Welcome
Thanks so much to each of you for coming this year. God bless you for doing so at the sacrifice on your part of time and finances. We appreciate it. We’re going to get started right away because we have plenty of material to cover.
Agenda
Slide 1
THE APOSTOLIC FAITH
THIS PRESENTATION WILL COVER
· The apostolic faith
· Our Minister’s Manual
· Our Daybreak and Discovery series
In the first session of today, we will look at three aspects of our work. Notice on the slide, that we used lower case letters on “apostolic faith.” This is because we are trying to describe a faith rather than an organization. Our Minister’s Manual describes how we attempt to apply that faith within our organization. Our Bible project series is a valuable tool that we should be using. It presents an opportunity to study the Bible cover to cover, over a period of three years, through the lens of this faith that we embrace.
Faith vs. the Faith
Slide 2
THE APOSTOLIC FAITH
DISTINGUISHING BETWEEN “FAITH” AND “THE FAITH,” Ascertain the difference.
The Bible draws a distinction between “faith” and “the faith,” as we shall now see.
Slide 3
THE APOSTOLIC FAITH
“FAITH” VERSUS “THE FAITH”
· “Faith” = trust, assurance, and confidence in God. It refers to believing.
· “The faith” = the entire scope of doctrine (teachings) and practices given to the Church through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
When we think of “faith,” we think of “believing faith.” “The faith” encompasses the whole of all that the Bible teaches—what the Apostles stood for, how they lived and conducted themselves, and the framework of what they taught and what we want to embrace.
Examples of Believing Faith
Slide 4
THE APOSTOLIC FAITH
EXAMPLES OF BELIEVING FAITH
· The Roman centurion who believed for the healing of his sick servant.
· The four friends who brought one sick of the palsy to Jesus.
· The woman who touched the hem of Jesus’ garment.
There are plenty of references in the Bible to “believing faith.” The Roman centurion was one who exhibited believing faith. He had a servant at home, who the Bible says was, “sick of the palsy, grievously tormented.” He brought the situation to Jesus, “And Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal him” (Matthew 8:6-7). The centurion was a man of authority as you well know. He answered, “Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed” (verse 8). Those in authority can relate to this; people obey what they say. When Jesus heard this, “He marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel” (verse 10). He was outside of Israel in terms of His heritage. He told the centurion, “Go thy way; and as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee. And his servant was healed in the selfsame hour” (verse 13). This is a good example of believing faith. It is usually what we think of when we describe faith and when we preach of faith.
Next, we have the four who brought to Jesus the one who was sick of the palsy. We’ve already heard in one of the sermons this week, “Open the roof.” The Bible says, “And when he saw their faith, he said unto him, Man, thy sins are forgiven thee” (Luke 5:20). Jesus also healed the man. That was the believing faith on the part of the four, and also of the one who was sick.
Third, is the woman who was diseased for twelve years. She “came behind him, and touched the hem of his garment: For she said within herself, If I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole. But Jesus turned him about, and when he saw her, he said, Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole” (Matthew 9:20-22).
References to “The Faith”
Slide 5
THE APOSTOLIC FAITH
REFERENCES TO “THE FAITH”
· Acts 6:7 “ . . . and a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith.”
· Acts 16:5 “And so were the churches established in the faith . . .”
· Acts 14:22 “Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.”
In contrast to believing faith, there are many references in the Bible to “the faith.” Many were obedient to the faith, established in the faith and continued in the faith.
Slide 6
THE APOSTOLIC FAITH
REFERENCES TO “THE FAITH”
· 1 Timothy 4:1: “Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils.”
· 1 Timothy 5:8: “But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.”
· 1 Timothy 6:20-21: “. . . keep that which is committed to thy trust . . . Which some professing have erred concerning the faith.”
We see also that it’s possible to depart from the faith, deny the faith, or err concerning the faith. (In our language today, we might say, “blunder.”)
Slide 7
THE APOSTOLIC FAITH
REFERENCES TO “THE FAITH”
· Galatians 1:23: “But they had heard only, That he which persecuted us in times past now preacheth the faith which once he destroyed.”
· 1 Timothy 1:2: “Unto Timothy, my own son in the faith.”
· 2 Timothy 4:7: “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.”
Paul preached the faith, Timothy was Paul’s son in the faith, and with Paul, we want to be able to declare that we have kept the faith. The point is that when we consider the faith, it is not the fact that we have believed; rather, it is what we have believed and stood for after we have believed.
Why We Proclaim “The Faith”
Slide 8
THE APOSTOLIC FAITH
WHY WE PROCLAIM “THE FAITH”
(Photo of group of young people sitting in church)
I can think of three reasons why we preach the faith: First, our Gospel veterans would be surprised if we somehow preached something other than the faith that they long stood for and passed on to us. Another overriding reason is that we have a generation of young people. We need not think generationally; we need to think annually. Every year, another young person, or group, comes to age. They need to hear it to understand and value “the faith” that we have come to appreciate. Finally, if neither of the first two applied, it is the Word of God, so we want to declare it.
Charles Parham
Slide 9
THE APOSTOLIC FAITH
CHARLES PARHAM
(Photo)
· He was the first one to use “the apostolic faith.”
Charles Parham, a minister who settled in Topeka, Kansas, in the late 1800s, is generally viewed as the first one who used the term, “the apostolic faith.” Lower case. He used the term “apostolic faith” not to describe a denomination, but to describe a faith. Parham viewed himself devoutly non-denominational; he had left the Methodist Church because they had departed from the holiness teachings, practices, and traditions which he had long embraced. He and a group of young coworkers traveled from town to town in the Midwest preaching the holiness Gospel; entire sanctification and divine healing. That gives you an idea of his framework of the faith.
His self-proclaimed purpose was to seek the restoration of the faith of the Apostles, and his group came to be known as “the Apostolic Faith Movement.” Parham established a mission in Topeka, and in 1899, began printing a magazine called The Apostolic Faith. The title was describing a faith, not the name of a group. He started the Bethel Bible College in Topeka in October 1900, leading his students according to what he understood to be the faith of the Apostles; the apostolic faith doctrines, including repentance, justification, healing, restitution, and entire sanctification.
Near Christmas of 1900, Parham left for a time to preach. He assigned the students to study Acts 2 in his absence and give a report upon his return after the first of the year. The students had several days of study and prayer, and then held a New Year's Eve "watch-night" service (December 31, 1900). At just past midnight, one student named Agnes Ozman experienced the baptism of the Holy Spirit with the accompanying witness of speaking in a distinct language unknown to her. By the time Parham returned, others had experienced this as well. He soon did, too. The number of students in that college was about three dozen. Two-thirds of them rejected the teaching so that left only a handful who embraced it.
A lot of this history is available online. A source that I trust is one of our own people, Amos Morgan. His website is azusabooks.org. Fifteen years or so ago he gave me a printed booklet of most of what is posted there. I have referred to it often and have found it to be very useful. He uses a number of primary sources and eyewitness accounts of the things that happened. It has a bias toward the Apostolic Faith, but so do I.
Slide 10
THE APOSTOLIC FAITH
“. . . EARNESTLY CONTEND FOR THE FAITH WHICH WAS ONCE DELIVERED UNTO THE SAINTS.”
Jude’s exhortation
Parham’s Apostolic Faith magazine used a portion of Jude 3 for a motto six years before the Azusa Street Revival and before the Apostolic Faith newspaper came into existence. Others, over the years have also used “The Apostolic Faith.” Early on there were divisions. Today, many of these groups are what we call “oneness” people. They rejected the Holy Trinity teaching that most conservatives stand for, Pentecostal and otherwise, but we won’t go into all of that today.
Slide 11
NEWS REPORT OF JANUARY 22, 1901
THE KANSAS CITY JOURNAL
(Photo)
Three weeks after Agnes Ozman experienced her Pentecost, the Kansas City Journal reported on another service conducted by Charles Parham and his “Apostolic Faith” band. The headline read: Was A Pentecost; “Apostolic Faith” Believers Claim a Gift of Tongues. Members are Chiefly Women. Strange Testimonials at a Strange Meeting Last Night. It was reported in a dramatic manner. The reliability and description of the report, just like the newspaper reports that came out of Los Angeles, may be suspect. But if nothing else, they confirmed in real time back then, that these events took place. Like today, news made to sound sensational or scandalous sells. Brother Amos brings up the “chiefly women” comment in that headline. The same article names the nine workers who were there. There were five women and four men. That gives you an idea of the reporting that took place to make it sound outlandish.
William Seymour
Slide 12
WILLIAM SEYMOUR
Leader of the Los Angeles Apostolic Faith Mission
(Photo)
Five years later, in 1905, Parham moved to Houston, Texas, and started the Apostolic Faith Mission, with other groups joining him. William Seymour, who learned from Parham, was invited to speak in Los Angeles early in 1906. He preached from Acts 2:4 and then was locked out of that church.
Slide 13
THE APOSTOLIC FAITH
FROM BONNIE BRAE TO AZUSA
(Photos of house and church)
Seymour joined a prayer meeting at 214 Bonnie Brae, and on March 31 the group implemented ten days of prayer. This led to April 9, 1906, when the power of the Holy Ghost descended. Afternoon prayer meetings were being held at Azusa Street, and evening prayer meetings in the Bonnie Brae home. The first service was held at Azusa Street on April 14, 1906.
Florence Crawford was invited and came when “there were scarcely twenty people.” There she experienced entire sanctification and the baptism of the Holy Ghost, and immediately became a key player in the movement under Seymour’s leadership, as evidenced by the photos and sources outside of our own.
