2017: Where Will You Focus?

I've seen a lot of posts about resolutions, goals, and words for 2017.  I don't know if I have ever chosen a word for the year and stuck with it the entire year, but the word that has been bouncing around in my brain for the past few days is Focus:

1. the center of interest or activity.
2. the state or quality of having or producing clear visual definition.

Focus is a tricky concept.  We are all busy and it is easy to lose focus on what matters when we try to focus on too many things.  There are things in life that we need to do, but they can't be the center of our interest.  I can't ignore the piles of laundry or expect my house to clean itself, but it can't be the most important aspect of my life.

Les taught an awesome Sunday school lesson about Jonah to kick off 2017.  The book of Jonah is short and most of the lessons we hear are from chapter two - Jonah's time in the belly of the great fish.  I have always found chapter four to be extremely interesting.  The city of Nineveh had a 120,000 soul revival and Jonah was very angry.  I have never understood what was wrong with him!  He was not only angry, but he sat and pouted.  "It is better for me to die than to live."  

The conclusion of the book sums it all up, "Then said the Lord, Thou hast had pity on the gourd, for the which thou hast not laboured, neither madest it grow; which came up in a night, and perished in a night:  And should not I spare Nineveh, that great city, wherein are more than sixscore thousand persons that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand; and also much cattle?"

Jonah had a greater love for a gourd that provided shade than he did for a city that was perishing.  Les finished the class with this question, "Do we care more about materialism or personal comfort than we do about the thousands of lost souls around us?"

In all our resolutions, goals, plans, and desires for 2017, may be never lose focus of the thousands of lost souls around us.

The Exciting Work of Gathering the Harvest!

These notes are from last Tuesday night's service at New Life Pentecostal with Bro. Henson.  I'm hoping I can make sense of them since it's been more than a week.  We flew home Wednesday and have been going nonstop since our feet hit the ground.  But this was another fabulous service and I don't want to forget!

Before Bro. Henson started his lesson, he had Pastor McGriffin give a testimony about a lady who had been in service the previous week.  I cannot remember her name, I think it was Dena or something similar.  That's what I'm going to call her to make this a little simpler to read.  She is from South Africa and is now living in Florida.  God really touched her in service...

When Pastor McGriffin was a new convert he began the practice of taking his Bible to work and reading it during lunch. Just reading his Bible in public opened many doors to witness. Bro. Frank is a member of NLP. He is also a tour bus driver. He takes his Bible with him to read on breaks and leaves it where people can see it. Dena saw Bro. Frank's Bible and asked him a little about it. She has read about the Holy Ghost and wanted to know more. Bro. Frank was able to tell her what God has done in his life.

The next day Bro. Frank went back to Waikiki hoping to find Dena. Of all the tourists that are there, it seemed an impossibility, but he found her walking! He was able to witness a little more and invited her to church that night. Dena said she might try to come. She took Uber and the driver had a hard time finding the church. Dena did not come in until 8:00, after the worship part of the service. This was the night Bro. Henson taught on Becoming a Life Champion. God touched her in a mighty way during the altar service.

Pastor McGriffin said he has never seen anyone more sincere and hungry for God. Dena is now back in Florida and is in touch with an Apostolic church there. All because someone wasn't afraid to step out into the harvest!

Now back to the lesson...

Purpose of the lesson
Obtain a better understanding of the process of gathering the harvest.
That God would touch our minds with the immensity of the harvest He wants to give us.

There are three venues for gathering the harvest:

• Individuals that Only Jesus Can Win
• Intercessory Prayer and the Ministry of Angels
• Soul Winners Working the Harvest Cycle

Individuals that Only Jesus Can Win
There are some people who through our best efforts cannot be reached. But the supernatural power of Jesus can reach them.  Saul of Tarsus was not won by an Apostle or any other believer.  He would not have received them.  It took Jesus Himself to win Saul.

