The Pentecostals of Santa Fe

Ive recently started reading a book titled: The Impassioned Soul, by Morton Bustard.  And a section of this book really stood out to me that I felt somebody needed to hear, its a little lengthy but if you’re going through a trial in your life and it seems like the pain wether physical or spiritual, or maybe even emotion just won’t go away, I urge you to read to the end. I pray it will bless you as much as it did me.

 

Pain is not forever:

Recently a dear friend of mine wanted to know if God was angry with her. The reason she had this question in her mind was from her suffering with leukemia.

 

Approximately a year earlier, little 8 year-old Kelly had been diagnosed with this disease. After much prayer, the cancer went into remission. It would appear that she would get to enjoy a full life. Later we would learn that this would not be the case. The cancer emerged from dormancy with a most horrible vengeance.

 

As we knelt on the floor beside her chair, my pastor and I both affirmed to this precious little girl that God was not upset with her. It was just the opposite. His love for her never wavered .

 

Service after service I watched this sweet family worship when it wasn’t convenient. As Kelly sat on the pew, hardly able to move, Dad would stand with tears streaming down his face in adoration of his Lord. They did not get mad at God or accuse Him foolishly. Of course they questioned why.

 

Asking why is human. There is no sin in inquiring why trials come and why we have to face the situations that confront us. In His blood-covered, pain-ridden body Jesus looked into the heavens and asked why.

 

The bible says it rains on the just and the unjust (Matthew 5:45). Good and bad people are stricken with cancer. The Psalmist David declared, “Many are the afflictions of the unrighteous: but the Lord delivereth him out of them all” (Psalms 34:29). David did not say “from” but “out of”. There is a major difference between the two.

 

The fact that God still loved her was proven beyond any doubt early the next morning. I was on a plane bound for Canada while Kelly’s family and pastor knelt at her side. Words were scarce from Kelly. Being subjected to pain of this magnitude, coupled with the treatment for the disease, left her absolutely exhausted.

 

Through it all this little warrior put up a tremendous fight. When all eyes were focused on her, she thought of others. On one of my family’s earlier visits to see her, she gave my youngest daughter a cap. Kayla cherishes it to this day.

 

That morning, from a body racked with pain, Kelly managed to squeak out the words, “I see Jesus; He’s coming for me.” Those around her bedside admonished her to go and not linger for their sake. Releasing a loved one is not easy, but the task is much lighter when the final destination is considered.

 

In a moment it was over. Kelly’s face had no expression as she lay lifeless. Those present wept over the emptiness. This petite and precious child left one enormous void.

 

After several minutes passed, the room was vacated except for the motionless body of the child who had brought so much sunshine into each of our lives. When her mom and dad returned to where Kelly lay, they were astonished by what they saw. A smile graced the countenance of darling little Kelly.

 

I have no answer as to why an adorable eight-year-old was taken from this life. I along with everyone who knew her, wanted nothing less than her complete recovery. If there was a lack of faith, it certainly camouflaged itself well. The entire household possessed a strong love for God and a firm belief in His Word. Amid the emotions and the questions, her countenance spoke volumes.

 

When the news of her departure reached me and I was told of her smile, I remembered the words of our pastor. “Kelly, I promise you that you will not be in pain forever.” God obviously had no ill feelings toward Kelly; the smile said it all: Pastor, you were right. I’m not in pain anymore.

 

They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. He that goeth forth and wept, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him. (Psalms 126:5-6).

 

Notice that David did not say “they that sow with tears,” but rather “in” tears.” That means sowing when its not convenient, being faithful through times of pain and heartbreak. It implies squaring our shoulders and meeting the task head-on through life’s storms and winds of adversity.

 

There is a reason as well as a reward for enduring such hardship. When all is said and done, we will have experienced a relationship with God we never had before. We never know him as the Lily of the Valley, until we tread through the deep, lonely, valley (Song 2:1). God could have spared the three Hebrew boys from having  to enter a fiery furnace, but if He had, they never would have seen the fourth man (Daniel 3:20-25).