The first Apostolic Faith Paper
Slide 14
ISSUE #1 FROM LOS ANGELES
(Photo)
Five thousand copies were made of this first paper, named The Apostolic Faith, which came out in September of 1906. Sister Crawford’s activities were reported throughout those Los Angeles papers during the next couple of years, including her visit to Portland and elsewhere. I have printed a copy of all of these. We have facsimiles of the original documents, but in addition, the text has been put into PDF format, which is more easily read. In my copy I have highlighted every instance naming Sister Crawford and M.L. Ryan who extended the invitation to her in 1906. He is reported in these papers as well. He went to Los Angeles, visited, received his Pentecost, and invited Sister Crawford to Salem to hold meetings. She went and while she was there Sister Glassco came from Portland, was in those meetings, and invited Ryan to Portland. He went to Portland on an unscheduled trip. Those visits are also documented in these papers published from Los Angeles.
Clara Lum, who later joined Sister Crawford in Portland, was heavily engaged in producing these papers, as well as the ones soon to be issued from Portland. She is credited as being the silent chief editor and creator of these papers. Her arrival in Portland facilitated the continuing publication of these papers from Portland.
Establishing the Work at Portland
Slide 15
SISTER CRAWFORD BROUGHT THE FAITH TO PORTLAND
(photo of Sister Crawford and Front and Burnside building)
Late in 1906, Florence Crawford visited Salem by invitation. During the Salem meetings, she was invited to Portland where she held her first meeting just before the New Year.
In time, legal requirements necessitated that we incorporate, and “The Apostolic Faith Mission of Portland, Oregon” came into existence. That corporate name was reserved with the State of Oregon in 1909, as I recall. We actually did not use it for another decade when it became necessary to organize to secure the campground property. That name was available, having been dormant for a number of years, so we picked it up and began using it. As I said, Parham’s teaching was to not organize , have a name, or incorporate unless it became a legal necessity.
This 1916 photo of the mission on Front and Burnside was taken just ten years after Florence Crawford first came to our city.
Slide 16
THE FIRST PAPER PRINTED IN PORTLAND
(photo)
Sister Crawford moved to Portland, as did Clara Lum. They continued printing the news of the apostolic faith. The first Apostolic Faith paper to be issued from the Portland headquarters was published in September of 1908. The doctrines listed in that paper and subsequent editions have stayed the same down through the years and to this day because they are Bible based, and reflect the teachings of the apostles.
AF or Apostolic Faith?
Slide 17
THE APOSTOLIC FAITH
ARE WE “AF” OR “APOSTOLIC FAITH”?
apostolic faith
I understand that “apostolic” can be difficult to pronounce and cumbersome to type. However, . . . you will not hear me refer to us as “The A.F.” I don’t know what that means. We are the Apostolic Faith. I know what that means. To refer to us as “A.F.” is to diminish what we are all about, inadvertently. I’m not correcting or chastising anyone at all. We want to embrace and continue to experience and teach what the Apostles experienced and taught and stood for. When we call ourselves “Apostolic Faith,” we are saying more than a mouthful. We are claiming something that is a challenge to live up to. We don’t mind being challenged. May God help us. I have also learned that Google does not recognize “A.F.” If you google “A.F.” or use that name, it will not link you to us. We can almost thank Google for that. We need to use “Apostolic Faith.” If we want to elevate our online exposure, it’s helpful to use “Apostolic Faith” rather than “A.F.” Also, we want our young people to grasp the importance of the phrase “apostolic faith.” When we understand what it stands for, where it came from, we have a deeper appreciation for it.
The Minister’s Manual
The Scope and Purpose
Slide 18
THE SCOPE AND PURPOSE OF OUR MINISTER’S MANUAL
Our Minister’s Manual provides our pastors and ministers all around the world with an overview of what we stand for as an organization, the Apostolic Faith Mission of Portland, Oregon, and how we are expected to operate if we embrace this faith.
It is invaluable in helping us to operate in a consistent manner, no matter which continent we live on or which nation we live in. Any one of us or anyone anywhere in the world who attends one of our churches, should not think, This doesn’t feel like an Apostolic Faith service. We want their experience to feel like an Apostolic Faith service because we are apostolic. One critique I have heard of our young adult services is that they are no different than our adult services. Thank you. That’s a compliment. That’s what we want. We want our young adults to conduct their services in the same way we conduct our regular services. The only difference might be that they generate a little more enthusiasm and spontaneity than the adults due to the age difference. But it is by design that their services mirror ours. We want that. This is not to say that there can’t be a bit more creativity with the youth services.
The Minister’s Manual is not a preaching manual, though preaching is considered. It is not a leadership manual, though leadership is considered. It is an operation manual. It covers how we are to conduct ourselves personally as we strive to stand for the faith. It covers how we are to operate as a church if we expect to be part of the Apostolic Faith Mission of Portland, Oregon.
A Reference and Resource
Slide 19
MINISTER’S MANUAL – A REFERENCE AND A RESOURCE
“STUDY TO SHOW THYSELF APPROVED UNTO GOD, A WORKMAN THAT NEEDETH NOT TO BE ASHAMED, RIGHTLY DIVIDING THE WORD OF TRUTH.”
2 Timothy 2:15
We continue to expand globally, more where there are third world conditions than elsewhere. However, we don’t discount that it’s needed everywhere. Here is a recent report on India: “All of the pastors in Aurangabad have all of their experiences. I have been communicating closely with our contact in India. His wife took all her jewelry off. Then they went to all the pastors and their wives, and she told them that from that day forward, she would not wear jewelry. She explained that she had given her jewelry to God. In addition, since they have started preaching the Apostolic Faith doctrines, many Muslims have been saved and water baptized. I have been receiving pictures of all the people who have gotten saved and water baptized. The pastors are asking when someone will come from Portland and visit all fifty churches. Also, they want to know when they can officially become ‘Apostolic Faith.’” We need to explore security issues and a number of other things before we can go and visit a handful of those fifty churches, but this gives you an idea of the longing that there is in the hearts of people around the world, for the Apostolic Faith.
The Minister’s Manual is designed to help emerging works to understand and live up to the apostolic faith doctrines and our mode of operating. It reminds the rest of us to preserve our rich tradition (I love our tradition!) and spiritual heritage thereby unifying us globally.
If we read and apply what is written, we will never find ourselves on an island by ourselves. Those who have run into problems would not have, had they read and followed the Minister’s Manual. It builds accountability at every level. Accountability is our friend. Not one of us has the luxury of operating independently of the rest of us. Those who have sought and done so end up losing their umbrella of safety and protection. It provides safety and protects against flawed thinking, let alone less than stellar actions.
What is the first word of 2 Timothy 2:15? Study. Study the Bible. Read books that help you better understand the Bible. Read this manual. Take advantage of the weekly excerpts that are delivered to your inbox.
Ironically, in my study I have learned that the verb translated “study” is more expansive than an intellectual exercise at our desk with our books. The emphasis seems to be that of the farmer plowing a straight furrow. He doesn’t want his neighbor to look at his field at the end of the day and wonder why he plowed in such a crooked manner. That would be embarrassing. I have not plowed, but I have laid irrigation lines. It is rewarding to look back 200 yards and see a straight line, even if the boss never did see it. We want to be happy about rightly dividing the Word of Truth and living for the Lord.
We want to cultivate our hearts and our minds through studying the Word of God to the benefit of our ministry and to the benefit, moreover, of the saints of God who are under our ministry.
Four Main Sections
Slide 20
MINISTER’S MANUAL
FOUR MAIN SECTIONS
· Doctrines of the Holy Scriptures
· The Ministry
· Public Services
· Church Organization and Administration
According to the Table of Contents, the manual is divided into four main sections: Bible doctrines, Apostolic Faith ministry, our practices (regarding holding services), and our mode of operation (organizationally and administratively). Each of those four main sections is divided into smaller sub-sections.
Slide 21
MINISTER’S MANUAL
DOCTRINES OF THE HOLY SCRIPTURES
· God and His Word
· God’s Relationship with Man
· God’s Plan for the Future
· Biblical Ordinances
· Biblical Practices
· Biblical Perspectives
Section one covers Bible doctrines. It has six sub-sections. God and His Word focuses on the inspiration and infallibility of Scripture, and the three Persons of the Trinity. God’s Relationship with Man covers the fall of man, the nature of sin, the Atonement, the basic foundational experiences, the Church, and divine healing. God’s Plan for the Future gives a brief overview of our understanding of end time events. Biblical Ordinances covers water baptism, the Lord’s Supper, and Foot Washing. Biblical Practices looks at teachings regarding restitution, worship, honoring the Lord’s Day, tithes and offerings, and distinction from the world. Biblical Perspectives addresses topics such as the sanctity of marriage, the sanctity of life, and human sexuality along with other contemporary issues such as gambling, pornography, and use of alcohol, etc.
Slide 22
MINISTER’S MANUAL
THE MINISTRY
· Ministerial Identity
· Ministerial Competence
· Ministerial Responsibilities
· Ministerial Relationships
· Administrative Work of a Pastor
Section two is The Ministry. It has five sub-sections and focuses on identity, training, and the responsibilities of those have been called to preach the apostolic faith. Ministerial Identity examines the call to preach, spiritual qualifications, personal fitness and conduct of ministers, and our accountability to God. Ministerial Competence focuses on Bible study and preparation, time management, personal growth and development, devotions and prayer life, and familiarity with church history and doctrine. Ministerial Responsibilities covers seventeen topics related to the duties of ministers, such as sermon preparation, leadership, support of other branches, counseling, and conflict resolution, etc. Ministerial Relationships looks at how ministers should interact with their spouses, their children, other ministers, workers, their congregation, and individuals with specific needs. The Administrative Role of a Pastor reviews duties that are specific to pastors, such as oversight of church finances, acquisition and care of church property, and the evaluation and training of ministerial candidates, etc. Our ministers notice when our pastors operate in a manner that is inconsistent to what they are reading in the Minister’s Manual.
