The Top Five Tax and Personal Finance “Myths” for Pastors
By Mark Helland, CPA

Mark Helland, CPA is a partner with the accounting firm of Elliott, Dozier and Helland, PC which is located in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Mark can be contacted via email at [email protected] or by phone at (918) 627-2286.

Over the course of my career in working directly with pastors on their tax and personal finances I have seen a few “myths” that repeatedly come up in conversation and in practice. While I have seen other myths/misunderstandings of U.S. tax law in practice, the frequency of encountering the five “myths” listed below has led me proclaim these to be my personal “top five”. I am not sure how some of these get started, but once they do get started they tend to spread like wildfire. In no particular order, here is my list of top five tax and personal finance myths for pastors:

Myth #1:  I can deduct all of my suits and professional clothing because a pastor is always “on duty”.

Fact:  Clothing purchased for a taxpayer’s employment is rarely, if ever deductible and this has been spelled out plainly in the U.S. Tax Code. The only situation where clothing might potentially be deductible is in the case where a “uniform” is required (For example, an auto mechanic, delivery driver or something to this effect). Suits, expensive as though they may be, are definitely not deductible on the personal income tax return of a pastor and they absolutely cannot be purchased on behalf of a pastor by the church.

Myth #2:  My housing allowance is totally exempt from income taxation.

Fact:  An entire article could be written about the housing allowance and all of the myths that surround this confusing topic. In terms of income tax, even if you are a pastor that has filed a Form 4361 and have opted out of the social security system, your housing allowance could still be subject to income tax. In general, the housing allowance is exempt from income tax, but if you have an “excess” housing allowance which is above and beyond your actual housing expenses for the year, this excess amount is subject to income tax. For example, if your housing allowance for the year was $24,000 and your actual housing expenses were only $20,000, then an excess housing allowance of $4,000 exists and will be taxed at both the federal and state levels. Furthermore, it is critical to understand that a pastor must be able to substantiate their actual housing expenses and failure to do so could result in the entire housing allowance being subject to income tax.

Myth #3:  My housing allowance is not subject to self-employment tax (“SE tax”).

Fact:  In the case of a pastor who has filed a Form 4361 and has opted out of the social security system, this is not a “myth” and this is a true statement. However, if you have not opted out of the social security system, then both your wages and the full amount of the housing allowance is subject to SE tax (SE tax is essentially FICA and Medicare tax, both the employee and employer portions). I once had a pastor strenuously and consistently insist that I was incorrect on this issue. Despite my efforts to show the pastor the specific IRS rules on this issue, I was never able to convince the pastor or achieve any agreement on the issue. I found out later that the pastor did not file our tax return and they instead sought out an unlicensed member of their congregation to re-prepare their tax return for them – without any of the pastor’s income being subject to SE tax. While the pastor saved some tax by having the return prepared this way, they also unfortunately committed fraud with no statute of limitation on how far the IRS could go back in time to audit this tax return (or returns if done in other years too).

Myth #4:  My vehicle is used 100% for ministry purposes, so I can “write-off” all the mileage or my church supplies me with a vehicle and there is no tax consequence to this.

Fact:  Almost no vehicle is used 100% for business purposes or ministry purposes. The only scenario where a vehicle could be considered to be used 100% for ministry purposes would be a vehicle that is parked at the church and is driven only for church business. Driving a vehicle from your home to your place of business is considered non-deductible commuting mileage and is never deductible. Only mileage that is driven for ministry purposes and is not reimbursed by your church could potentially be deducted on your income tax return. Additionally, a detailed mileage log of such trips must be maintained.

For those pastors who have a church provided vehicle, this is considered to be a part of your compensation package and some portion of this vehicle’s use must be included in your personal income. A CPA can calculate what exact amount to include in your income and there are various ways to handle the inclusion of income. The important thing to understand is that a church cannot provide a vehicle to a pastor with no income tax implications, unless the vehicle is parked at the church and is only used for church business – a scenario which is unlikely, at best.

Myth #5:  I am considered to be self-employed, so I have to make estimated tax payments.

Fact:  From my experience, most pastors opt to pay their income taxes by making quarterly estimated tax payments. This tends to be the case because most churches understand that the church must treat the pastor as being self-employed and the church cannot withhold or match FICA/Medicare taxes for pastors. However, a pastor can absolutely have their church withhold federal and state income taxes from their weekly or monthly payroll check. This is completely acceptable as the pastor is simply instructing the church to withhold a certain amount of income tax (not FICA/Medicare tax) from their check. The pastor can then simply “gross up” the amount of federal income tax withheld to be enough to cover both income taxes and self-employment taxes.

There are two primary advantages to having your taxes paid in this manner. First, it is all too easy to forget to make a quarterly estimated tax payment. Second, estimated tax payments must be made on a regimented, quarter by quarter basis and if they are made late, a penalty could be assessed. Withholding taxes are not subject to the same timing requirements and so long as you have sufficient withholdings paid in by the end of the year, a penalty can be avoided. The advantage here is that a pastor can have their CPA analyze their tax situation and additional withholdings can be held out of year end payroll checks to avoid penalties, if need be. We definitely recommend this alternative as opposed to making quarterly estimated tax payments.

This article is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information in regard to the subject matter covered. It is shared with the understanding that neither the author nor Tony Cooke Ministries is engaged in rendering legal, accounting, psychological, medical or other professional services. Laws and regulations are continually changing, and can vary according to location and time. No representation is made that the information herein is applicable for all locations and times. If legal advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional person should be sought.

© Tony Cooke Ministries, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Tips for the Second Generation Pastor
Joel Sims

Joel Sims has been the senior Pastor of Word of Life Church (Flowood, MS) for the past ten years. Word of Life is a church where people gather together to hear life, share life, and give life as they worship the Lord. Word of Life is thriving ministry that reaches 2,500 people every week for the Kingdom of God. Joel has been married to his beautiful wife, Peppi, for 8 years and are the parents of three children. Click here to learn more about Word of Life Church.

Hello All,

It is an honor to be talking to you. I have gleaned much from Rev. Tony Cooke and the resources on this site. So it is a pleasure to help be a supply any way we can be. I suppose anyone in ministry could take something away from this article, but it is particularly designed for pastors taking over existing works. My name is Joel Sims and I took over the church I grew up in. In the early 1980’s, my father graduated from Rhema Bible Training center and came back to his home town of Jackson, MS where he started Word of Life Christian Fellowship.

The church started with three people in his mother’s basement. Over 20 years it grew into a church well over 1,000. Around 1999 my father purchased property to build a new facility for his growing congregation. On April 17th, 2001 my father passed away right in the middle of the building project. I was 17 years old at the time. To make a long story as short as I can possibly make it, under a set of amazing circumstances I began to pastor that church at 19 years of age.

I know what you’re thinking. “Who in the world let him do that?” To be honest I really don’t have a good answer. But nevertheless, there I was, 19 years old and the pastor of the church. At the time of assuming leadership, the church was hovering around 750 people. Under my exceptional leadership we lost about 300 people within my first two years of my pastoring. One night I came home after preaching and got down on my bathroom floor with tears streaming down my face. I felt like I was a complete failure and was tearing apart everything my father had built in 20 years. I had a mental list of people I felt like I could give the church to who could do a far better job then me. On the bathroom floor that night I prayed a prayer that changed my life. It was a simple prayer. All I said was, “Lord I need your help.”

Over the next couple of weeks I received help and the Lord gave me things to do personally as well as organizationally that not only changed the course of my life, but the church as well. I have now been pastoring 11 years in October. I am so incredibly thankful I did not give up that night. We built the building that my father was intent on building. The church has grown by the Lord’s help and we are reaching far more people for the Kingdom of God then ever before. I know for many of you the main thing you need to hear is, “Don’t get frustrated.” We are to run our race with not only faith but also with patience. Don’t get so discouraged with the present that you forget the dream you once had. Dream big again! God called you there for a reason. Delay is not always denial. Stay with it. God has great things for you. With that being said, let me give you a couple of steps that the Lord gave me.

Step Number 1: This is a personal step, a step I had to make in my own heart. The Lord dealt with me that I had a measure of unforgiveness in my heart. 

That root of bitterness was stopping some things from happening. A Scripture He gave me during that time is found in Job 17:9. It simply reads that he who has clean hands shall grow stronger and stronger. I think it easy sometimes in life, but also in ministry, to get our hands a little bit dirty. Things come up in ministry. People leave churches. Sometimes promises are not fulfilled. Sometimes people start churches out of your church. All these things can wound your heart, and that hurt can lead to unforgiveness. That unforgiveness can stop God’s best from manifesting in life. I knew in order to see my life get stronger and stronger I had to get my hands clean and let go of some unforgiveness.

There is a good rule for you to have in ministry and it is this: you can’t please everyone but you do have to LOVE everyone. There always going to be people who are not pleased with you.  Some say the music is too loud, you turn it down. Others come and say it is too low. As a pastor, many times it can be hurtful when you realize you haven’t pleased someone. But never stop that from letting you love them. Love is the greatest force in all the world. Because God is Love. Just as nothing could overtake God, nothing can overtake love. Let Love be your foundation for Life and for ministry. Keep your hands clean and watch things grow stronger and stronger. If there is anything you need to let go of or anyone you need to forgive don’t hesitate in taking that step. .

Step Number 2: Every ministry and minister needs a pace setter .

