What to Do if Your Pastor is Behaving Like An Absolute Ape

What do you do if your pastor is behaving like an absolute APE?

Nothing! Because here's what happens.

If you can set your pastor free to act like an APE (that is, to function in the Apostolic, Prophetic and Evangelistic gifts, Ephesians 4:11), then he or she can be about some amazing work for the Gospel.

Luckily, I serve a church that pretty much sets me free to do this work. But I have to be clear about something... there is already a strong lay leadership at work to handle things that in the typical church the pastor ends up handling. So, the teams at Morehead handle the finance issues, the building and property, the administration, the personnel. It's a pretty sweet deal. I get to spend more time visioning, preparing sermons and going APE than I ever have. I don't think that's the norm, so not only am I thankful, I have to give previous pastors credit for allowing this flourish.

We are growing... and as we “change the scorecard” of what it means to grow, we find that it only takes us deeper on the journey of following Christ.

So these past two weeks I have been going APE... started two small groups and we are seeing some great stuff already: sanctification, victory over besetting sins, decisions of conscience, deeper fellowship leading to conversations about the call to ministry, a new member and a baptism.

And the goal of going APE is to allow others to do so, too, and hopefully to expand the ministry out where someone else says, “you know what? I want to go APE, too!” And we are also hopeful that all those APEs out there inspire someone to step up and be a shepherd and teacher, to round out the five-fold gifts that you see in Ephesians 4.

We have not always been comfortable with hairy APEs, but we are discovering that as more of America is on the margins of church, we need to go out to them. And as we do that, remember that we are at work as one. You've got to let the APEs out of the cage and off the chain. And then be willing to see the shepherds and teachers build up and edify the believers.

We have quite a few teachers in our community, you can see it in the way Sunday School is strong. And how cool is this? I have had 4 people in the last month bring up pretty much the same issue: letting one of our great shepherds train some others to become part of the work of the Body of Christ!

You know what I like most about this? It's not me. I did not set out a credible plan to unleash this or that. The Spirit is doing it. It feels like God sees we are receptive to His mission here, and is unleashing that very things he placed in us to carry it on. I pray that we will continue in faith, undaunted!

After church Sunday, a visitor came up to me. She turned out to be Candace Rogers' aunt, visiting from Tampa. She was really happy to tell me something. She said she was glad she came, and that she had recently just started going to church after many years of not going.




“What got you back?” I asked.




She said, “well a new church was starting in her neighborhood. Most of the people are young, but there are a few older people like me there.”

As we talked some more it was apparent she wanted a really fresh start. She wanted to get in on the ground floor, there is some excitement there, but maybe also a chance to just start over in the same way that everyone that goes there is brand new.


She has been going 5 Sundays now, starting with their very first service.


We often talk about starting new churches to reach new people-- that new churches are the best form of evangelism we have. I was forced to add to that, new churches are a great way to reach people who have left the church for whatever reason. It's hard to come back. Maybe we felt burned, maybe we just drifted out and are too self-conscious to come back...but a new church. Wow, we all get to start the story all over again.


I wonder, though.. could existing churches think about doing such new things even in the context of who they are and what they already do, to have totally new things happen in people who are looking to come to church?

Some work of the Holy Spirit

So, want to know what I have been praying for? An in-filling of the Spirit's love.

This friend of mine who took the body of Jesus off the crucifix from his grandmother's funeral also told me a story about what is bringing him to the verge of professing faith in Christ. He was alone in his apartment one day and he kind of out of nowhere, but thinking about life, he felt like he had been punched in the chest and felt his chest swelling up and he just had a profound sense of love.

I was happy to say I knew what he had experienced, but sad that it has been a while.

The prime gift of the Holy Spirit is love. And when the Holy Spirit shows you that, it's an immense feeling of... love, like you have never known.