Slide 23
MINISTER’S MANUAL
PUBLIC SERVICES
· General Instructions for Services
· Types of Services
· Marriage Ceremonies
· Funeral Services
Section three, Public Services, has four sub-sections, which provide instructions for officiating weddings, and holding church services, dedications, music events, youth events, funerals, and more.
Slide 24
MINISTER’S MANUAL
CHURCH ORGANIZATION AND ADMINISTRATION
· About the Organization
· Organizational Structure
· Legal Considerations
The final section, Church Organization and Administration has three sub-sections. It gives background on unique aspects and characteristics of this work, our church governance, and legal matters that need to be considered. About the Organization focuses on key aspects of who we are: our foundation, mission, logo, motto, and denominational characteristics. It also contains topics such as our church branches, property, and literature, website and operational budget, etc. Organizational Structure and Roles relates to church governance, reviewing the roles of the Superintendent General, the Board of Trustees, regional directors, district superintendents, etc. I will draw attention to Legal Considerations. It provides some general counsel related to potential legal issues for churches, covering such topics as emergency preparedness, public safety, etc. As you are aware, these subjects are covered more comprehensively by our Safety Program, which we introduced to you at this time last year. This section also addresses tax and financial issues, insurance, physical property, and copyright issues. Only a few have been resistant to conforming to the 2016 safety expectations. The requests are minimal and are heartedly embraced by our saints who are real-world employed. They marvel that anyone would be hesitant to comply.
We Continue to Edit
Slide 25
MINISTER’S MANUAL
WE CONTINUE TO EDIT
We are open to editorial comments
An example of the ongoing evaluation process is that we have recently added the topic: Organizational Discipline Policy. Our new manual already included Conflict Resolution, which dealt with helping individuals with differences to reconcile according to the principles given in Matthew 18:15-17. However, we had not yet put in writing a policy regarding how we deal with discipline matters as an organization. That written policy in draft form is available at the back desk. It covers the following: The nature and purpose of discipline; Who the policy applies to; Our Scriptural authority for disciplinary action; Causes for discipline; The organizational response.
Remember, this is not about reconciliation; this is about applying discipline whether reconciliation applies or not, and whether reconciliation is achieved or not.
Please feel free to offer input or suggestions regarding this document and other thoughts you have as you read the manual over time. We will eventually insert changes that result from comments made and update the Table of Contents. You won’t necessarily get a reply when you bring it directly to my attention. What I will do is put it in the pool of resources that we accumulate to eventually review together. Particularly, if the email comes from “info” you might think it is coming right back to my inbox. It’s not. If you need to communicate with me directly, with respect to confidentiality, then email me directly. That confidentiality exists because I’m the only one that looks at my inbox.
The Purpose
Slide 26
OUR DAYBREAK AND DISCOVERY SERIES
Daybreak and Discovery play a key role in providing to our saints an understanding of the faith we have been talking about. When followed, this curriculum will have provided, over a three-year period, an overview of the entire Bible. It will inspire students to live up to what the Bible teaches.
Twenty-five or thirty years ago I read something in Halley’s Bible Handbook. Many of you have this book. There are others available now as well. The thought that caught my attention towards the end was: "The most important thing in this book is this simple suggestion: that each church have a congregational plan of Bible reading.” That’s what this curriculum does. An added thought was: “And that the pastor’s sermon be from the part of the Bible read the past week.” I’m altogether persuaded that if we, as congregation members more than ministers, read the Bible from cover to cover, we will comprehend the faith of the Apostles. The precepts that are provided in the Word of God are simply so common sense, so practical. The outflowing of the tradition and practices that we embrace are altogether sensible as we strive to stand for the apostolic faith.
Unlike nearly every contemporary study system available, this curriculum provides a format for regular Bible study through the lens of the Apostolic Faith holiness background. This material is unique—it is based on our understanding of the faith. It is written from an Armenian rather than Calvinistic perspective. Calvinism generally accommodates sin. Armenian teaches holy living and deliverance from sin.
We, as ministers should take advantage of this curriculum. It teaches the Bible. It teaches the faith we stand for. We, as pastors should encourage our congregations to use it. In Portland, we use it during Sunday school. Some branch churches use it during a weeknight Bible Study hour. Others use it on a personal level. Assigning this curriculum at the personal level and supporting it by preaching or teaching in conjunction with the lessons of the quarter, could be effective. It’s of no value if not used! It will anchor our congregations in our scriptural moorings. It will also build unity within our global organization.
Slide 27
DAYBREAK AND DISCOVERY SERIES
“IF THOU PUT THE BRETHREN IN REMEMBRANCE OF THESE THINGS, THOU SHALT BE A GOOD MINISTER OF JESUS CHRIST, NOURISHED UP IN THE WORDS OF FAITH AND OF GOOD DOCTRINE, WHEREUNTO THOU HAST ATTAINED.”
1 Timothy 4:6
Notice what Paul wrote to Timothy. He again is referring to the faith when he speaks of “words of faith and of good doctrine.” The Greek phrase rendered here “nourished up in” marks a continuous and permanent process of self-education. It might be translated “ever training thyself.”
It was a challenging reminder from Paul to his son in the faith, Timothy—and it is to us also. We must never relax our efforts for self-improvement. Our training/education process in striving to be a “good minister” of Jesus Christ is never completed. As teachers of others, we must always be striving for a deeper understanding of things spiritual. The phrase “whereunto thou hast attained” perhaps more accurately could be translated, “which thou hast closely followed.” It supports a challenge to study further.
Daybreak and Discovery are tools to help you do just that. They provide a good supplement/overview to your own personal, deeper study of texts, contexts, and background material. It does not replace that deeper study.
A Daybreak Sample
Slide 28
A CLOSER LOOK AT DAYBREAK
(photos of Daybreak)
Here is the Daybreak for today, March 4. We have a text block—Matthew 9:35 through 10:15 (a total of nineteen verses). Next are the “Devotional Focus” verses—Matthew 9:37-38, “Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.” These verses tie to the content of the devotional, which follows. It begins with a “slice of life” account told by a brother in our congregation about an event which took place during harvest time when he was a five-year-old boy back on the family farm in Minnesota. “Background” material is provided after the devotional, giving explanations and details related to the text block. I personally study with an outline, which helps give context. The portion of an outline that relates to the text block is provided. Then there are three to four study questions, a conclusion, and space for you to jot down any personal notes about the material. I confess that I don’t use that section. For me, the Bible reading, devotional, background, and outline are helpful. Use what is helpful to you.
Slide 29
TIME INVESTMENT
3 Minutes 20 seconds
At a comfortable pace, you can read through most day’s offerings in three minutes and twenty seconds (or listen to it by choosing the devotional on the App). At a comfortable pace, you can read most of the text blocks in less time than that (or listen to it with any number of free Bible reading apps). It is embarrassing to even call it a time investment.
This is a tremendous tool, and if used will yield (for this one quarter of thirteen weeks) a greater understanding of the books of Matthew, Hebrews, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and I & II Thessalonians. We encourage online use; that is how I use it. But if you need the printed version, we’ll arrange for our churches to have it. We don’t want to send more than what is used, but will send you what you will use.
A Discovery Sample
Slide 30
A CLOSER LOOK AT DISCOVERY
This is the Discovery Sunday school lesson, which we will be going through together this coming Sunday. As some of you already know, the lesson title is “Birth of the King.” The lesson text is Matthew 1:1 through 4:11—three and a half chapters. Background information about the text is given. Following this are questions for discussion during class time. This particular lesson has eight questions. A conclusion, which summarizes the key point or provides a closing challenge to the reader, finished the lesson.
There is a companion teacher’s guide that covers each Discovery lesson. It has the same background information, but provides answers and additional thoughts for class discussion following each question. Is this too much material or too hard to teach? It’s God’s Word. Study. We are not intellectual weaklings. Our saints read all week long. Unlike other material we read, this will prepare us for Heaven. In fact, it is easy if one keeps up with the Daybreak devotionals. By Saturday night, you’re prepared and only need to brush up your notes.
Progress on the Project
Slide 31
PROGRESS ON THE PROJECT
WE HAVE COMPLETED SEVEN UNITS OUT OF TWELVE.
Current unit: Luke, Acts, Romans, Galatians, and James
Once the current unit has been completed, we will be seventy-five percent (8/12) complete.
We began this project about 15 years ago after noting that we had been existence for nearly 100 years, and we had terrific topical study materials, but we lacked a strictly textual study system. We said if it would take the next 100 years to get it done, we had best get started.
During the final fifteen minutes, let’s address a few other issues that have arisen of late.
Slide 32
ANCHORED TO THE FAITH
Appropriate Sermon Topics
Please don’t stoop to preaching politics. Don’t let your inspiration be the last book you read or YouTube video you watched. Nor should your sermon revolve around your personal family or work frustrations, or the dire state of world events. Don’t assume everyone has a life that’s just full of trouble. They’re happy in the Lord. God has taken care of them. Let your inspiration be the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.
I learned from my India experience to not preach against idols, which were everywhere. Rather, preach Jesus; preach the Gospel. Choose your text, develop the context, have one main point, and at the end of your sermon, everyone ought to know what you preached about. It ought not to have been some random preacher who no one knows anything about from his book or video or tape or whatever. Just preach the old-time religion, and people will be thanking you for it. Even when it’s not a very good sermon, they’ll appreciate it.
