Saturday, March 29, 2008

Friends

The Internet provides an opportunity to connect with others digitally, becoming "friends" on the web highway. There is something in every one of us that needs the connection of friends. Traversing the journey of life and ministry requires the support of family and friends who care about us. Quite frankly, real friends are hard to come by. We all have many acquaintances, associates, and neighbors who become the network of people with whom we develop relationships and experience life. True friends are in a different category.

Friendship implies a trusting relationship that will stand the test of time and conflict. The expression, "A friend in need is a friend indeed" betrays the true quality of friendship. The one in need is not the friend; rather the individual that remains the true friend to the one in need i the friend indeed.

My question today is not about how many friends you have or are your friends trustworthy? Rather, are you a true friend? If so, who are you a friend to? How have you demonstrated that friendship?

We live in a world where we all ask, if we intend to or not, what is in it for me? What does our friendship do for me? If you violate our friendship, I will no longer be your friend; so the thinking goes. I find myself wanting to be more like Jesus in his friendship with sinners. The Bible refers to him as "a friend of sinners." How do I measure up to His standard of friendship? How do you measure up?

Frankly, I don't have much confidence that I am anywhere close to where I need to be as a friend. To all my friends, please forgive my failure. I need your friendship in this journey of becoming a disciple of Jesus. In the midst of life, perhaps being a friend should become a top priority. I am working on it!

Sunday, March 23, 2008

It is Finished!

The day is over! All the praying, planning, work, effort, and execution is now history. The church came together to celebrate the resurrection of our Lord and many people came to church and experienced the presence of God.

Was it worth it! Absolutely! The joy of seeing people respond to the invitation to receive Christ cannot be put into words. Exhilerating!

The day is now over and we can relax. A job well done!

Hardly! The reality is that the work has just started. The seed has been sow but the work of nurturing the tender plant has just begun. To change analogies, the baby has been born but the care of the new born Christian has just gotten under way.

"It is finished!" accurately expresses the fact of the completed work of Christ wrought for our salvation. The work of the church in caring for one another and reaching out to shae our faith with travelers on this journey will continue until Jesus returns for his people. May we press on as faithful servants of the Lord. Much work remains. Let's keep praying, planning, and working to see others come to faith in Christ and grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord.

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Resurrection

This is THE week!

Forsaken!
Betrayed!
Condemned!
Crucified!
Buried!

A while back I was complaining to Marjie that I was having a bad day. The Pennsylvania Dutch saying goes, "The hurrier I go the behinder I get." Maybe you have had a bad day or a bad week you can recall. I had a response that may be similar to yours.

Q1 What did I do wrong to create this problem?
Q2 Who is to blame for this problem?
Q3 Where did things start to go wrong?
Q4 When will this be over so I can go on with life?
Q5 Why did God let this happen?

Then I look at the week Jesus had leading up to the resurrection. If he were to evaluate from the outward perspective, this would have been the worst week possible. The fact is, however, that all of these negative circumstances were necessary for the completion of what Jesus came to earth to accomplish. We rejoice and celebrate the Resurrection, and rightly so. Without the crucifiction, no resurrection would be possible.

The next time we are going through tough times, perhaps we should look ahead and imagine what might be right around the corner. As the famous line states, "It's Friday, but Sunday's a coming!
Praise His Name!

Thursday, March 13, 2008

Consistency

Traversing the journey requires a commitment to consistency to live and act for the long term. If ever I have seen a model of those qualities it is in the person of Anthony Mayeski. He and his dear wife, Ruby, stopped in to see us at the Ministry Center for prayer. What a joy to gather around these two saints of God to pray in faith for God's healing touch to be manifested in his life.

Those of you who know Bro. Mayeski are aware that he has that precious smile that radiates the presence of the Lord. In spite of the physical challenges he faces, his attitude is positive, he is encouraging, and filled with faith, and exudes the confidence that comes from a life in relationship to Christ. I have never seen him criticize others or find fault with people around him. He is a role model to me and he has my deepest respect.

I have met individuals that could take a lesson from Bro. Mayeski in how to live 1 Corinthians 13. There are times for all of us that we feel left out, forsaken, discouraged, or neglected. The attitude we portray comes back to us. Whatever a person sows he will reap. Before we criticize others or find fault with people around us, under us, or over us, we would do well to test our own hearts and come into line with God's Word. Traversing the journey successfully requires self-examination rather than critically examining others.

Tuesday, March 11, 2008

Diversity

The world continues to shrink. Travel is easy. Mobility expected. A recent study revealed there are not multiple races in the world. We are all of the human race. Francis Collins, head of the human genome project, and others have shown the genetic differences among us as human being is less than .5%, meaning we are 99.5% alike. We are truly brothers and sisters with little that separates us.

How can we in the church break down racial barriers that have so long divided us, created artificial distinctions, and undermined our witness to the world because of our defense of personal preferences and religious bigotry. How can we return to the Day of Pentecost when people from all over the world came together in Christ without violating biblical principles in the name of inclusion? What steps can individuals take and what steps can districts and the General Council take to break down barriers and bring unity and love among all people in Christ?

Sunday, March 2, 2008

Travel 2

Well, the travel began on time on Friday, proceeded to Sacramento where I had the great privilege of meeting many Russian Pentecostal leaders, returned on time to the Harrisburg area, and continued this past week conducting the Sectional Councils in half the district with the other half coming this week. Friday Marjie and I shared with the Master's Commission in Gettysburg, conducted the LDR Cohort in Irwin, PA followed by a Pastor/Board Banquet and time of sharing in Albion, PA. God is doing incredible things and it is a great joy to be a part of the building of His kingdom.

I enjoy being with others, especially my comrades in ministry. However, the travel does become wearisome. In the midst of busyness, how can the follower of Jesus remain focused on the simplicity of the walk with Christ rather than become distracted by the constant motion and change of location? Some life styles lend toward seclusion and isolation which can provide a wonderful opportunity to spend quality time with the Lord. Other life styles seem to be in constant motion which can distract from personal intimacy with Christ. How do you balance your schedule to ensure your time with the Lord does not take a secondary role to the requirements of your responsibilities?