There are too many biblical examples to list. Paul with Timothy, Elijah with Elisha. You need to get around somebody or something that inspires you to reach for Greatness. I saw this principle in the life of my father. He had two ministries that he stayed close to. He gleaned not only organizational principles, but also received personal impartations from them. These things marked his ministry and improved him personally. Currently, I expect each one of my staff members to have a pace setter.  A ministry that they can look to that is doing greater things than what we are doing. Some of the pace setters we have strong personal relationships with. Others we know them but they don’t know us. But that doesn’t stop us from gleaning from them. Paul said, “Follow me as I follow Christ.” What ministries or ministers can you follow, can you learn from, can you be inspired by. Make it a priority to get around Greatness.

Step Number 3: Show the people you care. 

There is an old saying I am sure you all have heard it before. But it is the absolute truth: “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” When taking over an existing work, you can have all the vision in the world and that is great. You can have the talent in the world, and that is good too. But if the people who are there don’t believe you care about them, it won’t be long until they are no longer there.

When you are taking over an existing work, chances are before you made your grand entrance there was some type of emotional exit. Our church’s emotional exit was my father’s passing away. Your situation could be completely different but chances are the people are in a place where they need emotional support. People will forget what you say. A lot of times they will forget the vision that you cast. But they will never forget how you make them feel. So do whatever it takes to show the people you care.

From the pulpit never show frustration. I know this easy to get frustrated. But it is important for the people especially during those first couple of months to see the overwhelming love that you have for them. I mean after all they are the reason you took the job, Right? It is amazing what people will do for you when they like you. So love the people and never forget a good shepherd should always smell like the sheep.

Step Number 4: After you have shown the people how much you care, lead with a passionate vision.

When a church has past memories that are greater than present dreams, a church is in trouble. Where there is no vision, not only do people perish, but churches do, too. It is your job as the leader of the church to give the people a vision to get excited about. They must not believe that where you are currently is as good as it gets. Don’t ever think survival, but think increase. What is next for the church? Maybe it is a new building, a new service, a new outreach, or a new program. But something MUST be next.

It is not just enough for you as a leader to have the vision. You must over-communicate the vision until your church is as excited about it as you are. Ask yourself this question once a month, “Are my people excited? Are they excited about the church?” If they are, why? If they aren’t, why not? Christianity and your church should be exciting. People should be excited about what is going on. That is what vision does; it puts passion in the people to move forward, to make advancement.

At the same time don’t try to communicate vision until you prove to the people that you care. Faith demands a target to believe for and to pursue after. Paul said, “I forget those things that are behind me and press towards the things that are in front of me.” You have to get the church to do that, to be incredibly thankful for the past, but also passionately excited about the future.

Step 5: Start building the right team.

This is such an interesting step for new and coming leader. Because I guarantee you there will be some people in leadership positions, and within three seconds of meeting them you know a change needs to be made. You will also know there are some people who are not in leadership positions that need to be. How do you handle this. Two words: BE LED.

In the Jim Collins Book “Good to Great” which I encourage you to read, he says that one of the greatest steps to building a great company is first WHO then WHAT. He says you not only need to drive the bus which is your organization in the right direction but you have to have the right people in the right seats. Navigate these waters with patience and wisdom.

Don’t make change to quick, but at the same time when the Lord deals with you to make changes don’t make excuses, make changes. This is not always easy but a church will never grow beyond the leadership team’s ability to grow. Jesus spent much time developing a team. So often we think of reaching the masses in a community, but Jesus knew in order to do that he had to build a team first. To do this he spent much time in prayer before selecting his team. I encourage you as a pastor to do the same thing.

Don’t just come in with personal preferences, but take time to get to know the people to get to know who is there, to love and care for them and then spend time in prayer about who you are to use, and then who to promote. Once Jesus selected his team he spent much time pouring his life into theirs. He grew them up. He made investments in them that later produced a dramatic return. Some people are not presently in your church.

Your time in prayer will bring the right people to you. So when it comes to getting the right people in right seats start with prayer. Prayer will help you see what changes need to be made. It will give you the grace to make those changes and it will bring the right people into the organization.

It has been my honor to spend some time with you. Before I end, I would like to encourage you to check in with Tony and his website as much as you can. He definitely is a pace setter.

Blessings,

Pastor Joel Sims

Missionary Wanda Casper, Shares How “In Search of Timothy” Video Seminar Strengthens Pastors and Church Leaders in the Philippines

Since November of 1983, Wanda Casper has been "preaching, teaching and healing in the Name of Jesus Christ" in India, Republic of South Africa, Mozambique, Swaziland, Botswana, Great Britain, the Philippine Islands and the USA.

In 1991, the Lord directed her to start a two year training program for those in or called to the five-fold ministry on the Island of Negros, in the Southern Philippines. In addition to training and preparing Filipinos to "teach, preach and heal in Jesus’ Name" Wanda also holds outdoor evangelistic crusades for adults and children.

We encourage you to learn more about Wanda’s work (Light of the World Ministries by visiting her Web site http://lightoftheworldmin.org

Dear Rev. Tony,

Greetings in Jesus’ mighty name!

We had the "In Search of Timothy" video seminar on Monday, July 17, 2006. We were only able to give a ten-day notice, but about 60 of our alumni attended – many of them are senior pastors. They also brought some of their staff people who are also alumni of our school.

We did it all in one day and it was glorious! It was so wonderful. Filipinos (especially our graduates) understand English and many of the humorous things you shared truly tickled them just as you did the crowd you ministered to at the church where the videos were taped.

Our alumni were so blessed! I checked their notebooks and they took very good notes and got the points you shared, especially character issues as we were studying on "Growing Up Spiritually." The ethics issues are so important to pastors as splitting churches is rampant here. Your messages planted seeds of urgent truth in a non-accusatory way.

I am sending you a few photos of the meetings (below). All the attendees wanted me to send their thanks and tell you how much your teaching ministered to them. I also brought ten copies of your book and gave them to the first ten pastors that came and stayed all day. I plan to bring more of the books next year because they all wanted one!

Thank you again for your ministry and your many blessings to us.

Love in Christ,

Wanda Casper

Condemnation and Conviction: The Vital Difference
Keith Trump

A native of Carmel, Indiana, Keith Trump founded Living Truth Church in 2003. He continues to lead this thriving ministry. Prior to founding Living Truth, Keith ministered in churches throughout the United States as well as oversees in both Nicaragua and Haiti. Keith has an overflowing passion for teaching the whole Word of God. The Lord took him through many years of preparation in order to accomplish this endeavor. In addition to graduating from Rhema Bible Training Center, Keith holds BA degrees from Evangel University in both Biblical Studies and Missions. He also has a Master of Divinity degree from Assemblies of God Theological Seminary. While at Evangel, Keith earned multiple honors such as Outstanding Greek Student, the Zondervan Medal of Achievement For Outstanding Greek Studies, the American Bible Society Scholars Award, the highest distinction of Outstanding Biblical Studies Graduate, and many other scholarships. During his time at seminary, Keith received the prestigious Presidential Scholarship for each of his years of study. In addition to Hebrew and Aramaic studies, he continued to pursue advanced level Greek studies. In 2014, the Lord gave Keith the mandate to “Get my people into the language (Hebrew and Greek) of my Word!” He explained the necessity of traveling around the world teaching this truth. In obedience to the Lord’s command, Keith launched the “Getting Greek” seminars (www.gettinggreek.org). These seminars have taken off and begun taking believers out of the shallows of pop-Christianity and into the deeper water of God’s Word.

Throughout his ministry, Keith’s greatest partner remains his wife of 24 years, Lori. Together, they have four children ranging in ages from 5 to 23. Keith’s closest mentors include Dr. Bob Lemon, Rev. Tony Cooke, and Pastor Rick Renner.

Certain words have, in addition to merely waltzing across the stage of time, actually propelled the script of history. In particular, the interplay between two meaning-dense words can create something like a grammatical nuclear reaction; the waves of which touch every level of human existence. How people understand their meaning, source, and relationship to one another determines the course of individual lives, nations, and eternal destinies. Yes; words contain that much power. Understanding fuels application and, in turn, application determines outcome. For example, based on the handling of the terms “love” and “hate,” governments topple or bloom; families fracture or flourish; and churches either swim in redemption or sink in deception. The systematic consigning of hate as something to be avoided at all costs displays a simplistic ignorance of the word’s true meaning. How can hate be a bad word when Scripture presents the Lord as, at times, intensely hating? (Proverbs 6:16; Isaiah 61:8; Amos 6:8; Zechariah 8:18). Furthermore, God’s Word tells us that those loving the Lord will, out of respect for Him “hate evil.” (Psalm 97:10; Proverbs 8:13; Amos 5:15). Understanding the force which context exerts upon hate’s meaning produces a fuller appreciation of the term “love.” Conversely, a deeper understanding of love’s breadth magnifies the truth packaged within hate. In sum, holding a precise knowledge of each term on its own as well as their interplay makes proper application possible. Proper application then provides a manual for course correction along the path of life.

The timeless principle exposed above directly applies to the two words “condemnation” and “conviction.” In today’s church world, a great deal of misunderstanding regarding these two terms runs rampant. Mishandling of these terms continues to foster the opposing extremes of either legalism or those “claiming that God’s marvelous grace allows us to live immoral lives” (Jude 1:4). Over the past few years, the flavor of teaching Jude decries has swelled in popularity. In the lives of many, the Spirit’s convicting work has begun to break down under the ego-endearing hammers of antinomianism. This relentless pounding will, if left unchecked, give way to patterns contrary to the workmanship the Spirit seeks to build. While a weighty, detailed explication of condemnation and conviction lies beyond the scope of this article, a careful distillation will provide clarification. Concerning these terms, the Church must view the picture God paints in Scripture. The Lord offers a view cut off from the traffic and tempest present in monetarily driven churchianity and untouched by the crosscurrents of dogmas and presumptions that have cluttered church history.