Similarly, let’s not continually preach against homosexuality, gender identity, pornography, abortion, divorce and remarriage, alcohol, Islam, ISIS, or even anti-academia and anti-prosperity—preach for Jesus. We will address such things in the context of a message, but not every week or month!
Missing Services for Work
Apologies for missing services to work. No apology is necessary; you need to work. For the sake of unity, we all benefit when we all come together. If your finances or work schedule don’t allow it, it is completely understandable. That applies to camp meeting, too. If finances or work don’t allow you to attend, or force you to leave early, then you have my support. On the other hand, if you’re tired and need to retreat to the beach for an escape from the rigors of camp meeting . . .
Most pastors do need to be employed and that employment needs to be protected. It is unreasonable to think that a congregation of half a dozen families or fifty to seventy-five members should provide full-time support for a pastor and family. That is why nearly all of us have been secularly employed while serving simultaneously as branch church pastors. The church does not exist for the purpose of supporting a pastor. It exists to the benefit of the saints and to be an outreach to the community. At times, expectations can become distorted with regard to pastoral support, to the point of an entitlement attitude. It is not the responsibility of the church to pick up your personal financial slack. It is our responsibility to find a way to pick it up personally.
Safety Program Questions
With regard to concerns about child abuse—should one call law enforcement/social services? If you witness a crime, call the police. If a child comes to Sunday school with unusual bruising, or claims to have been abused, call social services. If you did not witness a crime, you don’t know what happened.
The current documents are correct as written, having been reviewed by our insurance company and legal sources. If you call the police when you should have called social services, be prepared for legal action from the family or for the loss of a church family. We’ll never guarantee that you won’t be sued. People can take legal action against any of us for any reason. We’ve seen that happen. Don’t call the police on a hunch.
Disciplinary Policy
This is a common corporate/government approach and has some validity in some cases. In other words, can someone who has been guilty of bullying, abuse of power, sexual harassment, or insubordination be provided a path for restoration? The disciplinary policy allows for rehabilitation to some degree. For example, if certain inappropriate actions were deemed to be misinterpreted, misunderstood, or unintentional, the policy takes that into account. Other bad behavior that was foolish and intentional, but not immoral and deemed correctable, can also be mitigated at the discretion of leadership.
There is no performance improvement plan for those guilty of total moral collapse when it comes to being restored to ministry or leadership roles. Remember, you cannot disconnect responsibility accepted from consequences. If you accept the consequences, it is evidence that you have accepted responsibility. If you reject the consequences, it is evidence that you are not accepting responsibility. If responsibility for failure is accepted and amends are made, it is possible that lesser roles can be assumed, at the discretion of leadership. The manual as it currently reads states that.
Remember one thing if you forget everything else, that the Gospel standard for misconduct is higher than the government or corporate standard. This is a holiness Gospel. There was rehabilitation for John Mark, but not for Ananias and Sapphira.
Dealing with Negative Feedback
Someone who has left the Apostolic Faith organization, but still claims to be Apostolic Faith while steadfastly refusing to subject themselves to the Apostolic Faith order that God has imposed upon them, is not Apostolic Faith at all.
With regard to the comment, “The church didn’t handle the matter appropriately.” First, the church doesn’t mishandle things, people do. Second, we’ll never change the attitude of those who consistently demonstrate an adversarial view of nearly everything. Third, if we follow the procedures in the Minister’s Manual, we’ll not have handled anything independently. So if it’s mishandled, it’s mishandled according to the view of several leaders, all of whom have reviewed the facts of the matter and have heard the opposing perspectives. Fourth, it’s impossible for someone on the sidelines to properly judge that something has been mishandled. They are ill-informed in matters that don’t pertain to them, because they simply don’t have the facts. Next, the facts have been intentionally withheld to avoid making the personal drama of those involved the focal point of the church. Finally, where failure has occurred, whether it be moral or in practice (i.e. exercising very poor judgment or administrative incompetence), the extent of that failure will seldom be disclosed outside the Board of Trustees. We would rather doubt existed in the minds of the ill-informed about how the church “handled” something than to publically shame the one who has failed.
We are delicate in addressing the failures of others, making every attempt to view them as character flaws rather than moral failures (unless it puts the safety of the congregation at risk). The fact that there is fallout or an unfavorable outcome when failures are addressed does not mean something was mishandled. An outcome may be disappointing and sad, but it is the appropriate outcome when it preserves the integrity of this work. When a situation arises and is addressed with an apparently unfavorable outcome, the responsibility for that outcome rests upon the one whose actions required addressing, not with those who were forced to handle it.
Use a Bible When Preaching
In preaching, let’s take our hard/soft cover Bibles to the pulpit rather than only an electronic Bible. We can hardly forbid electronic notes, but don’t leave your Bible behind. I just violated this actually in Israel where, at the last minute, three or four times they were expecting something and I only had my phone which has the Bible on it. Big as day I held up my phone and read from it. Maybe after four or five times I should have learned to bring my Bible with me, but I didn’t.
Continue to be Anchored to the Faith
May we continue in the spirit and practices of the faith of the Apostles, the apostolic faith. This is not a time to go wobbly in the knees or faint in the heart. We have to be men and women of character. We have to be willing to declare ourselves and take a stand. Are we going to be apostolic or not? Most have the luxury of bypassing the weighty issues, even in our congregation, but the pastor has to stand up and be counted. Be as gentle as you can, but there are times where the line is drawn for the sake of the faith and the integrity of this work.
We cannot go through life in a spiritually lackadaisical manner and succeed. We must “earnestly contend for the faith.” We must fight to preserve it in our own hearts, and also to preserve it corporately as a body of believers. That phrase challenges us! None of us would boast of how well we measure up to the faith of the Apostles, but we should not mind being challenged to strive for it. May God help us to embrace the challenge and live up to the standard set forth by those teachings! We do not just want to come to the faith, but we want to live according to the faith.
Minister’s Manual
First, I will make a few comments about the Minister’s Manual. It is in loose-leaf form and wrapped, making it easier for you to take home. You will need to obtain your own binder. Perhaps you already have one on your bookcase. The manual may eventually be bound, but first we want to be careful that it includes everything it should. Even the week before camp meeting began, we added a short two-page section that we felt was lacking. Editorial issues still arise as well. For example, the excerpt that was sent out online this week had an extra “rather” in it. We will reprint even that one page to delete that one word. Eventually, as we see other editorial issues we will send out new pages for you to insert in your loose-leaf binder, replacing the old page with the new. The new page will be dated, so you will know you have the most current page.
After this meeting, you will find some manuals on my right, and some on my left. If you don’t have one, by all means take one. We had 300 printed before camp meeting. There are about 180 remaining. Take what you need now, so we can make more copies while you are still at camp meeting if we need to. After that, if you get home and find you are lacking, we can still produce more and send them. You can also take them back to your home church and reproduce them yourselves. And, they are available online.
When our new website is ready, the Minister’s Manual will be in tablet form, much like a Kindle, where you can read it on your tablet, computer, phone, or other device. You will also be able to go to the Table of Contents and jump to other pages from there. Right now, the manual is a PDF so you must scroll through 200 pages to get to page 201. Eventually, and not long from now, you’ll be able to click on a section in the Table of Contents and it will take you right there. So the manual will be more like a Kindle book.
Hopefully all of you are getting the excerpts from the manual that are sent out weekly. If you’re not receiving them, you need to let Sister Rodica know, and she will put your name on the email list. Reading the manual unites us and is helpful. It covers all kinds of material including what was in the original and more. There are contemporary issues that didn’t exist or need to be addressed when the original was written in the 1950s.
Minister Questionnaire Forms
If you have not filled out a Minister Questionnaire form lately, giving us your current email address, cell phone number, and etc., then make sure you get one of those forms from Sister Rodica or the camp office.
Daybreak and Discovery
We hope you’ve been taking advantage of the Daybreak and Discovery materials. This curriculum is an Apostolic Faith commentary (which we believe is a Bible commentary). It’s written like most of the material available today, but from a holiness persuasion. It is more than that; it is a holiness Pentecostal persuasion. We don’t attempt to make it slant that way; we attempt, simply, to provide a lesson that reflects the true Word of God. So by all means, take advantage of the curriculum in your churches. There are different means of using the materials, but if you don’t use them, you are losing the opportunity of a good study resource.
Reduction in Publication Orders
With respect to your orders for Sunday school lessons, the Minister’s Manual, and Higher Way magazines, we want every church to have what is needed and what will be used. If you find that your order is not large enough, please let us know and it will be increased. What we have concentrated on this past year is making sure that we don’t ship more than what will be used, because it is of no value to have this literature sit on a bookshelf somewhere in a back closet accumulating dust. We do not want to spend tens of thousands of dollars shipping the material to have it sit in bookshelves here and there. If your order was reduced, it was intentionally reduced because we want people to be calling us and saying, “Hey, we need more.” We know you are all busy, and it is unlikely that anyone would call and say, “We need less.” It takes time to make a call, and there might be a certain measure of embarrassment in not being able to use all that you are getting. Don’t be embarrassed. We’ve served in branch churches, too, and we know that opportunities for evangelism are different today than they were several years ago. So, if you are lacking, let us know.
Camp Meeting Registrations
I have mentioned publicly that we are going to be pre-registering people for camp meeting. In the future years, if the Lord tarries, it would be very helpful if everyone in every congregation would pre-register, and then check in once they get to camp meeting. A day or two before this camp meeting began, I pre-registered. Then I asked Sister Ellen Morgan if anyone else in Portland had registered. No one had; I was the first. I told her I wasn’t trying to be first to be boastful; I was trying to let it be known to everyone that they must pre-register.
