Meeting Transcripts

Opening Remarks

Welcome

Good morning everyone! We are so glad you are here. We appreciate it very much. We thank God for the first week of meetings. We have already heard good testimonies of what God has done and we know and trust that the best is yet to come. We will stand and open with prayer. 

Agenda

We have three sessions scheduled for today. I will present the “Overview of 2 Timothy” after which Brother Joe Bishop will talk about “Azusa Street” and related matters, primarily with regard to our organization, and then Brother Gilbert Olson will speak on “Respect for People and Cultures.”

We appreciate the committee of Brothers Bill McKibben, Clif Kasper, and Randy Macomber for developing the training materials for this year. If you did not receive a binder at special meetings, there are more available on the back table. Including the materials covered at the pastors’ meeting, you should have nine tabs in your binder. Later today, we will distribute an evaluation form asking for your input on today’s meeting to help in preparing next year’s meetings.  

The handout for this first session should be placed in your binder behind the tab labeled “Camp Ministers’ & Pastors’ Meetings.”

Overview of 2 Timothy

Paul’s Charge to Timothy

The Book of 2 Timothy was written by the Apostle Paul to young Timothy. 1 & 2 Timothy, as well as Titus, represents as good a minister’s manual as one can have. There are different ways to present an overview of any book of the Bible, but for today’s purposes, I will present this book in a manner that highlights Paul’s charge to Timothy.

In the first chapter, after the greeting, Paul charged Timothy to stir himself. Then he admonished him to hold to his teachings, saying, “Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me” ( verse 13). The phrase, “the form” communicates substance. It was the spirit of the message that Paul conveyed to Timothy and wanted him to convey to others, not specific words.

In the second chapter, Paul charged Timothy to be strong, “Be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus . . . endure hardness” (verses 1 and 3). He illustrated that charge by referring to a soldier in battle, an athlete in training, and a farmer. Paul gave Timothy a charge to remind others that suffering precedes glory; first the cross and then the crown. In verse 15, he gave him a charge to “study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed.” The verse began with one word, “study.” Also, he gave him a charge to flee youthful lusts and to follow righteousness. The word “lusts,” as we use it today, has a more restrictive meaning than it did in the day of King James when it was translated. It can mean natural desires or ordinary impulses. We are to put aside even that which is acceptable and not sinful for the sake of the Gospel.

In chapter 3, Paul turned the corner and spoke of the coming moral decay. He charged Timothy to continue as trained, to preach the Word. In Chapter 4, he declared, “I have fought a good fight. . . I have kept the faith” (verse 7). We thank God for those warriors, even this camp meeting, who have gone home having kept the faith, and for those still alive who have been able to give a shout for the battle.

The Gospel is Our Focus

I would like to share an article that I printed from FoxNews.com titled “Religion Gets Supersized at Megachurches.” It is not my intention to criticize megachurches. Some would view Portland as a megachurch, although we do not fit the criteria set forth in this article. Here is an excerpt:

“Ask Americans what Sundays are for, and many are likely to give you one of two answers: watching sports or going to church. These days, a growing number of ‘megachurches’ may satisfy both camps, providing entertainment and a message to crowds so big they rival the attendance at sporting events. There are currently 842 megachurches—non-Catholic churches with at least 2,000 weekly attendants—that host an excess of three million people on any given Sunday, according to the research group Growth Today. These massive holy houses attract churchgoers by the thousands with services that tout contemporary music, television screens and sermons that aren’t ‘churchy,’ according to the pastor of the nation’s largest church. But critics say the sin-free pep rallies don’t encourage personal transformation and reflection, keystones of religion. Instead of a pulpit, pews, and a group of familiar faces found at traditional community churches, megachurches can resemble a campus.

“‘They are so large you can select the activity that you like,’ said Ken Woodward, Newsweek’s contributing editor who covers religion. ‘If you want to lose weight Jesus’ way, you can join the weight-loss program or join a basketball team . . . These churches have so many people they don’t just sponsor a team, they sponsor a league. Not everybody can afford to join a country club.’

“At the biggest church in the country, Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas, Pastor Joel Osteen preaches to some 25,000 people each week—and sin is not on the menu. Osteen said his goal is to ‘give people a boost for the week.’

“‘I think for years there’s been a lot of hellfire and damnation. You go to church to figure out what you’re doing wrong and you leave feeling bad like you’re not going to make it,’ Osteen said. ‘We believe in focusing on the goodness of God.’

“Critics say megachurches’ party-like atmosphere takes the spirituality out of Sunday services. ‘It tends to be a guilt-free, sin-free environment,’ said Woodward. ‘These places are a bit too bubbly . . . It’s very chummy with God.’

“Osteen defends Lakewood’s ways, saying the lively and inclusive atmosphere is attracting a whole new generation of parishioners. ‘I have parents tell me all the time that their kids will sit down and watch us on TV or that they want to come to the service because it’s simple and something they can understand,’ he said.

