I can't say everything by 11:30!

3 Lessons from John 17

2011-12-22T09:36:00.000-05:00

In the 17th chapter of John, there is a prayer of Jesus that He prays just before He is arrested. There are three really cool things that stand out to me.

When Jesus prays He gives us a definition of eternal life. And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. (John 17:3 NKJV) Isn't it interesting that when Jesus describes eternal life the element of time is not in the equation? From God's point of view eternal life is not about duration but relationship, a relationship with us. Imagine, the Creator of the universe, the God of miracles, and the all-knowing, all-powerful, and all-present God wants to have a relationship with us. It goes without saying it is a forever relationship.

The second awesome lesson from John 17 is this: And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. (John 17:3 NKJV) Jesus makes a point that I have never though of before and I don't exactly know why but it makes me feel good. As a christian I can trace my getting saved to the testimony of one of the original Disciples! For me it is one more reason to believe in the security of my salvation.

And lastly, doesn't it make us feel good knowing that in the chapter we have the recorded prayer that Jesus prayed for us. I know that the savior who died for me was thinking about me just a few hours before He was arrested and put on trial for my sins. Jesus Himself prayed for us!

The Good News

2011-12-20T09:45:00.001-05:00

As I have been praying about the direction of Eastside Assembly of God for the next year, I believe that God is pointing me towards a focus on the good news. After all the gospel is literally the "good news"! All we have to do is look at our world to know that it seems that things are not going too well. Everytime I turn on the news or read a newspaper I hear or see bad news. Our economy is weak, it seems that the moral fiber of our world is on the decline, well, I don't have to recount all the terrible things that are happening right now. But for us who are believers we have hope to hang our hat on -- Jesus!

That's right, while the world around us is falling apart, we know that there is good news! Believe or not God is in control! And we have the "good news"! There is a God in heaven who is working on our behalf. We also have the hope that any day now Jesus will return for His church and we will have the ultimate victory!

So with that in mind, it is my intention to make 2012 a year of "good news". At Eastside Assembly of God, we have much to be thankful for and so this next year my goal is to focus on the "good news".

Here is what we are going to do:
Always remember that the Gospel message is a positive message.
Continue finding ways for us to connect believers with each other and with God.
Be there to support and encourage those who are going through a time of testing or trouble.
Preach and teach the "Good News"!

Continue with the healing & miracle services once a month (first Sunday).
I believe that 2012 has all the makings of being a great year for us! One more thing, ask God to help you become more positive about your life, your church, and your faith. That is a prayer I know God will answer!

Something From God

2011-11-15T10:42:00.001-05:00

As I was reflecting on last Sunday's Business Meeting I remembered something I have kept with me. It is a prophecy given in January 2008, one year after I arrived as Pastor of Eastside. Mary Massie gave this message, She has since been promoted to heaven. It still speaks to me about what God wants from us as a Church!

My children, I desire for you to know this day that I am opening a doorway – a doorway for the beginning of why this work was established here. I brought you here as foundational stones and I cemented you in by My Holy Spirit, but I am bringing other stones and I am setting them in amongst your midst. I ask of you to bring them in with you. Show them their place. Help them to find that place because there’s a flood coming.

There was a reason that I established this work here and it is time for its beginning, but you must be ready. I will not bring the wounded and the lost here if you are not ready to love them into My Kingdom, if you are not ready to mentor them and to disciple them. I am bringing others alongside of you. Welcome them into the Kingdom here where you congregate. This is My house, a house of sanctuary, a house of praise. It is a house of prayer. Get on your knees and cry out for the lost. My heart breaks, and I hear their cries – many around you. This is not a place to come and receive and go home in smugness, but it’s a place to receive and become strong.

I say to you My children, your love is there within your heart but let it break free. Let it go in and out of your midst and let it go out among those who need you. I say to you My children, My love for you is so strong, but it’s time for you to stand. Strengthen your legs. Strengthen your arms. Let your voice be heard out there among the lost. They are hungry for something and they don’t know His Name. But you know it. It’s in your heart. I say to you, go out and declare. Jesus is My Son, and He’s calling them to Him. Hear My words and heed them, My children.

What If We Treated The World Like We Treat God?

2011-09-27T09:02:00.000-04:00

How successful would we be if we only showed up to work when it didn’t interfere with other plans?

What if we took the corporate handbook and decided to put our own “spin” on it?

What if we just never got around to doing the one thing our boss told us to do?

What if we slept through the staff meeting?

What if we came each day unprepared?

What if we didn’t come for 2/3rd of the time?

What if we never talked to our boss?

What if we never said “thank you”?

What if we quit every time we didn’t like something?

“Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people with His own blood, suffered outside the gate. Therefore let us go forth to Him, outside the camp, bearing His reproach. For here we have no continuing city, but we seek the one to come. Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.” Hebrews 13:12-15 (NKJV)

Worship Leaders Needed!

2011-05-23T10:10:00.000-04:00

Eastside Assembly of God is a great Church. One of the reasons for this is we have a group of people dedicated to leading the Church in worship. Our worship team devotes many hours of time to their ministry. As matter of fact, I can say without reservation that the members of our team are the some of the hardest working people in the Church. They sacrifice a lot of their time and their talent to lead us into the presence of God. And I have to say that all of their hard work is paying off. I really appreciate their efforts and I thank them because I am never disappointed by their ministry. Each and every Sunday I experience the presence of God in our services!

So if I can, I would like to ask a huge favor from the rest of us at Eastside! Wouldn’t it be great if all of us became worship leaders? We can do this by each one of us responding to our time of worship in an overt way. There are many people who come to our Church each week with a need in their life and sometimes that need could be met by simply experiencing the presence of God. And if we are entering into our time of worship with the idea of invoking His presence many needs will be met. By the way, it is a great thing to be a part of God meeting a need.

So here are some practical suggestions for being a leader of worship:

(1) If you are physically able, stand. I used to wonder why it is so important to stand during worship. Because I believed that the more comfortable I was the better I could worship. (I can focus on God and not my hurting feet.) The reason we stand is very simple – we stand in honor of the presence of God. When someone of importance enters the room we stand – think of the times this occurs. When a king enters, when the President enters, when a judge enters the room we stand as a show of honor. So if we are serious about invoking the presence of God shouldn’t we honor Him by standing? And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people, for he was standing above all the people; and when he opened it, all the people stood up. --Nehemiah 8:5

(2) Raise your hands. The reason we raise our hands is because we are giving a sign to God and to others that we are surrendering ourselves. There are amazing things the Holy Spirit can do through us when we yield ourselves to Him. By surrendering ourselves and raising our hands we are indicating to God that we are focus totally on Him. I used to wait until I got a certain feeling before I would raise my hands in worship, but I found out very quickly that when I offer to raise my hands in surrender to God I get that same feeling. For some reason raising my hands makes my heart more sensitive to the Holy Spirit.

(3) Focus on the words of the song we are singing. When we are all singing the same words we become unified in thought. The greatest miracles of the Church happen when we are in one accord. That means we are all putting our minds on the same thing. That is why the most effective worship songs have words that are directed to God. Did you ever notice that almost all of the Psalms are directed towards God?

I believe if you will help me with these simple things the worship experience at Eastside will be amazing and we will experience the presence of God in new and exciting ways. Most importantly, people’s needs will be met.

Justification and Propitiation

2011-04-18T13:38:00.000-04:00

Yesterday when I was talking about what Jesus did for us when He died on the crossed I spoke about two biblical concepts. And I would like to give you some further insight so that you can really understand what it is that Jesus did for us.

The first being justification. Sometimes I wonder if we don’t take the penalty for sin very seriously. Or if maybe we think that God just arbitrarily decided that there needed to be a price for sin. We need to know that there really is a price or a penalty for sin that must be served. Because if there in not then Jesus’ death was nothing more than some kind of game that God has played with us. I can assure you that Jesus didn’t suffer the excruciating pain of the cross just to placate God. He did it because there really is a cost to sin that must be paid for. So in order to find set us free from sin, we must be made innocent. That’s what Jesus death on the cross does; it makes us not guilty because Jesus took our guilt with Him to the cross. As He hung on the cross He bore are shame and guilt, in effect removing it from us. So we can stand before God justified – Just as if I never sinned.

The second concept I spoke about was propitiation. What this means is that the wrath of God is pointed at sin. God hates sin and yes he also hates those who sin, that is why they cannot be with Him. That is why He hates those things. So when we sin we become the object of God’s wrath…therefore Jesus became that object or propitiation. He substitutes Himself in our place so that when He died on the cross He was the object of the wrath of God.

For these reasons it should break our hearts when we sin. Because in our sin we are not justified and we are the object of God’s wrath. We need to learn to hate having sin in our lives. Because that sin cost Jesus His life.

We love God because He first loved us!

More Stuff About Earthquakes

2011-03-21T16:30:00.001-04:00

On Sunday I shared a message about the significance of earthquakes. And when I went to the first occasion of a quake in the scripture what I discovered is that it was the very first one to occur. And God when He did it was showing a sign to the nation of Israel.

Then Moses said, "This is how you will know that the LORD has sent me to do all these things and that it was not my idea: If these men die a natural death and experience only what usually happens to men, then the LORD has not sent me. But if the LORD brings about something TOTALLY NEW, and the earth opens its mouth and swallows them, with everything that belongs to them, and they go down alive into the grave, then you will know that these men have treated the LORD with contempt." --Numbers 16:28-30 (NIV)

So I believe that earthquakes are a significant sign. An earthquake occurred at Jesus death and at His resurrection. I am not so sure that earthquakes are as much about the judgment of God but more about being a sign of Jesus’ return. Jesus told us in Matthew 24 that when we hear of earthquakes in various places that we should look up because it means He is returning.

Let me take the opportunity to share with you a couple of things I didn’t get to say on Sunday…We should be reminded when there are earthquakes that they are the natural disaster that we cannot give a warning or even a lot of preparation for. The Japanese found this out…they built with the idea of an earthquake occurring, but were helpless to prepare for the resulting tsunami. So earthquakes have been and for the time being with be the most feared “act of God” we face. According to the Bible it is God who literally holds our world together…For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him ALL THINGS HOLD TOGETHER. --Colossians 1:16-17 (NIV) Once again, we see more evidence of God’s direct involvement in the occurrence of earthquakes.

One last point I want to share. According to Romans 8:19-22, creation itself is seeking for the return of Jesus and its release from the curse of sin. Verse 22 speaks of the creation moaning and groaning as it waits for Jesus to appear. Turns out the ultimate environmentalist is Jesus and the planet will literally be saved when He returns! Is it possible that the earthquakes are the result of a creation that is moaning and groaning? I don’t know for sure, but I do believe it is time to look up for our redemption is near!

PS. I am writing from Cleveland while on vacation and we are having a great time, but I am looking forward to Sunday! I can’t wait to see what God is going to do!

