Why SASHET is not enough (1)

Why SASHET is not enough (1)
February 11, 2015

In this video, I share about a humiliating experience I had over 50 years ago when I was in 9th grade.  I remember it like it was yesterday!  That experience illustrates why “checking in” with SASHET was initially difficult for me.  See if you identify with my story and share your comments with the rest of us.  Click on the picture below to go to our blog and watch the video.

Many church planters find it difficult to teach about giving.

The Grace of Giving, Part 2

By Jim Carpenter I have received full payment, and more. I am well supplied, having received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent, a fragrant offering, a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God. And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. To our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen. ~ Philippians 4:18-20 (ESV)
READING: Philippians 4:14-20
Many church planters find it difficult to teach about giving. They’re afraid people will misunderstand, and falsely conclude their church is interested only in money. But the Apostle Paul had no such fear. He rejoiced in the grace of giving, gave thanks for his financial supporters, and in the process, taught us all a lot about this spiritual discipline.
Yesterday we looked at two great truths about giving. Here are three more: Third, financial giving is an act of worship. Paul calls their gift “a fragrant offering”and “an acceptable sacrifice” and says it is “pleasing” to God. He is comparing it to the Old Testament sacrifices. Giving is really a way of worshiping God. Done out of a heart of love, it is a statement of the worthiness, greatness and glory of our God.
Fourth, financial giving brings a promise of God’s provision. Verse 19 is one of the most wonderful promises in the New Testament. Like many Bible promises, it is conditional: because the Philippians are giving sacrificially (v. 16) and are “filling Paul full” (v. 18), as a consequence, God will fill them full!
Finally, financial giving is a commitment to God’s glory. Paul ends with a benediction: To our God be glory forever and ever! In the end, the discipline of giving means a life committed to God’s glory above everything.
To God be the glory, great things He has done! Amen. 
Dynamic Church Planting International (DCPI) “Equips Leaders to Plant 5 Million Churches Worldwide

Knowing What to Mentor

ChurchPlants.com

What kind of a legacy will you leave behind you when you move on to another church plant?

Knowing What to Mentor by Ron Thiesen

Knowing What to Mentor

By Ron Thiesen All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may bethoroughly equipped for every good work. ~ II Timothy 3:16, 17
READING: II Timothy 3:10-17
It is apparent in this passage that Paul had known Timothy for a long time and had mentored him from a young age. Timothy had developed a “track record” before Paul. You can never really know “who” a potential leader really is until the circumstances and pressures of life assail him. Then we see things that need to be changed. Though we are only agents of change, we must do our part from within a close relationship to that person.
As we read between the lines, it is clear that Paul mentored Timothy across a broad range of skills and topics, giving him generous doses of both more formal instruction in Scripture and practical experience gained as he traveled with Paul. We observe in Paul also a tender spirit of encouragement to speak to what might have been Timothy’s personal susceptibility to timidity.
On the one hand, Paul exhorts Timothy, saying bracingly: “God did not give us a spirit of timidity . . .” (II Tim. 1:7). But, on the other hand, Paul also gives kindly practical advice: “Stop drinking only water, and use a little wine because of your stomach and your frequent illnesses” (I Tim. 5:23).
Have you developed a relationship with someone in your team or church for whom you are willing to sacrifice your comforts, time, energies and finances to see them grow spiritually? What kind of a legacy will you leave behind you when you move on to another church plant?
Father, Show me who you would have me mentor. Help me to be willing to sacrifice my comforts, time, and finances to see someone else succeed. Amen.
Dynamic Church Planting International (DCPI) “Equips Leaders to Plant 5 Million Churches Worldwide.” Learn more

The Fig Tree Has No Figs

by Chip Brogden

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A growing number of people have come to the conclusion that the social benefits of going to church can no longer compensate for the lack of spiritual life.

