Pastor Teryl Todd

Built to Last

Thu, 24 Jun 2010 11:02:36 -0400

The inspiration for this blog comes from a talk I heard Pastor Dale O’Shields give on May 17, 2010, at the United Pastor’s Network gathering in Gaithersburg, MD.

When you drive into downtown Tallahassee, one of the first things you see is the State Capitol. The first phase of the Old Capitol was completed in 1845. The dome was added in 1902, and the House and Senate wings were added in 1936 and 1947. As you gaze at the old capitol building, you begin to notice a tall building behind it. The new capitol is twenty-two stories and 345 feet high. However, what most people don’t realize is that it is actually a 25-story building, which includes 3 floors that are underground, and make up part of the foundation of the building. The foundation for that building goes down more than 50 feet. It took almost 3 years to build the new capitol, with an estimated 3.2 million man-hours of labor.

When I look at the capitol building, 2 things stand out to me:
1. It has a deep foundation to withstand winds and storms.
2. It took time to build it. An estimated 3.2 million man-hours of labor.

Two things are needed if you want to live a victorious Christian life: 1) Depth and 2) Time. Every believer wants to have success and be identified as a strong victorious, overcoming Christian. But beneath the stature we long for, are depth and time. God is at work, building you and in me into a dwelling place for His Word and Spirit. He wants you to serve His purposes for your generation and to finish your Christian Life well!

I asked myself what man in the Bible has depth and time at work in him? I thought of Joseph.

Joseph did it the right way. A lot of people in the Bible messed up. But Joe did it right. He was a time-tested man!

Here Are Seven Principles We Discover In The Life Of Joseph:

1. Joseph Was Secure In His Father’s Love And Favor. Jacob wasn’t a great father in many regards, but he got it right with Joseph. He gave him a coat of many colors, an expression of his love. He didn’t love the other kids the right way, but he loved Joseph. Joseph’s capacity to dream came from an awareness of a father who loved him and affirmed him.

We require a foundation of security to be effective in life. Insecurity causes us to be: Controllers, “Shamers,” Blamers, and Angry/Frustrated men and women.

Most Controllers are not aware that their fears dictate their behavior. All they know, is they plan diligently and work hard to make life work. It isn’t until they experience a “melt-down,” because he or she has encountered something they can’t control, that they recognize they have issues with control. The reality is that God is already doing a great job running the universe, we can trust Him, His Word, and His grace, and relax! Most controllers lack a revelation of God’s grace, and find it hard to trust the Lord.

“Shamers” motivate others out of guilt and manipulation. Carrying shame, and condemnation within themselves, they are quick to project it on others, particularly those with whom they are in close relationships.

Blamers project their own fears, failures, and shortcomings on others, refusing to take responsibility for who they are or how they behave.

Finally insecurity and fear creates Angry and Frustrated men. Angry, because illogical fears and seem to be running their lives. Anger is an attempt to bring some “control,” to a tilting world. Often anger signals that we are missing the grace of God. Rage is often under-girded by vengeful emotions like bitterness and resentment. The only way-out is to experience God’s forgiveness in-Christ, and to extend to others that same forgiveness.

All of us have experienced insecurity in our soul. BUT THE TRUTH IS YOU ARE FAVORED AND LOVED BY GOD! PROCLAIM IT: “I AM FAVORED AND LOVED BY ALMIGHTY GOD!”

Paul prays that, “Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. 18And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. 19May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God” (Ephesians 3:17b-19 NLT).

In the last years of his life, Dr. Karl Barth, a German/Swiss theologian was lecturing at the School of Divinity at the University of Chicago. After giving a lecture, Dr. Barth was visible tired, and wanted to find a place to lie down and rest. But a professor and group of students surrounded him and asked, “Of all of the great theological discoveries you have made, which is the greatest?” After a long pause, Dr. Barth responded by saying, “Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so. Little ones to him belong. We are weak but He is strong. Yes, Jesus loves me. Yes, Jesus loves me. Yes, Jesus loves me, for the Bible tells me so.”

2. Joseph Learned To Make The Best Of His Disappointments, Problems, And Pains! Joseph was sold into slavery. Then he was accused of rape. He was sentenced to prison… He experienced all three of these things. Some people are destroyed when they go through just one of these things. But Joseph learned to make the best of painful situations. Part of what we must do if we are going to live a victorious Christian life is to make the best of our problems, pains, and our disappointments so that we become better and not bitter in life.

2Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. 3For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. 4So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing. James 1:2-4 NLT Electronic Edition STEP Files Copyright © 2005, QuickVerse.

We can fight our problems or learn to make the best of them, and though Satan means them for our harm, we can respond with faith and understand they are part of God’s developmental plan for our life. He is actively making our problems work together for our good! He is building our faith, increasing our trust quotient, and molding us into the image of Christ! But it requires a response of faith and trust on our part.

If not for Goliath, David would have been an obscure shepherd.

If not for the persecution of Pharaoh, Moses would be an unknown.

If not for the evil plans of Haman, we wouldn’t know who Esther was.

If not for the flood, we would never know about Noah.

Sometimes we face giants just like David. You can invest your time talking to God about your giant, or like David, you can talk to the giant about your God!

Now I believe in taking authority over the devil. Thank God, believers have authority over the powers of darkness. But taking authority over the devil isn’t going to heal my broken heart, nor will it solve every problem. With the humility, gentleness, and strength of Christ, I have to address difficulties head-on, keeping my focus on how God is using this trouble as a stepping-stone to strengthen me and pour even more grace into my life.

10That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 12:10 NLT Electronic Edition STEP Files Copyright © 2005, QuickVerse.

“There’s more to come: We continue to shout our praise even when we’re hemmed in with troubles, because we know how troubles can develop passionate patience in us, 4and how that patience in turn forges the tempered steel of virtue, keeping us alert for whatever God will do next. 5In alert expectancy such as this, we’re never left feeling shortchanged. Quite the contrary—we can’t round up enough containers to hold everything God generously pours into our lives through the Holy Spirit!” Romans 5:3-5 MSG

3. Joseph Learned To Manage Well What He Had Been Given. Joe was a great manager & administrator - for Potiphar, for the Prison warden, and for the nation of Egypt! He managed himself and his opportunities, and his management brought him promotion in life. Management is also a character trait. In the parable of the talents the first two servants managed investments well. The third man was called a wicked, lazy manager. Jesus said the man had a character deficiency.

God gives us all of us the same amount of “time” to manage. We all have 168 hours a week. We all have talents. We all have opportunities, skills and resources. We have to faithfully manage them. The difference between those who have and who do not have, is the way we lead and manage. There is no ministry without “ad-ministry” – administration.

4. Joseph Built Into His Life Unmovable Moral Boundaries. When he was serving in Potiphar’s house. Mrs. Potiphar made sexual advances toward him. Genesis 39:7-10 says this lady was after Joe. She gave him a purposeful invitation to sleep with her. Day after day. But Joe refused to sleep with her. This was a tough, challenging situation. He had all of the needs and all of the desires of every single young man. He could probably have gotten away with it. But Joe said “No,” I am not going to do it! He said “No,” because he had already established in his heart some unmovable moral boundaries. “God, I fear and honor you more than anything else.” We must have the fear of the Lord burning deep within us. No fuzzy boundaries in Joe’s life. He also had an honor for the man he worked for. He knew his sin would hurt God’s heart, but also the heart of God’s people. He knew others would suffer because of his sin.

“The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.” I Corinthians 10:13 NLT Electronic Edition STEP Files Copyright © 2005, QuickVerse.

When temptation came Joseph’s way – he had an escape hatch because of his moral boundaries were predetermined!

5. Joseph Was Planted and He Was Consistent. When Joe went from his home to Potiphar’s home he became rooted and planted. Later when he went to prison, he became rooted and planted. We know this because he bore fruit. You don’t bear fruit in agriculture, unless you are first planted. Long-term fruit bearing is always the result of being planted.

12      The righteous will flourish like a palm tree,
      they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon;
13      planted in the house of the LORD,
      they will flourish in the courts of our God.”
Psalms 92:12-13 NIV

To bear fruit you have to close some back doors in your life and be committed. Be consistent. Joe was incredibly consistent. What Joe did at Potiphar’s house is the same thing he did in prison, and the same thing he did in Pharaoh’s court. Consistency is an underrated character quality. Consistency means “to constantly adhere or hold to the same principles; predictable in character; unchanging in what matters.”

I would rather hire a consistent person than a talented, but inconsistent, person, someone who is consistent in daily devotions, consistent in daily prayer life, consistent in praying with his family. Consistently attending Prayer Meeting on Wednesday nights. Consistently worshipping on Sunday’s. Not driven by emotion, but driven by consistent passion.

When my compassion begins to wane – I get in my car and drive through the neighborhoods of Tallahassee and think about the thousands of people who have not been touched with the Gospel, then my consistency and passion for the Gospel returns.

6. Joseph Steered Clear Of Bitterness. In Genesis chapters 42-43, the same brothers who betrayed him, come to him later asking for food. Sometimes the same folks who betray you. The same people, who talk bad about you, sometimes come back years later to ask for food – for help. Joe had an opportunity to get back at his brothers. But in that moment, he proved that he had depth of character. Nothing in his spirit said “I want to get even.” There was nothing in his heart but grace and forgiveness. More Christians have been destroyed by bitterness than anything else. Some are tripped by moral problems, but even more are destroyed by bitterness. Joe refused to nibble on the bait of bitterness. He recognized that God was at work in His life, and though his brothers had meant his harm, God made it work for his good, and the good of every person living in the Middle East! Joseph tore up and threw away the emotional note of indebtedness his brothers owed him. That is what forgiveness does. It cancels the I.O.U’s, and releases those who deserve justice. Unforgiveness demands justice! But forgiveness extends mercy and grace, because that is what God in Christ has done for you and me!

7. Joseph Never Lost Hope. In the story of Joseph, the word hope is never used. But the story is full of hope. What did he have to hold on to when he was thrown into the pit? HOPE! When he is lied about and placed in prison? HOPE! When the cupbearer forgets about him, Joseph maintained one thing, HOPE! One thing gets you through when your faith seems to be faltering. HOPE WILL GET YOU THROUGH! Hope will give you strength! The Christ we serve lives inside us and He is our hope of glory! He is our hope - an anchor for our soul! David said, “I would have despaired unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living!”

Galatians 6:9 – Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. There is a proper time and a due season for you and for your life!

Don’t be weary in doing good. All the plowing, praying, and agonizing you have done, the challenges, the times you have found yourself cast into an emotional pit… God says there is coming a due season when all of the good seeds you have planted, will pay off in your life. “Harvest” speaks of abundance. God’s plan is for us to be fruitful and to multiply. Man looks at the outward experience. But it isn’t what you see externally that is important, it is what is built by time and depth that is important!

Victor Frankyl, a Viennese psychiatrist, was thrown into a Nazi concentration camp during World War II. He was one of the very few who survived. He gave the reason for his survival in a speech. “What kept me alive while others died? I dreamed that one day I would stand here and tell how I, Victor Frankyl, survived a Nazi concentration camp! I’ve never been here before. I have never seen any of you before. But in my dreams I have been here and seen you and spoken these words thousands of times! You see, I am here today, because I refused to let go of my hope and my dream!”

