blog

Signficance

Wed, 12 Oct 2011 03:45:43 +0100

Do you ever wonder if you make a difference? Do you ever wonder what value you have or if you have any worth at all? We are so prone to measure our self-worth by what we do or what we produce. Is there an intrinsic value in just being? Do only those in charge and on the platform matter? What about those who sit in the background and simply show up? Do they make a difference? What about those with little to give. Is a child the same value as a rich businessman?

My questions center on significance and how it is measured. According to the dictionary, significance means the quality of being important. Important is something marked by or indicative of significant worth or consequence. Importance means that someone or something is valuable in content or relationship. So how do we measure significance? What is really important?

One way to measure importance is to observe the impact that a thing or individual has on a certain situation or event. I was wondering about my significance the other day and the story of the young boy with a sack lunch came to mind. It is found in John 6. Although every Gospel writer mentions the story for its impact, only John gives the intimate details of the event. Matthew, Mark and Luke all relate that over 5000 people were fed by Jesus with only five loaves of bread and a couple of fish. John tells us who found the boy with the fish and bread and why Jesus chose to defy natural physics to feed the people. All the writers in their separate accounts recall the compassion that Jesus felt for the crowd at so late an hour and so far from home. The hospitality of His heart moved Him to act supernaturally, but He did not do it without human assistance.

The first thing we need to see from this story is the purpose of miracles. John clearly relates that Jesus called upon Philip to “prove” him. This does not mean it was a test in the sense of receiving a pass or fail grade. It was a trial to demonstrate what Philip and the other disciples did not know that had in them. The purpose of miracles is to increase our faith!

Philip walked with Jesus but Jesus wanted him to go further and not only be with Jesus, but be like Jesus. He wanted Philip and the other disciples to do what He did and say what He said. Just as the Father had sent Him, He was preparing the disciples to be sent, too. This is the Great Commission in its most graceful essence; as the Father has sent me, so send I you. Philip had not yet apprehended this truth, but he would. We see him in the book of Acts traveling at light-speed, impacting nations. He followed his Lord and this miracle increased his faith. The purpose of miracles is to increase our faith.

As Philip was left pondering the expense of feeding all these people (the equivalent of 200 days wages; tens of thousands of dollars in today’s currency). Andrew appears with a small boy in tow. We might think that Andrew exercised faith in bringing the boy, but his words betray him. As he presents the boy with his small sack lunch, apparently the only food for miles, Andrew’s lack of faith is revealed when he comments, “but what is this among so many?” Even he thought the task impossible. It was, until Jesus did what Jesus did best. The second thing we need to learn from this story is the pattern of miracles. Miracles always begin with human need and are accomplished through human agency. Jesus had presented a problem to the disciples. How are we going to feed all these people? He made them responsible for the task. They were immediately overwhelmed. The need in this situation was for immediate sustenance, but the larger lesson was for increased faith.

Feeding a bunch of people with a little food is really no big deal. I write that tongue-in-cheek. Of course, feeding 20 people with only two fish and five small loaves of bread is impossible. These loves were more like small rolls than the Mrs. Baird’s bread we know today. But I have seen it happen! Several years ago, I led a group of volunteers to Guatemala. We planned to minister to two communities in a beautiful mountain valley in the highlands of Huehuetanago. One village was across a river and some distance from civilization. We learned that people had walked for over a day to come to our events. We preached the Word and played with the children and taught the adults all morning and took a break for lunch. Our hosts had packed a lunch of chicken salad for the dozen of so volunteers in our group. We began to serve one another and some became uneasy because all the local people were standing around and many had not made provision for lunch. It was a natural conclusion to share our little fare of a medium bowl of chicken salad and about a dozen hotdog buns. We began to share and share and share. No one noticed at the time, but soon everyone who wanted something to eat had received something to eat. After stopping the count at well over 150 people, there were still some chicken salad and a couple of buns left. God had repeated the miracle of the loaves and fish, this time with chicken salad and hotdog buns. It was by no means on scale with the 5000+ that Jesus fed, but it was amazing. It did wonders to increase our faith. Feeding a multitude of people with a small sack lunch is no big thing for Jesus.

It all begins with a need. This is the mystery of God, the Father. He calls us to pray, knowing what we have need of before we ask. He even seems to create the need that prompts the prayer. The need here was caused by the reception of Jesus’ message. When He preached, He drew a crowd. Every miracle wrought by God begins with a human need. In this case it was for food.

Every miracle then moves from need to provision by the means of human agency. Jesus saw the need. He pointed it out to the disciples. In the other Gospel accounts, the disciples brought the need to the attention of Jesus. The need was known and Jesus looked to His disciple to be responsible. He was not looking for them to fix it because He knew they were not equipped. He was looking to them to see if they knew what to do and where to look for an answer. As Father, God is responsible for provision. Everything on earth is His. We are to be good stewards of what He gives us. So Jesus was prompting the disciples to look to the Father for the solution and the Father was waiting for their prayer to move.

Andrew brought the young boy with the sack lunch, but he revealed his lack of faith because of the large crowd. He was thinking in human terms. God does not need our thinking or our reasoning or even our best efforts. Collectively, they amount to nothing and less than nothing. What the Father is looking for is our willingness to serve and our availability to be used. Andrew did show up. The little boy showed up. Showing up is what Jesus was looking for.

In the movie Hardball with Keanu Reeves, there is a powerful scene that I can only hope to convey to you. The story is about a self-absorbed gambling addict that has hit rock bottom. He is forced to coach a Little League team in the Cabrini Green Projects of Chicago’s south side. Known as the worst housing project in America, Cabrini Green was a cesspool of gangs, drugs, alcoholics and absentee parents. Over time the young man was changed by his relationship with the team members. At the final game of the season, the team is ruled ineligible to play for the championship and Keanu’s character makes the most pitiful peptalk of all time. It was not the manner, but the words that make it memorable. He admitted his love and appreciation for each member of the team and commended them with this one phrase, “You blow me away with your ability to show up!” They were winners in life simply because they showed up. No championship could validate the significance they had earned simply by showing up.

Is that not all God ask of us? He does no demand excellence or even our best because He knows we are powerless and useless alone. Only our ability to show up coupled with His ability to do the impossible transform things. Feeding 5000+ people was a human impossibility. Jesus could have called caterers from heaven to feed these people, but His intent was to use His disciples. Every miracle begins with human needs and progresses through human agency.

