The Preacher

"And with great power the apostles were giving testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and abundant grace was upon them all." Acts 4:33

Recently I was listening to Alistair Begg speak on the radio about "apostolic preaching." He states the, "priority of preaching has been sadly diminished, the apostolic mandate remains."

It dawned on me, apostolic preaching, may be one of the greatest losses the church can ever experience, when it morphs from a movement of God, into a man-made machine. In the early church, preaching was marked by power. Today it is often a pale substitute, putting the emphasis on a position of authority, without delivering powerful preaching.

Begg's words reminded me that this kind of preaching is not an academic lecture breaking down the nuances of biblical doctrine or a power point presentation providing practical principles, offered in the form of suggestions. Preaching is not offered as information or ideas, designed to make a person's life better. It is not a quiet devotional, accompanied by pleasant background music, in a sedate, retreat setting. It packs a powerful punch, and sounds a clear trumpet, to people in the pews or in the public square.

I recently heard another preacher wander through a significant text in the Bible. He was pleasant, sincere, prepared, earnest, and quit on time. It couldn't have come too soon. I can't tell you a thing he said. He had a sermon, but no message. He spent his allotted time, spinning unconnected ideas, and searching for a conclusion, but in the end called for no decision. I decided to go home and pray for him. It was either that or drive my car into a tree.

Filling the air, with a great deal of dust, from repetitive remarks that no one can disagree with, is not preaching. Words offered up as preaching, should never cloud the image of The Risen Christ. They should shine a spotlight on Him, not on eloquence, academics, or comedy.

Even sermons spoken, without error, do not add up to a message delivered. If a man stands in the pulpit and says what is so, it should not leave the people, in the congregation, or in the community, wondering, "So what?"

Preaching in the early church was described this way. "And with great power the apostles were giving testimony to the resurrection of of the Lord Jesus..." (Acts 4:33a) Their preaching was a verbal explosion of dynamite, able to move mountains of stone, and release an avalanche of repentance, in the hearts of people who heard it.

In the early church, Spirit-filled preaching focused on The Risen Christ. The message included the whole story of Jesus. It didn't camp out around the manger, or stop at the cross. It put His birth, death, burial, and resurrection in perspective, and lifted people's eyes to Heaven, in expectation of His return. From the first word. to the last sentence, preaching is always about Jesus.

The preachers knew, Jesus may be rejected, but He could not be ignored. His coming to earth was picture of God's love, in human form, and His Resurrection was the watershed of human history. The latter was not a prelude to an Easter Egg Hunt, nor was the former wasn't an excuse for a bail of hay and a bathrobe pageant.

The preaching of The Word of God must be delivered, by a man on fire, with a message from God. This kind of an anointing of The Spirit is an unction, not a function. When it becomes a function, without unction, a preacher becomes a robotic serminator, not a faithful navigator.

When a preacher is under the unction of God, he becomes a navigator, by pointing people to Jesus, and calling for them to get their lives back on course, before they reach a point of no return. How does this kind of powerful preaching get released through a preacher? I'm glad you asked.

"And when they had prayed...they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God with boldness." Acts 4: 31

Prayer prepares the preacher, to proclaim the truth of The Word of God, with power, and call for a decision. Prayer prepares the listener to give attention to the truth of the Word of God, and apply it with precision. Prayerless preaching provides no power. Prayerless listening receives no correction. This Sunday, on your way to church, pray for your preacher. He needs it, and you need the practice.

TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!

The Single-Hearted

Single-hearted: marked by sincerity and unity of purpose

In August 1980, Dana, Ashley and I moved from Broken Arrow, Oklahoma to become the Minister to Single Adults of Houston's First Baptist Church. From a suburb of Tulsa, with a population of 40,000 people, we relocated to the fourth largest city in America. The culture shock developed, by moving from Mayberry to Nairobi, would have not been any greater.

Houston, was home to the The Oilers, Coach Bum Phillips, and suffering from terminal " Luv Ya Blue" Fever. The Astos and Oilers shared the Astrodome. The Rockets ruled at The Summit, and challenged the fabled Celtics for The World Championship of the NBA. More importantly, Phi Slamma Jamma was holding court for the University of Houston, Cougars, and was the best game in town.

On a more personal note, Dr. John Bisagno was in the process of leading a declining downtown church to previously unheard of heights. Under his visionary leadership, it rose to the status of the fastest growing church in America, with 25,000 members.

The entire city was soaked to gills, and overflowing with the cash flow and extravagances that always accompanies the latest oil boom. The race was on, as single adults from every small town in Texas drove down I-45 to get to The City, and to make a buck before the government figured out how to stop it. "The Eagle has landed, indeed."

I had responded to an appeal from Dr. Bisagno. "I need you to come help me minister to 3,000 singles." I was hooked, by the man and the challenge. It helped that I sensed God taking me out of my comfort zone, and throwing me into something I had never done before. I have always loved a chance to be a part of the HIMpossible.

I have friends who call themselves "adrenalin Junkies." That means they do exotic things at high speed, at a high cost, with a minimal return. I have found the "Faith Walk" to provide all the adrenalin rush I have ever needed to jump start my heart. God never leads where He won't provide, but He rarely does it on a time schedule that I have given Him.

Oh, don't get me wrong. God is never late. He is right on time. I am just always in the wrong time zone. Over the years, my heart has raced, in more than one dark place, or at the threshold of another drop-dead date. I have often wondered, if there would be life after the latest deadline, and I have gasped out, "Lord, help me!"

I repeat. God is never late, but appreciating His sense of timing, often depends on whether I have stepped out of my Time Zone and into His "Thine Zone." My first take on God's arrival, in the middle of my crisis is often, "I know You aren't late, but by my count, You missed several opportunities to be early." I'm not bitter, about it. I know I'm better for it, but sometimes I just can't help looking through my rear-view mirror. Can I get a witness!

