Meeting Transcripts

Opening Remarks

Welcome

Welcome back to some of you. The pastors, retired pastors, and their spouses met here on Friday, but today we welcome the rest of you. God bless you for coming. We appreciate it. Once in a while, spouses wonder what goes on in ministers’ meetings, so we have asked them to join us, and we appreciate them being here. Someone mentioned to me that they looked around the room and marveled at all the ministers present, let alone the spouses. They did not know that some of you were preaching. We are a team, and this group right here keeps the Apostolic Faith worldwide organization going, so we thank God for each of you. Each of you has a very important role, wherever you are serving—and combined we have a united front. We never cease to marvel at what God does around the world with, really, a relatively few number of people. You are the key to it all, so we thank God for you.

Unity

 “Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.) And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: till we all come in the unity of faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ” (Ephesians 4:8-13).

Introduction

I realize this is a lot to take in when you don’t have it in front of you to read, but the theme of Ephesians is the unity of believers and of the church. In that day, God took the Gentiles from one perspective, one frame of reference, and the Jews from a completely different frame of reference, and united them into one body. We see certain words and phrases used repeatedly throughout this Epistle. These include “together,” “one,” and “in Christ.” For example, in Ephesians 2:5 and 6 we read, “Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) and hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” In verse 22, Paul spoke of how we are “builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.” When we present a united front to the Lord, we are together. It makes us think of the sermon that Brother Christopher King preached a number of years ago, which inspired the song “Together, Together” by Brother Ted Friesen. The song is in the spiral songbook used by our young people.

I won’t repeat what I said on Friday, but today’s topic could be a continuation of that. On Friday, I read the first three verses of the fourth chapter of Ephesians, which speak of being worthy of our calling. That calling is to be in unity, and we see that it requires endeavoring. Unity is kept through lowliness, meekness, longsuffering, and forbearance. The goal is that we will come together and have a body fitly joined together and compacted to the point that we are one.

At the pastors’ meeting, I used the illustration of an experience Debbie and I had riding a bicycle built for two, a year or so ago, when we went to central Oregon. To make it plain, in the beginning we were not together. I asked her afterward, “Why were you hesitant?” She said, “I did not trust you.” I suppose there is a lesson there. Unity requires a certain amount of trust in each other. There are about three times as many of us present here as there were a week ago on Friday. However, I am wondering, if I were to tell you that we had a bicycle built for 200 sitting outside, could we ride it? I would stand and watch you try. I believe we could. It would require us to all be together in our effort. We have different roles within the body of Christ, but we are one body, and that requires endeavoring. When the 120 were assembled in the Upper Room on the Day of Pentecost, they were together. They could have ridden a bicycle built for 120. We really do want to have that unified spirit, because when we have it, we cannot prevent the Holy Ghost from descending and blessing in our midst. Unity is of key importance to what God does.

Our Foundation

If we study or read accounts that were written of the Latter Rain Gospel as it was happening, we can certainly understand that these people from different backgrounds were united by one desire. That desire was to see what God would do—and what God did was amazing. Eventually, that work fractured and fell apart; there was no more unity, but from that work sprang many works. We are thankful that we are one work that has remained intact. We believe it is because we have continued to emphasize what was emphasized prior to April of 1906. We want to continue to emphasize that. We want to understand our roots from that Azusa Street movement, but also our Biblical roots. That is the key. That is what the Azusa Street leaders emphasized in the beginning. They had no Azusa Street movement yet. They were simply reviving the teachings of the Bible. We are not dismayed that the Azusa Street movement fell apart, because that is not really our foundation. Our foundation is the Word of God, so we continue on that.

You would be inspired if you were to take the time to read those first papers that came out of Los Angeles. Some of it has been repeated in the history of our own work in our two history books. Take time to read them. Get a sense of the fact that we are a holiness organization. We want to hold to that fact. God has blessed it. That may restrain a certain amount of growth in numbers, because the churches that grow find that they must abandon their holiness roots in order to appease or accommodate those who want to be more like the world. We are not going to criticize that approach. If that is their goal, we pray that God’s name will be lifted up everywhere. However, that is not how God has called us to operate. We need to have a grasp of that if we are to be content in the Apostolic Faith Church. We must realize that God has carved a niche for this organization that we must be true to.