Under the Tree

2011-03-14T13:04:00.000-04:00

So in case you missed it we found out yesterday that when the serpent was tempting Eve to eat the forbidden fruit, Adam was right there…

When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. --Genesis 3:6 (NIV)

He was only as far away from her as the reach of her hand with the fruit! So while the Devil was tempting his wife, Adam was standing right there under the tree doing…nothing! I wonder how many wives there are in our churches under the attack of the enemy while the husband is right there doing nothing. I wonder how many children are struggling in their faith and the enemy is doing his number on them while Dad stands by doing nothing. I wonder how many churches and pastors are under attack from the forces of evil while the men of the Church stand by doing nothing.

Guys, to some this may sound chauvinistic, but we are the ones appointed by God to stand up and protect our wife, our kids, and our Church when they need it. I wonder what would happen to Eastside Assembly of God if the men got really serious about their faith. Imagine a Church where young men had role models of what it means to be a real man of faith, a godly husband and father. Imagine a Church where the men were doing spiritual battle.

I also believe there is a message in this for the whole Church, not just the guys…we live in a world that is dying and going to hell. Just like Adam, the Church is right there just letting it happen. Perhaps we are afraid, perhaps we worry what others will think, perhaps we don’t think it will make any difference, and perhaps there will be a too heavy a price to pay!

When I pastored in Bellevue, everyday I looked across the parking lot and saw a school. And I kept hearing how bad things where in the district. One day as I was praying God showed me that the Church was the last line of defense for the children of our community…if we didn’t do something then no one else would. I believe that to be no different in our world…we the Church, are the last line of defense against the sin and corruption of our nation and our world. Why are we just standing under the tree?

Prayer Cloths

2011-03-08T11:35:00.000-05:00

Now God worked unusual miracles by the hands of Paul, so that even handkerchiefs or aprons were brought from his body to the sick, and the diseases left them and the evil spirits went out of them. --Acts 19:11-12

I thought I would give some background on prayer cloths. We see from this passage that there came a time in the book of Acts that the early Christians took token items from Paul and when they were received by people who were sick, they were healed and also it says that demons were cast out of people by this method.

I do think it is important that we understand that there is nothing magical about this because any clear reading of this passage makes it clear that God was the one who caused these healing to occur. The prayer cloths were and are today merely instruments by which our faith can grow. The way I use a prayer cloth is that I tell people to receive this as a way of knowing that someone has prayed for them. So when they are discouraged and feel like God or no one else cares they can know by the prayer cloth that someone has called out their name before the throne of God. All healing is through God and He is gracious enough to honor most of the methods that we need in order to receive that healing.

I Stopped Interpreting the Bible

2011-03-07T08:47:00.001-05:00

As a pastor, I spend a lot of time studying the Bible. In the last few years I decided that I would just read the scriptures without trying to interpret the meaning. Why? Because I have come to the conclusion that when anybody, including even the most studied scholar, (by the way, aren’t these the guys who tell us the Bible isn’t really the inspired Word of God!) tries to interpret the Bible they inevitably add their own opinion. It is an inescapable occurrence and there is no way around it! And guess what? God gave us the scripture for us to see Him! So as bad as this may sound, I am simply not interested in someone’s opinion or even my own for that matter other than God’s. So when I read the Bible I take it literally.

Now I know right off the bat that there are going to be those who are going to say that just reading the Scriptures without digging in to find the deeper meaning is ignorant. And that is really what is at the heart of this subject. For too long the way one views the Bible has been used as a determining factor in assigning intelligence or ignorance. Only in my ignorance would I read the Bible without considering that circumstances surrounding its writing. After all, each book of the Bible was written for a specific audience, and I agree, especially the epistles of the New Testament. Even the four books of the Gospels; I get that and acknowledge it. We are also told that the culture was different because the Bible was written at least 2,000 years ago. So when we read what the Bible says we have to take in consideration these things. Well, I am going to show my ignorance and reveal just how shallow of a thinker I am. I don’t care about those things! There I said it, well actually I wrote it, and put it on the internet to forever follow me!

Here is why. I am going to start from the premise that God gave us the Bible in order for us to have a revelation of who He is and to tell us what we need to know about Him. He gave us the scriptures so that we could discover the way to salvation. (Psalm 119:11; 2 Timothy 3:16) If God is going to reveal Himself and the way towards salvation in the cryptic way the smart people tell us He does, then God is cruel! If He really wants us to understand Him and to know the way to salvation then He isn’t going to put the barrier of interpreting His Word and hoping that we get it right! 2 Chronicles 15:2 tells us that if we look for Him He will be found. God wants us to know Him; He wants us to be able to discover Him and His truth. So if that is the case, why would He make it so hard to get at the Truth! But then again, I am taking these verses at face value!

Is it possible that God could give us His Word in such a way that the generations of thousands of years could read and understand? Doesn’t God have the ability and the insight to give us His Word in such a way that we could all read it and understand the message He has sent to us? Couldn’t He have protected His Word even through translations into the different languages so that everyone who reads it could find Him? According to Jesus in Matthew 5:18 the law will be preserved until it all is fulfilled including every dot over the “i” and every cross of the “t”. If that is the case then God has gone to great lengths to see to it that when you and I, no matter how smart we are, pick up the Bible to read about Him, He will be revealed!

Just to be clear about this I want to list come of the things I believe due to my literal view of the Scriptures.

I believe…
· God created the world in six 24 hour days, 6,000 to 10,000 years ago…
· Noah really did build and ark and that every animal was on it...
· Jesus’ mother, Mary was a virgin at his birth…
· Jesus died on the cross for my sins…
· Jesus was resurrected from the dead after three days in the grave…
· The Holy Spirit came on the day of Pentecost and filled the church…
· The gifts of the Spirit are for today–including speaking in other tongues…
· In divine healing…
· In the devil…
· In a literal hell…
· Jesus will return before the tribulation and rapture the church…

I know some of these beliefs make me sound crazy…but that is the way all these things appear in the Bible…literally!

Dogmatic About Creation

2011-02-07T09:47:00.000-05:00

I want to share with you the reason I am dogmatic about the creation of the earth. I am very adamant that the earth was created in six literal days. I believe that the Bible is very clear that God started creating on Sunday and that Adam was created on the next Friday. Just to be clear, I believe that God took 144 hours to start and finish the creative process.

I believe that the biblical account of creation is critical to the faith and trust that I can put into the Scriptures. If I cannot believe what the Bible says about creation and the way it says the world was made then how can I ever trust that God loves me and sent His Son the die for my sins? How can I believe any of the other things the Bible says are true? If the Bible at its beginning isn’t truthful then how can I trust the ending, where we are in heaven with God? If I don’t believe that God created the world and that He created me than I do not and cannot believe the Bible is very word of God.

I also do not believe that the Bible was given to us to bring confusion to our faith. If I am to follow the logic of Christians who want to reject the manner that the Bible says the world was created, then I am going to be confused. Let give you an example, if God didn’t create the world in six days then why does the Bible say He did? And if the word day doesn’t mean day then why would God use terms that would only serve to confuse and cause me to doubt? As far as I can see, confusion is the method that the enemy uses. It was his first tool – God gave Adam and Eve one rule in the garden. Don’t eat of one particular tree. And everything was fine until Satan decided to bring confusion. The very first words out of the Devil’s mouth were, “did God really say, you shall not eat of every tree of the garden?" You see, confusion is Satan’s tool and that leads to sin. God is a God of order not of confusion. He has no intention of tricking us by bringing confusion. So I choose to believe that when the Bible says days that it really means what it sounds like it means – days.

Lastly, I believe in six twenty-four hour days, because not to opens the door, be it ever so slightly, to the idea that the world was created through the evolutionary process. And the reason I must, as a believer reject that is because the sole purpose of the concept of evolution is to deny the existence of God. Creation is proof of God and it gives me the assurance that God loves me (after all He created me) and it gives me true purpose to why I am here. I was created by Him and for Him – that’s a great plan!

Getting Past the Past…

2011-01-31T10:24:00.001-05:00

Four years ago when God brought me to Eastside, I found a Church of great people who had been deeply wounded. They had been struggling to hold their Church together and on top of that had to endure a negative reputation, (not because they did anything wrong; but simply because they stayed and didn’t abandon the ship). I knew the minute I met the leaders of this Church that something really good was at Eastside, it was just hard to see underneath the sadness. As a matter of fact, during my interview there was a time when I had a sense that the committee was broken and so we set the interview aside and began to pray for healing, and we cried together. I knew in that instant that God wanted me to come and lead our Church out of that sadness and into rejoicing.

There is nothing wrong with being sad. However, sadness needs to be a place we only visit and not where we live! I have discovered that many great treasures are hidden under sadness. Underneath sadness I have found people deeply committed to their faith and to their brothers and sisters in the Lord. I also found people willing to do whatever was necessary to help their Church make it through the tough days. There were also people looking for someone to love. All of those things are the making of a very successful Church. All that needed to happen was for the veil of sorrow to be lifted. And that is were the transforming power of God comes into the picture. God won’t let you live in your sadness. Here is a little secret a lot of Christians don’t know…God brings joy!

So after four years I can truly say that at Eastside Assembly of God we laugh. We like to have a good time. And we believe that when people find God; He brings joy and happiness into their life. I have watched as that curtain of sorrow has been lifted from people when they begin to sense the joy of the Lord. Every time I hear our Church laugh I know that God is doing something good to our hearts.

“A merry heart does good, like medicine…” (Proverbs 17:22) in other words it makes us feel better and brings healing to us!

Enduring Doctrine

2011-01-24T11:05:00.001-05:00

So I have been preaching about doctrine lately, because I really believe that many of the issues that are arising in the church today are the result of Christians not knowing good doctrine. The Apostle Paul says, “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.” --2 Timothy 4:3-4.

There’s something I noticed in this passage, Paul says they will not ENDURE sound doctrine. And right there we see the problem; the church perceives doctrine as something to be endured. I don’t know about you but when I feel like something has to be endured I avoid it! Reminds me of peas, they may be good for you but when I eat them, I have to endure them, so I avoid them at all cost. And sadly, many believers feel the same way about doctrine.

But, we need to know church doctrine. Because without it we have no hope of living successfully as Christians. Did you know that the Bible was given to us for the express purpose of teaching us doctrine? Really! God sent us His Word so that we would know Him and know how to find the plan that He has for us! Here is something maybe you haven’t recognized about doctrine. Doctrine is the tool that we use to become the person God has created us to be. You will never find the will of God for your life outside of doctrine.

One last thing, Christianity is about relationship. And all relationships have rules or guidelines to be followed. So while we should be really focused on our relationship with God we should acknowledge the rules that come with that relationship. And doctrine helps us know those rules and helps us get closer to God and fulfill everything God has planned for us.

Ok, with all that said here is my commitment to you: As I teach and preach on doctrine I will try to find ways to make it exciting and not something to be endured! But know this every once in a while you have to eat your peas! (yuck)

A Literal Christian

2010-12-21T11:53:00.001-05:00

Literal: true to fact; not exaggerated; actual or factual: a literal description of conditions. Being actually such, without exaggeration or inaccuracy.