As Dana and I prayed our way through a ministry plan to the Single Adults of Houston's FBC, I searched for a brand that would help us identify the flock, we were called to shepherd. I admit, with 3,000 singles, I often felt more like a rancher than a shepherd. The group was huge, but each one of them had a unique, personal story to tell, and gifts to invest in the mission of the local church. Our eyes fell on a word, that gave us a vision to hold up to them. It was SINGLE-HEARTED: marked by sincerity and unity of purpose.

I found the greatest challenge to a Ministry to Single Adults was marriage. Our church conducted almost 400 weddings a year. We had four wedding coordinators, and The Chapel was booked, almost every weekend, with weddings on Saturday scheduled at 10 AM, 2 PM and 6 PM. I often did three a day. Marriage counseling packed my ministry calendar, as well as rehearsals, weddings and receptions.

We had ministry to Single Adults going on seven days, and every night of the week. Add that to the fact, that our home was 12 miles from the church, and it took me two hours to get to the church every morning, and at least the same each evening. Note: Houston had three times the population than the city of San Antonio, but the same number of freeway miles. It was a toxic cocktail and led to major road rage.

This resulted in Single Adults arriving at our weekly Friday night worship service, with a great deal of baggage to unload. Their week had been filled with huge doses of stress, and pressure. They needed to detox. STAT!

Looking out for number one is a natural response. Babies come into this world concerned only about having their own needs met. When a screaming baby is picked up, they have two major concerns. Change me! Feed me! They never say, "Oh, not me! Change him! Feed her!" Their world is all about them. Too often these babies grow into adults, but never change their view of life. What is cute on a baby, is sad on an adult. Diapers and Depends. Get the picture?

SINGLE-HEARTED expressed the brand of the early, New Testament church found in Acts.

"Those who believed were of one heart and soul; and not one of them claimed that anything belonging to him was his own, but all things were common property to them." Acts 4:32

Where did that come from? I believe this spirit of single-hearted devotion to one another came from The Spirit of God. The early church was filled with The Spirit. Acts describes this fulness, as the initial by-product of a movement of God, in the life of a believer. Simply put, this fullness describes a person who is filled with Jesus, not full of themselves. Big difference.

Paul called for The Church at Ephesus to "Be filled with The Spirit." (Ephesians 5: 18) This fulness led selfish people to become selfless people. These early believers were not marked by a demand for their own rights, but "mutual submission."

Fulness of The Spirit prepared individual believers to see beyond their own navel, and into the needs of others. How? They were able to "be subject to one another in the fear of Christ." (Ephesians 5:21) The fulness is spiritual. The by-product is practical. Relationships may survive, but will never thrive without fulness of The Spirit.

As a young Minister to Single Adults, in the middle of a marriage explosion, I seized on this passage of Scripture as the text for Marriage Preparation 101. Mutual submission means people are more concerned about others than they are themselves. "You First!" replaces "Me First!"

In Single Adult worship services, marriage counseling and ceremonies, I began to challenge potential husbands and wives. "Mutual submission means looking out for each others rights. You look out for his rights. You look out for her rights. Everyone's rights are looked after. You demand your own rights, and you lose your perspective on mutual submission, and the one-flesh relationship that God gave as a picture of Christian marriage. Being married in a church doesn't make you one-flesh or single-hearted. Being filled with The Spirit does."

The fulness of The Spirit is the essential quality and characteristic that should be Numero Uno on The Wish List of anyone looking for a future mate. Those who are full of themselves make horrible marriage partners. Marriage has the unique ability to provide the perfect climate to expose a person for how selfish they really are.

Those who are full of themselves make terrible church members. The local church is still the best lab for discovering the fulness of The Spirit, in the life of another person. Rubbing shoulders with people who go to church does not always reveal angelic attitudes. It is always easy to be an angel, as long as no one ever ruffles your feathers.

Note to self: When you get three Baptists together, you often get five opinions. It is called a committee.

Yielding personal rights and private ownership are the cornerstone and plumb-line of "mutual submission." This submission is not a resolution, but a transformation. It is a change of heart, a turn around from the wrong way to the right way, a new set of eyes, with a fresh vision for the needs of others being met, before one's own are considered.

This kind of change can be initiated, in an instant, but can only be sustained over a life-time, by being under the influence of The Fulness of The Spirit and under the watchful eye of The Lord Jesus Christ. The early church was filled with people who were single-hearted. "Those who believed were of one heart and soul." (Acts 4:32)

The contemporary church is in need of members who have emptied themselves of their own rights, but filled themselves with The Spirit of Christ. The old Jesus Revolution song comes to my mind. "They will know we are Christians, by our love, by our love. They will know, we are Christians by our love." Sing it loud. Sing it proud.

TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!

The Extension

And now, Lord, take note of their threats, and grant that Your bond-servants may speak Your word with all confidence, while You extend Your hand to heal, and signs and wonders take place through the name of Your holy servant Jesus. And when they had prayed, the place where they had gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God with boldness." Acts 4:29-31

The early church leaders knew their limitations. It was the source of their confidence, and effectiveness in ministry. If contemporary leaders would take a page out of their playbook, it would be a huge step in the right direction, towards the next Great Awakening.

#1 - They took the threats of their enemies seriously, but instead of taking them to heart, they placed them in God's hands. Big difference.

Talking about threats results in taking threats to heart. This usually leads to a heart condition called cowardice. Instead, the early leaders didn't ignore these threats or inflate them, they took them to God in prayer. The result? The Spirit of God infused them, with a blood transfusion for courageous living. TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!

#2 - These early leaders recognized their role in life was that of a slave or bond-servants. Their role model was Jesus, not the latest author, celebrity, guru, or politician.

#3 - These leaders understood their mission was to "speak Your word with all confidence." (v. 29b) These leaders were not wall flowers, or shrinking violets, trying to find a way to fit into a system that intended to intimidate them into self-imposed silence. They had no desire to take on the status quo, by giving the current power brokers a piece of their mind. They had a passion to speak a word from God, and it gave them peace of mind.