“And seeing a fig tree by the road, [Jesus] came to it and found nothing on it but leaves, and said to it, ‘Let no fruit grow on you ever again.’ Immediately the fig tree withered away” (Mt. 21:19).
People are tired of going to fig trees that promise fruit, but offer a hungry person nothing but leaves to eat. They’ve been eating leaves or chewing on bark, but there is no fruit, no sustenance, no nourishment. One day they wake up and say, “No more.  Whatever this place used to mean to me, whatever purpose it used to serve in my life, this place no longer represents the Lord Jesus.  I can’t fully explain it, and I don’t completely understand why or how, but the religion of church is hindering my relationship with the Lord and it is time for me to leave.”
You do find two groups of believers in the Book of Revelation who were doing well, who received no rebuke, only praise from the Lord; only two out of seven that He expressed satisfaction with.  Before you begin to think that your church is one that Jesus is satisfied with, let me tell you one thing both these had in common: both of them were suffering persecution.  Isn’t it interesting how persecution has a way of re-arranging your priorities?  Isn’t it amazing how the only two that Jesus was completely satisfied with were the two that were going through deep affliction and persecution? Persecution brings adjustment. It brings a sense of eternal purpose.
I had a ministry to burned out pastors when I was still working for a denomination. What a great ministry; there’s never any lack of burned out pastors. I would take over their pulpit for one or two Sundays and give them a break so they could take some time off, spend time with their families, go get counseling, or do whatever they needed to do but couldn’t take time to do because they were so consumed with running their church. That opened my eyes to a lot of things.
I remember getting a call from a pastor of a medium-sized church, and he wanted to take me to dinner. I agreed to meet him because I was flattered, and I was really looking forward to it because he was someone I considered “successful.” His church was growing, they had a nice building, he drove a nice car and had nice clothes. I was struggling with all those things so this man was someone I kind of looked up to. I was hoping I could get some words of wisdom or some ideas that would help me become as successful as he was.
So we met for dinner and things are going well. He seems friendly and I am just on the verge of asking him, “What is the secret to your success?” The words were on the tip of my tongue, and then this pastor broke down right in front me. His personal life was a mess, his church was a mess, and he wanted me to take over his services for a couple of weeks so he and his wife could take some time off and put their marriage back together. I nodded and listened but inside I was thinking, “My God! Here I am looking to this man as an example of success, and he is a nervous wreck.” And that meeting taught me something.  I learned not to judge success by the outward appearance of things. I saw that pastors are just as clueless as anyone else, but they have to convince themselves and everyone around them that they really have it all together.  Most of the time they do not, and you can only be a hypocrite for so long before the whole things takes its toll on you.
I like to teach, and I have a heart for pastors.  If it were up to me I would probably be working with burned out pastors. But God had something else in mind. “Leave them alone, Chip – they are blind leaders of the blind, and if the blind lead the blind, they will both fall in the ditch.” And God showed me that until a blind leader falls into a ditch, they cannot be healed.  He can’t have his eyes opened until he realizes he is blind and has no business trying to lead others. My efforts to help them by taking over their pulpit for a week or two was like treating cancer with a band-aid.
Pastors aren’t bad people. Pastors, for the most part, are good people who become trapped in a bad system. It’s the religious system that is at fault. Yet this religious system was created by people – well-intentioned, good-hearted people who thought they were doing something for God. And now this thing called “Churchianity” has become a monster, a grotesque creation of our own hands, and now we can’t control it; IT controls us. It masters us, all the while tricking us into thinking that when we serve IT then we are serving God. The work of the Lord becomes more important than the Lord of the Work.
How far we have fallen from the days when people could look at disciples of Jesus and would notice that they had been with Him. They had been with Jesus. Now we look at religious folk dressed up and going out to eat lunch on Sunday and all we can say of them is that they have been to church.

TOP 10 IDEAS FOR A GREAT FIRST SMALL GROUP

Top 10 Ideas for a Great First Group Meeting

Mark Howell gives great tips for making your first small group meeting simple and effective.

Any time you’re starting a new small group, a great first meeting is very important.  I include these ideas on a simple handout inside every new leader packet.

