The Plan

When I was in seminary studying for my Master's, my theology professor walked straight to the chalk board as he entered class one day and started writing. He wrote, "Plan your work: work your plan,” Then he turned to the class and quoted what he had just written. He paused and let it soak in. His emphasis was, "Life and ministry does not just happen. You have to make plans."

In an effort to revisit our ministry plans, I have spoken with Andy Hale, who in turn, has spoken with others, about the best plan for our work. In an effort to help fledgling missions grow in the Cooperative Baptist family, our leadership has birthed a "plan of action" to help missions. This plan is longer and more detailed than the original plan that our Leadership Team voted to participate in through the Dawnings project. To give you an idea, the email that I received from Andy outlining the program being offered to us is twenty eight pages outlining eight sessions. This also involves the mission pastor attending a three day workshop for orientation/training. These twenty eight pages will be visited at our next Leadership Team meeting.

Of course, we don’t want to work a plan just to be working a plan. We want to focus on a way to connect and build relationships with the non-churched. When we look in the book of Acts, we read that the first century disciples went from house to house talking to people about Jesus. In other words, they planned their work and they worked their plan.

Finding ways to connect with others in a gospel-hardened culture is difficult; but where there is a will, there is a way. We will find a way to” make disciples" (Matthew 28:19) as Jesus commanded.

As we ponder our future, I am encouraged by Jeremiah 32:26-27. The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah "Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh; is anything too hard for me?"

Trusting in Him,

Ron

Jim Wyatt’s Topics for July 5 and July 12

Sunday, July 5

Catastrophe????? or God’s Call!

Have you ever wondered what happened to the “Ten Lost Tribes of Israel?”  Or, the other Biblical neighbors of the Jews – the Canaanites, Moabites, Ammorites, Jebusites, et al?

Why did those religious and ethnic groups completely disappear from history while the Jews of Judah continued to exist in spite of many defeats in wars, exile to a foreign land – Babylonia – for about 70 years and , finally, being forcibly expelled from their land by the Romans who also destroyed the temple in Jerusalem, the center of their worship? After all these  catastrophes, how did they, alone, manage to maintain such a vigorous religious and ethnic identity through the next 2,000 years of persecutions, pogroms and the Nazi “Final Solution” that they were able to finally regain the land of Israel and are a force in the area today?

We will look at how these Old Testament catastrophes defined and shaped Jews and Judaism – forever!  We will also consider how these events and their lessons learned helped to define and shape Christianity.

1. The Fall of the United Monarchy at the death of King Solomon. (Readings: 1 Kings 11:26 – 36 & 40; and 1Kings 12:1 -17)
2. The Fall of Israel (the northern kingdom) to the Assyrians and that exile (Readings: II Kings 17: 1 – 6)
3. The Fall of Judah to the Babylonians and that exile (Readings: II Kings 24:10 – 19)
4. The two rebellions against the Romans (1st century A.D. – 60s – 70s and 2nd century – 130s), the destruction of the temple and total exile from Israel.

Sunday, July 12

THE BIBLE – a Modest Proposal on HOW to READ and HEAR the messages of the Bible.  We will consider what may be some new thoughts for you about the presentation of biblical passages/documents for both private and public devotions. (Readings: Amos 5:21 – 24; Micah 6:6-8; Hosea 6:6; Psalm 23 – one of the most meaningful passages in the Old Testament  -  read all of it; Psalm 137: 1 -6; and Matthew 5:1 – 12)

REMEMBER: You are not limited to the passages of scripture listed – you may wish to read more to get a broader perspective – feel free to read as much as you can!

We Have A Coach!

Our Leadership Team met and discussed the offer from Andy Hale, a church plant coach from national CBF, to be our coach for ten sessions. Our team agreed that this would be beneficial for us. So, I have contacted Andy and he is excited about helping us explore ideas about reaching the unreached and nurturing their faith in Christ! He has already given us an assignment to read three books to stimulate our thinking. Two of the three books have spoken to us. Ten Most Common Mistakes Made By New Church Starts and The Nuts and Bolts of Church Planting have been helpful. Moreover, following the "Dawnings" model (Dawnings is a retreat sponsored by National CBF to help churches re-dream their dream for their church), prayer is a vital part of our ministry efforts. So, we are reading books, talking to Andy and praying. Let's see what God will do afresh among us. I am excited for the journey.  I am working with Andy for us to have conference calls on Thursday mornings.

