relocation successful

What a trip! Many of you already know, we have accepted positions at a church in Louisville, Kentucky and are now moved into our new home. We moved over New Year's weekend and was in service at our church New Year's Eve.

Of course we're going to miss everyone, but we'll be back often. I'm currently working a contract with Cablevision where I'll manage their internet service via remote services (PC Anywhere/Terminal Services for you geeks). I'm thanking the Lord for this contract as it's giving me enough of a base income to work my mobile computer repair service. Please pray for me as I begin this new business venture. I need God's guidance and direction as I do this.

Our decision to move here has been something we prayed about for over a year. We have returned to the church we were working in before we had our children. The church has changed as much as we have over the last 3 1/2 years, but we have felt at home every time we came up for a visit. The Lord has undoubtedly led us here. Every prayer has been answered, every concern has been addressed, and every need has been met so far. If you've ever seen the movie "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" you'll see a visual of what we've been doing spiritually. When Indiana Jones has to cross a canyon he has to step out on what appears to be nothing. Yet as he puts his foot down, the path reveals itself. As we have obeyed the Lord, the path is appearing as we walk. At first it's scary, but as we walk our confidence in His provision builds. I'm so much more at peace right now trusting the Lord as we obey Him than I ever have been relying on my own plans!

The church we're in is an exciting place to be. It's in a town bordering Louisville, and is an area heavily stricken with poverty, abuse, neglect, drugs, and horrible crime. The church has a great vision to reach this community with what they call "evangelism through meeting needs." Many have been saved through their monthly food basket give-aways. The opportunity to share the Gospel has been provided through taking care of the most immediate needs. We are in hopes to do School backpack give-aways before next school year. This year's theme is "take it to the Streets" (yes the Michael McDonald tune will be used in the promo's). We'll be purchasing a trailer with speakers and props. With this trailer we'll go to the neighborhoods with Kids ministry, teen concerts, and basic old-fashioned street preaching. We'll have teams of people ready to share the Gospel with individuals who show up to see what all of the hullabaloo is.

Melissa is beginning her work already as the youth director. She's excited about raising up the youth to reach their schools for the Lord. In prayer many years ago, we felt the Lord say to us that he was going to send a great student revival to this church, so she is going to be training these teens to reap the harvest of souls that will be coming in. She is having her first get-together with the youth this Friday (not even a week after moving in!). She's excited about this, and I'm proud of her!

I'll be serving as a "Worship Elder." This is new to me, but I'm excited about the new challenge. Our church leadership is being aligned with elders in the leadership that cover the various directors/ministries in the church. The area I'll be covering is the worship ministries. In a nutshell, everything that happens inside the sanctuary doors is my responsibility. I will work with the Worship leader, prayer director, head usher, sight and sound director, dance/drama team directors. We actually will plan each service weekly and come up with plans to help portray and connect with the congregation in a multi-sensory experience that carries the theme that the pastor will preach on. This is an exciting position for me that I believe God has been preparing me for in recent years. Again, this is uncharted territory for me, but I love challenges and am excited about running with this.

Until next time!

God's presence

You don't need majestic choirs
with awesome voices raised
You don't need a congregation
to offer me your praise
You don't need a mighty orchestra
to bless Me with your song
You get all My attention
When you worship Me alone
Alone - Lyrics by Clint Brown

To know that at anytime, anywhere, whether I have a band, or whether I'm by myself, I gain the ear of the Creator of the universe as I worship Him is awe-inspiring.

I get really quiet when I even think of the words of this song as the Lord begins to invite me to be alone with Him. My awareness of His presence intensifies and I nearly begin to weep. I almost don't want to breathe so I don't miss the sound of His still, small voice.

My favorite place to get into God's presence is on my keys. Just sit down alone in front of my piano or keyboard, close my eyes, and play. I can be in the midst of the greatest storm of my life, but the peace that passes all understanding wraps around me as I play and sing for Him.

How about you, what's it like for you when you're alone with God?

6.4.06 "Paying Your Pastors" 1 Corinthians 9:1-18

I ran across this tonight, and found it to be a very good message on Pastoring and ministry. This is a video clip of an excellent sermon preached by Pastor Mark Driscoll for Mars Hill Church in Seattle, Washington. "For some reason, pastoral ministry remains for some a glowing, naive, dreamy life idealized as hours of Bible reading, prayer walks with Jesus, and days spent singing worship songs and smiling. But statistically, being a pastor is the spiritual equivalent of being a kamikaze pilot..." Although it's rewarding work to be in church ministry, it's not for the faint at heart. I'm sure most pastors and staff members would echo my next statement... If you can do anything else other than be in ministry - DO IT! RUN NOW WHILE YOU HAVE A CHANCE! Just kidding! If you are called, you're called. God doesn't repent for calling you. Always remember, what you are doing for the Body of Christ is a calling, not a job. If you are contemplating church ministry, and you remember that, you'll do just fine.

Come on and walk on the water with me...

Matthew 14:23-33
And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone. But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary. And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear. But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid. And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt? And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased. Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God.

