The Pursuit---Part 3!

A Short Story by Pastor Steve Gardner

 The demonic horde that gathered on the hillside just out of town was unusual today. Normally, on any given day, they are right in the midst of things. Manipulating people to believe lies spawned by the evil within their hearts, and perpetuated among anyone who was willing to believe their lies. They roam about among the schools, the city government, the business people, and even the churches! Oh how they love to go to church! Of course not to worship the Lord, but to agitate and upset the lives of those who would dare try to change their lives through Jesus Christ! Preachers and long-time members were their favorite targets! Preachers feared getting too “wild” so as not to scare off any visitors that might happen along their way. Nor did they want to appear that they were purely driven by emotions, so as not to offend the members who pay their salaries. After all, as long as the Word gets out there, even in a diluted weakened form, well they would trust God to accomplish what needed to be accomplished. Many of these preachers thought if God’s Word got “put-out-there,” the people weren't offended, and they got paid; then God would take care of the rest! It has worked like this for years, and as long as some “good-work” got done, the good church people were just fine! “Contain the fire!”................That was the demon’s motto!

On this particular day, a “confab” was ordered by the demon Delirious. He had ordered that all territorial demons be present or suffer the consequences of his wrath! Delirious was a “Principality,” a high-ranking demon who oversaw much of the activity of the area, or as he liked to mockingly put it……….”ministering the upheaval” to those lousy Jesus Followers! He would laugh whenever he would use terms that the enemy used, like…….”MINISTERING!” He used to minister, he ministered before the very Throne of God, but now, out of pure unadulterated hate for everything the enemy stood for, he mockingly used the old terms that used to apply to himself, as a slap in the face of the God. The other demons hated Delirious and often plotted his over-throw, but none dare try! So, begrudgingly, here they met on the side of a hill outside of town! The demon Anxiety growled,……”C’mon, let’s get this thing started, I have fear to inflict, and I have no intention of falling short of my quota!” One of the lesser demons hissed, “Nobody cares about your stupid quota,” which got him a slap from Anxiety! Shut up and mind your place, or I will inflict SO much pain on you, you won’t be able to speak!” About that time, Delirious arrived and stood upon the top of the hill. It did not matter where the other demons were, Delirious always placed himself in a position higher than the other demons under his direction. He did this as a constant reminder that HE was superior to them, and had been congratulated by Satan himself! At his arrival, some of the demons cheered; some hissed; and some cursed, under the breath of course! Delirious, never being one to mince words began immediately with the reason for the meeting. “I summoned you all here today to advise you that YOU have a directive coming from our lord himself! You are to make certain that you are ever diligent in your assigned duties to avert the awakening and advancement of the enemy!” With that he hatefully looked at one of his underlings, Confusion. “I don’t think I need to remind any of us the damage that can be caused when we “slack-up” and take our enemy for granted!” He continued: “We ALL remember the disaster that was narrowly diverted when Confusion here decided to take it easy in his assignment! A well known church in this very town, that has taught for years the false doctrine that the power and gifting of the enemy had ceased, was almost lost when a Missionary visited and shared about their experience of speaking in Tongues and healing!” When he said those two things, the demons shook and hissed at the utter fear they felt from remembering this.

Delirious continued, “It took us months to put out that “fire” and restore things to normal!” Confusion cursed under his breath and swore some day he would make him eat those words! Delirious moved on to the topic at hand. Our lord has issued a warning that ANY demon caught taking it easy on the enemy, would deal DIRECTLY with him! And “trust me, you DON’T want that” Delirious said! Let me give you the detailed instructions! I will spell them out plainly, so that even those of you who are stupid, will get it! With that, Delirious pulled a black scroll from his sash and read the directive from Satan himself! It read: “Demons arise! The time is getting crucial, because I can see that things are begging to happen in the undercurrent of movement among the enemy’s forces! You must remain diligent and committed to our task at hand! Our kingdom MUST NOT suffer loss! Nor are we to willingly surrender ANY ground we have stolen from the enemy! Under NO circumstance must you allow those you influence to gain ANY knowledge that they have been deceived! Over 1500 years ago, I fashioned a “counterfeit-church” that looked a lot like the enemies true church, however minus the power He promised them! I gave them their good-moral homilies; I gave them their songs they endlessly and mindlessly sing; and I gave them programs, to blind them to the loss of power! My church looked like the original in form, but it denied the power! I even gave to them leaders; and teachers; and instructors that told them that the days of power were no more, and ended with those irritating original Apostles! And the beauty and majesty of my plan was this………………….THEY BOUGHT INTO IT! Now while it is true, that we lost some to the irritable salvation the Son gave them, we have hindered, and in most cases, event STOPPED the onslaught of what this church could do if they ever wised-up and realized how much authority and power they really had! They have the “KEYS” but never use them! Instead, they are content with the programs, the single person super stars we give them, the limited civic endeavors, the churchy music, the rah rah sessions they call revivals, and the really good feeling they have, that they had done their “DUTY” by simply going to church! Their ignorance to true spiritual warfare has definitely worked in our benefit! NO,……..NO,…….I will NOT let ANY of these foolish “dirt-people” fashioned out of the dust of the earth, to UPSET my plan or my kingdom! You MUST,……..No, you WILL be diligent and STOP any potential threat to our kingdom! I re-commission you today, my children, to our first intent! That intent is to keep the true church; the true Bride of the Son, from awakening and walking in the authority and power that our enemy meant for them to walk in! Do whatever it is you need to do, but under NO circumstances are you to allow,……………….AWAKENING AND TRUE REVIVAL!”

