Pastor's Blog

Important announcement
May 6, 2008

As I promised last week's blog, I wish to make an important announcement to our readers. I made this announcement at our church last Sunday. A local pastor and friend of many years, contacted me on April 1 (it was no fools' day either) asking if he could come and fellowship with us on Wednesday nights. He said their church recently discontinued their midweek services for various reasons and hoped we would allow them to join us on Wednesdays. From that opening conversation, and many others that followed, we both felt that God was impressing us to join our two churches into one assembly.

I am pleased to announce that Pastor Randy Deckard and his wife Diana, and the Gosport Apostolic Church, will be merging with the Whitehall Pentecostal Church. Bro. Deckard will join our ministering staff in a greatly needed role as an Associate Pastor. Sis. Deckard will serve in various capacities helping Sis. Warner and I with many assorted responsibilities. Many details are yet to be worked out, particularly the exact date of the completion of the merge. That will depend on the sale of the property in Gosport. Would you join us in praying for that sale and for the Lord's continued blessing on this merger? We have already seen evidence of the hand of the Lord on many levels in this matter already.

Have you ever noticed how God tries to teach us valuable lessons through our experiences? Well this is no exception. Among the many discussions we have had, Bro. Deckard and I have mentioned various trying experiences we have had to face in our years of ministry. At times, it reminded me of two Marines comparing their combat stories. What I see behind this merger, in one sense at least, is that it was our individual difficulties have led us together. A blessing has come out of brokenness. Unity has sprouted from separation. Healing has overtaking pain. We both feel blessed about where this is leading.

God speaks so gently through these kinds of paradoxes. Why don't you listen carefully for the Lord's voice in your own experience? Perhaps He wants you to reap a blessing from your own brokenness.

 

Witnesses tell of "fireball" seen at Whitehall
April 29, 2008

I was among the many witnesses. It appeared at our church during our Sunday night service just to the left and front of the pulpit. Then it moved onto the platform and stood behind the pulpit. The church was in awe with many clapping their hands and shouting praises to God. Then a voice spoke from the fire. The voice was boldly declared the goodness of God, and especially the goodness of God's mercy. The fireball moved up and down and up and down, again and again as the voice spoke, as if it was dancing. The people were moved by this unique appearance with many loudly giving praises to God, young people worshipping the Lord, tears coming to the eyes of many. One man ran around the church in worshipful glee. The presence of the fireball brought great joy to the people.

Do you think I'm being sensational? No. I was not the only witness. Do you think we served hallucinogenic drugs to the congregation? Again, no. But how can a rational person give a believable explanation for something like that?

Oh, I have an idea. I can tell you that "fireball" is the name that our former pastor, Tom Meadows, gave to Milo Blaker. He used to call him, "Fireball Blaker," a name that has stuck with him.

So what is so amazing about the appearance of this dancing, bouncing, bold speaking man? Well did I mention that he is 86 years old, or that he has had two knee replacements and two hip replacements, or that he has had a massive heart attack, and bypass surgery? Did I mention that he painfully walks with crutches or a cane? Oh, I didn't mention all that? Well every bit of that and more is Fireball Blaker.

The anointing was strong on my wife while she was singing Sunday night and Fireball got stirred up and started worshipping. Some gathered around him and started praying. He started bouncing. After our song, I asked Fireball to come and testify/preach. You see, Fireball used to preach in his younger years, and was our Sunday School Superintendent for many years. But his deteriorating health has kept him, for the most part, moving pretty slow, or not moving at all. But when he got up behind the pulpit, a firestorm started raging again.

That is why this bouncing, jumping, shouting, preaching, Fireball brought such a great response from the people. I hope you get to meet Fireball some day. He will bless you as he continues to give God the credit for keeping him these 86 years. He is a great man of God and serves as a remarkable example for the less-than-80 crowd to follow after.

Come visit us soon. You just might get to witness another appearance of the Fireball. And make sure you read next week's blog for more details about the great service Sunday night. We made a very special announcement that I'd like to share with you. But that will have to wait...

 

Time to wake up
April 21, 2008

Friday morning, April 18, I planned to sleep in a little later than I normally do–I had set my alarm for 6:00 a.m. But God had another plan. At 5:37, I woke up to the sound of my house shaking, including my bed. It was a similar sound and shaking that we feel with the front line winds of an approaching storm swiftly blowing across the meadow behind our house.

I immediately suspected it was an earthquake* but I decided to look out the window to see if there was any evidence of strong winds blowing–there was none. Next, my daughter came in asking if I had felt that shaking, then pretty soon, almost everyone was awake and standing in the hall way with each telling about what they had just felt and their initial reactions. I was now awake and getting back to sleep was pretty much impossible at this point. It had been my wake-up call.

Later in the day on Friday, the U.S. Geological Survey's website posted an article, "Illinois Earthquake is a Wake–Up Call." In their article they mentioned that this earthquake had brought about the need to update their earthquake hazard assessment map–the update is due to be released today. To the USGS, it was a wake up call concerning the risk for a major earthquake ("Indiana's wake-up call" was the headline story of the Indianapolis Star in Saturday's paper).

When unusual events occur, especially those that cause property damage or loss of life, they remind us of our own mortality. So "wake-up call" is not only what shook many of us in this region out of our beds on Friday morning, but also a time of a spiritual awakening. I hope you as a reader have considered that it is time to wake up to God's call and purpose for your life. Was the earthquake nothing more than natural laws of physics pressing tectonic plates along the path of least resistance? Or is it possible that the Author of the laws of physics is trying to press our motion along the path of His will?

Wake up Illinois! Wake up Indiana! Wake up world and let's realize that end time events, including earthquakes, wars, diseases, Middle East peace treaties, advances toward a unified identification system, are among the things that Jesus told us to watch for as His coming nears. But not only should we be watching, but also praying:

Mark 13:33 Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is.

It is time to wake up and prepare for the Lord's return.

* I had never felt an earthquake before, but we learned later that this magnitude 5.2 quake was the largest to hit the area since 1968 when a 5.4 quake shook the area. This morning's news from CNN reported that there have been 18 aftershocks recorded since Friday's quake with the most recent one being this morning at 1:38 a.m. measuring at magnitude 4.5

 

The united church of Christ
April 16, 2008

This Sunday night, Bro. Micah Hill blessed us again with his preaching ministry. His title was something like, "The Second Most Powerful Force" and his message was about unity. He used many examples but launched the message from the story in Genesis 11 concerning the building of the tower of Babel.

What stuck out in my mind was the idea that the only force that could stop the united efforts of the builders of the tower of Babel was God. And why did God want to stop that building project? Because it was an effort to "build us a city" not build the kingdom of God; and it was to "make us a name", not lift up God's name. But the forward momentum was very strong—so strong that "nothing will be restrained from them which they have imagined to do."

And as Bro. Hill pointed out, what might happen in a church that is united at working to build God's kingdom and make His name great? What if we are united about matters of our Father's business? What if we are working together in one mind toward doing something that God wants? What we are doing is coupling the second most powerful force, unity, with the most powerful force, God. That is why Paul said, "If God be for us, who can be against us?"

During the preaching, these verses came to my mind:

Matthew 18:19-20
19 Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.
20 For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.

That is why Jesus promoted unity. And although Jesus said only two or three are required to come into agreement before "it shall be done for them," what is the potential of a whole church becoming fully united for the cause of revival? As we all gathered around the altar at the conclusion of the service, I asked the church to unite in purpose and prayer for revival. We are the body of Christ and we must work together as the Head (Jesus) directs us—otherwise we are dysfunctional and of little use.

The united church of Christ is more than just a title over a church organization; it is God's intent for the function and purpose of the church. If you are a member of a church and you are promoting your own name or your own kingdom, watch out. God will put a stop to that. Get away from "it's all about me" mentality so that God's church can function the way He intended it to. Some people pass gossip and slanderous stories about the pastor, or other members of the church, and never realize that their passing stories is hindering and dividing their church. Let the mind of Christ be in us so that we can see the greatest force, God, get behind the second greatest force, unity, and see our world reached for Jesus.

 

IBC Music Festival 2008
April 9, 2008

My son Jacob and I attended the IBC MusicFest last week. It was my first time to attend the day sessions and I was very blessed and impressed. It forever astounds me to see the high caliber of talent among the students of IBC. After one class of talented graduates moves on, a new group always arrives in their place. And of course, as long as Bro. Lindel Anderson is at the helm of the music department, good things will continue to come out of IBC. I add my recommendation to this school and its music department.

I took away many beneficial things from this conference. I can't wait to practice and apply some of the jazz chord voicings and progressions that I learned in the piano help sessions. I also attended a class that Bro. Matt Gordon taught on relational skills within the music department. He spoke about the need for keeping clear communication, strong work ethic, and what caught my attention most, dealing with conflict. He emphasized the point that differences, attitude clashes, and discord need to be resolved quickly. Because our call is service to the Lord, he gave scriptural advise on how to deal with conflict so that it does not take away from the true focus of the music ministry, unified exalting of the Lord. Good advise Bro. Gordon.

That got me thinking. Here is a quick music seminar from Pastor Warner: If you are a church musician, keep in mind that your talent is God-given and you are to give it back to God. You may be the best drummer in your church, but the central purpose of the music ministry is ministry to God. That may mean making music choices that may not please you. You may play guitar very well, but be a supporter and encourager when the lead is given to the keyboard player instead of you. If you are blessed with a top-notch voice, keep your attitude top-notch too and keep a humble heart as the soloists are selected. And remember the volume control on your electric instruments is there to keep your band a unified blended sound, not to elevate you above others.

We also enjoyed two great preaching sessions, one with Bro. Paul Mooney, IBC President, and another with Bro. Jerry Dean of Bosier City, Louisiana. I could concisely summarize the message of those services in these statements: Musicians, keep a live communication channel open with God at all times and promote Jesus in your lifestyle and songs. Because God is the one we are seeking to entertain, keep in mind that He is the audience of one that we seek to please, so don't simply be a worship leader, be a lead worshipper.

