ThinkingInColor

Strong doctrinal teaching drove early oneness Pentecostalism.  To be sure, our beginnings celebrated the spiritual gifts of the book of Acts, but the passion of early twentieth century Apostolics soon solidified around theology.  Their focus incorporated the spiritual experiences, and later expanded to include revelatory teaching on such topics as the oneness of God, baptism, salvation, a holiness lifestyle and the rapture of the church.  The scripture so often quoted then was Acts 2:42, “And they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.” 

It is fair to say, then, that if we lessen our emphasis on the very thing that brought us into being, we stand to lose our apostolic distinctives.  Oneness Pentecostals offer a unique message which mainline Christianity does not preach, and without it there is little cause for us to clutter up the denominational landscape.  I contend that the surest way to remain strong and viable is for us to continue making apostolic doctrine a staple ingredient in our preaching and teaching. 

First, I acknowledge that much of the preaching and teaching of the past was framed in an adversarial mindset.  Clear differences existed between us and the majority of the church world, especially concerning such doctrines as trinitarianism, water baptism, speaking in tongues, a holiness lifestyle, unconditional eternal security and other teachings.  The approach of many pioneer apostolic preachers was to gear up for combat and wade into the battle wielding the sword of the Spirit.  Anything that even looked “funny” was to be targeted and destroyed.  Unfortunately, this earned us a negative reputation and we were impugned with the catchphrase that “doctrine divides.”

Slogans aside, it is patently absurd to think that the church can survive without strong doctrine.  We might sooner believe that we should stop breathing air and drinking water because of widespread pollution.  No.  Life depends on these two commodities being freely accessible in abundance.  The answer is to filter the air and water, not stop their consumption.  Neither can we eliminate doctrine simply because, generally speaking, doctrine is looked at as toxic.  To negate doctrine is to render the Bible null and void.  In fact, the only legitimate reason for a local church to exist is to preach and teach Bible doctrine!  Whatever else a church may be or whatever additional service it may provide, if it does not fulfill its core purpose, it is a sham.

In an effort to become all things to all people, the modern church has come dangerously close to losing its identity.  It has become a social club, a therapist’s office, a concert hall, a coffee klatch, a reading room, a recreational facility, a community gathering place, a weight-loss clinic, a second-hand clothing store, a lecture classroom and a baby-sitting facility.  The pulpit has become a dispenser of positive mental attitudes, an advocate for social reforms, a forum for political positions, a source for mental health advice and a host of other contemporary causes.  The sad fact is that many of these purposes do have tangential value to the church, but too often they have replaced its core mission.  Apostolic concentrate has been filtered through trendy ideas until its derivatives have limped out of the process stripped of life-changing power and depleted of truth.  Revitalization must take place and it will only happen by returning to preaching and teaching the apostles’ doctrine.  But, what is the best way to carry out this vital purpose? 

Communicate doctrine as the answer to life’s questions.  Answering questions that nobody is asking is the surest pathway to boredom and irrelevance.  Doctrine becomes supremely relevant to listeners, however, when the teacher shows how the truths of the Bible meet present problems.  For example, declaring the oneness of God through the context of ancient pagan philosophies holds little value for those caught up in today’s culture.  Put into the context of who to pray to, however, suddenly makes sense to frazzled, twenty-first century minds.  The point is that doctrine doesn’t exist alone in a sterile, impassive state, having no connection to the realities that people face in everyday life.  Every doctrine has stark, intense relevance to some aspect of the human condition.  People will not shrug their shoulders to doctrine when it is presented as a satisfying answer to a dilemma that they face on a daily basis.  The teacher doesn’t have to create the need.  It is already there.  All he has to do is find it and fill it with true doctrine. 

Communicate doctrine as close to literal Bible interpretation as is possible.  Those who revere the Bible as the Word of God need to beware of the flood of translations now on the market.  Many of these translations take unwarranted liberty with scriptures, daring even to alter verses that succinctly state fundamental doctrine.  When it comes to doctrine, I believe we must reject any translation or interpretation that changes the original intent into something considered more palatable or interesting.  Once a teacher deviates from the original Word, there is no end to the changes that may be made.  Moreover, use Greek sparingly, and only to enhance your message.  The language of the people remains the most convincing and powerful medium for preaching. 

Communicate doctrine as a statement of truth, not as a weapon to kill.  I cringe when I hear preachers proclaim true doctrine with a hateful, malicious spirit.  All the good they accomplish with one hand gets torn down with the other.  When they call certain denominations out by name, when they ridicule people who hold incorrect views or when they deny the sincerity of individuals’ faith in God, irreparable harm is done before the truth ever gets a chance to take root and grow.  “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.”  John 3:16-17.

Communicate doctrine in a spirit of humility, not arrogance.  In an unfortunate slice of pop culture, the Mohammed Ali quote “It’s hard to be humble when you are as great as I am,” has resonated and been repeated by many celebrities.  It is far worse, however, for truth proclaimers to adopt this prideful attitude.  Our preaching and teaching of doctrinal truth must always be predicated upon sincere gratitude for the revelation.  Note that Jesus did not commend Simon Peter for his superior intelligence when he identified Jesus as “the Christ, the Son of the Living God.”  Rather, Jesus called it a divine revelation, not a triumph of human wisdom.  Nothing is more insufferable than an arrogant man.  When you deliver doctrine in humility, it has a much greater chance to be accepted.

Communicate doctrine with thorough documentation and research, not tired clichés.  It is very easy to fall back on old outlines from the past when dealing with doctrine.  The trouble is that it fails to inspire.  Invigorate your presentation with different verses, perspectives of other Apostolic scholars and fresh illustrations.  The Bible can handle as much research as you are willing to invest in it.  Also, there may be people in the audience who have questioning minds and are not satisfied with the same old same old.  Anticipate the arguments to any points you want to make and prepare scriptural answers to counter them.  No Bible preacher or teacher should be outdone in backing up his own contentions.  Alistair Begg said, “Think yourself dry, read yourself full, write yourself clear, and pray yourself hot.” I would add, preach yourself empty! 

  I will summarize this piece by stating this as emphatically as I can:  If you are not preaching and teaching doctrine on a regular basis, you are not fulfilling your call!  Doctrine is not an unnecessary appendage from the past.  It is not taught simply to placate the old heads who still populate your church.  It is not an optional course of study that can be presented as an elective series.  It is not intended just for those who savor deep theological studies.  It needs to be taught to all; made plain enough for the simple, made understandable enough for the young, made strong enough for the wavering and made sweet enough for the faithful.  I can say this no stronger than the Apostle John:

“Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son.  If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed: For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds.” 2 John 1:9-11.

Geometry always made more sense to me than any other branch of mathematics.  I’m weird, I know, but in the tenth grade, I fell in love with triangles, parallelograms, squares and proofs.  Little did I realize, however, that there was any connection between geometry and morality.  But this past week which brought us news of our president “evolving” to a new position on same-sex marriage suddenly brought back to me some fundamentals of geometry.  The more I thought about it, the scarier it became.  

Briefly, the point, or a particular location in space, is the basic component of geometry.  The line is the shortest distance between two fixed points.  It has a beginning and an ending which makes it finite.  A line is predictable, definable and enclosed.  A vector is the same as a line except that it has a fixed point on one end but stretches out to infinity on the other.  It is unpredictable, indefinable and open.  End of geometry lesson. 

