Tuesday, June 30, 2009

God at Work

In John 15:5 Jesus says, "Apart from me you can do nothing." I appreciate the corollary in Luke 1:37 "But nothing will be impossible with God." After a several year hiatus God blessed me with the opportunity to spend two days with our brother Doug . This man has prayed at least a hundred times over many years for me to receive the joy of the Lord. Brother, i've got it now. God has shown me repeatedly over the past weeks the importance of patience and perseverance. Doug and i hit a rough spot in our relationship and it took time to work out. "God is faithful, who has called us into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord." (1 Cor. 1:9)

In the past two days I had fellowship with two brothers in separate settings. Both of these men have served the Lord Jesus with utter devotion for decades, continually giving, serving, discipling. Yet one told me that he had no close friend and the other confided that no one encouraged him. This struck me like a knife in the heart. Our relationships as brothers, or sisters is the essence of genuine Christianity. We must make ourselves available to encourage and befriend one another. Our God desires a family, not an organization. Our brotherhood in Christ is an eternal reality, not a temporary phenomenon limited to this life.

Has anyone considered the implications of Hebrews 10:34 lately? "You joyfully accepted the plundering of your property, since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one." Having lost a four figure sum through injustice in recent days, I had occasion to recall that verse. More accurately, the Holy Spirit brought it to my remembrance. While i'm not pleased with the situation, I am very thankful to God that He brought me through it.

God continues to confirm the path of itinerant ministry to me. The recent NorthEast Regional House Church gathering in Sutton, MA produced amazing fruit. Our Lord Jesus gave me the opportunity to connect with a number of saints including some for the first time. I look forward to opportunities to visit and encourage the various groups they represent.

The generosity of the saints continues to amaze me. People , some of whom I barely know or meet for the first time, offer lodging, meals, financial resources. I am humbled by their desire to give.

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Generosity of the Saints

June 24, 2009
One of the things I wrestled with prior to embarking on itinerant ministry was the reality of flushing away a viable business in which i had worked for over 27 years. Although God had blessed me with some personal savings, I did not have the funds to retire. It took a long season of wrestling with the issue of God's provision to trust that He would provide for my needs. Friday, June 19th, I hung up my heat gun. Sunday the Lord overwhelmed me with tangible demonstrations of his love for me through the saints. The small house church that sent me out, aided by brethren from our equally small west coast sister church, gave me a princely sum. None of these people have great wealth. I write this as testimony of their voluntary obedience (I didn't ask for the funds nor do I feel led to do so in the future) As Paul writes in 2 Cor. 9:12, "For the ministry of this service is not onlymeeting the needs of the saints but is overflowing in many thanksgivings to God." I am extremely blessed to have the opportunity to share this testimony as i begin my travels.

Our Lord Jesus also blessed me with a phone call from our brother Ross, who with his wife Trina, has also received a calling to itinerant ministry. We shared for over an hour and discovered that God had spoken virtually identical things to both of us. We talked about the possibility of "cross-pollinating", ministering to one another's contacts to give a double dose of encouragement. Jesus had previously given me a vision of a number of saints with different gifts and ministries (1 Cor. 12:11) traveling between the different ekklesias to encourage the saints. I'm excited about the future.

Sunday, June 14, 2009

Encouragement of the Saints

Fascinating how God works through technology despite my Luddite tendencies. Received a call from a brother Doug from North Carolina, whom I've not seen for over thirty years. The Internet allows us to connect in a way not possible before. We had almost two hours of good fellowship. He brought up several things from the Scripture that i hadn't considered. I look forward to spending some time with him in the future.

God also used my brother, and co-laborer in ministry, Matt Whelan to encourage me to do something I didn't want to do, and I'm thankful he did. The Lord Jesus has used Matt in many ways in my life. I recommend him highly.

Also received an encouraging phone call from a brother Steve, who told me of meeting a Korean brother. This young man is involved in a church whose people meet daily, early in the morning, for prayer. Revival comes from this.

Finally, God showed me again the power of expressing contrition and apologizing to people for what we have done. I had occasion to apologize to a young believer at the event that I hadn't wanted to attend, and witnessed the healing that God did as a result. His ways are higher than our ways. (Isa 55:9)

God showed me once again the imperative necessity of spiritual fathers and mothers. I appeal to those of my generation that are walking with Christ to make yourself available to the younger generations, many of whom do not have natural parents, let alone spiritual ones. If the Holy Spirit dwells in you, you have something to offer.

Saturday, June 13, 2009

Ty-who?

Tychicus, one of Paul the apostle's companions receives five mentions in the New Testament. When Paul departs Corinth and decides to travel through Macedonia (Acts 20:3), he does so in the company of a number of brothers including "Tychicus and Trophimus of Asia." (the Roman province, not the continent) Later we find Tychicus entrusted by Paul to bring the letters (probably Ephesians, Colossians, and Philemon) that the apostle has written in his Roman imprisonment to their recipients, an arduous journey fraught with potential dangers. In the Ephesian letter, Paul refers to Tychicus as "the beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord." (Eph. 6:21) He is sent "that you may know how we are, and that he may encourage your hearts." (v.22) Colossians 4:7-9 paints a similar picture, adding that Onesimus has accompanied Tychicus, suggesting that Tychicus may have interceded in person for Onesimus to Philemon. Titus 3:12 reveals that either Tychicus or Artemas will receive the responsibility of taking over the work of ministry from Titus in Crete. Finally, Paul informs Timothy that he has sent Tychicus to Ephesus, (2 Tim 4:12) possibly to relieve him so that Timothy can come to Paul with the cloak and parchments. (v.13)

All of the above depicts a faithful brother, with a ministry of encouragement, who, under Paul's direction, takes responsibility for building up the churches via itinerant ministry. The Lord first directed my attention to this brother over ten years ago. I now believe He desires me to follow in his footsteps.