I have been doing a lot of thinking lately about my mission this next year at Eastside Assembly of God. And I am convinced that what God wants from me it to teach Christian doctrine to the church. I know, I know, it sounds really boring. But I am realizing that too many people who attend church, not only Eastside, do not know what it really means to be a Christian. And the reason is because we avoid the doctrine, or the beliefs of the church. I am surprised in my conversations with people who are regular attendees of church at their beliefs concerning God, the Bible, The Church, life, death, the world, heaven, hell, tithing, the Holy Spirit, etc. So this next year I am going to put a real emphasis on teaching the doctrines of the Church. I will try to make it exciting too!

So with that said, here is why I am really writing this…I want to be a literal Christian. Not just the kind of Christian who was born into a family that goes to church. But I want to really live the Christian life. So I believe every word of the Bible to be the Word of God. I take the Bible literally. Now I know there are some symbolic things in there, but most of the Scriptures are to be taken literally. And when they are symbolic it is clear that they are not literal.

UNDERSTANDING THE BIBLE IS NOT ROCKET SCIENCE.
The reason God gave us the Scripture was so that we could have intimate knowledge of Him. It doesn’t make any sense for the Bible to be hard to understand. I do not believe that God made the Scriptures hard to get. It doesn’t serve His purpose! And the easiest way to understand the Bible is the read it literally. Read it for what it actually says.

On December 5th I wrote on here some crazy things I believe. They aren’t really crazy but the world thinks they are… I believe these things based on reading the Bible and taking it literally. In other words, I believe whatever the Bible says!

So for 2011, my mission is to convince the church to be literally Christian! It will be interesting and it will be fun! Literally!

Christmas, Family, and Church

2010-12-21T11:29:00.000-05:00

This last Sunday reminded me of why I am so blessed to be a part of Eastside Assembly of God. Sunday morning to see how much talent God has blessed our church with was a real reminder of how fortunate I am. I have to give a big shout out to Bill Moore and the Adult chorale for an excellent presentation. I enjoyed the whole service.

I also got to do something that the Church as a whole doesn’t know…so you get to be an “insider” on this. I had a family in the church that made a generous donation for the purpose of getting Christmas present for children in our church. We were able to bless five children with a Christmas miracle this year. I am so thankful to be part of a congregation of generous people!

Then on Sunday Evening I was so blessed to get to pray over the families of our church. Every time I pray I am reminded of all the great friendships God has given to my family and me. How funny was it to see Aaron get all those hugs? I know that Pastors are always saying that they love their church; but I want to tell you that I really, really do love Eastside Assembly of God, and I thank God everyday that I get to Pastor such a wonderful church!

I also am blessed with a wonderful family. I am so glad that Gloria and Aaron make up my immediate family. They are my best friends in the world. And both of them always do whatever I need them to do to help me Pastor the Church, They never say no. And I also have to say that this last year has reminded how important my extended family is to me. Growing up I always complained about having three sisters (I still think with good reason), however as we are now adults, notice I didn’t say grown up or mature, I know that I really love them and am glad to have them in my life. I know that I could call Jennifer, Allison, and Valeri and Nathan, and they would do anything I needed them to do!

So I know that this has been pretty sappy but I needed to tell everyone how blessed I feel this Christmas!

I believe some crazy things!

2010-12-05T17:13:00.004-05:00

In 2006 I was writing for a local "ecumenical" magazine and realized very quickly that the things I believed...the things I thought were part of Biblical Christianity...were not what many Christians believed. So in 2007 when I came to Eastside one of the first Bible studies I taught was based on this list. I wanted to start off with everyone knowing where I was coming from in terms of my personal beliefs. I know that there are many other "crazy" things I believe but these seem to be the most notable. I posted this list in 2008 but I feel like I want to share it again!

I believe...

...God created the world in six 24 hour days

...Noah really did build an ark and that every animal was on it

...Jesus is the Son of God

...That Jesus’ mother, Mary was a virgin at his birth

...Jesus died on the cross for my sins

...Jesus was resurrected from the dead after three days in the grave

...The Holy Spirit came on the day of Pentecost and filled the church

...The gifts of the Spirit are for today–including speaking in other tongues

...In divine healing

...There is a difference between right and wrong

...In the devil

...In a literal hell

...Jesus will return before the tribulation and rapture the church

...God loves even me

...The Bible!

Only on Sunday

2010-11-29T09:11:00.000-05:00

Yesterday in my message I mentioned that coming to church only on Sunday wasn’t enough to successfully live the Christian life. I want to further explore this area.

Because of the thanksgiving weekend we didn’t have services last Wednesday and last night (Sunday). Around 6:00 pm I was watching TV and realized that if this had been a normal Sunday Evening we would just be starting Church. As I though about that I realized that I actually missed being at church. Not because I had a great lesson to teach but because I missed seeing and being with the people of our church. And I was reminded of what I had said earlier in the day about coming to church only on Sunday morning. By the way, I didn’t say that to challenge people into coming to more of the weekly services, but because I have been thinking about all the tools we are provided with to be strong in our Christian walk, but don’t take advantage of them. One of those is being with other believers.

…not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching. --Hebrews 10:25

Notice that the Bible says that we should spend more time together as we see the return of the Lord getting closer. Now here is the point I want to get across to you…I really am praying for our people to have curiosity about the things of God. Because this will motivation for you to seek out all the God stuff. Here is a list in case you don’t know them. Praying, reading the Bible and other Christian books, spending time with believers.

As good as we make the Sunday morning service; it will never be enough to teach you everything you need to know about God and how to live successfully as a follower of Jesus. Let me make this offer to you. I will do everything I can to make sure that every time we come together as a church it will be worth the effort it takes to get there. But beyond that God has already promised that if we seek Him, He will be found. Here are a few suggestions for growing in the faith.

Spend some time in prayer each day – don’t worry about how much time; just pray everyday.
Read the Bible – start will something easy like the book of Luke.
Find a time to regularly be with other believers – Adult Sunday School, Sunday night, Wednesday night, Men’s breakfast, Women’s Petal group, Tuesday morning prayer group, Thursday’s Holy Spirit teaching, or the Saturday Bible study. Call us and we can give you information on all of these groups and classes.

BE CURIOUS!

Five Chances to Avoid Sin

2010-11-04T11:34:00.001-04:00

But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death. --James 1:14-5

There are several passages from the Scripture that every believer should know. One of these is from James. This passage shows us how we can avoid sinning. The key is that we need to always be aware of where we are in the events of each day and where they are leading us. In James the scripture shows us the five steps towards committing sin. If we know these and become aware that they are working on our life we them have a really good chance at avoiding sinful behavior.

1. Tempted – the opportunity presents itself.
2. Drawn by desire – it becomes attractive.
3. Enticed – it develops a continual place in your thoughts.
4. Desire conceived – a plan to achieve it is developed.
5. Birth of sin – you follow through and commit the action.

Every sin can be avoided by stopping on any of the first four steps towards the birth of sin. And you can know that the Holy Spirit is doing all He can to warn you at each one!

Touched By Salvation

2010-10-14T09:42:00.001-04:00

For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. --1 Corinthians 15:53

So I have been thinking lately about this passage. I used to think that when we are raptured or resurrected that everything would be put back as it was when God first created the world. That we would be given bodies like Adam had before he sinned. But when I read this passage from 1 Corinthians 15, (which is becoming one of my favorite passages!) I am becoming convinced that what God has in mind for us is way better than what Adam had before the curse.

We will have incorruptible bodies after the resurrection. (v.52) That means we will have a body that is impervious to sin. We will have bodies that will no longer be subjected to temptation. WE WON’T EVEN BE TEMPTED TO SIN! We will have bodies that cannot be corrupted! That is way better than the body Adam had because his body was able to be corrupted by sin. (obviously!)

So why the difference? Why is it that after the resurrection we will be given bodies better than Adam’s? The answer can be summed up in one word, salvation. Church, once we have been touched by the salvation of Jesus we are set on a path that will one day lead us to complete freedom from sin or even the ability to commit sin! That is why we will be able to live in the very presence of God for all eternity! Adam and Eve only got to meet with God in the cool of the day – one moment each day. But we will live with Him eternally! Why because salvation is just that powerful!

Our Rescue!

2010-10-13T08:56:00.001-04:00

So last night I went to bed early, but I woke up around midnight and turned on the TV. The second of the Chilean miners was being brought up out of the mine. Those men had been over 2,000 feet below the surface of the earth since early August. I couldn’t help but see the comparison between those miners and our own situation as Christians waiting for the day when we hear the blast of the trumpet and are rescued from our present life.

On that day many people who have been in the ground for a very long time will be brought to the surface and then immediately rocketed into the sky to come face to face with the rescuer. (This by the way is exactly what savior means!) Reunited with family and friends just as that miner. Also think of the change that is coming, their lives will never be the same. And the same goes for us! There will also be a change in living conditions. Just as those miners were forced to live in darkness only receiving occasional messages and help from above to encourage them to hold out until the day would come. We too are looking forward to living in a world that far surpasses where we are now!

But more than that, for almost 70 days these men have been living in captivity to their underground world. And while they were down there they spent those days preparing for their freedom from the ground. Believe it or not they worked 12 hour shifts to help clear debris away from the area where the hole would be drilled for their rescue. Church, every thing we are doing during our 70 or so years ought to be in preparation for the coming of our rescuer! The culmination of our earthly existence is for our ascension to our heavenly home.

Lastly, we no more belong on this earth than those miners belonged in that half mile deep hole in the ground! Someday soon a light will pierce through the clouds, the sky will open the blast of the trumpet will sound and we will be set free!

The days of our lives are seventy years; And if by reason of strength they are eighty years, Yet their boast is only labor and sorrow; For it is soon cut off, and we fly away. --Psalms 90:10

The Power of Salvation

2010-09-07T13:41:00.001-04:00

For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. (1 Corinthians 1:18 NKJV)

We are starting a new series of messages, “The Kingdom of Heaven”. As I am thinking about heaven it occurs to me that while Heaven certainly is a literal place, it also is the representation of man’s restoration to God. When we get to Heaven we will be in the very presence of God without the barrier of evil that hinders us in the world today. So when we get there we will be able to relate to God in ways that are unimaginable to us now!

Heaven will put things back to way they were before sin interrupted our relationship with God. But there will be one difference between the way things were before man sinned and the Heaven that awaits us – SALVATION! The power of salvation is so great that after it is all said and done, things will actually be better! When we get to Heaven we will go to Paradise, not the Garden of Eden, we will always be in the very presence of God, not just in the “cool of the day” (Genesis 3). When we get to Heaven there will be the tree of life (Revelation 22), but not the tree of “Knowledge of Good and Evil”. God will be there, Jesus will be there, the Holy Spirit will be there, but Satan will not. Why? Because Jesus’ salvation is so powerful that the eternity originally planned for Adam and Eve in the garden is surpassed. The freedom we get from salvation also means eternal freedom. Freedom from the wickedness of sin that tempts us. The Garden Eden was not perfect, it contained temptation and a tempter, but heaven will be perfect! There will be nothing to entice us away from God!

The Devil meant to destroy us, to ruin God’s plan for eternal fellowship with Him, but salvation gave us an even better future and left Satan with nothing! You and I will go beyond the Garden of Eden to Heaven by the power of salvation!