Some would say that the president drew a line that started with heterosexual marriage and ended with homosexual marriage, a simple shifting of the definition of marriage from one point to another.  “Not to worry,” they say.  “We’re going to be fine.  We’ve just evolved to a more inclusive, more sensitive, more understanding position that truly reflects the reality of human nature.  Everything will go on as before, only better for everyone.” 

Not so fast, I say.  It may have started with the marriage between a man and a woman, but I do not believe it will end with the marriage between two men or two women.  No, Mr. President.  You did not draw a line.  You drew the front end of a vector, and you have no idea of where it will end.  Strictly speaking, you did not begin the vector.  It began long before your administration.  Your announcement, however, gave legitimacy and momentum to the GLBT agenda, and opened a Pandora’s box.  Things will never be the same. 

To prove my point (no pun intended), let’s look at the homosexual agenda as it began and has now cut a swath through the highest office in the land.  I remember the Life Magazine story in the 1960’s about the homosexual movement as it began in the San Francisco area.  Photos of gay men sitting together and appearing in what was then considered very effeminate dress and poses ignited a firestorm of debate.  San Francisco became the symbolic home of the new, liberated lifestyle, but it was not contained there.  It was a subculture in the modern era that suddenly burst into the open. 

Take note of the progress.  My timeline might be off, but, essentially, the developments followed this path.  More homosexuals came out of the closet.  The DSM-II, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders dropped homosexuality as a mental disorder.  The public school curriculum began to include sex education with specific teaching and information about homosexuality as normal behavior.  In many states and communities civil rights laws were specifically worded to ban discrimination against gay citizens.  Hollywood movies and television shows began to include gay men and women as characters in their productions.  Now, plots and themes revolve around the plight of homosexuals. The military adopted a policy of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” to create space for homosexuals.  Some states passed laws to allow homosexuals to get married.  The list goes on.  At any one of these junctures, a point could have been fixed to mark the end of the line.  It wasn’t and it won’t.  It’s not a line.  It’s a vector.  

Gay marriage is not the end of a line of developments; it is only the current point through which the vector is now moving.  What’s ahead?  Enforced hiring policies which will require churches and religious institutions to hire homosexual employees?  A ban on speaking against homosexuality from pulpits or in media outlets?  States revoking ministerial licenses to perform marriages if such clergy will not consent to marry gay couples?  Quotas of homosexual teachers, guidance counselors, doctors and nurses (if Obamacare survives), boy scout and girl scoutmasters, sports coaches and all other institutions or associations that employ persons of authority?  Required sensitivity training?  Required psychological testing that will probe for homosexual tendencies in all children and students so that they will not be denied affirmation in pursuing their natural urges?  

Even more, will there be a further expansion in the definition of marriage to include multiple partners?  Will pedophilia become legal?  Will all limits come off of pornography in the media?  (A New York City court has just ruled that it is not illegal to view child porn.)  

I suppose some people who read this will think I am a shrill lunatic who is just trying to stir up hatred and bigotry against homosexuals.  Be that as it may, I do think that what I have written here is a legitimate opinion that needs to be expressed.  The truth is that this movement is not static.  It will not reach a state in which its goals are sated until its leaders seize total control of the moral reins of this nation.  They got a huge boost this week from the president towards that goal.  I am not deluded into thinking that this is all they want and it will stop here.  

What can we do about this vector?  It will be up to us who believe in traditional marriage.  We can slow it down, we can impede its progress at every turn, but we cannot wipe it out.  Thomas Jefferson said, “The price of freedom is eternal vigilance.”  So it is with us.  We cannot fall asleep on the job.  But, the history of mankind has always been a struggle, and each generation has fought to preserve something for the succeeding generation.  We have already lost much in this war.  Marriage is a fundamental building block of a stable society. Let us not lose this battle.

The title begs the question: what other kind of Christian is there other than one who practices his or her faith?  Truthfully, there are none, but some operate under the illusion that a verbal assent is all that is necessary.  The key to a successful Christian life, however, is to live your faith on a day-to-day basis, no exceptions, no loop-holes, no cutting corners, no pretence and no hypocrisy.  Paraphrasing the words of Jesus, self-denial, shouldering responsibility and paying attention to the pathway that He followed comprises true discipleship.  Whoever obeys these simple instructions will break through to a powerful, personal Christian life. 

Although practicing Christianity may be simple, it is not easy.  The difficulty lies, not in the literal application of the principles, but in resisting the alternatives.  When the alternative is feasting, fasting is difficult; when the alternative is pleasure, pain seems oppressive; when the alternative is playing, praying becomes wearisome.  In fact, these alternatives have become so popular that they have led many to proclaim them as the “new Christianity.”  The “new Christianity” is not better, it’s just easier; it’s not more powerful, it’s just less demanding.  But the bitter irony is that sacrificing doctrinal purity on the altar of ease sabotages the Christian’s ultimate goal.  If discipleship is to lead one to a full relationship with Jesus Christ, it cannot be practiced halfway.

Contrast practicing Christianity with non-practicing Christianity.  I am always amused by the term non-practicing.   It is defined as a person in a particular profession who is not engaged in the practice of that profession, or who claims to believe a certain set of doctrines but does not abide by its mores.  It’s like saying that a non-living or a non-breathing person is somehow different from a dead person.  But, the only way authentic Christianity can live, whether on a personal or a corporate level, is when it is practiced just as its Founder established it.  “And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone.” Ephesians 2:20. 

Unpracticed orthodoxy is not viable.  It is an unread book gathering dust on a shelf; a high-powered car rusting away in a garage; a rich harvest unharvested and rotting in the field.  Stated another way, faith without works is dead.  “Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.”  (James 2:17-18).  The Apostle James was not preaching salvation by works; he was qualifying faith in terms of works.  Those who trumpet their faith but have no practical, quantifiable outcome of their faith are frauds in his view. 

Many religions have requirements in order to be an adherent.  Buddhism, Confucianism, Hinduism and Judaism, for example, all require certain behaviors of those who profess the religion.  It seems strange to me, however, that the best modern illustration we can find for this is in the continuing expansion of Islam.  Many analysts point to the radical way that Muslims practice their beliefs as the key to their meteoric growth.  Granted, their motive may be fear, but it is evident that the practice of their faith dominates all other aspects of their lives.  Whatever else you may say about them, they are all about acting out their beliefs.  For Spirit-filled Christians, our motive is not fear, but love.  “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear.”  (1 John 4:18).  If our love could ever lead us to practicing our faith with abandon and perseverance, the result would be a spiritual floodtide. 

Much of modern Christianity exists only in what people think, not what they do.  Because the predominant teaching has long held that performance minus belief, is nothing, many people think that believing minus performance is everything.  But the end result has not been a strengthening of faith.  Rather, it has led to a wholesale abandonment of faith.  The reason is clear: faith without works is dead!  And why should we expect anything else?  For years, the mantra of mainstream Christianity has been “once in grace, always in grace!”  Anything else, they say, is legalism.  The logical outcome of this teaching, however, is a rapidly fading sense of the practice of Christianity.  Liberty has become license.  If nothing is required, eventually nothing will be given.

Practicing your faith means living life according to the laws of God.  If you have ever put yourself on a strict diet, or if you have ever committed yourself to a rigorous exercise routine, then you know what is involved.  Walking with God means that every day, a spiritual discipline demands to be practiced: prayer, reading the Bible, worshipping, or sometimes fasting.  This is precisely where many people lock their wheels and skid to a halt.  “I am saved by grace, not by works!” they fume.  “I don’t have to do all that!”  Sadly, they misconstrue faith and works.  Legitimate faith eagerly embraces spiritual discipline; it is the way to prove love.  “I speak not by commandment, but by occasion of the forwardness of others, and to prove the sincerity of your love.” 2 Corinthians 8:8.

