Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire (cont.)

This chapter is titled In Search of Ordinary Heroes.
We need men and women who will step ou to turn back today's slide toward godlessness, prayerless churches, family breakup, and waning evangelistic fervor. They may not have been to seminary, but they have been schooled and trained by God for hand-to-hand warfare in the spiritual realm.

When it comes to spiritual matters, you and I will never know our potential under God until we step out and take risks on the front line of battle. We will never see what power and anointing are possible until we bond with our King and go out in his name to establish his kingdom. Sitting safely in the shelter of Bible discussions among ourselves, or complaining to one another about the horrible state of today's society, does nothing to unleash the power of God. He meets us in the moment of battle. He energizes us when there is an enemy t be pushed back.

Who is doing exploits for God today? Where is the enemy being driven back? That is the great yearning of all spiritually minded people. They are not enchanted with polished sermons and slick organizational technique. Where are the mighty men and women anointed by God to truly make a difference?

Look at the story of David in 1 Chr. 11 and how David selected Joab to be his leading general for years to come.

That is not how we select leaders in the church today, is it? We go by resumes, seniority, image, education, and a half-dozen other human criteria. By contrast, David looked for bravery and boldness in the real world of battle.

If we are courageous enough to go on the spiritual attack, to be mighty men and women of prayer and faith, there is no limit to what God can accomplish through us. Some of us will turn out to be famous like King David and Catherine Booth and Charles Finney; the rest will remain obscure like Eleazar and Daniel Nash and Rina Gatdula. That doesn't matter. What counts is bringing God's power and light into a dark world, seeing local communities touched by God as churches turn back from perilous apathy to become Holy Spirit centers of divine activity.

The heroes of church history whom we now revere were not known for their cleverness; they were warriors for God. Moody was never ordained to the ministry. Finney never went to seminary. Yet whole cities were visited by God as a result of their anointed work.


When I read this passage, I immediately thought of Greg. This is who he is. He didn't go to seminary, he's not polished, he won't be ordained, but he has been schooled and trained by God for hand-to-hand warfare in the spiritual realm. He fears nothing and no one. Several godly men have told him that they would follow him anywhere, because God is with him. He has a gentle style of leadership that makes you trust him no matter where the battle is, who it is against, or what is at stake. I think that's why I have so much peace about going to the west side. Not all my faith is in Greg, of course, I have a lot in God right off the bat. But you can just tell by being around Greg that he has a direct, open, clear line of communication with God and a confidence and assurance of where we're going is absolutely right.

This also reminds me of Jesus. He had a confidence. He spoke with authority. He got in your face when it was necessary, which upset some people and made them feel uncomfortable, but he was always going about his father's business. That's Greg.

I'm very excited about Easter. We've got some great stuff planned. If you can make it to your church on Saturday night and this service on Sunday, I pray you will have an awesome encounter with God. 10:30 a.m. I'd love to see you there.

Blessings to you on this beautiful Tuesday.

Sunday, March 29, 2009

EQUIP Update

Easter is coming! Just to let you know and ask you to pray for us for Easter. We're having our first service on Easter morning at 10:30. We have a lot planned, so please be praying for us. If you'd like to attend, please email me and I'll give you all the details.

Thank you for your faithfulness.

Sandy

Saturday, March 28, 2009

Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire (cont.)

Regarding gossip in the church
One Sunday about 20 years ago, back in our days in the YWCA, I said something impromptu while receiving new members into the church that has stuck with us ever since. People were standing in a row across the front before me, and as I spoke, the Holy Spirit seemed to prompt me to add, "And now, I charge you, as pastor of this church, that if you ever hear another member speak an unkind word of criticism or slander against anyone-myself, another pastor, an usher, a choir member, or anyone else - you have authority to stop that person in mid sentence and say, 'Excuse me-who hurt you? Who ignored you? Who slighted you? Was it Pastor Cymbala? Let's go to his office right now. He will get on his knees and apologize to you, and then we'll pray together, so God can restore peace to this body. But we will not let you talk critically about people who are not present to defend themselves.'