Between Here & There

2010-08-24T09:06:00.002-04:00

For just a moment I want to take you on a journey, a journey much like the one Dad embarked on Saturday August 14, 2010.

What if when you closed your eyes instead of darkness there was a great light? What if when you closed your eyes instead of the fogginess of a dream there was clarity and focus? What if when you closed your eyes instead of shadows there was revelation?

Imagine if you will, being inside a vessel that is slowly but surely shutting itself down. Parts of this vessel no longer operate; they don’t function as they had before. You just have snippets of awareness as you start to leave this vessel in which you have traveled for 81 years. There are your loved ones around you as you awake and then sleep and then awake again. Light, darkness, light again for a brief time.

You ask yourself if you’re dreaming. It may be hard to know what is real and what is not. This happens to you for some time, it is an experience that you have never had before, yet somehow seems familiar. You awaken and hear someone praying and then a brief flash of awareness as you hear someone say the name of Jesus. As you open your eyes you see the people you love and then back to the dream. And then there is something that draws your attention far off in the distance. At first you’re not sure, but then you recognize that someone is calling your name. A voice that you can’t place at first, but then you know that you have often heard it before. You have heard it in the middle of the night, when you couldn’t sleep, you heard it speaking to you when you prayed, and you’ve heard it give you comfort, guidance, and even understanding. You still can’t see who it is that is calling you; they are just too far away.

But then there He is, is it really? Am I dreaming again? But now the voices and prayers of your loved ones have slowly faded, and now all you hear is the voice of the Master calling your name.

I also wonder if somewhere in heaven an angel taps my mother on the shoulder – come follow me I want you to see something…Imagine Dad walking into the gates of heaven with multitudes waiting for his arrival.

You know we can never know for certain what Dad experienced on that day but I do know this. For him that was the greatest moment ever for him as he crossed from this life to his eternal reward.

Failure is always obvious, while success is often obscure

2010-07-30T12:09:00.001-04:00

So here is something I have been thinking about lately…it seems that whenever there is something negative that happens it gets a lot more attention than the good. I have also noticed that we tend to listen to negative people more than those who are positive. We even criticize positive people by saying things like “they have their head in the clouds”, while praising the negative people by saying that they are being realistic. Really? Is that really true? That the positive person is the one having trouble with the truth, while the negative person is more honest in their assessment. Well you can call me naive if you want but I think I am going to start believing the positive reports and ideas. What if honesty and truth can co-exist with a positive attitude?

If something is broken and needs to be fixed it takes a positive person to believe and see a way to repair what is broken. The negative person will just believe nothing can be done and quit. By the way, it is easier and takes much less work to be negative, because negative people never contribute to the work, they just stand back and tell us that it can’t be done. At the end of the day the negative person walks away with their complaints and the positive walks away with accomplishment!

Failure is always obvious, while success is often obscure. I have never had to convince anyone of failure within the church, but I spend a great deal time having to defend, and prove success!

I believe God is doing amazing things in the Church or do I have my head in the clouds? The weather is fine up here!

Scary Stuff

2010-07-19T10:27:00.004-04:00

So how do you tell someone that if they don’t get saved now before the rapture that the only way to get to heaven afterwards is to be beheaded and not sound scary?

I have to tell you I like the Sunday messages where I get to tell you guys about all the wonderful things about God. But every once in a while we need to be reminded that we have a choice: We will either face Jesus as a loving and caring savior or a righteous and just judge. And I believe that one of my jobs as pastor is to see to it that you get to heaven and so from time to time we need to have a talk about the consequences of allowing the world to crowd out what the Spirit is trying to do through us. You see the truth is there are a lot of people who are trying to find salvation through a different means than the one God created for us.

I don’t want to die and go to hell! I don’t want Jesus to return and be left behind! I have had this fear ever since I was a child. So I decided a long time ago to learn and study everything I could about Bible prophecy. I will be honest some of it is scary, but the scary stuff won’t happen to believers. If we are saved we will miss all of that. The more I learn and the more I study about the last days, the more I am comforted in the knowledge that I am going to go to heaven. And that is what I want for you, I want you to be secure in the knowledge that God has provided you with everything you need so that should you die or should Jesus come today, you will go to heaven.

For us who are be lievers, the study of the last days will be a source of comfort! For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. THEREFORE COMFORT ONE ANOTHER WITH THESE WORDS. --1 Thessalonians 4:16-18

You see, that isn’t so scary!

Christian Liberty

2010-07-15T11:31:00.000-04:00

So last night in teaching the part of scripture where Paul is talking about the subject of eating meat offered to idols, I was surprised to learn how unfamiliar we are with the concept of liberty as believers. I even asked the question, “has anyone taught this to you before?” and the answer was no. (Actually the answer should have been yes because I taught Romans chapters 7 and 8 just last year. Maybe it wasn’t all that memorable!) So I want to use this page to address the issue. We need to know that as Christians we have been given the gift of liberty!

Here is the problem – we who have been saved a long time too easily forget that Christianity is not about following the rules it is all about establishing a relationship with God. After all that is why God created Adam and Eve, He wanted to establish a relationship or even better, a friendship with us, but we chose to reject that friendship. Salvation is all about putting us back into friendship with God! The reason for the rules was to give us the chance to either choose or reject God as our friend. God doesn’t want us to be coerced into being His friend. But far too often the church has reduced the Christian life as following the regulations God has given us. But here is something I want you to think about: as I begin to truly love God there is less need for the laws. The more I love God following His rules just becomes a part of who I am.

Just like being raised by my parents, they taught me how to be a good, safe, and courteous man by giving me rules when I was a child. But at some point they realized that I no longer needed their direction because I had become the kind of person they had raised me to be. (Just a disclaimer, my Dad might not really want to take credit for the kind of person I have become, nevertheless, I’m giving it to him, whether he likes it or not, because I am an adult and I am no longer afraid that he will ground me.) In other words, they no longer punish me for not obeying their rules, because I just instinctively live within them. So really at some point if I am growing as a Christian, God gets to start treating me as an adult. And then I get to live in the liberty that God has given me from the law.

Here is the key – I don’t live according to the laws, but according to the Spirit. What is the difference? Living according to the Spirit means I am living in relationship with God. The law is inanimate, while the Spirit is the person of God. There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. (Romans 8:1 NKJV)

The reason this is so important is that we Christians need to do a better job at sharing our faith, because if we keep thinking that Christianity is about following the rules two things will happen, no one will want to be a Christian, why would anyone choose bondage? And secondly, new believers will become frustrated and walk away from the faith. Christianity is about relating and interacting with the Spirit and the Church is about relating and interacting with God’s people. God is a relational God and He wants us in community with Him and each other. Through this we have true liberty!

I will be adding more thoughts about this in coming days!

A Big Thank You

2010-06-14T09:37:00.002-04:00

I just wanted to say a great big thank you to Merry Weber and all of her helpers for a great VBS. I may have had just as much fun as the kids did! I don't know if people are getting tired of it but once again Eastside proved to be a great church. I also want to thank everyone who came last night to put our church back in order!

I will be away on vacation this week; someone told me not to think about the church this week, but I really love thinking and praying about our church because I know that God has some really great things in store for us!

Thank you for loving me and my family, we will see you when we get back!

Prayer Meetings

2010-05-03T11:22:00.002-04:00

Ok, I want to share something with you that may not be something a believer, much less a pastor should admit. I don’t like prayer meetings. Every time I go to a prayer meeting my one thought is, “how can I get out of here!" I know, I know, this isn’t good, but for some reason I just don’t like spending large amounts of time praying and prayer meetings obligate to something I am incapable of doing. I have to be honest, when I have shared my secret with other believers I never got the help I was looking for, instead I was told all the reasons why we should pray. So my guilt over this has been an obstacle in my faith. What I didn’t do was take it to God. And when I did I found this quote: “I don’t often spend more than half an hour in prayer at one time, but I never go more than half an hour without praying”. --Smith Wigglesworth. Imagine my surprise to find out that the greatest Pentecostal evangelist of the 19th and 20th centuries didn’t spend long periods of time praying. What he did was exactly what the Bible tells us to do. “Pray without ceasing…” 1 Thessalonians 5:17. This is something I can do and frankly have been doing all along.

I know that there is benefit to devoting a segment of time to praying, and believe me when the circumstance presents itself I can pray and pray intensely. But here is what I want the people of Eastside to know. God has designed prayer in such a way that we can all do it no matter what our personality dictates. God likes all prayers and He wants us to pray! No excuses! Just pray.

Just so you know, I believe that by God’s help I will be able to develop the discipline to pray better and who knows maybe even longer. But I will pray and from now one I will actually enjoy doing it. And how great was last night’s prayer meeting, I walk away from the church knowing I had been in the very presence of God!

Episcopalians, People leaving early, and 1 John 1:9

2010-04-26T10:16:00.002-04:00

Some Sundays really stand out and yesterday was no exception. We have been working on the sound for our worship team because we have been very fortunate to add new instruments in the last few months. So there have been problems with getting everything balanced, but in spite of that there have been some tremendous worship services. Someone told me lately it feels really good to come to Eastside and feel like it is church, meaning it feels good to know that God is here! Now in every church there are different tastes for how the worship service should be. Some like a more vibrant, active, and energetic worship time, while others want a worship experience that is reflective, quiet, and tranquil. (yes, I used a big word and I actually know what it means!). So to try and accommodate everyone’s wishes is almost impossible. And it seems to be a hopeless task for there to be much compromise. Now for those who may not know this Eastside is a Pentecostal church and Pentecostals tend towards a more active worship service than say, Episcopalians who like things more sedate. Eastside has both! But we are working hard on it and will find that middle ground before too long. My vision is that Eastside provides an effective worship experience, for both the Pentecostal and the Episcopalian!

Hey, what is with people leaving early? Well I need to be honest because that isn’t what I’m really after so let me ask the real question I am thinking about – When it comes to Sunday plans, why are the Christians always the ones to compromise their time? Not wanting to get too heavy here, just asking? If we don’t respect our churches enough to stay until the end; how will our unsaved family and friends ever hope to share that same respect? When we believers allow such disruption to our attendance how do we make the case that being part of the church is an essential part of the Christian’s walk? Like I said, just asking.

Do you still remember the verse we memorized yesterday! I hope that you will take me up on my challenge to remember it, because I think you will be surprised at how often you will be able to use it when sharing your faith with unbelievers!

I expect that we can all agree that Eastside is a great church, and that it is ok to enjoy the times we come together! I am glad to be part of a church that tolerates and hopefully appreciates a Pastor who likes to laugh, and cry, but mostly laugh, with the people he loves!

Becoming the Person God Wants Me to Be

2010-04-07T08:25:00.000-04:00

For a long time now I have felt the challenge of the Lord to become the kind of person God wants me to be. Which after being a believer since I was eight years old, you would think I had figured out how to do that. But guess what? Not that I haven’t been trying, it is just that no matter how much I try I still find it hard to elude the wickedness of my heart. But in searching the scripture I have found that there is a very simple method that God wants me to practice that will help me become the person He wants me to be. It is so simple that I am surprised that I have missed it. (Well, on second thought, I’m not sure I really missed it as much as I resisted it) The Bible gives several directives to examination of who we are and the things we do. As a matter of fact, self-examination is included in the celebration of the communion, which we are told to carry out on a regular basis. In other words, God wants us to take the time to examine life regularly.

