A New Creature. . . an Apostolic Pentecostal blog

James 5:16 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. I am convicted sometimes. . . My Pastor, and others encourage us. . . exhort us to pray large prayers. We gather together as a body each Thursday night for family prayer, and I sometimes feel guilty when I spend much of that time in prayer for my family. It struck me last night, while in prayer. . . while praying for my family, that we are to reach people for Christ, and to grow His kingdom. If each one of us reaches, only one other person the size of God’s kingdom is doubled. And while many have dreams of evangelizing, and converting cities to Christ. . . the reality is that for many, our own families are, by the reason of their familiarity, and proximity, and relationship to us the most fertile ground to be found. I want to pray big prayers, but often I have trouble bringing forth much passion, and fervency for a p

As far back as my memory goes into the dim reaches of my youth, I have loved wildlife. One story my mother often related to me, was of her listening in as my best friend, Bob Adams, who lived right across the street and I talked as we played when we were 4 or 5 years old. I said to Bobby, “Isn’t nature wonderful”, Bobby replied, “What’s nature?” I remember my mother had a very pretty flower garden, along our east property line. I remember sitting on our little patio in the early mornings, watching as robins hunted for worms, and insects in my mom’s little garden. We lived not far from a dry gravel pit. It was a hole in the ground 10 or 12 feet deep, covering maybe 20 or more acres or so. I say dry, but there were semi-permanent wet spots in the bottom of it. These low areas, being so close to the water table, would have 6 inches to maybe a foot of water for 50 weeks out of the year. Too shallow and impermanent for fish, but there were tadpoles galore, and because of the abun

Malachi 4:2 But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall. Continuing my study of the ‘fear of God.’ I can feel my former pride rise up at the thought of my ever being described as by this phrase as. . . ‘calves of the stall.’ In my former mind I would absolutely reject being portrayed by such a idea. The indignation of being compared to a kept animal, whether it be a calf or a sheep, was strong within me. It all has to do with being willing to bend your will. . . your desires. . . your pride to another. The necessity of relinquishing your cherished free will, and independence, and submitting to the will of God is the very foundation for being a follower of Christ. . . not my will, but thy will Lord. In my former pride, the parallel concept of having a Lord was just as despised, as being being compared to a calf in a stall. A calf running free on the range, spawns

We are bombarded with messages all day long. Each web page we click on, has a cloud of advertisements bumping into our awareness, like gnats swirling. . flashing. . .dancing. . . parading. . .marching. . .flickering buzzing whispering. . .and on and on and on. . . annoyingly continually touching us. . . brushing up against us. . . bothering us. . .WHY SHOULD I CARE??? Give me a reason to be interested or get away from me. . .get out of my face. . . There has to be a reason for me to care. . .my message. . .our message is lost in the cacophony messages inundating people with. . . JUST TELL ME WHY SHOULD I CARE ABOUT GOD. . .GIVE ME A REASON TO CARE ABOUT SPIRITUAL THINGS. . . It is really very simple. . Every problem of life has a Spiritual answer. God is a Spirit. He has manifested Himself to mankind in various ways, but He is before and after everything else a Spirit. He is omniscient, omnipresent, and omnipotent. . . Therefore Spirit~ual answers are God answers. Marriage

Before beginning last evenings church meeting in the local county jail where I minister as a volunteer chaplain every week, I was sitting at a table chatting with the fellows. One fellow was introduced to me, with the comment that he had been sitting in jail for several weeks for a can of ravioli. This was said with an undertone of an obviously ridiculous example of the foolishness of our judicial system. I do not know the circumstances. I make it my business, to be as studiously ignorant as possible of the crimes, and judicial cases of the men and women to whom I minister. It just doesn’t matter to me in the least. If someone wants to share with me the reason or reasons for their being behind bars, I will listen to them, but as much as possible I try to forget everything I hear, almost as soon as I hear it. I absolutely do realize that there are men and women, especially in the county jail, awaiting trial who are innocent. Many are guilty only of merely being in the wrong pla

Exodus 16:3 And the children of Israel said unto them, Would to God we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the flesh pots, and when we did eat bread to the full; for ye have brought us forth into this wilderness, to kill this whole assembly with hunger. The people were wrong. No one has ever died of hunger. Long term malnutrition and starvation kills, but mere hunger does not. Hunger is uncomfortable, but it is not an indication of impending death. The world tries and is hugely successful in creating hungers within us. We are led, and manipulated by our hungers. Hunger makes us predictable and vulnerable: 2 Kings 7:12 And the king arose in the night, and said unto his servants, I will now shew you what the Syrians have done to us. They know that we be hungry; therefore are they gone out of the camp to hide themselves in the field, saying, When they come out of the city, we shall catch them alive, and get into the city. Your enemy can use yo

Malachi 3:14-17 Ye have said, It is vain to serve God: and what profit is it that we have kept his ordinance, and that we have walked mournfully before the LORD of hosts? (15) And now we call the proud happy; yea, they that work wickedness are set up; yea, they that tempt God are even delivered. (16) Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name. (17) And they shall be mine, saith the LORD of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him. I read with humor, of the impending death of Christianity. One person recently wrote that, each passing day without the return of Christ is another nail in Christianity’s coffin. . .soon the religion of judgement and divisiveness will die out. . .if they only knew. Reading the news each day, is reading Biblical p