Awesome!

There were a couple of technical glitches, as with any big production, and that's what I wanted to talk about today.

One of the scenes was supposed to have a black light shining on it àla Fighting Gravity, the almost winner of America's Got Talent this year. For this scene, some people were dressed all in white and some were dressed all in black. The props were painted neon red, orange, and green.



If the black light had worked, it would have been awesome, too. But it didn't work. So, someone put on a regular spot light. Instead of blending into the shadows, the folks dressed all in black were very visible. They were lifting the white-costumed people, and juggling with balls that were on long, black sticks. It was comical.

But they didn't stop.

Everything that they did, the lifts, the flips, the 'jazz hands' were all choreographed with the understanding that the audience wouldn't be seeing the folks in black. But we COULD see them.

I felt so bad for them. And, I giggled.

But they didn't stop.

Somebody should have stopped them. Somebody should have stepped up and said, "Oops!" or "Let's try that one more time." But the entire troop just kept on doing what they'd been trained to do even though the magic was gone and the effect had been lost.

It reminded me of church. It reminded me of 'having the form of godliness' long after the power has gone out. It reminded me of traditions that keep going ... and going ... and going.

Unfortunately, there are some churches that won't admit that they are not relevant to their surroundings. They go through the motions thinking that they are the latest thing since sliced bread, when those who are watching are not really impressed. The spectators are actually embarrassed for them, and they can't help but giggle to themselves as they watch the show being performed for their sakes.

But the Light's not right.

The effect has been lost.

So why won't they stop?

This one's for the kids:

I LOVE Jesus! Your Daddy is an absolute, 100% Jesus-loving FREAK!

Sometimes during our bedtime prayers, I find myself wondering if you guys really see your Daddy's heart. When I say those bedtime prayers, it's not just the only time that I pray - I talk with Jesus all day long. He's usually the first thing on my mind in the morning when I wake up, and the last thing I think about before I fall asleep. I sing to him in the car, and I talk to him when I take a shower, and I cry for joy at the very idea that he loves me!

Yeah, I cry a lot when it comes to Jesus! He's remarkable! Indescribable! He is loving, kind, generous and good. And he always, always loves me and accepts me just the way that I am. I love to worship him!

My most fervent prayer is that each of you kids would know Jesus like I know him. I've already seen him answer my prayers by saving Aidan and Evan, and, even though she's just barely a year old, I've already prayed with tears for him to save my baby girl, Meagan. But that's just the beginning! I also pray that Christ would be formed in each of you. That you would understand that Christ is your life ... now in this world. He is your everything!

What joy you'll have! What peace! What purity of conscience! It's all him - it's all Jesus!

I realize that this may be read by a few people who won't agree with it. That's okay.

And, I realize that when there's a GIANT giant gorilla in the room, you're supposed to just be quiet and go with the flow. (But that's never been my style LOL)

And, I realize that people will think that I'm being nit-picky, and mean, and the 'intention police' will judge my motives for posting this - they always do. (I'm sad. Very sad at how off track the church of Jesus Christ can get and not even know it.)

But, somebody's gotta say something!


Last night, at church, we sang a few songs, the speaker prayed then preached, and then we had a couple of baptisms. Sounds fine, right? Wrong!

The songs were about 75% biblical. We sang a wonderful song, "I know who I am" which has a TERRIFIC line in it, "Christ is my identitiy." Now, THAT was New Testament!! Wahoo!!

But, it didn't last. We also sang a pleading song that implored the Father to wrap us in his loving embrace. Question: When did we get out of his embrace? Are we ever outside of his love? Can anything separate us from God's love? Does God only love us when we plead with him to? Or, is this song based in doubt? Doesn't it really express our desire to walk by sight and not faith? So why do they sing it?

Unbelief. Rather than thanking God for His ever-encompassing embrace, we plead with him for it. What a shame.

The opening prayer was an invitation to the Holy Spirit to join us in this place. Question: Does the Holy Spirit leave us and have to be invited back in? Is God's presence so fickle? Can we so easily be separated from the Spirit of God?

'But,' you might say, 'we are asking God for his power to be there in the church.'

God's power IS in the church. Ephesians tells us that the power that God used to raise Christ from the dead is part and parcel of the church!! So, 'why don't we experience it more,' you might ask.

Again, it is unbelief that hinders us. Not God. We are not believing what the New Testament actually says, and we are singing songs like mindless drones. (There, I said it.)