God Assigned Roles to the Church

God gave gifts to men. He assigned roles to the church. He gave some apostles, some teachers, some pastors, and so forth. God did that. There is not a man on earth who can prevent you from filling the role that God assigned to you. It probably does not pay to try to figure out exactly what your role is. Some might disagree with that, but I think our role is to fill the spot where we are. Wherever God has called us to serve, we must serve to the best of our ability. God will honor that.

There is a three-fold purpose to God having given gifts to men. Verse 12 declares them. First of all, the purpose of filling our spots is for the perfecting of the saints. Second, it is for the work of the ministry. Third, it is for the edifying of the body of Christ. When we fill our roles, there is a certain result, and the result is that we work together as one. We are synchronized in our peddling, in our direction, and even in our leaning. When we need to lean one way or the other, we all lean the same direction.

The Call

In our circles, we must be convinced that we are called of God. That is the question that I was asked and most preachers were asked when we were approached with regard to preaching the Gospel: “Do you feel that you are called to preach the Gospel?” That is important. The last time I asked that question, I had the couple come in together. Then I asked the wife, “Do you feel that your husband is called to preach the Gospel?” If she did not feel that he was called, it would be a pretty good indication of whether or not he was. We would be destined for a challenge right at the outset if she felt he wasn’t. She replied in the affirmative, and then when he was asked, he gave the short answer most of us gave, “Yes.”

The call comes from God. We have to have that in our hearts and in our minds because we will encounter hardships and challenges. It is not good enough to be called of men or called of mother. We must be called of God. But more than that, I firmly believe that we are called of God to preach the Gospel in the Apostolic Faith Church. So that brings a whole bearing to our call that suggests that we are loyal one to another, that we are subject one to another, that we do our best to honor one another, and that we stand beside one another. The devil will try to divide us, but he will not succeed, because we have our direction from Heaven, so we carry on. This call is not for the faint of heart. Challenges will come to all of us. If the devil cannot attack you, he will attack your spouse, your children, your parents, or someone else, but we do not dwell on that, because we would be giving credit to the enemy. We want to give credit to the Conqueror who helps us to stand united and overcome.

We Stand for the Latter Rain Gospel

My remaining thoughts on this will come mostly from The Heart of the Yale Lectures. Some will come from the Minister’s Manual and other sources. We are all the product of what we have been taught. In my case, I am the product of thirty years in the ministry. These are not original thoughts. I would like to think that none of our thoughts are original, but that they have been instilled in us. They came from somewhere. If they were original, then we had better be careful. One source that I read stated that a timid minister is as bad as a timid surgeon. We must have courage. I do not want to be operated on, but if I ever were, I would want a confident, courageous surgeon. We have to be courageous ministers, unapologetic for what we stand for. To be unapologetic, we must know what we stand for. We do know. I know. We stand for the Latter Rain Gospel. We certainly stand for the three experiences, but more than that, we stand for a holiness way of life. If we do our job preaching the Gospel, and if we preach it with power, we do not necessarily have to be overly specific with respect to what holiness means in life. That time will come, one on one, but I believe that the Spirit of God is powerful enough to penetrate hearts with His Word and do things that we could never do with instruction.

I did have one convert who was not reared in a Christian home who came to our nightly prayer meetings before camp meeting began. This young lady, who is a good girl, was painting her toenails in bright colors. I always thank God when winter comes, but this is summer. She walked by before too many people were there yet. I had been observing it for the last few months, so I told her that I was going to spare her some embarrassment in not wanting others to embarrass her. I then told her that we request that those who participate in the work not paint their nails. She thanked me and went to prayer. I went to prayer too. Later, I went over to where she was and told her, “You know that we love and appreciate you.” She knew that. The next night, she came early to prayer meeting. This time, I was praying and not paying attention, but she tapped me on the shoulder and knelt down beside me and said, “If there is ever anything that you see me do, let me know.” I wish that I could go to everyone like that and espouse the conservative way of life, but we cannot because a lot of times we would end up contending with their parents. We cannot fight against the parents, nor do we want to, so we are careful. We are a holiness people, so we have to continually try to do a better job of somehow inspiring others to a holiness way of life. If this leads to questions and concerns and they may come to us inquiring honestly, then we can guide them.

