April, 2007
I am always blessed when Tom and Kathy Padley come through. A huge part of it is that Tom and Kathy represent to me and I believe for us as a church, is a kind of radical, simple devotion to Jesus that the U.S. Church desperately needs. Tom and Kathy have sacrificed many things in the 20 years that they have been in Brazil. They have lived in some pretty rough situations, experienced very modest provisions and gone through many disappointments and challenging experiences in those 20 years. Yet, when you meet them and talk just a little you can see that the fire of God still, after all this time burns bright in their hearts. It is a fire we desperately need in the U.S Church. It is a fire I want to see burning in Lamb of God and in the churches of Essex County. What will it take to see that fire burn? What will it take in particularly to see that fire burn in our children? How do we get there? (more…)
Posted by Scott on April 30th, 2007 in Revival | 1 Comment »
Tuesday evening at around 8:30 P.M., Troy and Noelle Rhodes and yours truly will get on an airplane and head to Belfast, Northern Ireland. Why? It’s not a vacation (although Gail will join me on Friday and we will see a few things). We go because we believe this is part of what God is doing in Lamb of God. Two years ago at a conference in Sao Paulo I was approached by a woman, probably in her 50’s who said through a translator - “I know this man, I’ve seen his face before.” Yet, I had never been there before. She said that she had seen my face in a dream and that she had a “word” from God for me that she needed to share. So there I was standing in a room with 250 strangers, and suddenly a person I had never met began excitedly claiming that she knew my face and that God had a word for me. I must tell you that my nature is inclined to be skeptical. But heck, I was in Brazil and I was already way past my comfort zone. So I said - please share with me what you believe God wants me to know. She said…. (more…)
Posted by Scott on April 30th, 2007 in Uncategorized | 1 Comment »
Actually, there is something I would to share before I get to what I really want say. Mainly I want to share it because its kind of funny. What I really want to talk about is pretty serious, so let me get the funny stuff out of the way first. Most people who know me know that the only time you are likely to see me in a suit is at pretty formal occassions where there is not way out of it. For example a funeral. Or on rare occassions at a wedding (Usually I wear that far out looking robe that I got on loan from a friend and he never asked for it back). Any way with Gaby and Conrad’s weddding this week end I realized I should probably get me suit out and see it it shrunk (that tends to happen as you get older, clothes mysteriously shrink when left unworn for any considerable period of time). So I took the suit from the very back of the closet, tried it on and it fit and it seems like everything was hunky-dory for the wedding. But check this out…. (more…)
Posted by Scott on April 26th, 2007 in Revival | No Comments »
I thought maybe folks might want to know where a bunch of us went this past week. Every year there is a gathering of leaders that convene in Mansfield, Ohio which bring together elders and emerging leaders for a time of fellowship and teaching.
Several days before the conference begins there is a time where the MMC (Missions and Ministry Council) gathers to discuss the health and direction of the over all ARC (Alliance for Renewal Churches). This gathering includes a number of senior leaders from the United States, Brazil and Poland. The purpose of this time is to build up and strengthen the growth of churches in the ARC both domestic and international. For example we are charged with the responsibility of helping Rick Widener as he returns to the US from 3 1/2 years in Brazil. We also plan the next years leadership conference, review church plants and potential church plants, hear reports on missionaries and together seek the Lord for direction for the ARC in the year to come.
The ARC conference this year was taught by a well known N.T. Scholar, Dr. Craig Bloomberg. There were parts of his material that was encouraging, however Dr. Bloomberg holds some points of view that differ from the ARC. (For example he doesn’t have a strong view of the role of elders, and tends towards an egaliterian view of women in church leadership). The conference suffered a bit from two problems - one, the speakers plane was delayed and we ended up having to sort of smoosh things together. And second, we didn’t have a long enough time for worship and ministry to one another. I think that made the conference a little “flat,” at least for me.
I’m really excited that next year we are planning on having David Bryant. I am hoping that he will be able to join us.