Prayer

“Father we are grateful for your Word. We thank you for building a foundation of the Word of God in our lives. Thank you that we can hear your voice. Thank you that we can grow a heart of generosity. We are reminded of Joseph who for years lived with a dream. God we allow you to plunge the depths of our hearts and lives. So whatever you want to do through us, do it, so our character will be strong in you. When we grow weary in well-doing, I pray that in Jesus name by the power of the Spirit, that your Word become “rhema” in our soul. I pray that hope will rise deeply in us. I pray that hope will abound, by the power of your Holy Spirit! You are the God of hope that fills us with hope! Amen”

Enthusiasm

Thu, 17 Jun 2010 18:18:37 -0400

In 1883, Teddy Roosevelt went buffalo hunting in the Badlands of South Dakota with a man named Joe Ferris. They nearly died of thirst, and they had to sleep on the ground with saddles their only pillows. One night, wolves caused their horses to bolt, and it took some time for the fleeing beasts to be recaptured. The men went back to sleep, and it began to rain heavily and they awoke, finding themselves lying in four inches of water. Shivering between soaked blankets, Ferris heard Teddy Roosevelt exclaim, “Man!” “Isn’t this fun!”

Now that’s enthusiasm!

The story is told of General William Westmoreland visiting a platoon of paratroopers in Vietnam. During the conversation, the general asked this question: “How do you like jumping out of planes?” The first paratrooper responded, “I love it sir.” “How do you like jumping?” he asked the next. “It’s a fantastic experience, sir!” exclaimed the soldier. “I couldn’t imagine not doing it.” “How do you like it?” he asked the third. “I’m scared to death, sir and don’t much like it,” he honestly replied. “Then why do you do it?” the general queried. “Because I love being around guys who enjoy it.”

Most of us love being with people who are enthusiastic!

Actually, the word “Enthusiasm,” is derived from the Greek word, “En-theos.” Which means “God is in them.”

The idea of enthusiasm is of a person being so filled with God, that behavior is dominated by Him, in a holy sense. Jack Hayford says: “Enthusiasm makes a person dynamically or vibrantly alive with a resource from a realm other than the natural. A call to enthusiasm isn’t a call to unbridled fanaticism, or being rowdy or noisy for its own sake. Nor do we become loud in church to impress God or other people. ENTHUSIASM IS A HUMAN RESPONSE TO BEING FILLED WITH GOD!”

Note the enthusiasm demonstrated by Jesus at the Feast of Tabernacles.

“On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.” John 7:37-38 NKJV

The Feast of Tabernacles is one of several annual holidays for the nation of Israel. Israeli citizens from around the world would return to Jerusalem to collectively remember the forty-years their forefathers wandered in the Wilderness after leaving Egypt. During this week people erected tents, huts and lean-to shelters built from tree branches, and they camped out, reflecting on what their ancestors went through so many years ago. For this reason it was called the Feast of Tabernacles, or Booths.

During Jesus day, one of the traditions involved the priests teaching and reminding the people how God provided water supernaturally as their forefathers traveled in the desert wilderness for 40 years. Then on the last day in grand celebration, the High Priest would take a golden pitcher filled with water from the Pool of Siloam and pour it out before the people, almost simultaneously, other priests would take large pots or urns filled with water, and turn them over, pouring water from the top of the temple steps. It was a dramatic moment as the water cascaded down the steps, and the people lifted up high praise to God and rejoiced.

At this very moment as the people shouted joyously, Jesus stood up and shouted:

“If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water…”

I don’t know how many responded to Jesus that day. But Luke 19:10 underscores Jesus mission, “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save that which was lost!”

Our salvation is possible because God took the initiative to come and retrieve us – to offer living water. Most of the world’s population has no idea how important and loved by God they are. God held nothing back to reach us, even to the point of sacrificing His own Son!

A British subject named Cameron was captured by King Theodore of Abyssinia (now Ethiopia). The British demanded his release, but king Theodore would not comply. So the British government sent 10,000 soldiers by sea and they walked 700 miles inland to the place the British subject was held. They broke down the prison gate, and marched to the dungeon and rescued Cameron. They escorted him 700 miles back to the ship and returned with him to London. The British government invested several months and 25 million dollars (when that was a huge amount of money) to rescue one man. As impressive as that effort was. It pales in comparison to what God has done to reach us.

John Wimber, a former rock’n roller, wrote a number of great Christian worship songs, and did much to bring the power of God into mainstream evangelicalism. But John did not grow up attending church. He said as a boy he rode his bike past a neighborhood church and saw a sign that read: “Jesus saves.” He said that he remembered thinking, “I save rubber bands, I wonder what Jesus saves?” Only as an adult did he learn what it means to be lost and without Christ.

In Jesus’ world, the word “lost,” was used in several different ways. Here are three of them.

1. First it meant “MISPLACED.” Jesus told a parable about a woman who had lost or misplaced a coin. So she cleaned her house until she found it. I am convinced that the world is filled with misplaced people. Jesus came to find us and to put us into the place we belong. If you feel “out of place,” Jesus came to find you and to help you get repositioned into God’s plan for your life.

2. The Greeks also used the word “Lost,” in the sense of being “OVERLOADED.” They specifically used it to refer to “Stonebreakers” who found their work to be drudgery. One statistic claims that 80% of American workers do not enjoy their jobs. To those for whom life is no longer exciting but is overwhelming, Jesus came to save you and says: “come to me and drink.”

3. Another use for the word “Lost,” in the original language of the New Testament is “WORN-OUT BY MISUSE.” If you have an automobile and don’t change the oil regularly or get the scheduled service, it will wear out too soon. One of the reasons Christians go to church, read their Bibles, and plan time with each other, is the fact that we need regular maintenance.

Wally Odum tells about a man who went to an auto dealership and bought the most expensive sports car on the lot. He drove the car for 18 months and one day on the interstate the engine froze. He had driven it for 42,000 miles without changing the oil. If you are one of those people who are wearing out because you aren’t taking care of yourself be encouraged. Jesus came to save you! Maybe its time for maintenance – come to Him and drink!

“When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. 2And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. 4And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.” Acts 2:1-4 NKJV

On the day of Pentecost, one-hundred-and-twenty believers who had come to Jesus for a drink of living water, were also baptized in the Holy Spirit! And John chapter seven, verses thirty-seven through thirty-nine were fulfilled! Out of their hearts there came a flow of the rivers of living water!

Notice that Jesus used the plural “rivers,” not the singular “river.” Not one river, or two rivers or three rivers – but many rivers of living water flowing out from your heart – speaking of the Holy Spirit!

You receive the Holy Spirit when you are born-again, when you are saved. But when you are baptized in the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit inside you begins to flow forth from your heart or innermost being.

Here are Eight Kinds of Rivers The Lord Wants To Releases Through Every Believer:

1. Rivers of Worship & Praise! On the day of Pentecost, “they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.” People said: “we hear them speaking in our own tongues the wonderful works of God.” They were amazed and perplexed “Whatever could this mean?” (Acts 2:11-12) NKJV.

Note the relationship between speaking in other tongues and a spirit of praise and worship. I believe the Word of God makes it clear that a personal prayer language, a language of praise, is a privilege available to every person who is filled with the Holy Spirit.

2. Rivers of Witness. A fresh enthusiasm and readiness to tell others about Jesus.

“But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me. 27And you also will bear witness, because you have been with Me from the beginning.” John 15:26-27 NKJV

3. Rivers of Ministry. There are ministry gifts that God wants to pour through you to people who are suffering. People who are in torment and pain and in need of divine grace.

“And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues… they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.” Mark 16:17-18 NKJV

4. Rivers of the Gifts of the Spirit. When we are refreshed by the Holy Spirit it rekindles our availability to his gifts that will flow in ministry to others.

5. Rivers of Intercession & Prayer – we all encounter situations where we don’t know what to do or even how to pray.

“Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.” Romans 8:26-27 NKJV

6. Rivers of Fruitfulness – There will never be any human law against the beauty of God’s grace in people! In agriculture, rivers always increase the harvest. The river of God’s Spirit changes our character and our conduct.

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.” Galatians 5:22-23 NKJV

7. Rivers Of Peace & Strength.

“He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself…” 1 Corinthians 14:4 NKJV

A. The Bible says we are being edified as we worship supernaturally before God’s throne in our times of personal devotion. Our spirit-man is being built-up and strengthened. And God knows we need all the edification we can get!

8. Rivers of Revelation – The Apostle Paul prayed for the church at Ephesus:

“that God may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation…” (Eph. 1:17).

A. Why? Because refreshing and renewal from the Holy Spirit always bring fresh vision and insight as to God’s purpose in our lives.

Here is a photograph of the Three Gages Dam in China – the largest hydroelectric dam in the world.

When water behind the dam courses through the turbine blades within the dam, it turns a shaft, which turns the generator. And there is a roaring sound. But the purpose of this engineering marvel isn’t to produce a deafening sound. The purpose is to allow water to rush through the sluice gates and generate power and light to serve people who are sometimes hundreds of miles away. When the potential is released within the dam – energy is channeled for its intended purpose.

God wants His Holy Spirit to flow through you and through me to a hurting world, and a side-benefit is that we are edified/built-up and blessed in the process!

In Closing:

Here are five simple steps to be filled or baptized with the Holy Spirit:

1. Prepare Your Heart. The Holy Spirit is holy. John the Baptist compared the Holy Spirit to fire (Mt. 3:11), which means He purifies sin and burns up that which is not Christ-like in our lives. Make sure you have confessed all known sin and make your heart ready for His infilling.

2. Ask Jesus to Baptize You In The Holy Spirit. You do not need to jump through hoops to get God’s attention. Some think they have to whoop and holler to get God to notice them… He is eager to answer your request. Jesus is the One who baptizes us in the Spirit, so ask Him – and expect Him to answer. Jesus said, “if you being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven, give the Holy Spirit to those who ask.” (Luke 11:13).

3. Receive The Infilling. Begin to thank Him for this miracle, that the Holy Spirit’s power is filling your life. If you feel that your mind is clouded with doubts, just praise the Lord. Focus your mind on Him and not on yourself.

4. Release Your Prayer Language. The moment you are filled with the Spirit, you will receive the ability to speak in your heavenly language. You may feel the words bubbling up inside you. You may begin to hear the words in your mind. Open your mouth and begin to speak, trusting the Lord to give you this new supernatural language.

5. Step Out In Boldness. After you have been baptized in the Holy Spirit, one of the first things you will notice is a new boldness. The Holy Spirit does not like to hide. He wants you to speak about Jesus to those around you – and He will give you surprising courage. Now expect Him to use you in surprising ways!

Sources:

God By The Sea, by Wally Odum. Making Life Better Publishing, Manassas, VA, 2009.

Living The Spirit-Formed Life, by Jack Hayford. Regal Publishers, a division of Gospel Light, Ventura, CA, 2001.

Speakers Sourcebook II, By Glenn Van Ekeren. Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs New Jersey, 1994.

The Holy Spirit Is Not For Sale, by J. Lee Grady. Chosen Books, Baker Publishing Group, Grand Rapids, MI, 2010

How to be baptized in the Holy Spirit

Tue, 1 Jun 2010 14:42:31 -0400

Two unbelievers were on a train discussing the life of Christ. One of them said, “I believe an interesting story can be written about Him. The other said, “And you are just the man to write it. Tear down the stories about him performing miracles, about his divinity, and paint him as a man – a man among men.” That man was Ingersoll, the noted atheist. The other man wrote the book. And as he studied the life of Jesus Christ, he realized that he was writing about more than a man. The author was Lew Wallace. The book was Ben Hur. And while writing his famous book, Wallace repented of his sin, and asked Jesus Christ to be the Lord of his life.

