The Proper Perspective on Prayer - Part II

Luke chapter 18 begins with the statement,

“And he spake a parable unto them to this end,
that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;”

Jesus preached prayer, and he practiced prayer.

In Luke 6:12 Jesus spent the entire night in prayer before choosing his twelve disciples. In Matthew 14:23 Jesus departs into a mountain to pray alone. After being baptized by John in the Jordan River, the spirit of God drove him into the wilderness for 40 days of prayer and fasting. We see him in the Garden of Gethsemane the night before the crucifixion praying for God’s will to be done, for the apostles, for the coming church, and even for you and I – those who would believe through the Apostles’ ministry.

Christ was all about prayer.

Men of God were all about prayer.

- Seth prayed in the book of Genesis and men began to call on God.
- Noah prayed and God instructed him to build an Ark
- Abraham prayed and gave him a promise and a people
- Jacob prayed and wrestled with an angel
- Joseph prayed and was elevated to the highest offices of Egypt.
- The Hebrews prayed and God raised up Moses
- Moses prayed and God parted the Red Sea
- The Israelites prayed and God gave them manna from Heaven
- Joshua prayed and the sun stood still for 24 hours
- Samson prayed and renewed his strength
- Deborah prayed and delivered a nation
- Gideon prayed and destroyed the enemy
- David prayed and defeated his giant
- Solomon prayed and found wisdom

And the list goes on and on.

Prayer is one of the most basic fundamentals of Christian living. It is our refuge, our medium for obtaining supernatural power in a natural world. It is our source for boldness to proclaim the gospel, Grace to face the toughest situations, and hope for a promised future. It is our means of communicating with an interested Father.

It is our way of life.

“To be a Christian without prayer is no more possible than to be alive without breathing.” – Martin Luther King Jr. –

In part 1, we discussed what prayer is not. In this post we look at what prayer is.

A way to bring your mind and heart in line with God’s

In prayer, we surrender to God, making his priorities our own. While teaching the disciples to pray he noted the importance of submitting our preferences to his will.

“Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:9-10)

Prayer does not twist the arm of a disinclined God. Rather, it gives God permission to work in our lives and bring us in line with his thoughts, priorities, and desires.

God has given us free will. He will not force himself, or his desires, into our lives. We can not automatically assume that he will step into our situations and act on our behalf without our expressed invitation.

As David Bernard notes in his book Growing A Church

“Prayer does not change God’s attitude, but it changes our attitude so that we are ready to receive what God has planned for us.

Prayer molds and transforms us so that we are prepared to receive the answers that God wants to give us.”

In short, Bernard concludes, prayer gives us the ability to

1. discern God’s will
2. to do God’s will

Christ himself gave us an example of this when he prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane.

“And he was withdrawn from them about a stone's cast, and kneeled down, and prayed,

Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.” (Luke 22:41-42)

We can come to God and ask him to move how we want him to, but in the end we must always leave prayer submitted to doing it God’s way.

When we get lost in prayer, truly lost in prayer, it transforms our minds and brings them in line with God’s mind. It brings our hearts in line with God’s heart. It makes God’s priorities our priorities. It makes God’s desires our desires.

Prayer is how we bring our minds, our hearts, our wills, and our priorities in line with God’s

It is also,

A way to die to your old nature so that Christ can be formed in you.

The apostle Paul made the statement.

“My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you,” (Galatians 4:19)

The word formed means “to fashion.”

Prayer is a way for us to die to our old nature of sin so that Christ can be fashioned in our lives. Paul said, “I die daily.”

A daily prayer life will consistently kill the old man so that God can fashion us into the man or woman of God he has purposed for us to be.

Jesus told the disciples, “Pray that ye enter not into temptation.” (Luke 22:40). Every one of us will face temptation, but a consistent and daily prayer life will stop us from giving in to those temptations.

Paul told the Galatians, “This I say, walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.” (Galatians 5:16)

Prayer has a way of keeping our spirits in subjection to the will of God, allowing us to walk in the Spirit of God and not after the manner of our flesh.

If you find yourself struggling with the desires of the flesh; that is a good indication that your prayer life is in a weak spot right now. Prayer, coupled with fasting, will crucify your flesh. It will bring your flesh under subjection to the spirit of God.

It will kill your fleshly, humanistic desires, and it will birth in you Godly desires.

The Proper Perspective on Prayer - Part I

Whatever your view point on prayer is, we should all agree that prayer is a necessary component in a Christian’s life if they are going to grow in Christ.

Doctrinally speaking…

There are three basic fundamentals to Christian living. As a child of God, you will not grow in God’s grace without these three fundamentals actively working in your life.

Church will give you a measure of growth. Weekly services will give you a measure of growth. However, if your life lacks these three fundamentals, then your growth will be greatly hindered if existent at all.

The first fundamental is the word of God. Without the word of God active in your life, you can not grow beyond the maturity level of a babe in Christ.

The second fundamental is fasting. Fasting is a way for us to crucify our flesh so that the desires and lusts of our flesh will pass away and God’s nature can be revealed in a greater light through us.

The third fundamental is of course, prayer.

But……

Before we discuss what prayer is, let us examine what prayer is not.

Prayer is not twisting God’s arm.

We do not pray to get God to do what we want him to do. It is ok to go to God with supplications and prayer requests, asking God to move in your life, but we do not go to God for the purpose of persuading him to act.

You don’t have to persuade God.

