Mind the Gap - Part 1

By Bishop Charles Scott
Our friends in the United Kingdom have a courteous expression for passengers disembarking from a train, tube (subway train), bus, or car. Whenever you are stepping from the vehicular transport, you will hear these words, “Mind the gap.” It is the British way of saying, “Watch your step.” Generally, there is a space between where you are leaving and where you are going, thus the phrase, “Mind the gap.”

Leadership can be summarized as the assignment to mind the gap. In every leadership situation, there is a gap, a break, a space, a disparity, or an interval between where you are and where you are going. It is in the space between the start and the finish where real leadership occurs. Developing the vision or dream is not hard—everyone has a dream; not everyone knows how to mind the gap between the dream and the reality. Likewise, the same is true of vision and mission; vision and mission statements are hammered out with relative ease. It is the execution that calls for godly leadership.

Three things happen when you mind the gap between where you are and where you want to ultimately arrive. These three elements make or break a leader at any level of service. (This issue contains the first of these observations with more to come.)

1. You have to leave something behind. It sounds simple and easy. To depart means leaving something behind, but in real life it is very difficult. Israel prayed for deliverance for 400 years but still remembered the taste of fish, onions, leeks, and garlic while on the journey to the Promised Land. Leadership must be forthright and truthful with people: if we go there, we leave here. It is that simple. In today’s politically correct environment, we hear a message that we can “have it all.” No you can’t. In order to get there, we have to leave here. Leaders have to mind the gap of leaving something behind. Leaving means loss; loss breeds emotions; loss means sadness. Sadness means anger; anger means bitterness; and bitterness means rebellion.
   
   
   1. Leaders mind the gap of loss by reinforcing the vision. After taking the first step toward the future, people will forget the reasons why the journey began in the first place. “Remember the taskmasters who beat you? Remember being slaves for another man’s vision? Remember your children had no future? Remember how badly you wanted out of that situation? Remember how you prayed for change?” In the words of Douglas Reeves, “Nostalgia for what has been lost will pull mightily at the heart and the head, often causing people to look back instead of forward.”
      
      
   2. Leaders mind the gap of loss by reinvigorating the vision. When people are in the midst of the process, they need to be reminded of why they began the journey and where they are going. If you want to live in houses you didn’t build and eat from vineyards you didn’t plant, you have to remind yourself it will be worth the process when you reach the promise. People with a vision from God are no longer the same as they were before the vision, and they will never be the same after the vision. Just as education changes a person’s life forever, God’s visionary promise changes us. If we refuse to step over the gap and leave something behind, we live in rebellion. If we accept the vision and step over the gap, we have moved into a place of uncertainty and discomfort. Either way, nothing will ever be the same. The future belongs to people who are willing to give up the known for the unknown.
      
      
   3. Leaders mind the gap of loss by responding to the vision. Setting the example is the leader’s best work. Leadership calls for sacrificial action. The most-often-heard criticism shared with me about other leaders is, “They let everyone else do the work.” The most effective leaders do not merely give directions; they are willing and able to pick up some bags and move to the new destination. In an era of preachers who need someone to carry their Bible to the pulpit, this philosophy is archaic, but it is still right. Paul said it this way, “Follow me as I follow Christ.” Leaders who are in the headlines for abuse, moral failure, stewardship atrocities, and other character flaws may provide great intuitive insight, but people want to follow a leader who has the grit to carry a load, get their hands dirty, work up a sweat, and set the pace. The PCG needs leaders who serve; not leaders who merely label themselves with the latest fad titles. Preachers that do not pray should excuse themselves from the pulpit until they have “prayed through.” Preachers that do not tithe should repent and obey or leave the ministry. Preachers with little control of their fleshly temptations should seek counsel, find help, and deal with the issue, or find another vocation. God requires our very best.
      
      
   You have been called and anointed by God to lead people from here to there. They will not want to leave; they will get weary on the journey; they will be emotional. They will question your ability; they will doubt your decisions. They will be hard to deal with and have many problems.
   
   But they need you. Without you, they will fall through the gap. You must mind the gap.

Praying Through Aurora

By Daniel Davis (dpdavis.blogspot.com)
When I heard the news of the horrific “Movie Massacre” in Aurora, CO, I shuddered: surely this perpetrator is diabolical, demonic, demon-possessed. After all, people like that have to be under demonic control.

Or do they?

We want these things to be the work of some otherworldly evil that takes control of a willing participant, because to face the alternative is too frightening. What is the alternative? That James Holmes committed such heinous work out of his own human evil.