With that Delirious folded up the scroll and put it back in his sash. “Did you get it? Our master is too easy on you slackers! I am telling you that if you slack up and make me look bad, I will deal with you in such a manner, that you will beg for the coming judgment that awaits you!” With that he paused, made a conscience point of making eye contact with every demon, and growled: “Now get to work, you slime!”

~~~TO BE CONTINUED!~~~

The Pursuit---Part 2!

A Short Story by Pastor Steve Gardner

The angel’s name was Jonathan. Many warring angels had what might seem to some humans as more exotic names, but he was glad that his name reminded so many people of the Forerunner of the Messiah, Jesus. John the Baptist prepared people’s hearts with repentance, to receive the prophesied Savior. He remembered so long ago, actually standing in the Jordan River with John the Baptist, as he baptized Jesus! In fact, the hill side was full of angels witnessing this long ago prophesied event! Jonathan remembered the majestic worship that arose as His God and King was plunged beneath the water! And he remembered the fire that surrounded Jesus when the heaven’s opened, God the Father Spoke, and the Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus, filling Him with His power and anointing! The angels bowed their heads as the full manifestation of the Trinity was manifested here at Jesus’ baptism. And then, almost the entire angelic contingent followed Jesus as He was led by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness to do battle with the devil. Jonathan recalled this event as if it was present before him right now, in this little kitchen, with this humble Follower of Jesus. Every angel had their swords drawn! Every angel was ready to pounce as the leader of the fallen angels appeared upon the scene like a venomous snake appears out from under a pile of wood. Jonathan’ fallen former friends hissed and taunted Jesus as he fasted and sought the presence of His Father! Lips that once spoke majestic praise, now spoke curses upon the Son of God. He felt the anger well up within him, and without even thinking, had pulled his sword, ready to strike down the blasphemous horde that strode before their Lord with such arrogance! Jonathan came to himself and realized that he was not at that scene, but in the kitchen with this Daughter of the Lord. He also noticed that on instinct, he had drawn his sword!

As he placed the sword back in its sheath, two other angelic warriors appeared next to him, greeting him in the name of their Lord. We have been sent to inform you to be on guard! The prayers of several Saints of God in this area, including this Daughter of the Lord and her Pastor, have been heard by the Lord, and are creating quite a stir in the Spiritual realm! The King has told me to rally the troops and the word is given! The word?............The word that he and his Brothers who serve the Lord had been waiting for; for SO MANY years, had finally been given! This was a word that the angels NEVER spoke, for fear that if it was spoken before the command was given, might result in false teachings and actually be used by the enemy to lead people AWAY from Christ, instead of TO the Lord! It was a word thought of with such deep reverence, that it was only rivaled by the Names of the Holy Trinity themselves! BUT NOW,……..The word had been given! That word that inspired such awe, respect, and reverence; was…………………….REVIVAL!

This word revival was not held with quite the same level of majesty and honor among many of the Human Followers of the Lord that was held among the angels of the Lord. Humans used this term many times and for many reasons, sometimes almost in a flippant type manner! What the angels knew as the true meaning of revival was NOT what so many within the Church had come to mean when the term revival was mentioned. When most said REVIVAL, what was in their minds was: A series of meetings in which a well known Evangelist was brought in to preach for a few nights within a local Church body. Sometimes special singers would be included within the mix and some, but not all, of the members of the church or the regular attendees would come. The Evangelist would preach, and “fire-up” those who were already Followers of Jesus, and then pray for a few people. The revivals, while pleasant to Jonathan and his fellow angels, fell SO FAR short of what genuine revival actually looked like! Jonathan was always amazed that so many Followers of Jesus could be so “dooped” into believing that THIS series of meetings could ACTUALLY be confused with the genuine revival that the Saints in the Bible wrote about!

It bothered him that the Followers of Jesus would come to a series of meetings called “REVIVAL,” gorge themselves on the “Good-Things” of the Lord, and then………….GO HOME……..as if NOTHING had happened at all to actually change their life! No Follower of Jesus left the building with such conviction and heaviness of heart for those who were without Christ, that they just HAD to go and minister to someone! And rarely, if ever, were these same Followers of Jesus so hungry for the power of the Holy Spirit and His Giftings to fulfill the Great Commission, that they would “TARY” at the altar until they were “overflowing” with the presence and power of the Third Person of the Trinity! Why were so many concerned more with going out to eat and fellowship then staying in the presence of God seeking and crying out for more of the Glory of Jesus to manifest within their lives; their churches; and their communities? Jonathan often wondered: “How could they read the stories of old; the statement of the Lord that they would do what HE DID and even GREATER; and the promise from the Father to send the Holy Spirit, and then be SATISFIED with a mere series of…………………..MEETINGS! Meetings that in his mind, seemed like only “PEP-RALLY’S” for the ALREADY SAVED to feel good about themselves and life once again! Where were the son’s of Paul?........Where were the son’s of Peter?.............Where were the daughter’s Junias? He didn’t mean disrespect, but there was SO much more that his Human Brothers and Sisters had NEVER experienced yet, and it made him SAD to think that so many Followers of Jesus settled for meetings; and Fellowship Dinners; and mere programs! Sad,………SO SAD! But NOW,………..the WORD has been given!..............THE WORD HAS BEEN GIVEN!!!.........The Lord had begun His Final offensive before His much anticipated return,……………………And that offensive was called………………….REVIVAL!