Who is sly enough in negotiating that they can be successful in persuading God? He knows every thought you think. Every word you say before you even say it. He knows the desires, the motivations, and the intentions of your heart.

Persuade – to prevail on someone to do something. To induce to believe, to convince.

Who can convince God of something? He already knows everything! Who can prevail on him and induce him to believe what they want him to believe? No one can.

Paul asked the question, “For do I now persuade men or God?” (Galatians 1:10).

Later, this same apostles declares

“For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life,
nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers,
nor things present, nor things to come,

nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature,
shall be able to separate us from the love of God,
which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39)

Prayer does not give us the ability to persuade and twist God’s arm. Rather, prayer persuades us that God’s promises are yea and amen!

Prayer persuades us that God’s truth is real. It persuades us that God’s spirit is real. Prayer persuades us, and brings us in line with God’s way of thinking.

Not the other way around.

Prayer is not winning brownie points

Prayer is not a mechanical process whereby we earn favors from God. Rather it is a way of communicating with God and maintaining our relationship with him.

You don’t win brownie points by praying. Some people approach praying as a points system. For every hour you pray, you rack up points in heaven. If you pray thirty minutes, you rack up lesser points, but points none the less.

I’ve talked to people who sincerely believe God is obligated to do what they want him to do because they have been faithful in prayer. They act as if their time in prayer has been storing up brownie points for when they need to cash in on a divine favor.

God will always respond to prayer. I believe God will be swift to answer the prayers of a faithful saint. However, praying does not win us brownie points.

This isn’t Chuck-E-Cheese; we don’t win tickets that we can cash in later. Prayer allows us to build a consistent relationship with God; a relationship through which God will move and God will respond. However, prayer does not win us points that we can use to purchase power from God.

Prayer is not working to convince God to do what you want him to do.

I’ve often heard people in the prayer room begging God to move for them. I’ve heard people at the altar begging God to fill them with the Holy Ghost.

I’ve heard people begging God to heal their loved ones, save their children, touch a need, and respond to their voice.

We do not have to beg God.

God is not some obstinate deity sitting on a celestial throne saying, “C’mon, let me hear you beg.”

When we pray we should approach God in faith, believing that he rewards those that diligently seek him.

To beg God for something shows a lack of faith. We are working hard to convince him to do what we want him to do because we don’t believe he will do it without our convincing him.

Another reason people tend to beg God is because their prayer life, and general walk with God, is weak and they feel that God may be upset with them, or that they don’t have the influence they need with God.

So, if you find yourself begging God to move,

stop and evaluate why you are working to convince God to do something. Is it because your walk with God is weak at that time? If so, repent for the lack of faithfulness and believe God is still as willing and able to meet your need as ever.

If you are working to convince God because your faith is low, pray for faith and believe that God will hear you because you prayed.

Prayer is not just communication.

Prayer is not your daily “tag in” with God. It’s fine to talk to God about what has happened during your day, your week, this year, etc.

However, prayer is not where you come to God and give a report of what happened today.

It is so much more than that.

It is the intimate communication between a God and his people. It is the loving conversation between a father and his child.

It is our opportunity to bring God into our lives, and it is God’s opportunity to bring us into his heart.


To be continued…. Part II – What prayer is.

An Eclipse of the Cross

Earlier today I had a discussion with someone on Facebook. For the remainder of this blog post I will refer to him simply as Don. Prior to this afternoon I had never really met, nor dialogued, with Don. Our history of interaction consisted completely of trading items while playing Mafia Wars.

At some point this afternoon Don took a quiz that asked him to express his opinion on homosexual marriage. Don is a supporter of homosexual marriage and made the below comment when publishing his post to his Facebook wall.

He said,

“How can any sane person in this day and age oppose two people being able to legally marry? If you do oppose same-sex marriage, why? Is it based on religious views or are you just a homophobe? If your views are based on religion, you are seriously misguided….”

I took the opportunity to explain to Don my views on homosexual marriage, as well as what the Bible say concerning homosexuality. Needless to say, he didn’t agree. In fact, he called the Bible a book of Bronze Age Fairy Tales. However, it wasn’t his blatant disregard for the word of God that caught my attention. Rather, it was what was revealed somewhat later in the midst of our discussion.

One of Don’s major arguments against Christianity was his perception of us as hypocrites who “cherry pick” scripture. He accused us of only following those passages which suit us. Later in the discussion he revealed that at some point he had been subjected to Christians whose response to the topic of homosexuality was basically “fags burn in hell,” “God hates fags!” He was put off from Christianity because of the attitudes of Christians he had come in contact with at some point in his life.

While the ungodly attitudes of those “Christians” do not justify his disdain for the things of God, his experience should remind us of one very important principle.

When propagating the message of Christ, it is extremely important that we exhibit the Spirit of Christ.

We must never forget that a good message will ALWAYS be eclipsed by a bad attitude. It doesn’t matter how “right” you are, if you present the truth with an ungodly attitude you will never draw a person to Christ. Rather, you will drive a wedge between them and God and create an even deeper chasm than what they currently experience.

The Bible tells us,

“By mercy and truth iniquity is purged:” –Proverbs 16:6-

The two work together. You can not separate them. Some believe that truth must be proclaimed with a hard demeanor and a firm brow. Such promulgation only serves to alienate the recipient instead of exalting Christ. We can not blame a person for rejecting our gospel if our presentation of it is tarnished by our ungodly deportment.

