What Do You Have?

 If I had a million dollars, I would give. If I had a wife, I would go. If I had, I would, is a common refrain among God's people. If I had more time, or more talent, or more money, I would do something. You may not be surprised to find that the Bible speaks to this mindset.

"So the Lord said to him, what is that in your hand? He said, a rod." Exodus 4:2

"So Elisha said to her, what shall I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in your house?" 2Kings 4:2

Two examples; different times, different places, different people, but the same response. What do you have? What can you do right now? For Moses, the staff turned into a serpent, giving Moses dominion over the serpent power behind the throne of Egypt. The nation was delivered by what Moses had. To the widow, she gathered empty vessels and the oil in her jar filled them all. Her needs were met, her family survived, and miracle provision came from what the widow had.

The real question for us is not if I had, but, what do I have. You may find that you have more than you think you have.

"Then one poor widow came and threw in two mites, which make a quadrans(less than one cent). So He called his disciples to Himself and said to them, assuredly I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all those who have given to the treasury;" Mark 12:42-43

"But Jesus said to them, they do not need to go away. You give them something to eat. And they said unto him, we have here only five loaves and two fish. He said, bring them to me." Mat. 14:16-18.

Jesus can take the little we have and turn it into more than enough. To God be the glory, great things He has done!

Staying On The Path Chosen For Us

 I have noticed that, when a church gets bored with world evangelism, they want to get involved in other things. You may ask, how could a church get bored with world evangelism? One reason may be that if you are not sending or supporting church planting, you start to lose interest in it. You may still believe it is important. You are just not personally involved. That is for the big churches to do. But, being real people, we need something to do. So we find ourselves being drawn into other causes that seem important.

What do churches do when the main thing is no longer the main thing? The list could be endless. But here are a few that come to my mind. They start schools. Educating our children is important, so lets dedicate space and staff to educating children. We will be a Christian school of course. So lets get those busses running!

One thing that is in focus right now is politics. We don't necessarily want to run for office, but we love getting into the public arena to argue politics. We apply Christian morals to an unsaved world. We insist that the church be front and center in the political arena. Some do run for office. But we long for the power and prestige that political success brings.

I have lived long enough to see these fads come and go. I have seen the failed attempts of those who want to Christianize our nation. They believe that America is a Christian nation founded on Biblical precepts. I have seen churches get on TV to "reach" a larger audience. I remember when preachers used to use radio for the same reason. We have been preaching the Gospel in America since the beginning of our Fellowship and America is still as lost and unclean as ever.

We do not do everything. We do have something to do. Let us keep doing what we do as long as we have people and pastors to do it. No movement lasts forever as it began. If it lasts, it will change. People change, generations may come and go. But as long as we are still here, let us stay on the path laid out for us.

King of Kings and Conference

 A common phrase in the Bible is referring to someone  as king of kings. Kingdoms that are so big and so vast that central rule is impossible. So empires were broken up into smaller segments where kings could rule and reign under the authority of the king of kings. All were kings, with one king of kings. 

This idea made me wonder if pastor Mitchell's idea of a fellowship of self governing churches was not a genius idea. Instead of having a central bureaucracy that runs everything, lets have many loosely connected local churches with an over arching structure simply to help support and sustain the local churches in their area.

Looking at bigger churches who are building enormous conference centers makes no sense unless it is in the context of king of kings structure. We need conferences to keep us on track. We need someone to coordinate between pastors and churches. We do not do this for the ego of the big church pastor. We do it because someone needs to oversee what is happening in a regional setting. There needs to be a clearing house for funds to support missionaries and pioneers. Church planting happens at regional conferences.

It was never the intention that everyone in the Fellowship would go to Prescott for conference. There is not a building big enough to handle that. In our Fellowship there are conferences held just for you and just for your area. You do not need a passport or a visa to attend your area conference. And the cost is much less if travel is not involved. Instead of traveling to Prescott, why not put your travel money in your area conference for world evangelism.

We have our south Texas conference coming up soon. If you are in south Texas, we hope to see you here!