Practicing your faith means turning your beliefs into actions.  If you believe in tithing, then you must pay a tithe of your income to God.  If you believe in holiness of the heart, then you must live a life of integrity, honesty, love and respect for God and your fellow man.  “Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful”. Colossians 3:12-15.  If you believe in holiness of the body, you must impose strict discipline on your body and outward appearance.  “Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: For which things’ sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience: In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them.” Colossians 3:5-7.

Practicing your faith brings your mind into unison with your heart.  “And here is my advice about what is best for you in this matter: Last year you were the first not only to give but also to have the desire to do so. Now finish the work, so that your eager willingness to do it may be matched by your completion of it, according to your means.”  2 Corinthians 8:10-11 (NIV).  If you believe something but do not follow your own beliefs, tension and turmoil set in and you work in contradiction to yourself.  To say, “I believe it but I don’t live it” is a destructive force in your life.  Live in accordance with your convictions.  It has the power to lead you to peace with yourself, peace with the world and peace with God. 

A tense moment in my high school debate career is permanently etched into my mind.  Our coach, a wise old man who was due for retirement, announced his selection for the captain of the team.  Roger, a senior, took the honors over Bill, a junior.  Bill was livid.  He had better grades, a tougher scholastic program, better command of the language and he delivered his speeches with more fire than Roger or any anyone else on the team.   Bill couldn’t hold back his anger at the coach.  This was the first time I had ever heard a student raise his voice at a teacher.  

Red in the face and veins bulging, Bill screamed, “I can’t believe this!  Everyone knows that I am the most qualified student in the room.  I should be captain!”  

Coach Fall didn’t back down an inch.  He yelled back.  “Roger is a year older than you.  You might have better grades, but Roger has more experience in life!” 

At the time, I couldn’t see it.  Bill was a friend of mine and I thought he should have won the spot over Roger.  Now, I know.  The coach was right.  Experience matters.  The longer you live, the more you see, the more miles you travel, the more valuable experience becomes. 

Heading into the final years of my ministerial career, I have evolved into a state of mind and heart that I could not have predicted ten to twenty years ago, let alone at the outset of my profession.  It is not so much that I have a different set of beliefs or convictions now.  I certainly have not strayed outside the parameters of the faith.  It has more to do with the reasons why I continue to embrace my ministry.  It is more vertical than horizontal, more introspective than praxotic, more philosophical than managerial.  I suppose it is much like the layers of the onion.  The more layers you peel away, the deeper you go, you do not change the essence of the vegetable.  What does change as you cut to the core is the release of a more powerful and pungent fragrance.  A minister settles into these seasoned years with a deeper sense of personal security, perhaps because the level of self-understanding has been elevated by experience and tempered by time.   

Experience does not always define itself.  A man with experience knows things that he cannot articulate.  He may not even know that he knows.  Sometimes his announced solutions seem arbitrary.  He may not always be able to supply he reasons why he believes something or dispenses a particular piece of advice.  It just rises to the surface from this mysterious little, black box called experience.  

And so, I am the same, but in different ways and perhaps for different reasons.  Yet, in some ways, I have come full circle, cautiously returning to the set of idealistic passions that propelled me into the ministry in the first place.  It seems to me that this complex process can be simplified into the basic questions that all solid news stories follow.  It begins with the question why.  It then moves on to what.  The who, where and when follow, not necessarily in that order.  Then, the how must be figured out.  The how consumes the major portions of a minister’s career.  Finally, the how loses its compelling attraction and he finds himself back, slogging around in the machinations of why.  

The initial why.  No minister comes out of the starting gates without encountering the question of why.  Why am I here?  Why would I want to do this?  Why do I think God has called me?  Why would I make such a radical move in my life’s pathway?  In wrestling with the why, all the peripheral issues and people become factors in the equation.  It covers the spectrum of the past, present and future.  The process gets intense and harrowing, but, done honestly, it is cathartic.  

One must always remember, however, that the initial foray into this complex field can only deal with the undeveloped perceptions of a young mind.  At this age, the experience in life lacks depth, and is typically idealistic and naïve.  The rich context of life’s meaning, of the value of relationships, of conquest and achievement, and of failure and despair still exists in the potential state.  Youthful eyesight may see farther and with greater clarity, but it often focuses on its obsessions and misses the breadth of the view.  And yet, it is this very passion and fire that propels the young into the mission.  It was not the much older, more cynical and more fearful King Saul who strode into the valley to meet Goliath.  It was the seventeen year old David, confident in his victories over a couple of wild animals and absolutely sure that the cause was worth the sacrifice of his very life.  

The young person who is just beginning to break into his or her calling operates out of an ardent sense of mission.  The world is lost; precious souls need the gospel; the compelling voice of God cannot be denied; nothing else matters.  Admittedly, there are psychological and personological forces at work, such as a need to find significance, a need to prove self-worth, a need for self-expression, or a desire to make a mark in the world.  A legitimate call of God will eclipse these other drives, but it will not silence them.  They will always be present to some degree, making the decision to enter the ministry supremely difficult.  Through prayer, fasting, meditation, study and counsel, one has to sort out and prioritize all of these factors until the pathway ahead reluctantly reveals itself. 

Once a minister concludes the why phase, the what becomes the focus of inquiry.  What is true doctrine?  What constitutes full salvation?  What are the tenets of faith?  What is the difference between essentials and non-essentials?  What is the mission of the church?  Theology plays the dominant role here, but secondary issues also need to be settled as well.  Will the preferred style be preaching?  Teaching?  Administration?  Will the specific burden or calling be home or foreign missions?  Will ministry take the form of pastoring?  Evangelizing?  Assisting?  Will specialized ministries such as children’s evangelism, education, music ministry, writing or leadership training become the path of ministry?  

The what of ministry is much too rigorous and intense to be embraced without first answering the question of why.  Yet, it turns out that what one believes is more important than why he or she believes it.  If the minister’s search leads him or her into false doctrine, then all is lost.  And, just because one ends up embracing beliefs that are not right, the why does not necessarily evaporate.  In fact, the impulse for ministry may be stronger than ever, even though the doctrinal structure falls into error.  It may be observed, for example, that those who embrace radical ideas often do so with more zeal and energy than those whose doctrine is aligned with scripture.  This is why the church must never minimize the importance of doctrine.  

After the minister settles on the why of the calling and then the what of his or her beliefs—and possibly while the process is still unfolding—the next stage of identity evolution asserts itself.  I call it the who, where and when of ministry.  This idea is only offered as a way to think about this process, and not as an easily recognizable pattern.  These questions will probably not find their answers in a clear, well-managed sequence.  Much depends on the variables of friends, relatives, venues and opportunities.  Yet, the individual minister makes decisions based on these questions, thus making the responsibility of the decision personal and not just the result of chance events.  

These questions constitute the practical considerations of ministry.  They may be much easier to ask than the why and the what, but they must not be dismissed as unimportant.  The answers will have a profound effect on one’s ministerial career.  The questions may look like these:  Who will be my role models, my mentors, my heroes and my associates?  Who will I allow the freedom and authority to speak into my life?  Where will I go to fulfill my ministry?  Where is my greatest compulsion or sense of burden for expressing my passion?  Where is the place that seems to be opening up to me?  When should I make my commitment?  When should I make the major decisions that will take me to my destination?  