For some reason, I am continually drawn to the above passage of Scripture accounting of the miracle of Jesus walking on the water and Peter, well, uhhhh - (he tried). So many times Peter reminds me of myself. In the instance of him denying Christ - I haven't necessarily denied Him to the level that Peter did, yet I have (as we all have) denied Him the permission to work and speak in areas of my life that I didn't want touched. I haven't necessarily sunk in Lake Monticello, but I have sunk when taking the credit for the glory that should have been given to the Lord.

The story speaks to me in so many different ways every time I read it. Here are but a few:

Christ in the Crisis:
In verse 25, in the middle of this gigantic storm, Jesus walks on the scene - This reminds me of His promise that He'll never leave me nor forsake me. He'll always be there in the worst storms of my life. If you could just see and recognize Christ in your crisis - you can be comforted to know He is in control! Your crisis could be anything - but know that Jesus is there saying "be of good cheer, it is I, be not afraid."

Jesus is calling us to walk on what is trying to destroy us:
The wind was contrary, the little ship was being tossed about, and was probably in danger of capsizing. But Jesus gave Peter permission to come out and walk on the water with Him. What an example - When I begin to feel overwhelmed, I realize that I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. So I can walk on what is trying to destroy me. My problems don't control me, I control them. I'm not watching out for the devil, the devil is watching out for me! We Christians can tend to be so wimpy, but we need a revelation of whose dwelling place we are and who is empowering us.

When we fall, Christ is there to pick us back up:
Notice I said WHEN. This isn't a negative confession. It's just life! Proverbs 24:16 says this: For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief. There's a song I've heard that says "We fall down but we get up, we fall down but we get up, we fall down but we get up, for a saint is just a sinner who fell down - and got up." This rings so true. Peter got his eyes off of Jesus, and onto his circumstance - and he fell! Any time we look at the crisis, and not at Christ - WE FALL. But He is always there to pick us up - just call on Him and put your hand in the hand of the man... (oops, too many songs for one paragraph).

What would have happened if...?
I'm one of these people who like to ask these kind of questions. Call me weird if you wanna (I know it's hard not to). I just wonder if, had Peter kept his eyes on Jesus, and not sank - would the rest of the disciples joined him? Do you think that the disciples in the boat were saying among themselves, "if he makes it, we can too." We'll never know the answer to that question this side of Heaven, but it helps me to remember that our example can build or inhibit others' faith.

How humbling it is to lead
When we are in a position of leadership, as we see Peter taking being the first out of the boat, humbling things happen. Leading other Christians, I know of this firsthand. There's nothing more embarrassing than to have others see you fall flat on your face. Of course there's nothing some of those whom you are leading would love more than to see you fall. You'll be called a hypocrite, a fake, so on, and so forth. Yet the resounding statement in my head is Peter crying out in verse 30, "Lord, save me." We can say, "God knows my heart" all we want to, but there's something about the audible humility of someone crying out to God for help that seems to silence the naysayers (at least in the mind of the one crying out).

Almost done...

All Glory and attention is on Him
When the story wraps up, I don't see any of the disciples praising Peter for taking a few steps on the water. I don't even see them taunting Peter when he gets back in the boat. You see, Jesus corrected Peter by asking him where he doubted, and that was the end of the story for Peter's failure. The two returned to the boat, the wind ceased, and those who were in the ship went to Jesus and worshipped Him. Peter failed at focusing his attention on Jesus, but at the end of the story, I see Christ turning Peter's failure into a success when the disciples worshipped. Through all of our failures and successes, both public and private; at the end of the day the outcome should be that all eyes are on Jesus.

I'm sure there's much more that we can glean from this story. I hope what I have learned from this has encouraged you. Please leave a comment, I'd love to hear how the Lord has spoken to you through this scripture.

From the heart of a worshipper...

God has been opening up doors of opportunity recently for my musical/worship gift. I've been invited as a guest worship leader to various special services, and I was blessed tonight to be invited to play at Dad's Place during Jim and family's busiest time of the week (Friday night after a home football game - and if you've never stopped in during such a time, you are missing out on a hoot just watching the the Whaleys throw coffee cups, espresso grounds, and mudslides around). Now I have to admit, I'm not the best keyboard player in town, and the venue of playing outside of my element was a little intimidating to me. There are many others who could do a better job than I in this venue, nonetheless, it was an honor to be invited to play in the coffee shop tonight. Here's what's hard for me: I don't know how to just sit down and play a bunch of songs to entertain people. All I know is how to worship with my instrument (For you gear-heads, mine happens to be a Roland Fantom FA-76). So I just sat down tonight and did what I do best: worshipped the Lord while making whatever noises I could get those keys to make.

There are many out there who don't have a musical talent or the ability to sing. Music is a powerful tool, but worship is SO much more than the song. Although I love to play and sing, I look at "worship music" merely as a conduit by which we can bring our worship to Him. John 4:24 says "God is a Spirit and those who worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth" (notice the capital S in the first Spirit - referring to God's Spirit, and the lowercase "s" in the second, referring to man's spirit). Music simply gets our MINDS focusing on Him while we connect with God from our spirit to His Spirit. You see, worshipping in spirit and in truth involves two parts of man (or woman): the spirit and the mind. Truth is what renews our mind and transforms us to become what God wants us to be. Truth is the knowledge of who God is, what He has done, and what He says that He can do. Truth can be conveyed through many forms: music, scripture reading, poetry, even a video clip (that would be telling of the truth - not just a clip from Titanic) When we worship Him, we connect our spirit with His, and we think on the truth - how good God is, how awesome He is, how powerful He is, how much He loves us and we love Him, etc.

