The Superintendent

At the 2007 General Council of the Assemblies of God, during his final message as General Superintendent Thomas E. Trask preached,

"What many churches are offering America is a new religion that guarantees no hell and requires no holiness. It's a limp spineless Christianity that does not confront sin for fear of being judgmental. It's an impotent gospel that tells people everything is okay."

Brother Trask warned of five dangers threatening the effectiveness of churches:

1. Situational ethics in which Biblical absolutes are rejected.

2. Falling prey to cultural seduction.

3. Cultural accommodation, in which churches are distorting Scriptures on issues ranging from abortion to social drinking.

4. Inclusive salvation-a view that everybody goes to heaven and no one goes to hell.

5. Passionless pulpits-preachers that make sure no one in the pew is upset at the sermon material.

Note to self: You have more in common with the AOG than you may want to admit. Don't lose your voice.

In 2016 many churches aren't in danger of speaking in tongues, but they are dangerously close to losing their voice.

God help us to TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!

The Imperfect

"David became greater & greater, for the Lord of hosts was w him...David realized that the Lord established him king of Israel & that He had exalted his kingdom for the sake of his people Israel." 2 Sam. 5:10,12

David was an imperfect, God called man. When he forgot who called him, and where he came from, he lost sight of where he was going. Don't we all.

Bad leaders live to do wrong. Good leaders avoid doing what is wrong. Great leaders know God has placed them where they are to make a difference in the lives of other, not to make a name for themselves.

NOTE TO SELF: Do you live to make a name for yourself or do you desire to make a difference? Prayerlessness feeds your pride, but prayerfulness yields humility. Prayer changes people, and prayerful people are used by God to change things. Make a difference.

TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!

The Preacher

"Let the elders who rule well be counted worthy of double honor, especially they who labor in the word and doctrine." 1 Timothy 5:17

Double honor includes paying preachers and praying for them. Paying without praying leads to ineptitude on the part of preachers. Praying without paying leads to pious ingratitude on the part of the people.

Pray for preachers this morning. They need it, and you will benfefit from it.

God blesses His people with the kind of preachers they pray for. Prayerless people usually get the kind of preacher they deserve, and never appreciate the preacher they have.

Talking about preachers has the power to cut them down to size, or to puff them up in your own eyes. Praying for them has the power to lift up their arms in the relentless battle against evil.

Are you lifting up or cutting down your preacher?

When God's people pray for preachers, their prayers catch the wind of Heaven & God delivers His direction, protection and correction to His preachers.

Note to self: Pray for preachers. They need it. You need the practice.

TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!

The Heart

“I have sent him back to you in person, that is, sending my very heart, whom I wished to keep with me, so that on your behalf he might minister to me in my imprisonment for the gospel; but without your consent I did not want to do anything, so that your goodness would not be, in effect, by compulsion but of your own free will.” Philemon 1:12-14

“Sending my very heart” indicates that Paul transplanted his heart for prayer into leading others to do what was right. When church leaders want to get their way, they are tempted to bring the heat to remove the obstacle in their path. They would do better to turn down the heat and send their heart.

When Paul expressed his desire to get what he needed from a friend, he gave his heart to his friend. Bringing the heat by exerting personal pressure and exercising the art of gentle persuasion may bring a good idea into reality, but it often misses God’s idea in the long run.

Paul set the example of a man who didn’t need to lead with his need to get what he wanted. His life was marked, by giving his heart away, not by getting his way. He didn’t lead by compulsion, but by intercession.

Compulsion operates on “My Will.” Intercession has a heart for “Thy Will.” The process of intercession conforms “My Will” to "Thy Will.”

Prayer is an investment of one’s time and one’s heart into a heart transplant into the life of another person. The Spirit’s surgery in another person's life cannot be rushed, but it can be ushered in by intercession. God's call to intercession is done in The Waiting Room. When you push your way into the Operating Room, you contaminate the process with your impatience. Don't jar the scalpel from the Spirit's hands. Give Him the elbow room to do what He does best.

Paul refused to rationalize his legitimate needs, but he refused to use his needs as leverage over his friend to get what he wanted. He was aged, imprisoned, and in need of comfort. Onesimus offered relief, but Paul saw a danger in a sense of entitlement.