In Expectant Prayer,

Ron

"Comeback Player of the Year"

In 2009, professional baseball pitcher, Tim Hudson, was trying to pitch again for the Atlanta Braves after taking a year off to rehabilitate from major elbow surgery. Could he do it? Tim's wife Kim told him, "Just do the best you can and leave the rest to God." After much soul searching, and hard work,he returned to the team. The result: he was selected as comeback player of the year in 2010 after posting a 17-9 record.

Tim's story caused me to think of our work at Christchurch. We had set up three goals, about four years ago, around which to build our ministry. With limited success, we are going back to the "drawing board" to "rehabilitate" our ministry. We have invited Andy Hale, the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship church-plant consultant to walk with us. Since we had a team from our church attend the "Dawnings" conference, we are eligible to utilize their help as well in revisiting the best way(s) to connect with the people who are not attending church any where.  Presently, Andy has our leadership team reading three books to stimulate our thinking and creativity. Of course, living where we live puts us in a unique situation. All the more reason to solicit other minds to help us think through different ideas to reach the non-churched and utilize unique ways to connect with them. We are revisiting every possible avenue to put new wine into new wine skins. We have committed ourselves to do the best we can and leave the rest to God. Who knows... with these wonderful, insightful people working with us, we just might be voted "Comeback church of the year!"

Let's all invite some non-churched folks to our worship on Sunday afternoons and Bible Study on Tuesday nights and begin a relationship-building process and leave the rest to God. We can never tell what might happen if we just keep "putting the ball over the plate."

Praying Diligently,

Ron

The Most Wonderful Time of Year!

At Christmas, we sing a song made famous, in my young years, by Andy Williams. In my memory, I sing with Andy, "It's the most wonderful time of the year!" Yes, Christmas is a most wonderful time of year, but is it THE most wonderful time of year? Looking closer at the most significant events in human history, I propose that Easter is the most wonderful time in all of history. Why? Because we are not looking at a baby in a manger, but an empty tomb! Just three days prior, this tomb held the dead body of Jesus of Nazareth. To prove that Jesus is who He says He is, Jesus conquers death! Over the following forty days, He appears to groups reaffirming His identity as God incarnate. The Gospel of Matthew, in chapter 28, records a group of witnesses observe Jesus ascend to Heaven. What all does this mean? It means:   1) Jesus is God in flesh; 2) Jesus has paid our sins debt and provided a home in Heaven for all who receive Him as Savior and Lord; 3) We no longer have to live in fear and doubt about what the future holds for us.

Indeed! Easter is so significant, that it has altered one of the Ten Commandments. "Observe the Sabbath Day and keep it holy" is not in the New Testament. Jesus brought nine of the Ten Commandments over into the New Testament and left the Sabbath observance out. Why? Because He knew that something greater than the creation was going to take place. Followers of God, in the New Testament and beyond, worship now on Sunday to commemorate the resurrection! Easter has changed the course of destiny for the human race. So, Christians worship each Sunday to celebrate that the tomb is empty!

Celebrating,

Ron

Good News!

After meeting with the deacons and pastor of the First Baptist Church of Tallahassee, the pastor stated that he wanted to help us however his church could. How grateful I am that Fist Baptist Church of Tallahassee is now walking with us! Further, the church's mission committee is exploring ways to help us reach the unreached. This partnership is an amazing blessing for us!

Moreover, The Reverend Andy Hale, Church Planter Consultant for the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship will serve as our advisor and consultant as we move forward.

Beginning this Sunday, March 1, we will begin our journey together with Andy through a telephone conversation (face to face). The conversation will be with our Leadership Team beginning at 3:45 PM at the church site. He will help us to refocus and to re dream our dream. This promises to be a stretching experience of thinking new thoughts as well as deepening our Christian witness.

Re dreaming,

Ron

Mission Proposal Presented to First Baptist, Tallahassee

This past Monday night, Fran and I enjoyed supper, fellowship and prayer time with the diaconate of the First Baptist Church of Tallahassee. We had been invited by their pastor to share about our ministry and to request that FBC Tallahassee become our mother church. At the appropriate time on the schedule, their pastor shared about me and our ministry and our request. Then, I was invited to give an overview of our ministry and vision. Questions followed. The atmosphere was positive and the level of interest seemed strong. A couple of days later, I saw one of their deacons (the one with the most questions), and he complimented me on my presentation. He indicated that there was a positive feeling among the deacons about this proposal. So, now we are in a discussion period among the deacons. In the meantime, we will wait and pray for the Lord to reveal His will to us and to them.

