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