I highly recommend IBC in general and in particular IBC Music Festival. If you have not attended MusicFest before, make it a priority for you and your church music team next year. You will not be sorry.

 

The Ultimate Victory (part 2)
March 31, 2008

I want to return to Easter. As I mentioned in the last blog, our services last week were amazing yet I didn't tell you of the best of the amazing events as yet.

I'm pretty well convinced that the evangelist that spoke on Sunday night is right up there in the tops as being one of my favorite preachers. For the sake of humility and not unduly inflating personalities, I'll say he is in my top 100 list. His messages are layered with profoundness and I often find myself asking, "Where did he get that!" Of course I believe in Holy Ghost inspiration and anointing, so to God be the glory.

Bro. Micah Hill from Indianapolis preached about the "second wind". He explained that the first wind came when God created man and he became a living soul when God breathed on Him. But because of man's sin and resulting sinful nature, mankind needed a new start. That came when Jesus spoke to his followers and breathed on them and said, "receive ye the Holy Ghost." Bro. Hill said that was the second wind.

Bro. Hill said that God wants to give His second wind, the gift of the Holy Ghost, so badly, that He is tired of holding His breath and wants to pour out His Spirit on all flesh. He preached about need to be filled with the Holy Ghost and gave a word analysis of John 3:8.

John 3:8 The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is everone that is born of the Spirit.

He explained how that the mystery of the sound referred to in that verse refers to an unknown voice or tongue. He tied that in to the Day of Pentecost where people were filled with the Holy Ghost and spoke with other tongues. These verses agree totally.

After Bro. Hill finished preaching, many prayed at the altar. One young man took the message so much to heart that he prayed until he prayed in an unknown tongue–he received the Holy Ghost for the first time!

In my opinion, that event was the most amazing of all. It gives direct evidence that God is still loving and still saving. For that young man, the work of Jesus on Easter weekend applied to him personally. He personally received resurrection power and the ultimate victory became his. Now it is your turn!

 

The Ultimate Victory
March 24, 2008

Easter Sunday was amazingly wonderful. We came sooo close to breaking our Sunday School attendance record of 132 by having 129 this Sunday. Just think, if you would have come, you could have helped us get over the top!

Well that wasn't the most amazing and wonderful thing anyway. And the fact that we had a heavy snowfall during the children's egg hunt was not the most amazing thing either. It did feel quite odd though to have snow on Easter.

And also, we had a family reunion of my wife's side of the family for my mother-in-law's birthday. Although that was a great experience, still there was more that made the day the victory that it was.

All the preceding week I had been focused on the suffering of Christ and every mention of it made the emotions well up in moving me to tears. Just thinking about the great love that Jesus Christ had for His people, enough to give His own life makes me want to return that love by giving my life to serving Him. In the writings of other religions, their gods do not display that kind of love for their people, but Jesus did for His children. That made the day wonderful.

On Sunday morning I presented some of the strong evidence available that confirms the resurrection. Even the wording of the eyewitness records lends strong credibility to the resurrection story. Some of the Greek words used to describe the uphill movement of the stone from the tomb and its eventual placement away from the tomb reveal the impossibility that some scared disciples could have pulled off a grave-robbing.

Jesus actions during the short span of time from His crucifixion to His resurrection have influenced millions and millions of people ever since. Those events turned the fleeing and fearful disciples into men determined to carry on for Jesus, even in risking their own lives. Through the near 20 centuries since that amazing weekend, lives of millions of people have been changed, including my own, as a result of that great gift of love by Jesus Christ, our Savior.

The following verse from John's fist letter declares why the work of Jesus, the ultimate victory:

1 John 3:8 He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.

The devil's destructive work on multitudes of people has been destroyed. Drug additions, sex addictions, violence, hatred, child abuse, and all sorts of evil have been turned around through the power of Jesus Christ. There are multitudes of testimonies declaring how Jesus delivered people from the shackles of sin that were damaging themselves and the lives of their loved ones. That is the ultimate victory!

And also that the resurrection of Jesus also makes us candidates for our own resurrection. If we have the resurrection power of Jesus Christ (the Holy Ghost) in us, we will also rise in the resurrection that Jesus has planned in the near future.

Romans 8:11 But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.

There is much more to report on the glorious Easter events so I will return to this next time. Just remember that you can personally share in the glories of the ultimate victory of Jesus Christ.

 

Punished because of what I did
March 18, 2008

I hate to admit it here in this blog, available to the whole world to read, but I did something bad and someone else got blamed for it. In fact, he was arrested, convicted, and even worse, sentenced to death for the crime. Because of me! How awful that makes me feel when I think about it.

I read that Mel Gibson, the actor and film director, had a similar remorseful feeling about something he had done. His remorse affected him so strongly that he chose to appear in a movie he directed as the one carrying out the death sentence. He felt the reality of his responsibility for the crime.

I am talking about the stark reality of my sin, and Mel Gibson’s sin, and your sin. Collectively, our sins put an innocent man to death. Jesus Christ.

2 Corinthians 5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin ; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

This past Sunday morning I preached about the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Reading through the last few chapters of each of the gospels and rediscovering His suffering affected me so strongly I could not hold back the tears. The horrible suffering He went through was a result of my sin.

Let us briefly examine the last two days of Jesus’ life. The details of this gruesome encounter were preserved in chronicles left by eyewitnesses, which I refer to throughout.

During Jesus’ last meal with His disciples, Judas departed to go betray Jesus’ whereabouts to the High Priest (Matt 26:21-15). After dinner, Jesus retreated to the Garden of Gethsemane and there prayed an agonizing prayer where He sweated blood (Matthew 26:36-46).

Judas and the soldiers arrived in the garden and Judas pointed out Jesus to the arresting officers (Matthew 26:47-16). Jesus was taken before the High Priest, and then to the Jewish Counsel, like a grand jury hearing, where accusations and charges were made (Matthew 26:59-68). Here, people spit in Jesus’ face, hit Him, and slapped Him. Someone blindfolded Him and then punched Him in the face and asked Him to prophecy who had hit him (Luke 22:63-64). Then some spoke awful blasphemies against Him (Luke 22:65). While all of this was going on, Jesus’ top student and disciple, Peter, was outside warming himself near a fire and three times denied even knowing Jesus, and even cursed those who asked. (Matthew 26:69-74).

By morning light, Jesus was sentenced to death by the Jewish Counsel, bound, and led to the Roman Governor, Pontius Pilate (Matthew 26:1-2). By this time, He was joined by a whole mob (Luke 22:1). About this time, another disciple of Jesus, Judas the betrayer, went out of Jerusalem and committed a horrible suicide (Matthew 27:3-5). While standing before Pilate, Jesus was falsely accused of political crimes (Luke 23:2). For a brief time, Jesus stood before King Herod. There, the priests continued to accuse him angrily (Luke 23:10). Herod and his soldiers mocked Jesus and put a royal purple robe on Jesus and sent him back to Pilate (Luke 23:11).

The second time before Pilate, he declared that he found no fault in Jesus and tried to get Him released but the people refused selecting a robber and murderer for release instead (John 18:39-40). Pilate then released Jesus to Roman soldiers who whipped Him with a scourge, made a crown of thorns and forced it onto his head, and punched him (John 19:1-5). Hoping this would satisfy the crowd, Pilate stood the beaten, bruised and bloodied Jesus before them and said, “I find no fault in him” (John 19:5-6).

Still, the people demanded Jesus’ crucifixion (Mark 15:13). Pilate, seeing he could get nowhere and the mob was growing more violent, he took water and washed his hands before the people saying “I am innocent of the blood of this just person: see ye to it.” (Matthew 27:24). Pilate released Jesus to the custody of a whole band of soldiers who continued the punishment. They put a stick in His right hand, like a King’s scepter, and then mockingly knelt before him and jeered, “Hail, King of the Jews!” (Matthew 27:29). They spit on him, grabbed the stick from Jesus’ hand and hit Him on the head (Matthew 27:30).

Jesus was led away to a nearby rocky cliff called Golgotha, carrying His own cross for a while (John 19:17). He was stripped of his clothes, nailed by hands and feet to the cross and then hoisted up between two thieves who were also crucified at the same time (John 19:17-18, 23).

The crowd stood below and many continued to shamefully mock him, “If thou be the king of the Jews, save thyself”( Luke 23:37). Even one of the thieves crucified next to Jesus cursed Him (Luke 23:39). Still having no pity for the suffering Lord hanging there, others mocked (Matthew 27:40-43). All this horrible treatment and mocking occurred right before Mary, Jesus’ mother. No pity or respect was offered for her.

The suffering was so physically intense, Jesus quoted a prophetic Psalm regarding grief: “My God, my god, why hast thou forsaken me? (Psalm 22:1, Matthew 27:46). It was noon and darkness covered the land for three hours. During that time an earthquake violently shook the earth, and the vail before the holy place in the temple ripped in half. (Matthew 27:51, Luke 23:44-45). Jesus then said:

Luke 23:46 And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost.

With that, Jesus was dead. But that didn’t end the cruel treatment. A soldier tossed his spear and pierced Him in His side. (John 19:34).

Jesus endured this for me. He was punished for what I did. Hey reader, don’t take lightly your own sin. Do you go on sinning thinking, "It’s no big deal, Jesus will forgive me?" Let me remind you, it is a big deal. Sin's price is costly. Mercy does not come cheap. I would suggest that sometime this week that you watch one of the movies on the life of Jesus, like "Jesus of Nazareth," "King of Kings," "The Passion of Christ," or others. Take this time to get a renewed glimpse of the sacrifice of our Savior.

Why not give a little to Jesus for the lot that Jesus gave to you?

 

Mercy at the Crossroad March 11, 2008

When people feel the need to either make a start for God or to return to God after a period of backsliding, there is sometimes a feeling of intimidation or fear for the uncertainty of the task before them. There is a feeling that because they have lived a certain lifestyle for so long that it will be difficult if not impossible to change.

Can I make it? Will I mess up?

