So I’m standing in line with Judy at the salad buffet, tray in hand, ready for lunch. Ahead of us is another couple perusing the cabbage. They look to be 40ish, attractive and well-groomed. Suddenly, the woman takes out her cell phone and appears to read a text message. We stand waiting. She puts down her plate and begins to type on her phone. We stand waiting. The line beyond her proceeds toward the cashier. She types… We stand waiting. I’m irritated, planning ways to get to the chopped greens that she has blocked. She types… We stand waiting. Her husband glances nervously back at us, then at her. She is oblivious. I want to say something, to move up and demand access to the carrots. She types… We stand waiting. I think, “I’ll clear my throat, or sigh real loud to express my pique.” By the grace of God, her husband finally reaches in front of her to push her tray forward and begin filling his own plate. She slowly, deliberately closes her phone, puts it in her purse and resumes the leisurely construction of her lunch. I am relieved.

As much as I would love to rail against abusive cell phone behavior, that was really not my takeaway from this encounter. I came away filled with gratitude that the Holy Spirit in me constrained me. My self-centered anger was immediately countered by the sense of God’s disapproval. I did not offend anyone or allow it to ruin my lunch. Though the thought of verbal, and even physical, assault passed through my mind, I never acted on it. I knew that this would be wrong. Thank you, Jesus. Here is my question: In a world where Christ is marginalized and belief in God is disparaged, how many of the folks around us do not have that sense of inner restraint? I think of a news story about teenage girls beating a rival in the school restroom. A kid who has been taunted and teased takes a gun to school and uses it. Someone in traffic is armed and unrestrained. Somewhere in the Middle East a young man walks into a café and blows himself up. In Phoenix a father kills his daughter for having an American beau. The only difference between me and them is that little voice of restraint, the constraining of love, which stops me from following my vilest and most violent impulses. Life is full of inconveniences and injustices which seem to deserve or even demand some sort of vengeance or aggression. A society without Christ is eventually a society without restraint. It is inevitable.

Scripture Reading: Either way, Christ’s love controls us. Since we believe that Christ died for all, we also believe that we have all died to our old life. He died for everyone so that those who receive His new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them. 2 Corinthians 5:14-15 NLT

Somebody Said: Nonviolence means avoiding not only external physical violence but also internal violence of spirit. You not only refuse to shoot a man, but you refuse to hate him. Martin Luther King, Jr.

When I lament the demise of our culture, it occurs to me that the problem is not simply a list of behaviors, or a general coarsening of via the media. It is more than that. I listen to the pundits, even the so-called conservatives, debating whether we have a political problem, an economic problem, or a moral problem. What we have is a spiritual problem and the larger culture doesn’t want to address it. the truth is that without Christ, any culture is in decline, sliding back toward the law of the jungle. It is not so much that we have lost our way, but that we have decided to ignore The Way.

vls www.fcftucson.org

We just finished a season of collecting testimonies from the people in our church, both written and recorded. Last Sunday, the service was comprised of 4 testimonies. It was great! (If you missed it, you can watch it on line.) We had stories of recovery from addiction and sexual abuse and incarceration. God has been good! But it occurred to me that two testimonies were particularly poignant. One was from a gentleman in his seventies who had been married for 52 years, total but not continuous. Thirty years along, had divorced his wife, then got saved and was remarried to her. Describing his character before his salvation he said, “The main thing was that I was very self-centered. I thought the whole universe revolved around me.” It was self-centeredness that caused the breakdown in his life. No drink, no drugs, just selfishness. The second great story was submitted on paper from a pre-teen boy. He said, “As long as I can remember, I have been a Christian. God has been so good to me.” He went on to relate how God had answered his prayer for a dog when he was four years old. Now that is a great testimony!

Sometimes we get captivated by the wild tales that preceded conversion for many of us – the gorier the better. Truth is, we were all sinners before we were saved. In fact, that cancer of self-centeredness is the root of most of the world’s ills. It certainly rots the foundations of many marriages. It is at the core of what sin is. Every human being needs to be forgiven and delivered from it. It is the antithesis of love, and God is love. Maybe the greatest testimony a person can have is the one the young man gave: he never remembers a time when he didn’t know God. Wow! Indeed, that is God’s desire for all of us. He designed the family that way, but selfishness and self-centeredness have done their corrosive work well. Most grow up without godly parents, or with “nice” parents who are too busy being the center of the universe to take care of their responsibility to bring up their kids in the knowledge of God. No, sin is not glamorous, and one sin is not worse than another. We all need the grace of God, and the earlier the better.

