Following District Council I spoke at Living Hope Church in Colorado Springs, CO on May 3rd. As you know, my son Phil pastors this church and several have come to know the Lord in recent weeks. This church is a merger between Hope Church, which Phil was planting in Colorado Springs and Living Springs Worship Center. The merger occurred 14 months ago and has gone very well. I am happy to report the church is moving ahead with unity and growth.
On Mother’s Day, May 10th Loretta spoke at Church at Briargate in Colorado Springs, CO for Pastor Randy Popineau. I don’t have to tell you that Loretta did a great job. The church is doing very well under Pastor Randy Popineau’s leadership. The recently expanded sanctuary was full of people and excitement.
On May 12th I met with our pastors in the Southeast section of Colorado for their monthly meeting. This is a fine group of pastors led by our presbyter, Darryl Johnson. Their encouragement of each other and their burden for Southeastern Colorado was evident. A pastoral change is now underway at our Ordway church and the section is working together to provide ministry in the church till a new pastor is secured.
May 15 – 17 was our Colorado Honor Bound Men’s retreat in Keystone. Jeff Lucas did a great job of ministry to the men and it was my privilege to minister Saturday evening. The atmosphere was charged with spiritual impact and joyous fellowship. There were several reports of God working in powerful ways in men’s lives including many being filled with the Holy Spirit. Thanks to Dave Argue and his team for planning an excellent event.
In the afternoon of May 17th I conducted a business meeting at Windsor AG in Windsor, CO. Wally Weber is serving as interim pastor following Pastor Paul Veliquette’s departure to serve as our District Financial Administrator. Thanks Wally for your effective work.
On May 22nd I enjoyed celebrating with Pastor Larry and Marilyn Kettle in Canon City, CO at a reception for their recently married daughter Amanda who married Sam Russo. This couple is serving in ministry in Texas. While I was in Canon City Loretta spoke for a Women’s Ministry dinner at Pueblo Christian Center. Both gatherings were marked by joy.
On May 24th I had the privilege of ministering at Friendship AG in Colorado Springs, CO for Pastor Jim Hagan. In the two morning services we honored Pastor John Haines for 50 years of ordained ministry. John was unable to attend District Council so Pastor Hagan graciously allowed this opportunity to honor Pastor Haines. Friendship AG under the leadership of Pastor Hagan is thriving.
On May 28th I met with Pastor Doug Miller and very exciting things are happening at Plum Creek Community church in Castle Rock, CO. There are now about 700 people in attendance at Sunday services and there were 1100 people present on Easter Sunday. Plum Creek CC started in January 2007 as a church plant of Grace Community Church in Centennial, CO pastored by Jim Ladd. Growth is so rapid Doug and his leadership team find themselves in that challenging but exciting place of trying to keep up with what God is doing. They have a great vision of involvement with the community and reaching unchurched people.
I also met with Christian Summers who will be going to the Philippines to work with the Alstons as a Missionary Associate. Christian and Bridget are a terrific young ministry couple, and I believe God will use them very effectively in this assignment. By the way, Mark and Fredda Alston are featured on the AGWM web site at http://goag.org/goag/car/onassignment.
On May 31st Loretta and I visited Austin Bluffs Community Church and took in a wonderful message by Pastor John Pauls. John was a neighboring pastor of mine in Colorado Springs for many years and it was great to reconnect and see what the Lord is doing at ABC Church.
On June 7th I had the privilege of ministering in the two a.m. worship services at Pueblo Christian Center, in Pueblo Colorado. Pastor Phil Neely is serving as interim pastor and doing a great job during this time of transition at PCC.
On June 14th I had the privilege of ministering at Plateau Valley AG in Collbran, CO for Pastor Bob Wilson. Bob and Michaelene Wilson have pastored in this beautiful mountain community for 18 years and have a wonderful impact on the community at large. I thank God for the faithful and effective work of the Wilsons.
On Monday, June 15th I visited Camp Cedaredge and Gary Jensen our camp administrator gave me the grand tour of various improvement projects currently underway. It is exciting to see what is happening. Gary and his team are doing a great job.
That evening I visited the opening service of our second week of Youth Camps. There was a great spirit among the young people and our speaker did an excellent job. Please continue to pray for health, safety, and spiritual impact for all of our young people in attendance. Registration for Youth Camp this year exceeds last year and we pray every young person has a great experience. Lee Terry and his team are providing excellent leadership.
On Tuesday, June 16th I spent time with Pastor Chris Peterson at the facilities of Crossroads Victory Worship Center in Montrose, CO. The church is doing very well under Pastor Chris’ leadership with exciting vision for the future.
Loretta joined our WM missions team working on the House of Promise June 13-16. We travelled back to Colorado Springs while the ladies continued their work. Peggy Vawter and her team are working very hard to provide improvements to the House of Promise. Vicki Proffit and her leadership team continue to do a great job in the House of Promise ministry.
