GOD-INCIDENTS

Those of you who have been reading my blog for a while know that I do not believe in coincidences, but I very much believe in God-incidences, the visible, present-day proof that the Lord still performs miracles. Well, Sharon and I have just been blessed to be a part of a big one.

About a month ago, one of the leaders of the American Chinese Fellowship, in Houston, TX, was talking with her daughter and her daughter suggested that they start an Awana Club for the children.  Let me explain about the American Chinese Fellowship, it was started by a Christian doctor working in the Medical Center, with the purpose of reaching out to the Mandarin speaking doctors and researchers who come to America from Mainland China in order to learn new medical techniques and procedures.  The doctor invites them to the Fellowship, where they receive an authentic Chinese meal and get the opportunity to practice their English and to make friends however; they use the Bible as their English textbook.  This has led to the start of a small Chinese Church in the Medical Center, which averages about 80 people. 

Because of her daughter’s suggestion, the leader called the local Awana Missionary to help them set up the Awana Club.  We work with this Awana missionary as part of the Ministry Team. The Ministry Team trains new Club leaders and workers the basics of how to set up and run their clubs, and trains experienced leaders and workers ways they can make their clubs better.  The missionary called me Wednesday evening, but I couldn’t talk because we have church and Choir practice on Wednesday evenings.  Therefore, I called him back on Thursday night at 7:30 pm.  He asked Sharon and me to start this new club and to Command it as well (the Commander is person who is in charge of every aspect of how each club functions and is responsible for the success or failure of the club as well. Basically, the buck stops at the Commander).  The next night, at 6:30 pm, (less than 24 hours later), we started the Awana club with some borrowed books. Everything went pretty well, we had about 50 kids and approximately 250 adults present that night.

We knew we needed to get some materials fast, so Sharon and I asked our church if we could copy some material so that we can have something for the next week.  The church didn’t want us to copy the material because of possible copyright issues, so they asked if they could pay for our first order instead.  This was an unexpected but wonderful blessing.

We received the materials last Friday afternoon, which very appropriately, was Valentine’s Day. With the new material, I taught the Sparks, which is the Kindergarten thru 2nd grade.  I was able to lead two girls to the Lord.  One of the girls was going to return to China the very next day, so we gave her some of the materials to take with her.  We told her parents and they were both very excited.  A little later, I told the pastor what had happened and he informed me that the girl’s mother had been lead to the Lord on Sunday, only 6 days earlier.  She was baptized that Wednesday, and her husband was there to see his wife being baptized. Several church members talked with him and he accepted the Lord as his Savior.  Two days after that, on Friday night, the night before they returned to Mainland China, their daughter accepted Jesus too. This clearly shows evidence of God’s work in the events of this modern age.  Some people say that it was all a coincidence, God had nothing to do with anything, but I say, no, I insist, that this is a God-Incident.   

Love

The other day I saw that one of my young friends had posted something very profound about love on Facebook.  I think she learned it through the school of hard knocks, but I hope some of what I taught while I was with them was helpful.  This led me think I really need to do a blog on what the Bible says about love, and of course, this leads me to 1 Cor. 13

1 Corinthians 13

English Standard Version (ESV)

The Way of Love

13 If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. ² And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. ³ If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned,^[a] but have not love, I gain nothing.

⁴ Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant ⁵ or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful;^{[b] 6} it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. ⁷ Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

⁸ Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. ⁹ For we know in part and we prophesy in part, ¹⁰ but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. ¹¹ When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. ¹² For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.

¹³ So now, faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

You see in the New Testament, there are three different words for love.  The first one, Philo, is best translated as “brotherly love”. This is the precursor of the word for Philadelphia.  If you have ever been to Philadelphia, you see that the meaning of the name of their city is not followed.  What I think best describes Philo is the love between people in a fraternal organization. 

The second word used for love is Eros.  This is where we get the word erotic.  This is usually the type of love we would connect with Valentine’s Day.  In the Bible, it would be used to describe the love between man and wife. 

The last word is agape.  This is God’s love, or as some say, unconditional love.  This is how God loves us and we are to strive to have this kind of love for God and our fellow Christians.  First Corinthians, chapter thirteen, speaks about Agape love. 

I ask you that you try to use these verses to help you with your marriage and with your relationship with God.

Biblical Errors

I have a great pastor friend that I follow on Facebook and I have talked about before.  He has the heart of God and really has some great Biblical insight.  I know God has put him in my life to stimulate my thought process.  Yesterday he posted an article about pastors preaching Biblical errors from the pulpit.  I had to comment because I have had some trouble with this in the past, I have told you before I have even had a pastor tell me he would rather preach blasphemy if it brought souls to Christ.  There is just so much wrong with that I do not even know where to start.  However, I digress.  My friend and I talked back and forth on how to solve this.  Since I am a seminary professor, I think that these errors could be prevented with more Biblical knowledge and training through a seminary.  My friend, who came from a different background before entering into ministry, said two things that really got to the heart of the matter and I now believe they have more to do with these errors.  The first is laziness on the part of the pastors in their study of the Bible, they are more in to the showmanship of preaching and the tickling of the ears of the people they do not preach the Bible.  I know some who preach more popular psychology than Bible.   In fact the Bible even says this. 

2 Timothy 4:2-4

King James Version (KJV)

² Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long suffering and doctrine.

³ For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;

⁴ And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.

We as pastors are to preach God’s word.  No matter what time.  We are to reprove and rebuke. When is the last time you heard a pastor do either of these from a pulpit.  The third verse is what I am talking about, pastors are not giving sound doctrine and congregations want pastors who give them what they want to tickle their itching ears.  They will turn away from the Bible or truth, for fables or lies.

The other thing my friend said is if the pastor truly were called to preach, he would study to preach correctly.  I agree with my friend that many pastors view being a pastor as a job to make ends meet, not a call to ministry.  I have seen men in seminary who I have really doubted the call of God on their life.  This is worse than the first.  The Bible says is better to die than to lead one of His children astray.

   

Matthew 18:5-7

King James Version (KJV)

⁵ And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me.

⁶ But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.

⁷ Woe unto the world because of offences! For it must needs be that offences come; but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh!

These men really need to examine their motives for being a pastor because I would not want to be them come judgment day.  I will be honest; something I pray each time I preach is that I do nothing to harm His gospel. 

I cannot say all of this without also saying that you as the congregation need to hold the Pastor accountable.  That means you need to study God’s Word and know what it says so that you will know the truth and be able to recognize if the pastor errs when he preaches.  You need realize that the pastor is a man, and a sinner just like you.  Yes, you must respect and honor your pastor, but he must not be put upon a pedestal as if he is incapable of errors because this action will surly lead to his fall.