If the service given to Paul by Onesiumus appeared to be theft in the eyes of Philiemon, it could have caused a breech between two brothers. It might have disrupted the fellowship of a local church.

An escaped slave was no small matter. The escape of Onesimus constituted a loss of face for Philemon in the community. It was a substantial financial loss, as well.

Rather than command Philemon to get on board with what God had done in the heart of Onesismus, Paul prayed for the master to have a change of heart towards his escaped slave and to receive him, as his new brother in Christ.

Praying begins by yielding one’s will to The Father’s will. This is how Jesus prayed. After hearing Jesus pray, His disciples said, “Teach us to pray.” Jesus began with two words, “Our Father.”

All believing prayer begins by a child of God placing compete trust in a loving Father to do what is right for them. Prayer is not about the child getting what he wants. Prayer is all about the child getting on board with The Father’s will.

Jesus modeled the purpose of prayer. He prayed until His will was conformed to His Father’s will. When Jesus prayed, He gave His heart away to God, and received The Father’s heart as His own.

The heart of prayer is the matter of the heart. Jesus prayed, “Not My will, but Thy will be done.” The purpose of prayer is for the Father to implant His heart into His children. Prayerless children are heartless indeed.

To know The Father’s will is one thing. To receive The Father’s will is quite another thing. Praying softens the heart and opens the hands of the prayer warrior to receive The Father’s will.

Intercession is the process by which a prayer warrior calls on The Spirit of Christ to develop the mind of Christ in the heart of another person. Paul prayed for Philemon, not because Paul needed a devotional exercise, but because Philemon needed a heart transplant only The Father could give.

Leaders without followers are not marching at the head of an army. They are only taking a walk by themselves. Shouting out orders to people who have no heart to follow will never launch a movement of God. Praying for potential followers to receive a new heart for The Father prepares the church to receive the next Great Awakening. Unless hearts are prepared to receive the change The Father is capable of bringing into a person’s life, new believers will be stiff armed in the parking lot, before they ever get to the pews. Prayer prepares the heart and improves the vision of the local church to have new hearts and open arms.

My wife and I assist our local church by serving on the front lines. I put out the Welcome Mat in the parking lot, meeting and greeting people as they arrive. She serves at the Welcome Desk in the entrance of the church, seating guests in the Worship Center.

Most churches would be well served to give some fresh attention to the way they greet, meet and seat guests. Like fresh paint, hospitality covers a great deal of sin. .

Philemon was being asked by Paul to see the change The Father had made in Onesimus. He was no longer a slave, but a saint. He was Paul’s child in the faith, and Philemon’s brother in Christ.

Paul interceded for Philemon to have a change of heart towards a man that had wronged him. Prayer softens a hurting heart to receive healing, and prayer gives courage to risk being hurt again.

A great deal was at stake in the life of Onesimus and the local church. The Father is grieved when His children do not value what He has done in giving a person new life in Christ and adopting them into His family.

Onesimus was a real slave, but he serves as a poster child for what happens when The Father unleashes a Great Awakening. When broken people get cleaned up with The Father, life can get real messy with His children, all at the same time.

A hard heart can lead to a stiff arm. A softened heart leads to open arms. This only happens when The Father’s children pray for one another to love one another, to forgive one another, and welcome one another with open arms.

When they pray for one another God's children send each other their hearts and The Father gives them His heart.

TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!

The Wandering

"Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for Thou art with me." Psalms 23

David's sense of direction made him a great leader. He often wandered from God's path, but he never lost his road map back home.

David was often in danger, but seldom in doubt of God's call on his life. When David's love for his God was in the driver's seat of his life he always returned to The One who called him.

Note to self: Don't let the intimidation of immediate circumstances and intense hatred of evil people crowd out your intimate time with God. In the battle against evil, Jesus is by your side. Move closer to Him when you have wandered away.

When David wandered, he blazed a trail back home with personal prayer & private praise to God. Follow his lead.

TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!

The Companion

God thrust David into the arena. He was not a man with a plan, but had a heart for God. He spent time with God when no one was looking.