Scripture Reading: Not a single person on earth is always good and never sins. Ecclesiastes 7:20 NLT

Somebody Said: I got disappointed in human nature as well and gave it up because I found it too much like my own. J. P. Donleavy

It argues for the reality of God that He can take a selfish man and make him a servant. He can keep a life as well as restore one. The better I know the Unseen One, the less attractive are the things I can see in the world. He fashions the inside of a person and that is not only inexplicable, but impossible apart from the divine.

vls

Check out our website at www.fcftucson.org

Transcripts of our services are available. If you want to receive them, email me with the word  “Transcript.”

I have been preaching lately on the power of sharing our personal testimonies concerning what God has done in our lives. My goal is to get people to freely share their stories of salvation, healing, financial blessing, and other works of the Lord with those who are the natural contacts in their lives. I believe that is a bible way to spread the love of God to others. Whenever we encourage folks to share their faith, we run the risk of arousing feelings of guilt or inadequacy. Most people know they should share their faith, but they are very reticent to do so. I can certainly sympathize. One reason people balk at talking about the Lord is what I am calling “agrophobia.” That is a neologism from the Greek meaning “fear of the field.” Jesus said the fields are ready for harvest, but many of us are scared of the field.

If you are like most of us, you suffer from some degree of agrophobia. This usually springs from one or more of three lies that the devil has sold us:

ü Lie #1. “Nobody wants to hear.”

ü Lie #2: “If I get rejected it will devastate me.”

ü Lie #3: “They will ask me a question and I won’t know the answer

The truth is that many people do want to hear the real truth of the Gospel (As differentiated from religious conjecturing). It is called Good News because it is good news. God said it, now we should believe it! Second, if someone doesn’t want to hear about Jesus they are rejecting Him, not me (Luke 10:16). My delicate feelings pale in importance compared to the eternal torment that awaits the unbeliever. Third, the only question that matters is, “What will you do with Jesus?” All the other diversions are interesting, but don’t matter much. I have a personal relationship with The Answer to that important question. I need not be diverted to anything else. “ Gee, Billy Bob, I don’t know what happened to the dinosaurs, but what do you think about Jesus? Here’s what He did for me.”

Scripture Reading: “But I know this: I was blind, and now I can see!” Jn 9:25

Somebody Said: We talk of the Second Coming; half the world has never heard of the first. — Oswald J. Smith

To help folks past their agrophobia, I have begun filming and posting brief testimonies from regular people. All that is necessary to share the Gospel is to hit the “share” button. Here’s our fisrt minivid: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHYpkfHzWqo&feature=feedu.   Visit http://www.youtube.com/user/FCFTucson for more video helps.

vls
www.fcftucson.org

Check out our book on recovery, “God Help me, I Can’t Stop!” on Amazon.com

We just completed three wonderful days of meetings in our church. The Spirit of God moved in a powerful way. Folks were saved, healed, and delivered. It truly was a time of refreshing. God revealed Himself as Jehovah-Shalom, the God who is our Peace. Mental torments and anxieties were lifted. He reintroduced Himself as the God of all grace, freeing those trapped by worksy religion. He revealed Himself as our good and gracious Heavenly Father, bringing us a fresh sense of what it means to be a child of God and not just His servant. Physical healing flowed in every service by the anointing and by the gifts of the Spirit. I am always grateful when God manifests Himself in such a tangible way. I never want to take these times for granted. From Friday until the late hours of Sunday evening, God was there.

And then it was Monday. Monday is always problematic. There is no worship music playing save the melody I make in my heart.. The warmth and conviviality of the gathering of the saints is exchanged for an alarm clock and the imminence of the work week. The Holy Spirit on the mighty man of God is now revealed as the Holy Spirit in my own heart. The Word of the Lord comes from the page instead of the pulpit. Now I find out if I can keep what I received. Jesus said in Mark 4:15 that Satan comes immediately to steal the Word that is sown in our hearts. I believe this is a great spiritual truth that we often overlook. Every new insight, every new commission, every fresh touch will be tested and tried. There are many things we can do to resist the enemy when he challenges what we have received from God. We can rebuke him in the Name of Jesus, we can quote the Word on the subject, or we can pray in the Holy Ghost. But one of the most powerful things we can do is testify. Tell someone what God has done for you. It reinforces your faith, slaps the devil up the side of the head, and encourages the ones you tell that God is real. That is a powerful trifecta.