So over the next few weeks I am going to be bringing a series of messages during the Sunday services which will challenge us in the areas of life we should examine. These messages may be hard to receive because one or more of these areas will probably hit close to home. I know that because they all do that to me. So for the rest of this month lets just consider the things God will speak to us as taking a journey together. Sometimes we will cry together, and sometimes we will laugh together. The reason I bring that up is because self examination has to be real and will probably reveal things we would rather deny, but as we share together it will be easier to see the truth of who we are and the areas we must surrender to God. So I wrote this as a way of asking permission to meddle into your life as we talk about becoming the person God wants you to be. Can you handle it? I hope so because in the end it will be worth it!

Thoughts about Miracles

2010-03-08T10:30:00.001-05:00

For a long time I was under the impression that if we were in need of a miracle that we had to find a way to get God’s attention. I thought that when we prayed, what we were really doing was trying to get God to notice us and to notice our need. But I am finding that in many ways I have been wrong about this.

Yesterday, as Lori was sharing about the miracles that God was doing in the healing of Landon, I started to come to terms with the idea that God knows we need a miracle because He allows us to be put in that place. But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive. --Genesis 50:20. Joseph made this insightful statement to his brothers who had sold him into slavery to Egypt – their intention was to destroy him because of their jealousy. But God had another plan, a plan to use the evil that was done in order to do something amazing for Joseph and also for the people of Egypt. So when things happen to me God can take those negative things and use them to do something remarkable through me, to me, and to those in my life. Don’t get me wrong I don’t want bad things to happen to me or to those I love, but I do want miraculous things to happen. As I surrender my life to God and let Him lead me I get to live an interesting, if not extraordinary life!

One more thing, I am always humbled that I get to pray for people and their needs, thank you so much for trusting me to pray for your needs. But most of all thank you for letting me pray for you, because it allows me to fulfill what God has called me to do!

When Jesus Seeks Faith

2010-03-01T13:35:00.001-05:00

In my message yesterday we looked at a question Jesus was asked, “will there be few saved?” And Jesus gives this answer, He says, “Strive to enter though the narrow door.” And then He goes on to talk about people who think they are saved but must not be after all. So on the way home I always ask Gloria how I did and she said what she almost always says, “it was good.” (OK, I need to put this answer in some kind of context because reading it doesn’t give you the true flavor of her answer, she didn’t say, “It was GOOD.” It was more like, it was good, like it was just above being boring.) But Aaron said, “Dad, I like it when you talk to us about the rapture.” Wow, my 12 year old likes hear about the rapture. So I want to share just a couple things that I didn’t get a chance to say.

There is a verse in the Bible that says this -"I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?" (Luke 18:8) So here we have Jesus Himself, the One who will return essentially asking when He comes back will He find anyone to rapture. Of course He will because what He is telling us in the passage is to be vigilant about the things of God…especially prayer. Is the church really praying for Him to return? Imagine wanting to go somewhere to do something totally amazing – like take people to heaven to live eternally, but finding, that as much as Jesus wants to return, the church isn’t all that sure. I will say this, the older I get the more ready I am to go. I’d like to stay here for a long time, but if Jesus takes me I am fine with that because I have been able to live a pretty good life. But the older I get the more ready I am to let go. But truthfully, I can’t remember the last time I prayed for Jesus to return.

One more thing, you don’t have to wait to until death to find the assurance of salvation. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9) The good news is that Jesus not only wants to return, but he really does want to find people waiting for Him and He has set everything up for us to succeed if we really want to. I want to leave you with one more scripture. The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:9). He is giving us enough time to get right with Him before He returns. Oh, He is definitely going to find faith, the question is will it be YOU?

Forgive Us As We Forgive Others

2010-02-08T11:04:00.000-05:00

So what should we do when God requires us to do something beyond or ability to do? Yesterday we talked about forgiveness and we discovered a couple of things about being a Christian and forgiveness.

First, for the Christian forgiveness is mandatory. Second, for the Christian forgiveness is restoration. According to the example that God gave us, restoration is the completion of the process of forgiveness. God created forgiveness before the world was created. We know this because the Bible says that our righteousness was planned before the foundation of the world. And the whole point of God’s forgiveness is to restore the broken relationship that existed between God and ourselves. As Christians, the forgiveness we receive from God is connected to our forgiving others. And through God’s act of forgiveness we are restored to fellowship with Him. So what God wants from us is to forgive and then to restore broken relationships.

Now as I was putting last week’s message together I realized that I do not want to be restored to some of the people who have offended or hurt me in my past. I think this happens with a lot of us. Because we in the church have tried to redefine forgiveness as something that we can do to feel better about being hurt or offended. We even say things like if we forgive, then the person who benefits is ourselves. (I cannot find that backed up anywhere in scripture) So we forgive but don’t do anything to restore or repair the broken relationship, because even though we forgive them, we still don’t want to deal with them. Why? Because what we don’t want to accept, and what we don’t want to experience is the part of forgiveness that no one and I mean no one ever talks about – pain.

Yes, the forgiveness that God extends to you and to me caused Him pain. There is no way around it. If God were to forgive the way we do, He would feel better but not offer us restoration. God doesn’t forgive so that He feels better or to benefit Himself, but to restore us to Him and that caused Him great pain.

So here is where I struggle – restoration is going to mean pain, embarrassment, humiliation, and vulnerability. Exactly the things Jesus endured when He forgave me!

I’m looking forward to hearing your stories of forgiveness over the next few weeks!

Don’t Be Drunk: Be Filled

2010-02-01T14:18:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, we concluded a series of messages on the Holy Spirit. The last message was all about living in the Spirit. There are three areas that I want to address from that message.

First, the gifts of the Spirit are essential for believers in today’s world. 2,000 years ago the gift of tongues was controversial and misunderstood and it still is today! I am asked quite often if speaking in tongues is necessary for salvation and the answer is no, but with this caveat. When I answer that question I feel like I am really telling that person that tongues is not necessary at all. And that is not the case. The baptism of the Holy Spirit is necessary! Let me write that again – The baptism of the Holy Spirit is necessary! And the evidence of the baptism is speaking in other tongues (I’ll tackle this subject in another message). Being a Christian in today’s world is hard and you and I need all the help we can get to be successful. God has provided us with the help we need; it is through the baptism of the Holy Spirit.

Secondly, the gifts of the Spirit are specific abilities for specific circumstances, while the fruit of the Spirit are God’s expectation for us. One of the things I find very interesting is that one of the most famous chapters in the Bible is 1 Corinthians 13 (The “Love Chapter”). But notice its location. 1 Corinthians 12 is where we find the gifts of the Spirit; chapter 14 is the instruction manual for using the gifts, and right in between is a chapter totally devoted to the definition of love. Think of it a chapter of love right in the middle of the most Pentecostal section of the Bible! Pentecost and love are connected.

Lastly, I bet a lot of you were surprised when the conclusion of my message about living in the Spirit addressed the issue of alcohol! Be here is why I did it. In order to live in the Spirit we must be yielded to Him. We say the things the Spirit enables us to say, we think according to the Spirit, (the mind of Christ), and we act according to the conviction of the Spirit. The scripture draws the comparison between being drunk and being filled, why because both involved yielding and influence. When you are drunk you are under the influence of alcohol, when you are filled you are under the influence of the Spirit. What or who’s influence are you under? To what or who are you yielded?

Life Pivots

2010-01-28T09:59:00.000-05:00

Last night I spoke about how God will bring changes to our lives and I gave the example of my own journey coming from my previous church to Eastside. I shared about my personal struggle in the transformation of my ministry, because the two churches I have served has pastor are completely different. So why does God bring these changes in our lives? Speaking for myself, it was to allow me to stretch my ministry skills. The way I minister now is on a much more spiritual level than before. Now I am more in tune with the Holy Spirit than at any time in life. I am more aware and more sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit in my personal life and in my ministry. I feel more Pentecostal in my ministry!

One thing I didn’t say last night was the difference in the level of stress. Do I still get stressed? Absolutely, but now I don’t stay there very long, because I am surrounded by people who pick me up, dust me off, and get me on my way again. So if God is bringing change to your life, just go wherever He leads and expect great things, at the end of the day you will become better at what you are called to do.

One More Thing About the Gifts

2010-01-25T09:54:00.000-05:00

When it comes to the gifts of the Spirit, I think most people want to be used but they are afraid. What they are afraid of is that the Holy Spirit may cause them to do something weird. Let’s be real here – sometimes the way we do things in the Pentecostal Church seems strange to people who haven’t been exposed to the Pentecostal ways of doing Church. Hey, I was raised in a Pentecostal Church and some of what I have seen has been pretty strange. But think about it – isn’t it a strange experience to have God visit us?

Let me show you what I mean. I am not around famous people very often. I don’t even know any famous people. So on the few occasions when I have been around or met someone famous the whole event was surreal. (I think this might be a fancy word for strange…I just looked it up and yes I can use it that way.) So how normal should things be if the very presence of God is with us? How normal should things be when we go into the “house of the Lord”? This last summer I went to Graceland, the home of Elvis. We were in the basement and there is a room where Elvis spent a lot of time with his friends and this lady standing next to me has her arm extended taking in the “spirit” of the room. See what I mean, even going to a famous person’s house you will see people doing strange things! By the way, I did it too cause Elvis is cool and I was hoping some of him would rub off on me – Gloria assured me it didn’t work.

So yes sometimes being Pentecostal will seem strange. But the thing about God is that we still get to decide how strange we will be. When we are used by the Spirit we are still in control. (1 Corinthians 14:32) As a matter of fact, I find that most of the time the gift that I am given to use often reflects my personality or a skill I have naturally. This isn’t always the case because sometimes the gift given is the gift needed for the circumstance. But quite often God who, by the way, knows me very well will use me in a gift that closely fits who I am.

Here is the bottom line, don’t let fear hold you back from being used by God. He doesn’t want to embarrass you, He wants to use you, and He wants you to be used successfully.

The Truth About Being Pentecostal

2010-01-19T08:55:00.000-05:00

Ok, I admit it, we Pentecostals are sometimes emotional in our worship, our praying, and sometimes even in our preaching (my favorite is the guy who preaches so fast he can’t breathe and ends every sentence with “hut”.) but I can tell you that there is a really good reason for this --- Being Pentecostal is all about being in relationship with God. The thing that separates Pentecostals from mainstream believers is that we understand the reason Jesus sent the Holy Spirit was so that we could have a meaningful relationship with God – and that is why we have the power to witness and be used in the gifts of the Spirit. Let me say this again, the power comes from the relationship!