The most important decision you will ever make is not whom you marry, or what kind of work you will do, or where you will live. The most important question you will ever answer is “whom are you going to serve in this life?” You may serve yourself, or you may serve the devil, but if you want to spend eternity in heaven, you have to serve the Lord Jesus Christ!

Jesus told Nicodemus: “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.” John 3:3 NIV

This means that you repent of your sin, and invite Jesus Christ, the living Son of God, to come and to live in your heart and to make you new on the inside. Trusting the shed blood of Christ as the full payment for your sin, you confess Jesus to be your Lord and Savior! Jesus Himself said: “Behold, I make all things new.” That’s what He does on the inside of every person who repents of sin and places faith in His shed blood.

This happened to Jesus’ twelve disciples in John 20:22: “And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit” (NIV).

But before Jesus ascended to heaven, He told these same disciples to wait in Jerusalem until the “Promise of the Father had come.”

9Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high.” Luke 24:49 NKJV

In Acts 1:8 Jesus told his followers they would “receive power after the Holy Spirit had come upon them…”

So the disciples waited in Jerusalem for ten days, praying in a second floor room near the Temple. On the day of Pentecost, which was 50 days after Jesus died on the Cross-, something amazing happened. The Holy Spirit was poured out on the early Church. The Bible says that when the Holy Spirit came they were all filled with the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:1-4).

There are two separate experiences we can have with God. One is salvation, in which we receive God’s amazing forgiveness and a new nature. The Holy Spirit comes to live inside us, and He becomes our Teacher, our Comforter, and our Helper.

The second experience is the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, in which the Holy Spirit, who is already in us, flows forth! The phrase “Baptism in the Spirit,” simply means, “Completely immersed in the Spirit.” Jesus never wanted us to rely on our own ability to do the work of ministry. He wants to do it through us. So He fills us with the Holy Spirit to empower us with His ability.

When this happens, the Holy Spirit’s power fills us so full that He flows forth!

When people were baptized in the Holy Spirit in the New Testament church, the Bible says they all spoke in tongues (Acts 2:1-4; 4:31; 10:44-48; & 19:7).

The problem is that too often we don’t rely on the amazing power of the Holy Spirit.

Sometimes I remind myself of the little boy who was trying unsuccessfully to lift a big rock. His father saw him struggling and asked him if he was having trouble. “Yes,” the boy panted. “Have you tried everything,” the father questioned. “Yes,” the boy grunted. The father continued, “Have you used all of the resources available?” “Yes,” the boy said as he struggled. “No, you haven’t,” his father said, “you haven’t asked me.”

Too many times I have tried to do God’s work in my strength. He is waiting to bring His power into the picture if we only ask Him.

Some of us treat God’s power as a scarce commodity and use it sparingly. A Welsh woman lived in a remote valley in Wales. She went to a great deal of trouble and expense to have electrical power installed in her home. When the employee of the power company checked her meter he discovered that she wasn’t using very much electricity. In fact, her usage was hardly measurable.

The company sent someone to check the reason. The man went to the ladies front door and said, “We’ve looked at the amount of your electrical usage. Don’t you use electricity?

“Oh yes” she said. “We turn it on every night to see how to light the lamps and then we switch it off again.” This sounds like the way many Christians apply the power of God to their lives.

What About Tongues?

Sometimes Christians get hung up on the matter of speaking in tongues because it seems strange. It is actually not strange at all. It is a very special form of prayer that any Christian can experience. When we pray in other tongues we are doing 2 things:
1) We are speaking mysteries of praise to God, and
2) We are strengthening our inner man – edifying our spirit.

Speaking in tongues helps us to be mighty in the Spirit. Being baptized in the Holy Spirit is not something that you have to qualify for. Any Christian can ask to be baptized in the Holy Spirit, and Jesus is ready to do it. You can pray by yourself or you can ask someone to pray for you.

I have a good friend named Dale O’Shields. He pastors a great church in the state of Maryland. Dale grew up in Columbia, South Carolina, where his father served as the Senior Pastor of First Baptist Church. Dale received Jesus Christ as a youngster, and during his teen years grew hungry for more of the Holy Spirit. About this time he began listening to a Pentecostal radio preacher teach on the Person and Work of the Holy Spirit. One night he prayed with a friend to be baptized in the Holy Spirit, and he began to pray in other tongues. That experience redefined his life and ministry!

All these years later, I can attest that praying in other tongues is a huge value in Dale’s personal prayer life, and his ministry is marked by a fresh anointing of the Spirit!

Here are five simple steps to be filled or Baptized with the Holy Spirit:

1. Prepare Your Heart. The Holy Spirit is holy. John the Baptist compared the Holy Spirit to fire (Mt. 3:11), which means He purifies sin and burns up that which is not Christ-like in our lives. Make sure you have confessed all known sin and make your heart ready for His infilling.

2. Ask Jesus to Baptize You In The Holy Spirit. You do not need to jump through hoops to get God’s attention. Some think they have to whoop and holler to get God to notice them… He is eager to answer your request. Jesus is the One who baptizes us in the Spirit, so ask Him – and expect Him to answer. Jesus said, “if you being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven, give the Holy Spirit to those who ask.” (Luke 11:13).

3. Receive The Infilling. Begin to thank Him for this miracle, that the Holy Spirit’s power is filling your life. If you feel that your mind is clouded with doubts, just praise the Lord. Focus your mind on Him and not on yourself.

4. Release Your Prayer Language. The moment you are filled with the Spirit, you will receive the ability to speak in your heavenly language. You may feel the words bubbling up inside you. You may begin to hear the words in your mind. Open your mouth and begin to speak, trusting the Lord to give you this new supernatural language.

A. One day a girl of fifteen years who lived in South Africa, asked Jesus to baptize her in the Holy Spirit. Alone in her bedroom, she enjoyed a wonderfully intimate time of prayer. As she worshipped Jesus, she realized that she was no longer praying in English, but she was praying in a brand new language.

B. I knew a seventeen-year-old teenage boy who grew discouraged in praying for the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. He prayed and prayed, but nothing seemed to happen. Finally one day, he decided to quit focusing on his “inability,” to pray in other tongues, and instead to concentrate on loving Jesus. As he loved Jesus and stopped thinking about himself and speaking in tongues, he found himself enjoying God’s presence and later, to his surprise, discovered that he was praying in another language. That boy was me!

5. Step Out In Boldness. After you have been baptized in the Holy Spirit, one of the first things you will notice is a new boldness. The Holy Spirit does not like to hide. He wants you to speak about Jesus to those around you – and He will give you surprising courage. Now expect Him to use you in surprising ways!

A. God doesn’t want a formal relationship with you. It’s true, He is the God of the universe and Jesus is the King and Lord of Creation. But Jesus wants a relaxed friendship with those who serve Him. Just before going to the Cross, He said to His disciples:

“I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.” John 15:15 NIV

B. I have a lot of formal relationships. One of them is with the government of the United States. Every April 15th, I go through the same ceremony that most of you do. I write a check and send it to the IRS. I send the government my taxes. I have been doing this for many years, and will continue as long as I live, because there are serious consequences for not doing it. But I don’t have a personal relationship with the government. I don’t have friends at the IRS that I can call for lunch and fellowship.

C. On the other hand, I have friends whose company I enjoy. They know me and I know them. We enjoy laughing together, and in times of crises we cry together. I know how to reach them and have confidence that they will be there for me.

D. Jesus came to take people from a formal relationship with God – based on the Law, to a relationship of friendship with God. Not so much: “buddy buddy,” but a relationship of a son or a daughter relating to a Father who deeply loves and cares about them.

A Final Story:

A number of years ago, I tried to help a couple who faced big marriage problems. Every month or so, they would separate and threaten one another with divorce. Finally things got so bad that she moved to another state, and filed papers to dissolve the union.

One morning as I prayed, I felt the prompting of the Holy Spirit to try to get them to talk to each other on a conference telephone call. My goal was to help each of them empty the pain and poison out of their soul, and to hopefully heal their marriage.

I spent the first 45 minutes desperately trying to heal their relationship. However, my best efforts were failing. The bitterness and resentment was palpable, as they blamed each other for their problems. Finally in exasperation, I said, “I give up!” “I don’t know what else to do.” Then I began to cry. First softly, then louder. I felt great compassion for this couple, but I didn’t have any answers for them. As I cried, I began to groan in my spirit (Romans 8:26-27). Gradually I noticed that the estranged wife also began to cry and to call out to God for help. Then after a few moments the husband joined us in crying and praying for their marriage. Before I knew it, I heard him apologizing to his wife, and I heard her apologizing to him. That day, the Holy Spirit healed a troubled marriage.

I recently heard from this couple, and they said: “God healed our marriage, and we want you to know that we still love each other. We are so glad that we all prayed and cried together over the phone.”

The Holy Spirit can do more than we can imagine, if we will but let him display His power!

Pastor Teryl

Sources:
The Holy Spirit Is Not For Sale, by J. Lee Grady, Chosen Books (Grand Rapids, MI), 2010.
God By The Sea, by Wally Odum, Making Life Better Publishing, (Manassas, VA), 2009

The Goodness of the Master

Tue, 27 Apr 2010 09:04:55 -0400

In Matt. 2516-29, we find three servants with an entirely different spirit. Two of them used what they had to change their lives. One never used what he had. All three looked to the same master, but with different attitudes.

We have a spirit about our lives. What is the spirit of your life and ministry? What is the spirit of your family? What is the spirit of your work? The Bible speaks of a gentle spirit – a meek and quiet spirit (1 Peter 3:4), that is, a spirit—an attitude—which God values. Some folks have negative spirit, a critical spirit, a harsh spirit, or a stubborn spirit. The book of Deuteronomy refers to the Children of Israel having a “willing spirit.” Psalms 51 talks of God having a Generous Spirit. David prayed “uphold me with your generous spirit.” This is a great spirit to have because this is the spirit of Jesus. Some have an infectious spirit. Not an infected spirit, but a contagious spirit.

If it was just you and God alone and you are honest with yourself and with God, how would you describe the spirit of your life? The spirit of your life determines the fruitfulness of your life. We can believe to see the spirit of our life changed. So much is determined by what is in your spirit. What is in your spirit determines the way you see things. When it comes to God, to life, and to people, not everyone is seeing things the same way.

The master’s three servants didn’t all see the master the same way. Two of them saw the Master as a good man. One saw him as a hard man. Your outlook is determined by the condition of your heart – by your spirit.

1. I Want To Live With The Kind Of Spirit That Sees The Goodness Of The Master! Sadly, not everybody reflects that perspective of God. The first two servants saw the Master as a good man. The third man sees him as a hard man. Verse 21- His lord said unto him, “well done good and faithful servant.”

The first servant took what was given and doubled it. Counted the masters goodness – invested and made a profit – returned it to the Master and heard the Master say: “Well done, good and faithful servant – v.29 “you will have an abundance.” Verse 24 speaks of the one who received one talent – “I knew you to be a hard man… afraid and hid talent in the ground – here is what is yours.” He had the same master, but he possessed an entirely different spirit.