This is a very discomforting possibility: every human has the capacity for immense evil. The wiser among us have always known this. The late Russian novelist Alexander Solzhenitsyn trenchantly explained: “The line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being.”

The evil committed by James Holmes is not some special unique kind of evil. It was the outworking of a process wherein he gave himself over little by little to cooperating with evil within his own heart (or much by much — we can only guess). His work was the bitter fruit of wicked seeds cultivated in human soil.

And what about us? We may console ourselves that we are not wicked. Or are we? Do we not also cooperate with evil when we participate in murderous slander? Do we not further evil when we erode the fabric of reality by spewing falsehood — even white lies? Do we not give a little over to evil when we allow the filth of our heart to be released in degrading words and actions? Do we not collaborate with evil when we abuse the weak and disenfranchised? Holmes does not have a special evil. Perhaps not even a possession. He simply yielded to that same battle within our own hearts.

This is the Christian message: “The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked…” (Jeremiah 17:9).

Yet there is more to our message: “Behold I make all things new” (Revelation 8:5).

As we consider the tragedy in Aurora, we grieve, we experience anger, we pray, we consider the war in our own soul, we extend love, and we have hope.

Our hope is that this shattering massacre is not the end. Even in the midst of this situation the Spirit of the Lord is hovering over the broken chaos of the earth tying it all to another horrific blood-letting: the cross. That brokenness was remade in a resurrected glory.

Today, we share in that journey from bloodshed to re-creation. We all, with the families and friends of the victims in Aurora, to some degree share the sufferings of this world. We grieve and groan and hope for a day when all things will be new — where there will be no death or sickness or wars or massacres. We scream with creation in pain and frustration: “This isn’t right!” And as the most honest of us confess, we do not know what to do. We cannot put the pieces back together. We cannot replace the bullet to the gun or return the lives lost. We cannot undo the brokenness.

So we groan. We weep. We sigh. And that is not a bad thing to do. In doing that, we are sharing in the process of making a new world: “The Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans…in accordance with the will of God” (Romans 8:26, 27).

The brokenness cannot be undone. The blood cannot be unshed. But it can be made new. Jesus is already there in the bloody mess. In prayer and love, we join him there with hope that this old order of things is already passing away and a new way is coming even in the middle of the distress. In God’s mysterious way, Aurora is found at Calvary. A new Aurora can be found on the other side of the tomb.

So let us pray.

Be a Son

From RodneyReynolds.org
I have a friend who is a prison chaplain for the Florida Department of Corrections. He told me that 80% of the men who are incarcerated had no relationship with their fathers. Sad, but not surprising in light of King Solomon’s observation found in Proverbs 29:15 (KJV) “The rod and reproof give wisdom: but a child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame.” How often we have witnessed the destructive aftermath of sons who have no father figure to guide them! I have seen them try ever so valiantly, but moms just cannot be dads. There is no substitute for filling the role and responsibility of being a father to your son.

Everyone that knows me knows that my biological father dropped the ball big time. He failed in his opportunity to be a loving father to my seven siblings and me. He lived to regret the abuse that he perpetrated on his family. Fortunately he received forgiveness from God before he passed away, and a great deal of restoration took place between him and me. Having been able to survive and recover from the dysfunction of my early adolescent years, I’ve come to realize some wonderful spiritual things.

I love reading and listing to my dear friend and fellow minister, Pastor Russell Hylton, teach about father and son relationships. His experience with his father is very different from that of mine and my father. His father is a wonderful Godly man and a personal friend of mine. Pastor Hylton and his father are an excellent example of what the father and son relationship can be when there is love, respect and honor.

I have learned that as a Christian man I cannot make excuses for my actions based on what my father did or didn’t do. I cannot be irresponsible, immature or insensitive toward my family and those within my sphere of influence because of what I experienced in the past. God will give anyone a new start if they will put their complete trust in Christ.

Paul said it like this, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” 2 Corinthians 5:17 (NIV). The Lord has helped untold thousands to rise above their circumstances and be free in Jesus name! Anyone can do it; not everyone does. We cannot get up on our own — we must trust the Lord and walk in His ways.

I have found that I can choose to “be a son.” Wow! Even though my father fell way short of setting an example for me to follow, I can be a son. My favorite verse in the scripture is John 1:12 (KJV) “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.” Me a son, a son of God? What great news that is to me!