#4 - These leaders knew, instinctively, that they were part of a movement of God that could not be extended, one minute fraction, beyond His reach, or sustained, one second longer, without His touch. They gave ALL the glory to God. The left no room for doubt, or speculation, in their own minds, about The Source of the movement. Those who observed what God did through them, and those who opposed it, knew they took no credit and claimed no power. Everything. Not just some things. Everything pointed to this one great truth...

"This is the Lord's doing: It is marvelous in our eyes." Psalms 118:23

These four observations are offered as a word of encouragement to pray for the next Great Awakening. They should also serve as an admonition.

Movements of God are ushered in by prayer, but suffocated by pride. Taking credit for God's handiwork may make a name for those leaders crass enough to engage in it it, but it short-circuits the power source for an extended Awakening.

Pride leads to the establishment of systems that overshadow The Savior, and magnify man. Credit claimed by man results in effort that must be sustained by man. When a movement of God becomes a system of man, it may become death-defying, but it is no longer life-giving.

Prayer and humility are two sides of the same coin, that serves as the currency of Heaven. Prayer is given great value and priority in God's Kingdom. When offered up, God's Spirit takes the weakest prayer to The Son, and He makes His strongest case to The Father.

The Spirit interprets prayer. The Son intercedes in prayer. The Father infuses His power and authority into His children through prayer. The weakest prayer ignites, initiates and inspires movements of God that can only be sustained by the power of God. Know this. God answers prayer. Know this.

Prayerlessness is pridefulness and both delay a movement of God, in the hearts of His people. Once a movement of God is launched from Heaven, prayerlessness and pridefulness insure that there will be no extension of the movement. Prayers uplifted result in God initiating and extending Awakening. Pray before, during, and after the next Great Awakening. Start today.

"If My people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray,... then, I will hear...." 2 Chronicles 7:14

Personal Awakening is the greatest need of every believer. Make it your heart cry today.

"And when they had prayed, the place where they had gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God with boldness." Acts 4: 31

Note to self: The filling of the Spirit leads to the telling of HIS Gospel, not the glorification of YOUR experience. You are the salt of the earth, and the light of the world. Don't be surprised when God shakes your container, to fill you up and to pour you out. You were not created and saved to contain or maintain power you cannot sustain. You are the salt of the earth. With confidence and boldness, shake it, man. Shake it!

TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!

The Promise

" 'For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself.' v.39

Peter delivered a message from God, casting a vision of hope, but without comforting people in their sin, and compromising with their contemporary culture. This is PREACHING 101. It is a far cry from what passes for preaching today, and the church would do well to put up with nothing less.

"And with many other words he solemnly testified and kept on exhorting them, saying, 'Be saved from this perverse generation!" v. 40

Prior to the filling of the Holy Spirit, Peter was a mess. After the filling of the Holy Spirit, Peter was a messenger. Big difference. The Holy Spirit was not sent just to comfort people overwhelmed by a messy world. God knew it was a "perverse generation." He sent The Spirit to transform His people into messengers who delivered hope to a perverted world.

Note to self: Stop pulling out your "shock face" every time you see something perverted. You are wearing it out, and missing the point. God isn't shocked by what is going on around you. He expects you to do something about it. PRAY!

Peter exhorted the same people who had once intimidated him. The transformation of Peter from a mess to a messenger was the result of the filling of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit was not an addition of a liquid additive Peter was to splash out, or an emotional experience, he was to conjure up. The Spirit of Jesus Christ came to dwell in Him, permanently. Jesus had promised this would happen.

"I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever;" - Jesus, John 14:16 NASB

The various versions of the Bible refer to The Spirit as the Advocate, Helper, Counselor, or Comforter, but they all agree on one thing. HE WILL BE WITH YOU FOREVER! Good to know.

This was a change in how The Spirit ministered to people prior to Pentecost. The Holy Spirit was not invented or created at Pentecost, the church was. The Spirit is eternal. He is equal to The Father, and The Son. He is not the junior partner in The Trinity. He is God. Glen Beck is wrong. The Trinity essential to Christian doctrine. Chrome is an option on a car. The Trinity isn't an option, but the Law of Gravity that keeps the car on the ground. Every time I hear Glen Beck say he doesn't believe in The Trinity, but he still considers himself a Christian, I want to drive my car into a tree. But I digress.

The Spirit was manifested in power and Presence through out the Old Testament. God's Presence came upon specific people, for specific tasks, for specific periods of time. The examples are numerous, but Samson will do. Great power was released through Samson, but he remained a man with great flaws. When The Spirit was on him, he was a force of nature, but when The Spirit departed, he was unable to control his own nature. This only happens...EVERY TIME!

Peter's experience of the filling of The Spirit was not a sensational, Samson episode. It was a transformational explosion of God's power being released through the same man who had always promised more than he could deliver. The Spirit of God turned Peter from a dud into dynamite.

Now, when Peter went off, he was going to reveal more of God than he revealed of himself. He was going to be guided and filled with a fear of God, more than bullied by the fear of man. This filling of The Spirit was an infusion of courage, and an initiation in intimacy with The Risen Christ, that would never leave him or forsake him. Jesus was only a prayer away. The Spirit made good on the promise of The Son. The result?

"A man who is intimate with God will not be intimidated by man." Leonard Ravenhill

'So then, those who had received his word were baptized and that day there were added about three thousand souls." v. 41

I love these two little words, when they appear in Scripture. "So then." Too many times after a sermon is preached, the bewildered, after hearing the befuddled, respond with, "So what?" Spirit-filled preaching is more than the dispensing of interesting information, with academic accuracy, correct grammar, precise pronunciation, concluded within the time allowed for it. It brings results.

The message is not delivered, until it has been received. Delivery is only half of the process. The receiving of the message is the other component. Often people will pray for the preacher to deliver the message. More often, prayer should be offered up to God, for The Spirit to anoint the voice of the preacher and the ears of the listeners. God intends for a message to be delivered AND received.

No doubt, Peter was delivering the message God gave him. Prior to the filling of the Holy Spirit, Peter was a mess. After the filling of the Holy Spirit, Peter was a messenger. Big difference. The Holy Spirit was not sent to comfort people overwhelmed by a messy world, but to transform them into messengers who delivered hope to the world.