Study

We must give ourselves to study in the ministry. We cannot be intellectually lazy. I have a book I like by author Os Guinness. It is called Fat Bodies Fit Minds. The author states that the American Evangelicals in the last generation have simultaneously toned up their bodies and dumbed down their minds. We must give ourselves to study. We can pray. We ought to pray. We go nowhere without prayer, but we cannot operate on a wing and a prayer. We must have, the Minister’s Manual tells us, a program of self-improvement. We can’t put it off until it is clear to everyone around that we desperately need it. We must create it and capitalize on it. We have ample opportunity in our work to do so. Of course, the Bible is our primary textbook. We are called to preach the Gospel. Preaching, as defined in The Heart of the Yale Lectures by a writer of the lectures, is public speech with the intent to reveal God. In order to reveal God, we must first know God. To know God, we must know His Word. Weak sermons produce weak Christians, so we want God to help us.

We have read many sources which state that leaders are not born, they are trained. We have heard the phrase, “So and so is a born leader,” but that is not really accurate. Most leaders are trained. Certainly, different ones have different gifts along the way, but if we rely upon our genetics, it will soon be revealed to everyone that that doesn’t cut it. It is not enough, so we must equip ourselves.

Every year, Brother Rich Barrett wants better equipment for the restaurant, and that is fine. He knows that he has a job to do and he needs the right equipment. Those in the trades know this as well. How long are you going to use an old paint brush? Eventually, you need the right equipment to do the right job. There is nothing more frustrating than to trying to screw in a Phillips screw with the wrong kind of screwdriver. It takes the right equipment. We must equip ourselves. We are not going to go fishing with dilapidated fish gear. So it is in the ministry. The Minister’s Manual tells us that if we have no taste for reading, we must cultivate it. If we are not naturally studious, we must compel ourselves to study. Acts 4:13 speaks of onlookers noting the boldness of Peter and John and perceiving that they were unlearned and ignorant men, in the sense that they had not been schooled as the Pharisees had. But they took note of them that they had been with Jesus. Those men learned to study. They knew what we now call the Old Testament. Ignorant and unlearned does not mean they did not apply themselves. They did.

Character Matters

We read in The Heart of the Yale Lectures of the power of the personality. I think that’s a bit of a misnomer. I wish the author would have titled that section “The Power of the Person.” When we speak or hear of the power of the personality, we think of charisma and an outgoing personality. That’s not really what that section of the book is referring to. He is not referring to charisma, but to character. So it is about the power of the person. When we stand up to the pulpit to preach, or when you as a spouse to the preacher support your spouse the preacher, people looking on don’t hear the words that are spoken. They hear us. They hear you and me. People who hear me filter everything through Debbie. Our children are adults, so we are really not responsible for their decisions at this point in time, but if they were younger, people would filter everything we said through how they see us interact with our children. They may watch our interaction even with our adult children to some degree. That’s the power of the person. Your personal life matters. We must be wise enough to understand that. We cannot compensate for a personal life that is in disrepair. If we acknowledge it to ourselves, it automatically tells us to exercise caution and care, and we can still have a degree of effectiveness. The message must be consistent with the life of the messenger.

When we think of preparing a sermon, we really don’t want to prepare the sermon as much as we want to prepare the man or the woman who will deliver the sermon. We probably spend more time on the message when we should spend more time on the messenger. We cannot give what we have not got. We cannot cause men to do their best, unless we live our best. We shouldn’t preach on prayer if we don’t pray. It rings hollow to the congregation because of the power or the impotence of the person. We should not preach on consecration, if we are not consecrated. We shouldn’t preach on willingness, if we are not willing. And if we lack all of those things, we better not preach. People look at us rather than hear our words. Two people can say the same words, but can have profoundly different effects. When words do not penetrate, it is because there is a feeble man behind them. When ideas do not kindle, it is because there is no divine fire in the lips that speak them. Bullets may be of equal size and of like material, but the distance which they travel depends upon the gun. Sermons are like bullets. How far they go does not depend upon the text or upon the structure of the sermon, but upon the texture of the manhood or womanhood of the preacher. We must be sincere. Audiences can detect insincerity. We must preach and live with conviction, otherwise our words ring hollow.