Historically, FBC Tallahassee has been a very mission-minded church. I served one of their church starts (Thomasville Road Baptist Church) which has become a church averaging approximately 1,000 in weekly attendance. Presently, FBC Tallahassee is starting "Life Groups" in the area which are focused on making disciples. These groups meet away from the church campus in homes, businesses, etc. What our ministry is doing falls into their vision and focus. Hence, the strong interest in us. Thank you for praying for and with us as we see where the Lord leads us in this next step of our work together.

Making Disciples,

Ron

Looking Ahead!

The New Year stirs memories and dreams. When our children were small, we were returning to New Orleans after Christmas. New Year's resolutions were the topic of discussion when our four year old turned to his seven year old brother and asked, "Heaf, what is your New Year's revolution?" Not only could our four year old not pronounce his brother Heath's name correctly, but we laughed at his confusion between the words resolution and revolution. So, I explained the difference to him. After a while on the road, the children fell asleep, and I was left wandering, "What IS the difference between these words? If one follows through on one's resolution, then it most likely will cause a revolution in that person's life or even beyond!" As adults, our children remember that time and laugh. And after a time of kidding each other, the conversation always leads to deeper topics of setting goals and working to bring dreams into reality.

This January is a time for our church to begin to dream again. As some of our members attended the Dawnings conference during 2014, I was struck by a definition shared by one of its leaders. "Dawnings is a shift from a church-shaped vision to a God-shaped vision and shifting to how God wants to shape us."  As we seek God to shape us as well as His church, I believe that we will never rise above our level of praying. So, please begin to pray now for a significant event that we have in January: I will be meeting with the diaconate of The First Baptist Church of Tallahassee to explore the possibility of this church being our "mother church" or mission sponsor. Some amazing possibilities are before us!

In Diligent Prayer,

Ron

CHRISTMAS IS HERE!

Christmas is my favorite time of year, because people take on a different attitude. I have noticed that during this time of year, people smile and speak to strangers in a gracious manner. They hold the door for older people or ladies with their hands full of packages. As Christmas carols fill the air in the stores, you can almost track a change of attitude VISUALLY! People's faces seem to relax and an expression of hope begins to glimmer in their eyes. Looking more closely, I realize that love begins to rise like the ocean tide in our mind-set. And when love takes over, beautiful things happen among us. Every Christmas, we will hear stories about someone reaching out to some one else in need and a miracle happening! The uplifting effect that it has on all of us is exhilarating! It affirms once again the power of love to transform us into better human beings.

Indeed, this is the story of Christmas. Christ has come, in the form of a baby, to express the immeasurable love of God to each of us. And when we hear the music of His love, it transforms our hearts from being self-centered to genuinely caring for others. As for me, Christmas helps me to look, with a different attitude, at each person as an individual deeply loved by God. And if God loves each of us that deeply, then there must be something beautiful in every human being. Christmas encourages me to look for that beauty, and the Spirit of Christmas enables me to find it. Now, if we could just maintain that loving spirit in our every day lives. How often have I heard the saying, "I wish that Christmas would last all year, because everyone shows loves toward each other!" As the Catholics in New Orleans say, "BINGO!" That is the reason why Jesus came.... so our hearts would be changed from a heart of stone to a heart of flesh and to love others as He loves us.... all year round! So, let me say, "Merry Christmas! and,

I Love You!

Ron

I Love Wise Sayings

I love wise sayings. Two of them have captured my attention lately. The first is, "You cannot have change without change." And the second is, "When God changes anything,, He always improves it." God is generating some beautiful changes among us. The first improvement is that Andy Hale, the church plant consultant for The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, has agreed to work with our church. He will coach our leadership team through prearranged Skype sessions to aid us in finding ways to connect with new people. At our next leadership team session, we will select some proposed dates to Skype with Andy to glean from his wisdom and insights as we move forward. The second improvement is a possibility of having the First Baptist Church of Tallahassee to become our mission sponsor. Their pastor and I have begun dialoguing, and there is excitement in the air. I will keep our church informed as the ramifications of this relationship begin to take shape. Of course, this is a step-by-step process as we mutually agree upon the level of our affiliation. As a mission church we would still retain our separate identity.