On the one hand, you feel that you must make it right with God—you cannot continue one more day in this guilt and disobedience. But on the other hand, after watching some people in the church who are mature and firmly established in their walk with God, you may think, "Can I ever get it together like them? Is it really worthwhile to even take the first step, or is it a waste of time to even try?"

That kind of reasoning keeps some people away from ever making a serious start for God. You may be at a crossroad in your life where the road of your life has come to a T and you know that you must make a course change. You are inwardly aware that things just can’t go on as they are. Yet knowing that following God is the right choice is one thing; yet actually doing it is an entirely different thing.

At your crossroad, I am here to tell you that you will find a God of loving mercy there.

2 Timothy 1:12 For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day .

And when God views our sin and feebleness through His great mercy, it looks far more like potential than failure. You are kingdom kid material. You are the stuff that godly people are made from. You will find mercy at the crossroad. (Excerpt from "Mercy at the Crossroad". A message preached 7/1/2007, sermon #1227 on the Sermon page.)

 

Life blood part 2
February 25, 2008

To continue the thought started in my last blog, I would like to look at how the blood of Jesus can offer life to us.

The book of Hebrews chapter 9 explains that Jesus was like a priest in that He offered his own blood to atone for our sins in a permanent way that the blood of animals could not accomplish. Hebrews also tells us that Jesus was a better choice of a priest than those of the old covenant. The priest had to offer two sacrifices on the Day of Atonement; one for himself and one for the priest. But with Jesus, He was a perfect priest and sacrifice, and did not have to offer a sin offering for Himself.

But just how does the blood of Jesus help us? If the blood of Jesus was spilled to save the whole world (John 3:16), does that mean that since the death of Jesus, every person is automatically saved? No. There needs to be a personal application of that blood to each individual for it to eternally benefit them. But how is that done?

Jesus’ blood has the power to can wash away our sins:

Revelation 1:5 And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,

Jesus put it another way. He said that His blood offers "remission" of sins:

Matthew 26:28 For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.

Remission refers to the washing away of sin so these two statements are very similar.

One more scripture is important in understanding how to apply the blood of Jesus to an individual. Peter referred to an act of faith that brings remission to an individual:

Acts 2:38 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.

Peter didn’t just make up that idea of connecting remission and baptism. The Great Commission given by Jesus as quoted by Luke stated the same idea (Luke 24:47).

How can I apply the sacrifice of Jesus and the atoning power of the blood of Jesus to my life personally? Through repentance and baptism in the name of Jesus Christ. Through His blood, we find life of Jesus that replaces our dead end life. Thank God for the blood!

 

Life blood
February 12, 2008

I have recently finished reading Exodus and am now reading Leviticus. I am always amazed when I read about the huge amount of animal blood that was at the center of the tabernacle worship. Sacrifices were offered daily and in each case, their blood was poured into a basin under the altar. The priest would then take some of the blood, and using his fingers, would sprinkle some on the altar of incense. On the special Day of Atonement that came once per year, blood would also be taken into the Holy of Holies and would be sprinkled on the Mercy Seat on top of the Ark of the Covenant.

Blood was given a very high regard in sacrifices and it was also was forbidden that any person drink blood. With the blood of thousands of goats, lambs, bullocks, pigeons and turtledoves spilled around the altars, it brings the question to mind: why was so much blood required? I get light-headed when I cut my finger and see a few drops of my own blood dripping, so I would not do well as a priest under that system of worship. But that was God’s requirement.

We find the answer as to why blood was important in Leviticus 17.

Leviticus 17:11 For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul.

Because life is in the blood (a medical fact that was unknown at the time of Moses), God said the spilling of animal blood in sacrifices to God caused the life-giving property of that blood to be transferred to the person for whom the sacrifice was offered. That transfer renewed and restored the life of the person. The life taken from the animal made atonement for the sinful soul. The animal’s life was given for the life of the human. The life from one was spiritually transferred to the life of another—somewhat like what happens during a blood transfusion procedure.

We learn from the Apostle Paul that what happened in the Old Testament worship service served as a parallel of truths in the church (Romans 15:4). Although it took the blood of thousands of animals to make atonement for the souls of men, the one-time offering of Jesus Christ as a sacrifice on the cross, provides eternal redemption for us now:

Hebrews 9:12 Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.

Through Jesus’ blood, we can find life. (Come back and read next week’s blog for a further explanation of this.)

 

Where do you stand?
February 4, 2008

At the beginning of each year we take the time to cover the essential topics from scripture that define who we are. I enjoy the opportunity to get back to basics and reestablish where I stand on important topics of scripture.

Do you attend a church that is defined primarily by traditions or by the Word of God? That is a painful question to consider. I remember struggling with that question myself some years ago. As I began to carefully look at the teachings and rituals of my church in comparison to the Bible, I realized that what was taught as doctrines of the church were merely traditions-something Jesus called vain:

Matt 15:9 But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.

Not all traditions are bad and should be shunned. Paul spoke of some traditions that he passed on that were not scriptural writings:

2 Thess 2:15 Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle.

Paul refers to "word," referring to word of mouth as the NIV says, and to the written scripture. So don't shun something just because it is a tradition. However, some traditions are against scripture.

Mark 7:13 Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye.

Carefully consider the question, "Where do you stand?" I hope you find that you are taking a solid stand on the Word of God. However, if handed down traditions are your primary foundation, perhaps you have reached the point where it is time to pursue truth rather than tradition.

 

Whose child are you?
January 22, 2008

I believe I heard this first as a child: "If you look hard enough we will be able to find the good in everyone." It was probably my kindergarten teacher who wanted me to get along with a classmate who took my toy. Looking for the good in people is a good way to help you gain respect or at least understand them a little better.

However, I had that notion challenged the other day as I read something that Jesus said and for a moment it perplexed me.

Matthew 13:38 The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one;

This was part of Jesus' explanation of the Parable of the Tares (Matthew 13:24-30). Rather than repeating the parable here, I'll just give the gist of the explanation that Jesus provided. God planted His children in the world and the devil planted wicked people among them. At the end of the world, God will separate the wicked from the righteous and will cast the wicked into "a furnace of fire."

So Jesus said, in the world there are "children of the kingdom," which means those who have been born of the water and the Spirit (John 3:5), and there are the "children of the wicked one," the people who are lost. That means that some people that contend with us in the world are truly, children of the wicked one and they have their eternal destination in burning, eternal fire. That makes me shudder with repulsion.

Do we have a choice in the matter as to whose child we are, whether a child of the kingdom or a child of the wicked one? Indeed we do. While it is true that a baby cannot control who their parents are at birth, we can control who our parents are at the end of the world. I mentioned John 3:5 which says:

John 3:5 ..."Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God."

We can be born of the water and Spirit according to Acts 2:38 and actually be saved from our condition of being a child of the wicked one. Are you certain you have obeyed John 3:5 and Acts 2:38? It will pay off great rewards and avoid great disaster if we become a child of the kingdom. Whose child are you?

 

Victory is Mine
January 17, 2008

We are grateful for the revival services with Bro. Doug Smith. Last Saturday night was particularly amazing. Bro. Smith preached about victory and abundant life that Jesus gives through the Holy Ghost.

Bro. Smith reminded us of a visit that Jesus made to hell. He told that when the devil thought he had Jesus whipped by having Him crucified and then sealed in a tomb, the devil probably hosted a victory party in hell. But then there was a knock at the gates of hell. Jesus showed up and spent three days there. There Jesus demanded the keys of death, hell, and the grave, which the devil had to give up. The devil does not even have the key to his own house anymore!

That act of Jesus set forth a proclamation of victory for us as well. The devil lost his victory and Jesus gave that victory to us. After taking power and authority away from the enemy, Jesus then delivered that power and authority to His church on the day of Pentecost.

Bro. Smith said that is the reason that Pentecostals get so excited in worship, because they have received victory delivered to them directly from Jesus. It is not man made.

During the prayer time following the preaching, many received that victory. I witnessed several receive a Holy Ghost renewal and the return of victory to their life. One person I had counseled with earlier in the week had told me they felt like giving up. But after the anointed preaching of the Word and powerful prayer, I watched that despair turn into victory.

That story has been repeated over and over again through time. It is a wonderful thing about Jesus that He is still working in people's lives. The Bible is not just a book of ancient stories with no relevance for people today. It is a chronicle of testimonies of things that God intends to continue doing for whoever submits their life to Him. Jesus is still doing miracles and is still changing lives, and is still giving victory. Why not get a serious grip on God and start living in victory!

 

Starting off right
January 7, 2008

What a blessed new year this has been so far. Evangelist Doug Smith from Indianapolis preached for us this weekend. His preaching was very uplifting. Bro. Smith put a focus on lifting up Jesus, and true to His Word, Jesus showed up.

After having a time of special focus on the birth of Jesus, it was good to move into a time of revival focus. Last night was truly amazing. Although the preaching was wonderful and inspiring as Bro. Smith always is, the Lord gets the high praises for what He did following the preaching. At first, only a few came to the altar to pray, but gradually, more joined in. And then people started praying at their seats. The waves of God's glory flowed through the assembly as did the tears from the eyes of children and adults. It astounds me how Jesus shows up and speaks to people's hearts and then changes them. He resolves grief, comforts affliction, remakes brokenness, and straightens out messes.

Because the Lord showed with such a special presence last night, we have asked that Bro. Smith come again next week and preach. The momentum of revival has begun right at the start of the new year. That is the way to start off right.

Perhaps you are in need of a new start in life. Why not start right now while the year is young and hope is strong. Get your year started off right by giving God a bigger piece of you than ever.

 

The Empty Tree
January 2, 2008

Yesterday we took down our Christmas tree. It was sort of a sad occasion. It was much more fun putting it up because that was the start of our Christmas celebrations. But taking it down was the symbol of the end of those same celebrations.

However, the sadness associated with the Christmas tree actually started earlier. When the area under the tree was full of presents, the tree was at its fullest point of glory. But after the gifts are all opened and the boxes and wrapping paper are all deposited in the trash dumpster, the empty tree has lost its glory. Some people don't even want to hear Christmas carols after the gifts are all opened.