We need to pray for revelation to come upon people.  Paul said of the gospel in Galatians 1:12, "For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ." There are many who are sincere and dedicated in their religious beliefs.  There are others - the wealthy and those of elite status - who will not listen to a preacher, but the Holy Ghost can speak and draw them.

Intercessory Prayer and the Ministry of Angels
Angels are always on the move.  They are sent out to serve those who will inherit salvation.  God dispatches angels when we intercede.  Angels establish connections with the heirs of salvation and such as should be saved.  Angels bring hungry souls to believers.

Cornelius was a hungry man who prayed everyday.  An angel appeared to him but did not tell him how to be saved or teach him a Home Bible Study.  The angel made the connection.  An angel will not direct a soul to a preacher of false doctrine.  We are cheating the world when we don't commit ourselves to intercessory prayer.

Angels can work in strange environments.  The Hensons were on a cruise ship and Bro. Henson simply prayed "if there's a hungry soul connect me with them."  Not long after, they needed someone from maintenance to come to their room to fix a problem.  The maintenance worker was from the Philippines.  Bro. Henson could sense a hunger in this man.  They talked briefly and Bro. Henson asked if the man could come back when he was off work.  The man came back and received the Holy Ghost in the Henson's room on a cruise ship!  Could it be an angel caused the problem in their room so that hungry soul from maintenance would find his way to a man of God?

Soul Winners Working the Harvest Cycle
The harvest = WORK!  We are privileged that the Lord allows us to work in His harvest.  There is no joy like a soul winner's joy!

Jesus is going to do His job, angels will do their job, we need to do our job!!  There are hungry people.  Matthew 9:36-38 teaches us that there is no problem with the harvest, the problem is the workers are few.  It usually takes much prayer, wisdom, effort and patience to win a soul.

The Harvest Cycle involves the following steps or actions:
Preparing the soil = friendship and kindness
Planting the seed = witnessing, sharing your personal testimony, teaching a Home Bible Study, and the preaching of God's Word.
Watering the soil = prayer, accompanied by tears
Cultivating the soil = one-on-one fellowship with a prospect or new convert and/or participation in a Home Friendship Group.
Harvesting the crop = soul winning
Mentoring the harvest = teaching and disciplining, as well as leadership and ministry training.
Investing in the harvest = sending of new workers into the harvest.

Will YOU answer the call?  It's exciting work gathering the harvest!

Acceptable Loss?

My devotional today was quite thought provoking:

"Acceptable loss" is a military term many are familiar with. The idea is that there are some losses in any military endeavor, but that every mission has a level of loss that is acceptable, based on the risk undertaken and the goal to be achieved. Luke chapter 15 contains a trio of stories about people who have lost things. If you are a mathematician, you might hear these stories and consider the percentages. A man has a hundred sheep, he loses one. That's a one percent loss! That seems quite acceptable. A woman has ten coins and loses one - still only a ten percent loss, and really quite acceptable. A man has two sons, and loses one. A fifty percent loss, granted, but one that might be overcome in time. 
Jesus was not a mathematician or an accountant. He never considered percentages of "lost-ness." He considered people. And in these stories about searching for lost things, Jesus was saying that sinners are very, very valuable to Him. Sinners count with Jesus. There is no acceptable percentage of loss when it comes to the Son of God and sinners. He is not willing that even one "lost sheep" should perish. I wonder how different our world would be if you and I adopted Jesus' view of "acceptable loss?"

The stories in Luke 15 are very familiar to me - the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the prodigal son. I had never considered loss percentages.  Although I have probably subconsciously embraced "acceptable loss."  We can't win everyone, right?  That might be true, it's not an attitude we can have.

Both the shepherd and the woman searched for their lost ones.  When they were found, they gathered their friends and neighbors and said "Rejoice with me; for I have found ..."