Unlike the third servant, I WANT TO LIVE MY LIFE OUT OF THE GOODNESS OF GOD. Ps. 119:68 – “YOU ARE GOOD AND YOU DO GOOD!” Who you believe God is, determines what you believe God does. If you believe God is a hard man then you will live out of condemnation and fear. But if you have encountered the goodness of God – then your life and speech, will evidence, that the Lord is good and is wonderful!

Who God is determines what God does. What God does determines who God is. Who God is determines what God blesses. This is the reason the spirit of your life is so important. If you see that God is good then you will believe that God does good things. He is good and he does good. He loves righteousness, because he is righteousness. He is righteousness and His countenance – His face, is upon the righteous.

But some see God as a hard man. Who does hard things. So instead of living in the favor and love and grace of almighty God, they live in fear and guilt and condemnation - and always want to please God but are never able to do it.

There are Vultures and there a Humming birds – A Vulture looks for carcasses. Humming birds look for fresh vegetation, new life. Both find what they are looking for. Since we find what we are looking for, we need to have the kind of spirit that sees the goodness of the master. We tend to find what we look for.

I love Easter and the message of the Cross – the story of Resurrection and New Life and New Beginnings. Many people identify with the Cross-, rather than the Resurrection. Thank God for the Cross – that Jesus gave his life. Even the world talks about the Cross on Good Friday, but they are uncomfortable talking about the resurrection. Many folks identify with the Cross because of their own suffering - - but Jesus is no longer on the Cross – he is resurrected and at right hand of the Father. While I live “not loving my life to the death,” and taking up my Cross daily and following Jesus, I also live out of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ!

This means that each day my spirit must reflect the spirit of New Life in Christ – proclaiming: “This is going to be a better day!” “God has good things for me today!” “Something good is happening to me today!” “I have a spirit that sees the goodness of the Master!”

2. I Want To Live Out Of A Spirit That Freely Gives And Receives. Matt. 10:8 - …”freely you have received freely give…”

A. In the story of the Talents – the first two servants have a totally different spirit than the third servant. The third servant didn’t allow the gift of God to touch his life. Many receive so much from God and never allow it to touch their lives. They receive, but don’t welcome God’s gift to transform their life! The first two received the gift and allowed it to bring increase in their lives. To whom much is given, much is required. God has given you so much. Even the person who has little – God has given you much. We are the ones who have freely received and out of that we must freely give. Oh how we need a generous spirit. Generous with our words, proclaiming: “The best is yet to come!” “You are wonderful!” “Handsome!” Talented!” It is amazing how we can take what God has given us and use it to transform our lives. Some never allow the gift to touch their lives.

B. God has given us so much and when the Bible speaks – it talks of what we have received and what we must give.

C. If you see the Master as a hard man – then when you hear a preacher quote Mal. 3:10 - you only hear “bring all the tithe into the storehouse.” You don’t hear about God “opening the windows of heaven and pouring out a blessing that there is not room enough to receive.” You don’t hear God saying: “I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes!”

D. The Kingdom of God is liquid. It isn’t a solid, but like a river, a stream. If we are going to be big spirited people, then we must understand all that God has given us. In the very life he has given us, we must have the attitude of freely received, so freely give.

E. Last year, I found myself in need of a new car. God provided an almost new Nissan Titan Pick-Up Truck. The salesman and owner of the business, made me a great deal.

F. The world may get corrupted on the aspect of receiving and turn it into a bad thing. However, God is still in the blessing business, and He doesn’t mind what we have as long as our possessions don’t have us!

G. When I am blessed, some of you look at me and are happy for me! When you can rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep, you are living your life out of the goodness of God!

H. Some might be thinking: “I don’t know about this…What did he do to get this truck?… A spirit of suspicion can arise. Does a spirit of suspicion come from the goodness and generosity of the Father or from viewing God has a hard man?

I. Some think: “No one ever gave me a good deal on a pick-up truck.” “Why doesn’t God give me one?”

J. Others might be thinking – “I don’t deserve a nice truck like that.” Some of you can’t receive from God because of the way you see yourselves. The truth is we all deserve death and hell and eternity separated from God! And if God blessed us according to what we deserve we are all in trouble. “Amazing Grace how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me.”

K. Our Spirit is so important. If the spirit of your life is a generous spirit, You won’t be like a vulture looking for dead things – but like a humming bird looking for green vegetation, for life!

L. I have prayed: “God, please bring big spirited people into my life.”

M. Your perspective of the Master is critical. God is a good God, and he is on your side. Jesus Christ is alive and sitting on the right hand of the Father. He blesses people and places you on rock. Gives a God-given vision and a God-given hope. God puts people in your life whom you need to steward. If we have the kind of spirit that freely receives and freely gives, you will build that kind of spirit around you – where people have a spirit of life!

3. I Want To Live From A Spirit That Advances The Master’s Domain (Influence).
A. The 3rd servant had no interest in advancing the Masters domain. The first two did. The third man buried what the Master gave him. Jesus said he would build his church and I want to champion the cause of the local church everywhere. 2 Tim. 1:9 says: “He saved us and called us according to his good purpose.” But don’t just live your life saved, live your life called. You can live your life saved and go to heaven, but when you live your life called, you can have a sense of destiny about you. Advancing the Kingdom – caring about what is important to the Master!

B. We can be all-about-loving a God, who is all-about-loving-people. We can see through the eyes of God that loves people.

C. Don’t have a spirit that buries the talent. But live focusing on people who are important to God. PEOPLE! PEOPLE! PEOPLE! The Church is about God and about people! Two groups of people important to God: 1) The lost, poor, & needy, and 2) the Church – saints and believers – people, people, people! We care about people’s social needs and their spiritual needs. We reach people who are hurting, and we reach the lost and champion the cause of the local church. Those planted in the house of God shall flourish in the house of God. We are to be a healthy house of God, with a wonderful free spirit. A spirit of generosity. Many care for the poor and needy and so we should, but the church should lead the way… To a point even the world cares for the poor. Bill Gates is giving his fortune to help the poor and needy. Famous pop stars will stand up for the poor. But they don’t make a big stand for the church. I don’t know about Angelina Jolle or Bono building your church for you. I know American Idol gives back, but they don’t give back so the Gospel is preached and the church of Jesus Christ is built and blessed. So the people of God must be concerned about all that is the concern of the Master. Jesus said I will build my church. And we must be a generation that is concerned about the things of the Master. Praise God! The devil wants to distract us from caring for the church. People who have a revelation of what is important to the Master – understand the church is for impacting lives for God.

D. When you care about people’s spiritual lives, you will get excited about giving into an offering that impacts people’s lives. To see the church, not malnourished and struggling, but a healthy house where all may know that Jesus is alive and have a generous spirit! A house of life in Jesus name! Lets understand the goodness of the Master. Lets take the gift that God has given us and let it change our life.

4. I Want To Live My Life Out Of The Master’s Faithfulness. The 3rd servant lived out of his own faithlessness and he lived small and cautious. No spirit of generosity. No spirit of destiny. No purpose and God-given future. He was ruled by what was thought of him, rather than being free spirited and stewarding what he had been given. We can be blessed and be a blessing. If God is for you the devil is having a terrible time. God is good. He is righteous and he loves the righteous. We are the righteousness of Christ! His favor is upon the righteous. God is on our side!!!!!

Closing Prayer: “Lord I pray we will live free spirited. Reflect the Father’s generous spirit. Kingdom spirited people committed to advancing the Master’s domain. We have received so freely, I pray that we will give freely.” Amen

This week will you live your life out of the goodness of the Master? Let me give you a starting place. As you leave today, you will be given some Scriptural Confessions of “Who Christ Is In You.” Here is what I am asking you to do. Each day of this week, take these confessions and work them into your prayer time. Say them aloud! They possess the power to change your life!

Pastor Teryl

Refusing to allow fear to stop you

Thu, 22 Apr 2010 07:12:44 -0400

John Maxwell tells the story of a man who was a consummate worrier. His life was consumed with fear and stress. One day he decided to give up worry. A friend noticed how relaxed he looked and asked how he had conquered worry and stress, he said, “It’s simple; I just hired a guy to do all my worrying for me.” Asked how much that cost, he replied, $10,000 a month.” “Where will you get the money?” his friend asked. He replied calmly, “That’s his worry, not mine!”

Please ask yourself a question: “What would you attempt to accomplish, if you weren’t worried and afraid of failing?

Jesus tells of a man who entrusted his business to three key workers. He gave the first worker five talents, or bags of silver, the second, two, and the third one. In Bible times one talent, or bag of silver was about 15 years salary – he gave them a huge amount of money. It was a defining moment, where each of them had the chance to test their business ability, and to profit from their investment.

The first two men bought and sold and doubled their investment, but the third man was afraid of failing and he buried his money. Jesus describes this man as “wicked and lazy.” He said his money would be taken from him and given to someone who used it to make a profit. He wasn’t judged for what he did, he was judged for doing nothing.

Six Things, Which Cause Us To Bury Our Talent:

1. A False View Of God’s Character & Nature.

Note the third man says: “Master, I knew you were a harsh man, harvesting crops you didn’t plant and gathering crops you didn’t cultivate. 25I was afraid I would lose your money, so I hid it in the earth…” Matthew 25:24-25 NLT

If you go through life viewing God as hard & harsh, unloving and mean. Chances are you will bury your talent, rather than take some risks.

I try to live my life out of the goodness of God. David said in Psalms 119:168: “Lord, you are good and you do good!”

Ps. 100:5: “The Lord is good; His loving-kindness is everlasting; and His faithfulness endure to all generations.”

Psalms 34:8 – “Taste and see that the Lord is good!”

Think about David’s life:

1) His first job title was “Shepherd.” His second job title was “Royal Giant-Killer;” His third job was serving as the “Head of Security & Personal Musician For The King.” But he was fired from this job! Have you ever been fired? How did it make you feel? Did you want to proclaim the goodness of God? That’s what David did! He still said: “God, You are good, and you do good!

2) David’s first Marriage ended in Divorce – due to a meddlesome father-in-law. But he didn’t fall into a bottle of booze and tell himself that he was a failure. He still proclaimed: “The Lord is good!”

3) As a result of losing his job, David became was Homeless – living in Caves, and under rocks and finally in Homeless camps out in the woods. He and some more men built a Homeless Village and called it Ziklag. One day the men threatened to kill him, stone him to death – he still said: “The Lord is good and does good!”

4) Several years later, David falls into an Adulterous relationship with Bathsheba. When confronted by Nathan the prophet, he repents and writes Psalms 51. Notes he says in verse 1: “Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love.” Even when David sinned, he knew that God was good, and loved him in an unfailing manner!”

5) When his children backslide and one of his sons has an incestuous relationship with a half–sister. David experiences the pain that only a parent who loves his or her children can know, yet he maintains this testimony: “God you are good!”

6) When another son tries to kill him, and chases him from the throne, David says: “I believe that I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living!”

Don’t allow fear/worry/hardship give you a false vision of God’s character!

2. The Fear Of People Can Cause You To Bury Your Gift In The Dirt!

A. The fear of man is a snare. Jesus said: “don’t fear the one who can kill the body, but fear the one who after you are dead, can send you to hell.” (Fear God alone!) There is only enough room in your soul for one kind of fear – you can choose to be filled with fear of man, or the fear of the Lord!

