Incidentals...

We are in the midst of revival services at Bronx Bethany Church of the Nazarene. Our guest minister is Dr. Deirdre Brower Latz, who has come to us from England with a word from the Lord.

During Sunday morning's message, Dr. Brower Latz shared that there was a period of time where she was reluctant to travel to a particular area of the United States. Her negative feelings about that area stemmed from an incident that had occurred. She noted that, although the incident only occurred once, and although the incident was not necessarily representative of the community at large, it had such a strong impact on her that it even affected her decision on whether to travel there again.

The advantage that Dr. Brower Latz had, and the advantage that all believers have, is an open heart to receive the word of the Lord. As the Spirit of God showed her the way in which she had distanced herself from that community, she repented and He brought healing to her. Her negative feelings were replaced by His love.

What about us? Are we harboring feelings of anger, disappointment, or ill will towards certain regions or people? Are we holding onto bad experiences, ruminating about negative incidents instead of allowing God to heal our hurts? Our Lord is present to bring us into a place of wellness, wholeness, and peace. Let's give our hurts to Him.

There is a balm in Gilead to make the wounded whole;
There is a balm in Gilead to heal the sin-sick soul.
(Negro Spiritual)

Backlash.

"Because of my continued emphasis on renewal and revival, a few relational and leadership issues arose. Already a handful of families had left the church because of the changes that were happening, but now some close friends in the body and in the leadership began to get 'tired' of the revival. It seemed that they were discontent, and whenever they saw me they complained and questioned my judgement or motives. I have learned that there is a big difference between asking a question of the pastor and questioning the pastor.

"At one time these friends were able to receive, but now they were in opposition. Their favorite comments were, 'When are we going back to the way it was? This revival is getting out of hand' or 'You're going too far with this.'

"The decision I had to make was whether I should react to these complaints or stay the course. After much soul searching, prayer, and counsel from my elders and leaders, we decided that at the danger of losing some families, I would continue to allow God to move as He led me. We lost a few more people which caused disappointment because they were close friends, and some of them were influential in the church.

"I continued to encourage people to come to the renewal and revival services, and I waited on God for His direction on when to change anything.

"Was it worth it? Absolutely! We continued to be touched by the Holy Spirit and we grew numerically. I determined to forgive and release those who had accused me so that they could go on to do what they felt they should do... Not everyone will be passionate for revival. Some will find that revival puts them outside of their religious comfort zone. Nonetheless, the barometer of revival constantly reflects what God wants, not what religion dictates. Listen carefully to the voice of God, and stay submitted to godly wisdom, authority and counsel. Stay the course of revival to see God's increase."

-from the book "Living in the Spirit of Revival" by Dr. Ron Burgio

Back To The Drawing Board...

"God has drawn us together, and He has something to give us. He is not ordinary, but extraordinary; not measured, but immeasurable, abounding in everything. There is nothing small about our God, and when we understand God, we will find out that there should not be anything small about us. We must have an enlargement of our conception of God. Then we will know that we have come to a place where all things are possible, for our God is an omnipotent God for impossible situations."

-from the sermon "Men of Faith: The Life That Ventures on the Word of God" by Smith Wigglesworth

HowChurchWorks, Incorporated.

"Faith and hope enter into eternity transformed into the shape of love. In the end everything must become love. Perfection's name is love. But the sign of perfect love in this world bears the name cross. That is the way that perfect love must go in this world, must go over and over again. That shows us first of all that this world is ripe, even overripe, for its destruction; only God's indescribable patience can wait for the end time. Second, it shows us that the church in this world remains the church under the sign of the cross. In particular, the church that wants to become the church of God's visible glory, here and now, has denied its Lord on the cross. Faith, hope, and love together lead us through the cross to perfection.

"When we go out the doors of this church now, we enter a world that is longing for the things we have spoken of here-- not simply for the words, of course, but for the reality. Humanity, betrayed and disappointed a thousand times over, needs faith; humanity, wounded and suffering, needs hope; humanity, fallen into discord and mistrust, needs love. Even if we no longer have any compassion for our own poor souls, which are truly in need of all three, do at least have compassion for your poor fellow human beings. They want to learn from us how to believe again, to hope, to love again; do not deny them."

- from the sermon "A Church That Believes, Hopes, and Loves" by Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Circuit Maker.

Daniel said (9:2-4) "In the first year of [Darius'] reign I Daniel understood by books... that [God] would accomplish in seventy years the desolation of Jerusalem. And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes: And I prayed unto the Lord my God, and made my confession..."