~~~TO BE CONTINUED!~~~

The Pursuit---Part 1.

A Short Story by Pastor Steve Gardner

Julie sat quietly at her kitchen table sipping a cup of coffee. She was lost in thought and contemplation concerning her faith. Not that she was questioning her faith; because she had lived for Jesus since that year at Youth Camp when she surrendered her life to His Lordship. Since that time, she has lived as a genuine Follower of Christ, seeking more of Him through reading His Word, prayer, and fellowship. She even attended a Christian college to be in an environment conducive to her faith as she pursued her degree in Early Childhood Education. She graduated, got her teaching certificate, and began teaching at a little Country school not too far from where she rented a small house. She had always been a “Country-Girl” at heart, even though she was born and raised in the city. There was something that beckoned to her whenever she was out in the country, and she always felt at peace there. So, with her graduation and certificate in hand, and her dog “Beaker” by her side, she packed up and moved to the country! Now, she felt at home, and with her career fully before her and her faith to guide her, she was as ready as she could be for her future.

Julie began looking for a church to attend that matched her passion for Christ. She tried several within about a 25 mile radius from her home, but it was through a colleague at work that told her about her church, and when invited, Julie went. She was warmly greeted and the worship was very anointed and inspired. The Pastor preached a powerful Word that seemed to “burn” into her heart! The message that very first day was entitled: “The God Who Has Your Future!” With Julie newly engaged in her future, this message added a strength and comfort that Julie felt reassuring. She was HOME! Within a matter of a few weeks, Julie went forward and officially joined the church! That was two years ago, and now today, Julie sits at her kitchen table sipping coffee, lost in thought and contemplation concerning her faith.

Again, her contemplation was not about “leaving” her faith, or anything like that, her contemplation was that of a huge “ACHE” that began within her heart as she was doing an in depth study of the Gospels and Acts. She read about powerful moves of the Holy Spirit and incredible demonstrations of His power that always validated the proclaiming of the Gospel of Jesus Christ! People who were idol worshipers were so deeply impacted when the Early Followers of Jesus were used by the Holy Spirit through signs, wonders, miracles, healings, and other powerful validations of the Person and ministry of Jesus Christ, and His Kingdom message! To her, it went something like this: The Followers of Jesus would go to areas where non-Jesus Followers were living and conducting business. The Holy Spirit would lead them to a person or group of people who needed a powerful encounter from God, and then the Holy Spirit would “USE” them in one form or another of the miraculous! Then they would proceed to tell them that they had been healed; or delivered; or even brought back to life, by the Lord Jesus Christ! They would then share the Good News of salvation and about having a right Relationship with the One and Only God, through His Son, Jesus Christ! Julie’s heart ACHED for that kind of, what she referred to as……..”JESUS POWER!” She wasn't interested in gaining a reputation as a “HEALER” nor was she looking for anything that even remotely elevated her name or persona! She was ……….HUNGRY! Hungry for more of the Glory of Jesus Christ; hungry for more of what she read in the New Testament and what those early Followers of Jesus considered the “NORM!” She was hungry for……………………THAT! She loved Jesus, but when she looked at what she, and all of her friends who followed Jesus, were describing and living, as what it meant to be a “CHRISTIAN,” she felt a great “disconnect” from what she read as everyday life for Early Followers of Jesus. She loved her Pastor; she love her church; she loved her Brothers and Sisters in the Faith; but she loved Jesus even more, and so for the past two months, she had been praying for…………………MORE!

Unknown to Julie, at that exact same time in a quiet bedroom in a little house across town, Julie’s Pastor was praying! He was weeping and praying for MORE of the Glory of the Lord, and MORE of the Power of the Holy Spirit to be manifested within his ministry; his family; and his Church! Through powerful and really good worship, and incredible moves of the Holy Spirit, a “FIRE” had been ignited within his soul! So, this pastor humbled himself and prayed to his Lord……………..”Please, Lord, ……..more of YOU!” Words spilled from his mouth, …..no, from his soul that seemed to emanate from the very ache he felt within his heart! He genuinely loved God, and loved being one of his True Shepherds, but what the Church in America, the very “BODY” of Christ, had been reduced to, had created a weight and burden that could not be satisfied any longer with “Good Moral Lessons” of Jesus Christ! He asked himself, his wife, his peers, and now even His Lord;…….”Where is the POWER?” The power he had preached about SO many times from the New Testament, but was almost completely “absent” from most of the Church services he had been involved in. And now that he began this reflective prayerful seeking of the Lord, his heart cried out for………..MORE! The “Great-Disconnect” between Christian life and faith today, and what he had studied and preached for 21 years now, had become so glaringly blatant, that to ignore it and give a good Christian homily, would no longer satisfy!

