Encouragement

Encourage is a frequently urged action in the epistles. The church was to excel at the work of encouraging. And, I have benefitted frequently as the members of God’s Family have taken the apostolic urging seriously.

Family has excelled in the art of encouragement. My mother and father urged us to excel, to work hard, to persevere when we wanted to quit. My sister helped me through college. My brother still calls nearly every day, just to chat and stay connected. We laugh, share special challenges, and remember! While our parents have been gone a long time, siblings remain special messengers who boost morale, share laughter and add perspective when our view is too narrow for making good judgments.

Our children and grandchildren are pure joy and a wellspring of unending encouragement. This past weekend our spirits were pushed happily upward as we shared memories, concerns and hopes. Our grandchildren teem with mischievous excitement at every challenge. It may help that we allow them to declare themselves winners of the bicycle races and held their hands while they tested the cold ocean water. Family encouragement is most effective because siblings and children have known us the longest and most intimately.

Friends we first met in the 60's call, write, and keep in touch through social networks. Bob and Judy are so deliberate at fulfilling the mandate to be an encouraging influence, they have published "An Encouraging Word," which they distribute widely. When Pat and I had dinner with Bob and Judy, they handed copies to people about whom they were sincerely concerned and wanted to encourage. They will visit in a few weeks and we can hardly wait! Bob and Judy are simply, deliberately encouraging! Victor and Nancy call, visit, and share life encouragingly. Victor makes clerks in big box home improvement stores laugh. John and Esther have entered our lives as a healing balm. They encourage! All these friends are living proof of the grace and generosity of God!

On occasion I have been encouraged by a seminary professor who called daily while we worked through a difficult challenge and made decisions which affected the rest of our lives. A District Superintendent did the same. Others have worked side-by-side with us through grueling building renovations. We can barely remember the day-to-day difficulties inherent in the projects, but we can never forget the shared joys of companions in faith who encouraged with presence, heroic efforts and words.

The instructions are simple. "We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves. Each of us should please his neighbor for his good, to build him up. For even Christ did not please himself but, as it is written: ‘The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.’ For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ." (Romans 15:1-6)

No wonder, then, that when others encourage, it makes me want to sing! When others boost us with kindness, concern, presence and help, Paul says, we can "glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ."

Truth or Trend

While reading the Book of Acts, I have been startled by how often the church confronted adversity, and how the church responded to the challenges to its existence. The challenges came from several quarters, were redundant and on some occasions, led to martyrdom. The church would have rather died than deny the Message.

Those who lived the story of the first few chapters of Acts were convinced about the truth of the Message. In an era when our culture is influenced by polls and trends, when we are sometimes swayed by market research and product testing, it seems outrageous the way our forefathers responded to threats against the Message and their lives. In comparison with today’s conventional wisdom, the 120 gathered in Jerusalem for Pentecost endured much opposition, but never complained or retaliated.

The 120 were more convinced of the truth than trends. Consider –

• After spending time in a holding cell with an array of felons, and being threatened in a court of Jewish law, "The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name. Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Christ." (5:41-42)
• Stephen, suffering at the hands of the teeth-gnashing, stone-throwing crowd, prayed, "‘Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.’ Then he fell on his knees and cried out, ‘Lord, do not hold this sin against them.’ When he had said this, he fell asleep." (7:59-60)
• The tenth chapter tells of a groundbreaking event, the admission of Gentiles into the Faith. Peter, with some fear and reluctance, was recounting the Message when the Holy Spirit began confirming the truth. As a Gentile, I am delighted that Peter, and others, didn’t wait for the results of market research and trends in acceptance. Peter’s opposition was from good church people, not Herod or Saul.
• The eleventh chapter documents how the Message was propelled into distant places because of opposition. "Now those who had been scattered by the persecution in connection with Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch, telling the message only to Jews. Some of them, however, men from Cyprus and Cyrene, went to Antioch and began to speak to Greeks also, telling them the good news about the Lord Jesus. The Lord’s hand was with them, and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord." (11:19-21)

I wonder what market researchers and trend followers would do in similar circumstances.