1. Be sure and refer to the ABCs of a Great Start for Your Connection Group for important tips on making sure your group members come to the meeting.
2. Plenty of food goes a long way in making your first meeting a relaxed time together.  But…make it easy for everyone to bring something.  You might be tempted to supply it all, but don’t.  Asking each person to bring something to the first meeting helps ensure turnout.
3. Encourage everyone to come a little early and plan on “grabbing a bite together.”  There isn’t a one-size-fits-all prescription, but allow at least 30 minutes hangout and eat together time (i.e., if you’re meeting begins at 7:00 p.m., plan on hanging out until 7:30 p.m.).
4. It’s a good idea to have an icebreaker or two in your pocket for the hangout time.  While it definitely helps to have a plate with food on it and a cup with something to drink in it, it’s still a little unnerving for many to have first conversations.  Here are a few “while we’re eating questions”:  (a) Where did you grow up?  (b) Are you from this area?  (c) If you could live anywhere, where would you live?  Why?
5. Give everyone a 5 minute warning that “we’re about to move into the living room and get started.”  When you get settled, let everyone know that “we’re just going to use tonight as a way of getting to know each other a little better.”
6. This is a great time to ask a few “get-to-know-me” questions: (a) Would you describe yourself as more of an extrovert or an introvert?  Give an example.  (b) Would you describe yourself as a structured, “just settle it” kind of person?  Or more of a play it by ear type?  (c) Are you a hugger?  Or a non-hugger?
7. How about a little more info:  (a) What motivated you to sign up for this group?  (b) What are you most hopeful you’ll gain as a result of being in the group?  (b) What are you most afraid of (in terms of the group)?
8. This is a great time to talk over the Life Group Agreement.  No commitments required.  Nobody’s signing anything.  Just a good way to get values and expectations on the table.  Simply read over the values and reconfirm expectations.
9. Distribute copies of the study you will begin at your next meeting.  Collect any payment that your group members have ready.  Ask any who were unprepared to bring payment next time. (Important: If there is anyone in your group that cannot afford to pay, we have a way to help.)
10. Pray to close the meeting.  Make it really simple.  Ask, “Is there anything we can be praying about for you personally?  There may be times when we pray for those who aren’t part of the group, but today, let’s keep prayer requests focused on just group members.”  Write down any prayer requests.  Close with a very simple prayer.

CLOSE YOUR CHURCH FOR GOD

Close Your Church for Good

By Jeremy Myers

I’m writing a book called Close Your Church for Good. The goal of the book is to help churches and pastors move themselves and their congregations in a missional direction that will help them live and operate according to the principles of the Kingdom of God.
In Close your Church for Good, I don’t want your church to shut down and cease to exist; I want to it to rise up and be all that Jesus intends.
When will the book be out? Well, my current word count is 50,000 words, and I am about 2/3 done. But I am running into problems on some of the later chapters, so… who knows how long it will take to finish…

But you don’t have to wait!

I am actually writing this book online. I make 3-4 posts per week which are based on the content of the book. While the final edition will not be exactly like these posts, the posts still provide the general idea and thought flow of the book.
In other words, whether I get the book published or not, you can still read a rough version of it right here on the Till He Comes blog.

Why am I posting the book online?

For several reasons.
First, free is the new business model. Besides, I am not an established author, and I already have a job, so why not give the content away for free?
Second, am I crazy? I have some fairly extreme ideas for how a church can become more missional, and I really desire reader feedback. So as you read the section, please comment and interact, even if you disagree. If you think I’m crazy or have completely lost my senses, tell me! If, however, you think that other people need to hear what I’m writing about, you don’t necessarily need to tell me, but please tell them!
Third, books and blogs are getting connected. If/when the book gets published, I will have a ready-made place to send the readers if they want to ask me a question, or interact with other readers.
Fourth, blogs are sometimes better than books. I can do things on a blog post that I cannot do in a paper book. Like lots of pictures, for example. To see what I mean, check out this post about church buildings. There is no way I could put those pictures in the typical book.
Finally, I am a book lover. As such, I have always wished that all books were free. I used to have a sign that hung in my study which said, “If grace is free, why are Christian books so expensive?” While I don’t believe that all authors should offer all their books for free, I still think that all authors would benefit from making more of their stuff available for free.

So where can you start reading?

I thought about listing ALL of the posts in the entire book right here. But then I realized that this would be about 200 posts. Nobody wants to look through that.
So I decided to arrange the posts like a book. Think of this post as the Table of Contents.
Below are the chapters in Close Your Church for Good. Each link goes to another page, which contains a ordered list of all the posts that were made from that chapter. If you read straight through them, you will get the basic content of the chapter.
Enjoy!

