July 2001 Newsletter

 

Unexpected Circumstances During Family Reunion

God is our protector and provider!  While driving to a family reunion in Durango, CO, our transmission failed just as we left the Interstate 25 off-ramp.  We had just driven through rush hour traffic in Denver and Colorado Springs.  Fortunately, our travail began while we were sitting at an intersection on the outskirts of Walsenburg. 

An older couple driving a truck came up behind us and offered to push us into town.  With our car in neutral, we coasted down a hill and then noticed a muddy parking lot to our right.  I pulled in and the car came to a stop.  Looking up, I saw Fred's Towing Service posted on a sign.  We prayed and a few moments later, Frank, an employee of Fred's Towing Service, was running across the street to meet us.  He contacted Fred who lived across the street.   

Soon, Fred came over and verified that our transmission was gone.  He scheduled a tow the next morning to the nearest transmission shop located in Trinidad (40 miles south).  He also arranged a rental car in the same town so we could proceed to our family reunion in Durango while the transmission shop worked on our car.  I found out later that Fred is mayor of Walsenburg.

During the 40 mile towing trip to Trinidad, I had an opportunity to share the gospel with Greg, an employee of Fred's Towing Service.  In the truck, I asked him the two Evangelism Explosion questions: "Have you come to a place in your own spiritual life where you know for certain that you have eternal life?"  Greg said, "Absolutely, not!"  I then asked him the second question: "Let's say we were in a traffic accident on this trip and died, heaven forbid, and we were standing before God and He said, "Why should I let you into heaven?  What would you say?"  Greg said: "My good works, helping the poor and being an all-around good guy would allow me into heaven." 

I then shared the good news of the gospel that heaven is a free gift and we can't earn it or deserve it.  I explained that God is a holy God and won't allow sin to contaminate heaven.  Let's imagine on a good day that we sin only three times.  In one year, that would be 1,000 sins.  Greg kept repeating to himself, "One thousand sins!"

We had a good dialogue.  Greg mentioned that his brother is a charismatic pastor in Walsenburg and he would occasionally visit his church.  I told Greg that God moves at our pace and accepts us just the way we are.  Please pray for Greg's salvation and that he takes the challenge to read the gospel of John. 

Five days later, we drove the rental car back to Trinidad to pick up our car from the transmission shop.  They overhauled and rebuilt the transmission on our 1992 Ford Taurus.  We drove back to Lincoln on June 27th.

God does watch over us during difficult times.

Are You Putting Your Lines into Deep Waters?

Have you ever worked hard at something and still not meet the goal?  You studied hard for a test and still flunked it.  You worked constant overtime and someone else received the promotion.  You practiced diligently, but didn't make first team. 

The disciples in Luke 5 had a similar experience.  They fished all night and hadn't caught anything (Luke 5:5a).  They ended up washing their nets (Luke 5:2).  We in the church also like to wash nets.  We often talk, plan, organize, strategize, do seminars, etc, without asking for God's direction and power. 

We cling to the tried and true ways of ministry that worked in the past.  We can easily fall into a busy and hectic lifestyle, but not accomplish kingdom purposes in bringing people to maturity in Christ.

When the disciples were becoming frustrated, Christ told Simon, their leader: “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch” (Luke 5:4). 

Listening to God is the first step in reaching people for Christ.  Instead of being busy and working hard, we first need to listen and pray.  Look what occurred when the disciples followed what God said: "When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break" (Luke 5:6).

Moving out of our comfort zones and putting lines into deeper waters lead to a supernatural result.  However, it seems more risky to rely on God's bidding instead of methods that produced some degree of success in the past.  I'm sure the disciples had caught fish many times in the same places with the same bait they were using that night. 

The present methods of evangelism and discipleship are not working.  Statistics by George Barna have indicated no increase in the proportion of born-again American adults in the last 15 years despite $500 billion spent on domestic ministry during that time.