"New members, please understand that I am entirely serious about this. I want you to help resolve this kind of thing immediately. And meanwhile, know this: If you are ever the one doing the loose talking, we will confront you."

To this very day, every time we receive new members, I say much the same thing. It is always a solemn moment. That is because I know what most easily destroys churches. It is not crack cocaine. It is not government oppression. It is not even lack of funds. Rather, it is gossip and slander that grieves the Holy Spirit.


As I highlighted this passage, I read it to Greg and he had me put a special mark on that page. He wanted to say something like that at our first membership class, "maybe without the 'I charge you' part. As he got to this part of the class, he said pretty much the same thing, with the 'I charge you'! It was a solemn moment indeed. Every head nodded in agreement, that this was something we didn't want in our church.

Check out what the Bible says in Matthew 18 about how to resolve conflicts. It's the dictate our church will stand on as things arise.

Blessings on this windy, sunny Lord's day.

Friday, March 27, 2009

Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire (cont.)

On sermon prep I have met preachers who have punched up a computer file and proudly showed me what they would be preaching for nearly the next year. Everything was cut-and-dried. The pressure of having to seek God week by week had been removed. What if God has a different idea? What if the spiritual temperature of the congregation changes by next October? Without an anointing and prophetic edge to declare something fresh from God's Word church life can be reduced to little more than a lecture series.

On worship Satan's tendency is always to push us toward one extreme or the other: deadness or fanaticism.

Gordon D. Fee, a New Testament scholar whose heritage is Pentecostal, has said about corporate worship, "You really should have this incredible sense of unworthiness - 'I don't really belong here' - coupled with the opposing sense of total joy - 'It is all of grace, so I do belong here.' What bothers me about some within the Pentecostal and charismatic tradition is the joy without reverence, without awe." But in too many mainstream evangelical churches, Fee adds, there is neither "reverence nor joy."


I used to read the blog of a pastor back east who did a whole year's sermons at once. I think he said that God gave him the year in advance. Maybe that's true. God can certainly do that as he knows what the congregation is going to need. I also know that when we plan for something in the flesh the Holy Spirit will sometimes have us change it at the last minute, and we better not be so full of ourselves that we're unwilling to put our plan aside and follow the Spirit's leading. God won't always do that however, sometimes we continue with what we have planned, and see that it was a total flop because we did it without the spirit's leading. If we don't learn that lesson the first time, we have the joy of remedial classes!

On the text on worship, I've been in services where I could tell there was no reverence and no joy. No reverence because people were looking around, whispering, reading text messages on their cell phones, eating, digging for things in their purses, reading the Bible, and a host of other things during worship. No joy because there were no tears, no hands raised, to prayer hands, no hushed praying during worship, or any other signs in the majority of the congregation to indicate a desire to enter in. You may be thinking, well, to notice all this, you must not have entered in yourself! Yep, you're right. I chose to observe, to take a spiritual temperature of the room. Sometimes it's good to do that.

How do we create an atmosphere of reverence and joy during worship? I'm no expert and I've never led worship or designed a service. I can't even sing! But I imagine that it would take careful teaching on the subject, more than a few sentences from the worship leader, but in depth teaching on worship and the character of God. It takes helping people develop their relationship with God to the point that they know him, who he is, and what he's like. Then they will have a sense of reverence, awe, joy, and humility in his presence.

Church shouldn't just be a fun place to go hang out and be with people you like on Sunday morning. It's a place to worship God, receive from him, minister to the body, and of course, fellowship.

Blessings on this sunny Friday.

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire (cont.)

Regarding church services, the chapter titled The Lure of Marketing. People have lowered the standards in a vain attempt to make churches look more successful than they really are. The sermons have to be uniformly positive, and the services can't go longer than 60 minutes. Even then, church is inconvenient for some, especially during football season. Showing up at church is such a burden that soon people will be faxing in their worship!

The truth is that "user-friendly" can be a cover-up word for carnality. The same people who want sixty-minute worship services rent two-hour videos and watch NBA and NFL games that run even longer. The issue is not length, but appetite. Why the misplaced desire?