I would like to refer you to a message by Jim Bradford, our new General Council Secretary. He will be our District Council speaker next year and I think you will enjoy and benefit from a message he shared at GC headquarters in Springfield, MO just a few days ago on “Leadership as a System”. Virgil Illum was present to help lead training sessions for new District Secretary Treasurers and reported the value of this message. I watched it today and found it very beneficial. The message can be accessed at http://ag.org/top/.
Also, you will find an excellent article about Timberline Church, Fort Collins, CO in the June 14th Today’s Pentecostal Evangel (tpe) and a fine article on reaching people by Trinity Jordan in the last quarterly General Council “Called to Serve” publication.
Obviously, I’ve reported on the positive experiences I’ve had in recent weeks throughout our district. I have conveniently left out the difficult and sometimes heartbreaking experiences which are a part of the challenges we face in ministry. Some matters are confidential and some would be counterproductive to broadcast. Ministry can be very rewarding and very difficult. Wherever you find yourself in that spectrum at this moment, God is with you and we are pulling for you.
Let’s keep praying for each other and providing encouragement wherever possible. God bless you as you continue to fulfill God’s call on your life in ministry.
Friday, June 19, 2009
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Pentecostal Expression - Asset or Liability?
I grew up in the Assemblies of God, accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior at a young age and was filled with the Holy Spirit when I was about 12 years old. As I matured in the Lord, I noted strengths and weaknesses in our Pentecostal expression. My involvement with Youth for Christ in Denver as a teenager exposed me to a non-Pentecostal stream of Christianity that was used by the Holy Spirit to win many young people to Christ. Contrasting my experience in both “streams” helped me understand the significance of the fullness of the Holy Spirit and the challenges associated with human responses to the Holy Spirit. When God called me to be a pastor in the AG I became more acutely aware of those strengths and weaknesses.
First of all, the work of the Holy Spirit is without question always an asset. However, our human embellishments can be a liability. When I went to Bethel Church in San Jose, CA one of the challenges we faced was that Pentecostal expression had become a liability because of the activity of a few bold and misguided people in the public worship services. People did not want to bring friends to church for fear of embarrassment. Furthermore, the gospel was being obscured by well intentioned people who thought they were being used by God. The fruit revealed that God was not involved in a significant portion of the expressions. This was a church with about 1,200 people in attendance at the time and growth was stymied by this poor reflection of the intention of the Holy Spirit. One of my goals became to turn our Pentecostalism from a liability into an asset. So, how do we insure we welcome the Holy Spirit’s work without tarnishing the outcome?
I think the first step is to teach people a sound biblical understanding of the Holy Spirit’s work and biblical response to the Holy Spirit. We have a tradition in the AG of manifestations of the Holy Spirit in public gatherings being shouted out from the audience, hopefully, at an appropriate time. This is an interesting reality in my thinking. The bible does not direct us to a single practice for the dissemination of what the Holy Spirit is saying to the church. Spontaneous interjections of messages from the audience can be effective or ineffective. When I first arrived at Bethel Church we had more than one occasion in which two people were trying to give a message at the same time. We had a 2,000 seat sanctuary and it was hard to hear across the room. Fortunately, I had a microphone and could address the problem. Of course, it is also important that what is being delivered is in fact from the Holy Spirit and not the musings of an attention-seeking or agenda-pushing congregant (been there – seen that).
The ultimate responsibility to insure Pentecostal expressions are an asset rests with the Pastor. There needs to be clear biblical teaching on the work of the Holy Spirit and our responses in the church. There may also be times when correction needs to be done either privately or from the pulpit. I’ve found that when you have to correct someone from the pulpit, mature spirit-filled believers are very appreciative. In fact, it is a relief for most of the church to know that messages will be judged and biblical control exercised to insure that our worship expression is pleasing to God and of value to all who are present. Those who are unhappy are usually those who want the freedom to do what they want in a service without accountability. They will often argue you are quenching the Holy Spirit.
In fact, I believe we release the Holy Spirit to do more among us when we resist aberrant expressions. When there are no boundaries, dysfunctional people take over and the Holy Spirit is quenched, not released. So, clear biblical teaching and correction is important to edifying Pentecostal expression.
It is also important to note that we are not biblically obligated to our tradition of shouting out messages from the audience spontaneously in public gatherings. I know this is a sensitive subject, but requiring a screening process before Spirit inspired words are shared with the congregation is well within biblical boundaries for the manifestation of the Holy Spirit. I have often thought there are people in the body of Christ who because of their personality will not shout out a message in a public gathering but may be used by the Holy Spirit, if we had a method whereby they can participate. If a message is submitted and approved before delivery, the messenger is assured of acceptance. Also, messages can be written down and read by another person. I have frequently received messages in writing people felt the Holy Spirit was giving. I then reserved the right to read the message at an appropriate time to the congregation or not share it at all, if I discerned it was not from the Holy Spirit or for the entire body.