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Close Your Church for Good

Table of Contents

Introduction

1. The Satanic Church
2. Faith of the Fallen
3. The Church Must Die
4. Cancel your Church Service
5. Cut All Church Programs
6. Sell Your Church Building
7. Resign as Pastor
8. Down with Preaching
9. Discard the Doctrinal Statement
10. Let Prayer Meetings Cease
11. Enough with Evangelism
12. Pass on the Offering Plate
13. Give Up Your Rites
14. Give Up Your Rights
15. To Hell with the Church

Epilogue: Fixing Our Eyes on Jesus

Look Inside The Secret House Churches in China

Mari Kita melihat rahasia gereja rumah yang ada di Cina. Bagaimana umat Tuhan menyembah DIA dengan segenap hati...segenap kekuatan....dalam keberadaan mereka yang sederhana....Gereja bukan masalah tempat atau gedung dan fasilitas yang nyaman tetapi kesungguhan mencari Tuhan. Mengucap syukur selalu atas setiap berkat yang Tuhan berikan bagi kita.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rxX2_D11qBw&feature=player_embedded#!

Sheperding on your knees

“Pastor, your note arrived at a time when we were really hurting."

Shepherding on Your Knees by Jim Carpenter

Shepherding on Your Knees

By Jim Carpenter I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers . . . ~ Ephesians 1:16
READING: Ephesians 1:14-23
“Pastor, your note arrived at a time when we were really hurting. I miscarried that week – nobody even knew we were pregnant – and it was such a comfort to know that you were praying for us.”
That’s what a young wife in my church said to me after my week of praying for her family. I had no idea she and her husband were going through a crisis, but God did. And my commitment to pray regularly for the families in my congregation was a source of encouragement and strength when they needed it.
As a church grows, how do you continue to “shepherd” them? You will need to share the pastoral care with others – home group leaders, pastoral staff, or elders.
But the senior pastor can continue to help shepherd his people – on his knees. I learned this from the Apostle Paul, who loved to pray for the Christians that were part of his church planting network. Often he included a summary of his prayers in the letters he wrote to those churches. (See Philippians 1:9 – 11;Colossians 1:9 – 12; II Thessalonians 1:11, 12).
Each week I send personal notes to four church families, letting them know I’ll be praying for them in the following week. I invite them to contact me with any requests they might have. My secretary makes sure I pray for all our people twice a year, and adds new families as they become regular attenders.
God has given me the privilege of systematically interceding for the people of my congregation. Knowing that I’m praying is a constant assurance that I love them and that their Heavenly Father loves them even more.
Father, Thank you for blessing me with the precious families in my church. Show me how to pray for them. Amen.

FROM THE FRONT LINES

Hello Friends The link below if for the Asian Harvest April Newsletter from Paul & Joy Hattaway and the article "From the Front Lines" is very worthwhile in understanding cross cultural mission. We would encourage you to take the few moments required and give it a read! The piece covers a large area and includes a quote from Rolland Allan, "Foreigners can never successfully direct the propagations of any faith throughout a whole country. If the faith does not become naturalized and expand among the people by its own vital power, it exercises an alarming and hateful influence and men fear and shun it a something alien." http://asiaharvest.org/pages/newsletters/114-April2012-TheAsianWorkersFund.pdf We also want to let you know that "The Luke 10 Manual" is now available as a free PDF download from out website, www.harvest-now.org , in English, German, Dutch, French, Russian, Spanish, Kyrgyz and Bulgarian. The English version is available in hard copy from lulu by clicking on the picture of the book and the Dutch version is available in hard copy from amazon.de . Please help us get the word out that these various versions are available. Would you consider helping us print the Burmese and the Urdu versions which are now being translated? Every blessing Steve www.harvest-now.org