 

We also have an enormous harvest. The barns and silos will be teeming with joy. Tears of sorrow will vanish, and our joy will be full.

 

And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not (Galatians 6:9).

 

All through life there is pain. There is pain of childbirth and the pain in growing. Many have made their exit from this life in pain, only to cross the chasm from the temporal to that great eternal place where no pain is felt.

 

Look into the sparkling eyes of a little girl. She dreams of being a ballerina. But before she dances with grace, she will practice in pain. We can endure pain more easily when there is a purpose for it.

 

Pain can be precious. A mother thinks so when she beholds the beauty of a newborn. It is worth it to the lad who becomes strong and tall- as well as to the person who knows Jesus is his Savior, when he is ushered by an entourage of angels into the presence of the King.

2 Corinthians 3:1-2

Do we begin again to commend ourselves? or need we, as some others, epistles of commendation to you, or letters of commendation from you? Ye are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men.

 

We all have those in our lives we would love to see in church but for whatever reason they just won’t go. It can be discouraging at times, it can be stressful when that burden on your shoulders becomes too heavy to bare.

 

I want to encourage you today, living for God in front of them is just as important as living for God in our personal lives. We are living epistles, we are a living testimony. The way we carry ourselves in front of loved ones outside the church, speaks volumes of your walk with God. You might just be the only bible they will ever read, meaning when they see us they should be able to “read”

Forgiveness as the scripture says

Grace as the scripture says

Love as the scripture says

A living sacrifice

An ambassador of hope

Some who doesn’t fall in with the rest of the crowd along with temptation

 

Its one thing to read the scripture, its another to LIVE it. Dont just be hearers of the word, lets be doers as well, because let me tell you from personal experience: they are watching you, you’re different, you’re on a pedestal and they are looking to see if you fall. Give them something to look at, let them see the grace of God at work in your life. He created us in His image, I don’t know about you but I want to represent God in a way thats pleasing to Him.

 

One day they are going to walk through the doors of the church, and you’re going to ask them what changed your mind? And they are going to say, you.  I want whatever you have that is making you so happy all the time. Theres a “glow” you possess that I cannot ignore any longer.

 

It will be one of the greatest feelings in the world.

We have all heard it said before, “They need to keep a better eye on their kids.”

“That child needs discipline, I bet he minds then.”

“Did they really just spank their child? Thats whats wrong with him.”

And if we are honest with ourselves most likely we have thought the same ourselves from time to time!

We have always had a decent size Sunday school attendance, but yesterday it hit me like a ton of bricks.

I looked out after we dismissed Sunday school, I watched as kids ran to their teachers and followed them to class, excited looks on their faces. After everything settled down again I looked up and what was once a full congregation was now just about half gone! It seems like our Sunday school makes half our attendance on Sunday mornings!

God then quickened my Spirit, and He said, “This is a sign of a healthy church.”

I didn’t quite understand at first I mean, nearly half the church was gone!

But then I saw smiles on new parents faces as they watched their happy children excited to learn about God, and I can’t say for sure, but ill bet it was taking their minds back to when they were kids going to Sunday school, how much fun they used to have, the love their teachers showed them.

Thats when God spoke to me again, these kids are one of the keys to a growing church, they are going to be the catalyst that catapult the church into revival mode. Their parents will be more and rooted for the sake of the kids as God deals with them on a more personal level.

look, Jesus himself said suffer not the little children, He placed emphases on how we must come as little children, oh what would happen if we got as excited about coming to church on a Sunday as much as kids do?

We all know the familiar scripture, “Train a child in a way that he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it.” Proverbs 22:6

I believe that this does apply to parents, but what if we apply it to the church as well?

Allow me to put it like this, you want to find a way to make a new set of parents in the church mad, offend one of their children or upset one of them and that family will never come back. Now thats a hard pill to swallow.

My point is this as I close:

Love these kids, love their parents, get to know them, lead them by example in prayer and worship. Because if you think about it, that kid behind you might just be your pastor one day. That child on the other side of the church my just be a future music director. That little girl in the front crying, could be a Sunday school teacher one day.

