Simply, Simple Church

          Yes, I am aware that not everyone appreciates what we have at Grace Christian Fellowship (the church I pastor) and that is quite fine with me; however, I am also aware that we are experiencing a genuine move of His Presence. On the one hand, it seems that we are being engulfed by adversity; however, on the other hand, it is obvious that we are being bathed in His Presence.

          We call what we have “Simply, Simple Church.” It is our intention that people attend because they are attracted to the gospel, not to any program or ministry or worship style. I learned long ago that “what we attract people with is what we attract them to, and when that is gone, so are they.” I remember a question I raised soon after becoming pastor of this part of the Body of Christ: What would happen, if we removed everything that appeals to the flesh? The people laughed and said, “Nobody would attend.” I disagreed.

          You see, I believe the gospel attracts God’s elect and offends the masses; whereas, the programs and ministries and worship styles that appeal to the flesh, attract the masses, but they offend God’s elect. I realize that this is a stretch for some, but in my opinion the church needs to get back to its calling to preach the gospel and out of the “business” of trying to attract the masses with whatever might appeal to the flesh.

          If you take even a casual look at Jesus’ style of evangelism, you will quickly realize that He was “short” on things that appealed to the flesh and “long” on the preaching of the gospel. He spent more time trying to talk people out of becoming His followers, that He ever spent in trying to coerce them into doing so.

          Anyway, it is my prayer, my earnest prayer, that whatever is happening at Grace Christian Fellowship is contagious, as contagious as the measles, and that soon it will be widespread, even to the uttermost parts of the earth.

                                

"This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent" (John 6:29 NASB).    

"Until Christ is Formed in Me"

          Over the past 32 years my role as a pastor has taken me on some journeys with people that I would, otherwise, never have made, and that is for sure. Many of the journeys I have been privileged to make have been quite wonderful, journeys that I will forever treasure; others of them have been hilariously funny; and far-too-many of them have been gut-wrenchingly difficult. To be sure, every one of them has influenced the way I view life and people.

          I vividly remember, as a young pastor, sitting by the bedside of my dear friend, Johnson Cummings, and holding his head in my arms, as his beloved Savior literally took his breath away. The long and relentless battle with lung cancer had claimed his physical life, but Jesus won the victory over his spiritual life, and ushered him into Eternal Rest. You can rest assured that I will forever treasure that moment. As you might imagine, that experience seriously influenced the way I view life and people.

          Time will not endure long enough for me to forget a young father coming into my office to tell me that his previous pastor, my immediate predecessor, had been molesting not only his child, but also others, as well. To be sure, his (an my) breath was taken away, but not in the same way as the aforementioned friend. Rest assured that I have a vivid picture of the look on that “pastor’s” face when I confronted him. His breath left him, as well, but very differently than those in the previous descriptions. He denied having done the molesting, but the evidence was overwhelming. When he denied it, I stood up and my breath left me, the kind of breath that looks much like smoke from a burning fire. The courts barely slapped him on the hand. Rest assured that that experience seriously influenced the way I view life and people.

          The cell in which the young man was confined was very small, with only a steel toilet, sink, and bed, along with one light and one window, not to the outside, but to the inside, through which the guard would pass his food. I will never forget the guard’s parting words, as he shut the steel door, leaving me inside with the convict—“Call me when you are ready to leave.” Believe me, I was already ready to leave, but this young man’s father, a pastor himself, had asked me to visit his son. He had just been convicted of child molestation. In my opinion, he had been wrongly convicted. I was so convinced, that I was granted an audience with the judge. I left convinced that he knew the young man was wrongly convicted, but, of course, he would not admit it. The young man spent the next several years at Alto Prison in North Georgia. He endured things there that forever changed the way he viewed life and people. I could tell you some of them, but your stomach couldn’t endure hearing it. This journey affected not only this young man’s life, his parent’s life, but it also affected my life. Trust me, this experience influenced the way I view life and people.