Condemnation

The Greek word krima translated; “condemnation” in the New Testament proves both straightforward and forceful. In secular Greek, the term finds both its most numerous and fullest expressions as a technical term used in legal settings. The term conveys the idea of separating or making a distinction of one thing from another. Along these lines, at times, writers employed it in realms beyond the courtroom. It presents the concept of distinguishing what is approved as beneficial from what remains unprofitable. Thus, it provides a fitting term for “dividing” wheat from chaff. Considering all of the above, the word connotes a thorough, careful investigation of the facts at hand. After sifting these facts numerous times, a judge weighs what remains, and issues a potent, binding decision.

In the Septuagint, krima often takes on a decisively more negative slant. Writers use it to translate the Hebrew word din (a term meaning “to punish with severity”). (1)

Throughout the Old Testament, God stands as the only dispenser of absolute justice. The one judging every nation of the earth (Psalm 67:5; Amos 1:2; Joel 4:2) will decree a severe judgment on the “Day of the Lord” (Isaiah 2:12-18; Jeremiah 46:10; Zephaniah 1:7-18). (2)

Of course, this connotation carries over into the hands of New Testament writers. To them, krima did not simply drop from the sky into their theology. They, under inspiration of the Holy Spirit, grabbed hold of this word in order to convey the concept of “condemnation.” We see a synthesis of both agricultural (sifting of wheat and separation of wheat from tares) and legal metaphors. Paul runs hard with the concept of condemnation. The judge of all the earth (both Jews and Gentiles) has carefully scoured the facts pertinent to humanity’s case. After weighing this material against His righteous requirements, God has issued a legal judgment. There “is none that receives a clear verdict; not one (Romans 3:10). Surprising to many, condem.” nation is not, in and of itself something bad. In fact, the justice of God demands it. The Lord maintains a perfect, unbending standard carrying negative sanctions for all not measuring up to it.

God still says, “Every living soul belongs to me…The one who sins is the one who will die” (Ezekiel 18:4). Indeed, “Sin is [still] the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin its power” (1 Corinthians 15:56). We have not entered into an age wherein the Judge has abrogated this verdict. Instead, the Father pronounced the fullness of the verdict, with all its sanctions on the Son. At the cross, Jesus approached the judgment seat, heard the verdict pronounced, and drank the cup of judgment to the dregs. Therefore, now, condemnation has no place in the life of a believer. One has no right to take up what Jesus has already taken on and taken out of the way. Believers can remain confident that any condemnation coming their way does not originate from God. The disobedient believer now has an advocate, face to face with the judge, pleading the illegality of condemnation (1 John 2:1). God is now faithful (he will do it every time) and just (he is right in doing it) to forgive and cleanse from anything threatening to condemn (1 John 1:9). In the heart of Romans, Paul thunders from the heart of God: “Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who then will condemn us? No one—for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us” (Rom 8:33-34). Condemnation stands as term having no place in the life of one under the New Covenant.

Conviction

In addition to shielding believers from the death-dealing sentence of condemnation, God places his life-giving Spirit within them. In other words, Jesus “did this [took the sentence of condemnation] so that the just requirement of the law would be fully satisfied for us, who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit” (Romans 8:4). While the law judged from without, the Spirit now convicts from within. This elencho or “conviction” serves as one of the believer’s greatest assets.

Secular Greek writers employed elencho to speak of gathering both copious and cogent evidence for the purpose of convincing one to change a position. In addition to philosophical matters, this concept often translated to the issues of everyday life. Like the word translated “condemnation,” elencho concerns the careful examination of facts. However, the facts are marshaled for the purpose of correcting one’s course rather than issuing a negative sentence. Interestingly, “both Philo and Josephus use elencho in terms of the correction which men receive both from their own consciences and the Logos.” (3)

An examination of every New Testament usage of elencho presents the term as signifying “an expression of strong disapproval, based on evidence amounting to proof, bringing to light something out of character for a believer.” The Spirit uses conviction to say, “Pay attention; you need to make a change!” In the New Covenant, God not only exhorts believers to change; He also empowers them to make the adjustment. Under the curse of the Law, condemnation proclaimed “You have been weighed and found wanting. Your life does not measure up.” Under grace, the life-giving Spirit of brings conviction saying, “This ungodly behavior does not fit you. You are now a child of the King. Let me help you act like it.” The Holy Spirit uses the Word of God as an instrument of conviction. Whenever a believer approaches Scripture with an open heart, the transformation afforded by conviction takes place. In fact, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness”(2 Tim 3:16). In this passage, elencho translates to English as “rebuking.” Many view a rebuke as something to avoid. In truth, a godly rebuke can both deliver one from and keep one out of trouble. Jesus states, “I correct (elencho) and discipline everyone I love” (Revelation 3:19). Elencho often pairs up with paideuo (the word used for parents correcting children). The writer of Hebrews exhorts his audience to not “make light of the Lord’s discipline (paideuo), and do not lose heart when he rebukes (elencho) you” For, “the Lord disciplines (paideuo) those he loves”(Hebrews 12:5-6). Conviction flows from the heart of the Father rather than the finger of a legalistic preacher. Thus, instead of viewing conviction as a restriction to recoil against; one should embrace it as a help to hold tightly to.

Jesus placed within the church what some call the “five-fold ministry gifts.” He entrusts these ministers to, at times, bring conviction to the members of His body. Such conviction must always spring from Scripture instead of personal preferences. Paul told Timothy to “preach the word of God. Be prepared, whether the time is favorable or not. Patiently correct, rebuke, and encourage your people with good teaching” (1 Timothy 4:2). Ministers preaching and teaching with conviction often have the charge of “preaching condemnation” hurled at them. However, examining the usage of both condemnation and conviction, glaringly reveals the fallacy of such an assertion.

Drenched in the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Paul exclaims that people should “notice how God is both kind and severe” (Romans 11:22). His severe adherence to justice reveals itself in unfaltering condemnation. Conversely, his unfathomable kindness manifests itself in Word-fueled, Spirit-empowered, life-correcting conviction. Thanks be unto the Son for receiving and removing the Father’s judgment and passing along the Spirit’s conviction!

(1) – The New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology Vol.2 “krima” W. Schneider (Zondervan, Grand Rapids 1979). 363.

(2) – Ibid.

(3) – For a detailed discussion of logos and rhema see my earlier article here.

Taking Prayer Requests: Outreach from Hudson Valley Family Church
Elizabeth Murray

“If everyone would rescue one person from hell a year, the church will double.”
– Pastor Jack Yurus
Hudson Valley Family Church

Last year when Pastors Jack and Marilyn Yurus moved their congregation, Hudson Valley Family Church, from rented rooms at a local college to assist a nearby community church, Pastor Jack knew it was ordained by God. Fixing up the church building took a tremendous amount of heavy cleaning, repairing, building, painting and patience. Yet, even as things took shape inside the building, life outside the church remained unchanged.

Week after week, Pastor Jack would ask, “Are there any visitors?” No one raised a hand. No one came forward to the newly finished altar. Over a decade later, the size of the congregation remains about the same. Pastor Jack knew he had to go out to the people in the neighborhood. If you like to fish, you can’t simply talk about getting your tackle, rods, and driving the boat to your favorite fishing spots, you’ll never get there. You have to get in the boat, get out on the water and drive to your favorite hole. “We may not have the time to go on all day fishing trips but we must fish all day,” said Pastor Jack. “At work, baseball games, school, the grocery store, the DMV…”

Prior to founding Hudson Valley Family Church in 2002, Pastor Jack was the youth pastor at Calvary Center Church in Yonkers, New York for seven years and assistant pastor for nine years. Pastor Jack was radically saved 29 years ago. He didn’t sleep much for the first two weeks, he’d be out all night long telling folks about Jesus. He’d take short naps and take off again—he felt compelled to go out and tell somebody. It was after that that he did the work of an evangelist. He had few bills, was living at his parents home and had a flexible job. So, for the next five or six years, he went fishing. “I have food to eat that you know nothing about…” (John 4:32). “It was the most fulfilling time,” Pastor Jack said.

Pastor Jack never lost the heart of an evangelist. He really never stopped fishing; he never stopped evangelizing. “It was my desire to duplicate myself,” said Pastor Jack. “I instilled in people the love of God and even a heart for the lost.” But once again the cares of life creeped in and choked out opportunities to reach out—marriage, children, his own business—life got really busy. The many job (s) of a pastor: preparing sermons, banking, paying rent, setting up every week, children’s church, taking care of the problems of your spiritual children in addition to his own marriage and children. Plus, he always worked during his 28 years of ministry.

With a full plate of real responsibilities, Pastor Jack could see that, after a decade, not much was happening in his church. In his spirit, he sensed Jesus asking him: ‘What are you doing?’ He knew he had to lead by example and asked himself, ‘So, are you or are you not going? He realized he had to make a change. Back in the ‘80s it was easy to evangelism, then the ‘90s, no one would listen to you and now it has come around again. So Pastor Jack appointed others to handle more church business and once again went after the lost.

Where We Were

Meanwhile, HVFC members worked tirelessly to get the physical aspects of the church ready for new people. Two members of the outreach team, Ralph and Stan, realized they had become distracted by multiple maintenance projects. One Saturday night, while cleaning the church for Sunday’s service, they saw the real priority should be focused on reaching the lost. ‘What good is it to have a well-kept church and no one in it?’ Stan thought.