BUT it won’t happen unless we love them and cherish them, for they are the future generation 😉

Intercessory Prayer

Intercessory prayers are very important in the body of Christ, many times the only chance our lost loved ones have to be saved is by us standing in the gap and interceding on their behalf.

So then begs the question, what effects do my prayers have for someone else who’s living in the world?Do my prayers really matter?

Lets look no further than the story of Abraham talking with God about sparing the city of Sodom and Gomorrah if He were to find righteousness within the city. Now this is just me but I don’t believe Abraham was sitting on an old rock and having a conversation over the campfire. Abraham was interceding on behalf of his nephew Lot and his family, as well as anyone that might have any hope of coming to God. I believe this was and still is an example of intercessory prayer!

I also believe that had Abraham not step into the gap between God and the sister cities, we would have had a very different outcome that day. Why? Because God listens to our burdens, He hears our cries,
and he sees our hearts, and our sacrifice.

Likewise our prayers can make a difference in the lives of our lost families and loved ones, its a key to soul-winning. when we are in our prayer closet and our brother or sister are at the bar, or perhaps simply living a lifestyle that not pleasing to God, our prayers can cause God to move and speak to
that person right where their at, and speak to their hearts and knowing somebody is praying on their behalf. How powerful to know that God isn’t confined to our church buildings or our prayer closets, that our prayers can reach different zip codes, counties, states, and even around the world!

We should be sensitive to when God speaks to us throughout the day, when a name pops in our head or someones face, more times than not God is trying to tell us, stop and pray. I can tell you many stories of people in the church, who were almost in an accident or was dealing with a situation, only for God
to come through at the last minute and deliver for them, then come to find out through the “grape vine” someone received the burden to pray at that exact moment.

Theres also times when we need to intercede for those in the church as well.

The following is an excerpt from a book titled: The Intercessors

“We should pray for our pastor and his wife, for they labor to provide us with spiritual food. The pastor studies, prays, visits, encourages, preaches,and performs many other services in which he pours out his life for his congregation. His wife sacrifices her own feelings and desires to unselfishly allow him to fulfill his burden. By investing our intercessory prayers in them, we bless ourselves as well as them.

We should pray for our brothers and sisters in the church. We are our brothers keeper. In some forests, trees seldom topple over because they are so intertwined that they support on another in their branches and roots. By investing intercession in our brothers and sisters, we also help solidify, and
strengthen our own walk with God.

Investments sometimes demand sacrifice in order to bring benefits later. People will save a portion of their income to invest when they would really like to spend it now for something. But they wisely know
that it will pay dividends down the road.

Intercession may be sacrificial at times, It may be physically and emotionally demanding. At times a prayer burden will take a tremendous toll on a person. But taking time to pray when other things
press us for attention is investing now for a heavenly payday later.

Intercession is being kingdom minded. Intercession is seeking first the kingdom of God. Intercession is denying oneself, taking up the cross, and following Jesus. If we lay up treasures in Heaven, we will never be sorry.

One song asked, “What good has my life been? Someday ill surely know. How many souls did I win? Eternity will show.” These words place our priorities in proper focus. By being used of God in proper
intercession, our lives can touch many others for eternity.”

Keep Pressing On – Philippians 3:1-16

Do you ever feel overwhelmed by the challenges of living for Christ?  You’re not alone.  Even Paul felt that way.  In 2 Corinthians 1:8, he honestly admitted that the troubles he and Timothy endured in Asia had taxed them beyond measure, and they feared for their lives.  But Paul said they learned their lesson: We should not trust in ourselves but in God” (v.9)

In Philippians 3:12-14, Paul again wrote honestly about his Christian walk, admitting that he hadn’t attained perfection:  “I press toward the goal for the prize.”  He identified this lifelong pilgrimage as “the upward cal of God in Christ Jesus.”

Years ago, a group of Englishmen tried to conquer Mt. Everest.  They pressed on against cold, wind, blizzards, and avalanches.  When they came within 2,000 feet of the peak, they set up camp.  Two men, Mallory and Irvine, eagerly pressed on, expecting to return in about 16 hours.  They never came back.  The official record said simply:  “When last seen, they were heading toward the summit.”