The importance of these questions lies in the reverse effect they can have on the why and what of one’s ministry.  Your associates and role models will probably be the biggest influencers in what you believe and why you believe it.  Where you go to fulfill your ministry will place you in the context of influences that may seem incidental at the time, but eventually will shape your identity.  You cannot live in a vacuum, insulated from the people and conditions around you.  For example, most people who move to a different region of the country will eventually absorb the accent, the traits and the values of the new place.  Finally, when ministers make a major move, they subject themselves to a number of factors that quite possibly would have been different a year earlier or a year later.  Timing is everything.  

The minister who knows why he or she wants to be in ministry, knows what to believe, has chosen good role models, knows where to go and is on location, is now positioned to begin doing ministry.  This is where the next question, how, looms large.  How do I do this?  This question, in my experience, runs the gamut of methodology and style, and takes up the lion’s share of the years of ministry.  I know very few ministers who haven’t tried it all as some point in their lives.  How can I achieve the greatest level of effectiveness in ministering the gospel?  How do I produce the kind of people that will be productive in the kingdom of God?  How do I build a great church?  How do I develop the best outreach program, children’s ministry, praise and worship team, educational program and all the other aspects of a powerful spiritual program?  Arriving at the how involves books, DVD’s, magazine subscriptions, seminars, workshops, conferences, websites, coursework, continuing education, certificate programs, and so on, all in the hopes of learning how to do ministry better.  It is a never-ending search.  Not only is there a compulsion to know how to do the old things better, there is also the need to learn about all the new innovations and technologies.  

The question of how impacts the minister on a number of levels.  There is the corporate quest, that is, how do I lead my church, or develop my ministry, in ways that will affect the greatest number of people?  How can I develop a spiritual program that will benefit my entire congregation?  How do I understand the myriad ways that the present culture interacts with the church and what role does the church play in the world?  The political, economic and social aspects of the church in the world occupy many in top leadership positions, but it also has broad implications for the rank and file minister.  

But, there is also a compelling need to minister to individuals.  It seems that this challenge grows more complicated every day.  How can I minister to the dysfunctional person and/or family?  How can I meet the needs of the discouraged and depressed? How can I help people who are dealing with addictions?  How do I counsel with those having marital problems?  How do I deal with bereavement?  How do I advise young people about their educational paths or their professional or vocational careers?  

At the heart of it all is the ongoing need to work on one’s own life.  How much do I invest into my private devotional life?  How do I find a strategy that works for me?  What books do I read?  How should I improve my ministry, my relationships, my administrative duties and my own self image?  How do I take better care of my finances?  How can I manage my personal health and well being?  

How, how, how? There is no final answer.  The years are spent in this quest, and, unfortunately, the game is always changing.  The answers obtained even six months ago do not seem to work today.  Ministers who grow weary asking the question stop growing.  They may not suffer the consequences immediately, but, sooner or later, they will be overwhelmed by the tsunami of life and ministry in the twenty-first century.  

There comes a point, most likely later in the minister’s life, that all of the above questions have been answered, at least to the extent that one person can answer them, given his or her unique position.  Personally, I am not asking the initial why of ministry.  I am not in a fog about what I believe.  The question of who, where and when no longer occupy my time.  I am still figuring out the how question, but, in a more relaxed manner than in my earlier years.  I now ask how, but with a greater sense of my own abilities and inadequacies.  The far more intriguing question for me today is a return to the why.  It is not the same why as in the beginning stages of my ministry.  It revolves around three areas:  legitimacy, legacy and love. 

Why do I believe the things I do?  Are the doctrines, the beliefs I have about God and the teachings I have dispensed over the years legitimate?  After a lifetime of exposure to the whole spectrum of theologies, I am often driven to take a second, careful look at my own positions.  This process is not driven by the emotions that characterized my initial quest into the why of ministry.  This is a balanced, contemplative study of the legitimacy of Apostolic doctrines.  This study must stand up to the divergent paths that others have taken, many of whom are my friends.  Regardless of what anybody says, what one’s friends believe can have a major impact upon a minister.  And, if left up to human reasoning alone, the minister may either follow a similar pathway or be resigned to a hollow, disillusioned existence.  Neither option is legitimate.  I have discovered that the only stabilizing course to take is a return to the Scriptures.  Jesus said, “Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.”  John 5:39.  I believe what I believe today, not just because it was taught to me by my elders, or that it was a politically correct thing to do, but because I have found that these truths are legitimate doctrines taught in the Bible.  Obviously, there is much more that could be said about this, but this is one of the basic reasons why I believe this Apostolic message and lifestyle. 

Second, my motivation for continuing in ministry has less to do with me and more to do with others.  I am more aware today than ever before that there is a legacy that I must leave behind.  Those who believe that a legacy is a personal and selfish agenda to perpetuate one’s memory have not yet encountered this stage in life.  A legacy is a set of values, a doctrinal paradigm, the sum and substance of everything that life is all about.  No one who leaves a powerful legacy does so because of any personal benefit derived.  “Great leaders—whether they lead entire organizations or groups within them—leave a legacy that transcends them and cements their contribution to the growth and transformation of their organization. How they close out their tenure has a lasting impact. As their term of influence grows shorter, leaders must channel their energy, hopes, and fears toward helping their successor and the team they leave behind. This will help the next leader be ready on Day One.”  -Steve Krupp, HBR.  

A legacy is born out of a profound grasp of the mission of the church.  The church must be equipped to fight off every enemy, to resist every corrosive influence and to strive for purity in doctrine and faith.  The why of my mission today has a broader base than when I was a fledgling minister, trying to find my place in the church.  I believe the same things, but for different reasons. 

Finally, corporate mission and leaving a legacy aside, I experience a genuine love for people today that I doubt I had at the beginning of my ministry.  The most I wanted from people then was their acceptance and admiration.  The minister who is still searching for acceptance and admiration in the closing years of his ministerial career is in serious trouble.  As I consider the needs of people, I now see them in holistic terms, not just faces in a crowd at a given moment in time.  The babies I dedicated in the past now bring me their babies to dedicate.  The young couples I married in the past now beam at the weddings of their children, and dote over their own grandchildren.  Because I love them, I have a greater love for the things I taught them from the Word of God.  These were the teachings that became the strongholds of their faith.  It provided a structure for them to live honorable lives and raise loving families.  I have found that love for people inspires and motivates me in my present ministry more than anything else, including homiletic excellence, mastering some new technology or temporal blessings. 

The Apostle Paul’s ministry evolved from a passionate, zealous evangel of the gospel to a steady, reasoned leader of the church.  This account comes from his early days as a minister of Jesus Christ.  “Then Saul, (who also is called Paul,) filled with the Holy Ghost, set his eyes on him,  And said, O full of all subtilty and all mischief, thou child of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord?  And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon thee, and thou shalt be blind, not seeing the sun for a season. And immediately there fell on him a mist and a darkness; and he went about seeking some to lead him by the hand.  Then the deputy, when he saw what was done, believed, being astonished at the doctrine of the Lord.  Now when Paul and his company loosed from Paphos, they came to Perga in Pamphylia: and John departing from them returned to Jerusalem.  Acts 13:9-13 

Now, read his final words to Timothy, his son in the gospel.  “I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry. For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.” 2 Timothy 4:1-8. 