Funny isn’t it that we Pentecostals tend to be more legalistic when we have done everything possible to break away from the liturgy of the church service. We like our church services to have the anointing which we think is the opposite of having an outline for our services. As a matter of fact, we believe it is a real move of God when our service order is interrupted! Think of it, I work all week to plan a service that I hope God will interrupt! All that to point out that when it comes to Christianity, we tend to think of true Christianity as following rules…when what God really wants is relationship! And I have to ask myself; shouldn’t we Pentecostals have a better understanding of the relationship aspect of God since we put a high premium on the presence of God?

It is important to note that relationships have an effect on how we live and they even shape our view of life and the world. For instance, being married has changed my view of women. Becoming a parent has changed my opinions about parenting. (I was more of an expert until I actually became a parent). Every relationship causes me to change how I live and think. My opinions are shaped by my relationships. So it should come as no surprise that my life after coming into a saving knowledge of Jesus is different, not because of the rules, but because of the relationship I enjoy with God! As a Pentecostal, who is filled with the Spirit, with Christ dwelling within me I have an intimate relationship with God. That’s why I am Pentecostal. Part of me believes that I would struggle with being a Christian without being Pentecostal! Because I need a constant sense of the presence of God, through the Holy Spirit!

Now I have a service to plan and hopefully, God will interrupt it!

The Idiot’s Guide to Criticism (Sorry about the “Idiot” part)

2010-01-13T09:57:00.002-05:00

In Sunday’s message I addressed the subject of criticism, so not being smart enough to leave it alone, I have some things I would like to add.

There is nothing wrong with criticizing – it is an American tradition! And yes even the church and the pastor need to be criticized from time to time. If there is something that needs to be changed then criticism may be the only tool to fix it. So since we are going to allow criticism can we at least have some rules? Ok, I admit I looked through the Bible and I didn’t find anything that condones being critical (maybe even the opposite) so there is no way I found any scriptural basis for these rules. I also prayed and as of now I still haven’t heard back from anyone, Father, Son, nor the Holy Spirit.

Rule #1 - Whatever is criticized needs to be about something really important. Here is a standard we could use: Will Jesus be glad this was criticized? I know that raises the bar pretty high but since the Bible doesn’t really condone being critical maybe it would be best to minimize its use – so save it for the important stuff.

Rule #2 – Address your criticism to someone who actually can affect change. I have to tell you and I think this is true for any leader; I really don’t like hearing criticism second hand. And truthfully, the subject of the criticism then becomes secondary to the issue of who is being critical. Because when a criticism comes second hand it is really hard to judge its validity. So your criticism may be important, yet it gets lost because you didn’t take it to the right person. Also when you make a critical statement to someone, who is not a leader and not used to hearing these kinds of things, you put at risk the salvation of that person. I know this sounds like an overstatement, but from my experience I can tell you it is not. Here’s what happens, there is someone perfectly satisfied with the leadership they are under in the church and they hear a critical statement and they will begin down a path that make them question the validity of that leader – not based on something that really affects them but based on something said and it changes their perception. Also if you are being critical of a leader to someone other than that leader then all you are doing is venting. Venting is the cousin of the lost temper. (My apologies to any of my cousins who may read this) NO VENTING!

Rule #3 – If you are going to criticize than at the very least offer your help in making the change if it is needed. It will also go a long way towards getting your criticism addressed. Maybe your leader doesn’t know how to make the change or have the skill or tools to make it happen. Offer your assistance it takes the pressure off of the leader and it shows you are committed to the success of that ministry!

Rule #4 – Let the leader decide how to act on the criticism. That includes making a change, making a change now, making a change later, or maybe even making no change at all. Once you have expressed your opinion, and then let that be the end. Please let your leaders have a free hand to lead. For all you know there is someone else against the change you are advocating and they might have view that you can’t see.

The Most Selfish Place in America

2009-12-28T10:57:00.001-05:00

Yesterday we talked about the changes that lay ahead for Eastside Assembly of God. Since 2002 we have been in this large building sitting in the middle of corn and bean fields. Now construction has started on a new Elementary school right next to us that will be completed in the summer of 2011. There will also be a new high school to follow two years later. The landscape around us is going to be dramatically changed. And with that change more people will discover our church. As new people come to check us out and hopefully decide to make Eastside their home, the church will change. In my last church when we experienced rapid growth we looked nothing like the church that was their before. But if there is one thing I have learned it is that church people, especially established church people, (notice I didn’t say Christians or believers) resist those changes. They have expectations that the church will be to their liking and if it isn’t then they are gone.

I am just asking this for my own examination – How selfish do I have to be to expect everyone in the church I attend to do things my way? What level of narcissistic thought has to be in place for me to insist that hundreds of other people’s opinions are not more valid than mine? There is no other organization, other than the church, that would tolerate or try to address such thinking. One of the things I talked about yesterday was that many of the things that are the root of conflict in our churches are not addressed in the Scripture – the reason is – God simply doesn’t care about those things. He doesn’t care that we sing hymns or choruses, He doesn’t care what color the church is, He doesn’t care if we have Sunday night or small group meetings, He doesn’t care whether we dress up or are casual, He just doesn’t care about those things, but we do! So because God doesn’t care we have to over compensate for that so we care even more. I wonder what our churches would look like if we just cared about the things God cared about. Because sadly, most church are so busy trying to maintain the unity that they are forced to let the important things that God cares about slide.

So at Eastside Assembly of God we are looking at four areas where God may need to change us:

1. We must change our lifestyle to reflect our faith.
2. We must change so that our desires give way to the Holy Spirit.
3. We must change so that we look to the future instead of the past.
4. We must change so that we see need instead of inconvenience.

If we can change these things in us God will be able to use us for some remarkable things in 2010!

Should We Celebrate Christmas?

2009-12-07T13:17:00.004-05:00

Every year there is the debate about the real reason for Christmas. The Church does all that it can to remind us that Christmas is about the birth of Jesus. Yet, nothing seems to have an effect.

We tell ourselves that this year, things will be different. No more going into debt to buy gifts for everyone on our list. But soon enough we are standing in a long line with credit card in hand, waiting for the slowest cashier to ever operate a register, to check us out. We are frustrated because the item that would have been the perfect gift for a hard to please relative is not available. We find ourselves running out of time, with too many parties to attend. And don’t even mention the activities the church has planned.

How often do we hear someone speak of Christmas with dread and even find ourselves in agreement? Think of it, believers in Christ, people who claim to love Him, looking to the celebration of His birth with dread! I just celebrated my birthday and I have to be honest, the older I get, the more I dread that day! But I am grateful that my family and friends still celebrate my birthday. They do so not because I am getting older, although there are some who find great pleasure in that, but because they are glad that I was born! Shouldn’t we, as believers, be enthusiastic about Jesus’ birth? After all, we would be lost in our sin without His birth.

Christmas is supposed to be a celebration! When believers reflect on the birth of Jesus, it is supposed to bring joy. And if you don’t think Christ’s birth should be celebrated then why did God Himself make a big deal about it? Shepherds saw the skies explode as Angels rejoiced that Jesus was born. They were told to leave their flocks and find the baby and then they went to tell everything that they saw. Foreign dignitaries traveled a great distance to bring gifts. So it is expected that Christmas should be a time of rejoicing.

Everyone reading this probably would agree that Christmas should be celebrated, but in your heart are you really anticipating the holidays with good thoughts? And consider the power of Jesus’ birth. 2,000 years later traffic is backed up entering the mall. The economy grows; some retailers do a majority of their business during the Christmas season. Families travel great distances to be home. Cities, towns, houses, churches are all decorated with lights, pine, and ornaments. Children can hardly sleep Christmas Eve. Churches are filled, often seeing their highest attendance during the holidays. They may not acknowledge it, they may not even know why they are doing these things, and may not care. But whether they know it or not the world celebrates a birth that took place 2,000 years ago.

An Instant Re-play

2009-11-30T11:25:00.002-05:00

Yesterday was a very different experience for me. Having the Church repeat the Worship service was something I have never done before, but I just couldn't get past the idea that God had something more for us! And judging by the emails I have received I believe God did have more!. I am writing about this because I am so very thankful that God has put me in a Church that is willing to do whatever is necessary to see God move, even if it seems silly at the moment. I think we will hear of some things happening as a result of that service in the weeks to come!

I am Willing (Jesus said it)

2009-10-19T11:27:00.004-04:00

Mark 1:40-41 (NKJV) Now a leper came to Him, imploring Him, kneeling down to Him and saying to Him, "If You are willing, You can make me clean." Then Jesus, moved with compassion, stretched out His hand and touched him, and said to him, "I am willing; be cleansed."

Yesterday, I spoke about the leper coming to Jesus and how He touched him. I was going to explain an idea about this when I stopped to pray for people. So I want to further explore what I was getting at.

This leper says to Jesus, “if you are willing…”. Isn’t that an unusual thing to say to a man who is known for healing people? But we need to remember that up until this point, no one has been healed of leprosy. (I didn’t forget about Naaman from the Old Testament…this is the first leper healed by Jesus). And I think it is safe to assume that Jesus touched everyone He had healed. But for a leper, this is an issue on its own. Because once a leper is touched that person becomes unclean too.

So here is what I want you to see from this – Jesus responds by saying…”I am willing”. Jesus is willing to become a leper or at least as unclean as one so that this guy can be clean. This is important to us because it is a foreshadowing of what Jesus does for us when we are forgiven of sin. The scripture says He became sin for us (2 Corinthians 5:21). Think of it! Here we are in need, just like the leper, maybe even to the point where we are isolated in our need. Thinking no one understands, no gets where I am, no one cares. And here is Jesus saying, “I am willing…” He is willing to become just as we are in order to make us clean. He totally gets it…He understands what you and I are going through and He cares enough to take action even to His own sacrifice.

And we have to also ask ourselves, “Are we willing?” What about the person sitting in church with me? Or the one in the next cubicle at work, or the people I meet each and every day…am I willing? Jesus is…

Wooing My Pneuma

2009-09-15T09:10:00.003-04:00

Still doing a lot of thinking about the Holy Spirit and what He brings to my life. I am becoming more and more convinced just how important it is to seek for and receive the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. I really believe that the same efforts we put into helping people seek salvation, we should also devote towards them seeking the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. It seems to me we try to win people to the Lord and then when they do, we leave them on their own. But God has so much more that He can offer! He offers Himself to everyone who will believe. I know that this is cliché, but I am going to say t anyway! Just as the saying, you can give a man a fish and feed him for a day, or you can teach him to fish and feed him for life. The same can be said about leading people towards the Baptism in the Holy Spirit.

When someone is saved, they begin this journey towards eternal life, but there are huge obstacles in the way. (read the parable of the sower, Mark 4). However, if we will show people that there is still another ongoing experience after salvation, that will give them the ability to live the christian life successfully, we have guaranteed they will make it.

All of that to get us where I am thinking today! Sunday, I spoke about the wooing of the Holy Spirit, and how He works to draw our attention to Jesus and to convince us of our need for Him. In response to this our pneuma, that deeper component of our inner man, comes to life. This gives us a conduit that leads right to God. And our senses and awareness of the things of God become heightened. So I am determined to put a lot of effort into not only leading people to the place where they find salvation but also to the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. And here's the real kicker here, because the Spirit, Himself is wooing, (I don't know why but I am enjoying this term) how hard should it really be?