He understood by books what was to come. What books? The Scriptures that he had available in those days. And as a result of his exposure to the Word of God, he prayed. It has been said that God purposes, therefore He promises. And we can add, "Therefore I pray the promises, so that God's purposes might come to reality." God purposed to do something, and He promised it, therefore Daniel prayed. This was his part in completing the circuit, like an electrical circuit, so that the power could flow through.

- from "How To Spend A Day In Prayer", Lorne C. Sanny

Callback.

“Come, let us return to the LORD. For He has torn us, but He will heal us; He has wounded us, but He will bandage us.” (Hosea 6:1)

"Return, faithless people; I will cure you of backsliding." "Yes, we will come to you, for you are the LORD our God." (Jeremiah 3:22)

“In those days, at that time,” declares the LORD, “the people of Israel and the people of Judah together will go in tears to seek the LORD their God. They will ask the way to Zion and turn their faces toward it. They will come and bind themselves to the LORD in an everlasting covenant that will not be forgotten.” (Jeremiah 50:4-5)

The Roaring Of Revival Flames.

This past Sunday, a number of congregants volunteered to fast and pray during this week concerning Bronx Bethany's revival services (scheduled for February 10 through 13).

I encourage us all to continue in prayer.

One of the challenges of revival is that, in some instances, the services have become a form of entertainment, or an opportunity for engagement in cult of personality. We concern ourselves with guest singers, guest speakers, and "entertaining" services, and somehow we lose the sense of urgency of our own need to draw near to God in sincerity and contrition.

Perhaps this year will be different. We have been immersed in several sermons themed "Pursuing Holiness... Promoting Healing", and we are conscious of our deep need for God's holy nature in us, that we might be agents of His power to heal.

I am not sure what more to say, nor am I sure whether anything I say is akin to the dark side of "preaching to the choir". The dark side of preaching to the choir is that, because many nominal Christians have heard this appeal so many times, they have become hardened to the call to holiness. They have enjoyed measurable success while maintaining a mediocre, disinterested attendance to tenets of the faith. They see no reason to go deeper into the life of faith because they are quite comfortable in the status quo, and as such their purpose for attending revival is to do anything other than draw nearer to God.

I have been there. It is a dangerous way to live. In fact, one might argue that it is not true Christian living at all. And, as I sit here, I realize that the temperature of my written words is at best lukewarm, and my appeal a wasted exercise. Who can I convince to change, especially if they can rightly tell me that I am the one who needs changing? Such change cannot occur unless the fire of the Holy Spirit breaks in to the human heart, and it is God's prerogative as to how and when He moves... but, like Elijah, we can pray that God sends a consuming fire that will change our lives forever.

Lord, fan our feeble sparks into a roaring flame.

Prepare To Live Again: Revival Meetings 2013.

As we anticipate our Revival Services at Bronx Bethany February 10 through 13, let us take time over the next week to prayerfully prepare for these special services. I pray that the words of Richard Owen Roberts (listed below) will be a help to us as we contemplate revival.

1. When prayer ceases to be a vital part of a professing Christian's life, revival is needed.
2. When the quest for biblical truth ceases and one grows content with the knowledge of eternal things already acquired, there is need for revival.
3. When the biblical knowledge possessed or acquired is treated as an external fact that is not applied inwardly, revival is needed.
4. When earnest thoughts about eternal things cease to be regular and gripping, revival is needed.
5. When the services of the church lose their delights, revival is needed.
6. When pointed spiritual discussions are an embarrassment, revival is needed.
7. When sports, recreation, and entertainment are a large necessary part of one's lifestyle, revival is needed.
8. When sins of the body and mind can be indulged without an uproar in one's conscience, revival is needed.
9. When the aspirations for Christ-like holiness cease to be dominant in one's life and thinking, revival is needed.
10. When the acquisition of money and goods becomes a dominant part of your thinking, and lifestyle, revival is needed.
11. When you can mouth religious songs and words without heart, revival is needed.
12. When you hear the Lord's name taken in vain, spiritual concerns mocked, and eternal issues flippantly treated, and not be moved to indignation and action, revival is needed.
13. When you can watch degrading movies and television and read morally debilitating literature, revival is needed.
14. When breaches of peace in the brotherhood are of no concern to you, revival is needed.
15. When the slightest excuse is sufficient to keep you from spiritual duty and opportunity, revival is needed.
16. When you've become content with your lack of spiritual power and no longer seek repeated encouragements and power from on high, revival is needed.
17. When you pardon your own sin and laziness by saying "The Lord understands and remembers that we are dust," revival is needed.
18. When there is no music in your soul and no song in your heart, the silence testifies that revival is needed.
19. When you adjust happily to the world's lifestyle, your own mirror will tell you the truth that revival is needed.
20. When injustice and human misery exist around you and you do little or nothing to relieve the suffering, revival is needed.