So, the disciples and this little boy showed up. Jesus used them to perform a miracle. He had them gather the people in groups, had them sit down and then proceeded to pass out the provisions. The purpose of a miracle is to increase faith. The pattern of a miracle is to begin with a need and to use human agency. The process of a miracle is obedience. Simply obeying the commands of Jesus precipitated this feeding of over 5000 people. The disciples did what they were told. The key to the occurrence of a miracle is obedience. They sat the people down in groups of 50 and served them. The provision was not theirs. They could not afford it or have arranged it. All they had was enough food for one small boy, but Jesus multiplied it and they stewarded the provision by obediently giving it away. They gave and they gave and they gave until every person had enough and there was still some left over. The process of a miracle is obedience.

This is where the cycle of the supernatural too often breaks down. Everyone can see the need. Some even have the provision, but like Andrew do not believe it will be enough. They key to seeing the miraculous is obedience. We must do what the Father commands. It normally involves some kind of sacrifice on our part. We often have to give what God has given us. The sacrifice of obedience is the spark that lights the flame of the supernatural that can blaze into a wildfire of spiritual transformation. In many cases the lack of the miraculous is a sign of disobedience or the neglect of doing what we know the Father wants us to do. It may not be rebellion; it is most likely passive disregard for others. Do you need a miracle? Give! The Law of the Harvest dictates that fruit comes from like seed. Most often we need to give what we need the most. Give what you have! Be the human agent that meets the need by being obedient. The result is an abundance where there once was want.

There was enough left over from this supernatural event for every disciple to take some home with them. Everyone was satisfied and the disciples left the field with more faith and plenty of food for tomorrow. The product of a miracle is abundance. The need is met with some left over.

So what does this story have to do with significance? Look at it from the point of view of the little boy. He came to see the "Jesus show" and mom packed him a lunch. Who was he? He was just a little boy with a sack lunch. He was not even an adult. He had no wisdom, no experience; he had nothing but a lunch. I dare say that this event could not have happened the way it did without him. This insignificant little boy with no name and only a lunch became the lynchpin to the success of this miracle. His few loaves and a couple of fish were all Jesus needed to work the supernatural. How do you measure significance? Do you look at a man's bank account? Do you review a resume for successes? Does name recognition matter? How about how big the business is? What really determines importance? Could it be that simply showing up and giving defines real eternal significance?

This encouragement is for all of the “little boys” out there who feel that don’t make a difference. To you who feel that you have nothing to add and may never make an impact in people’s lives, I commend this little boy. Continue to show up! Give when you see a need. Let the Father do the rest. This is the secret to genuine and lasting importance. Let Jesus prove you and increase your faith. There is something in you of which you are not even aware. Let the present need expose it and show up. Give and obey. Watch God use you and be ready to reap more than you have ever had before. The abundance is the provision for the next miracle. Jesus wants to elevate your faith account. Look at the need before you. What do you have that you can give? Give it and watch the Father transform things.

Significance is not about wealth or talent. Importance has to do with usefulness and productivity. Eternal significance involves making yourself available to God. He can use anything. He does use humans and need to accomplish His will. Next time you are tempted to question your self-worth, remember significance is a matter of being in the right place at the right time. It means showing up and giving. The rest is up to God. Do you think the little boy with the lunch felt significant before the meal. You know he did afterward!

tpt

A Man with Nothing

Mon, 29 Aug 2011 17:14:50 +0100

About the time I was starting to believe that the gatherings of fathers and sons at Firecreek Mountain in North Carolina could get no better, the Father shows up and elevates everything and everyone to a higher level. He is amazing! This past week we gathered with about 25 men from all over the country. A large portion of the group was from Long Island, New York (pronounced: "Lawn-Gyland, Nu Yawk"). I fell in love with this guys! They were so refreshing and open and honest and hungry for the Lord to do something in their lives and in their churches. And God did do something! I hope to have testimonies and even a couple of books coming from these guys soon!

I was impacted by this group and by the several fathers that attended. The release of the Father through spiritual fathers is powerful and transforming. Doug White, longtime friend and experienced pastor, had a profound influence on everyone present. Businessman from Tennessee, Charlie Greene, will be impacting me for a long time to come. I thank God for them and pray that God will open doors for their wisdom and ministry to expand. Dad was well behaved this week complying with our commands not to leave the mainhouse because of the steep stairs and the rough terrain. He was indeed like Paul in Acts 28, under house arrest. He rested and his strength is increasing and his impact on men is advancing even beyond what we have experienced before. You will want to be with him as soon as you can and we will be announcing additional opportunities for you to do just that in the very near future. If you want to see him real soon, he will be at the Encourager Church in Houston, Texas for Sunday, September 18. More relationally focused opportunities are in the works.

Dad has had to cancel most of his upcoming schedule as we reassess his ministry lifestyle. We apologize for this, but it is necessary as we create a new model for ministry that looks more like "come and see" than "go and tell." We will all be blessed because of the changes with longevity and empowered legacy.

What I am returning home with from this particular gathering is a better understanding of a man with nothing. A man with nothing has nothing to lose, nothing to promote and nothing to fear. Jesus tells us in Matthew 5:3 that the Kingdom of heaven is populated with those who are "poor in spirit." Kingdom inhabitants are men and women with nothing of their own. They have either lost it, wasted it, had it stolen, run out of it or given it away. The "poor in spirit" are the last in this world. They are the least and the lost and the littlest. They are the lowest and are willing to admit it. That is their salvation. They are spiritually destitute and they know it. They are morally bankrupt and they embrace it. They are nothing and they have nothing so they have nothing that can be taken from them because it already has been taken.

The "poor in spirit" arrive at this conclusion at their own expense. They blame no one else but themselves. They are not victims, but self-convicted criminals. They are more aware than anyone how much they do not have and how insignificant they are outside the Kingdom. Jesus once said that it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a "rich man" to enter the Kingdom of heaven. You cannot enter the Kingdom with anything. You cannot buy it or earn it or gain it in any way by yourself. It is a gift that requires everything and leaves you with nothing but the Kingdom, but when you have the Kingdom you have everything. You can have everything and not have the Kingdom and you have nothing. You can have the Kingdom and have nothing and discover that you have everything. It is a paradox of divine proportions.