What Julie did not know as she sipped her coffee and contemplated what God was doing within her heart, was the man standing in the corner of her kitchen! If fact, she COULDN'T see him! This man was quite astute at remaining “UNSEEN” until the command was given to make himself known! He was on assignment! Assignment from His Lord and Master, Jesus Christ! He was one of His Ministering Angels that was often dispatched to one of His Lord’s Human Followers. And even if she could see him, she wouldn’t recognize his attire. It was not a “modern” outfit, nor was it what most humans would consider as, well,……….normal! He wore a type of robe that glimmered with an appearance of white refined gold! He was about 8-feet tall, had arms and legs like humans, but had two wings that when outstretched, had a wing-span of approximately 9-feet! Strapped to his side was a double-edged sword that, because of its weight, could not even be held by most humans! That sword had helped him in many battles against his former brothers, who were now darkened fallen angels that rebelled with Lucifer. He wielded that sword with Ninja like skill that any Martial artist would envy! That sword, whenever he drew it, would glow like translucent gold! Actually, that sword glowed because it was empowered by the very Words of God! The Lords Words, well they’re sharp and they,………….CUT! And that sword, sharpened and empowered by the very Words of God, had served this warrior of the Lord very well!

…….TO BE CONTINUED!

How's Your Theology?

Are You Awake to the Truth?

Imagine if you will the difficulty in convincing someone that some of the beliefs they have adhered to concerning the Christian Church, perhaps even having been taught them since they were a child, are flawed.  Now allow me to explain that I am not referencing their salvation, for their individual salvation is an “easy” matter, as Christ has done all the hard work.  They accept the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the vicarious atonement, and by faith place their full confidence in Him for their salvation, and with those truths in mind, they are indeed saved!  This is not what I am referring to, for as most already know, the “entry door” to salvation is not necessitated by the correct doctrine in every aspect of Christian faith, but rather in the correct doctrine in just one truth, that being that Jesus Christ died for my sins, and by Faith I believe and receive His sacrifice for me.  Their salvation is not in doubt, but as we move on from the “point” of salvation, there is a whole lot of doctrine that is established upon that one basic life-altering truth! 

In fact, a whole system of faith and belief is then built upon that one central truth of salvation in Christ Jesus.  And from all of that additional elements of faith that are added to that central truth, and the various ways in which Followers of Christ interpret Scripture, we have formed the denominations of our day.  There is one specific element of theology and practice that is the focal point of this article, namely Ecclesiology.  Ecclesiology is the study of the Church, the Body of Christ.  Being even more specific, I am referencing here Western Ecclesiology.  Who we are, what we are, and the practices we engage in as the Body of Christ in the West.  Here in America, there is a certain “feel” to church.  We have certain specific “models” that serve as indicators of specific movements or denominations.  However, generally speaking, there is a certain continuity that exists between most of our American Churches.  Continuity not based upon belief and practice, but based upon non-belief and non-practice.  A singular element that binds most of our “Christian” churches together.  That element is the non-belief or non-practice of the “power” elements of the Christian Faith.  Many American churches either do not believe or do not practice signs and wonders, miracles, healings, or the Charismata.  Elements that became very necessary for the success of the early New Testament church!  Today, in America, we are trying to accomplish what the Church of the New Testament would never dream of attempting to accomplish, namely the proclamation of the gospel, devoid of the power of the gospel!  I would dare say that we can state that the early Christian Believers would have considered it outright disobedience to the Lord to attempt the advance of His Kingdom, through the preaching of the gospel, without the power of the Holy Spirit!  The command was given by the Lord Himself to His Disciples in the Gospel of Luke, chapter 24 and the 49^th verse:  "And now I will send the Holy Spirit, just as my Father promised. But stay here in the city until the Holy Spirit comes and fills you with power from heaven."  Yet as so very important as to warrant a “command” from Christ to His Disciples, many of us today simply “dismiss” this crucial element of the Gospel proclamation!  On a daily basis in America, we the Church, “LEAVE” Jerusalem WITHOUT the power of the Holy Spirit, and as a result, we have reduced the Gospel of Jesus Christ to simply a …….”Good Moral Code of Living!”  A gospel full of a lot of principles, but not a lot of power!