As I was taking the ornaments down, the thought struck me that there was the difference between the physical elements of Christmas and the spiritual elements of Christmas. The physical and tangible gifts create a great excitement in anticipation of the day. But when that part is no longer anticipated, there can be a feeling of let down. However, when considering the significance if what was truly accomplished by Christmas, the birth of our Savior, that has no let downs. The benefit of Christmas continues all year long because we continue having a loving Savior all the year long. There was another empty tree-one on Mount Calvary-Jesus is no longer there. That was followed by an empty tomb-Jesus is no longer there. That form of emptiness actually holds hope. If you have not yet found Jesus on your journey of life, let me give you some advice, you won't find Jesus in those places. Look for a living Savior not a dead one.

Don't be tricked by the secular notion that now that the holidays are over that the amazing wonder and excitement of the season is passed and now we have to settle into cold depression. In fact, the longest night is now past. Each day has already begun to have more daylight than the day past. You have a new year ahead of you offering great hope if you submit your steps to the Lord to direct. May your prayer be, "Lord, direct my steps and lead me wherever you want me to go." If you willingly follow those steps, your whole year will be filled with amazing wonder and excitement.

Numbers 6:24-26
24 The LORD bless thee, and keep thee:
25 The LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee:
26 The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.

 

He is who He said He is
December 26, 2007

I hope you enjoyed a very wonderful and blessed Christmas. It was a very blessed day for us, full of food, fellowship and fun. Some of our family thought it was our best Christmas. We say happy birthday Jesus. Thank you for coming and being just who You said You were.

We can look into the scriptures and find that the coming of Jesus to earth as a human involved the fulfillment of many prophecies spoken well in advance of their fulfillment. The Hebrew prophets foretold many details of their coming Messiah, and by carefully examining the details of the birth and life of Jesus Christ, we see the unquestionable completion of those details in the life of Jesus. He is who He said He is. The science of probability provides strong testimony of that fact.

Recently I looked at 70 prophecies of the Messiah and found eyewitness evidence that confirm they were fulfilled in detail by Jesus. (See my notes from Sunday, December 23, 2007 for the complete list.) Following are just a four proofs that pertain to His birth.

1. He would be born in Bethlehem. (Micah 5:2; Matthew 2:4-6; John 7:42)
2. He would be born of a virgin. (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:20-23; Galatians 4:4; Genesis 3:15)
3. His name would be Immanuel. Immanuel in Hebrew means "God with us." (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:21-23)
4. Young babies would die in an attempt to kill Jesus at His birth. (Jeremiah 31:15; Matthew 2:16-18)

Perhaps the most important word spoken before the birth of Jesus concerning Jesus, was that His name would be, "Jesus." The angel said to Joseph concerning Mary:

Matthew 1:21 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.

That is wonderful indeed because Jesus means Yahweh is Salvation. Jesus is God, our Savior, and He came to save us from our sins.

You are no different than me in this fact, I need a savior. And I found that He indeed saved me from my sins, a fact that I am forever grateful of. That does not make me perfect or sinless, but that made me a son of God and initiated a relationship with the Savior that has changed my life. Thank God, He is who He said He is.

 

Of course Christmas is for children
December 10, 2007

"Christmas is for children." I often hear people say that when it comes to purchasing gifts and celebrating Christmas traditions. I guess I may be just a kid at heart because I so look forward to this time of year. But this year seems to be even more special.

On Saturday, Sister Warner and I had a shopping date. It was our set aside time to buy gifts for the family. Before I go on, let me digress just a moment. Do you remember when the lawyer asked Jesus, "Who is my neighbor?" It seems that nowadays I have been asking this question, "Who is my family?" That group seems to be growing. Now back to shopping-while we were out shopping, my wife and I had this great feeling that we were for perhaps the first time, sharing the blessings of the Lord with a whole new, perhaps more needy family

Sister Warner said something that shocked me not long ago. She requested prayer for a child we had read about in the paper who had been abused or neglected. After making her request, I said something like, "There is a whole world of needs that we haven't even been seeing." And Sister Warner responded, "They've been there all along. I think we have just chosen to ignore them." Well since we have become foster parents, our eyes have certainly been opened up to this world of needs.

Let me state that, of course, Christmas is for children-and let us see what we can do about blessing another child-a child in need. Not just our own family members who often lack nothing and are already receiving gifts from extended family, but children who would have little or nothing if there were not some caring folks who are willing to share the blessings of the Lord with them. May I remind you of another Christmas that went something like this:

Isaiah 9:6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

Matthew 2:1, 11 Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,
11 And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.

To this wandering homeless family a Son was born. And someone who was able realized that Christmas was for the child-the Christ child-and brought gifts. Then one day that Child, who was the King of Kings, will say to those who gave:

Matthew 25:40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

Even if you give them but a cup of water, give it in Jesus' name. The Lord will reward such:

Mark 9:41 For whosoever shall give you a cup of water to drink in my name, because ye belong to Christ, verily I say unto you, he shall not lose his reward.

Be blessed this Christmas season. Be filled with peace and comfort. Then share that comfort with others.

2 Corinthians 1:4 Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.

Our church folks shared some comfort this week by making Christmas gift boxes and giving them to the local county Department of Child Services to distribute to needy children in our community. We have seen the faces and heard the stories of some of these kids and let me assure you, giving to needy children is truly giving to Jesus.

Have a blessed and merry Christmas.

 

Very Thankful
November 26, 2007

Who is deserving of thanks any more than our Lord Jesus Christ? None. As I viewed the counters in our kitchen on Thanksgiving, I stood in awe at the bounty of food that was available for our group of 25 or so. I told my mother in law that we could have had ten more people and still had plenty of food for everyone. The great feast pointed directly to a great God of blessings and much provision.

Many years ago when our children were quite young, I remember happily going to other people's houses on Thanksgiving. At our home, the supply in our refrigerator and cabinets was pretty slim. There were a few days when peanut butter toast was the primary meal (thank God for peanut butter!). But being able to treat our family to a feast on Thanksgiving was always a very pleasant thing even in the midst of our own limited supplies. Although we were not personally blessed with abundance, we were very thankful to be invited to participate in the shared abundance of our extended family.

Come to think about it, everything we have is because someone else chose to share it with us. Do you have a job? If so, it is because one day someone invited you as an outsider to come and share in the benefits of their company. Then you were able to work and get a pay check because you have good enough health to do so. And do you have good enough health to work a job? It is because Someone decided to share His life with you. Someone in your family, your Father, extended that health to you.

Whether you are abundantly provided for or just barely getting by, look around and you will find that there is something to be thankful for. Whatever we have, large or small, we can give all the honor to our great God, the Lord Jesus Christ. To God I am very thankful.

 

Living with potential
November 19, 2007

Bro. Micah Hill's messages this weekend were again tops. I, along with the rest of our church, was blessed by the depth of revelation into the scriptures that Bro. Hill demonstrates. Many thanks to Bro. Hill and his fine family for being a blessing to our church.

"Potential." That is a word that came to my mind during Bro. Hill's preaching last night (view a short clip of his message here). He pointed out that Herod the Great felt threatened by the news that a baby was born who was to be king of the Jews. But why should a mighty potentate like King Herod feel threatened by an infant? This newborn baby was capable of nothing but eating, sleeping, crying, and messing his diaper. What sort of threat was that to Herod the Great?

Herod was not threatened by what the infant Jesus was capable of, but of the potential that the baby held. The wise men were in search of a king and Bro. Hill pointed out that when the chief priests and scribes searched the scriptures, they found that this baby had a prophetic word spoken over Him concerning His kingship.

Matt 2:6 And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel.

Recently, in my daily Bible reading, I came across an interesting fact in Jeremiah. Jeremiah 41:10 points out that when the Babylonians defeated the city of Jerusalem and the Kingdom of Judah, among those that they left alive were the king's daughters. However, they killed the king's sons (2 Kings 25:7).

Why were some of the children of royalty left behind and some killed? It was their potential to rule the kingdom. In their day, the sovereign of the kingdom was the male. The males had potential to rule so they were destroyed.

What makes this truth exciting to you and I today is that we can see how this applies to our own potential. Bro. Hill pointed out that Jesus made a promise of invincibility for His church.

Matt 16:18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

You may not think that you are worth very much as a Christian and feel that you fall so very short, but stay in the church. And if you are not in the church, GET IN NOW! And stay in. The church is the body of Christ and it will NOT be defeated. Regardless of what you must face in life, stay in the church and hell will never conquer you. You have great potential in the body of Christ.

 

What an astonishing Jesus
November 12, 2007

This weekend we were in revival with evangelist Bro. Micah Hill. Bro. Hill is a young and bold evangelist, yet full of wisdom. His preaching reveals that he spends much time listening to God as he has dug out some deep jewels of truth from the Word of the Lord.

Saturday night he spoke about being astonished about Jesus' mighty works, "From Amazed to Not Phased." Bro. Hill helped lift our faith by magnifying Jesus through telling of what He is capable of doing. However, Bro. Hill mentioned that we can get so "used to" God, as the people of Nazareth did (Matthew 13:54), that we don't believe in His miracle-working power, and therefore, we limit Him to doing much less that He is truly capable. Bro. Hill's messages Sunday morning and night greatly added to the evidence of how astonishing Jesus really is. Check out our sermon link and listen to his messages and you will get the picture.

By Sunday night, we had a houseful of folks whose faith had been raised to a new level. The increased faith was evident by the intensity of worship including, shouting, dancing, running, leaping, and a victory march. We continued to be astonished by Jesus through the preaching. A great deal of prayer, rejoicing and weeping followed the preaching during a time at the altar.

One young man found came face to face with the astonishing Jesus all over again. He had been a backslider trying to find his way back to God. He told of how he felt that he needed to get back to God for some time but didn't think that God would take him back. But last night, after a time of humble weeping before the Lord, he started speaking in tongues as the Spirit of God gave the utterance. The look of joy on his face provided evidence of what was going on the inside. As the service concluded, he testified of how God restored him and made him feel accepted in the family again.