The LAST-DAY CHURCH

NOTE from ANDREW: The Bible declares in both Joel and Acts that in the Last Days, God's Spirit will be poured out upon "all flesh". And yet many today say there is "no hope" for the church in the Last Days - and that it is "only apostasy" that can be expected. Below is what David Wilkerson wrote on this topic before he died. We would appreciate your comments, my friends. The LAST-DAY CHURCH -David Wilkerson. I believe God´s vision for His last-day church is based on His revealed Word-because the Bible clearly outlines what the church of Jesus Christ will be like just prior to His coming. The church in America is far from what God envisioned it to be. For the most part, entire denominations today operate without the Holy Spirit. They are devoid of the presence of Jesus and bankrupt of all spiritual gifts. They practice a form of religion without any power, conviction or saving message. They are cozy with the world and are more political than spiritual. They appease sin, wink at divorce and ridicule the supernatural, while tossing aside all teaching about heaven, hell, repentance and judgment. The New Testament church made devils tremble! It drove legions of demons into the abyss, prayed prison doors open, made rulers cringe in fear. Those early believers had such faith and power that cripples rose up leaping and beggars became evangelists. They believed in the supernatural and they opened blind eyes, unstopped deaf ears and healed all manner of diseases. They even raised the dead! I am not saying God´s last-day church will be a repeat or copy of the first-century church. No-I am saying it will be even greater than that! It will be mightier, stronger, with an ever greater revelation of Jesus. It will have greater unction from the Spirit than ever- greater even than at Pentecost! God always saves His best wine for last! The prophet Daniel confirms this. He said that certain prophetic truths were locked up, only to be revealed in the last days: "For the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end. . . . And none of the wicked shall understand, but the wise shall understand" (Daniel 12:9-10). Today the Holy Spirit is revealing these things to spiritual, discerning saints! "It is written: `Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things that God has prepared for those who love Him.´ But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God" (1 Corinthians 2:9-10). The Lord is preparing a powerful yet humble army of shepherds after His own heart and also a remnant congregation of hungry sheep who have turned away from the deadness and sin of the modern church. The scene is being set for that church which will be hot, not lukewarm-and it will rock the very foundations of hell. No power on earth will be able to ignore or despise it! -Please comment on this topic at the following website- http://www.johnthebaptisttv.com/

CRUCIFIED WITH CHRIST

"I have been crucified with Christ;
it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me."
GALATIANS 2:20

Paul says that even though he was crucified, he lives. Does Paul
mean to say that he was raised from the dead with Jesus also? If
so, why have we not heard about this before now? Finally he says he
is not really living at all, but Christ lives in him. To the
natural mind, of course, this all sounds very strange. This is why
we must discern spiritual things spiritually.

It should be obvious that Paul is talking about something other
than a physical crucifixion and a physical death, burial, and
resurrection. Although he says, "I was crucified with Christ" he
does not mean that he was present with Christ in the flesh at the
moment of crucifixion; instead, he intends to show us something
much more profound.

We will soon discover that this experience of being crucified with
Christ is not unique to the apostle Paul, but is true of every
born-again child of God. Not only Paul, but all disciples of Jesus
have been crucified with Christ.

TEMPLES MADE BY MEN

"God does not live in temples made by man." ACTS 17:24 ESV

We are not zealous for the establishment of any earthly nation, but for a heavenly nation of kings and priests (Revelation 5:10). We are not praying for the building of a physical temple, but a spiritual temple, a house of living stones, of which Jesus Christ is the Cornerstone, Builder and Architect. We are not looking for the appearance of an earthly Messiah, but a Heavenly Messiah, Who is building His Ekklesia upon the earth; we are not of the earth. This is not our home, for we are from above. Though in the world, we are not of it. We will not eat its meat or drink its wine, and we will not bow down to its idols. Though we live in the shadow of Babylon, we are not afraid of its fiery furnace or its den of lions, for our God is able to deliver us.

The heavens do rule. We affirm it boldly and confidently, regardless of appearances to the contrary. The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory belongs to God (Matthew 6:13) - not man, not the devil, not the nations of this world.

THE EKKLESIA UNDERGROUND

"In due season we shall reap..."
GALATIANS 6:9

The good news is that even if the Ekklesia has been underground, it is still growing and developing. When the season is right it will burst forth and once again those who have eyes to see will indeed discern the blade, the head, and the full grain in the head. In fact the blades have already broken ground in several places and we are even beginning to see some grain taking shape. If you have traced the recovery of the Heavenly Order so far then you know there have been many obstacles and hindrances to God's Will over the last six thousand years or so of the history of mankind.

So far God has defeated everything that rose up to challenge His Purpose in Christ. Not only has He defeated it, but He has actually used evil to bring about good and further increase His Son. The Scriptures provide us with every expectation and assurance that God will continue to do the same with our generation. He is very much an active part of world affairs, whether they be secular or sacred.

No Argument Necessary

"While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself drew near and went with them. But their eyes were kept from recognizing him." LUKE 24:15,16 ESV

You see that Christ is revealed or hidden from men as He so desires. So many professed disciples of the Lord Jesus fail to recognize Him.