Scripture Reading: Come and hear, all you who fear God, And I will declare what He has done for my soul. Psalms 66:16

Somebody Said: Where one man reads the Bible, a hundred read you and me. Dwight L. Moody

Make a better Monday this week. Tell somebody what Jesus has done for you. It will help you. It will glorify God. It will bless the hearer. Where’s the downside?

vls
www.fcftucson.org

Check out our books on Pastor Virgil’s Store

I had a remarkable experience during my morning devotions last week. This year I decided to read through the bible again. It had been a while, and I wanted to read it in a new translation. I picked a chronological plan and forged ahead. For 7 months I have read begats and prophets and Israeli history. Then, last week, I opened my reading guide, and lo and behold the day’s reading was in Matthew chapter 1. I had finally arrived at the New Testament. As I devoured that first chapter, I had the most remarkable feeling. I had enjoyed the Old Testament. Much of it was interesting and inspiring and informational, but when I started reading about Jesus – His birth, His life, His sacrifice – it was like being born again, again. There was a sense of relief, almost as if I were breathing fresh mountain air after trudging through the desert. I know I will finish the New Testament in record time. It is just too good to put down!

I guess I said all that to say this: I am so grateful for Jesus. The only difference in the Old and the New is One remarkable Person. I am grateful for a real High Priest. I am grateful that I can come boldly to the real Holy of Holies in the real Heavenly sanctuary. I thank God for a robe of righteousness and a tabernacle that Is inside my own belly so that the cloud will never leave me nor forsake me. I thank God for the blood of Christ that cleanses my conscience and for a Passover Lamb who died once for all. I know some folks revel in the pomp and circumstance of the Old Testament and the liturgy of the historical churches, but I just can’t help but rejoice that Jesus Christ has taken me through the rip in the veil and escorted me into the presence of our Father. I am perfectly welcome there all the time, no ritual required. Whew! Now that’s a breath of fresh air.

Scripture Reading: From His abundance we have all received one gracious blessing after another. For the law was given through Moses, but God’s unfailing love and faithfulness came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God. But the unique One, who is Himself God, is near to the Father’s heart. He has revealed God to us. (John 1:16-18 NLT)

Somebody Said: It will make a weak man mighty. it will make a mighty man fall. It will fill your heart and hands or leave you with nothing at all. It’s the eyes for the blind and legs
for the lame. It is the love for hate and pride for shame. That’s the power of the gospel. Ben Harper

Sometimes we get bogged down in questions about jots and tittles and miss the sentence. Jesus is the point, the perpetrator, and the Person of the bible account. Without Him it’s just a really boring book. And He’s my friend!

vls
www.fcftucson.org

Check out our book on recovery, “God Help me, I Can’t Stop!” on Amazon.com

When a professional golfer wants to work on his game he hires a swing coach. This guy’s function is to break down every minute detail of the way the player swings his club from the moment he steps up to the ball until it is flying down the fairway. He finds and corrects the tiniest flaws that effect direction and distance in the drive. Even though the Point of the game is to get the ball in the hole, the coach is not an expert on the hole, but an expert on the swing. He studies and corrects the Process. Even though I am acutely aware of the vision – put the ball in the hole – when I play golf I am horribly unsuccessful because of the flaws in my swing. Process is important. On the other hand, I may have the most wonderful swing in the world, sending the ball flying over the length of three football fields. But if I don’t know the purpose – get the ball in the hole – I am only a champion on the driving range. In order to succeed we need Process and Purpose.

A while back I was in a church just watching the flow and cogitating. Just before the service started, a lady came through the door alone. She was nicely dressed and had a pleasant demeanor. As she entered, a very cheerful greeter handed her a bulletin, nodding politely. She took a few steps into the sanctuary glancing about as if she were looking for someone. It was apparent she was unfamiliar with her surroundings. An usher smiled and waved expansively toward a section with several empty seats. After looking around the room one last time, she took a seat at the end of the row furthest from the pulpit. She sat through the service alone. After the last “Amen,” she stood slowly, looked around one last time, and quietly left. Every person along her path did their job. The Parking Lot parked, the Greeter greeted, the Usher ushed, the Preacher preached. The Process was good. The Point was missed. The Good Shepherd sent a sheep to the sheepfold. She got a bulletin and a smile. She got the information the church thought was important. We don’t know what information she actually needed. She got a seat, but she never found her seat. Who was she looking for? What are her preferences and needs for visual access, auditory considerations, or whatever. Process is a wonderful thing. She heard what the preacher had to say, but did we ever discover why God sent her to us that day? Process without the Point is an exercise in robotics, not the loving hand of God extended.