I believe we can, and should, learn by observing how the church responded to trials and troubles. As troubles, reverses, delays and oppositions occur, too often we ask, "What are we doing wrong?" Maybe nothing! Herod was an insecure, political operative who wielded a sword to establish a civic consensus and enhance his own power. Because Herod needed something about which he could rally his constituency, James was killed. The response of the church, "Kick out Herod! Get rid of that bum! He cannot even prove his citizenship! We have our rights, our Judeo-Christian heritage to defend!" NO! The church prayed and miracles began happening! We are in the church because others were faithful to broadcasting truth, not following trends.

The question deserving consideration is, "Are we motivated by truth or trends?" Trends are always changing. A trend that is true in one locale is irrelevant and unknown in another. In contrast, the truth, the Message, is always true everywhere. If we are opposed, if delay is our lot, or if we cannot see an exit out of the dark, dank and dismal holding cell in which we find ourselves, expect a miracle. It has been the way God works since the beginning!



　

No One Left Behind

The Pentecostal church which formed me as a child had a strong interest in the Second Coming of Christ. On New Year’s Eve we were reminded that the Lord could return before the end of the new year. Bible teachers unfurled eschatological charts as big as billboards. The most colorful preachers had several messages which tended to frighten people into surrendering to Jesus. "The Lord could come tonight, and where will you spend eternity?" As late as the 1970's, Larry Norman’s, "I Wish We’d All Been Ready" was sung with an eye to the Lord’s return. We prayed, "Come, Lord Jesus!" and greeted each other with "MARANATHA!"

The emphasis needs to be revived in many quarters. The lack of urgency to live ones life in light of the Judgement Seat of Christ is dangerous and accounts for careless living. A whole library of books with "left behind" in the title seems to have done little to challenge the value system of the readers. Instead of an increase in missionary giving, per capita donations adjusted to dollar value is tragically moving in the wrong direction. An emphasis on holy living has been displaced by self-improvement themes. Additionally, the number of hours the American Evangelical church spends in church studying God’s Word, the absence of extended corporate prayer meetings and the dismantling of Sunday School makes one wonder if the church might be left behind.

Another "left behind" consideration which disturbs my sense of inner carelessness is that many of the world’s disenfranchised are effectively being left behind. The majority of new Evangelical church plants are being established among those who are financially upwardly mobile while the poor and disenfranchised are "left behind" in the cities. Days of compassion are good, but is no substitute for the ongoing presence of a church that continuously addresses the writhing pain of poverty, underperforming schools, limited access to health care, violent existence and systemic dysfunctions common in large cities. Revivalists come to the city promising the good life and then "leave behind" people with a list of broken promises, people who want what the preacher took when they were "left behind."

Urban pastors too often "leave behind" their parishioners, pulling away from their reserved parking places in a luxury car to enjoy the suburban comforts, conveniences and cafes. Their children attend first class academies inaccessible to those living in the zip code where the church meets. "Left behind" is a present condition for millions in the cities of the United States.

What can be done to resensitize us to the "left behind" realities with which so many live?
Church leaders can listen to and learn from those who need the compassionate and comprehensive ministries at which the church ought to excel. A day spent in listening to people would be good, a week of walking the streets, sleeping in the neighborhood, and allowing the Holy Spirit to prompt long-term compassionate responses would be even better.
Church members can pray, "Lord, how do you want me to get involved in sharing life and resources with those who have been ‘left behind?’" Or pray, "Is there a way to spend a day each week or once a month with a mother who struggles with the care of children while a husband is incarcerated?" Or, one may ask the Lord, "What is the most practical way of making church camp a part of an urban child’s experience?" Another prayer with powerful potential might be prayed by the most daring, "Lord, what barriers can we remove so that people in the city can gain access to what we enjoy and so that they are not left behind?"
Christians could, if they dared, ask their church to allocate a line item on the church budget for educating children in the city, preschool through university, so that no child is "left behind" and that urban children are equipped for leadership in the city and urban church.
The status quo will produce more of the same. It is time, in my opinion, for folk like me to ask the difficult question and make a no-compromise commitment to live out solutions so that no one is "left behind," now, and when Jesus comes! MARANATHA!

Perspective: Looking backward, looking forward

Winston Churchill made an astute observation. He said, "The further backward you can look, the farther forward you can see." Both views, backward and forward, are necessary.

When my siblings and I get together, we share memories which now cover six decades. We quote things our parents said and reflect on shared experiences. The exercise is both enjoyable and sobering. A recent cruise through the old neighborhood revealed that it takes only a few short years and a place of beauty and full of life can look like a war zone. Our world has leaped technologically from the Neanderthal 50's into the "beyond understanding" twenty-first century, and at the same time redefined morality and ethics.