Whatever the obstacles, let’s keep pressing on in the upward call of God, Trusting in Him and not ourselves.  At life’s end, may it be said of us, “When last seen they were heading toward the summit!”

 

When the pathway seems long

When temptation is strong,

When your strength’s almost gone

That’s the time to press on.  Hess

 

When the pressure is on, Press on!!

I recently made a fire outside in my fire pit, its relaxing and I tend to get a lot of my thoughts from my hammock reading or sitting by the fire. The evening slowly wore down and nightfall began to set so I stayed outside until I knew for sure the fire was pretty much out for the night. I woke up and as I expected all that was left was half a log and a few coals burning bright orange. I went about my day with business as usual, glanced over at the pit to see the log and coals, but this time the coals were a bit dimmer, and there wasn’t as much smoke coming out of it. I let it go another night, ran some errands,
visited a church couple in the hospital, then came home to pretty much a free afternoon.

I guess out of habit this point I looked over at the pit and decided the itch hit me enough so I’m going to get that fire going again. So I’m gathering some wood and grab my book, I’ve got my lighter clicker and looked down, the coals were now snow white, yet as I lowered my hand to put some starter twigs I felt a warmth coming off of the white coal, actually still rather hot. I could have ignored it and lit some paper and gone from there, I knew by blowing air on the coals while still orange and
glowing, I could have easily gotten the fire going again but these coals looked hopeless and without a chance. Yet something, not sure what but something said to try it anyways.

I took a small branch and moved the coals around, the more I worked them the more smoke would come off of them. Took a closer look, and seen a very faint orange glow beneath the white on the outside. Then I placed some small twigs on top and began blowing air on it. To my amazement the color on the coals began to change and the orange got brighter and brighter, then a couple sparks. Before I knew it the leaves caught along with the twigs, and with much patience I fed little by little more wood into it before long I had a nice healthy fire, perfect for relaxing.

But rather than digging into my book I stared in deep thought and God began to deal with me. We have so many saints in our congregations that are just like those coals before the fire. Wether its elders who have become discouraged over time, ministers who feel beaten down, or saints who are simply worn out by life itself.

Whatever the case may be its easy to look at your walk with God and say, “the fire has gone out”. “Whats the point? I don’t feel the heat anymore, I haven’t truly felt the presence of God in my life in some time.”
A lot of times we go with the easy solution: “Grab some lighter fluid and some matches and lets light this thing”. In the beginning you will certainly have a good flame for a minute or two, but eventually that flame will die down if you go that route, and eventually go out without proper care.

Its the same way spiritually. We think, “Ill go to church tonight, hopefully they play my favorite song and the preacher will preach a fiery message that will send a chill down my back, that will fix everything!” The problem with this thought, is that it may stir us up for that moment, but it doesn’t change us. Only a true move of god power in your life, a move of the holyghost, will bring the change you need to rekindle that fire you once had. You see with the convicting power of the holyghost, we can begin to eliminate those things in our life thats hindering our walk with God!

Speaking of the holyghost this brings me to my next point;

Many scriptures list the wind, or breath as relation to the spirit of God, to name a few:

John 3:8
The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof , but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.

John 20:22
And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost.

Genesis 2:7
And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

Acts 2:2-4
2. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all of the house where they were sitting.
3. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.
4. An they were all filled with the holy ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
Friend, you may feel as if the fire has burned out in your walk with God, you may feel as if theres no hope or no chance of rekindling that flame you once had. But hear me, don’t thrown in the towel until you have given the holyghost another opportunity to do a work in your life, roll the coals around, let the holyghost wind spark something on the inside, be patient and feed that fire with prayer, fasting, study, pray some more, then fast, its a process but before you know it you won’t just
have fire raging in the depths of your soul, you will have a revival fire that reaches and consumes everything and everyone around you!

Final thought:
You’re never so far gone that God can’t still reach you, theres no sin or problem too small or too big for our God too handle,all we have to to is put it under the blood, and let God be God!