          At the time, my office was quite a drive from town, any town, but this senior lady made the trek and walked into my office, without even knocking. I will never forget the words that came gushing out of her mouth: “Preacher, I know you do not know me, but I have a problem, and I am wondering, if you could help me. I am a Christian, but I have never been baptized, and I haven’t because I am scared to death of water!” I have no idea why she came to me. Maybe she thought I had been a Navy Seal or something like that. Interestingly, I remember the words that came gushing out of my mouth, just as vividly as I remember hers: “Well, I will be happy to baptize you, and by the way, thus far I have only lost one to drowning.” She never said another word; instead, she quickly turned around and walked out the same door she had just entered. That was almost 32 years ago, and as far as I know, she made it into Heaven as dry as the desert sand. Needless to say, this experience definitely influenced the way I view life and people.

          As you know, we live in a society where too many people expect “something for nothing.” The sick mentality that says, “If you have more money than I, then you should pay my way” is destroying us. The campaign to “redistribute wealth” is on the move and moving on—fast. This lady, however, was not riding on that bandwagon. She came to my office for counsel. Upon arrival, she completed a form that gave me general information and also informed her our my fees. She also read the line that said, “If you cannot afford to pay my fees, not to worry, as I will be happy to be your counselor, regardless.” When she sat down for our first session, she told me that she had virtually no money, and I told her not to worry about it. I also assured her that money would never be mentioned again, and I would see her for as long as it might take. After an number of sessions, we both felt that she had accomplished her goals, and I released her, suggesting that she come by, should she ever need me again. She did come by—again and again, week after week—not to see me as her counselor, but to bring fifty cents to pay toward the counseling she received. She insisted, so my secretary received the money. This lady impacted the lives of everyone in my office, and I can assure you that she influenced the way each of us, especially the way I view life and people.

          One last story: This lady came to my office with her husband, hoping that he would agree to counseling. That was his last session. She remained in counseling for months, and became one of the dearest of my friends. Her name is Amy, and she doesn’t mind my telling you. Amy came to my office week after week after week, but seldom spoke more than two or three words. She never once looked at me; instead, she gazed at the floor. This went on for weeks, even longer. It sometimes takes a long time to earn trust, and when it does, the one who is attempting to earn it, has to be very patient. Finally, she began to open up and tell me her story, the gut-wrenching story of abuse, one that left her the mere shell of a woman. Eventually, she embraced the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, learned that she was one of God’s precious children, that He was very proud of her, and loved her unconditionally. At some point, Amy agreed to invite her abusers to come to my office for a session. Believe it or not, but they agreed. When we assembled in my office, the air was thick with anxiety. The abusers admitted the abuse. If I live to be 100, I will never forget Amy looking each person in the eye and speaking the most glorious words in the English language—“I forgive you.” Her words were healing words. A miracle happened! I witnessed it! Several years later, I was hosting a very large meeting, and I asked Amy to speak, to tell her story. She agreed. By meeting time, she was hyperventilating! If you were there, you remember it. If you were not, you missed one of the most powerful messages I have ever heard. That was many years ago. Amy is still in love with Jesus. Every Christmas, Easter, Birthday, and even in between I get a card from Amy. She has never forgotten and neither have I. My experience with Amy changed the way I view life and people, and that is for sure.

          I have no idea why God chose to bless me in such an incredible way, but I do know that I am blessed, and then some. My journey as a pastor has, indeed, allowed me to meet some people and experience some experiences that, otherwise, I would have never known, people and experiences that have influenced the way I view life and people. As I look back over the past 32 years, I realize that He used each person and each experience to form Christ in me. Oh, He is not finished, not even close, so the journey will continue, and He will continue forming Christ in me.

          In case you haven’t noticed, He is doing the very same thing with you!

                                

"This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent" (John 6:29 NASB).    

On Dealing with Adversity

Yesterday, I spoke of the subject “Dealing with Adversity,” and the responses were such that I decided to post a brief summary for your perusal. As usual, your comments are encouraged and welcomed.

1.    As God’s children, we can ask anything of Him, but we can never demand anything of Him. The simple fact is this: God is God and we are His children; therefore, we are in no position to demand anything of Him. When we demand something from God, we are effectively saying, “I know more about this than you know.” The demanding mentality that says, “God, if you are going to be faithful to your Word, You must do what I am asking you to do” has no place in the heart and mind of a child of God.

2.    God already sees the end of every adversity that comes our way, and He is very pleased with what He sees; to believe otherwise, is to believe that there is another god, who is greater than our God, or that God somehow makes mistakes, or that God gives man the freedom to steer off His predetermined plan.