3. Fear of Failure can paralyze you with indecision.

4. Fear of Rejection can keep you from taking risks.

A. I once read of a seventh-grader in Arkansas, who did something that wasn’t popular in his school. He took his pocket New Testament to class with him, tucked inside his shirt. One day three boys approached him, grabbed his New Testament and said, “You sissy. Religion is for sissies. Prayer if for sissies. Don’t ever again bring this Bible back to school.” He handed his Bible back to the biggest one of the three and said, “Here, see if you’ve got enough courage to carry this around school just one day.” He immediately won their admiration and made three new friends.

5. Fear of Lack - made the Israelites want to go back to Egyptian slavery – made them reflect on the “good old days,” when they were slaves.

6. Fear of Persecution caused the disciples to forsake Jesus in His darkest hour, and caused Peter to deny him three times!

Four Ways To Prevent Fear From Stopping You:

1. Get A Vision of The Goodness of God!

A. Go to a concordance and began to study all the Scriptures which reference the goodness of God. One of my favorite is Acts 10:36, “how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.”

A. Refuse to buy into the lies of the devil – When you experience difficult times, the devil will say: “See there, a good God wouldn’t allow you to experience this difficulty!” He is a liar and the father of lies!

2. Know Your Source!

A. Very few of us have seen Bank Failures in our lifetime. We’ve never seen a volcano in Iceland shut down air travel to England and 23 European countries. Yesterday alone 16,000 flights were cancelled – Friday – 18,000 flights were cancelled… We’ve never seen Government Bailouts of billions of dollars, Housing Foreclosures, Rampant Unemployment, & Out of Control Health Costs. We’ve never seen our nation as divided as it is today. We’ve never seen Wars and Rumors of Wars. We’ve Never Seen Earth Quakes Occurring One After Another. Since January 1, 2010, there have been 29 Major Earth Quakes around the world. Just this month – During April 2010:

April
Baja California (Mexico) (7.2, Apr 4) · 2nd Sumatra (Indonesia) (7.7, Apr 6) · 2nd Solomon Islands (6.8, Apr 11) · Spain (6.3, Apr 11) · Yushu (China) (6.9 or 7.1, Apr 13)†

B. Jesus said: 7Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8All these are the beginning of birth pains. (Matt. 24:7-8 NIV)

C. Hebrews 12:26-27 - “Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.” 27The words “once more” indicate the removing of what can be shaken—that is, created things—so that what cannot be shaken may remain.” The Bible predicts the shaking of human kingdoms so that what cannot be shaken may remain. NIV

D. Banks, governments and businesses may shake, but our King and His Kingdom remain rock solid!

E. 8And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. 2 Corinthians 9:8 NIV

F. Notice the “Alls” in this promise! What more could you ask for? Your family, health, spiritual, material, present and future security is guaranteed under the clause of God’s unshakable Kingdom!

G. Man’s economy is not your source. It is only one way that God may or may not use to meet your needs.

H. God will meet all your need according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus – Ph. 4:19.

3. How Do You Keep Fear From Stopping You? Faithfully Follow God’s Economics For Tough Times!

A. When Israel honored God with tithes and offerings, they enjoyed mega harvests! When they withheld and hoarded what God provided, God told them: “You are under a curse – the whole nation of you!” (Mal. 3:9). God’s principle required them to “bring the whole tithe into the storehouse,” not a partial tithe!

B. “Honor the LORD with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine.” Proverbs 3:9-10 NIV

Jesus taught: “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” Luke 6:38 NIV

B. You, not the economy, determines the measure of your harvest by the measure of the seed you sow! “Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.” 2 Corinthians 9:6 NIV

C. The way it works In God’s economy is, those who withhold unduly…come to poverty; while those who give freely…gain even more.” God promises, “A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed (Proverbs 11:24-25 NIV). God’s principles work in any economy!

4. To Escape Fear, Your Self-Worth Cannot Be Built On Your Net Worth!

A. A popular bumper sticker says: “The One Who Dies With The Most Toys Wins.” I always think “But you are still dead, and you can’t take any of your ‘toys’ with you!” Jesus said: “What does it profit a man, if he wins the whole world, but loses his soul?” He also said: “A man’s life doesn’t consist in the abundance of things he possesses.” When we die, we don’t take anything with us, except our relationship with Jesus, what we give to our church, and the kingdom of God, & what we do in obedience to God’s Word.

In closing, let me share two stories with you.

A salesman saw a young boy trying unsuccessfully to sell a puppy and felt sorry for him. He told the boy that the problem was that he didn’t think big enough. He needed to raise the price. The next time he drove by the boy had put up a sign, “Puppy - $5,000.” Two days later the sign was gone. The salesman was curious about what had happened and stopped to inquire. He said to the young boy, “I never thought you’d sell the puppy at that price.” “It was easy,” said the boy. “I traded him for two $2,500 cats.”

While living in Virginia Beach, VA, we attended First Assembly, which was pastored by Wally Odom. Wally used to tell us how one of his favorite Seminary professors was from the former Soviet Union. This man often told his students that the favorite book of the Bible for many Russian believers is the book of Revelation. Wally says it was surprising, because while the book of Revelation is wonderful, it also can create many questions. When pressed as to why the book was so popular, the professor explained that Revelation was a comforting assurance that Jesus wins at the end of history. Russian Christians needed to hear that. And so do we!

Every sermon comes down to two words: “Will You?” Will you rebuke fear and purpose to live your life out of the goodness of God? Will you rise above difficult circumstances and bear fruit for God’s kingdom? Will you commit to allowing the Spirit of God to bear fruit in your life? Will you believe God and work to multiply the talent(s) God has given you?

Pray Violently

Thu, 8 Apr 2010 10:37:08 -0400

On Thursday night of Passion Week, Jesus prayed so violently that great drops of blood rolled down his face! In speaking with the disciples Jesus said:

And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force. Matthew 11:12

We live in a day where there is violence everywhere. It seems that violence is penetrating every area of our society.

In the original Greek, it isn’t easy to tell what exactly Jesus means in verse 12. It isn’t clear if Jesus is saying that the Devil does violence to the kingdom of Heaven, or if the Kingdom of Heaven is doing violence to the powers of hell. But when you read verses 13-14, it puts things in context and Jesus’ meaning becomes clear.

In verse 13 our Lord speaks of John the Baptist, a bold and confrontational prophet. John lost his head because he publicly confronted King Herod about his sins. You see Herod had an incestuous affair with his sister-in-law (who was also his niece), and when she divorced Herod’s brother, Phillip, he married her. John publicly told Herod and his court that this was a sin!

In verse 14, Jesus references Elijah, an aggressive and seemingly fearless prophet who called fire down from heaven, put 450 prophets of Baal to death, and confronted King Ahab and Queen Jezebel with their sins. Jezebel threatened to send assassins to end his life.

The context shows that Jesus is referring to the Church doing violence to the Kingdom of darkness!

In Pentecostal and Charismatic circles, we know that in the Kingdom of God there has always been a spiritual warfare. This morning, if we could see into the supernatural world. If God would open our eyes and allow us to see into the supernatural, we would see that this room is filled with the heavenly host - angels. Angels are ministering spirits to those of us who are heirs of salvation. But when we drove away from our church campus, we could also see the presence of the demon host, spirits – principalities and powers and the rulers of the darkness of this age. We would see spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

We’d see demon spirits that propel people to do evil, vile, wicked, and disgusting things. We would see there is a spiritual warfare going on.

Now most of you are here this morning because you love Jesus Christ and want to serve Him and reach others for Christ! But there are some of you that were “made to be here.” Your wife made you come. Your husband or your parents, or your friends or relatives have brought you. There are some here today, who are harboring secret sin. You don’t want anyone pointing you out. But there is something in your life that the Spirit of God is going to point out and deal with, if you will let Him. Today the Spirit of God is going to minister to you!

Every time you see someone born again in this church – you are seeing a supernatural miracle. Somehow, someway you are witnessing the result of someone’s prayers and God’s presence, and the anointing destroying a yoke of bondage. Every time someone gives their heart to Jesus in one of our small groups or because of an outreach activity – it is a miracle! People are turning from darkness to light and from Satan to God’s Kingdom. Eyes that have been blinded by Satan are now seeing. Jesus said the Kingdom of Heaven suffers violence and the violent take it by force.

Most of you know where you were on September 11, 2001. When you heard the awful news…When jet airliners filled with innocent passengers crashed into the twin towers in New York City, and when another airliner crashed into the Pentagon and a forth plane crashed in a field in Pennsylvania, because the passengers overcame the terrorists.

But I submit to you that the most terribly evils of that week, wasn’t just the taking of over 3,000 innocent lives, or the billions of dollars in destruction, or the wounding this nation. No, a terrible evil took place when a backslidden Methodist preacher stood in the National Cathedral in Bethesda, Maryland – a suburb of Washington, D.C. and at a service at which America gathered to mourn the thousands who were incinerated, the minister prayed to the God of Abraham, the God of Jesus and to the God of Mohammed. Never before in American history had they ever been lumped together. Never before in American history had any national leader, ever invited the god of another religion into partnership with the United States of America. Our country has certainly had problems and wrongs to deal with. But compared to the rest of the world, the United States has been like heaven on earth. But on that day, a man invited a foreign god onto the national stage of our lives. Our nation has historically worshipped the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The God of Our Lord Jesus Christ! Historically, we are a nation of Judeo-Christian heritage and values!

But over the last 9 years, things have happened in the United States and in the church that are unthinkable. The changes are huge and heartbreaking. I believe these changes have unleashed in this nation a hoard of demons. Demon spirits that here-to-fore, in our country, we have never had to deal with.

Jesus says: “…the Kingdom of Heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force.”

There are two kinds of violence. First, violence comes from those who imitate the flesh, instead of being imitators of Christ. Second, violence comes from the church – from Christians when we pray and fast and press into God. Violence to Satan’s Kingdom takes place when we stand in faith and declare the promises in God’s Word, and pray with groaning too deep for words (Romans 8:26-28).

There is nothing that will destroy your flesh like prayer and fasting!

In some Pentecostal circles you used to hear testimonies, where people testified to being, “Saved/Sanctified and Baptized In The Holy Ghost.” Some preachers taught that when you get good and sanctified that you will never again have to deal with your flesh – you aren’t be tempted to sin anymore. Today, most have backed off teaching that. I like the stance of the Assemblies of God regarding sanctification. We believe in both the instantaneous act of sanctification - that we are sanctified when we come to Christ, by the blood of Jesus – (1 Cor. 1:30), but we also recognize there will be times that you slip and fall into sin and we teach that sanctification is progressive – as we grow in Christ, repent of our sin, and grow in His Word and in prayer, and in obedience to His Spirit, we are progressively sanctified – progressively becoming more and more like Jesus.

One of the ways to crucify your flesh is to fast and to pray! Your stomach doesn’t want to be dethroned!

When I was a little boy, my family worshipped here at Evangel. But the day came that my dad told my mom that he felt that we should worship at a Pentecostal Holiness church across town. He said: “I just believe there are some things I am supposed to learn from this pastor across town.” So our family began attending a new church. Now at age 14, when I got my first motorcycle I returned to Evangel – there were a lot of pretty girls here!