Bible Thoughts in Romans

 "And declared to be the son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead." Romans 1:4 KJV

"and he was shown to be the son of God when he was raised from the dead by the power of the Holy Spirit." Romans 1:4 NLT

For a long time I have wondered if evangelicals, by professing that Jesus Christ was God in the flesh, have used this as an excuse for why God does nothing today. Of course Christ healed the sick, he was God. And since Acts tells us that the original apostles also followed in Christ's footsteps, the evangelicals agree that only the first apostles could do what Acts plainly says that they did. So today, God is on vacation, or on an extended sabbatical, resting from all of his work in raising Jesus from the dead?

As I was reading in the NLT this morning, it looks like it says that Christ was proved to be God when the Holy Spirit raised him from the dead. That means that Jesus is alive today, and that he is active today. The missing ingredient today is faith.

" And he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief.' Mat.13:58 KJV

"Nevertheless when the son of man comes, shall he find faith on the earth?" Luke 18:5 KJV

What I am saying is that it is human nature to cover up our unbelief by twisting the scripture to fit our experience. If you are prayed for and do not get healed, it is easier to believe your experience than it is to believe God.

Take this as wisdom from someone who has been around a while. People who refuse speaking in tongues and who quench the moving of the Spirit are full of unbelief, no matter how much they witness and preach. You will notice that evangelicals believe that anyone can be saved, but that healing and miracles do not happen. God can save you, but from then on you are on your own.

" For what if some did not believe? Will their unbelief make the faithfulness of God without effect? Certainly not! Indeed, let God be true but every man a liar" Romans 3:3-4 NKJV

Married or Single?

 When pastor Mitchell married us he looked me in the eye and said, marriage is a commitment, and marriage is an adjustment. Other times over the years I heard pastor Mitchell say that marriage is two selfish people learning to live together under one roof.

Kathy and I did not get married to get sent out. We got married because we wanted to be married. We went through our ups and downs over the years. But when the dust settled and the smoke cleared, we were still married.

It took me years to get over the death of my dear wife. I don't know if I could ever be married again. I am willing, if the right person comes along. And I am content to stay as I am until Jesus calls me home. So married would be nice, but single is nice (most of the time).

Marriage at my age is much different than it was as a teenager. Then it was about outward appearance. Is she pretty? Now, is she kind, is she smart, can I talk to her? And, will she want me as much as I would want her? I guess I am more like the Lord now. I look less at the outward appearance and I look more at the heart.

One smart thing that pastor Eric told me is that it is always best to leave the driving to Jesus, and to trust Him to make the choices for me.  So that is what I am doing today.

Thoughts Concerning Abortion

 When I moved to San Antonio I was surprised to see people up in arms over abortion and to see abortion in the front lines again. It was like a trip to the past for me. I guess reversing the so called law that legalized abortion riled some people up. I did not understand why it was being talked about here like an important issue.

I want to surprise you with what I am about to say. Many years ago, before abortion became front page news, an old time Pentecostal preacher told me that human life begins when the baby breathes on it's own. It is alive in the womb, but it is not recorded as alive until it is born.

"And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul." Genesis 2:7

Notice that the man was fully formed and alive biologically. But it was not until the Holy Spirit breathed into the man's nostrils that he became a living soul. The fact that God knows us before we are born does not mean that we are alive. Until we are born.

This is not a battleground to die on. Women who have abortions often feel guilt and the shame for their selfish actions. But, by throwing abortion into their faces, we cause them to not hear the Gospel we want to preach to them.

Women who have abortions can be saved. Aborted babies return to wherever life comes from. But let's not harm our Gospel message by our social message. We can still love the sinner even if we hate their sin.

"But God commends His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." Rom. 5:8

Wisdom Despised

 I have noticed that my friends who are married think that I ought to be married. They can tell me all of the reasons why I would make some sister a good husband. They tell me that I am an eligible bachelor. But not once do they ask me if I want to get married or what my thoughts on marriage at my age are.