“We saw we were missing it,” said Ralph. “We had to go out there and share His love.” That Sunday, Pastor Jack preached a word God gave him: “What good would it be for a man if he gains the whole world yet forfeits his soul? (Matthew 16:26). It was one of the times God spoke to Pastor Jack and said, ‘What would it profit a man if he gained the whole world and his neighbor went to hell?’ Pastor Jack knew what he meant by his neighbor, it wasn’t just your neighbor but everybody.

As though a knife had been driven through the hearts of Ralph and Stan, they responded immediately. It was confirmation. They went out to the streets the following week.

God’s Idea

The outreach team knew their job was to bring new life to the church by reaching the lost. In prayer, they asked the Lord, ‘How can we approach people and get the maximum effect?’ God gave them an idea: ”Take Prayer Requests.” So they printed that in white letters on black T-shirts. The t-shirt served as an evangelistic tool. Even fellow Christians would approach them commenting, ‘What a great idea’ or ‘How do I get one of those t-shirts?’

Keith Moore said that fancy marketing and flyers won’t get people to God but prayer will. The first time the team took to the streets, a guy came up to them saying, ‘Yo! Yo! Can you pray for me?’ Another person driving by slowed down and asked, ‘I need a job, will you pray that I get one?’

Ralph remarked, “Some will come up and talk to you but others will simply read our shirts. The Word is planted in their hearts and the Word does not return void.”

Go Ye!

Consistency is key. Every week before they head out, they worship, pray and enter into the presence of God. People have come to expect them and many follow up or know to ask for prayer. They are always lead by the Holy Spirit when they pray and always refer to “Jesus says…” They never argue but rather encourage and love people.

The team has an agenda: to build people up; share information and resources; pray the Word of God with them; hand out Bibles; teach them about the name of Jesus and ultimately lead them to salvation. Instead of tracts, they leave prayer cards of encouragement. Thus far, the cards have had a greater impact. After praying for others, the team gets phone numbers, emails, and names and follows up.

Evangelizing and sharing God’s Word with people was far outside of Ralph and Stan’s comfort zone. But, through Pastor Jack, they caught the church’s vision. They got a revelation of their hearts for the lost and understood it was critical.

Endorsing Evangelists

The team encourages others to trust in the Holy Spirit and His leading—they suggest stepping out in faith. Another way they encourage the congregation is by sharing videos and testimonies of being used by God and seeing the results of prayer. They have focused on creating a fun and relaxed environment.

Just Do It!

Divine appointments await daily. Don’t allow distractions to deter you. Do not wait for someone else to do what God is calling you to do.

“You are more than able,” says Ralph. “Open your mouth, God will fill it and the Holy Spirit will take over.”

Synthetic vs. Authentic Leadership
Dr. Dave Williams, D.Min, D.D.

Dave Williams served as pastor of Mount Hope Church in Lansing, Michigan, for more than thirty years. In that time, Dave trained thousands of ministers through the Mount Hope Bible Training Institute, Dave Williams’ Church Planter’s School, and Dave Williams’ School for Pacesetting Church Leaders. Dave is a teacher, speaker, author, and trainer. He coaches church leaders, business leaders, entrepreneurs, and followers of Christ on how to live a pacesetting life. His three-pronged approach—spiritual, attitudinal, and practical—has transformed ordinary people into extraordinarily successful leaders in every field of endeavor. Click here to learn more about Dr. Dave Williams.

The following is an excerpt taken from The Art of Pacesetting Leadership by Dr. Dave Williams.

One of the most important decisions you will ever make in your life is this: Will you be an authentic or synthetic leader? This decision will transform your life and everything you do. It will determine if your efforts are fruitful or fruitless. This decision is critical to your success as a pacesetting leader. Being authentic or synthetic means to live either from the perspective, principles, and power of God’s Kingdom or the perspective, principles, and power of this world. John the Baptist said it this way:

Matthew 3:2b NKJV
“…Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!”

Jesus preached the same message.

Matthew 4:17 NKJV
From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”


These verses encourage you to live authentically, from the perspective of the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus spent a great deal of time teaching about living from God’s Kingdom perspective. In Matthew 5, Sermon on the Mount, Jesus started with, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” He then gave parables about God’s Kingdom. After Jesus was raised from the dead, the Bible tells that for forty days he taught the disciples about God’s Kingdom (Acts 1:1–3). If Jesus spent so much time teaching about God’s Kingdom, it must be important! Understanding how to live from God’s Kingdom perspective is the key to authentic living.

God’s Kingdom = Authentic
Worldly power and principles = Synthetic

Kingdoms in Conflict
Some people are born again, meaning they are saved by the Blood of Jesus Christ. However, these Christians function in the realm of the five senses: what they see, feel, hear, taste, and touch. They have not learned the difference between authentic and synthetic. They operate in the world’s synthetic realm rather than the authentic Kingdom realm that is available to them.

Far fewer people are familiar with what it means to live from God’s Kingdom, meaning his perspective and principles. Only God can give us authentic promises and authentic leadership. Man cannot create anything authentic!

John 3:6 NKJV
That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

Once while I was praying, I had a vision about the church I served as pastor that vividly illustrated the difference between authentic and synthetic. At the time, our church had many ministries but seemed to be stuck in neutral; there was no forward momentum or growth.

In this vision I saw a train on a track trying to move in the direction of God’s purpose and plan. Sparks were flying out from under the wheels and everything was moving forward—but very slowly. I intuitively knew that this train was my church. My view of the train panned back, and I saw five engines on the front of the train. I thought, with five powerful engines that train ought to be speeding along!

Then the view panned back even further, and I saw three other engines hooked up to the back of the train. They were pulling in the opposite direction.

Then the Lord spoke to my spirit. The five engines are authentic ministry and leadership. The three engines in the back are synthetic ministry. They represent people trying to minister in ways that are not a part of my plan. Their ministry is based in their own selfish desires, and they are holding back the church. You have to disconnect those three engines.

Who wants to disconnect a ministry that looks good, sounds good, and is popular? No one, but I had to because they were holding the church back. So I asked the Lord, “How will I know which are the synthetic ministries?”

Again I heard God speak: Don’t worry; they will identify themselves to you. They will tell you that theirs is not a synthetic ministry.

I spoke to the congregation one Sunday evening and said, “The Lord gave me a picture of synthetic and authentic ministry. One is pulling us in the right direction, and the other is pulling us in the wrong direction. We are going to disconnect all the synthetic ministries in the church. Everything that was born of a committee, a brainstorm, a good idea, or because we attended a conference and somebody else was doing it, is going to be disconnected.”

I did not tell the congregation how I would identify the synthetic ministries, so after the service a woman approached me and said, “Pastor, I know my ministry is not synthetic, but if you want me to stop, I will.”

I replied, “Okay, I would like you to stop.” Sure enough, she left the church because she couldn’t lead “her” ministry. She chose the synthetic over the authentic. This scenario repeated itself until we were free—at least for a season—of all man-made ministries.

God’s Word is clear on the results of life and ministry that are not founded in God’s plan:

Psalm 127:1a KJV
Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it….

Matthew 15:13 KJV
But he answered and said, Every plant, which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up.

John 15:5 NKJV
“I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.”

All these verses point to one thing—the difference between the authentic and the synthetic.

How to tell the difference
Everything that glitters is not gold, and the synthetic and authentic can look a lot alike. When I was a bachelor, I lived in a little 720-square foot house on a dead end street. I worked an eight hour day at the power plant, and then I worked another eight hours on school and ministry studies after that. I had no idea how to decorate a house. My mother would come over and say, “You need to put some flowers around this house!” I didn’t care about flowers. I would rather have put in gravel than deal with watering anything, but every time she came over she would tell me, “David, you need to get some greenery and flowers around this house. It would make it so much more beautiful.”

One day I was at a dollar store and saw they were having a sale on plastic flowers, five cents apiece! So I bought forty flowers of all different colors, took them home, shoved them into the ground and within five minutes had a “flower garden.” My mother drove by and said, “David, you have a green thumb and didn’t know it.”

Then the snow came. Mine was the only house in the neighborhood with flowers peeking out of the snow. From a distance they looked like the real thing, but when you got up close you could see that each one was exactly alike. They all had come out of the same mold. They were flawless and didn’t have those little brown veins or ragged edges you see on real flowers. But they also could not give true beauty, a sweet aroma, or a tender touch.

The same is true of people who are synthetic. They look real from a distance, but when you look closer you find that they never admit any flaws! Authentic people are open about their flaws—they are living and real.

Most important, the authentic has the power to reproduce. This is the main test of authenticity: it bears good, lasting fruit. Synthetic flowers cannot produce anything. Synthetic ministries can only produce more synthetic ministry, which Jesus called “evil fruit.” He said,

Matthew 7:15–20 KJV
Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.

Later in Matthew Jesus made the same point,

Matthew 12:33 KJV
Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit.

The Psalmist said this about the righteous,

Psalm 1:1–3 KJV
Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.

The difference between authentic and synthetic is fruit. Fruit is a very big deal to God. The first command God gave to mankind in the first chapter of Genesis proved this.

Genesis 1:28a KJV
And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish  the earth….

Jesus repeated this principle.

John 15:8 KJV
Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.