The first time I had ever felt that was one cold rainy day in Lexington, maybe in 1999. Howard Willen, my pastor, had taken me to visit a fellow from the church who was in a retirement home. I started visiting him and a few other guys. Well, this particular fellow had told me he did not know if he was saved. He had gone to church all of his adult life, was active, etc. I was able to share with him assurance of salvation, not simply in a mechanical sense, as in a repetition of a prayer or the intellectual assent to some tenet of the faith. Rather, I shared with him what Howard taught me, that the Spirit witnesses with our spirit that we are children of God (Romans 8:16). So while we must believe something specific about Jesus-- that He is Lord, that He died for our sins, that He rose again-- the basic tenets of the faith, we also have a supernatural witness of our acceptance, so we do not doubt or cringe or fear.

So I had just shared that with this fellow, Mr Clay was his name. He was so relieved. You could almost see a change in him. I left the retirement home and stopped to get gas at the Shell station that was brand new in those days, on the corner of Harrodsburg and Virginia Ave. There I was. It was a cold day with a drizzle coming down, the kind where you can hear that faint buzz as the cars cut through the water on the road. And for a moment, it felt like time stopped, like I could see everything in slow motion. That sound of the tires going through the water is something I remember quite a bit from that moment. And in that extended moment, I seemed to see the world the way God does, with great love. I felt I did, indeed, love everyone.

And then as quickly as it had come, it was gone. Wish I could explain more. Wish I knew more. I think it is tied to things like 1 Cor 13, and the appearances in the New testament of the word “telos,” and its cognates, sometimes translated “perfect.” Maybe later I can sermonize a bit there. But for now...

I was praying for that again, and really praying that it would come again and stick around in me!

So in this rain, in the middle of so much pain on the earth, I was praying. Maybe more hoping, not sure what to do or think.

And then, it was. I was sitting in McDonald's-- had a brainstorm, needed some coffee and a space to work. A family came in... a baby and twin girls maybe not quite three. They were, to say the least, rushed off their feet! I was kind of lost in my own world, so I did not pay much attention until they were getting ready to leave-- a long process with such young kids! The father had a crude way of telling the twins to get back to the table, and it put me off. I felt a bit of scorn rise up in me.

And then... directly across from me a sweet old lady sits down, looks just like Jessie's grandmother. She sits down and just smiles at me. And she has this pink ball cap on that says, “Jesus loves me,” and I can tell she knows that for sure. Bam. There it was again, that sense. I was thinking all kinds of things, more like they were thrown into my mind. She knows Jesus loves her. Maybe she was unloved. Maybe she thought she was unlovable. Maybe she just rested in the knowledge of the Savior's love. What does it matter, except that He loves her, and not just her, but everyone?

Can you see how He puts up with this world? Our sense that all the evil mitigates against God, if not disproves His existence or His goodness is a complete failure to love. “It is not His will that anyone should perish, but that all should come to repentance,” Peter says (2 Peter 3:9).

Anyway, there I was. And without thinking, without needing to consider my motives or my change of heart and mind, I went straightaway to share the Gospel with the family and the kids, to talk to them about how lovely the kids are, and how important it is that they know the Lord who has a special place for children.

Misty Mountain Hop

There is a thick shroud of mist over the hills this morning.  It's beautiful, enough to make you never leave Morehead, and if you did, it'd make you long to come back.  Like the Shire for Hobbits, I guess.

But there is also a cold drizzle.  It feels dense, but the raindrops are really small.  Thin,  Like razors.

It was kind of like that yesterday and I confess that I did not notice if there was a mist on the mountains.  It seemed that people were struggling.  That is, if you were already under some stress, the weather wasn't helping.  A loved one is sick.  A loved one has died.  Serious decisions about the future.  Stuff we all deal with had an edge to it because of the weather.

I got a chance to visit and pray with some people.. some I knew, some strangers on the street.

