"I don't know-yet."

A strange way by which to begin this week's "On the Ball?" Not if you understand that the opening statement is my response to the many questions that began to flood into the minds of you who heard my announcement and presentation of Holy Spirit's revelation to me concerning "Evangelizing the people of Bay County," the first and essential part of the three part directive given to me in August 1980.

One of the reasons this observation, "first the natural, then the spiritual," is stated in the Bible is not because that is the correct order about everything in every situation. No, I think that statement is more of an observation about the order in which we pursue obedience to any assignment. Believing that Yahweh would not assign a task for us if we did not have prior knowledge and experience in doing that very thing in our desire to be the obedient sons, we do not wait on the "how to" nor the "when to." So, we proceed on the basis of: "it's always been done this way," or "this is the way the experts do it."

Doing the natural first always produces success-in a measure, but for those of us who desire and seek the simple "well done," from Christ more than the praises of man, no measure of success achieved through our efforts will ever satisfy. Not only does following the order of "first the natural" not bring His approval, it often, as in King David's sincere but misguided effort to restore the Ark of the Covenant and the accompanying glory of Yahweh to Jerusalem, Yahweh's chosen city, but the natural brings hurt to those involved and actually delays the fulfillment of our assignment. The promise of success accompanied by the power to not become weary in well doing is promised only to those who choose to wait upon the Lord. There are no short-cuts, nor quick solutions to bringing Christ's Kingdom out of the realm of the spirit into the realm of the natural. But, for every assignment, Yahweh has a "due season." Wait for it.

I wish that I could see some redeeming value out of the mega-church, million persons crusades, cell groups, etc. craze that has gripped today's church, but I cannot. I discern (at least to me) that none of the aforementioned efforts are a response to Holy Spirit's revealed direction.

I see nothing in the New Testament account of the early church that was the result of a vision, such as must have been the case when Yahweh instructed Moses regarding the Tabernacle in the wilderness. That kind of revelation included every detail, from beginning to end, thus eliminating the necessity of a continuing: "Today, if you will harden not your heart, let us go on."

In walking out this revelation from Holy Spirit, I know that we will not be left to our own devices; we shall be instructed by Holy Spirit every step of the way. I rest, as I always have, in the assurance that He who called is faithful to do all and provide all that we need for the successful progress toward our objective:

-Evangelize the people of Bay County
-Build a great Ekklesia
-Build a base from which to touch the world

To keep pace, you must stay informed; to remain informed, you must hear; to hear you must come...come to him that speaks the mysteries of Christ's Kingdom.

May 21, 2008

A bit of this and that....

Last week, I was at Central Assembly of God in Vero Beach, by invitation of Pastor Buddy Tipton and Mavis. Our relationship with them began when Shirley and I came here in July 1969 and has continued, unbroken through these thirty-nine years.

Actually, Buddy was to become my first son by Holy Spirit, although it would be many years before I would have any knowledge or understanding of such things. Buddy was the first to work with me in the capacity of what came to be known as "youth pastor." It was a full-time responsibility with part-time pay, and I'm not sure we even paid him anything. Good thing he had a union card with the iron workers. It became apparent to me that he would be in full-time ministry, so I did the only thing I knew to do- I encouraged him to move to Lakeland and enroll in Southeastern Bible College-the very thing I had done about twenty years before. For the most part, he continued to work in his trade and complete four years of college. Later he would complete the work for his Master's Degree.

After leaving SEBC, they moved to Vero Beach to become pastor of a barely existent A/G church. Now, more than thirty years later, it is one of the largest A/G churches in Florida. Obviously they have been faithful and successful. I am proud to have had at least a small part in their beginning. I hope that he does not object to my referring to him as my first son in Christ.

I always enjoy my time with him and go away blessed, whether we play golf or preach-it's all about Christ. Thanks, Buddy, for receiving me once again into your house.