We asked Bro. Hill to come back Saturday (November 17 at 7:30pm) and Sunday (November 18 at 10am and 6:30pm) so we hear more of this amazing and astonishing Jesus as this revival continues. Please come join us and see if Jesus doesn't just astonish you as well.

 

The Hour of Prayer
November 5, 2007

At our recent monthly prayer meeting, we referred to the passage Jesus quoted when He forcibly evicted the money changers from the temple and turned over their vending tables (in Matthew 21:13, Mark 11:17, Luke 19:46).

Isa 56:7 Even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer : their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon mine altar; for mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people.

Jesus was angered that the temple had become consumed by such irreverence and disregard for the holiness of God. That is the only occasion recorded of where Jesus demonstrated physical violence. Yet He did not apologize for the act either as though He had acted irrationally or on a spur of the moment rage. It was a purposeful expression of His emphasis on the high regard with which prayer must be considered.

We have just started our third and final week of a time of fasting and prayer for the needs of the people. The fast will conclude with a weekend revival with Evangelist Micah Hill. I would like to invite our readers to come and be a part of the services on Saturday at 7:30pm and Sunday at 10:00am and 6:30pm. I believe that Jesus will respond to the obedience of the people in this time of fasting and prayer and will do some more turning the tables during these services. Only not in anger for disregard for prayer, but in answer to the hour of prayer.

Come expecting miracles, wonders, and signs. If you need the Holy Ghost, if you need a healing, if you need deliverance from spiritual chains, come expecting that Jesus will show up and will turn the tables once again.

 

"I feel so clean!"
October 23, 2007

One of the most amazing benefits of Christianity is how Jesus puts a separation between our old life and the new life He offers. It is like when the Hebrews crossed the Red Sea after leaving Egypt, God closed the Sea behind them making a return to that past life nearly impossible. When we get a good dose of Jesus in our lives, there is a similar defining point where everything from that point forward is different. The past truly becomes part of a former life and the future is paved with a whole new righteous perspective.

Following a youth service on Friday night, a young man asked me if I would baptize him on Sunday. We talked about it and discussed the scriptures, particularly Acts 2:38. My talk didn't mean too much because he was already completely convinced of the need to be baptized. I saw him again Saturday and he said he was so excited about getting baptized. I could see the sincerity beaming from his eyes as he anticipated this great spiritual experience.

After the preaching Sunday morning we had a special pray time just for him. Afterward, he changed his clothes and climbed into the baptistery. I said as I put him under the water, "According to your faith in the death, burial, and resurrection, of Jesus Christ, I now baptize you in the name of Jesus Christ."

After a joyous time of prayer, he testified, "I feel clean. I feel so clean."

That is what getting the name of Jesus called over you in baptism does. It provides the remission, or washing away of our sins. It is a defining point where the old life passes away and a new life open before you. But it gets even better. Add to that joy of being cleansed and free from sin, the experience of being filled with the Holy Ghost. With the Holy Ghost inside of you, you gain the power to live a victorious life.

Is your life so messed up with the filth of the world that you can't see any hope of ever getting straightened out? Guess what? Jesus specializes in such cases. Put your life in the hands of an "old pro", Jesus Christ. He has lots of experience cleansing lives.

 

"Suffer the little children to come unto me"
October 15, 2007

After Sunday School yesterday, a group of several small children gathered around and sat on the altar. It appeared to be a spontaneous meeting where one or two sat down and started talking and then several others joined them. Before long, several were sitting and standing there. Usually, parents or elders, trying to teach children the necessary respect for the house of God, quickly ask the kids to get off the altar area, but no one did that yesterday.

When I came by and saw all the children sitting there, the notion struck me that it was a perfect photo moment so I took their picture. They enjoyed the attention and then I had to respond to more requests, "Please take my picture! Please take my picture!" So I took a few more shots.

I commented to someone standing by, "We've got our Sunday School back!" Some months back when our younger classes were getting very low on attendance, we began to ask the Lord for more little children. After praying that way for a while, we began to feel that we needed to change our outreach focus and ministries to be more kid-friendly. We started a puppet ministry, we had a children's crusade, we started a home school coop, my wife and I became licensed foster parents, and my wife went back to college to get a degree so we can open a licensed day care. We hope to open a full time school as well.

It's hard to describe, but the Lord has burdened us to quit talking and praying about reaching kids, but do some of the dirty work and get it done. It became vividly real to me how the Lord has answered our prayers considering how many children have received the Holy Ghost in the past few months. And the real "light bulb" moment hit me last night as I knelt at the altar for pre-service prayer. Our 6-year-old foster daughter came up to me and asked if she could pray by me. I said sure. She knelt right beside me and started to pray-she stayed there for maybe a minute. After she got up, the thought hit me; this is exactly what the Lord is calling us to do. Reach out to the little ones and bring them to the altar to meet Jesus.

One time Jesus' disciples tried to shoo off some children from Jesus. His response was:

14 But when Jesus saw it, he was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.

15 Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein. (Mark 10:14-15)

After being foster parents for a couple of weeks now, we've certainly learned what it means to get our hands dirty. But how rewarding it is to see them coming to Jesus!

 

A hot time in Whitehall
October 8, 2007

Fun in the Fall at Whitehall 2007 is now history. What a blessed day it was. We had 17 local businesses sponsor the event with food and tons of gift certificates. There was plenty of free food for everyone and we ended up with approximately 40 prize winners by day's end. Young and old enjoyed the bounce house and the Whitehall Express train ride that took riders on a loop around the property. It was fun just watching them. Lee and Sheryl Lyon set up their bountiful Christmas decoration craft table. We hope they will be back next year. Another craft vendor discovered us and promised to join us with his big display next year.

We want to thank Pastor Chris Perry from Guide Point church in Bedford for sending some of his talented musicians and sign language team who blessed us with their ministries.

The cake walk was a lot of fun too. There were about 20 happy people who walked into winning free cakes. We had sack races and an egg toss that brought about some more prize winners as well.

Many thanks to the musicians and singers from Whitehall who worked hard for weeks in preparation for Saturday and then worked all day Saturday. Kudos to all the Whitehall church members who put in hours and hours of labor making the day possible. Thanks to our 17 business sponsors. And also a great big thanks to the Whitehall community who came out, despite the 90+ degree heat, and participated in Fun in the Fall making it a fun day.

But thanks is due mostly to the Lord Jesus, who blessed our day, allowed us to feel His Spirit, provided a feeling of fellowship and community, prospered us, and gave us a hot time at Whitehall.

 

"What a wonderful God we have!"
October 1, 2007

That was the subject line of an email I received from a lady in our church this morning. She was expressing her gratitude to God for how blessed and happy she is. Speaking of her adult son, she said she had spent many years "watching him destroy himself." But that has all changed now. This is not the place for expressing all the details of that destruction, but there were some really bad choices and the resulting really bad consequences. But that is the way it WAS.

You should have been there Sunday morning. My wife and I were singing "We Are in the Presence of the Lord". That is what we were singing but that was also what we were experiencing-the presence of the Lord.

During that song, the young man referred to earlier bowed his head over the pew in front of him and began crying. Others gathered around him and started praying with him. He had received the Holy Ghost about a year ago but had some lingering issues of his past weighing him down; until recently. He just got tired of letting all that stuff of his past continue to hound him. He gave up smoking after many years of addiction and after experiencing difficulty quitting but decided to give that all over to God. As a result, he has felt the attack of the devil trying to discourage him over his new commitment to God, but you should have seen him praying Sunday morning.

God was all over him. I don't know if I have never seen someone so intensely moved by the Holy Ghost. Tears were flowing, he was red-faced, his hands were waiving, he was standing and bowing, he was sitting, he was standing again, he was walking around, and he was speaking in tongues so fast he would have surpassed the best auctioneer in words per minute. After praying, he testified about the amazing newness that God had given him. All the while his face was radiant with the glory of the Lord. God definitely has done mighty things for him and yet has a work in store for him. His testimony blessed everyone. The Spirit was moving so mightily among everyone through prayer and worship, I almost didn't get to preach.

It seemed to all start with the way Jesus touched just one man. Then that blessing overflowed to everyone. God certainly has made a new man out of that gentleman.

Perhaps you are in the state of needing a new life. Are you tired of the mess the world has gotten in to? Are you tired of the mess your own world is in? Are you tired of the world in you? Jesus has a new life in store for you. Like the young man's mother stated, you can discover "what a wonderful God we have!"

 

An Open Door
September 25, 2007

On Saturday night, I attended McCormicks Creek UPC, Pastor Rick Robertson. Evangelist Jason Siscoe preached. His ministry is most certainly anointed and God uses him. He made a statement that continues to resonate in my spirit and affects my perspective about what I have been witnessing. I'll briefly share this with you.

Through the scriptures we find times when God opened doors into the heaven and allowed humans to see things they would never see under normal circumstances. Jacob, Elijah, Peter, James and John, and Paul, all had occasions where doors opened to heaven and they saw amazing things happen for them.

I don't believe we are ever very far from some tremendous miraculous encounter with God. Then there are those occasions where God opens up a door for us and allows us to see those miracles. Bro. Siscoe proclaimed that God had recently opened a door for the church and was going to allow the church to become what it should be prior to His coming.

I believe I have been seeing the evidence of this open door. During two recent revivals, you perhaps read of 10 receiving the Holy Ghost and 3 being baptized. We had a man healed of a life-threatening breathing disorder, a family had a long-term financial need supplied, and there are even more, according to recent testimonies. Then again on Sunday night, a girl received the Holy Ghost. To God be great praise!

I feel that rather than being a short blip on an otherwise downward trend, I believe we are in the last days with an open door before us. There is no telling what God is going to allow us to see next.

 

Of Revival and Remodeling
by Jacob Warner
September 18, 2007

This weekend we had Bro Barbour back for a continuation of the revival services from the previous weekend. It was a time of great renewal for many.