It is impossible to fool people with your fruit because you reproduce what you are, not what you speak or teach. An apple tree can claim to be a pear tree, and may fool some people during the winter, but when harvest time comes everyone knows an apple from a pear. There is no hiding the outcome. A wolf in sheep’s clothing can look like a sheep, smell like a sheep, walk like a sheep, speak the jargon of sheep, and hide among the flock for a little while. But when that wolf reproduces, it’s going to reproduce a wolf!

Synthetic verses authentic

• Synthetic leaders love and thrive on the plaudits of man; authentic leaders thrive on God’s approval even though it may not be popular
• Synthetic leaders draw attention to themselves: authentic leaders point to God
• Synthetic leaders seek “golden opportunities;” authentic leaders seek only God’s opportunities
• Synthetic leaders gain strength from men; authentic leaders walk in the Lord’s strength
• Synthetic leaders walk in rebellion, deception, and darkness; authentic leaders walk in submission and truth and their path is full of light
• Synthetic leaders appear to work hard with great amounts of activity that never comes to much; authentic leaders are always working toward a specific God-given goal or purpose

I have found that authentic leaders are usually persecuted by synthetic leaders. You see this in Jesus’ ministry: the Pharisees and religious leaders were his enemies and found fault with everything Jesus did. They criticized Jesus because he was different. He operated from the Kingdom, while they operated by earthly principles of power. The prophet Jeremiah said,

Jeremiah 17:5 MSG
Cursed is the strong one who depends on mere humans, Who thinks he can make it on muscle alone and sets God aside as dead weight.

Synthetic leaders are literally cursed. There always will be synthetic, man-made leadership, people who pulled themselves up by their bootstraps. But they only look good for a time, and then they disappear.

One year, on the Fourth of July, some friends and I went down to the riverfront to watch the fireworks. The first firework went up, and the crowd gasped in appreciation. Firework after firework lit up the sky, and I heard people around me say, “Isn’t that beautiful? It’s so impressive.”

After the grand finale, the smoke drifted away to reveal moonlight shining down and a sky full of stars. For a moment, those fireworks were synthetic “stars” obscuring the authentic stars. But after the smoke cleared and the ash of the synthetic fell to the ground, God’s authentic creation endured and shone forth even more beautifully.

Synthetic leaders come and go, ascend and descend quickly, skyrocket and plummet, fizzle and burn out. What you want is that authentic leadership based on Kingdom principles and the planting of seeds that Jesus causes to grow.

Reflections

1. In your own words, describe what authentic leadership looks like.
2. Is there any “evil fruit” or synthetic activity in your life? How will you cut off that synthetic activity and become more authentic?
3. Right now, pray asking God to point out areas where your leadership is not authentic. Ask him to help you produce good fruit.

To order The Art of Pacesetting Leadership book, audio messages, and videos visit our website: www.davewilliams.com/PL, or phone (800) 888-7284.

Supernatural Adventures in God
Jeanne Cook

Rev. Dennis and Jeanne Cook, have been missionaries in the Darien jungle of Panama, Central America since 1981. Their four grown children, Christopher, Jennifer, Jason and Chad, spent many years helping in the ministry in the jungle. The vision of Vida Ministries is to train national pastors in a two-year Bible School and to establish strong local churches. They have established seven churches inside the Chocó Indian reservation. In 1991 the Cooks pioneered Radio Vida. It is the first and only Christian radio station in the densest jungle in the world. Click here to learn more about their ministry.

Note: The following is an excerpt from Jeanne’s book, “Footsteps of Faith… Living our Faith in Everyday Life.” This book recounts the story of their outstanding ministry. To order this book on amazon.com or through the publisher

This is the time that Dennis began preaching the gospel. I would cry in the tent because he had become everything that I had asked God for. He preached with such conviction and integrity. I was bursting with pride because he had earned the right to speak into the lives of the Indians because they knew his heart.

They were full of questions. They first asked him why he had moved there with his family. One of the Indians was an elderly man named Rudy Barcoriso who said he was 76 years old at that time. Until this day when you ask Rudy he will tell you he is 76 years old. Dennis was only 38 years old then, but Rudy could work circles around Dennis. As Dennis began to share, Rudy just smiled. He said, “You are an answer to our prayers, Dennis. For years, we heard there was a God but no one would explain who He was or how to live for Him. We heard about Him but did not know Him. God has sent you to us to reveal Himself to our people.

Every lunch hour Dennis would share a passage of the Bible. The Indians lingered on each word that fell from Dennis’ lips. Dennis had been silent for two years and now he had earned the right to speak into their lives. They loved him and trusted him with their lives. We were not Indian born, but we had become part of their lives and their family.

Rudy asked Dennis to come and hold a large meeting in the middle of his village so everyone could hear about Dennis’ God. In their custom everything had to be cleared by the chief. Dennis asked the chief for permission to have an open-air meeting. He just smiled and said, “Of course you can.” This was the favor of God because the chief was the witch doctor!

The next night Dennis set up a meeting in the place where we had lived for two years. He was going to use a loud speaker. Before the meeting the chief asked if he could use the sound system to talk to his people. Dennis felt a little insecure about it, but he consented. The chief got up and told his people to listen to everything Dennis said because he was a good man.

This was the night that the gifts of miracles began to establish our ministry in the Darien Jungle.

Dennis preached his heart out on “God our Savior.” I sat there crying because I was so proud of him. He was such a godly man and I had grown to deeply love and respect the call of God on his life. I was so glad that I chose to face my greatest fear because I had found the greatest richest in life. There is absolutely nothing so rewarding as walking in God’s call on  your life.

There were some women in a nearby hut that kept making so much noise that Dennis could hardly be heard. Dennis asked Alberto, one of the teens, to go over and ask the people not to make so much noise. When Alberto got there the noise became louder and louder. The voice, chanting to the devil, began screaming in terror. About that time a wind blew across Dennis’ shoulder with so much strength that we thought a tropical storm was about to hit…but it was not the season for tropical storms.

Soon Alberto came back with three women following him. They were totally blind. He asked them what had happened. They said that they were trying to destroy the crusade by chanting to the devil when a wind blew in and knocked them all to the ground. When they got up, they were totally blind. Then they said a voice came to them and said, “Never mock the one True God or a man preaching about him.” The fear of God fell on the village. They had witnessed the power of God to defend Himself.

Dennis laid hands on the the women and they were instantly healed and their sight returned to them. The compassion of God was so strong that everyone was crying. The Indians are not normally emotional people. I have lived here since 1981 and I can count on one hand how many times that I have seen one of them cry. Without a doubt, they saw the judgment of God fall on people making fun of Him. Why would He strike them blind and then turn around and heal them? These women were witches working against Him. You knew that you were definitely on “miracle” ground. When Dennis made an altar call they were the first in line to get in line to get born again. Almost the whole village got born again that night. Then he called for the sick to come forward. There must have been close to four hundred people there that evening.

Through the crowd pushed a woman that I had never met before. She had walked from another village carrying a little boy. You could feel the fever coming from her son’s body. When she got up to where the people were being prayed for I saw why the fever was so high. The child was about 12 months old. He had a tumor the size of a grapefruit in his groin area. Dennis prayed for the little boy. He felt the power of God go into the child’s body. The tumor did not disappear immediately. Dennis told the woman that the manifestation would come and not to give up hope.

Many people were healed that night as God moved mightily through their lives. There were a lot of sicknesses in the villages. Many people brought their children to be prayed for. Around 60% of the children did not reach their first birthday because of the many diseases in the jungle.

I remember one child who was almost dead when I took him into my arms. His little body was limp. He did not seem to have much life left in him. I held him up to my heart and began praying for him. The compassion of God came up from inside of men and I felt my whole body was on fire with the love of God. That baby’s body began to jerk. He was instantly healed and wanted to nurse. That was the first time that I had ever felt the love and compassion of God move through my body. It changed my life. From that point on I had such a cry in my heart for the salvation and healing of these people.

The next night we continued the crusade. The woman who had the little boy with the tumor came running up to Dennis crying, “Look, Brother Cook, the tumor is gone!” Then she gave her testimony in front of everyone in the crusade. She was the wife of one of the witch doctors in a nearby village. Ever since the boy was born he was sick and had the tumor. It kept getting larger and larger. She said her husband called upon the power of the devil that he knew, but the boy kept getting worse. The night before, she was sitting in a nearby hut when the three witches were struck blind. She saw God restore their sight. She told her husband (the witch doctor) that she was taking the little boy over to be prayed for. Her husband followed her, arguing the whole way. She said when the boy was no better she kept saying, “The manifestation will come.” How she knew to do that I do not know. To my knowledge no one had ever taught her to do that. The next morning, the boy woke up totally healed. The woman accepted Jesus into her heart that night.

The crusade went on for one week. Miracles and signs and wonders were so present that it was a sign to the unbelievers that we served a powerful God. The witch doctors trembled and would not come near us. They said their powers were no match for the power that lived on the inside of us!

That was our first crusade and, with the manifestation of God’s power, Dennis began preaching everywhere.

Stop Complaining
Pastor Steve Roll

Steve Roll is a gifted pastor, counselor, author, consultant and motivator with over thirty years of ministry experience.  His ministry specializes in restoration and renewal of relationships.

Steve has a heart for people who are hurting and feel defeated. He is experienced in crisis counseling and is sought out for consultation regarding spiritual and emotional restoration and renewal.

Steve also has a special place in his heart for pastors and their families. He understands the unique challenges and pressures pastors face today. People have described him as a "pastor to pastors."

Mentored by Dr. John C. Maxwell, Steve’s ministry has included roles as associate pastor and senior pastor. He has served in church settings from a start-up church to serving on the staff of a mega-church.