A man with nothing is the freest man on earth. Jesus said in another time that Satan had nothing in Him. This was proven during the 40 days of temptation that preceded his ministry. Yet, another time Jesus declared to Peter that the devil wished to "sift him like wheat" because there was much in him that the enemy could influence. A man with nothing has nothing to protect and nothing to defend. A man with nothing has nothing bargain with and nothing to with which to admire himself to other people. He has nothing to fear because all he has is the love of the Father.

I am in the school of the Father's discipline learning to become a man with nothing. It is the most liberating thing I have ever done, once you get past the initial shock and pain of losing everything. Then you realize that it was never really yours to begin with. Nothing was who you have always been and nothing is what you have always had no matter how much you possess or how important you thought you were. God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. The past weeks walking through the crisis with Dad has opened my eyes to how much I really have in family and friends and the Kingdom and how much I really do not have, or now even care that I ever had. He is enough. He is my Shepherd, my Father, my Source and I shall not want because He is all I need and now all I want. It is absolutely true. If I will seek the Kingdom, first and foremost, and righteousness with Him, everything will take care of itself. Everything else will fall into place. God, the Father, delights in providing for me and protecting me and preparing me and giving me purpose. I derive my identity from Him. I can imitate Him and be blessed. I have an inheritance from Him and His interest are becoming mine, as I too, learn how to be about my Father's business.

I have developed a fresh appreciation for the only commandment (of the Ten) with a promise:

"Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee."

Exodus 20:12

I believe this is the key to our future. God is calling is to be people with nothing so that we can honor the Father and our fathers with all we have. As we learn to do this we will all be blessed.

tim

Crossroads

Tue, 12 Jul 2011 14:36:20 +0100

Everywhere you look today you can see crisis. An unnerving number of these crisis are divisions among groups. The NFL finds itself at a crossroads with owners pitted against players. The same is true of the NBA. Our nation stands at a fork in the road with Congress steering one direction and the President another concerning the debt ceiling. Choices are going to be made that will effect all of us. First of all, we need to pray. We need to pray to the Father for His Kingdom to come and His Will to be done. We need real help and men and women who will make the right choices. I am confident in our Father. I am not so sure of our elected leaders.

Today, we stand at a crossroads in time. We are less than seven years from the 500th anniversary of the day Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the door of the Wittenberg Chapel launching the Reformation. Luther steered the ship of the Church at the crossroads of his day, restoring the teaching of the Priesthood of the Believer and ushering in the radical changes that we now call Protestantism. Five hundred years later, we face choices as we approach the latest crossroad in Church history.

One thing we know about the Kingdom of God is that it is relational. This is the same truth that moved Luther. God, the Father desires a personal relationship with His sons, through His Son by the Holy Spirit. The God-head is the first and primary community. Creation is an expression of Him. God is our Father and He intends mankind to be His family. Every man, woman and child on earth has or will stand at their own crossroad to decide which path to take. Will you follow Jesus or will you choose the way of Adam? We all know the results of Adam's choice. Your's will end no different if that is the way you choose.

The Church of Jesus Christ faces no less a decision. Like in Luther's day, the Church has become big business. I have been amazed as I traveled in Latin America to see the massive and magnificent edifices erected in the name of God among some of the worst poverty on earth. I have also been disappointed to know that such enormous structures were built on the backs of the poor. Such buildings have become monuments to man and not houses of God.

I can drive through the metroplex where I live and see some of the most attractive gathering places, most built in the name of God. I know we need places to meet, but how much is too much? I think I know how Luther must have felt. I don't believe he had any intention of changing his world. He just saw some things that disturb him and he made them known. He loved the Roman Church and only separated from her to save his life. The theology sprang out of the abuses he observed. He saw where they could lead. I am seeing where some things we do today can lead and I am disturb. I do not know that I can tell you exactly why, but I am disturbed. I am not mad at anybody nor do I have all the solutions, but in the words of Bob Mumford, "There may be nothing wrong, but it is just not right!"

On July 12th in My Utmost for His Highest, Oswald Chambers says, "The Church ceases to be a spiritual society when it is on the look-out for the development of its own organization." This is what I fear most, that we are no longer doing the Will of the Father by invoking the Kingdom, but we are building our own little fiefdoms. Just because you can draw a big crowd does not mean it is a church. The Church is the family of God, the Body of Christ, where every member plays a vital role in sustaining Herself and fulfilling Her mission. My complaint is that if the Church in the US was being the Body of Christ, we would be facing our other crisis with confidence. I am not trying to equate the US with the Church, but where is Her influence? Today's economic and political scene are vivid proof of the failures of man. Man cannot rescue us from the pit we have dug for ourselves. The President and Congress, whether you agree with them or not, will not solve our problems. They cannot because they are not able!

So, do I have the answer? All I know is that we stand at a crossroads as a nation and the Church stands at a similar fork in the road. Who we will be and what we can do will be determined by which path we take. The Way of the cross is sacrifice. The model of Paul is death to self and personal abandonment. The call of Christ is to seek first the Kingdom, and His righteousness, and everything else will fall in place. We desperately need statesmen, naturally and spiritually, who will call us to self-sacrifice and lead us to invoke the Kingdom of heaven. The challenge is will you and me be one of those statesmen.

A Father’s Day Tribute: 2011

Thu, 16 Jun 2011 14:40:39 +0100

As I contemplate how to honor my dad this Father’s Day, I am reminded of the song about a mother written by Ray Wiley Hubbard. It has nothing to do with Father’s Day and I am not quite sure why I am mentioning it, but the mention of it may bring an irreverent smirk to your lips. If you do not know what I am talking about, then all the better.

I am also reminded of who a father is as we approach another Father’s Day. Fathers are vitally important to our lives whether we recognize it or not. Whether you had a good experience with your father, or had an unfortunately hard time growing up in a home where your father was absent or abusive, your experience with your father colors your view of God. You cannot help it. This is just the way things are. God is the ideal father and earthly fathers influence our image of God. So, the things I write next may bother and even offend you, but in order to regain a proper view of God, you will need to release your earthly father. Forgiving your earthly father is the first step to restoring a relationship with the heavenly Father.