In the morning service Bro Barbour didn't start preaching right away. Rather, as he was following after God, he felt it was a time of healing and renewal and asked if anyone needed prayer. Sure enough, many of the saints filed up to the front for prayer. The ministry laid hands and prayed the prayer of faith. Several testimonies came later of the miracles God did during that time. One testimony in particular I wish to share with you.

A gentleman in the church has had trouble breathing for quite a number of months. He was never able to take a good breath without a great deal of pain. The doctors have given him several tests to try to locate the problem, all to no avail. After we prayed for him Sunday morning, God healed! He was able to breathe deeply and freely without any pain. Sunday night during the time of worship, we saw this gentleman, who has had so much trouble breathing that he has had to keep his physical activity down, running around the church in joyous celebration!

Sunday night was also a time of great joy for the rest of the congregation as we worshiped with nearly a full house. Bro Barbour ministered that all it takes is a crumb, and in that crumb we can get everything we need. A crumb from the Master's table, that is.

On to the remodeling: Tonight is the last night that we will be working on the church. The project is all completed now, the only thing remaining is to do some cleanup from the construction. Praise God for a completed, working bathroom in the basement! I would personally like to thank two of the people who, I believe, put in the most work: Bro Rick Anderson and Bro Tim Elkins (he was the gentleman written about above; God has rewarded him for putting in so many hours working at the church when he was in such pain physically). Bro Anderson was the project manager for the entire thing. He was the brain behind the entire project. A HUGE thank you to him. Bro Elkins was our master electrician. He spent countless hours rewiring the basement, adding in lights, and putting light switches and outlets in each room in the basement.

Now, there is a working bathroom in the basement.

 

It does get better
September 10, 2007

This is a p.s. to my entry last week where I quoted a 17-year-old young man who said, "It doesn't get any better than this." Well it did for him and his family, and it was as obvious as the tremendous glow on is face.

Saturday and Sunday, Bro. Timothy Barbour, an evangelist from Jasper, Indiana, preached for us. The Lord used him mightily, both in bold preaching and one-on-one ministry. Saturday was youth night and it seemed that every young person received a renewing experience in the Holy Ghost, with several continuing in travailing prayer. Sunday morning, the altar filled up with folks seeking God. The dad of the young man referred to above received the Holy Ghost back at his seat. A backslider also prayed through to a renewing experience in the Holy Ghost. Great rejoicing followed those great events.

Sunday night, after a great time of singing and worship, Bro. Barbour preached another bold and anointed message. Again the altar filled with folks. Bro. Barbour went about ministering to folks throughout the church. The young man referred to above and his step-mom were among those praying and both received the Holy Ghost. He had not been baptized yet so after he got done praying, I got my Bible in hand and was ready to show him Acts 2:38 and discuss baptism in Jesus' name. Before I had a chance to say but a few words, he said, "That's what I want! Let's do it!" So, we did it to the rejoicing of everyone. He was baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Again, the whole church was filled with great joy.

As the service was closing, I asked if anyone had anything they wanted to say. The young man jumped to the platform and said, "I do!" He gave a testimony about how thrilled he felt to have received the Holy Ghost and to have been baptized in the name of Jesus. I believe he said something after the order of: "I've never felt so good." And you could certainly tell by the radiant glow on his face that this was much better than McDonalds (see last week's blog). The whole family was nothing but smiles as was the whole church. We all discovered, it does get better!

 

It doesn't get any better than this!
September 4, 2007

It is an amazing thing when people see themselves in God's Word. What I mean is, that when reading the Bible or listening to a song or preaching, something "clicks" in a person's soul-a light comes on in the mind-and then suddenly, they see it. "That's me. That's what's happening in my life."

Well, in our adult Sunday School class, we have been studying great revivals of the scripture. This Sunday and last, we studied the great revival that began on the Day of Pentecost in Jerusalem (Acts 2) that then spread to Samaria (Acts 8) and Caesarea (Acts 10). Our church is labeled as "Pentecostal" because we trace our core teaching about salvation back to the message delivered on the Day of Pentecost. That message was repeated again in the other cities noted above.

I was not raised in a Pentecostal church so it excites me every time I study the Book of Acts and see that same message that is the focus my church, right in the Bible. I see myself there doing and experiencing what they did in Acts.

Sunday night, Bro. Jacob Warner preached about "The Good Life." He also helped the church see themselves in the Word of God by highlighting the great blessings that accompany those who serve the Lord-both eternal and earthly. Many people on the outside of Christianity look at Christians and consider their lifestyles as "too restrictive." They define us by what we cannot do. Well that is a very poor notion of what life is like serving the Lord. When I read the Bible, and Jacob brought this up in his message, I see God's desire to give me many blessings. Eternal life with Him; a fruitful life here including peace, joy and love; and gifts such as wisdom, knowledge and discernment. There are multitudes of others too.

You might find this as amusing as we all did. During that service, it appeared that the joy from the congregation spilled to the outside. While a brother was giving a missions' report telling of the move of God in foreign lands, suddenly, as if joining our worship inside, car horns started going off outside. First one, then others joined in. Just as the brother mentioned a "move of God", several people got up and moved out to the parking lot t check on their cars. We all chuckled as one brother said, "They're just praising the Lord too!"

I watched that joy spill over onto people during the altar prayer time. It was a wonderful time of worship and expressive joy as it was evident that everyone saw themselves in the Word of God as recipients of God's blessings.

What was amazing to me was how that joy didn't die when we walked out the door of the church. Many of the folks met at McDonalds after church. Well the joy was there too. A large group of us laughed and laughed and then laughed some more out of pure joy and the silly stories that were shared. The laughter was so loud that everyone else in the restaurant kept looking over and smiling. It seemed that the joy spread to everyone around us. I believe that is the way our Christianity should be seen. Ours is not a life defined by restrictions, but one defined by gifts!

A young man who only recently started coming regularly to our church expressed it this way, "It doesn't get any better than this!" Before we left, I heard him say it a second time, "It doesn't get any better than this!" Perhaps that is what you are looking for too.

 

Progress Report - revival/renovations/school
August 27, 2007

It is time for an update. The revival, the remodeling, and the school are on my mind right now.

Four of the seven children who received the Holy Ghost and/or got baptized, are from our church. They were at church this weekend and were still bubbling and having a great time in the Lord. They are zealous for the Lord and excited about this new relationship. The girls that got baptized were also happy to see their parents praying at the altar this weekend. God continues to do great things in the spiritual realm.

And good things are coming along the pike as far as the pace of remodeling (adding a restroom) continues. The digging is done, the plumbing installed, the framework complete and the drywall finished and painted. We have doors and trim to hang and the fixtures to install. Almost of the fixtures had been donated and only a few things were yet needed. But yesterday the remaining items that were needed were also donated. It should be operational by next weekend. What amazing blessings we have seen through this restroom!

Our home school "coop" got started this week and got off to a great start. It was a bit rough getting the routines established but Sis. Warner reported good progress for all the students this week. We are thankful to the many volunteers who are making this learning experience possible. We are very glad the children can receive solid academics with a spiritual foundation.

 

Seven Wonders of Whitehall
August 20, 2007

We joined the angels and all heaven with rejoicing this weekend as we witnessed many children crying out to God in repentance and worship. With the anointed childrens' ministry of Sis. Pat Wehlage and her helpers, we had a back to school revival with puppets singing and praising the Lord, and young and old worshipping the Lord right along with them.

Here is a brief summary of the revival services. Friday night we were joined by friends from two out-of-town congregations. The good folks from Jasper, Indiana took a couple of blessings home with them—two of their children received the Holy Ghost for the first time with the evidence of speaking with other tongues. Their long drive was well worth it.

Saturday night, the crowd was larger and the front rows were filled with children. Following the puppet ministry, several children came to the altar to pray. One child was filled with the Holy Ghost, and she left rejoicing!

Sunday morning the crowd continued to grow as did the intensity of worship. Two children were filled with the Spirit Sunday morning. One other little girl who had prayed, asked about baptism. She decided to think about it, until...

Sunday night—what an explosive time that was. Sis. Wehlage spoke about worship and told a touching story about the praises of her almost two-year-old grand child (come back for next week’s blog for that story). The church reverberated with praise. The little girl decided she wanted to be baptized and so did her older sister! And what a great joy we all felt when the older sister also received the Holy Ghost!

Thank you Sis. Wehlage and Sis. Shara for bringing not only your tremendous puppet ministry, but also an inexhaustible passion for the souls of children (and adults). We are thanking God for you and these seven wonders of Whitehall.

 

Don't go to church
by Jacob Warner
August 13, 2007

This past week I had the privilege of attending North American Youth Congress with the youth group from Family Praise Center. I first would like to thank their youth group for allowing me to go with them. I especially would like to thank Bro Mike Oliver and Bro Matt Scalf for their hard work in putting the trip together and making it such a success.

This year, roughly 17,000 young people descended upon Charlotte, NC to come together and worship our Lord. It is truly an inspiring thing to witness that many young people sending up a praise to Jesus all in one accord. The worship was phenomenal, the preaching was heavily anointed, and I have no doubt many walked away from this Congress changed forever. There were even reports of people getting baptized in the wonderful name of Jesus in fountains around the city.

One of the amazing things about Congress this year is it seemed all the preachers were preaching the same theme: we need to take the love of Christ outside of the four walls of our church buildings. Something that was added this year was a way to give back to the community, a way to take the love of Christ outside of the building. The General Youth Division organized Project 22:39 (based on Jesus’ command in Matthew 22:39 to love our neighbors as ourselves). 1,500 young people participated in food distribution and park beautification among other things, all of this done in sweltering heat well over 100 degrees.

This goes so well with a shirt that I saw a few weeks ago for sale online. On the front it boldly stated “Don’t Go to Church!” while on the back it stated equally strong “BE the Church!”. Instead of simply coming to church, the shirt was advocating that we need to be the church everywhere we go. We need to actively pursue ways to show love to the world around us.

Take the love of Christ outside of your church. Take it to the world.