Even His closest disciples are prone to doubt and unbelief. After the resurrection, Thomas declared, "I will not believe unless I see the scars and put my hand into the wound in His side." When Jesus therefore appeared to them He did not argue or try to convince Thomas. He simply said, "Look! See My hands and My feet!" When Thomas saw the Lord, he spontaneously cried out, "My Lord, and my God!" This is revelation. Revelation does not require any arguing or convincing, as if it all depends on how well we can make a defense of the Gospel. I see no argument in the Lord Jesus, I only see Him. Seeing Him, I am convinced, and no argument is necessary.

THE STAINED GLASS BARRIER

PRESENT TRENDS BACK TO SIMPLE CHURCH



From the sanctuaries to the streets . . . doing the works of Jesus wherever we find a need.



As we read through the life of Jesus in the New Testament it is difficult to find him organizing a religious gathering or an evangelistic meeting, or any kind of meeting. It seems that all of his large meetings, such as the feeding of the five thousand or the multitudes that gathered on the shores of the Sea of Galilee all took place more or less spontaneously as crowds would gather to hear what he was saying and to be healed of their diseases.



Jesus sometimes spoke in the synagogues on the Sabbath. Once he sent out the seventy, two by two, into the towns and cities where he himself would come later. He arranged for the final meal with his disciples, but aside from that, most of his earthly ministry took place as he walked among the people, taught them, and met their needs as he moved about in the ordinary events of daily life.



Jesus’ strategy was to go where the people were; to see the needs and minister to those needs. We find him healing a man at the Pool of Siloam as he walked by and saw his need. We see him feeding the hungry, ministering, teaching in the Temple, teaching on the streets, at the beach, in a synagogue or on a mountainside.



Once as he sat near a well waiting for the disciples to return with food for lunch he spoke the word of life to a woman of Samaria who had come to draw water. This resulted in making a trip to her town where so many people were listening and receiving his word that he stayed in that town two whole days preaching the Kingdom of God.



Nicodemus came to him at night seeking to know who he was and Jesus shared with him the message of salvation. It was to Nicodemus that Jesus spoke the most life changing sentence ever uttered, "For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life." (John 3:16)



As he walked along a crowded road one day he saw Zaccheus, a man small of stature, who had climbed a tree to get a better look at Jesus as he passed by. Jesus invited him to come down from the tree and as they ate a meal together Jesus led him out of his darkness into the light of life. Zaccheus became a different man right on the spot!



He healed Peter’s mother-in-law of a fever when he arrived at their house for a meal. She immediately arose from her bed of affliction and began to serve them.



Jesus' primary ministry was spontaneous responses to the needs of people as he walked through each day. In every place where he found people in need, he met that need in the power of the Holy Spirit.



At the age of seventeen, when I first started going to church, it was a tremendous challenge to learn "church talk." The King James Bible was the only Bible people used in those days in West Texas. Everybody prayed using King James language. It was unthinkable to address God in our prayers as "you." To be respectful we had to use "thee" and "thou." Then there was "wouldst" and "couldst" and "whence" and "hither" and "whither" and "thither." I finally got used to it but it took me a while.



Then I had another problem, I was finding it difficult to talk to people about spiritual things when I was not in a church setting; to talk about Jesus to people at work or to my friends who did not know Jesus was a huge leap of faith for me!



Then, the day came when I knew God was calling me to preach! The thought that I was to stand up on a stage behind a pulpit and speak formally to a lot of people through a microphone was the scariest thing I could imagine! At age seventeen, the first time I had to do that, I became physically ill as I sat on the platform awaiting my time to talk. I almost vomited on stage right there in front of the congregation, but somehow I got through the ordeal. It was only a three - minute talk on "Youth Night" at our church, but it was a major challenge for me!



From the time I was a very small boy, I was always very shy and quiet around people. The fear of man was on me something awful for as long as I can remember! But I went off to Bible College and finally learned how to bring formal teachings from the pulpit and how to lead in prayer in a public meeting. But in spite of the curious language we always used as we preached and prayed in church, somehow I learned how to witness to unsaved people one on one.