You my wonder, "how do you just walk up to somebody?"  Long and the short of it, practice a discipline that maybe can only be called looking for Zaccheus.  I never had a name for this before.  Neil Cole talks about it in his book Cultivating a Life For God.  And online I saw where someone posted that we see a faceless crowd, Jesus sees Zaccheus.

Be on the lookout.  Don't let people fade into the crowd.  And look, it's not like I am good at this.  I mean, I get frustrated in line at Kroger and won't reach out to people... maybe if we just start looking around.  Or maybe when you see a grandfather with a cute kid?  You know you can talk to him about his boy!

You may wonder, "what do you say if someone is going through a hard time?"  So let's say a conversation has started.  Maybe you didn't look for it, it came to you.  And you find some sadness, some confusion, some weariness.  How to bring the Gospel, the peace of Christ?

I like to go to Scripture, because then at least it doesn't depend on me.  Two that I go to all the time: Matthew 11:28-30, "Come to me all you who are weary and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

And Psalm 62:1, "My soul finds rest in God alone, my salvation comes from Him.  He alone is my rock and my salvation; He is my fortress I will never be shaken."

There are so many more!  And you know some that have brought you great peace.  And remember, God is putting people in your path that you are uniquely qualified to reach!  It just may be that the Scripture that brings you life and peace will do the same for them.

Oh my.  You are becoming evangelists!

Beautiful Story

I spent some time with a new friend.  He told me an amazing story. He did not grow up in a home that loved the Lord.  In fact, it was hostile.  But he always had some kind of attraction to Jesus, to spiritual things.

He told me something that blew me away.  When he was six his grandmother died.  He took the crucifix off of her casket.  That made me stop.  I took the crucifix off my great-grandfather's casket when he died when I was 10. I wonder about how God speaks to children!

He said that he took the body off the cross and put play-doh in the nail holes.  "He had suffered enough," he thought as a child.

Mission Statistic You Need to Know

South of I-64 and East of I-75 in Kentucky, there are 670,000 people who do not know Christ.

Some of us are going into the mountains.

We need people to join us and support us.

Pray. And be ready to act.

Going A.P.E in Menifee County on a Friday Night

Friday was an interesting day. Mostly it was great, a lot of good ministry. And then there was something that came up that was disappointing, discouraging, and if I am honest was very hurtful. But the Lord has a strange way of setting things up that fix the impulse to be angry and bitter. The first one was a comment I came across, “You have to love Jesus more than your mission.”

And then I just started thinking that the Lord really used an already-planned trip to Menifee County to even things out, and actually, to encourage me.

I should have known. I should have taken steps beforehand; my good friend Mac always has that advice. He has to listen to me gripe way too much. And whatever it is, hurt, lonely, angry, tired, resentful, prideful, his advice is always the same: “Who have you told about Jesus today?” or “Go out and share the Gospel with someone,” or “Go tell someone what Jesus has done for you.”

So, it was with great anticipation that I went APE last night.

We have a pretty solid list of contacts for the new church in Menifee County. So we went down the road to catch up with some of them-- folks not in church, but who had a sensitivity to the Gospel. Our DS, Terry Reffett, has been encouraging us that our District is leading the way in church planting because was are going out into the highways and byways! (Luke 14:15-23)

So we headed down some side roads and came to the first house on the list. We had an incredible conversation with a fellow. He was really excited to see Mike (Mike Adams, our church planter in Menifee County). The fellow is well aware of the drug problems facing the county, and he has been thinking about trying to start some AA/NA programs... I went out on a limb... “Do you know AA comes from the old Methodist small groups?” I got to tell him a little bit about our vision of multiplying small groups where we ask the tough questions, pray for each other, and see lives changed. He is all in. He asked us to pray for something real in his life, and he just kept going on and on about how glad he was that we stopped... “Y'all blessed me tonight.”