Overstock is Available
We mentioned that there will be an India presentation Monday evening, which will probably be less than an hour long—no more than one hour anyway. That morning in the annex we will set out a quantity of Sunday school materials that we have in excess. It’s all good material, and you are free to take what you want. It includes some of the old quarterly books, and maybe some of the old camp meeting teachings. That will be available Monday morning until noon, and then again for a while before the presentation begins. If you plan to leave before Monday, you can contact Kathy Snyder; she is the one who is coordinating it. If you don’t know who she is or where she is, contact the office and they will help you.
“The moment the name was proclaimed, everyone realized instinctively that it could, in fact, have no other.” — Gilbert, Martin. Israel a History. Black Swan: London, 1998
Today we have prepared a PowerPoint presentation to look briefly at our name, The Apostolic Faith. This will cover where it came from, what it stands for, and how it relates to our flagship publication, currently called Higher Way magazine.
Our History
Charles Parham
The first part of this presentation will be a review of what we covered in March, beginning with Charles Parham. He was devoutly non-denominational. He left the Methodist Church in the 1800s because he felt they had departed from the teachings and practices that John Wesley had implemented. He settled in Topeka, Kansas in the late 1800s and is credited as being the first one to use the term, “The Apostolic Faith.” He and a group of co-workers travelled from town to town throughout the Midwest preaching the holiness Gospel he had been taught and had experienced. He was very zealous and his self-proclaimed purpose was to seek the restoration of the faith of the Apostles. His group became known as the Apostolic Faith movement. He established a mission in Topeka, Kansas and in 1898 began printing a magazine. The purpose of that magazine was to teach the faith, the faith of the Apostles, the Apostolic Faith. It was titled “The Apostolic Faith,” as a description of a faith, not of a church or organization—he was strictly non-denominational in his viewpoint and didn’t want to be known as a denomination.
In October of 1900, Parham started Bethel Bible College in Topeka, and led the students through the teachings of the Apostles. You can read the book of Acts yourself and know within the first two chapters what a lot of those doctrines were: repentance, justification, divine healing, restitution, entire sanctification, the resurrection, and so on.
During a Christmas break, Parham left on a missions trip, and in his absence assigned his students a task. They were to study Acts, chapter 2, and reach a conclusion as to whether or not the Holy Ghost would still descend upon holy people, and whether or not the accompanying witness of the speaking of tongues would be the initial evidence of having received that experience.
The students had already concluded studying repentance, justification, and entire sanctification when assigned this subject. They studied it and prayed about it for several days and then held a New Year’s Eve watchnight service on December 31, 1900. Just after midnight, one student, a young woman by the name of Agnes Osman, experienced the baptism of the Holy Spirit with the accompanying witness of speaking in a language that she had never been taught. Other students eventually received the baptism as well, as did Parham. As I recall there were forty students and about half embraced the teaching.
Parham’s magazine, The Apostolic Faith, used a portion of Jude 3 as a model: “Earnestly contend for the faith once delivered unto the saints.” This was six years before the revival in Los Angeles, California, and before the first publication of The Apostolic Faith from there.
The Kansas City Journal was a local paper at the time. Three weeks after the Pentecost on New Year’s Day in 1901, it ran a report. The title read, “Was a Pentecost: Apostolic Faith Claims Gift of Tongues. Members are chiefly women. Strange testimonials at a strange meeting last night.” So it was reported in a very dramatic manner. It is interesting that the subtitle says the members were chiefly women, because the article named the nine people who were present: five were indeed women, but four were men. So it wasn’t quite what the headline implied, which is not unusual. This account may have had a bias, but it does contemporaneously corroborate that Agnes Osman was the first one to receive Pentecost three weeks earlier.
The original Apostolic Faith movement archives relate that “Although the Apostolic Faith movement was established by Charles F. Parham in 1901, it has never been officially recognized as an organized body due to Parham’s rejection of organizational structure, but it was the first Pentecostal coalition of ministers and churches to maintain a common faith-based theology holding to tenants of faith centered around the baptism of the Holy Ghost with the Biblical evidence of speaking in other tongues as the initial sign of Spirit baptism.”
William Seymour
Five years later, Parham was in Houston, Texas. (I am skipping over five years to get to William Seymour who is credited by related historians as being the leader of the Apostolic Faith Mission in Los Angeles). In Texas, Parham started a movement and taught on the Pentecostal experience. Seymour sat outside his classroom, due to the racial divide that existed at that time, and learned and embraced this teaching, though he did not receive it yet.
In 1906, on the first day of the year, Seymour was invited to speak in Los Angeles and did so using Acts 2:4 as his text. Subsequently, he was locked out of that holiness church, because they did not embrace what he was teaching. As a result, he was invited to 14 Bonnie Brae Street to participate in prayer meetings. Ultimately, a ten-day time of prayer was initiated on March 31, 1906. Ten days later, on April 9, the power of the Holy Ghost fell. The home where this took place has been restored, and Debbie and I have had the opportunity to visit it, as have many of you. It really is something to step into that same house where the Latter Rain Gospel began.
The meetings were soon moved to Azusa Street (actually, for a time, evening prayer meetings were still held at the Bonnie Brae house while morning prayer meetings were on Azusa Street). The first service held at 312 Azusa Street was on April 14, 1906, the day before Easter.
Florence Crawford
Florence Crawford stated that when she first began attending the meetings, there were scarcely twenty people in them. So she came into this group very early on. She soon received entire sanctification, and one week after that, the baptism of the Holy Ghost.
I am sure you are familiar with the first paper that was sent out from Los Angeles. The headline was “The Pentecost has Come.” Five thousand issues of that paper were distributed under the name The Apostolic Faith, and with the motto “Earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.” This was still describing a faith rather than an organization.
On the screen is a 1916 photo of Sister Crawford. Her activities in those early years, 1906-08, were heavily recorded in those first issues of The Apostolic Faith newspaper produced from Los Angeles. Clara Lum is well-known in Portland circles because she was perhaps chiefly responsible for writing, editing, and publishing that paper. Eventually, she followed Sister’s Crawford’s move to Portland, and became instrumental in doing the same thing here.
In late 1906, Sister Crawford was invited to hold meetings in Salem, Oregon. For those not familiar with the geography, that is a one-hour drive south of here. She did not have a plan at that time to come to Portland, but while in Salem, was asked by Mrs. Glasgow to hold meetings here.
The Salem newspapers of that time reported that Sister Crawford was in Salem on Christmas day. There is some confusion on this, but within a day or two, she brought the Pentecostal message to Portland. It is notable that the newspapers reported on such things in those days. Today, they bury and deny religion, and American history is rewritten to excise faith from past events. But back in the 1800s, D.L. Moody sermons were published in full).
Taking a Name
In time it became necessary to incorporate so that when property was acquired it would be owned in the name of a non-profit organization rather than a pastor or other donor. It was necessary to protect from someone who might leave the faith, but keep the building. So we became The Apostolic Faith Church of Portland, Oregon.
Our Flagship Publication
In July/August of 1908 the first The Apostolic Faith newspaper was published and distributed from Portland. It reported testimonies, sermons, and news from all around the world, describing the results of what God was doing in the meetings. On the screen, notice the last edition published under the name The Apostolic Faith in 1966. It gives the news of the celebration of the sixtieth anniversary of the outpouring of the Holy Ghost in Los Angeles.
In that same year, that same paper continued to be published with the same sermons, testimonies, and news, but bearing a different name: The Light of Hope.
On the screen, you can see that in the next issue of The Light of Hope, the ground-breaking ceremony of July 20, 1979 was reported on. I remember that ceremony, and I suppose a number of individuals present here today were present on that afternoon. It was a brief ceremony. We have a transcript of what Brother Loyce Carver said that day and I’ll quote it. “The function of this office is to send out to the whole world the product of the meetings held here—the sermons that are preached, and testimonies that are given, that God’s name might be glorified. These are typed, edited, printed, and distributed into all the world, free of charge. It is the same Gospel that you hear when you come to a meeting. We try to put wings to it so it will go everywhere.”
In 1981 we moved from a newspaper format to a magazine style, still calling the publication The Light of Hope. In 1995 the name was changed to Higher Way, though the content remained the same.
In 2015, the first full color issue was produced. We still print in duotone, but the magazine is also available in full color, particularly online.
A Shift to Continuous and Multi-channeled Publishing
During the past several months, we’ve begun to move toward what is called continuous or multi-channeled publishing. This is in an effort to streamline and maximize our content creation and distribution process. It will automate and optimize the manner in which we deliver the same Gospel message that we have delivered for 110 years. One change in our approach will be to think in terms of web or electronics first. Our process will go from electronic to print, rather than from print to electronic. This may seem to be a distinction without a difference, but to those who work on it, there is a difference.
Multi-channeled publishing will allow us to more readily deliver the Gospel message in a variety of forms, including audio, video, and text in addition to print. It will also be delivered faster through a variety of channels such as web, email, and mobile devices through texting. We need to adapt the way we deliver the message according to what people will use, because it doesn’t do any good to create the message and let it sit on a shelf. Our young people, in particular, mostly read or watch things using their mobile devices. But, I’ve even surprised myself. I love books, but find myself reading by tablet or even on my computer. Our goal is to capitalize on the electronic opportunities that exist today to evangelize not only our own people, but the world, which needs the Gospel.
Restructuring
We are implementing a restructured system of oversight that officially takes effect immediately after camp meeting, but really it is taking effect now. It mostly involves the same people as in the past, but the roles have been adjusted and better defined. There is some overlap in these roles, because different people multitask, but for the sake of clarity this chart shows an editor-in-chief, assisted by an executive manager, who is assisted by two operations managers.