Posted by Scott on April 24th, 2007 in Uncategorized | No Comments »
I come from a very doctrinaire background. My mother told me that one time when I was about 6 or 7 years old she heard me arguing with a Catholic kid: “Hey, we don’t pray to Mary - we go straight to God.” I was raised a Baptist and Baptists are some pretty tough hombres when it comes to what they believe. Anyway, over the many years of following Jesus I’ve gone though a lot of changes in terms of how I understand what is important, and those things that are less important and then those things that are purely preference when it comes to Christian tradition, worship and even doctrine. At age 52 I feel pretty comfortable in my “belief” skin, if you catch my meaning. I can hang with pretty traditional folks and be a-ok, I can hang with wild-eyed pentecostals and not be freaked and pretty much every thing in between with some qualifications. (more…)
Posted by Scott on April 18th, 2007 in Uncategorized | 1 Comment »
I was blessed so much by Nigerian missionaries Benard and his wife Rawn sharing with us this past Sunday morning(4.8.07) for our service. They are simple, straightforward servants of Jesus who love the gospel and have dedicated their lives to preaching the good news. They have risked their comfort, safety and even their lives to go to the villages of Nigera to teach people about Jesus. They are actual heroes of the faith, and we are honored to have them in our midst. I would encourage anyone who is able to consider assisting them (although they were very low key in their request for help, they actually do have significant needs).
One of the things that really touched me was the straightforward, unadorned manner in which Benard spoke of extraordinary wonders he had witnessed in his ministry. I don’t know if every one caught all the things Benard said during his sharing (he did have a pretty strong accent), but he made some pretty amazing claims. One in particular that I had never heard anyone visiting Lamb of God make - that being that he had witnessed a person being raised from the dead. I’ve heard that claim made before, but I’ve never actually met anyone who claimed to have seen it as an eyewitness. I don’t know about you, but that pretty much tops my list of things that are amazing to the point of being almost beyond belief. (more…)
Posted by Scott on April 17th, 2007 in Evangelism, Revival | 4 Comments »
Intercessory prayer is the Christian’s most effective weapon. Nothing can withstand it’s power. It will do things when all else has failed. And the marvel is that we turn to other agencies in order to accomplish what only prayer can bring to pass. God has placed this mighty weapon in our hands, and He expects us to use it. How disappointed He must be when we lay it a side and substitute natural means for supernatural work.
In this twentieth century we are, more and more, turning from the God-appointed means of intercessory prayer and adopting, instead, merely natural agencies for the carrying on of His work. Everywhere we look it is the same, both in evangelism and ordinary church work. Intercessory prayer has been shelved. For some reason it is out of date. Our methods, we say, are better, our plans more successful, and so we adopt natural means to bring to pass the supernatural. (more…)
Posted by Scott on April 11th, 2007 in Revival | No Comments »
Every Easter Orthodox churches around the world read this sermon by John Chrysostom (349-407), the early church’s famed preacher and archbishop of Constantinople at the great Church of Holy Wisdom (Hagia Sophia).
Is there anyone who is a devout lover of God?
Let them enjoy this beautiful bright festival!
Is there anyone who is a grateful servant?
Let them rejoice and enter into the joy of their Lord! (more…)
Posted by Scott on April 7th, 2007 in Uncategorized | No Comments »
Recently I had an experience with a group of Christian leaders that was difficult. We were listening to a someone share a testimony of an extrarordinary miracle which he claimed he had witnessed. The individual sharing the story told it in a very matter of fact way, with little drama or theatrics to his presentation.
As this person shared several stories of similiar kinds of supernatural interventions he had personally witnessed, I could not help but notice what seemed to me to be an atmosphere of doubt and skepticism. At one point one person made a lighthearted joke referring to a particular miraculous incident that was shared. The joke wasn’t funny. It was actually painful. (more…)
Posted by Scott on April 6th, 2007 in Revival | 1 Comment »
I want to write more about this in the next day or so, but I thought I’d put up the link and encourage folks to download this free book entitled the 10 Greatest Revivals of History. This is a PDF book and its free and can be downloaded. Here’s the link, more about what it says later. 10 Greatest Revivals Ever
Posted by Scott on April 4th, 2007 in Revival | No Comments »