We can both laugh and lament when we consider changes in church life. My siblings and I shared the same church experience for the first 20 years of life. We experienced a different kind of church music. Our music literature was sung to organ and piano, if two musicians were available. A small eclectic combo of a clarinet, accordion, saxophone and trumpet was part of the Sunday night experience. On Saturday nights we attended "Gospel Sings" featuring the music now heard and celebrated on Christian television infomercials. And, Dad would shake his head in wonderment about what was happening to this young generation’s musical tastes.

Church attendance was a rhythm-setting shared event. My siblings and I were present, habitually seated in the same pew, at least three time a week, twice on Sunday, and every Wednesday. In between, we attended a weekly youth service, began learning ministry in nursing homes every month, and would seldom miss the "Christ’s Ambassadors" youth rallies scattered about the city. On reflection, in a city of nearly two million, the circle of those directly influencing us was very small. But, those few people knew us well and invested much in us.

The fifties and sixties gave way to a sweeping change in the seventies. The "Jesus People" introduced new worship paradigms. We were told that one really ought to sit on the floor and sing to the tones of an acoustic guitar. Larry Norman’s "I Wish We’d All Been Ready," was sung by the youth while older people shook their heads, just like Dad. Leaders wondered what would happen to the church and her young people.

In the decades since, church life has experienced sweeping changes. For a season, if a church didn’t sing "Scripture choruses," it was missing God’s best. Organs became relics. The eclectic combos of our Sunday night experience became well-rehearsed, highly-skilled bands with entertainment value. The "Let’s turn to page number . . ." transition that moved us from one Gospel song to another, gave way to smooth segues with clicking drum sticks signaling the start of a new tempo. High-definition cameras capture images which are projected on huge screens. From my perspective, the last person on the planet without a TV in our home, things have really changed!

In a conversation with my son, a pastor, we spoke about how the church needs to rediscover seasons of waiting on God, learning to listen to the Spirit, and to share burdens. Jonathan said, "Seventy-five minutes Sunday morning isn’t enough to get it all done, Dad."

Winston Churchill’s, "The further backward you can look, the farther forward you can see," has applications for us. In looking back, we learn –

• Those who resist change become sideline observers. The "antis" cannot lead others to eternal truth, but become embittered and entrenched, while gathering a few others of similar persuasion into irrelevant clusters of complaint. Do you remember the right-wing movements of the 80's and 90's? They are no where near a majority and will not be the leaders to redemptive change because they have alienated the very people they say they love. Angry criticism has never opened the door to dialogue and understanding.
• The Message of the Gospel is still in tact! The Message is indestructible. The church will never be obsolete, no matter who declares otherwise! While Dad couldn’t wrap his arms around the Gospel music which formed my siblings and me, the Lord about whom we each sang and to whom we prayed, has secured us in His grace. I still prefer the sounds of a great pipe organ and will gladly sing Eliza Hewitt’s "My Faith Has Found a Resting Place," before almost anything else. But, I also know that there will be more drummers and guitarists than organists for the foreseeable future.
• Those who are determining the direction for the church of the future are wise if they listen to the caution of those who have a longer rearward view. Present leaders, like those of the past, need a thorough historical perspective. The Psalmist taught Israel to sing –

Psalm 78
O my people, hear my teaching; listen to the words of my mouth.
I will open my mouth in parables, I will utter hidden things, things from of old
what we have heard and known, what our fathers have told us.
We will not hide them from their children; we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the LORD, his power, and the wonders he has done.
He decreed statutes for Jacob and established the law in Israel, which he commanded our forefathers to teach their children,
so the next generation would know them, even the children yet to be born, and they in turn would tell their children.
Then they would put their trust in God and would not forget his deeds but would keep his commands.
One last comment, God’s Word is the most accurate record of God’s thoughts, His handiwork, and His intentions for every generation. John wrote, "These things are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His Name." (John 20:21)

A Salute to the Pentecostal Evangel

The Pentecostal Evangel is one of the few stalwart journals I have read for many years. As a boy I read about miracles of healing and provisions too numerous to mention. The experiences of people who lived in places I will never visit enriched my life and expanded my faith. The Evangel, as it was commonly known, taught me that the smaller church in which I worshiped, learned and served was part of something that spanned the world.