Baptized By Jesus!

2009-08-24T12:01:00.002-04:00

So lately we have talking about the baptism in the Holy Spirit. While putting together last week’s message a scripture that I had read many times spoke to me in a new way.

“John answered, saying to all, "I indeed baptize you with water; but One mightier than I is coming, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose. He (Jesus) will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” --Luke 3:16 (NKJV)

It occurred to me that the Bible is saying that the baptism in the Holy Spirit is a baptism that Jesus gives us. That is, for me, another reason to believe how necessary it is for us to receive the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. Who would turn down being baptized by Jesus?

Over and over again we see Jesus making the point about the importance of Holy Spirit baptism. Too many Christians believe that the Baptism in the Holy Spirit is an optional accessory to their Christian walk, however, from every reading in Scripture about the early church it was expected that when someone was saved they then asked for and received the baptism in the Holy Spirit. I know from my own experience how desperately I need the power of the Holy Spirit in order to defend myself against the pressure to bow to the values of the world around me. But the Spirit gives me the strength and more importantly the insight to avoid making the choices that would cause me to fail in my walk.

Every day I am discovering reasons why we need to be filled with the Spirit. I hope that you are seeking Him too!

This May Not Be New, But It is Cool!

2009-06-20T17:38:00.000-04:00

If you are part of Eastside Assembly of God you may be getting tired of me talking about this notion, but I have this unexplained inclination to keep talking about it. And I have to tell you that I sometimes feel like I am the only one excited about this idea. (Possibly because everyone else figured this out a long time ago!).

In studying the book of Romans for our Wednesday Bible class I stumbled on one of those life changing discoveries that we occasionally get from the Bible. As believers we can live sinless lives! Okay, I know it is simple and nothing really new. But try this little experiment; ask your believing friends if they think they could live the rest of their lives without committing another sin. Most, if not all, will tell you that it is an impossible feat. I have even said this in my teaching and preaching before and not once has anyone challenged me on it. NOT ONCE! In over 17 years of pastoring two congregations, no one has even hinted that they disagreed with me on this. That is why for me this concept seems so new.

Let me give some background so you can see where I am coming from. Now what I am about to write makes me sound strange, but hey, don’t all of us have some kind of quirkiness just under the surface waiting to get out? I loathe rules, policies, mission statements, vision statements, laws, regulations, commandments, yes I said it, commandments, even the most famous ten! Not because I am rebellious, but because when faced with these things I feel intense pressure to comply. And sometimes I feel overwhelmed with trying to live up to them, much less even remember them. Anyway, when I look at Christianity much of the way it is presented is with the idea of living your life a certain way. We are told all the things we can’t do. (We used to list them on our membership cards.) You can’t use alcohol, you can’t smoke, you can’t dance, can’t gamble, can’t cuss, can’t eat Twinkies and certainly not White Castles, and all the other rules the church has invented. Ok, I made those last two up because my doctor won’t let me eat them and frankly I am a little resentful about it. Why couldn’t she tell me not eat peas, which I detest more than rules! What God desires most is an intimate relationship with us. The point being, trying to live a sinless life seems impossible, even exasperating, yet, the Scriptures give a completely different picture.

If living a sinless life is so impossible, then why did Jesus tell two people under different circumstances to go and sin “NO MORE”? (John 5:14; 8:11). Why would Jesus tell these people, both relatively new believers to never sin again? If He told them to do something impossible then He was purposely setting them up for failure. He wouldn’t do that. The reason we can live without committing another sin has nothing to do with our own ability but with the power of God being demonstrated in us! Romans 7 concludes with the futility of living the way we should. And then right at the end we are told that the way to overcome this predicament is found in Jesus. (Romans 7:24-25).

What we may not realize is the enormous power we have at our disposal to overcome and avoid sin. But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead DWELLS IN YOU, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you. (Romans 8:11 NKJV) The same power that raised Jesus from the dead is the same power that we have in our lives. If there was ever anyone death had a firm grip on it was Jesus, because if death can’t keep Him in the grave then it is game over. So it took substantial power to raise Him. So when I am tempted to sin the same power that raised Jesus from the dead will see me through!

So can we live the rest of our lives without committing another sin? YES! By the same power that raised Jesus from the dead.

I'm not sitting under a broom tree...yet!

2009-05-05T09:29:00.002-04:00

On Sunday I spoke about the lack of real Christianity that we see among people who go to church. I brought the message because I wanted to give a challenge to those who find their lives not being everything they want it to be. I see a lot of people struggling with their everyday life and mostly it is due to the fact that they aren’t living a life that is submitted to God.

I have said this before and I will keep saying it – Christianity faked will not work; in fact it is the most miserable circumstances to try to live through. If you are trying to fake Christianity then the world doesn’t like you because they will never understand why you believe the things you say you believe. And the church won’t accept you because you don’t live the things the church believes.

OK, so before I go any further with this I want to say that I am not being pessimistic, I am simply being honest about what I see happening with a lot, and I mean a lot, of Christians. By the way, when I look at these things I am in good company!

"…Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?" (Luke 18:8 NKJV)

Jesus asks the same kind of question. As a Pastor I want everybody in my church to be ready for the return. And I also want them to live the best life they can have and that will only happen as they become intentional about living the Christian life. (I am not talking about trying to live a Christian life style; I am talking about living in real salvation.)

I hate seeing the people that I love living half hearted Christian lives, when God wants to do something really amazing with each and every one of them. And all it takes is setting your mind on doing the things God wants you to do.

In the next post I will show why it is possible to live a really genuine holy life!

Wilkerson's Urgent Message

2009-03-11T12:34:00.003-04:00

I saw this Sunday Night - thought I would pass it on. This Guy is usually on the mark!

Here is the link - Wilkerson Blog

I am compelled by the Holy Spirit to send out an urgent message to all on our mailing list, and to friends and to bishops we have met all over the world.

AN EARTH-SHATTERING CALAMITY IS ABOUT TO HAPPEN. IT IS GOING TO BE SO FRIGHTENING, WE ARE ALL GOING TO TREMBLE - EVEN THE GODLIEST AMONG US.

For ten years I have been warning about a thousand fires coming to New York City. It will engulf the whole megaplex, including areas of New Jersey and Connecticut. Major cities all across America will experience riots and blazing fires—such as we saw in Watts, Los Angeles, years ago.There will be riots and fires in cities worldwide. There will be looting—including Times Square, New York City. What we are experiencing now is not a recession, not even a depression. We are under God’s wrath. In Psalm 11 it is written,“If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?” (v. 3).

God is judging the raging sins of America and the nations. He is destroying the secular foundations.The prophet Jeremiah pleaded with wicked Israel, “God is fashioning a calamity against you and devising a plan against you. Oh, turn back each of you from your evil way, and reform your ways and deeds. But they will say, It’s hopeless! For we are going to follow our own plans, and each of us will act according to the stubbornness of his evil heart” (Jeremiah 18:11-12).

In Psalm 11:6, David warns, “Upon the wicked he will rain snares (coals of fire)…fire…burning wind…will be the portion of their cup.” Why? David answered, “Because the Lord is righteous” (v. 7). This is a righteous judgment—just as in the judgments of Sodom and in Noah’s generation.

WHAT SHALL THE RIGHTEOUS DO? WHAT ABOUT GOD’S PEOPLE?

First, I give you a practical word I received for my own direction. If possible lay in store a thirty-day supply of non-perishable food, toiletries and other essentials. In major cities, grocery stores are emptied in an hour at the sign of an impending disaster.

As for our spiritual reaction, we have but two options. This is outlined in Psalm 11. We “flee like a bird to a mountain.” Or, as David says, “He fixed his eyes on the Lord on his throne in heaven—his eyes beholding, his eyelids testing the sons of men” (v. 4). “In the Lord I take refuge” (v. 1).

I will say to my soul: No need to run...no need to hide. This is God’s righteous work. I will behold our Lord on his throne, with his eye of tender, loving kindness watching over every step I take—trusting that he will deliver his people even through floods, fires, calamities, tests, trials of all kinds.

Note: I do not know when these things will come to pass, but I know it is not far off. I have unburdened my soul to you. Do with the message as you choose.

God bless and keep you,

In Christ,

DAVID WILKERSON

Faith and stuff I can't see

2009-03-03T09:49:00.001-05:00

Lately, I have been thinking a lot about faith. We have been studying the book of Romans on Wednesday nights. And Paul is trying to convince a church full of ex-Pharisees that salvation is by grace through faith not by works. Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law - Romans 3:28. So since our salvation (the way we are made good enough for God) is through faith, think how powerful it must be. At least for me, the wickedness of my heart goes deep, so for me to be made righteous, faith must be powerful stuff.

Now I want you to imagine something with me. How sure are you that there is a God and that He sent His Son to save us? How sure are you that Jesus died on a cross and that what He did is able to bring us forgiveness from God? Most likely you are totally convinced of these things even though you have nothing to go on except your belief that these things are true. There is nothing physically that we can put our hands on to prove that God loves us and that He wants to save us. But we are 100% convinced. How? Well some will say that the Bible is proof of these things, but how do you know that what the Bible says is true? FAITH! It is what you believe and no one can change your mind!

Here is the point I am trying to make – This faith, that completely convinces you of the things of God, is truly powerful stuff. Yet I see so many weak and struggling believers. Jesus said “if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you”. – Matthew 17:20. Did you see that! Jesus says “NOTHING WILL BE IMPOSSIBLE FOR YOU”. Whenever I read this verse I always focus on the mountain part; ok, I can move a mountain, big deal, give me a big shovel and I will get right to it. But Jesus doesn’t stop there He says nothing will be impossible. And this is with a little tiny seed-like faith.

Each of us carries this nuclear bomb of faith within us – able to do the impossible! So what is stopping us!

Getting Back to Church Stuff...

2009-02-23T14:55:00.003-05:00

Sunday, Eastside held our annual meeting. So I thought I would share my initial thoughts while they are fresh in my mind.

First, I must tell you that I am interested in group dynamics, people are interesting, but when they are put into group situations something special happens. Each year I am always interested to see the interaction that takes place in the church. This year we had one nominee for the Board of Deacons and three resolutions to the Constitution and By-laws.

When it comes time for the meeting you never know what things will come to the surface, which makes for a little anxiety on my part, but usually is never warranted. I tried something different this year, instead of presenting a whole list of goals for our church this year I gave one “project” for us to focus on in 2009 - RETENTION OF VISITORS to the church. (You’ll be seeing a lot of my thoughts on this in the coming weeks).

But the real fun came when we broke down into groups. Each group was given the following assignment:

1. Choose a leader
2. List 3 things about Eastside that are good.
3. Name one thing about Eastside you would change.
4. Develop a strategy for making the change

The results of this were interesting, not because of the specific responses, but due to each group’s approach to fulfilling the assignment. The point of this exercise was to get real ideas about the perceptions in the congregation. I chose to use groups in order to stay away from individual sensitivities or pet-peeves, hoping that the groups would be forced into consensus responses. So here are my observations.