Global Missions Offering Emphasis
While we turn our thoughts toward Thanksgiving and Christmas, we also turn our hearts toward the 130 foreign missionaries that we have serving around the world. Our Christmas mission offering provides their support. So, thank you for making a sacrificial gift this year.

Your Servant in Christ,

Ron

Dawnings

A team of four from our church attended a "Dawnings" retreat at Second Avenue Baptist Church in Rome, GA. This retreat took us back to the reason the church exists. Insightful reflecting was offered as "organic visioning". That is, why did Jesus begin the church and to what level do we identify and live out that purpose? Is our focus, as a church, the same as His?  "Dawnings" is about creating a space for God to work. It is about moving beyond head knowledge of God to living like Christ.

This retreat has challenged me to move beyond making my plans and asking God to bless them.  Instead I look to God in prayer, connect with Him, and listen to what He has to say. "Dawnings" taught us that we already have the answers that we need.  We just need to look at our situation in a different way to see them.

I have been reminded again of the power of thought directed by prayer. Being still and listening to God is a discipline that is amazingly important. If I invite God in, then He will show up.

"Dawnings" has taught me to start my prayers by listening rather than by speaking. "Dawnings" has lovingly challenged me to live out my passion in serving Christ. Practically speaking "Dawnings" is encouraging me to guide our church to re-enter the community in a fresh way. Some new ministry ideas have been offered which I am excited about sharing with our fellowship.

 "Build something new, because something new is needed." -Harry Rowland. 

"Spiritual vision is discovered before God-not invented by us." – Dawnings literature

Looking unto the dawn,

Ron

A Word from the Pastor

I was sitting in the office of the Executive Director of Hospice this week, and the topic of good intentions came up. It was a stimulating discussion! His point being that good intentions do not equal commitment to the task. Only a total commitment will yield the desired results. Because the Executive Director is a preacher's kid, we could use biblical comparisons and understand immediately what the other was talking about. For example, what would have happened to the first century church if the disciples had not been committed to the task to the level of giving their lives? Yes, they had a purpose (a mission statement in today's language); and they had a plan (a vision statement in today's church language). But how far would that purpose and plan go if total commitment had not been a part of the mix? My Executive Director quoted his Methodist pastor-daddy, "The road to Hell is paved with good intentions! If Daddy has said that once, he has said it a thousand times." Plans can change, but the purpose must remain clear and commitment must remain strong in order to bring into reality the desired results.

The first century Christians did not have "how-to" books or seminars to attend, but they got the job done because of total commitment. I am still amazed, that a short 270 years after Jesus ascended; these disciples and the disciples who followed them had won half of the known world to Christ. I am even more amazed that the fact they gave their lives to accomplish this seemed a small price to pay.  As we witness Christianity shrinking and churches closing in America, I wonder about our level of commitment. Never had we had so many "how-to" books, and yet, never has the Church been so anemic in sharing the Gospel. To stem the tide, denominations have trained consultants to work with churches to clarify their purpose and come up with a plan that everyone can agree upon. And yet, all this effort and energy does not translate into increased baptisms and growing disciples. The reason? The key to success is commitment.

While I pastored in New Orleans, the pastor's secretary came to the church office laughing one Monday morning after visiting her home church in Mississippi over the weekend. She said, "You will not believe the level of disorganization that I witnessed in my home church this weekend." She said, "The pastor announced at the conclusion of worship.’the tithe envelopes are in and they are in the vestibule. Just pick up a pack and when you tithe next Sunday, we'll see what number is on the envelope and assign that number to your records.' “She said, "I like to have fallen out! How disorganized!" Then she said, "What amazed me even more is that people stood in line for fifteen minutes to get their tithe envelopes!" And then she paused for a moment and then commented, "That church is in revival, and I have never seen such commitment."

Our church is in the midst of revisiting our purpose and our plans. We are setting up a time to visit with the renowned church consultant, Dr. David Odom. The church consultant for the Cooperate Baptist Fellowship, Andy Hale, a highly talented man, is working with us. Every thing is in place for success. Now, only one ingredient left: commitment.

Celebrating Certain Victory!