High Fidelity!

Wednesday night was our final installment of this winter's revival services. Our guest speaker, Reverend Dr. Andrew Mercurio, spoke on the importance of our relationships with spouse and family.

His message centered around three themes: the spiritual models of family life, the spiritual mandate of family life, and the spiritual means for family life. The crux of the message, as summarized by our own Pastor Sam, was that the word of God is key to our modeling the love and life of Jesus in our homes.

How do we demonstrate the virtues of the living Christ? By loving and caring for those who are closest to us. Reverend Andrew reiterated the warning found in First Timothy: "If anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever." (First Timothy 5:8, italics mine.) If the word of God equates familial neglect with denial of the faith, we would do well to take heed of such a warning.

Lord, please help us to stand firm in our faith. Please help us to express that faith in our most intimate environment, the one in which our family has center stage. May we be a blessing to our close relatives first. May we hold them in high regard and pray the plan of God over them. May we give You glory, Lord Jesus, by the way in which we bless our spouse and family. In Jesus's name we pray. Amen.

Flash Photography.

Last night was our third evening of revival services. Our guest speaker, Reverend Dr. Melrose Rattary, spoke on Psalm 139 and Matthew 15.

The sermon revolved around a series of key truths:

-God knows us.
-God knows our hearts.
-God knows our thoughts.

And, in light of His holy knowledge of who we really are, we are cautioned to take heed:

-Does our lifestyle show the world that we know, and OBEY, the living God?
-Are our hearts repositories for the purity of Christian life and doctrine, or are our hearts filled with sin?
-If the thoughts in our minds were exposed to the world, what assessment would the world make of us?

There was a clear prophetic warning delivered to Bronx Bethany. The external exuberance of praise and worship, for some of us, is a false cover. In Matthew 15 Jesus quotes the prophet Isaiah: "These people draw near to Me with their mouth and honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me." (Matthew 15:8)

What do we do in light of this indictment?

-We repent.
-We plead for mercy.
-We ask the Holy Spirit to tranform us by His power, so that we can reflect the image and likeness of God.

Lord, help us to hear and obey so that we will not be crushed by Your judgement.

We're All One!

Revival services continue at Bronx Bethany. On Sunday night Reverend Gabriel Salguero preached (totaling three sermons for the day), and on Monday night Reverend Garry Frost preached.

Both men, though preaching from different texts, echoed the same theme: There is a critical need for unity to be demonstrated in the body of Christ. Unity in our belief of who God is, unity between cultures, unity in our families, unity between denominations.

Reverend Garry led a prayer for the men in our church. We are encouraged to support our men in prayer, just as Moses's hands were held up until Israel's victory had been won.

And we have been exhorted to pray. Are you praying?

Faith In The Face Of Loss

It's revival time at Bronx Bethany!

Today's guest speaker, Reverend Gabriel Salguero, spoke on the importance of attaining to mature faith. We have been called to reflect on Biblical examples of mature faith:

Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah (see Daniel 1:6): The three Hebrew boys who expressed faith in God's power to deliver, then went a step further and proclaimed that their loyalty to God was not dependent on whether He rescued them.

Stephen (Acts 7): In his final moments, Stephen's faith caused him to see beyond the stoning and experience an open heaven. In seeing Jesus, Stephen was empowered to forgive the men who were killing him.

The Shunammite woman (Second Kings 4): Though her son had died in her arms, her response was to say "it is well". She demonstrated a faith that was not dependent on whether her son was revived.

Job (Job 1 and 2): Job's faith and integrity was such that God Himself pointed out Job: "Have you considered my servant Job?" In the face of losing everything, his response was to bless the Lord just as he had when his resources seemed endless.

How about you? As Pastor Sam said during the altar call (and I paraphrase here): Are you in love with God no matter what happens, or do you need Him to keep giving you lollipops?

Synchronized Praying.

Reverend Joel gave a wonderful example of someone who was praying for him during a television broadcast, but the person didn't realize that the event they were "praying for" had ended several hours before it aired... they were wasting time praying in an attempt to change a dialogue that had already occurred!

When we pray, are we led by what we see in front of us? Perhaps we should instead engage the idea of solely being led by the Holy Spirit. Here's an example. Some time ago the Lord prompted an individual to pray on a Sunday for a worship service that was scheduled to occur the following Tuesday. The person prayed on the Sunday, then stopped praying on the Monday. Why? Because the Holy Spirit had assured that the prayer was heard and responded to: in other words, any additional prayer for that event would have been redundant at best.