My younger friends think that I ought to be physically fit. They think that I need to stay active. They tell me exercises to do that they think will help me. They freely give me diet and exercise tips. They rarely ask me what my thoughts on this topic are.

Even pastors tell me what I need to do or what is best for me. When I was much younger I did all of the things they say I should do. No one stops to ask me why I do or do not do things today.

I am almost 70 years old. I have been saved in this Fellowship for over 50 years. I was married to the same woman for 40 years. Even a dope like me can learn a few things along the way.

So I smile, and I nod, and if they ever stop talking I may tell them what I think.

This is why the wisdom of the elders goes unused. No one thinks we know anything. Every young person today thinks they are smarter than we who have many years under our belts are. This is almost ageism.

"Then said I, wisdom is better than strength: nevertheless the poor mans wisdom is despised, and his words are not heard." Eccl.9:16

Thoughts On Success

 While reading Malcom Gladwell's book Outliers something occurred to me. When Prescott first began sending out churches, most of that first wave of churches took off and grew fast. But, by the time I was saved and felt called to go, the wave of early growth seemed to have leveled off. A few guys did very well, some guys survived and stayed in the ministry, but some of us ended up back in our mother churches, feeling like failures. It took me twenty years of trying and failing before I could face the music and go home to Prescott.

But Gladwell's book made me wonder if there was a matrix or some evidence that we did not take into consideration. We seemed to employ the Peter Principal, promoting men to their level of incompetency. To pastor Mitchell's credit, he did his best to accommodate men's calling and gifting and he did all that he could do to help a man find his way in God's will. 

Outliers made me feel at ease in the sense that I am not to blame for powers and giftings beyond my control. If it was just clean living and hard work, all of churches would be larger and more influential.

"...the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favor to men of skill; but time and chance happens to them all." Eccl. 9:11

"A man's gift makes room for him, and brings him before great men." Prov. 18:16

If your gifting is not making room for you or giving you influence, maybe you need to rethink your place and be content where you are.

A New Plan B

 Recently pastor Rubi preached about Plan B. What to do after your plans fail or are never realized. I'm sure that in his thoughts pastor meant that plan B meant something new to do. But what if plan B meant a season of doing nothing?

Many people struggle in retirement because they cannot do the things that they wanted to do. They cannot do the things that they planned to do. Age or illness robs them of the life they thought they would be living in their golden years.

But what if retirement was a time to unwind and do nothing? What if we replace the word should with want to. I will exercise if I want to. I will use my technology as a tool when I want to. We can shift our focus from the things we are required to do and we can instead do the things that we want to do.

We have reached a time in life where many of our duties are open ended. If I don't mow my yard today, it will be there tomorrow. I can read that book anytime, it doesn't have to be right now. We all leave things undone in life, so why fret over the inevitable?

What if we stopped posting everything on social media? What if we took a nap in the afternoon? What if we stopped worrying about our weight?

As for my church, I go for God, and I go for my friends and family. I am glad to serve. I know my limitations. I don't have to be at everything. And every sermon is not for me.

Life must be lived to the end. Life doesn't have to be active to the end.

Ageism In church?

 Ageism is a social ill that ridicules and diminishes older people just because they are older. I wonder if this ageist attitude is in our churches. We focus a lot of attention on the young. We target the young in outreach. We disciple the young for future ministry. We treat the older folks like we have to minister to them, not because we value them as they are.

One reason this happens in church is because of our one size fits all approach to ministry. Because we disciple the whole church, we view those who do not, or can not, get with the program with suspicion. Oh, we will visit them if they end up in the hospital. We will talk to them if they call. But it is funny that on Sunday morning you rarely hear a sermon directed at the elderly or ministry that addresses their unique challenges.

In society, people who reach 40 years old already feel old. They have aged out of relevance already. No company markets anything but prescription drugs to them. They are faced with the Sun City approach to aging which is to act young. It seems like the baby boomers, who are aging out of the scene as we speak, have no answers to their own challenges. As long as you can act young you are alright. Until sickness hits or you drop dead. The black and white attitude leave no room for the middle ground where real older people live.