“Some Lakewood qualities that appeal to a younger set are ‘the best lighting and the best sound system,’ a youth ministry program that attracts hundreds, and every service kicks off with 30 minutes of upbeat contemporary music—not hymns—played by a live band. ‘It’s not a churchy feel,’ Osteen, 40, said. ‘We don’t have crosses up there. We believe in all that, but I like to take the barriers down that have kept people from coming. A lot of people who come now are people that haven’t been to church in 20 to 30 years.’

However, those who are used to a personal touch in their religion aren’t convinced. ‘[People] can go and enjoy the service but really don’t have to participate,’ said Wise. ‘But it’s that participation that really makes for a good Christian.’”

The article continues from there. Many advocate a different approach than what we take in the Apostolic Faith Church. We are not interested in telling people how to lose weight Jesus’ way. We are not interested in sponsoring a basketball team. We are interested in preaching the Gospel. It is disconcerting that some people would complain about the church feeling “churchy” or a sermon feeling “preachy.” Church should feel “churchy,” and sermons should sound “preachy.” Otherwise, people might as well join a country club as go to church. Of course, we encourage a certain amount of creativity—we do not want to stifle that, but we are not governed by what brings in crowds. We are guided by the Holy Spirit to take what we have learned and what we have been taught and continue it.

The Gospel does not always produce positive results, so if we are not seeing positive results, we cannot automatically assume that the Gospel is not working. We must not change our methods based on that. Ask Noah, or Jeremiah, or Ezekiel, or Paul, who in 2 Timothy declared that he had been abandoned. Our purpose is not to hold group therapy or a pep rally; we are here to hold Gospel meetings. We cannot improve upon that. I have never wearied of these meetings. I would not care if they were all the same—because they work!

Be Patient

Reverence has fallen out of style, but it is still the appropriate approach for God’s House. The Lord wants His house to be a House of Prayer, so we must approach God reverently. We must also encourage and inspire our young people to do the same. This can be a challenge, at times, because we want our young people to be young people. We would not want our sixteen-year-olds to act like forty-year-olds. We would not expect that. So we must have wisdom, and inspire them to embrace the Gospel of Jesus Christ with reverence as it is presented in the Apostolic Faith Church.

I have been observing one person in our work who appeared to either need salvation or a spiritual growth spurt. On Wednesday morning, it became clear that something had to be done, because this person was participating in the youth work. I went to Brother John Musgrave after teaching and asked him to talk to this person about the problem. I advised him to be gracious and kind, reminding him that in the future, this person would look back on this occasion. I also cautioned him to keep the family in mind—parents and grandparents could be affected. Later I asked him how it went, and he told me that it had gone very well. He said that as soon as he approached this person, they said, “I haven’t been doing the right thing, and I am so sorry, but this morning I got saved.” Then they gave Brother John a big hug. This illustrates our desire to be longsuffering, patient, and kind. We do not want to judge the whole work by the worst example, because we do have some beautiful examples, and not a few. Many are doing the right thing, so be encouraged with what God is doing.

Our M.O.

In 2 Timothy 3, Paul told of the perilous times to come. In verses 1-4, he identified many of the perils; in verse 5, he said men would deny the power of God; and in verses 6-9, he said the perils would increase and he spoke of the collapse of piety. Let’s focus in on verse 10, “But thou hast fully known my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, charity, patience.” In the epistles, we have access to some of what Timothy would have learned from Paul. That is what Paul was speaking of when he referenced his doctrine and manner of life. When someone is trying to find a serial criminal, they look for an “M.O.,” or method of operation. One could say that Timothy knew Paul’s M.O.—his mode of living, his whole way of life. Paul had a lifestyle; he had a mode of operation, a way of presenting the Gospel. We are not apologetic for the way we present the Gospel. Someone else may have a different way of presenting the Gospel, and that is fine. That is their prerogative; we do not object to that. However, I am very confident of our call and mission. “Purpose” indicates that Paul had a purpose. “Faith” indicates that Paul had a theology. He had faith, but more than that, he had a faith. Our M.O. is found in Acts 2:42: “And they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.”

Some of the materials that come our way explore new methods of helping churches gain members. The world is full of methods, the Bible is not. Our method, if we want to be Biblical, is to continue steadfastly in the Apostles’ doctrine—the teachings of the Apostles. Our method is the message they preached, the way of life they advocated, their doctrine, their fellowship, and their breaking of bread. Some of us were attracted to the Apostolic Faith by the things we saw here that we had never heard of elsewhere. I did not have much church exposure before coming here, but I found some things appealing. For example, we have altars and tithe boxes; we do not ask for money and we pray always. I was impressed with the altars, the reverence, and the wholesome appearance of the young people. These are the things I saw when I came here. I am speaking about the Apostolic Faith way of presenting the message of the Gospel, but also about the Apostolic Faith way of life. When either one of these two things are challenged, I wonder why anyone would want to change the two things that many find so appealing. We have what cannot be found just anywhere. So we will not adapt our ways to accommodate that which is so readily available, even if we are challenged. I am sure that we are not the only ones that have this, but we cannot go just anywhere and find it. 