The growing diversity in our country makes the job much more complicated.  By the year 2050, there will be no single majority population in the United States.  However, the institutional church is less inclusive than we have ever been.  We are under-represented by all racial groups except Anglos.  We are disconnected from the younger generations.  According to Percept Group, the percentage of people with no faith involvement has increased from 33 percent in 1991 to nearly 50 percent in 2000 (www.perceptnet.com/pn4/door-iv.htm). 

As the old adage says, "We must work smarter, not harder."  Notice what the disciples did in Luke 5:7a:

"They signaled to their partners in the other boat for them to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink."

To do this in the spiritual realm, we must remove pride and let other congregations help us gather in the harvest.  Otherwise, we will sink or become overwhelmed by all the dirty fish or people.  It takes humility to fall before the Lord:

When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” (Luke 5:8). 

We must work in partnership with others because the harvest is too big for any one congregation.  We need to leave the old procedures and methods (cleaning nets) and follow Christ completely by letting down our nets into the deep waters (Luke 5:11).

The "deep water" is meeting human need with God's direction and power among people who are considered unclean or despised by the world.  Jesus was lifted up to all people, even the unclean lepers (Luke 5:12).  When people are healed, they will beat a pathway to our ministries.

"Great multitudes were gathering to hear Him and be healed of their sicknesses (Luke 5:15).

 Notice the order: hear Christ and be healed.  Hear Christ and be healed! 

The emotional and physical drain among workers is immense when so many people are responding to the gospel.  There are many dirty diapers to tend among infant Christians.  As ministers of the gospel, we need frequent times alone with God so we don't burn out.  Look at the example of Christ.  

"But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed" (Luke 5:16).

Lincoln Christian Community Foundation

I am working with a group of individuals who are interested in starting a Lincoln Christian Community Foundation that will bring God's people together in Lincoln to advance the Gospel and evangelical ministry.

This foundation will allow the body of Christ to celebrate, rejoice and work together using God’s resources wisely so more quality time can be spent by God’s people to advance the Kingdom.  We want to promote biblical unity, share resources (overhead, personnel and expertise), eliminate duplication and gain efficiency.  Our next steering committee meeting is July 18th.  Please keep it in prayer.

Give Electronically to Real Men of Integrity

There's a quick, easy way to contribute financially to Real Men of Integrity.  The web site InJesus.com processes electronic bank drafts for a variety of ministries, including Real Men of Integrity. 
Directions: Go to the Real Men web site at www.realmen.org.  Click on "Financial Partnership" and follow the instructions.  In the Real Men section of Injesus.com, click on the 'give' button.

 

Ministry Update  

·        All-city prayer meetings scheduled Mar. 16th, Mar. 30th and June 29th.  Future ones will be planned.

·        Helped establish leadership for Gates of Praise men's ministry on a six-month assignment. 

·         Shared the vision of a prayer, care and share lifestyle using lighthouses of prayer at Rosemont Alliance and First Evangelical Covenant.

·         On June 4th, trained six pastors and six other leaders in Milford concerning lighthouse of prayer.  The church in Milford plans to use lighthouses of prayer in neighborhoods and workplaces as a way to reach out to the whole community with the gospel. 

Family and Ministry Prayer Requests

·         Pray for spiritual, emotional and physical health for our three sons.  Wisdom for Steve as he considers further post-secondary education.  He received his EMT certificate in May while living in Estes Park.  Aaron begins his freshman year this fall at UNL (majoring in Business Finance).  Tim begins 7th grade this fall at Irving J.H.. 

·         Development of an international house of prayer in Lincoln where worship teams and intercessors come together 24 hours a day and 7 days a week in scheduled two hour blocks of time.

·         Wisdom for developing a Lincoln Christian Community Foundation that would benefit both ministries and donors and promote biblical unity in the body of Christ.

