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opening The apostle Paul knew something about facing adversity. In 2 Corinthians 12:9, the Lord spoke to him saying, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.”

Someone once said, “Rather than saying ‘God, here is my problem,‘ we should put the problem into perspective by saying ‘Problem, here is my God!’” Whoever wrote those words must have understood that there is no problem God cannot handle in our lives.

When we make our problems the object of our lives, it is easy to become discouraged and forget that we have a God who will sustain us during our trials. However, when we change our perspective and the order of the words, we see that God becomes the object and the focus of our lives. It seems like such a small detail wouldn’t matter much, but when you visualize introducing your problems to Almighty God, suddenly they seem smaller, and you realize just how triumphant you can be with His help.

Often, it is only a matter of changing our perspective in order to overcome adversity. No matter what troubles you are facing, always remember our God is big enough, strong enough, and powerful enough to take care of them. He is the answer to all of life’s problems, and He is enough.

The Lord comes to us in the brokenness of our health, in the shipwreck of our family lives, in the loss of all possible peace of mind, even in the very thick of our sins. He saves us in our disasters, not from them.

Here is your copy of firstIMPRESSIONS, Volume 9.35. Live for God, on purpose, looking to Him, not at your problems!

Conquering Adversity

Have you been facing a time of adversity? What is adversity? The dictionary defines it as “adverse fortune or fate; a condition marked by misfortune, calamity, or distress.” Some Christians have been lead to believe that if you are living a life dedicated to the Lord, you won’t ever face adversity. But, that is simply not true. Everyone will experience times of difficulty and adversity, including the most dedicated believer.

It’s not a question of whether or not you experience adversity. It’s what you do when you are in the midst of it that matters. When Job’s world was falling apart all around him, his “friends” all thought he must have done something wrong. Even his wife told him to give up, saying, “Do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse God and die!”

But, Job’s response still speaks to us today. He said, “Shall we indeed accept good from God and not accept adversity?” You see, adversity doesn’t build character – it reveals character!

All of us will face adversity. When you do, it’s important to first discern what the source of your adversity may be. Then, we need to move forward and recognize, as a believer in Jesus Christ, what resources we have to conquer adversity in our life.

Be sure to join us this Sunday morning at WFA as together we discover how we can conquer adversity in our life!

two-denom Two Denominations – Two Very Different Directions

by Dan Van Veen

Since its inception, the Assemblies of God fellowship has generally seen continued growth. Even over the past 19 years, when other mainline churches have struggled to maintain numbers (with many reporting significant losses), the AG has posted gains in adherence and membership.

Recently, VirtueOnline, the self-described “Voice for Global Orthodox Anglicanism,” examined the growth of the Assemblies of God as compared to the dwindling numbers in the Episcopal Church when it posted two articles by Frank Lockwood, the Religion editor of the “Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.”

Lockwood, who is not an Assemblies of God adherent, pointed out that in 1964, the Episcopal Church membership was at 3.4 million, while the AG had fewer than 600,000 members. Today, the AG reports nearly 2.9 million adherents while in 2007 (the latest figures available) the Episcopal Church had plummeted to 2.1 million. Although Lockwood notes the reporting methods have changed for both groups over the years, the real disparity becomes clear when Sunday morning service numbers are compared.

In 2008, the AG had an average Sunday morning attendance of 1.8 million with an additional 443,000 attending Sunday evening services. In comparison, the Episcopal Church total average Sunday attendance had dropped to 727,822 in 2007 – well under half of AG Sunday morning attendance (and under one-third of total AG Sunday attendance).

“Forty-five years ago, Episcopalians outnumbered Assemblies of God adherents by as many as six-to-one, according to the ‘Yearbook of American and Canadian Churches,’“ Lockwood wrote. “Today, Assemblies of God adherents outnumber Episcopalians.”

In the second article, Lockwood made note that since the election of “openly gay bishop Gene Robinson in 2003,” average Sunday attendance in the Episcopal Church has declined roughly 10 percent. The Assemblies of God, as noted earlier, has posted gains for 19 consecutive years.

When contacted, Lockwood said he did not select 1964 to begin his comparisons by accident. During his research for the article, he discovered it was in 1964 that (according to the Episcopal Church News Service) the Episcopal Church began “focusing their energy on sexuality issues.”

He states that sexuality issues continues to be discussed in the Episcopal Church as at its General Convention in Anaheim earlier this month, “deputies and bishops winnowed a list of about 30 different resolutions pertaining to homosexuality, eventually passing resolutions supporting the ordination of gays and lesbians and the blessing of same-sex unions.”

Lockwood then concludes his article with a brief Q and A:

Q. When the Assemblies of God meets [met] for its General Council in Orlando August 3-7, how many resolutions will they debate focusing on homosexuality?

A. None.

“The decline of major denominations can be directly attributed to forsaking the authority of Scripture,” says AG General Superintendent George Wood. “The Church should never get into an argument with Christ by permitting what His Word has forbidden. I am grateful that the Assemblies of God, while not perfect, has nevertheless sought to be faithful to our Lord in doctrinal and moral commitments based on His Word. Loyalty to Jesus and love for people impel us to share the good news that He forgives sin and grants salvation and eternal life to all who trust in Him. Those who trust Him seek to live in conformity to His will in all areas of belief and behavior.”

To read Lockwood’s posting, see the following link: http://www.virtueonline.org/portal/modules/news/article.php?storyid=10889. For more information about the Assemblies of God, see http://ag.org.

embrace Embrace Adversity

In 1832, French engineer Ferdinand Marie de Lesseps was traveling on the Mediterranean Sea. One of the passengers on the ship he was on came down with a contagious disease and the ship was quarantined. Lesseps became very frustrated. To help kill time he read the memoirs of Charles le Pere who had considered the feasibility of building a canal from the Mediterranean to the Red Sea. In 1869 the Suez Canal was completed. It was constructed following the design by and under the leadership of Lesseps.