I do not expect special treatment. I do expect to be appreciated even if I cannot participate in your youth-oriented program. But if you think we are more trouble than we are worth, shame on you!

On Partisan Politics

 Partisan politics has no place in our churches. We have to ask ourselves, what is more important; friends, family, brethren, or who is running for office? The command of the Lord is to love one another. Is it love to belittle someone over their political party affiliation? Is it love to ridicule someone because they vote different than you?

It you want to get involved in politics, go run for office. But do not use our churches as a polling place or a test bed or a core of support. We, as the body of Christ, have one job and it is not getting candidates elected to office.

We all, in America, have a civic duty to be informed and to vote. For me, that is the extent of my political involvement. If you want to do what better people repented from doing 40 years ago, don't do it in our churches. Find a big church and go there. 

We are too busy and we are too saved to be involved in partisan politics. Maranatha!

One final thought. No political candidate, local or national, would feel comfortable in our church. They would not be qualified to be in any ministry we regularly do. We are not voting for a pastor or a church member. We vote for those who represent us in government. It's not that big a deal.

Clearing Off My Desk

 I have been thinking about a couple of things lately and I am beginning to think that these ideas are not true. Not all proverbs are in the Bible. Many old wives fables seem true but upon closer inspection they prove to be not true, or only partly true.

First, the third generation problem. Some people feel like generational wealth or movements fall apart after three generations. The first generation makes the wealth, the second generation manages the wealth, and the third generation spends the wealth. This might be true in some situations, but it is not true across all circumstances. Generational wealth only hurts the children if the parents did a poor job raising them. And when it comes to churches, we have not been around long enough to see how this plays out in a local church. Pastor Mitchell handed off to pastor Greg, and he is doing a great job. But pastor Greg has no son to hand off to. So time will tell if we survive when there are no obvious heirs to take over. And as for wealth, there is no guarantee that your children will be as smart as you. So the jury is still out on the third generation problem.

Second, it the idea that the elderly have wisdom and that they are a resource that we can tap into. I see some problems here. First, being old is no guarantee that you will also be wise. I have met some old fools in my life. And, since we live in such a youth oriented society, the elderly are ignored. The reality is that we get social information from our peer group. Kids learn how their world works from other kids. Parents learn from other parents. Senior citizens compare notes all the time. There is a fine line between being old and wise, and just being old. No one cares about what grandpa knows except grandpa

One amazing thing about God is that we do not think of him as being old. He is timeless, and His word is still truth and light to every generation. With God, the best is yet to come!

A Word For Today

 "Do not remember the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing, now it shall spring forth; shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert." Isaiah 43: 18-19

It seems to be part of human nature, but we seem to have great trouble letting go of the past. There is a value in old things which  remind us of where we come from and of how far we have traveled. But there is a gravitational pull of the past that can rob us of better things to come.

The promise of the Gospel is to make things new. 

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new." 2Cor.5:17

Is the new thing God does in saving us limited to the salvation experience, or can God make things new going forward too?

The prophet tells us to not remember former things, and to not even consider old things. He calls us to leave the past behind us and to not live there anymore. God knows that we cannot go forward while looking over our shoulder. 

I understand that once we have accomplished something or gained something it is hard to let it go, or to move on from it. We get so involved in our work to preserve our gains that we do not have time or energy to think about something we have not considered yet.

This may be why the third generation sells the farm; they get tired of the same old same old, and they fail to appreciate it like we did. They need something new to happen that will excite them like what happened to us excited us. Not a new or different Gospel or strange fire. But a new experience in the God of the ages.

The prophet tells us that the time is now. Not later, but now. God makes thing where they don't seem to belong. A road in the wilderness, a stream of water in the desert. God makes a nation in a day. And we fail to see beyond what we already know.

Maybe it is up to us who have no stake in the current outcome to ponder what might be next.