Now a lot has been said recently about emotions, (and I know we can't be guided by our emotions) but when I think about God's goodness and everything He's done for me, when I think of how powerful His love for me is and when I think about how, even if I were the only one who would have accepted Him that Christ still would have died for me; I can't help but get emotional. I think that's enough to spark at least a little emotion even from Spock! This is why I refuse to speak out against someone who seems to be emotionally going "too far" in their praise - I have no idea of the cost of their praise. I have no idea of the truth of what God has been to them in their life to cause them to get more emotional than I. I wish I could have seen the religeous people on the day David danced until his clothes came off! Talk about emotion! Someone sitting in the pew behind me may sing loud and sound like a goat, but who am I to tell them to hold their peace? Someone else between me and my view of the projection screen may be 6'18" tall and are jumping because they are so joyful for God setting them free from a $200-a-day cocaine habit, but who am I to tell them to sit down? (I'm talking about during worship, not during a baby dedication or something) If their worship annoys me and isn't what I want to hear - so what? Are they worshipping me, or are they worshipping God?

Now if you're tone-deaf (you know who you are!), please don't misunderstand me and demand to be in your church's choir or praise team stating that I said it's okay because it's all for God! I'm talking about worship here, not a ministry position that requires your talent (or in this case a lack of it!).

Here's what I'm trying to say in all of this. Whether it's sung from a book or from the wall; whether through a conduit of music, literature, scripture, or digital media; whether it's in a beautiful cathedral, a storefront church, a cozy coffee house, or in your house; whether it results in emotions that bring tears, dance, laughter, or a simple smile - let your worship be in spirit and in truth.

Holy Spirit Baptism, Tongues, etc.

Many have read the comments on another blog made by me and by others on Jeff Noble's blog. A discussion (a verbal one, not a typed one) last week and the comments made on Jeff's blog, then later on Mark Wegley's blog made me understand how poor of a job we Pentecostals and Charismatics do explaining scripturally what we believe.

I will attempt now to humbly present to whoever is in this discussion and whoever would stumble across this post some information on what we believe. The purpose of this post is merely for information as to what those who call themselves "Pentecostals" believe when it comes to the subject of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit and the gift of tongues.

Like as with Baptists, there are many different fellowships that claim to be Pentecostal. Many of these fellowships believe very differently from one another (again like many Baptist organizations).

What makes one be able to call themselves "Pentecostal" is the link to the experience noted in Acts 2. About every Christian I know agrees that something supernatural happened on the day of Pentecost. There were 120 people who, when they were in "one mind and one accord" (not a Honda), they all suddenly encountered a power like they never experienced before. That power enabled those early disciples of Christ to add thousands to the church daily. Pentecostals believe that this experience (after salvation) can happen today. This is probably the beginning of where others throw their hands up and say "hey wait a minute!"

The Assemblies of God has an excellent writing about what is taught in A/G churches about the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. This article does a much better job at explaining tongues and Holy Spirit Baptism than I ever could and has a really good "FAQ" section that answers a lot of questions I've seen recently.

Here's a few of points I'd like to mention on the subject:

• Tongues is NOT the end result. Power to be a witness is the ultimate purpose for what I call the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. Tongues should also never be the focus of the Pentecostal believer. The focus of this gift must be power to win souls!
  
• It is a huge shame, but I have noticed myself that there is a lack of balance in many Pentecostal believers. The experience of what is being "felt" should never take priority over the faith that comes by hearing the Word of God. We walk by faith and not by sight. It has been my observation that people who have this experience have less knowledge of the Word of God than people who don't claim to have it.
• I read a comment by Jeff Noble on Mark Wegley's blog that eluded to say that the Pentecostal organizations all have roots in the late 19th/early 20th century. While it may be true of this teaching and experience being revived during that time, we must know that history is filled with revivals that changed the course of Christianity as we know it. Luther, for example - Justification by faith was a damnable doctrine in his time. It began a split between Catholics and protestants down the line. To say that Pentecostal doctrine is "new" and is suspect because of it is the same as Catholics saying that they are the original and we are all wrong for deviating from the original (a whole 'nuther blog post).
• We cannot merely interpret scripture on the basis of human intellect. Although intellect is a powerful tool, the human mind can never truly comprehend the supernatural. I believe that the interpretation of scripture that would direct one to interpret in a way that makes sense to the mind, and not give weight to the interpretation that allows for a supernatural explanation is questionable. Otherwise everything else we believe in is not as we believe (creation, the virgin birth, Biblical account of miracles, Jesus' resurrection, the rapture, etc).
  
• Paul's writing in I Corinthians was not to forbid people from speaking in tongues. It was instruction on how to use the gift wisely. Otherwise in 14:18 Paul wouldn't be saying he talked in tongues more than anyone.
  