Our pastor at the other church was a wonderful man of God, but due to family circumstances, he never finished high school. As a teenager, he toiled in the central Florida swamps, catching alligators and selling them to reptile shows and tourist attractions. Now, he may have not been real sophisticated, but when he preached – the Holy Ghost would show up and lives would be changed. When he preached sinners would run to the altar seeking forgiveness of their sins! On many occasions it would seem that everyone in the building would be on his or her backs – resting under the glory cloud of God.

On several occasions one summer, my parents would drop by the church to care for various matters, and as a young child, I would walk into the sanctuary and I would find our pastor face down in the carpet pouring his heart out to God. His Bible would be open beside him, where he had been reading it. And I would hear him pray in English and then pray in tongues, and then I would hear him begin to make groaning and moaning sounds – “AAUGH!” “AAUGH!” Then he would speak in tongues, speak in English, then he would again begin to groan “AAUGH!” “AAUGH!” This happened again and again. He sounded like he was in pain, and I wondered if I should call an ambulance… I thought maybe he was hurting. He would lay on his face and pray for hours – moaning and groaning and then praying in English and then praying in tongues and then moaning and groaning some more. But it never failed, the next Sunday, when he preached the Holy Ghost would show up and lives would be changed.

What was happening when he prayed with “words too deep for utterances?” Paul writes: “He that searches the heart of man knows what the mind of the Spirit is…” and as our pastor would pray violently, the will of God was being done, and demon forces were being overthrown.

Sometimes it is hard for the brain to understand all of this. But something happens in the spiritual world when we press into prayer and give the Holy Spirit permission to cry through our eyes and groan through our lips.

When I went to Emmanuel College, I was taught a lot of wonderful things. I was taught to read my Bible every day. I was taught to engage in daily prayer and Bible reading. I was taught theology, eschatology, homiletics, biology, psychology, geometry, literature, and many other subjects, but no one taught me that we are in a spiritual struggle – that the kingdom of heaven suffers violence and the violent take it by force. I wasn’t trained in spiritual warfare, the way that Paul taught the Romans: “Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. 27Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God 28And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:26-28 NKJV

I graduated from college, and didn’t have any job prospects. So I moved back home and was preparing to interview for a job with UPS, and dad suggested that we take a week and pray together each evening for God to open a door of ministry for me. I thought I knew a great deal about prayer – after all, I was a Bible College graduate. We ended up kneeling on my bedroom floor and dad began praying in English, then in tongues, and then he began groaning in the Spirit…. (Later, learned that he fasted that entire week for my future). This pattern of prayer went on all week. The followingt week after our prayer time ended, Pastor George Bass in St. Augustine, Fl, contacted me about serving with him at Trinity Chapel.

My first week working with Pastor Bass, he told me to meet him Saturday night at 9:00 p.m. at the church – I asked what we were going to do. He said: “Pray.” So, I met him for prayer, and we would pray not just one hour, but at least for 2 hours every Saturday night. Often I didn’t get home until after midnight.

When we first began praying I noticed that Pastor Bass would begin praying in English and then he prayed in other tongues and then he too would begin groaning and moaning before God. So I too began to pray in English and then in tongues and then invited the Holy Spirit to pray through me with “groanings too deep for words.” After several months of prayer, something began to happen at Trinity Chapel – not overnight, but slowly people began to get saved. Lives were changed. The Sunday morning attendance began to grow. Two years later, when Kathy and I moved from St. Augustine to Virginia Beach, the church had more than doubled in size, from 150 to over 350 people! It wasn’t because of us, it was because God was honoring the faith and prayers of a faithful senior pastor and congregation.

George Bass taught me that when church problems arise - - you pray. When problems arise in your family, you pray.

I thank God our three daughters are living for Jesus today. But there was a time when one of them was away from God. Kathy and I went back to what we had learned about prayer and faith in God. And we declared God’s Word and groaned and travailed in prayer for over a year until something let go of her.

Some things only come by prayer and fasting. The kingdom of God suffers violence and the violent take it by force!

At Trinity Chapel, we often had special days of prayer and fasting. And one of the largest drug dealers in the area came to church and got saved.

This man had a burden for his nephew. We began to pray for his family members. Sadly, several months later, this man was tragically killed in an accident. His funeral was the first funeral I ever preached. At his funeral, his nephew gave his life to Jesus. Shortly after that, Kathy and I moved to Virginia. A number of years went by and one day my administrative assistant at Regent University told me a young man wanted to see me. A young graduate student walked into my office and introduced himself. He told me he was the nephew of the drug dealer, whose funeral I had performed in St. Augustine. He reminded me that he was saved at his uncle’s funeral. He told me he was called to ministry – today he works with the Reinhardt Bonkke Evangelistic Association!

Was this young man getting saved, just something that happened? No way! He is serving the Lord today, because a pastor named George Bass prayed on Saturday nights in faith, with groanings to deep for words. He is serving God because someone said I am going to do violence to Satan’s kingdom!

This week we are continuing to fast and to pray for your loved ones, friends and co-workers to be saved at Easter time. Invite them to one of the services next Sunday – 9 a.m and 11 a.m. We will have water baptisms with testimonies at both services. They will hear the Gospel presented.

On Wednesday evening at 7:00 p.m., we will worship, teach, and pray for the lost and for those who need deliverance and break throughs. We will pray over each seat in auditorium. We will believe God and pray: “Lord for the people who sit in these chairs – some will be lost – save them!” “Some will have bondage in their lives, set them free.” “Some will have areas of their lives they don’t want to give to God, and will be bound by invisible chains of rebellion, lust, greed and selfishness.” We will bind the devil and prophesy freedom and deliverance to the captive!

If we want the miraculous – someone has to pray the price! Jesus spent much time in prayer. Revival doesn’t just walk into the front door of your home, or the front door of your life, or the front door of our church. The fact that we have Assembly of God on the sign doesn’t mean that the power of God shows up. It just means we know where the power is! The power of God comes as we speak our faith, fast, pray, and die to self and groan and moan and intercede and see violence done to the powers of darkness!

In St. Augustine, Pastor Bass got a hold of the power of prayer and fasting. Before I moved from there, one day a man came into the education wing, where my office was and I heard him cursing and shouting – I went into the hallway to discover that I was alone in the building and someone had left an entrance door unlocked. This man about 6’5” tall, came into my office swearing and threatening to pull my lungs out of my chest. I didn’t know what to do, so I stood and said: “I want you to sit down and be quiet in Jesus name!” He began to curse again. So again I said: “I want you to sit down and be quiet in Jesus name.” To my surprise he sat down like a whipped puppy. So I continued: “No more cursing and threatening me. I believe you are here, cause you want help.” Without asking him, I walked from behind my desk and lay by hands on his red hair and began to cast our every kind of devil I could think of. I prayed a long time – wasn’t going to allow him to get up. Then I led him in a sinner’s prayer and he repented of his sins and received Jesus Christ into his life.

Kathy and I moved from St. Augustine after serving at Trinity Chapel for 26 months, but several years later when visiting the church, who do you think was singing in the choir? A 6’5” red haired man, and he had his wife and children in church too!

Praise God! The Kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force!

Lets pray in faith believing for a great harvest of souls!

Pastor Teryl

Should women preach?

Wed, 24 Mar 2010 09:12:04 -0400

“Should Women Preach and Teach?”

Last Sunday, Barbara Benton spoke in our 10:30 a.m. service. She was anointed and did a fantastic job teaching God’s Word. Barbara and her husband Gaylon, are both ordained ministers. For many years, they served churches in South Carolina, Florida and North Carolina. Both have a credible and fruitful ministry!

After the service, I was in the lobby, an individual asked what I thought of First Timothy 2:11-12. He read it to me: “Let a woman learn in silence with all submission. And I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man, but to be in silence.”

I tried to explain that we interpret this Scripture in context, and in light of all of the New Testament Scriptures which reference women ministering.

So is it wrong for a woman to fill the pulpit? Is this really what Paul meant in 1 Timothy 2 and 1 Corinthians 14? Let’s take a look and discover what the Bible teaches on this subject.

1 Corinthians 14:34-35
34Let your women keep silent in the churches, for they are not permitted to speak; but they are to be submissive, as the law also says. 35And if they want to learn something, let them ask their own husbands at home; for it is shameful for women to speak in church. NKJV

1. In the original Greek there is only one word that is translated “man,” and no words that are translated “husband;” and only one Greek word that is translated “woman,” and no words which are translated “wife.” So the reader has to determine from the context whether a text is talking about women in general, or specifically about wives. And the same is true when the subject is “man.” The reader has to determine from the context if the writer is talking about men in general, or specifically about husbands.

2. 1 Corinthians 14:34 couldn’t be talking about women in general, because the next verse says, “if they have questions, let them ask their HUSBANDS…” All women don’t have husbands. So unmarried women are certainly not included in this text. The Greek word “gyne,” should have been rendered “wives.” “Let your wives be silent…”

3. A.S. Worell translates this: “Let the wives keep silence in the assemblies, for it is not permitted them to speak…”

4. Likewise the Message Bible renders it: 34Wives must not disrupt worship, talking when they should be listening, 35asking questions that could more appropriately be asked of their husbands at home. God’s Book of the law guides our manners and customs here. Wives have no license to use the time of worship for unwarranted speaking. 1 Corinthians 14:34-35 MSG

Here is the other text dealing with this issue.

1 Timothy 2:11-15
11Let a woman learn in silence with all submission. 12And I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man, but to be in silence. 13For Adam was formed first, then Eve. 14And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression. 15Nevertheless she will be saved in childbearing if they continue in faith, love, and holiness, with self-control. NKJV

Again remember the Greek New Testament only has one word that is translated as “man” and one word that is translated as “woman.” Sometimes the context shows that it is not a reference to “women in general,” but to “wives,” and to “husbands.” This is again the issue in the text.

1. Paul is not talking about all women, but about wives. Note verses 13-14, he refers to “Adam and Eve,” a husband and wife. This shows the context. He is dealing with husbands and wives.

2. He is talking about wives interrupting the service, by asking questions.

3. When you translate the Greek word gyne as “wife” rather than “woman,” these verses make sense, especially when compared to other Scriptures, dealing with women in ministry.

4. He is saying that especially in church, a woman should never dictate to, domineer, or usurp authority over her husband. Now some wives have been known to do this – not only in church, but at home and in other places. Now it isn’t right for this to happen anywhere – but especially not at church. Neither is it right for a husband to dictate to, domineer, or usurp authority over his wife. Husbands are to be the leaders of the home, but they are to be love-with-skin-on to their wives. Husbands are to love their wives like they love their own flesh and like Christ loves the church.

5. The women of the first century had little education. Paul advised that if the wives had questions they should ask their husbands at home – but certainly don’t interrupt the sermon or teaching to ask questions, unless the speaker pauses for a time of Q & A.

6. At the end of the First World War, missionaries from the U.S. were sent to every country in Europe. In the Eastern Block countries, some of the poor, illiterate women – who were new to the Gospel, would interrupt preachers as they preached and taught. They would speak right out and ask questions. One woman spoke up in the middle of a sermon and wanted to know the cost of the missionary’s suit and his wife’s dress, and another halted a teaching to ask, “Why can’t you speak our language”? “Why do you have to use a translator?” As you can imagine, this caused the speaker to lose his/her train of thought, and hindered the anointing.