The promise of hope remains a concept until it is received. Praying for people to receive the message of God may be one of the most essential pieces of an order of service. It must not be crowded out. People have not gathered just to hear The Word, but to receive The Word. If it lands on deaf ears, words will have been spoken, but lives will remain unchanged.

Pray for your preacher. He needs it. You need the practice. Don't forget to pray for your own ears to hear what he says. At 63 years of age, I am discovering that my ears are getting larger, but my hearing is not improving. Just ask my wife. Dana is using two little words more than ever before, in our marriage. I am not so fond of hearing, "I said." Repeating what she said the first time, is becoming a major part of our communication. I guess hearing aids are in my future.

When a Spirit-filled preacher delivers The Word of God, there is hope. When people receive The Word of God, they not only hear it, they respond to it. The preacher is the steward of God's message. The people are servants to God's message. This is how the church began, and this is how the church must go grow.

Preachers who deliver only what their people want to hear, don't always give them what God intends for them to obey. When the preacher is more afraid of the people in the pew, than The Author of the message, fear of man chokes his voice, and the people lose their fear of God. Peter delivered the mail, and the people opened their hearts to it. The result? Three thousand converts in one day. Message received.

Prayer improves the preaching of the messenger, and the hearing of the listener. Peter's preaching was rooted in prayer, and released by the power of The Holy Spirit. When The Spirit filled Peter, he was transformed from a man marked by anemic, phony bravado, to a man with a blood transfusion for courageous living. When Spirit-filled preaching reached the ears of the people, they received it.

Prayer promises to be the greatest hearing aids a preacher could ever give to his listeners. If preachers want their people to receive The Promise, they will...

TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!

The Conjunction

"But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said...whosoever shall call on the Lord shall be saved. Therefore lest all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ." Acts 2: 14-36

"Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said,...'What shall we do?" v. 37

"Then Peter said unto them, 'Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost." v.38

"Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls." v. 41

A recent report on 46,000 Southern Baptist churches indicated only 1.4 % averaged 1,000 plus in worship on Sunday. A recent gathering of 4,000 church planters in Dallas, met to discover how they could start more. In one day the Holy Spirit launched a mega church. Word to the wise. Take a page out of The Spirit's church planting manual.

Wisdom would suggest that man's methods are no match for God's Manifest Presence. The Presence and The Power of The Spirit of Christ is essential, when it comes to the matter of planting churches. Without Him, new plants become hot house plants nurtured in environments conducive to controlled circumstances and hospitable climate. A church plant has only two hopes of surviving and thriving without The Power and The Presence of God. Slim & None.

Churches that survive the church plant experience don't often thrive. After the drama and the trauma of the plant, the settle into some pretty thin soil. They may be death-defying, but are seldom life-giving. Man-made churches must be sustained by superhuman effort. Their compassion fatigue is enormous, trying to sustain life, and entertain people attracted by the parade, but have no interest in pushing the float. After the church planters are tapped out, all that is left is hardly worth getting cleaned up for on Sunday morning.

Don't get me wrong. I believe the local church is the hope of the world. So did Jesus. He launched His church with His Spirit, and those that are marked by His Presence, and His character carry out the message angels love to sing about, "Joy to the World."

Back to the report. Over 900 Southern Baptist churches shut their doors every year. For many, it didn't come too soon. What they did in the name of Jesus was embarrassing to The Body. For years business meetings overshadowed prayer meetings. Pastors were treated as hirelings. Sinners were treated with kid gloves. Fear of man outweighed any fear of God. Finances ruled over faith. Competition with the church down the street fueled their only enthusiasm for gaining new members. Missions was an option. Giving was a token. Converts were few, and church splits passed for church plants. Sad, but true. R.I.P.

Years ago a TV mini-series gripped America. It was called "Roots." It traced a black man's heritage back to the origin of his family in Africa. It was a powerful presentation.

Acts 2 reveals where the roots of the church can be found. They are located at the junction of unction and dysfunction. Look for the sign of the conjunction, "BUT!" This is where God meets man with His Spirit. Peter is the poster boy for the transformation that takes place at the junction of unction and dysfunction.

Before The Spirit, Peter is marked by cowardice. After The Spirit comes, he exudes courage. Before, fear. After, faith. Before, confusion. After, clarity. Before, hiding. After, standing. Before, denying. After, preaching. The list goes on and on. You get the picture.

The Spirit changes people, from the inside out. He leaves them right where they are, and the circumstances around them remain the same. The difference? He creates in them the character of Christ, and plants them right in the middle of people who have no character. The result? The culture cannot hold up against it. It never has, and it never will. Why? Because, the witnesses don't care if they survive the confrontation. They aren't interested in survival, only revival. You can't kill a dead man who believes he will live forever. People with staying power are marked by praying power.

My father was a church planter in New York, from 1960-1977. His work remains, not because he went, but primarily because he stayed. As a boy of ten, I saw many preachers from the south come to The City to start churches. They tried to plant The South, not The Spirit. They didn't last, and neither did their churches.

Today, Facebook reveals a new wave of church planters. From the pics I receive from major cities of this nation, this new breed is in love with The City, just the way it is. Their prayer walks through the cities of this nation, are marked by pics of excursions into their new digs. The ball parks, city parks, concerts, delis, Broadway shows, ferries, and other exotic places far outweigh any pics of a movement of God. Time will tell if I am wrong, but I don't expect much to come of this. From my own family's personal experience, I can say that planting a church is not a walk in the park, it is the fight of your life. But I digress.

"Here's your sign!" A contemporary country-western comedian has turned this phrase into a career. For the church, the sign is "BUT GOD!" Before Pentecost, baptisms were down. The founder of the church had been murdered, and His followers had been scattered. Before Pentecost the culture was gaining ground, and the church was in danger of being forced underground, before it even got off the ground. Pretty dismal picture, right? "BUT, GOD!"