The ideal Father does at least three things. He provides. He protects and He gives purpose. Obviously, if your earthly father failed to do any one of these things you will lack a proper understanding of the heavenly Father and will need Him to demonstrate the lacking activity directly in your life. God desires to Father all of His creation. His passion for you is boundless. Paul says that the height, width, length and depth of His love cannot be measured. He may use earthly agents to provide for you, but it is He who ultimately cares for your every need.

Fathers provide for their children because they love them. Provision is the first sign of love. Compassion is revealed in demonstration. Think of the Good Samaritan. Three men past by the beaten wretch before the stranger stopped to render aid. The first three may have thought they loved their fellow man, but only the Samaritan demonstrated it. Love is something you do not something you say. God proves His love for us by providing for our every need. If you have a problem with this because your earthly father did not provide for you or you think your heavenly Father is not providing for you properly right now, then you need to take a closer look. No matter how independent you think you are, no man is an island. God may use human agency, but He is the ultimate provider. Our heavenly Father provides for us because He loves us. If you will recognize His provision for you, then you will see His love.

Fathers also protect. Again, you may feel like God has abandoned you because of an abusive father. Where was God when your father beat you? Even in the pain your heavenly Father was present, even more so because of the pain. It is by His stripes that we are healed. Our heavenly Father never promised to save us from pain, but He does promise to not let that pain harm us. He did not withhold suffering from His own Son because it served His purposes. We do not know why and may never know why, but God does protect us and will secure our souls for eternity. Because you suffer pain in this life does not mean God has abandoned you. On the contrary, the reverse is true. Discipline is a sign of sonship according to Hebrews 12. If God allows us to suffer it is because He has a greater purpose and that purpose is to make us obedient sons. His protection of you is a demonstration of His love. His allowing you to suffer is proof you are a son.

Fathers provide and fathers protect. Fathers also give purpose. This is the main reason a father is so important in a child’s life. Sons learn to become men and fathers by watching their father. As with most practical education, more is caught than taught. Sons naturally want to be like their father, talking and even walking like them. Imitation is the primary form of learning. We can watch our heavenly Father and learn how to be what He made us to be. Fathers produce sons. Sons become fathers. A person’s specific calling is defined by the Father, but the ultimate goal is reproduction and generational transfer. Jesus knew this fact of life at age twelve when He said that He must be about His Father’s business. Fathers provide, protect and give purpose. Your heavenly Father desires to demonstrate His love to you in these ways. Look and you will most certainly see how He has and is doing this very thing

As these are the primary functions of the Father, there are three things that a son receives from the father. First, a son receives his identity from his father. Next, he receives an inheritance from his father; and third, a son receives His Father’s interests in order to become a mature son and eventually a father himself.

Sons are given their father’s surname. This forever identifies them with him. This is true of almost every culture on earth and very prominent in some. The term “bar” in the time Jesus walked the earth means “son of.” Many men of that day were introduced like Peter, “Simon Barjonah.” He was Peter, also called Simon, son of Jonah. Ben is the Arabic equivalent. Osama Ben Laden is the son of Laden. For better or worse we gain our identity from our father. As we identify with the Father, we become more like Him. His character becomes our’s. We imitate Him and adopt His ways as we do His will. As His word pervades our lives we became more like Him. Believers were first called “Christians” in Antioch because they so resembled the Christ. We will be called the sons of God as we become identified with Him and His Son. This means identifying with Him in His life, death and resurrection! Fathers make us who we are as they mold us into their likeness. The key is cooperating with the Father to allow Him to make us like Him.

Sons also receive an inheritance. As heirs, we are eligible to receive all that the Father possesses. Our heavenly Father owns everything. As His sons, so do we. Please do not fall in the trap of thinking in material terms. Earthly wealth is the least valuable part of the inheritance we receive in Christ. Our inheritance is eternal and worth far more than houses and lands. As sons we stand to inherit all that God has. As His sons, we will be motivated to give it all away. You have everything you need. Let the Father show it to you and allow Him to shift your thinking from the material to the eternal. Let the Father give you the mind of Christ who was willing to sacrifice even His place in heaven to accomplish the Father’s will. He is now seated in the heavenlies with everything in this world under His feet. One day every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that He is Lord of all! This is our inheritance if we will humble ourselves as He did and live a life of absolute obedient dependence on the Father.

This is why many have difficulty with accepting the Father/Son paradigm. It demands too much. It requires complete trust in others and total abandonment of the things of this world. The third thing a son receives from his father is his interest. Jesus knew at age twelve that He had to be about the things that interested His Father. As sons we are called to the family business which is saving souls and receiving a Kingdom. The Kingdom is our inheritance. Many sons are God’s inheritance. We involve ourselves in the things of God by faith demonstrated by obedience. God demonstrates His love for us by providing and protecting us, as well as giving us His purpose for life. We demonstrate our faith in Him by obedience. Even if you feel empty and that you received nothing of value from your earthly father, your heavenly Father can change all that and transform you into His son. He will provide for you. He will protect you. He will give you purpose for living. This is what at Father does. Sons know this and cooperate with the Father by obeying Him and becoming His representatives on earth.

A Kingdom has come and the King is at hand. He is within reach. It is among us. On this Father’s Day, as you pause to remember your dad, good or bad, receive the Father. He is demonstrating His love for you every day by His provision, protection and purpose for your life. I thank God that I have a great earthly father and he has faithfully portrayed the Father to me all of my life. I know this is not true for all of us, but that can be changed and relationship with the Father restored. There is no greater task on earth than to be a son and to know the Father. It is a privilege and an honor to know Him. He deserves all of our respect and devotion. As we approach the one day each year set aside to honor fathers, let us worship our Father in heaven, praying for His Kingdom to come on earth as it is in heaven. I bless my heavenly Father. I bless my earthly father. I bless you as you discover sonship in a fresh way this Father’s Day.

tim

The "I's" Have It

Sun, 12 Jun 2011 20:54:22 +0100

I embark on a perilous mission with this blog. I have been prompted to put down in words a basic statement of faith in layman's terms. It will follow no established order or even look like any statements of faith from the past or present. It will involve words beginning with I. So, the "I's" have it...

