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With a scowl on her face, Lucy replies, "These five fingers. Individually they're nothing but when I curl them together like this into a single unit, they form a weapon that is terrible to behold!" Immediately Linus responds, "Which channel do you want?" As he's walking toward the TV, he looks at his fingers and says, "Why can't you guys get organized like that?" While I'm certainly not condoning Lucy's methods, this is a great illustration of how the church is to work together. Individually we're nothing, but when we're curled into a single unit, we form a weapon that is amazing to behold. It's only when our many pieces come together that we can demonstrate a picture of God's power. Ephesians 4:16 says that "the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work." As we work together, we truly experience God's love and power in our midst! Here is your copy of firstIMPRESSIONS, Volume 3.20. Live for God, on purpose, working to build His kingdom together! |
Volume 3.20 – Friday, May 16, 2003 Sign up here to receive Click here to view archived issues of |
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Article 1 – Wedding Bells Will Ring this Weekend! |
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He eventually came upon a rocky ledge containing a cave. Knowing the enemy was close behind, and that he was exhausted from the chase, he chose to hide there. After he crawled in, he fell to his face in the darkness, desperately crying to God to save him and protect him from his enemies. When he looked up from his despairing plea for help, he saw a spider beginning to weave its web at the entrance to the cave. As he watched the delicate threads being slowly drawn across the mouth of the cave, the young soldier pondered its irony. He thought, "I asked God for protection and deliverance, and he sent me a spider instead. How can a spider save me?" His heart was hardened, knowing the enemy would soon discover his hiding place and kill him. And soon he did hear the sound of his enemies, who were now scouring the area looking for those in hiding. One soldier with a gun slowly walked up to the cave's entrance. As the young man crouched in the darkness, hoping to surprise the enemy in a last-minute desperate attempt to save his own life, he felt his heart pounding wildly out of control. As the enemy cautiously moved forward to enter the cave, he came upon the spider's web, which by now was completely strung across the opening. He backed away and called out to a comrade, "There can't be anyone in here. They would have had to break this spider's web to enter the cave. Let's move on." Years later, a young man wrote about that ordeal: "Where God is, a spider's web is as a stone wall. Where God is not, a stone wall is as a spider's web." "We will shout for joy when you are victorious and will lift up our banners in the name of our God. May the LORD grant all your requests. Now I know that the LORD saves his anointed; he answers him from his holy heaven with the saving power of his right hand. Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God." (Psalm 20:5-7) |
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by John Bisagno, Special to ASSIST News Service
Some were in the north, some in the south. Some were African-American, some were Anglo. Some were charismatic, most were not. Some had marvelous new facilities, many were very old. But each had these five factors in common: 1. They were strongly led by their pastors But it is imperative that you understand: Leadership is not demanded; it is deserved. Pastoral leadership is taught in Scripture, granted by the people, and must be earned by the pastor. When you have to start telling them, I'm the pastor, you no longer are. God's people are better led than driven. Remember, a wise man will seek counsel and work with his leaders while humbly assuming the position of leadership with which God has entrusted him. 2. They were strong Bible churches 3. They were good-time churches But consider this: emotion is fully one-third of human personhood. Jesus said we are to love the Lord our God with all our mind, heart, and soul. The mind is the seat of the intellect; the place where we know. The heart is the seat of the emotions; the place where we feel. The soul is the seat of the will; the place where we resolve and commit. The person who is stimulated in his mind and stirred in his heart will commit in his soul. We thwart the work of the Lord among us when we stifle the freedom of the Spirit with stilted, overly-formal services. "Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty." This is not, of course, to suggest an inherent fallacy in planning. An order of service can be directed by the Holy Spirit and still be printed in advance. But the love, warmth, and ease with which it should be carried out can and must be allowed. 