In 1962 I visited the Gospel Publishing House for the first time, the place where The Evangel was printed and distributed. Tons of paper were spent every week connecting people with people, people with Jesus. We were reminded that Jesus was still doing His work as He had promised.

While reading The Evangel Sunday afternoons, I learned about missionaries who reported experiences of peril and blessing. I experienced their challenges and success vicariously and applied the learned lessons in my own circumstances years later. The Sunday afternoon reads proved to be profitable.

This past Sunday’s Mother’s Day edition was especially good. I recommend you read, “Reflections on a Mother’s Love,” by a small group of children sharing warm stories about their mother. Laura Qualls’ story is worthy of musing on at length. And, the item about attending church camp is also thought provoking. If your church doesn’t distribute The Evangel, you may read it on line at http://pe.ag.org/.

The Evangel is a trustworthy communications tool. I recommend reading it. And, no, I have no financial stock in Gospel Publishing House!

The Lord, our needed refuge

Psalm 71 begins with, In you, O LORD, I have taken refuge; let me never be put to shame. Rescue me and deliver me in your righteousness; turn your ear to me and save me. When reading the Psalm as part of my daily encounter with God, I asked, “From whom or what do I need to be rescued and delivered?” Today, I have no enemies of note, at least none who have put me on notice of their status. David, the Psalmist, was a military man, familiar with war and conflict. But, I have lived as a pastor, have lived in healing communities, and urged others to peaceful resolutions when conflict appears. David’s “strong refuge” since being “brought forth from his mother’s womb,” prompted consideration about a different kind of enemy. Enemies, however, may be inside. The highly-organized and stubbornly-disciplined adversaries often wear the uniforms of self-doubt and fears based on real and imaginary circumstances. The Apostle Paul alluded to the militant internal forces arrayed against him when he cried out with serious concern about how he would survive. “So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.” – Romans 7:21-15 Good intentions too often are swallowed up by internal enemies chanting, “Who do you think you are?” Or, “Others have tried and failed, and so will you!” chatters with spirit-numbing cadence from within. Both Psalmist and Paul understood, “We need Divine help!” a rescuer, a deliverer, someone who will interrupt the sounds of despair and defeat. David sings, Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, O God, till I declare your power to the next generation, your might to all who are to come. “I am going to make it!” Your righteousness reaches to the skies, O God, you who have done great things! Paul’s response to the internal struggle is, Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord! From the outside, the enemies of our souls appear as paper dolls, but internally, they roar as lions, laugh as hyenas and chatter like chimpanzees! We need help! A Deliverer! One who will rescue! And, HE does!