We are still in the early days of 2016.  I want my mindset to be like Jesus.  Every sinner is valuable, worth searching for, and worth rejoicing over when they are found!  When it comes to heaven, there is no acceptable loss.  I wonder how different our world would be if you and I adopted Jesus' view of "acceptable loss?"

Rejoice Together

My Bible reading yesterday included John chapter 4.  After Jesus talked to the Samaritan woman, he told his disciples:

35 Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest.
36 And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together.
37 And herein is that saying true, One soweth, and another reapeth.
38 I sent you to reap that whereon ye bestowed no labour: other men laboured, and ye are entered into their labours.

I have read this passage many times, but verse 36 really stood out to me yesterday.  Sowing and reaping are both part of harvest.  There is no reaping without sowing.

I have been involved in outreach of some form or another since I was a child.  My first attempt was with a Sunday school teacher.  He took our class and off we went.  It took me (the shyest in the group) several blocks before I actually spoke to someone, but I did.  I have been involved in bus ministry, taught Sunday school, participated in contests and Friend Days and dramas.  I think it would be safe to say I have knocked hundreds of doors and passed out just as many flyers.  Sowing, sowing, sowing.

30 years ago this summer I went to the Philippines with Western District Youth Corp.  Over the course of about 10 days we saw over 700 people receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.  A lot of reaping took place and it had very little to do with the young people who arrived from California.  Sowing was going on before we boarded an airplane.  But we rejoiced together.

I don't understand how it all works.  Forty years of sowing and one day an abundant harvest.  But here's what I know:

The Fields are Ready to Harvest - Jesus said in Luke chapter 10 that the "harvest truly is great."  The population of the world when Jesus spoke these words was approximately three hundred million.  Our current world population is over seven Billion.  The fields are ready and bursting at the seams!

It Takes a Lot of Sowing - The parable of the sower is recorded in Mark chapter 4 and Luke chapter 8.  Three fourths of the seed that was sown did not produce.  That's a lot of sowing without a harvest.  But the remaining seed brought forth great increase.

There Will Be Times of Reaping - We are still seeing an explosion of Sunday school children and young people from our contest in March. Our altars are full on Sunday mornings.  God is doing a great work.  They aren't coming from an area where we have labored for years - this is a new location, but God is giving the increase.

Rejoice Together - The devil would like to mess with us and make us think that past labors have been in vain.  Often new converts are the spark that fans the flames of revival.   Every seed that has been sown in the past has brought us to this place.  Rejoice together!

Outreach Explosion!

Several weeks ago Victory Tabernacle embarked upon an outreach contest.  The red, blue and green teams had three weeks to work with steak dinners as the prize at the end.  As a church we had a goal for each week - 50 visitors the first week, 100 the second and 200 the third.  We exceeded our goal every week!

We were on the red team led by Sis. Raquel.  Her children first started riding our van to Sunday school.  Some time last year she and her husband also started coming.  God has now filled the entire family with the Holy Ghost and some of their adult children have also started coming and seeking God.  During our first team meeting she said, "I'm going to take you to a scary neighborhood."  Of course the only way to enter a scary neighborhood, after a time of prayer, is with candy, balloons, and clowns!

The first Saturday the children were hesitant and only interested in the candy.  Many said they wanted to come, but when Sunday morning rolled around not very many came.  We were back the second Saturday with a candy rain and more balloons.  And more children came!  The third Sunday was when Les and I were in Fresno, but the numbers continued to grow. The contest ended a week ago Sunday night.  Each team did such an outstanding job that Pastor White said we all get steak!

Just because the contest is over doesn't mean we are finished.  For the next seven week the contest is for the children.  If they come every week, they will receive a ticket to Six Flags Magic Mountain.  The final Sunday is Mother's Day and we are praying that there will be many moms in attendance that day.