Heritage and Tradition

In 2 Timothy 3:12-14, Paul talked about persecution, “Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived. But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them.” Paul was hearkening back to Timothy’s heritage. So often in the Bible that is the case. Paul was also hearkening back to what Timothy had learned from being with him. Some of what we have learned and continue to teach has no specific verse in the Bible to which people can point. For instance, there is no verse in the Bible stating, “Thou shalt not use tobacco.” However, tobacco defiles the body and there are verses pertaining to that. There is no verse that specifically states, “Thou shalt not gamble.” However, there are verses prohibiting coveting. There is no verse in the Bible stating, “Thou shalt not use a deck of playing cards.” We prefer that our young people do not play with cards. This is not something that we would declare from the pulpit, but it is something that comes up. A year or two ago, it had to be addressed on the campground. There may be no evil in the playing with cards in itself, however, I will not do it. Our goal is not to make the Gospel hard. Our goal is not to make the Gospel easy. Our goal is to faithfully deliver what we have been taught and what has worked to inspire a way of life rooted in holy living.

It is ironic that under the guise of being Biblically based, some would object to what they would call church traditions because there is no specific Bible verse. Yet at the same time, those same people will wholeheartedly embrace secular traditions, which have no Bible verse supporting them. It comes down to which mode of living, or way of life, and traditions a person wants to observe—one rooted in a holiness way of life, or one rooted in the secular way of life. We do not need to be intimidated when someone asks to be shown a Bible verse. We don’t have to show them a verse; we can show them a way of life. 

In the FoxNews.com article, Reverend Osteen was quoted as saying he wanted to take down the barriers. Some have removed the pulpit, the front row, the idea of kneeling in prayer, the altars, and praying out loud, because these are potential barriers to people who would come and question. Some say to remove the suits and ties and allow blue jeans and cut-offs in church. From there it goes on to removing the doctrinal positions that are barriers, like divorce and remarriage, or preaching against same-sex marriages.

Is our goal to make the Gospel appealing? No. The Gospel offers a Cross. If we take down the Cross, what do we have left? God help us! That doesn’t win anything, it doesn’t change lives. We need to present the Gospel unapologetically. The Gospel changes lives, it offers people a Cross, and it offers repentance. It offers God’s way as an alternative to their way, which has either already ended in disaster or soon will.

Stand Firm Together

In Colossians 2:4, Paul said, “And this I say, lest any man should beguile you with enticing words.” He was referring to persuasive language. This pulls at our heartstrings because we want everyone to love the Gospel. We want everyone to love the Apostolic Faith mode of operation. Some of us have had families who have left the church, and we do not like that. They have enticing words at times, but we have to be true to the trust that we have received of God. Verse 6 says, “As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him.” We do not know more than those we learn from. Verses 7 and 8 say, “Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving. Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.” Notice those who resist following the commandments of those who watch for their soul, but do not hesitate to follow the persuasion that the world offers. They do not even see that they are doing it. They object to a holy way of life and embrace the watering down of the Gospel. We need to stand together in the faith of this Gospel as comrades in battle, as soldiers.

Around the anniversary of D-day, I read again some of the accounts of storming the beach of Normandy and the other fronts in securing the liberty of Europe. Those who were slaughtered to secure freedom stood together. Even in a lesser sense, athletes who train hard deprive themselves so they can be part of the team. The teammates depend upon each other. I have never served in the military, nor have I been an athlete, but I have worked on a farm. All through high school I milked cows before school every morning. Looking back, it is interesting, in terms of working together, how Dad depended on his four boys. We helped him in the filbert orchard and when we left home, the filbert orchard was turned into permanent pasture and rented to the neighbor. Dad also got rid of the family milk cows. We need each other. We need to have whole-hearted embracement of this way of life and then not doubt it along the way.

When you read the current issue of the One Accord you will see that June Harig, Sister Florence Crawford’s granddaughter, and her oldest son, George, came to Portland recently. June had been here before and was given tours. I believe Brother Dwight Baltzell met with her about five or six years ago, and Brother Loyce Carver before that. This last month, I had the opportunity to give her a tour with her son who was interested in his roots. June has acknowledged that she backslid and left the Gospel but rejoices that a number of years ago she came back to God and was saved. As we toured, she was very excited to show her son pictures and tell him what God did here so many years ago. She referred very lovingly to her heritage and how the Lord used Sister Crawford. In fact, at times she broke down in tears. We toured the printing plant and showed them what is going on today, such as the recent success in India, and the addition of the Braille Higher Way. She saw what God is doing now and wept again as she considered the legacy of her grandmother. One thing is certain, I would not want one of Sister Crawford’s descendants to come back and say, “What happened? Why did you change it?”

Remember that Paul said to preach the Word. But what was he talking about? They certainly had the Old Testament to work with, but he wasn’t advocating preaching the Law of Moses. What he meant is that the Gospel is more than specific words, it is a message that needs to be preached. He was telling Timothy to let the tenor of what he had taught him be what Timothy would project to others. That is our charge as well. We have received a message; we have received a way of life. We thank God that we are going to keep preaching it in the manner in which we have received it.