I don’t believe people who reject our doctrine always do so out of a hatred for holy things. Even if they do reject the gospel, this does not give us vindication to reply discordantly. Our response should always be with a humble and contrite spirit. Never one seasoned with harsh and unbridled tones.

In having this discussion with other Christians, it is often brought up that Christ himself showed an antagonistic spirit when he knocked over the tables of the money changers and called the Pharisees hypocrites and vipers. They argue that because Christ showed angry passion in his response to the blatant deformation of God’s law, then they are justified having more than harsh conversations with people today who show no desire for the things of God.

We must not forget however, that while Christ identified the Pharisaical spirit as poisonous and serpent like, he also responded to the Pharisees with compassion and truth when the opportunity presented itself. He met a Pharisee on the rooftop one night to proclaim the gospel. He reached into the heart of a venomous viper that was bent on the desolation of his people and turned him around on a dirt road on his way to Damascus. While Christ’s indignation was clear in scripture, we must not forget that his mercy is even more evident.

Paul makes the statement in Romans 2:1,

“Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things.”

We should not forget that if it were not for the grace of God, we would be the ones who were on the opposite side rejecting the gospel message. We have this truth because of the mercy of God. When we fail to exhibit that same mercy, we fall short of the very gospel that saves us.

We do nothing when we defend this gospel in angry voices. We do nothing when we respond to others with judgmental tones. We accomplish zero when we promote the word of God without the Spirit of God.

However, love never fails (1 Corinthians 13:8).

Paul asked the question, “What will ye? shall I come unto you with a rod, or in love, and in the spirit of meekness?” –1 Corinthians 4:21-

Two verses before, he makes the following statement about certain men in the Corinthian church, “Now some are puffed up, as though I would not come to you. But I will come to you shortly, if the Lord will, and will know, not the speech of them which are puffed up, but the power.” -1 Corinthians 4:18-19-

The Apostle makes it clear that the bad attitudes expressed by the Corinthian men toward him were a result of puffed up spirits. He responded by saying that he would not come in the same manner, but rather with love and meekness.

That is an example to us all today. Bad attitudes get us nowhere. They are the product of a puffed up spirit. Pride is the origin of such behavior, and as Christians we are called to interact with others in a meek and charitable spirit.

Many times simply being Godly toward someone when they are being ungodly toward you, can be the greatest defense of true faith. Their entire argument falls to the ground when they fail to push you into the mold they accuse you of already fitting in.

If they accuse Christians of being hypocritical and having bad attitudes, show them a good one and they have no where to go. Show them a bad one however, and you only solidify their misperception. If that occurs, wherein is Christ glorified?

In closing I want to admonish us to make our conversations blameless. It is easy to get frustrated and ugly with someone who is so disrespectful toward the gospel we love. However, we must never forget that their disdain does not justify our unrestraint.

Show them love and you show them Christ. Return evil for evil and you further disaffect someone who God may be leading to a Damascus road.

In Christ & For the Kingdom
Joseph Castorina


Further Scriptures to study:

Romans 12:9
Romans 12:21
Romans 14:16
1 Corinthians 15:33
1 Thessalonians 5:15
1 Peter 2:12
1 Peter 3:16
3 John 1:11
1 Corinthians 13

It's the start of something new.

As many of you already know, last week my wife and I were approved to start a Home Missions church in Sugar Land Texas.

What a wild and exciting ride it has already been.

I can't tell you how fast things have been moving. God moved on me many months ago to start a church. I didn't know when or where, all I knew was that God was calling us to a new chapter in our lives and ministry.

It started in January when, unexpectedly, the door opened for us to go to Because of the Times - the preacher's conference held annually in Alexandria Louisiana. It was at this conference that God began working on me to start a church.

When we returned home, my wife and I began praying about God's timing, direction, and plan for our lives. Two months later I was sitting in another conference when the plea was made for Sugar Land Texas. It struck a cord in my heart and another piece of this puzzle was put in place.

Two months after that I was sitting in another conference. (Apparently God speaks to me in conferences :) ) God spoke to me again - this time through tongues and interpretation. I had wrestled with the idea for many months. I wanted to make sure that the voice I was hearing wasn't my own. Finally God broke through my stubbornness and I yielded to his call.

Two days later I sat at the Denny's in Texas City with my pastor explaining everything I felt God leading us to do. I was asking for his blessing, his release, his wisdom, and his direction.

After that a whirlwind started.

Phone call after phone call....

Conversation after conversation...

I talked to friends, family, district officials, neighboring pastors, and of course God. One week later I sat before the district board of the South Texas District and asked them to approve me to start a new church in Sugar Land.

One week later!

It all happened so fast. The Wednesday night of that week I fell asleep and God spoke to me in a dream. In that dream he gave me three words followed by descriptive words. When I awoke, I felt the Holy Ghost tell me, "these are to be the core values of the church." God had stepped into my slumber and embedded in my heart the core values we were to live and operate under.

This served as a confirmation that I had heard from God, and that he was orchestrating every step.

Today we walk into week three. We have selected a name for the church which we will reveal later. It's not a big secret, but I'm not fully ready to go public with it just yet. We have also written out our core values (which I will reveal later also) and have established a discipleship program concept that will help us get new comers grounded.

Tomorrow - or I guess I should say this afternoon since it is 12:26 in the morning - we are going to Sugar Land to get a P.O. Box and look at a house that is available. This is a testimony in itself because the houses are so high in Sugar Land that we were not sure how we were going to be able to find a place big enough and in our budget. Friday, a house came available that has more than enough room and is well within our means. This could be another miracle, and another confirmation of God's divine plan.