Catey Hinkle will serve as managing editor. There are two aspects in particular that she will have oversight of: words and design. Karen Barrett is our words person, the senior editor. Rodica Musgrave is our creative director. She has been involved in the literature process, but also is academically and professionally qualified to be the creative director, so she will begin that position. There are teams working with Karen and Rodica. They will account to Catey who will then see to it that what is produced is published in all channels.
Beginning on October 1, you will see the evidence of what we are doing when the new website and app are ready. I thanked the pastors and spouses a week ago Friday for their patience, because we know that the present website and app are not up to the standard they need to be at, but we’re pedaling as fast as we can. We will also have a redesigned flagship publication on January 1, 2017.
This slide shows the Higher Way committee. Some of them have been involved in producing the Higher Way for many years, and some are newcomers. Karen Barrett began working at the Portland office in 1968, and Cheryl Paulsen began in 1971. Ed Habre became involved with the Higher Way in 1993. I moved here in 1996. John Musgrave began working at the office in 1999. Rodica Musgrave began in 2001, though until now she has not been involved in the publication work. Trina Paulsen started in 2002, Catey Hinkle in 2006, and Jodie Hinkle in 2010. Also, Erik Calhoun, who wasn’t present the day we took this photo. The combined experience of all of these is 200 years. The youngest four have a combined age that is about half the combined age of the others, but they are equipped to carry on without the elder members. I am referring not just to their academics or intelligence, but to their love for this faith and work. We need to immerse the next generation in carrying the Latter Rain Gospel forward.
The Process of Changing our Publication Name
The Higher Way committee convened with the focus of examining the purpose of our flagship publication in order to evaluate its name. Along the way, we solicited input from a number of pastors, providing them with the background that all of you are now hearing.
Early on, it was noted that a flagship is defined as the lead ship of a fleet of vessels. It is typically the first, largest, most heavily armed, or the best known. So a flagship, generally, is the best known and most widely distributed publication of a publishing organization. As such, it has a unique purpose. It should present a well-rounded, balanced view of our core beliefs. That is what Higher Way and its predecessors have done for 110 years.
As we began the process of deciding the name for our flagship publication, we determined to consider the strength and weaknesses of a variety of different names, including the current one. We solicited input in order to have other options to evaluate. It became apparent, and I’ll talk to that in just a moment, that we really needed to either stick to the current name, Higher Way, or return to the original name, The Apostolic Faith. There were three reasons. First, I sent out a letter to a number of our pastors requesting alternatives to those two. A number came back with a preference that we return to the original. The Second reason was that other names suggested clearly attempted to connect any new name with the name of our church. For instance, some of the suggested names were: The Faith, Inspiring Faith, Faith Values, The Apostles’ Faith, and The Faith of the Apostles. That’s not to say they necessarily recommended those names. That’s not what we were asking for. We were asking for alternatives to consider. Finally, and perhaps the most important reason, was that changing the name again would cause confusion or uncertainty. So we determined the name needed to be either Higher Way or The Apostolic Faith.
Ultimately, the final decision would rest, really, on this committee because they’re immersed in what is going on here. We wanted the input from those further away, but it was simply impossible to take the time to give a detailed explanation and history to everyone and collect their ideas. I can relate to this because I recall receiving a survey when the name was changed to Higher Way from The Light of Hope. I was in a branch church and a pastor. I really thought, I’ll just be on board with whatever you want. I cared, but I just could not relate to what they wre trying to do. I supported whatever the decision would be, and still do, in hindsight.
Before a decision was made, I felt I needed to convey to some leaders abroad that we were considering returning to our roots with regard to the name of our magazine. I received a number of responses and had dialogue, each of which was very helpful.
One district leader wrote, “The name The Apostolic Faith will cement in print what people know and believe about us; namely that the Apostolic Faith Church has a high standard of the Gospel of holiness and are not involved in frivolity, etc. In our local communities, that is the conscious and subconscious perception ingrained by our forerunners and continues today. The Name also says stability, meaning yesterday and forever . . .” Others expressed similar sentiments. We also addressed some of the pitfalls and potential pitfalls with both names. One view emerged that a religious name could be unfavorable. This was fascinating, because another view came (and that’s why it is good to solicit input from a variety of people) that the name should clearly be religious. Within a body of holy believers, there are a variety of perspectives. Ultimately in a branch church, the final decision is with the pastor. In something like this, someone has to make the final decision and that is me.
It was also noted that using The Apostolic Faith could confuse some who might mistake us for the “Jesus only” group. I’ll get back to that in a bit just briefly. It was also said that of the two names, Higher Way sounds condescending, as if we think we are superior to others. One proposed that “The” in front of Apostolic Faith suggests the same because it sounds like we’re the only one, there are no others. I share this information to show a little bit of the process that we went through. We went through it with our eyes wide open and tried to have an open mind. I told this committee that I did not feel that I was predisposed, nor do I feel even today that I was predisposed one way or the other. I shared what I felt; that I wanted the committee, really to make the determination, even though at the end it certainly was clear that I would have to make the final decision.
We engaged professionals outside the Apostolic Faith, which, by the way, is what we did with our most recent logo, to obtain feedback on changing the name of our flagship publication. These are people who live and breathe this every day, and they’re certainly in a better position than I am to know the pros and cons. I’m not artistic or crafty or trained in this area, and I’m not going to launch out and pretend. We consulted one man who was on the cutting edge of desktop publishing a few decades ago and still is very, very active in both the academic world and the professional world. After being given an understanding of who we are and what we are all about, he said, “It seems to me (and remember, he’s a publisher) that The Apostolic Faith is in keeping with your mission—putting wings on your inner work. And, it is also the simplest (which he felt was important). Not sure I would worry about the denomination thing. I would expect a magazine called St. Paul’s for St. Paul’s Church to be about the life and affairs of St. Paul’s Church. Isn’t that what you are wanting?” So here you can see the internal struggle that was going on, and we put it out to professionals who in essence asked, “Why are you people struggling with this?”
Another wrote, “You are the Apostolic Faith Church, so if you have a problem with that name for a publication, then you are facing a similar issue with the name of the church itself. A brand name should align with and reflect the brand value. If the brand value’s attributes are to give written visual expression and meaning to what is happening in your services, then the name, The Apostolic Faith, is appropriate.”
I happened to be reading a book during this process. When I flew to Chicago, I was on a chapter that spoke of Israel’s war of independence and the subsequent question of what they would call their nation. I never would have thought this was an issue, but it was, as you will see. At 4:00 p.m. a ceremony took place in Tel Aviv which included the singing of Jewish anthems and the signing of their declaration of independence. I’m summarizing, not quoting, what is said here and also on the Israel history website. That declaration was read publically, and was listened to all over the land of Israel. It was surprising for me to learn that there was a certain amount of suspense in the audience as to what they would call their land. The declaration opened with “Aritz, Israel,” which means the “land of Israel.” Then it continues, “was the birthplace of the Jewish people. Here their spiritual, religious and political identity was shaped. Here they first attained to statehood, created cultural values of national and universal significance and gave to the world the eternal Book of Books. After being forcibly exiled from their land, the people kept faith with it throughout their Dispersion and never ceased to pray and hope for their return to it and for the restoration in it of their political freedom.” Remember this is all from their declaration of independence, which is roughly the same length as that of the United States. The document continues, and refers to the just concluded World War II as “the catastrophe which recently befell the Jewish people - the massacre of millions of Jews in Europe.” Gilbert, the author of this book explains that very few knew what the nation would be called and gives the other names that were considered, including Zion, Ziona, Judeah, and Ivrea, which means the offspring of Ebor. If you read Genesis 10 and 11, you will read of Ebor, from which comes the word “Hebrew.” So that was a possibility. Also, “Hirtzleah,” which relates to immigration to the land, was considered. The declaration went on, and finally proclaimed, “We declare . . . the Jewish State, to be called "Israel." Gilbert notes that an early Jewish civil servant commented, and I quote, “The moment the name was proclaimed, everyone realized instinctively that it could, in fact, have been no other.” To us, in looking back, of course it was the right name. It would not have made sense to call the land of Israel Zion or Ziona. Well, I shouldn’t say it would not have made any sense, it would have made some sense. The quote continues, “the children of Israel, the people of Israel, the land of Israel, the heritage of Israel—all these had existed, in reality and metaphysically, for so many thousands of years, they had exercised such influence on the evolution of mankind that the State of Israel was their logical consequence and culmination. Naming Israel made obvious to the world not only who we were, but that we were what we had always been.”
This was just striking to me, and afterward I wondered how we could call our flagship publication anything other than The Apostolic Faith. If it is describing a faith or a church, it works either way. That name makes obvious to the world who we are and who we have always been. Does it not properly brand who we are challenged to be? For 110 years we have been earnestly contending for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.
So, beginning with the January 2017 issue, we intend to return to the name The Apostolic Faith for our flagship publication. You will see that on the new masthead. The content will not change. It has not changed in our 110 years. We do believe fiercely that we have a mandate from God to continue publishing what we have always published—what was published from Los Angeles, and what Brother Carver declared during that ground breaking ceremony in 1979. We will publish sermons, testimonies, and news. We are going to get back to publishing a few pages of news, not of what the church is doing, but of what God is doing in this faith. We want our attendees to be reminded of who we are, and those looking on to hear about this faith. Our goal in this process is to appropriately align the name of our magazine with its mission, and the name, The Apostolic Faith, accomplishes that. The Apostolic Faith began as a movement, and the name of those original newspapers branded that movement. The name still reflects, most effectively, the content that we are trying to produce. It is intended to be what anyone would see and hear if they were to step into one of these services. We’re simply putting wings to it so those who can’t step into one of these services, can experience it. Now, people can experience the content of our services not only textually, but also by means of audio and video.