I have also learned that although I’m no spring chicken (having turned 50 last year), I can be a son to a lot of the men in my life. One of the greatest complements I ever received came from a gentleman that served on my church board for a number of years. He has three grown daughters but never had a son. One day in a conversation he said, “I never had a son but if I did, I would want him to be a lot like you.” I got leaky eyes over that one!

Maybe you have longed for a relationship with your dad but he is unavailable, uninterested or no longer living. No one can ever take the place of Dad, but you can find a great deal of fulfillment being a son, even if you’re only related by the Spirit.

I appreciate the people in my life that inspire me to think about great spiritual truths like this. In this case it was someone very special to me — thanks son!

The Aftermath: Remembering Joplin After The Storm

From JaredIngle.blogspot.com

On this day last year, Crystal and I drove into Joplin, Missouri. The whole nation had seen glimpses of the devastation caused by the tornado that was six miles long and a mile wide. The twister destroyed one third of the town, razing it to the ground right through the heart of the city. St. John’s Hospital made headline news because the facility was badly damaged.

St. John's Hospital

However, nothing we had seen on T.V. could have prepared us for the devastation we witnessed on May 25, 2011. We joined Daniel and Rhonda Davis, and the relief efforts of the Pentecostal Church of God, which were underway at Messenger College. After arriving at Messenger’s gym, Daniel took us on a tour of the city. Because buildings were flattened, one could see from the area of town where the tornado began in the west (not far from St. John’s Hospital) to Duquesne Village in the east.

Over the next few days, we had time to hear the stories of our family, all of whom survived the tornado. My brother Bret’s twelve-year-old son Rio was with his mom and step-dad in their house near St. John’s Hospital. By the time they knew the tornado was upon them, there was nowhere they could run. Counting immediate and visiting family, there were nine in their house. Without a basement, all nine crammed into their innermost room, a small laundry room. Rio’s step-dad Daniel sat Rio on top of the washer and literally laid his torso over Rio to protect him. Rio’s mom Monica sat on the floor clutching her small son Marko in her arms. At one point, she could feel the vacuum of the tornado pulling Marko up into the air. When it finally passed, they all looked up into the sky overhead where their roof had just been. They emerged from the laundry room to discover it was the only room in the house that still had all four walls intact. Crystal and I listened to Daniel tell the story, all of us tearing up, as we stood with him in the wreckage that was his house.

Daniel and Monica's Laundry Room

Looking Up Out of the Laundry Room

Later I met with my brother Matt and we walked through his father-in-law’s house, where his family was when the tornado struck. Matt’s father-in-law Dennis received a last-second call from someone urging him to take cover because a tornado was on the way. At that moment, Matt was at the back entrance watching the storm. He saw the wind whip the trees violently one way, then bend them back violently the other way. Then the sky suddenly changed color and he knew it was bad. Matt started yelling, telling everyone to go to the basement. Everyone was headed down the stairs, but Dennis suddenly turned back. He is a car salesman and had a company car in the driveway. He told Matt, “I gotta get the Escalade in the garage.” Matt refused to let Dennis by, and moved him down the basement steps. The instant Matt had turned and closed the basement door behind him, he heard the house ripping apart. Thankfully, all were safe in the basement, by a split second. Later, as they climbed out of the basement, they discovered that much of the roof and second floor were gone. There were also projectiles all over the house, items that had flown through, many that were from other places. Even though the main damage was on the second floor, there is a good chance someone would have been injured by a projectile on the first floor.

Matt's In-Law's Basement

Looking Up from the First Floor

The Missing Second Floor

Over the course of our six days in Joplin in the aftermath, we were honored to aid in the relief efforts. However, we were blessed when people would entrust us with their stories. We discovered that the split-second decisions our family made were not uncommon. People just knew where to hide at the last moment, as if someone had told them, and in fact many claimed that someone did. These stories are not easily dismissed, and are nothing short of miraculous.

What actually happened in the real world on May 22, 2011? What if the veil that separates the physical world from the real world could be pulled back and we could see the truth? As the reports kept funneling in, we realized that people knew what to do at the last second. Some claimed a voice told them. Others even claimed angels appeared. Many children said butterflies led them to safety. In the aftermath of the Joplin tornado, I believe I heard stories from people who were eyewitnesses to the Host of Heaven!

Joplin has suffered loss. Families have suffered loss. But Joplin is still rebuilding. A tedious journey still lies ahead. Yet God is still interested in this Mid-West town. Although there were deaths, God showed His protection, when countless lives could have been taken. He will continue to show His strength as Joplin faces each new day.