Off down some more sideways and to a beautiful sunset on Tarr Ridge. We stopped to see a family that was very open to our message and received prayer at the Easter Egg Hunt. I knocked, the door opened, and as I was introducing myself, the husband said, “I know who you are, come on in!” In 18 years of street evangelism and going door-to-door, I have never received such a welcome. Nadia went right in because she saw kids! They played and had such a good time, and the family had real, open, honest conversation with us. They even remembered the questions I asked them about what do they think a church should be like? If they could build it from the ground up, what would they do? Jessie was able to talk to them about children's ministry and children's worship, the very thing almost everyone in Menifee County has asked for. We had heartfelt prayer, and left with joy.

So it was off to the far end of county, in the corner between Montgomery and Bath counties. It was pretty dark, but we really felt that we needed to make this last stop, head slowly down narrow roads and hopefully not meet a combine! We pulled up to a contact my man Scott Wilson made. I had emailed the family a week or so ago.

We came up and waded through loud but friendly dogs. The husband came out and was so happy to finally see our faces! Mike told him that we are planting a new church and would he and his family be willing to help? The man said... “When someone asks you something like that, how can you say no?”

Wow. They have had a hard time finding a church. He was quick to open his great house and property to inviting folks to some fellowship. Man, oh man.

So we went home tired but refreshed. Cracking up that this was how we spent Friday night, but it was glorious! Mike kept saying, “it's like an adventure!”

Yes. We went APE. That is, Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist. Ephesians 4:11-13 lays out the DNA of the church: Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, Pastor, Teacher. The institutional church really only knows how to deal with the last two. That's generally what we think of in terms of our ministers. We recruit, train, and install them. They are absolutely necessary, but they are the final parts of the “equation.” If that is all the church has at work, then it can only manage an already-existing institution. And, it can only decline over the long haul.

The Apostolic function is to push out, to implement the mission of the church. Alan Hirsch defines the Prophetic role this way: “Prophets know God's will. They are particularly attuned to God and his truth for today. They bring correction and challenge the dominant assumptions we inherit from the culture. They insist that the community obey what God has commanded. They question the status quo.” The Evangelist is the one who gathers people together in a community through his hearer's repentance and faith in Jesus. Once the Apostles, Prophets and Evangelists have had success, the Pastors and Teachers strengthen and encourage the believers.

People can function across the range of these gifts. But you have to have them all working in the church. So while often Mike and Jessie and I find ourselves teaching and pastoring, and being surrounded with other leaders who are also pastoring and teaching, we have to find some more APEs!

We went APE last night and had a great time! And had great fruit! We are praying for more APEs who will push the message into the next counties!

Witnessing

One of the Chinese exchange students at MSU has been coming on Wednesday nights.  No doubt, he gets a good meal, practice with English, but last night I also learned that he goes to church every so often in China.  He says he is looking for something.

I had a chance to talk with him and got some help from Betty Cutts in understanding him and his story and how we might best approach sharing Christ with him.  And it was simple enough... God loves you, He knows you, He has a plan for your life.  Jesus died on the Cross to save you from your sins, and to change your heart and give you eternal life.

He had a penetrating Gospel question: do I follow Christ, or what my family wants me to do?

Wow, which of us has had to face that question with real pressure?

Let's pray that Jesus enters his heart and brings His salvation!

Rejoice With Me! Again!

This morning in our devotions, we read in Billy Graham's Hope for Each Day.  And then we turned to our scripture reading, Matthew 20, the parable of the workers in the vineyard. As we talked about what it might mean that God seems unfair, it's really His grace.   As we were discussing grace and how Jesus died for us and our sins, Joseph said, "I think it's time for me to accept Jesus."  I asked him what he understood by that. He said, "I can't believe He did all that He has done with just 12 guys. And I am so thankful that God sent Jesus here to die for my sins so that I can be forgiven." Jesus is still working in lives the way He did with the 12!

 

I am not sure why Joseph is so fascinated with the disciples right now, but I'll take it.