Pray for your church to be transformed by meeting The Spirit at the junction of His unction, and your own dysfunction. Brick and mortar, bold plans and bloated bureaucracy cannot be filled with The Spirit, only people can. Not everyone in your church will be filled with The Spirit, BUT you can be the one who will be filled. God has never needed more than one person to start a movement. Your first step begins with prayer. Take your stand, on your knees, at the junction of unction and dysfunction. You will never be the same.

TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!

The Meaning

"And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance." Acts 2:4

When the church was birthed at Pentecost, three different streams of thought collided, creating a powerful patch of white water of confusion, comedy and clarity. People who experienced the same thing responded very differently to it.

This should not surprise us. Two people involved in the same car wreck always have have different versions of exactly happened. The police take down their stories, and let the insurance companies sort it out. Life goes on.

When The Promise descended upon each of the 120 disciples, in the Upper Room, they experienced The Filling. Others who heard the sounds of the violent wind entering the room, and their native tongue coming out of the filled disciples, sought The Meaning of The Filling. Still others, hearing the same joyful sounds, responded with The Mocking of both. Their descendants are still with us.

These same three responses to Pentecost are repeated to this day. Some things never change. Two thousand years later, these three groups continue to keep the 'rivers of living water" foaming, frothing and fomenting with debate, disagreement, and disrespect.

People who need to hear the message of The Spirit's, "still, small voice" often have it drowned out by the cacophony of sounds spewing from strident saints, shouting at one another, "Die heretic!"

"When this sound occurred, the crowd came together, and were bewildered because each one of them was hearing them speak in his own language...'we each hear them in our own language to which we were born...we hear them in our own tongues speaking of the mighty deeds of God.' " Acts 2:6-11

The Filling was evident to all, then. The question remains with us, now.

"What does this mean?" v. 12

To the disciples who heard The Great Commission of Jesus, it sounded something like this. "You shall be My witnesses, to the Jews who are in Jerusalem, to the Jews who are in Judea, and to the Jews who are in the uttermost parts of the earth." They were products of their previous experiences. They had been raised to believe The Jews were The Chosen people, and the rest of the world was frozen out of any hope of receiving The Father's love.

Part of the meaning of what happened at Pentecost is clearer to us, than it was to those who were there. Some times the rear-view mirror is an aid in understanding the work of God. This was an explosion of God's love that would not be contained in Jerusalem, or in one racial group. The repercussions would be felt all around the world. When these devout Jews returned to their native lands, the message of God's love would go with them.

"But others were mocking." v. 13

People mocking and defaming what we hold most dear should not cause believers shock and dismay. God's greatest work was revealed to the people in Jerusalem, on the Day of Pentecost. Some disrespected His work then, and their contemporary cousins still do it today. It is offensive.

Not taking offense at something that is offensive doesn't mean it is not offensive. It is. It just means you don't pull out your "Shock Face" and your version of the hip hop head bob, and run around screaming, "OH NO, HE DI' ENT." Stop it. It's silly.

Don't act like it doesn't matter. It does, but screaming obscenities at someone who doesn't agree with you will not change their mind. Remember, mocking someone until they are a mess of mush is not exonerated by closing your remarks with, "Bless their heart."

Note to self: The hallmark of Christian character is turning the other cheek. This doesn't mean hiding in the tall grass or being afraid of your own shadow. When Jesus came into your heart, your brains didn't fall out. His Spirit came in. More on that later. Peter was transformed by his experience with the Spirit. You were too. Act like it. But I digress.

No matter what team you play for, The Fillings, The Meanings, or The Mockings, remember God is the ultimate umpire. The Father means for His message of love, purchased by His Son, to be delivered by His children, to His creation. When people who are focused on The Filling forget The Meaning, they are closer to The Mocking crowd than they want to admit. Neither one of them delivers the message. What does that mean? They are full of themselves, not full of The Spirit.

Prayer is the air of Pentecost, and prayer gives meaning to life, like oxygen gives life to those who breathe. Unless you live in L.A., air is invisible. You breathe what you can't see, and life goes on. Prayerless people build prayerless churches that end up gasping through life, wondering why people won't follow their lead or join their band of breathless wonders.

Prayer is the language of the Spirit. He hears, and He responds to the prayers of people looking for meaning and purpose in life. Some people spend their lives seeking the perfect prayer language, as if the Spirit is waiting for them to discover an unknown tongue, before He will respond to the cries of their broken heart. The meaning of Pentecost reveals The Spirit already knows the language brokenhearted people know best. He responds to prayer spoken in any language. The meaning of Pentecost? Pick one!

TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!

The Addition

"And they drew lots for them, and the lot fell to Matthias and he was added to the eleven apostles." Acts 1:26

During the heyday of the church growth movement, hardly a church newsletter was complete, until the section was added that reported, WEEKLY ADDITIONS. Here the scalps were hung on the wall. BY BAPTISM. BY STATEMENT. BY LETTER. TOTAL ADDITIONS. These were considered to be the vital signs of the church.

The church growth movement was the foster child of the Jesus Revolution and the Deeper Life Movement. After the Holy Spirit was kicked to the curb, by those claiming credit for what He had been doing, since the late Sixties, something had to be done to keep the momentum going. The Church Growth Movement gurus stepped up to the plate. Formulas, surveys, demographic studies, interviews with unchurched Sally and unchurched Steve, and a host of other aids, were introduced to pastors passionate to make a name for themselves.

During the Eighties, all kinds of "How to" books were produced, and seminars spawned to empower churches to breakthrough to the next level of church growth. The continuing momentum of the previous spiritual movement, The Jesus Revolution, made everyone look like an expert.

Of course the fastest way to grow a Southern Baptist Church in the Eighties and Nineties was to escape a decaying, transitional neighborhood, and relocate deeper into The Burbs. Southern Baptists wrote the book on this. It was called "White Flight." Apparently, the Holy Spirit went into a period of self-doubt, unable to communicate cross-culturally, or across generational lines.