The first I stands for infallible. Regardless of one's place on the spectrum of liberal to conservative, there are certain non-negotiables that cannot be compromised. Their absolute nature is what defines you position and forms the foundation upon which all other understanding is erected. For me, the Word of God is infallible. It is the standard for belief and conduct. It is truth. It is transcendent and it is trustworthy.

The Word of God is an expression of the Will of God, thus it is infallible. It has yet to be proven wrong and as history continues will be proven correct. This does not imply a literal hermeneutic because like all great literature, the author often takes poetic license. The infallible Word of God does imply source truth. The Word of God is the antecedent of all wisdom because God is its author. The Word of God is truth and the Spirit of God is the Spirit of truth. Where there is contradiction, the Word of God is the arbiter. It is the final word. As God is infallible and cannot be wrong, mistaken or fail. So His Word takes on the nature of His character. He is true so His Word is truth.

The Word of God is infallible because it is transcendent. Notice I have not used the word Bible or scripture. This is because the Word of God is no limited to the written record. The Bible is a miracle of infallibility. It is miraculous in its preservation. God has not only used men to record His Word for us in Holy Scripture, but He has employed men to maintain it's veracity in content and spirit. The Bible is this most investigated piece of ancient literature and still has yet to be proven in error. It is also miraculous in inspiration. It is the Word of God, breathed from His own mouth and recorded by been as the Spirit gave direction. The Bible is no ordinary book because it contains the written record of the Will of God. Scripture is also miraculous in its illumination. No only did the Spirit author it, but the same Spirit of God "quickens" it. The Holy Spirit makes it come alive and gives words written thousands of years ago fresh personal relevance. The Bible is infallible written record of the Will of God, but God still speaks. His words can still be heard as the Spirit shines His divine light on the written word to speak to us today.

The Greek gives us two primary words for the word "word." One is the general and more inclusive word for the Word of God. We call it logos. John relates that Jesus is the logos of God. He is the Word that was with God in the beginning and is has been incarnated to perform the Will of God. He is infallible and totally inseparable, but unique to the written word. Jesus came to restore relationship with the Father not establish a new religion. The Bible points us to that relationship, but we cannot have fellowship with a book. Spirit makes the logos real and relevant to us. He illumines scripture so that the logos becomes rhema. This is the word used in the Greek language that defines an illumined word from God. Rhema is the logos made fresh and real to us by the Holy Spirit as we employ our faith to read and listen to the Word of God. It is equally infallible and effective for salvation. The infallible Word of God is truth and it is transcendent, making it real across the centuries. The inspired and illumined Word of God transcends time and space and is as relevant today as it was the day it was first penned.

The Word is infallible also because it is trustworthy. Because faith in Jesus Christ is not another religion, but an invitation to relationship, it requires trust. Trust is the currency of fellowship. There can be no relationship without trust. Trust is faith added to obedience that results in real hope. Because the Word of God is unerring truth, it can be trusted. One can build their life on it and with it. My emphasis is upon the infallible Word of God because one cannot fellowship with a book. Trust is for people. It is the bond that unites them. The Word of God can be trusted and it reveals to our mind who God is and to our spirit that He is who He says He is. It is still impossible to please God without faith. (Hebrews 11:6) This is where obedience creates trust. Because the Word of God is infallible, it can be trusted. We can believe it, obey it and experience the author of it. The Word of God can be trusted and it is infallible because of this fact of faith.

Infallibility is a large assertion. In a world of lies and ambiguity, absolutes are hard to find. Like the physical laws of the creation, spiritual laws govern the universe. They can be denied but braking them has consequences. Jesus closes the Sermon on the Mount with an almost childish illustrates that overwhelms with its simplicity. He describes two men who built house. One erected his on a foundation of sand. The other constructed his on a bedrock of stone. When the storms came and rain fell, the house built on sand was washed away because it lack a firm foundation. The house built on the rock remained. The Word of God is the bedrock. All other foundation is sinking sand. The Word of God is truth. It is truth for us today because it is transcendent. By the Holy Spirit words on a page can come to life and transform. The Word is also trustworthy. Lives can be built upon it. It is the only foundation that aligns us with God. As an expression of God it is the only infallible reality in our world. There is no more stable a foundation upon which to build one's experience.

In the past several months, everything in which most people have trusted has been shaken if not destroyed. Who could have predicted the failure of the largest Wall Street firms and the bankruptcy of GM. Men look to education as their source of power in life and in the past 40 years we have spent billions of dollars to improve our educational system and we are still falling behind the rest of the world. Even nature seems to be against as hurricanes and wildfires and floods ravage the land. Church and government leaders seem to fall like dead flies every week. No one trust Washington. Used to be if it was said on television or written in a newspaper you could take it as truth. No any more as personal agendas override integrity and plagiarism becomes common. The bottom line is that everything that we thought we could trust is proving to be unreliable. More reason to turn to the infallible Word of God as our mooring for life. Dig deep and plunge your peers deep in the Word and watch everything fall apart around you. The Word of God is infallible because it is the truth, it is transcendent and it can be trusted!

tim

Forgotten How to Win

Mon, 30 May 2011 10:55:23 +0100

I attended a very small private High School. There were only eleven in my graduating class. This was in the days prior to the plethora of private schools that offer full athletic programs that rival public schools. We competed with the public schools because that was all there was to play, but our school population was dwarfed by the size of most of the schools we played. We contended, but rarely won. I remember how easy it was to get used to losing because it seemed no matter how hard we played, we could not beat the schools with the larger student bodies. I am reminded of this phenomenon as I contemplate the spiritual life of the follower of Christ. A number of factors weigh heavy on us to inflict this losing syndrome. If we are not careful, we can get used to losing in our spiritual lives as well.

One such factor is our insistence on relegating all the blessings of our relationship with the Father through the Son to the future. The prevailing escatalogical approach tends to see this life as a nuisance to be avoided and that we will some day escape for the “sweet by-and-by.” Witness the varied reactions of the “believers” in the latest guess at the date of the rapture. Some sold all they had or gave it away thinking they would not need it because they were out of here. I was puzzled by the almost complete lack of compassion for those to be left behind, who would then suffer at the hand of unrestrained evil. If this world is only a temporary stopover before some future rapture, then why fight it. There is no need to win because the cavalry will ride over the hill and save us just before we are destroyed. It is easy to develop a losing mentality when your only hope is escaping this place as it inevitably spirals down the toilet of history.