But something was still missing. It was not the spontaneous, unplanned kinds of things that Jesus did in his ministry. All our evangelistic and teaching ministries had to be planned well in advance so that we could be well prepared and most of our evangelistic efforts were inside the four walls of a church building. I was still not trained to always be ready to minister healing to the sick or do the other things Jesus did such as, speak a word of wisdom, a word of knowledge, a word of prophecy or rebuke the devil as I went about my daily routine. That was all in another realm of ministry that I learned to move in later on, but at the time, I trembled to even think about it.


Recently God has given me a way to move toward the Jesus kind of spontaneous ministry. It is by praying daily with another believer the Divine Appointment Prayer: "Father, give us a divine appointment today with someone who is hungry for God, or sick, or in need, and give us the grace to minister the love of Jesus in the power of the Holy Spirit." God is answering that prayer for us and I am encouraging people everywhere to find a partner and pray that prayer together daily in person or by phone. It is exciting what God will do in answer to that simple prayer of agreement! "If any two of you on earth shall agree as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them by my Father in heaven." - Jesus





Robert Fitts
76-6309 Haku Pl
Kona, HI 96740
robertjoni@gmail.com
www.robertfitts.com


A Declaration of Unity
I belong to everything that belongs to Jesus and everything that belongs to Jesus belongs to me! It's not us and them. It's just us! There's only one Body of Christ, and the problems of the church, the whole church, are our problems, for we are the church and we can do more united than we can do divided! So let's unify, simplify, and multiply!

Divine Appointment Prayer
Father, give me a divine appointment today with someone who is hungry for God, or sick, or in need, and give me grace to minister the love of Jesus in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Winning the War on Terror by Prayer
Father, give every terrorist an encounter with Jesus such as Paul had on the road to Damascus.

Living to Give
Father, make me a generous giver today! Show me where to give and what to give, and let all my giving bring glory to the name of Jesus.

Grace, YES! Law, NO!
Law demands, demands, demands
But gives me neither feet nor hands
Grace and Truth are better things
They bid me fly and give me wings

Do you miss church?

Some thoughts from Karla


Dear Friends,


For those of you who are "outside the camp"...

How many times do you catch yourself missing the things that "church" offers?

Especially this time of year, with the holidays approaching, it can be a lonely time for some who used to go to church.

Do you miss the singing, praise and worship, Women's ministry, Men's ministry, potluck dinners, preaching, tithing/giving, children's ministries, even listening to people giving "prophetic words" (just to name a few).

Ask yourself a question...

Are the "things" that I miss really ministering to the LORD or to ME?

Really look deep into yourself and ask this question.

"Church" for the most part gives you the mindset of Martha. Busy little Martha, trying to minister to others, much serving, and even fulfilling her own need to be needed; maybe even fulfilling a desire to be in charge (because she thought Mary should be doing more to help her).

How many of you can remember working your butt off in churches thinking, "Why isn't everyone else working as hard as me?"

But we see Mary is sitting at the feet of Jesus, ministering to Him.

A lot of people write in and ask us what it means or looks like to minister to the Lord. I always picture Mary sitting quietly at Jesus' feet. She has no other person on her mind or any concerns other than sitting at His feet and listening, talking, sharing, and loving the Lord Jesus while He is right there in front of her.

Did she do this 24/7? No, of course not. Jesus went on with what His Father had Him to do, and Mary went on to do her daily things that needed to be done. But remember that she did take time out to sit at His feet and Jesus said this is what is needed.

So when you start to miss the things you once enjoyed so much in "church", remember where the Lord has brought you. Do not be like the children of Israel who always complained and wanted to go back to Egypt, thinking you had it better in "church".

There is a reason and a purpose for bringing you out. Let the Lord guide you in this new walk. Let Him teach you His ways - which are far better then your ways or the church's ways. And remember that the main lesson is: He will increase and I will decrease. This process is not an easy one but you have to go through it!


In Him,

Karla Brogden
http://www.TheSchoolOfChrist.Org

Chinese House Churches Raided, Two Foreign Pastors Missing

Chinese House Churches Raided, Two Foreign Pastors Missing

By Dan Wooding
Founder of ASSIST Ministries

SICHUAN/HENAN, CHINA (ANS) -- ChinaAid (www.ChinaAid.org) has told the ASSIST News Service that on Sunday, September 26, 2010, Youqing Church in Qu County, Da Prefecture, Sichuan province, China, was raided by the local police.