Seriously, what will our children and grandchildren grow up experiencing in church? Extended times of waiting on the Lord will be totally foreign to their experience. There will be no memory bank of seeing people reach out to God. All they will recall are professionally polished, closely timed productions.

According to 1 Corinthians 14, if meetings are governed by the Holy Spirit, the result for the visitor will be that "the secrets of his heart will be laid bare. So he will fall down and worship God exclaiming, 'God is really among you!'" (v.25). This should be our goal. When a visitor comes in, there should be such a mixture of God's truth and God's presence that the person's heart is x-rayed, the futility of his life is exposed, and he crumbles in repentance.


I know I've blogged on marketing issues in the past. I just hate to see the the presentation of the gospel watered down to a form of entertainment, rather than a real-life encounter with the one and only living God. I think if the majority of preparation time on a sermon is spent googling the internet for movie clips, newspaper stories and other forms of cultural information to support the scripture of a message, rather than in reading commentaries, pouring over scripture, and praying, then something may be out of balance. Do cultural quips and clips prepare someones heart to receive the message? Perhaps, if they're an unbeliever.

Should every message be geared to the unbeliever? Definitely not. God intended for souls to be won outside of church by the body of Christ, and then brought to church for building up and equipping by the pastor and the body. The purpose of church services is not to win souls. That is not to say that alter calls shouldn't happen. I believe we should always give an opportunity for anyone to come to know the Lord.

If the purpose of church is to win souls and therefore every service was seeker-sensitive, how would the body then become equipped? I think if every service were seeker-sensitive, then you end up with babies being fed on spiritual milk forever, or at least until they realize they need to grow spiritually and repeated messages geared toward the seeker no longer satisfies.

But what for the new believer then? A church should have a prayerfully designed, well thought-out, strategically planned method of discipleship. A new believer's class and small group is a great way to get these folks started. Other classes and small groups and one-on-one discipleship is also needed as someone moves along to maturity.

Can God call some churches to be birthing centers and incubators while others are called to handle higher levels of teaching? He could, but I don't see that in scripture. I see God balancing the gifts of the spirit with the diversity of the body. I see balance in everything he created, from seasons, to lightness and darkness, to land and sea, to work and rest, etc. I see that he would also call every church to balance when it comes to taking someone from infanthood to maturity. Every church should be able to nurture all the levels of growth.

You can see I'm passionate about this topic. I'll get off my soapbox for now. Blessings on this very windy Thursday.

Sunday, March 22, 2009

Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire (cont.)

On Confrontation
Did John Wesley, preaching to hardened miners in the open fields of England in the 1700's, ever say to himself, "I had better not tell them they're sinners; they might leave?"

Today we have an anti-authority spirit in America that says,"Nobody can tell me I need to change. Don't you dare." Both in the pulpit and in pastoral counseling we have too often given in to this mentality and are afraid to speak he truth about sin. We keep appealing to Paul's line about becoming "all things to all men" (1 Cor. 9:22), not noticing that in the very next paragraph he says, "Run i such a way as to get the prize" (v.24). Adapting our style to get a hearing is one thing, but the message can never change without leaving us empty-handed before the Lord.

Do we still believe th truth of Proverbs 28:23, where it says, "He who rebukes a man will in the end gain more favor than he who has a flattering tongue"?

Jesus was confrontational. When Peter told him to avoid the cross, Jesus didn't reply, "You know, Peter, I'm really trying to understand where you're coming from I appreciate how you car about me and don't me to get hurt." Rather, he said to h is number-one disciple, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men" (Matt. 16:23).

What do we have in mind?


I personally think we need to say what the Holy Spirit is prompting us to say. So often our flesh talks us out of being truthful so we can keep a friend. There have been times this last year when a friend and I have been in a conversation and I said something that has either pierced their heart and focused their calling, or has given them freedom to accept the calling the enemy was trying to rob from them because of past situations. This was feedback I got from them and I'm so glad they had the courage to tell me this. When they were truthful with me, it encouraged me to continue giving advice or correcting wrongful thinking. That's how the body of Christ is built up. If we keep everything to ourselves, no one benefits, really. Taking risks is not risky at all. It's needed. It's expected.