 

Things material, things spiritual
August 6, 2007

We've had to find a balance between working ourselves to death in our church basement remodeling project and reserving enough strength for worshipful church services. This type of building project requires many hours of physical labor, yet the Lord has been demonstrating some important spiritual lessons in the midst of this material emphasis. I'll take time to briefly talk about two.

The importance of trust

We started out on this project not having enough money to complete it. We knew that but we felt a strong urging from the Lord (and I don't say that lightly) that having an appropriate gathering facility for our home schoolers was needed. We had enough for step one but not step two. When we were ready to move to step two, the people rallied and the Lord made the funds available-but not enough to spare for step three. By the time we finished step two, the funds for step three were in hand. The Lord did a kind thing at this point-a merciful thing. Contributions for step four are already coming in and we have not even finished step three. I sincerely believe the Lord wants us to learn to trust Him and He will reward that expression of trust. Success in life will depend on our level of trust in the Almighty God. (Proverbs 3:5-6)

The importance of unity

The thought dropped in my head, "a concert of labor." That is what we have seen among our people. Nothing lasting can happen without unity and almost nothing is impossible with unity (Genesis 11:6). We need each other. We depend on each other. When we work together and we see great things happen. Disunity stopped the building of the tower of Babel (Genesis 11:8-9) but unity brought success to Nehemiah's rebuilding of the wall of Jerusalem (Nehemiah 4:6). We don't get much accomplished by being selfish and self-centered. There are so many things out there that are bigger than us-like God! Join His cause alongside God's people.

Our bodies will be glad when this phase of our remodeling project is complete, but on the other hand, I'm thrilled we are in it. I am glad that the Lord has put a vision for newness and change in the hearts of His people. I hope we don't ever grow stagnant and comfortable with sameness. But while we work with things material, may we continue to learn of things spiritual.

 

When things go wrong
July 30, 2007

I noticed from reading through my blogs that one could get the impression that nothing but good happens around here. I found words like amazing, phenomenal, fun, perfect, wonderful, great, etc. Of course, in all, to God be the glory because that is just the way He is.

However, when you get hit with what appears to be a bad deal, I'll admit that it is harder to be so positive. It is an exercise of faith, trust, and obedience to rejoice in such times. Here's how it happened for us.

We were thrilled a couple weeks ago when we learned that we had won a bid to purchase some used computers for our church and home school students. That was until we got to examine the computers we had won. Out of 19 computers, many parts were missing and not a single one worked! I re-read the instructions provided to the bidders: "no guarantees or warranties...no returns are accepted."

I was devastated. We had given God the glory for this great deal and now it appeared that God's money had been wasted on junk. When I learned the news I ran to a deserted stair well at the top floor of a building and poured my grief out to the Lord. There standing in the dark next to a noisy machine room, I reminded the Lord that we had entered into this transaction only after prayerful consideration, we did it in Jesus' name, we gave Him glory, we had plans to use the computers for His glory and to provide young people solid computer skills training. But things had just gone wrong!

An email was sent, a phone call was made, angels were dispatched (I'm guessing) and then things turned around. The end result was that a return was accepted because the bid items were improperly labeled. And we ended up with nicer computers than we had bargained for!

So when things go wrong, hold on to trust. God may actually be working a greater right. I'll admit that this "thing gone wrong" was pretty minor compared to wrongs people suffer through. However, if we trust completely in the One we love, all things work for good to those who love Him. God is worthy of our trust.

 

An Amazing Week
July 23, 2007

While sitting here at my computer this morning pondering these past few days, the word "amazing" came to mind. God is truly amazing and once again He demonstrated His amazing grace upon us.

I'll start with the computers. We had hopes of acquiring some computers for our home schooling students who will be meeting at the church a couple of days per week. We put in a bid for a bundle of computers at Indiana University Surplus Store and we won the bid. We got nice computer and monitor sets for $46 a piece. How amazing!

Next was Saturday night with Tim and Lacy Barbour. Bro. Barbour is a phenomenal young evangelist, a "preaching machine" some might say. He preached for our youth service on Saturday. Just before he began to preach he told us he felt the Lord changed his mind about the message he was to bring. I don't know what he had in mind before, but the message he delivered was just what we needed. The title was "Just One More Time." He spoke the Word with boldness and faith. It made us all crave another touch from the Lord, and by the end of the preaching and prayer, we had our "one more time" with the Lord. Our faith received a much needed renewal. Like everyone else, I left that service with renewed vision and determination. I was changed. It was an amazing encounter with Jesus.

Then God gave us an amazing Sunday. Sunday morning, Sis. Warner spoke about the coming of the Lord and of the end times. I believe it was gave the Lord's "wake-up call" to the church to seriously look around-to open our eyes-and realize what is happening in the world is leading quickly to the coming of the Lord and the fulfillment of the prophecies of the Book of Revelation. Intercessory prayer took over the service.

Sunday was capped off with the anointed ministry of Dave and Bonita Peterson. Bro. Peterson's unique ministry of music opened the door to a widespread Holy Ghost working. The prayer and intercession of Sunday morning continued Sunday night with children, teens and adults in the isles and at the altar crying and worshipping and being touched by the Lord. Both Brother and Sister Peterson ministered in the Word, once again lifting our hopes and expectations about what our great God can do. Again, it was an amazing Sunday.

To God be all the glory for His amazing grace that once again touched us needy humans.

 

Fill-er-up!
July 16, 2007

Bro. and Sis. Larry Sims blessed us last night with anointed preaching, story telling (I laughed until I cried!), and fellowship. He preached to us about the hope that God offers to those in need. It was an important reminder that God offers enduring hope to anyone who comes to Him. You ought to listen to that message.

One of the stories he told was of a young lady and her gas purchasing habits. Bro. Sims mentioned that she preferred to get $10 gas at a time rather than filling up the tank. And of course, presently, $10 doesn't go very far. Her dad suggested that she fill up rather than just getting a little at a time. Her response was, "I don't want to spend all that money!" Nevertheless, when she ran out of gas, she still called dad for help.

How interesting. Of course, whether you buy $10 three times a week or $30 once a week, you are still spending $30 a week. It doesn't save any money spending the lesser amount more times.

Is that not what many people feel about giving their all to God? Some people will give God a little Sunday morning deposit once in a while but will not commit their all to Him. Their fear is that they cannot "afford" to give God their whole life so they hold back. Yet they find themselves running on "empty" all the time.

How about you? Does that describe your relationship with Jesus? One day, EVERY knee will bow to Jesus and proclaim Him Lord. Those who say they hate Jesus and hate Christians, and those who give their every-so-often little bit to Jesus, it will be the same. We will stand before Him. Don't come before Him empty handed. Why not go to Jesus for a fill up!

 

Fireworks, family, fishing, food, fellowship, and worship
July 9, 2007

This past week has included a great combination of things. We have enjoyed all of the above things this past week. Just about everywhere I looked on the skyline, it wasn't long before I saw brilliant explosions of fireworks celebrating our nation's birth.

Fishing-aaah yes, fishing. We had our annual father and son camping and fishing trip. I can proudly declare that among all our skilled fishermen and fisher-boys, we caught a few hundred fish! That was tons of fun. Thanks Mike Axsom for the great camping site at West Boggs Lake!

Food and fellowship was in no short supply at Pastor Wayne Geck's block party in Huntingburg, Indiana. Bro. and Sis. Geck and the saints of New Life UPC hosted a great community event right in the streets of Huntingburg giving away food and drinks and giving the city a good taste of Apostolic music. Huntingburg even got a taste of Apostolic music with a Whitehall flavor!

And we even fit a family reunion among all these activities.

Finally, there was worship. Worship doesn't fit well in this list of "f" words, but practically speaking, if we are not careful during this time of year, worship won't fit in at all. We've got to plan for it and make it fit!

I took a little worship time at the lake while fishing, and we had worship time with Bro. Geck, but there was something extra sweet in Whitehall Sunday morning. After all the activities of the week, I arrived desperate and hungry for a move of God. I felt that I needed to get under the waterfall of the Holy Ghost and get refreshed and renewed in the Spirit. I think most everyone must have felt that same way because many participated in the worship with a great hunger for God. I taught about David's Revival of Worship, and then we experienced it! Thank you Lord for showing up with Your blessings. It was so needed.

 

Happy Birthday U.S.!
July 2, 2007

In honor of our nations 231st birthday this Wednesday, I wish to give a brief pictorial tribute in that honor. I hope you enjoy these pictures. My family sure enjoyed reliving the history of it all.

Our Nation's Capital:

 

Baptism of Pocahontus:

I include this picture to continue on the theme of last week's blog that you can see evidence of God preserved in our nation's most important buildings. This painting is found along side many paintings of historical value in the Capitol rotunda.

 

The Whitehouse:

From John Adams to George Bush, many of our Presidents have made the Whitehouse a place of prayer where they humbled themselves before God and sought for divine direction and protection.

 

Lincoln Memorial:

A special honor is due President Lincoln, one of our greatest presidents. I include this quote from President Lincoln. Days before General Lee surrendered, President Lincoln said to New Jersey State Senator James Scovel:

"Young man, if God gives me four years more to rule this country, I believe it will become what it ought to be--what its Divine Author intended it to be--no longer one vast plantation for breeding human beings for the purpose of lust and bondage. But it will become a new Valley of Jehoshaphat, where all the nations of the earth will assemble together under one flag, worshipping a common God, and they will celebrate the resurrection of human freedom."

Statue of Liberty:

We can be assured that Liberty will survive where the Spirit of the Lord dwells.

2 Corinthians 3:17
Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.

Happy Birthday, U.S.A.!

 

Someone Lied!
June 26, 2007

My family returned yesterday from a vacation to New York and DC. The trip was a wonderful opportunity to enjoy family time as well as being a learning experience. Viewing many landmarks of historical significance, we were reminded of this country's great heritage, faith, daring, and bravery that have kept this union of states a free land for all.

Of course there were many sights to attest to the "God-place" in this country. What I mean is, while there are many who cry for a truly secular government that silences God and references to Him, God is all over our monuments and our history, and can still be found in the hearts of His sons and daughters. God is alive and well.