One day when I have laid down my responsibilities, I will back away from at least these past twenty-eight years and try to wrap my mind around what has been wrought in the earth through our obedience. At times, I become somewhat put out with my inability to assess the magnitude of what Yahweh has wrought through our obedience to His voice to me in August 1980: Evangelize the people of Bay County, Build a great church (ekklesia), Build a base from which to touch the world.

Ray Howell called me (I believe it was late morning or early afternoon) on Monday. His expedition had returned to the camp at 16,000 feet altitude, after having climbed higher to become acclimated to the altitude and to assess the situation facing them in their attempt to scale the top of Mount Elbrus at 18,510 feet. Mount Elbrus is located in eastern Russia and is the highest elevation in Europe.

Ray and his party were preparing to get some rest and hopefully some sleep before beginning their ascent to the top at midnight their time - three in the afternoon here. This is very early in the climbing season and weather conditions are not predictable. At the time Ray was talking to me, it was white-out conditions and visibility was limited to about ten feet. I prophesied to the heavens there and called for good conditions for the climbers. When Ray called me at ten o'clock Monday night (which was seven in the morning on Tuesday for him) to say, "Apostle, I'm standing on the top!", I rejoiced and cried with him. What a moment! Then Ray told me that the skies had cleared without a single cloud anywhere to be seen, and even though the temperature was -60 Celsius, he felt warm with the sun shining on him.

If you have any sense of being joined to me and what Yahweh is doing at this ekklesia, you will prepare to be here on Sunday. I am not sure if Ray will be here, but Allyson and others who have been involved with this will be here. I know that there are very significant things to be received through all of this, as different ones cast light on these matters.

I would not miss being here for all the tea in Shirley's cupboard.

May 29, 2008

This week's "On the Ball" is written against the background of last Sunday's convocation. My intent in that service was to go back to a point in time to a particular event, and from that point trace and blend together a number of events that dot a trail on the path we, as the Ekklesia of The Rock of Panama City, have marked.

In much the same manner as our nation's wilderness pioneers- who without map, without compass, without companion, and with meager fare of food, armed only with a burning desire to go where no one had gone and to see what none had seen, stepped out and went beyond the last frontier that had by then become a place of comfort and ease-we also have during these thirty-nine years on numerous occasions stepped out of and moved beyond what had become for us a place of comfort and ease. And now, once again, we have heard that familiar charge: "Today, if you will (desire) His voice, do not harden your hearts in rebellion."

This most recent charge to me (to us) is to realize that we have not yet come close to accomplishing that part of our charge which says: Evangelize the people of Bay County.

One of the reasons that I preach at great length is because the message I am preaching is radically different from most of what has been heard. So, in order to help the new hearer understand and connect to what I am saying at any particular time, I am constrained to go back to some defining points in our history and trace our steps to the present.

Because of the obedience of different ones of us, coupled with the affirming participation of all of us, things have come to us in somewhat of a fast and furious way, in these first months of 2008. Knowing that it is our nature to respond and react to events quickly and emotionally, I am asking that we do not embrace any of the words Holy Spirit is now speaking to us as though we know the "how to," just because we have come to think we understand the "what to."

On Sunday, by a word of wisdom, I took us back to a time when Tara (Ashby) Clement came to tell me that Holy Spirit had instructed her to run a marathon for me. The only thing she knew about Holy Spirit's purpose in this was that it had something to do with land. Several of us began helping Tara to prepare and some ran a part of the race with her.

A number of events related to land have transpired for us, individually and corporately. The seed of Tara's obedience, coupled with the affirming participation of others, is a seed bearing fruit in season and out of season.

Then there came the word to Ray Howell: "Climb my mountains." Ray's obedient response, affirmed by the participation and support of us all in Ray's assignment, has propelled us forward. Leaving our safe places of our last frontier, we have discovered a vast and unclaimed territory-a land of supply to be enjoyed and take us to our next venture to places not yet seen.