Scripture Reading: So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing.

(1 Corinthians 9:26 NLT)

Somebody Said: Efforts and courage are not enough without purpose and direction.
John F. Kennedy

What we do, we only do well when we do it with the purpose in mind. It allows us to make intelligent variation in the process to achieve the desired end. In church, our purpose is to love God, love people, and facilitate the connection of the two.

vls
www.fcftucson.org

We spent this week at FCF Family Church Conference.  What a blessing. One of the speakers, Dr. James Garlow, had just come from doing a live interview on CNN regarding the subject of same-sex marriage.  His interviewer was Eliot Spitzer, former New York governor.  It was quite a confrontation of world views.  The subject of the legal status 00of homosexual roommates aside, I thought Dr. Garlow’s comments on the experience were very instructive:

1. We must strive to engage the culture we live in without becoming part of it.  That means trying to understand the almost completely unbiblical mind of the world around us while maintaining a transcendent life as citizens of another world ourselves.  It is the essence of “in the world but not of the world” and”all things to all men that I might by all means save some.” It is difficult to win someone whom you disdain.
2. The people in the media and academia don’t hate us as much as it may seem that they do.  They simply do not understand us.  They assume we hate them because their minimal exposure to Bible Christianity has given them that impression.  We are here to demonstrate the love of God to them and to inform them on who we are because of who He is.  That means we have to talk to them without speaking in Christian code, but in terms they grasp.
3. The culture and its human representatives are not our enemy.  The enemy is the enemy.  People are both the tools of the enemy and the prize in our battle with him.  Love the people, stick the Sword in the enemy, and recognize the purpose for which we have been left here on earth. 

Scripture Reading: I gave them your word; The godless world hated them because of it, Because they didn’t join the world’s ways, Just as I didn’t join the world’s ways. I’m not asking
that you take them out of the world But that you guard them from the Evil One. They are no more defined by the world Than I am defined by the world. Make them holy–consecrated–with the truth; Your word is consecrating truth. In the same way that you gave me a mission in the world, I give them a mission in the world.   John 17:14-18 MSG

Somebody Said: “As long as I see any thing to be done for God, life is worth having; but O how vain and unworthy it is to live for any lower end!”    David Brainerd

As Christianity flourishes and grows around the world, we in the United States find ourselves in an almost entirely pagan environment.  Whose fault is that?

vls
www.fcftucson.org

Every now and then I try to get away for a day or two just to pray and wait on God. On my most recent excursion I was fasting and praying. I spent hours in the Word. It was great to just hang out with the Lord. As is my habit, I made notes to myself as things occurred to me. One of my notes said this: “The hardest thing for me is trying not to call Judy when I am supposed to be taking time away.” I realized that every time I had a thought, or the Lord spoke to me about something, my first impulse was to call my wife and tell her. We are on the north side of 30 years of marriage. During those years, we have worked together most of the time. It is unusual to go more than an hour or two without talking. Talking to Judy is a habit. When we have a fight, I have to get it right. I hate being in the same house but on different planets, still married but not intimate. It’s just lonesome

When I wrote that little note to myself, I realized I had caught a glimpse of something really important. We always tell folks that Christianity is not a religion, it’s a relationship; a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ. As with many things in life, it is often easier to regurgitate the platitude than it is to explain it or to live it. The wonder of my experience with the Lord is that He is personal to me. I can talk to Him. My first impulse in any situation is to say something to the Lord about it. I am used to His Presence. He is always there, and I know it. I expect Him to speak to me when I’m befuddled, to gently nudge me in the right direction when I get off track, and to hold me up when I am staggered. When I do something dumb that I know is offensive to Him, I can’t wait to ask Him to forgive me. I detest the sense that He is grieved with me. It is not enough to be in His house, I want to be close enough to whisper and know He hears me. It is a life of constant contact, real intimacy.

Scripture Reading: And we know that the Son of God has come, and He has given us understanding so that we can know the true God. And now we live in fellowship with the true God because we live in fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ. He is the only true God, and He is eternal life. Dear children, keep away from anything that might take God’s place in your hearts. (1 John 5:20-21 NLT)

Somebody Said: “If, in this life, we might enjoy the peace of paradise, we must accustom ourselves to a familiar, humble, and affectionate conversation with God.” … Brother Lawrence

Talking to the Lord is a habit to be cultivated. Practicing the awareness of His Presence is the difference between a Sunday nod to God and a vital walk with a Savior-Friend. God is with you, get used to Him.

vls
www.fcftucson.org

Friday, April 1, 2011

Building People of Substance for Works of Power

Praying friendship for you, me and tobie.

