anyone say that any of the things he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common." Acts 4:32

Pastor Rubi was talking about God's economy compared to man's economic systems. He seemed to be unsure when it came to the common ownership that is mentioned in these two verses. He made it sound like there is no private property and anyone could take anything from anyone at any time. But I think this misses the point.

First, there are times in real outbreaks of revival, when lots of people are brought in in a short time, that community becomes very important. Sharing things from coffee to meals to clothing to cars to housing. It is not a plan for living. It does meet a need and it gives people an opportunity to share the love of God in practical ways. It is a common expression everywhere revival breaks out.

Second, we practice community property in our church today. Who owns our building? We own it corporately. We do not have official membership in our church. But if you are a part of this church, you have every right to use the facilities, drink the water, use the restrooms, etc. any time you choose or need to. Yes there are those who receive offerings and those who give offerings. There are those who manage church finances and those who give advice on that management. We do not all have legal right to this building, but we use it like we own it. Having pastors who must give account for their actions gives me great peace about our structure.

This is not hard to understand. It may be a challenge to fit this truth into our preconceived notions of right and wrong. But it has worked throughout modern church history. And it has worked in our Fellowship for all of it's existence.

One final thought. The word together in Acts 2:44 is a word that means they were all in the same place for the same reason. 

Truth is made light through the church.

Rich and Famous?

 In the world we see a generation of young people who's goal in life is to be rich and famous. To be beautiful. To do all of the things they think celebrities do. But studies show it all boils down to being rich and famous.

In our Fellowship rich and famous translates to having a large church and being a conference speaker. Having hundreds of people look to you for guidance and direction in life. To have a large audience every Sunday and to have enough money to do everything your heart desires for God.

The problem is that in the real world there are a lot more ordinary people than rich and famous ones. And in our Fellowship there are more ordinary churches than big conference centers. It seems that 10% of the leaders get 99% of the attention. The rest of us ordinary folks are left to sort it out on our own, with occasional help from our pastors.

To me, the mid life crisis is not only in the secular world. We suffer a kind of mid life ministry crisis. That time when it begins to look like your dreams will never come true. Or that you must content yourself to be less than the best. It's like we have dreams that are more Instagram than Holy Ghost.

Can I share a little secret? Not every person is the same. Not every church is the same. 

"...who suppose that godliness is a means of gain. ... now godliness with contentment is great gain." 1Tim. 6:5-6

Or to quote the prophet Hoyt Axton; you work your fingers to the bone, what do you get? Boney Fingers!

A Weightier Matter

By focusing exclusively on evangelism, discipleship, and church planting, we are ignoring some of the weightier matters of the Bible. We have young people who want to get married and who can't seem to find someone to marry. Divorce rates are nearly as high in churches as in our unchurched neighbors. We seem to have forgotten that single people and married couples need a lot of help and support to survive in this messed up world we live in.

Like Jesus said, we need to not stop doing one thing to do another. But we need to spend more time encouraging and supporting and ministering to people who want to get married and who want to start families.

We have young men who only want to get married because single guys don't get sent out. We have single girls who think a degree and a career is more important than a family of their own. Something is wrong, and we as a Fellowship seem to have forgotten how important marriage and family is.

Marriage was instituted in the Garden of Eden before the fall. Marriage in every aspect is pure and holy and beneficial. Sin has ruined sex and marriage for a generation of church kids.

Young men need help to learn how to win a wife and to win a career and to accomplish something in life. If that means being a pastor then do it. If that means being a doctor then do it. If that means being a tradesman then do it. 

Baby boomers are the most selfish and self centered generation I have had the misfortune of being a part of. 

God's Time

 "But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years is as one day." 2Pet.3:8

Some people take this truth to mean that we can use wisdom to calculate the return of Christ and the end of the world. I have read that the time using this method is 6000 years from the beginning of history. The problem is that no man knows the hour or the day, only God Himself knows that. 

"But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but my Father only." Mat. 24:36

God knows the end from the beginning. God created times and seasons to govern life on Earth. This idea of a day as a thousand simply means that God's time is not like our time. God does not have a digital clock to tell him what time it is. God has a plan and everything in that plan happens according to God's time, not ours.

So, don't waste your time trying to calculate the end of the world. And do not be deceived by those who apply natural science to Divine plans.

Listening Ears.

 I am not a big fan of  The Chosen series. Some people love them. I think that the films are well made, but in spite of the content, I find them boring to watch. I see them as the view of those ancient times from the eyes of someone who sees life much different than I do. Their view of faith is from a classic Christian perspective, not a Pentecostal perspective. And most of the stories are purely conjecture, trying to tell the stories that God did not think were important to include in the Bible.

I know that we, as believers, rely on our pastors to rightly divide the word of truth and to mine the depths of the Bible to bring us a word in due season. We, like the people with Moses, do not want to go up on the mountain where the glory dwells and where God is. We want our pastors to go there and to return with shining faces to tell us what God says. 

I read the Bible every day. I have read it for years. And I still go to church every service looking for truth to come from my pastor's mouth to my listening ears. I am interested to hear his thoughts, his perspective, his insights, and his understanding of how to live the Christian life today. I go to church ready to hear all that the Lord has given our pastors to tell us. 