4. They were churches in unity 5. Each church had an indomitable spirit of conquest The Nissan Motor Company, formerly the Datsun Motor Company, once had a marvelous slogan: "We Are Driven." Pastor friends, we, too, are driven. God's children are a driven people. We are driven to the ends of the earth by the Great Commission. We are driven to the end of ourselves by the love of Christ. We are driven to the end of time by the imminent return of Jesus. The tone of each of these five ingredients is clearly set by the pastor. It all starts in the pulpit. It starts in your heart. Keep your eyes on the Lord. Keep your ears open to the Great Commission. Keep your chin up and your knees down. The best is yet to come. This article is adapted with permission from the book, "Letters to Timothy" by John Bisagno, B&H, 2001. John R. Bisagno spent nearly fifty years in ministry, pastoring for 35 years. Recently retired from the First Baptist Church in Houston, Texas, he continues preaching both in the United States and abroad. (c) Copyright 2001 by Global Pastors Network and John Bisagno |
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Beethoven composed his greatest works after becoming deaf. Sir Walter Raleigh wrote the History of the World during a thirteen year imprisonment. If Columbus had turned back, no one could have blamed him, considering the constant adversity he endured. Of course, no one would have remembered him either. Abraham Lincoln achieved greatness by his display of wisdom and character during the devastation of the Civil War. Luther translated the Bible while enduring confinement in the Castle of Wartburg. Under a sentence of death and during twenty years in exile, Dante wrote the Divine Comedy. John Bunyan wrote Pilgrim's Progress in a Bedford jail. Finally, consider a more recent example. Mary Groda-Lewis endured sixteen years of illiteracy because of unrecognized dyslexia, was committed to a reformatory on two different occasions, and almost died of a stroke while bearing a child. Committed to going to college, she worked at a variety of odd jobs to save money, graduated with her high school equivalency at eighteen, was named Oregon's outstanding Upward Bound student, and finally entered college. Determined to become a doctor, she faced fifteen medical school rejections until Albany Medical College finally accepted her. In 1984, Dr. Mary Groda-Lewis, at thirty-five, graduated with honors to fulfill her dream. Adversity – the grindstone of life. Will it grind you down or polish you up? |
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That's true for you, too. When hardships invade your life, allow God's Spirit to shape your response. Don't be bitter. Don't rush ahead of His plan. Rest in Him. Allow Him time to turn that irritation into an opportunity for your growth – and watch a beautiful pearl emerge from your set of circumstances. "My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that you may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing." – James 1:2-4 (KJV) "When you flee temptation, be sure you don't leave a forwarding address." |
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They talked about so many things and various subjects. Suddenly, they touched the subject of God. The barber said: "Look man, I don't believe that God exists as you say." "Why do you say that?" asked the client. "Well, it's so easy, you just have to go out in the street to realize that God does not exist. Oh, tell me, if God existed, would there be so many sick people? Would there be abandoned children? If God existed, there would be no suffering nor pain. I can't think of loving a God who permits all of these things." The client stopped for a moment thinking, but he didn't want to respond so as to cause an argument. The barber finished his job and the client went out of the shop. Just after he left the barber shop he saw a man in the street with a long hair and beard (it seems that it had been a long time since he had his cut and he looked so untidy). Then the client again entered the barber shop and he said to the barber: "You know what? Barbers do not exist." "How can you say they don't exist?" asked the barber. "Well I am here and I am a barber." "No!" the client exclaimed. "They don't exist because if they did there would be no people with long hair and beard like that man who walks in the street." "Ah, barbers do exist, what happens is that people do not come to me." "Exactly!" affirmed the client. "That's the point. God does exist, what happens is people don't go to Him and do not look for Him. That's why there's so much pain and suffering in the world." |