We are working to open an account in the church's name. We have already been blessed with wonderful people who have pledged to help us get established and on our feet. I have been totally amazed by the generosity we have experienced in such a short amount of time.

I'm not sure about when we'll get kicked off. I'm not even sure about what our next move ought to be (someone really should come up with a check list for Home Missionaries), but one thing I am sure about is that God is in this and we will not fail.

So, if there is anyone out there who has some suggestions for a first time church planter, then please load my plate. For those who may not know what the next step ought to be, please remember us in your prayers. Destiny's ride is an exciting one. It's a fast paced roller coaster of exhilaration and trepidation combined.

We are excited about the possibilities. Pumped about the future, and confident in our God. I can't wait to see what Christ has in store for the new church in Sugar Land Texas.

It's the start of something new......

A Temple without A God

Several months back I visited an apostolic church. Yesterday I was directed to the website of another apostolic church. Not too long ago I visited the website of another apostolic church. Just a few days ago I was forwarded the photos of yet a fourth apostolic church.

One thing was common among all four.

Without knowing beforehand, it was not apparent they were an apostolic church.

One of the growing threats to Apostolic Christianity is this movement that seeks to replace preaching with “dialogue”, and prides themselves in the ideology of “spiritual progressivism.” In other words, they feel the traditional way of doing church is outdated, and the new and effective way is their way.

They mix worldly philosophy and ideas with Christian principles and pass them off as doctrines. This is nothing new, it was the same tactic early Christians used, attempting to quench the persecutions from Greeks. They mixed Greek philosophy with Christian doctrine to show similarity and downplay differences. The result was deception, and a once apostolic church that fell away from truth for centuries.

It is quite evident that foxes are creeping into the apostolic church of the 21st century. I’m not an alarmist, and I have done my fair share of denouncing the doomsday prophets among us. However, one would have to be totally blind to not realize there are more than a few who would take us a different way if allowed to.

I know pastors and preachers who stand hard on the traditional way of doing things. They can almost be dogmatic against anything that seems new or charismatic. I have never been counted among that number, but neither will I allow myself to be grouped with those who believe the apostolic way is the emergent way. It amazes me when a person can walk into a Pentecostal Church and instead of hearing a life-changing message about repentance or the grace of God, they are fed an inspirational dissertation of self-help tips.

What’s wrong with giving advice to inspire people to be better?

Absolutely nothing at all!

However, when you only have one service on a Sunday morning – in my opinion – you should make that one service count. Yes people need to know how to balance life, career, God, and family; but, first and foremost, they need to come to a relationship with Jesus Christ and be given an opportunity to experience his power.

We help NO ONE when we water down the message and turn our one opportunity to reach lost souls into a time of discussion.

We help NO ONE when we try to hide our identity and refuse to preach or teach concrete doctrines of true holiness or salvation.

We help NO ONE when we attempt to connect with people, and fail to connect them with the one thing that will save them for eternity – God’s word!

The danger this young preacher sees rising up in our movement is the idea that I have to throw out the old ways to preach in a way that relates to those of the 21st century. While that sounds good on the surface, and I do not necessarily disagree with the idea to an extent, we must realize taking this route can quickly lead down a path where no possibility of a U-turn exists.

I am not one to harp on how a platform ought to be set up, or tie vs. no tie. People are removing pulpits from their platforms and replacing them with tall tables and stools. This is their prerogative. I do not know if that would be my modus operandi, but I’m not going to chastise someone else for it.

Why?

Because the gospel can be preached in a suit, or in jeans and a t-shirt. The gospel can be preached behind a pulpit, from a stool, or in the streets. The problem comes when people do not stop at the pulpit, but they go as far as removing the message as well.

The apostolic church of the 21st century must remember that we will not make a difference in lives of people with our cool demeanors. We are not going to change hearts with our “out of the box” sermons. We are not going to better lives with our stylish logos, websites, or buildings.

The ONLY thing that will make a difference in this world is the gospel.

“And my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power,” – I Corinthians 2:4 –

This world does not need another Lakewood or Saddleback. This world needs a demonstration of the Spirit and of power.

We err if we think this is not what this world wants. We err if we think the answer to making a difference lies within sermons that make the audience feel good about living Christian lives, but does not incite true Christian change.

This is not a new deception. For Samaria understood it well.

“Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.” – John 4:20 -

The Samaritans had erected a replica of Solomon’s temple and used that temple to worship God in their own way. They resembled God’s people, but they had enough of the world in them that they separated themselves from true worship and obedience to the statutes of God. While they looked the part, and had many similar characteristics of God’s people, they were unknowingly lost.

“But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.” – John 4:23 –

The danger of this modern way of thinking is that it can easily take us away from true worship. When we water down the doctrines of the Bible, and replace church services that bring people into a demonstration of Gods power with fellowship meetings that satisfy the conscience, we fail to exercise true worship.

When Solomon built the temple, he did so after the pattern that God instructed him. The temple of Solomon was God designed and God endorsed. Later, when Babylon invaded, the temple was destroyed. Many years later Zerubbabel led the Israelites in rebuilding desolated Judah. After many years of work, a second temple was erected.

The second temple was later remodeled by King Herod. It looked strikingly similar to the first temple. There was one major difference though. It did not contain the Ark of the Covenant.