Then came our Old Testament exhortation to build up the house of God. It was definitely NOT New Testament. For one thing, the Lord Jesus is the one who is building up his church, NOT you or me. Matthew 16 is very explicit about this. And, second, we don't build up the house of God, we ARE the house of God (any New Testament epistle will tell you so). Apparently, we don't really believe that 'Christ is our identity' even though we just sang it!

The speaker (I do not say preacher) talked about how his father had a really wonderful opportunity to be a Lt. Colonel JAG lawyer...how awesome is that?!...but turned down the opportunity to become a Lutheran minister. This raised the implication: God can only use Christians in full-time ministry, but not those in the workplace.

Can you imagine the influence that a sold-out believer could have as a Lt. Colonel JAG lawyer? Wow!

Again, I don't question the man's motives. Not at all. What I do question is that the speaker implied that the only way to build God's house is to do what his father did - quit your job and join the ministry. It also implied that any Christian who didn't do so is a second-class Christian. No, he didn't say this, but that was the next step in his logic.

Question: Didn't Paul tell believers to stay where they were when they got saved? First Corinthians chapter seven tells us to 'bloom where we're planted' basically. Why didn't the speaker agree with Paul? Why didn't he tell these godly businessmen to use their positions of influence, instead of telling them to renounce these positions? (The answer is: he himself is religious, and doesn't understand/believe that Christ has already purchased God's favor for us.)

When a fella speaks to a bunch of New Testament believers from an Old Testament passage, this is the kind of works-oriented, faith-lacking stuff that you have be on the lookout for. It's religion, not New Testament Christianity.

Well, we finished up with a couple of baptisms. While the dunking was going on, the praise team led us in a song about being "cleansed" by baptism. Oy! More false doctrine!

We also sang about how baptism is a "surrender," but is it? Isn't it simply showing forth our salvation? This is like saying that putting on a wedding ring is like 'surrender.' LOL It's no such thing. It is an outward act that shows an inward faith. It is a belief thing, not a works thing. OMG! They've even managed to turn baptism into a 'work' to try to please God.


Becca and I just sat there shaking our heads. I know that we have been in the same boat, and have even said the same things, but on this side of understanding Grace, it is so, so terribly sad.



And nobody says anything.

I have fibromyalgia. I think. I used to be certain but then I attended the healing prayer meeting at our church about six months ago, and one of the guys said that the Holy Spirit told him that I have sleep apnea.

Say what?

Of course, I didn't believe him. But then, within a few weeks, my mother was diagnosed with sleep apnea, and then my brother was as well. I began to think that maybe I have sleep apnea, and not fibromyalgia. Some time passed, and I went back for another round of healing prayer. The elders prayed over me, but I didn't really believe that I was going to be healed -- I barely believed that I had sleep apnea -- and so I wasn't surprised when nothing happened.

Then, I went on a trip to Azerbaijan, and saw my very first CPAP machine (the team leader brought his along with him).

A thought entered my head: IF the Holy Ghost had told the elder guy that I did have sleep apnea, then certainly He intended to do something about it. I somehow knew that I would be receiving a CPAP machine myself.

Then, my brother came down for a visit. Unexpectedly, he brought his machine with him, and asked me to use it for one night. I began to see the divine wheels of circumstance turning; now, I was sure that I was going to get a CPAP machine! Later, my mother said that she would buy me one from a discount website. (See, the wheels were turning!) Bad news though, they only sold them to folks with a prescription. Didn't they know that the great Physician had already diagnosed me? (This turned out to be a blessing since I ended up with a much better machine.)

Time passed, and we started looking on CraigsList. A fellow about 40 minutes from here was selling a brand new Remstar Pro C-Flex+ for only $100. The machine had only 5.3 hours on it! This is a $700 machine, and it came with the humidifier, accessories, and the carrying case! Well, I drove over to meet the guy with cash in hand.

Cha-ching! The machine is mine. The $100 came from my mother. Not bad for someone with no medical insurance!

So, what does this show? God meets us where we are at, according to our faith. If I had believed that He would heal me, I wouldn't need a machine...but, honestly, that's not where I'm at. But, I can believe God for provisions.

Thanks, Jesus!

P.S. Turns out that this is the machine that my brother brought down for me to try! Talk about your divine foreshadowing! Wow!

My Grandma Williams, your great grandma, was the most awesome lady of God. She was always giving whether it was food or money. She invited us over for supper all the time. She loved life. She loved to do crafts (ceramics, etc). She took care of Grandpa, who was sick much of the time, for years.


My favorite memories are of her generosity. She was so Spirit led.