Steve has been happily married to his wife Jo Ann for thirty-five years. They have a son, Adam and a daughter, Stacy.  You can learn more about Steve Roll and Restoration Ministries at www.srrestore.org.

“Do not complain, brethren, against one another, that you yourselves may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing right at the door.”
James 5:9

The Early Church was confronted with a relationship hindering, unity busting issue in its congregations: Christians complaining against Christians.

Sad to say, it is no different today.

Churches are packed with complaining Christians.

Everything from the length of the Pastor’s sermon, his personal style, his family’s lifestyle, the worship team’s performance, ministry workers care for children, to campus décor, to expenditure of God’s funds, and on and on and on….. all are subject to subjective judgment by believers who take upon themselves the mantle of judge and jury.

The word complain means groan, murmur or bear a grudge. Ouch! Do we really realize what we are doing when we complain against a brother? I think not. For if we did, I think we would think twice before murmuring against our brothers and sisters in Christ.

We should be ashamed of ourselves. I have done my share of complaining over the years, and you probably have too. I have come to the conclusion there is no biblical justification for me passing judgment on any Christian brother by complaining about them. 

James had a word from God for the Christians in his day and ours. Complaining was out! “DO NOT COMPLAIN” is the word.

Brothers, do not complain against your brothers. Why? Because when you do, you will be judged. The Judge, God Almighty, the Judge of all judges, will pass judgment on you for passing judgment on others. Note “the Judge is standing right at the door.”  The Judge is Johnny on the spot! Right at the door. Listening to our words. 

Criticizing, complaining, murmuring, gossiping, groaning and moaning against one another. A scourge and curse in the church. Complaining is immature at best, sinful at the worst. James tells us in chapter 3, verse 17 “Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do, and does not do it, to him it is sin.”  We know as Bible-believing Christians to complain against our brothers is not right. So if we do it, according to God’s Word, it is sin. Pure and simple. It is sin because we are judging one another and we are commanded not to judge each other. (Matthew 7:1-5).

How many of our brothers and sisters have been hurt and disheartened by complaining? How many churches have been torn apart by strife and division because of complainers? How many pastors have been discouraged and burned out having to deal with constant criticism from the people they serve?

Criticizing and complaining is not a spiritual gift.

 Ten Simple Steps To Stop Complaining

1. Do you like it when others complain against you? Probably not.
2. Take your complaint to God and pray for your brother.
3. Forgive your brother for all offense against you.
4. Control your tongue. Resist the fleshly temptation to murmur against a Christian.
5. Never tear down your fellow Christians. Always build them up.
6. Speak highly of your brother in the presence of others.
7. Check your motivation. Why are you complaining against a brother?
8. Is it Christ-like to complain against fellow Christians?
9. Stop and think. What will my complaining against a brother do to him/her and the body of Christ, and my witness to an unbelieving world?
10. Remember you are accountable to God for your treatment of your brother.

Think with me for a moment. If Christians stopped complaining against one another:

• The devil would not have opportunity to divide the body of Christ.
• Strife and disunity in the church would be non-existent.
• Believers would have clear consciences toward one another.
• Energy given to complaining would be directed to soul-winning.
• The world would be attracted, not repelled, by Christians and the church.
• The Lord would be pleased with how we treat one another.

Are you a complaining Christian? Do you have such a critical spirit toward others that you hardly realize that you complain against your fellow Christians? Would those who know you best say you are infected with a complaining spirit?

Is there someone you need to go to with a humble heart and ask for forgiveness for complaining against them? If so, go.

Maybe spiritual revival and renewal would come to the church of the Lord Jesus Christ if we stopped complaining against our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Just a thought.  

“And so, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against another, just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you. And beyond all these things, put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.”

Colossians 3:12-14

Jesus said in Matthew 7:1-5, “Do not judge lest you be judged. For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you. And why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, “Let me take the speck out of your eye” and behold, the log is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye?     

A Word For Your Week: Stop judging other Christians by complaining about them.

Staying on Course
Virgil Stokes

Virgil Stokes is a Pastor and Teacher, serving churches since 1980 in Oklahoma, New York, and Arizona. He and his wife, Judy, pioneered Faith Christian Fellowship of Tucson in 2004. Prior to entering ministry Virgil worked as a Registered Nurse in the field of mental health and addictions treatment. A recovering addict himself, Virgil has written and spoken extensively on Christian recovery. He is the author of several books, and is the founder of Faith Ministry Training Institute, a training program empowering local pastors to equip ministers in their own churches. Pastor Virgil is a graduate of the University of Oklahoma and Rhema Bible Training Center. His passion is getting people out of the pews and into the harvest.

It happened twice this last week. It seems as if it happens with remarkable frequency. I was just reading some articles when I saw a headline about a Christian leader who has been accused of misconduct. That was followed by word of another fellow who has gotten off the doctrinal track. Then a famous pastor on trial for financial malfeasance.

You would think I would get used to it. I lived through the great televangelist scandals of the 1980’s and still continued to serve the Lord. I saw a pastor who helped me immensely slide off into universalism and watched one of my most talented students drift into a theological train wreck. 

And can anyone count all the gifted men and women who have fallen into sexual or financial wrongdoing? All I know to do is pray for them, and then for myself. “Lord. Forgive them and restore them. And please, keep me on the beam!” There are a few things in my routine that help me stay on the right track:

1. Maintain a personal devotional life that includes the Bible, prayer, and quiet. It is the fountain from which all else must flow.
2. Maintain regular contact with my wife. She knows where I am and she knows who I am with. If it changes, I call her.
3. Maintain relationship with other ministers and connection to an oversight organization. This means actually contacting people and taking part in the organization in a meaningful way. Relationship is not a certificate, it is a connection.
4. Maintain a sense of awe and responsibility at the wonder of being called by God to care for His property and people. I like to revisit my call to remind myself why I am still alive.
5. Test all things before I preach them: If no one else has ever preached it, then I need to talk it over with someone. I am not the source of new revelation.
6. Strive to keep my heart free from judgment of those who fall:  The moment I think it couldn’t happen to me, it has probably already started.

Somebody Said: “A beast does not know that he is a beast, and the nearer a man gets to being a beast, the less he knows it.”  – George MacDonald

Scripture Reading: Keep a firm grasp on both your character and your teaching. Don’t be diverted. Just keep at it. Both you and those who hear you will experience salvation. (1 Timothy 4:16, MSG)

Final Thought: There are many, many more who have stayed faithful than there are those who have fallen. I thank God for each and every one, and pray they maintain their character and their message. I also pray for each of the little ones damaged by the failures of the ministry. May they each find one of the faithful ones to help them through. I pray for those who are church-shopping that they will examine the character before the preaching, the doctrine before the delivery. Remember: Horse first, then cart.

Staffing for the Growing Church
by Pastor John Nuzzo

John Nuzzo is the senior pastor of Victory Family Church located in Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania.  Pastor John and his wife Michelle founded the church in 1993.  Under their leadership, the church has grown into a body of believers possessing the same vision—to reveal the love of God for all mankind.  Their belief is that an individual’s understanding of the depths of God’s love will cause every man, woman and child to rise above their circumstances, have an eternal perspective in life, and be moved beyond their own needs to the needs of humanity.  Pastor John’s teaching is delivered in a way that is relevant to the life and heart of every believer.  Pastor John and Michelle’s desire is to see people experience God in everyday life.

I have discovered that there are several key factors to successfully staffing a growing church.  The first is providing clear direction.  The second is finding the right people, and the third is managing the people with measurable and time sensitive goals.

Most senior pastors of growing churches have little to no difficulty in knowing their intended direction for the church they lead.  However, most “visionary leaders” often have great difficulty in effectively and consistently communicating their heart and vision to staff.  Most pastors that I interact with can clearly articulate the direction, focus and passion of their hearts for the church they serve.  They also typically possess the ability to share the vision with their congregation.  However, many of them have failed to acquire the skills and tools to effectively communicate to their staff.  We often “assume” that those around us understand things in a few short meetings, which have taken us a lifetime to develop.  Most conflicts that exist in the staff are a result of differing assumptions. Communication is the lifeblood of any organization and is the only remedy to the issue of differing assumptions.  Try this little exercise at your next staff meeting.  Take 5 minutes and ask each person present to write down the top 3 things that define the focus, passion and vision of your church and what the top three things are that they are doing that week to move toward fulfilling the vision.  You may be surprised at the answers.  How can someone fulfill a vision that they haven’t yet embraced or understood for themselves?  What does a “win” look like and can both you and those on your staff clearly articulate the intended outcome for their position?

Finding the right people is in my experience the most difficult part of the staffing equation. It is made easier when the following questions are answered before you ever interview a potential candidate.  Have you defined in writing the job description, its benefits, the top three measurable goals for the coming year, who the person will report to, who will report to the person, and the type of person you need for the position?  Before you look for a person, define the position and form your questions to a potential staff person based upon the documents you have created.  What is the person’s and position’s role preference and do they match?  A “role preference” is defining whether the person is a “designer,” a “developer,” or a “stabilizer,” or a combination.

Designer – Sees the big picture and thinks in headlines and finds details difficult.  A great leader, but poor manager.

Design/Developer – leans more heavily toward the Designer

Developer/Designer – leans more heavily toward the Developer

Developer – Likes to take a project that is defined and add the skin, bones, hair and clothes.  Can stay focused for 3 – 5 years on a given project or function.  A moderate leader, but a good manager.