• Christianity is based on a belief of the supernatural. What may sound like gibberish to the human mind may sound like the most fluent heavenly language in the spirit. Paul talked about how speaking in tongues was unfruitful to the human understanding, not how tongues was simply unfruitful.
  
• The supernatural gift of tongues is something that is used in communication with the unbeliever (as noted in Acts 2 where people heard these believers speaking in their native tongue). I read a story a few days ago about someone who came from the Philippines to the Azusa mission and heard the rare dialect that one would have had to come from the Philippines to speak it. Another instance comes to mind where recently a group of A/G teens from Kentucky went on a missions trip (I cannot remember where) and a teenager from that country blessed them with a beautiful exhortation in English. The parents thought she was speaking in tongues - and she was - the English tongue.
  
• It is also something that, although sounding like "gibberish" to the human mind, can be interpreted. Again, we're dealing with the supernatural here. I can't count the times where, in a service or prayer meeting someone would burst out in a "message" in tongues; not much longer after that I would feel that familiar tugging at my heart (not unlike the one most of us experienced when when we answered the call to salvation) and would know what the interpretation would be. Not too long after that someone else will speak out that same interpretation.
• It was stated by someone (can't remember who, and I'm ready to finish this thing, so I don't really want to look it up!) something to the effect of being bothered by some saying they had more of God than they. I have this to say to that statement: You can have all of the presence and power of God you want - you are the only one who can keep yourself from rising to new levels in God. Should one allow a fear of an emotional response or of a manifestation of God's presence keep them from going higher?
  

It is unfortunate, but as many of my Baptist friends would agree, many pentecostals do not exercise responsibility in the usage of tongues. I have a right to free speech, but if I were to go into Mark Wegley's classroom at UAM and scream "FIRE!!!" and there was no fire, that would be irresponsible (and would probably get me arrested). In relation to this subject, for me to send a group of teenagers to See You At The Pole and instruct them to pray loudly in tongues, it would be just as irresponsible. Not because they should be ashamed of tongues, but because it would distract those who have been taught (erroneously, I believe) against tongues.

I welcome your comments on this. My goal here is to not convince anyone reading this to seek after what is described as the Baptism of the Holy Spirit or to argue. I hope this has been as clear as I intended it to be. This subject shouldn't be a source of division. It would be wise for us all to begin some posts with some ideas on how we can reach the lost (not the already saved). --- Oh yeah! Jim's already doing that on his blog with the "organic quotes."

Underground church

In recent posts across my circle of blog friends, a lot has been said about worship. A statement I've seen several times referring to methods of worship, and comparing them to the underground churches in other countries has been in my head reminding me of the pain and sacrifice many Christians endure around the world in order to worship together. Here we see people in China, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Syria, Sudan, North Korea, and other facist controlled nations having to choose between life and acknowledging Jesus Christ as their Savior. I think of the strength that their faith in Christ must give them, and their "take the whole world, but give me Jesus" resolve they must have.

I've looked at websites today that show the torture of Christians in China. I've seen pictures of underground church services in other nations (with the faces distorted to protect their identity) where you can see the glow of God's Glory coming through. You can tell how intense the worship is, and how hungry these people are for God. There are no video projectors, no sound equipment, synthesizers, just the cry of their hearts.

Then I think about us, here in the United States where we are free to worship with the level of passion we choose with no fear of (real) persecution (I'm sorry, somebody calling us "holy rollers," or "holier than thou" is not persecution!). In many churches, we have projectors so people can sing "off the wall." We have hymnals for people who want to sing old stuff out of a book. We have PA systems that we complain about being too loud, or complain it's not loud enough. We have air conditioning and padded seats. We have an espresso bar in the foyer, and computer generated bulletins to keep us up to date on when the next church-wide picnic's going to be. We have the most anointed, skilled musicians to usher us into an atmosphere of worship. We have a pastor with a Doctorate in Theology to break down the Word of God for us and bring us a rhema Word from the Lord every service. In some American churches it's not so technologically advanced, or so loaded with the comforts above, yet the atmosphere is still the same.

The common denominator that I see among American churches is not traditional vs contemporary, or energy vs peaceful. The problem I see is that through our complacency in our freedom, Americans are not "getting" how real God is, and how vital of a role that Christ plays in our lives. Most American Christians don't seem to have a "take the whole world, but give me Jesus" attitude in their every day lives. We have pews that are full of people whose every day life is not being adjusted to reflect a lifestyle of one who is being transformed by the renewing of their mind. I talk to people like that all the time. I'm not "judging" their relationship with God. I am, however, trying to show the extreme contrast between "comfortable" American Christians and those who risk everything just to say "I love You, Jesus."

The answer, of course is not to remove all of the things we have been so blessed to be able to have - these things should be able to be used aid in the presentation of the Gospel to an A.D.D. media-minded world. It is not to shut down worship services where we can worship as passionately and loudly as we want (we should do it even more, taking full advantage of this freedom to worship). I believe that the problem in most church attendees is that we see many "decisions", but few persuasions.