7. The same kind of thing was probably happening in Corinth and at Ephesus. Sadly, in some parts of the world today, women are not afforded a lot of education. Some have even suggested that in the first century church, that men sat in the front seats and women sat in the rear – causing them to yell out, asking their husbands what the preacher said,

Interpreting Scripture

One of the rules of inductive Bible Study is that every verse must be interpreted by the context - that is what the verses before and after it it are saying. Another principle is every Scripture must be interpreted in the light of what other Scriptures have to say on the subject. It must harmonize with other Scriptures. Regarding this, the Apostle Peter wrote:

2 Peter 1:20-21
20Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. 21For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. NKJV

If you want to, you can lift a verse of Scripture out of it’s setting – out of its context and make it say almost anything or use it to support almost any argument.

There have been some wonderfully anointed men and women of God who have made shipwreck of their ministries and lives, because they got off into error.

Present day examples include Carlton Pearson and Jamie Bakker. Both have taken a Scriptural truth and are emphasizing it to the exclusion of other Scriptures. Specifically, they are teaching that no one will go to hell. That a loving God doesn’t want any to perish, therefore everyone will ultimately be reconciled with God. While it is true “God doesn’t want any to perish, but that all should come to repentance,” (2 Peter 3:9). That doesn’t mean that everyone will be saved. Jesus said:

6He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. Mark 16:16 NKJV

So, our Scriptural practices (orthopraxy), must come from Scriptural doctrines (orthodoxy). And our doctrines and practices don’t just come from one or two isolated Scriptures, but from comparing the whole of Scriptural teaching together about a subject. If an interpretation doesn’t harmonize with all other Scriptures, then the interpretation is wrong!

Sadly, some have erred about the role of women in ministry, by not reading Paul’s comments in context, and not considering all of the other Scriptures about women in the Bible.

Consider these New Testament Scriptures:

1 Corinthians 11:5
5But every woman that prayeth or prophesieth with her head uncovered dishonoureth her head: for that is even all one as if she were shaven. NKJV

1. Paul says that women can pray and prophesy. We won’t take time to explain the cultural meaning of “head uncovered,” but suffice it to say that Paul does allow for a woman to “prophesy.” Now, Paul wasn’t an illogical person. Would he write in chapter 11 that women could prophesy, and then say in chapter 14 that they must keep silent?

Acts 2:16-18
16But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; 17And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: 18And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy: NKJV

1. Hundreds of years before Peter preached it on the day of Pentecost, Joel had prophesied it (Joel 2:28). Peter says Pentecost was the day of the fulfillment of Joel’s prophecy. God has poured out His Spirit on not just men, but also on women too. Daughters shall prophecy. Now prophesy can mean preaching, but it also means speaking or teaching under the influence and inspiration of the Spirit of God. Some preachers begin preaching and then shift into a prophetic realm – speaking under the influence of the Holy Spirit. This isn’t just for men, but for “daughters” and “handmaidens” as well!

2. I love my Southern Baptist friends. I rededicated my life to Christ in First Baptist Church of Tallahasseee, FL. But I recently read where a Southern Baptist said: “Its wrong for Pentecostals to allow women to be credentialed and to preach and teach from the pulpit.” But did you know that Southern Baptists allow women to teach Sunday School, and to serve as Missionaries and preach on foreign fields, but do not allow women to preach and teach on Sundays from the pulpit in the United States? Isn’t the Christian Education wing of the church, just as “holy,” as the sanctuary? What is the difference? Last summer, I heard Southern Baptist teacher, Beth Moore, profusely thank a group of Assembly of God pastors in Orlando, for allowing her to teach the Bible to us.

Acts 1:13-14
13And when they were come in, they went up into an upper room, where abode both Peter, and James, and John, and Andrew, Philip, and Thomas, Bartholomew, and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon Zelotes, and Judas the brother of James. 14These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, WITH THE WOMEN, AND MARY THE MOTHER OF JESUS, and with his brethren. NKJV

1. There were 120 people in the Upper Room – both men and women! The Spirit descended on all of them! I’M GLAD THE LADIES DIDN’T KEEP QUIET THAT DAY. I’m glad they were filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke in tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance!

Luke 1:41-42
41And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost: 42And SHE SPAKE OUT WITH A LOUD VOICE, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb… NKJV

1. I’m glad that Elisabeth didn’t keep quiet!

Luke 1:46-47
6And Mary SAID, My soul doth magnify the Lord, 47And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. NKJV

1. I’m glad that Mary spoke out when the Spirit of God came upon her! Someone might say: “Well she was speaking in her home, it is alright in the home.” Well consider this Scripture:

Luke 2:36-38
36And there was one ANNA, A PROPHETESS, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher: she was of a great age, and had lived with an husband seven years from her virginity; 37And she was a widow of about fourscore and four years, which departed not from the TEMPLE, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day. 38And she coming in that instant gave thanks likewise unto the Lord, and SPAKE OF HIM to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem. NKJV

1. Was it wrong for Anna to “prophesy” about Jesus in the Temple? She prophesied in what we would today call, “The House of The Lord.”

2. Since both Joel and Peter by the Holy Spirit wrote, “your daughters will prophesy,” would Paul countermand the Lord’s command and say, “Your daughters shall not prophesy?”

3. I’m convinced that Paul was saying: “I do not permit a wife to teach or to usurp authority over her husband.” Yet if her husband wasn’t a Christian, he couldn’t teach her any thing, and she might have to teach him.

Acts 18:26
26So he began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Aquila and PRISCILLA heard him, THEY took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately. NKJV

1. Priscilla and Aquila were Paul’s companions in ministry. This verse says that Priscilla a woman, taught the eloquent evangelist, Apollos.

Acts 21:8-9
8On the next day we who were Paul’s companions departed and came to Caesarea, and entered the house of Philip the evangelist, who was one of the seven, and stayed with him. 9Now this man had FOUR VIRGIN DAUGHTERS WHO PROPHESIED. NKJV

Romans 16:1
1I commend to you PHOEBE OUR SISTER, WHO IS A SERVANT OF THE CHURCH in Cenchrea. NKJV

Philippians 4:2-3
2I implore Euodia and I implore Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord. 3And I urge you also, true companion, HELP THESE WOMEN WHO LABORED WITH ME IN THE GOSPEL. NKJV

In Conclusion
My opinion is that women can fill most of the offices in the church. However, I do believe that it is harder for a woman to stand in the office of senior or lead pastor. Of course, that doesn’t mean that God can’t use her as a senior or lead pastor. It is just that she will run into cultural bias and will need the help of a strong husband or ministry team to help her.

The same Apostle Paul, who wrote 1 Corinthians chapter14 and 1 Timothy chapter 2, also wrote the letter to the Galatians. In chapter 3, he seems to say that God doesn’t differentiate regarding our gender.

Galatians 3:26-28
26For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. 27For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is NEITHER MALE NOR FEMALE: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. NKJV

Sources:
“The Role Of Women In Ministry As Described In Holy Scripture” (Assembly of God position paper) http://ag.org/top/Beliefs/Position_Papers/pp_downloads/pp_Worship_in_the_Bible.pdf

The Woman Question, by Kenneth Hagin, Sr. 1983, Rhema Bible Church, P.O. Box 50126, Tulsa, OK 74150-0126

Brian Houston Interview

Wed, 3 Mar 2010 16:24:15 -0500

Question & Answers With Brian Houston @ Corazon Conference in Lima Peru, 2/25/10

Last week I was privileged to be a part of the Corazon Pastors Conference in Lima, Peru. Here is a rough transcript of a noon-time question and answer session conducted by Robert Barriger, founder and Senior Pastor of Camino de Vida Church. http://caminodevida.com

Question: “Tell us about your church. Did you begin growing from the very beginning?”

Answer: “Hillsong Church was started in 1983. 70 people attended the first week then it went down from there. However, after several months, folks started to get saved and the church began to grow. Today, we have four campuses: three in Sidney and one in Brisbane and we video link, and have 14 extension services around Sydney. Every weekend about 23-24 thousand people attend services. In Australia there has never been big churches - we have mostly younger people who are coming to Christ. At Hillsong, our core values include an attitude of love for God, love for life, and love for people coupled with a good sense of authenticity. We are on television - commercial and Christian channels.”

Question: “Many pastors are insecure when they see a big church that is prosperous and doing well. How does a pastor develop self-esteem, so he can be confident and not be threatened by the success of another ministry?”

Answer: “All humans struggle with self-esteem issues. Our journey in Christ is an on-going thing. A fool is self-confident. Godly confidence is who we are in Christ. Without this, we live our lives fearful about ourselves. And fearful about gifted persons in our church. My worship pastors are more known than I am. Sometimes when we all travel, people will hand cameras to me and ask that I take a picture of “Darlene Zschech, or my son, Jonathan Houston, who is a leader with Hillsong United.” However, I know there is only one person anointed to be the dad of the house - - that’s me! God has anointed my wife and me to be the mom and dad of the house. With the spirit of a dad – I love to see people flourish. It is my passion in life and ministry. People know they only have one dad. I know that I am the dad in the house. I don’t have to be threatened when other people are successful and their ministry is growing.”

Question: “What is the difference between being a strong leader and a controlling leader?”

Answer: “There is a huge difference between strong leadership and controlling leadership. When you are controlling, it is all about you and your ministry and leadership. My focus is not about what people can do for me – but how can I help you to be everything you can be to serve God’s purposes for your life. Leaders are to be strong – but not try to control. I try to clasp both of my hands together and say: “Here is the church, here is the steeple, open the door and release all the people. Not control all the people.”

Question: “Though your church is part of the Assemblies of God in Australia, Hillsong seems to have influence beyond the pastors and churches in your fellowship - - impacting different denominations and networks of independent churches worldwide. How has this happened?”

Answer: “We need to understand what is important and what is not important. I want a church with a big spirited people who are inclusive – they know the name of Jesus is what it is all about. God is big and diverse and there is room in the body of Christ for great diversity. So you build big-spirited people who have a big spirit of grace and will be forgiving of you and other people. So you get a ‘bigger spirited’ and better church that way. It isn’t about buildings, it is about people, and it is about relationships.”

Question: “Hillsong Church seems to do a great job of reaching out to the poor and oppressed with a message of social justice, while at the same time building the local church. How does this play out for you?”

Answer: “The poor and hurting is people and the church is people. In Mark chapter 14, a woman broke a bottle of perfume. It was worth an entire year’s wages. Folks didn’t get angry because she broke the bottle. They grew angry because she anointed Jesus with it. She was building the spiritual and they thought she should build the social, that is use her resources to care for the poor. Folks get upset when you build the church. It is trendy to help the poor, but not trendy to build the church – we must build a generation that values both. We are blessed to be a blessing. We need to be totally committed to be a blessing in every arena of life. To the church and to the world. This positions you to receive provision for the vision.”

Question: “Some pastor’s focus more on developing their ministry gifts, rather than developing Christ-like character. Comment on this.”

Answer: “Heart is more important than gift, I want to be around folks who have a heart for God and for people. I am a huge believer in the potential of people. Folks look at Darlene Zschech, Christine Caine, and my son, Jonathon Houston. When they started they weren’t famous Christians. Some were broken people or kids in youth group – but believing in people and wanting the same for people – has come back to bless Hillsong. A lot of pastors couldn’t handle having a worship pastor who is better known than they are. We travel and everyone wants to meet Darlene. A pastor must have strong confidence in who he is in Christ. The truth is pastors need strong leaders around them. I need them, so I must build them.”