There is a danger that comes with building God’s kingdom our own way. We do so at the expense of the presence of God himself. Embracing a laissez faire attitude towards doctrine and church will result in a temple, but no God. Introducing lost souls to a “community of worshippers” without also introducing them to the life-changing power of the Holy Ghost will create temples without a God.

Our walk with God must be after the pattern of the word. It must be filled with prayer, fasting, holiness and doctrine. If we build worshippers who will sing and praise and lift their hands, but they will not pray or fast or seek God’s face, then we have accomplished nothing.

If you want the lights and theatrics, go for it. If you want the casual setting, fine. If you want to shun the suits for something more casual – hey, I hate ties as much as the next guy.

BUT…

If you sacrifice the power of the message in an attempt to win the people, you win nothing at all and you lead men astray. We must remain apostolic in preaching, apostolic in prayer, and apostolic in worship. We must maintain the true apostolic message and preach the apostolic lifestyle.

If we don’t, we will build temples….

But, we will have no God….

Happy Birthday Batman!

It happened five years ago this morning.

I knew it was coming, but I wasn’t quite prepared for it.

Five years ago today my boy was born.

My buddy.

As I was driving to work, I allowed my mind to travel back to that delivery room at Clear Lake Regional Hospital. Like Marty McFly – but without the DeLorean – I was transported back in time. I will never forget that day. I couldn’t have been more proud.

I was a new dad. I had no idea what I was doing. That first night he stayed in the room with us and, since my wife was exhausted from delivery and still affected by the medication and epidural, she was knocked out and I was commissioned with his care.

Sometime in the night he began to cry. I nervously picked him up – he was so small – and slowly sat down in a rocking chair taking great care not to break him. As I rocked him and talked to him, I tried to think of a lullaby song that might sooth this crying child.

I didn’t know any.

So I sang the first thing that came to my mind. “Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale. A tale of a fateful trip. That started from this tropic port, aboard this tiny ship….”

Hey, give me a break it was all I could think of in a hurry. :)

Now it wasn’t my intention to introduce my son to his daddy’s mad lullaby skills with the theme song from Gilligan’s Island, but hey it’s what happened. Nevertheless, it didn’t work. I finally hit the button and called in reinforcements.

“Help! I can’t stop this kid from crying!”

“Have you tried feeding him?”

“What?”

It never dawned on me that the kid could be hungry. I wasn’t hungry, so I didn’t even consider the possibility. Moments later my savior arrived in scrubs carrying a 4 oz bottle of formula. She worked her magic and Carson fell back asleep.

I smiled as I recalled that night. It wasn’t all that long ago, yet it seems forever. Five years later he is one of the craziest kids I know. He is always making us laugh with his off the wall comments, and he is always astounding us with his wit.

Five years old and he is reading.

Five years old and he is into Batman.

Five years old and he knows 135 scriptures from the book of Luke.

Five years old and he has won medals and first place ribbons in Bible Quizzing.

The other day he crawled into my lap and I patted him on the leg like I always do. He told me, “I knew you were going to do that dad. You’re so predictable.”

Predictable!

I asked him, “Do you even know what that means?” He said, “No, but it’s what you are.”

The boy is a nut case. I couldn’t ask for a better buddy.

As I recalled those moments this morning my mind wandered to my own father, and then to my heavenly father.

I would do anything for my son. My dad would do anything for me. It reminded me of the scripture passage in Matthew 7:11.

“If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?”

The way I felt when I held my boy for the first time that morning must be how God feels when we first receive the Holy Ghost. The way I felt Sunday when Carson crawled into my lap must be how God feels when we kneel to pray.

Other religions in this world have gods.

How awesome it is to know we have a father!

To the Lord I say: Thank you God for being my father. Thank you for being more than a deity, more than what the agnostics believe you to be. Thank you for being a father who desires a personal relationship, not a multitude of servants.

To my son I say: Happy Birthday Batman! I love you more every day. The very first moment I held you in my arms I said a silent prayer and dedicated your life back to God. It’s because I love you that I make it a vow to serve HIM more than ever before, so that you – my son – may know HIM – your abba father.

Easter: Veggie Style!

Cavis and Millward (Bob & Larry) and Hope the Music Box Angel voiced by Grammy Award winning artist Rebecca St. James must convince Nezzer that Easter is about much more than candy and eggs.

Inspired by Dickens' Christmas classic, this very special film explains why millions of Christians around the world celebrate Easter past, present and future.

HAPPY RESURRECTION DAY!!!!

Tell your kids to shape up this summer!

We've all heard about the obesity epidemic in America. If you're anything like me, you're a shining example of the existence of that epidemic. Michelle Romain - curriculum trainer and Children's Ministry consultant - has developed a program that aims to address the growing trend of childhood obesity.

Meet Shapin’ Up!

Shapin’ Up is a 5 day curriculum that combines fitness, nutrition, and the Bible into a VBS style program aimed at teaching kids how to make proper physical and nutrition choices.

In a world where our kids are continually being bombarded with images of Hollywood women and their anorexic figures, being told that physical appearance is what matters most, and where media has replaced outdoor play, it is refreshing to see a God centered program that teaches kids that our bodies are the temples of God and are meant for his glory (see I Corinthians 10:31).

If you are looking for a fresh and innovative idea for your summer VBS or Kid’s Camp, I suggest you take a look at Shapin’ Up. It’s a unique, flexible, and reusable resource that comes fully equipped to help you address one of the biggest challenges facing children in the 21st century.