We spend so much time between the denominations arguing, "once saved always saved" and "the backslidden condition" doctrines that we have forgotten about the root of the entire path: Be so in love with Jesus, that when you do slip into sin, that you refuse to let it sever your love relationship with with Him.

Paul said in Romans 8:38-39
For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

His point goes way deper than whether a loose life will seperate you from the love of God or not. When we truely believe what Christ did for us at the Cross, repent (turn AWAY from sin), and acknowledge Him as our Lord and Savior, it's a forever life-changing event. Paul's conversion gives us a prime example of that. When one has truely given their lives to Christ, their lives are to be so changed that they absolutely are persuaded that NOTHING is going to get between them and God. There will never be anything that can tear them away from the love of God (or even their love of Him). This is the attitude of the believers in an underground church, as I believe it should be the attitude of us "free" believers.

added 11:00 pm
It has been brought to my attention some error in what I have communicated - mainly in the last few paragraphs. After reading the section, I'm not even sure if it fits in the subject matter. However, my point about Paul's statements in Romans 8 is that WE should refuse to allow anything to disrupt our relationship with God. I personally am not convinced of the once saved always saved school of thought (however I'm not convinced that one act of sin will send us to hell). I'm trying to communicate that it's time that believers strengthen their persuasion to NOT allow things to come between them and God. We should also be mindful that a relationship with Christ envolves more than just going to church and being a good person.

Maybe it would be better to say the following instead of going into the persuation topic:
Let's not let the freedom, prosperity, and all of our stuff in our lives and in our church services spoil us to the point that it's all about those things and not about a deep love for Christ. Let's be thankful for what we have at our disposal, stop complaining about how those things are used and keep the main thing the main thing.

What's the deal?

Today was commenting on a blog post on Journeyguy's page about the reason why the youth from ages 18-25 are dropping out of church. In the comment, I eluded to my concerns about the "majority rules" direction that many churches have turned. I would like to elaborate more on the subject.

As one who loves the body of Christ, and the institution of the local body of believers, it makes my stomach twist in knots to think of what is happening in so many Bible belt churches.

Let me qualify some of what I'm about to say. I've been on staff vocationally at 2 churches over 7 years of time. My father has pastored since I was 11 years old. I know how things work on the "inside." I've seen the good, the bad, and the ugly. I've spent the last 3 years on the "other" side of the church office as a member of a local church. I've worked in alliances with pastors and youth pastors alike in 2 cities, and many of my friends are or have been in ministry themselves in various denominations and types of churches. I intimately know the subject which I am about to address.

I love my pastors. They are people who have spoken words of life to me when I needed to hear them most. They have a love for people who anyone else would have written off long ago. They have an ability to put up with almost any attack by their sheep on their lives and on their families, then put a smile on their face Sunday after Sunday, no matter what battlescars they are hiding underneath their suit.

Unfortunately, in most Bible belt churches, the pastor is treated merely a manager who can be hired or fired by the board and congregation. The way he preaches, the songs that are sung, the visitation schedule, and sometimes even where he lives is dictated by a democratic process. If the congregation don't like what they are getting, they pass around a petition, present it to the board and they either get their way - or the pastor gets a U-haul gift certificate for Pastor's appreciation day.

The membership/board voting process may have begun in good taste when more than just a few in the church were hearing God's voice on an important matters. However, we have a problem when a large amount of members and even board members haven't spent time in prayer on the matter, nor would they be able to tell Gods voice from Elmo's.

This always reminds me of some accounts from ancient historians during the time of Jesus. During the era, some wrote of how priests would have a rope around his ankle when going into the Holy of Holies in the temple (Please note, the teaching that the priests from Aaron's day wore a rope is incorrect). The reason he would wear a rope: the priests' position was controlled and governed by the carnal authorites of the time. The Pharisees and Sadducees were those who controlled the high priest. There was a great fear in that because the priest was so carnally controlled, God would strike him dead. This tells me when doing God's work, treating it as a carnal position and not doing it with the utmost respect for who it's for - is a recipe for clerical flambé.

My church's fellowship, The Assemblies of God, has some things in their constitution and bylaws that church leadership needs to wake up to. The disciplinary procedures and conditions of voting membership and board members need to be enforced. These conditions - tithing, abstaining from a lifestyle of sin, family life, abstaining from dissention, etc - are being ignored. These conditions are there for a reason. They are there to help protect the church from carnal mutiny, and to prevent carnally-minded decisions being made on spiritual matters.

Deacons as well should be made aware that their job is not to keep the pastor doing his job, but to do the work of the ministry (that's scriptural!). It's funny, many deacons (or board members as they like to be called) are constantly reminding the pastor that it's his job to go visit the sick, put out the fires, and keep all of the ministries in the church running - when it's the deacon's job. Deacon from the greek means "Servant." In the book of Acts, by the direction of the Apostles, Stephen was one who was selected by the multitude of disciples to do the various tasks of the church so that they could stay in the Word.

Acts 6

1And in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplied, there arose a murmuring of the Grecians against the Hebrews, because their widows were neglected in the daily ministration.

2Then the twelve called the multitude of the disciples unto them, and said, It is not reason that we should leave the word of God, and serve tables.

3Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among you seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business.