The above picture was taken Sunday morning.  Each of the children and young people standing in the front are brand new in the last four weeks!  Many are from the "scary neighborhood" that has opened their doors to church folks bringing candy, balloons, and the love of Jesus, and they are in the altars at the end of the service being touched by the mighty hand of God. We are so excited to see what God is doing.  Les and I helped transport three children this past Sunday morning.  They became our new BFFs when they guessed our ages - they thought Les was 40 and I was 30!

Wall to wall children in Sunday school rooms and cars that are packed because our vans are already full is one of the greatest problems a church can have!  Pray that we continue to connect with these children and their parents.

Starting at the End

We had an amazing weekend!  I have so much to blog about - Friday night and Saturday was our Marriage Enrichment Retreat. Pastor and Sister Stan Gleason from Kansas City, Missouri, were our guest speakers and it was outstanding!  Pastor Gleason also preached at New Life Pentecostal last night. I'll get to all that in the next few days, but let me tell you about the end of last night's service...

Right after we take up the offering on Sunday nights, we have "Meet and Greet." Everyone gets out of their pew to greet visitors and saints. {I love that we do it at this time - we catch any late comers, but also catch any who might leave before service is completely over.} I greeted Danelle and her family. They seemed so happy to be with us in service. 

Danelle was really touched during the altar service. I prayed with her and when service was over spent time getting to know her. They have lived on Oahu for six years and have been searching for a church. They have visited many denominations and haven't found what they've been searching for. Many non-denominational churches have told her they are "like Pentecostal" but it wasn't enough for her.  She prayed that God would lead her to the right church. 

A few weeks ago Danelle started working for a cleaning company. She was cleaning a home and saw a card that said "New Life Pentecostal."  It was Pastor and Sister McGriffin's home!  Danelle knew this was the church she wanted to visited!  She was not disappointed when she came last night.

Think there aren't hungry hearts searching for God?  Think again!  My Bible reading today included Matthew 9:37-38, "Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest."

The Long Spiritual Migration

Pastor White preached a very thought provoking message Sunday night.  His text was from Acts 28:1-11.  The setting is when Paul is shipwrecked on the island of Melita.  The barbarous people first thought Paul was a murderer when a viper came out of the fire, then they assumed he was a god because he wasn't killed.  He was on the island for three months, there were miracles of healing, but as far as we know there were no converts.  In the life of the great Apostle Paul, that seems quite unusual, but spiritual migration must take place in the heart and soul of individuals.

We can't take anyone farther then they are willing to travel.  We must not practice "railroading" people into the kingdom - let God do the work.  A competition to see how many we can baptize is not encouraging when all those who were baptized never show up again.

On the Day of Pentecostal, in Acts chapter 2, there was a mighty outpouring of the Holy Ghost.  Three thousand souls!  But those people were already on their spiritual journey.  They were Jews who believed in one God.  They were ready for the next step.  We see this often in the first half of the book of Acts.

The second half of the book of Acts is where we are living.  We are reaching out to people who don't know God, just as Paul was called to the Gentiles.  The time frame that Paul spent in one place, working with people, teaching them daily, having lengthy conversations, was from three months to two years!  We can't expect to win someone to God when we only visit them once every six months.  We need to be patient and consistent as they make the long spiritual migration.

In Acts chapter 18, Paul is in Corinth.  The Lord told him, "I have much people in this city."  But a Holy Ghost revival didn't break out the next day.  Paul spent one year and six months teaching the word of God among them.  

In Acts chapter 19, Paul is in Ephesus.  The first seven verses tell of 12 instant converts.  These 12 were disciples of John the Baptist who were ready for the next step.  In verses 8 and 9, Paul spends three months with zero results.  But he continued for two years and the estimate is 40-60,000 believers!