Developer/Stabilizer – leans more heavily toward the Developer

Stabilizer/Developer – leans more heavily toward the Stabilizer

Stabilizer – Can stay with a task for years and years.  A poor leader, but a fantastic task person.

All seven types of persons are needed to effectively run the local church.  When you ask a stabilizer to do what either a developer or designer is gifted to do, you will cause a very good person to experience failure needlessly.  This process joins a faithful person with an inherent skill set and creates a greater likelihood for success.  For example, if you were hiring someone to oversee people or a project you would be looking for a “Developer.”  If that project was yet to be defined, then you would be looking for a “Design Developer” or a “Developer Designer.”  If you were looking for a receptionist, you would be looking for a stabilizer.  Ask questions that will help you define what role preference your potential staff person fits naturally.  You can also use this process with existing staff.  You will likely discover that you have some very good people doing jobs that cause them continual frustration.

Finally, you should only “expect” what you “inspect.”  Make sure that you have a weekly or bi-weekly meeting between the staff member and the person to whom they report.  Create a team report and ask the following questions:

• What are the top three things that you need from me to proceed with your goals?
• What problems are you encountering in reaching your goals?
• What are you planning to do this week, month, and in the next six months specifically to reach your goals?
• Who are you presently mentoring; update me on their progress?
• How would you rate your personal happiness on a scale of one to ten?
• What can I be praying about for you in either your ministry or personal life?

Keep a copy of each report and start a binder for each employee.  This will create a clear and concise record of each employee’s efforts.  This will help both you and your staff determine if their efforts are productive.  Remember to insist that they are honest and thorough in their answers.  For greater details and insight into this subject, I would highly recommend the book Masterplanning by Bobb Biehl.

Dealing with Spiritual Infection
Rick Renner

Rick Renner is a highly respected leader, teacher, and author within the Christian community, both in the U.S. and abroad. He works alongside his wife Denise to see the Gospel preached, leadership trained, and churches established throughout the former Soviet Union. Rick and Denise are the founders and pastors of the Moscow Good News Church. They reside in Moscow, along with their three sons and their families. Learn more about this outstanding ministry at www.renner.org.

From the words of Christ in Revelation 2:12-17, it is clear that a very serious false doctrine — a spiritual infection — was being advanced in the Pergamum congregation by certain unnamed leaders. It only takes a few spiritual leaders getting off track to affect the longevity of a church. It is important to recall that physical infections begin at the microscopic level with a relatively small number of contagions and that many are often very treatable if they are addressed in their early stages. However, if they are left untreated, infections can quickly grow out of control and lead to serious physical complications or even death. In Christ’s words to Pergamum it is clear that a spiritual disease had infected the church of Pergamum, but it was still in its early stages.

The spiritual infection had entered the Pergamene church through a “few” church leaders whose influence in the congregation provided a platform from which they could spread their false teaching to fellow believers. Although their numbers were still small at the time Christ delivered His message to John on the island of Patmos, they were already in the process of multiplying inside the church — exactly like an infectious disease. If this multiplication was not stopped by the power of the Spirit, it would spread from one believer to another until it finally affected not just “a few,” but the entire congregation. Just as a physical infection can be stopped in its early stages from fully developing, Jesus was calling for the Pergamum congregation to hear what the Spirit was saying (Revelation 2:17) and immediately stop the spread of this infectious teaching.

Similarities Between the Human Body and the Local Church Body

InFirst Corinthians 12:12-27, Paul likened the local church body to a physical body, and indeed there are many similarities. For instance, just as the human body exhibits distinct symptoms when an infection begins to spread, a local church will demonstrate many telling signs that a spiritual infection has begun to take root in its midst. Consider the many parallels that exist between a physical infection that has invaded a human body and a spiritual infection that has invaded a local church body.

• Physical infection can be defined as the injurious colonization of a human body by a foreign species that begins to utilize the host’s resources to assist in its own infectious multiplication. Once inside a human body, an infecting organism quickly begins to multiply inside its host. Normally, the human body has multiple systems of defense designed to protect the body from infection. But when the human body is physically weak, malnourished, or exposed to fatigue over a long period of time, the immune system is compromised, and the body becomes susceptible to infection. Ultimately, an infected person becomes contagious to others.
• Persistent infections occur when a body is unable to completely purge the harmful organisms after the initial infection. Such infections may appear to go into remission, but in actuality, the infectious organisms merely remain dormant in the body, fully capable of being reactivated if the immune system is weakened once again. For persistent infections to be eliminated from the body, serious, directed treatment is often required.
• Infection can be transmitted in a variety of ways, but the most common means is horizontal transmission, or the direct or indirect transfer of an infectious organism from one person to another. Transmission through direct contact may occur when a healthy individual comes into physical contact with an infected person’s body or bodily fluids. This can occur in numerous ways, but two very common causes of direct transmission are unprotected sexual contact and breathing air that has been contaminated by an infected person’s cough or sneeze.
• Infections can also be transmitted through indirect contact. This occurs when a person touches a physical object that an infected person has previously handled. Common examples would be actions as simple as touching the same furniture, doorknobs, or toys or sharing foods or liquids. Although a person may not directly contact an infected individual, environment alone can be sufficient to transmit infection in extremely contagious cases. In these instances, the germs can be so robust that they are able to survive outside the human body for long periods of time and still retain their infectious nature. This fact demonstrates the necessity to thoroughly cleanse and sanitize any areas, items, or people that have been exposed to the environment of an infected person.
• The longevity of an infection is dependent on whether the infecting organism is transmitted from one person to the next. If this transmission is stopped, the infection is stopped. Therefore, it is essential to stop that transmission process.
• In order to stop an infection from being transmitted to others, an infected individual must be willing to undergo treatment. Even in the ancient world, medication was used to treat infected individuals. Although the medication may be distasteful and unwanted, it is absolutely necessary to annihilate the infecting organisms in order to stop the spread of disease to others.
• If an infection progresses to a point in a person’s body that medicine alone is no longer sufficient to stem its advance, the infected person may need to submit to a surgical procedure. As unwanted and painful as this step is, it may be the only way to stop the spread of disease to the entire body. Removal or surgical correction is never easy to endure, but this procedure may save the life of a person in that dire condition.
• In most cases, it is relatively simple to avoid an outbreak of infection by making minor adjustments to one’s lifestyle. For instance, germs thrive in unsanitary environments, so regularly cleansing one’s hands and making an effort to live in a clean, sanitary environment are helpful in preventing infection. In addition, it is important to eat food that is well prepared, healthy, and clean since unhealthy, dirty food is often a major contributor to the transmission of infection.
• In the human body, some infections are easy to detect because they are accompanied by immediate symptoms, whereas others produce no symptoms until the infection has already spread inside its host. Bodily aches, tenderness to the touch, chills, fatigue, inflammation and fever, loss of appetite, nausea, pain, weight loss, and vomiting are all common, easily detectable signs of infection. These symptoms alert a person that a foreign entity has penetrated his body and is now multiplying inside.

So how does all this apply to a case of spiritual infection in a local church?

When spiritual infection finds its way into a local church, it quickly begins to multiply inside that congregation unless it is quickly addressed and stopped. God has designed the Body of Christ to supernaturally withstand most attacks by the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit. However, if a particular congregation has undergone a difficult period and become fatigued, spiritually malnourished, and weak, that congregation’s God-given “immune system” may become more susceptible to infection from deceptive doctrines. Ultimately, if these destructive forces are allowed to propagate within a church, they will gain strength and spread to the entire congregation, even though they may have initially been embraced by only a few.

Persistent spiritual infections occur when a church is unable to clear itself of an initial outbreak. This chronic condition may seem to go into remission — but if true repentance hasn’t occurred, it will only be a matter of time before difficult conditions cause that toxic poison to be reactivated in the congregation. If this situation isn’t dealt with properly — if the infection isn’t eliminated as soon as it first becomes evident within the congregation— the infection will simply go into “sleep mode” — and will be certain to reawaken at a later time. This is why it must be dealt with immediately and directly if it is to be permanently eliminated from the church body.

In order to stop spiritual infection from metastasizing inside a congregation, the person spreading the disease must be willing to “undergo treatment” by submitting to authority and correction. If the church itself has become diseased due to a long-term toxic condition, the spiritually infected person may also be required to submit to a stricter discipline. In extreme cases, the only way to bring correction to a church may be to remove the person at the source of infection. Although unwanted and painful, this corrective action may prolong the life of the church.

The prevention of spiritual infection is relatively simple in most cases. Making minor adjustments to one’s lifestyle, avoiding temptations to compromise, refusing to bend on one’s moral positions, spending time daily in prayer and the Word, and keeping one’s heart right toward the local church are all critical elements in preventing outbreaks of spiritual infection. Furthermore, it is very important to be fed a balanced, well-prepared, untainted diet of God’s Word.

Churches experience distinct symptoms when they have been invaded by a spiritual infection. For instance, just as a physical body might experience a lack of energy or weight loss when it has an infection, a church body can experience a lack of power or a drop in attendance when a spiritual disease has infiltrated the congregation. Or in the same way that a person dealing with infection might experience a loss of appetite, a church usually experiences a diminishing of spiritual hunger when it is infected.

There are other striking similarities between the symptoms of physical and spiritual infection. Inflamed, infected tissue often produces swelling and becomes hot and painful. The spiritual counterpart to this physical phenomenon would be the tendency for infected churches to experience swelling crowds of uncommitted believers with itching ears because a spiritually contaminated congregation often appeals to others with perhaps different but equally diseased “ideas.” Church attendance may increase in size yet be completely devoid of healthy growth. But in an infected church, “quantity” fails to reflect “quality” as people flock only to what feeds their selfish interests. Eventually the blend of these inflamed, swelling ranks becomes a toxic soup that spills out to infect ever-increasing numbers of people.