We are promoting the faith and not the church. Even adding two pages of news to the magazine and expanding the number of pages from twenty-four to thirty-six to allow room for some news and make the magazine more readable will point to what God is doing rather than what the church is doing. Concerning the items on our website, the staff knows that I have never liked the name “Pastor’s Journal.” I think it was created with the thought that I would wax eloquent and give my opinion and my views, but that is so not me, and I told them so. You will notice, when I write, that I write about others, and the photos are of others. I want people to see what God is doing. That will be the goal of what we are trying to do. We want people to see what God is doing. We want to promote Jesus, not ourselves. We want to promote the faith, not the church.
I am not concerned about our being mistaken for the “Jesus only” group who are also named The Apostolic Faith. If someone comes to our church or website, because they thought we were that group, they are welcome. They need to hear what is being said, or they need to read what is being said. The worst that could happen is someone who thinks we are the “Jesus only” group will come and see and hear, and then leave thinking, That was not what I was expecting. We are The Apostolic Faith. If anyone needs to change their name, it should be them.
In this day where churches attempt to project themselves as non-denominational or not organized, we want to project ourselves as an organization, as a church, as a denomination. We do not want to camouflage who we are. We want people to know we are The Apostolic Faith. We stand for the faith of the Apostles. When I say the Apostolic faith, I am thinking of a description of a faith more than of a church. It is the name of our church, but internally we want to be, by our lives and by what we teach and preach, described as being a faith. The faith of the Apostles, The Apostolic faith. We want to be earnestly contending for the faith. That’s what we’re striving to do and to be.
On the screen is a sample mockup of the masthead with some recent titles of Higher Way magazines just scattered there for comparison. We have had this professionally designed just in the last couple of weeks. A few options were created and then put out to a professional community, all of whom recommended the same masthead. I feel that took the decision out of our hands and put it into the hands of the people who do this all day long, every day. So this is the masthead.
We intend to expand the magazine to thirty-two pages from twenty-four. The content will remain the same. We will just seek ways to do things better, particularly with the digital age, which opens new avenues for evangelism. In fact, most of what will end up in the quarterly publication will have already been presented digitally during the previous quarter. We will select from what has been produced digitally and compile it into the quarterly magazine.
I hope it has come through that this is about more than the name of a magazine. It is about the description of a faith. It is about an identity. It is about a way of life.
A Challenge Before Us
I have just a few more comments. We will depart from the PowerPoint now. Embracing that we are The Apostolic Faith, presents a tremendous challenge. It puts us back into the Book of the Acts of the Apostles. We’ve heard in our generation, and perhaps more in the previous generation of nominal Christianity, which is Christianity in name only. We don’t want to be The Apostolic Faith in name only. We are challenged, and the church can rise to no higher level of spirituality than that of its ministry. Each one of you and each spouse of a minister is being watched, and whatever standard you set is what the congregation will model. Unfortunately, to a degree, some will go to the lowest common denominator rather that the highest. So you are challenged, and I am challenged to be The Apostolic Faith and to reflect appropriately what was lived in the Acts of the Apostles.
I am speaking of more than platitudes; I am talking about practicality. We must live the faith in our marriages, in our homes, in the way we conduct our business, and in every area of our life. We need to be able to withstand scrutiny. We would expect no less of one another. If we embrace the name, we must be challenged to live up to it. As a matter of faith, I am speaking of more than Sister Crawford, Brother Charles Rodman, Brother Jack Robbins, or Brother George Hughes and those that followed them, I am speaking about those who preceded them by several centuries—the Apostles and the writers of the New Testament. As a church, this means subjecting ourselves to the order that God has ordained within this work, and this is where the practicality comes in. This is part of the value of digesting the Minister’s Manual which unites us globally. We need to read it. We need to have the excerpts emailed to us weekly.
When I think of the Minister’s Manual and of us as an organization, a denomination, or church body, I think of Titus, chapter 1. Beginning at verse 5, Paul wrote, “For this cause left I thee in Crete, that thou shouldest set in order the things that are wanting, (organize) and ordain elders in every city, as I had appointed thee: If any be blameless. The husband of one wife, having faithful children not accused of riot or unruly.” That’s the first question I ask about someone assuming a greater degree of responsibility. I ask them to tell me about their marriage, about their finances, about their children. I want to know how they live. I know what they will be at the pulpit. I want to know what they are when they are not at the pulpit. That’s the faith. We have the right to have a high expectation of one another.
Paul goes on to describe some criteria that we want to apply to this faith. Those who have failed in our ministry have failed for one of two reasons; they have either failed due to moral collapse, or they have failed by a refusal to be held accountable or be subject to authority. If we follow the Minister’s Manual, which follows the Bible, we will not fail. Every detail cannot be covered in the three hundred plus pages, but the principals are there. We are all accountable. I am accountable. I could give details of more than once having recused myself from a situation because I was part of the problem. I declared to the one with whom I was part of the problem, “I am only asking that you be accountable. I can ask no more of you than what I would expect of myself. Therefore, let us both be accountable to our peers and if they deem that I conducted myself inappropriately in raising some objections, I will apologize to you and to them for ever having raised the issue. But we’re both being held to the same standard.” There’s safety in accountability. It is not necessary to fail to succeed. None of us is above accountability.
Just as the Minister’s Manual is Scripturally oriented, so is the Daybreak/Discovery curriculum, which takes us through the Bible in three years. It’s not complete yet, but it will be in time, Lord willing, if Jesus tarries for a while. It is about seventy percent completed, but it is invaluable; it can be used in different ways, and it helps unite us globally.
We are finished, but let’s sing a song and then be dismissed in prayer.
Minister’s Manual
I have just a few announcements. We have three-hole punched and packaged the Minister’s Manual. It is in loose-leaf form presently, and will be for the short-term, which means a year or two or even beyond. The pages are numbered and dated, which will allow for inserting or replacing a page as the need arises. When this happens, we will notify you by email to “replace page 228 with this new page 228,” for example. That way we can all keep current. These packages are available at the church office. We put together three hundred of them. If you are going to need a whole lot, let us know so we can make more copies before you leave camp meeting. Otherwise, feel free to take what you need. The Minister’s Manual is also available online and can be downloaded and printed at your location.
Platform seating
The platform seating charts have been put together. I’m sure some names have been omitted unintentionally or simply because we do not have the information we need to know exactly where to put you. We may have put some of you in the wrong order, so please forgive us if we have either slighted or unduly promoted you. If you have not filled out a minister information form lately, or if you think we lack current email or cell phone information, it would be helpful if you would fill out a new form. It is only one page. The forms are available at the camp office or from Sister Rodica Musgrave. Everyone should have registered for camp meeting by now, whether you live close by or far away, because that form also provides information we need. If you are not registered for camp meeting, please do so.
Available Overstock
One week from next Monday, in the annex of the church across the street, we will put out some material that we have no need of but is good Sunday school material. The annex will be open in the morning and also in the evening before the India presentation. This announcement will be made again when we get closer to the date.
Website and App
Also, thanks for your patience regarding the website and the app; we know they are not working appropriately. The new website and app continue to be under construction, and it is much easier on our limited staff to concentrate on developing the new rather than fixing the old. This transition has to do with the multi-channel or continuous publishing that we are moving toward. I will read a description rather than adlib it: “Multi-channel publishing is about streamlining and maximizing our content creation and publishing process. It changes our approach from print-to-web to web-to-print. It is also about making our production and distribution costs more efficient by automating our processes and optimizing our production flow.” Once this is fully integrated, which we think will be October 1, we will create and publish to the new website and the new app. The means that delivering content to mobile devices, tablets, social media, print, and other channels will be much easier. It is no small task. We are taking advantage of the technology as it becomes available, and some of that technology industry-wide is still under development. We do believe we will be on the cutting edge and will be able to evangelize the world more effectively through electronic means, as well as through print. On October 1, we expect you to see the evidence of what we have been working on for several months with respect to the app and the website. Then on January 1 with respect to the publishing of our flagship publication. I will address that a little bit more a week from tomorrow when we meet with the ministers and spouses across the street in the church.
This year after we have our continental breakfast, we will meet in the sanctuary rather than in the chapel in order to view a PowerPoint presentation.
“There is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written [in Isaiah], How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!” (Romans 10:12-15)
Introduction
As I often note at camp meeting, we have more preachers than meetings, so if you do not preach, do not feel like you are less valued or less needed. We need all of you. It is a tremendous boost to have you here, not only to us in Portland, but to each other. We do appreciate the fact that you make the sacrifice and investment to come.
When we do preach, whether here or back home, we want to focus on bringing the glad tidings of good things that Paul speaks of here. We want to be messengers of the Gospel of peace, and of course we know that “gospel” means “good news.” The “glad tidings” of Paul’s day was what I just read. It was the message that he had been commissioned to deliver. There was no difference between the Jews, who looked upon the Greeks in a condescending fashion, and the Greeks. Also, whoever called on the Name of the Lord would be saved. Although the Jews may have received that news in a mixed fashion, to the Greeks, it was glad tidings of good things. It was exciting.
In these verses we have three things that are applicable in our day too. We have the message of the good news of the Gospel. This is that Jesus saves, sanctifies, empowers, heals, and enables one to live a victorious life every day, whether at home or at school or in the workplace. That is good news, and it is news that the world does not hear from every corner. We have glad tidings to share, so that is the message. The second component is the messengers. We are the messengers charged to deliver that message. The third component is “they,” and that is what we want to look at today.
Who is Our Audience?