So I reiterate my original statement:  “Imagine if you will the difficulty in convincing someone that some of the beliefs they have adhered to concerning the Christian Church, perhaps even having been taught them since they were a child, are flawed.”  Fully believing the Biblical truth that we have been in the “Last Days” since Pentecost, and that now, I believe, we are in the LAST of the “Last Days,” my heart beats very heavy to see us fulfill our task assigned us prior to Christ leaving this world to return to His Father, namely the evangelization of the world!  With this understanding, I now ask a very pertinent question in regard to my original statement above.  “How do we, the American Church, think we can possibly succeed in changing our Country through the proclamation of the gospel of Christ, when we do not have the necessary power of the gospel of Christ?”  The Bible informs us of a very sobering fact in the Last Days (sorry to my Dispensational friends but I do not relegate all of the end-Times elements to a futurative way-off-in-the-distant fulfillment), in Revelation 12:12---“Therefore, rejoice, O heavens!   And you who live in the heavens, rejoice!  But terror will come on the earth and the sea, for the devil has come down to you in great anger,  knowing that he has little time.”  In addition to this verse, the Apostle Paul warns his “Son-in-the-Faith,” Timothy, to be on guard for the advance of the devil’s anger and attack in the last of the “Last Days.”  Paul identifies for Timothy and for all of us, the “spirits” of the enemy that will be released upon the earth in these Last Days (SEE:  2 Tim. 3), for which we are to be “on guard” from.  Those “spirits” are here, and they are VERY active in the Western branch of the Christian Church! 

Think of it!  If you were satan, and you desired to stop the fulfillment of the Church’s commission, then of a necessity you would need to divest the Church of her “POWER!”  However, you could not just “take-away” the churches power, you would have to be very creative in “HOW” you took away that power!  You would have to convince many of the Church’s Pastors, Teachers, Professors, Denominational Leaders, and Laity alike; that the “power-elements” of the Gospel had ceased!  Now, you would have to leave in some of the elements of the original gospel, or the Body of Christ would simply dismiss this attempt as an attack from satan.  Satan knew he would lose “some” people who were in desperate situations and were ready to believe the mere truth of the gospel without the power of the gospel, and those were “casualties he was willing to accept.  However, he also knew, better than many in the Church that the day was coming when he would unleash all of hell upon this earth to propagate his evil will.  Now if the Church, that ONE-FORCE that could STOP his hellish onslaught, could be altered enough to where they would settle for a few, when God had given them the world, then in the long run, he would be successful!  You see the devil is not trying to keep ALL people from salvation, for he knows that is impossible, so he is willing to let some be saved, just not the WORLD!  The Church, having just the “TRUTH” of the gospel, and not the “POWER” of the gospel, would indeed win some, but overall their impact would be minimal!

Brothers and Sisters, our impact had been minimal!  Jesus Himself identified for us as His Followers the necessity of both “Truth” and “Spirit!”  In John 4:23-24---“But the time is coming—indeed it’s here now—when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship him that way. For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.”  If this is the essential twin-elements for approaching God in worship, how hard is it to realize how much more we would need these twin-truths in evangelism?  We have left Jerusalem without the power of the Holy Spirit!  We have the TRUTH, but we do not have the SPIRIT or His power!  Our impact has indeed been minimal recently, but we have the potential to have the type of impact that the “gates of hell” cannot prevail against!  What do we need to do?  Go BACK to Jerusalem to the Upper Room and seek and receive the “promise of the Father,” which is the Holy Spirit in all of His gifting and power!

Now to respond to my original statement………Only God, by the ministry of His Holy Spirit, can convince someone through the Spirit’s illumination of the Word of God that they have been living below their privileged place of power and purpose!  “For the light makes everything visible. This is why it is said, “Awake, O sleeper, rise up from the dead, and Christ will give you light.”   So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise!”---Ephesians 5:14-15 NLT.

---Pastor Steve Gardner

The Reduction of Christianity!

The American Church is "RIPE" for Revival!

At the time of the writing of this post, I am celebrating 32 years as a Credentialed minister.  Twenty four of those years have been as a Senior Pastor.  This longevity of ministry in one particular type of ministry has provided me with some insight into the climate and condition of the American Church, from a Pastoral perspective.  I am so very excited to genuinely believe in my heart that the American Church is "RIPE' for revival..............Genuine Revival!  REFORMATION" type renewal and revival!
Not just a period of enjoyed spiritual vim and vigor, but "

Believe it or not, I am in the minority among those who study the spiritual climate and condition of the American Church.  Many believe that when speaking of the terms of "revival" and "renewal," they can only be referenced in application to the American Church in a limited manner.  "Pockets" of revival perhaps, on a localized limited scale, is the best that some say we will ever see again in this Country.  However, I am of the opinion that based upon two spiritual factors, in fact two-contrary factors, the Church in America is about to have "REFORMATION" explode upon the spiritual landscape and within our churches!  Entire communities are seeing the joining of "forces" between once rivaled churches for the advancement of the Kingdom of Christ!  Outpourings of the Holy Spirit are showing up in traditionally non-Spirit Filled churches, and even largely within entire denominations.  God is up to something really, REALLY grand right now!

Those two opposing factors I refer to are this:  1) The kairos {καιρός}of God.  That is, this "PARTICULAR" time in which we find ourselves living in, right now, within the calendar of God.  Kairos is one of the Greek words for time.  Unlike chronos which speaks of consecutive-linear chronological time, kairos speaks of the "correct" time or proper time.  We may think of it as the "right time" for a certain thing to happen or transpire!  Right now, within the Kingdom of God, we have entered the "kairos" of God for American Renewal and Revival!  2) Is what I have labeled as the "Christian-Reduction" factor.  This is the unfortunate factor that identifies the fact that for much of the Christian Church in America, the reality of what it means to be a Disciple of Jesus has been severely "reduced" from what Christ originally intended it to be, and what the Early Church practiced it as.  In short, the "Christianity" of the American Church has largely been reduced to a mentality of "what Christianity can do for me!"   Many Christian Believers within the American Church live week to week "drawing from the well" of benefits and blessings of being a Follower of Jesus, with little or no thought as to what this same faith may require of them!  "How can my faith in Christ make life easier and help me through the hardness of this life?...........has largely replaced,........"Take up your cross and Follow me!"