·         Writing and editing help for a discipleship curriculum called "Journey to Make God's Story Ours" that I am writing, which will help reconcile individuals to God, revive churches and restore ministry to the world through the gospel of Christ. 


July 19, 2001

Dear Financial Partners,

Thanks for coming alongside and partnering with Karen and I in the gospel.  I mailed a newsletter last week that gave you an update on the ministry.  The excerpt below is from the first module I am writing called Seed Thoughts of the Bible, within "Journey to Make God's Story Ours." 

This is a Christian discipleship curriculum that uses a contextual approach to help reconcile individuals in the revelation of God, revive churches in the love of Christ and restore communities in the power of the Holy Spirit.  The goal is personal, church and community transformation. 

Living in Perfect Harmony

God has ordained us to live in community.  Besides humans, many of God’s other creatures are created so that they must live in harmony and relationships.  Jack Canfield’s book, Condensed Chicken Soup for the Soul explains how geese function in relationship.

 The geese increase their flying range by 71% by flying in their “V” formation.  “As each bird flaps its wings, it creates an uplift for the bird immediately following.”  When a goose gets out of line it immediately feels the added drag and rejoins the group.

When a goose tires, it rotates back into the pack and another goose flies the point.  The consistent willingness to lead and follow improves performance for the whole wing.  Geese honk from behind to encourage those in front to keep up the pace.  The followers cheer the leaders on. 

When a goose, for whatever reason, falls out of the formation, two other geese follow it down and provide help and protection.  They stay until the goose either recovers or dies.  Only then do they launch out together or join another formation to help them catch their group.

We as people are so smart that we’ve figured out ways in which to succeed in isolation and competition.  Imagine what we could accomplish if we were like geese?

Links Between Beginning and End of Bible

We can see God's plan to bring harmony in relationships by observing the links between the first and last chapters of the Bible.  God's plan from beginning to end was to spread the water of life to all peoples.   He created the heavens and the earth.  After each day, God said His creation was good.  Even in this perfect environment, man disobeyed God. 

Adam's and Eve's disobedience occurred when they ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Gen. 2:9b).  They experienced death and separation from God (Gen. 2:17; 3:6).  God's desire was for them to eat from the tree of life where its leaves bring healing for the nations (Gen. 2:9b; Rev. 22:2). 

Because of Adam’s wrong choices, the ground was cursed and painful labor resulted (Gen. 3:17).  Someday the curse will be reversed when believers serve Christ from the throne of God (Rev. 22:3).

Four rivers flowed out of Eden (Gen 2:10) and culminated with every nation drinking from the “spring of the water of life without cost” (Rev. 21:6).  The water of life, which originated “from the throne of God, and of the Lamb,” signified the work of Christ on behalf of mankind (Rev. 22:1).

In the original creation, God created the light and made day and night (Gen. 1:4-5). He also made greater light for the day and a lesser light for the night (Gen. 1:16).  In the future, there will be no night because of illumination from the Lord God (Rev. 22:5).  Believers will reign forever.

God blessed His total creation, especially mankind, so they would be fruitful and multiply.  In this way, they would extend God’s glory on earth (Gen. 1:21-22, 27-28; 2:3; 5:1-2; 12:2-3; 18:18; 22:17-18; 24:35; 26:4; 27:29; 28:14).  These blessings extend to all descendants of promise and to the one seed -- Jesus Christ -- hinted at in Gen. 49:10: 

Even The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet,

until he comes to whom it belongs and the obedience of the nations is his.

In the future, believers will experience the ultimate blessing of washing their robes, eating from the tree of life and entering into the heavenly city to dwell intimately with Christ forever (Rev. 22:14).

     Thought Questions:

1.       Describe the first time you disobeyed your parents and suffered consequences for it.

2.       Where have you yielded to Satan’s temptations?

3.       How are these temptations hindering you from receiving God’s blessings or obtaining abundant life in Christ?

4.       What adjustments do you need to make in your role as a Christian man or woman?