How hard this can be. We live in a world where much of our decision-making is based not on the leading of the Holy Spirit, but instead based on what we see, hear, or read. That's a hard thing to change... but not impossible. I pray that each of us will be courageous and submit our entire wills to the Spirit of Jesus- to see what He sees, hear what He hears, say what He says. When we "pray in sync" (Rev. Joel's phrase) with the Spirit, we can be sure that our prayer is in accordance with the will of God.

Have a wonderful weekend my friends, and remember to pray- according to the will of God.

Total Eclipse.

"But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth..." (John 16:13a).

During our revival services, Reverend Joel reminded us that the Holy Spirit is the one who reveal the truth of who Jesus is. As is stated later in John 16:13, the Holy Spirit "speaks what he hears": he testifies of Jesus (see John 15:26).

Are you at a point in your life where the truth of who Jesus is eclipses every other claim, every other thought, every other argument? Yes, there are opportunities to ponder a myriad of mysteries. But, as Reverend Joel implied, what's the use of imagining how many angels can sit on the head of a pin? Can such a fact save a soul from destruction? Can such a fact encourage us to stay faithful to the point of death?

The writer to the Hebrews said it well: "Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith" (Hebrews 12:2a).

Lord Jesus, as we gaze into your glorious Light, please cause everything else to dissipate, vanish, fade away. Yes, Lord, all we really want is You. Grace us with Your Presence. Amen.

Paterson, Raging Against The One Who Stills The Storm.

Friends, you may recall that earlier this year I issued a call to prayer and fasting concerning New York Governor David Paterson's attempt to legalize marriage between homosexuals. You may also recall that the New York State Senate experienced what amounted to a coup, and the Senate never voted on the proposal.

Well, Governor Paterson recently announced at a Gay Pride dinner (held in New York City last week) that he again intends to call a special session for the Senate to vote, and his belief is that he and the gay lobby have sufficient votes to pass the bill into law. Some commentators have stated that the Governor is in a hurry to pass the law before 2010, so that marriage between homosexuals will not be a debatable issue in the 2010 state elections.

I don't know much about politics. But I do know that I have friends who are homosexual, whom I love dearly, and I know that I have an ultimate Friend, Jesus, who I would die for.

Reverend Joel spoke on this dynamic during the Leadership Symposium:

-Everyone has the right to express their opinions.
-It is not realistic to expect non-Christians to live according to the word of God.
-Whatever the law is, we all must obey as good citizens.
-The voice of Christianity should be defined not by protest alone, but by love and service to the community.

So, in light of these things, I continue to love and not judge.
So, in light of these things, I continue to exercise the basics of Matthew 6: fasting, praying, and giving.

So, in light of these things, I urge you to do the same.

In Dialog With The Prophet Joel.

Friends, I've been wondering how to blog on the revival services and leadership symposium. Part of my challenge is that our guest preacher, Rev. Dr. Joel Edwards, shared some material that is in his book (that is, it's copyrighted). So I cannot go into detail about each of the sermons and discussions, but will instead try to give a broad overview that pulls together some of the major concepts we reflected on over the past week.

Today, let's just reflect on one thing from last week, which I'll address in the form of questions regarding Bronx Bethany's English-speaking ministry:

-In light of Bronx Bethany being called by God to reach the nations, how does a majority Jamaican church successfully cross cultural and national boundaries?

-In the book of Acts, we see 12 Galileans that successfully preached the Gospel for the saving of souls from many nations. Then, as the first-century church increased, God built a multicultural, multinational staff to move His work forward. Can our all-Jamaican pastoral and administrative staff do the same thing in the 21st century- preach the Gospel, win souls, and embrace the diversity in leadership that God intends to build?

-What about you? Are you ready and willing to be used by God in His strategy of reaching the nations, or would you prefer to sit back and just let the pastors do all the work? Remember, we are each called to a form of service in God's vineyard.

This last point was echoed by Pastor Cole in Sunday's service: FIND YOUR PLACE. On Sunday, less than five minutes before the first service was supposed to start, an usher asked me to pin a corsage on Pastor Sam's lapel. Which I attempted... somewhat nervously, reluctantly, and fully aware that the persons best suited to the task were nowhere to be found. (I hope I didn't ruin his suit with pinholes.) I was out of place. Trying to help but not being much help.

Prior to the corsage crisis, I was outside sweeping leaves off of the front walkway of the church. No one asked me to sweep. I just saw that many leaves were on the walk, some of them were still wet from Saturday's rain, and I knew someone might slip on the wet leaves. And I knew where the broom was. Ah, then I was in my place. Successfully sweeping, with the joy of the Lord: no audience but Him, no accolades from man. What a wonderful experience that was.