And, let’s not forget the gifts of the Spirit are often in operation through the worship leader and/or minister of the word in their presentations as well as through messages that are immediately noted as coming from the Holy Spirit. It is a powerful and often life-changing experience when God speaks through someone to the body and that can happen in many ways. Nothing is more exciting for a pastor than to receive a specific revelation from God concerning what he or she is to share with the congregation. And I might say it is exciting for the congregation when they hear God speaking to them through their pastor. I want us to experience that dynamic and the dynamic of trusted Spirit-led congregants delivering a word from God without the encumbrance of misguided expressions that damage the work of the Holy Spirit and hold the church back.
There is no “one way only” to welcome gifts of the Holy Spirit into the life of the church, and every church leadership team must discern what is best in their ministry. Such things as size of gatherings, purpose of gatherings, uninitiated people present, timing of Spirit inspired manifestations, teaching cycle on the Holy Spirit’s work, and judging messages through screening or leader response factor into the way in which every church welcomes this aspect of the Holy Spirit’s work. May we, indeed, welcome the Holy Spirit’s work and guard against human abuse.
First of all, the work of the Holy Spirit is without question always an asset. However, our human embellishments can be a liability. When I went to Bethel Church in San Jose, CA one of the challenges we faced was that Pentecostal expression had become a liability because of the activity of a few bold and misguided people in the public worship services. People did not want to bring friends to church for fear of embarrassment. Furthermore, the gospel was being obscured by well intentioned people who thought they were being used by God. The fruit revealed that God was not involved in a significant portion of the expressions. This was a church with about 1,200 people in attendance at the time and growth was stymied by this poor reflection of the intention of the Holy Spirit. One of my goals became to turn our Pentecostalism from a liability into an asset. So, how do we insure we welcome the Holy Spirit’s work without tarnishing the outcome?
I think the first step is to teach people a sound biblical understanding of the Holy Spirit’s work and biblical response to the Holy Spirit. We have a tradition in the AG of manifestations of the Holy Spirit in public gatherings being shouted out from the audience, hopefully, at an appropriate time. This is an interesting reality in my thinking. The bible does not direct us to a single practice for the dissemination of what the Holy Spirit is saying to the church. Spontaneous interjections of messages from the audience can be effective or ineffective. When I first arrived at Bethel Church we had more than one occasion in which two people were trying to give a message at the same time. We had a 2,000 seat sanctuary and it was hard to hear across the room. Fortunately, I had a microphone and could address the problem. Of course, it is also important that what is being delivered is in fact from the Holy Spirit and not the musings of an attention-seeking or agenda-pushing congregant (been there – seen that).
The ultimate responsibility to insure Pentecostal expressions are an asset rests with the Pastor. There needs to be clear biblical teaching on the work of the Holy Spirit and our responses in the church. There may also be times when correction needs to be done either privately or from the pulpit. I’ve found that when you have to correct someone from the pulpit, mature spirit-filled believers are very appreciative. In fact, it is a relief for most of the church to know that messages will be judged and biblical control exercised to insure that our worship expression is pleasing to God and of value to all who are present. Those who are unhappy are usually those who want the freedom to do what they want in a service without accountability. They will often argue you are quenching the Holy Spirit.
In fact, I believe we release the Holy Spirit to do more among us when we resist aberrant expressions. When there are no boundaries, dysfunctional people take over and the Holy Spirit is quenched, not released. So, clear biblical teaching and correction is important to edifying Pentecostal expression.
It is also important to note that we are not biblically obligated to our tradition of shouting out messages from the audience spontaneously in public gatherings. I know this is a sensitive subject, but requiring a screening process before Spirit inspired words are shared with the congregation is well within biblical boundaries for the manifestation of the Holy Spirit. I have often thought there are people in the body of Christ who because of their personality will not shout out a message in a public gathering but may be used by the Holy Spirit, if we had a method whereby they can participate. If a message is submitted and approved before delivery, the messenger is assured of acceptance. Also, messages can be written down and read by another person. I have frequently received messages in writing people felt the Holy Spirit was giving. I then reserved the right to read the message at an appropriate time to the congregation or not share it at all, if I discerned it was not from the Holy Spirit or for the entire body.
And, let’s not forget the gifts of the Spirit are often in operation through the worship leader and/or minister of the word in their presentations as well as through messages that are immediately noted as coming from the Holy Spirit. It is a powerful and often life-changing experience when God speaks through someone to the body and that can happen in many ways. Nothing is more exciting for a pastor than to receive a specific revelation from God concerning what he or she is to share with the congregation. And I might say it is exciting for the congregation when they hear God speaking to them through their pastor. I want us to experience that dynamic and the dynamic of trusted Spirit-led congregants delivering a word from God without the encumbrance of misguided expressions that damage the work of the Holy Spirit and hold the church back.
There is no “one way only” to welcome gifts of the Holy Spirit into the life of the church, and every church leadership team must discern what is best in their ministry. Such things as size of gatherings, purpose of gatherings, uninitiated people present, timing of Spirit inspired manifestations, teaching cycle on the Holy Spirit’s work, and judging messages through screening or leader response factor into the way in which every church welcomes this aspect of the Holy Spirit’s work. May we, indeed, welcome the Holy Spirit’s work and guard against human abuse.
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