Ron

A Word from Ron

A lot of positive things have been happening over the summer. First, we have secured Dr. David Odom from Duke Divinity School to give us feedback on how to become more effective in reaching others for Christ. We are presently collecting questions to email him as he prepares to meet with us via Skype. Moreover, I have been in conversation with Andy Hale who is the new church plant consultant for the Cooperate Baptist Fellowship. As a courtesy, I would like to copy him the questions that we will send Dr. Odom so he can get a good feel for where we are. He has shared initially with me some ideas on training that I think will be attractive to us. Andy is a high-energy guy with whom I feel our people will enjoy working. Currently, our leadership team is meeting periodically on Sunday nights to collect and organize our thoughts. We welcome your input.

Further, our Grady County Ministerial Alliance hosted a prayer breakfast for the leadership of our public school system this past Friday morning. The superintendent and several principals attended. When asked, "How can the churches help you?" The overwhelming response was, "Families. We need help with families. Families are falling apart, and it is affecting the learning ability of the children." In general, the Church is expected to guide the family unit to spiritual health and wholeness. Never before has there been a greater need for the Church to "step up" to give clear direction to our families. So, we have a lot on our plate as a Church, individually and collectively. These are challenging and exciting days. May the Lord find us faithful (Luke 18:8).

In Prayer,
Ron

What Is Summertime For?

When we think of summer, we automatically think of a well-deserved vacation. We plan carefully where we are going and what we are going to do. When vacation time finally arrives, we go joyfully on our way driving “out of Dodge” as we say. But if you are like me, my thinking is not put on “hold.” As I rest, cherishing each vacation day, I am drawn to thinking about the future. As I think about the year ahead and what I want to accomplish, my mind asks the “how” questions. I find myself with notebook in hand making notes about goals and how to bring them into reality. This year was no exception. I found myself thinking and praying about the future of our church and ways to draw non-churched people our way. Hence, I have been in contact with The Center for Congregational Health. They have stimulated my thinking into having a series of meetings with our leadership team to re-evaluate our present goals and to strategize for the future. We have enjoyed several meetings of this nature in the past. Now, with a little tweaking, we will enjoy another series of meetings to refocus and to re-energize the direction of our church. I ask you to pray for us, while we re-examine ways to minister more effectively in His Name.

Thinking and Praying,

Ron

Re-dreaming Our Dreams

Our leadership team has been meeting in order to evaluate where we are in our process. We have looked at three main goals that we established when we began our mission. First, reclaim the disenfranchised Baptists and give them a place to call home. Second, create an income stream for moderate Baptist missions and ministries. And third, reach the younger people of whom only about ten percent are active in churches. There is a strong opinion that we need to revisit our first goal of reclaiming disenfranchised Baptists.  Our goal is to clarify our identity, stir the hearts of true Baptists to join us and draw to us those who hunger to study the teachings of Jesus. Some research is finding that the younger people are saying "No" to the established Church and yet are keenly interested in Jesus. With our emphasis on studying the teachings of Jesus, this will hopefully draw some young people who really do want to discover for themselves what Jesus taught.

I have started reading Let's Start With Jesus by Dennis Kinlaw, Ph.D. I got to know Dr. Kinlaw at a conference several years ago. I knew about him. I knew that he had been president of Asbury College in 1968 when it experienced an 85 hour visitation of the Holy Spirit during one of their worship events in chapel. This experience, in essence, kicked off "The Jesus Movement." I was intrigued by his scholarship, because he studied under Dr. Bruce Metzger at Princeton. Moreover, Dr. Kinlaw was a deeply spiritual man. He was the ideal blend of scholarship and spirituality. We were prayer partners for a brief period before his health caused him to drastically reduce his schedule. His prayers moved me deeply. I learned from him that church work is singular. That is, it is all about drawing people to the feet of Jesus. The churches that draw others to Jesus are the churches who are growing disciples; and disciples feel compelled to tell others the beautiful story of Jesus Christ. And, others listen to them, because they see the change in them. In this way, the salvation story is spread effectively. In his book, Let's Start With Jesus, Dr. Kinlaw encourages the reader to study the mystery of the Gospel afresh with the understanding that God wants an intimate relationship with us to the same degree that there is communion between God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. Dr. Kinlaw puts it this way:

"My problem was not to seek something beyond the biblical text. It was to open    myself as full as possible to all that is buried within it. Slowly I began to realize how partially I understood the mystery of the gospel that has been given to us in Scripture and in Christ.” (p. 12)

 So, it will be with this objective that we will refocus on our first goal: to draw others afresh to the feet of Jesus. My prayer is that people's hearts with be rekindled with a fresh love for Christ and renew their commitment to follow Him.