Have you taken time to consider what you can do for the Lord? Maybe you can skip church one Sunday and go share the love of Christ by taking your non-Christian friend to breakfast or lunch. Since they don't come to church, you bring the church to them. Be present and influential in their space. Or maybe there is some other thing that, when you do it, you experience the joy of the Lord. You would do it for free. You would do it with no one watching. You wouldn't mind it no one notices. Do you know what that thing is for you?

Lord, show us what things You have made us to do for You and for the establishment of Your kingdom here on earth. And give us courage and grace to do those things.

Pam's Left Hand, Pointing to Ananias and Sapphira.

For those of you who were not in the second service this past Sunday, Pam was a recipient of God's divine healing. This healing occurred while Dan was preaching, and it occurred at the point Dan was explaining the phenomenon of the healing power of God being manifested as a heat or a burning sensation. As he spoke, Pam felt something happening in her left hand. Later in the service, she testified of God's healing and she exhorted Bronx Bethany to be humble before the LORD, so that the LORD would graciously move in the lives of others who are in need of healing.

From January 2006 through December 2008, I was in adult dance ministry with Pam. Frequently Pam and I would meet together to practice outside of rehearsal time, because we both were challenged in maintaining our mental and muscle memory of the choreography. It was during one of these extra practices that Pam, who is left-handed, explained to me about her accident and why she was not able to fully extend her left hand. And I had heard her say, many times, "I have to go home and take my meds".

Last month, for the first time since we've known each other, I stopped by Pam's house one Friday on the way home from Bronx Bethany. I saw what seemed to be a drawer full of pills, and said nothing about it. But I was a little caught off guard, because although I knew she was "on meds" I had not realized that she had so many medications for the pain she experienced.

And, this past Sunday, I saw Pam's left hand... but it was fully open. It was extended. I saw undeniable evidence of the healing power of God. This was not some abstract, Third-World, second-hand recounting. This was my friend and sister in the Lord. The woman I see in church every week. The woman I pray with. My friend was smiling and doing something I knew she could not do: she had every finger of her left hand spread apart. God has healed her.

Now what?

Keep praying and fasting. We have not arrived, Bronx Bethany. Many are skeptical of the supernatural works of God. Many are content in their sin and are refusing to repent. A number of people were absent from church last week and they have no idea that we have experienced the inbreaking of God.

In Acts, particularly chapters 2 through 7, we see the Holy Spirit at work in the early church. And we can expect to see the same work of the Holy Spirit here at Bronx Bethany:

1-The preaching of the whole gospel;
2-The conversion of sinners to the way of Christ;
3-The divine increase of baptisms and church membership;
4-The documented healing of the sick;
5-The dramatic judgement of the wicked;
6-The controversy with spiritual leadership;
7-The persecution of the godly.

We have seen the first four occur at Bronx Bethany. The fifth is next. Please pray.

Warnings From God Through Dan: Hebrews 3:7-13

So, as the Holy Spirit says: "Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion, during the time of testing in the desert, where your fathers tested and tried me and for forty years saw what I did. That is why I was angry with that generation, and I said, 'Their hearts are always going astray, and they have not known My ways.' So I declared on oath in my anger, 'They shall never enter my rest.'" See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness.

Warnings From God Through Dan: Deuteronomy 29:18-21

Make sure there is no man or woman, clan or tribe among you today whose heart turns away from the LORD our God to go and worship the gods of those nations; make sure there is no root among you that produces such bitter poison. When such a person hears the words of this oath, he invokes a blessing on himself and therefore thinks, "I will be safe, even though I persist in going my own way." This will bring disaster on the watered land as well as the dry. The LORD will never be willing to forgive him; His wrath and zeal will burn against that man. All the curses written in this book will fall upon him, and the LORD will blot out his name from under heaven. The LORD will single him out from all the tribes of Israel for disaster, according to all the curses of the covenant written in this Book of the Law.

Warnings from God Through Dan: Luke 13:23-30

Someone asked Jesus, "Lord, are only a few people going to be saved?" He said to them, "Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to. Once the owner of the house gets up and closes the door, you will stand outside knocking and pleading, 'Sir, open the door for us.' But he will answer, 'I don't know you or where you come from.' Then you will say, 'We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.' But he will reply, 'I don't know you or where you come from. Away from me, all you evildoers!' There will be weeping there, and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but you yourselves thrown out. People will come from east and west and north and south, and will take their places at the feast in the kingdom of God. Indeed there are those who are last who will be first, and first who will be last."