4But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word.

5And the saying pleased the whole multitude: and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Ghost, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolas a proselyte of Antioch:

6Whom they set before the apostles: and when they had prayed, they laid their hands on them.

7And the word of God increased; and the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly; and a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith.

8And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and miracles among the people.

The deacons must rise to the occasion - they have a spiritual job to do to take the burden off of the pastor so he can focus his attention on the Word and in prayer. If he is to be the prophet of the house, he should be acutely aware of what God is saying to that congregation. Lost souls are at stake, and his time should never be taken up by pacifying big babies (what I affectionately call those who have been saved long enough to stand on their own, and not have their feathers ruffled by pettiness). I know pastors personally who run the wheels of their cars pacifying people who have supposedly been saved for decades, thus distracting them from the task at hand. Instead of deacons agreeing with the big babies, and having meetings to straighten the pastor out, the deacons need to serve the pastor by correcting the big babies.

As far as keeping him accountable, where is the apostollic (don't freak out - I'm talking of someone over him OUTSIDE of his church) leadership over his life? I'll paraphrase what Watchman Nee said in his book, "Spiritual Authority." In order to be in authority, you must submit to authority (I'd quote it, but it's packed in boxes while we move). If you are a pastor who has no covering, who's holding you accountable? Surely it's not your congregation and board!

Again, we must understand that a pastor is not to be "hired." He is a gift from God to the church. He is a caretaker of the sheep, which includes some automatic servant traits; but the sheep never lead the shepherd.

If you are a member of a church, and are one who has treated him as a hireling, call him today and repent. Either way, call your pastor, and offer to visit the sick for him, or to mow his yard. Just do something to help take the load off of him. It's not his job to be the manager of your church. It's his calling from God to be your pastor. He is a called man in a called place. Be good to him, and reap the rewards of someone who has a Word from God that he didn't muster up at 11:00 on Saturday night!

Who's leading who?

Call me an extreme narrow-minded, intolerant Bible-thumping fanatic if you wish, but there is a movement going on this day and age that is leading people away from God with every nod of the head given to it by modern-day "Christian" leadership. It is the movement that is growing some churches by leaps and bounds, but is not making much of an impact on society.

This movement is filling churches with people who stay the same week after week; continuing in the sin they came with on the first Sunday they visited. They hear a motivational or inspirational talk, hear some skilled music, but they are void of a worship experience and sin in their life remains unchallenged.

Anymore, preaching against sin is unpopular. In this secular humanistic world where anything goes, people challenge the very Word of God in order to continue living the loose lives they live. I recently read the transcript of a television interview that troubled me. I know this particular minister who was being interviewed was being backed into a corner on some of the subject matter, however, it still troubled me how the answers were given in such a "politically correct" way. Jesus was never politically correct. The Gospel is not politically correct. When confronted with questions like, "Do you believe homosexuals are going to hell," or "Where do you believe Muslims will go when they die," the apostles would never have watered down the answer by saying "I don't know their heart." The Bible is clear on who the one true God is, and what the penalty of sin is. Until someone accepts God's gift of eternal life by believing in Him, repenting of their sin, and confessing Him as their Lord and Savior, the wages of sin is death.

This is not a Christians opinion, it is the truth. We are doing the sinner a great disservice unless we tell them the truth. The preacher in the interview I mentioned later stated that he didn't believe it was his calling to preach on sin. What good is the preaching of the death, burial, and resurrection of our Savior if no one is defining sin according to the Word? He didn't die on the cross just to make our lives better. Wouldn't Christ's sacrifice simply be reduced to an assassination? How would the Gospel be good news if there were no bad news?

I call this the "Culture-Shaped Church." Today's culture is about acceptance. Not the just the welcoming kind of acceptance, but a condoning kind of acceptance. Your adulterous, homosexual, lying, or manipulating lifestyle will not be confronted with the Truth in this church. The culture-shaped church can be from any denomination, any size, and in any town. There is plenty of acceptance, so little repentance there. Following the culture, it is almost silent on false religeons, creating few - if any - conversions there. Because today's culture is so human-centered, when it is asked if Muslims or Buhddists go to Heaven, the answer is generally - "I don't know." To this culture God could be Allah or Buhdda. So the culture-shaped church will skirt around the issue to keep from offending those who worship these false gods.

Bunny trail: What ever happened to Mt Carmel showdowns like we see with Elijah? "Waterlog the sacrifice - my God will still answer by fire." Or the anchored determination of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego: "make the fiery furnace 7 times hotter than it should be - I still won't bow"?

Disclaimer: I believe we should be respectful of those who don't believe in the true living God. I do not believe, however, that we should preach an "all inclusive" gospel, teaching that all roads lead to Heaven. We are not all going to the same place. Jesus is the way the truth and the life. NO MAN comes to the Father except by Him.