In addition, the tenderness or pain displayed in an infected physical body may manifest as a spiritual infection in a local body of believers as a combination of touchiness, agitation, and anger. This “soreness” is often reflected in the attitude of spiritually infected individuals who become belligerent with anyone who questions their erroneous beliefs. Their touchiness is always on display because they view every conversation as a potential challenge to their perspective. They become insufferable and cantankerous, feeling the need to take on the world to prove their point and producing “dis-ease” and discomfort among all who even slightly bump into them. Their irrational words, attitudes, and actions resemble the disorientation of a fevered person who can make outlandish statements and reflect bizarre behavior because of the way the inflammation has affected his or her brain.

A local church often views the symptoms described above as demonic attacks. Although this is definitely true in part, the church leadership must still determine how the devil found access into the congregation in the first place. Seeking God in earnest prayer is essential to obtaining an answer to this question. Once the answer is known, repentance is required to rid the local body of whatever is allowing the enemy to poison and destroy from within.

The most difficult type of spiritual infection to detect and treat is when one or more church leaders within a congregation become infected. False doctrine that finds its way into the heart of one leader, if it is not corrected, will begin to pass to others, just as an infection is passed from one host to the next. If this transmission isn’t stopped, it has the potential to eventually infect an entire congregation.

A spiritual leader who is infected with false doctrine is only one person — but he is an influential person that touches many lives. If the infection in his soul isn’t eliminated, it is likely that others will be contaminated through his touch. His diseased influence will spread like germs until it infects people who gather to worship. If correction doesn’t come to his life, his words and teachings have the potential to become food that makes others sick. Because his influence is strong, it is likely that those who are close to him will pick up whatever has contaminated him and become infected with the same spiritual problems.

The point is that it doesn’t take too many erring individuals to transmit sickness to a church body when they hold positions of influence.

In cases where spiritual infection is extremely contagious and dangerous, quarantine may even be required to prevent the infection from spreading throughout the rest of the congregation. The person who is the source of infection may not understand the severity of his condition, or he may refuse to put sufficient space between himself and others to prevent the spread of contagion. To avoid putting the entire congregation at risk, the infected individual may have to be removed from the midst of the congregation to stop the destructive poison from spreading further.

As for the church of Pergamum, we don’t know the specific names of the leaders who were the source of false doctrine in that congregation. However, we do know that although their number was few, Christ took this threat very seriously. At this point, only a small number in the congregation had been affected. But if this threat wasn’t corrected, Jesus knew it would begin to spread like an infectious disease until the entire church was adversely impacted.

It might be difficult to imagine that a congregation who had paid such a monumental price for their loyalty to Christ would simultaneously be infected with an internal spiritual disease. However, Satan had learned that if he couldn’t destroy a church with external pressure, he would attack it from within. The believers in Pergamum had been so focused on combating the enemy from without that they had overlooked the greater enemy that had risen up in their midst. Thus, Jesus didn’t soften the impact of His words when He addressed this issue. His words were intentionally strong so those who were guilty of these damaging influences would understand the severe repercussions that awaited them if they didn’t repent.

In Revelation 2:14, Jesus continued as He warned the church of Pergamum, “But I have a few things against thee….”

The word “against” is the Greek word kata, which affirms how personally Jesus felt about the leaders in Pergamum who were spreading infection in that local congregation. Christ was so deeply disturbed by this erring contingent of the church that He had positioned Himself against (kata) them. The word kata is a forceful word that implies He would resist them until they repented of their deeds. Furthermore, kata carries a strong sense of domination and subjugation, meaning that if repentance wasn’t forthcoming, Jesus would conquer this situation threatening His church — even if it meant He must extract the infected leaders from their influential positions within the congregation.

Jesus’ point was absolutely clear — He will not tolerate those who propagate doctrinal error or teaching that leads to compromise. Jesus died for the Church, and as the Great Shepherd of the sheep, He will guard it and stand against those who jeopardize its holiness, power, and accurate representation of Him to this world.

This again explains one reason why Jesus appeared to this church having “the sharp sword with two edges” (v.12). He was poised and ready to surgically extract those who didn’t submit to His authority and choose to walk away from the teaching of compromise that was beginning to weaken the Pergamene church. The purpose of this sword was not to wound, but to cleanse and heal the church, restoring individuals who would otherwise be destroyed because of the spiritual disease that was ravaging them from within. Christ was warning those who were promoting compromise within the congregation: If they didn’t repent, He would personally lift His blade to extract this poisonous infection before the entire church became sick with it.

Those who refused to hear what the Holy Spirit was saying would soon learn that Jesus will act in mercy and compassion to attack spiritual disease and cleanse it from His Church. Christ loves the Church so much that, if necessary, He will remove those who resist Him and eradicate the false doctrine and worldly compromise that has spread like a disease so His churches can once again be healthy.

They Speak With Other Tongues
(A Humorous Look at Witnessing)
By Bob Cohen

“Have you ever been saved?” A rather wide-eyed young fellow startled me with his question as we waited for the bus. He handed me a booklet with a picture of hell on the front. “Sure,” I responded. “Once when I was nine years old I was swimming at Jones Beach on Long Island, and a strong undertow began to drag me out to sea. My uncle heard my call for help and ….” “No, no,” he interrupted, “Redeemed! Have you ever been redeemed? You know, reborn … washed in the blood?” “What,” I inquired, “in the world are you talking about?” “Convicted. Have you ever felt convicted?” “No, of course not!” I replied. “I’ve never been in trouble with the law.” He looked at me square in the eye. “I think you need to be delivered.” “Delivered? I was just waiting for the bus home. I think I’ll stick with that, but thank you very much.” He looked at me as if I were speaking another language. “Can we have lunch together sometime?” he asked. “I work just down the street.” “Sure, that would be fine.” He looked harmless enough, but I must admit he was an unusual fellow and quite difficult to understand.

That Wednesday I had lunch with Ed. He was a little late but explained that he was having some quiet time. “Quiet time?” I asked. “What do you mean?” “Each day just before lunch I have some time in my prayer closet,” he responded. I was puzzled. “Do you pray in a closet at work?” “No,” he answered. “It’s in my car.” “A closet in your car?!” He changed the subject. Like the first day I met him, again he left me confused. This Ed is quite a unique fellow, I thought.

As we parted that day, Ed gave me a little booklet that explained how someone could come into a relationship with God through Jesus Christ. I read it and understood it and knew that was exactly what I needed. That night I submitted my life to Jesus, and I was “born again” as it stated in the booklet. Two days later I told Ed. He was overjoyed.

The following week we got together again, and Ed strongly urged me to find a good body. I was surprised at his suggestion, but it sounded good to me. I took his advice and proceeded to comb the local health clubs for an attractive woman. When I met Denise, I knew she was the one. We began to date and soon she became a believer, too. Ed rejoiced and told us that it was crucial that we get planted so that we could grow together.

“Sometimes it’s hard to understand this guy,” I confided to Denise. I told Ed that I wasn’t quite sure what he meant by planted. He responded, “Committed! You both need to be committed now that you know Jesus.” ” Now wait a minute,” I protested. “Just because I don’t understand what planted means doesn’t mean I’m nuts. Anyway, I think that trusting Jesus is the most sane thing that I’ve ever done in my life.”

It was obvious that Ed’s patience was growing thin. He explained, “Bob and Denise, you have to get plugged in. Don’t you understand?” No we didn’t! But I did wonder if getting plugged in had any connection with “going out under the power,” something that I had heard Ed mention but hoped it would never happen to me.

Regretfully, I had to miss worship the next Sunday. But Ed and I had breakfast together Monday morning, and he filled me in on what happened. “God moved!” he said with excitement. “God really moved yesterday!” “Where is he now?” I pleaded. I was just getting to know Him, and now He’s gone?” “No, no, Bob, God hasn’t gone anywhere.” I was relieved. “It’s just that so many people were stepping out and moving in the gifts.” “You mean people were leaving during the meeting?” I asked. “And what’s this about presents?” ” No, it’s the gifts. The gifts were really flowing,” he said. “That’s beautiful,” I answered. “People were giving gifts to each other. I wish I was there.” Now Ed seemed confused.

“Anyway,” he said, changing the subject, “Denise was there, and boy, was she on fire.” “Fire? Denise got burned? What happened? Is she O.K.?” “No, Bob, you don’t understand.” (That sure is an understatement, I thought.) “Denise is just fine. It’s just that I believe she is really called, and that God wants to use her.” Things were not getting clearer. “Did Denise mention that she’s getting too many phone calls or something? And what’s this about God wanting to take advantage of her?” I asked. Ed sighed, “Can I walk in the light with you?” “Where do you want to go?” I answered. “Of course we can walk in the light. It’s daytime, Ed.” He just shook his head. I don’t know what it is, but sometimes it seems that Ed and I have a hard time communicating.

It’s been two years since I was saved and delivered. Now I’m plugged in, planted, and committed to a good body. God has been moving, and I’ve been stepping out in the gifts. I can hardly believe how God has been using me! I have developed one new problem, though. It seems that all my old friends just don’t understand me anymore. When I share about my redemption, that I’ve been washed as white as snow, and that I desire to follow the Lamb, they seem to tune me right out. I guess they’re just convicted when they see that I’m on fire.