In the beginning, I loved to preach.  Now, I preach because I love.  The message is the same; the motive is much better.  This is the evolution of a minister’s identity from my perspective.  Hopefully, this will help some who are unsure about the changes in their ministerial careers.  You can change while remaining the same. 

Most people have a fear of huge, cataclysmic events like earthquakes, tornadoes or hurricanes that have the ability to kill them and destroy their property.  The chances that you will die as a result of some natural disaster is extremely slim in comparison to other causes of death that are far less dramatic and media-driven.  In fact, emergency management experts say that the leading cause of nature-related deaths is from draughts, cold weather or summer storms. 

“Ten years ago, during a routine checkup, my doctor asked me if I had a gun in the house. He thought that having a gun in the house was a serious hazard to my young children. Now, according to economist Steven D. Levitt, yearly in the U.S. “there is 1 child killed by a gun for every 1 million-plus guns.” Levitt also observes that yearly there is one drowning of a child for every 11,000 residential swimming pools.

So why didn’t the doctor ask me if I had a swimming pool? Why do people people grossly overestimate the danger of trivial risks, while ignoring the danger of greater ones? Why do I see obese people smoking cigarettes slopping on sunscreen to avoid skin cancer? Why do people who spend hours driving to work each day on busy freeways worry about dying in an airplane crash?  Auto accidents and falls kill 25 times more people in the U.S. each year than airplane crashes and firearms accidents combined. So what’s wrong with these people? I want to hit them on the head with a bat.”   -Charles Anesi.

Put into a spiritual perspective, what are the greatest causes of people endangering their walk with God?  We could point out vicious attacks of Satan, failure of prominent Christian leaders, tragedy caused by death, sickness, or disaster, or some other major problem.  In fact, we are informed by the Scriptures that we can survive all of these things:

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?  As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.  Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.  For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,  Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.  Romans 8:35-39.

The greatest hazards we face are much less dramatic.  Here are a few warnings from the scriptures about the most likely sources of hindrances to our walk with God.  

“Walk worthy.” Ephesians 4:1

And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.  The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.  Let us walk honestly  , as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying. But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof .  Romans 13:11-14.

Sleep

Falling asleep spiritually is one of the most dangerous behaviors that the Christian can practice.  Look at some of the things that happen to an person who is asleep in the natural sense.

• Difficult to ward off because it is a natural function of the body.
• Loss of consciousness.
• Become disengaged from surroundings.
• Body temperature lowered.
• Breathing slows down.
• Dreaming occurs.
• Sleep walking may happen.
• Sight and hearing shuts down except for loud noises.

Guard against falling into a spiritual sleep.

First, if sleep is a natural inclination of the body, how are we to avoid it spiritually?  We can stay alert and still get our rest because God is our rest!

For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world.  For he spake in a certain place of the seventh day on this wise, And God did rest the seventh day from all his works.  And in this place again, If they shall enter into my rest.  Seeing therefore it remaineth that some must enter therein, and they to whom it was first preached entered not in because of unbelief:  Again, he limiteth a certain day, saying in David, To day, after so long a time; as it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts.  For if Jesus   had given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of nother day.  There remaineth therefore a rest   to the people of God.  For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his.  Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief ^.  Hebrews 4:3-11.

Do not lose your spiritual consciousness. 

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:  Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.  1 Peter 5:8

Do not become disengaged from your surroundings.

 Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;  Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel  against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.  And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.  And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.  Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.  And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.  Colossians 3:12-16.

Take care that your spiritual temperature stays high and that your breathing does not slow.

Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands.  For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.  2 Timothy 1:6-7.

 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;  Titus 3:5.

Do not drift into believing unrealistic dreams.

 Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments  of the world, and not after Christ.  Colossians 2:8

 O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you?  This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?  Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh? Galatians 3:1-3.

Do not sleepwalk spiritually.  Stay under the control of the Holy Spirit.  When you are not under the Spirit’s control, you have no idea what you may do. 

Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?  Romans 6:16.

 Prayerlessness

Prayer is communication with God.  Marriage counselors tell us that the biggest reason for problems in the marital relationship is lack of communication.   

The beginning of a lack of communication between husband and wife is usually the inability to talk about the little things, which turn into bigger things when frustration and anger is built up. Bigger issues are more difficult to resolve than smaller ones.

The key to a healthy strong relationship is using communication to work out your issues and resolve problems. The following are keys to building strong communication skills with your spouse:

1. Truly listen to each other, while staying quiet and focused on what they are saying. 

2.  Listen to the actual words and underlying feelings and emotions.
3. Try to understand the other side of the argument, this doesn’t mean you have to agree.
4.  Let the other person know you are listening by rephrasing what they have told you and to ensure clear understanding.
5.  Let the other person know that you are hearing their words as well as the underlying feelings. This validates the other persons emotions.
6.  Be aware of nonverbal messages you may send, such as tone of voice and facial expressions.
7.  Tell the other person how you are feeling and what they are doing wrong, by using I statements.
8.   Let the person know ahead of time of your intention to discuss issues. This will allow them to gather their thoughts as well as appear less like an attack.
9.   Set aside time to talk about important issues without interruptions from kids and life.
10. Stay on topic, try to keep your discussion confined to the topic at hand.

How does this relate to our prayer life?  Ask yourself these questions:  Who are the people you talk to the most?  Why?  Chances are that you like them, that you are truly interested in their opinions, that you genuinely feel you can learn something by talking to them, that this person(s) pays attention to you, that this person conveys to you a sense of your worth and value.

Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms.  Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord:   And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.  Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.  Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly  that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months.  And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit.   Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him;  Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.  James 5:13-19.

Famine of the Word of God. 

 “Thy word is truth.” John 17:17

What is the value of the Word of God? That, is an understatement of epic proportions. The Word…valuable? Is a detailed set of prints valuable to the construction of a skyscraper? Is an understanding of aerodynamics valuable to piloting a plane? Does a brain surgeon place any value on his medical training? Is a constitution valuable to running a country? These concepts go without question. Yet, we stumble in assigning real value to God’s Word, both in assimilating it into our brains and applying it to our lives. In recent years, I am alarmed by a non-specific, lax and dismissive view of the Bible that has crept into our attitudes. This problem is becoming acute and this generation must address it. Apostolics, the people who base their beliefs upon a literal rendering and practicing of scripture, must not permit this to happen.

The Bible remains a timeless statement of God’s truth. But this position directly contradicts today’s increased sensitivity to human wants and desires. What if the Bible gets in the way of modern life? Not only do many people do what they want to do (as they always have), more of them are willing to cast off scriptural restraints in order to do it. The church also feels tremendous pressure to accept variant viewpoints in the interest of fairness and humility.

Bible believing Christians must never forget that the Word is unique. First, it lives. “For the word of God is living…” (Hebrews 4:12 NIV). The life of God’s Word brings a singular dynamic to the world unmatched by any other literature. No Plato classic, no Clancy or Grisham thriller, no Catton history or even any Shakespearean drama, despite their considerable wit and brilliance, dispenses life to its readers. The Word does exactly that. It breathes, moves and inspires. It interacts with our thinking, both consciously and sub-consciously, and creates a new person within us. Its energy puts it on par with the very presence of Jesus, as we see in 1 John 1:1. “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life.”

