WHAT WE'VE LOST . . PART 2

My heart hurts/yearns for revival in our churches. Listen to what Francis Chan says in his book "Forgotten God" while speaking of the Holy Spirit's work in our churches.

"Even our church growth can hapen without Him. Let's be honest: If you combine a charismatic speaker, a talented worship band, and some hip, creative events, people will attend your church. Yet this does not mean that the Holy Spirit of God is actively working and moving in the lives of the people who are coming. It simply means that you have created a space that is appealing enough to draw people in for an hour or two on Sunday.

It certainly does not mean that people walk out of the doors moved to worship and in awe of God. People are more likely to describe the quality of the music or the appeal of the sermon than the One who is the reason people gather for "church" in the first place."

It may be that most of God's people have never really felt the awe or true worship. Many don't realize what has been lost. Many have attended church and done the rituals of the worship hour, but have never fallen before a living God.

A.W. Tozer tells this story. "It is the first Palm Sunday, and here comes Jesus riding into Jerusalem on a donkey. The crowds begin to shout "Hosanna! Hosanna!" The old donkey prickes up his eaars. Some in the crowd throw their coats in the road; others spread out palm branches.

'Well!' says the donkey, switching a fly off a mange patch. 'I had no idea they really appreciated me like this! Listen to those hosannas, will you. I must really be something.'

Friends, if anyone comes around after the service saying, 'Wow! That was terrific' They's not actually saying hosanna to you.

All you did was bring Jesus to them."

Pastors . . quit strutting around and showing off.
Church leaders . . quit spending time on politics . . instead of Jesus.
Congregation . . quit applauding a bunch of donkeys.
Begin to give our praise to God.

It's time to fall on our faces . . and worship the God of the universe!

CHARACTERS OF CHRISTMAS

The birth of Jesus was surrounded by a host of individuals, each of them given an assignment in the proclamation of the coming Savior. Many of them followed God's plan for that wonderful birth, and they are an example to us of the wonder of the God that became man and dwelt among us.

I would have enjoyed being there to see the angels and the shepherds and the wise men? I would have seen Mary and Joseph and Elizabeth all receive the messsage from the angels, and see as each of them responded with great joy. Simeon and Anna and even the King Herod were aware through scripture of the coming Messiah. Even though I was not present for those occasions, I am able to read that wonderful story today in the gospels of Luke and Matthew.

And I am available to be involved as the wonderful story of Jesus continues today.

Spend some time and worship Him today!

PAIN AT CHRISTMAS TIME

Sin has tremendous power in our lives. Once we fall into the trap of sin, it is impossible to change our ways except through the power of Christ. That is why Jesus came . . to show us the way to salvation.

"Stop It" has been a very popular video recently. (You can find it on YouTube). It is done in the very unasumming style of Bob Newhart as a psychologist. His advice to a woman with a difficult problem is to just . . "STOP IT". He shouts this term over and over again to this somewhat confused patient.

I've been accused of using that same style in my counseling. I probably tend to that style because of the New Testament words which say, " . . let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles."

That scripture from Hebrews 12:1 tells me that the pain of this world is caused by the things we do . . and the things we say . . and the lives we live. We've got to get rid of the cause. That can happen when Christ becomes the source of our life.

I work part time as a Chaplain in three different businesses. I have the oppportunity of spending one-on-one time with people from all walks of live, and I see that many, if not most of them, are in great pain. There is the pain of broken relatinships, of family, of drugs and alcohol, and of issues too numerous to even mention. Every one of these individuals is seeking a relief to their pain, yet many have never found it in a personal relationship with Christ. That is exactly what makes this job so wonderful. I get to tell many of them about Christ.

Most of our society recognizes that Jesus came at Christmas.
Now we have the opportunity of telling them why Jesus came at Christmas.

MY THEOLOGY EXPLAINS MY LIFE

It took me a long time to figure out my theology of life. I was very impacted as a young man by many great prachers but mainly by evangelist Fred Cherry from Oklahoma. Fred had begun his adult life as a civil engineer, but God got a deep hold on him. He was a wonderful preacher of the word of God.
Fred had some wonderful characteristics. First of all, he was the strongest evangelist, both personal and from the pulpit, that I have ever known. I've been around some fine men with the gift of evangelism, but I've never met anyone like Fred. For example, he would spend much of his time while in our town on the telephone. He would go down the list of names in the phone book; he would call the number and share the gospel with whatever person answered. He would also stop anyone on the street to ask them vital questions about their souls and eternity. He didn't waste any time doing the unnecessary. He was busy sharing Christ.
Fred and his wife had 12 children. He didn't have any insurance; he didn't have birth control; and yet, many of his children were able to attend college and go on to wonderful Christian lives. Most of them, including some whose names you would know, continue to serve the Lord today.
I have many of his messages on tape, and I still listen to them as he expounds the scripture. He was very much "to the point". I pray that I can preach with his clarity.
Fred Cherry was the greatest personal evangelist I ever met. He was also the strongest Calvinist that I have ever met. He believed that God was in control. He didn't have to "sweat it" about people being saved. He presented God's plan to them, and then he left the work of salvation to the Holy Spirit. That's actually very biblical. It's God work. We are to be faithful. Much of what we do in church today seems to be secondary and insignificant. Many of us in the church believe in grace, but we overework ourselves keeping the organization up and running. We seem to think that salvation is from God, but the local church is our responsibility.
I do know that I can work myself to a frazzle . . I think that's a word . . and yet, in the end, I must trust God to do His work of salvation and ministry in the local church. I've been in the ministry for over 50 years, and it's been my privilege to see thousands of lives changed by the power of the gospel. I really didn't "save" any of them. That was God's work. I really didn't make the church grow and mature. That was God's work. I'm just happpy that I've been able to experience the joy of those changed lives and changed churches.
Christmas reminds us that the "good news" is to any who hear it . . and receive it. You have that opportunity today.

MY FAMILY AND MISSIONS

I visited today with an old friend who shared a picture from my past. It really reminds me of a lot of pictures that have been taken over the years while members of my family are shown constructing a church. That's much of my personal Christian history. We were always "building" another new church.

I don't think I ever really talked with my parents about "why" they enjoyed starting and building churches. I've thought a a lot about it, and I really believe it must have started in California. My parents headed to California at the beginning of World War II so my Dad could work in a defense factory in Long Beach. Since he was too old to join the army, it was just the correct thing to do. He wanted to help in the war effort, and California offered that great adventure.

One thing it didn't offer were Southern Baptist churches. My parents had to look for a good church, and they found one in Calvary Baptist Church of Long Beach, an American Baptist Church where I was saved in 1944. They arrived back in Texas following the war, and I believe they always remembered the lack of churches in California. So they gave a lot of energy to starting and building new ones.

This picture was taken in 1950 when First Baptist Church of Weatherford built the new Eureka Baptist Church. My family later helped in 1955 to begin Ball Street Baptist Church, now Community Baptist in Weatherford. And we were an important part of the new Emmanuel Baptist Church in Weatherford in 1957.

My Dad and Mother began to travel all over the United States helping to build new churches, and they spent many years in retirement as a part of the Texas Baptist Men building group. My brother Gene and his wife Geraldine followed in their steps, and they spent many weeks each year finding a new spot to work. Both of those families literally wore out their travel trailers in serving the Lord.

If you'll notice in the picture, I seem to be doing a lot of supervising. That was obviously my early training for a lot of job sites. If you don't believe it, just ask some of the people who worked with me over the years.