I was encouraged this week, by the attendance at the North American Board sponsored Send 2013 Conference. Close to 4,000 pastors and church planters met in Dallas, Texas at Prestonwood Baptist Church to make serious course corrections to the previous mentioned strategy. I pray that this is the beginning of a new day. We need it. God send it!

Additions are what man can do. Multiplication is what God does. The power of the Holy Spirit is rarely needed to put out a few lures, to see if unchurched people will bite on them. Moving unchurched people into the church without a life-changing encounter with God's Holy Spirit has not proven to be a winning strategy. It never will be.

Drawing a crowd is all about additions. Making disciples requires the Holy Spirit's power and Presence. The Spirit must multiply Himself in the lives of those who are weary of being full of themselves, and ready to be filled with Him. Filling the church with people who are full of themselves adds up to mob, not a movement of God. Big difference.

In the 1970's "discipleship" became a buzz word that made its way into the program dominated bureaucracy of the church. It eventually became homogenized into series of 12 week studies, the completion of a spiral notebook, participation in a student weekend, or attendance at a Sunday night study group held at the church. Remember DT? Discipleship Training. I didn't think so. As the spiral notebooks increased, genuine discipleship remained elusive. It still is.

The Acts account clarifies why. Matthias "was added to the eleven apostles." The disciples interrupted a prayer meeting with a business meeting, and rolled the dice. They bet the farm on Matthias being the missing component needed to complete the task assigned to them. They added up all the facts, and came up with good man. They settled for a good man and missed God's best. How did that happen? They strayed instead of prayed. To stay the course, God's people must pray the course.

In the late 1990's I served on an Evangelism Task Force that was charged with producing the North American Mission Board's answer to the Great Commission. We came up with "The NET." I wrote the devotional guides that were part of a training module churches could order, and use to train people to share their faith. Never heard of it? I didn't think so. It was a good idea. Apparently, it wasn't God's idea. It happens to the best of us.

The Bible doesn't record much, if anything, about Matthias after he was added to the apostles. He is the poster boy for Church Additions. Most churches don't hear much from those they add to their church rolls either. Mathias Members are a huge part of the religious landscape.

For eight years, I served as pastor of a church that bragged about having 5,000 members. We couldn't find half of them, but we weren't about to admit it. At one time in their lives, they had identified with our church. In most cases, "once saved always saved" didn't translate into, "I was lost, but now I'm found." You couldn't find these people with a team of FBI detectives.

I fantasized that at least half of our people, at the point of membership, must have immediately entered into a Witness Protection Program. We knew their names, and their last address, but they were either AWOL or MIA. We only heard from them if they wanted to get married or buried in the church. Why? They claimed their rights. Members got a discount on the fees, for use of the auditorium and the fellowship hall. Membership does have its privileges.

Acts 1 is a picture of a man-made church. Prayer is initiated, but it is easily interrupted by a business meeting. Logic is applied to an impossible situation, and a man-made solution is agreed upon. These people in the Upper Room were bright, busy, and totally impotent. They were in charge of the agenda, but not filled with the Holy Spirit. This never ends well.

Jesus had "commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for what the Father had promised, 'Which you heard from Me;...you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.' " Acts 1:5

These straying saints were like "Brylcreem Baptists." You remember the Brylcreem slogan? "A little dab will do yah!" They started out praying, and ended up straying. It didn't take them long to get tired of praying. There was work to be done. Ron Dunn wrote a book, "Don't Just Stand There. Pray Something." Great advice. Too many times people are tempted to quit on prayer, before they are equipped for the task.

When they started saying what they had been thinking, instead of being obedient to the last thing that Jesus had said to them to do, they settled for what man could do, and missed what only The Holy Spirit can do. This only happens...EVERY TIME.

Acts 2 reveals what Jesus had in mind for His Church. "And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit." (Acts 2:1-4) When we settle for what man can do, we are limited to our own resources to sustain and maintain what we initiate. When we pray for something only God can get credit for, then God furnishes all we need to complete what He initiates. Big difference.

Prayer is the climate that prepares us for a fresh movement of The Spirit of God, in our lives. Spiritual Awakening takes place, when what is The Spirit is doing in our lives, flows into the church and out into the streets. People are not impressed with how well we mop the floors of the church, but they can't ignore a flood The Spirit of God moving through their city.

Put up the mop. Pray for rain. Lord, let Your Spirit rain into the parched areas of my heart, and overflow to thirsty people ready to be filled by Him. May His reign on earth, bring glory to Your Son, seated by Your side in Heaven.

TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!

The Mission

"Follow Me!" - Jesus - John 21:19

The way you come on, is the way you continue on, in the Kingdom of God. Citizenship is enriched by fellowship, but it is initiated by "followship."

Note to self: From God's lips to my ears, from His Spirit to my heart, from His Word to my eyes are the only time lapses between hear and obey, that God allows between me and my next act of obedience. Just do it!

Obedience is the key to initiating and sustaining long-term, life-changing, life-giving Spiritual Awakening. The paralysis of analysis, or waiting for someone else to make the first move are not game changing strategies. They feed on delay, and doubt, and in the process miss the God-given opportunities always delivered in strangely wrapped packages, at inconvenient times.

Peter had just delivered three affirmations of His love for Jesus; one for every denial he made of Jesus, on the night before He was crucified. When commanded to return to his mission in life, following Jesus, the first words out of his mouth were, "What about him?" Jesus was very clear.

"If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow Me!" - Jesus - John 21:22

Note to self: Responding to a command from God, with a question mark is rarely a high water mark of your obedience. If God says, "Jump!", then "Just do it!" Don't ask, "How high?" What are you saving yourself for? Life is not a dress rehearsal. Live it! You will have eternity for God to explain His reasons and His timing. It won't matter then. If it doesn't matter then. It doesn't matter now. Pray & Obey!

Peter is such an easy target. Big men always are. They have big flaws. Little men have them too, but they hide in the tall grass, far from the fight, and usually become critics or talk show radio hosts. I have recently been reminded of the similarities of political talk radio and sports talk radio hosts. They fill the air with their own commentary and critiques of men and women who are in the arena. When they have more air time than breath, they call on others to join them, to fill the void.