Romans 15:14-16says, "I myself am convinced, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, complete in knowledge and competent to instruct one another. I have written you quite boldly on some points, as if to remind you of them again, because of the grace God gave me to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles with the priestly duty of proclaiming the gospel of God, so that the Gentiles might become an offering acceptable to God, sanctified by the Holy Spirit." We shouldn't be under-confident that we can't do that. We are full of goodness (right motives), complete in knowledge and competent to instruct one another.

Even when sharing our past or current struggles with someone else, we should NEVER be ashamed of where we've been, as God can always use all of it to encourage, enlighten, rebuke, and/or convict another. Be open and transparent. Truth is truth, and there's no changing it. To hide it or sugar-coat it is to short-change another of the blessings of God and to show a lack of faith in the other person's ability to handle the truth like an adult.

Blessings on this beautiful Lord's day.

Saturday, March 21, 2009

Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire (cont.)

Have you noticed that whenever you ask a fellow Christian these days about his or her church, the subject invariably goes to attendance?
Question: "Tell me about your church. How is the Lord's work coming along there?"
Answer: "Well, we have about three hundred on Sunday, I'd say."
When I ask fellow pastors the same question, I get the same answer - plus two others: "Membership is at five-fifty, we've just finished a new education wing, and our gross income this year will top out at about for hundred thousand."

Attendance, buildings, and cash. A-B-C: The new holy trinity.

No church, including the one I pastor, should be measured by its attendance.

The apostles weren't trying to finesse people. They had not the faintest intention of asking, "What do people want to hear? How can we draw more people to church on Sunday?"

God nowhere asks anyone to have a large church. He only calls us to do his work, proclaiming his Word to people he loves under the anointing and power of the Holy Spirit to produce results that only he can bring about.


I've got to say that I've been guilty of answering questions about my church with the A. It seems pretty natural to describe to someone who isn't familiar with your church, the attendance, so they get a feel for the size. I haven't talked about the income, but maybe sometimes I've mentioned building upgrades. It's quite a paradigm shift to talk about changed individuals instead of talking about church in a corporate sense. Paul talked about the number of people added to their numbers, but that's an incremental number of saved souls, not actual attendance of the church.

Food for thought.

How do you describe your church? By the size, ministry events, buildings or something else? Do you ever witness about a transformed life? Isn't that where the proof of the pudding is? Isn't that the thing that will grab a hold of someones heart and make them want to come to your church? Wouldn't that give them hope that God could do the same thing for them? Help them overcome?

Blessings on this lovely Saturday.

Thursday, March 19, 2009

Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire (cont.)

Here are some independent quotes from the book.
It is totally unbiblical to insinuate that people must travel to a particular church anywhere to receive what God has for them.

As a minister I firmly believe that I am not allowed to preach what is not in the Bible. It is an exciting enough book as it stands.

No one has the right to adjust the gospel or revise God's plan for his church.

Leonard Ravenhill, the revival-minded preacher and author from Britain, told me shortly before he died, "People say the church today is 'growing and expanding.' Yes, it's ten miles wide now - and about a quarter-inch deep."

(Regarding taking responsibility for our own situations)Just as our culture in general is taken up with a victim mentality, where everything is somebody else's fault, to be relieved by psychotherapy, government handouts, or litigation, so in the church people are saying, "It's the devil's fault. Don't blame me." No wonder there is little brokenness of spirit among us. Why pray and confess if your main problem is oppression (or possession) by an evil spirit that someone else needs to get off your back? Few Christians or sermons use the word "sin" anymore. Few sense the need to repent of their own wrongdoing. Rather, they look to the outside for a scapegoat.

I often reply, "Yes, those things are real - but God is greater. one of us can afford to blame the past indefinitely."

We as God's people have all the equipment we need. It has been around for two thousand years. He has given us everything necessary to put points on the scoreboard and win victories in his name. So let us move forward with full confidence in what we have received.

Nothing about God will change Tomorrow he will be no more anxious to help our lives, our families, and our churches then than he is right now. If we simply avail ourselves of his promises, we will see him do things we could never ask or think, just as he did in the New Testament. It is time to press on.