One day, Becca needed a curtain rod to hang up a curtain in the window. We were broke as usual and couldn't afford one. Grandma invited us over for a meal, and afterward, as was her custom, she gave us stuff to take home with us. I'll never forget as she reached behind the dresser and said, 'Can you use these curtain rods? I've had them here for awhile and I'll never use them. Here, you take them." When she did that, my views of grandma's generosity changed. I saw that God was behind it. All the money that she gave away quietly, all the food (she'd even helped my parents out when I was just a kid myself), and all the prayers - God was working through her.


It was all hush-hush, but she often helped us with our car insurance or an electric bill. How do you tell a 90-year old woman, No? You can't, especially when you need it. We were Elijah, and she was our widow woman. God channeled his gifts and love through her to us. How humbling!! How ... stand back in awe ... glorious!


When Grandma died, I was asked to preach her funeral. It was the hardest thing that I've ever done. I had a 'message' all written up, but just then, at the beginning of the service, God spoke to me, 'Turn to Proverbs 31." And, I read it. It was my Grandma.

God in heaven told me that my Grandma, your great grandma, was a Proverbs 31 woman. In his eyes, she was far above rubies.

What a wonderful heritage!!

But is that what the Bible says?

In Matthew 24:14, Jesus tells us, "And THIS gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come."

Jesus said that the gospel that He was preaching is the same gospel that would be preached in all the world until the end of this age!

He said this again in Matthew 26:13, "Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever THIS gospel shall be preached in the whole world, there shall also this, that this woman hath done, be told for a memorial of her."

With this in mind, let us take a look at this gospel.

I. Jesus

1. Repent (turn from sins, to God) - "From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: ..."(Matt. 4:17)
2. Believe in Jesus - "...even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life." (John 3:14--15)
3. Be baptized - "heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John" (John 4:1-2) and "baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:" (Matt. 28:19)
4. Receive the Holy Ghost - "how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?" (Lk 11:13) and "he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost,..." (Matt. 3:11) and "But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you:" (Acts 1:8)
5. Kingdom - "Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God," (Mark 1:14), etc.
6. Born Again - "Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." (John 3:3)
7. With Wonders - "...Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you" (Acts 2:22)

II. Peter

1. Repent (turn from sins, to God) - "And they went out, and preached that men should repent." (Mk 6:12) "Then Peter said unto them, Repent, ..." (Acts 2:38) and "Repent ye therefore, and be converted,..." (Acts 3:19)
2. Believe in Jesus - "Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain:Whom God hath raised up, .." (Acts 2:23-24) and "every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ" (Acts 2:38) and "Unto you therefore which believe he is precious:" (I Peter 2:7)
3. Be baptized - "and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ" (Acts 2:38"
4. Receive the Holy Ghost - "and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call." (Acts 2:38-9) and "Who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost:" (Acts 8:15)
5. Kingdom - "For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ." (2 Peter 2:11)
6. Born Again - "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again..." (1 Peter 1:3) and "Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible," (1 Peter 1:23)
7. With Wonders - "...and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles." (Acts 2:43) and "But Peter put them all forth, and kneeled down, and prayed; and turning him to the body said, Tabitha, arise. And she opened her eyes: and when she saw Peter, she sat up." (Acts 9:40) and "that at the least the shadow of Peter passing by might overshadow some of them." (Acts 5:15)u

III. Paul

1. Repent (turn from sins, to God) - "...but now commandeth all men every where to repent:" (Acts 17:30) and "...to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God," (Acts 26:20)
2. Believe in Jesus - "And by him all that believe are justified from all things," (Acts 13:39)
3. Be baptized - "many of the Corinthians hearing believed, and were baptized." (Acts 18:8)
4. Receive the Holy Ghost "He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed?" (Acts 19:2)
5. Kingdom - "And now, behold, I know that ye all, among whom I have gone preaching the kingdom of God, shall see my face no more." (Acts 20:25)
6. Born Again - "for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel." (1 Cor. 4:15) and "Onesimus, whom I have begotten in my bonds:" (Pilemon 1:17)
7. With Wonders - "And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God." (1 Cor 2:4-5) and "Through mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God; so that from Jerusalem, and round about unto Illyricum, I have fully preached the gospel of Christ." (Rom. 15:19)

SO WHAT?!?!

So, this does several things.

First, it shows us the continuity of the New Testament. The Gospels do have some OT Law teaching that must be recognized, and Acts has a little as well, but the Gospel itself is the same. The method of winning the lost is the same.

Second, it negates a bunch of hyper-dispensational (and regular dispensational) nonsense that separates US from the words of Jesus.

And, Third, it reveals that the authority and power given to the Twelve, and to the Seventy, and to the 120, is for US today.

THIS is God's plan.

"As my Father has sent me, so send I you."