Next, the Word is powerful, or active. (Hebrews 4:12 NIV). Many speak, but none speaks words with innate creative power. When God speaks, his Word becomes a viable force, fully capable of performing its purpose. He does more than suggest, hint or muse. “So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.” (Isaiah 55:11). The next time you read the Word of God or hear it preached or taught, be careful. The Word makes things happen.

Beyond being alive and powerful, the Word discriminates. Hebrews says it is “sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” The Word of God operates with a razor’s edge on the reader’s soul, cutting away fat and fraud and exposing the hidden things of the heart. This makes lots of people nervous, even angry. But remember, while one edge cuts clean going away, the other cuts just as clean coming back, judging both the audience and the speaker alike. Long before psychology, psychiatry or any of the mind arts ever existed, the incisive Word penetrated the heart of man.

Finally, the Word of God is truth. “Thy Word is truth.” (John 17:17). Vast, organized bodies of opinion float around out in academia, each one claiming or implying that it represents truth. It would totally exhaust our time, money and labor to fully investigate the plank and platform of their every claim. Forget it. Only one concept is worthy of our invested efforts: “Thy Word is truth.” All else is futile.

Those who excuse the more pungent or pithy scriptural commands as quaint, but out of touch aspects of the Word, tread on shaky ground. Simply put, we must read, believe and obey the Bible! Any departure from the verbal inspiration and the literal reading of the Bible undermines our insistence upon Apostolic doctrine. The Bible is living, powerful, discriminating and completely true. All of it. That’s the word on the Word.

In Part Two, we will talk about small ways to strengthen your walk with God.

This week, our group health insurance provider issued some demands that call for details about our personal life, health and financial records, including Social Security numbers.  Cloaked in a lame disclaimer that this information is necessary, they nevertheless demand compliance from us or we risk losing our insurance.  No is not an option. 

Why do they say they need this information which amounts to a massive invasion of privacy?  To aid “employees applying for medical coverage.”  That’s it!  They evidently are counting on the colossal ignorance of their clientele about the meteoric rise in identity theft, about hackers breaking into IT systems that are “guaranteed” to be secure, about glitches and breakdowns in hardware and software, and about unscrupulous employees who access the databases for their personal gain.  On one hand, we are told by authorities that if you don’t want something to be seen on the internet, don’t put it up there, and, on the other hand, give them your most private and personal records and trust them implicitly that they will be careful with them.  

Paragraph after paragraph is written to convince us that the provider will protect the information from any illegal or unwarranted use.  Yet, the company also warns us about “hoax emails that look authentic and appear to have been sent by a company you recognize.”  This is tantamount to recognizing that a real danger exists that the information may be compromised, but, if it is, we should not blame them.  In addition, they admit that they might “sell, merge or transfer any part of our business,” and “part of the sale may include the transfer of your personal information.”  

The provider also informs us that they might “enter into contracts with third parties who assist us in servicing you.”  Precautions are supposedly taken to insure that personal information is secure, but, if it is not, the very inclusion of the paragraph is a legal instrument to let them off the hook.  Why?  Because, in such an event, they can always say, “we told you this might happen and you signed the documents anyway!”  Shame on us. 

Here is the information requested:

Information about yourself:

• Date of birth
• Date of marriage
• Address, phone
• Height, weight
• Name and phone number of primary care physician
• Employer’s name, occupation, date of hire, hours worked per week
• With life insurance, income reported by W2 or 1099

Information about dependents:

• Full legal name(s)
• Dates of birth
• Social Security numbers
• Heights and weights
• Names and numbers of primary care physicians

Prior existing medical coverage:

• Policy holder’s name and SSN
• Expiration date
• Name, address, phone of carrier
• Policy number
• Effective dates of coverage
• Coverage type (medical, dental, etc.), who is covered
• Names of covered individuals

Information about any medical conditions:

• Condition name
• Treatment dates
• Medications and doses
• Other relevant details 

If this invasion of privacy is totally necessary to serve the client, the case should be made in a much stronger and more convincing way.  If the information required is absolutely essential, I suspect it is not to serve the client, but to control him.  I believe that a governmental agency is behind it all.  There is no other reason for such details to be submitted. 

This whole process has a chilling effect on me.  More and more, I have credible reasons to be afraid of my government.  I am being boxed in incrementally, and soon I will have no freedom to act as I wish.  Those dismissive of my fears need to study the governmental evolution of totalitarian states.  One “reasonable” change after another eventually leads to an unreasonable existence.  Little by little, demand by demand, file by file, the system is pushing the noncompliant into non-personhood.  If you are not in their database, you don’t exist.  My question persists:  why this massive invasion of privacy?  

It appears that the only mistake that George Orwell made in his sinister prediction of “Big Brother” in his classic, “1984” is the date.  He should have entitled it “2012.”

 “…that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.” 1 Timothy 3:14-16

Attendance 

Coming to church is your regular opportunity to enter into worship, pray, give offerings, receive teaching and preaching, and interact with people of like precious faith.  It is a safe assumption that none of these things happen when you do not come to church.  

Never let church attendance become optional for you.  You should not have to make a decision each Sunday whether or not you are attending church.  Once you think of church attendance as optional, you diminish its importance in your life.  It means that you take back more of the control of your life from the hands of God.  

I believe that if you are in town and not sick or working, you should be in church at the appointed times.  Exceptions are special family gatherings, graduations, special events that involve you personally.  The Superbowl is not one of those events! 

Promptness 

If you can be on time, you should be.  Coming in late distracts others from worship, especially visitors.  If you can be on time for work, school and appointments, you can be on time for church.

Before Service 

Imagine going to the doctor’s office and seeing an old friend in the waiting room.  You strike up a conversation with them and enjoy rehashing old times.  The nurse calls your name and says that the doctor is ready to see you.  What do you say?  “I’ll be with you in a minute.  I’m talking right now.”  Yet, people come to church and immediately jump into conversations that last long after the service begins.  

Before service, you should head to the prayer room to prepare your heart to receive the Word of God.  Never forget the real reason you have come to church.  I’ll admit, it is easy to become distracted by close friends, but if you fail to fulfill the purpose for church, you will soon lose your reason for coming. 

Reverence the House of God 

“Twelve Steps Towards Proper Church Etiquette”  by Cary Monaco 

1. Similar to the common sense move on longer car trips, use the restroom just before services.
2. In order to avoid walking into services late, leave home earlier.
3. Don’t be somewhere else in the building drinking coffee, fellowshipping, etc. when you should be in church services.
4. Write notes to yourself so that you can tell all of the enlightening things you have to say after church services rather than during them.
5. Don’t bring food or drinks into church services.
6. Turn off watch alarms and cell phones during services.
7. Don’t expect someone else to make kids whose parents aren’t at church to behave. At least give it a try yourself.
8. Consider how the way you dress relates to respect or disrespect for God.
9. Wait until services are dismissed before zipping up your Bible cover.
10. Don’t walk out of services during the invitation.
11. If you must have a certain cough drop or candy enclosed in a crackling wrapper, unwrap as many as needed for church and put them in a noise-free container.
12. Never, ever, be so utterly disrespectful that you clip your fingernails during services!!! 

Reverencing the House of God means that you do not treat it like a sports arena, a restaurant, your own home, an office or a public building.  Sleeping in church suggests you are bored, displeased or uncaring about what’s being said. 