There were seven groups. Four of the groups followed the directions exactly. Three did not - they came up with multiple answers to number 3 (Name ONE thing about Eastside you would change.) The reason – they could not come to a consensus on one item and/or the leader who wrote down the responses controlled the pen and wrote what he/she wanted. But then added what the others in the group had expressed. Hence the multiple answers.

Almost every group listed the same three for four “good things” – just a note here. Every group said that Eastside was a friendly church. I believe this to be true; however, does any church think they are unfriendly? I point this at because I don’t want to think we have this mastered, there is plenty of room for improvement. (Remember this is our focus for 2009)

Every group had a different change they would make; even the multiple answers were not repeated. Which tells me that all in all Eastside is a healthy church because we don’t have that big obvious flaw that most troubled churches have. Also the things listed were far from being major issue items. (Don’t tell this to the groups, they probably think they are major or they wouldn’t have listed them.)

When it was all said and done, it was really a very productive and yes, an enjoyable experience, can’t wait until next year. (OK, that went too far, didn’t it?)

Skubalon Happens

2009-02-16T08:25:00.002-05:00

Philippians 3:7-8 - But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ...

In yesterday’s message I used the above verse to illustrate that when it is all said and done the things that we seem to think are so important, really aren’t at all, not even close. And in my own life I experience this over and over again. I will become concerned, disturbed, worried, troubled, and terrified over something that turns out in the end to really insignificant. And I think about the lost sleep, the upset stomach, and the frustration and yes even anger, and then realize it was all for nothing.

If my life is really in the hands of God, then aren’t I really just along for the ride? I keep forgetting that there is a God who loves me wants the best for me. He is way smarter than I am and He knows how to guide me into a life that I can’t even imagine. And here I am getting all stressed out, and for what? For nothing really all that substantial, because in a 100 years (or during eternity in heaven) what will these things really matter?

Here is where “skubalon” comes in. Paul says that compared to knowing Jesus and having Him in my life all these other things can’t even come close to comparing. So he thinks of the most insignificant thing he can to compare how little these things are, he uses the word skubalon (skoo'-bal-on). The translators of the King James Bible can’t use this word in its literal meaning because it is deeply offensive to our sensibilities. And they translate it using the word “dung” or the New King James uses the word “rubbish”. But Paul is making a very important point that gets lost in the translation, his intent is to show how small and trivial the things of the world are compared to knowing Jesus. So he uses the example of, (WARNING: if you are easily offended by language then you should stop reading right now: YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!) are you ready for this…He compares the things of this world…dog poop compared to knowing Jesus. (BTW, I would have used Cat poop instead!)

So what are we so worried about? We know Jesus! And He knows Us!

The Eastside Challenge - 2009

2008-12-29T14:53:00.001-05:00

Regularly attend as many church activities and services as possible
Pray everyday day for the church
Support the church with the tithe
Invite and bring someone with you once a month
Fast one day a month on behalf of the church

1/100th of a second!

2008-11-17T13:42:00.003-05:00

Yesterday, right in the middle of my message the Holy Spirit brought something to my mind. (How do you know it was the Holy Spirit? Believe me I'm not that quick on my feet or able to think that fast!) I was sharing from Corinthians: "in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed." (1 Corinthians 15:52 NKJV) The focus of my message was that too often when we are taught about the rapture we are taught in such a way as to scare us with the "threat" of Jesus' return, however, when I read the defining scripture about the rapture, we are told to "comfort one another" with our beliefs about Jesus appearing.

I was talking about how fast Jesus will come and how fast we will be changed and taken to heaven. I had read that the twinkling of an eye was as short as 1/100th of a second. And then it occurred to me, right there in front of everyone, that we are really only 1/100th of a second away from the rapture. When could the rapture happen? Within the next 1/100th of a second. Think about it! When we say that Jesus could come at any second this is literally true! Although, technically we are a 1/99th of a second off.

So the challenge, are we living in such a way that we actually believe He is only 1/100th of a second away!

I believe some crazy things!

2008-09-16T13:29:00.002-04:00

I believe...
God created the world in six 24 hour days…
Noah really did build an ark and that every animal was on it...
Jesus is the Son of God...
That Jesus’ mother, Mary was a virgin at his birth…
Jesus died on the cross for my sins…
Jesus was resurrected from the dead after three days in the grave…
The Holy Spirit came on the day of Pentecost and filled the church…
The gifts of the Spirit are for today–including speaking in other tongues…
In divine healing…
There is a difference between right and wrong...
In the devil…
In a literal hell…
Jesus will return before the tribulation and rapture the church…
God loves even me...
The Bible!

I knew I was right! At least I think!

2008-09-09T10:11:00.004-04:00

We have been having a discussion about the use and the reasons for the gifts of the Spirit. Specifically, when the gifts are used in a public forum can they and should they be used in a way that directs them to specific people, or should they be used for the benefit of all who are present. My own opinion is this: (O.K. I know this is going to sound like double speak or as we now refer to it nuanced.) I believe for the most part when a message of tongues or a prophecy is given it should be to the benefit of everyone. Here is my proof:

For he who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God, for no one understands him; however, in the spirit he speaks mysteries. But he who prophesies speaks edification and exhortation and comfort to men. He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but he who prophesies edifies the church. I wish you all spoke with tongues, but even more that you prophesied; for he who prophesies is greater than he who speaks with tongues, unless indeed he interprets, that the church may receive edification. 1 Corinthians 14:2-5

Even so you, since you are zealous for spiritual gifts, let it be for the edification of the church that you seek to excel. 1 Corinthians 14:12

I could keep on listing these kinds of references, but it would be good for you to read this chapter yourself and see what you think. However, the shear number of references towards the church being edified leads me to believe that the best and most profitable use of the gifts is that they be directed towards the entire church. Now mind you I'm speaking about the gifts being used in a public manner and especially the gifts of tongues and interpretation and prophecy.

Let me know what you think!

The Holy Spirit

2008-06-30T11:12:00.002-04:00

Being pentecostal, it is sometimes easy to focus on the manifestations of the Holy Spirit forgetting that the real secret to being filled with the Spirit is to simply let Him live through me. Jesus said He was going to send the Spirit when He left. He even went so far to say it is "BETTER if I go away", why? Because when Jesus was on the earth He could only be with people. But now through the Spirit, He is actually inside of us!

Think about it! We don't have to endure the pressure of trying to live a holy life that is unattainable, but we really have a shot at being successful at living a life pleasing to God because His Spirit lives in me. I don't have to try anf follow Jesus as a role model but I just have to let Him live through me! Doesn't that seem easier than trying to copy what He would do. Through the Spirit I can actually live it!

I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me... (Galatians 2:20 NKJV)

Now that's Pentecostal!

Forgetting what is behind...reaching forward

2008-06-02T11:32:00.004-04:00

Sunday, I spoke from Philippians 3:13 (Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead) It really is important to the successful believer that we put the past behind and reach ahead. I have observed over the course of 20 years of ministry that the best predictor of how successful someone will be in their faith is the abiblity to leave things behind and move on to what lies ahead.

Trapped in the past - I find that many of the problems that beleivers and for that matter churches struggle with are partly due to the grip they have on past events. Usually unresolved issues or the absence of confrontation births the inability to move on. People trapped in the past keep trying to fix or do-over these past incidents only to be disappointed with the results of such an endeavor.

What is obvious to me is that God wants us to be forward in our thinking, not stuck in the past. When you think about it the at the heart of christianity is the concept of looking forward towards eternity.

A Letter to Mom

2008-05-12T15:25:00.000-04:00

Dear Mom,
I wanted to write to let you know how thankful I am that you are my mother. I don't have adequate words to explain the impact you have had on my life. You have always been able to accomplish the impossible. Just a kiss would take away the pain of a scraped knee. A hug would chase away the monsters under my bed. The phrase "because I said" would change my rebellious heart.

Even though you are no longer here I see the evidence of your influence. You shine through in the personality of my little boy. I know that you would have enjoyed playing with him. I think of your cooking every time we use your recipe for Cincinnati chili. My love of Christmas is a direct result of your influence over me.

It is hard to believe that 10 Mother’s Days have come and gone since I last saw you. There is no way that I could tell you how much you are missed. But I know that you are where you belong, sheltered in the arms of God. It won't long until Jesus reunites us. I know that for you being in the presence of God has made this the best mother's day you have ever had.

I love you and miss you your son,
Steve

Will I make it to heaven?

2008-05-05T14:01:00.005-04:00

Jesus said ...But he who endures to the end shall be saved. (Mark 13:13 NKJV) So it looks to me like the key to getting to heaven is really basic; not quitting the christian walk. That means we have to become determined to keep on being a follower of Jesus no matter what. I have always thought stubborn people make the best Christians because they can't be swayed by anyone or anything.

You know I have met too many people who give up because something goes wrong in their life and so they respond by rejecting the God who saved them. Often going right back to the life they escaped. They go back to the things that almost destroyed them before they found God.

Everyone wants to get to heaven but they don't want keep doing the things that will get them there. I wonder if when it is all said and done they will regret their choice. The thing is, God has made it so very easy to get to heaven. He is doing all that He can to help us get there now it is just up to us.

So hang in there, things really will get better! DON'T QUIT!

Prophetic Word

2008-01-29T12:23:00.000-05:00

Here is the prophetic word we heard on Sunday January 13th, I wanted you to see this because I think it is a confirmation of why God brought Eastside Assembly in to being!

My children, I desire for you to know this day that I am opening a doorway – a doorway for the beginning of why this work was established here. I brought you here as foundational stones and I cemented you in by My Holy Spirit, but I am bringing other stones and I am setting them in amongst your midst. I ask of you to bring them in with you. Show them their place. Help them to find that place because there’s a flood coming.

There was a reason that I established this work here and it is time for its beginning, but you must be ready. I will not bring the wounded and the lost here if you are not ready to love them into My Kingdom, if you are not ready to mentor them and to disciple them. I am bringing others alongside of you. Welcome them into the Kingdom here where you congregate. This is My house, a house of sanctuary, a house of praise. It is a house of prayer. Get on your knees and cry out for the lost.

My heart breaks, and I hear their cries – many around you. This is not a place to come and receive and go home in smugness, but it’s a place to receive and become strong. I say to you My children, your love is there within your heart but let it break free. Let it go in and out of your midst and let it go out among those who need you. I say to you My children, My love for you is so strong, but it’s time for you to stand. Strengthen your legs. Strengthen your arms. Let your voice be heard out there among the lost. They are hungry for something and they don’t know His Name. But you know it. It’s in your heart. I say to you, go out and declare. Jesus is My Son, and He’s calling them to Him. Hear My words and heed them, My children.

5 Things you can do to make Eastside a success!

2008-01-23T11:30:00.000-05:00

Regularly attend as many church activities as possible
Pray once a day for the church
Support the church with 10% of your financial resources
Invite and bring someone with you once a month
Fast one day a month on behalf of the church

Why I am doing this!

2008-01-22T14:53:00.000-05:00

This blog is going to be a way for me to go further or pull back from what I said in my Sunday message! So if you are wondering "what was he thinking", you might find out by checking in here!