Pastor White told the true story of the American Whooping Crane.  This bird is found primarily in the southeastern United States.  Remains have been found as far north as Wisconsin, but the birds stopped migrating about a thousand years ago.  The Whooping Crane Eastern Partnership has been working to teach the birds how to migrate.  It has been a long process:

• First, the members had to bond with the cranes.  They spent time with them in the fields, in casual settings.
• Second, they slowly earned their trust.  Birds are wary of hunters.  The members shared with the birds from their picnic baskets.
• Third, they had to get the birds to follow their scent.
• When the cranes would follow the scent, the members then started bringing ultra lite airplanes connected with their scent, teaching the birds to follow the airplanes.  Over the course of about six weeks, the birds follow the airplanes, migrating from Florida to Wisconsin.  They don't try to lead the birds non-stop.  They take their time, making plenty of stops.

Our job is more important than teaching birds to migrate!  We've got to take them back 2,000 years.  But don't be weary.  Don't get discouraged when your contact doesn't become a convert overnight.  Keep leading them, step by step.  Let them get to know you, trust you, and follow you on the path to righteousness.

October 8th ~ Angle (VAD)

Today's verse was a little more challenging.  There are only two verses in the KJV that contain the word "angle."

Isaiah 19:8 "The fishers also shall mourn, and all they that cast angle into the brooks shall lament, and they that spread nets upon the waters shall languish."

After a little research, I learned that angle is a hook used by fishermen.  We are called to be fishers of men (Matthew 4:19 and Mark 1:17.)  There are many "hooks" that have been tried through the years to catch souls.  The one that has always been the most effective still remains - love them.  We aren't trying to catch someone so we can fry them up.  Our goal is to gather them in and make them part of the family.

Habakkuk 1:15 says, "They take up all of them with the angle, they catch them in their net, and gather them in their drag: therefore they rejoice and are glad."  When we use the angle of love, providing friendship and hope to the hurting, we will be glad as we see them gathered in.

Missions Week 2012

Last week was Missions Week at Victory Tabernacle.  This is always a great time.  Wednesday night was our Home Missions night.  This year we had Pastor Andrew Masley and his family from Pomona. God has done great things for them!  Bro. Masley told of many miracles that God has performed, allowing him to start up a work in a city desperately in need of God.

Missionaries Tom and Sandra Bracken were with us on Sunday.  What great people of God!  As Les was helping Bro. Bracken get a slide presentation set up before service, I got to visit with Sis. Bracken for a while.  She felt called the mission field as a child and grew up living for God and waiting on Him.  She told me when she was 16 she started praying earnestly for her future husband.  What she didn't know at the time was God was working in the hearts of several US Navy Seals, bringing the gospel to them in San Diego.  Bro. Bracken was one of those US Navy Seals!  They have now been in Taiwan for over 30 years and God has done great things through them.

This picture is  for the Bracken's sweet daughter-in-law, Tiffany.  Wish you could have been here, too!

You know, there is still a lost and dying world out there, desperately in need of a Savior.  We're not all called to go to a foreign field, but we are called to work the field around us.  It wasn't a foreign missionary that led Bro. Bracken to the truth, it was one of his friends, another US Navy Seal.  That hungry soul on the job or at school may be the one God uses to reach a nation.  I want to make every week "Missions Week" in my life.

The Excitement Continues to Build

Sis. White, Bro. P.J. White and I went to Knott's Berry Farm yesterday for a walk through of the Charles M. Schultz Theatre. Our appointment was at 2:00, but not knowing what traffic would be like we decided to leave Burbank at noon. We got to Buena Park very quickly so we decided to grab lunch. We ate at PoFolks, just down the street from Knott's Berry Farm.


While we were eating, our waitress, Karen, asked Bro. P.J. if he was a Pentecostal or Apostolic preacher. Bro. P.J. said yes. Karen went on to tell us that her father was a Pentecostal preacher at one time. Then with tears in her eyes she said, "Pray for Karen, she needs to come home."

We were so touched by her request. Sis. White invited her to Alive at the Park and we're praying that she will get to come. Three young people received the Holy Ghost at last year's event, so there's no telling what God has in store for this year!