I just love this book! You've got to pick it up and read it! It's full of great insight.

Oh yeah. It appears I've sprained my ankle. Fortunately, it's the opposite leg as the shin that got banged up last week. Joy! Blessings on this beautiful Thursday.

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire (cont.)

What a tragedy that the quality of ministry is too often measured by numbers and building size rather than by true spiritual results.

As a preacher myself, let me be blunt here. Preaching itself can easily become just a subtle form of entertainment. When I stand at the Judgment Seat of Christ, he is not going to ask me if I was a clever orator. He is not going to ask me how many books I wrote. He is only going to ask whether I continued in the line of men and women, starting way back in the time of Adam's grandchildren, who led others to call upon God.

When we sincerely turn to God, we will find that his church always moves forward, not backward. We can never back up and accommodate ourselves to what the world wants or expects. Our stance must remain militant, aggressive, bold.

(Talking about David's life) David's weaponry was ridiculous: a sling and five stones. It didn't matter. God still uses foolish tools in the hands of weak people to build his kingdom. Backed by prayer and his power, we can accomplish the unthinkable.

[Kenneth Ware, this] godly, gray-haired African American started all-night prayer meetings on Friday nights in the church. Then he organized a Prayer Band-a group of people committed to calling on the Lord at the church on a continuing schedule.

Soon the members of the Prayer Band were praying five nights a week, from 11 P.M. to 6 A.M. Today they are in the church seven days a week, twenty-four hours a day, praying in three-hour shifts or longer. Every request we receive is written on a little card and lifted to the Lord for the next thirty days.

...he [Pastor Ware] has twenty or so people closed in a room to pray during each of the fourth meetings-a total of eighty intercessors each Sunday. They start by praying with the pastors fifteen minutes before the meeting and keep going even after everything ends. Sometimes, in leaving the building at ten or ten-thirty at night, I have heard them still praying.


I don't know about you, but that really encourages me. That's the kind of church I want to be a part of. How would you feel if your prayer request was covered in prayer like that? Wow. Blessings on this beautiful Wednesday.

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire (cont.)

I must confess I've believed a lie for the years I've been blogging. I've believed that you should only have one post per day. Where did I get that silly idea? Sometimes I don't have a blog idea for days or weeks. Sometimes I have several in one day and actually have the time to type them out. So, if that is the case, check my blog carefully, as there may be several with the same date in a row. I also learned that if you write one and save it as a draft to come back to later, then post it, it gets put in the order of the original date, not the date you posted it. Cutting, pasting, and deleting fixes that, or you would never have found my last post. Anyway, back to this great book, which I finished Fresh Faith today!

"Lord, I have no idea how to be a successful pastor," I prayed softly out there on the water. "I haven't been trained."...

Then quietly but forcefully, in words heard not with my ear but deep within my spirit, I sensed God speaking. "If you and your wife will lead my people to pray and call upon my name, you will never lack for something fresh to preach. I will supply all the money that's needed, both for the church and for your family, and you will never have a building large enough to contain the crowds I will send in response."

(The pastor addressed his congregation) "From this day on, the prayer meeting will be the barometer of our church. What happens on Tuesday night will be the gauge by which we will judge success or failure because that will be the measure by which God blesses us."

(After the congregation had been prompted to pray for weeks) We were not there to hear one another give voice to eloquent prayers; we were too desperate for that. We focused vertically, on God, rather than horizontally on one another. Much of the time we called out to the Lord as a group, all praying aloud in concert, a practice that continues to this day.

I also began to ease up in the Sunday meetings and not control them so tightly with a microphone. The usual format - two songs, then announcements, special music by the choir the offering, then the sermon, finally a benediction-was gradually laid aside as God began to loosen me up. I didn't have to be so nervous or uptight - or phony. I had only been protecting myself out of fear.


I've got to reiterate that EQUIP's first value is to have an upward focus.

1. Called to keep the focus on God
Acts 4: 24, “When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God.”

Prayer will be a primary focus, keeping the first things always first. Our posture will be to worship, seek, wait and respond. Quality time will be made for this priority.