Question: “How do people become planted in Hillsong Church?”

Answer: “Those who are planted in the house of the lord shall flourish. Folks in our church should flourish. By this I mean we want to have healthy families who enjoy healthy relationships etc… Those who are planted in the house of the Lord… if you have trouble-keeping people planted, ask yourself can people flourish in this environment? When you help them flourish – then you flourish!”

Question: “How does one church sponsor so many events? You do annual conferences in Australia, London, and Kiev.”

Answer: “We have extraordinary people who go the extra mile. There is a balance between wearing folks out and placing burdens on them. People become passionate about the greater cause. When their heart and soul is in it – then it isn’t such a burden. Believe God to grace you with the capacity to impart vision into people. Don’t try to just get people behind your vision, but help them with their vision for their life and watch as they support the vision of the house. When people get a love for the house, they will go the extra mile for the house. Have the kind of environment where people can flourish. Third John verse 2, speaks of prospering in our soul. John was talking to his friend here. Every church has a soul, and it is the key folks in the church. Don’t worry about what people on the periphery are saying. Instead focus on the health and soul of the church. If the soul of the church prospers then the church prospers. Don’t worry about the growth of the church – focus on the health of the church – healthy things grow!”

Note: Although I captured the heart of Robert’s questions, because he asked them in Spanish, and the translator whispered to Brian, I sometimes had to guess at what exactly Robert was asking.

Horror in Haiti

Tue, 19 Jan 2010 15:55:43 -0500

This week the world has been shocked to see the devastation of an entire island nation. We’ve been horrified to see the effects of a massive earthquake, which seems to have had its epicenter in the very densely populated downtown area of Port-au-Prince, Haiti’s capital city.

This morning, the American Red Cross estimated that 50,000 people have lost their lives.

The Assemblies of God has 273 churches in Haiti and 66,000 adherents. Last Wednesday, one of the first humanitarian relief planes on the ground in Port-au-prince was “Convoy of Hope,” the disaster/compassion arm of the Assemblies of God. Our 12,600 plus churches in the U.S. have all been asked to pray and to receive offerings to help with relief efforts.

Disasters like this make us all ask, “Why?” There are no easy answers. We may not have a complete answer until we get to heaven.

Job is a man who suffered greatly. He and his friends also wanted to know “why?”

Job lived about 5,500 years ago, a descendant of Noah and his sons - - Shem, Ham and Japheth. In his day, he was one of the richest men on the earth. He was a rancher, and his portfolio was tied up in livestock. But in one 24-hour period he goes from being a man of immense wealth and influence to bankruptcy! First, his heard of 500-female donkeys is stolen by a foreign army, and his servants are killed. Then, another band of thieves rustle 3,000 camels and kill even more of his servants! Then when all of his children had gathered together to have a party, a tornado hits the house where they are gathered and all of them were killed!

Shortly thereafter: the devil struck Job with terrible “boils from head to foot.” Job 2:8 - Job sat in a heap of ashes and scraped his skin, and his wife says: “Curse God and die!”

Three of his friends gathered to help him. When they saw him from afar, they didn’t even recognize him. Stunned at his loss and overcome with grief, they all sat silently for 7 days and 7 nights. You can always tell who your real friends are, because they will encourage you to trust God – to place faith your faith in God.

Job’s friends were really good men and they meant well. But their whole line of reasoning was that heartache and difficulties can’t come to righteous people - - only sinners and unbelievers have bad things happen to them. They tried to convince Job they he had some secret sin in his life.

Jesus disciples were the same way. In John 9 they encountered a man who was born blind and they asked: “Who sinned, this man or his parents that he was born blind?” Jesus answered “Neither this man or his parents sinned – but that the works of God should be revealed in him” (9:3).

Here are some points to ponder:

1. Discouragement and Confusion Are Two Of The Strongest Weapons The Devil Has!

A. For many years I tried to live for God and sought the Lord for the baptism in the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues. I cried. I lay prostrate on the floor and watered the carpet with my tears. Every time I would get close to God, the devil would whip me by reminding me of every sin I had ever committed. The voice in my head said: “Why God can never baptize you in the Holy Ghost, you are just way too sinful!” I got my eyes on my past and disregarded the blood of Jesus Christ that had covered my sins and blotted out my transgressions. But one day, when I got my eyes off of me and on what Jesus had done for me, I was baptized in the Holy Spirit speaking in other tongues!

2. In The Middle Of Tragedies, Sometimes You Think You Want To Die – But If You Will Receive God’s Grace – He Will Strengthen You To Speak Life To Yourself & To Your Circumstances!

Job went through horrible agony, grief and heartache. He was falsely accused by his “friends.” But in chapter 19 he comes forth with this declaration:

“But as for me, I know that my Redeemer lives,
      and he will stand upon the earth at last.
26      And after my body has decayed,
      yet in my body I will see God!” Job 19:25-26 NLT

Make that your declaration today: “I know my Redeemer lives!!!”

3. By The End of the Book - - The Lord Encouraged Job To Forget About Himself, & Pray For His Friends - - and The Lord Healed His Body, And Gave Him Twice As Many Possessions As He Had In The Beginning!

10”When Job prayed for his friends, the LORD restored his fortunes. In fact, the LORD gave him twice as much as before! 11Then all his brothers, sisters, and former friends came and feasted with him in his home. And they consoled him and comforted him because of all the trials the LORD had brought against him. And each of them brought him a gift of money and a gold ring.
12So the LORD blessed Job in the second half of his life even more than in the beginning. For now he had 14,000 sheep, 6,000 camels, 1,000 teams of oxen, and 1,000 female donkeys. 13He also gave Job seven more sons and three more daughters. 14He named his first daughter Jemimah, the second Keziah, and the third Keren-happuch. 15In all the land no women were as lovely as the daughters of Job. And their father put them into his will along with their brothers.
16Job lived 140 years after that, living to see four generations of his children and grandchildren. 17Then he died, an old man who had lived a long, full life.” Job 42:10-17 NLT

In his Missions Minute Newsletter <update@globaladvance.org>, David Shibley suggests some ways that Christians can respond to the disaster in Haiti.

1. Show compassion. Christians need to be the first responders in any crisis. God’s heart is for people. Every human being should feel a natural humanitarian impulse to help. But compassion is compounded in us as believers because “the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit” (Ro. 5:5). The Bible calls us to identify with those who suffer. We are to “weep with those who weep” (Ro. 12:15).

Jesus said, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven” (Mt. 5:16).
At the same time other religions are often sluggish in aiding their own adherents, if they respond at all. Our love speaks volumes.

2. Be slow to judge. In the wake of the earthquake in Haiti I heard some people say this was judgment on the nation. That is not for us to determine. It is true that two places in the Western Hemisphere that have been hit hardest by natural disasters – New Orleans and Haiti – are also the two areas where the occultic practice of voodoo has been most prevalent in the Western Hemisphere. And it is true that in 1791 a group of Haitian slaves plotting revolt against the French officially dedicated the nation to Satan. But it is also true that in 1997 many Haitian Christians gathered to renounce this act with repentance, prayer, and fasting. Today, statistics indicate that at least 22 percent of Haiti’s people are evangelical Christians, and the number is rising. We need to remember that many Christians as well lost their lives in this disaster. I know of one Bible school in Port-au-Prince that lost 30 students.

Lets not forget that God told Abraham that if he found ten righteous people in the city of Sodom, that He wouldn’t allow the city to be destroyed (Genesis 18:32). 22 percent of Haiti’s population is 1,980,000. Almost 2 million people in this Caribbean island nation are born-again, Evangelical believers!

3. Remember that the earth is under the curse of sin. Not only did man fall with Adam’s sin but the earth itself was affected. The Bible says that the world “groans and labors in birth pangs” (Ro. 8:22). The result is the actual shifting of the earth’s plates that produces natural disasters. The fact is our planet is not yet restored. We look toward Christ’s coming rule when there will be “new heavens and a new earth” (2 Pe. 3:13).

4. See natural disasters as a “wake-up call”. “For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. 8All these are the beginning of sorrows.” Matthew 24:7-8 NKJV

We’ve got to be prepared to meet our God!!!

5. Pray for those who suffer, & pray that God will use this tragedy to bring people to Him.   Many people are groping for answers. I’m praying for revival of faith in Jesus Christ to rock all of Haiti! Our God is a great “shelter in the time of storm” (Psa. 61:2-3.)

6. Be quick to repent. In Jesus day, there was a calamity. A tower being built in Jerusalem fell over and killed 18 men.

“Do you think they were worse sinners than all other men who dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish” (Lu. 13:5). These are tough words from our Lord. But they call us to examine our own hearts before we judge the spiritual condition of others.

1      God is our refuge and strength,
      A very present help in trouble.
2      Therefore we will not fear,
      Even though the earth be removed,
      And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;
3      Though its waters roar and be troubled,
      Though the mountains shake with its swelling.
Selah
10      Be still, and know that I am God;
      I will be exalted among the nations,
      I will be exalted in the earth! Psalms 46:1-3, 10 NKJV

Remembering Caesar Augustus at Christmastime

Fri, 11 Dec 2009 15:22:53 -0500

Did you know that God uses anyone He chooses to accomplish His plan?

Just before Jesus was born, God used Caesar Augustus, king of the Roman Empire to serve His purposes. Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus, better known as Augustus (23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), was the first emperor of the Roman Empire, which he ruled alone from 31 BC until his death in AD 14.

How did God use Caesar Augustus?

There was a rebellion on the Northern front of the Roman Empire, in modern-day France. Money was needed to fight this war. So Caesar Augustus levied an additional tax on all his subjects. He proclaimed that everyone in the entire Roman Empire had to return to his or her hometown and register and pay their taxes. Joseph and Mary had no choice but to go to Bethlehem. Circumstances forced them to make the difficult one hundred mile trip over the mountains.

God moved the world to fulfill His plan. Seven-hundred years earlier Micah, the prophet had said:

But you, Bethlehem…
      though you are small among the clans of Judah,
      out of you will come for me
      one who will be ruler over Israel,
      whose origins are from of old,
      from ancient times.” Micah 5:2 NIV

Joseph never said to Mary, “Look, you are about due and Micah prophesied that the Christ-child has to be born in Bethlehem.” But God’s promise was so powerful that He orchestrated the events of the entire Roman Empire to get Mary and Joseph to where they needed to be. Every citizen of every village in the Mediterranean world was affected just to fulfill God’s Word!

You can trust God to fulfill your tomorrows. You may have promises from God that you haven’t seen fulfilled and don’t fully understand. But you can trust God because He is faithful!

Pastor Wally Odum, tells the story of a small boy whose mother died when he was just a child. His father planned a picnic and the little boy, who had never been on a picnic, was excited. Several times that night the boy, too excited to sleep, awakened his father. The father sent the boy back to bed each time. Finally, the boy came one more time, and the father on the verge of exasperation, asked, “What’s the matter now?” The boy said, “Daddy, I just want to thank you for tomorrow!”

Maybe life isn’t going well for you! Maybe you’re going through the discomfort that precedes a miracle. Maybe you feel like you have been riding 100 miles up and down mountains on the back of a donkey. But God is in charge of your circumstances and is planning to keep his promise. You can always say: “Thank you God for tomorrow!”

He is at work on your behalf, even when you don’t feel, sense or experience Him!

Merry Christmas!

Pastor Teryl