Attire 

The Bible teaching on modesty in dress applies everywhere you go in public, not just in church.  In church, however, we should dress in accordance with the purpose of worshipping God and with the dignity and reverence it suggests.  Look your best, wear clean and appropriate clothing and don’t dress to call attention to yourself in some outlandish way.  Why?  Because anything that takes the attention and focus away from God and puts it on yourself is contrary to the purpose of a church service.  

Personal hygiene is also very important when you come to church.  Your hair, your body and your clothing should be clean and should not be offensive in appearance or odor.  If you cannot afford soap or deodorant, please come and see me.  I will see to it that you get what you need.

Adjust your attitude 

A critical, complaining, murmuring, negative attitude is counterproductive to the spirit of the service.  Insincere, jocular, sacreligious and profane attitudes are out of place in church.  Belligerence, hateful remarks, arguing, will hurt the service and drive people away.  

Philippians 4:7-9 (KJV) ⁷ And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. ⁸ Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. ⁹ Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.

Greet one another 

When you come to church, have a smile on your face.  Shake hands with people.  Say “Praise the Lord” or some other positive greeting.  Do not be sullen, withdrawn or rude to others.  Some people treat their pets better than they treat the saints of God.  The Bible teaches us to be friendly, loving and kind to each other.  

2 Corinthians 6:4-6 (KJV) ⁴ But in all things approving ourselves as the ministers of God, in much patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses, ⁵ In stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labours, in watchings, in fastings; ⁶ By pureness, by knowledge, by longsuffering, by kindness, by the Holy Ghost, by love unfeigned,

Conversation 

Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaketh.  When you talk to people, you give away the musings and meditations of your heart.  If you always talk about carnal subjects, bad news, personal gripes, pet peeves and the daily grind, you are not edifying others.  Do your best to lift people up and encourage them.  When service is in progress, do not carry on a conversation, or stand out in the lobby and talk while service is going on.  You are not receiving anything from the service and you are preventing the other person from getting anything as well.  

I think of Christians in totalitarian states like China and many Islamic countries who literally risk their lives by coming to church.  I’m sure they wouldn’t jeopardize their lives in order to come and spend their time talking to others.  They make every trip to church count for God and eternity.

Worship 

We come to church services for two primary reasons:  to worship and to hear the Word of God.  I can preach to you but I cannot worship for you.  Participation in worship is essential to your spiritual wellbeing.  

            Sing.  If you don’t know the words, learn them.  If you can’t carry a tune, sing softly.  Whatever you do, if you just stand there, you are not worshipping nor are you magnifying God. 

            Show some kind of demonstration.  Raising your hands, clapping, shouting, dancing in the Spirit, kneeling, coming forward all show that you are engaged in worship.  

Psalms 69:30-36 (KJV)
³⁰ I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify him with thanksgiving.
³¹ This also shall please the LORD better than an ox or bullock that hath horns and hoofs.
³² The humble shall see this, and be glad: and your heart shall live that seek God.
³³ For the LORD heareth the poor, and despiseth not his prisoners.
³⁴ Let the heaven and earth praise him, the seas, and every thing that moveth therein.
³⁵ For God will save Zion, and will build the cities of Judah: that they may dwell there, and have it in possession.
³⁶ The seed also of his servants shall inherit it: and they that love his name shall dwell therein.

Psalms 34:1-3 (KJV)
¹ I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth.
² My soul shall make her boast in the LORD: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad.
³ O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together.

Psalms 134:1-3 (KJV)
¹ Behold, bless ye the LORD, all ye servants of the LORD, which by night stand in the house of the LORD. ² Lift up your hands in the sanctuary, and bless the LORD. ³ The LORD that made heaven and earth bless thee out of Zion.

Pray 

I fear that many of us have forgotten how to enter into corporate prayer.  We sometimes take more time with prayer requests than we do with prayer. 

James 5:12-16 (KJV)
¹² But above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath: but let your yea be yea; and your nay, nay; lest ye fall into condemnation.
¹³ Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms.
¹⁴ Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord:
¹⁵ And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.
¹⁶ Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

Attentiveness 

Attentiveness in church means paying attention.  Use the restroom before you come into the service.  Continual walking in and out of a service is distracting to the speaker, aggravating to others in the service, and disruptive to the spirit of the service.  The absolute worst time to walk out of a service is during the preaching or during the altar service. 

The following paragraph is an excerpt from my book, “The View from the Back of the Pulpit.” 

“The view from the back of the pulpit can be daunting.  The traffic. The latecomers. The early leavers. The bumpson-logs. The live wires. The break-away toddlers. The weak-kidneyed multi-trippers, the restroom checker-outers.  The door-slammers, note-passers, gum-chewers, picture-admirers,  back-scratchers, nose-blowers, compact-viewers, nail-clipperers, window-gazers, light-bulb-counters, daydreamers, baby-entertainers, homework-finishers, hair-combers, cat-nappers, face-makers, eye-rollers, child scolders, conversationalists, snorers, fidgeters, readers, doodlers, and the entire three-ring circus that a church service can become.”  

The tissues around the altar are for those who come to pray at the altar during altar service.  They are not for general use.  It’s not that a tissue is so expensive, it is that when we need them for the intended purpose, they are all gone.  To blow your nose, bring your own hanky or tissue.

Altar etiquette 

The altar is a very sacred place and people are in an extremely sensitive mood when they come for the first time, or when they come for a renewing or refreshing.  Inappropriate touching, rubbing or massaging is distractive to many and some are offended by it.  Some people actually do not want any contact at all.  They want to be left alone.  If you do not know why a person is at the altar, do not make any assumptions and begin praying a prayer with them that is not in keeping with their need.  

Speaking into a person’s ear, especially in a loud voice, can be very disruptive.  Never force people to lift their hands or prompt them to say things that they are not ready to say. 

Twenty-Five Ways to Have a Better Church Service 

1. Get up in the morning anticipating a great service.
2. Plan your day so as not to permit anything to keep you from attending.
3. Call someone and ask them to come with you.
4. Pick someone up in your car and bring them to service.
5. Prepare your heart and mind with repentance.
6. Arrive early enough to pray before service begins.
7. Greet visitors with a smile and a handshake.
8. Avoid talking about heavy or unspiritual subjects before service.
9. Encourage others to get everything they can from the service.
10. Sit as close to the front as you can.
11. Focus on worshipping.
12. Do not watch the clock.
13. Actually worship with special singers instead of making them entertain you.
14. Refuse to allow your mind to wander or become distracted.
15. Conquer nervousness, impatience and the “fidgets” during the service.
16. Don’t allow a thoughtless word or act by someone ruin the service for you.
17. Don’t get up and walk out.
18. Stay aware of the needs of visitors during the service.
19. Remain sensitive to the Holy Spirit throughout the service.
20. Continually ask God to apply the Word to your life.
21. Intercede for souls at the close of the message.
22. Assist people who want to pray at the altar.
23. Offer to attend to someone’s baby or child while they pray.
24. Thank the minister for the message both generally and specifically.
25. Determine how you will act differently as you leave the service.

To My Dear Young Friend, 

Since you have written me a veritable treatise covering a range of subjects and asked questions with regard to most of them, I cannot be brief in my reply.  My answers may not be satisfactory to you at first, but I believe that in the end, I will have fully engaged your concerns.  I may be more philosophical than you may like.  I only hope I can be as persuasive as you were inquisitive. 

