Our Thoughts Turn to Gardening

With the onset of Spring the thoughts of many turn to gardening. Dirt to be tilled, seeds to be sown, and beds to be tended are all a part of our annual ritual. Each action with the anticipation of the end result.

A farmer friend and I were talking, discussing the vast amount of work that comes with the dawning of Spring. As our conversation progressed the many references to gardening in Scripture were brought up. I remember asking him about his take on the Parable of the Sower. His response took me a bit by surprise. "All ground can be good ground if you are willing to invest enough to prepare it."

Different plants require different care and feeding. One garden does not fit all, and thus we see different plants growing with different results. The acidic soil that gives peak potato performance will cause your spinach to under produce. What we do then is to adjust the pH to an average that will give the best overall results. We settle for less than the best in order to maximize the overall performance of the garden.

The Word shows that God views the Church much like a garden. Stones, weeds, fertilizer, and seeds all represent issues that we in the Church deal with on a daily basis. Unlike us, God seeks to move each of us into ideal conditions for growth. He wants us to be fed, watered and exposed to the light that will cause us to be the most fruitful we can be.

Unlike a backyard garden, we, the seeds of God's garden, get to have a say in which garden we will grow. Some of us just take which ever garden is most readily available no matter what it has to offer to support our growth. Others of us are part of a garden that is actually detrimental to our growth. A few of us are actually in the garden God wants us in and we can thrive in fruitful living.

If we can understand that the key to success in life and ministry is staying in proper perspective, keeping the end game in focus, we increase our chances of seeing destiny manifest. Just as seeds are planted and must be allowed to grow to the place of producing and ripening fruit, we need to stay connected to the life giving ministry of the Local Church until our mission has been fulfilled and our destiny reached. Like some plants, we may need to be repotted from time to time to allow us to continue to grow, but we should never fail to avail ourselves of the powerful, life-giving infusion of the Local Church.^

^24 And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, ^25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching. (Hebrews 10:24-25)

Changing churches can be painful, but keep the end game in sight. It is all about being the most fruitful believer we can be.

No matter who you are, you need to be planted, rooted and grounded in a Local Church that gives you the best chance to reach your destiny.

Get a Move On

I had a chance this week to help a friend in ministry move. He was not moving because he wanted to, but rather because he was forced to move. The church he had been pastoring fired him over what they felt were irreconcilable differences. You see, he actually expected those who were part of the leadership team to be in church more than once a month.

You and I may have trouble relating to this kind of a problem, but it is something that many pastors are faced with, the politics of church life. In a church where the pastor is not the final authority, which is more often than not, politics often decide the fate of those in ministry. Pastors are often kept distracted by the sniglets of church politics and are not free to pursue the call of God. The life of the church suffers, the pastor suffers, and the Body of Christ suffers as a result.

I never cease to be amazed at how many of my friends in ministry just quit and walk away. Call it frustration, burn out, or weariness, the fact of the matter is we lose those who have great potential and much to offer because, as one friend of mine put it, "sheep bite."

As you look at what is going on in your world, keep a proper perspective. The Bible says that pastors have two overriding priorities: prayer and the Word. (Acts 6:1-4) If the politics of church is getting you down, perhaps it is time to expand your team and delegate the things that distract you from your time with the Father and your ability to get a word in season for your church family. Remember, take care of yourself or you won't be able to take care of your church. Here's a great article that drives that point home. (http://www.pastorfinder.com/article.asp?article=Robert-Withers-Changing-Oil-Vacation-Re-creation)

If you are thinking of quitting, consider that you may just need someone to come along side you and encourage you. If you don't have anyone like that, call us, write us, email us, but don't let the devil steal your destiny. We are here to cheer you on to success and to see you become all God has called you to be. Don't wait; get a move on before you are forced to move on.

The Heart of Missions

This week we had the pleasure of visiting with Jack and Audrey Hicks, missionaries and mentors to those in ministry.  We enjoyed the services in their home church, Freedom Worship Center, and then went on to have a time of fellowship and sharing.

The Hicks' have served as pastors, missionaries, and mentors.  As you sit and visit with them they quickly make their passion evident; they love people.  Such is the heart of those who have been in the presence of the Father, who have found what God calls important, who share the values that mark out the reality of the Kingdom of God.  They willingly set their own lives, careers, dreams, and fortunes at risk in order to see the will of God done in the earth.

Be it on the streets of Columbia or in the neighborhoods of their rural Pennsylvania community, Jack and Audrey are living to make the Name of God great among men by leading others into a personal, powerful relationship with Jesus Christ.  Seeing people born again is not enough, Jack and Audrey are committed to seeing those they interact with walk out the life of the Kingdom here on earth.

Life is filled with choices.  Jack and Audrey have chosen to live in fellowship and active agreement with God and His will for their life.  They are changing the world, sometimes one life at a time.  Whether here or abroad, the positive influence of these children of the living God are the kind of people we can all be proud to know, support, and emulate.