"Objects were smashed, books were confiscated and people were taken to the local police station," said a ChinaAid spokesperson. "Their family members were requested to pay money to bail out the detainees.

"On September 29th at 5 p.m. local time, four of the church members attempted to negotiate with Sichuan police in hopes of having their confiscated belongings returned to them in accordance with law. Instead, they were arrested on the spot."

ChinaAid is also reporting that a raid was conducted on Wednesday,September 22, 2010, at around 4 p.m on the Mid-Autumn Festival Day where a house church meeting in Wancheng District, Nanyang City, Henan province ,was invaded and all who were present, except for one elderly woman, were arrested.

"Two foreign pastors present at the meeting, one from the United States and one from Russia, were detained and so was their translator," said the spokesperson. "During the arrests, one member of the church, Ma Hanzhong, was beaten. The whereabouts of the two foreign instructors are unknown. The officials of Henan province have threatened to sentence the detained believers to re-education through labor."

In both of these critical cases, ChinaAid calls for worldwide attention and advocacy on behalf of those in need.

"We encourage Christians to stand with the persecuted and continue to pray for them," added the ChinaAid spokesperson.

Now THAT's a Community Church

Now THAT's a Community Church

by Gerald Harris www.christianindex.org

I think it is important to look at the following story, not as a model, but as an encouragement towards obedience from a community of God's people. We are watching God do many things through His people and there is a divine shift going on that will impact all systems and methods. At the same time we are witnessing the Lord making it clear that it is not about the system or structure, He wants to be All and in all, whether it is in a church building, business, or home. It is all about Him, and about the people He desires to touch for His glory. Be ready to do His will in ways that go beyond any religious or systematic box....... Robert Ricciardelli
If you're frustrated with leading your congregation and need a reminder of why you love the body of Christ, you'll want to hear the inspiring story of what's happening at Rolling Hills Baptist Church in Fayetteville, Ga.
Last year the congregation of no more than 100 people was a mere $150,000 away from paying off their $1.4 million property. Their pastor, Frank Mercer, had come from a megachurch in Charlotte, N.C., and envisioned replicating the numerical growth he'd seen there. Naturally, everyone thought that after fully paying off their buildings and 20-acre plot, they'd pat themselves on the back and move on to "bigger and better" ministry.
They have … only in a way few churches are willing to do. On October 5, 2008, with a reeling economy hitting their community hard, the congregation voted overwhelmingly to sell the church property and invest all proceeds into what they believe really matters: people.
“Our motive should not be to fill these seats, but to empty these seats,” Mercer has often stated to a profoundly unified and supportive congregation. But he admits it has taken a transformational journey to embrace a mindset that would rather see local families with roofs over their heads and food on the table rather than the church having a better sound system.
“We had long been considering how to best maximize ministry and missions resources by reducing operating costs," Mercer says. "But the idea of leveraging the value of our buildings and property so that we could begin to invest more deeply in people rather than property still seemed far-fetched.”
After a season in which God prompted the pastor to research more on the idea of a "church without walls," Mercer visited a small congregation in New York making a difference in their community by serving the homeless, hungry, sick and lost. When asked about future plans to purchase property, the church's pastor, Tom Richter, responded with a statement Mercer couldn't shake: "If we become a church of brick and mortar, we may cease to be a church of flesh and blood.”
Mercer returned to Georgia and gradually shared with others what he believed was God's new vision for the church. Within only a few months, 95 percent of the congregation agreed: It didn't make sense for them to spend more than 50 percent of the church budget on a building that sat unoccupied for 90 percent of the time. Rolling Hills members have since become regulars in serving a local homeless shelter, children's home and various other community projects. Once the building is sold, they are considering either renting or building a warehouse-like structure where they could meet for services while also storing clothes and food for distribution.
“At our church we’ve tried to keep up with the Joneses for too long," Mercer admits now. "Churches buy property and build buildings to expand the club and improve the clubhouse. We suffer from steeple envy. We work to attract guests. And the church that has the most people who give the most money wins. We’re tired of playing that game. We no longer want to be like everybody else. And that is not to say that everybody should be like us either. This model is not for everybody."
[ajc.com, 7/28/09; christianindex.org, 12/4/08]