I will begin with the old saying that sometimes we cannot see the forest for the trees.  The UPCI is not a tree farm, nor is it a contrived collection of uniform trees; it is a fertile forest with all the traits and characteristics of a natural wilderness forest.  It consists of old growth trees, young saplings, a rich sampling of species and once beautiful trees now hollow and lifeless.  The uniformity of a true forest can only be observed and appreciated when taken as a whole.  If you go tree by tree, you will be disappointed almost as often as you will be delighted.  But, for every disappointment, you will find something inspirational or even beautiful.  In fact, you will find more good than bad, more strength than weakness and more beauty than ugliness as evidenced by the fact that the forest is still alive and well. 

The UPCI will not stand up to the withering scrutiny of a perfectionist’s microscope.  Its growth has progressed in spurts, in uneven and inconsistent alterations and occasional losses.  Our successes have been checkered with failures.  Sometimes we have been knocked to our knees in matters of doctrine, character, public embarrassments and political turmoil.  Only a fool would deny that this organization has suffered many problems, many of them self-inflicted. Yet, after every blow we have staggered back to our feet and kept walking.  We have, and will continue to upgrade our policies and revisit our articles of faith.  The process has been too slow for some, too fast for others and painful for all of us.  Some have highlighted our flaws, declared them unacceptable and jumped ship.  Others have swept our flaws under the proverbial rug and denied that they even existed.  Neither approach is right.  In the end, we must accept the fact that our organization is as much a work in progress as are individual Christians.  

What do we do in our local churches when we face dilemmas of compromise?  What do we do with people who sin presumptuously or who act stupidly?  Banish them from our presence?  No.  We work with them.  We make concessions to timing and teaching, we overlook their idiosyncrasies, and we make difficult judgments about their status.  Yes, sometimes we have no choice but to disfellowship some, but that is a last resort, and it is usually because they have become toxic to the body.  Ultimately, however, we must treat them as precious souls for whom Christ shed His blood.  At what point did Jesus excise the Judas tumor from His band of disciples?  Even when He knew precisely what was in Judas’ heart, He still reached out to him and called him friend.  What about the rest of the disciples?  Go down the list of epithets that Jesus hurled at them—faithless, perverse, unbelievers, hard-hearted, offensive, even Satanic!  But Jesus loved them in spite of their faults and kept honing them into worthy ambassadors for the gospel.  Why should it be any different for ministers and churches?  

Moreover, with whom or with what other organization should we compare our own?  Do we have another in mind, another group that meets every specific criterion that we arbitrarily select?  If our shortcomings are too egregious to tolerate, where will we flee?  Where is this group that is far more in keeping with standards of excellence, this group that manifests every quality lacking in the UPCI?  The truth is, it exists only in the nether regions of imaginations and in our unrealistic expectations.  I submit to you that a careful perusal of the constitutions, manuals and bylaws of every organization, whether sacred or secular, would reveal inconsistencies and troubling contradictions, especially if they are juxtaposed to the actual practices.  If perfection is required, then all of us would be lonely indeed, because the only perfection we may find stares back at us from our mirrors.  Those who protest this charge by saying that they never claimed to be perfect have nevertheless declared themselves more perfect than the UPCI.  This is the inescapable conclusion to which critics must eventually come.  Let him that is most perfect cast the first stone. 

It is quite amazing to me that those who magnify our faults also tend to minimize our assets.  For example, we have close to 10,000 ministers and the number keeps climbing.  We attract nearly 20,000 young people to the National Youth Congress every other year.  We have an extensive Global Missions program with missionaries or representatives in nearly 120 countries.  Our world-wide constituency is around three million. We have a compassion services arm that sends hundreds of thousands of dollars in supplies as well as medical personnel to those victimized by natural disasters.  In addition to seven Bible colleges, we have an accredited graduate school that is drawing attention in the seminary community.  We are presently laying the groundwork for a liberal arts college.  We have a growing number of Ph.D’s to provide faculty and administrative personnel for these educational institutions.  We have the only publishing house that serves the greater Apostolic community with literature and printed materials.  We have nationally renowned musical groups and composers.  Nearly every geographical location in the country has a UPCI church within driving distance.  We support our children and youth with Sunday School camps, youth camps and a cadre of children and youth evangelists, and we service many of our other subgroups like men and women as well. All of this, and much more, is exclusively Apostolic in its core doctrinal beliefs, a fact that has no equal in any other organization or association.  These are not boastful statements.  None of them would be possible without the blessing of God on the UPCI.  What I am saying is not that the good compensates for the bad, but that the good must be preserved and enhanced while we do our best to cull out the bad.  

I have had the singular fortune of rubbing shoulders with men in this organization whom I would call some of the greatest Christians in the world.  Many of them chafe over contradictory and sometimes incoherent positions that exist among us.  Yet, because they see this greater good, they are willing to fellowship side by side with people despite major disagreements.  Should I think my brand of Christianity is higher and purer than theirs?  Or is it they who have the greater strain of Christlikeness than do I?  Are their attributes of mercy, forgiveness, forbearance, patience and longsuffering indicative of a closer relationship with Christ than mine?  Is this a fair point to raise?  I think it is.  Jesus Himself said, “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.” Matthew 23:23.  We have the right and even the obligation to discern differences and make judgments about preferences and convictions. 

With regard to the more specific points, even the most legalistic and literal minds among us give room for interpretation in almost all of the references you make.  Worldly sports, amusements and other activities have all been permitted to be defined, within reason, by the districts or even by the local pastors and churches. The sophistication of technology is forcing us to rethink many of our definitions.  Much of the sentiment for or against certain things has historically been regional in implementation, and the emphasis has been weighted against anything that could be construed as or related to a vice, i.e. gambling, smoking, drinking, drugs, and blatant immoral behavior such as fornication or lewdness. The fact is that our bylaws were written in the context of a cultural climate that tended toward extreme, black and white standards.  Even the choice of words used in our manual is unfortunate in the vernacular of the present.  Many of the ideas held by our forbears have passed out of vogue, a fact lately evidenced by the changing of our position on conscientious objectors (still in process).  In 2007, the conference changed the ruling against using television for advertising purposes.  On the other hand, years earlier we strengthened our position on baptism for the remission of sins.  Little by little, our constituency is addressing those rules that we find archaic or out of touch with present realities.  

So, what do we do with a set of bylaws that was written in 1945, sixty-seven years ago?  Even some of them were carry-overs from documents composed long before the merger.  I contend that, as out of date as they may be, we would make a huge mistake by throwing them all out and starting over.  It would cause an upheaval and panic that would backfire on us.  Actually, given time, some things will take care of themselves.  Other things will be addressed whenever the groundswell or the consensus of opinion reaches a point that cannot be ignored.  The principles that gave birth to the rules will always be valid.  We will just have to find a way to give them concrete meaning in accordance with our present culture.  I am at peace with this, even though I am aware of temporary conflicts and/or inconsistencies.  

The so-called holiness standards do not represent my greatest source of angst.  I am much more interested in addressing any lingering racial prejudice, gender inequalities, greed and organizational politics than over the use of technology or what kind of amusements we are for or against.  I believe that fewer are hurt over whether or not I play golf than whether or not I truly love them and treat them with respect.  The truths I embrace about holiness are largely irrelevant if I harbor resentment, jealousy, anger or covetousness in my heart. 

Perhaps what we need the most is to pray the serenity prayer on a daily basis.  “God, help me to accept the things I cannot change, to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.”  This letter may not have answered all your questions, but it answered mine.  Maybe that’s all I’m capable of doing.  God bless you and I love you. 

Your Faithful Friend