Well Said

Each week I get an e-newsletter from a cherished friend in ministry.  Pastors Virgil and Judy Stokes pastor Faith Christian Fellowship in Tucson, AZ.  They have a real heart for missions that has resulted in an international impact that is worth emulating.  Please take a minute to hear this word of encouragement.

Posted: Saturday, November 22, 2008

Building People of Substance for Works of Power

Thank God for you! 

 

I went in for breakfast this morning and found Doña Maria Inez cooking eggs and chiles.  The odor of fresh tortillas was in the air.  We are in Nezahualcoyotl beginning the third day of a Bible School class: Sanidad Divina.  It is normal for her to be preparing breakfast, but what made this morning different was she was wearing an overcoat and head scarf because of the cold.  It has been chilly this trip, and in this humble Mexican home, there is no heat.  Last night, shortly before class started at 6, I was about to open my mouth to complain about my numbed extremities when I looked up and saw the room filling with students.  They were young and old, male and female, and all bundled up as they found seats in the stark concrete garage with double doors wide open for the cold breeze to blow in. Little kids played indoors dressed as if for a snowball fight.  I had to shut my mouth and marvel that 20 to 30 precious people were coming to sit for 2-4 hours a day on hard wooden benches in the dimly lit cold because they want to grasp a Message of faith that has the promise of freedom to them and the ones they love.

 

There is the pastor from Guerrero who rides a donkey up a mountain to preach, then walks to a bus, then a train to get here. Once here he sleeps in an unheated room with no door because he wants to be a better shepherd. There are the pastors of 2 churches where we will speak tomorrow.  There is 63 year old Don Roberto who will take us in the morning on his weekly 2 hour ride to another country church that he has started, and that is waiting for us to train a pastor for them.  There are teens preparing for ministry, children’s teachers, evangelists, musicians, and youth leaders, all striving to grow.  As we sit in our mostly padded pews this Sunday and enjoy the teaching of the Word over sound equipment oh-so-fine in auditoriums warm and comfy, it would be a good idea to utter a word of thanksgiving to the God who has entrusted us with such a precious commodity as this Word.  Never forget the high value that others place on the Message we so frequently take for granted.

 

Scripture Reading:  "Let a man so consider us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful." (1 Corinthians 4:1-2 NKJV)

 

Somebody Said:  "Some people are born on third base and go through life thinking they hit a triple." - Barry Switzer

 

It is a privilege to be able to work with you in finding ways to get this Message to places and people that otherwise could not hope to receive it.  The sense of gratitude I have for what I have been given includes gratitude for each one who has teamed with us in the quest.  

Happy Thanksgiving.

Pastor Virgil Stokes

www.fcftucson.org

Welcome to Pennsylvania

Erie Pennsylvania has become home to a new pastor, a church pioneer, and a man whose love for God is only rivaled by his love for people.  Phil Richiuso and his lovely wife Elaine have moved to Erie, PA, on the coast of one of America's Great Lakes, from the coastal pain of New Jersey.  They are stepping out in faith to plant a new church with the Four Square Churches.

We have known Phil and Elaine for almost two decades.  They have served in missions in Russia, Belarus, and other Soviet Block countries.  They are strongly committed to missions and the fulfillment of the Great Commission.

These two understand the role and power of the Local Church.  They have faithfully served others, sown into the visions of those they served, and built the dreams of those who faithfully led them in the building of the Kingdom of God.  Now it is their turn to lead.

If you get a chance, come out, join the team, become part of the family and see what God will do.  Look out Erie, here comes the power of God!

Pastor Appreciation

The Scriptures say, "How lovely on the mountains are the feet of them that bring good news."  Have you ever looked at feet, ugly.  Having been to nations where feet are subjected to rougher treatment than we have here, this statement takes on even greater irony.  But I know how very precious those who preach the Gospel are.

Saturday night was our annual Pastor Appreciation Banquet where we had the chance to honor those who have stepped up to lead the church to the destiny God has for it.  It can be a pretty thankless job, and I am always blessed to see people honor their pastor.

Pastors are people just like those they serve.  They have the same challenges, fight the same battles, and are expected to get it exactly right every time.  They don't, any more than you do.  We, as the people they serve, need to get in behind them and make them a success.

Long-term Relationships

This passed week we had the pleasure of sitting under the ministry of friends of 17 years, missionaries to Belgium and Europe.  Steve and Karen Yohe always bring a word in season, but their sensitivity to the Holy Spirit and willingness to yield to His leading makes them powerful ministers.

The Yohes have faithfully served in Belgium since just after we met them.  They pioneered a church there and have based out of Belgium to do outreaches to Poland, Germany, and France.  They have been an inspiration to many who have been privileged to sit under their ministry.

There is a lot to be said for faithfulness.  In the face of adversity, trials, and challenges, they have stayed in faith, clung to what God has called them to do, the vision God has given them.

Steve and Karen have met the ultimate measure of success, they have obeyed God.  The exciting part is, they are not done.  The best is yet to come!