We have prayer walks, we have prayer concerts and will continue to do so as we launch. We have seen many lives transformed on the westside this last year and are amazed and delighted to rejoice in the heart changes God has allowed us to witness. If you're interested in joining us on a prayer walk or prayer concert, let me know and I'll give you the details.

How am I doing? I'm battered. I slammed my shin into the trailer hitch last Thursday and have a lovely green bruise and tenderness. The tendon in my elbow is doing better. I've had a wonderful intestinal virus for about 10 days and can't have dairy because of it. I hope it goes away soon! On a good note, my blood pressure was down in the doctor's office last week. Yeah! Kristen has a lead on some gigs for playing the drums. The next two months are pretty busy with many EQUIP meetings and things scheduled. I'm taking a deep breath and heading into the wind. Blessings on this gorgeous sunny, clear Tuesday!

It's not always a matter of calling . . .

Greg and I know God has called us to go in the direction we're going. There's a settled peace about it. Not everything thing placed before us has been so definitive. Like you, I'm sure, we've had our times of wondering, "Should we or shouldn't we?" "This way or that way?" "Could we?" "How?" We seek God but sometimes feel we're not getting an answer at all. We wait, we look for signs from friends, sermons, books, radio, the Bible, but nothing comes. I'd like to clear up one area that doesn't need an answer from God, because you've already gotten it in His word. It has to do with who we minister to.

Someone may say, "I don't feel called to minister to those people." By 'those people', they're referring to anyone unlike themselves. It may be the poor, the homeless, the doctor, the lawyer, the uneducated, or those from another country.

Is who we minister to really a matter of calling? No. Quoting from Building a Healthy Multi-Ethnic Church by Mark Deymaz, and referring to Acts Chapter 10, "When we consider these early stories of conversion featuring the Samaritans, an Ethiopian, and the Roman soldier, Cornelius, they should cause us to ask, If God himself does not show partiality in reaching out to others, why is partiality allowed to exist within the local church today? Indeed, if God welcomes men and women of every nation, tribe, people, and tongue into his kingdom, why is it that the vast majority of churches in the United States are not likewise welcoming diverse people into their local fellowships? (He's mainly talking about churches, but the point is the same for individuals trying to figure out who to minister to.)

Mark Deymaz goes on to talk about local churches not making an effort to de-homogenize their congregations by adapting their ways to muliple ethnicities. I don't need to go there. I believe churches evolve to become homogeneous because they don't have a diverse leadership team and a concentrated effort to go in this direction. But that's not the point of this article. The point I'm trying to make is that it isn't a matter of calling as to who we are called to minister to and who we leave behind. Matthew 28 says to go and make disciples of ALL nations.[emphasis mine]

Greg and I felt led to the westside because Greg has always had a desire to minister to those who need it the most. We didn't say we didn't feel called to minister to white, middle-class individuals with college educations, we welcome them and will do everything to make sure they feel just as welcome as the Hispanic, the Sikh, the African-American, the Asian, the homeless, and the addicted who comes through our doors.

I think too often we look for specific answers to general questions. Much of what we're searching for is located right in the Bible. They're called Biblical principles. It's not "Should I marry John Smith, an unbeliever?" It's "Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?" 2 Cor. 6:14

It's not "Should I minister to those people?" It's "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." Mat. 28:19-20.

Monday, March 9, 2009

Prayer Walk

Yesterday was great. After a 90 minute leadership meeting, we headed over to the westside, held hands and prayed in front of the school for the school. Then we split up into 2s or 3s and prayed for the neighborhood. Some of our impressions were:

1. Just as God lead Israel with a pillar of cloud, He will lead us to where he wants us to go.
2. Regarding finding a Worship leader, start with who you know.
3. Regarding a building, ministry starts in the streets. It's not about Sunday morning services. It happens all week long. We are not to confuse the two.
4. Pride of ownership.
5. God gave Greg a peace about approaching someone about using their church.
He also gave direction on how some of our couples in our Wednesday night may be used in ministry.

On Saturday we scoured the neighborhood in search of projects on the westside. We got 20 possibilities. The good news is we will have plenty to turn over to have other groups work on.