Check out the link below and watch the video of Michelle explaining the details of her fitness camp. If you have any ideas on how apostolic churches can address the issue of childhood obesity, please post them in the comments section. We’d love to hear what’s going on!

http://www.kidzblitz.com/fitness.htm

Growing Trends In Children's Ministry

Children’s Ministry is changing! Not only do our kids grow and the needs of the family change, but so must our ministry and the means by which we reach this new generation. Gone are the days of felt boards, and sitting quietly in Sunday school. We have now entered the age of Playstation, Power-Point, and roller skate tennis shoes.

Here are the top 6 positive trends we have identified as growing within the UPCI. These trends will impact your ministry and increase your effectiveness in reaching for the children of this world.

TREND #1 - TAKING A “HANDS ON” APPROACH.

For years many churches approached children’s ministry in the same way they did 20 or 30 years ago. There are a growing number of churches realizing that we can not reach this new generation with old mindsets. Whereas children once had the ability to sit at tables and work through lessons, kids today need the constant activity and hands on interaction that many churches are turning to. Group Publishing, a leader in Children’s Ministry resources, caught this trend and published their “Hand’s on Bible Curriculum” for Sunday school. It has been a tremendous success. Another engaging curriculum is “Kid’s on the Move” published by Church on the Move in Tulsa OK. Both of these resources use a hands on approach that takes kids from just hearing the word of God, to experiencing the word of God.

Also, The UPCI's Word Aflame Publishing offers a distinctly Apostolic Kid's Church and Sunday school curriculum that promotes hands on teaching, and involves students in all activities, while at the same time teaching Apostolic doctrine.

TREND #2 - MEDIA MINDED MINISTRY

This trend continues in the spirit of trend #1. When competing against game systems, television, and videos, churches have discovered that traditional methods are no longer efficient. Because of this many Children’s Ministry leaders have found ways to include power-point, video, and other media in their kid’s church services. (Please see video below)

A multi-media Ministry is highly engaging, but not necessarily more effective than a ministry that can not afford the bells and whistles. What is truly important is for your Children’s Ministry to have a staff that engages the children and forms strong relationships with their kids.

TREND #3 - PARENTAL INVOLVMENT

A growing trend that is revolutionizing the way churches minister to children is something that is so basic and biblical that many have underestimated its importance for generations. Our society has the mindset that it is the responsibility of our local school system to educate our children. Many feel that only well trained, professional, teachers are qualified to properly educate our kids.

This mindset has permeated the church. Many feel that the responsibility of instructing our kids in the ways of God falls primarily to the Sunday school teacher. However, this mindset is changing as parents are beginning to see the importance of being involved in the spiritual instruction of their children. In many churches the Children’s Ministry is taking a supportive role and working to equip parents with the tools to effectively teach their Kids. Churches that find ways to include parents will increase the effectiveness of their ministry by leaps and bounds.

TREND #4 - CHILD SECURITY

Unfortunately the closer we get to glory, the deeper in sin this world must fall. It is becoming more and more common to turn on the radio, open the news paper, or log onto the internet and read about another abduction or abuse case. This unfortunate sign of the times is what has prompted trend number four. Many churches have recognized the need to create policies to safe guard our children. By utilizing a “check in” system, as well as adhering to proper teacher-student ratios and doubling up on bus ministry runs, churches are increasing their awareness of safety needs and taking the proper steps to protect their children from abuse or abduction, and their teachers from wrongful allegations. Creating a safety policy is a smart decision that every church should make.

TREND #5 – EVANGELISM

Bus ministry has always been a popular form of child evangelism. However, we are seeing a new trend approaching on the horizon. Kid’s street services are being found to be an extremely effective way of reaching the children in our communities. For many years churches have hosted “back yard Sunday Schools,” but lately more and more churches are catching on to this innovative outreach.

With exciting music, high energy games, puppets, candy and other activities, our churches are finding that hosting a street service is a highly effective means to promote your church and its Children’s Ministry. During these events, if you send your staff to walk the kid’s home and get their information from Mom & Dad, it becomes a great way to build your bus ministry!

TREND #6 - THE PRIORITIZATION OF CHILDREN’S MINISTRY

To me this trend is the most exciting. For FAR TOO MANY YEARS Children’s Ministry has sat on the back burner of many churches. Most of a church’s time, attention, and resources went toward reaching the teenagers, and adults. More and more churches are realizing that by reaching out to children they are growing their church! It has been said many times, “Save an adult and you save a soul. Save a child and you save a life.”

In a recent Barna Research study they found that only 1 out of every 7 senior pastors listed Children’s Ministry as a priority in their church.

1 out of every 7!

This is staggering when you think about the fact that our greatest chance of influencing someone to live for Christ is between the ages of 5 and 12! Many churches, especially our home mission churches, are discovering that by reaching the children they are able to reach the entire family. No longer is Children’s Ministry only a “necessity” it is now becoming a priority!

If, as Children’s Ministry workers, we do our jobs right; then that makes it easier for the youth pastor, and eventually the pastor, to do their jobs. We are the first line of assault when it comes to Children. What we teach them and what we instill in them will shape their beliefs, values, and ideas for the REST OF THEIR LIVES!


JOE’S THOUGHTS

The question is not “Are children important in my church?”

It is “Are children a priority in my church?”

The answer to that question greatly determines how effective our church and Children’s Ministry will be in reaching the future generation. If we approach kids as anything other than a priority, we should not be surprised when they choose something other than God.

Why?