Please understand,..........There are ENORMOUS benefits and blessings to serving Christ!  In fact I pray for those blessings from time to time to come into mine and my families lives.  Rescue and survival, are the initial necessary elements of our conversion!  However, when the continued sum totality of our Christian life and discipleship is solely for our blessing or survival, then we have "MISSED" the necessary element of what it means to be a Disciple of Jesus!  God blesses, YES!  But serving Christ means "replicating" the character and life-qualities of Christ, including SACRIFICE and SERVICE!  Not fun, not popular, and doesn't sell many books, but nevertheless ......TRUE!  Many of us have been so "mesmerized" by a "Consumerist-Christianity" that we fail to see that witnessing, sharing Christ, helping others, healing the sick, strengthening and enabling by the power of the Holy Spirit are NOT just activities that we do,...................They are WHO WE ARE!

Oh Lord,.....Here our prayer and once again send...REVIVAL!

Sunday after Sunday, week after week, Believers "slide" up to the table of God's goodness only to feast on those blessings, and give little or no thought to what is NOW expected of us since we have FILLED ourselves with His Word and Spirit!  Pastors plead for helpers!  Communities go untouched!  Lives go unchanged!  The hungry (physically/spiritually/emotionally/relationally) go unfed!  We are SATISFIED, BLESSED, AND guaranteed to make it through ONE-MORE-WEEK, but the "Cause of Christ" is forgotten about yet again ONE MORE WEEK!  Thank God He provides!  thank God He saves!  Thank God He heals!  thank God we can take EVERY need to Him in prayer and expect He will meet those needs!  Yes, thank God for ALL His blessings,.................BUT WE ARE BLESSED, SO WE CAN BE A BLESSING!  Brothers and Sisters, this world and those in it have suffered enough of the CURSES that satan and sin brings upon them!  It is time for those of us with the power to BLESS through CHRIST,.................to begin to.................BLESS!  This will only happen when we stop "reducing" Christianity, and start living up to the standard of Christ, as the Holy Spirit enables us!  As a minister of the Most High God, I call Myself and ALL of  Us as His Followers, to REPENTANCE!

"Losing the Leaders!"---Part 1.

On any given Sunday, the routine is the same:  He gets up out of bed early, makes his coffee, and sits down desperately trying to hear a word from the Lord.  He knows that soon he will have to break away from this relentless pursuit to get ready to go to work.  Go to work!  When did it become just a job?  When was it just a means to meet the needs of his family?  It didn’t start out this like this.  When he was a young man, his heart burned within him to preach the Word of God.  He was convinced that even if the past generations had not completely reached the masses, he had such a special anointing from God that he would reach them!  God had chosen him to speak the eternal truths of heaven.  He felt it!  God was going to use him to bring about a revival.  He had often fantasized about it, and how it would all play out.  Yes, other churches were ritualistic, cold and even dead; but not his church!  They would burn with a passion for Jesus and operate with the anointing of the Holy Spirit.  Then it happened!  A church was available, he went and preached, he and his young wife prayed, and God gave him his church.  He couldn’t believe it!  It was actually beginning to take form, just as he had imagined.  The first Sunday came, and the people were kind to him and patient, yes, very patient.  However, six years into his new pastorate, and he was still waiting for revival.  He’s still waiting for some type of indication that the religious traditions and “churchy” events would metamorphosis into something real, something tangible, and something powerful, but it never happened!  He needed a change!  Perhaps, as the Bible says, he was just the one who was to plant the seed and someone else was to water it.  Yes, that must be it!  So, he petitioned those over him in the Lord, and he resigned his church and took another one hundreds of miles away.  

            This was a new phase in his life and ministry; surely this would be the church where he would tap into the passion of his original call.  His wife was unhappy with him, because now she was farther away from her Mother and Father and the rest of her family.  They didn’t know anybody in this strange new city.  However, four years later, and still no great revivals!  The process begins again, and now after 21 years in ministry and five different churches, in five different cities, the passion has died.  Drudgery has taken the place of passion and joy, and just being able to meet his mortgage payment on any given month, is victory enough.  Now, here he sits, early on Sunday Morning, trying to hear from God!  But,…. Nothing!  How he wishes there was some way, some means, which he could support his family and leave the ministry.  He often fantasizes about meeting someone who recognizes his natural abilities and offers him a wonderful paying job.  Oh, he would still go to church, of course!  But he would do whatever ministry he could do, from the safety of the security of stable income and a time clock that actually turns off at the end of the day.

            Time to go!  The people are expecting him, the pastor, to give them some fresh new word from the Lord!  Not that it matters he thinks, they won’t do anything with it!  So, he gets out an old sermon he preached three years ago, gives it a new title, revamps it a little and gets dressed to deliver “God’s Word.”  As he leaves for church, he can’t help but wondering, “Where’s the power?”