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With the theme "Turn America, Pray the Way," the 50th General Council in Washington D.C. at the Washington Convention Center is a proclamation that turning to God is the answer for a nation looking for hope. As Christians, as a Fellowship, and as Americans we will begin to turn our nation toward God by turning ourselves to Him first. God will Turn America, if we will Pray the Way. In our nation's capital, we will set a national example at Turn America Sunday, an apex of prayer at the National Mall, Sunday, August 3, at 4 p.m. We have extended special invitations to President Bush and other government leaders. Our goal is to have thousands of believers, turning to Christ in prayer. Together, we will Pray the Way. While I will be in Washington for the entire General Council, we want to bring as many people from our church as we can to the special "Turn America Sunday" prayer service on the National Mall that will conclude the council. We have arranged for bus service from our church on that Sunday. Busses will leave immediately following our morning worship service, and will return late that night. The trip will cost $15 per person, and will include the bus service, as well as a meal en route. There is limited space, so if you are interested in making this historic trip, you will need to make your reservation as soon as possible. A reservation will only be confirmed when your payment is received. We also have a large number of people who will be attending the entire General Council meeting, as many of our youth are participating in the National Fine Arts Festival and the Youth Congress. For complete details on all of the events taking place at General Council, visit the web site, located at http://www.ag.org/top/gc2003/ |
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by Rev. Keenan Kelsey, pastor of Noe Valley Ministry Presbyterian Church
He wanted to impress the group, so he told them what every good pastor tells his people about shepherds. He described how, in the Holy Land, shepherds always lead their sheep, always walking in front to face dangers, always protecting the sheep by going ahead of them. He barely got the last word out when, sure enough, they rounded a corner and saw a man and his sheep on the hillside. There was only one problem: the man wasn't leading the sheep as the good pastor had said. No, he was behind the sheep and seemed to be chasing them. The pastor turned red. Flabbergasted, he ran over to the fence and said, "I always thought shepherds in this region led their sheep — out in front. And I told my people that a good shepherd never chases his sheep." The man replied, "That's absolutely true... you're absolutely right... but I'm not the shepherd, I'm the butcher!" I am afraid that in this day and age we are all too familiar with the butcher, and not very familiar with the Good Shepherd. |
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Salt, when dissolved in water, may disappear, but it does not cease to exist. We can be sure of its presence by tasting the water. Likewise, the indwelling Christ, though unseen, will be made evident to others from the love which he imparts to us. – Sadhu Sundar Singh, Indian evangelist. Are you "salty" enough for the world to taste the love of Christ in you? God has called each one of us to love even as He loved us, and to proclaim His love to the world around us. If you truly believe that Jesus Christ is the way, the truth, and the life, and that no one comes to the Father but through Him, then let those around you know the reason for the hope that lies in you! |
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Yours for HIM, |
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In a Peanuts cartoon, Lucy is demanding that Linus change the channel on the TV and threatens him with her fist if he won't do it. Linus isn't too frightened by this threat and says, "What makes you think you can walk right in here and take over?"
Robert the Bruce, a young soldier, found himself in a terrible battle during the Scottish Reformation around 1300. The enemy was soundly defeating this young man's army. He and his comrades found themselves hastily retreating from the battlefield in defeat, running away in fear of their very lives. The enemy gave chase. This young man ran hard and fast, full of fear and desperation, and soon found himself cut off from his comrades in arms.
A few years ago, two pastors (Adrian Rogers, Memphis, TN and Ed Young, Houston, TX), independently and unknown to each other, made similar studies of the twenty-five fastest growing churches in America to determine their common ingredients.
Adversity is the grindstone of life. Intended to polish you up, adversity also has the ability to grind you down. The impact and ultimate result depend on what you do with the difficulties that come your way. Consider the phenomenal achievements of people experiencing adversity.
Pearls are a product of pain. When a grain of sand pierces the shell of an oyster, all the otherwise dormant resources within the tiny oyster respond to the foreign irritant by caring for that sensitive spot. Over time, the sand particle is covered by healing fluids, and the wound becomes a pearl.
A man went to a barber shop to have his hair and his beard cut as always. He started to have a good conversation with the barber who attended him.
This summer, on July 31 – August 1, Assemblies of God church members, pastors, missionaries, evangelists, and others will gather together from around the world for its biennial meeting This year, our gathering will be in our nation's capital, Washington, DC.
A pastor was taking a group of parishioners on a tour of the Holy Land. He had just read them the parable of the good shepherd and was explaining to them that, as they continued their tour, they would see shepherds on the hillsides just as in Jesus' day.