Because the world understands the importance of making them their priority and it has put into motion many things to influence the children to live worldly and humanistic lives. Looking at the world objectively, there is no other area of ministry fought harder than the field of our Children. Hell is doing everything in its power to remove God from their lives, teach humanistic doctrine, normalize sin, and degrade the family structure, all for the purpose of influencing our children - the future generation.

The church is the only entity that can defeat the game plan of Hell. Left unchecked Hell will prevail; left un-reached we will lose our children. It is imperative that each church make Children’s Ministry a priority if they wish to be effective in influencing the next generation for Christ.


Below is a video segment I use in kid's church - as well as rallies, camps, and crusades. I call it "Bro. Joe's Toy Stories." It is a simple concept using toys to tell a Biblical story or illustrate a Biblical principle. I got the idea from Karl Bastian - The Kidologist. It is a lot of fun and kids absolutely love them.

I would love to hear how you incorporate media into your Kid's Church. Please comment below and share your ideas!

A Dog Defined Righteousness

Earlier in the week I was listening to a local Christian radio station on my way to work. The morning DJs were talking to a well-known national bounty hunter.

You have probably heard of him. His name is “DOG”

His actual name is Duane Chapman and he runs his bail bond & bounty hunter services out of his hometown of Denver Colorado. Since the launch of his show in 2005 Dog has become a national icon of vigilante justice.

Moreover, apparently, he professes to be a Christian.

Normally I don’t make it a practice to question someone’s profession of faith. However, I heard quite a few things during the course of the interview that made me concerned about the times we live in.

Towards the beginning of the interview one of the DJs brought up the fact that Dog is often seen on screen smoking cigarettes and offering tobacco to his captives. He asked him how he justifies his habit while professing Christianity.

Dog’s answer was astounding to me. He said, “Well, you know… Just 10 years ago, people would put you in Hell for smoking cigarettes. Cigarettes were sin. Today, they’re really not that big of a deal.”

He saw nothing wrong with smoking cigarettes. He saw nothing contrary to scripture or the spirit of God. His attitude and tone of voice made it sound like the DJ was a legalistic Bible thumper for just breaching the subject.

What made it worse is that the DJ – whom I originally thought was asking a serious question and addressing a concern – turned and agreed with Dog stating, “Yea, my pastor says that cigarettes won’t send you to Hell. They’ll just make you smell like you’ve already been there.”

A few moments later, the other DJ asked another question. She pointed out the fact that in nearly every episode Dog can be heard cussing and ranting. She mentioned that his words aren’t just cuss words, but some of them are the “hard ones.” She then turned and said that many people today don’t believe a person is a Christian if they talk like that.

“But you are a very strong believer.” She said.

It was as if she was trying to use Dog as an example to illustrate even the most righteous and strong believers can cuss and not be tainted by their swearing.

I drove stunned.

I turned off the radio and pondered what I had just heard. Three public figures – who professed a strong faith in Christ – were working together to justify sinfulness and re-categorize it as anything but sin.

What a dangerous place to be.

The word still says,

“For I am the LORD, I change not…”

- Malachi 3:6 -

What was sin to God 10 years ago is still sin today. For those who profess a faith in Jesus Christ, our bodies are no longer our own. We are bought, with a price and our bodies are the temples of the Holy Ghost.

It is still a sin to defile God’s temple…

Our tongues ought to be under subjection to the Holy Ghost, not filled with all manners of filthy language. We now live in a world with a Dog defined righteousness. Sin is no longer fearful and Christ has become a supine and benevolent enabler whose holiness is subjective to our fleshly desires.

When we can confess Christ one moment and then turn around and cuss someone out as we light a cigarette the next moment – something is most definitely wrong.

We need a revival of righteousness…

We need a revival of God inspired convictions…

I’m not talking about the standards we wear on our backs – they are necessary and I’ll preach them all day long – but I am talking about God given convictions that run deep in our heart and govern our behaviors, attitudes, speech, and lives.

Righteousness doesn’t need to be defined by a self-serving Dog. It needs to be preached by a passionate and loving Saint, Pastor, Sunday school teacher, Children’s Pastor, etc. It needs to be shouted from the rooftops and declared in the streets. It needs to be taught to the children and embedded in the young. It needs to be illustrated by the adults and emulated in the youth. It needs to become our coat, our garments, and our breastplate in a world whose love of truth has evidently gone to the Dogs.

One of the greatest things a Sunday school teacher, Children’s Pastor, Pastor, and Parent can do for their kids is teach them what sin is and how to avoid it. Teach them that a spade is a spade and God doesn’t play cards. Teach them that holiness is obtained, only through a life of righteousness and that NO SIN will ever enter the kingdom of Heaven.

Our society wants to teach our kids that truth is relative. We need to remind them that it is absolute. Sin is sin and there is no getting around that. One man’s trash may be another man’s treasure, but that principle does not apply to sin.

Sin is sin, no matter how you slice it or how you justify it.

Sometime in the near future, let’s talk to our kids about sin. Let’s remind them that God demands holiness and no sin will ever be justified in the eyes of God.

Dog doesn’t define righteousness, God does.

Here is an illustrative game that I’ve used when teaching our kids about sin. On white bulletin board paper, or poster board, draw a target like you would see on a dartboard. In the bulls-eye, write 10,000. Make the bulls-eye small so that it is hard to hit. Let the kids take turns throwing paper balls at the target. They get three chances each. They only score if they hit the bulls-eye, and they have to hit it every time after their first time in order to keep their points. If they hit it on the first try, but miss it the second or third time, then they lose all their points.

