One More Thing About the Gifts

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

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)

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

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?

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

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)

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…