·         Fifteen hundred pastors leave the ministry each month due to moral failure, spiritual burnout or contention in their churches. ·         Four thousand new churches begin each year, but over seven thousand churches close. ·         Fifty percent of pastors' marriages will end in divorce. ·         Eighty percent of pastors and eighty-four percent of their spouses feel unqualified and discouraged in their role as pastors. ·         Fifty percent of pastors are so discouraged that they would leave the ministry if they could, but have no other way of making a living. ·         Eighty percent of seminary and Bible school graduates who enter the ministry will leave the ministry within the first five years. Ninety percent of pastors said their seminary or Bible school training did only a fair to poor job preparing them for ministry. ·         Eighty-five percent of pastors said their greatest problem is they are sick and tired of dealing with problem people, such as disgruntled elders, deacons, worship leaders, worship teams, board members, and associate pastors. Ninety percent said the hardest thing about ministry is dealing with uncooperative people. ·         Seventy percent of pastors feel grossly underpaid. ·         Ninety percent said the ministry was completely different than what they thought it would be before they entered the ministry. ·         Seventy percent felt God called them to pastoral ministry before their ministry began, but after three years of ministry, only fifty percent still felt called.

        This scene would seem silly if it wasn't being lived and played out all over America every week!  Pastors who started out with passion are now apathetic as they week after week, simply try to survive. In fact according to recent polls, the pastoral ministry is quickly becoming an “endangered species.”  Consider the following statistics, gathered from the web site “Life Line for Pastors.”   

What do these alarming statistics show us?  The pastoral ministry is in trouble!  Not only is it in trouble, but these statistics show us two additional problems that is just as alarming.  First, when the “heads” of the local Christian congregations are feeling so empty and devoid of passion, what is their preaching and teaching of the Word of God like?  It’s a relatively simple concept:  “If the gas tank is empty, the car isn’t going to move!”  Perhaps there is a direct correlation between the “emptiness” of the pastoral ministry and the ineffectiveness of the American Christian church.  If the pastors of our local fellowships don’t have anything to “give,” then the members of our local fellowships are receiving nothing of spiritual depth and spirituality.  The members are not challenged, because their pastor’s aren’t challenged. 

Secondly, these statistics show us something as equally alarming as the previously mentioned two issues.  This issue can be summed up in a question, in fact the question of this book.  “Where is the power?”  Simply put, if the pastor’s of local congregations are feeling burnt out and looking for an “exit” door, then how powerful can their church’s ministry be?  Since the Christian Church’s ministry is constantly involved in “power-encounters” with the flesh, the world, and most importantly, the enemy’s kingdom, without power, there can be very little effectiveness.  NO-POWER = NO-EFFECT!  And given the fact that most of our churches in America have many empty pews, and given the fact that many “outside” the church view those of us inside the church as out of touch and ineffective, then we are DESPERATELY in need of power!  We are in need of the power that was intended to be the “norm” for the Church of Jesus Christ.  However, looking at the emptiness and ineffectiveness of the Church in America as a whole, one is prompted to ask:  “Where is the power?”

Recently I have begun a kind of new hobby.  Nothing really exciting, but nonetheless, it has been kind of interesting and certainly quite telltale of what the Church of our Lord is busy doing, and more importantly, what we are NOT doing.  I have begun reading church “signs” and advertisements in newspapers and bulletin boards.  WOW!  What an education I have received in this little fascination of mine!  Most of the advertisements for the local churches around me are usually about:  Church dinners, rummage sales, music concerts, community awareness activities, special guest speakers (brought in to keep those who are already in the church, “pumped-up” and “plugged-into” the church!), etc.  Now, while there is nothing intrinsically wrong with any of these things, I have yet to see a sign advertising for community wide church repentance, or praying for healing over the things that divide the church, or a meeting to focus on unity and what we have in common (Jesus) and ignoring what we differ on.  Nope, not one sign like that!  Many churches, who have been strategically placed within our cities, are doing absolutely NOTHING in encountering the strong-holds of the enemy within those communities!  And the very saddening thing is, that if those churches DID finally encounter those true spiritual strongholds, there’s a very good chance they wouldn’t know WHAT to do, or have the POWER to do it with!  Now, this is not a “rant” against the church, there are enough within the world who are doing that!  Rather, this is an attempt at helping us within the church to see that we have a “Power Problem!”

This fact came to bear very strongly upon me a few years ago.  At that time, I felt a strong burden to have our church contact the area Christian churches within a 5-mile radius of our church.  We wrote a letter informing them that they were not alone, we were praying for them, and we were asking God to give them souls for their labor.  Basically, we were encouraging our Brothers and Sisters in the Lord within the perimeter we had established.  The first thing that shocked me was the fact that a lady in our church who works with demographics, determined that there were 256 Christian churches within a 5-mile radius of our church!  Are you hearing what I am saying?  Two hundred and fifty six churches besides our church, within a 5-mile radius in Knoxville Tennessee! 