The point of this game is to make it impossible to win.

That is the way sin is. Sin is defined as, “missing the mark.” The only way to do it right is to hit the bulls-eye. Every time a kid misses the bulls-eye, he sins. Even if he hits the bulls-eye once, if he misses it at all during his time he sins. The only way to win is to be perfect and hit the bulls-eye all three times. It is impossible, everyone will miss the mark.

Likewise, we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.

I use this to teach about sin and how only with God’s help can we hit the bulls-eye. Turn the paper over and reveal another target, this time the bulls-eye is huge.

What is the price of purity?

It seems like you can buy anything on the internet these days. Sarah Palin sold her private jet, a wealthy entrepreneur sold spectator rides into space. The government of a small country once sold an entire island in the pacific, and who can forget about the half eaten grilled cheese sandwich which resembled the Virgin Mary being auctioned off on eBay?

But this tops the charts in my opinion….

“Student auctions off virginity for offers of more than $3.7 million.”

That was the headline of the Telegraph news report. Apparently a California girl named Natalie decided to sell her body to the highest bidder in hopes of paying off a masters degree in Marriage and Family therapy. The idea came to her after she learned that her older sister was able to pay off her college degree by working as a prostitute for 3 weeks.

I believe it is an understatement to say that we live in a sexually charged world. Immorality and promiscuity have become the norm, and what was once considered reckless sexual behavior is now commonly expected out of teenagers and college students.

Unfortunately the emphasis on sexuality doesn’t stop there. Once pre-marital sex saturated the colleges, it was only a matter of time before it trickled down into our high schools, junior highs, and even middle schools. Today’s 10 and 11 year olds face a much more sexually aggressive society than any of us adults faced when we were that age.

It may be hard for us to contemplate the idea of kids engaging in sexual behaviors, and discussing sexual matters, but the reality is that the internet has become a door for all kinds of impropriety to take place. Issues that were once reserved for Youth Pastors are now being addressed by Children’s Pastors as well.

A good example of such an issue is the recent Halloween Costumes that have been released for pre-teen and elementary aged girls. Costumes that show the child’s midriff, thighs, and accentuate features not yet developed on most 8-10 year old girls. Another example is the rise in popularity of networking sites like MySpace and Facebook. Sites like these can be a good place for kids to express their individuality and chat with friends, but they also provide opportunities to engage in unwholesome conversations and allow pedophiles access to naïve and innocent prey. Left unchecked, a MySpace account can be detrimental to a child’s innocence and become an avenue of experiences that are way beyond the maturity level of the user.

It is estimated that our hyper-sexualized culture now reaches into more than 60% of American homes via the internet & 2/3 of homes through television. Sexuality is a constant topic in many schools and can be seen on the cover of any latest teen magazine, which are often coveted by pre-teen girls.

A timeless truth is that kids want to be older. For many girls this means wearing the short skirts, showing the midriff, and donning the lip glosses, earrings, eye shadow, and wearing that blouse or shirt just off the shoulder. For many boys this means adopting crude and even vulgar language, spouting innuendoes, and making inappropriate gestures and having inappropriate conversations. To top it off, we live in a society that enables such behavior and embraces what should be taboo.

It breeds the question today, what is the price of purity?

Some sell it for a quick thrill. Some sell it for curiosity or pleasure. Some sell their purity for popularity or to fit the status quo. Some sell it to emulate their idols; and apparently some – like Natalie Dylan – sell it for 3.7 million dollars.

For many years sexual purity has been the subject of many youth group meetings. However, the current culture of our world has caused some experts, like James Dobson of focus on the family, to encourage churches to teach abstinence to kids as young as middle school.

This idea isn’t a bad one. It makes sense that we should teach these kids how to swim before they enter the waters of adolescence instead of scrambling to save them from drowning after they have crossed the adolescent line. However, abstinence education isn’t usually a subject you hear addressed in many children’s ministries.

Of course, the primary teacher should be parents. However, the topic of abstinence and sexual purity is a sensitive and often embarrassing one for parents and kids alike. Below I have provided links to articles featured on Focus on the Family’s website which discuss teaching your child about healthy sexuality. If anything, the church should be a resource parents can utilize to teach their kids about the dos and don’ts of sexual behavior.

Years ago the UPCI put forth “Worth the Wait” and emphasized the importance of sexual purity to teenagers across the nation. Unfortunately today it is necessary that we teach our pre-teens how to slay the promiscuity dragon.

What are your thoughts? Do you agree that it is a good idea to introduce abstinence lessons to kids as young as middle school? What are ways that parents, and the church, can safeguard their children against the dangers of a sexually aggressive world?

Please, share your thoughts. While the subject is not comfortable, the perverseness of our Sodom and Gomorrah world has forced us to address the reality of immorality at a much younger age than any of us care to.

We can’t afford to wait until they’re teenagers to reach them. The world is vying for our children and they are adamant about making them as amoral as possible.

http://www.focusonthefamily.com/parenting/sexuality/talking_about_sex/talking_to_tweens_about_love_sex_and_relationships.aspx

http://www.focusonthefamily.com/parenting/sexuality/teaching_children_healthy_sexuality.aspx

http://www.focusonthefamily.com/parenting/sexuality/teaching_children_healthy_sexuality/how_to_start_early.aspx

http://www.focusonthefamily.com/parenting/sexuality/healthy_childhood_sexual_development.aspx