Another factor is that same inevitable resistance that we encounter whenever we try to be creative or do good. We can be selfish and waste time and experience not conflict, but attempt to better yourself or be productive and you meet resistance head on. You can call it evil or simply the result of the Fall. It is always confronting you, putting you in conflict with yourself and others. Resistance comes in the form of sickness, persecution and suffering, just to name a few. It wears you down and no matter how much faith you have, you can still be seduced into thinking that this is just the way it is. You begin to believe that there is nothing you can do about it. Pain and suffering are part of life, but they do not have to rule us. Yet again, we can easily fall prey to the predator of forgetting how to win.

Our world gives us no hope. I marvel at the prevalence of the popular notion of some kind of apocalypse that will destroy the world and only a few people will be left to survive against a very hostile planet. Militant environmentalist seem to promote an ecosystem that will some day reek revenge on self-serving human beings for the ravages we have inflicted on the earth. There are wars and rumors of wars. The economy seems unfixable and it takes all of our energy just to keep our head above water. It is easy to feel like a loser when you are told that is all you will amount to in the news everyday. The hopelessness of society can play a part in making us feel like losers.

The reality is we are losers, which explains why we feel like one. Left to ourselves we are utter failures no matter how hard we work. We can never measure up. Jesus in His Sermon on the Mount, puts this in Kingdom perspective and leads us to understand who we are under His rule.

Matthew 5:3 says, “Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.” Robert Capon describes the citizens of the Kingdom of God as the littlest (Mat 19:14), the last (Mat 19:30), the lost (Luke 15), the lowest (John 13:12-16), and the least (Mat 25:40). The Kingdom of God is for losers because that is all we are without Christ. We are made winners in Him. Without the work of the Son and the continued ministry of the Holy Spirit, we are helpless, hapless and hopeless. We are losers, but He makes us winners!

Romans 8:35-39 - ³⁵ Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? ³⁶As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. ³⁷ Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. ³⁸For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, ³⁹Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Is there a bigger loser than a sheep meant for slaughter? The enemy means to bring trials and tribulations and distresses and hardships and persecution and famine and poverty and threat of life and even war into our lives to make us feel like losers. Jesus beat him to it. He proclaims us spiritually bankrupt and morally destitute and then offers us amnesty from our alien status apart from the Father. The Kingdom is for losers because He is the biggest winner of all and the way of the Kingdom is to win by losing! It was Jesus’ sacrifice that defeated sin, the devil and death. His loss is our gain. The Kingdom works opposite from this world. If you lose your life, you gain it, but if you try to hold on to it, you lose it. In Him, that is Jesus Christ, the Son, we are super-winners! We are champions of the world!

It may seem like we are losing and that is the most common reason for forgetting how to win. But because the Kingdom is invisible, we must maintain our faith to see it. Because the Kingdom is eternal, we must trust the Father to deliver us into it. Losing is easy. Anyone can do it. It can become a habit and we can forget how to win. Remind yourself everyday that you are a winner in Him! Stand on the immovable, your faith. Add to your faith obedience and trust in God. Forgotten how to win? Join the club and let’s overcome together!

1 John 5:4-5: ⁴For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. ⁵Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?

Two Reunions

Tue, 24 May 2011 14:57:11 +0100

There is nothing like spending time with family when you really love one another. In many families the time together must be limited so that members do not get on each other’s nerves. When you are part of the family of God, time flies and no amount of time spent together is ever long enough. To some those words may sound strange and even unreal. I am not trying to hype an event or make something up. I am merely stating what happens when folks experience communion in the Holy Spirit. If you do not know what I am talking about, I am writing to you; so that you may develop a healthy envy, so that you will want to pursue it for yourself.

This past week I had the privilege of attending two reunions of diverse parts of my Kingdom family. The first was in Houston at the Word, Spirit, Power conference held at the Encourager Church. I got to spend 4 days with R.T. Kendall. Charles Carrin, Bob Phillips and Jack Taylor. We met together, we ate together, and we played together. That is one of the things that I wish everyone could experience for themselves. These heroes of the Faith are a lot of fun to be around. I loved this time with them because I got to know them more and I now possess a solid platform for deeper relationship with each one of them. I encourage you to check out the new webpage at www.jackrtaylor.com for Word, Spirit, Power and peruse the calendars of these men to see when they might be meeting near you.

In these three elder statesmen of the Faith, God has created a combination unparalleled in experience and unrivaled in anointing to present together the message of the Kingdom. With sincere love for one another R.T., Jack and Charles demonstrate the priorities of Kingdom partnership. They prefer one another. Their genuine love for one another can even be seen in their light-hearted ribbing of one another. They model a manner of respect not often seen among the most popular speakers of our day. They not only prefer one another in word and deed; they defer to one another. They display a practical knowledge and faith in the cooperative and complementary facets of the Body of Christ. Each one leans on the strength of the other to create a powerful combination of Kingdom insight and ministry. The three of them are an example of the Kingdom at work as they demonstrate love and practice mutual submission. It was just fun to be around!

On this past Sunday night I was invited to the home of Pastor Dwight McKissic of the Cornerstone Baptist Church in Arlington, Texas. I have to admit it was a new experience because I was the only Caucasian present. I loved it. These brothers know how to eat and they know how to praise the Lord! They also can preach the moon down out of the sky.

About forty of us gathered, and those who had attended the Spring Sons Gathering shared. Twelve of the thirteen men from this group were present. I have to tell you about some of them and what has happened since they returned from the Sons Gathering. One pastor had such an encounter with the Lord at Firecreek Mountain that his whole perspective of life was irreversibly altered. He came home and began to preach the Kingdom, but not just preach it, but be it. He said that Sunday a young girl in his church fell into a convulsion in the middle of a glorious time of worship. It became a real distraction and threatened to slow the momentum of the praise. He sensed there was more to this than a simple episode with this child, so he picked her up in his arms and prayed. He did not pray for the girl. He rebuked the enemy! He said, “Not in this house and not in this little girl and not now!” Instantly the little girl’s eyes rolled back to the front and she looked up at him and smiled. The congregation erupted and the worship time moved to a whole new level. He was ecstatic about the power of the Kingdom and vowed to never go back to what he knew before!

