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"I wait for the LORD . . . and in His word do I hope." (Psalm 130:5)
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N.2
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May 2007
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Schedule of Events
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The next event on the calendar is the Moving On Meeting at McCallister Square – Sat. May 12th from 2:00-4:00pm.
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Ponderings
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At the beginning of this year, I transitioned from a part-time evangelist/pastor to a full-time missionary/evangelist. As I reflect over the last three months of itinerant evangelism, I have been stuck with how difficult it is for pastors, even missionary/evangelists like me, to focus on sustaining a course directed by the Lord Jesus Christ and not by the secular culture. Certainly one cause for this difficulty is the power of material considerations, which can draw and captivate our attention, both in personal and ministry life. The culture’s constant emphasis on the consumption of material goods, personal achievement, and practical services certainly compounds the struggle. These influences can easily drive the church to overly concentrate on administrative and material concerns, and away from the object of the Church’s primary mission. Jonathan Hughes embodies the title’s apparent paradox. Because of a neurological disorder Jonathan normally sits down in a motorized wheelchair and rolls to his destinati
on.
The intention of the Lord Jesus Christ is to reorder human priorities. This is stated clearly in the Scripture: “My house shall be called the house of prayer” (Mt. 21:13, Mk. 11:17, Lk. 19:46) and “seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you” (Mt. 6:33). Here we see the Lord’s emphasis. Unfortunately in our age, the visible body of Christ is most often perceived as the buildings of the local church. This materialistic view of the Church has established the core objectives as physical growth, income streams, budgeting, and program development. These practical matters need proper consideration but to allow the main focus to be in these areas replaces the Lord’s direct involvement in leading His Church with an organization managed and measured by worldly standards. The tragic result is that the secular distorts and renders ineffective the Church’s mission.
Fortunately, the Scripture points the Church to its spiritual roots, of advancing Christ’s Kingdom thru His priorities. God gave examples of how church leaders should handle the practical business of the ministry. The N.T. reveals that the early Jerusalem church selected Spirit-filled men to oversee the practical affairs of the congregation (Acts 6). The Church’s spiritual leaders knew that these practicalities would distract them from giving themselves “continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word” (6:4). Today’s struggling Church requires pastors to be free from the administration of building church roles, managing budgets, and directing church construction projects so they can provide spiritual insight, intercessory prayer, and the clear proclamation of the Scripture to God’s people.
My heart goes out to pastors who are trying to steer God’s people in the direction of Biblical priorities and away from cultural influences. This contest takes more than material resources can provide; it requires dependence on the Lord for His leadership and grace.
Wanderings
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Every week Trinity Baptist Tabernacle, an independent church south of Greenville, SC, buses in about 20-25 young people from a nearby neighborhood for a gospel challenge and games. The TFTM team recently participated in this Wed. night outreach service. We had a good time with this enthusiastic bunch, which ranged in age from about 7-17. During the devotional time my niece, Lena, introduced her cello, Violet, played a few numbers, and then I shared some thoughts from Psalm 139. The young people call themselves the SaltShakers. It was a blessing to see that many of them had been seasoned with spiritual salt as they answered questions and quoted verses.
The Lord’s trail has led the TFTM team to 15 churches this year. We have many more meetings posted along the trail and more to be scheduled.
On Feb. 24, we held our breath as we watched the karate team Champions for Christ smash objects with their hands, elbows, feet, and skulls as they demonstrated Kenpo. We were amazed and relieved to see them only crumble pine boards and decorative bricks without any injuries. The karate team demonstration was part of our quarterly outreach to the Greenville disabled community. Chris Hartwick, who has severe upper limb and lower physical limitations, leads the team. (He has no trouble defending himself). Four of the team members shared their testimonies of how Christ had transformed their lives. We had eleven people with some form or degree of disability attend, along with family members and friends.
The Stouffer brothers, Nathan and Bruce, added to this event with their perfect pitch and harmony as they sang a medley of gospel songs. Refreshment time included an enormous birthday cake for Rick Huntress, a coworker in this ministry, who turned (?), well, he is still not saying.
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