The second thing that was a bit shocking was some of the responses we received from the pastor’s of those churches.  There were many who thanked us for our prayers and concern, and informed us on how timely this encouragement was.  However, one sticks out vividly in my mind.  The Pastor had written us to tell us that he was sitting in his office contemplating leaving the ministry because of burn out and depression, when he received our letter.  He informed us that he began to cry, and realized for the very first time, he was NOT alone!  WOW!  Such a simplistic act that had such God-timed results!  He also informed us that he would NOT be leaving the ministry.  At this news, we rejoiced!  However, as much as we rejoiced in this wonderful news, I was immediately struck with some overwhelming questions.  “If there are these many churches within a 5-mile radius within Knoxville, why were there still homeless?  Why was there still prostitution?  Why were there still hungry?  Why were there still meth dealers?  Why were there still strip clubs?”  Well, you get my point! 

The answer is quite simple, yet quite alarming.  The Church of Jesus Christ in Knoxville Tennessee, for the most part, is POWERLESS!   We have the “churchy” things down pat.  We have the “religious” things down pat.  But we do not have the “Jesus” things infused with power down pat! (end of part 1). 

...And I Sat Down and Wept!

"...The wall of Jerusalem has been torn down, and the gates have been destroyed by fire.”  When I heard this, I sat down and wept. In fact, for days I mourned, fasted, and prayed to the God of heaven!"

Nehemiah 1:3b-4 NLT.

It was a late Autumn day in Susa.  Nehemiah had received some visitors who had just returned from Judah.  He asked them how the returning exiles were doing and how things were going in Jerusalem.  The answer he received was not what he wanted to hear.  They told him that things were not well; they are living in trouble and disgrace; and the wall of Jerusalem had been torn down and the gates had been burned with fire!  Nehemiah's response was appropriate for him as he though of his beloved city, the city of God, and what had become of it................"I sat down and wept. In fact, for days I mourned, fasted, and prayed to the God of heaven!"  That seems like the correct response!  

I cannot help but think that there is a parallel to this story today.  Anyone who is sensitive to the "moving's" of the Holy Spirit can tell you that one of the things they are "sensing" from Him, is that things are NOT well with the Church in America!  In a purely metaphorical sense,.................."The wall of Jerusalem has been torn down, and the gates have been destroyed by fire!"  Now, I want you to understand, I am NOT being negative here.  I simply know what I sense by the leading of the Holy Spirit, and what the facts of the Church in America tells us.  Consider these statistics from "Into Thy Word Ministries":

• Every year more than 4000 churches close their doors compared to just over 1000 new church starts!
• Every year, 2.7 million church members fall into inactivity. This translates into the realization that people are leaving the church.
• From 1990 to 2000, the combined membership of all Protestant denominations in the USA declined by almost 5 million members (9.5 percent), while the US population increased by 24 million (11 percent).
• At the turn of the last century (1900), there was a ratio of 27 churches per 10,000 people, as compared to the close of this century (2000) where we have 11 churches per 10,000 people in America!
• Given the declining numbers and closures of Churches as compared to new church starts, there should have been over 38,000 new churches commissioned to keep up with the population growth.
• Half of all churches in the US did not add any new members to their ranks in the last two years.

........And consider this excerpt from a recent book we went through on our Wednesday Night Study at our Church..........

David Kinnaman, president of the Barna Group (a research organization focusing on religious trends and information), asserts that the primary issue that today’s culture has with Christianity is that it no longer resembles its Founder.[1]

In his book Unchristian, Kinnaman studied the Mosaic (born between 1984 and 2002) and Busters (born between 1965 and 1983) generations of the United States, which currently comprise approximately 77% of America’s population. With respect to Christianity, Kinnaman notes a growing tide of hostility and resentment, a statistic which is trending downward from a positive study that was done by his Barna group only one decade before.

He discovered that of the non-believers surveyed that were aware of the term “evangelical” (as it relates to Christianity), nearly half had a bad impression, 47% had a neutral impression, and only 3% had a good impression

These are just some of the statistics that are out there and available for any believer to study and analyse.  My response may seem dramatic, but I feel a bit like Nehemiah..........."...The wall of Jerusalem has been torn down, and the gates have been destroyed by fire.”  When I heard this, I sat down and wept. In fact, for days I mourned, fasted, and prayed to the God of heaven!"

I am personally CHALLENGING EVERY Follower of Jesus who reads this blog to begin to pray on a regular basis for the following:

• More of the Glory of Jesus to be seen!
• Deeper intimacy with Christ!
• Spiritual sensitivity!
• Genuine Revival!
• An outpouring of the power and gifting's of the Holy Spirit! (Charismata)
• An increase in the miraculous:  Signs, Wonders, and Healing's to endorse the veracity of the preaching of the Gospel and bring glory to the Father through the work of the Son!
• The advancement of the Kingdom of God!

On Tuesday evenings at 7 pm, we are having a time of prayer at 5-different "stations" in the church.  This time of "Stationed Prayer" is for the singularity of purposeful prayer for the Followers of Christ, who are at this prayer time.  In other words, ........ WE'RE ALL PRAYING FOR THE SAME THING!

Please become a part of this MOVE OF GOD to mobilize the Body of Christ in America to UNITED prayer!

Thank you and God bless you!

Pastor Steve