Psalm 91.1: He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. 2: I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust. 3: Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence. 4: He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler. 5: Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day; 6: Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday. 7: A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee. 8: Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked. 9: Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation; 10: There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling. 11: For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.

Praying the Word

By K.R. Craig
I tried to read through Psalm 143 this morning, but I found my mind wandering.

To counteract the wandering, I switched to praying the word, instead of simply reading the word.

I read each verse out loud — sometimes just a phrase or two, sometimes a whole verse — and then paused and added other words of prayer.

It went something like this:

^8a Cause me to hear thy loving-kindness in the morning; for in thee do I trust:

Lord, I love that this verse asks You to make me, force me, or cause me to hear Your loving-kindness. I admit there are some mornings when I wouldn’t hear it on my own. Please do this for me: when I can’t feel Your mercy, please make me to feel it. I trust in You.

^8b cause me to know the way wherein I should walk; for I lift up my soul unto thee.

Lord, part of me says that I should always know how to live right, act right and do right, but my actions don’t always bear that out. There’s a world of difference between head knowledge and heart knowledge! Lord, please make me to know Your way; make all of me to know it.

And also, Lord, show me the direction You have for me. Am I to remain where I am, or do you have another assignment?

⁹ Deliver me, O Lord, from mine enemies: I flee unto thee to hide me.

I wish I were strong enough to deliver myself, but I’m grateful that Your word shows me I need a deliverer. I need You to deliver me from these things that try to destroy me, from problems, from debt, from lethargy. Please help me, Lord.

^10a Teach me to do thy will; for thou art my God: thy spirit is good;

Lord, I just prayed, “cause me to know”; now I’m praying “teach me to do.” Help my actions to match my knowledge.

^10b lead me into the land of uprightness.

Lord, help me stay on the right path. Lead me, O Lord, every day, every hour, all the way.

^11a Quicken me, O Lord, for thy name’s sake:

Quicken me; bring me back to life, O Lord. At times when I feel spiritually dead, light a spark within me. When I feel physically dead, rebuke the sickness and restore me to vitality. Don’t do it because I’m something great, but do it for the sake of Your name.

^11b for thy righteousness’ sake bring my soul out of trouble.

Lord, please deliver me from trouble — both the trouble I make for myself, and the trouble that others send my way. Do it for the sake of your own righteousness.

A Call for First Works

By K.R. Craig

The Spirit, like a breeze, swept across the place,
and the fire burned out of control.
It was kindled by His love and amazing grace,
flaming up within my soul.
— Ronny Hinson, I Began to Feel the Fire

Anyone who’s been around Pentecost for a while has some awesome stories — healings, miracles, visions and manifestations, things they’ve experienced themselves and stories they’ve heard from older saints.

I’ve seen people come into church drunk and leave sober. I’ve seen deaf ears opened, cripples healed, and the dead brought back to life. I’ve been in the presence of both angels and demons. But most of my flat-out miraculous experiences are from days gone by. I’m afraid I’m becoming part of the crowd who talks so fondly of how things used to be.

I remember when I first got saved 25 years ago, that others would talk about the moves of God they had in the “old days” and how much things have changed.

I also remember reasons people would give for why things changed:

• People just aren’t as dedicated as they used to be.
• Nobody knows what it means to “tarry” any more.
• There’s too much world in the church.
• People are just too busy for God.

Maybe some of that is true — someone smarter than me may know for sure, but what I do know, without doubt, is that I have changed.

In my own “old days”, back when I was first saved:

• I’d have rather gone to prayer meeting than to a steak dinner.
• I’d have quit my job if it interfered with church.
• I always read my Bible with a pen in-hand so I could underline verses I liked.
• I anointed everything I owned and dedicated it to God.
• I expected the Spirit to move in every church service.
• I knew how to “have church” even if I wasn’t at church.

But today:

• Prayer meetings seem like a chore.
• A runny nose tempts to stay home from church.
• I don’t mark up my Bible very often.
• It’s been a long time since I anointed anything (at least before it broke down).
• When the Spirit moves in a church service, I’m often a spectator.

The message to the angel of the church of Ephesus speaks to me.

Jesus begins by acknowledging the past work that’s been done:

I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars: And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name’s sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted. [Revelation 2:2-3]

To me, Jesus might say, “I know your works. You’ve pastored. You’ve taught Sunday School. You’ve sat on church boards. You’ve prayed. You’ve fasted. You’ve persevered through some incredibly tough challenges.”