Blessings on this sunny, breezy Monday.

Saturday, March 7, 2009

I can't hold it in!

I've tried to just give a little description about this book I'm reading, but I can't hold it in. I've just got to share some of my highlights. It's too good!

Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire by Jim Cymbala
(Regarding the early days of his church with just about 20 people in attendance.)
Some of the members we inherited were so out of step with the flavor of the church, so set on their own agenda, that I actually began to pray they would leave. One man informed me that he, too, was ordained and should be allowed to preach on Sunday nights. What I observed in his spiritual life, however, indicated just the opposite.

Confrontation came hard because we could ill afford to lose people. But if these members were to stay, the result would be ongoing discord-and I knew the Lord would never bless that kind of a mess with the spiritual power we so desperately needed. One by one, these people made their exit. On a couple of occasions I even had to help answer my own prayers by suggesting that members consider another church. I was learning that in pastoral work, as in basketball, sometimes you have to confront.

(Regarding his church's growth as a result of prayer).
After we had some Sunday night times of prayer around the altar, when people got into the habit of calling on the Lord, our attendance grew to fifty or sixty. But I knew God wanted to do much more...and he would, if we provided good soil in which he could work. I was tired of the escapist mentality I had witnessed since childhood-always glorifying what God did way back in some revival, or else passionately predicting "the coming great move of God" just ahead. The truth is, I new there were countless churches across the city and the nation that had not baptized a hundred truly converted sinners in a year, and most not in several years. Any growth came simply through transfers from one church to another. New York City was a hard mission field, but transfer growth was not what God had in mind for us.

Just a couple of nuggets to chew on. I think Jim makes a great point in saying that just because someone is attending your church, it doesn't mean they have to stay there. There may be another church that would suit their beliefs better, or several other factors. We must not be afraid to confront, we must lead our churches. Of course, just walking up to someone and asking them to leave is probably not the best approach. We should always practice the charitable assumption, giving them the benefit of the doubt, discipling them, walking closely with them to try and fix the problem. Only if this doesn't work, and after much prayer, should we suggest the last option.

The other good point Jim makes is that prayer creates an atmosphere of good soil for the holy spirit to work in. His church is called a house of prayer, not a house of worship or a house of preaching or a house of fun or good stories. As we go through the book a little more, you'll see what making prayer a priority in the church did in his congregation.

Blessings on this sunny, breezy Saturday.

Friday, March 6, 2009

EQUIP Update

Our membership class Wednesday night went great. Every team member and Bible Study member and even someone who has come to only 1 Bible Study was there and all applied for membership! It was a great night of celebration. I felt like everyone got on the boat and we're ready to set sail! Of course, we still need a place to meet and a worship director, but God will provide in His timing.

I'll be sending out a prayer letter shortly. If you'd like to receive it via email (preferably) or snail mail, let me know at gshazenberg@sbcglobal.net.

Tomorrow our Servolution team leaders start canvasing the Westside to find projects for May 9th.

Our leadership team starts meeting at our house this Sunday in order to transition to our Sunday services in the next few months. After our leadership training, we'll be heading over to the Westside around 10:00 a.m. for a Prayer Walk. If you would like to join us, email me at gshazenberg@sbcglobal.net or call me and I'll give you directions.

Things are hopping. We appreciate your prayers!

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

EQUIP Update

We've had a few milestones lately. Two weeks ago we had a Bible study led by our host. Every one of his kids, their spouses/fiance's, and children were there. There weren't enough chairs! I didn't say much, my norm, as I choose to observe. You could see the comments fly across the room along with questions, beliefs, mis-informed beliefs, humor, slang, a few unmentionable words and every kind of conversation you could imagine. It was loud in that living room and very lively! I walked away thinking that even though this family has some issues, when it came to communication, they're the healthiest group of people I've ever been around! No facades, no image to protect, no "I don't want to appear stupid by saying or asking this so I'll be quiet." It was GREAT!