In Prayer,

Ron

Pursuing Our Vision

After celebrating a wonderful missions offering that we gave to support our state missions, we celebrated, at Easter, that the tomb is empty and our hearts are filled with hope as we face the future. As we face our future, allow me to remind you of our founding focus as a mission church. Our three-fold reason for beginning our work was: 1) to reclaim disenfranchised Baptist believers who felt that they had no where to call home in our area; 2) to create an income stream for moderate Baptist causes, from southwest Georgia, for missions efforts throughout the world; 3) to "make disciples" of the next generation. Just as an auto factory makes cars and a tooth pick factory makes tooth picks, a church makes disciples. According to Jesus' teaching in Matthew 28:18-20, His Church's first priority is to "make disciples."  We have focused well and worked hard on priorities one and two. Now, as we look to the future, our next challenge is to focus on priority three: making disciples of the next generation. Looking at the big picture, churches are dying, across America, at an increasing rate. Religious researches say the reason for membership loss is that most churches have lost sight of the first priority of the Church: make disciples. In the 'Show-Time' environment of our religious culture, getting young people's attention and inviting them to study and to live by the teachings of Jesus is challenging. And yet, this is exactly what Jesus is commanding us to do. Is it easy? No. Is it frustrating? At times, Yes. It is rewarding? Absolutely!  We have been rewarded a grant to help us reach the next generation. Let's find a fruitful way to use the funds to draw others to the feet of Jesus. If you have some ideas, then please share them with our leadership team. Together, let's find immeasurable meaning in pursuing Jesus' number one priority for His Church.

Planting Seeds,
Ron

Cussing Under My Breath

As we approached Lent, a minister asked me, "What are you giving up for Lent?" I responded, with tongue in cheek, "Cussing under my breath." He enjoyed a good belly laugh, and then he became silent searching my face for any hint of sincerity about what I had just said. It sparked an introspective conversation. Referring to Mark 8:27-33, I shared with my minister buddy that I felt Lent was not just a time of giving up something as it was gaining something; and that "something" was spiritual growth.

From the time that Jesus shared His true identity, as well as His true intentions at Caesarea Philippi; the disciples entered a season of gigantic struggles within themselves. So much so, that Peter felt compelled to confront Jesus about His prophecy of rejection and death awaiting Him in Jerusalem. As I read this passage again, I can still feel the blistering heat in this exchange. How this reminds me of the reason for Lent: a time to re-examine ourselves spiritually. Indeed, it is a time or us to allow the Holy Spirit to speak to us afresh about how we have allowed our thinking, our self-talk to get off course. Like the disciples' experience, redirecting our inner world is a major undertaking. As Ephesians 4:15 exhorts us to "become more and more in every way like Christ" (NLT), we must face a season of self examination. So, the Lenten question of, "What are you giving up for Lent?" is appropriate here. I must first give up self-centered thought processes in order to replace them with Christ-centered thoughts.

I am still amazed at the findings of an article that I read in a neurological journal about a group of nuns. The question asked was, "Will meditation have any affect on one's brain wave patterns?" The nuns, who meditated daily, had a different brain wave pattern! Only neurologists comprehend the magnitude of this finding. The point here is when we continuously seek Him, this spiritual exercise not only changes one's brain wave pattern; it also changes one's life pattern. In short, the objective of Lent is to change our life-pattern, more and more, into the likeness of Christ.  

How would your life change if you decided to exchange cussing under your breath to praising God under your breath? I dare say that it would alter your brain wave pattern!

Enjoy a most blessed Easter!

Ron

Certain Victory

What a stimulating experience Dr. Slater gave us as he guided us through the book of Revelation!

Someone asked me, "What do you think is the message of Revelation for today's Christian?" This reminds me of a story a pastor told about his church's janitor. The janitor sat on the floor of the hallway as a biblical scholar walked past. The scholar noticed that the janitor was reading the book of Revelation and said to him, "If you would like to know what Revelation says, then please join us in our seminar." The custodian replied, "I already know what it says." The surprised scholar said, "You do? Then what is the message of Revelation?" The janitor replied, "The message of Revelation is, 'We win!'"