Most critics have never been national champions or held national office. From their Krispy Kreme stained hands they hold a copy of the latest gaffe or the most recent error of a politician or athlete and hold them up for examination and dissection. Their tongues are sharp, glib, and articulate. There is only one thing missing. The courage to step into the floor of the arena and expose themselves to the danger of the fight. They confuse talking about the fight, with being in it. They are wrong. In a culture that glorifies the critic above the champion, don't be surprised if there are more critics than champions.

Following Jesus doesn't give anyone the privilege of sitting in a safe room and making fun of someone else who is taking one for the team. Jesus said, "Follow Me!" It is a lonely road, and prayer is the only way to keep the lines of communication open with The One who can give direction, protection, and correction, during the course of the journey or the duration of the battle.

Prayers is not a sign of infallibility. It is an admission of inability. When Peter asked if John was coming on this mission with him, Jesus made it clear to him that it was none of his business. It was not a rude remark, but it was a rebuke. Jesus was letting Peter know, "I am all you need." He still is.

TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!

The Love

"Do you love Me more than these?" Jesus - John 21:15

When Jesus had finished breakfast, He focused on the hole in Peter's heart. The empty stomach of men who had been toiling all night long, at the oars and net of a fishing boat, must have left them with man-sized hunger and thirst. Jesus knew there was more that they needed. He had taught them, at the Sermon on The Mount.

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied." Matthew 5:6

Jesus knew the best way to fill a man was to empty him. Prayerless people are full of themselves, and incapable of being filled with anything or anyone else. Peter was the poster boy of the self-medicated person who tries to quench their thirst by reaching for salt water, or attempts to satisfy their hunger by devouring themselves.

At the home of the high priest, Peter had denied Jesus three times. Like a wolf with his leg caught in the trap, Peter gnawed it off, and limped into the night. Every time he heard a rooster crow, he was reminded of his shame.

18th Century scientist, Blaise Paschal described man's spiritual condition as a God-shaped vacuum that only Jesus could fill. Jesus had fed Peter, but after breakfast, He started to fill him. Jesus began with a question. He often does.

The filling process was not so much painful, as it was draining. Peter was confronted with the one thing that can never be faked, in the eyes of Jesus. He knows. The conversation between Jesus and Peter, is not an easy read. It is not just the obvious signs of discomfort that it brings to Peter. It reminds me of the many times Jesus has invaded my space, and commissioned His Spirit to get in my face, with the same question.

"Do you love Me more than these?" Jesus

Being called to preach was a heady experience for an eight year old boy, growing up in Dallas, Texas. I clearly heard the call to preach. I just couldn't bring myself to adhere to it. The distance between Dallas and Fort Worth is approximately 30 miles. I took the long way to get there. Sixteen years after hearing God's call to ministry, I enrolled in seminary in Fort Worth, Texas. It had been a painful journey. Never underestimate the capacity of a man, full of himself, to find a detour, when the straight path is right in front of him. Prayerlessness prolongs the process. People with "I" trouble can xpect a lot of U-turns.

Growing up in Dallas, we were taught to love God, and hate Fort Worth. As a loyal, native son, I had done my fair share of cursing "Cowtown." God has a great sense of humor. In 1974, He pointed me to Fort Worth, Texas to rediscover my First Love, Jesus, and to meet the love of my life, Dana. She often asks me, "Am I still #2?" In 35 years of marriage, that is as close as it can ever get for us. Jesus is our First Love. He plays second banana to no one.

Peter's love for Jesus was no small emotion, but his denial of Jesus, remained a major matter. This was more than a bone in his throat, and a rock in his shoe. His denial of Jesus was a gorilla on his back. Jesus knew Peter needed to be set free from his shame, so He restored God's calling on Peter's life.

Jesus took Peter back to the place where it all began, and at the point of his departure. Those who are called to follow Jesus, often allow the system to overshadow the Savior. Peter was no exception. His track record of following Jesus ran the gamut, from the profound to the profane. Peter once grandly proclaimed, "You are the Christ the Son of the Living God!" Jesus honored him for it.

As the self-appointed spokesman for The Twelve, Peter became comfortable with his role as team leader. He was a natural. This is a dangerous place to be. When men become comfortable in their ability to perform what they have been called to do, they lean on their own talents, and abilities, and become less available to The One who called them. Prayerless people may rush in where angels fear to tread, but this doesn't mean they are fearless, just reckless.

Peter's reckless behavior led him to deny Jesus three times, escalating his fear and anger, with every step in the wrong direction. Matthew's Gospel records,

"Then he began to curse and swear, “I do not know the man!” And immediately a rooster crowed." Matthew 26:74

Words mean things. The word used to translate what Jesus said to Peter was the highest form of love the Greeks could conceive. It went beyond brotherly affection, and erotic attraction. It was an act of the will, not a flight of fancy.

Peter heard Jesus say, "Do you love Me with an unconquerable benevolence, and an undefeatable goodwill? Is your love for Me, selfless or selfish? Do you love me because of what I can do for you? Does your love for Me rise and fall with every whim of your emotions? Is your love a deliberate, daily act of your will, or a periodic, spasmodic spell of nostalgia? Does your love cause you to talk about Me, more than you talk to Me? Do you find your satisfaction in doing something for Me, or spending time with Me?" DO YOU LOVE ME, or do you love the position, title, and prominence that has come to you, by My love for you? Are you wrapped up, in the trappings of your office, and the prestige it affords you? Are you willing to set "these things" aside, and once again, embrace Me?"

Peter had promised more than He could deliver. He had leaned on own supports, and ended up falling on his own sword. He was a man in need of a First Love Awakening. Jesus stirred his heart, and it stung him. When the blood flow is restricted to any part of the body, it "falls asleep." The numbness is relieved by moving it, and stirring it once again, but the price of restored movement is a stinging experience that is as inevitable, as it is painful. Peter was stung by the words of Jesus, but the blood was beginning to flow. There would be life, but it would not be painless.