The next week, (last week) we showed the move Flywheel. It was wonderful seeing every one's reactions to the compromising behavior of the star of the move. At the end, Greg had us pray and the youngest son prayed about making God first. After the prayer, Greg asked him, "Are you really ready to put God first in everything in your life?" He thought, then nodded and said, "Yes." Greg called him out to the center of the living room and gave him a huge hug. Rededicating your life to Christ is a big deal, I know it changed my life many years ago.

Tonight we're having a membership class with our leadership team and our Bible Study group. Afterwards we'll be having cake to celebrate the founding members of EQUIP Church. It's a milestone evening!

God bless!

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Great Book!

A friend of mine recommended a book to me recently and I'm about 3/4 of the way through it. I wanted to share it because I think it is right on track. It's actually two books in one. It's called Fresh Wind Fresh Fire and the second book is Fresh Faith by Pastor Jim Cymbala of Brooklyn Tabernacle. It's also got a study guide in the back for Fresh Faith. The subtitles are what Happens When God's Spirit Invades the Hearts of His People and What Happens When Real Faith Ignites God's People.

There's so much I'd love to share, but will just share what's on the back cover to give you an idea of the power in this book.

Starting from a handful of believers whose survival as a church hung literally on prayer, The Brooklyn Tabernacle has grown into an inner-city beacon of hope for people from every walk of life. Here, in two powerful bestsellers, are stories to inspire you-and biblical insights to transform you.

The Brooklyn Tabernacle was once a struggling congregation of twenty. Then they began to pray...God began to move...and street-hardened lives by the hundreds were changed by the love of Christ.

The story of what happened to this broken-down church in one of America's toughest neighborhoods points the way to new spiritual vitality in the church and in our own lives. Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire shows that the Holy Spirit can do when we set aside our own agendas, take him at his word, and listen for his voice.

Jim Cymbala calls us back to a fiery, passionate preoccupation with God that will restore our first love for Jesus, our zeal, our troubled children, our wounded marriages, our broken and divided churches. Cymbala writes, "Real faith is produced when our hears draw near to God himself and receive his promises deep within." That kind of faith can transform your life - starting today.

Jim Cymbala has been the pastor of The Brooklyn Tabernacle for more than twenty-five years. He is also the author of the bestselling titles Fresh Power; Breakthrough Prayer; The Life God blesses; The Church God Blesses and The Promise of God's Power. He lives in New York City with his wife, Carol Cymbala, who directs the Grammy Award-winning Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir.


If you want to jump start your faith this is the book to do it. I think back to the first five years when I was a new believer and remember the fire that burned within me. It was a fire that God could and would do anything, a fire that fueled my faith to pray because the Holy Spirit within me had power, a fire that made me fearless, a fire that made me serve like crazy and was baffled as to why others around me weren't doing the same. Somewhere since then my faith became more complacent, watered-down, even cynical at times. With the challenges that lie ahead as we plant a church in an area that has deep-seated problems, that fire is being rekindled and it's a great feeling. I encourage you to read this book. It will change you, it will change the way you think about church, the Holy Spirit, and the power of prayer.

Blessings to you on this wonderful Wednesday.

A View of Marriage from the Earth

I had a stray thought the other day. As Greg has been preparing to do two weeks on Conflict Management for our small group, I was thinking about our marriage and the marriages of those around us and had this picture come into my mind. I saw a slice view of the earth, like in 4th grade.

I saw the mountains and valleys as the relational stuff we go through every day. Surface stuff. Good times and bad. If we follow God's word and not let the sun go down on our anger, our disagreements never damage the mantle, where hurt begins. This is the level of love in our marriage. It's the thing that protects our commitment and allows us to maintain our relationship, holding up the mountains and surviving the valleys.

If our love is hurt by name calling, insults, or physical abuse, we've really damaged our love for one another and it takes quite a bit to heal that. If these negative behaviors continue to occur and never get a chance to heal, we risk damaging the core, our commitment. That is where couples find themselves when they consider divorce.

God advised us to never allow the sun to go down on our anger so that our love for one another and our commitment to one another are never threatened. Keep your disagreements to a minimum, talk things out, clear the air, kill the elephants, etc. Protect your marriage's inner core.

Blessings to you on this windy, sunny Tuesday!