Something I enjoyed was a billboard on a church in Manhattan. Right in the center of a busy commercial district, was a church educational annex that had this billboard message: "You have been lied to, there is a God." Regardless of what doubters may say, you can find God and evidence of His hand through out this land, and yes, even in an icon of our culture like Manhattan and also in our nation's capitol.

 

An Evening with Tupelo Children's Mansion
June 18, 2007

Life-changing. Saddening. Heart-wrenching. Uplifting. Hopeful. Challenging. These and many other words describe the emotions we felt in the service last night with the precious kids and the great staff of Tupelo Children's Mansion (an orphanage in Tupelo, MS). The Mansion kids were terrific, talented, and great worshippers. The staff was caring and passionate about their ministry to the children.

Bro. and Sis. Chandler, the music ministers at the Mansion, led the service in worship and preaching. Their musical and ministering gifts are being greatly used to lead and train the Mansion residents-that was obvious last night. Their choir sang last night with great skill and power and their sign language team moved us to want to jump to our feet and worship our Savior. Especially their song, "The Presence of the Lord is Here."

If there is any ministry that deserves support, it is one that ministers to the fatherless. As James said, "pure religion and undefiled" is the sort that supports the widows and the fatherless. If you are considering a ministry to support, check out their website.

The children of the Mansion taught me something on Father's Day. They challenged me to want to be the best dad I can be. If you are a father, give your children more than just a roof over their head and food to eat. While that is important, don't neglect to give them yourself and your time. Show them that you love them by spending time with them and by leading them to the love of Jesus Christ by your life's example.

I wish there were time to share the stories of some of these precious children who were neglected and abused by their parents yet they found the love of God at the Mansion. That would touch your heart. However, I'll sum up my thoughts with these two points: (1) If you are a dad, be a godly dad; and (2) Support ministries like Tupelo Children's Mansion that give hope to fatherless children, like your heavenly Father did you.

 

Life is a Picnic
June 12, 2007

Sunday morning was our annual Sunday School picnic. A good crowd turned out for what was a beautiful sunny spring day. It was a picture-perfect day for a picnic.

We had church in the park with singing, preaching, and praying. It is wonderful to feel God even at a picnic. As usual, there was great food. And of course, no church picnic is complete without good fried chicken!

While the older ones had fun playing volley ball and softball, the younger kids enjoyed bean bag toss and the play ground facility.

What a perfect day it was (even though my soft ball team AND volley ball team lost). Of course, God is in control of the weather anyway, isn't He? And after all, it was a Sunday School picnic. Wouldn't God just make it perfect anyway?

No. I remember a Sunday School picnic several years ago where it rained the whole day. Even picnics get rained out.

Have you ever wondered why all of life is not a picnic? Why can't we just be in a perpetual vacation? Why isn't every day a picture-perfect day filled with fun and happiness? Well, that is not the way this present age is. We can, however, have Jesus with us to make the rainy days and sad days brighter. And God's children do have the assurance that in the age to come, we will be reveling around on this earth with our Savior-enjoying life, as a picnic.

 

The amazing thing about toilets!
June 4, 2007

God never ceases to amaze me. In our service last night, I presented a vision to the church for where we are going, sort of a "dream casting" to the people regarding a projected building plan. We discussed a "Master plan" for some ideas for building a new addition onto the church which would include a basement for a potential day care ministry and a new sanctuary. The plan is still in the development/dream phase only.

However, the main focus was on adding a restroom to our present basement, a project for this summer. We will be having home school kids meet at the church a couple of days a week beginning in the fall and this is greatly needed. We discussed interesting things like toilets, a septic pit and pump, etc. The people were generally excited about the total vision and we committed our plans to the Lord to help us move forward.

Well the service went on. My wife and I began to sing the old song, "The King is Coming." And as we did, the Spirit of the Lord began to move in a mighty way. People stood to their feet worshipping, children, then adults came crying to the altar. Several people, moved by the Holy Ghost, began to minister to one another. This God-led ministry went on for almost an hour. We didn't get to the preaching due to the move of the Spirit. It was a totally amazing move of God and about everyone present was touched by God.

As we dismissed service, one of the brothers said, "It is amazing what can happen when you talk about toilets!" I'm sure God got a chuckle just as the rest of us did. To God be the glory!

 

"Harboring a criminal"
May 21, 2007

Sis. Warner led her first youth service Saturday night as the new director of youth ministries. During her message, she shared a troubling dream that she has had several nights in a row. She finds herself constantly throwing a rope to rescue people. Some gladly grab the rope and come to safety. Yet she is struck by despair as she watches others who grasp the rope and hang on for a while only to willingly turn loose of it and fall away. She encouraged the youth to keep reaching out and keep holding on. All the youth gathered at the altar and had a good season of prayer.

Evangelist Lonnie Helms preached for us Sunday night about "Harboring a Criminal". He spoke of how the high priest had cleaned out a temple food storage area and allowed Tobiah, a non-Jew, to live in the sacred place. The law forbid Tobiah from being in that holy place so the High Priest was harboring a criminal. Nehemiah put out Tobiah from the sanctuary compound. Bro. Helms pointed out that we all need to honestly look into our hearts and see what sort of unlawful things we might be hiding. "It is time to clean out our temple", Bro. Helms reminded us. Again, thank you Bro. Helms for preaching to us.

This coming Saturday night will be a special kind of "home fellowship" meeting. We will take a turn from meeting at people's homes and will instead meet at the church. We plan to have everything outdoor; singing, worship, Bible lesson, and recreation. Come and bring a friend! We start at 6:00pm.

 

What can you do?
May 14, 2007

I hope your Mother's Day was pleasant. There were some children who made happy memories spending the day with their mother. I also know of a family who spent Mother's Day at a funeral home in grief because mom had died of cancer just a few days before. They were glad for friends who came along to offer comfort. Following is a true story, a comfort story for Mothers Day.

Sis. Warner spoke Sunday morning and shared a mother's wisdom. She told a story of when she flew by herself from San Antonio to Indianapolis with our two babies, both of them under 2 years old. It would have been manageable because there was only a short layover on the itinerary. However, because of severe thunder storms, she ended up with a six hour layover in St. Louis . She was a young mom, only 20 years old herself, and she said that dealing with two crying babies and a 100 pound diaper bag full of diapers, baby food and bottles, and having to walk "across the county" to the departure gate, made her feel that she was "ready to lose it."

When she finally got into the plane, a flight attendant must have seen the condition my wife was in and took the time from her busy schedule to sit down with her. She brought a blanket and encouragement and offered help with the babies. She said that gift of comfort from the flight attendant helped her to survive the trip without totally losing her mind.

Think about this story personally. What act of kindness can you offer to a stressed out mom to make that day a happy mother's day?

 

"That will preach!"
May 8, 2007

On Saturday we had a graduation party. Our only graduate this year was my son, Jacob. We were proud to see him accomplish this great achievement. The graduation speaker, Tavis Smiley, said something worth noting here: "You can't lead anyone without loving them and you can't save anyone without serving them." Thank you Tavis - that is biblically correct. I told my son, "that will preach!" Someone, go preach that. May God bless you with greatness Jacob.

The Sunday services were again blessed by the sure presence of the Lord. In an impromptu exhortation, Sis. Warner admonished the church to grasp the message of holiness as taught in the scripture. As the warmer weather is upon us, she encouraged the ladies to not forget that God's Word teaches modesty. There were many comments along these lines: "Thanks for telling me the truth." "Thanks for standing for the Bible." "I appreciate you." And I add my "amen" to that. Let the Word of God be your guide even when popular culture takes a different path.

Why? Because God lives in eternity and His Word is always current.

 

Great weather all around
April 30, 2007

This weekend was doubly wonderful. We had great weather with sunshine and temps in the upper 70's, and in addition, we had great spiritual weather as well. One sister in the church summed it up this way:

"I've noticed such a unity between all the church folks. I'm looking forward to the good things that Jesus has in store for His children."

On Saturday, we had a home fellowship gathering that included volley ball, chili, chips and dips, fruits, and even over-the-hill birthday cookie. Then we sang several songs and had Bible study time. It was a wonderful time of worship. Then it was back to volley ball, ping pong and fellowship. And yes sister, I also noticed the unity.

Then on Sunday, the Lord blessed our service with a baptism. It is always great to see someone baptized in the name of Jesus Christ.

And again, amen sister, I'm also looking forward to more in store from Jesus.

 

Sorrow turned to joy
April 24, 2007

Sunday, April 22 was another wonderful Holy Ghost day. On Sunday night, Bro. Helms preached on the unpopular but needed topic of hell. He entitled the message, "Life is But a Vapor." Compassion flowed as he ministered. Then after painting a biblical portrait of that eternal place of torment, he spoke of God's offer of saving grace and the wonderful alternative of heaven.

A great burden for souls seemed to fall on the place. The altar filled and tears of repentance were shed. But that all changed as God saw the tears and refilled a man with the Holy Ghost. Sorrow turned to joy. That man's family is also taking steps toward God too. It was so wonderful to see God at work. The revival goes on!

 

Revival!
April 18, 2007

Bro. Helms returned to preach Sunday night, April 15. There was joyous worship and great preaching. The altar service was particularly exciting with folks shouting in the joy of the Lord and folks running around the church. Several followed the lead of the Spirit and prayed for each other.

A group of young ladies began to pray together and were later joined by other ladies in the church. The prayer ended with a young lady being filled with the Holy Ghost with the biblical evidence of speaking in other tongues. She was then baptized in the name of Jesus Christ.

After the baptism, many people came forward for prayer for healing. We saw an 86 year old man marching across the front after putting down his crutches. We expect that the Lord healed those who were prayed for.

We are grateful to Jesus for filling the house with His glory. We will continue the revival services with Bro. Helms this Sunday, April 22 at 10am and 6:30pm. Why don't you come and see what the Lord will do for you? You may be surprised just how willing God is to welcome you back.