Them, Not Me

 Back in olden days, you had to be saved three years to get sent out. That was the key to discipleship. Get saved, get married, get involved, and get sent out. Pastor Mitchell could do more in three years of ministry than some men can do in a lifetime.

Today we do not have new converts as much as we have church kids. Children who grew up in our Fellowship. And if they had been serious and if they had paid attention they would be powerful men of God in their mid twenties. But they are our future and we do our best to make them into disciples and send them out.

Pastors announce that their sermon is for the young under thirty people. At first I was discouraged by this. Why am I even here if this is not for me. But it is never for me. It is always for them. I play my part. I do what I can do. I pray for our kids.

I do not remember pastor Mitchell pulling so hard to get guys to go. We had young guys lined up waiting for an opportunity to minister. The times, they are a changing.

Loneliness

 Something I heard last night hit me. The idea that successful pastors can feel lonely. We thrive in interacting with people like us. When you are a successful pastor the pool of like minded people is very small.

 I feel a little bit lonely here sometimes. I have very few people who can relate to my background. I have very few people who can understand my perspective on life. My pastors are good men but they do not get me sometimes. I am not depressed or full of self pity. But I do from time to time feel the cloud of loneliness creeping over me. I guess I just miss my wife.

I wonder if successful pastors are too busy are so busy that they do not have time to be lonely. This is one reason why we send out couples and not single men. At least you have someone to talk to who understands you.

Most of the preaching at conference does not apply to me. But once in a while I hears something that resonates in my spirit and I value those moments. God still speaks.

PS: a new wife would not fix me. She would not have the deep connection and reference points that connect with me. 

Something Learned

 I learned something from pastor Warner this morning. The difference between a pastor's conference and a people's conference is simply who is allowed to attend, not the messages preached. In Foursquare, pastor Mitchell grew up attending conferences aimed solely at pastors and their wives. He decided that when he began hosting our conferences that anyone in our churches could attend.

Another genius move by pastor Mitchell from the very early days. He had no blueprint, he simply addressed a problem and God gave him wisdom to address that problem.

Most of the things that we take for granted in our Fellowship began as troubleshooting by pastor Mitchell; solving problems connected with evangelism, discipleship, and church planting.

Conference Time

 We had pastor Warner for both services on Sunday. He is here for our conference and he agreed to minister for us the day before it started. Pastor Warner is a good man and a successful pastor. He is not pastor Mitchell.

Pastor Mitchell was my pastor for many years. I got used to his style of preaching. I was comfortable with his delivery of truth. I could count on him to bring balance to the excesses of younger more inexperienced pastors. As long as pastor Mitchell was there on Sunday morning I knew we would be alright.

Regional conferences like ours play an important role in our Fellowship. Everyone cannot go to Prescott conference. But almost everyone can go to a conference closer to them. It gives local churches a place to go. It gives local pastors a chance to preach to a larger audience. It gives our church a chance to serve the greater vision.

Pastor Warner told us that starting today we, the San Antonio church, will be forgotten as our workers take center stage. We are here to minister to those who minister.

Pastor Mitchell used to say that the Prescott conference was a people's conference. Our conference is still mostly a people's conference. As opposed to a leadership conference.

It will take years before I get that sense of familiarity that I used to have in Prescott. I may not know everyone, but I see familiar faces which makes me glad.

Conference time is an important time. I am glad to be a part of it here.

My Question.

 My question for today is how is it possible that while Jesus was suffering on the cross, did he have me personally on his mind? There are eight billion people on Earth today. There is no telling how many people have lived since the first century. Now I believe that God can know us all personally, I have my doubts that Christ did or could know us all. And that he had other things on his mind that day.

God knows the stars and calls them all by name. The Father no doubt knows us personally as individuals. But when Jesus died on the cross he was satisfying God's demands for justice, not you and me individually. We pray as individuals to be saved. But Christ died for humanity, not just for me.

This is too much for me. I cannot remember or know a lot of things. I cannot fathom how Jesus could know me by name way back then. But in the end it doesn't matter. I am saved today and I was born again many years ago and God knows where I live and who I am. God knows me better than I know myself.

America's Greatest Sin

 When I was a new convert pastor Mitchell preached a sermon entitled America's Greatest Sin. Do you think that you know what that sin was, and still is? It's not pride or homosexuality. It's not even lying or stealing. Pastor said that America's greatest sin was covetousness. The greed for more no matter how much we have. The fear of not having enough. We try to dress it up and make it seem normal. But covetousness is a grievous sin with God.

In America it seems that everything is for sale. We seem to monetize everything. We tax on top of taxes. We charge whatever the market will bear, not what it cost to produce. And it seems that we have a societal dread of running out of money.

There is only one cure for covetousness and that is to give. Give God His tithe. Give your church offerings. Give you family what they need. Give your wife what she wants. My friend's wife is going out of town. He acts like this is a bad thing. He resents her going to visit her family. He is hurt to have to pay for the trip. This is what the fear of not having enough looks like in real life. Covetousness breeds resentment.

God's plan is very simple. Repent, and then give.  And afterwards, rejoice.

"...It is more blessed to give than to receive."

Nostalgic For Better Days.

 Nostalgia is a funny thing. It is our ability to reminisce about the good old days when things were much better. We tend to look at the past through rose colored glasses.

This idea that the past was better has put a man into office as our president. This idea that the old days were better also seems to have infiltrated our Fellowship. We have this idea that our best years are behind us. We spend a lot of effort trying to recapture the glory days of our recent past.

But better is a relative term. Better than what? Better in what way? Are we saying the the best things can be are when they are brand new? That our best life was back then?

Are the best years of your marriage behind you? To recapture those exciting days do you need to dump your wife and find a new one? Or do you as a couple need to act like newlyweds to be happy? Is marriage boring now that you have been together for a few years?

Are the best years of our local church behind us? Those years of explosive growth. Those years of waves of new converts coming in. The excitement of seeing God come through with miracle money. But now that we are big and wealthy and proven, is the thrill all gone for us? Now that we have what we used to dream about, is it unsatisfying?

I grew up in a traditional household with both parents, a sister, a dog and a cat, in a suburban house. Everything was fine until my parents got bored and divorced. I became a latch key kid. I grew up, moved out, and got saved. I never dream about reliving those days.

Salvation was exciting when it was brand new. Now, over 50 years later, it is satisfying and comforting and fulfilling. But not exciting.

I believe that our best years are still to come. Comparing now to then is a fools game.