As shepherd boy David enjoyed the companionship God offered to him. As king he discovered a world of users & abusers who wanted what he could do for them.

Knowing God's will for his life came out of consistent companionship with the One who knew him intimately before anyone else knew his name.

TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!

Happy Independence Day!

Let us celebrate the 240 years God has already blessed this nation with our humble prayers of thanksgiving. His faithfulness has provided us with His direction, protection and correction, even when we have been too proud to ask for it.

Be proud to be an American, but never be too proud to pray. Prayer keeps Christian citizens in dependence upon God, not independent of His companionship.

Prayerlessness is an independent streak that feeds pride and starves the soul. Prayerfulness is the healthy diet of humble people. Humble prayer declares your dependence upon God, and starves your pride and feeds your soul.

Our founders understood that self-government, on a very personal level, was the keystone to civil government. Without the essential expression of personal virtue, they feared freedom would deteriorate into license.

Christian citizens are not perfect people. Their virtue is not of their own making. Like their inalienable rights, they know any expression of personal virtue comes from God. Even the best know their capacity for becoming their own worst enemy.

Virtue flows best from humble Christian citizens who regularly admit they have nothing to offer, apart from God. Their virtue is rooted in the knowledge that they are ransomed and redeemed rebels who have lowered their flag of rebellion to God, surrendered their lives to Jesus, and remain occupied by His Spirit, until He returns.

"So then, this is how you should pray: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name, Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven." ~ Jesus (Matthew 6: 9-10)

NOTE TO SELF: Saying a pledge of allegiance to your nation calls for "one nation under God." Praying a prayer of personal dependence, brings your nation under God, one person at a time. Lead the way. Say your nation's pledge, but pray for your nation. She needs your prayers and you need the practice.

TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!

Tactics and Anti-tactics

"And all of you, clothe yourself with humility toward one another, for GOD IS OPPOSED TO THE PROUD, BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE." 1 Peter 5:5

One of the more disturbing fairy tales is the story of "The Emperor's New Clothes." A ruler is duped into believing he is wearing fine clothing, when in reality he is walking around in his birthday suit. Talk about a fashion faux pas.

When it comes to Christian clothing, Peter reminded the early believers they should wrap themselves in humility. Anything less is indecent exposure.

Wear your skinny jeans or your traditional suit and tie, but don't step out into public without humility. It is the mark of a well-dressed Christian.

God's grace is given to His humble children, but He is opposed to the proud. Opposed is a military term describing a swift and relentless response to the tactics of an enemy. When pride leads you to take certain tactics that may meet your standards, but do not meet God's standards, expect His ant-tactics.

People think life is a game of checkers designed to let them shout, "Crown me!" They are wrong. The game is chess. When pride puts you on the wrong side of the chess board, get on God's side. If you find yourself trapped by your own tactics, it is probably your move. You are better off being a pawn in His hands, than calling every move in your own life.

Pride may be the easiest thing to see in another person's life, but it is the most difficult to see in one's own. It sometimes hides under a cloak of presumed piety, lording it over those who don't measure up to man-made standards.

Prayer and humility are best friends. Prayer improves your vision. It takes you out of the after glow of your own spotlight, and places you in a dark closet to allow The Spirit of God to expose what is going on in your life. Pride posing as piety will not allow you to see what God knows about you.

"If we learned humility it might spare us humiliation." Vance Havner

Growing up in Dallas, Texas, I attended O. M. Robert's Elementary School. One of the rights of passage in this school was the regular "Ringworm Test." Students would be lined up in the hallway, to wait their turn to be taken into a dark closet by the school nurse. She would turn on a "black light" and scan each child's head. If ringworms were discovered, the child was yanked out of line, medicated and forced to wear a clear, women's nylon stocking cap, until all the ringworms were eradicated. It was horrible watching this happen to someone. It also made you go home and wash your hair without being reminded by your Mom.

What you hide in the dark from everyone else, God will oppose and expose in public. Prayer cleanses the heart of pride. The humble go to the closet before they are yanked into it.

Peter urged the elders of the early church to be clothed in humility and show humility to one another. At the very least this means that the leaders of the flock should not be so quick to disrobe one another in public. It sets a bad example for the flock.