April 1st was a Monday in 1991. I remember because 20 years ago today my good friend, Larry Dunning died in a car crash a few miles from our home in upstate New York. Larry was very important to Judy and I. He performed our wedding. He invited me to preach in an actual church service. He gave me my first real live job in the ministry. I guess most importantly he made an impartation into my life that has never gone away. You see, I was a sinner before I was saved. Not just as a hobby, but as a fulltime occupation. Even after I went to bible school, I didn’t have much “polish” when it came to church stuff. I had never even been a church member, much less a Pastor. In spite of my ecclesiastical ignorance, Larry gave me his pulpit. He asked my opinion on stuff about which I had no clue, then nodded as if my replies made sense. He gave me the gift of believing in me.

When I picture Larry, I see him on the platform at that old church in Oklahoma City. He has both hands in the air so high his shirttail is pulling out of his waistband. He has his eyes turned toward heaven. He is just shouting “Glory!” He never worshipped just a little bit. He always gave it everything he had. He was acutely aware that Jesus gave it all for him. Larry was a decent preacher, and a good friend. But he was a great worshipper. In particular, I remember one chorus he liked to use to close the service:

I WILL ARISE AND GO FORTH, IN THE NAME OF THE LORD OF HOSTS
FOR HE HAS CONQUERED EVERY FOE BY HIS NAME, BY HIS NAME
I WILL DECLARE HE IS THE LORD I WILL TRUST AND NOT BE AFRAID
I WILL ARISE AND GO FORTH BY HIS NAME

Scripture Reading: For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. Romans 1:16

Somebody Said: God puts people in your life to assist in bringing His future for you to pass. It is said, “When God wants to birth a future, He births a relationship. When the devil wants to destroy a future, he births a relationship too.” Question, “Who is speaking into your life?” The answer is, whoever you have authorized to speak into your life. Recognize the godly leaders that have been placed in your life and follow their example. Lonnie Hilton

I thank the Lord for sending someone who believed in me and who showed me how not to be ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. May you be blessed with such a friend.

vls
www.fcftucson.org

A few weeks ago I was agonized as I watched my dear wife struggling to lift a 3 gallon jug of water in our kitchen.  For years we have had a water dispenser which I kept supplied.  I normally went to the water store and filled several 5 gallon jugs and hauled them home. Now, thanks to a back injury, I couldn’t do my job.  It was left to Judy to carry the weight.  I could only watch as she struggled, and pray she didn’t hurt herself. That was only one incident among many in a very difficult period for me.  At church the staff all ran ahead to open doors.  An 11-year-old boy met me at the car to carry my guitar.  My wife did all the driving since I couldn’t feel my foot.  I found it very difficult to allow others to serve me in these ways, but because of their willingness to help, the ministry continued and I recovered at an astonishing pace. It was a learning experience in many ways.

God has designed the Church in such a way that we all need each other in order to accomplish His ends. You can’t do it alone. Every person in the church has a purpose in being planted there.  Some don’t seem important until they are not there.  You don’t miss your water ‘til the well runs dry.  The truth is, every part of the body is important.  As a Pastor, I take my calling very seriously.  I prepare and pray and organize my life so as to be of maximum effectiveness.  But my calling is not any more important than the sound tech, or the usher, or the kid’s club leader, or the building cleaner.  I may be more visible, but I am not more important.  When any part of the body is out of place or broken down, another must take up the slack.  Unfortunately, just like Judy trying to lift the water jug, it is a real strain to do someone else’s job. The job gets done, but usually less well, and the weight of it may cause other problems. Your calling is as important as any other.  Please take it seriously.

Scripture Reading: In this way we are like the various parts of a human body. Each part gets its meaning from the body as a whole, not the other way around. The body we’re talking about is Christ’s body of chosen people. Each of us finds our meaning and function as a part of his body. But as a chopped-off finger or cut-off toe we wouldn’t amount to much, would we? So since we find ourselves fashioned into all these excellently formed and marvelously functioning parts in Christ’s body, let’s just go ahead and be what we were made to be, without enviously or pridefully comparing ourselves with each other, or trying to be something we aren’t. If you preach, just preach God’s Message, nothing else; Romans 12:4-6a MSG

Somebody Said: Individual commitment to a group effort – that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work.     Vince Lombardi

I believe it is God’s design that we should need each other.  It prevents pride.  It makes every life valuable.  It insures that the glory goes to the One who gives the grace.  I thank God that I need you.

vls