Another young man told his father, who is also his pastor and spiritual father, “the man that went to Firecreek is not the same man who is returning.” He preached the Kingdom and it was evident to his father and to the entire church that this statement was true! People were asking, “who is this man?” “What have you done with the man we knew before?” The Kingdom will transform you.

Among these men and now their churches is an awesome sense of God’s presence. Not just for church services, but for everyday life. There is an increased ability to believe and the faith is being exercised to see people healed and set free! A word came in this meeting on Sunday night from one of the men who had gone with us to Firecreek. The Lord showed him Joshua 3 and said, “Just as the people were commanded to wait on the priest carrying the Ark, the symbol of the presence of God before they moved forward; so are the people of our churches waiting on their leaders to carry the presence of God and follow Him!” He went on to interpret this to mean that the people are ready and just waiting for the men of God to lead them. The people are not afraid of what others will say. They will not hold the leadership back. They are ready and willing to fight for the Kingdom and to see it come in their lives and in their communities. He felt, and I agree, that the people in our churches are waiting on the leadership to lead them to preach and demonstrate the Kingdom. The call was to lead out in the power of the Holy Spirit!

I arrived at this meeting at 6:00 P.M. after driving directly from Houston for four hours. I did not even realize that we did not conclude until 10:00 P.M. It felt like minutes, not hours! Time truly does fly when you are having fun! I love my new brothers and anticipate great things in them and from our relationship.

It is most gratifying to see others blessed as a result of you hearing God. To a man, the Firecreek experience was affirmed. The message of the Kingdom was embraced and the Father/Son paradigm was adopted. It may only be in its infant stages with us, but it is already bearing fruit far beyond what I expected. These divine connections are overwhelming. I sense in my spirit more than can share or even explain. As our nation seems to be spinning down the vortex of the proverbial drain, we are on the cusp of a move of God the world has not seen for a century. It is our only hope! It is my great hope after being with these two groups of people and experiencing a hunger that leads to an abandoned pursuit of the Kingdom of heaven.

All I can do is report what I have seen and invite you to join us! Maybe I can create a little healthy envy in you for what we are experiencing. Check out the calendar and the Sons Gathering page. We have two more Sons Gatherings planned for 2011. There is still room for you to reserve a place. Do it quickly.

See you on the mountain!

tim

Resistance

Fri, 13 May 2011 06:32:24 +0100

“On the field of the Self stand a knight and a dragon. You are the knight. Resistance is the dragon." Steven Pressfield has become one of my favorite authors. When I discover an author I like, I ravenously read everything they have written. I am this way with Tom Clancy, John Grisham, Dale Brown, Miles Munroe and others. Pressfield started the fresh fascination with the Spartan 300 with his book, The Gates of Fire, about the Battle at Thermopylae. His historical fiction is unmatched.

Recently, my son gave me his Kindle electronic book reader because his IPad does everything the Kindle does and more. I have really enjoyed it and on it I discovered a little piece done by Pressfield for aspiring artist, especially authors. It is simply called, Do The Work. I actually read it in the Greenville/Spartanburg airport while waiting for my flight home from the latest Sons Gathering. The first chapter so impacted me that I had to share it here.

Pressfield says that there are three main enemies of creativity (my interpretation), but for this blog post we will only look at the first and foremost foe of being creative as God intends us to be. Resistance is the dragon that stands between us and victory! Pressfield approaches this heartless antagonist from a purely humanistic vantage point. We, who trust in Christ, have the advantage of understanding that it is but a shadow of the malevolent spiritual horde which seeks to halt all that the Father does on earth.

Doing anything that requires creativity, vision, growth, transformation, change, education, conviction, passion, or commitment will elicit Resistance. Resistance is the inevitable response to any act that rejects immediate gratification in favor of long-term growth, health or integrity. Pressfiled sees resistance as an impersonal force of nature, but we know it has a face and is the expression of the fallen archangel, Lucifer.

Because it is a spiritual force, resistance is Invisible. It is a repelling force seeking to prevent you from being creative. It is negative. It’s aim is to distract and prevent you from accomplishing anything.

Resistance is Insidious. It lies; it deceives, and will do anything to stop you from doing and being you (What God intended, my interpretation).

Resistance is Impersonal. It hates equally. It is indifferent and shows no mercy. It is malevolent and evil.

Resistance is Irresistible without divine assistance. It is a law of fallen nature (my interpretation). But we can use it as a compass to point us in the way not to go. The more important the act, the greater the resistance.

Resistance is Universal. It is everywhere, all at once. It is obviously not God, but resists all He does and is (my interpretation).

Resistance never sleeps. The fear of it never goes away, but we can use it to drive us on to be creative.

Resistance plays for keeps. It takes no prisoners. It is an equal opportunity murderer and abortionist of vision and ideas. (my addition)

THE FIGHT with RESISTANCE is a BATTLE to the DEATH!

Paul says something similar when he declares that our warfare is not against flesh and blood. (2 Corinthians 10) We battles legions of unseen foe who desire our ruin because it is the only way they can hope to hurt God. You say, "Well I never signed up for a war!" Yes, you did, when you gave your life to Christ. His enemies became your enemies and you are a much easier target than Him.

Let not your heart be trouble! He has overcome the world and every enemy in it. The Son is seated at the right hand of the Father, with everything under His feet and we are seated in Him with Him. Greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world. This world hates you, fellow believer, because it hated Him. Take up the spiritual panoply, arm yourself with the Word and with faith. Stand firm and pray! We are more than conquerors in Him.

If you are not feeling resistance in your life, it is because you are not attempting anything of eternal worth. You ever wonder why it is so easy to sin and so hard to be disciplined? The answer is resistance. Pressfield has this pegged! He encourages us with his advice, but his misses the complete story. Resistance is real and ever present. It is built into the fabric of the curse of this fallen world. We have been given the keys to the Kingdom and posses the privilege of praying this prayer, "Our Father, who rules in heaven, we exalt Your name! We ask that Your Kingdom (the rule of God), would express itself on earth and Your Will be done, as they are displayed in heaven..."

I read the last chapter of the book of history and WE WIN!

Fight the good fight and express the very likeness of God by being creative today!

Resist the resistance...slay your dragon!

WOW!

Mon, 09 May 2011 23:04:06 +0100

It is not like me to respond so quickly following a life-changing event because I have always consider myself a late reactor, but here is a brief but immediate report from the past week at Firecreek Mountain near Asheville, NC...