Unfortunately the teaching from the culturally-shaped church has been deceiving culturally-shaped "Christians" into thinking they can continue living the same way they always have, having no fruit, and not making an impact on the world. In fact, there's no difference between a culturally-shaped Christian and the average sinner on the street. Their friends are in total shock when they hear a rumor that this person even goes to church. They have to wear Christian t-shirts and hats, and have little fishy's on their cars to identify them as Christians (I'm not against these things-so don't call me a hypocrite when you see me wearing one!). Shouldn't a Christian strive to become like Christ, causing others to see Him. Romans 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

My questions for pondering:

1. Do you believe that His Word (the Bible) is the absolute truth?
2. Do you believe that God is who He says He is, and will do what He says He would do?
3. Are you a culturally-shaped Christian, or are you a Christian who is shaping culture?

What I've learned about God's will...

Before I begin, I have a story to tell...

Melissa and I met in the church where I was on staff 9 years ago. We didn't really talk until about 6 months before we were married. We began as friends (still friends), and didn't get romantically involved until about 2 months before we were married.

We had began talking marriage about 2 weeks before we got married, and one Sunday night began working on a the specifics of a wedding - the where, when, and who to invite stuff. The next morning I had to take one of the teens from church to youth camp in Hot Springs, so Melissa decided to tag along so we could goof off for a day. On the way there, we passed a "drive through" wedding chapel called "The Chapel of Love". We all laughed and said something about it sounding easy, but our families would kill us.

After dropping the teen off at camp and goofing off for a while in Hot Springs, we decided to head back home. We had to pass the same little wedding chapel on the way, and I looked at her and she looked at me making my heart jump. I kept driving. I drove for an hour contemplating the idea.

Finally, I got the guts and said "let's turn around and go check it out." So we turned around and drove back to Hot Springs to check out the wedding chapel. The minister who was there showed us what they do, and explained that we needed a marriage license. Wanting to marry Melissa so bad I was about to pop, and thinking that the Lord would somehow stop me if I was doing something stupid, we headed to the Garland County Courthouse. First, I thought they'd be closed, and said "if they're open and we can get a license today, we'll take it as a sign from God that we need to get married today." They were in fact open, they gave us the license, and locked the doors behind us as we left!

We had the most beautiful wedding ceremony there at "The Chapel of Love". It was witnessed by the landscaper. We had those toy foil rings you get from a party store for wedding bands. What was so incredible was the presence of God we both felt during the ceremony. We knew God's hand was on our marriage at that moment, and we know even to this day that God created us for each other.

Prior to our marriage, Melissa and I both heard from people around us who tried to discourage us from one another. There were reasons from "God told me to tell you no" to "but what about..." given to us. Still yet, when we got married, from that day forward, we made no apologies for getting married. It was God's will and we knew it.

The big question people ask, and get more confused by preachers (sorry preachers) with than any:

How do I know I'm in the will of God?

Ps 37:23 The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way.

1) God orders our steps! When your marching orders are from Him, you can enjoy the march. This may make some people scratch their heads, and may open up a can of worms, but here's what I believe... I don't believe in this permissive/perfect will stuff we hear. I believe that this particular teaching is causing people to have an excuse to do whatever they please, live how they please, ignore God, and still think they have squeaked by in God's "will." I'd much rather go through life knowing I'm doing God's will than to doubt it by thinking somehow He's rewriting the rules of what's in His will so I can do that my flesh wants. You are either doing His will, or you are not.

Here's what's awesome about this: Even though we do things that are not what He would want us to do, He can still order your steps to get you back to doing His will!

Here's what else I find awesome: There are times when we think we've "missed God" by doing something that failed, or by not doing something that is working for someone else.

About 2 months ago I decided to try investing on the stock market, so I purchased some stock in a major car company that I felt was at a low and was going to increase. The price was at about 6.80/share when I invested. About 2 weeks after the purchase, everybody said in their own way that I should not have done this. Analysts were on TV hitting red buttons saying "get out of this stock" "Sell!Sell!Sell!Sell!" The stock price dropped down to about 5.00 per share just 4 weeks after I invested. I was doing the math of how much I already had lost and thinking how much lower it was going to go. I was already planning how I was going to explain losing this money to Melissa. That's when the scripture above came up inside of me and I knew that God didn't lead me here for ultimate defeat. Today the stock price is now over a dollar higher than when I invested, and I just read a report that this company was talking about going private - the rumored buyout price... over twice of what I paid.

Moral of the story... You can't let what's happening today determine in your mind whether you've heard from God or not.

2) Doing the will of God is all about hearing your marching orders. I believe that when a child of God stays close to Him, hears His heartbeat, stays in the Word, spends time with Him in prayer and worship, he or she begins to hear from God through their everyday life. That's how I believe God orders your steps.

I didn't hear a voice from the sky (or anywhere else for that matter) saying "Go marry Melissa." Nor did I hear a voice from the sky saying "have some triplets." I am simply marching where God says go and delighting in the way that He prepared for me. Although I've failed and stepped out of His will in many areas of my life over the years, I thank Him for leading me back so I can delight in His way.

The will of God is not a huge complex mystery. Unfortunately, people spend too much time worrying about knowing God's will instead of getting to know Him. Perhaps you are one who is concerned about God's will for your life. My instruction to you is get to know God, hear His hearbeat, then begin walking, and enjoy where He takes you.

Father, as this is read by those who wish to know Your will, I pray that this will serve as a gentle reminder to them to seek after You. You are our source of direction, strength, and wisdom.

