This morning, Jeanne and I began reading the Holy Week story from the Gospel of Luke in The Message for our devotions. We had an interesting discussion over Luke 22:4
"Leaving the others, he conferred with the high priests and the Temple guards about how he might betray Jesus to them."
Our discussion centered around the phrase "Leaving the others..." How often when we separate ourselves from others, we stumble and fall. When we no longer want to be subject to accountability or we lack followership we become vulnerable. Judas left the group. He did what he had to do. He did what he wanted to do. Don't wander off by yourself. Stay connected and avoid a fall.
Monday, March 17, 2008
Friday, March 14, 2008
Time Travels
I have been on the road the past two weeks attending our sectional councils. These meetings are attended by our pastors and their church delegates. The purpose of these councils are business (election of sectional officers) and fellowship (relationship building). So far, I have traveled over 1900 miles across three states (ME, NH, VT) by car. It has been worth every minute and every mile in spite of some poor travel conditions due to bad weather. I have thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to spend time with our pastors. I think Northern New England has many of the best and faithful pastors in the country. They aren't well known names, but they are doing great things for the kingdom of God in the churches that God has planted them in. These men and women are incredibly talented and gifted.
During my free time in my motel room in the evenings, I have been reading the book Come Back Churches by Ed Spetzer and Mike Dodson. They made the statement, "Most American churches today are well suited for ministry in a different era. All churches are culturally relevant; the question is whether they are relevant to a culture that currently exists in their community or to one that disappeared generations ago." (65) This statement got me to thinking about our rich Pentecostal history.
Maine is rich in Pentecostal history. Charles Parham, led the first revival of the 20th century at Bethel Bible School in Topeka, KS. He was one of the founders of the Apostolic Faith Movement. He was among the first to teach that speaking in tongues was the initial evidence of the baptism in the Holy Spirit. The Assemblies of God has its early roots tied to this event in Kansas. However, did you know that Parham had visited Shiloh, Maine and studied under a man by the name of Frank Sandford for several weeks in his Bible school. It was there in 1900 that Parham first witnessed "speaking in tongues." It was from here that Parham went to Topeka, KS and opened a Bethel Bible School and challenged his students to study the book of Acts and determine what was the evidence of the baptism in the Spirit. It was the birth of our present day pentecostal movement.
One of our Aroostook Sectional Council was hosted by Washburn Pentecostal Church in Washburn, Maine. This church was the first pentecostal church organized in the state of Maine. I was excited about being able to visit this church and step back in history. Its history began when a few ladies from Washburn traveled to an Advent camp meeting in Framingham, MA. They came back from those meetings on fire for God and found a railroad engineer named Nelson Magoon, a pentecostal, to begin a church in Washburn. Magoon and his wife rented a small vacant Morman church on main street and held meetings throughout 1915. The church grew rapidly and eventually built a new building (on it present location). When Magoon and others heard about Aimee Semple McPherson's ministry, they invited her to come to Washburn to hold meetings in 1917. A tent was pitched on the ground behind the church (now their parking lot) and hundreds came from Caribou, Presque Isle, Easton and the boader towns of Canada. Before McPherson left for parts south, Magoon laid hands on her and ordained her as an evangelist. Although I was standing in an independent pentecostal church, I recognized I was standing in a moment of history that connected the Northern New England District Assemblies of God (formed in 1954) to a past that very much identified who we are now. It was an awesome moment. Thank God for early pioneers of faith.
We can't live in the past. Museums are nice places to visit and learn but eventually we must walk back outside into the present where culture has evolved over time. Living in my past does not necessarily make me relevant to the present. The message remains, but our methods will change.
During my free time in my motel room in the evenings, I have been reading the book Come Back Churches by Ed Spetzer and Mike Dodson. They made the statement, "Most American churches today are well suited for ministry in a different era. All churches are culturally relevant; the question is whether they are relevant to a culture that currently exists in their community or to one that disappeared generations ago." (65) This statement got me to thinking about our rich Pentecostal history.
Maine is rich in Pentecostal history. Charles Parham, led the first revival of the 20th century at Bethel Bible School in Topeka, KS. He was one of the founders of the Apostolic Faith Movement. He was among the first to teach that speaking in tongues was the initial evidence of the baptism in the Holy Spirit. The Assemblies of God has its early roots tied to this event in Kansas. However, did you know that Parham had visited Shiloh, Maine and studied under a man by the name of Frank Sandford for several weeks in his Bible school. It was there in 1900 that Parham first witnessed "speaking in tongues." It was from here that Parham went to Topeka, KS and opened a Bethel Bible School and challenged his students to study the book of Acts and determine what was the evidence of the baptism in the Spirit. It was the birth of our present day pentecostal movement.
One of our Aroostook Sectional Council was hosted by Washburn Pentecostal Church in Washburn, Maine. This church was the first pentecostal church organized in the state of Maine. I was excited about being able to visit this church and step back in history. Its history began when a few ladies from Washburn traveled to an Advent camp meeting in Framingham, MA. They came back from those meetings on fire for God and found a railroad engineer named Nelson Magoon, a pentecostal, to begin a church in Washburn. Magoon and his wife rented a small vacant Morman church on main street and held meetings throughout 1915. The church grew rapidly and eventually built a new building (on it present location). When Magoon and others heard about Aimee Semple McPherson's ministry, they invited her to come to Washburn to hold meetings in 1917. A tent was pitched on the ground behind the church (now their parking lot) and hundreds came from Caribou, Presque Isle, Easton and the boader towns of Canada. Before McPherson left for parts south, Magoon laid hands on her and ordained her as an evangelist. Although I was standing in an independent pentecostal church, I recognized I was standing in a moment of history that connected the Northern New England District Assemblies of God (formed in 1954) to a past that very much identified who we are now. It was an awesome moment. Thank God for early pioneers of faith.
We can't live in the past. Museums are nice places to visit and learn but eventually we must walk back outside into the present where culture has evolved over time. Living in my past does not necessarily make me relevant to the present. The message remains, but our methods will change.
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