 

He has been asking a lot of questions lately, thinking hard about the sermon, wondering why when we read scripture it always seems to speak to something in our lives.

 

I am very thankful to all the wonderful Christian witnesses who have helped Joseph in making this decision!

Rejoice With Me!

I went to visit a woman today, to pray with her about some medical concerns.  She and her husband told me some wonderful stories of how they have known God is with them, times he has proven His faithfulness.  Their son was visiting, a fellow I have seen off and on when he comes to town.  I have witnessed to him before, but today was the day the Lord moved on his heart and he accepted Christ.  It meant more to his mom to see him come to faith, to now have all her kids in church, than it did to receive a blessing of healing.

Get the water ready, we will baptize Sunday!

Update on Jessie!

I just to Jessie, she is at Kulo and Faith's house in Nagpur.  The team will be heading out to some of the schools for the children of the native missionaries who are planting churches in the village areas of Maharastra. 

Nadia got a chance to talk to Jessie, and it was so sweet!  Nadia was so happy, talking loud and fast and squealing to hear her mommy's voice.  She has been such a good girl through all this... asking about Jessie, but not really being too sad.  I suspect, tho, that today she will really miss her more.  The boys are doing ok, and I think I can say for sure that they won't take her for granted when she gets back... at least for a month or so...

Jessie will get to attend some of the Free Methodist General Conference.  She comes from the Free Methodists, sorry to have snagged her from them, but oh well. She has already made some good contacts with them to support the ministry in India.

The hope is that when she comes back stateside, she will lead more trips to India and strengthen the work of Maharastra Village Ministries!  Keep them in prayer!  She comes back Tuesday.  Talking to her, I can tell she is very happy to have had this chance to be back in India!

Visitation

I have told this story before, but it will be new to many of you.

In my first church, Dunaway United Methodist, in Trapp Kentucky, I was supernaturally led into the most effective ministry practice I know: visitation. Richard Baxter in a great book, The Reformed Pastor says you should visit your whole parish and catechize them. If you have too many to do it reasonably, hire assistant ministers! Wesley was a keen visitor, believing he could get more done in a 1 hour visit than in many sermons.

Visitation is also for the purpose of finding those who do not know Christ and commending Him to their souls.

Here's how it happened. So there I was, rookie pastor, not sure what to do. I fell back on my mentor, Howard Willen, and his constant visitation that he often took me on. But it went a lot further than I expected. First, I got out a map of Clark County that some of the men in the church gave me. I think Larry Baker actually put it into my mitts. I divided up the county, taking a pie shaped piece that started in town and went down to the Red River. I gave El Bethel church everything east of Rabbittown, and I went as far west as the roads would take me. Four Mile Creek stops you somewhere out there.

As I was leaving Winchester one day, headed back to Trapp, right there at the Sylvania plant, the Lord spoke: “Every house to the county line is mine.”

Wow! I was armed with real power and encouragement, so I stopped at the first house outside of town. I don't remember much. I think I came to another house where the family went to the Christian church. Then, I came to a farm house. I knocked on the door and said I was the Methodist pastor and the man said, “I am glad you are here. My wife needs help.”

She was having a psychotic episode, brought on by the anniversary of the death of her son in the army.

What do I know about such things, other than to pray and talk about the love of Jesus?

She got the help she needed, and though she would battle it again, she started coming to church, and so did her daughter and son-in-law when they were in town. Her granddaughter came quite a bit, too.

You just never know what will happen when you stop by someone's house. Very rarely will someone be angry. Many are apathetic. Many will be touched. And some, they really need Jesus, but did not know where to find Him.

Go!

Check out Missiologically Thinking

Here is a link to an article by JD Payne, one of the best thinkers on the intersections of evangelism and mission in America!

http://www.jdpayne.org/2013/09/30/jesus-did-not-say-wait-for-pastors-to-plant-churches/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+jdpayne%2FLazZ+%28Missiologically+Thinking%29