But Jesus doesn’t end there. He continues:

Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. [v. 4]

He states the very thing that I already know about myself: I’m not like I used to be — I’ve cooled off, lost some zeal, slacked off on prayer and study. I may sing songs in church that say, “I surrender all”, but my actions don’t match the lyrics.

Fortunately, Jesus has a solution:

Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works... [v. 5a]

Rather than sit around lamenting the former days, I can reclaim them, re-experience them.

Jesus’ solution is simple: do the “first works”. Start doing things like I did when I first got saved:

• Show up for prayer meetings and pray earnestly while I’m there.
• Determine nothing will keep me away from the House of God.
• Start underlining Bible promises again.
• Anoint and dedicate my goods...before they break down.
• Pray and hope and expect that God will move in every church service.
• Show up early for church just to pray beforehand.
• Determine my own house will be a “house of prayer” and a “house of praise”.

Saints, I’m convinced if we all do some “first works”, we’ll see revival; we’ll have fresh, awesome experiences with God; and we’ll once again see the Spirit sweeping like a breeze while holy fire burns out of control.

Doesn't Anyone Miss The Fruit?

By Bishop Charles Scott
To see a new harvest of changed lives, we need Pentecostal passion.

The pear tree behind Grandma’s house in Jenny Lind, Ark., always produced fruit. Every summer the limbs of the aged tree were full of succulent pears that Grandma’s skillful hands would soon turn into delicious jam and jelly.

No effort had to be exerted to retrieve the abundant pears; they were everywhere. There was no climbing the tree to shake the limbs, no Internet research was needed about how to produce pears, no conferences on fruit-bearing were attended. We just enjoyed the copious crop.

Then one spring Grandma expressed concern about the pear tree. She said it didn’t look the same. But the faithful tree still produced. The next year the fruit was only on the higher limbs, and Grandma’s favorite grandson enjoyed climbing the sturdy limbs and shaking them profusely until the stubborn pears fell to the ground. The pears received a bruising since they fell with such force. Many had to be discarded, so the supply of jam and jelly began to diminish.

Around the dinner table there was talk about the dire situation affecting the pear tree. Because no one had the solution, all that could be done was to talk about the problem until another more interesting topic arose and the subject was changed. When no one knew how to move toward a better future, all they knew how to do was talk about the fruitful past.

The next year the tree had plenty of leaves, but no pears. As we stood under the tree, memories were shared on how much fun it was to pick up the pears and how enjoyable the tasty fruit was on Grandma’s homemade biscuits. Everyone stood silent for a few moments, then walked away, returning to menial tasks and forgetting about the fruit. Over the next few years, the pear tree spit out a few puny pears but never regained its former glory. It still stands in an empty yard and no one comes to enjoy its fruit. The tree stands as a silent reminder of what once was.

There was era when Pentecostalism seemingly produced fruit without great effort. While sacrifice has always been necessary for productivity in the kingdom of God, churches enjoyed a harvest of fruit without changing methods. Evangelistic centers thrived and services saw sinners at the altar, saints in the pew and glory in the house.

It seems in retrospect that fruit could be easily picked in a culture that embraced faith, one in which ministry was done with passion. Preachers wanted to preach. Pioneers wanted to plant churches.

Challenges then arose and a mentality of “build it and they will come” prevailed, so the church sowed its seeds in buildings and programs. Crises came and a once-spiritual culture embraced secularism, placing a greater emphasis on the “here and now” than the “sweet by and by.” Decline set in, fruit was harder to find and a new millennium arrived. Like the old pear tree, many churches sit today in the field bearing no fruit.

We talk about what once was, about how sweet the taste of the glory was and reminisce about the good old days. We can still taste the fruit, so perhaps as long as we can still remember the taste of what we once had, we can justify its absence.

Pastor Art Greco wrote in The American Church in Crisis: “When faithful Christianity is defined primarily as protecting the truth, insulating our children and surviving the onslaught of competing thoughts, the battle is lost. The church seems to be doing most of its work by competing for members and dollars, hiding behind the skirts of a few carefully selected Scripture verses about purity while burying her head in the sand for fear.”

Somehow the gospel of a bleeding Jesus has turned into the good news of becoming a better you. The negative tones of sin have changed into the positive tunes of developing stronger relationships. The expectation of the return of the King of kings has been replaced with teaching about how to embrace the place where you are. The power of the Holy Spirit has become passion for life.

Somehow, no one seems to miss the fruit. As long as we can still count the barren trees, no one misses the fruit.