His yoke is easy, his burden is light.

Growing Old in God?

 Did you know that about 10,000 people per day will be retiring during the next ten years? That's a lot of older folks beginning the final third of their lives. Some of the needs of older folks are unique to them while other issues are just human life issues. In the Bible there are stories of men growing older and sometimes behaving badly. Sometimes they just fade away with maybe one last gasp at the end of their lives trying to influence the next generation.  I wonder if their lives would have ended better if there had been ministry to them as they grew old in God?

Life is full of change and adjustments. Life must be lived to the end. But must we rely on the world for guidance on negotiating the final few years of our lives? The Prescott church brought on staff someone whose job it is to minister to the aged saints there. Ministry to the elderly is needed across our Fellowship as we age far beyond the zeal of youth.

Did you know that many retirees suffer the loss of many things in retirement? The loss of routine, the loss of identity, the loss of relationships, the loss of purpose, and even the loss of power. Relationships are the key to a happy, well balanced life. But what to do when your spouse dies or your closest friends die or move away? What about divorce or physical and mental decline?

Applying ministry that only serves the youth and new converts leaves a lot of us pining for the days when we were young and full of enthusiasm. We seem to be ignored or invisible and irrelevant. I wonder how many seasoned saints in our churches feel lonely and hopeless?

The thrill of marriage does not last very long. The thrill of salvation does not last very long either.

Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life." John 6:67

End of the Week Musings

 I do what I can do. I do not beat myself up over things that I cannot do. There is no could have, should have, ought to with God. I will not let someone else's unsettled heart keep me from peace. I know how to eat the fish and spit out the bones. I know a good sermon when I hear it. I can still be moved by a good song well sung. I can shed a tear when necessary or when I cannot avoid sorrow.

I am grateful to be living here. I am grateful for the new friends I have here. I am grateful for my church and my pastors. I am grateful to be in good health for someone my age.

One day I hope to hear about how to grow old in Christ. Jesus died young. Acts is the story of  young church. There is truth for the aged in the Bible. You just have to look for it. The record for men growing old in Scripture is not very good. Maybe they needed ministry as they got old just like we do. 

He is kind to the unthankful and the unholy. A bruised reed He will not break. A smoking flax He will not quench.

Maranatha!

What Do You Want Me To Do?

What do you want me to do? That was Paul's cry on the road. That is my prayer today.  What am I to do, after 50 years in the faith, suffering through the loss of all of my retirement and savings, and then the loss of my wife. What is a man like me supposed to do?

I am tired of being told that the secret is to behave like a teenage new convert. I could not do that even if I wanted to. I think the Sun City retirement of old folks trying to act young is pathetic. Pastor Mitchell stayed busy, but he never struck me as reliving his teenage years. 

Growing old in God is not living stuck in an old version of yourself. Doing the first works, at my age? I don't think so.

I am doing all that I can do. If that is not good enough then I give up. 

I have been young, and now I am old.

Thoughts On Fairness

 The idea of fairness came up in pastor Rubi's recent lesson. The parable of the talents, 5-2-1. No doubt the man who received only one talent thought it was not fair that the others got more than him.

When we are carnal and not walking in the Spirit this idea of fairness can be troubling. Instead of doing what we can with what we have, we make excuses and blame God for our bad attitude and our inaction.

Pastor Mitchell used to say that when a person's heart is right you can blow their arm clean off and they will have the victory. But when someone's heart is not right a paper cut is devastating and traumatic.

Skeptics are just unbelievers. They know what God has said, but they do not believe God will do what He said He will do. We accuse God of being unjust and unfair. But it is we who are arrogant and unbelieving.

Unbelief is not an absence of facts. Unbelief is a deliberate disregard for truth and a choice of our own will not to believe. Having examined the Bible, we decide what God can or cannot do. We make excuses for our unbelief when pressed. But unbelief is sin, just like drinking whiskey or adultery.

Jesus said that children can understand this. Why can't we?

Thoughts on Tithing

 Pastor Rubi's lesson yesterday inspired me. Tithing is not a tax we owe. We pay our tithe, but maybe that is the wrong way to say it. Abraham gave tithes to Melchizedek. We are not tithing to satisfy the demands of of conquering tyrant. We give our tithes as a tangible act of gratitude to a loving Father.

Everything we have we got from God. We do not all have the same. It is never about equality or our version of fairness. God gives us what we need and what we can handle. We give our tithe to express our gratitude to God for taking good care of us.

Comparison will lead you down the road of dissatisfaction and bitterness. Be content with what you have and with where you are in life. God knows what we need before we ask. After all of these things do the gentiles seek.

I am grateful for my pastor who, after all of these years, is still fresh and inspired and who still brings a good word for us from God.

Money And Life

I heard pastor Mitchell once say that money brings reality to life. There are many things that I would do if I had the money. So my budget sets the boundaries on my activities. This is easy to write, but hard to live. I have a cushion and I set aside money to pay annual bills. But in the mean time I live within my means.

My experiences in life have well equipped me to live on less. I have a place to live and there is food to eat. I have transportation. I have clothes to wear. I can get by month after month. I just don't have the means to get ahead.

My God shall supply all of my needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. The wealth of sinners is being accumulated for me. Make haste and help me Lord Jesus!