Changes and Choices of Life

 Life is filled with change and choices. It has always been so since the creation of mankind. Adam and Eve were faced with a choice and they chose to obey the serpent rather than God. And ever since sin was born, we find that we come to places in life where we too must make choices.

Where should I live? Who should I marry? Should I go to college or not? These are life changing choices that deserve our careful consideration. If you are still torn between drinking or staying sober you have a lot to learn. If your challenge in life is get high or stay sober you are still in kindergarten. But as someone who has survived to this point in life I can tell you that we never get to a place in life where big choices are easy to make.

Fortunately, God is there to help us sort out the facts and to help us see the way forward. He is an ever present help in our time of need. He gives us strength and courage and he helps us make the next step. God does not show us our future all at once. But He does lead us day by day, step by step. and He gives us what we need to do His will.

Every choice is a God choice. Will we serve the Lord, or will we divert into our own self will? Will we do what God says, or will we listen to the strange woman who is out looking to lead us off of the straight and narrow path?

"Let your eyes look straight ahead, and your eyelids look right before you. Ponder the path of your feet, and let all your ways be established. Do not turn to the right or the left; remove your foot from evil." Proverbs 4:25-27

The Only Thing That We Can Do

 Adam and Eve were innocent. Their innocence did not keep them from sinning and rebelling. Solomon was the wisest man ever. And for all of his wisdom he could not say no to  idolatry. David was a man after God's heart, the sweet psalmist of Israel. And for all of his qualities he could not resist temptation and adultery. 

No matter who we are or what qualities of life we possess, we are no match for sin or Satan. On our own we lose every time. We will never be strong enough or wise enough to triumph over our own sin-stained nature.

Only Jesus, who is God's firstborn son, overcame; both as a man, and as God. Only Christ is the perfect sacrifice for sin. He is the second Adam who redeems us from sin now and who will restore all of creation in the future. He alone is the author and finisher of our faith. He is the Great Shepherd and the Good Shepherd. 

You can live a great life and it will not satisfy God's demands. Christ alone is sufficient for our need for righteousness before God. Jesus did not raise from the dead to make us happy and wealthy. He rose from the dead to seal the deal that we, through Christ, are right with God.

The only thing that we can do to be right with God is we must believe that Jesus Christ is risen from the dead. Amen.

Bible Study

 One thing that I love about the Bible is, because it is God's word, it is consistent. Everything in its pages agrees. Whether you look through a macro or a micro lens, everything is the same truth. It is like reading a book written by a brilliant author; you can "get" the story just by reading, but, the more you dig, the more you find.

I was doing a Bible study with a friend recently and I posed a question to him. "Why do you need to know that" was his response to me. My answer is simply because I want to know. It does not have to be practical to be valuable. There are rich veins in the Bible that can be mined; not just for a sermon or for a direct answer, but for the satisfaction that comes from understanding wisdom.

The Creation story seems at first like a child's Sunday School lesson. And yet as you study the scriptures, it is amazing how often truth refers back to Genesis chapters one through three.

"If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him." James 1:5

"Wisdom calls aloud outside; she raises her voice in the open squares." Proverbs 1:20

A Different Dress Code

 I have tuned in to regular services from Tucson and one thing stands out to me. The dress code on stage in Tucson is very casual. Men without ties, women not wearing dresses. It's not a matter of right or wrong, good or bad. It is different.

Politics And The Church

I heard something interesting recently. I heard someone talking about pastor Mitchell and admiring his standards. But, they were not talking about how he lived or how he preached or how he ministered or his impact. They were talking about his political stands. They were impressed how pastor Mitchell was not afraid to speak his mind and to make his political voice heard. And they thought that this was a worthy pattern to follow. 

Partisan politics is divisive and confrontational. By taking sides politically you alienate the other side from your ministry and your message. 

Maybe I am wrong. Maybe pastors need to speak up politically. Maybe our churches need to have a public stand on social issues. Maybe pastor Mitchell was right.

Jesus was not political. He spoke of things pertaining to the kingdom of God. Jesus did not live in our world. But we do.

What is the answer?