We had everyone write a brief description of their experience and evaluation of the 4 days together and I could only write one word: WOW!

Each of the previous gatherings were special in themselves, but this group was exceptional. Less than two weeks ago we only had around 10 men signed up for the event. This is a good number and would be easier to facilitate, but we have room for about 25. Dad was in Arlington, Texas two weeks ago and the church that was hosting him had not yet received their permit of occupancy for their new building they had hoped to open with Dad being there. So, on Sunday morning we met in a Seventh Day Adventist Church and then in the evenings, Dwight McKissic opened his building at Cornerstone Baptist Church to us. It was a divine appointment!

Not only was it a special week with the precious people at White Stone who hosted us, but we reconnected with Dwight, whom we had know for years from a distance. There was an immediate and supernatural bond between us. Dwight, his very busy schedule notwithstanding, made every meeting and even hosted a lunch gathering with many of his pastor friends in the area. Again, the connection was unearthly.

The final night, Dr. Burton Purvis, pastor of White Stone, allowed Dr. McKissic to share at the end of the service as the host of the building we were using. I had mentioned to him that we were having a gathering of spiritual sons with Dad coming up in May. That night he confessed that he was praying for God to give him the wherewithal to go himself to this meeting and to bring 3 other men with him. On Friday, I was driving Dad to his next engagement in Atoka, Oklahoma, and received a call from Dwight's assistance. She began the conversation with, "Tim, we may have a problem!" As I listen to her, I knew immediately that we did not have a problem. She was calling to tell me that Dwight had now invited a total of 10 men to come with him to the Sons Gathering and did we have room for them? I told her that we would make room! The next day, she called to confirm that they had booked their flights and that 3 addition men would be coming with Dr. McKissic. What a problem to have...to many people!

We had room and this team of pastors and ministers from Texas and California went to great lengths to attend the gathering and it was outrageous! God united us in a way only God can. Did I mention that each of these thirteen men were of the African-American persuasion? This gathering truly resembled the Kingdom of God as including all races!

Words really cannot express what happened. WOW is the only word I can find to describe it. God opened eyes and expanded horizons and confirmed calls. He healed broken hearts and set captives free! He stretched each one of us and increased our understanding and faith for the Kingdom of heaven to come into our lives here on earth. It was remarkable and we are all floating a foot off the ground buoyed by the glorious experience.

I have one other word to describe the week. It is gratitude. I am so thankful for this time with my new brothers, both black and white! God is so good to allow me to be in relationship with these men. I will forever cherish our time together and am determined to know them better! Also, thankfulness is the term I would use to describe the team that came with Dwight McKissic. At every turn they were thanking me or Dad or our hosts, and most of all thanking God. I can honestly say I do not think I have ever been with a more grateful group! It was humbling and gratifying!

There will be more to come so come back soon to see the next installment of reactions and reports, but I had to get this out now. One of my hidden agendas is to make you who were not able to be with just a little bit jealous so you will make every effort to join us for the next gathering of sons with Jack Taylor.

tim

Only One Solution

Mon, 09 May 2011 23:04:23 +0100

I have come to a couple of conclusions: 1) our world, and particularly our nation, is in big trouble; and 2) there is no earthly solution to our problems!

I got to spend the past week with my dad in Arlington, Texas and Atoka, Oklahoma. I have noticed that Dad no longer preaches as he once did, and he is a superb preacher with few rivals. What I have observed is that Dad shares as a father. He still speaks with anointing, demonstrated with powerful ministry, but the shift to fathering is profound and powerful in its own right. This week we released a new version of his initial and best-selling book, The Key to Triumphant Living. It is the story of how God transformed Dad's life through relationship with the Holy Spirit and how God moved in a church and community in personal renewal and corporate revival. Dad shared this week about what happened when the owners of the largest strip-joint in south Texas were saved and how nearly 2000 people were ushered into the Kingdom in a matter of months. I had forgotten what God could do. I had let my faith go dormant in expecting God to move among people.

I was there in 1970 when God moved to change people's lives right before my eyes. It was a move of God largely distinguished by true godly sorrow and genuine repentance. There was no program, except for concerted prayer. More people were came to Jesus in a short time in 1970 than had in the past entire existence of the church. I had forgotten what God did and even worse, had lost the expectation that He could do it again.

I saw him do it then and I saw glimpses of it again this week. A fresh spark was ignited in me this week for greater expectation. The numbers were not impressive, but the strategic connections were. The move of God that I am seeing by faith and expecting by vision is not about numbers. It will involve multitudes one day, but right now it is about quality not quantity. God is moving in pockets of faithful people all over this country. In places no one has ever heard of, like Sayre, OK, Moultrie, GA, Katy, TX, Arlington, TX, Atoka, OK, God is stirring hearts to pursue the Kingdom. We are learning what Jesus meant when He told the parable of the Kingdom, "the Kingdom of God is like a man who found a treasure in a field and sold everything he had and bought the field..." If the Kingdom is not everything, then it is nothing.

I remember hearing God speak to me directly on one of my trips to Mexico. He seemed to say, "if you will be satisfied without my glory, you will be satisfied without my glory." I have grown satisfied without seeing God display Himself in all His glory. I have become complacent and unexpectant. I have fallen into the trap of thinking I was helpless to change things. I listen to the news on the radio and feel like I can do nothing about it. Well, I have discovered that no one has the power to change things. No one has the will to make the changes we need to save our world and especially our nation. Politicians are hapless, helpless and hopeless. Trusting them will only make us the same. There is only one solution to what we face today in our world and it is the coming of the Kingdom to renew our personal lives and to bring corporate revival.

The message in Dad's first book was written forty years ago, but it is never more relevant than today! The leadership of the Holy Spirit is indispensable and the demonstration of the Kingdom of heaven on earth is imperative. I am talking up the baton being passed by men like my dad. I am praying that God would raise up men and women who will call for personal repentance and national humility. We don't need a better economic plan or stricter moral rules. We need revival that only the presence of God can bring.

As we enter a new election season, let's pray for God to raise up a man or a woman who will call us back to Himself and lead us to pursue His Kingdom. I invite you to join with me to pray, this pray:

"Lord, Do It Again!"

I am asking the Father to begin with me...

tim