"Yes, Lord; You know that I love You." John 21:16

"Revival is 'the sovereign act of God, in which He restores His own backsliding people to repentance, faith and obedience.' " Stephen Olford

Peter's anguish reminds me of The Renewal that each of us needs in our lives every day. If you can remember a time in your life when you loved Jesus more than you love Him today, you are in a back-slidden condition, and in need of a First Love Awakening.

Question: Do you love Jesus too much? Yeah. Me neither. It matters very little, how much I loved Jesus yesterday. My love for Him today is renewed by prayer. Prayer is that the restoration of the conversation with Jesus that leads me to intimacy with Him. Through prayer, He guides me away from MY will to THY will. Prayer moves me from MINE to THINE, and to His Father's direction, protection and correction.

TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!

The Blessing

"Blessed are they that did not see, and yet believed." John 20:29

Since I was a child, we were taught to, "Say the blessing." In our home, it was an honor to be called upon to do it. Dad would often be the one who said it, before we sat down to eat, but all four of us kids knew we better be ready to do it. One of Dad's favorite tricks was to wait until one of us tried to sneak a bite of food before he prayed, and with a bit of righteous rebuke, he would assign the duty to pray to the wayward child with the full mouth. He wasn't above adding the dig, "Including what is already in your mouth." We couldn't ever get anything past Dad. Good times.

Blessing comes from finding the sweet spot in life. The Greek concept of life involved feeling happy, content, self-contained, in need of nothing else to be satisfied. The Duck Dynasty boys may have hit the nail on the head. HAPPY! HAPPY! HAPPY!, indeed.

To believe was to place, continued active trust or confidence in another person or cause. A person's cause for belief has always been based on their confidence in the person asking them to believe in them. For the Christian it means to trust in Jesus or God as able to aid either in obtaining or in doing something. In this case, it means saving faith. When a person activates their faith, they draw on God's resources, not their own.

The blessing Jesus gave, after revealing Himself to His disciples, could be considered a command performance. He honored the request of doubting Thomas, by inviting him to feel his way to belief in Him, as The Resurrected Christ. Still, Jesus was not above adding a hefty dose of rebuke with it. Thomas had said, he would never believe what he couldn't see and feel. After Jesus jumped through his hoop, He asked Thomas,

"Because you had seen Me have you believed?" v. 29a

Jesus was not placing a vote of confidence, in the kind of belief Thomas had just placed in Him. He was questioning it. The Kingdom Jesus came to establish wasn't built with the same materials demanded by the world. In the material world, seeing is believing. In the His world, believing is seeing. There is a big difference between the material and the spiritual worlds. Never confuse them.

Blessing and believing are two sides of the same coin. One does not arrive without the other. Running on parallel tracks, imperceptible to anyone but God, blessing and believing arrive simultaneously, at the junction of faith. Trust in The Resurrected Christ creates a celebration in the heart of anyone who puts their confidence in what they hear The Spirit of Christ reveal, from God's Word, about Jesus.

"Receive The Holy Spirit." Jesus - (John 20:22)

Faith in Jesus is birthed by the Holy Spirit revealing to a person what God's word says about The Son of God. Faith is the confidence one places, or trusts in the facts, The Spirit of Christ reveals about Jesus, in God's Word.

"Consequently, faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the preached word of Christ." Romans 10:17

Jesus came into this world to become a personal Savior and Lord to the citizens of The Kingdom of God. Believing in Him, involves relying on Him to be Who the Holy Spirit reveals Him to be when they read God's Word, or hear it preached.

This belief or trust means that Jesus is no longer an historical figure, a religious icon, or a dusty doctrinal position. The living, breathing, Resurrected Christ takes up residence in the heart of every believer, through the work of The Person of The Holy Spirit.

"Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed." John 20:29b

Remember, believing is seeing. Believing in the finished work of The Crucified Christ should never be minimized, but it becomes a blessing through the Presence of The Resurrected Christ. Receiving the Holy Spirit's good word about Jesus is more than just a single leap of faith. Walking out of the darkness of unbelief and into the light of God's love at Calvary is no small step, but it is the start of a great journey.

The life of faith is a life of leaps. Faith is belief in action, not just one action followed by prolonged paralysis of analysis. It continuously collides at each point in time, and every place where, a believing person is tempted to doubt what The Holy Spirit says about Jesus. Faith obeys. Doubt delays.

Faith begins as a breath, but just as life is sustained, by breathing, the faith life is sustained by believing. No breath, no life. No breathing, no believing. The material world seeks to conform the believer to its way of life. The blessing for every believer is to be transformed into a citizen of The Kingdom.

The blessing of Jesus cannot be passed down, from generation to generation, only the message of about Jesus can be passed on. Daddy can't believe for you. Momma can't put trust in Jesus for you. Belief is a very personal choice. Actually to be pro-choice is to be pro-life. The world has turned that concept upside down.

People immigrating across the border from the darkness, and into the light are only granted citizenship in Christ's Kingdom, when they place their trust in Jesus. There is no general amnesty available that can release the blessing of citizenship. Each immigrant must place their trust in Jesus, to be their personal Savior and Lord, in the Kingdom of Christ.

Believing leads to blessing when seekers look at the cross and say, "Jesus did this for me!" They look at the empty tomb, and say, "Jesus conquered death for me." They admit their sin and say, "Jesus, forgive me." They open their hearts and say, "Jesus, fill me!" They crucify their pride, and say, "Jesus, lead me!"

Citizens of The Kingdom of Christ believe life in this new Kingdom is all about Jesus. It is not about them. Jesus said, "I came that they might have life." (John 10:10) He is still the only path to citizenship. "I am the way, the truth and the life." Jesus - John 14:6

Through their believing, believers find His blessing. The blessing of Jesus is as close as your next breath. Jesus is never any farther away from you, than your next prayer to Him. Prayer puts your faith in action. Believing is seeing, and prayer provides the vision to see what God is up to in the dark. Pray and obey. Don't doubt and delay.

TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!