3.    Our dealing with adversity must not move into the realm of the superstitious because superstition and faith simply cannot coexist; superstition [an irrational, but usually deep-seated belief in the magical effects of a specific action or ritual, especially in the likelihood that good or bad luck will result from performing it] has to do with fear, whereas faith has to do with trust. Superstition says things like “We have to pray in faith!” or “Don’t say things like that!” or “We can’t let up!” or “We can’t give up!” or “You must confess positive things, not negative things!” Even my preparing to speak to you about adversity, stirs-up superstition: “If I do this, then surely adversity will come to me.” Christian superstition is using Scripture to achieve a goal beyond its intended purpose and redounding to our own benefit. Sadly, the Body of Christ demonstrates more superstition, than faithl

4.    In dealing with adversity, we must, indeed, pray without ceasing, but our prayers must not be pleadings with God to do what we want Him to do; instead, they must be pleadings with Him to bring us into submission to what He wants to do. Admittedly, this is the most difficult prayer one will ever pray; however, it is also the most successful.

5.    We must not see the result of our prayers, as being determined by how much faith we have; you know, the “if you just have enough faith, this mountain will be moved” syndrome. All the faith it takes to move mountains, is faith the size of a mustard seed, so we all already have enough. The question is this: Is my progressively becoming more intimately acquainted with Jesus the object of my faith, or is removing the mountain the object of my faith?”

6.    Before it becomes obvious that what we desire is not going to happen, it would  behoove us to become well-acquainted with the truth that God actually causes all things to work together for good, for those who love Him and are the called according to His purpose.

7.    Adversity comes, not because God is punishing someone who sinned, but because God is love, and He happens to believe that it is in love’s best interest that the adversity come.

8.    Rather than being seen as a place filled with “land mines,” adversity should be seen as a proving ground, a place where we come face-to-face with whether we are more proficient at “talking the talk” or walking the walk?” Adversity reveals the truth.

9.    In spite of how it might seem, nothing—and I do mean absolutely nothing—can separate us from the love of God, not even the most extreme adversity; therefore, we do not have to prove ourselves spiritually strong when it does come.

10. Finally, we must remember that His strength is made perfect in our weakness; consequently, it is perfectly fine for us to demonstrate our “human-ness” when adversity comes our way. Kicking and screaming are both really quite fine.

11. One footnote: When adversity comes do not be too prideful to ask for the assistance of others within the Body of Christ. We really do need each other, and this is especially true when adversity shows up on our doorstep.

                        

"This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent" (John 6:29 NASB).    

Adversity on a Rampage (or so it seems)!

         As is true for anyone who writes as much as I do, I tend to write out of what I am experiencing, and this is certainly true today. It seems that adversity is on a rampage, as it is showing up of the doorsteps of far-too-many of those who make up the congregation that I pastor. One man has just recently been diagnosed with prostate cancer, another heard his doctor tell him that he has esophageal cancer, another’s best friend died as the result of a heart attack; one woman’s mother just had a stroke and is headed for a nursing home, another’s father died, and another’s just left the hospital to recover.

          Oh, I know all the religious, legalistic answers, but I neither want to hear them nor do I want to talk about them, as in my opinion, they are but rubbish. You see, I believe that God is absolutely sovereign over His creation, that He does nothing contingently, that He is in control every time and all the time, that everything that happens (the good, the bad, and the ugly) happens because He allows it to happen, and I believe that He allows it to happen for our good and for His glory. Does that mean that I like adversity? Absolutely not!

          The fact is this: there is nothing in my belief system that eliminates the fact that adversity usually shakes us to our bones, scare the wits out of us, causes us to question the very existence of God, and, oftentimes, causes us to act legalistically, being momentarily persuaded that we can manipulate God into causing the adversity to vanish.

          Speaking of that, have you ever considered why we are more prone to take that approach, when adversity comes, instead of choosing simply to submit to His will, whatever it might be? Whatever the reason, we are in good company, as Jesus, Himself, had that problem. I am sure you remember His prayer: Father, if it is possible let this cup pass from me, nevertheless, not My will but Thine be done. Keep in mind, however, that while He was uttering those words, He was sweating blood!

          This is what Peter had to say: Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you; . . . (1 Peter 4:12 NASB).

                        

"This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent" (John 6:29 NASB).