When I hosted Life Action Ministry in our church, one of the statements that was shared regularly by the team leaders was, "What the leader does in moderation, the people will do in excess." It was a call to be mindful that people are watching and listening to what leaders do and say. What's a leader to do?

"Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you." v. 6-7

NOTE TO SELF: Prayer reveals your humility to place yourself under the mighty hand of God, and to leave the heavy lifting to Him. Anxiety over your future is a human reaction. Prayer is a humble response. Don't excuse your anxiety or embrace it. Cast it away.

TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!

Rejection and Election

NOTE TO SELF: Over the next 130 days pray your way through the election season. Don't turn it into a rejection season. Privately seek God's exposure of your own sin with the same passion you publicly expose another person's sin. Show some humility. Looking down on someone else rarely gives you a better view of God. Focusing on another person's character flaws does not improve your own. Pray for an exposure of "any hurtful way" that postpones a personal and a national Awakening. It begins with you. TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!

Passion expended to reject, rather than elect candidates for office is an expression of liberty, but it sometimes misses the point. Resist focusing more on a rejection than the election. Rejection punishes many qualified people running for office. Find them and encourage them.

In a republic, the people rule, not the state. "We the people" do not always agree with one another, but it wouldn't kill us to be agreeable with one another. Without establishing basic civility there is no hope for an improved civil government.

Freedom of speech remains one of the vital signs of liberty. Nothing but hot rhetoric only produces a scorched earth that can take your breath away. Don't settle for terminal halitosis. Say a good word about a candidate who can make a difference. They could use your support.

Soul conscience is not a right provided by or tolerated by the state. It is a precious gift from God. Those who love religious liberty should protect it with all their might. Say your piece, but don't forget there is a blessing in being a peacemaker.

Having a clear conscience is rarely produced by smearing another person, or exposing another person's shortcomings in public. It comes from confessing your own sins in private. We the people need to take a deep breath, and take a long walk with God.

Soul conscience is the very heartbeat of religious liberty, and as such it is not limited to the four walls of the church, or the sacred confines of the heart. There is no liberty without the freedom to fully express one's faith everywhere and anywhere.

Those in the media who wish to limit religious liberty would be the first to cry foul, if freedom of the press was suppressed. No newspaper publisher would tolerate being told he can believe and print anything he wants, as long as he only distributed his paper within the confines of his building. Any such limitation by the state would bring a cry of censorship from the media.

Never trust someone who limits liberty and calls it tolerance. Never be bullied into silence by those who think your opinion is not politically correct or Biblically accurate. Your position may be right. Your beliefs may be wrong, but in a democratic republic, the citizen is free to be a wise man or a fool. Time will tell whose values rule the public square.

Having a clean conscience is a not a fool's errand. It is the evidence of your walk with God. Pray for one. Psalm 139 expresses it this way. Pray with me.

" 23 Search me, O God, and know my heart;
Try me and know my anxious thoughts;

24 And see if there be any hurtful way in me,
And lead me in the everlasting way."

Body Life Alert

Believers are part of the Body of Christ. There is one Body made up of many members, but they do not always speak with one voice.

Over the next 136 days the Body Life of the church will be tested. Someone close to you, or someone who has distanced themselves from you will post something that gets on your last nerve. Count on it!

Baptists are not a silent people, and the rest of the Body of Christ can be very vocal too. Before you let your fingers do your talking with a pithy, sanctified sarcastic post, say a prayer of thanks for the person you are about to torch with your truth taser.

The Body of Christ reflects His character. A fist response should not be your first response. Punching a member of the Body in the mouth for saying something you don't agree with won't improve your argument or win converts to your cause.

After the 2016 Election is over, the Body of Christ will need to get back to loving one another. Why not start today?

Feel free to state your case for what you believe, and campaign for the candidate you support. Just don't use your liberty as a license to vent your spleen. No body wants to see that.

Being at peace with one another does not always require agreeing with one another. It just reflects being in love with one another. Anyone married for five minutes understands this.

The next few months will be a fight. Don't fall out of love with Jesus or with each other. There is more at stake.

TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!