The Lord knows that each human being has a dominant emotion by which one lives. Regardless of circumstances, joy, hope, melancholy, or despair sits on the throne of a person's heart and establishes the atmosphere in which that person lives. Being persecuted for his faith,  John was thrown into a pot of boiling oil! He escaped, but was recaptured. The king decided to exile John on a desolate island where he would die slowly, isolated from society. If this were to happen to us, how would we feel? Not doubt, we would be feeling sorry for ourselves and "down in the dumps." But John was living in joy! Why? Because he had seen a vision that filled his heart with hope!  And that is, in essence, the message of Revelation—hope! God wants us to look to the future with hope! No matter your present circumstances, let hope sit on the throne of your heart.

So spread the word to a hurting world! We Christians win in the end.

And the way to get folks attention is to live in hope and joy!

With you in this certain victory,
Ron

Looking for the Extraordinary

Looking for the Extraordinary

I sense something about this young generation. While families have become fragile, integrity has declined and people are becoming more self-centered, this young generation is looking for the extraordinary. The first place they look is in the church. And having not found it, they are becoming discouraged; but they have not given up! A few churches are providing the extraordinary... an encounter with God... and those are the churches that are filling up with young people.  I spoke with a young husband recently, who was struggling to get his wife to attend church with him. Excitedly, he shared with me that his wife was attending church with him now, because, "She found what she was looking for!" he shared. He said further, "She feels connected with God there." And connecting with God is truly an extraordinary experience!
  The truth of the matter is, no matter what our age, we all are longing for that extraordinary experience of a holy connection with God. I think the difference in the generations is that people my age just give up and drop out. I feel this is the reason that we have more psychotropic drugs sold today, in America, than ever before. But wouldn't it be wonderful if we rediscovered the extraordinary in Jesus Christ!

Seminar Study of Revelation on February 22

 This is part of the reason why I have invited Dr. Tom Slater, Professor of Biblical Literature at McAfee School of Theology at Mercer University to lead a seminar on the study of Revelation. Dr. Slater is a foremost authority on Revelation,and has some extraordinary insights. Regardless of age, we are all searching for the extraordinary. If you, or others in your friendship circle, are hungering for an encounter with God, then plan to be with us on 22 February. We will meet at The First Assembly of God building located at the corner of highway 188 and 12th Avenue NE. The exact physical address is 495 12th Avenue N.E. If you attend, then I feel that you will say what my young friend said about his wife, "She found what she was looking for!"

In His Service and Yours,

Ron

Reflections and Looking Ahead

Christmas Reflections

As I reflect on Christmas, I am amazed at how God found willing people to join Him in this almost unbelievable journey. I say "almost," because if I had not experienced the life-changing gift of salvation offered through the story, I would find it too incredible to believe. God became a baby born to poor parents. And as this baby becomes a man, He dies for us offering Him as the sacrifice for our sin. Incredible! And as we receive this gift, a miraculous transformation takes place in our hearts. We become new creatures!

Like I said, if it had not happened to me, I would not have believed it! A new life guided by the Holy Spirit of the Creator of this universe! Amazing! But what does God want us to do with this new life? That is what new beginnings involving this New Year is all about. We have been given another year to live. 2014 is now upon us. But what does God want us to do with this additional time on earth? I read where someone said, "While alive, live!" Some people keep wishing to be in another situation or another place in order for them to reach their fullest potential.

Realizing that God has you where you are for a purpose, I invite you to be quiet before the Lord and listen for His "still small voice" to give you clarity for why He has you where you are. And, with that clarity, will come the joy of realizing a new, fresh beginning in Him and a renewed energy to live 2014 with gusto! May the way we live 2014 generate a thunderous applause of Heaven.

Global Missions

In my heart, I hear the prayers of our missionaries asking God to make a way where there seems to be no way. Ministry needs face them with no funds to bring those ministries into reality. May God use your gift as an answer to a prayer. We will extend the Global Missions Offering through January.

Revelation Seminar

Please pray for our seminar on the book of Revelation taught by Dr. Tom Slater, Professor at McAfee School of Theology. February 21-23 is the weekend for the seminar!

Spread the news and bring some friends to hear Dr. Slater!

In His Service and Yours,

Ron