It was during that quarantine thirty-seven years earlier that the plan for the Suez Canal was germinated and conceived by Ferdinand Marie de Lesseps. The entire world has reaped the benefit ever since.

Probably more often than we realize God uses adversity to help us grow, to motivate us to find creative solutions to life’s problems, or to further his work. For example, the early Christians didn’t fulfill Christ’s commission to move out of Jerusalem with the gospel to the ends of the earth until the church faced persecution. They were forced to move to the ends of the earth.

This principle has been true in my life too. Just about every major change in my life for the better has been the result of some kind of set back or adversity.

So, every time adversity comes into your life, may I suggest that you embrace it, and ask God what he is saying or seeking you to learn or do through it.

takes Do You Have What It Takes?

In Isaiah 6:8, the prophet says, “Here am I! Send me.” To lead and succeed in any area of life you must have:

Commitment.

Real leaders don’t quit; they couldn’t even if they wanted to. One guy said to his pastor, “It must be hard leading an exemplary life, handling all those pressures, people waiting for one sign of weakness so they can jump on you. How do you handle it?” Smiling, he quipped, “I stay home a lot!” Only in God’s strength will you be able to handle the demands of people, pressures and problems that come your way.

Creativity.

Homer wrote, “Adversity has the effect of eliciting talents which in prosperous circumstances would have lain dormant.” Problems unlock your creativity. The story’s told of a chicken farmer whose land kept flooding and killing his chickens. In despair he told his wife, “I’ve had it; I can’t afford to buy another place and I can’t sell this one. What can I do?” Calmly she replied, “Buy ducks!” A wise leader prays, looks for a solution in every problem, and then acts on it.

Compassion.

Bob Pearce said, “Let my heart be broken by the things that break the heart of God.” Matthew records, “When He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion” (Matthew 9:36). Pastor, what moves you? Building projects? Budgets? Big crowds? Be careful; it’s possible to love crowds but not love people. People are demanding, they’re difficult, they’re draining. But as Madeline L’Engle said, “If you’re going to care about the fall of the sparrow, you can’t pick and choose who’s going to be the sparrow.” So before you say, “Lord, send me,” ask yourself, “Do I have what it takes?”

oak The Oak and the Reeds

A very large oak tree was uprooted by the wind and thrown across a stream. It fell among some reeds, which it thus addressed: “I wonder how you, who are so light and weak, are not entirely crushed by these strong winds.” They replied, “You fight and contend with the wind, and consequently you are destroyed; while we on the contrary bend before the least breath of air, and therefore remain unbroken, and escape.”

An unbearable storm arose in Job’s life and his response was “Shall we indeed accept good from God, and... not accept adversity?” His wife told him to curse God and die (Job 2:9-10). She believed nothing good could come from their trials, but Job chose to believe that the goodness of God was greater than the intensity of the storm. And it was.

When we experience storms, we can either respond as the oak tree, fighting and contending and begging God to remove it from our life, or we can bend and sway as the reeds, allowing God to carry us through the wind, unbroken and ultimately stronger in the end.

Psalm 119:71 says, “It is good for me that I have been afflicted, that I may learn Your statutes.”

When you face the perils of weariness, carelessness, and confusion, don’t ask for an easier life. Pray instead to be a stronger man or woman of God.

advance Advancement Through Adversity

“Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing.” Acts 9:8a

When God calls one of His servants into service, there is often much travail. There are many examples where God makes His presence known through circumstances that tax the individual to his very soul.

Consider Paul, who was stricken blind on the Damascus road.

Consider Peter; when he denied Jesus after the crucifixion, he was in total despair.

Consider Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who were thrown into the fiery furnace.

Consider Daniel, who was thrown into the lions‘ den.

Consider David, who was forced to flee his former employer for many years and lived as a fugitive.

It may seem strange to us that God uses such incredible adversity to prepare His servants for greater service, but this is God’s way. God knows that the human heart is incapable of voluntarily stepping into situations that take us beyond our comfort zone. He intentionally brings us into hard places to prove us and to drive us deeper into the soil of His grace.

In arid regions of the world, trees cannot survive unless their roots grow deeper to where the water table can be found. Once they reach the water, these trees become stronger than any tree that can be found in tropical climates. Their root systems ensure that they can withstand any storm. In the same way, God brings us into extremely difficult situations in order to prove His power and drive our spiritual roots deeper.

Friend, God may take you through times when you will question His love for you. In such times, you must cling to His coattail so that you see His purposes in it. Do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded.

“You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what He has promised. For in just a very little while, ‘He who is coming will come and will not delay. But My righteous one will live by faith. And if he shrinks back, I will not be pleased with him’“ (Hebrews 10:36-38).

alst The Last Impression

Three boys were at the playground bragging about their fathers. The first boy said, “My Dad scribbles a few words on a piece of paper, he calls it a poem, and they give him $50.”

The second boy said, “That’s nothing. My Dad scribbles a few words on piece of paper, he calls it a song, and they give him $100.”

The third boy said, “I got you both beat. My Dad scribbles a few words on a piece of paper, he calls it a sermon, and it takes eight people to collect all the money!”

Just for the record, I don’t use any paper when writing my sermons – it’s all done on my computer!

Although this is the last Sunday of August, we seem to get an “added bonus week” of summer in America this year, since Labor Day is as late as it can ever be, with the holiday weekend not until next week. I am looking forward to another great summer-time worship service here at WFA!