Be Serious

We must also be serious. This is serious business. We don’t want to trivialize our message by a casual presentation. Don’t strip the dignity of the Gospel by being too funny. It’s possible for us to become more comfortable and more familiar with our audience then they are with us, so we must be careful. The Heart of the Yale Lectures states that the best style attracts the least attention to it. We all have a style; I have a style; you have a style. We are what we are. It’s kind of like an usher. We have had a couple of ambitious ushers, who are here and there and everywhere. It makes me think that person needs to chill. The best usher is the one you don’t notice. That’s true of the best preacher, and the best vocalist. The best song leaders are the ones that are not up in front of their message waving their arms. We don’t want to detract from what we’re trying to convey by getting in the way. One place I read asked whether we want the people to say, “Wow, what a preacher!” Or do we want them to say “Wow, what a God!” We want them to say, “Wow, what a God!” don’t we? One day, we will be dead and gone. Those who said, “Wow, what a pastor!” will find out that the pastor gets transferred. If the faith of the people is rooted in the pastor, it transfers with the pastor, and they are left in shambles. But if it is rooted in “Wow, what a God!” their faith is sustained.

The Power of the Holy Ghost

We must convey spiritual energy. Spiritual energy is more than enthusiasm, eloquence, magnetism, or charisma. It is intensity of passion. It is having an earnest spirit. We must convey that. We know that’s the power of the Holy Ghost. The Minister’s Manual says in the introduction that there are many factors that contribute to the success of our efforts in the work of the ministry, but the greatest requisite is the unction of the Spirit of God upon us and our work for God. It goes on to say that other lines of preparation and training are extremely valuable, but in the final analysis, they can even be a hindrance if they supplant or minimize the value of the Spirit of God. We cannot produce in a meeting what God can produce, so we must lean upon God. We can try ever so hard to create an environment, but we can’t create it, it takes God to do it. We’d love to create the 1948 revival, the revival of the late 1960s, or even the mini revival of 2001. But the truth of the matter is that the foundation for each of those revivals was simply holding meetings day in and day out, week in and week out. An atmosphere was provided where God could move in hearts and many hearts were moved, all at once in those cases.

The Altar Call

We must remember that the sermon is not the end, it is the means to the end. The end is a changed heart at an altar of prayer. Every aspect of the meeting points to a moment when it is time to act. We capitalize on the time to pray. In that sense, we don’t want to overrate our part of the meeting. People really aren’t overly impressed with us anyway. They are not and they shouldn’t be, especially when they hear us repeatedly. I am not impressed with me and I am really not impressed with you. I am impressed with what God does with you and me.

Patience

Ephesians 4:13 says, “Till we all come in the unity of faith, and of the knowledge of the son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.” Together, we are one body, moving in synchronization, not out of kilter. That is the conclusion of endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. Again, we do that through lowliness, meekness, longsuffering, and forbearance.

The body of Christ is a continual work in progress. In any given church we have spiritual infants, we have veterans, and we have those in between making up the Body of Christ. Paul says, “Till we all come.” I am not sure when we all get there, perhaps in Heaven, but certainly to a degree on earth when we’re together in unity. Not Jews and Gentiles in the sense that it was in the days of Ephesus, but just from different backgrounds, different nations, different personalities. We might be from the same state, but we’re different. It is a good and amazing thing how God takes us as unique individuals with personalities, and through the attributes of lowliness, longsuffering, meekness, and forbearance, helps us to work together as one, not as two hundred. So you really could ride that bicycle built for two hundred, and I would really love to see you do it!

Closing Remarks

We have come through this week’s meetings and will go into the next week, if Jesus tarries, operating as one and God will bless us. It’s a great thing. We’ve had a great camp meeting so far. Some of you will not stay for the second week, but many of you, thank God, will. Others will yet be coming, so we appreciate the role that each of you plays. I was really sincere when I said last night that camp meeting would not be the same if any one of you was missing. That’s true today. If any one of you was not here, it would not be the same. Together we make a mighty army. We may be few in number, but we are mighty in desire, mighty in passion, mighty in purpose, and together we really are one body. Thanks to each of you for doing your part, not only here at camp meeting, but throughout the year, wherever you serve. None of us serves alone. We’re in this thing together as one in Christ and with that purpose we can be sure that God accomplishes what He desires through us.

We appreciate each of you and encourage you to keep pressing on in this good way. It is a very good way. We don’t know when we’ll meet again as a team; it might be in Heaven. One of these camp meetings is going to be the final one. In the meantime, we’ll keep pressing forward. Thanks again and God bless you.

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