One Town Keeps Its Head

When I opened my digital newspaper this morning, I found the following heart-warming item. Yes, there are places where people have not sold out to dollars and the demands of conventional wisdom cannot sweep away an enviable quality of life. By WAYNE PARRY The Associated Press OCEAN CITY, N.J. — The same disdain for alcohol that drove Christian clergymen to establish this Jersey shore town that calls itself America's Greatest Family Resort led voters to overwhelmingly reject a proposal Tuesday that would have let restaurant patrons bring their own wine or beer to enjoy with dinner. A referendum on whether BYOB should be allowed was soundly rejected by a 2-to-1 margin. Final unofficial tallies showed the referendum received 3,137 "no" votes, and 1,425 "yes" votes. Turnout was heavy in what one polling worker compared to the number of voters who would turn out for a presidential election. The question had divided this family friendly resort, where beauty pageants, hermit crab races and french fry sculptures are highlights of the summer. "The charm of this town is being dry," said Edward Dolceamore, owner of the Tradewinds Motel, where an electronic message board flashed "No BYOB in Ocean City" on Election Day. "There are less crimes and drugs here because it's dry. Leave it alone; don't mess with it." I add the following to Mr. Parry’s item. Our family has visited Ocean City more times than we can remember. In addition to visiting for recreation, the New Jersey District of the Assemblies of God convened annual business sessions in that quiet hamlet. The mood and ethos of the village will continue for the foreseeable future! Solomon addressed the slippery invitation of alcohol. “Wine is a mocker and beer a brawler; whoever is led astray by them is not wise.” (Proverbs 20:1) A longer, more colorful warning is found in Proverbs 23:29-35. Who are the people who are always crying the blues? Whom do you know who reeks of self-pity? Who keeps getting beat up for no reason at all? Whose eyes are bleary and bloodshot? It’s those who spend the night with a bottle, for whom drinking is serious business. Don’t judge wine by its label, or its bouquet, or its full-bodied flavor. Judge it rather by the hangover it leaves you with— the splitting headache, the queasy stomach. Do you really prefer seeing double, with your speech all slurred, Reeling and seasick, drunk as a sailor? “They hit me,” you’ll say, “but it didn’t hurt; they beat on me, but I didn’t feel a thing. When I’m sober enough to manage it, bring me another drink!” The church periodically experiences a spasm of “intellectual maturity” which rebels against established mores. Someone says, “The Bible doesn’t forbid drinking alcohol,” and points to Jesus making wine from water and Paul’s suggestion to drink wine for stomach ailments. “Legalism,” that overworked item from the church’s lexicon, is bandied about in the name of personal conscience and freedom. I grew up in an alcohol free home and church. Neighbors were free to drink and wage earners reeled toward home long after they should have with slurred speech oiled by alcohol, betrayed sorrow, a sense of failure, and were greeted by weeping spouses and frightened children. The altars of our small Pentecostal church were places of deliverance and where people testified to the faithfulness of God to restore the years the canker worm had destroyed. As a pastor, I have spent too many hours comforting those abused by the drinker and trying to reason with one whose mind had been so twisted by the ungodly lubricant that right and wrong, truth and lie were impossible to determine without the intervention of the Holy Spirit. Pat and I have taken the abused into our home while the abusers sobered. I am an eyewitness to too much wrong to be liberated to anything but total abstinence. So, Pat and I are celebrating that a small piece of God’s American landscape has voted to maintain her sobriety. P.S. Isn’t it interesting that where Muslim populations abound in the United States, alcohol consumption declines and sobriety becomes more common?

Lessons from a Track Meet: Clearing Hurdles

On our recent trip to the Midwest I attended a seventh and eighth grade track meet where a swarm of boys and girls who will begin shaving and wearing adult clothes in the next twelve to eighteen months impersonated Olympic competitors. A few shook nervously tingling from their hands as they stood at the starting blocks, some swung their arms about as if trying to reach an itching spot in the middle of their upper back, and a few roamed around aimlessly. (I think they may have been looking for an afternoon snack!) Parents lined low fence barriers separating them from their prepubescent offspring contestants. Junior high track meets are serious business, you know. Competitors will vie for university scholarships in only six or seven years, and one never knows when the scouts for the International Olympic Games will attend a meet and choose those destined to stand on podia representing the red, white and blue in 2020! Having lived in large cities, I am familiar with the sound of gunshots and react instinctively. The impulse to duck and hide so many times in a single one hour span tired me out as the starter’s pistol popped repeatedly. It is impossible to find hiding places in a 100-acre open field. “Hurdles” is a fascinating event. Boys with fast-growing legs too long for their torso modeled an amusing assortment of athletic wear. At the gunshot they broke from the starting line. As the mixture of skinny arms and legs flailed about approaching the first hurdle, the winner was easy to identify. He never broke stride! Others were “stutter stepping” as they tried to time their forward leap, shortening and lengthening their paces. The leaders had obviously practiced and knew how long each pace needed to be and how many steps were needed to bring them to the next hurdle. Olympic caliber, world record holding hurdler, Kevin Young, raised the bar for all competitors by lengthening his stride for hurdles four and five, taking twelve instead of the standard thirteen steps. By reducing the race by two steps, he became the best in the world. Young established a rhythm, adjusted the pace, to gain a tiny advantage and bested all others. Practiced, rhythmic disciplines conditioning the inner man allow us to clear hurdles in life. Challenges, barriers, distractions and delays are common. They are part of the race. A cursory look at the word “usual” in a Bible concordance will lead one to Jesus who established rhythms in prayer. Elijah’s “custom” was to spend time at a widow’s home, a prelude to miracles. Daniel’s routines are legendary. Our first faith steps are frequently as gawky and poorly paced as twelve-year-old hurdlers, but if we will repeatedly count the steps, stay with the routines, clear the hurdles, and lean forward at the finish line, we will complete the race. We are urged forward with, “Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” (Hebrews 12:1)