Who are “they?” That word is used five times in what I just read. “How shall they call upon them whom they have not believed? How shall they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?” “They” refers to the audience. On the way here this morning, it struck me that though I did not intend this, a week from tomorrow, Lord willing, we will talk about the message we are commissioned to deliver, while today, we are focusing on the audience.
We do not compromise our message to accommodate the audience. We are commission driven, but we do not ignore the audience. So we want to recognize that we have an audience. It stood out to me in The Heart of Yale Lectures by Baxter, which we reviewed together in 2007, that one lecturer noted that preaching is like shooting quail. He said, “If you aim for all the birds, you hit none, but if you aim for one you are likely to get several.” (Incidentally, I would not use this quote in a public meeting at church due to the reference to shooting.)
Who are we aiming for when we speak of the audience? I think that’s very important. We are aiming primarily at the faithful saints of God and to their children, whether saved or unsaved. I think in terms of Portland because that’s primarily the audience we have here. Our Portland audience is comprised of very savvy, common-sense people. When you think of our audience, think of those who served us this morning. That is our audience. They expect to hear what they have always heard. They are really not impressed with the messenger. They are impressed with the message. “Impressed” might not be the right term, but they appreciate the message. Since they are not impressed with the messenger, it really will not pay for us to be impressed with ourselves. With that thought in mind, if you happen to get complimented for a message, do not attach more weight to the compliment than what it deserves. These are good people. They are very polite. The preaching may not have been that great, but they love you. I am serious about this, because once in a while you will see those who have an elevated view of their success. We benefit far more from critiques than from compliments. We learn much more. What do you learn from being complimented? It really suggests you do not need to learn anything, because you did so well. However, if you hear something contrary, apart from the risk that you could be offended (though you can’t be offended because you died with Christ), you learn from that critique.
Our audiences appreciate it when a message is on target, and they notice when it is not. They notice when the messenger leans toward having been inspired, and they notice when it appears the messenger is frustrated and taking out his or her frustration on . . . who? On the audience! On the people pulling for us! Why would we beat them up? Why would we verbally abuse them? We wouldn’t, of course. We do not want to do that. And in fact, if you are frustrated about something that relates to the church, that is one subject or situation that you should steer far from in your preaching, because to go there, even subconsciously, would not accomplish the desired result. We want to bring good tidings, the good news of the Gospel. If we are successful, everyone in the audience will leave inspired, encouraged, or motivated to dig deeper. If we fail, the saved wander off wondering what was wrong, and the unsaved or somewhat disinterested think, Why come back if I’m just going to get beat up? So we do want to be careful.
Do not preach against those who are not in church or those who no longer attend our church. They are not here! Why would we do that? And that is demoralizing to those who are here. They came! They are here. So that is our audience.
Length of Sermon
I have not addressed sermon length for a few years. Since last camp meeting we talked in Portland with the ministers and reminded them that on Sunday nights during the year, they should preach for twenty to twenty-five minutes. For Tuesday and Friday nights, I requested that they try to speak between fifteen and twenty minutes—on the shorter side of that range for Tuesdays, and on the longer side for Fridays. I expressed the fact that we want the audience to come back. Remember, these are faithful saints. They are our audience. They are not quail that we are shooting at; these are God’s people that we are trying to minister to and to encourage. We want them to return. Many of them work long hours, and with commuting perhaps are gone ten to twelve hours in the day. They made the effort to come. We are very sensitive to the fact of how we want to send them away. Remember, we have a savvy audience; they know what they ought to be hearing, and they get it very quickly.
Just before that ministers’ meeting, Tom Pricskett preached in Portland. I don’t recall if it was a Tuesday or Friday night, but he spoke on the “Fountain of Living Water” and somehow worked in the illustration of a sandbox. He preached for sixteen minutes. By the time he was done, we were all inspired to seek to draw from that Fountain. He could have doubled the sermon length, but he made the point, and we went to prayer. That’s the goal. The highlight of the meeting is the prayer service. Everything is targeted toward that, not toward the sermon. It is nice to set the sermon up, but that is not the end result. The end result is the prayer meeting, so we want to keep that in mind. If we wear the saints down to where they are glazed over and nodding off when we invite them to pray, they will be too exhausted. It is just common sense. So for camp meeting, if you happen to be called on to preach, think of every meeting as a Sunday night. If it is a Tuesday night, pretend for camp meeting that it is a Sunday night and preach for twenty to twenty-five minutes. The clock is our friend. I believe that with all my heart. If we speak in a succinct and efficient manner, the saints of God will appreciate it; they will respond to it. If you are done sooner, they will know it, so quit before they do. Twenty to twenty-five minutes is plenty of time to read a text, provide some context, and tell the story. And don’t tell us, “You know the story.” We don’t know the story the way you will tell it. Tell us the story in your words. Illustrate it. Tell us what to do with what you just told us, and we will be ready to pray.
For Bible teachings, I have requested that the teachers end by 11:30 a.m. because it precedes a whole chain of events. We try to give preachers forty minutes for the Bible teaching. It is far better to leave an audience wishing we would keep going than to leave the audience wishing we would have quit ten or fifteen minutes earlier.
Avoid Politics
Let’s avoid political news. I do not really want to hear the names of presidential candidates or about illegal immigrants or building a wall, or about church shootings, mall shootings, or workplace shootings. We do not want to hear about television programs that some of us know nothing about, because we don’t want to know about them. We do not want to hear the names of movie stars, professional athletes, or ball teams. Our audience needs to hear the glad tidings of good news. They are bombarded with all the other stuff daily and are weary of it. In private conversation, other topics are okay, of course. I’ve already teased two of my British friends about Brexit, but that was in private conversations. We wouldn’t want to hear about that from the pulpit. It is not the Gospel. We want to hear that Jesus saves.
Do not preach against the LGBT people, community agitators, or events in the news. Instead of preaching against something, preach for Jesus. That is the good news. That is the glad tidings we bring. Let’s preach Him. We want our sermons to elevate and inspire, rather than discourage. These are faithful saints, remember, and no one, even unfaithful individuals, benefits from a verbal lashing out. They benefit by the good news of the Gospel.
Out-of-place intensity, frustration, appearing to be angry, or resorting to thrashing about when you lack content is inappropriate. Do not compensate for a lack of content. We have a wonderful message to deliver and our people deserve to hear it, so let’s be faithful to that.
The congregation is not our enemy. Remember that. They are our friends. So we never want to leave them feeling like they’ve been scolded. They need to be encouraged and inspired. Every church has those who are disinterested, disengaged, or lukewarm, but we are not focused on them. We are focused on the message God has given us to deliver and on those faithful saints of God. They are sitting there too, so we want to be careful. Every message is evangelistic in the sense that it is the good news for everyone. If the sinner is under conviction, they might leave mad at the preacher, but let that be the product of Holy Ghost conviction rather than the product of mistreating a captive audience. We want to appreciate those who are engaged rather than focus on the ones who we think should be.
The Message is the Focus
When we are done, we want our audience to remember the good news, rather than the one who brought the good news. I think it is also in Baxter’s book where it is stated that we do not want the audience to say, “Wow, what a preacher!” We want them to say, “Wow, what a God!” This is not about my text, my message, or my ministry. It seems that among churches, it is promoted that we need a ministry. Well, this is not our ministry or our message; it is God’s ministry. We are not self-serving. It seems that in churches where the idea of “my ministry” is emphasized, it is more out of the neediness of the one who is trying to create a ministry than out of satisfying the needs of those they are purporting to serve. So let’s just stick to God’s ministry. Let’s be evangelistic in the evening meetings, whether at camp meeting or at home. Certainly, a pastor on Sunday morning has the responsibility to present the theology and sound doctrine of the Latter Rain Gospel, but that is not a responsibility that falls upon those who are charged to preach evangelistic evening messages. It is not the time on a Sunday evening or even at camp meeting on a Tuesday or Thursday or Friday evening, to give a Bible teaching on tithes and offerings or the Lord’s Day. Preach Jesus! Preach, “Just as Jesus sought for Zacchaeus, He has come to seek and to save that which was lost. If you are lost, Jesus has been looking for you. You need to be looking for Him.” Or, “Just as the Lord answered prayer for Paul and Silas in the prison, He will answer your prayer.” I could go on, but I will rely upon you who are called to preach over the next two weeks to go on. Try to be evangelistic, inspiring people to want to pray.
Bring Good Tidings
I will close with Isaiah 52, which Paul was quoting. Nahum also uses the same words, but in a different context. Isaiah was speaking of the watchman who looks to the hills for a messenger who will come bearing the good news that the Children of Israel have finally been delivered from captivity and will return to Zion and serve where the Lord reigns. Paul, in Romans 10, borrowed from Isaiah 52:7-9, “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth! Thy watchmen shall lift up the voice; with the voice together shall they sing: for they shall see eye to eye, when the Lord shall bring again Zion. Break forth into joy, sing together, ye waste places of Jerusalem: for the Lord hath comforted his people, he hath redeemed Jerusalem.” That is the spirit we are trying to convey in our preaching, and in our meetings, whether here in Portland or back home.
That is good news to the audience, and it is not manufactured or modified to please them. It’s the message that God gave, so it is appealing and hopeful to the audience. We pray that during this camp meeting, our audiences will leave the church services with that similar spirit of refreshing, feeling that they have heard good news and want to act upon it.
Thanks again for coming. We do appreciate it. We cannot overstate that. We need one another. We need you here and we realize you need our support and prayers where you serve. We wish we could go everywhere that is represented by those who come here, but that it is not practical. That does not mean we do not appreciate you and do not feel our need of your support. Nor does it indicate a lack of desire to be supportive of you. We will be led in a song and then have a closing prayer.
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