As the song sings, o Lord:
We thirst for You, We search for You
In a dry and barren land
We're longing for Your hand
To guide us to a place where You
Can cleanse us with Your rain
Baptise us once again - we thirst for You

Amen.

Wound up and can't sleep...

After Wednesday night's Vertical Reality services, it's hard to describe how I feel. Needless to say, Jim will have another 3.85 for a mudslide in the morning from me.

I don't believe in a half-hearted worship anymore. It's all or nothing. We learn from Scripture that David danced before the Lord with all his might. He held nothing back. Unfortunately, many Christians give God a simple lip service. They'll sing, but that's all. Singing to the Lord is an important part of worship, don't get me wrong; however it's easy to hide behind a song. I will not offer to God something that costs me nothing! By the time the worship service is over, God wants to hear from your heart what He means to you.

Here's a worship leading tip for any worship leaders reading this: When you're leading worship, keep your mind and eyes off of those who are not worshipping. When I began to lead worship for those who desired to worship instead of struggling to get those who were not worshipping involved, it changed the atmosphere of our youth services. As a result, many of those who used to not participate are now participating. Offer no apologies for doing what you do. Heart felt praise and worship will make non-worshippers (saved and unsaved alike) uncomfortable. However as the service progresses, they too will see how they can connect with their creator. It will change the entire atmosphere of your worship service.

Give God your highest praise today!

Inspired...

I was flipping through the channels last night as I do for some reason just about every night when a I stopped on a channel that had Jentzen Franklin, a pastor from Gainesville, GA, who I respect greatly hosting their evening television show. The guests he had on last night were three people that are from three different styles of ministry, and they too are people I respect greatly; Pastor Ed Young, Jr, Tim Storey (don't laugh at me!), and Tommy Tenney. These four (counting the host) are people who "make my baby jump" (as some people would say - meaning what they preach and the anointing they carry link with what I preach and the anointing I carry).

The program began with Ed Young talking about practical ministry, getting out of the box and being creative. He said something that many skirt around and try not to say to keep from offending someone who needs to grow up... He said "if it's alive, it oughta be growing". He brought out how the church in Acts 2 grew by 3000 on its first day! He nor I was saying that every church will grow by those numbers daily, but he was saying (and I agree with him) in essence that if your church isn't growing, it's not creating a change around it.

How many churches do we see in every town that fit that bill? They get selfish and refuse to change anything inside of themselves, thus only reaching those who are inside their 4 walls. It makes my eyes bleed when I walk into a church that won't do something simple like adding a new style of music to their worship service, or modify their decor to look more relevant for the simple reason that it blesses themselves. Forget about the argument of traditional vs contemporary. I'm sick of hearing about it. Let's get into a mindset of blessing God. Let's create an atmosphere where the man on the street can come in, experience the manifest presence of the Holy Spirit, receive Christ, and connect with their creator.

This is why I thank God for what is happening in our youth services at my church. Many may say it shouldn't be done like we're doing it. My argument is this: Ping-pong, skateboard ramps, video game machines and pizza are all nice things to have and do; but they can never compete with what the world is offering. We must offer something that the world doesn't compare to - the Presence of the Almighty. It's working. Young people are excited about bringing their friends to Vertical Reality now, and lives are being changed!

I'll quickly touch on what Tim Storey discussed last night...

Tim Storey spoke about what God has him doing lately, and I'm amazed. It's awesome. His website is www.storeystyle.com . He's considered the comeback coach to the stars by sharing Jesus with them. I've heard testimonies that are amazing about how God is using him.

Tim shared for a few minutes and it can be wrapped up like this:
You'll have setbacks...
Take a stepback...
God is setting you up for a comeback...
Just don't go back (where you were)
Think about that one. If you've had a setback, take a step back, God is getting you ready for a comeback, but don't go back where you came from. Your being poised for something new and something greater than you've ever done before.

I know in my own life, I suffered a setback not too long ago. I was in a place of burn-out, I left a position of ministry that I loved deeply, and moved my family to Arkansas. For over 2 years after that, I was in a setback mentality. I didn't want anything to do with ministry (even though I helped out where I was needed), I didn't have much of a walk with God, and I was a grouch to my family. During that time, I was forced to take a step back and look at my life. I was forced to see the true provision of God over my life, and I was put into a position where I needed to lean on Him more than ever before. God is now getting me ready for a comeback. He's given me a passion for worship like never before; He's cleaning things out of my heart that have been buried for years, and as a result, He's revealing gifts inside of me. Here's what I will not go back to: a disobedient, medeocre attitude towards my relationship with God (and my family), and half-hearted worship and ministry.

The best is yet to come. The patterns you see in scripture show us that things get better. If the former rain was adequate - we wouldn't need a latter rain. I belive that we should never settle for what God did before. We should also never settle for what we did for Him. He always takes us to new levels. It's said perfectly in the verses of a song that I've been singing lately:
I wanna praise a little longer than before
I wanna lift my hands higher than before
I wanna shout a little louder than before...
I wanna worship deeper than before
I wanna love You more and more
I wanna dance more freely than before

Until later!